News from Your Community Healthcare District:

                                                   General News

8-04-05:  Skilled Nursing Facility Inspection

The Department of Health Services surprised everyone by appearing on Monday morning to conduct their annual inspection of the SNF. The survey is very thorough including interviews with the residents and their families about their treatment and care, checking medical records to see that all the care is documented correctly; interviewing staff to be sure they know and do the care in the accepted manner and generally looking into anything they find. On Tuesday  and Wednesday the inspector started at 6 a.m. to see how the “night shift” operated.

In addition to the Licensing and Certification inspector, the State sent a Life Safety inspector to assure that all the regulations related to fire safety were being satisfied. The inspector checked each fire extinguisher, the fire doors, and exit signs. There were some small items that need to be done (i.e. replacing a burned out light bulb and moving the dietary cart to a different location so it won’t block a fire door, and adjusting some door closures) but nothing major. The SNF continues to be compliant with all the Medicare requirements and Title XXII standards. The inspectors were very complimentary and impressed with the quality of care they observed. Congratulations to the nursing staff and the administration for getting a great report card.

SHCHD and Redwoods Rural Health Center practitioners meet again

In a continuing effort to improve coordination of services and to discuss common concerns, the medical staff and administrators met on July 21. Almost all of the providers from each facility attended and met with Chris Richmond, owner of Pharmacy Express. They had the opportunity to get to know him and his vision of working together as a team. Pharmacy Express is a family owned business that started in Mt. Shasta and has grown to operate in 13 Rays Food Place markets in northern California and southern Oregon. He talked about the problems encountered with new equipment, a pharmacist new to the area and residents, and the learning curve of starting in a new location. He listened carefully to the concerns raised by the medical staff and discussed ways to address the needs. They have extended the weekday hours and started an automated telephone prescription refill response to help speed up service. They are planning to add an automated prescription refill system that is more efficient and error free than manual pill counting and will begin to carry more orthopedic supplies (like Greens used to) for residents. They are seeking another pharmacist and hope to be open on Saturdays when one is hired.

The meeting also included discussion of the Telemedicine grant that RRHC has received and the joint training that will be coming soon for the practitioners. The next meeting will include a presentation by Public Health’s Ann Lindsay.

Community Clinic becomes Blue Shield Preferred Provider

There is good news for all residents with Blue Shield insurance coverage. The Clinic has finally been granted Preferred Provider status which will lower charges for medical services for those patients with that insurance. Blue Shield pays a larger portion of the clinic charges if residents choose a Preferred Provider. The Hospital has been a Blue Shield provider but the Clinic has been trying to get Blue Shield PPO status for years. Blue Shield refused in the past because they were already contracted with as many clinics as they were allowed. The SHCHD administration petitioned for special consideration because of the distance to other medical clinics and was finally successful. Thank you for having patience while the PPO status was procured.

We are here to serve you

The Community Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (and all day long on Wednesdays) for appointments. Walk-in patients are welcome. Please call 923-3925 for an appointment.

Redwood Times by Patti Rose