Adventist Health Ukiah Valley

, ; , ; Last week we discussed how the FDA is considering approving booster shots for both Moderna and J&J COVID vaccines. Booster shots for Pfizer were approved last month. It seems that this is most important for those who got the J&J one time shot, as immunity seems to be waning the fasted with J&J of the three. Howeve...Continue reading

BRCA gene mutations are among the most common hereditary factors that affect your breast cancer risk. Here’s what to know about gene mutations, genetic testing and treatment options bit.ly/3tKW21R #BCAM

Yesterday, our teams wore pink to raise awareness for breast cancer and show our support in our community. Did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? Breast cancer is still the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Mammograms and early detection save lives. Talk to the women in your life; mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and remind them to get their annual mammogram. It’s quick, easy and a simple step that can detect cancer in its earliest most treatable stage. Join us in reminding the amazing women in our community to take the time to get their mammograms. Thank you to our awesome team for helping us raise awareness for this important cause! #BCAM #TogetherInspired #breastcancerawareness

Flu season is just around the corner, and it’s more important than ever to stay protected. Eating healthy, exercising, getting plenty of fresh air and sunshine and avoiding germs through handwashing are a great start. An extra step you can take to arm yourself against flu is getting your annual flu shot. #FluShot

Tune in to KZYX tomorrow morning (Oct. 19) at 9 a.m. to meet triple board-certified cardiovascular surgeon, Ehrin Armstrong, MD. He is an expert in endovascular treatment of claudication and critical limb ischemia, carotid artery stenting, endovascular aortic repair, complex techniques for limb preservation. Dr. Armstrong and Dr. Trotter will be discussing all things vascular on Mind Body Health, https://www.kzyx.org/programs/mind-body-health#stream/0

At the end of September, we celebrated another amazing Ukiah Hero. Sarah Valadez-Moreno, was nominated for nearly all of our values including, Be Love, Be a Force For Good, Be a Mission Owner, Be Welcoming, Be Curious and Be Brilliant. She recognizes how she can make an impact for her team each day, providing compassionate care above and beyond to demonstrate our values. Sarah was nominated not just a few times, but a total of eight times by her teammates that wo...rk closely with her for the incredible work she does. One team member who raved about the many astonishing traits she has wrote, Sarah goes above and beyond every single day to make sure her patients and coworkers are taken care of. She is attentive, compassionate, and full of so much love. She never hesitates to help wherever the need is, whether that is her home office, other offices, the hospital or at a COVID-19 clinic. She truly is one of a kind. I am extremely thankful for her. AHUV is blessed to have her as part of their employee family. Another team member said, Sarah has a big heart and goes above and beyond for everyone including patients. She is loved by so many everywhere including the ER. Sarah would always volunteer to help screening at the ER, even if it was the weekend. She will always be there! Parents love her at Pediatrics for the way she is caring, kind, gentle and makes the parents and patient feel comfortable and secure. Overall, Sarah has a big heart, and we all love her! It's safe to say Sarah is one of our phenomenal team members who greatly deserves this prestigious award as our Ukiah Hero for September. We are so thankful to have Sarah as a part of our wonderful Adventist Health family. Thank you, Sarah, for being the hero we come to work with each day and another kind heart our patients can rely on! #TogetherInspired #Healthcarehero

This coming Saturday, October 23 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Organized by the @DEAHQ, this bi-annual event collects expired and leftover medications for safe disposal at local law enforcement agencies. For more information on how important safe disposal of these medications are and where you can go to dispose of them see our story below!

We are grateful to have Dr. Persky on our team, partnering with each of her patients to find the best surgical option for their treatment plan and desired outcomes. Today there are so many options for women undergoing surgery for breast cancer, and it is because of surgeons’ like Dr. Persky that woman can recover feeling confident in their outcomes.

It’s International Infection Prevention Week and this year’s theme is #MakeYourIntentionInfectionPrevention. Organized by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (#APIC), #IIPW raises awareness about how infection prevention improves patient safety in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics and behavioral health facilities. It also recognizes the life-saving work of Infection Preventionists (IPs), who protect healthcare workers and patients from healthcare-associated infections. Do you know the value of #infectionprevention? Learn more by watching this short video below. A big thank you goes out to our team for all their hard work in infection prevention throughout the year! https://www.youtube.com/watch

Happy National Pharmacy Week (October 1723, 2021) to our amazing Pharmacy team!!! These important healthcare professionals continue to play an essential role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are they constantly adapting to new guidelines and processes, but they’re also doing an outstanding job of coordinating life-saving medications for our patients. Two years into the pandemic, they’ve also perfected processes to make sure we have enough COVID-19 vaccines for our pat...ients, community members and staff. We thank our Pharmacy team for working hard to ensure medications and vaccines are safe, and that our patients are achieving the best health outcomes.

Maureen and Matthew Jennison welcome baby girl Magnolia. Maureen found the perfect care team for her and her family with Dr. Parungao and Dr. Gilmore at the Family Medicine Residency Clinic in Ukiah. Her pregnancy was healthy, and her team supported her decisions and always included her husband Matthew in conversations around care. When Maureen started to experience labor pains, she was admitted to the Family Birth Center. She was able to have her husband Matthew and her sup...port superhero Carolyn by her side for the entire two days of labor. I am so thankful that they were both there for me, and that Carolyn was also there to support Matthew as well, continued Maureen. Carolyn works for Care for Her and had been my provider for many years before I became pregnant. Even though she was not part of my maternity care team with Adventist Health, they all worked together amazingly on the day of my daughter Magnolia’s birth. I could not image doing it without her and the amazing team of nurses and staff at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley. After a long labor with minimal progression, Dr. Gilmore, Dr. Parungao, Matthew and Maureen all decided that it was time for a c-section to ensure the safe delivery of little Magnolia whose arm had become tangled with her umbilical cord. We really had the best experience, said Maureen. From our doctors, to our nurses, techs and my anesthesiologist, everyone was so supportive. It was the little details that made all the difference. Our OB nurse Kimberly Gordon and OB tech Cheyenne Daugherty brought me a handmade bracelet with Magnolia’s name and tied the cutest hat bows; Kimberly also worked with me to get Magnolia breastfeeding; OB nurse Janelle Cater helped with everything the next day, and OB nurse Sally Vendoloski supported me through labor and was an amazing voice of knowledge to this first-time mother. Our anesthesiologist, Josette Salas had jammin’ epidural skills. We had a team of incredible women supporting us from the moment we arrived. Today, Maureen and Magnolia are happily at home, taking in the first few months as mother and daughter. Every doctor’s appointment now feels like a family reunion coming back into the halls of the Family Medicine Clinic: everyone is so excited to see and say hi to miss Magnolia including the staff and the docs, and even the receptionists, too! https://www.adventisthealth.org//a-supportive-team-and-fi/

: , Not many people would consider jumping off a perfectly good boat into the water of the San Francisco Bay but, that is exactly what Lindy Regan, AHMC ED RN has been training for since 2019. On September 25th, Lindy joined 579 swimmers for the Annual Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim. Finishing 3rd in her age group (45-49), she recounts that the greatest challenges were the swell...s and the big, burly guys who seemed to be throwing their arms and legs in all directions. I trained in Big River so I didn’t have experience with the swells. I was also surprised about how much warmer the bay is than the river. Lindy has grown accustomed to the cold water, even calling it therapeutic. She loves open water swimming; no chlorine, no flip turning and getting out in nature. As we are swimming, seals follow us and their heads pop up from time to time. I also love seeing the Herons on the riverbank. Sometimes it was hard to make time for her practice swims with overtime and extra shifts but, Lindy says it has been key to her well-being over the last two years. Having a training mindset was such a great motivator for me to stay active and get outdoors. It was something I was doing just for me and I have never slept better. Lindy gives thanks to her biggest cheerleader, Anita West who supported her with signs, decorations and encouragement. I am so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and connected to an activity that I now love so much. I have made great friends and feel that I have a purpose to keep healthy and strong. Lindy didn’t have any formal swim training but has always had a desire to swim. Anytime I drive across a body of water I want to get out and swim across it. She looks forward to swimming from Alcatraz again next year and hopes that her family can be on a boat as well, cheering her on and celebrating with her at the finish. She wants to let everyone know that it is never too late to find your passion. I didn’t have confidence in my 30’s to do something like this. A nurse for 3 years now, Lindy has been with AHMC for 6 years working in registration, with the ambulance and now in the ED. I’m living a great later half! We're always so proud of our team members for going on a wellness journey and getting active in our communities!