County Announces $7.5 Million Grant for School Mental Health Services

by Thadeus Greenson on June 7, 2018 at 12:44PM

The other $1.7 million in grant funds will go toward hiring additional staff for the county’s Mobile Response Team, which serves adults, and to provide additional mental health serves to young people up to 21 years old throughout the county. See the full press release from the county copied below:

Nationwide Morphine Shortage Impacting Local Hospitals

by Linda Stansberry on May 26, 2018 at 8:18AM

“Hurricanes and flooding, other natural disasters have wiped out major pharmaceutical manufacturers,” Lerma said, referring to September’s Hurricane Maria, which according to an article in The Guardian, wiped out a large IV fluid manufacturer in Puerto Rico. As a result, Lerma said his team has had to become more “nimble” in how they respond to patient need.

State Steps in Amid Surge in HIV Cases

by Kimberly Wear on May 25, 2018 at 10:41AM

Local health officials first brought the spike in new locally acquired cases to the public’s attention in April, saying they had found a potential link between at least five of them and cautioning that the number was likely to rise. Of particular concern is Humboldt County’s “perfect storm” of conditions for the potentially life-threatening virus that causes AIDS to rapidly spread, including “high rates of poverty, drug overdose deaths and hepatitis C.”

Mass Shooting Drill at Mad River Community Hospital Tonight

by Kimberly Wear on May 23, 2018 at 4:06PM

Read the release from Mad River Community Hospital below: Arcata, CA- On Wednesday May 23, 2018, Mad River Community Hospital (MRCH) will be conducting a disaster drill from 9pm-11pm.

UPDATE: Health Officials: New HIV Cases Cause of Concern

by Kimberly Wear on May 8, 2018 at 4:57PM

She notes that there have been whole years when just two locally-acquired cases were confirmed — as opposed to people found to have become infected elsewhere or who acquired the virus before moving to Humboldt — so to see two in one month was highly unusual. “We have enough concern that we want the public to be aware that they should be taking steps to protect themselves from HIV infection,” she says, emphasizing that the situation is fluid and health officials are still awaiting lab work as they continue to narrow down common denominators.

State Audit Confirms Inadequacies in For-Profit Skilled Nursing

by Linda Stansberry on May 1, 2018 at 5:33PM

From the Office of Sen. McGuire: A scathing state audit released today confirms the concerns of Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood that significant deficiencies exist in the quality of patient care at audited skilled nursing facilities, specifically Brius Healthcare, owner of several facilities in the North Coast.

St. Joseph Health Hit with Anti-Trust Lawsuit Alleging Unfair Business Practices to Protect 10-fold Price Markeups

by Thadeus Greenson on April 22, 2018 at 10:19AM

Wahidullah opened Redwood Urgent Care in 2014 after St. Joseph closed its urgent care facility, leaving the hospital’s emergency room as the only option for patients with urgent but non-life-threatening ailments — an option that came with what the lawsuit calls “prohibitively expensive” costs for patients. Wahidullah opened its urgent care facility in 2014 in January of 2017 opened a fully-accredited, out-patient medical testing lab, looking to bring competition for those services and allegedly “laying bare” the extent to which “St. Joseph Health’s lab services were overcharging its captive customer base.”

Partnership Health Awards Humboldt County $1.05 Million for Affordable Housing

by Linda Stansberry on April 11, 2018 at 10:21AM

From Partnership HealthPlan: PHC Awards $1.05 Million to Humboldt County for Affordable Housing

Remembering and Honoring Herrmann Spetzler

by Linda Stansberry on April 3, 2018 at 12:43PM

UPDATED: Open Door Director Herrmann Spetzler Has Died

by Linda Stansberry on March 13, 2018 at 11:28AM

Spetzler also served on numerous boards and committees, founding the California State Rural Health Association, and co-founding the California Primary Care Association. Spetzler also helped create the Telehealth and Visiting Specialist Center, which utilized technology to reach people in more remote areas.