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2A Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Indian Valley Record
Telemedicine appointrnents available ,it PDH
Plumas District Hospital
(PDH) has established a
telemedicine affiliation with
UC Irvine Medical Center.
The new link will help reduce
the need for Plumes County
patients to travel out of town
to obtain neurology and pedi-
atric psychiatry services.
PDH has maintained a
telemedicine affiliation with UC
Davis Medical Center since the
1990s. Additional telemedicine
links to other providers include
a diabetic educator who prac-
tices with Open Door Commu-
nity Health Centers in Eureka,
and Dr. Dan Mandel, a rheuma-
tologist with Arthritis and
Rheumatology Care Center in
Newport Beach.
The PDH telemedicine pro-
gram uses two-way video and
secure high-speed Internet
connections to allow patients
to consult with specialists at
large medical centers.
During a telemedicine
consuRation, the specialist
actually hears the patient's
medical history and current
condition directly from the
patient or their doctor or
nurse practitioner. Special
peripheral devices can be
used, so that the doctor and
the specialist can simulta-
neously see clear video im-
ages of a patient's skin,
throat, vocal cords, etc. The
specialist can then diagnose
and recommend treatment
immediately.
According to the website
telemedicine.com, the current
top three uses for telemedicine
are radiology, dermatology and
psychiatry, aRhough a variety
of other services are available.
PDH offers other specialties
via telemedicine: dermatology
(for skin disorders), otolaryn-
gology (for ear, nose and
throat), rheumatology (for
joint and autoimmune disor-
ders), endocrinology (for hor-
mone and glandular disor-
ders), hepatology (for liver
diseases), neurology (for dis-
orders of the nervous system
-- brain, spinal cord and
nerves), psychiatry, pedi-
atrics and diabetes.
Patients should ask their
primary care provider for
more information about
telemedicine, available spe-
cialties or how to set an ap-
pointment. More information
is also available by calling
PDH Telemedicine Coordina-
tor Krista Davis at 283-7133.
Afier five-year hiatus, h,:,spice co-found
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@plumasnews.com
Sue Jones works at the
sheriff's office as a crime ana-
lyst and plans to retire in
June. She will sorely miss her
colleagues there, but she has
something else to do with her
spare time.
She returned to Plumas
Community Hospice as direc-
tor effective Feb. 1. She and
Laurie Kidder, a registered
nurse and former
director of Butte Home
Health, founded the hospice
in late 1999 - early 2000.
Jones had retired from the
country treasurer's office in
1999 to be a truck driver with
her husband. After a short
time, she realized that wasn't
what she wanted to do. That's
when, according to Jones, Kid-
der "took her by the hand" and
said, "Let's start a hospice."
Jones and Kidder spent
time figuring out how hospice
works and visited several.
They looked at several models
and liked the all-volunteer ap-
proach Sierra Hospice uses in
Chester. They knew the area
could not sustain a Medicare-
certified hospice.
The pair lined up a board of
directors that includes med-
ical professionals and spiritu-
al advisors and Jones became
the director.
At the time, Jones's father
had been hospitalized several
weeks for a series of tests fol-
lowing a heart attack. When
physicians came to him with
yet another test, he said no
and went home. Jones had
been the hospice director for
two days when he died.
Jones was shocked and dis-
traught until she thought
about it in terms of hospice.
She said he got to go home, sit
in his chair, look out over
"his" ocean and let go of life.
For Jones, that was exactly
what hospice is supposed to do:
help patients and their fami-
lies through the last stages of
life on their own terms.
As director, she handled the
administrative details of the
organization and actively
worked as a hospice volunteer.
After about five years, she
needed a break to recharge.
Talking about the emotion-
al impact of hospice work on
volunteers, she acknowledged
it could be difficult to man-
age. Volunteers can develop
close bonds with their pa-
tients and they too go through
the grieving process when a
patient dies.
Hospice patients
The grieving process is
central to hospice; there are
many stages, from denial to
acceptance; from anger or
fear to peace. People move
through those stages at their
own pace and some stages are
longer than others are. There
is no right amount of time.
Most patients and their
families have already begun
that process by the time they
contact a hospice. They have
come to grips with the illness
andhave given some thought
about how to approach the
end of life.
These patients are meet-
ing death on their terms
and are unwilling to accept
extraordinary measures to
prolong their lives.
Hospice volunteers
Plumas Community Hos-
pice's volunteers provide a
range of services: errands,
respite care, emotional sup-
port and logistical coaching.
All the hospice volunteers
receive six to eight weekends
of training to help them meet
patient and family needs, as
well fis themselves in their
roles as hospice workers.
There are usually two
volunteers assigned to each
patient. In that way, they can
relieve each other as they
help their patient and the pa-
tient's caregivers.
In addition, the volunteers
meet monthly. The meetings
are a way for workers to hon-
or their patients and talk to-
gether about how to meet the
logistical and emotional chal-
lenges each team faces.
Hospice services
The hospice provides in-
home and institutional ser-
vices, working closely with
Packages Starting at:
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INSTALLATION
in up to 6 rooms
H D DVR ow is leased.
($6/mo DVR Service fee applies)
Offer requires 24-month Agreement.
Courtesy of Plumas Satellite, requires your DIRECTV
bill and subscription to AT120 or higher.
Plumas 00ellite
Your local DISH Network connection, Serving our community since 1989
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NETWORK,
Visit us online at: www, plumasdish.com AUTHORIZED RETAILER
Digital Home Advantage plan requires 24-month agreement and credit qualificeiton. Cancellation fee of $17.50/moth remaining applies if service is tan'ninated before end of
agreement. Pro9remming credits apply dudn9 first 12 months. $101mo HD add-on fee waived for life of current account; requires 24-runnth agreement continuous enrollment in AutoPay
with Papedess Billing. Showitme offer ($39 value) requires AuioPay with Pepedsss Billing; after 3 months thancurraat ce appliee unless you downgrade. Free Standard Professional
Installation only. All equipment is based and must tibe retomad to DISH Network upon cancellation or unretumed equipment fees apply. Limit 6 leased tuners per account; upftont and
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available for new and qualified foyer customers, and subject to terms of applicable Promotional and Residential Customer agreements. Addititmal reeltictions may apply. Offer ends
5/t 7111. SHOWTIME and related marks are registered trademarks of Show, me Networks tic,, e CBS Company. G with purchase is courtesy of Plumes Satellite end will be provided
to e customer at the time of avation with no requited redempti process.
er returns
medical providers, the patient
and the patient's family or
caregivers. The emphasis is
on pain mhnagement and pa-
tient comfort.
It works closely with the
two other area hospices: Sier-
ra Hospice and Honey Lake
Hospice.
In addition, Plumas Commu-
nity Hospice works with Quin-
cy Home Medical Services to
meet the medical equipment
needs of each patient.
Hospice volunteers might
run errands to allow a family
to spend more time caring for
its loved one or they will care
for a patient while her family
takes a break from caregiving.
Hospice also provides infor-
mation to plan legal, medical,
financial and funeral matters
and how to eliminate any pos-
sible confusion about a pa-
tient's wishes.
To learn more about
Plumas Community Hospice
and its services or to become
a volunteer, call 394-7228 or
visit plumascommunity
hospice.com.
,Sue Jones has returned as director of Plumas Community Hospice
after a five-year break. Photo by Mona Hill
Supervisors delay filling
social services positions
into the idea of combining
hSse types of functions in the
sheriffs department.
It seems highly unlikely un-
der current California regula-
tions that realignment fund-
ing could be taken from a
health and human service de-
partment and given to a gen-
eral fund department like the
sheriff's office, even if the
sheriff promised to track time
and make sure the money was
used for that purpose.
Ingstad also voiced con-
cerns about state budget talks
moving toward a reorganiza-
tion of realignment funding,
which many people believe
would put more responsibili-
ty at the county level.
"In this period of uncertain-
ty I think things are going to
change' dramatically as we
know it and I don't think
right now I could give you a
recommendation on what
next year's budget's going to
look like."
BOS Chairwoman Lori
Simpson agreed, explaining
that the state might not give
counties adequate funding to
cover the new responsibilities.
Indian Valley Supervisor
Robert Meacher argued that
the critical staffing committee
must be well aware of the un-
certainty and uneasiness in
the state and still recommend-
ed filling the social services
positions.
He added that people look-
ing for work right now were
well aware of the possibility
of losing a new job because of
budget o economic problems.
Ingstad and Swofford com-
mented that people still got
upset the last time that type of
situation came up.
The CAO said he thought
the state wanted to move
more responsibilities to the
local level "because they
think local government has
an easier opportunity to raise
taxes than the state does, but I
don't think there's gonna be
the will of many people on
these local boards of supervi-
sors to raise taxes."
Trumbo told the board her
committee did consider these
factors and concluded fund-
ing was currently available
and the social services depart-
ment felt these were essential
positions to refill.
The critical staffing com-
mittee recommended filling
all three positions.
See Positions, page 3A
Joshua Sebold
Staff Writer
jsebold@plumasnews.com
The Plumas County Board
of Supervisors (BOS) recently
delayed the filling of three va-
cant positions in the social
services department, includ-
ing two providing around-the-
clock emergency responses to
"serious allegations of abuse
or neglect" in the adult and
child protective services
units.
Critical staffing cOmmittee
chairwoman Gayla Trumbo
brought the positions before
the board with six others,
most of which were approved
with little controversy.
Eastern Plumas Supervisor
Terry Swofford asked if the
county was in danger of los-
ing realignment funds, one of
the main sources of funding
for health and human service
departments.
"We're in danger of the
whole world changing,"
County Administrafive Offi-
cer (CAO) Jack Ingstad re-
sponded, referencing the state
budget situation.
Ingstad said some of the po-
sitions were investigative in
nature and he wanted to look
Dr. Grosse gave me back
the sport I love.
More Flexibility,
Less Pain
• Back, Leg & Neck Pain
• Muscle & Joint Pain
Our goal is to reduce pain
with gentle treatment.
Leave aches and pains behind you !
...Stephen P. Grosse, D.C.
Quincy Chiropractic
2254 E. Main St., * Quincy
(530) 283-5666
II Open 6am - 12pm
Graeagle Chiropractic
8989 Ilwy 89 (By the Barn)
Graeagle
(530) 262-4791
Open lpm - 4pro
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