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 On April 27, 2020 and 28th, RCMS, in collaboration with the Mendocino County Health Department, performed a COVID19 screening of persons in high-public contact jobs. A sampling of persons in different risk groups were screened, including: RCMS medical providers and support staff; CLSD EMTs and paramedics, firefighters, homeless persons and grocery store staff. In addition, all current residents and staff of Equinox elder community were screened.
This screening was performed, with the assistance of volunteers, on a limited group of high contact/risk people, by invitation only, due to a limited number of test kits. The samples will be processed at UCSF in the next 2-3 days. We will be informed if there is any positive test and, if so, we will follow the appropriate protocol including contacting the patient (to receive medical guidance and care) and the Health Department (to initiate contact tracing, making appropriate announcements, etc). RCMS cannot and will not reveal the identity of any patient, due to medical confidentiality. RCMS hopes to continue to work with both Sonoma and Mendocino counties to collaborate in future COVID19 screenings of our community. We will keep the community posted. Thank you to all individuals who offered to participate in the screening and employers who worked hard to make this happen. Also to the staff and volunteers who gave of their time to help screen our community. The Public Health Department has announced that the results of the our community’s COVID19 screening has been delayed, possibly by several days, due to a backup in the lab. We will keep the community posted on this.  A Message from RCMS on our Procedures to
Keep you Safe During Your Visit to Our Clinics We would like to reassure our community that we are taking all necessary steps to make sure that our providers, staff and patients are protected during medical visits. Please remember, medical visits are considered “essential business” under the shelter in place orders. Don’t delay if you need day-to-day or emergent medical care. Our sites in Gualala and Point Arena are open. We are here for you. Call before you come at (707) 884-4005. What you need to know: RCMS is following all guidelines and orders from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), State Health Department and Mendocino County Public Health. RCMS team members are consistently being updated by Mendocino County Public Health. The staff is briefed every morning about any changes from the day before as to new protocols and any new or expanded orders from County Public Health Officer. All providers, staff and volunteers take temperatures at the beginning of their shifts and before leaving work for the day. If they are not feeling well or have an elevated temperature, they are evaluated in our Urgent Care. Any staff person with symptoms of respiratory illness is tested for COVID19 and sent home to self-isolate until their test results return; they are also required to remain at home for 72 hours after their symptoms have resolved – following recommendations of the CDC and Health Department. All of our providers and clinical staff wear masks in all areas of the clinic and the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when seeing patients. All staff members wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer, prior to any patient encounter. If you did not notice your care provider washing their hands prior to your visit, please feel free to ask them to do so. RCMS is working to reduce risk of exposure to patients with respiratory illness by maintaining two “non-respiratory clinics”, one at the Sea Watch building (across from the main Gualala clinic) and the other in Point Arena. At these locations we do not admit any patients with fever, cough or cold symptoms. Patients temperatures are checked before entering these facilities and patients are required to wear facial coverings. We try to move patients directly into examination rooms instead of having them wait in the waiting room. We also give patients the option of waiting in their cars until an exam room has opened up. If patients sit in waiting rooms, they are asked to maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing and are required to wear cloth masks. Patients with cough/cold/fever symptoms are directed into exam rooms and do not sit with others in waiting rooms.
If you have any questions on our safety protocols or need additional information, please call (707) 884-4005. We are proud of our entire RCMS team for their flexibility and effort during these unique times. Primary Care and Urgent Care are Open PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME (707) 884-4005  Peggy Berryhill, owner and station manager at KGUA reported on the special invitation-only COVID-19 testing that was held on April 28. The testing was done at RCMS in conjunction with the Mendocino County Health Department. Testing was for a select group of asymptotic individuals who are either frontline workers interacting with the public or in a very high risk group.
The reporting included interviews with RCMS team members Ara Chakrabarti, Barbara Brittell, Carolyn Hand, Javier Chavez and Deborah Lane. If you missed it you can catch the full recording on soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/kgua/rcms-covid-19-testing-4282020.  Due to COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders, the Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) Board meeting will be held via the Zoom video and audio online meeting platform on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, from 5 PM to 7 PM.
To request an invitation to the RCMS Board meeting, please follow the instructions on the Board of Directors page here.  RCMS is setting up a targeted screening of asymptomatic Mendocino county residents in Gualala area. The target sample is people who are front line exposure workers and/or in first responder occupation. It is not open to public or drop in – it is by invitation only. This screening activity will take place on Tuesday, April 28. This is in conjunction with Mendocino County Public Health Department.
CARES Act Relief Payments Will Not Be Counted As Income for Those in Means-Tested Programs4/20/2020
 Original article from California Health Advocates:
We’ve had several questions regarding how the economic impact payments (EIP) coming from the federal government per the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,and Economic Recovery (CARES) Act will affect people’s eligibility for Medi-Cal and other means-tested programs. The good news is that, in all cases, the economic impact payments (EIP) coming from the federal government per CARES Act will NOT be counted as income, and will NOT impact your eligibility. Also, for 12 months, the EIP will not be counted as assets. So as long as the payment doesn’t sit in your bank account for over 12 months, this payment should not affect your eligibility for these programs: Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California), Medicare Savings Programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and public housing benefits. Read more for additional info and resources from California Health Advocates.  Shaye Larie, DNP-FNP graduated summa cum laude in January 2019 with a doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She completed her residency training at Saltzer Health in Idaho and began practicing there as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Prior to her doctorate studies, Shaye earned a Master’s in Clinical Systems Leadership from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s from Boise State University as a Registered Nurse. Over the past 8 years, Shaye has gained nursing experience through a variety of roles including intensive care unit case manager, orthopedic RN, oncologic RN, and home-health/hospice RN. Shaye is an Idaho native and grew up loving the forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. She recently relocated from Boise, ID to the Gualala, CA area with her partner Joel Freston and their beautiful Alaskan Malamute mix, Mika.
 Jessi is our new LCSW providing Behavioral Health Services and Psychotherapy to the community. Jessi’s background lies in treating trauma, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, dissociation, PTSD, sleep disorders, and dysregulation from stress (both current and chronic). She is certified in EMDR, as well as animal assisted interventions and the tools she has to share are rooted in our current understanding of the neurobiology of trauma and stress. Essentially, this means how our experiences affect the brain and how we can learn to more consciously regulate our responses. Her primary goal while she is with RCMS is to assist clients in learning how to regulate their nervous systems in times of stress. Jessi is currently offering video and telephone sessions to the community and patients of RCMS. Appointments can be made by calling RCMS, 707-884-4005 or Jessi directly at 707-884-9005.
We are excited to welcome Jessi to the community and RCMS!  Primary Care and Urgent Care are Open
PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME (707) 884-4005 COVID-19 Preparations at the Clinic RCMS continues to prepare for a potential surge in patients related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Our main Gualala Clinic has been divided into respiratory and non-respiratory illness sections. We continue to see all urgent medical issues — respiratory and non-respiratory. Sea Watch in Gualala (across from main clinic) and the RCMS Point Arena Medical Clinic are open for Primary Care for patients without infectious respiratory symptoms. We have providers available for well child visits and vaccinations (important not to get behind), lab/blood draws ordered by your primary care provider or outside provider, prescriptions and refills, and chronic and other health care maintenance issues. Please call us at (707) 884-4005 to schedule your appointment. During this time of uncertainty, please remember to take care of yourself. We are here for you. Telehealth Visits Available Your health is important us! If you unable to come to one of our clinics in person, consider a telehealth visit. A provider can call you at home and/or connect with you on a video platform (requires a smart phone with a camera or a computer) and address your medical concerns. Please call us at (707) 884-4005 to schedule your telehealth appointment. Reminder: Wear Face Coverings in Public The Sonoma County Health Officer issued a Health Order on April 13, 2020 that requires members of the public to wear facial coverings. The Health Order will go into effect 12:01 a.m. on April 17, 2020. Per the Health Order: All persons in Sonoma County shall wear facial coverings in the following situations:
Face coverings, when worn by someone with COVID-19, even if they don’t have symptoms, may reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. Since not everyone with COVID-19 knows that they are sick, wearing a face covering helps make sure that you are not unknowingly affecting others. If worn by everyone when outside the home doing essential activities, this can help slow the overall spread of the virus and keep our community safer. The Mendocino County Health Officer issued guidance on face coverings on April 3, 2020 which recommended everyone who leaves their home for essential activity wear a face covering. Be Counted in the 2020 Census Census results help determine future funding for many of the critical healthcare and emergency services being used today. It is easy to respond to the 2020 Census on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. Help shape our future. Respond Now! My2020census.gov.  PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME (707-884-4005) for Urgent or Primary Care
While we hope it does not happen, we at Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS), in conjunction with the Mendocino County Health Department and other emergency responders, continue to remain vigilant and prepared for COVID-19 related patient surge. We will keep the community updated as needed. Masks in Public: Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Mendocino County Health Department, it is now recommended that all persons cover their face while in public, with a mask, bandana, scarf or other type of cloth barrier. This will help reduce risk of spreading infection via droplets to other people. Please continue to preserve N95 masks – which are in short supply – for first responders and health care providers. Medical and Non-Medical Volunteers Needed: If you are a current or former health care professional, or you are interested in helping your community during this COVID19 pandemic, please add your name to our Medical and Non-Medical Volunteer list on the RCMS webpage at: https://www.rcms-healthcare.org/medical-volunteers.html We will contact you if we could use your help. |
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