Every month the CEO provides updates to the Board of Directors on organizational and operations changes at RCMS. The archive of written reports will now be available to the public on the Leadership Page. You can also read the July report here. 

COVID-19 Community Screening Update for July 11, 2020 Event
Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) is providing the following information related to the COVID-19 community screening that was held in Gualala on July 11, 2020.
 
All persons tested at the July 11, 2020 Gualala screening were advised, via a handout at the screening, that their test samples would be dropped at the UCSF lab on July 13, 2020 and that they would receive phone calls directly from the Health Department if they tested POSITIVE – likely within a few days of the testing.  
 
Screened persons were also advised that if they did not receive a call within a week (by July 20, 2020), they are negative.  This is the way that people are being informed about their results at these free screenings. 
 
Generally, the lab will run the tests on the day they are received, and POSITIVES will take priority in reporting.  RCMS does NOT receive these results; the Health Department does. Once the Health Department has compiled the list of positives, they will report the numbers to us, to report to the community. 
 
Therefore, rest assured, people are being informed within days if they are positive in these public screenings, and the Health Department acts upon these reports to immediately isolate/quarantine patients and their contacts.
 
As a reminder, RCMS will be hosting a free COVID19 screening event on Sunday, July 26, 2020 in collaboration with the City of Point Arena, Mendocino County Public Health and UCSF. The screening will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building at 451 School Street starting at 9:00 AM.  This is a first come first served, from 9:00 AM until we run out of tests.  There will be 200 tests available.  This is a drive through event and you can come with more than one person in the car.  Sonoma and Mendocino residents are welcome.  
 
RCMS Primary Care and Urgent Care are Open
PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME (707) 884-4005

Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) would like to inform our community that we recently diagnosed four community members, evaluated in the RCMS clinic, with COVID19.   
 
These patients were appropriately managed in the clinic with our COVID19 precautions and protocols and proper personal protective equipment was used. The patients were evaluated in the special respiratory section of the Gualala clinic, and immediately sent home to isolate/quarantine upon evaluation and testing.  
 
The Mendocino County Health Department has been advised, and will perform the follow-on activities as appropriate such as contact tracing.  Due to patient confidentiality, RCMS cannot provide any additional patient information to the community. 
 
We have not yet received the results on the COVID19 screening performed in Gualala on July 11, 2020.
 
We would like to use this opportunity to remind all our community members that coronavirus cases are increasing in our surrounding regions.   Please remain vigilant and follow the Public Health guidelines: 

• Wear your mask. 
• Wash hands frequently and avoid touching your face. 
• Avoid unnecessary travel.  
• Avoid congregating and socializing in groups outside of your family/social bubble.   

 
If you believe you have been exposed to a person with COVID19, and are without symptoms, please contact the Coronavirus Hotline at (707) 234-6052 for information about free screening opportunities.  

If you become sick with any symptoms of Coronavirus (fevers, chills, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea) please contact RCMS at (707) 884-4005 and a triage nurse will guide you in further care. 

As a reminder, RCMS will be hosting a free COVID19 screening event on Sunday, July 26, 2020 in collaboration with the City of Point Arena, Mendocino County Public Health and UCSF. The screening will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building at 451 School Street starting at 9:00 AM.  This is a first come first served, from 9:00 AM until we run out of tests.  There will be 200 tests available.  This is a drive through event and you can come with more than one person in the car.  Sonoma and Mendocino residents are welcome.   RCMS will continue to work with both Mendocino and Sonoma Counties to provide additional screening opportunities to the community.
 
Please take care and stay safe.
 
RCMS Primary Care and Urgent Care are Open
PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME (707) 884-4005

Dear patient,
I hope this message finds you in good health.
As you may be aware, I am with child and will be going out on maternity leave beginning in August. I am excited about the addition to my family, but will also miss all of you. My plan is to be at home with my new baby  and family until early 2021.
In the meantime, I have teamed up with Shaye Larie, FNP. We have been working together for the last few months and are sharing our patient panel. Should you need anything in my absence, I ask that you call and make an appointment with her. Dr. Mark Kal is also coming back temporarily to help out. He will be available to see his former patients as well as provide additional access to care for all RCMS patients. We work as a team at RCMS, so ultimately anyone at RCMS is willing and able to see you as needed. I am grateful to nurse practitioner Larie, Dr. Kal, and the rest of the RCMS team for allowing me to take this valuable time with my growing family.

I have confidence in all of our clinicians and know you will receive excellent and compassionate care from them.

Warm regards,
Dr. Afsoon

Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) is pleased to announce that, in collaboration with UCSF and the Mendocino County Health Department, we will be performing another free COVID19 drive-through screening event in our community.

Point Arena
Sunday, July 26, 2020
9:00 AM until swabs run out 
Location: Veterans Memorial Building/City Hall, 451 School Street, Point Arena
 
Who Can be Screened:

• Any resident of Mendocino or Sonoma County can be screened.
• This screening is for people without COVID19 symptoms. (i.e. no fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste/smell, vomiting/diarrhea.) If you have symptoms, do not come to this event, instead, please call RCMS at 707-884-4005 for medical evaluation and care.

Number of Tests Available:
A total of 200 tests will be available. All screening is done on a first come, first served basis. 
 
Procedure:
Screening with be with a nasal swab sitting in your car.  If you walk up to the event, you will be screened in a chair outside.  We will try to respect your privacy, but this is a public/outside event, and we cannot guarantee privacy.   
 
This event is staffed by community volunteers and RCMS medical staff. We would like to thank them deeply for their efforts and time.

Beginning Monday, July 20, the Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) Dental Clinic in Point Arena will be open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for dental emergencies and for dental care that was previously postponed. 
While we wait for some additional safety equipment Dr. Rams and Dr. Thomas will be alternating weeks on duty. 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some changes to coming to the dental clinic:

• Our office will communicate with you before your visit to ask some screening questions. 
• You will be asked those same questions again when you arrive at the office before your appointment. 
• We ask that patients wait in their vehicle until an assistant indicates the Doctor is ready for you. 
• Your temperature will be checked and masks are required to enter the building.
• We will request that you wash your hands or use hand sanitizer and do an oral rinse before being seated. 

We thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate through this time. The dental clinic can be reached at (707) 882-2189.

Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) is pleased to announce that, in collaboration with the Mendocino County Health Department, we will be performing a free COVID19 drive-through screening event in our community.
​
Gualala
Saturday July 11, 2020
9:00 AM until swabs run out
Location: Parking Lot at Mary Star of the Sea, 39141 Church Street, Gualala
 
Logistics/Access:
Mary Star of the Sea is the church at the bottom on the hill, just below the RCMS clinic, on Church Street in Gualala.  Please proceed to the event from the south end of Church Street, and exit the event down Ocean Drive.  This allows for a one-way traffic, drive-through event, and makes the screening very quick and efficient.   
 
Who Can be Screened:

• Any resident of Mendocino or Sonoma County can be screened.
• This screening is for people without COVID19 symptoms. (i.e. no fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste/smell, vomiting/diarrhea.) If you have symptoms, do not come to this event, instead, please call RCMS at 707-884-4005 to make other arrangements.

Number of Tests Available:
A total of 100 tests will be available. All screening is done on a first come, first served basis. 
 
Procedure and Results Reporting:
Screening with be with a nasal swab sitting in your car.  If you walk up to the event, you will be screened in a chair outside.  We will try to respect your privacy, but this is a public/outside event, and we cannot guarantee privacy.   
 
If you test POSITIVE for COVID19, you will receive a telephone call by July 20, 2020.   If you do not receive a telephone call, you can presume you have a negative test.
 
This event is staffed by community volunteers and RCMS medical staff. 
We would like to thank them deeply for their efforts and time.