REDWOOD COAST MEDICAL SERVICES
  • Home
  • For Patients
    • Make an Appointment
    • Patient Forms
    • Financial Assistance
  • Services
    • Primary Care
    • Urgent Care
    • Dental Care
    • Women's Health
    • Behavioral Health
    • Addiction Treatment
    • Outreach & Enrollment
    • Visiting Nurse/Palliative Care
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Us
    • Leadership
    • Providers
    • Board of Directors
    • Privacy Policy
    • Donate >
      • IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution
  • Careers
  • News

RCMS News and Events

Stay Connected with RCMS​
​Scroll down to see the latest updates and click the button below to subscribe to The Pulse to get regular updates from RCMS directly to your email inbox.
Subscribe to The Pulse
Annual Reports

10/3/25 And the Survey Says...

10/13/2025

 
At RCMS, your feedback helps shape the care we provide. Each month, we review patient surveys to celebrate what’s working well and identify areas where we can improve. Your input directly supports our commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality healthcare for our community.

Here are some excerpts from our survey responses:

"Thank you for being in the community. I appreciate the service."

"Urgent care staff were wonderful, very professional, and caring. I was in a lot of pain."

"Care was adequate - downgrading for long waiting time."


"I felt well taken care of."

"Great staff friendly and on their game."

If you’ve visited recently, we’d love to hear from you! Scan the QR code below, or click here, to complete our short survey to share your experience and help us continue to grow together.
Picture

Free Medicare Choices & Changes Seminar

10/9/2025

 
Picture
Monday, October 20 • 1:00–2:15 PM
Mendonoma Health Alliance
​39251 California Hwy 1, Gualala


RCMS is pleased to share this community opportunity hosted by Senior Advocacy Services – HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program). This free seminar will help Medicare beneficiaries and their families understand important updates to Medicare coverage, including savings options, Advantage and Part D plan changes, and guaranteed issue rights.

HICAP provides unbiased, confidential counseling and does not sell or endorse any insurance products.
​
For more information, visit Senior Advocacy Services or scan the QR code on the flyer above.

October is Dental Hygiene Month

10/7/2025

 
Picture
National Dental Hygiene Month is observed every October to celebrate the work of dental hygienists and raise awareness of the importance of good oral health. An essential component to our overall wellbeing, good oral hygiene is one building block of a healthy lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), oral diseases, which range from cavities and gum disease to oral cancer, cause debilitating pain for millions of Americans every year. Protecting your oral health by practicing good oral hygiene can substantially increase the likelihood of keeping your teeth for a lifetime. Below are tips for great oral health.
​

Brushing
  • Use fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is what protects teeth from tooth decay and cavities. It prevents decay by strengthening the tooth’s hard outer surface, called enamel.
  • Angle your toothbrush bristles toward the gumline allowing them to clean between the gums and teeth.
  • Brush all the sides of each of your teeth gently, using small, circular motions, and avoid back and forth scrubbing.
  • Brush your tongue.
 
Flossing
  • Use a string of floss about two feet long. Wrap it around the middle finger of each hand and grip it between your thumb and index fingers.
Ease the floss gently between your teeth until it reaches the gumline (don’t force the floss into place as this could harm the gums). Curve the floss like the letter “C” around the side of each tooth. Slide the floss up and down under the gum.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

10/6/2025

 
Picture
​1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and an additional 59,080 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer will be diagnosed. Chances are, you know at least one person who has been personally affected by breast cancer. 
​

But there is hope. When caught in its earliest, localized stages, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Advances in early detection and treatment methods have significantly increased breast cancer survival rates in recent years, and there are currently over 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. 
 
Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms.
 
Here are some frequently asked questions.
 
Can physical activity reduce the risk of breast cancer?
Exercise boosts the immune system and helps you to keep your weight in check. With as little as three hours of exercise per week, or about 30 minutes a day, a woman can begin to lower her risk of breast cancer. This doesn’t require going to a gym either. Power walking is more than sufficient!
 
Can a healthy diet help to prevent breast cancer?
A nutritious, low-fat diet (30 grams or less) with plenty of fruits and green and orange vegetables can help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. A high-fat diet increases the risk because fat triggers estrogen production that can fuel tumor growth.
 
Does smoking cause breast cancer?
Smoking is a confirmed risk factor for many types of cancer. Recent research in the last year (2012) has confirmed that smoking is a contributing risk factor for developing breast cancer. Additionally, second hand smoke is also a risk factor for cancer. So if you are a smoker, help yourself in a significant way and join a smoking cessation program to help you stop. The day you stop smoking the healing can begin and each week in which you are smoke-free, you give yourself increasing advantages for a healthier life. Smoking also directly contributes to heart and other lung diseases, too.
 
Can drinking alcohol increase the risk of breast cancer?
Moderation is key. One drink per day has been shown to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer. Having more than one drink per day has shown to be a more significant risk factor, and the alcohol content doesn’t matter: wine, beer or a mixed drink. Alcohol also increases estrogen in your bloodstream.
 
Is there a link between oral contraceptives and breast cancer?
There is an increased risk of breast cancer for women who have been using birth control pills for more than five years. However due to the low amount of hormones in birth control pills today, the risk is relatively small. But if a young woman has a significant family history of breast cancer, her gynecologist may recommend taking a break for a year from the pill at the 5-year time frame then resuming again for another 5 years. Although evidence-based research data does not offer strong support for this standard of care, it has nevertheless become an increasingly common practice.

Is there a link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer?
Yes, there is. HRT was added to the carcinogenic list by the American Cancer Society in the early 2000s. It is recommended that women with known risks not be placed on HRT to control of menopausal symptoms. They should instead seek other safer alternatives.
 
How often should I do a breast self exam (BSE)?
Give yourself a breast self-exam once a month. Look for any changes in breast tissue, such as changes in size, feeling a palpable lump, dimpling or puckering of the breast, inversion of the nipple, redness or scaliness of the breast skin, redness or scaliness of the nipple/areola area, or discharge of secretions from the nipple.
 
Does a family history of breast cancer put someone at a higher risk?
Although women who have a family history of breast cancer are in a higher risk group, most women who have breast cancer have no family history. Statistically only 5-10% of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of this disease.
 
How does menstrual and reproductive history affect breast cancer?
Women who began their menstrual cycles before age 12, have no biological children, or had their first child at 30 or older, or began menopause after 55 are at a higher risk. This means that research has proven that the number of menstrual cycles a woman has over time influences risk.
 
How often should I got to my doctor for a check up?
You should have a physical every year which should include a clinical breast exam and pelvic exam. If any unusual symptoms or changes in your breasts occur before your scheduled visit, do not hesitate to see the doctor immediately.

For more information please visit:

CDC – Breast Cancer Awareness
National Breast Cancer Foundation

    News & Events

    Latest news and information on upcoming events at RCMS

    Archives

    November 2025
    October 2025
    September 2025
    August 2025
    July 2025
    June 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Services

Primary Care
Urgent Care
Dental
Behavioral Health 
​
Women's Health
​
On Site Pharmacy
​Patient Portal

Info

About
Careers
Health Education
Providers
The Pulse
Annual Report

Support

Contact
HIPAA Privacy and Coronavirus Policy
​Privacy Policy
Ways to Give
​
File a Complaint
Picture
  • Home
  • For Patients
    • Make an Appointment
    • Patient Forms
    • Financial Assistance
  • Services
    • Primary Care
    • Urgent Care
    • Dental Care
    • Women's Health
    • Behavioral Health
    • Addiction Treatment
    • Outreach & Enrollment
    • Visiting Nurse/Palliative Care
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Us
    • Leadership
    • Providers
    • Board of Directors
    • Privacy Policy
    • Donate >
      • IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution
  • Careers
  • News