Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Join Us at the Fair!


Fair time is fun time! MMHD staff will be at the Inter-Mountain Fair in McArthur September 1st - 5th. We would like to invite you to stop by our booth in the commercial building and say hello!

We are celebrating 60 Years - our Diamond Anniversary - 1956 - 2016 and we want to celebrate with you.  Staying with the "Diamond" them, we will be giving away a Diamond Plated Tool Box and a Diamond Necklace.  All  you have to do is stop by and fill out a brief survey to be entered. 




Monday, August 29, 2016

Little Hoover Commission



Mayers Memorial Hospital District (MMHD) was represented at the first oversight hearing of the Little Hoover Commission pertaining to Special Districts.  The Commission met for the first hearing August 25th at the State Capitol in Sacramento.  MMHD’s Director of Public Relations, Valerie Lakey was asked by The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) to present several talking points related to Healthcare Districts.  Lakey representing MMHD and Ramona Faith representing Petaluma Healthcare District were the only speakers representing hospitals.

ACHD's Senior Legislative Advocate Amber King provided oral testimony and responded to Commission questions on behalf of the Association and the healthcare districts ACHD represents. Other presenters included representatives from the California Special Districts Association, the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions, CaliforniaCityFinance.com, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. All written materials submitted by presenters can be found on the Commission's website, www.lhc.ca.gov.

There was significant discussion regarding LAFCOs, the State Responsibility Area fees, and District reserves and property taxes. In terms of Healthcare Districts, the questions pertained to: rural Healthcare District use of tele-health, physician employment legislation that would benefit District Hospitals, and data gathered and reported on services provided to minority populations.

In addition to comments from Lakey and Faith, a number of representatives from statewide associations, individual Special Districts, and members of the public provided public also provided comments. Lakey spoke on the importance of the District to the community.  Points that were addressed were the demographics and large service area of MMHD, the benefits of being a district (public entity) including the eligibility to apply for the USDA Rural Development Loan and participation in the Public Hospital Redesign and Incentives in Medi-Cal (PRIME) programs. The PRIME projects include the Million Hearts Initiative and the Antibiotic Stewardship Program, which are both designed to change care delivery to maximize healthcare value.

MMHD had a district boundary area of 4000+ square miles, but provides service to community members in three counties living outside of the taxpayer base.  (Up to 8000+ square miles).  MMHD is one of the top 10 employers in Shasta County. MMHD has a tax base of 870 million and collects approximately $600,000 in property taxes and $450,000 in GO Bond assessments annually.  This only accounts for 5% of MMHD’s total operating budget.


The Little Hoover Commission is anticipated to hold a follow up hearing on October 27th prior to beginning their work on a full report. The subject of the upcoming hearing and subsequent report has not yet been finalized.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Community OB Informational Meeting





At the request of the community members and patients of the Intermountain area, MMHD CEO, Louis Ward will host and community OB informational meeting.  This will be a time for questions and answers regarding the recent decision to discontinue obstetrical services at the hospital.  The meeting will be on Tuesday, August 23 at 5:30 pm at the Lion's Hall in McArthur.

For more information contact (530)336-5511 Ext. #1136 or vlakey@mayersmemorial.com

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Thrift Store is Open Again!





We are happy to announce the Grand Re-Opening of our Thrift Store! Come and see our new look and find some great deals.  We look forward to showing you the many changes made to give you a better shopping experience.

Many More Happy Days Thrift Store is a project under the umbrella of Mayers Intermountain Healthcare Foundation with all proceeds benefiting Mayers Memorial Hospital District. The proposal of starting up and operating the Thrift Store came from a volunteer at Mayers Memorial Hospital, namely Lyn Palmer. Lyn contacted the Director of Volunteer Services, Margaret Truan, and together they submitted a business plan, which was later approved.

The Thrift Store is located at:

43504 State Highway 299 East
Fall River Mills, CA 96028 (next to Fall River Arts and Trophy)

All donations should be in "gently used" condition and there are some items we simply can't accept such as large appliances, fabric furniture, computers, lap tops, tires, undergarments or any items that are left over from yard sales.

Store Hours:

Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
AND
1st Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Contact us: 530-336-5511, Extension 1244

Recent Project Funded by Many More Happy Days Thrift Store:

Cardiac Rehabilitation Refrigerator
Blood Donor Banner
Electronic Scale with Bowl for O.B.
Television with Remote for Outpatient Services
Infusion Recliner Chair for Outpatient Services
Mayo Stands for Surgery
Doppler (scanner goes over extremities for standard of care)
Oxygen Analyzer for Intermountain Respiratory
Renovation of the Hospital Lobby 

Thursday, August 11, 2016

A Celebration of Life


A Celebration of Life will be held for Jeanne Barber Saturday, August 13th at 11:00 am at the Inter-Mountain Fairgrounds in McArthur. Please join us in celebrating this wonderful lady who gave so many years and so much joy to MMHD, 


Thursday, August 4, 2016

MMHD Gift Stores - Something for Everyone!


The Mayers Intermountain Healthcare Foundation Gift Shops at MMHD now carrying a wide variety of reasonably priced, quality, brand name handbags, wallets, and backpacks. School is right around the corner and we have just the bag for you!. We have so many great bags that we can't possibly fit them all in our space, so now we also have a photo "catalog" of our inventory on the Foundation's Facebook site. It's easy to access. 
On the Facebook icon in the top right corner, select "Foundation".
Go to the Photos section and select the "Handbags, Backpacks, Wallets, Wristlets, and Card/Coin Pouches" album, where you can scroll through photos and descriptions of the inventory. There you will find items on display at the Gift Shop and items we just don't have room to display, but are happy to arrange to show them to you.
Check the "Handbags, Backpacks, Wallets, Wristlets, and Card/Coin Pouches" album frequently. We are adding new inventory all the time, and since quantities are limited, you don't want to miss out on a special bag or backpack.
Get a great buy and support your hospital at the same time!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Are You Ready to Golf?






There's still a chance to get a golf team together for the Annual On the Green Golf Tournament.  If you would like to spend a great day on a beautiful course, supporting a great cause...mark your calendar for August 20th.  Sign up your team by contacting Barb Spalding at (530)336-5511  Ext. 1159






Tuesday, August 2, 2016

OB Services Discontinued at MMHD


PRESS RELEASE – July 29, 2016
Contact:  Louis Ward, CEO lward@mayersmemorial.com (530)336-5511 Ext 1130
Director of Public Relations - Valerie Lakey vlakey@mayersmemorial.com (530)336-5511 Ext. 1136

After many years of evaluating and efforts to sustain the service, the MMHD Board of Directors have reached a consensus that they will discontinue providing obstetrical services at Mayers Memorial Hospital District. This decision has not been made lightly or hastily. There are many main reasons for this decision, they are as follows:
  • Declining numbers of newborn deliveries at MMHD
  •  Ability of MMHD to maintain integrity of obstetrical services at the highest level
  • Challenges of recruiting OB/GYNs & Family Practice Physicians to rural areas
  • Inability to recruit OB trained RNs to the area as the newborn volumes are the lowest in the state of California.

Many of the staff at Mayers has worked diligently to combat the National trend of rural hospital obstetric department closures. Efforts were taken on a multitude of efforts over the past 5 years including but not limited to:
  •       Hiring a highly trained/skilled OB Nurse Manager
  •        Actively recruiting OB RN’s
  •       Partnering with other obstetrical providers in an effort to train highly skilled OB RNs (Enloe Medical Center, UC Davis, and Mercy Medical Center)
  •        Continual meetings with the Clinics and Providers in the area to make them aware of the challenges of providing obstetrics in a rural area
  •        Closely working with Partnership Health Plan (a major insurer in the area) to try to improve volumes by working with providers and patients.
  •        Marketing services through the use of print, social, and television medias in an effort to increase volumes. 

Even with all of the hard work and a shared goal of preserving the service, the national trend of patients seeking out OB/GYNs and an urban setting for delivery has been too strong. For the 3rd year in a row MMHD has been the lowest birth rate hospital in California.
  
A lack of OB trained staff has made providing OB services a challenge over the recent months.  There are not enough OB trained staff to fully cover the 24/7 on call hours required. Additionally, there are fewer physicians locally that are delivering babies. Despite dedicated efforts to recruit and hire OB nurses, MMHD has been unable to be fully staffed.
At MMHD providing quality services to our patients is our first priority. Patient safety comes first always. 



Mayers OB Department Update
August 2, 2016

It was announced last week that Mayers Memorial Hospital District (MMHD) would be discontinuing their Obstetrics Service. Administration and staff continue to work on the transition and have determined the ending date will be September 15, 2016. Collaboration with Mountain Valleys Health Centers has been an important part of the process, as to inform patients of the timeframe.

Although the official OB Services will be ending, as in the past, MMHD will be equipped with trained staff in the emergency room for emergent deliveries.  “This is something that happens even with an OB department (ER births). We will be providing additional training to all ER staff so that we can be prepared for this situation,” noted MMHD administration. “The primary focus is the safety of patients.”

MMHD was prompted, after several years of working to stabilize the program, to discontinue services primarily because of the inability to recruit OB trained staff. “We don’t have enough OB trained staff to cover a full calendar.” Additionally, the decline in births at MMHD over the past 5 years has presented issues with the ability to stay current with procedures, equipment and experience.”

MMHD is one of 2 Frontier Hospitals in the state that still provide OB services and one of 12 of the 34 Critical access hospitals. Trends towards specialty services (OB/GYN) have been a factor in much of the outmigration of OB patients.

MMHD continues to identify the needs of the community and provide viable services at a quality level.  “Healthcare facilities are important to rural communities; Mayers will continue to maintain viability in order to be here to serve the Inter-Mountain area. “The goal is always to provide safe, quality care to our patients.  We need to be certain that we operate at that high level with staffing, experience, equipment and coverage in each department we staff.”