patients

The Barton Health and South Lake Tahoe community have lost a special, irreplaceable friend. On June 27, Dan Kerr passed away. He was 76 years old.

Dan is probably best known as the Sacramento Chairman of the Blood Drive. Dan donated more than 26 gallons of blood. Since 1981, he has coordinated blood drive efforts in South Lake Tahoe with the Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. The South Lake Tahoe Blood Drive still takes place every other month and, with Dan’s coordination, celebrated its 48th year anniversary in June.

Barton Health has announced that Sue Fairley, RN, has been named their new Vice President of Nursing and Ancillary Services. She replaces Mary Bittner, RN, who left in April to pursue a health care teaching career.

Fairley has been in nursing at Barton Health for the last 17 years. In 2004 she became the Director of Nursing and has been serving as the interim Vice President of nursing since Bittner's departure.

Death by drug overdose has tripled from 1990 to 2008. In 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36,450 people died from a drug overdose and 75% of overdoses were prescription drug related. Of the prescription drug-related deaths in 2008, the CDC reports 74% were opiate prescription drugs.

The first El Dorado Supervisor Candidate's Forum held in the Tahoe basin this election season was held Tuesday night.

With the June 3rd election just a few weeks away, this was a great opportunity for voters to become informed on the candidate's views on a myriad of topics from teamwork and cooperation to economic vitality and mental health issues.

Gene Upshaw’s legacy has reached far beyond his stellar NFL playing career and his years as the leader of the NFL Players Association. It has touched a community in Truckee/North Lake Tahoe where a state of the art cancer center bears his name.

Dr, Daniel T. Robertson was named Barton Health's Doctor of the Year. Known as "The Hand Guy," Dr. Robertson is an orthopedic surgeon for Tahoe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, specializing in treating injuries of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Each year a doctor on staff at Barton is voted on by peers and staff and awarded the honor on "Doctor's Day."

Bailey Johnson was a four time Stage 4 cancer survivor by the time he was 5. Now a student at South Tahoe High, Bailey underwent surgery just over three weeks ago to help straighten his spine which was damaged while undergoing radiation.

Caitlyn Drennan is 3 1/2. She was diagnosed with cancer at birth and underwent chemotherapy when just 2 days old. She now needs a walker due paralysis below the knee but is a survivor of Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

The public is encouraged to come to Barton Memorial Hospital and celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week with Barton Health. On Wednesday, March 5, Dr. Clint Purvance, Barton’s Chief Medical Officer, will recognize our successes, lessons learned, and commitment to our patients while creating patient safety awareness. Barton staff will announce the Patient Safety poster contest winner. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. in the Snowflake Lobby at Barton Hospital.

The Super Bowl is later this week but there's already been multiple winners. Megan and Gary Kasden of Incline Village, NV, the winners of the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund Super Bowl Raffle, are paying their good fortune forward.

The Cultured Kitchen out of West Sacramento, CA has initiated a recall of all flavors of their cashew cheese products due to risk of contamination with Salmonella. The products were sold in natural food stores throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada, and at farmers markets in Sacramento and have an expiration dates of on or before April 19, 2014.

Sometimes surprises come at the right time. Megan Kasden spoke through tears this week when she answered the phone and found out she had won the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund Super Bowl raffle. The prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium. The raffle raised $30,000 for traumatic brain injury research and programs and services for cancer patients and families at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The same center where Kasden’s husband, Gary had just completed a long series of chemotherapy treatments.

Take part in a special evening of historic trains, spirits (beer, wine), music, and special treats for adults 21 years of age and older to help local cancer patients and their caregivers.

The non-profit foundation, Empowered Lives through the Cancer Journey, housed at the Sierra Nevada Cancer Center, is hosting this adults-only fundraising event – an evening of Halloween fun and gaiety. The event is scheduled for October 19, 2013 at 6 p.m., at the V&T Railroad, F Street Station in Virginia City.

Sierra Nevada Cancer Center opened a new cancer treatment center at 1154 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe July 1, 2013.

Sierra Nevada Cancer Center is a state-of-the-art oncology and hematology facility now offering treatment in five locations including Carson City, Fallon, Gardnerville and Sparks. The South Lake Tahoe facility will expand the reach of Sierra Nevada Cancer Center making cancer treatment more convenient and closer to home for those living at the Lake.

Barton Health has partnered with the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, a service of Tahoe Forest Health System, located in Truckee and an affiliate of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, to expand its oncology services for cancer patients who reside in the South Lake Tahoe area.

Using advanced technology through Barton’s Telehealth for Tahoe Program, cancer patients undergoing treatment at Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center can meet with their physicians via “real-time” videoconferencing.

Dear Community Members, 

In recent months, Barton Memorial Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility has been challenged with keeping patients, staff and the facility in its entirety, safe from the effects of the California senate bill, AB97.

If passed, this bill would create devastating cuts to reimbursement for Medi-Cal services provided by distinct part skilled nursing facilities (DP/SNFs) throughout the state, including South Lake Tahoe’s only long- term-care-facility located at Barton Memorial.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Barton Memorial Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility recently received the highest rating of five-stars from U.S. News and World Report in the publication's best nursing homes list for 2013.

The five-star rating is based on overall nursing home quality, as well as on the average number of hours nursing staff spends with the patients per-day. The competitive award highlights select facilities across the nation that serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality long-term care.

Barton’s Tahoe Center for Orthopedics has partnered with the world’s top winter snow sports athletes for 2013 as part of its “Heal Like a Champion” advertising campaign, showcasing United States Ski, Snowboard and Free Skiing (USSA) champions, TCO patients and Lake Tahoe locals, Daron Rahlves, Marco Sullivan, Sho Kashima and Elena Hight.

Designed with the athlete in mind, the campaign highlights world class athletes who have chosen the TCO orthopedic care team to get them back into competition safely and quickly.

Because of an increase in flu activity in the South Lake Tahoe area, Barton Health is taking appropriate precautions to protect patients. According to a news release, effective Friday, Jan. 25, Barton Memorial Hospital has implemented the following guidelines for hospital visitors, during the height of flu season:

Women have a new choice for their health care in South Lake Tahoe with the grand opening of Barton Women’s Health offering obstetrics, gynecological and infertility services. OB/GYN physician, John Missanelli, DO, joins longtime family nurse practitioner, Patience Wenck, MSN, at Barton Women’s Health which opens on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Conveniently located across from Barton Memorial Hospital and Barton’s Family Birthing Center at 2175 South Avenue, Barton Women’s Health features a newly remodeled office. Barton Women’s Health offers complete women’s care services including:

A South Lake Tahoe man died and two were hospitalized in an early Saturday morning accident near Pioneer Trail and Ski Run Boulevard.
William Olazaba of South Lake Tahoe, a passenger in a white Honda Accord driven by Roberto Olazaba, 22, died at Barton Memorial Hospital. According to South Lake Tahoe police, the Honda broadsided a GMC Yukon driven by Noe Corea, 26, of South Lake Tahoe.
The accident was reported at around 1:35 a.m. and alcohol is suspected as being a contributing factor, according to South Lake Tahoe police. The vehicles struck a power utility box and knocked out power to the Ski Run area, police said.

The ambulance units servicing the City of South Lake Tahoe and Meyers community have integrated electronic equipment to contribute to the best possible patient care decisions for heart attack patients. By utilizing Bluetooth technology included in their Zoll monitors, their new Blackberry phones provide a Bluetooth signal to send the EKG heart readings immediately to the ER physician (securely encrypted) via email, fax & weblink.

Dr. Tracy Protell, child and adolescent psychiatric specialist, recently joined Dr. Sonia Rupp at Barton Psychiatry in South Lake Tahoe. Providing comprehensive psychiatric and psychological diagnostic evaluations and treatment services for children and adolescents, Dr. Protell treats patients with developmental, behavioral, emotional and mental disorders.

“Empowerment” is the premise of Barton Health's Community Advisory Committee (CAC). After careful evaluation of 19 grant applications, nine-non-profits recently received $24,000 in grants from the CAC. Through these grants, the CAC is able to “empower” area community programs with funding to help close the health gaps and address health issues within the community.