Health
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino Community Health Clinic (MCHC) welcomes certified nurse midwife Eva Skillicorn to the Care for Her team.
Skillicorn is bilingual in English and Spanish and Care for Her is currently accepting new patients.
Skillicorn joins Care for Her from New Mexico, where she cared for women in the border town of Las Cruces in a practice set up similarly to Care for Her.
She says she likes to be part of a team and was attracted to Care for Her in part because of their mission to care for the most vulnerable people in the community.
Certified nurse midwives have master’s degree training that allows them to care for patients, prescribe medication, attend births, and assist women with health issues throughout their lives.
For Skillicorn, good care all begins with listening carefully and accepting other points of view.
“I really try to listen to patients, to hear their stories. I don’t think you can give good medical care if you don’t listen,” she said. “We’re all individuals; I try to understand and appreciate where people are coming from.”
She added, “And I always try to explain things in plain language.”
She explains that using technical words can be tempting because they are so precise, but if a patient doesn’t understand a word then Skillicorn hasn’t done her job as she sees it.
In addition to communicating mindfully with patients, Skillicorn does her best not to rush them, even when she’s being rushed.
“Whether it’s labor or listening, I don’t rush patients. To make good decisions, people need time to reflect, gather information, process,” she said.
And when it comes to decision-making, Skillicorn firmly believes that patients should be in the driver’s seat. “I won’t tell you what to do, but I will help you make an informed choice.”
“Eva is a great fit,” said Care for Her Manager Jill Damian. “She really understands how to work well with patients and provide excellent care.”
Skillicorn will see patients at all three MCHC sites: Hillside Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits and Lakeside Health Center in Lakeport.
Skillicorn grew up in a small town in western Massachusetts, similar in size to Ukiah. She was aware of midwifery as an occupation because her friend’s mother was a midwife and the local hospital was staffed with midwives.
After her undergraduate studies in peace and justice at Tufts University in Boston, her interest in midwifery grew and she attended Yale’s School of Nursing to gain her nursing degree and a master’s degree in nursing.
Skillicorn describes her demeanor as approachable and professional, and she looks forward to meeting new patients and exploring Mendocino County.
When she’s not at work, you can find her hiking, walking, biking, swimming, or just generally enjoying the outdoors.
For more information about Care for Her, visit http://www.careforher.org or call 707-468-1010.
Mendocino Community Health Clinic is a local nonprofit organization providing access to health care for all.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
UKIAH, CA – The Joint Commission, in conjunction with The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, recently recognized Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) with Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.
This designation signifies an organization’s dedication to achieving the best outcome for patients presenting with symptoms of stroke.
With stroke being the leading cause of disability across the nation, early diagnosis and intervention affects the quality of life greatly.
The designation was granted following a rigorous on-site review in June of 2014.
A Joint Commission expert reviewed UVMC’s compliance with the requirements for The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification program as well as primary stroke center requirements, such as collecting performance data on key measures of timeliness and care, using it for improvement.
Emergency Room Registered Nurse Kim Swift spearheaded the certification process.
“I worked closely with our clinical staff to develop stroke protocols and competencies,” Swift said. “I reviewed all stroke cases and worked with our council to make patient care improvements when necessary. We worked closely with our local emergency medical responder teams in the field and with our radiology and laboratory teams in the hospital. This allowed us to shorten the time it takes to determine if the patient in fact is having a stroke, because when you are having a stroke – every second counts!”
"In achieving Joint Commission advanced certification, UVMC has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its stroke patients,” said Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends UVMC for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”
According to VP of Patient Care at UVMC, Heather Van Housen, attaining this certification is to really give the community peace-of-mind.
“In 2013 we saw 108 stroke patients in our emergency department – a 20 percent increase over 2012,” Van Housen said. “We are committed to being the best hospital possible to come to when you have symptoms of stroke. The multi-disciplinary team ready to serve you includes professionals in emergency medicine, nursing, radiology, laboratory, rehabilitation – all blending their passion and skill to improve the care of patients experiencing stroke symptoms.”
“Our goal in treating stroke patients is to complete the initial evaluation, including the radiologist review of imaging, within 45 minutes,” said Chief of Medical Staff at UVMC Charlie Evans, M.D.
“Studies show that patients who present early enough to have intervention with thrombolytic (clot busting) drugs within the first 3 hours may benefit from use of these medications,” said Evans. “This means, that if our stroke team reaches its goal and completes the assessment within 45 minutes, a patient must arrive in the ED no later than two hours and 15 minutes from the onset of their symptoms to maximally benefit from our treatment.
“Like most all systems of health care today this required a tremendous team effort and one that we are all proud to have accomplished,” Evans said. “Our community will be well served by the efforts of this committed group of individuals who are truly committed to helping patients who suffer from this debilitating and life changing effects of stroke.”
“Our team is committed to providing our community with the highest quality stroke care based on current scientific research to ensure continuous improvement in care,” said Gwen Matthews, president and chief executive officer of UVMC. “Primary Stroke Center Certification has given us the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide for our patients, and improved outcomes that benefit the patients and families in our community.”
Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association and launched in 2003, The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification program is based on the Brain Attack Coalition's "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers." Certification is available only to stroke programs in Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals.
For more information on The Joint Commission and American Heart Association’s Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Center visit http://www.jointcommission.org/ or www.heart.org/myhospital .
- Details
- Written by: Editor
- Howard Memorial Hospital, Ukiah Valley Medical Center affiliated physician clinics join Anthem Blue Cross Network for Covered California members
- Construction companies start construction on New Ukiah Valley Medical Center Emergency Room expansion project
- St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake and affiliated physician clinics now accept Anthem Covered California plans
How to resolve AdBlock issue?