$10M Community Clinic Will Be Designed To Serve Mentally Disabled
The new Santa Rosa clinic will feature physical therapy and specially designed dental operating rooms to accommodate wheelchairs and gurneys, as well as sedation dentistry, a medical procedure where patients are given sedative drugs to reduce patient fear and anxiety.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
New Santa Rosa Community Health Centers Clinic To Care For Developmentally Disabled
Santa Rosa Community Health Centers has landed a $2.5 million contract to provide specialized services to Sonoma Developmental Center residents affected by the facility’s planned closure. The bulk of the funds will be used to purchase property in west Santa Rosa where SRCHC plans to build a new community clinic. That clinic, a $10 million project, will be specially designed to serve patients who are developmentally disabled but will be open to all...With the scheduled closure of Sonoma Developmental Center in 2018, its remaining 350 residents will be transferred to community-based housing in Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties. That would leave many of them without in-house medical, dental, mental and adaptive services. (Espinoza, 3/10)
In other news from across the state —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Forensic Exam Made Available To Domestic Violence Victims
For decades in San Diego County, victims of sexual assault and child abuse have been examined by specially trained forensic nurses who expertly document their injuries to aid in prosecution. Now, due to a grant from the state Office of Emergency Services, some domestic violence victims will get the same treatment...The grant will fund 130 domestic assault forensic examinations, which will be conducted by forensic nurses with Palomar Health. Any law enforcement agency in the county can request the service, free of charge. It won’t be enough to supplement every felony domestic violence case, but it’s a start, officials said. (Winkley, 3/12)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Local Athletic Trainers Back Push For State Licensing Program
A football player bangs helmets with another during a high school game. One gets up slowly, a little stunned. Off the field, someone asks him how he is...Who determines that, particularly in California, wields a huge influence on that athlete’s future — possibly even his life. A certified athletic trainer would likely pull him and send him through a weeklong concussion protocol with a step-by-step return-to-play checklist that monitors his symptoms. But California doesn’t require its athletic trainers to be licensed, which allows just about anyone on the sideline to make that determination...California is the only state in the nation that does not require licensure or regulation of such medical professionals, entrusted with the care of hundreds of thousands of high school, college and professional athletes who play in the state every day. (Carter, 3/11)
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
Sacramento Food Bank Unveils New Produce Truck
The Sacramento Food Bank is going mobile. It just unveiled its new produce truck. Food bank organizers say adding the mobile produce stand will help it reach people who have difficulty getting to their other distribution points. Monica from Carmichael was one of the first people in line to get produce at the unveiling event at Arcade Church. (Schilling, 3/10)