Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital VP/COO and Chief Nurse Executive Lori Katterhagen, RN, says she was overwhelmed with relief when she received her first COVID-19 vaccine in December. She encourages anyone on the fence about getting the vaccine to consider the benefits it will provide to them, their family and their community.
by Mary Beth TeSelle, Special to The Union
Nurses at Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital were celebrated throughout the past week during National Nurses Week festivities.
Every year, at hospitals and medical offices around the country, the second week in May is marked as a time to pause and give thanks to the nurses who provide care to patients at all hours, every day of the year.
May 6 marks the beginning of National Nurses Week. The week culminates on May 12 International Nurses Day the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing.
Locally, Nurses Week at Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital holds special significance this year.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week originated in 1975 as National Medical Laboratory Week, or NMLW, under the auspices of the American Society for Medical Technology, now called the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). Please join us in honoring the amazing work the lab team at Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital does on behalf of our community.
There are approximately 300,000 clinical laboratory professionals in the United States. A clinical laboratory conducts tests on specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
Clinical laboratory includes clinical microbiology which encompasses bacteriology, virology, parasitology immunology and mycology. Clinical chemistry follows analysis of blood components, enzymology, toxicology and endocrinology. Hematology consists of the analysis of blood and body fluid cells. Clinical transfusion services provide replacement
by Amy Abt, Special to The Union
Rick Williams, Jennifer Briggs, Sasha Hughes, and Toni St. Jacques with Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital are shown here with the SNMH Community Cancer Center’s linear accelerator.
It’s been more than a year since the world first learned of COVID-19 and much of our attention understandably has been focused on protecting ourselves and others from the disease that started a global pandemic.
While the focus on COVID-19 is important, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation continues to support philanthropic efforts to treat and prevent other deadly diseases within our community.
To that end, Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital’s new Radiation Oncologist Dr. Clayton Hess has identified equipment needs that will allow him to treat additional types of cancers at SNMH’s Community Cancer Center.
Access to health care services is critical to your good health. Some ask why people get referred for care down the hill. The reality is, hospitals today must make choices and focus on the most acute needs of a community.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), there are over 135 specialties and subspecialties in the U.S. It is impossible for any hospital, urban or rural, to manage care for all of those areas. When a hospital can’t provide the specific care needed, transferring that patient to a facility where that specialty is provided becomes a high priority.