All Three Mendocino Hospitals Have COVID-19 Patients and More, Says Dr. Doohan in Statement This Evening

novel coronavirus Covid-19 MendocinoPress release from the County of Mendocino:

Today Mendocino County was informed of our first COVID-19 related death—Mr. George Chadwick (14th case) by his daughter-in-law Mary Chadwick. Mr. Chadwick died in a Marin County outpatient rehabilitation facility, after being hospitalized at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Hospital with COVID-19.  As his passing was in another county, the family received the death certificate first and informed Mendocino County that COVID-19 is listed as a cause of death. Mendocino County will request the death certificate from Marin County tomorrow morning. Mendocino County mourns the passing of Mr. Chadwick and celebrates his life along with his family and community. He was a well-loved community member that touched many lives. Mary wrote to Health Officer Dr. Doohan, “Our dad was amazing! He left quite a legacy!”

The announcement of Mendocino County’s first COVID-19 death comes at a time when 6 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized across all 3 Adventist Hospitals in Mendocino County, an outbreak at Sherwood Oaks Skilled Nursing home in Fort Bragg is rapidly evolving (5 residents and 2 employees) and the total number of cases countywide reached 165 with 66 in active isolation and 123 in active quarantine. Regarding the hospitalizations, Jason Wells CEO of our local Adventist Health hospitals stated, “We currently have six patients between our three hospitals and for the first time all three hospitals have COVID positive patients at the same time. Our teams have been training for this for months and we are at our best when we are bringing the essential care our community needs. I could not be more proud of the exceptional nurses, physicians, housekeepers and support teams who are all heroes in my book. We are ready for this.”  Of the hospitalizations 2 are at the Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Hospital, 3 at Howard Memorial Hospital and 1 at Adventist Health Ukiah Hospital.

On July 13, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health announced a new State Order with restrictions that apply to ALL 58 counties for bars, restaurants and other indoor business operations as part of statewide actions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Following this announcement Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued revised orders aligning our local orders with the new statewide restrictions.  The Governor also directed counties that remain on the county monitoring list for 3 consecutive days (32 counties) will be required to close indoor operations for more sectors due to risk of spread.  Based on the recent surge in Mendocino County cases and hospitalizations, it is likely that Mendocino County will be added to the monitoring list in the next 48 hours.  Dr. Doohan will issue a revised order requiring additional shut downs of activities that are currently applied to monitoring list counties on Thursday, July 16 with an effective date of July 17 at 11:59pm. The upcoming revised Health Order will require the following industries to shut down unless they can be modified to operate outside or by pick-up: Fitness centers; worship services; offices for non-essential sectors; personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors; hair salons and barbershops, and malls. Dr. Doohan, Mendocino County Health Officer stated, “for six months the County and our partners have been tirelessly preparing for the inevitable arrival of COVID-19 in our rural county. We have flattened the curve and slowed the spread and given the hospitals and clinics and health care partners the time to prepare, now the virus is here and we must respond with strength and wisdom based on fact and science. Our placement on the State monitoring list is imminent and in order to retain local control, I am choosing to act ahead of the Governor by imposing the State monitoring list restrictions on Mendocino County in the next 48 hours”.

In addition, given the current surge of COVID-19 cases in Mendocino County, with all data pointing to this being the early stages of surge which will worsen in the coming months, Dr. Doohan made the following statement regarding school reopening in the Fall, “It is my opinion that it is not safe to open schools for normal operations in the Fall. The safest direction to take for our children is to plan for distance learning in the Fall. If the schools decide to pursue a hybrid model which complies with State guidance on school reopening, I will do everything in my power to support this school planning.”  In response to school reopening efforts and the recent increase in cases, County CEO Carmel J. Angelo stated, “given our recent surge in positive COVID-19 cases, increased hospitalizations over the last 24 hours and imminent placement on the State monitoring list, I believe our local school district should consider continuing to utilize distance learning and suspend onsite education for the time being to ensure the safety of our children, teachers and staff.”

In light of the recent surge in cases and increase use of surveillance testing sites by residents displaying symptoms, Dr. Doohan will be issuing orders to supplement the Blanket Isolation and Quarantine Orders to require Health Officer orders for Isolation (10 days) or Quarantine (14 days) to be given to people who come for free testing at OptumServe or other free testing sites who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who are close contacts of known cases.

With cases on the rise it is vital every resident remember to wear facial coverings, do  not engage in gatherings, practice good hygiene, stay home when sick and maintain 6 feet between yourself and others when you are outside of your home. Many of the recent cases are believed to be from informal gatherings around the 4th of July holiday. Please remember gatherings of any size are not allowed.

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Some Random Guy on the Internet
Guest
Some Random Guy on the Internet
3 years ago

Adventist Heath is very pleased to announce that “We have achieved a monopoly on healthcare, in Mendocino County!”

Also, remember that Jason Wells only says things that are actually true, on very rare occasions!

Adventist Health deserves it’s share of C-19 positive patients, and, there are probably not many people who want to go near a hospital, or a medical office at this time…

Enjoy your mission, Adventist Health, and, remember, monopolies are not permitted in this country!

Mendocino County should be ashamed to have permitted only one healthcare company to exist in the area.

We are sorry for the loss to the Chadwick family.

Healthcare Professional
Guest
Healthcare Professional
3 years ago

Adventist health who is so fast to get patients out to Nursing Homes and Acute Care Rehabilitation Centers where they receive substandard care. Adventist Health in Mendocino is famous for making the money from surgeries and quickly ushering patients off to care at another facility, we can expect a rise of Covid 19 in skilled nursing, acute care and nursing homes in the coming weeks, although many patients will quickly be ushered off to Sonoma, Lake and Marin Counties as Mendocino lacks Skilled Nursing Facilities. Many of these homes are under lockdown restrictions so families will be unable to see their loved ones for months to come, when they are able to, they will have to travel from 30 minutes to 3 hours away. Grim reality skilled nursing beds are hard to come by in ordinary times. There needs to be a county task force looking at creating better healthcare infrastructure instead of wasting money on cannabis eradication efforts. Time to cover the basics.

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

First create a society that repels medical professionals from coming here then those who are left pick up the remainder. Then create a monolithic entity- Medicare under ACA- to decide what makes money and what doesn’t and the favored care is farmed for all its worth while the least favored care is outsourced. I’m not saying your wrong about shunting patients out asap but the bureaucratic thinking that created problems is not going to fix them.

Jesus, Chris
Guest
Jesus, Chris
3 years ago
Reply to  Guest

What “Healthcare Professional” stated is absolutely true! When the “skimming of the cream” is complete, A.H. will become interested in the next most profitable test or procedure that they can whip onto another unsuspecting patient. They will hold patients in the ICU only so long as the patient will accept and be billed for whatever unnecessary test or procedure justifiable under the patient’s payer. If you refuse a test or procedure, they will discharge you quickly to a SNF, to clear the bed for a more profitable patient.

Adventist Health is only interested in profits and expanding the power of the organization. They don’t care about patients, patient safety, or legal compliance. Adventist Health can be relied upon to put money in front of everything else, relied upon to lie for the sake of the organization, and relied upon to do anything at all in order to grow into the monster which it has now become, in Mendocino County!

Watch out Humboldt, here comes Adventist Health! Hold on to your wallet!

💝
Guest
💝
3 years ago

Adventist Health saved my grandmother. Thank you for the additional year I had with her. I’ll cherish it the rest of my life. Thank you Adventist Health

Jesus, Chris
Guest
Jesus, Chris
3 years ago
Reply to  💝

Adventist Health did not save your grandmother! The PEOPLE who work there, saved her!

No hospital can provide excellent care without the folks who work inside!

Adventist Health has a terrible management profile, prefers to operate short-staffed, and, internally promotes harassment/abuse/gas-lighting and employee scheduling that has been proven to kill people! This is why there is constant turnover of staff, slow filling of open positions, and, the chaos of trying to keep up with the needs of the patients! At many AH locations, penny-pinching managers are rewarded with bonuses for not filling staff vacancies, forcing existing staff to work ridiculous schedules, and, for terrorist tactics in getting people to knuckle under to the crazy demands of million-dollar-salary administrators, in order to save a few bucks!

Their management style gives them a bad reputation, among healthcare workers!

Patient safety? Not here! Adequate staff? Not in their hospital! Licensed caregivers? Only when absolutely necessary to avoid legal troubles…

Adventist Health manages money, but doesn’t provide the best of care. They make a profit, and expand viciously, but, they don’t really care about their patient’s safety, or the staff’s health, safety, or their work/life balance!

Use Adventist Health wisely, and remember, you are the best advocate for your own care. In Mendocino, it’s the only option!

We are gratified that you had time with your Grandmother!

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
3 years ago

I lived in Marin for 10 years and if the patient went to Marin General or Kaiser they aren’t great either especially if your on Medi-Cal.

Huffman is from Marin, a county that Hates poor people and can’t get rid of them fast enough.

Given a choice by pass Marin and go to SF or Napa.

FBnative
Guest
3 years ago

Looks like Humboldt gets more news from our,”work at home” public health officer who lives in San Diego. It is almost impossible to understand their graphs. Information needs to be understandable to be relevant.