The Cambria Community Healthcare District (CCHD) has been assessing the impacts of the departure of Tenet Healthcare’s Dr. Lewis a few months past. To this end, a community healthcare survey has been mailed out to all of the mailboxes in the CCHD area. This will help the board members and staff to assess what options are in the best interest of the community. The survey is also available online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZN7R35J Please return the completed survey by August 1.
On June 24 and 25, the SLO County Public Health Department provided COVID-19 testing at the Veteran’s Hall in Cambria. This event was well attended and results were sent out to those who were tested within a few days. Based on PHD statistics, our District residents have lower positive test cases than most communities in California. The CCHD remains committed to maintaining a high degree of vigilant preparedness during this challenging crisis. Over 2,000 disposable masks have been distributed by volunteers and staff to area businesses for public use. We are hopeful that this provided a bridge to where the public safety is assured, as there was a shortage of available masks a few weeks ago. As supplies of masks are becoming more readily available for the public to obtain, the District will now make them available on an as-needed request basis.
There is a concern, based on national trending data and communications received from some of our local residents, that some people are uncomfortable or even fearful of going to the hospital for care. Due to concerns related to COVID-19, there appears to be a perception that the hospitals and ambulances are already overwhelmed and/or not safe from contamination. In our area this is simply not true. At this time, we are well prepared to take care of any emergency and have implemented rigorous anti-viral/anti-pathogen routine procedures to decontaminate the ambulances. Our personnel wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and the patients from infection. The hospitals have sufficient staff and bed availability to handle our needs as well as the same high level of decontamination and PPE standards. In the past few months the number of ambulance transports has declined locally, and nationally the number of deaths at home from such emergencies as heart attacks and strokes has risen dramatically. We do not want the public we serve to hesitate for any reason in calling 911 for any emergency. We are here to help you. Please call 911 if you are having an emergency.
Lastly, the CCHD has implemented an in-house billing system which has already shown to be much more effective and user-friendly for our patients and their caregivers. If you have any questions about a bill or insurance issues, please call our office for help at 805-927-8304.
Michael McDonough,
Administrator CCHD