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VIPSEnjoy
AppreciationMeals
— Page 6
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…Check My NorthBay, Your Employee Portal, for News in
Real Tim
e…05.09.18
Called Nursing
Video, Events Celebrate National Week
to
CNO WritesLetter for
Nurses Week— Page 8
See HR VP, Page 17
A Win inArbitrationwith Aetna!
There are many reasons why NorthBay Healthcare nurses became nurses, but one thing they all have in common: They want to help people.
That quickly becomes evident when you watch a series of videos filmed recently at both NorthBay Medical Center and NorthBay
NorthBay’s NewHR VP Joins in July
Nurses are be-ing featured in special videos this week on the NorthBay Facebook page (Facebook.com/NorthBay-Healthcare).
See AETNA, Page 6
See NURSES, Page 9
Marissa Aquino, (top, moving clock-wise) Joey Polen and Erica Taylor.
NorthBay Healthcare has hired Jim Andersen to serve as its vice
president of Hu-man Resources, announced Presi-dent and CEO Konard Jones.
“We are ex-cited to welcome Jim into our NorthBay fam-ily,” said Konard. “His well-rounded
background as a leader of a service-driven organization fits
Jim Andersen
In a legal dispute with Aetna over underpayments, NorthBay Healthcare has won on every sin-gle arbitration point, announced Elnora Cameron, president of NorthBay Healthcare Advantage.
“This is a day to celebrate,” said Elnora, informing manage-ment team of the latest turn of events on May 4.
“Tightly worded contracts ne-
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TO REMEMBERDATES
IN THE NEWSPEOPLE
LETTERS
DATES
PEOPLE
NEW FACESWELCOMEWELCOME
LETTERS
Zhazmir AlghamdiMedical Social WorkerVacaValley Hospital
Aberdovey BellezaClinical Nurse IIUnit 1800 Med-SurgNorthBay Medical Center
Reymond Caalaman Environmental Services AideNorthBay Medical Center
Monica CastanedaEnvironmental Services AideVacaValley Hospital
Sofia CisnerosEnvironmental Services AideNorthBay Medical Center
Bao GroganResource SpecialistCase ManagementVacaValley Hospital
Rocelia ReyesClinical Nurse IIUnit 1800 Med-SurgNorthBay Medical Center
TO REMEMBERDATES
IN THE NEWSPEOPLE
LETTERS
DATES
PEOPLE
NEW FACESWELCOMEWELCOME
LETTERS
NorthBay Trauma Receives Grant to Aid At-Risk Youth
NorthBay Healthcare’s Trauma Program has received a grant of approximately $40,000 from Solano County to roll out a new Violence Intervention Program within NorthBay Medical Center.
The program’s main goal is to help break the cycle of violence, retribution and recidivism that sends many vulnerable youth to NBMC’s Emergency Department as either victims or perpetrators of violent crimes, according to Brenna Benjamin, trauma injury prevention and outreach coordi-nator.
The Violence Intervention Program will align NorthBay’s trauma program coordinators with other community-based ser-vices — such as the Matt Garcia Foundation, Fairfield High School, the Police Activities League,
Workforce Development Board and “Bring Your A-Game,” a youth mentorship project involv-ing local business owners. The goal is to connect youth, ages 14 to 24, and their families with their “wrap-around” services on an individual needs basis, Brenna said.
“The program also hopes to decrease unemployment by con-necting these youth to personal mentors who can provide them with career development and personal skill-building essentials.”
The project, funded through Solano County’s Community Health Improvement Plan, of-ficially gets underway in June, Brenna explained.
“We’re very excited about this grant and the projects it will help fund,” she added.
05.09.18 Employee Appreciation Meals — NBMC05.10.18 Employee Appreciation Meals — VVH05.19.18 Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, Nut Tree, Vacaville05.26.18 Fiesta Days Parade06.03.18 Cancer Survivors Day, Rancho Solano06.05.18 Retirement Plan Meetings — GVAC Rm. 16006.06.18 Retirement Plan Meetings — VVHP, Suite 29006.06.18 VIP Tour with Konard06.07.18 Retirement Plan Meetings — NBMC Penn Tab 06.19.18 Nurse Camp begins06.23.18 River Cats Baseball, Sacramento
An ‘Urgent’ Message of ThanksNorthBay Healthcare Vice President for Ambulatory Services Wayne Geitz presents As-sistant Vice President of Primary Care Damaris Valeras (center) and Mary Jameson, di-rector of Primary Care, Center for Women’s Health and Urgent Care, with appreciation awards at a recent management team meeting. Wayne thanked the women for going above and beyond in establishing NorthBay Urgent Care as a highly successful addition, surpassing all expectations since its January opening.
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Great Supportfor The Leaven
Via the Great RaceSpeeding around the racetrack, wheels squeal-
ing, NorthBay Healthcare staff joined local civic leaders and more than a few airmen from Travis Air Force Base April 26 at Driven Raceway for some friendly competition and fund-raising fun.
The indoor go-cart track, for the sixth year in a row, raised funds to support the programs of The Leaven, an after-school tutoring program that tar-gets at-risk youth.
The event got underway as veteran NASCAR racer Jim Inglebright took to a cart to put in a few “hot laps” on the track and set a time for others to beat. Inglebright, a member of the NorthBay Foun-dation Board, was thrilled to participate, saying the program is “all about the kids.”
Among the 85 racers who participated was Team NorthBay, which consisted of Trauma Program Director Heather Venezio, Director of Diagnostic Imaging Jerry Wilcox, Clinical Practice Manager Jen-nifer Leone, and Foundation President Brett John-
son. The team performed well with Brett taking first place overall followed by Jerry in second place.
Mark Lillis, director of The Leaven, had nothing but praise for the event.
“This event has become a mainstay for us over the years and we are so grateful to NorthBay and our other supporters for their participation each year.”
NorthBay Healthcare Trauma Director Heather Venezio (top left) prepares for her race. Veteran NASCAR racer Jim Inglebright (above) gives the thumbs up before setting the pace to beat.
NorthBay Foundation President Brett Johnson (center) poses with his trophy with Mark Lillis, excecutive director of The Leaven (left) and NorthBay Vice President of Public Affairs Steve Huddleston.
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Dietitian Earns Certificationin Oncology Nutrition
A SpecialDay Set forSurvivorsInterested in learning the
latest news about cancer treat-ment from experts at the North-Bay Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic? Want to celebrate cancer survivorship? All are invited to attend Solano County’s 22nd an-nual National Cancer Survivors Day, hosted by NorthBay Health-care, on Sunday, June 3.
The uplifting and informative event will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clubhouse at Ran-cho Solano, 3250 Rancho Solano Parkway in Fairfield.
Speakers at the event will in-clude Mayo Clinic oncologist Scott H. Okuno, M.D., an expert on bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and Brian Vikstrom, M.D., an oncologist/hematologist with the NorthBay Cancer Center.
NorthBay will also highlight several cancer survivors, who will offer reflections during the “Speaking from the Heart” por-tion of the program.
Guests are invited to enjoy a light lunch and beverages before the program begins.
In May 2016, NorthBay Healthcare became the first health care organization in north-ern California to join the Mayo Care Clinic Network. This for-mal agreement gives NorthBay Healthcare access to the lat-est Mayo Clinic knowledge and promotes collaboration among physicians to benefit patients.
To attend this free event, pre-register at www.NorthBay.org/Survivor Day, or call (707) 646-3280 by May 25. Registration is limited to four guests.
Devin Robi-nette is proud to have earned her board certification specialist status in Oncology Nutrition.
Registered Dietitian Devin Robinette has earned her board certification specialist status in Oncology Nutrition.
Devin has a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics and works as a clinical dietitian in the NorthBay Cancer Center and with inpatient Clinical Nu-trition Services.
The CSO credential is earned by passing the CSO specialty examination, which is admin-istered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, according to Kathleen Shafer, director of Nutrition Services. “There are strict parameters to establish who may sit for this exam and Devin recently met them and sat for the exam.”
As a board-certified spe-cialist in Oncology Nutrition, Devin continues to be a strong advocate for the efficacy of nutritional intervention in pa-tients’ cancer care, according to Kathleen.
“She specializes in help-ing cancer patients and their caregivers develop a plan for good nutrition. The specialized study involved in the certifica-tion allows Devin to better help patients who are experiencing specific nutrition-related prob-lems such as a loss of appetite; sore or dry mouth; taste chang-es; weight loss; and nausea and vomiting as a result of the cancer or the treatment,” said Kathleen.
Devin works closely with the Cancer Center team and with the inpatient team to coordi-nate nutrition care.
“Devin plays an active role in supporting people living with and beyond cancer by assess-ing and managing the effects of cancer treatment and reducing the risk of malnutrition or sec-ondary cancers and conditions through appropriate nutrition education and support,” said Kathleen. “We’re proud of her and offer our congratulations.”
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All in the NorthBayFamily for This Player
Vacaville native Marcus McDaniel (above), ranked as the No. 1 player in the country in the 16-and-under division, put his
skills to the test in an exhibition match at Green Valley Coun-try Club May 3 to kick off the NorthBay Healthcare Tennis Challenger tournament coming up this fall at Solano Com-munity College. It turns out Marcus has another NorthBay
Healthcare connection — his mother (at right with the rest of the family) is Ellen, a longtime nurse and Quality Improve-
ment coordinator. The exhibition pitted Marcus against Zach Lim, of Fairfield, who captured a top spot in the U.S. Tennis
Association Boys’ 16s International Spring Championships, a victory that pushed him to fifth in the division. Marcus edged
out Zach, 6-5 (7-5). The NorthBay tournament will take place in October at Solano Community College, and will benefit the
Chris Cammisa Tennis and Education Foundation.
NorthBay Healthcare employees and their family members are invited to take advantage of free beginner tennis clinics being of-fered at Solano Community College, 4000 Suisun Valley Road in Fairfield this spring.
A clinic for players 16 and under will be from 1 to 2 p.m. on May 20 and 27.
A clinic for adults will be from 2 to 3 p.m. on the same dates. The clinics are sponsored by Solano Community College and
the Chris Cammisa Tennis and Education Foundation.Dr. Cammisa, who passed away in 2014, served as chairman
in the department of family practice at NorthBay Healthcare and later was chief medical officer at Partnership Health Plan from 1999 to 2014.
To sign up for a clinic, or for more information, call (707) 363-0972.
Free Tennis Clinics Open for NorthBayFirst 20 Signups Freefor Lynch Canyon Run
As a sponsor, NorthBay Healthcare is pleased to offer complimentary registration for the annual Lynch Canyon Trail Run and Community Hike for the first 20 employees and their families who sign up.
The 11th annual event is June 2 and features a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon and 2.5-mile com-munity hike.
Visit lynchcanyontrailrun.org and enter the special code: LCTRSPON18100.
Marcus McDaniel (left) takes a swing during an exhibition match. Kevin Miller, D.P.M. (above) has signed on to again offer his medical ser-vices during the tournament.
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First of Our VIPs Appreciated at Hilborn
See MEALS, Page 7
Teams of Hilborn campus employees stopped by for photos while the team of manager/servers lined up (below right) under a tent to dish up appreciation meals.
gotiated for NorthBay Healthcare work wonders in a legal case like this,” she said.
Aetna first started underpay-ing NorthBay Healthcare in 2008. A settlement was reached in 2009 but then it happened again in 2012.
Arbitration on this matter be-gan in June 2017, with a hearing in January and February of 2018.
NorthBay’s claim was that the language in the contract and in the 2009 settlement did not allow Aetna to refuse to pay for certain line items on the hospi-tal bills. The items in question
were venipuncture, multiple tests performed on the same day and some services they decided had to be included in the price and reimbursement of other services, said Elnora.
Next steps will be to figure out exactly how much Aetna owes NorthBay and to receive pay-ment. Tentative estimates are around $2 million.
Elnora wanted to recognize Lori Eichenberger, senior director of Revenue Cycle, for the enor-mous amount of work she put into this legal challenge.
“Once a contract dispute gets
to this level, all the work of iden-tifying and categorizing claims and calculating payments due – not to mention battling the plan over the legitimacy of her reports — goes to Lori. And when you have three such legal actions,” she said, referencing Blue Shield and Kaiser — “the workload for her is gargantuan.”
Elnora also wanted to thank the legal team of Daron Tooch, David Tassa, and Nancene Cohen from Hooper Lundy for outstand-ing organization of the evidence and their compelling questioning of Aetna’s witnesses.
Aetna Arbitration Settled ... (From Page 1)
Barbeque grills were fired up, VIP signs pointed the way and a cadre of NorthBay Healthcare managers stood at the ready, waiting to serve the first of several Employee Appre-ciation Meals on Monday at the Hilborn campus.
Before they were treated to their meals, employees were encouraged to sign up to win an array of raffle prizes and to pose for photos with VIP props, such as tiaras and top hats.
Meals moved to the Green Valley Administration Center
This Year’s Theme is All About YOU
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Basket Time!
Meals ... (From Page 6)
REMAININGAPPRECIATION MEALS
Wednesday, May 9NBMC Patio by 180010 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.Thursday, May 10
NBMC campus2 to 3 a.m.
VVH Patio by Cafe10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
5 to 6 p.m.Friday, May 11VVH Patio by cafe
2 to 3 a.m.
Who’s in for the Jubilee gift basket challenge? If you and your department have your bas-ket entry ready, bring it to Em-ployee Appreciation meals.
Not sure what it’s all about? NorthBay employees have been invited to donate gift baskets to the Solano Wine & Food Jubilee’s Silent Auction, to help raise funds for NorthBay Hospice & Bereave-ment programs. The most creative entry will earn its creators six VIP and six regular Jubilee tickets, a $5,000-plus prize value, noted Brett Johnson, NorthBay Healthcare Foundation president. The winner is responsible for
determining how the tick-ets will be distributed, he noted, adding that all who contributed to creating a basket will have their name put into a hat to win a pair of VIP tickets.
The Jubilee is Satur-day, May 19 at the Har-bison Event Center at the Nut Tree, and baskets can be dropped off at em-ployee appreciation meals through May 10, or at the Foundation office at GVAC
through May 18. Call Susan Cianci at ext. 3131 for information. For Jubilee tickets, visit wineandfoodju-bilee.org.
The Quality Division created a Giants baseball theme for its submission to the Silent Auction challenge.
on Tuesday.Because of FYI’s
deadline, photos from Tuesday through the end of the week will be featured in the May 23 issue of FYI and on My NorthBay, your employee portal.
The theme this year is YOU are NorthBay’s VIP.
“It’s more impor-tant than ever to pause and take time to recognize and celebrate all our employees, physicians and volunteers, who make NorthBay the incredible organization it is,” said Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay Healthcare Group.
Kinder’s BBQ is catering the meal again this year, under the supervision of NorthBay Health-care’s Nutrition Services depart-ment, according to Kathleen Shafer, Nutrition Services direc-tor.
The menu features marinated ball tip, marinated chicken quar-ters, kale Caesar salad, fruit salad, vegetarian baked beans, rolls, and ice cream. There’s also
a vegan/vegetarian option. Cake is being served in honor
of Nurses Week. The raffle includes a number
of valuable prizes, as well as a chance to win a VIP tour with the CEO.
Twelve names will be drawn from the raffle to participate in a June 6 tour of the new, three-story modernization project at NorthBay Medical Center. Tour guests will enjoy lunch with NorthBay Healthcare President and CEO Konard Jones, before embarking on a tour led by proj-ect manager Eric Van Pelt. Hard hats and closed-toed shoes are a must.
Departments are also encour-aged to participate in a VIP bas-ket competition and can submit their basket during appreciation meals this week. (See related story, below.)
The baskets will be sold during the silent auction at the Solano Wine & Food Jubilee May 19, benefiting NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement.
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Letters Policy
FYI publishes letters written to administration and staff of NorthBay Healthcare. Editors of FYI reserve the right to edit them for length and content. We suggest letters be limited to 250 words in length.
We typically withhold names of patients unless they specifically request to be named.
If you’ve received a letter you’d like to share, or want to write a letter to share with fellow employees, please e-mail it to [email protected].
Dear Editor,
You’ll find nurses at the heart of every healthcare organization, and it’s no different at NorthBay Healthcare. Our team is com-posed of nearly 800 of the most compassionate, caring people in Solano County who come to work every day willing to share their expertise and knowledge with our patients and their loved ones.
Please join us this month as we celebrate National Nurses Week with our colleagues across the world. The week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, considered the founder of mod-ern nursing. An English woman, she blazed a trail in the 1800s by training and managing nurses to care for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. She was inno-vative, inspirational and no doubt influential in her work.
That’s why it’s fitting that this
year’s theme is “Nurses Inspire, Innovate, Influence.”
Nurses are the No. 1 trusted profession. And when you think about it, nurses are everywhere: in ambulatory settings, medical centers, businesses, legal offices, government, international mis-sions and just about any place you can imagine.
And yet, sometimes when our days are frenzied and there’s little time to catch a breath, we nurses can sometimes lose sight of what brought us to the profes-sion in the first place. That’s why it’s important to take time every year and remember our humble beginnings.
At NorthBay, we remind our nurses of our professional prac-tice model, which puts our pa-tients and family at the center of all we do. We are focused on relationship-based care, as well as the art and science of caring. We believe in evidence-based practice, and host conferences
It’s Time to Thank a NurseFor the Many Things They Do
every year open to nurses from throughout California and be-yond. We point to our prestigious Magnet designation, awarded by the American Nurses Creden-tialing Center, which means our facility sets the highest standard for nursing excellence.
We are proud to report that 80 percent of our staff have bach-elor’s degrees or higher in nurs-ing, a reflection of our dedication to excellence.
NorthBay’s focus is on contin-uously improving patient safety, quality and satisfaction, which can only be achieved within a re-spectful, supportive environment. And that is only possible with our skilled, dedicated team of nurses ready to serve.
So this May, I hope you’ll take time to wish any nurse you know Happy Nurses Week, and thank them for all they do.
Traci Duncan, R.N.Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer
NorthBay Healthcare
#HealthTipTuesdayCan Really Pay OffCongratulations to Vacaville resi-dent Joan Tucker. She won the April #HealthTipTuesday drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. #HealthTipTuesday is a campaign that features a health tip from NorthBay doctors every Tuesday on the NorthBay Facebook page (Facebook.com/NorthBay-Healthcare). Anyone who comments on or shares the Tuesday posts is automatically entered in a monthly drawing for a gift card. It pays to fol-low NorthBay on Facebook! Employ-ees are eligible for the drawings, too. Comment. Share. Win!
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Nurses...(From Page 1)
All Employees May Schedule Nurse Week Massage Deal
“I believe in making a differ-ence and I think nursing is one of those rare careers where you are able to do something bigger than yourself,” added Joey. “You can make a difference and it really matters.”
That is of key importance for emergency room nurse Erica Tay-lor, R.N., as well.
“I had the opportunity to work on every floor … and I returned to the ER because that’s my love. I like taking care of patients of all ages,” said Erica. “You have op-portunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day.”
Some other nurses inter-viewed said they were inspired by family members in the medi-cal field.
“I had a couple of aunts who were nurses and I really admired and respected them,” said Alisa Zeringue, R.N., who works in
acute care at VacaValley Hospital. “I learned a lot from them.”
The videos can be viewed on the NorthBay Facebook page at Facebook.com/NorthBayHealth-care.
Of course the video project is not the only happening during Nurses Week. NorthBay is mark-ing the week with several events.
During the NorthBay Employee Appreciation Meals (May 7-12) special cake will be served to honor nursing at NorthBay and today, international speaker and renowned author Donna Hart-ley will present “Fire Up Your Life,” a talk for staff at 8 a.m. at the Green Valley Administra-tion Center, Room 154, and at 1 p.m. at the VacaValley Health Plaza, Room 240. The theme for National Nurses Week this year is “Nurses: Inspire, Innovate, Influence,” and Hartley draws on life-threatening events in her life (including an airplane crash and open heart surgery) to inspire people to transform their lives.
On Friday NorthBay will hold a special memorial tribute to nurs-es at 10:30 a.m. outside on the NorthBay Medical Center patio behind the 1800 unit, followed by “blessings of the hands” rounds.
In honor of National Nurses Week, NorthBay HealthSpring Fitness is offering a special deal on a Swedish massage to all NorthBay Healthcare employees.
You don’t have to be a member of HealthSpring Fitness or a nurse to take advantage of this deal, which is $70 for a 90-min-ute massage. A 90-minute Swedish massage is typically $95 for members or $110 for nonmembers. And note that if you use the medical flex benefits program, you may apply the cost of the massage toward your account.
To qualify, massages must be scheduled between now and May 16. Massages may be booked in advance. Call (707) 624-8080 or email [email protected] to schedule.
VacaValley Hospital in honor of National Nurses Week which be-gan May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingales’s birthday. It is part of a video project to honor the more than 800 nurses who serve at NorthBay on the company Facebook page.
Nurses from the emergency room to Mother/Baby unit, inten-sive care, acute care and sur-gery are featured in the videos in which they are asked to share why they became a nurse, what they love best about nursing and what nursing at NorthBay means for them.
Growing up, I was always fascinated with anything medi-cal and I knew I would work in the medical field,” said Marissa Aquino, R.N.
Marissa, who works in the Mother-Baby unit at NorthBay Medical Center, said her chosen area of care was really a no-brainer. “It’s just a happy place,” she said. “You care for the moms and babies — and I just love the babies.”
She’s not the only nurse who said she felt called to the profes-sion at an early age.
“At a very young age I felt this innate desire to help. The way law enforcement and first responders are always running to where help is needed, that’s how I felt,” said Gabriel Calvo, R.N., an acute care nurse at NorthBay Medical Center.
“For as long as I can remem-ber — from toddler age — I was always playing with the hospital care kits my family would get me for Christmas. I have always wanted to be a nurse,” said Joey Polen, R.N., who works in the emergency department at Vaca-Valley.
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Department Item Value
Cardiac Rehab NuStep Bike $ 3,675
Code Blue Wi-fi Cards for defibrillators (37) $ 8,000
Joint Replacement Patient amenities $ 5,000
Labor & Delivery ThunderBeat $14,000
NICU Kangaroozak $10,000
Nutrition Services Hydraulic $750 Hand Dynamometers Outpatient Rehab Wheelchairs, walker, commode $600
Patient Experience Day Passes to HealthSpring $ 1,500 Fitness
Pediatric P.T. Assorted therapy equipment $ 1,150
Perioperative Services Hydrothermal Ablation Machine $14,000
Physical Therapy NuStep T5 $ 5,995
Respiratory Services Smoking Cessation Training $ 4,000
Sepsis Steering Com. Hemodynamic Monitoring Equip. $35,000
Simulation Lab Training Defibrillator, Crash Cart $23,900 Simulation Lab Pediatric Manikin $21,955
Making an Investment
NorthBay Guild volunteers once again proved to be gener-ous benefactors as they recently voted to fund $150,000 worth of items on NorthBay Healthcare departments’ 2018 Wish Lists.
Guild volunteers worked hard in the gift shops and at Guild sales throughout the year to raise funds for the Wish List, accord-ing to Jane Hilliard, director of Volunteer Services. And, for the first time in several years, funds raised at the NorthBay Guild Golf tournament were rolled into the
pot, so that more wishes could be granted.
This year, the value of granted wishes ranged from $600 to $35,000, Jane noted.
Among the granted wishes will be a hemodynamic monitoring device. This piece of equipment monitors critically ill patients and assesses their cardiovascu-
lar system and its response to tissue oxygen demands, and will be used on sepsis patients in the Emergency Department.
A new Sim Lab family member will also be purchased with Guild Wish List funds. A 5-year-old pediatric simulation Manikin with wireless communication capabili-ties will join a mother, father and infant in the Sim lab.
Also coming soon to the Sim Lab, thanks to Guild funds, is a training defibrillator and crash cart.
It has an unusual name but will be a welcome addition to La-bor & Delivery’s operating room. Guild members voted to fund a Thunderbeat ─ a device that al-lows a surgeon to simultaneously seal and cut vessels up to and including 7 mm in size.
Patient amenities for the Joint Replacement program and new recumbent bikes for Cardiac Re-hab were among other items the Guild voted to fund.
“Thank you to the Guild Volun-teers for all that you do,” noted Cynthia Giaquinto, Joint Replace-ment program manager. “North-Bay is truly fortunate to have such a dedicated, fun group.”
“We appreciate our volunteers so much. This will allow us to do some great work with our COPD patients. We could not be great without our volunteers,” added Niki Petersen, director of Respira-tory Care Services.
“Thank you, Guild volunteers, for your generosity in supporting the Simulation Center! We are very excited to proceed with pur-chasing the pediatric Manikin and creating simulations for our care providers,” said JoAnn Munski, director of nursing education and clinical practice development.
Guild Grants $150,000 Worth of WishesNew Equipment WillBenefit Our Patients
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#OurDocTalk Focuses on Kidneys
May is National Stroke Aware-ness Month and NorthBay Health-care will host a live streaming online discussion on stroke, its causes and treatments and what to do if you think someone is having a stroke.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of adult disability. About 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year and one American dies from a stroke every 4 minutes, on average, ac-cording to the Centers for Dis-ease Control.
Learn more about stroke from 1:30 to 2 p.m. on May 17 dur-ing #OurDocTalk on Facebook
Live featuring Neurologist and NorthBay Stroke Program Medi-cal Director Ameer Almullahas-sani, M.D., and NorthBay Stroke Program Manager Beth Gladney, R.N.
#OurDocTalk is an ongoing se-ries of chats designed to connect NorthBay doctors with the com-munity to answer questions on important health issues. Interest-ed followers who visit NorthBay’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/NorthBayHealthcare) will be able to post questions and comments and the stroke experts will reply during the chat. Questions can also be submitted in advance via Facebook Messenger or e-mail to [email protected].
General kidney health, the op-tions for treating kidney stones, and the importance of drinking water and eating a healthy diet dominated much of the discus-sion during the most recent #OurDocTalk on the NorthBay Facebook page.
During the half-hour chat, NorthBay urologist Edward Wang, M.D. fielded a half dozen ques-tions from Facebook followers, starting off with a question on what potential impact diabetes medications could have on one’s kidneys.
“Diabetes itself is a major cause for kidney function decline;
diabetes is one of the most com-mon causes for people on dialy-sis suffer-ing kidney failure,” he
noted. “Therefore, it is of para-mount importance for persons with diabetes to get it well under control at all times. (Neither) the medical treatment of diabetes such as antihyperglycemic agents nor insulin will not cause kidney damage.”
Kidney stones were the topic of more than one question.
“What is the best way to get rid of kidney stones that won’t pass?” asked one Facebook fan.
“It will be surgical interven-tion. Typically a stone in the kidney is treated with external shock wave therapy. A stone inside the ureter is treated with ureteroscopic holmium laser.”
Asked about kidney stones developing more than 10 years apart, Dr. Wang got a little po-etic.
“If you have a suspicion,
please see your physician,” add-ing, “kidney stones can certainly recur after many years.”
Diet and the role it plays in urologic health was also a focus.
“Drinking more water is al-ways the best choice,” Dr. Wang noted. He also advised that “it is always good policy to live
a healthy lifestyle by eating a normal healthy diet with rainbow color of vegetables and fruits” and avoiding processed foods.
The chat can be viewed on the NorthBay Facebook page (Face-book.com/NorthBayHealthcare) and a transcript will be posted on NorthBay.org.
Stroke is Theme for Next Online Chat
NorthBay urologist Edward Wang, M.D., poses for a photo during his recent #OurDocTalk chat on the NorthBay Facebook page.
12
Life can get busy and it’s easy to forget — is it time for that blood pressure check, colorectal screen, mammogram or bone density test? What about immu-nizations for the children? Thanks to a new workflow system that has been rolled out in all three of NorthBay Healthcare’s Center for Primary Care facilities, pa-tients will have a lot more help figuring all that out, according to Kevin West, quality coordinator for the Ambulatory Division. It is part of an overarching effort to encourage patients to schedule an annual exam, to provide more seamless and effective care, and increase patient satisfaction.
The system is called Pre-Visit Planning, and is being imple-mented in conjunction with Healthe Registries, a solution for the electronic health re-cord which monitors preventive screening and chronic condition follow-up guidelines in population health registries, Kevin said.
Pre-Visit Planning works this way: To help primary care staff be more thoroughly prepared for upcoming patient visits, check-lists are filled out days before a patient’s appointment. The list highlights which annual wellness or chronic condition tests are due, and if there are labs or oth-er follow-up tests needed. Pre-Visit Planning also allows staff to confirm each appointment time is long enough to complete every-thing the patient needs. Staff will then contact patients to remind them of any missing blood work or X-rays that need to be com-pleted before visiting with their doctor. Previously, staff had to manually search through charts to locate the same information.
Front-line staff who use the workflow daily were heavily in-
volved in its design and creation, he explained.
“Emily Turner, a certified medical assistant at the Fairfield Center for Primary Care, spent countless hours working with the Ambulatory Quality team to explain how care teams prepare for patient appointments,” Kevin said.
And when it came time to create training videos, the Am-bulatory Quality team, staff and physicians were all involved to make it happen.
“Managers provided valuable direction, ensuring the training met their needs. Then we created short videos to help explain why this is important to our patients, invited staff and physicians to be ‘actors,’ and presented the facts with a little bit of humor. It helped to grab everyone’s atten-tion during training,” Kevin noted.
Physicians and staff at all three primary care centers underwent training in February and patients are already benefit-ting, noted Bruce Hewett, M.D., and chairman of the Ambulatory Quality Committee.
“People who choose NorthBay
trust us with their care. We owe it to them to be efficient and thorough.”
“It’s incredibly important that we complete all required preven-tive screening and chronic condi-tion requirements every time a patient comes in for an appoint-ment because we might only see them once a year,” Kevin added. “They count on us to remind them of what they need to do to stay as healthy as possible. Whether we see them for a cold, acute illness or wellness visit, we need to take the opportunity at every appointment to assure everything has been updated.”
“As we implement wellness and chronic condition registries over the next couple of months in our ambulatory practices, we expect the Pre-Visit Planning pro-cess to become even easier and more consistent for clinical staff,” said Stephanie Tarter, director of Ambulatory Quality. “The process improves how we take care of our members and ensures they are as healthy as possible, while helping our providers and staff move through their busy days in the most efficient way.”
Planning Makes Perfect for Patients
Kevin West guides the Green Valley Center for Primary Care team through a training exercise on the new pre-planning visit system.
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Back pain will be the focus of a pair of community presentations by NorthBay Healthcare neuro-surgeon Edie Zusman, M.D.
Dr. Zusman is medical director of the NorthBay Center for Neu-
Neurosurgeon Plans Pair of Community Presentations on Back Pain
Back PainConference aBig Success
roscience.The Doc Talk Live lectures will
be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on May 30 at the NorthBay Green Valley Administration Center, 4500 Busi-ness Center Drive in Fairfield and
from 6 to 7 p.m. on June 6 at the VacaValley Wellness Center, 1020 Nut Tree Road in Vacaville. Watch NorthBay.org for future announcements on registration.
Neurosurgeon Edie Zusman, M.D. (at left) gives opening remarks during the spine symposium. Mayo Clinic specialist Jamal McClendon, Jr., M.D. (above) chats during a break.
More than 150 people filled the NorthBay Healthcare Green Valley Administration Center on May 4 for a symposium focused on spine health and highlighting NorthBay’s multidisciplinary ap-proach to managing back pain.
NorthBay President and CEO Konard Jones welcomed the crowd of medical professionals saying he was thrilled with the chance to “showcase what we do every day for the patients who give us the opportunity and privi-lege to serve them.”
Dr. Edie Zusman, M.D., di-rector of the NorthBay Center for Neuroscience, kicked off the
event telling the crowed the pro-gram would provide a look at a modern, integrated program that will grow to be the premier spine program in the region.
“What we bring together at NorthBay is a multidisciplinary approach that includes pain man-agement, osteopathic manipula-tive medicine, neurosurgery and physical therapy,” she explained. “There isn’t a procedure in spine that we can’t do at NorthBay but we are focused, always, on what is right for each patient in
a multidisciplinary fashion … The reason we will grow the right program is because it is aligned to do the right thing: What’s best for the patient.”
Throughout the day, the audi-ence heard from myriad special-ists and a keynote presentation from Jamal McClendon Jr., M.D., a neurosurgeon from Mayo Clinic who detailed the Mayo model of spine care. In addition, vendors provided a glimpse at the latest products and technology avail-able in the field of spine health.
A vendor shows off some of the latest high-tech equipment available during the recent spine symposium held at NorthBay Healthcare’s Green Valley Administration Center.
Focus on the Spine
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Code Capacity Leads to Good Drill
Triage tents were set up at both NorthBay Medical Center and at Vaca-Valley Hospital (left) to accom-modate po-tential patient overflow.
An unprecedented surge of patients coming to NorthBay Healthcare’s two Emergency Departments over a stretch of 24 hours early last week made it necessary to deploy external triage tents outside each ED to handle potential overflow, according to Aimee Brewer, president, NorthBay Healthcare Group. And, although the tents weren’t used and were ultimately taken down by the end of the week, the drill itself proved to be a valuable exercise in disaster preparedness.
The surge began Monday eve-ning and escalated into Tuesday, Aimee explained. “At the height of the ED activity on Tuesday night, there was a backlog of 40 patients awaiting treatment or inpatient beds with many lengthy delays.” During the crunch, nearly every available bed in both hospitals — in med/surg, same day surgery, ICU and even Mother-Baby — was put to use. A command center was established to monitor the situation as it un-folded over several days.
As a precautionary measure, the first triage tent was set up on Wednesday morning in the park-ing lot adjacent to the Welcome Pavilion at NorthBay Medical Center, and as ED traffic began to pick up at VacaValley Hospi-tal later that afternoon, another portable triage was tent opened up there.
The unusual situation was trig-gered by a large number of auto accidents, strokes, heart attacks and other emergencies, ex-plained Traci Duncan, vice presi-dent and chief nursing officer.
“It was as if Solano County was under siege,” she said.
As it turned out, the tents were not needed, but the event
proved to be a beneficial drill on how to respond to emergencies.
“We opened the Incident Com-mand Center at 9 a.m. and the first tent was up by 10 a.m.,” noted Sean Zortman, environ-mental health and safety man-ager. “We’re required to have training exercises like this, so this event actually satisfied one of those requirements.”
“It was a great training exer-cise,” Traci added. “We now know what it takes to set up the triage tents, what we need in the way of equipment, electricity and in-ternet capabilities. It was a very good drill.”
“When we have these surges
of patients through the ED and no inpatient beds are available, it can take days to return to a ‘nor-mal’ status and we want to be prepared,” Aimee added, in ex-plaining why the tents remained up for a few days.
“Overall, it was a collabora-tive effort with physicians, the nursing care teams, EVS work-ers, case managers and nearly every department working hard to streamline the discharge of patients ready to go home, to turn over rooms for those waiting for a bed and to provide the ex-ceptional care that our team does every day at NorthBay,” Aimee noted.
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Upcoming construction projects at VacaValley Hospital will soon affect access to one of the parking lots, but fortunately ample space on the campus will minimize the impact, accord-ing to Robert Thrash, chief engineer.
DPR Construction will set up a construction compound in the parking lot farthest from the hospital administration area near Ulatis Drive. A temporary office trailer, storage contain-ers, large equipment and contractor parking will be on site for about a year.
Some of the projects planned to begin this year include a nuclear medicine gamma camera replacement, replacement of the emergency power generator and HVAC upgrades. These projects will improve department operations, patient care and patient safety, Robert explained.
Changes Ahead for Southeast EntranceProjects Also Happening at VacaValley
BikingFROMWork
Patrick Garner, R.N., administra-
tive coordinator and experienced
cyclist (holding the NorthBay
bike jersey), put together two
bike rides from the Green Valley
Administration Center on May 4, in honor of Bike
to Work Month for NorthBay Health-care employees. Leading the tour
was Robert Haran, a certified League
of American Bi-cycles instructor.
Not a Member? No Problem for Want-to-Be Swimmers
The weather is heating up and now is the time to learn how to swim. To that end, NorthBay HealthSpring Fitness is of-fering a special deal for NorthBay Health-care employees who are not currently members of the medical fitness facility in Vacaville.
During the month of May, group swim lessons for NorthBay employees as well as members of their families, may be purchased at the member rate.
Group lessons are available for swim-mers of all ages and skills.
To register for an upcoming session or if you have questions, contact John Zdankus via email at [email protected], or via phone at (707) 624-8080.
Construction will soon begin on the southeast entrance to NorthBay Medical Center, part of a larger, more long-range project to improve security at the Fair-field facility, according to Greg Duncan, assistant vice president, facilities operations.
Both sliding glass doors at the southeast entrance are more than 20 years old and in need of replacement, said Greg. “At the same time, we’re going to install a badge reader, so we can even-tually make that entrance em-ployee only. When that happens, all visitors will have to enter through the Welcome Pavilion or the Emergency Department.”
That’s where improved secu-rity comes in, according to Secu-rity Director Jon Read.
“We are researching visitor management systems now and
hope to eventually install a sys-tem that will allow us to better monitor our guests,” said Jon.
Many hospitals require visitors to sign up for a badge, which can include the room number they’re visiting. NorthBay Healthcare al-ready requires vendors to obtain a badge.
“This will create a more secure environment, and give security personnel the ability to better manage who is accessing the in-terior of the hospital and when,” said Jon.
Both visitors and staff will be able to exit through the south-east doors without a badge.
Laying Groundworkfor Better Security
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Fifteen years ago, Patrick Popola was going through some very hard times when a neighbor made a suggestion that really turned things around for him.
“My neighbor recommended that I try out volunteering at NorthBay Healthcare,” explained the 86-year-old Fairfield resident. He decided to check it out and shortly thereafter signed up to be a NorthBay Guild volunteer.
“Volunteering really helped me out through those hard times. I got a lot of support from other Guild members; we’re like a fam-ily helping each other out, wher-ever and whenever we can.”
Retired from a 25-year ca-reer in the retail industry, Patrick gravitated toward volunteering in the Gift Shop at NorthBay Medical Center. “I had experience buying merchandise and set-ting up displays, and I love being around people. I guess you could say it was the perfect slot. And, it kept me going.”
The Gift Shop is where you’ll find Patrick on Monday mornings, and his goal for the day is sim-ple: “If someone leaves the shop with a smile on their face, I feel I’ve accomplished something.”
He also fills in where needed at NorthBay. “There’s always something that needs to be done. If I can relieve somebody of tasks so they can go on to other things, I’m happy to help.”
When not volunteering at the hospital, he serves on the North-Bay Guild’s Leadership Council, and is a member of the NorthBay Guild Golf Tournament commit-tee. He also volunteers with the
Widowed Persons Association of California and is an avid bowler and golfer.
For others who may be in need of a lifeline or a purpose, volunteering with the NorthBay Guild is a good place to start, Patrick noted.
“Any time you can give some-thing of yourself, you will get so much more in return. If you’re retired and not working now, make good use of your time and help someone else out.”
The NorthBay Guild is prepar-ing for a new round of volunteer recruitment. If you’re newly retired or making plans for the day when your work or family obligations are less, check out the website at https://www.northbay.org/volunteer to see if something resonates.
“Our Guild volunteers are vital to NorthBay Medical Center and to VacaValley Hospital,” noted Jane Hilliard, director of Volun-teer Services at NorthBay. “They
greet patients and visitors, work on the floors by transporting patients or offering directions, assist hospital departments by completing paperwork or stock-ing carts or shelves, or serve as ambassadors in the community, at health fairs, events or any-where we may need a helping hand.”
Volunteers undergo an ori-entation, background check and receive training for their chosen service area. In return, volunteers commit to three or four hours a week for about 100 hours a year, on a regularly scheduled day, she added.
“Guild volunteers receive dis-counts in the hospital gift shops, and participate in Guild events. It’s also a great opportunity to meet like-minded, civic-focused people within our community,” she said.
For more information about volunteering at NorthBay, call (707) 646-3136.
Fulfillment Through VolunteeringGuild Seeks New Crop
of ‘Superheroes’ to Join Forces
Patrick Popola, one of the NorthBay Guild’s superheroes, was recently recognized for his many hours of service at the Guild Appreciation Luncheon.
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HR VP... (From Page 1)
Prenatal care is available after hours, now that obstetritian/gyne-cologist Andrew Lin, M.D., is seeing patients at the NorthBay Center for Primary Care from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
The offices are located at 2458 Hilborn Road in Fairfield.
“It’s part of an ongoing effort to make care more convenient for pa-tients,” explained Wayne Gietz, vice president of Ambulatory Services.
Dr. Lin helped found NorthBay Healthcare’s Center for Women’s
Health in 2008 and currently serves as medical director for Women’s Health. He began holding evening office hours in Fairfield in early April.
Several other specialists also provide additional support at the CPCs. They include an urologist, a registered dietitian, and pulmonary and sleep specialist.
“Locating specialty services close to where our patients live and work makes it easier for them to get care,” Wayne added.
Dr. Lin Offers Evening Hours for Prenatal Care
Dr. Andrew Lin
NorthBay to UpgradeIts Cisco Phone SystemNorthBay Healthcare is in the process of
upgrading its Cisco Phone System.The upgrade will bring all NorthBay
locations up on the most current version of the software, enhance the call function-ality, and reduce our monthly phone ex-penses.
Much of the work for the upgrade has been done late in the evening or the week-ends with no outages, but the final piece of work will require a two-hour outage on May 12, from 8 to 10 a.m., when only a few phone lines will be available for use internally or to the public.
A lot of planning and coordination has gone into handling the two-hour change over, working with the Emergency Depart-ment, EMS services, security and nurs-ing on setting up alternative methods of communication, said Chris Timbers, vice president of Information Systems and chief information officer.
About a dozen critical numbers such as the main number and security will be tem-porarily forwarded.
The upgrade will not affect the red phone hot lines, Vocera, or cell phones. In the case that someone calls a line that has not been temporarily forwarded, they will hear a busy signal. A notice will be placed on NorthBay.org and Facebook to alert the public and staff.
well in our culture of ‘The NorthBay Way.’ I look forward to working with him,” said Konard.
Jim most recently served as senior director of Human Resources for Dignity Health’s North State Service Area in Redding. At NorthBay Healthcare, he will step into the role vacated when Ken McCollum retired in September.
At Dignity, Jim oversaw a Human Resource staff re-sponsible for teams at three acute care hospitals and 22 clinics, totaling more than 2,700 employees in all.
He is excited to get to know NorthBay Healthcare’s culture.
“What first attracted me during my panel inteviews is the passion I felt from the leadership team — not only for patient care, but for doing right by the employees,” said Jim.
“When I went on a tour with Konard around the sys-tem, everywhere we went, I could sense the culture. The longevity and tenure of the employees here speaks vol-umes about NorthBay Healthcare.”
Jim is ready to make a transition from a large corpora-tion to a locally managed, nonprofit healthcare organiza-tion that is large enough to make a huge difference in the lives of patients, but small enough that it can be nimble in making decisions and determining strategic goals, he said.
“My main focus in the coming weeks is to meet people and learn the culture, and to figure out how to fit in and be a part of the team to accomplish great things.”
Jim has a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Western Governor’s University and a bachelor’s de-gree in organizational leadership from Simpson University. Jim will begin his duties at NorthBay June 13. His office will be on the second floor of the Green Valley Administra-tion Center.
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Spring Cleaning for the Mind and SoulThe sun is out, flowers are
blooming and spring has sprung. So why are you still in a funk?
Maybe it’s time for a little spring cleaning for the mind and soul — it can do wonders.
Since May is mental health month, it’s a good time to talk about how depression can take root and be overwhelming. But there are little things you can do to keep the blues at bay, said licensed clinical psychologist Am-ber Stirlen.
Dr. Stirlen, based at the Cen-ter for Primary Care in Green Valley, works with patients coping with depression, bipolar disorder, work-related stress, sleep issues and more, offers the following tips:w Get outside and enjoy the
sunshine. According to the Mayo Clinic, decreased sun exposure has been associated with a drop in serotonin, which can affect mood. What’s more, exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation can gen-erate vitamin D., which plays a role in bone health. So while too much of the sun’s rays can be harmful to your skin, the right balance can lift your mood. Just use a little sunscreen. w Exercise. That can be as
simple or as complex as you like. Join a class. Visit the gym. Or just take a walk – around the neighborhood or the mall.
w Unclutter a space in your home. That can be your bedroom, a hobby room, or a reading chair. It can even be a spot on the patio, where you can get a little sunshine. Then use the space to wind down and relax. w Breathe. Try a deep
breathing exercise, both when you wake up in the morn-ing, and five minutes before go-ing to sleep.w Practice mindfulness and
meditation. Turn off your phone and tune out for 10 minutes. Ten minutes of meditation a day is known to extend life expec-tancy. There are both free and affordable apps that can walk you through deep breathing and/or meditation. Consider: Insight Timer, Calm and Headspace.w Good nutrition. Be hydrated
and eat a balanced diet. If that seems too overwhelming, start small, by adding more water and a piece of fruit or a vegetable a day. Avoid sugar and processed foods. Although sugary foods may please your sweet tooth, they tend to cause people to be moody and lethargic. w Try monotasking. Instead of
juggling a dozen tasks at a time, try just focusing on one, even if it means talking yourself through the task. It’s amazing what you
can accomplish when you’re focused.w Get plenty of sleep.
Quality sleep can greatly improve your mood. Have trouble falling asleep? Start by putting the phone away! Why not charge your battery while you’re recharging
your cell phone’s battery? Then you can practice mind-ful breathing and meditation in peace.w Do something fun. Plan an
activity for your family, whether it’s watching a movie, playing a game, or taking a walk.
“You can do all these or any one of these to see improve-ment,” said Dr. Stirlen. “You can even do several of these at once. The key is to plan to incorporate these tactics into your schedule. Get a partner for the gym, which will make you accountable and will increase the likelihood of your participation. Invite some-one else to take a walk, so you won’t back out.”
Whatever you do, don’t put it off, she advises. “Be commit-ted and set specific times in your schedule.”
Depression can sneak up on a person, so know the signs: Extreme fatigue; sadness; in-somnia; irritability; restlessness; loss of interest in things once pleasurable; overeating or appe-tite loss; aches pains, headaches or cramps that won’t go away; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, pessimism and hopelessness; trouble concentrating, remem-bering details or making deci-sions.
“If you’ve tried these tips and are still struggling, see your doc-tor. Know that if you’re in need, there’s help available,” said Dr. Stirlen.
Looking for a special gift for Mother’s Day? NorthBay HealthSpring Fitness suggest a gift that will not only help your mom get back into shape, but make her feel more relaxed at the same time.
The gift is a combination of three 50-minute training sessions with a fitness coach and two 60-minute massages.
The offer is only available through May 13.Cost is $344 for members, and $394 for nonmembers.To purchase the Mother’s Day Special, visit the reception desk or call
(707) 624-8080 to inquire.
Consider a Healthy Gift for Mother’s Day
Dr. Amber Stirlen
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Nutritionist Offers Tips on Eating Right, Meal Prep in Six-week Course
NorthBay Healthcare Reg-istered Dietitian Laura Hitt is offering a “Recipe for Success,” a six-week course featuring meal planning, paired with cook-ing demonstrations at NorthBay
Browse from the comfort of home, or see the items up close: Shoppers have a choice at this year’s Solano Wine & Food Jubi-lee’s Silent Auction.
The online portion of the silent auction opened for bidding on May 1, and runs through May 16. Then, items are available for up close and personal viewing at the Jubilee itself, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.
Just as in years’ past, the silent auction will offer an array of elaborate gift baskets, tickets to highly sought-after sporting events and exotic vacations or spa experiences, sparkly jewels, movie and sports memorabilia, bottles of award-winning wines or wine tasting tours, and all sorts of one-of-a-kind items.
But, those eager to snap up the best can put in their bids us-ing a smartphone or computer, while sitting at home, on the bus or train, or in a coffee shop. Or, for those with a ticket to the Jubilee, bidding can be fast and furious in person on the night of the event.
All funds raised through the auction continue to support the programs of NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement, according to Brett Johnson, president of NorthBay Healthcare Foundation.
To browse or bid on items in
the Jubilee Silent Auction, go to www.NorthBayC2c.org or use the NorthBay C2C app, that can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App store.
Photos and descriptions of auction items, as well as bidding, payment and delivery instruc-tions can be found at this site.
To donate items for the Silent Auction, go to the www.North-BayC2C.org site and click on the Silent Auction link to fill out the submission form.
Items can be dropped off at Luminous Media Group, 318-C Main St. in Vacaville, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Presenting sponsors for this
year’s Jubilee are Dr. Lee and Valerie Freeman, DPR Construc-tion, Al and Patt Shaw, Western Health Advantage, Dennis and Alex Landis, Heidi Y. Campini, Paradise Valley Estates and the Wise Auto Group.
For questions, call Susan Cianci, program coordinator for NorthBay Healthcare Foundation at (707) 646-3131.
The 31st annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee will be held at the Harbison Event Center at the Nut Tree. Tickets are $100 for those ages 21 and older; they will be $125 on the day of the event if still available. For more informa-tion or to purchase tickets, go to www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.
Many Ways to Bid in the Silent AuctionOnline Selection is Already Open
HealthSpring Fitness in Vacaville. Learn new recipes and expand your culinary skills.
Cost is for $99 for Health-Spring members and $130 for nonmembers.
The classes will be 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, from May 17-June 21.
Call (707) 624-8080 or visit the HealthSpring Reception desk to sign up.
Silent auction shoppers can now bid online, or bid in person during the Jubilee, start-ing at 6:30 p.m. on May 19 at the Harbison Event Center at the Nut Tree in Vacaville. Tickets to support this fundraiser are still available.
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