For the past 18 months, anyone struggling with opioid addiction could walk into Community Regional Medical Center’s emergency department and find relief from cravings and withdrawal symptoms – and help getting into an addiction recovery program. As part of the grant-funded Bridge program the downtown Fresno hospital has a doctor...
Nurses Provide SAFE and Supportive Care for Rape Victims
Veteran emergency department Nurse Karen Reid-Williams was at the end of a long shift, squinting through fogged-up goggles and sweating under her N95 mask and paper gown, when another nurse approached and asked her to talk to an uncooperative patient. And maybe do a forensic exam, if it was warranted....
Trauma Center Turns to Former Gang Member to Help Reduce Violence
Armando Alvarez II’s family members led him into and out of gang life, introducing him to drugs and alcohol before he entered junior high and then eventually to drug dealing and violence. It was an older brother who brought him to the church 20 years later where he had what...
Hospital Equipment in the Classroom Sparks Interest in Medical Careers
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the health sciences classroom at Kerman High School buzzed with students using medical equipment, including a sonogram wand to find the carotid artery, a Hoyer lift to practice moving each other from a hospital bed to a wheelchair and hospital suture kits to practice stitching skills....
Region’s First Chaplain Residency Program Starts During Coronavirus Crisis
Josh Houston was a pastor who longed to leave behind administrative duties to focus on soul care. Lorena Villa had six years of hospital experience as a Spanish interpreter, but wanted to offer more meaningful support to patients and their families. As part of an inaugural class of six in...
Pediatric Disease Detective Sees Big Needs and Doctor Shortages in the Valley
As cold and flu season ramps up, Dr. Chokechai Rongkavilit, known as Dr. Chai to patients and colleagues, knows he’ll be called to help tell the difference between these and coronavirus. “The symptoms are very similar so it will be difficult to tell. We can’t know if they have a...
Rescued From Flames, Last Mammoth Pool Camper Goes Home From Hospital
“I freaked out about her injuries. She just kept shaking,” said Karla Carcamo, 25, of the harrowing helicopter ride she and her little sister Priscilla Aviles, 17, took to Fresno. They were among 200 campers rescued by helicopter from Mammoth Pool Reservoir as the Creek Fire surrounded them. Her Southern...
Complex Pediatric Cases Get the Team Approach at Community Regional
Kailee Sidamrong-Phan was a tiny, sickly baby that her parents rushed to Valley Children’s Hospital frequently for breathing troubles first diagnosed as asthma. At age 2 ½, a test to measure the concentration of salt in her sweat showed Kailee likely had cystic fibrosis – something newborn genetic screening had...
1 in 7 New Moms Suffer Postpartum Depression. Pediatricians on Alert to Help.
The birth of a child can be one of life’s happiest milestones. But most mothers will tell you the changes that come with a baby can hit in unexpected and powerful ways. Hormone changes, sleep deprivation, social pressures and more can trigger emotions ranging from joy and contentment to anxiety...
Making Care More Welcoming to LGBTQ by Training Clinicians, Doctors
Zoyer Zendel said transitioning from female to male was difficult enough without having to explain over and over to his insurance provider or convince a doctor why a hysterectomy was needed for a healthy 24-year-old. “It makes you feel invalidated emotionally and intellectually,” he said. That worry of being misunderstood...