Community Medical Centers has expanded its lawsuit against a local physicians’ medical group and a healthcare CEO over a contract-related work stoppage in September 2020 that jeopardized patient safety as well as Community Regional Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center designation. CMC's amended complaint now names the Central California...
Central CA Blood Center Supply at 30%. Hospital Workers Donate to Fill Void.
Last Thursday night, Dr. James Davis, chief of surgery at UCSF Fresno, was on-call for Community Regional Medical Center. During his shift, there were five gunshot victims, blunt trauma victims, and motorcycle accident victims. "We used a lot of blood," said Davis. Davis says he was in constant text contact with...
Bob Smittcamp, Businessman, Philanthropist, and Community Activist Dies at 79
Businessman, philanthropist, and community activist Bob Smittcamp has passed away at the age of 79. "Bob was a one-man Valley institution. A businessman, philanthropist, and community activist, he headed both Lyons Magnus food company and Wawona Packing," said Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, in a statement. "I’m lucky to have had Bob...
Military Team Helping Local Hospital Through Difficult Stretch
Air Force and Army military medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and respiratory technicians have had 'boots on the ground' at Community Medical Centers for a little over a month. Soldiers from the U.S. Army North's Task Force-51 deployed from California's Travis Air Force Base in support of the continued Department...
COVID Vaccine Is Getting the Job Done in Fresno and Around the World
Though it's not concrete evidence of the COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness, the data shows a sharp drop in the number of employees calling in sick at Community Medical Centers since a vaccine became available. And those results are being replicated from Visalia to Sacramento to Israel. In fact, UC Davis Health...
Community Medical Centers Halting All Elective Surgeries by January 1
Due to staffing challenges and an increase of COVID-19 patients, Community Medical Centers will stop all "non-urgent" surgeries and procedures at their facilities by January 1. "The continual increase in inpatients and quarantined staff have forced us to make this decision based on available capacity and staffing," says Dr. Thomas Utecht,...
Community Regional Medical Centers Begin COVID-19 Vaccinations
Community Regional Medical Centers chose 50 employees from throughout their hospital system for its first COVID-19 vaccinations Friday. CRMC spokeswoman Mary Lisa Russell said that the vaccine's initial deployment targeted a wide mix of hospital workers. "They're from all different ages and walks of life. They are going to monitor all...
New Alternate Care Site Takes Shape Just as COVID-19 Vaccine Arrives
Tuesday was "a historic day" said Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County's interim health officer. The first shipment of 7,800 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine arrived by Fedex at the health department early in the day. Simultaneously, a team contracted from AMI Expeditionary Healthcare that includes doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals...
After Supervisor’s COVID Diagnosis, County May Modify Board Room
Fresno Supervisor Steve Brandau's COVID-19 diagnosis may result in additional safety precautions at Board of Supervisors meetings, a county official said Friday. Brandau acknowledged the supervisors' meeting dais provides less than the recommended 6 feet of separation between board members. "I’m probably about five feet away from my colleagues on...
Dispute That Threatened Community Medical Centers Trauma Status is Resolved
After enduring a labor dispute that threatened Community Regional Medical Centers level 1 trauma status and impacted patient care for about two weeks in early September, the two sides have reached a long term agreement. The issue came to a head when CRMC’s contract with Central California Faculty Medical Group covering 28...