Kaweah Delta was founded in 1963 as a district hospital. Now it is the largest hospital in Tulare County and a certified level III Trauma Center. Starting today, it has a new name: Kaweah Health. "Never has there been a time in Kaweah's history like the one we have just...
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...
Without Fanfare, These Frontline Hospital Workers are Fighting COVID Room by Room
Don't call them janitors, cleaning crew members, or sanitation workers. They are environmental services technicians, or EVS for short. They often find themselves right in the epicenter of where COVID-19 cases are raging. As GV Wire℠discovered while getting a sense of who these people are, many do their jobs out...
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...
Military Support Teams Leave California Hospitals Despite High COVID-19 Numbers
California is losing five of the eight military support teams helping hospitals through some of the most challenging times during the pandemic. This, despite White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx calling out the Central Valley as a COVID-19 hot spot earlier this month. Visalia's team of 21 is leaving...
With Schools Closed, What Options Do Working Parents Have for Kids?
The school year is starting and many working parents are facing the same conundrum they faced last spring — how do you juggle a full-time job with overseeing your kids' distance learning because schools are still closed? Some parents are creating pods with other parents to share learning oversight and...
Valley Hospitals Get Two More Weeks of Military Help
With hospitalizations in the Valley down only slightly, military medical teams are extending their help in the coronavirus battle by 14 days. But, according to Fresno County EMS Director Dan Lynch, that won't be long enough. Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, and Adventist...
Taxpayers Helped Make it, So Why Does Remdesivir Cost $3,200 a Patient?
Valley hospitals can barely keep the potential life-saving COVID-19 drug remdevisir in stock. And, when they can get it, the cost is $3,200 per patient. Fresno-based Community Medical Centers was completely out of remdevisir for 24 hours a few weeks ago. Visalia-based Kaweah Delta Medical Center — which is in...
Who Will Go to the Front of the Line for COVID-19 Vaccine?
The National Governors Association says the availability of a future COVID-19 vaccine will likely be limited due to manufacturing constraints. The NGA issued a memorandum Monday telling state leaders that difficult decisions concerning vaccine allocation and prioritization will occur. Meanwhile, shortages of the antiviral drug remdesivir may give an early indication...