Author: Wayne Dunbar

Photo Golden Hearts (from left to right): Back row: David Kahn, Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief; Mike Dolcini, Survivor; Paul Dolcini, Rescuer; Jeff Olufs, Rescuer; Jeff Schach, Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Front row: Koko Stephens-Jackson, Rescuer; Tena Jackson, Survivor; Emmy Stephens-Jackson, Rescuer

City Council Declaration Recognizes the Success of Petaluma Health Care District in Preparing Residents for Cardiac Emergencies

PETALUMA, Calif., June 17, 2015 – Petaluma Health Care District (PHCD) is pleased to announce that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Petaluma City Council have designated Petaluma a HeartSafe Community, formally celebrating PHCD’s efforts to address heart health education and provide life-saving CPR trainings to combat Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) outside of hospital walls through its HeartSafe Community initiative (HSC). Petaluma is Sonoma County’s first city to receive the designation.

“The collaborative success, and our community leaders’ recognition, of the HeartSafe Community initiative once again demonstrate that Southern Sonoma County is prioritizing health and wellness as a critical component to a thriving community,” said PHCD CEO Ramona Faith. “PHCD sees total health as more than just illness prevention and we are ecstatic to see the strides local leaders and community members are taking to help us address these issues.”

Knowing that more than 300,000 Americans are victims of SCA each year, PHCD launched HSC in 2013 to strengthen Southern Sonoma County’s response to cardiac emergencies through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) trainings, strategic AED installation, maintenance and registration, and heart health education. The initiative is led by PHCD in collaboration with the Petaluma Fire Department, Coastal Valleys Emergency Medical Services, Petaluma Valley Hospital, St. Joseph Health System, Arrow Benefits Group, Rancho Adobe Fire District, Petaluma City Schools, Petaluma Save A Life, Save Lives Sonoma and the American Heart Association (AHA). HSC is managed by Healthquest CPR, an authorized AHA training center.

Group photo (from left to right): Back row: Wayne Van Patten Jr.; Petaluma Save-A-Life; John Furrer, Petaluma Save-A-Life; Ted Williams, Save Lives Sonoma; Apryl Lopez, PHCD Healthquest Instructor; Tina Deason, PHCD Healthquest Coordinator and Instructor; Wendi Thomas, Petaluma Valley Hospital ER Manager; Jody Pater-Bradley, REDCOM 911 Dispatch; Maria Larsen, PHCD Healthquest Manager; Joetta Furrer, Petaluma Save-a-Life; Teresa Scott, St. Joseph Health Front row: Ramona Faith, PHCD CEO; Tami Bender, PHCD Healthquest Instructor and HeartSafe Community Lead Role

To earn the HeartSafe Community designation, PHCD and the HeartSafe Community Advisory Committee developed and implemented an action plan to meet criteria that demonstrate a strengthening of the “chain of survival” as described by the AHA. This includes widespread CPR/AED trainings; public access to AEDs; community education on signs and symptoms of heart attack and activating 9-1-1; and ongoing evaluation of the action plan to sustain the community’s HeartSafe designation. In recognition of HSC’s success, four “Golden Heart Awards” were presented at the City Council meeting to residents of the community who were trained through the program and used the skills they learned to save a life. Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chiefs David Kahn and Jeff Schach presented Emmy Stephens-Jackson and Koko Stephens-Jackson with a certificate for their efforts that contributed to the saving of their mother Tena Jackson, Paul Dolcini for saving his brother Mike Dolcini, and John Olufs for saving a Petaluma resident. Several other instances of community members using HSC CPR or AED training have also been reported.

“We are extremely proud of all the work our team here at PHCD, along with our dedicated partners, have put into not only meeting – and, actually exceeding – the criteria to receive HeartSafe designation, but to make heart health and rescue preparedness a top priority in our community,” continued Faith. “Simply put, we know that the HeartSafe Community initiative has saved lives and will continue to do so as we bring CPR/AED training to more individuals, businesses and schools with this designation behind us.”

In honor of Petaluma’s designation and June being CPR/AED Awareness Month, PHCD is inviting businesses and community members to take advantage of special discounts on CPR and AED training, AED purchases, and heart health education. To learn more about the discounts or how you can support HSC, call Healthquest CPR at 707-766-9226 or email [email protected]. Discounts will go through August 1, 2015, and participating businesses will receive special recognition in the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce Directory.

About Petaluma Health Care District

The Petaluma Health Care District (PHCD) is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the Southern Sonoma County community through leadership, advocacy, support, partnerships and education. Its vision is to foster a healthier community, a thriving hospital and local access to comprehensive health and wellness services. PHCD has served the health and wellness needs of the community for more than 65 years and is a public agency managed by the community for the community. For more information, please visit www.phcd.org.

SONOMA, CA, June 24, 2015 – California wine country is as beautiful as it is vast. From the northern reaches of Mendocino County to the southern stretches of San Diego, we know wine here. One of the largest growing regions in California is Sonoma County (which far out produces Napa Valley), and nestled inside of Sonoma County is the Sonoma Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area). Upon further dissection of the Sonoma Coast, you will find dozens of sub regions that further define the cool climate of the Sonoma Coast.

The wind howls as evening begins to fall upon you. The hairs begin to stand up on the back of your neck. The only sound that can be heard is the constant roar of the ocean wind billowing in hard from the west.

This isn’t the beginning to a horror story or epic thriller. It is a description of one of the Sonoma Coast’s sub regions: the blustery Petaluma Gap. The Petaluma Gap is defined by the wind. With the highest average wind speeds in all of Sonoma County, the wind dictates the boundaries of this region.

So why the strong wind? The Petaluma Gap is truly a wind gap that is named for a coastal mountain opening that stretches east from the Pacific Ocean through the town of Petaluma and roars southeast towards the San Francisco Bay. Mountains and rolling hills on either side of the lower flats, combined with excessive heat in the surrounding valleys create the perfect conditions to form this excessive wind tunnel. Most of the vineyards in this region face west, taking the full brunt of the 20+ mile an hour winds.

The regular high afternoon winds result in lower yields with grapes that reach ripeness at lower sugar levels. This helps develop wonderful flavors and fruit characteristics while maintaining ideal levels of acidity.

But what truly defines each wine-growing region is the terroir. Terroir is a combination of weather, soil and terrain. The Gap has a combination of rolling hills, mountains and valleys. This combination makes for an interesting soil composition. In the valleys and hills you will find clay and loam soils, and in the mountains you will find hard rocky soils.

The Petaluma Gap actually stretches beyond the Sonoma County borders into southern-bordering Marin County. There are about 80 vineyards spanning 4,000 planted acres.

Having recently filed for its own AVA status, it is time explore what makes the Petaluma Gap different and why it deserves its own AVA status. To do that, let’s review a few of the top vineyards.

CLICK PAGE TWO BELOW TO SEE PETALUMA GAPS TOP VINEYARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF PETALUMA GAP WIND WINE FESTIVAL