City of #Petaluma Declares May 2015 “Health Care District Month”

Photo: Back row (from left to right): Suzanne Cochrane, PHCD Executive Assistant/Board Clerk; Elece Hempel, PHCD Board President; Front row (from left to right): Andrew Koblick, PHCD Controller; Ramona Faith, PHCD CEO; Tami Bender, Lifeline of the North Bay Home Service Representative, Healthquest Instructor and HeartSafe Community Lead Role; Tina Deason, Healthquest Coordinator and Instructor; Maria Larsen, Lifeline of the North Bay and Healthquest Program Manager

City Council Vote Pays Tribute to Petaluma Health Care District’s Work and Promotion of Health Care Awareness and Options in the Community

Petaluma Health Care District logoPETALUMA, Calif., May 5, 2015 – Petaluma Health Care District (PHCD) is pleased to announce that the Petaluma City Council voted last night to declare May 2015 as Health Care District Month. This declaration recognizes the essential role PHCD plays in Southern Sonoma County and the importance of creating and promoting health and wellness programs, services and initiatives that contribute to the health and vitality of the community.

Photo by BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat
Photo by BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat

In celebration of Health Care District Month, PHCD has formally launched its new website, www.phcd.org, and released its 2014 Annual Report, providing easy-to-access information and resources pertaining to its many community health programs and services. Throughout May, PHCD will be present at various local events, educating Southern Sonoma County residents on the district’s role in the community, including how to access its services and programs. These events include the Petaluma Kids Gran Fondo race, the Tuesday East Side Farmers’ Market on May 26 and the Saturday West Side Farmers’ Market on May 30. PHCD will culminate this month-long celebration with a breakfast in appreciation of its community partners. PHCD will also share information throughout the month on social media via its Facebook page.

From PHCD Website Lifeline Emergency Response
From PHCD Website Lifeline Emergency Response

“It’s an honor to receive this formal recognition, which we see as a platform to prompt awareness of the fact that we are here every day advocating for the health and well-being of our community. PHCD has a multitude of offerings and benefits related to community health, education, partnering efforts, and emergency and acute care services, as well as programs in place for our residents to access,” said PHCD CEO Ramona Faith. “Our belief is that good health is a state of complete physical, mental and societal well-being and not merely the absence of disease – and it takes a dedicated collaborative effort in today’s world to keep people educated on healthy habits and choices, as well as to provide access to high-quality medical care.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Daughters Save Mother’s Life After Learning CPR Through HeartSafe Program

Joe Kelly Hero-1 Resized

UPDATE April 24, 2015: Petaluma360.com Two Petaluman’s use CPR to save lives, by Matt Brown.

We have been reporting on these amazing stories about our local youth stepping up and saving lives using skills they learned at school and from our local programs. In October 2014 we share with you  “Save Lives Sonoma” helps 13-Year Old Lewis Save The Life Of His Father with CPR and in December 2014 we posted 10-Year Old Penngrove Boy Saves His Mother’s Life in #Petaluma (a post that went viral and is still gets a lot of traffic today).

We learned about another amazing story that took place on ‘tax day’ in April.

We thank Tami Bender of Petaluma Health Care District (PHCD) for providing this information from Jeff Schach, Petaluma’s Battalion Chief,  along with info about PHCD’s HeartSafe Community.

Petaluma Fire Chief Jeff Schach (Photo by BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Petaluma Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Schach (Photo by BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

Jeff Schach, Petaluma Battalion Chief says “We have linked several cardiac arrests saves to our efforts. the most recent occurred on April 15th, 2015.”  A Petaluma 51-year-old woman suffered a cardiac arrest while making breakfast.  Her daughters, a 7th grader at Petaluma Junior High School and the other a high school student at St. Vincent, called 911 and started CPR on their mother.  When Petaluma Firefighters arrived they were able to get her heart beating normally again with a few shocks and rounds of CPR.  She was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial and then transferred to Kaiser in San Francisco. She now has an internal defibrillator and no deficits.  Her cardiac arrest was caused by an electrical dysrhythmia, not from blocked coronary arteries.  She credits the quick action of her daughters with saving her life.  Her 7th grade daughter learned how to do Hands-Only CPR this past January during PE class at school through the Save Lives Sonoma program, supported by PHCD’s HeartSafe Community.

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