LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sutter Lakeside Community and Family Medicine clinics are teaming up with community members to form a patient experience council.

The council, comprised of volunteers, will serve as a forum for patients to share their experiences in the clinics and offer feedback on how to improve the clinics in a patient-centric way.

The council will work with leadership and care teams to help in planning and decision making, as well as share their perspective to provide an “insider’s view” to ensure that the clinics continuously improve the care provided to patients and families.

Ideal candidates will have received care at one or both of Sutter Lakeside’s clinics within the last five years, and are willing to devote four to six hours per month to the commitments of the council. 

Activities of the patient experience council include participating in meetings, attending process improvement activities throughout the clinics and attending department meetings.

“The feedback a patient can provide us about their experience, or a loved one’s experience, is invaluable and a key factor in how we will improve as an overall healthcare system,” said Roberta Mori, director, Patient and Family Engagement, Office of the Patient Experience, Sutter Health. “The Patient Advisory Councils are a great way to incorporate the patient in the culture of our care centers and help us continue to improve.”

Interested persons can learn more about the patient experience council, or sign up to be a member, by contacting Sara Haworth, clinic manager, at 707-262-5007 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – “Prom” – the word evokes images of corsages, fancy gowns, limo rides, perfectly-posed portraits and carefree teens dancing their hearts out into the wee hours of the morning. 

For many, this event is looked back upon fondly by adults. Unless you're a chaperone, however, you won't likely get to attend another prom after high school – until now.

The Lake County Theatre Co. is bringing back the popular adults-only (21 and over) prom on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport.

The event will feature the band The Fargo Brothers.

The theme of the prom will be “Bounce Back to the 1980s.”

Attendees are encouraged to come dressed to the nines from the 1980s and a costume contest will be part of the fun.

There will be prizes for the best-dressed and, of course, a prom king and queen will be crowned.

Aside from music our prom will feature a bar and refreshments, a photographer, contests, a raffle, and much more. Specific details will be updated at the theater company’s Web site at www.lakecountytheatrecompany.org .

This event is a fundraiser for LCTC's Joshua Phillips-Blair Memorial building fund. This nonprofit organization rents various buildings around the lake for storage, rehearsals and performances, but the vision is to have a building to call the theater home.

LCTC has steadily been raising money for the cause over the past few years with fundraisers such as the Mr. Lake County Pageant and the Crappy Christmas Carolers, and are excited to add adults-only prom to that list.

Tickets for prom can be purchased online at www.lakecountytheatrecompany.org or at Pieces Boutique in Lakeport.

Advance ticket sales are $25 per person, $40 per couple. At the door, tickets will be $30 per person or $50 per couple.

The party officially starts at 8 p.m. Feb. 18. There will be dance lessons by Zoe and Larry Richardson at the start which might provide an edge for the dance contest later in the evening.

For more information, call 707-533-9645.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The public is invited to a free beading class on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. at the Lakeport branch of Lake County Library, located at 1425 N. High St.

Library staff member Amy Patton will teach the class how to make a set of beaded earrings.

The free class is limited to 20 sign-ups and bead kits will be provided.

To register call the library at 707-263-8817, Extension 17105, or visit the library.

Patton has many years of experience with beaded jewelry and sells her work professionally.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information about the class please call 707-263-8817.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

All too often poets shun simple, direct, and earthy words like “tea” in favor of others that sound more sophisticated, like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong. But fancy words put experience at a greater distance.

Here's a delightful poem by Jack Cooper, who lives in Los Angeles, and it depends for part of its effect on words like “goofy” and “waddle.”

Our experience of the poem is all the more “real” thanks to those words. Jack Cooper's most recent book of poetry is Across My Silence (World Audience Publishers, 2007).

L.A. River

I like how the mallard ducklings
goofy and weak
waddle up the cement incline
then slide into this runoff
of lawn sprinklers and car washes
and how the great blue heron
seems to be teleported here
from the Jurassic
to look for extinct species of fish
but mostly I like the way
the little birds
fly in and out of the barbed wire
with only a smear of water
to keep them singing.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright© 2016 by Jack Cooper, “L.A. River,” from Rattle, (No. 52, Summer 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Jack Cooper and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Gene Paleno will discuss his new book about the Civil War at Gibson Museum’s Fireside Chat on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Titled “The Porter Conspiracy,” Paleno’s latest book honors Major General Fitz John Porter for his heroism at the Second Battle of Bull Run, with little-known anecdotes about other better known military figures.

Porter was court martialed and imprisoned for disobedience and misconduct; 20 years later, with the support of President Ulysses S. Grant, he was found innocent of all charges.

Paleno delighted a throng of guests at Gibson Museum’s Fireside Chat last April 30, reading from his book, “Lake County History.” Only Moke Simon’s appearance as last month’s Fireside Chat speaker topped Paleno’s Fireside audience.

The 90-year-old teller of tales met an even larger crowd at Gibson’s Civil War reenactment event last May, and will doubtless appear at this year’s two-day Civil War event June 24 to 25.
      
Paleno has written an amazing number of books as well as columns. By special request, Paleno will bring copies of his book, “The Cleo Chronicles,” about his cat Cleo, as well as “The Porter Conspiracy” for fans who wish to purchase them.

Fireside Chats begin at 3 p.m. at Gibson Museum, across the street from Middletown Square at the corner of Calistoga and Callayomi streets.

There is no charge, although donations to help support the museum’s displays are always welcomed.

Guests are advised to arrive a bit early, and to make reservations, as seating is limited. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone Janet at 707-987-0719.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – While the number of obstetrical providers in Lake and Mendocino counties continues to drop, the dedicated team of obstetricians and certified nurse midwives, or CNMs, at Care for Her is growing to meet the needs of local communities.

They delivered a “bumper crop in 2016,” according to Medical Director Dr. Karen Crabtree, ob/gyn, attending 578 of Ukiah Valley Medical Center’s 801 births last year.

Care for Her is a program of MCHC Health Centers, or MCHC, a federally qualified health center dedicated to providing the highest quality health care for people in Lake County and inland Mendocino County.

When Dr. Crabtree arrived in 2007, Care for Her delivered about 20 babies per month. Now they deliver approximately 50 babies per month with three full-time obstetricians and seven full-time certified nurse midwives.

“There are a few other midwives who deliver babies,” Dr. Crabtree explained, “But Care for Her delivers the vast majority, more than 70 percent at UVMC.”

Not only is Care for Her impressive in terms of quantity, they are also impressive in terms of quality.

Care for Her’s primary cesarean section rate is 13 percent, far below the national average. They have an 80 percent success rate with vaginal births after c-sections (VBACs), at a time when most community hospitals do not offer VBACs at all. And only 34 percent of Care for Her patients choose an epidural to manage pain, less than half the national average.

“I don’t think people understand the benefits of working with certified nurse midwives,” said Dr. Crabtree. “Certified nurse midwives are medical professionals with a master’s level education focused entirely on women’s health and the birthing process. They go through competitive, highly regarded medical training programs. In fact, only three CNM programs exist in California.”

Care for Her certified nurse midwives help patients feel safe during labor, and because of their 12-hour hospital shifts, certified nurse midwives are always present at UVMC 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This allows them to support patients throughout their entire labor.

Care for Her doctors and certified nurse midwives work together to care for patients in accordance with the highest standards, those set by American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

All team members are aware of any high-risk pregnancies, and all providers agree upon a care plan ahead of time to ensure continuity and safety for the patient.

If needed, the midwives can reach doctors any time, day or night, to address any unexpected complications. Doctors can view a patient’s fetal monitor readings on their computers or even their cell phones.

Dr. Crabtree said she and her Care for Her colleagues enjoy working at UVMC because of UVMC’s excellent nursing staff, facilities and approach to care.

“Everything we do at the hospital is easier because of the excellent OB nurses. We trust them and work really well together. We also appreciate the way UVMC puts patients first. They allow VBACs, which is rare for community hospitals, and they let patients choose how much medical intervention they want, as long as the patients are safe. UVMC has really changed with the times, allowing people to decorate birthing rooms, labor in spa tubs, and have more input into the decisions around their care,” she said.

Once babies are born, the Care for Her team introduces patients to the MCHC pediatric team, which recently expanded by adding two new pediatricians and two new nurse practitioners.

MCHC Health Centers provides care for patients of all ages so families can receive care for everyone at the same health center, whether it is Hillside in Ukiah, Lakeview in Lakeport or Little Lake in Willits.

“Because the need continues to grow, we continue to recruit new providers,” Dr. Crabtree said. “We’re currently looking for an additional ob/gyn for obstetrics and for gynecological care. In addition to delivering babies, we provide gynecological surgery, much of it minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.”

Care for Her ob/gyns are conservative when it comes to surgery, preferring less invasive options when possible, but when surgery is called for, Dr. Crabtree and her colleagues, Dr. Adwoa Christy and Dr. Kristin Laporte, perform surgical procedures for everything from infertility to fibroids.

Care for Her’s part-time ob/gyn, Dr. Larry Hartley, and the organization’s two women’s health nurse practitioners also provide gynecological care, including well-woman exams, family planning, confidential testing for sexually transmitted disease and more.

For details, visit www.careforher.org or call 707-468-1010 and ask for Care for Her.