Highlights from the Health Care Town Hall

  • [photo by Patric Hedlund, The Mountain Enterprise]

    [photo by Patric Hedlund, The Mountain Enterprise]

On July 26, 2018 a Health Care Town Hall at the Frazier Park Library brought 14 panelists and a full house of about 90 residents together to focus on questions and updates about recent changes in health services to this rural region.

While waiting for the full transcript of the event to be generated, The Mountain Enterprise has reported on an urgent question asked during the event about an intervention for opioid overdoses called Narcan or naloxone. Panelists confirmed that it is carried by nearly all first responders now, including law enforcement and firefighters.

El Tejon Pharmacy’s Ty Stout added that he is becoming certified to offer it without prescription to members of the public. He will also train them in how to use it.

Part Two left off with a question to all panelists by Christina Myers of Frazier Park, who is on a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). She asked: “Have all of you local medical personnel worked together to create a coordinated plan of action in the case of a catastrophic emergency,” such as a high magnitude earthquake in this region?

A look of discomfort rippled across the faces of everyone on the panel at the front of the room. The answer was “No.”

In our remote area, each household needs to be prepared with an emergency plan of action, with emergency stores of food, water, prescriptions and first aid supplies to last for two weeks or longer until roads and communication are restored in such an emergency event.

The Health Care Town Hall was coordinated by The Mountain Enterprise, Frazier Park Library and the Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce.

Part Three: Introductions

Let’s back up now, and review who was there. We opened the Town Hall with a health care version of a speed-dating lightning round. We asked each panelist to give a quick self-introduction. We started with the first responders who are dispatched in a medical emergency. Kern County Fire Department’s Chief Brian Marshall began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chief Brian Marshall:

If you dial 911, our dispatchers will provide instructions to…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Panelists included Myron Smith, Hall Ambulance; Anne Burnaugh, Family Resource Center; Chief Brian Marshall, Kern Co. Fire Department; Dr. Brent Burket and CEO Brian Harris of Clinica Sierra Vista; Sharon Powell, Pine Mtn. Health Ctr.; Sarah Edwards, Ph.D. Psychologist; Not shown: Militsa Brennan, South West Health Care District; Ty Stout, El Tejon Pharmacy; Darrell Stapley, Ryan Strange and Mark Corum of Hall Ambulance; plus Chief Steve Shoemaker and Captain Steve Freeland of the KCFD. We are grateful to all of them for participating.

Ty Stout of El Tejon Pharmacy and Militsa Brennan of South West Health Care District (and coordinator of the annual Health Fair)

To see full stories with photos, please purchase a copy of the newspaper at many locations (click this link for a list) throughout the Mountain Communities.

Or, have your newspaper delivered via mail and include internet access. Just call 661-245-3794. Classified ads are FREE to paid subscribers! See front page at www.mountainenterprise.com for details.

The e-Edition is available now with full photos and stories at The Mountain Enterprise e-Edition. Select the 2018-0824 edition.

(subscriber login required)

This is part of the August 24, 2018 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.