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Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

Today we will start a new “feature” …What happened on this date in history?

In 1972, the TV series M*A*S*H debuted on CBS. In 1970, 27-year-old rock star, Jimi Hendrix, died in London. In 1851, the first edition of the New York Daily Times, which became the New York Times, was published.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

As this is the anniversary of “9/11,” I will refrain from being my usual sarcastic self, and instead pay tribute to those who lost their lives, or were gravely impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. I will share one quote I particularly like, from Geraldine Brooks, “September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary people who might have gone through their entire lives never called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage.”

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

On this Labor Day weekend, I would like to acknowledge our entire LVMC Team for the tremendous work they do for LVMC, our patients and their families, and our Lompoc Valley Community. We very much appreciate each and every LVMC employee!! (And, if I may, a shout out to my Mom, who was in labor on Labor Day…some years ago…which was a waste of a perfectly good vacation day for her.) 

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

Now that we have gotten the DNC and RNC conventions out of the way, we can get some normalcy back in our lives by watching Wheel of Fortune. But seriously…no, I actually am serious.

Lompoc Valley Medical Center (LVMC) is committed to providing transparent, useful information to consumers about the quality of its care. This Hospital Quality Institute outlines LVMC’s performance on several recognized quality indicators critical to patient care. We at LVMC strive to continually improve our quality of care and believe providing accurate, detailed information about key quality indicators is critical to that goal.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

I will tell you something nobody knows: the Lakers are 1-1 in the playoffs, and the Dodgers have the best record in Baseball. That’s not good for you Giants fans, but at least nobody is paying attention.

With more than a dozen fires raging across California this week, and high temperatures expected for a few more days, it’s important to protect yourself from poor air quality. 

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

I am hoping that yesterday’s thunder and lightning unleashed its wrath on the Coronavirus. Perhaps it did, as there have been a few positive “one-week trends” (let’s take the good wherever we can find it)!

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

The State and County have updated and reported their data, so today I will focus on everything Covid.

Needing surgery or a procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic may cause anxiety in some people. As the LVMC Chief of Staff and a surgeon, I want to assure you that the highest measures possible are being taken to ensure your safety -- and ours -- during this pandemic. We know you probably have questions, and it’s important that you have those answered. If you’re uncertain about something, please ask your surgeon or primary care physician.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

July has come to an end today, baseball has begun (kind of), you probably missed your window to get a haircut, and the Covid-19 (“Covid”) situation continues largely unchanged.

Residents at the Comprehensive Care Center who may not be able to leave their beds because of health issues can now visit an aquarium – at their bedside.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

I will do you all a favor and keep it short today. There is not too much new in the world of Covid this week, but there are a few things of note. As previously mentioned, each week I will provide information on a couple things of interest happening at LVMC (which includes the hospital, CCC, and Lompoc Health clinics.)

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

Although I always enjoy communicating with all of you, I was not particularly looking forward to writing this week’s letter, because there isn’t much good to report on the COVID-19 (“Covid”) front. I suppose “the good news is that the bad news isn’t that bad” (that sounds like Yogi Berra!).

Congratulations to Dr. Anne Rodriguez on being honored as a Congressional Woman of the Year.

Dr. Rodriguez, who sees patients at Lompoc Health – North Third Street – was chosen by Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, as one of six winners. Other honorees were Kathleen Baushke from Santa Barbara, Tracy Beard from Solvang, Noha Kolkailah from Arroyo Grande, Pandora Nash-Karner from Los Osos and Biz Steinberg from San Luis Obispo.