Blog

This week our CEO updates the Lompoc community about the new Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Lompoc Covid-19 Workgroup, Lompoc Valley Covid Cases, California Covid Mortality Trend, and Covid Positive Hospitalized Patients.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has been taxing on all of us. By the time of writing this, approximately 10 million Americans have been infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and 238,000 have lost their lives. And to make matters worse, beyond the immediate health impact of this virus, one cannot ignore the socioeconomic consequences. 7.5 million small businesses have become at-risk for closing, and 22 million Americans have lost their jobs.

Physicians at Lompoc Health North — H Center and Lompoc Health — North Third Center are taking a special pledge to prescribe antibiotics only when it is deemed medically necessary for patients. 

Diabetes is a disease of altered insulin secretion and or peripheral resistance that results in hyperglycemia, or abnormally high blood glucose. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common health problem worldwide. In the United States, 8 percent of the population-- or 17.9 million -- people have been diagnosed with DM.  Despite such high numbers, the disease is under-diagnosed and it is estimated that 5.4 million people have undiagnosed diabetes. It is important to learn about diabetes, as it is estimated that 182,000 deaths annually are attributed to diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Epilepsies are a group of neurological (central nervous system) disorders in which brain activity becomes disrupted or abnormal to cause symptoms including seizures, loss of consciousness, and temporary paralysis. Epilepsy affects an estimated 3.4 million people in the U.S.—13.8% of whom are children. Living with epilepsy can be difficult, given a seizure can happen at any time. However, epilepsies can be successfully managed and treated using medications, surgery, and a number of proven therapies. 

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

1869 – The first U.S. college football game was played: Rutgers 6; Princeton 4.
1947 - NBC's "Meet the Press" debuted—the United States’ longest-running TV show.
1968 - Richard Nixon won a close contest for president over Hubert Humphrey and became the 37th president of the United States.

Your physician just told you that you have pre-diabetes, and you’re wondering how – or even if – you can reverse that diagnosis.First of all, you need to understand the pre-diabetes. That term means your blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. But if it is left untreated, it will develop into Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how a body turns food into energy. The three main types of diabetes are: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes (or developing diabetes while pregnant).

LVMC is pleased to announce that it is participating in the DAISY Award recognition program. The DAISY Foundation was created by the family of Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications related to Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease. Patrick spent the final 8 weeks of his life in the hospital and his family vividly recalled the “skillful and compassionate care” he received from his nurses. 

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

1941 - After nearly 15 years of work, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota was completed. The colossal sculpture features the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
1974 – Muhammad Ali regained the heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round during the fight billed as the "Rumble in the Jungle.” (It would be ironic if he knocked out George Foreman by punching him in the “grill.”)
2003 – basketball player LeBron James, who was drafted directly out of high school, made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We're sorry to announce the passing of hospital volunteer June Schwartz, who died Monday afternoon at the age of 98. June volunteered countless hours to the Lompoc Hospital District Foundation, the Lompoc Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, and the LVMC “Blue Coat” program. She was still volunteering in the final months of her life until the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to stay close to home.

She was a volunteer for the hospital for more than 50 years. June spent decades delivering magazines and freshly cut flowers to patients at LVMC and residents of the Comprehensive Care Center, “trying to make people happy,” as she said. 

She will be missed. 

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?
1925 – Johnny Carson was born. Before retiring in 1992, he hosted the Tonight Show for 30 years. Johnny Carson died in 2005, at the age of 80.
2001 – Apple introduced the iPod, a portable media player that became one of the most successful and revolutionary products of the early 2000s.
2007 - Space Shuttle Discovery began a 14-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver the Harmony module for future Space Station assembly missions.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history? 1928 - A patent was awarded for the first practical light bulb frosted on the inside. As a practical joke, new employees at General Electric's National Electric Lamp Company were assigned the task of making a practical light bulb frosted on the inside, as it was believed impossible to do. Until new employee, Marvin Pipkin (not to be confused with “Popkin”),was assigned this task - and did it. 1964 – America meets the Beatles for the first time, before 728 exuberant fans (out of 50,000 who requested tickets) on the Ed Sullivan Show. 1987 – Jessica McClure (“Baby Jessica”) the 18-month-old baby is rescued from a 22-foot-deep shaft she had fallen into 58½ hours earlier.

Lompoc Valley Medical Center is following the guidelines put forth by the California Department of Public Health and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department regarding restrictions on visitors to the hospital. The restrictions are in place and updated as needed, to slow the spread of community transmission of COVID-19.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

1701 - Yale University (originally named Collegiate School of Connecticut), chartered in New Haven. 1888 - Built-in 1848 and dedicated in 1885, the Washington Monument, honoring the first president, George Washington, opened to the public in Washington, D.C. 1940 - John Lennon was born, in Liverpool, England. (He would have turned 80 today!