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IMERYS Minerals California recently granted LVMC a hilltop location to place solar panels to energize data equipment. LVMC placed a four-panel solar station on a section of IMERYS property that is not useable for the company’s mining operations. CEO Jim Raggio thanked the Corporation for its generous donation and said the district “appreciates the positive working relationship” with IMERYS.

“Our strategic relationship with IMERYS has resulted in a huge cost savings for LVMC”

The LVMC board room is a quiet, contemplative meeting place, where decisions of great importance are made for the future of the healthcare district.

But every Friday morning the sound of laughter – and sometimes crying – bursts through the closed door. At those times, a gathering of a dozen or so mothers meets in the room with their babies, as part of the LVMC Breastfeeding Mothers Support Group.

For the spring semester, this group of HAWC (Health and Wellness Careers Academy) students from Lompoc High School visited the acute hospital every Friday during the spring for job shadowing in different departments. The students were able to learn about the education required for specific jobs, and to understand the roles and duties of each department, giving them a hands-on view of the medical profession. The students presented LVMC staff with a framed poster of thanks, and individual testimonials to those who helped with the job shadow program.

During a Special Board meeting today, the Board of Directors of the Lompoc Valley Medical Center voted unanimously to opt-out of the California End of Life Option Act.

The law allows California doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients requesting the drugs to end their lives. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law last year, and June 9 is the implementation date that allows doctors to write the lethal dose prescription legally.

For many physicians, there is an intensely personal reason they chose their career path.

For Dr. Rahim Raoufi, the reason reaches back into his childhood, growing up in a small, rural area in Iran. There were no doctors there. The residents had difficulty in getting ill people to a medical facility in time.

At most skilled nursing facilities, there are activities to keep residents happy and occupied. Bingo, armchair travel, movies and the like are tried and true staples.

At the Comprehensive Care Center (CCC), residents have those activities to enjoy, but also much more.

Despite having impressive credentials that include being Chief of Otolaryngology at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s hospital and having a private practice for 36 years, Dr. Michel says his newest job has been challenging for him.

As Director of Medical Staff Affairs, he serves as a physician adviser to the district’s administration, as well being a liaison between the medical staff and administration, and from the medical staff to all other departments.

Dr. Lisa Ercolini-Bhatia’s path toward a medical career began before she was even born. Throughout her childhood, she’d hear her mother sing the praises of the OBGYN who delivered her — a healthy baby girl despite prenatal fears of a traumatic birth. “I was born healthy, and my mom really attributed a lot of it to really good health care,” Dr. Ercolini- Bhatia explains. “That always stayed with me. I felt like I was here because of good health care. So I want to serve the community by trying to give back.” The family physician has done just that.

With stroke among the leading causes of death on the Central Coast, having the Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation and a specially trained “Code Stroke” team will allow rapid assessment of a patient, ultimately saving lives. Time is particularly critical with the onset of stroke: physicians have a shortened time frame to diagnose and begin treatment in order to improve outcomes for patients.

Do you want to have a say at Lompoc Valley Medical Center? Now’s your chance. For the first time, LVMC is creating a new venue for community members to help guide the hospital in its efforts to ensure the focus of healthcare is centered on the patient and the family.

The Patient and Family Advisory Council is a group designed to forge a strong partnership between its healthcare professionals and the community.

All facets of the healthcare delivery system were anxiously waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether they would uphold the federal subsidies to 34 states that did not develop a state-run health exchange.  The courts’ decision was announced on June 25, 2015, and favored the Obama administration by upholding federal subsidies for those 34 states.

When presented with the blank canvas of designing the interior of the newly constructed Lompoc Valley Medical Center, Summer Janklow saw it as an opportunity to repay all the gifts she’d been given in her life.

The Champion Center, Lompoc Healthcare District’s chemical dependency treatment facility, is open for business and is establishing itself as the region’s premier treatment center.

During the day, LVMC pathologist Dr. Tomas Machin spends much of his time peering into a microscope, identifying diseases by studying cells and tissues or looking for abnormalities in tissue. It’s largely a quiet, studious endeavor.

Dr. Donna Walker sought for years to have a radiation treatment center established in Lompoc, to assist in the treatment of her more than 800 oncology patients. Now, through a strategic partnership with Lompoc Valley Medical Center, Dr. Walker will begin practicing in the new building under construction by Lompoc Radiation Oncology, a branch of Coastal Radiation Oncology, on East Ocean Avenue, adjacent to her current office.