By March, Supervisors Vow Study on High Desert County Hospital with Trauma Center
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9/12/2017 By March, Supervisors vow study on High Desert county hospital with trauma center By March, Supervisors vow study on High Desert county hospital with trauma center By Shea Johnson Staff Writer Posted Sep 11, 2017 at 1:04 PM Updated Sep 11, 2017 at 1:04 PM San Bernardino County officials will analyze within the next six months the feasibility of constructing a county hospital with a trauma center in the High Desert. San Bernardino County officials will analyze within the next six months the feasibility of constructing a county hospital with a trauma center in the High Desert. It was only one of six recommendations made by the civil Grand Jury in late June in response to a shortage of emergency room beds and hospital overcrowding in this region, but it was the most striking due to the enormity of such an undertaking, likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. In a proposed response to the jury’s report expected to be approved by county Supervisors on Tuesday, the officials, acting in their capacity as the governing board of the Inland Counties Emergency Management Agency, say research is required. “This recommendation requires further analysis, specifically a discussion involving the various stakeholders on the costs, feasibility and various possible approaches to addressing the concerns upon which the recommendation is based,” the Supervisors’ response said. The analysis, it continued, will take place within six months of Tuesday, meaning by no later than mid-March. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170911/by-march-supervisors-vow-study-on-high-desert-county-hospital-with-trauma-center 1/3 9/12/2017 By March, Supervisors vow study on High Desert county hospital with trauma center In a conversation following the Grand Jury report’s release, Supervisors Chairman Robert Lovingood, who represents the Victor Valley, described a county hospital as recommended by the jury, similar to that of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, as “a priority.” “I think it’s absolutely on,” he told the Daily Press at the time. “The critical issue is going to be funding. If you look into the future, the desert’s going to continue to grow and (a hospital is) going to be just one of the things to put on the board.” The need was underscored by jurors, who concluded that the shortage of emergency department beds leads to hospital and ER overcrowding and hospital bed delays — the time between arrival of an ambulance at an ER and the ER receiving the patient. Momentum for such a hospital, however, has been historically slow-moving because of funding considerations. The Grand Jury’s investigation came on the heels of a series of Daily Press stories in 2015 and earlier this year about chronic issues with bed delays and ambulance response times. This newspaper’s pieces ultimately highlighted the discord between the San Bernardino County Fire Department’s union and ambulance company American Medical Response in whittling the issue to its core. Supervisors vowed to further analyze all Jury recommendations and agreed with every finding, suggesting issues that have been raised are being taken seriously. Supervisors concurred, among other things, that demands on the 911 system were influencing the need for a re-evaluation of the EMS system; bed delays were directly affecting the safety of patients; there is a shortage of ER beds here; and coordination is lacking among the three High Desert hospitals, AMR and County Fire with respect to overcrowding. Officials also acknowledged that the 911 system was being misused on a regular basis, overloading dispatch and decreasing the availability of ambulances. “Public education on the proper use of the 911, including alternatives for those who believe they need emergency assistance, is necessary,” Supervisors said in their response, adding that enhanced 911 call screening “is worthy of consideration.” http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170911/by-march-supervisors-vow-study-on-high-desert-county-hospital-with-trauma-center 2/3 LIFE Communities are building permanent memorials for victims of mass violence. By Adriene Hill September 11, 2017 | 1:05 PM The temporary memorial to the victims of the San Bernardino shooting. - Adriene Hill/Marketplace On Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, California, a shooter killed 14 people in an attack at the Inland Regional Center. Today, there’s a temporary memorial to the victims set up along a busy stretch of road. There are sun-bleached flowers, American flags, a laminated poster with pictures of those who died. There’s a small planted Christmas tree that someone is still watering, and a couple trash bags filled with older flowers and stuffed animals that have been gathered up but not thrown away. The county, along with a committee that includes the families of the victims, has begun the work of planning something more permanent. “They want a place to honor the people that were taken from us,” said Felisa Cardona, a public information officer for the county. “They are looking for something that also acknowledges what the wounded went through, what the first responders went through.” Adriene Hill/Marketplace Today, a little more than a year and half after the shooting, they have just started looking for a consultant to help with the design process. The county doesn’t know yet what the budget for the project might be. “We haven’t talked about it,” said David Wert, also a spokesman for the county. “We don’t want to think in terms of limits,” he explains, “we want to think in terms of what’s the right thing to do.” They are questions confronting many communities around the country — how to memorialize and how to fund memorials to honor victims of mass violence. Memorials are being planned in communities including Orlando, Florida; Tucson, Arizona; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; and Aurora, Colorado. RELATED Some businesses bounce back, other struggle, a year after Pulse nightclub shooting Japanese tourists seek information about their history at Pearl Harbor In order to take the next step in San Bernardino, Cardona called Heather Dearman in Aurora for advice. “When they called, I just had such a great feeling of fulfillment,” said Dearman, who is the vice chair of the 7/20 Memorial Foundation, the group working to build a memorial to the victims of the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012. “Knowing that we can help other people get through what we have gone through means that what we’re doing is so important. And we’re doing the right thing.” Dearman is the cousin of Ashley Moser and Veronica Moser-Sullivan. Ashely was wounded; 6-year-old Veronica was killed. An essential part of the healing process in Aurora has been fundraising, Dearman said. It took the group more than four years to raise the $200,000 it needed to build the memorial. They raised money quarter by quarter and dollar by dollar, setting up booths at local events and holding fundraisers at local businesses. A church pitched in more than $100,000. Dearman advised communities going through this process to raise the money themselves. Every time someone chips in or offers a hug, said Dearman, “it’s proof that love always wins.” And that is part of what drives her to do this work, to prove to her kids that there’s more good than evil in the world. “They still have their moments when I think that I haven’t shown them enough proof,” she said. But she thinks that when they see the memorial, “that’ll probably be the moment that sends them over the edge into believing.” The 7/20 Memorial Foundation announced the winning design for the memorial a few weeks ago. It’ll consist of 83 sculptural birds, representing those killed and injured, flocking toward the sky. Follow Adriene Hill at @adrienehill. Anesthesia Providers Turn To Opioid Alternatives During Surgery 9/12/2017 Erwin jurors in Colonies trial to resume deliberations Tuesday – San Bernardino Sun NEWS Erwin jurors in Colonies trial to resume deliberations Tuesday Former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin, center, attends the corruption case verdict hearing at San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino, Calif. on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Defendants Jeff Burum, former Supervisor Paul Biane and Mark Kirk were found not guilty after a marathon trial that has lasted nearly eight months. (Photo by Rachel Luna, The Sun/SCNG) By JOE NELSON | [email protected] and RICHARD DEATLEY | [email protected] | San Bernardino Sun PUBLISHED: September 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm | UPDATED: September 11, 2017 at 8:52 pm Jurors for Jim Erwin, the remaining defendant in the San Bernardino County Colonies bribery trial, began their third week of deliberations Monday and concluded for the day at noon, court ofcials said. The jury will resume at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Prosecutors allege Erwin, a former county assistant assessor and sheriff’s labor union president, took part in the bribery of two county ofcials to get a 2006 Board of Supervisors approval of a $102 million court settlement in favor of Rancho Cucamonga development group Colonies Partners LP. Erwin’s jury received his case Aug. 24 aer nearly eight months of testimony in the marathon trial in the San Bernardino courtroom of Judge Michael A. Smith. http://www.sbsun.com/2017/09/11/erwin-jurors-in-colonies-trial-to-resume-deliberations-tuesday/ 1/3 9/12/2017 Erwin jurors in Colonies trial to resume deliberations Tuesday – San Bernardino Sun A separate jury on Aug. 28 acquitted on all counts fellow defendants Jeff Burum, a developer and co-managing partner of Colonies Partners LP; former San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane; and Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for one-time county Supervisor Gary Ovitt.