Page 35 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2017

Healdsburg is greeting Spring with a ourish as we experience a gorgeous Spring after weeks of rain. The drought is over and the first Chardonnay is is going through bud break.
The St. Patrick’s Day Festivities were raucous and lasted the entire day raising money for Green Dog Rescue at Healdsburg Bar and Grill and Healdsburg Education Foundation at Spoonbar.
The parade at daybreak from Sanderson’s Ford sponsored by the B and
B Lounge finished with green eggs and ham at Costeaux Bakery and other breakfast o erings at Singletree Inn, Downtown Bakery and Creamery, Parish Café and Flakey Cream Do-Nuts. Corned Beef and Cabbage was served at John and Zeke’s, B and B and, in the evening at St. John’s Church
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First Physician Hired by Healdsburg District Hospital
Healdsburg District Hospital (HDH) welcomed Emerson Valdez, D.P.M., as the first physician to be hired as an employee rather than an independent contractor. Dr. Valdez’s new position was made possible by Assembly Bill AB 2024, which was made law as of January 1, 2017.
The Summer Season begins in Windsor!
Under Assemblyman Wood’s AB 2024
If you have interest in gardening you should check out the Windsor Garden Club. They hold a monthly educational meeting on the Third Tuesday of each month at the Windsor Senior Center Community Room. This month the guest speaker will be Tom Gulya, a member who moved here from North Dakota.
He retired from a 30 year career with the Department of Agriculture. He will be speaking on “The Many types of Basil”, and will be sharing special Basil seeds and secret growing techniques. Gwen Kilchner, the Co-Host of KSRO’s Saturday morning Garden Talk Show will also be on hand to answer questions. Light snacks featuring Basil appetizers will be served. The evening starts at 6:30 pm. Visit www.windsorgardenclub.org for more information.
The measure was introduced by Assemblyman Jim Wood, a Healdsburg resident, who recognized the needs of California’s rural hospitals and the di culty in their ability to compete with larger metropolitan hospitals for physicians. The bill is considered a pilot program for Critical Access Hospitals. HDH is one of only 34 Critical Access Hospitals in California.
Windsor Town Green gets an all inclusive new playground
The cost associated with opening a rural practice can be overwhelming to
a new physician grappling with student loans. The ability to be hired allows some guarantee of income while the physician builds their patient base. According to Wood, “Most young physicians would prefer to be employed by a hospital rather than go into a private practice.”
There’s a brand new playground at the Windsor Town Green. Construction was just completed and the new playground is over double in size with all new play structures and in beautiful colors with a big “stained glass like” butterfly that reflects on the ground as the sun travels across the sky. This new playground is not only beautiful, but it includes shade covers over all of the structures, with 2 different play areas depending on age appropriate activities. There are all inclusive play toys that can be used by children in wheelchairs and with disabilities. There are cement benches scattered through out the playground where hand painted tiles are mounted that were painted last
Prior to AB 2024, physicians were not allowed to be hired as employees. This stemmed from practices by mining companies in the late 1800s to hire company physicians, which questioned the ability for the physician to be forthright
with the employee patient. The new law only pertains to rural critical access hospitals and is subject to future review by the California Assembly.
year by local residents and sponsors. There is a brick walkway through the park with custom bricks from local businesses, families and service groups who sponsored the People4Parks Foundation who raised $35,000 to get the construction on the Park started with the generous help from the Windsor Rotary and local citizens. Take a trip on a weekend soon and spend the afternoon in Old Downtown Windsor, bring the dog, play in the park, eat on the patio at one of the wonderful restaurants or take it to go and have a picnic on the Green. Take a stroll along all the fun local shops - shop for toys, health tips, gorgeous jewelry, books, get your ears pierced, buy a new dress and some candy to munch on for dessert. Windsor is a town for the whole family, you are sure to leave with a smile. Plan a trip back soon and bring your friends.
“Having Dr. Valdez come on board is a significant event for our hospital and the communities we serve,” said Nancy Schmid, CEO of HDH. “We become much stronger in our ability to attract physicians who want to work in a di erent environment than what larger hospitals o er. I am certain Dr. Valdez will quickly appreciate the opportunity to do great things in a smaller hospital.”
Dr. Valdez received his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He was Chief Resident at Wyco Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he became a Wound Care Fellow working with the hospital’s Hyperbaric Oxygen and Wound Care Center.
Healdsburg District Hospital serves the North Sonoma County Healthcare District, which includes Windsor, Healdsburg, Geyserville, Cloverdale, and the Alexander Valley. The hospital o ers both primary and specialty care physicians. It has an acute care facility with a Certified Primary Stroke Center, Wound Care Center, and an Emergency Care Facility with a 15-minute average wait to see a physician.
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The Windsor Certified Farmers Market opens it’s 16th Season, Sunday, April 23rd from 10 - 1 pm on the Old Downtown Windsor Town Green. The opening is in conjunction with the Town of Windsor Earth Day and Wellness Festival from 10 - 2 pm. This is also the day that the Windsor Parks and Recreation Department rolls out all their Summer Classes and Camps. If you have a family, this is an event you shouldn’t miss. The Tree Grove area will
be filled with wellness, earth friendly, energy saving, healthy eating booths filled with local folks wanting to teach us the best choices for our bodies and our Mother Earth. There will be live music and performances on 2 stages throughout the event. The Farmers Market will be full of some of the freshest local fruits and vegetables, as well as local preserved foods like baked goods, fermented veggies, jams and sauces. Several local artists show their beautiful handmade items at the Market and you can get fresh Brunch and BBQ to
eat in the park. The Market’s Kidz Dig It Club will be doing Kidz Cooking Demonstrations from 11 am to Noon in the East Pavilion. The Town Green lawn areas will be bustling with sports activities, family lawn games and sign- ups for all the exciting Camps and Classes planned for the Summer. There are Teen Camps where they travel all over to extreme activities like IFly, Driven Raceway and Giants games, and fun themed day camps for kids of all ages. Learn more at www.windsorfarmersmarket.com and www.townofwindsor. com/parksandrecreation
The Windsor Garden Club will be holding their Annual Spring Plant Sale at the Earth Day Festival, Sunday, April 23rd, 10-2 pm. The theme this year
is succulent container gardens. There will also be tables full of plant starts for your garden - vegetables, perennials, annuals and trees and shrubs in larger nursery pots.