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2 Living Well
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Simi Valley Hospital
LIVING WELL is published as a community service for the friends
and patrons of SIMI VALLEY HOSPITAL, 2975 N. Sycamore
Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065, telephone:
805-955-6000
,
website:
SimiValleyHospital.com
.
Information in LIVING WELL comes from a wide range of medical
experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content
that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider.
Models may be used in photos and illustrations.
Copyright © 2014 Coffey Communications CMM30892
Caroline Esparza
Interim President
and CEO
George Dichter, MD
Chief of Staff
Steve Sojka
Director, Marketing
and Communication
Steve Willis
Editor
Work on Simi Valley Hospital’s
Emergency Services and Hospital
Expansion Project is nearing its final
stage as the hospital prepares to open
the $41-million facility in early 2015.
By late October, the application of
stucco on the building’s exterior was
finished and stonework was underway.
The canopy over the ambulance
entrance was nearly complete. Inside,
90 percent of the interior walls in the
new emergency facility had drywall and
were painted, and 75 percent of the
ceiling grid was installed. Landscaping
was scheduled to commence in
mid-November.
CHILDREN’S HEALTH
When is it an
emergency?
IF YOUR CHILD
is badly injured or becomes seriously ill
without warning, it is a medical emergency. Timely treatment
can prevent a severe injury or illness from getting worse and
permanently harming your child.
Signs of an emergency in a child include:
•
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
•
Skin or lips that look blue, purple or gray.
•
Strange or withdrawn behavior, or any significant change
from normal behavior.
•
Confusion, delirium, severe headache, unconsciousness or
vomiting—especially following a head injury.
•
Sudden or severe pain.
•
Uncontrolled bleeding.
•
Coughing up or vomiting blood.
•
Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea.
•
Excessive sleepiness.
•
Neck stiffness or a rash with fever.
•
Fever accompanied by changes in behavior.
•
Decreasing responsiveness or alertness.
•
Inability to walk steadily or stand up.
If your child shows any of these signs, call
911
right away.
Sources: American College of Emergency Physicians
Simi Valley Hospital’s Emergency
Services and Hospital Expansion
Project is nearing completion.
New facility prepares to premiere
The project includes the new Thakkar
Family Emergency Pavilion, which will
add more than 5,000 square feet to the
existing Emergency Department space
and increase the number of patient care
rooms from 10 to 22. In addition to
the expanded emergency facilities, the
building will house a new surgery suite,
an equipment room and space to add
more services in the future.
New look, same
commitment
Caroline Esparza,
Interim President and CEO
Welcome to the first issue of
Living
Well
,
Simi Valley Hospital’s
re-
vamped and redesigned community
magazine! Our new look reflects your
desire to see not just news and infor-
mation about Simi Valley Hospital and
our services, but also articles and tips
that help you live a life of health and
wellness every day.
Living Well
is one example of our
ongoing commitment to stay in
tune with the health needs of our
community and to promote whole-
person health—body, mind and spirit.
Every day, we strive to fulfill that
commitment.
Some of our efforts are highly
visible, such as the construction of
our Emergency Department addition
(read more next to this column), the
introduction of our new Healing Arts
program (see page 4) and our partic-
ipation in community events like the
Free Clinic of Simi Valley’s Community
Health and Fitness Expo in October.
However, we also fulfill our commit-
ment to whole-person health in less-
visible, more personal ways. In every
encounter with our patients and visitors,
for example, it is our goal to provide
high-quality, compassionate care.
As we prepare to celebrate our
50th anniversary in 2015, we want
to extend our grateful thanks to our
community. We continue to grow and
improve for you, and we appreciate
your support.