LVMC Community Update, June 18, 2021

This week our CEO updates the community on Covid figures in Santa Barbara County, vaccinations clinics, and LVMC's Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) report.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

• 1873 – Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 ($2,200 in 2020 value) for voting for U.S. President in Rochester, New York.  She refused to pay and no further action against her was taken. (She could have paid the fine with Susan B. Anthony silver dollars.)
• 1967 – Closing day of the Monterey International Pop Festival, in California, including the first major U.S. appearances of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, an Ottis Redding. 
• 1980 – Indian “human computer” Shakuntala Devi set a world record by mentally multiplying two random 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds. She correctly answered that 7,686,369,774,870 x 2,465,099,745,779 = 18,947,668,177,995,426,4262,773,730. (I forgot to carry the 1.)

Quote of the Week

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”      -Abraham Lincoln

COVID-19

• The Covid figures in Santa Barbara County are still looking good, but not quite as good as last week. The two-week average of Active Covid cases went up 1, from 34 to 35. The two-week average of hospitalized Covid patients is up from 9 to 12 (I usually have a real-time Friday number of hospitalized patients, but since I don’t today, I am using the official state/county data). There were 2 Covid related deaths this week, up from 0 last week.
• As mentioned, Covid hospitalizations had a “mini spike” this week. However, at LVMC we technically have 0 Covid positive inpatients. We have one patient who was Covid positive upon admission but is no longer considered Covid positive. 
• Based upon my knowledge of what is happening at hospitals throughout the county, and without breaching any patient confidentiality, I will just say, if you want to make sure you don’t end up in the hospital due to Covid, get vaccinated. 
• There continue to be no Covid positive residents at the CCC.
• The California Covid positivity rate remains near the lowest in the country, at 0.6%. Santa Barbara County is at 0.8%
• The county Public Health Department did some “secret shopping” after the state opened-up on June 15. The purpose was to see how businesses are handling the matter of “mask required if not vaccinated; no mask required if vaccinated.”  I was told anecdotally that Lompoc businesses as a whole are doing a good job communicating with customers through signage and other means, and appear more compliant than certain other areas of the county. (From personal experience being out and about, it still feels a little strange not wearing a mask even is situations where a mask is not required. I am sure that feeling will change over a short period of time as things settle in.)
• California Department of Public Health issued new visitation guidance to hospitals this Wednesday.  There are small changes to the previous guidance, but nothing particularly significant.  We are still not permitted to open our cafeteria to the public; as soon as we are permitted to do so, we will. LVMC is in the process of evaluating and updating its visitation policy. As a reminder, masking is still required for all visitors at LVMC, regardless of vaccination status. 

Vaccinations

• Next week we will be holding vaccinations clinics at LVMC on Monday and Friday. We will be administering both first and second doses on both days.  Appointments may be scheduled on MyTurn.  In addition, walk-ins are welcome during vaccination clinic hours.
• Due to diminishing demand for vaccination at LVMC, and throughout the county, beginning the week of June 28, we plan to cut back to one vaccination clinic per week. That will be held on each Friday, as that is the day of the week on which we have historically had the greatest number of appointment requests.  If the demand increases, we will add more vaccination clinic days.
• We are now offering vaccinations to LVMC inpatients and Emergency Room patients, upon discharge.
• Although there is no official word form the Federal or State governments at this point, it is expected that sometime between September and the end of the year, one or more vaccines will be approved for individuals below age 12. 
• An effort is being made by the state and county to have pediatricians registered and approved to administer Covid vaccinations at their offices. Lompoc Health and its pediatricians are considering participation with this initiative, however, at this time, all vaccinations for individuals 12 and over are being done at the vaccination clinics located at the hospital.
• 65.8% of the eligible county population (12+) has received at least one vaccine dose (up just slightly from 65.0% last week). 55.7% of the entire county population has received at least one dose (up from 55.2% last week). 56.8% of the eligible county population has been fully vaccinated (up from 55.2% last week). 48.1% of the entire county population has been fully vaccinated (up from 46.7% last week).  We are making progress, but slowly.
• The state now publishes vaccination rates by zip code.  Shown below is the Lompoc zip code percentages, in comparison to that of the entire county. (The Lompoc percentages seem somewhat inconsistent with the Santa Barbara County vaccination rates by region, shown on the county website. But, it is rather consistent with the overall Santa Barbara County rates.)

1. Percent of total Lompoc (zip code 93436) residents who have had at least one dose = 55%
2. Percent of total Santa Barbara County residents who have had at least one dose = 55.7%
3. Percent of total Lompoc residents who are fully vaccinated = 46%
4. Percent of total Santa Barbara County residents who are fully vaccinated = 48.1%

LVMC Potpourri

The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) publishes and publicly reports a Quality Transparency Dashboard for each hospital in California, which includes the five quality metrics shown below.      I am pleased to report that LVMC’s performance is better than State and/or National averages in each of the five areas. And, LVMC is the only hospital in Santa Barbara County that can make that claim.

• Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection: Better than State and National Average
• Colon Surgical Site Infection:  Better than State and National Average
• NTSV – Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex Cesarean Birth Rate:  Better than State and National Average
• Sepsis Mortality:  Better than State and National Average
• 30-Day Readmission Rate:  Better than National Average 

Thank you for your continued support, and as always, please feel free to contact me at popkins@lompocvmc.com or (805) 737-3301.  Until next time, be well and stay safe! 

Steve Popkin

Chief Executive Officer