
Bridging Health Care Gaps
WellSpace Health CEO Jonathan Porteus on serving the underserved in our communities
WellSpace has operated since 1953 and provides a range of health care services across nearly three dozen sites in Sacramento, Placer and Amador counties. Comstock’s spoke with CEO Jonathan Porteus about how his organization works to achieve regional health.

Rx for Merger Madness
Hospitals and physician practices are consolidating; for businesses covering their workers, that means re-evaluating current plans to keep health care costs from soaring
In the 2019 American economy, the big are getting bigger. Mergers are everywhere — the number of mergers and acquisitions exceeded 15,000 in 2017, a record for a single year, with 2018 a close second.
Sponsored

Project R.I.D.E.
Sponsored by Murieta Equestrian Center and West Coast Equine Foundation
To celebrate 40 years of serving people with special needs, Project R.I.D.E.’s therapeutic horseback riding program is upgrading its facilities and expanding programs. A covered outdoor riding arena and upgraded sensory trail will complement existing indoor facilities. A specialized simulator brings more people the joy of riding, and new programs in development will reach a greater audience.
Sponsored

Destination Of Choice
Shriners Hospital for Children
Located in the heart of Sacramento, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California is a destination of choice for families in need of highly specialized care for kids with complex medical needs and congenital differences.

Status Check: Out in the Open
Liz Salmi continues advocacy for medical record transparency
A prior story about Liz Salmi ended on a hopeful note, with the long-term brain cancer patient quitting her job and flying to Austria to participate as a fellow in an annual conference on topics of global importance.

In Rural Areas, California’s Physician Shortage Getting Worse
California is facing a growing shortage of primary care physicians, one that is already afflicting rural areas and low-income inner city areas, and is forecasted to impact millions of people within ten years.

Inside California’s New Paid Family Leave Law
California recently approved a longer paid family leave, allowing workers whose blessed events fall on the right side of the new law to take up to eight weeks off with partial pay to bond with a new baby. How’s that going to work?

California Health Care Companies Partner with Amazon to Bring Virtual Diagnoses via Alexa
Now that it’s upending the way you play music, cook, shop, hear the news and check the weather, the friendly voice emanating from your Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker is poised to wriggle its way into all things health care.

Becoming Mom in Midtown
New birth center gives women an alternative to hospitals or home
After Bethany Sasaki became certified as a lactation consultant about a decade ago, she took a break from her hospital nursing job to earn some cash consulting while caring for her newborn son. She drove all over the Sacramento region to meet with moms struggling to breastfeed. And her phone kept on ringing.

Employers Urged to Find New Ways to Address Workers’ Mental Health
Last year, California passed legislation that made it the first state to establish voluntary standards for workplace mental health. Companies like Sutter Health, Walgreens and Bank of America quickly signed on to address mental health wellness in the workplace. Will others follow suit?