Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Outpatient Care Center
By Emily Ebert, M.D. and Helga Carter, R.N.
The Heart of the Healthy Community beats strong thanks to the specialty services provided at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Outpatient Care Center. Outpatient Care Specialties provide a wide range of specialty services and offer teaching in all departments and subspecialties for students, interns, residents, and Allied Health Professionals. Bilingual staff is available for translation services in Spanish and other languages. Patients ranging in ages from infant to geriatrics are referred to the specialty clinics by their Primary Care Provider from Family Health Centers, Managed Care Providers or the ARMC Emergency Department. Each week, nearly two thousand patients pass through the portals of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Outpatient Care Center to receive care at one of the more than 70 specialties practicing at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. The main specialty services include:
Family and Elder Care Community Services: Providing preventive health maintenance and primary care for all ages, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Family and Elder Care Community Services under the guidance of Frank Randolph, M.D. specializes in the care of the frail and elderly. To successfully meet the challenges of providing medical care for older adults, the Department of Community Medicine developed the Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) team. The goal of the GEM team is to provide comprehensive, continuous and accessible health care to older individuals with an emphasis on prevention and education. Supporting the extension of care to the elderly, our "House Calls" program is designed specifically for seniors with limited mobility, suffering from various forms of dementia, or other chronic illnesses. Supporting the physicians is a staff consisting of a Case Manager, a Social Worker, Nurses, and clinical staff. The Family and Elder Care Community Services is also home for the areas only Geriatric Fellowship program, providing specialized geriatric training for three physicians each year.
Internal Medicine Services: Internal Medicine Services chaired by Anh Nong, M.D. includes Cardiology, Allergy, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Dermatology, Neurology, Rheumatology, and numerous other subspecialties. An integral component of the Internal Medicine Specialties is the Oncology/Infusion Therapy Center. The Center provides chemotherapy, blood component therapy, hydration therapy, and antibiotic therapy, administered to oncology patients as well as non-oncology patients. The treatment rooms in Infusion Therapy are private and consist of a recliner for the patient, TV and ample room for the patient to have their family present during treatment. Privacy in the treatment rooms is utmost to patient centered care. Patient response to the new care setting is extremely positive. Some of the comments Infusion Therapy has received are: "I can rest so comfortably in the recliner and I have the option to watch TV, listen to music, or put on a head phone and listen to relaxation tapes"; "it's nice to have the privacy in the treatment room, I can ask the nurse questions without the fear of being over heard by other patients". The Registered Nurses in Infusion Therapy are certified in the administration and management of chemotherapy.
Surgical Services: The Surgical Service chaired by Dev Gnanadev, M.D. consists of a variety of general to specialized surgical services for the care of our patients. Specialized diagnostic procedures include biopsies, burn/wound debridement and management, thoracentesis, vascular testing and tattoo removal among many others. The Ophthalmology service provides for the management and treatment of diseases of the eye. Extensive specialized diagnostic and therapeutic procedures include angiography and laser treatment. ENT/Dental/Oral Services include restorative, diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of the ear, nose, throat as well as x-rays, dental extraction’s, fabrications and procedures. The tattoo removal program was recognized by the Community Development Block Grant program for their participation in the County of San Bernardino’s Gang Reduction Intervention Program (GRIP). The Burn specialty provides supportive follow-up care to the County’s only Burn Center located in ARMC.
Orthopedic Service: The Orthopedic Services chaired by Kenneth Mudge, M.D. provides services for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system with special focus on subspecialties of pediatrics, hand, shoulder, foot and ankle, hip and knee, spine, trauma, and sports medicine.
Rehabilitation Medicine Services: Rehabilitative Medicine Services under the guidance of Robertus Kounang, M.D. provides care for State disability evaluation, spinal cord injuries, amputees, as well as other rehabilitative services. Supporting the Rehabilitation Medicine Services with both inpatient and outpatient care is the Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy services.
Pediatric Services: Pediatrics provides a variety of comprehensive services and offers well-child visits, high risk follow-up, sick child walk-in visits, as well as pediatric specialties which include: Neurology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Asthma, Cardiology and Cystic Fibrosis. The Department Chairman is Gerald Greene, M.D. Free health checks are available to eligible applicants through the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program. High-risk pediatrics offers care for premature infants and children with other delicate conditions.
Women’s Health Center: The Women’s Health Center provides Obstetrics (prenatal and postpartum) as well as gynecological services. The Department Chairman is Guillermo Valenzuela, M.D. The Center offers excellent comprehensive pregnancy services from preconception counseling to postpartum care. Board certified physicians and certified nurse midwives have extensive experience with both normal and high-risk pregnancies, including the special challenges of pregnancies in teens, older moms, and women with medical complications. Additional specialty programs include preparation for childbirth classes, genetic counseling services, nutritional counseling and education, ultrasound and procedures such as amniocentesis are also available.
