TIME:              12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Location:        San Ramon Regional Medical Center

                       South Conference Room

                       South Building

                       7777 Norris Canyon Road, San Ramon

San Ramon Regional Medical Center will offer free H1N1 vaccines Saturday, January 9, 2010, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the medical center’s South Conference Room in South Building, located at 7777 Norris Canyon Road.

Vaccines will be offered at no charge on a first come, first served basis to the following people: pregnant women, healthcare workers, emergency personnel, children and young people (ages 6 months through age 24 years), and adults (with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems.)

Second H1N1 vaccines will not be offered to children who have received one dose of the vaccine.

The vaccine will be injected into the upper arm. The hospital asks people to wear short sleeved shirts.

For questions, call Jelissa Walker, R.N., BSN, director of infection control, at 925.275.6030.

“We are pleased that our hospital has been recognized by CIGNA for the high quality care that we provide,” said Gary Sloan, chief executive officer of San Ramon Regional Medical Center.   “Our physicians and staff work very hard to provide quality patient care, and these designations are evidence of the high standard of care we deliver every day.”

The CIGNA designations are based on the hospital’s effectiveness in treating the selected condition or performing the procedure. The designation measures and weighs complications, mortality and The Leapfrog Group Patient Safety Index.

            The ADA’s Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational program meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-management Education Programs. These standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994 and 2000.

            Programs apply for recognition voluntarily. Program that achieve recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. The process gives professionals a nation standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide, and assures the consumer that he or she will likely receive high-quality service. Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for three years.

            According the ADA, there are 20.8 million people or 7% of the population in the U.S. who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 6.2 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Each day approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications –heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation. About 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people ages 20 or older in 2005. Diabetes contributed to 224,094 deaths in 2002. Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45%, while the death rates due to heart disease, stroke and cancer have declined.

            The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading non-profit health organization supporting diabetes research, advocacy and information for health professionals, patients and the public. Founded in 1940, the Association has an area office in every state and conducts programs in communities nationwide. For more information, visit www.diabetes.org.

            Barbara Reis, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, counsels patients at the Diabetes Management Program at San Ramon Regional Medical Center. For information, call 925.275.6018 or visit www.sanramonmedctr.com.

            San Ramon Regional Medical Center is a full-service acute-care hospital offering a wide range of healthcare service. The hospital is located at 6001 Norris Canyon Road, San Ramon. The main telephone number is 925.275.9200. For referral to physicians who practice at San Ramon Regional Medical Center, call 800.284.2878 or online at www.sanramonmedctr.com.