ECRMC offers the following classes free of charge: Growing Baby Class, Childbirth Preparation Class, Newborn Care Class and Breastfeeding Preparation Class. “We at ECRMC understand the joys and anxieties of child birth and child rearing,” said Margaret Hatfield, director of Maternal Child. “We are proud to be able to support our community and provide these much needed services.”

Classes are held each week. The classes will cover needs while pregnant, what to expect during labor, newborn care and breastfeeding. ECRMC educators are trained and certified to help prepare expectant parents and help steer them in the right direction.

A full list of classes and schedules can be found below.

Growing Baby Class

With pregnancy comes a number of changes, both physical and emotional. The Growing Baby Class helps expectant parents understand what they can anticipate and how to prepare for the delivery and transition to parenthood.

Childbirth Preparation Class

These sections help future parents understand the labor and delivery process, including the various options, methods and medication available. This is a two-part class.

Newborn Care Class

These classes assist new parents in their transitions to parenthood. They include topics such as car seats, immunizations, diapering, bathing, adjustment to new roles and health and safety issues.

Breastfeeding Preparation Class

Breastfeeding is the best option for new babies. The most nutritious food source available for newborn babies is mother’s breast milk. What many women do not know is that breastfeeding is a skill that oftentimes does not come naturally. Mothers will learn preparation, tips and problem solving during the 2-hour class. They will also learn about feeding and sleeping patterns, returning to work, childcare options, what to do about a fussy baby, and more.

Breastfeeding has long been an important focus for ECRMC. The hospital is committed to ensuring the best for the local community and has recently been recognized as a leader by Baby-Friendly ® USA, Inc. for declaring its commitment to the principles of global Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and establishing the highest standard possible for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

“We recognize that breast feeding is ideal for both baby and mother,” said Roberta Webster, lactation consultant. “As such, we believe in strongly supporting the Baby-Friendly USA initiative and we are pleased to offer these breast feeding classes to the Imperial Valley community.”

About ECRMC

El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) is a licensed 165-bed general acute care facility located in El Centro, Calif. ECRMC is committed to providing the community with high quality healthcare as reflected in its mission statement: “To Provide Healthcare Excellence For The Imperial Valley.”

ECRMC is moving forward with the planning and development of the hospital expansion project that will replace the older portion of the hospital. In addition, the hospital is developing a new facility to meet the needs of the Imperial Valley and provide an advanced healthcare facility and service, helping ECRMC continue to achieve it’s goal of providing excellence in healthcare.

Recent additions to the hospital include the opening of the Wound Care Center; the implementation of the Hospitalist Program; the Asthma and Diabetes Program; and the Children’s Specialist Program. A new Outpatient Center is planned in order to continue excellent service within the local community.

ECRMC has also recently announced a collaboration with the Oncology and Hematology Center of Imperial Valley to create the El Centro Regional Medical Center Oncology and Hematology Center. Maintaining its commitment to medical technology advancement, the hospital has invested in the da Vinci Si HD Surgical System. The surgery system allows for safe and less intrusive procedures in various surgical fields, including urology, cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology and more.

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Unfortunately, whether due to a malfunction of the grill or some other reason, the rib eye was served closer to room temperature.  While the steak was a perfect medium rare, the lack of temperature did not help with taste or texture.
Seasoning was also an issue as the restaurant’s house blend was undetectable and extra salt and pepper was needed for flavor.
Additionally, the salad was of a comparable size to the other restaurants.  However, the size of the salad plate lent to the perception of a smaller portion and was a little disorientating.
The extras, including the baked potato and the veggie medley, were piping hot and quite tasty.
Price:  $22.95.
Aspen in the Desert is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 am to 9 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 7 am to 9:30 pm.  The restaurant is located at 595 West Main Street and you may call (760) 344-4468 or visit http://www.aspeninthedesertrestaurant.com for more information

Who won the overall restaurant survey

This year, the restaurant survey was based on steaks and steakhouses and while not the most prolific of restaurant types in the Valley, there were enough to warrant a full survey.
Below are the winners of this year’s Best overall steak in the Valley survey:
Best overall steak:  Town Pump.
The Westmorland restaurant continues a long established tradition of excellence.  The steak was the second least expensive of the four tasted, yet had everything an out-of-town gourmet would expect from a steakhouse.
Second overall:  China Palace Steakhouse.
It should be no surprise that the second best steak in the Imperial Valley would be from another steakhouse.  The China Palace’s rib eye only missed out on top prize because of the lack of the deep brown color and the lack of salt on the steak itself.

Best Value:  Brownie’s Diner.
An $11.99 rib eye can’t be beat.  While the soup or salad was a little extra, the steak itself wasn’t too bad for the price.  And even at the regular price of $15.99, the Brownie’s steak was the least expensive of all tasted and very good for not being a full steakhouse.
Best side dishes:  Aspen of the Desert
While the steak itself left much to be desired, Aspen’s side dishes were the tastiest and most varied of all the restaurants surveyed.
The salad, for instance, contained mushrooms and other vegetables and wasn’t mostly lettuce.
The baked potato was the warmest of all the potatoes and the vegetable medley was a pleasant surprise.
This ends this year’s restaurant survey.  See you next year!

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Established in the early 1960s, the CAP accreditation process involves a full inspection of laboratory records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. In addition, reviews of laboratory staff qualifications, laboratory equipment, facilities, safety program and overall management of the lab is done to ensure laboratory patients are provided the highest standard of care.

“We feel achieving the CAP accreditation is very important,” said David Mohlenhoff, senior director of Laboratory and Radiology for ECRMC. “We are committed to our community and part of that is maintaining a standard of care above and beyond average. The lab is one of over 7,000 CAP-accredited laboratories in the world, it’s an honor to be among them.”

About ECRMC

El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) is a licensed 165-bed general acute care facility located in El Centro, Calif. ECRMC is committed to providing the community with high quality healthcare as reflected in its mission statement: “To Provide Healthcare Excellence For The Imperial Valley.”

ECRMC is moving forward with the planning and development of the hospital expansion project that will replace the older portion of the hospital. In addition, the hospital is developing a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of the Imperial Valley and provide an advanced healthcare facility and service, helping ECRMC continue to achieve it’s goal of providing excellence in healthcare.

Recent additions to the hospital include the opening of the Wound Care Center; the implementation of the Hospitalist Program; the Asthma and Diabetes Program; and the Children’s Specialist Program. A new Outpatient Center is planned in order to continue excellent service within the local community.

ECRMC has also recently announced a collaboration with the Oncology and Hematology Center of Imperial Valley to create the El Centro Regional Medical Center Oncology and Hematology Center. Maintaining its commitment to medical technology advancement, the hospital has invested in the da Vinci Si HD Surgical System. The surgery system allows for safe and less intrusive procedures in various surgical fields, including urology, cardiology, obstetrics/gynecology and more.

About the College of American Pathologists

The college of American Pathologists (CAP) is a medical society that serves more than 17,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of Board-certified pathologists and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The CAP is an advocate for high quality and cost effective patient care. More information about the CAP can be found at www.cap.org.

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The meetings, called Kickoff Meetings, represent a milestone in the recovery process. They provide applicants for Public Assistance ( PA ) grants the opportunity to sit down with both FEMA and Cal EMA to discuss in detail disaster related damages and repair strategies. They also offer the applicants the opportunity to learn about eligibility requirements and what documentation is necessary to support grant requests.

Among the agencies and organizations from Imperial County having Kickoff Meetings with federal and state officials to discuss PA grants were nine school districts, six cities, five special districts and the county.  Two private non-profit organizations were referred to the Small Business Administration following their Kickoff Meetings to apply for low interest loans.

Another critical goal of the Kickoff Meeting is to reaffirm statutory deadlines intended to ensure timely progress toward project completion. The next step in the recovery process is project formulation, which documents the damage, identifies the eligible scope of work to repair the disaster caused damage and calculates an estimate of costs for that work.

“These meetings are critical to ensuring eligible agencies and organizations get the assistance and advice they need for a timely recovery in the aftermath of the earthquake,” according to Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman. These meetings also cement the working relationships needed for a smooth recovery.

“Getting together with the applicant helps facilitate the reimbursement process by providing everyone – the applicant, Cal EMA and FEMA – a clearer picture of the damages and response costs, including special considerations such as historic and environmental, that could impact recovery,” said Cal EMA Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen.

There are two types of work eligible for reimbursement through a PA grant: emergency work and permanent work.  Emergency work may include reimbursement for debris removal and emergency actions taken to protect lives or property. Permanent work may include reimbursement for repair of public facilities such as roads, bridges and public buildings to its pre-disaster design, function and capacity.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, tribal nations and certain private nonprofit ( PNP ) organizations that provide an essential governmental service.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Easter Sunday is estimated to have caused more than $90 million in damage to public facilities, according to preliminary damage assessments conducted following the quake.

FEMA reimburses successful applicants 75 percent of their approved eligible work. Cal EMA covers an additional 18.75 percent of the eligible costs incurred by city and county agencies and special districts, leaving those applicants to pay 6.25 percent.

A complete list of applicants completing Kickoff Meetings can be obtained by calling the FEMA/Cal EMA news desk at ( 626 ) 431-3910.

The California Emergency Management Agency ( Cal EMA ) coordinates overall state agency preparedness for, response to and recovery from major disasters. Cal EMA also maintains the State Emergency Plan, which outlines the organizational structure for state management of the response to natural and manmade disasters.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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As the weather heats up, so do tempers.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was caught on camera in yet another meltdown, yelling at first baseman Derrek Lee and storming through the dugout after the first inning of last Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. And Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton got into a heated discussion with teammate Evan Longoria in Sunday’s game against Arizona.

Zambrano’s tirade was triggered in the first inning, when he apparently became angry at Lee, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez for not diving for hard-hit balls down the line. Zambrano also gave up a three-run homer to Carlos Quentin, putting the Cubs down 4-0.

“That’s something that can’t be tolerated,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of Zambrano’s tantrum.

Zambrano (3-6) did not return to the game and was sent home by Piniella. The pitcher was suspended for three games and then placed on the restricted list this week. Zambrano will get help from doctors for anger management problems, and will return to the team after the All-Star break, probably in the bullpen, where he spent five weeks earlier this season.

“We’ve obviously had a lot of transgressions in the past with Carlos,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “So I think we all agree it’s time he got help. You’re hopeful that maybe once and for all he can put some of his problems he’s had with teammates and in other areas behind him and move on.”

At Tampa Bay, Longoria was upset that center-fielder Upton didn’t position himself properly nor run hard after a ball hit to the wall by the Diamondbacks’ Rusty Ryal for a triple in the fifth inning. Gerardo Parra followed with a two-run homer in Arizona’s 2-1 victory. It was the Rays 11th loss in their last 16 games.

“It’s a byproduct of a frustrated team,” Longoria said. “We’re trying to win games and guys are going to have differences of opinion. I just wanted to know what was going through his head. The bottom line, we’ve talked about it and it goes no further than today.”

AL wins interleague play, again: The American League continued its domination in interleague play this season, going 134-118 over the National League. That’s seven straight years the AL has topped the NL.

The Chicago White Sox had the best interleague record at 15-3, followed by Texas (14-4), Boston (13-5) and the New York Mets (13-5). Mark Buehrle went 4-0 for the White Sox, who won 11 straight with sweeps over Pittsburgh, Washington and Atlanta and two over the Cubs before their streak ended on Sunday. Jake Peavy had a 0.78 ERA in 23 innings pitched and Bobby Jenks recorded eight saves for the White Sox.

Offensively, the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton led interleague hitters with a .472 average. Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder, Baltimore’s Adam Jones and the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Napoli slugged seven home runs each. David Wright drove in 24 runs for the Mets.

Interleague play began in 1997, and the NL held the early edge, 4-3, through 2003. But in the past five years, the AL is 712-548 vs. the NL, and has won 10 of 14 years of interleague play.

Prior bids for return: Former major league pitcher Mark Prior was scheduled to work out before big league scouts this week at USC, according to FOX Sports’ Tracy Ringolsby. Prior, 29, hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2006 with the Chicago Cubs. He was signed last season by San Diego, but did not appear in a game and was released.

Prior, who has been plagued by shoulder and arm injuries for most of his career, was drafted in 2001 by the Cubs behind Joe Mauer. His best season was in 2003, when he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA, 245 strikeouts and 50 walks. Prior helped the Cubs reach the NLCS that year.

In five major-league seasons, Prior was 42-29 with a 3.51 ERA.

StatsWatch: Here are the major league’s RBI leaders (through Monday) –

Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, 66

David Wright, Mets, 61

Vladimir Guerrero, Rangers, 60

Corey Hart, Brewers, 60

Josh Hamilton, Rangers, 57

Paul Konerko, White Sox, 56

Troy Glaus, Braves, 56

Ryan Howard, Phillies, 55

Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 54

Diamond Notes: Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia is out with a broken left foot, suffered on Friday after he fouled a ball off his instep. Pedroia, who was batting .292 with 12 home runs, is expected to miss six weeks…Edwin Jackson, who threw a 149-pitch no-hitter for Arizona last week, will skip his scheduled start on Wednesday. Jackson’s next start will be Friday or Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers… Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer gave up his record 506th home run on Sunday, a two-run shot by Toronto’s Vernon Wells. Moyer passed former Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most homers allowed in a major league career.

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

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A year after his death, the King of Pop is being remembered in a number of ways, but at this year’s California State Fair, his life will be honored through the laughter of children and adults alike.  The State Fair’s carnival operator, Butler Amusements, will feature four of the six rides it purchased from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch during the 2010 California State Fair July 14 – August 1, 2010 at Cal Expo in Sacramento.

Butler Amusements is the largest carnival company in the Western United States providing attractions for more than 110 different events each year.  These four rides will complement the dozens of other rides and games the company will bring for the 2010 State Fair.

BALLOON SAMBA
A family ride, The Balloon Samba features carriages that simulate riding in a hot air balloon. The fluffy white cloud cut outs, and bright smiling suns give riders the feeling they’re drifting high into the sky.  Children must be at least 36” tall to ride.

THE JEEPS
Kids can rev up their engines on The Jeeps.  This umbrella-style ride has children cruising and jumping in mini-4×4 jeeps which travel in a 360 degree rotation, but is calm enough for first-time riders.  Children must be between 36” – 48” tall to ride.

THE DRAGON WAGON KID COASTER
Direct from Coney Island, this kid-sized coaster features a grinning dragon that loops behind a gray castle adorned with gargoyles resembling dancers from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.

DINOSAURS
Kids just can’t “Beat it!”  Experience riding a merry-go-round type ride featuring eight prehistoric beasts and elephants that allows the passengers to control and make the animals go up or down.

RIDE ALL DAY, ANY DAY!
The California State Fair is continuing its tradition of honoring unlimited ride wristbands every day during the State Fair – even weekends! Fair fans can purchase them until 10 p.m. and ride until 11 p.m.  Most rides are included (including the Neverland Ranch rides), but all height and safety requirements still apply. For a complete ride list, please visit www.bigfun.org .

Three Michael Jackson Rides Were At This Year’s Mid-Winter Fair

By Gene Carl

Three rides from the King of Pop’s private amusement park will be featured at this year’s California Mid-Winter Fair. The three attractions include The Wave Swinger, The Spider and The Zipper. The rides are being provided by Helm & Sons Amusements which purchased the rides from Jackson last year. All of the rides are “kiddie rides” making them ideal for children.  All of the rides were either sold or leased to Michael Jackson for his “Neverland” Santa Barbara County ranch. The singer bought the property from real estate developer William Bone in 1987 for $19,500,000. The amusement rides, petting zoo and other family-oriented attractions were later added by Jackson. Jackson also spent several million dollars out of his own pocket to pave roads and parking lots so that chartered buses could safely make it to the ranch. These buses brought in thousands of children, many with life-threatening diseases such as various forms of cancer, who used the facility for free. According to, Corey Oakley, the manager, for Helm & Sons Amusements. While Dave and Debbie Helm own the various rides at this year’s fair, their dad is the one who knew Michael Jackson for many years and was a consultant and assisted in the creation of Neverland. Helm & Sons has always had a confidentiality agreement with Michael Jackson and never exploited and took advantage to use any marketing to talk about their rides which were used by Michael Jackson. Upon his death and just prior to that the dismantling of the amusement park at “Neverland,” many carnival companies became in possession of equipment purchased through auctions and used that to say they had a Michael Jackson ride. Upon his death, Helm & Sons felt comfortable being able to say this is a part of history because this was a ride once owned, once ridden and once enjoyed by Michael Jackson. This gave people a sense of history, to be  able to touch the rides and take a picture in front of the various rides. While Helm & Sons, have been involved with “Neverland,” Michael Jackson Productions, and Michael Jackson Enterprises, for many years, this is the first time that they have actually talked about it. The three rides from “Neverland” at this year’s Mid-Winter Fair include the Wave Swinger which was custom-made in Germany for Debbie Helm’s father who was a carnival owner. This ride was leased to Michael Jackson and operated at “Neverland” for about eleven years. It was brought back into the Helm family and is now on the midway at the fair. It’s a swing ride and oscillates and turns and holds about 48 people. The other ride is called The Spider but is also called The Black Widow. It was recently refurbished. It’s an older style ride that has a lot of spinning action and is themed around the black widow spider. It’s a beautifully lit ride that is kind of old-school but still gives you the same thrills. This ride was at “Neverland” for many years. It was one of the first rides Michael purchased. There was beautiful landscape around it and it was one of the rides Michael enjoyed quite a bit. The other ride is The Zipper. This was the original Zipper that was at “Neverland” for a number of years. That’s pretty much the story of the three rides that were at “Neverland.” They are all now at the California Mid-Winter Fair and have signage and people with cameras can take pictures in front of them.

According to Corey Oakley, all of the people involved with Helm & Sons have had a chance to be at “Neverland” Ranch, at some point or another. Most people have heard about it but haven’t been there. One thing interesting at “Neverland” is that there was a full-scale locomotive that was there on regular train tracks that would take you from The Treehouse and the movie-screening area to the amusement park and then to the Zoo and kind of make a loop. The train has been sold as well as the train station that was beautifully decorated. Michael Jackson would go out to the park if he had a party or family over. Helms & Sons Manager Corey Oakley said, “I had the occasion to see him one time by himself on the Wave Swinger. It was kind of a surreal moment. He was out there enjoying himself on the ride just as a kid would.”  A substantial part of the flat area at “Neverland” was covered with asphalt and was devoted to bus parking. When Michael wasn’t there, which was quite often, schools from Los Angeles and throughout Southern California would bus people in and the kids would get the opportunity to ride all the rides at the amusement park. There were always from 12 to 17 rides at “Neverland” and the kids really enjoyed the atmosphere there. It was a beautifully landscaped, manicured park with lots of flowers. Millions of dollars was spent on the look and the feel of it with rides kind of sitting in the middle of it. People relate to Michael Jackson in different ways. Some people relate to his music, some to his troubles,  and others like his dancing, etc. Everyone has heard about the amusement park that Michael had at “Neverland.”  Now you can be a part of that by actually riding on one of his rides, probably riding in the same seat that he used.

According to Corey Oakley there were times when Helm & Sons were called by Michael Jackson to augment some equipment and add some extra pieces when he was going to have a big birthday party for his nephews or a party for the record company and Helm & Sons would bring in four, five or six other pieces and set them up temporarily for the weekend or for two weeks and then they would pull them out. These were rides he did not have such as a new super ride. Maybe he didn’t want to buy it so he would rent it from time to time. This is something Helm & Sons did six to eight times a year. In regards to “Neverland,” it’s in an interesting place. It’s in a valley. When you go in, you can’t see it anywhere except from above. It’s not a big flat lot like you would see at the Mid-Winter Fair grounds or Disneyland. There are hills and small mountains. Some areas were cut out and a pad was poured and a ride was set on top of that area. The bumper cars were in a house, a bumper car building. You went inside and rode the bumper cars. That building was about 70 feet by 150 feet. You went inside and stepped down to the floor for the bumper cars. That was a permanent structure. All the rides were looked at with the idea, “What’s the best setting for this?” As far as size, at “Neverland” where the rides were was about half the size of the carnival lot at the California Mid-Winter Fair. Then you went down into another valley and there was the Zoo and you went over here and there was the Train Station and there was the house. You could see the amusement park from inside of Michael Jackson’s house. “Neverland” was a place for kids to come and feel super-special. Everyone got popcorn and cotton candy and other food items even though Michael Jackson was not there 90% of the time. He opened the park up and shared it.

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Pallets in Trailor Seized in San Bernardino County.

Drugs Seized in San Bernardino County.

Timothy J. Landrum, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Los Angeles Field Division and San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops announce the seizure of approximately 2750 pounds of cocaine, 67 pounds of methamphetamine and 38,000 pounds of marijuana following the traffic stop of a tractor-trailer in San Bernardino County, California.

The tractor-trailer was carrying a shipment of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana with an estimated street value of approximately $45 million dollars. The driver, Fernando Luevano, age 32, from Fontana, was arrested and booked at the Central Detention Center for Possession, Transportation and Sales of Narcotics. His bail is set at $5,000,000 and he is scheduled for arraignment on Friday, June 25, 2010 in Rancho Superior Court in San Bernardino, California.

“This was a brazen transportation of 40,000 pounds of drugs, more than 18 tons of drugs that could have ended up in neighborhoods throughout California,” said Timothy J. Landrum, DEA Special Agent in Charge. “This seizure will have a direct impact on the availability of these dangerous drugs in our communities.”

Sheriff Rod Hoops stated, “This is one of the largest seizures in the county and I will make every effort to continue this aggressive fight against drug traffickers entering San Bernardino County.”

On Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the San Bernardino Sheriff’s High Intensity Criminal Interdiction Unit conducted a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer for a traffic violation while travelling eastbound on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. After making contact with the driver, Luevano, the deputy found that the paperwork for his load was not in order. Leuvano gave consent to search the vehicle and upon opening the trailer, the deputies noticed an overwhelming odor of marijuana. A further search of the trailer yielded 92 pallets containing thousands of heat sealed packages of illegal narcotics. Field testing of the packages yielded positive results for cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

The DEA Riverside Office and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Narcotics Division are continuing this joint investigation.

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David, Diana, and their granddaughter

The community of Holtville, along with the rest of the Imperial Valley, is coming together to support the family of Pastor David Strong during his illness.  David retired this year due to medical reasons from the Holtville Unified School District, where he was a teacher for 31 years.  He also coached the Cross Country/Track teams at Holtville High School for 12 years.  He and his wife Diana raised their son Michael and daughter Sarah in Holtville, where David has also been the Pastor of Calvary Chapel for 25 years.  This past year has been a devastating year to this family, and now the community is rallying to support a man who has given so much to Holtville, and especially to the young people of Holtville.

According to Diana, David began experiencing aching bones and joints about three years ago, mostly after his runs with the track team.  About a year ago, his symptoms took on a rapid progression, and after much testing, he was diagnosed with Erdhiem-Chester Disease.  There are less than 200 diagnosed cases of ECD in the world, and it is extremely difficult to treat.  There is no cure for this disease which causes the white blood cells to multiply and attack the major organs of the body, as well as the bones.  David is suffering the debilitating effects of this dreadful disease and is currently at Carmel Mountain Rehabilitation Center in San Diego.  He is receiving chemotherapy for this disease which acts like a cancer and autoimmune disease.  Since the patients who are diagnosed with ECD rarely live long enough to do any testing of medications and treatments, all treatments, including chemotherapy, are considered experimental, and therefore not reimbursed by the insurance company.  There is also a question as to whether the insurance will continue to pay for the physical, occupational, and speech therapy after the end of this week.  If refused, Diana states that she will bring David back home, where she will need to hire an assistant to help with his medical care.  This, too, will not be covered by insurance.

Special accounts for the Strong family have been set up at all Sun Community Federal Credit Union locations.  There will also be a bake sale at the Turning Point Ministries Car Wash in Holtville on Saturday morning, of which all proceeds will go to the Strong family.  T-shirts designed by Bruce DeLoach are also available at the Holtville Chamber of Commerce for $20, and 100% of the proceeds will be given to the family of Pastor Strong to help with these mounting expenses.

According to Diana, “We are trying to stay strong.  We know that God does all things for a purpose, and we are just praying that His will be done.”  Doctors have been amazed at the strong faith of this family who is facing such sorrow and financial difficulty and Diana says she is glad that they have been able to show their faith and true love for the Lord during this difficult time.  She also stated that they hope they can get the awareness raised about ECD so that other patients might get a quicker diagnosis, and there might be time for some medical trials to develop an effective treatment for the disease.

A special fund has been set up for David Strong and his family at Sun Community Federal Credit Union. Please write checks out to “David Strong Medical Fund” and deliver or mail to any branch of the credit union.

Anyone interested in supporting the Strong family can make a donation at any Sun Community location.

http://www.suncommunityfcu.org/

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