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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On Friday, family members contacted the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and reported that Peter Lenehan, 60, was missing. Family members said that Lenehan left home nearly a week ago to pan for gold in the mountains southwest of Blythe, near Bradshaw Trail and East Augustine Pass.

On Friday morning, Riverside deputies contacted the Blythe Border Patrol Station for assistance in searching for Lenehan. An intensive search was initiated, including Blythe Station Border Patrol agents, Yuma Sector BORSTAR agents, and CBP pilots.

At about 1 p.m., pilots located Lenehan’s vehicle, a red Toyota pickup truck. Agents on the ground then tracked Lenehan’s foot sign away from the vehicle and located his body approximately ¼ mile from his vehicle. The cause of death has not been determined.

Border Patrol agents turned the scene over to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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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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This past Tuesday a new day in Calexico politics started as the Maritza Hurtado-Barron and Bill Hodge era begins.

For Maritza Hurtado-Barron, the third councilwoman in the history of Calexico, thank the support of her family and said he will work hard and contribute to improve the City. She defined herself as a team player and looks forward to the hard work that is coming. Outgoing Councilman Guillermo “Willie” Hermosillo thanked the Council for appointing him and said it was a worth while experience that demanded a lot of work but said he will do it all over again. Former Council member David Ouzan thanked the City and Staff and wished luck to the incoming council members.

Councilman Bill Hodge said that Calexico has turned a corner in Calexico politics confident that the new council will work to have the people’s voice be head and respected. Hodge said he will keep his promise to work for accountability, integrity, and transparency in city government. He asked to the council to work together as a team to move Calexico forward.

The council also selected John Moreno as the new Mayor of the City of Calexico. He said being a council member is not as easy as he taught it would be. “We know that there is a shortfall unlike we have ever seen but we also know that we need to cut spending across the board. It is not about us versus them but it’s we as a group of individuals who need to do right for the community as a whole.” Moreno said.

The new Mayor of Calexico said that Calexico needs to be more prudent and wiser to see every dime they spend or not spend. The job of the city council is to increase sales tax revenue. Moreno said to be optimistic that the better days are coming to Calexico.

“We are looking into the development of a casino at the north of the City that will bring jobs, revenue, and new form of entertainment to our City. To the development of a new outlet center that will bring jobs and complement our downtown with the addition of factory stores. To the development of our downtown with new and better buildings that will replace those that were demolished.” He said. Moreno mentioned that these projects will make Calexico a destination point.

“This coming years will test or internal and intestinal fortitude to see if we can prevail and eliminate the stigma of the phrase “Only in Calexico” which will now be an encouraging echo and this City of underdogs and immigrants will rise up and become the jewel of the Imperial County.”

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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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