The Jefferson County Public Hospital District quietly marked a milestone over the summer, as it became home to the first rural dental health clinic in Washington state. more

The therapists focus on gait and balance training, strength training, and helping people recover from injuries and surgeries. Theirs is the only physical therapy center on the Olympic Peninsula with a videonystagmography system, also known as VNG, Martinez said. “The VNG system allows us to accurately diagnose dizziness issues,” Martinez said. A VNG system is an infrared camera linked to a wireless computer suite. The camera goes over the eyes of a patient who is experiencing dizziness or vertigo issues like a mask and takes video of the patient’s eye movements. “The camera will record a nystagmus, which is a rapid eye movement,” Arrowsmith said. “What’ll happen is your eye will appear normal, but the pupil will jerk to one side or the other, and it looks like it’s vibrating.” By slowing down the recording of the patient’s eye movement and studying its direction and speed, the VNG system can help find the cause of the patient’s dizziness, whether it is vertigo, or if it is something more serious such as a central nervous system issue or a stroke, Martinez said. Martinez and Arrowsmith give free 15-minute consultations to anyone who is experiencing dizziness, or any symptoms that might require physical therapy. “We start off with our evaluation,” Martinez said. “We do a battery of neurological tests, and we then put them under the frenzel goggles and record them and see what we get. We do bow tests, lean tests, left and right tests, roll tests as well as other tests, and we see how those pieces fit together with what they are feeling, what they’re reporting.” The frenzel goggles go over the patient’s eyes and record their eye movements. Then, once the goggles have recorded any eye movements, the therapists can look at the images on their computer to determine the cause. “It takes all of the guesswork out,” Martinez said. “It allows us to rewind it, go back to the exact point it happens and look at what’s happening.” While the technology helps them make diagnoses, Martinez and Arrowsmith rely on hands-on work with their patients for treatment. Not only do they provide free consultations for clients, they also hold free community “fit and fall-proof” exercises classes from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. more

Adele Lafever of Port Townsend yearns to help others heal through massage, and she’s seeking to earn her certification to pursue a career in the field. “I absolutely love the connectivity of touching people’s bodies and lives,” said Lafever, a student at Port Townsend School of Massage, 1071 Landes Court in Port Townsend. more

After a slow start this season, influenza cases in Jefferson County are now increasing. “What we know is from the lab tests. The hospital lab does have an influenza test that they do, and there have been 26 positive tests so far this (season),” said Lisa McKenzie, Jefferson County Public Health Communicable Disease Program coordinator. “The first positive test they had was Dec. 16. It is definitely in our community.” Low flu activity resulted in fewer patients staying at Jefferson Healthcare in December, Hilary Whittington, the chief financial and administrative officer, said during the regular session of the Hospital Commission meeting Jan 23. more

Patients at Jefferson Healthcare could see small changes to the amount they pay on their medical bills this year due to a recent overhaul of the hospital’s pricing system. “We did a calibration across every line of our chargemaster,” said Hilary Whittington, the chief financial and administrative officer at Jefferson Healthcare. “Every line item did not increase, but rather, if you take all of the prices changed and the projected volumes, the net effect of all was an increase of 2.1 percent.” That increase includes all hospital services, pharmaceuticals and supplies, and it’s below the average cost increase hospitals face every year.   more

As Fariborz Youssefirad faced the final days of his life in December 2014, he asked his wife to do anything she could to help others avoid his fate by preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. The disease is a chronic condition that affects the way the human body metabolizes sugar, can cause severe complications such as kidney failure and lead to death, according to the Mayo Clinic website.   more

Registered Nurse Jennifer Newell has joined the Jefferson Healthcare diabetes services team and will be on hand to greet the public during the Quilcene Wellness Fair, slated to run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene. The event is free to attend. more

As the influenza season gets underway, local health officials say the best way to prevent the deadly effects of the virus is to get vaccinated. more

Twenty-six students in the Brinnon area received immunizations thanks to vaccines donated by the state Department of Health in partnership with Jefferson Healthcare, Jefferson County Public Health, the Community Health Improvement Plan and the Brinnon School District. more

With only three members who were able to attend, the Port Townsend School District’s Wellness Committee was able to take stock of a number of concrete steps it has made toward achieving its … more

What started in 2010 with a handful of church parishioners making weekend meals for a little more than 20 area school children a week has since grown to the point that they've recently struck up a … more

A child and elderly adult became ill with an E. coli infection after drinking raw milk, according the Washington Department of Health. The DOH this month cautioned people of the risks of drinking … more