Red Cross to honor Los Altos volunteers
Several Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents are among the volunteers to be honored at the annual meeting of the Palo Alto Area American Red Cross 6 p.m. Thursday at Mountain View City Hall.
The annual meeting is an opportunity to recognize volunteers who have made outstanding contributions of time and service to help the American Red Cross in its mission to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Bonnie Wong and Tiffany Wong of Los Altos are scheduled to receive Youth Volunteer awards. The sisters started the Castilleja Red Cross Club, initiated a Bucket Brigade that raised more than $50,000 for hurricane relief and took the lead in training instructors for the chapter’s new Scrubby Bear program (hand-washing for preschoolers).
Swetha Prabhakar and Vijay Prabhakar of Los Altos Hills are also receiving Youth Volunteer awards. The sibling team began as office volunteers, became Safe Kids instructors last September and served as co-chairmen for a committee that reinstituted the Kid Power program.
Mary Sanbrook of Los Altos is scheduled to receive the Disaster Services award for her work in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. She became a client services volunteer and aided those who relocated to this area from hurricane-impacted regions. She then trained for deployment and accepted an assignment in Mississippi before returning to the chapter and resuming client assistance work, including assistance to members of our communities displaced by residential fires.
Additional awards will be given to other volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to Red Cross programs.
For more information, call 688-0415 or visit www.paarc.org.
Los Altos doctor wins national award
Los Altos resident Dr. Elaine Nelson, medical director of Regional Medical Center of San Jose, and Cyndy Flores, lead physician assistant, were scheduled to receive the PAragon Award from the American Academy of Physician Assistants Sunday in San Jose.
The award, presented annually to the top physician/physician assistant pair in the country, caps a 13-year partnership between the duo, who work in Regional’s emergency department, which last year was recognized as the top emergency department in the state by the California Emergency Physician’s Medical group.
The efforts of Nelson and Flores have reduced waiting time to see a provider from 70 minutes to under 30 minutes. Their implementation of Rapid Medical Evaluation ensures patients get appropriate care as quickly as possible, results in a dramatic reduction in ambulance diversions and provides vastly improved patient satisfaction.
“Elaine and Cyndy have led us through an incredibly challenging period, displaying unquestionable leadership at every moment,” said William L. Gilbert, CEO of Regional Medical Center. “Their achievements have been extraordinary. They make us proud.”
For more information, visit www.regionalmedicalsanjose.com.
