Sutter Delta Medical Center’s Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center has reached a one-year milestone in healing patients who suffer from chronic wounds in East Contra Cost County. Offering the latest in advanced wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the center has treated and healed more than 300 chronic wounds since opening in September 2010.

“This center is another example of Sutter Delta’s continued commitment to serve the residents in our communities by bringing the latest, most advanced technology to our area,” says CEO Gary Rapaport. “Our residents now have the convenience of staying close to home to receive the care they need. You can’t put a price on not having to travel out of the area when you don’t feel well.”

About six million Americans suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds each year. Consequently, chronic wounds are quickly emerging as a very critical health issue and are often caused by other underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity and other circulation or mobility problems.

Treating skin wounds requires input from a number of specialists coordinating seamless care for a patient. For example, diabetic patients with chronic wounds need to work with wound care specialists who closely collaborate with their primary care physician and endocrinologist to help control their blood sugar levels, so their wounds can heal.

“Each wound requires a multidisciplinary approach,” says Dr. Ray Rassai, the center’s medical director. “We have a highly trained team that includes general, vascular and plastic surgeons; podiatrists; wound care nurses; and an HBOT safety director. Each member of our team utilizes the latest techniques in wound care management to accelerate the healing of chronic wounds and to reduce the rate of amputations.”

Even after a year, we are still working hard to meet with the many medical professionals serving our East County community — including dentists, primary care doctors, nurse practitioners, podiatrists, surgeons, oncologists and others — to let them know about our wound care services and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which we can now provide to their patients close to home.

Sutter Delta Medical Center is located in Antioch, Calif., and has been serving East Contra Costa County’s communities since 1967. With more than 900 employees and 300 physicians on staff, Sutter Delta’s services include 24-hour emergency care, a family birthing/women’s health center and advanced cardiovascular care. Sutter Delta Medical Center is a proud member of the Sutter Health network of doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers.

For the second year, schools came out on top in the competition for the Dow Community Advisory Panel (CAP) Community Grant Program. Forty-four applicants (an increase of 25 percent over last year) vied for the funds and focused primarily on projects that impacted education, science and/or the environment.

The Dow CAP is pleased to announce the four organizations that will be receiving this year’s grants. The grants vary from $3,450 to $4,436 each for a total of $15,831. The recipients are:

· Antioch Charter Academy (Antioch) – Creating the Great Eco-Spherience project which involves purchasing equipment to collect rainwater, to compost and to study habitats by raising, ants, silk worms, tad poles, butterflies and lady bugs.

· Riverview Middle School (Bay Point)– Purchase Lego Mindstorm kits to benefit the After School Robotics Enrichment Class

· Independence High School (Brentwood) – Purchasing books for an underutilized library including literary masterpieces but also reference books for science, literature and health & fitness.

· Regents of the University of California – Purchase EarthBox Container Gardening systems and education kits to bring the “Healthy Eating from Seed to Table” program to Pittsburg and Antioch schools.

The successful applicants designed projects that combined all of Dow’s criteria – education, science and the environment –, would reach a large number of residents and would have staying power; projects that, though the funding would be used in one year, would continue to have an impact for many years. CAP members were please with the variety of applications they reviewed and expressed their hope that the ideas won’t die just because they don’t get funded.

Members of the CAP Grants Committee ranked applications based on sustainability, overall impact, benefits to the community, emphasis, and the strength of their partnerships.

Michele Copeland, a member of the Dow CAP, participated in the grants review process. “The grant applications provide such a positive glance at what is taking place in our surrounding communities,” Copeland said. “I so appreciate Dow for allowing the Dow CAP to further the dreams and visions of many teachers and students in the coming year and I look forward to seeing the results.”

About Dow
Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. In 2008, Dow had annual sales of $57.5 billion and employed approximately 46,000 people worldwide. The Company has 150 manufacturing sites in 35 countries and produces approximately 3,300 products. On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008, 98 manufacturing sites in 30 countries and approximately 15,000 employees worldwide. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow’s Pittsburg Operations
The Dow Chemical Company purchased the Pittsburg facility in 1939 from the Great Western Electrochemical Company. It is one of more than 150 manufacturing sites located in 37 countries around the world and supports two of Dow’s eight global businesses – Dow AgroSciences and Performance Chemicals. The Pittsburg facility produces a variety of products used in personal care products as well as a variety of crop protection products and intermediates.

About the Dow CAP
The Dow Community Advisory Panel (CAP) is comprised of 14 members of the East Contra Costa community who serve to advise Dow on issues affecting both the community and Dow’s operations in the community.

California companies now have a new way of doing business, thanks to the Governor’s signature yesterday on Assembly Bill 361, introduced by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael).

Huffman’s law, which received overwhelming bipartisan support as it worked through both chambers of the California Legislature, creates a new, fully voluntary class of corporation in California called “benefit corporations,” which allows businesses to pursue a material positive impact on the environment and community in addition to maximizing profits. Current law requires corporations to prioritize financial interests and shareholder profits.

“California must be a leader in attracting socially-responsible companies, investors and consumers,” said Assemblymember Huffman. “Thanks to the Governor’s action, we now have a new law that sends a strong message to entrepreneurs that California is open for this emerging form of business.”

Under AB 361, businesses can choose to incorporate as benefit corporations and enjoy these significant advantages:
· Greater access to social impact and venture capital investments;
· Legal protection for directors and officers in their more broadly defined fiduciary roles of maximizing profits as well as ensuring social and environmental considerations; and
· Marketing opportunities that will allow consumers to distinguish, in a very real and ascertainable fashion, between a business that claims to be socially responsible, and one that is responsible.

“Benefit corporations are companies that understand the power of money to help achieve positive changes,” said Jeff Kletter, CEO & Co-founder of KINeSYS Inc., based in San Rafael. “We are happy to be affiliated with a community that knows we need to all work together to help take our country and the economy to the next level.”

“We have to keep California competitive and moving forward in a positive direction in order to ensure the success of our young people,” said Jason Greenwald, a math teacher from Petaluma and supporter of this bill.

“Benefit corporations value profits, people and our planet equally,” said Stuart Rudick, Partner of Mindful Investors LLC, based in Mill Valley. “AB 361 provides a sustainable model for California business to achieve economic success while also creating social good.”

AB 361 was proposed by several of Assemblymember Huffman’s constituents who participated in his annual “There Oughta Be a Law…or Not” contest. The bill is supported by over 200 California-based businesses and associations. California now joins Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Virginia where benefit corporation legislation already has passed with bipartisan support.

You are invited to a great event. There are several awesome improvements going on in the City of Antioch. The Antioch Chamber of Commerce has invited our city leaders to come and express some of the positive direction that is happening in Antioch, at a very special event appropriately titled – A Celebration of Antioch.

At this event our city leaders will come together to share the good news about Antioch with you. The speakers at the Celebration of Antioch include:
Antioch Mayor James Davis, Antioch Chief of Police Alan Cantando, Superintendent of Antioch Unified School District Dr. Donald Gill and Antioch City Manager Jim Jakel.

Join us for networking, food, conversation and information as our city leaders share the exciting positive things that are happening in Antioch.

Where: Humphrey’s On The Delta, 1 Marina Plaza
When: Monday October 24, 2011 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM PDT

RSVP for this event is required in order to attend! Your ticket for this event includes A buffet lunch. Space is limited and filling up fast so please RSVP today to reserve your spot. Antioch Chamber of Commerce, 101 H Street Unit #4, Antioch Ca, 94509. 925-757-1800. www.antiochchamber.com

Cold Stone Creamery Antioch-Slatten Ranch and Cold Stone Creamery Brentwood-Balfour At Fairview will hold the world’s biggest ice cream social on Tuesday, September 27th from 5p.m.-8 p.m. Free 3 oz ice cream with one mix in with a donation to Make A Wish!

A Make A Wish child will be at Antioch Cold Stone with her family, her name is Kaitlyn. She is 9 years old and her wish is to go to Disney World. A Make A Wish family will be at Brentwood Cold Stone. Their son just passed away in August.

AT&T today announced network upgrades in Antioch designed to provide its customers faster speeds, increased reliability and best-in-class wireless service. AT&T’s network enhancements include a new cell site in Antioch designed to bolster coverage in the area bounded by Hillcrest Avenue and State Highway 4. This will also improve coverage from State Highway 4 to Hidden Glen Drive.

In addition to expanded coverage from the new cell site in Antioch, AT&T has added additional capacity to 34 cell sites in Contra Costa County to help improve overall service.

“Adding more capacity to a cell site is like adding more lanes on the freeway so that voice and data traffic flows faster,” said Terry Stenzel, AT&T Vice President and General Manager for Northern California and Northern Nevada. “Whether customers are talking, texting, e-mailing, surfing the net, streaming music or video, using their favorite apps, or conducting business we want to make sure they have a good mobile broadband experience.”

In addition, AT&T continues upgrading cell sites with fiber optic and Ethernet connections back to the central switching facilities, enabling faster 4G speeds.

“We’re investing in our network in Antioch and Contra Costa County because we’re committed to providing best-in-class wireless voice and data service to our customers,” said Ken McNeely, AT&T’s California President. “AT&T has invested nearly $775 million in its San Francisco Bay Area wireless and wireline networks from 2008-2010, and we will continue investing and making network improvements.”

AT&T’s mobile broadband network provides several important advantages for customers, including the ability to talk and surf at the same time. For instance, customers can look up directions to an event while still talking on the phone, or browse social media sites will chatting with a friend. AT&T also provides access to voice service in more than 220 countries and data service in more than 200 countries. Business Traveler magazine recently named AT&T as having the “Best Mobile Coverage in the World” – the fourth time AT&T has received the distinction.

In addition, most AT&T customers have access to nearly 27,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots across the country, and nearly 800 across the San Francisco Bay Area at no extra charge. With half of AT&T customers now using smartphones, the popularity of Wi-Fi is soaring. In 2008, there were about 20 million connections to the AT&T Wi-Fi Network. In 2010, that skyrocketed to more than 320 million Wi-Fi connections, and in just the first 6 months of 2011 customers have made more than 443 million connections to the AT&T Wi-Fi Network.

UNO’S PIZZA FREE with donation to EAST COUNTY MILITARY FAMILIES in HONOR OF FIRST RESPONDERS & VETERANS FOR 9/11.

We are offering a FREE individual cheese & Tomato deep dish pizza to everyone free of charge. All we ask is for a donation any amount from $1 to $10 and we will donate all the proceeds to East County Military Families & Friends.

DINE IN ONLY. This is being offered from 11am to 8pm on Sunday, 9-11. 4827 Lonetree Way Antioch Williamson Ranch Plaza 925-522-8554

One of the area’s busiest hospitals receives top marks for delivering national award-winning emergency medical care for the second consecutive year.

“Earning this award again validates the excellent care our patients receive in their own community. Sutter Delta is consistently one of the busiest Contra Costa County Emergency Departments. This year, we expect to treat more than 55,000 patients,” says Gary Rapaport, Sutter Delta CEO.

The study released by HealthGrades®, the nation’s leading, most trusted independent source of hospital quality rating, arms more than 200 million consumers annually with important information, to make choices for health care needs. Consumers have a choice, and this study narrows those choices with hospitals that have a proven track record of achieving the best possible outcomes.

“We encourage patients to prepare in advance by identifying top-performing hospitals close to home,” says Dr. Rick May, study coauthor and HealthGrades Vice President of clinical quality services. “Research shows that it’s not just the care you receive the moment you arrive that makes the difference between life and death, but the hospital’s ability to continue to provide you with the right care at the right time.”

The nationwide study was based on data from treatment outcomes of 7 million Medicare patients from 2007 to 2009. Some of the sickest patients, with 12 of the most common and life-threatening medical emergencies, including heart attack, stroke, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (COPD).

According to the study’s findings, Medicare patients treated at hospitals recognized with a HealthGrades Emergency Medicine Excellence Award had a better advantage of achieving positive outcomes, or a 40 percent lower risk of an adverse outcome compared to patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

“Earning this recognition is wonderful for Sutter Delta, but also a prestigious hallmark for residents who live right here in Contra Costa County,” adds Rapaport.

Sutter Delta Medical Center is located in Antioch, Calif. and has been serving east Contra Costa County’s communities since 1967. It has more than 900 employees and more than 300 physicians on staff. Sutter Delta’s services include 24-hour emergency care, a family birthing/women’s health center and advanced cardiovascular care. Sutter Delta Medical Center is a proud member of the Sutter Health network of doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers.