 By Carla White
STAFF WRITER
On Monday, April 20, Poco Cielo restaurant/hotel hosted police, fire and emergency medical personnel from the La Mision and San Vicente Delegaciones (regional administrative districts) for special Emergency Medical Services (EMS) training provided by volunteer trainers from Southern California. The goal of the program was to help hone techniques and provide support to the local emergency response teams for the triangulated region stretching from Poco Cielo, La Mision and down to Bajamar. This area is somewhat isolated from Rosarito and Ensenada emergency services, hence the need for ready local EMS.
The training program, implemented by Dorian Snyder, M.D., and Cheryl Landon, co-owners of Poco Cielo, was conducted by medical professionals from the California Emergency Physicians Group, who were brought to Baja California specifically for this purpose. Snyder, an emergency medicine physician from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in San Bernardino County, lead the volunteer team, which included Vu Huynh, D.O. and emergency medicine physician; Mary Corcoran, R.N and emergency room nurse; Laura Gower, R.N. and emergency room/neonatal intensive care unit nurse; Tony Arguija, D.O., and emergency medicine physician; Troy Pennington, D.O. and director of the department of emergency medicine at ARMC and emergency services director for the San Bernardino City Fire Department, and Mike Gonzalez, firefighter and emergency medical technician for the Ontario Fire Department.
Local emergency representatives attending the day-long event – which included breakfast. lunch, lodging for trainers and space for the actual training program – included Juan Bosco Ortega, delegate for the La Mision district which has approximately 6,000 residents (extending from Puente Alisitos to Bajamar); Jorge Garcia, delegate for San Vicente, which has 5,000 residents; Patricia Bolio, coordinator for the delegations, and Pablo Olachea, delegate for the southern region of the municipality of Ensenada.
Olachea’s chance stop at Poco Cielo was the inspiration for the training day. While at the restaurant, he met Dorian Snyder and the two discussed the need for ongoing training in emergency response techniques. Snyder saw an opportunity to involve Poco Cielo in something that would have lasting impact within his community and he consulted with Landon about the possibility of setting up what they hope will become an ongoing cross-border project.
Said Landon, “We are excited to be doing this, and are happy that Poco Cielo is here to provide support for such an important activity.”
Her feelings were reciprocated by Olachea, who noted, “We appreciate the time and expertise that these volunteer trainers from the US have given to help us improve the emergency services that we provide the residents of our areas,” noted Olachea.
Poco Cielo is located near the La Mision exit, km 59, off the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road. For more information about the hotel or restaurant, or about the emergency medical training program , visit www.pococielo.com, email pococielo@yahoo.com or call locally 646-155-0606, or from the US, 760-670-3336.
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