Doctors to converge in Plumas to study wilderness medicine
Doctors attend medical conferences on a regular basis, but this one also includes mountain biking, paddle boarding, canoeing, birding and fly-fishing.
Medical professionals will visit the county June 1 through 3 to participate in the Sierra Nevada Conservation & Wilderness Medicine Conference in Quincy.
“This conference is a dream come true,” said Dr. Jeff Kepple, the CEO of Plumas District Hospital who worked to make this event a reality. “The fact that we can bring world class experts to our beautiful and welcoming town, presenting on highly relevant wilderness and conservation medicine topics, is quite phenomenal.”
The event is cosponsored by Plumas District Hospital, Plumas Health Care Foundation, Care Flight, Feather River College and Dr. Zina Semenovskaya. It is open to medical students, resident physicians, practitioners and other health care professionals.
“Partnering with Feather River College, Care Flight, Renown as well as UNR Medical School has turned this into a significantly collaborative and regional effort,” Kepple said.
Attendees will spend part of their days indoors listening to lectures on a host of topics, while the remainder will be spent outdoors enjoying the varied activities that the area offers.
The West End Theatre will serve as the prime gathering spot for the conference, but there will also be search and rescue demos, as well as outdoor recreational opportunities.
Some of the sessions include: animal bites and stings, EMS challenges at the wilderness to urban interface, mental health aspects of wilderness, basic first aid kits, changing climate of Lyme disease, water purification, wilderness medicine and physician’s experiences in international locations.
There are also hands-on workshops in knot tying and making lifts and carriers.
A full schedule of the presentations and outdoor opportunities can be found at pdh.org and clicking on upcoming events. The profiles of all of the presenters are also available.
Tuition for the three-day event ranges from $125 for a student to $175 for a resident physician to $350 for a physician. This includes lectures, printed materials, breakout sessions, continuing education credit and two light breakfasts.
Camping will be available at FRC for $20 or individuals can find their own lodging.
“Our outdoor enthusiastic and environmentally conscious community makes this the perfect venue for a conference of this type,” Kepple concluded. “I can’t wait to see it come to fruition.”
