Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 3

Healthy 2017

And whats new for

the savvy senior
LIVING
t Volunteer visits bring
food, friendly faces/4
by Matthew Bramlett

New spa takes all-

t
t

natural approach to Claremont doctor re-

skin care / 7 defines quality care/ 9
by Mick Rhodes
by Sarah Torribio
 Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 4

Volunteer visits bring food, friendly faces

B
ashiri Thumbutu, whos been de-
livering meals to people in need
for around 15 years, gently knocks
on the screen door to a home on a quiet
Mills Avenue block.
Hi there, Meals on Wheels, he says brightly as he
opens the door. How are you today?
Peter DiCesare is sitting on a couch in the living
room. Mr. Thumbutu places the paper bag full of
foodchicken, a salad, potatoes, peas and a carton of
milkon the dining room table. After exchanging
pleasantries, its off to the next house.
Mr. DiCesares lunch is one of dozens on Mr. Thum-
butus late-morning route, one of 10,000 meals the
Claremont Meals on Wheels program will deliver this
year to residents in need.
The local Meals on Wheels chapter started in 1972
MEALS ON WHEELS/continues on the next page

COURIERphoto/Steven Felschundneff
Meals on Wheels volunteers Nikki High, Rose Malone,
Nirmala Dasamoni, Shubha Bala and Victoria Gonza-
lez organize client lunch bags at Mt. San Antonio Gar-
dens. The crew prepared 64 meals many with special
dietary needs, so staying organized was crucial.

MEALS ON WHEELS/from previous page
and has been helping those in need ever
since, according to Bob Rogers, who
acts as treasurer. Mr. Rogers wife, Ethel
Rogers, is the organizations president.
Mr. Rogers noted that about 50 meals
are prepared and sent out every morning
throughout the city. Thats not homes,
thats people, he emphasized.
On this particular Friday morning, 64
meals were prepared. Theyre prepped
daily in a basement room at Mt. San An-
tonio Gardens, where the kitchen staff
cooks them early in the morning and a
diligent team of about a half-dozen vol-
unteers packs them for the day.
The packing team, headed by Volun-
teer Coordinator Barbara Gonzalez,
takes about two hours to prepare every
meal, from filling sack lunches to en-
casing the hot food items in plastic to
keep them fresh.
The Friday rush is a little busier, she
explains, because some clients want an
extra meal for the weekend.
The volunteers pay careful attention
to dietary restrictionsbrown bags indi-
cate a regular meal, while white bags in-
dicate special requests made by the
clients, such as nonfat milk, no dessert
or no salad.
Some volunteers have been around for
a while, and others are relative newcom-
ers to the group. Nirmala Desamoni has
been packing meals for the organization
for the past five years, volunteering every
other Friday morning. Rose Malone
started volunteering a few months ago.
COURIERphoto/Steven Felschundneff
Rose Malone greets driver Tengemana Thumbutu last Friday at Mt. San Antonio
Gardens as the Meals on Wheels volunteers get the lunches ready to be delivered.
I find it very fulfilling, Ms. Malone
said.
Mr. Rogers explained that the people
who work with the program are doing it
entirely out of the goodness of their
hearts.
Theres not a single person in the or-
ganization that draws a dollar of pay, he
said. Everyone is a volunteer; every
dollar goes to putting a meal out the
door.
This is crucial to the organization,
which survives on contributions from
the cityabout $4,900 annually from
Claremonts Community Based Organi-
zation budget, according to Finance Di-
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 5
rector Adam Pirrieas well as dona-
tions from the local Kiwanis Club and
the public.
Claremonts chapter of Meals on
Wheels is separate from the national or-
ganization, meaning its safe from the
Trump Administrations sweeping
budget cuts. Since the budget was un-
veiled, Ethel Rogers has been fielding
concerns from residents about the future
of the program.
Weve had people who have been
very upset about reading in the paper of
whats going to happen with Meals on
Wheels in particular, she said. Weve
been trying to reassure them that we get
a city grant.
But that doesnt mean the group is fi-
nancially sound. Mt. San Antonio Gar-
dens donates the basement space, but the
cost of food and paper products places
Meals on Wheels in the red, Ms. Gonza-
lez explained.
Lately, we have had really good luck
with asking all of our volunteers to ask
[people] to support us, Mr. Rogers said.
Thats been building in the last few
years.
The support from the volunteers does
not go unnoticedthe Claremont Meals
on Wheels 130 volunteers will be rec-
ognized on April 19 at the DoubleTree
Hotel.
The benefits of the Meals on Wheels
program reach far beyond delivering a
hot meal to someone in need. Mr.
Rogers noted the program is all about
MEALS ON WHEELS/next page
 Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 6
MEALS ONWHEELS/rom previous page
the human contact, as well as allowing elderly resi-
dents to continue to live independently in their COURIER
homes. photo/Steven
One of the studies shows there are fewer falls, be- Felschundneff
cause people arent using both hands to prepare
meals, he said. Driver Cathy Stew-
The program also acts as a method of checking up art leaves the Meals
on Wheels office
on seniors who are living alone. Mr. Rogers, who last Friday as she
lives with his wife at the Gardens, likens it to a daily prepares to make
ritual at the retirement communitythey must press her rounds for
a button in their apartment every morning before 11 Meals on Wheels.
a.m. to let workers know they are safe. Ms. Stewart, who
Sometimes, if a client falls short of their monthly works for Clare-
payments, Meals on Wheels helps them out to keep mont Unified
School District,
them in the program. uses her lunch
In some cases we put them on a reduced price be- hour to deliver the
cause of financial setbacks, Mr. Rogers said. We food.
try to look out for them certainly in that point of
view.
Mr. Thumbutu has been volunteering for the or-
ganization for 15 years, starting a few years after he
retired in 2000. Over the years he has spent as a
driver and route organizer, hes had countless interac-
tions with clients, from talking about baseball to brief
but friendly exchanges with clients who are suffering
through diseases like dementia.
This is an opportunity to give back to the com-
munity, he said.
Mr. Thumbutu and his wife, Tengemana, rode to-
gether on his Friday morning route, which took them
to various houses around south Claremont. The
process is quick and methodicalMr. Thumbutu
knocks on the door, leaves the meal, exchanges hel-
los and goodbyes and moves on to the next house.
The entire route is finished by noon.
As Mr. Thumbutu left Mr. DiCesares meal on the
dining room table, the Meals on Wheels client
flashed a big smile reflecting on how thankful he is
for his regular visits.
I couldnt ask for a better organization, Mr.
DiCesare said. Matthew Bramlett
news@claremont-courier.com
 Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 7
New spa seeks to pamper, beautify with all-natural ingredients
essalyn Marler, owner of DermaGar-
J den Holistic Spa & Complexion Bar,
would like to see everyone love their
skin in the healthiest of ways. First, though,
she has a more modest aim. She just wants
people to know her business exists.
DermaGarden, which opened February 4, is located
on the second floor above Casa Moreno, in a spot pre-
viously occupied by the Cielo Mio spa. The tucked-
away sitewhich features a large balcony overlooking
the Laemmles Plazamakes it a hidden gem in the
Village West.
It also, however, means visitors to the plaza are un-
likely to stumble into the spa by accident.
Undeterred, Ms. Marler is supplementing word-of-
mouth and a vigorous social media campaign with
some self-generated foot traffic by hosting free monthly
herbal workshops. The gatherings serve to get new
faces in the spa and to highlight the DermaGarden
ethos, which can best be described as natural is better.
Marchs gathering focused on the benefits of laven-
der. The next, planned for Sunday, April 23 from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m., will be all about matcha, a finely-ground
powder made from what Ms. Marler describes as ba-
sically green tea on steroids. In a full-sensory cele-
bration, workshop attendees will drink herb-infused
COURIERphoto/Steven Felschundneff green tea, sample matcha pastries and make their own
Derma Gardens complexion bar where staff can mix custom concoctions using all natural ingredients tailored take-home matcha masques.
to each customers needs. Matchas got 10 times the anti-oxidants and nutri-
ents that green tea has. Its pretty amazing, Ms. Mar-
ler said. Its not only awesome for you to ingest, but
amazing for your skin, topically.
Her enthusiasm extends to all of DermaGardens nat-
ural ingredients. Ms. Marler isnt a scientist, but she
has the heart of an apothecary. Shes spent years re-
searching natural ingredients and making her own
beauty products, from which clients can now benefit.
The express Skip in the Garden faciala 20-
minute, $45 treatment aimed at college students or any-
one on a budgetincludes, among other elements, a
pumpkin seed-oil cleanser, a cucumber and lemon toner
and a mineral-tinted SPF. At $80, the 50-minute Walk
in the Garden facial also includes amenities like a
lavender hydrosol spray, a Caffeine-Addict coffee
scrub and a fruit enzyme peel.
The centerpiece of DermaGarden is the complexion
bar, where beauty mixologists create personalized
products like cleansers, face and body scrubs and
masques. For each product, customers can pick a
cleansing oil, a couple of herbs or flowers and an es-
sential oilfrom geranium to Ylang Ylang for fra-
grance and health benefits.
Its basically like a Chipotle for skincare, Ms. Mar-
ler explained.
The DermaGarden staff doesnt have to look far for
some of their ingredients. They use cleansers made
from tomato oil and pumpkin oil from their downstairs
neighbor Vom Fass, and add the shops avocado oil to
their dry skin serum.
Ms. Marler began visiting Vom Fass last May, when
she returned to school to become an esthetician.
I was experimenting on my own and I saw they had
all those natural oils, she said. Everyone who worked
there was really shocked when I explained what I was
doing with the oilsusing them for facials and skin
care products.
Now shes opened up shop, the Vom Fass staff con-
tinues to provide ingredients and support. Theyre al-
ways telling everyone about us, Ms. Marler said.
Her recent stint at esthetician school wasnt her first
go-round. She first began studying to become a skin-
care specialist soon after graduating from Claremont
High School. She became pregnant at 19, however, and
left school to take care of her daughter.
When she was ready to get back to work, Ms. Mar-
ler found herself on an alternate career path. She first
DERMAGARDEN/continues on the next page

DERMAGARDEN/from previous page
worked as a bartender at the Black Watch
Pub for three and a half years. Then she
moved to a brand-new Montclair venue
called That 80s Bar.
Dave Esqueda, who co-owns the bar, re-
spected her work ethic and so her trajec-
tory was swift. Ms. Marler began as a serv-
er and was promoted to bartender within
a month. A month later she was promot-
ed to assistant manager and, by the end of
the first year, she was serving as general
manager.
I ran their business for years, she said.
They never had to come in.
The trust she earned paid off in spades
when Mr. Esqueda and another business
partner, Randy Carillo, approached Ms.
Marler with a remarkable proposition.
They said we want to open a business
for you and give you that opportunity, but
we want it to be what your passion is, she
said.
Knowing it was the chance of a lifetime,
Ms. Marler set about crafting a business
plan. At the same time, she embarked on
a grueling regimen where she attended es-
thetician school by day and managed
That 80s Bar at night.
She balanced the workload with caring
for her 8-year-old daughter, Aryssa, who
attends Oakmont. Luckily, she had her hus-
band Matt Marler, who she met while both
were working at the Black Watch Pub. My
husband helps me with everything, she
said. No matter where Im working or
what Im doing, hes my sidekick.
COURIERphoto/Steven Felschundneff
The owners of Derma Garden took over a space that was previously a day spa so
they remodel work was limited to remaking the appearance and stocking the new
all natural products.
Once they found a location, it began to
feel real. Titles were settled onMr. Es-
queda is CFO, Mr. Carillo is an officer and
Ms. Marler is CEOand it was time to
outfit the space. I knew exactly what I
wanted, dcor-wise. I wanted a mixture of
glitz and shabby chic. I wanted it to feel
like a house.
Ms. Marler undertook a complete re-
design, repainting the treatment rooms,
buying furniture from antique shops and
augmenting the natural light from the spas
many windows with chandeliers pur-
manicures and pedicures, with clients
able to choose from OPI nail polish or med-
chased from the local home dcor shop
Bottega 25.
Making sure the spa had talented and re-
liable personnel was equally important.
Im really passionate about staff, she said.
I need people I can trust.
Currently reveling in the novelty of run-
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 8
ning a business created exactly to her spec-
ifications, Ms. Marler says shes thankful
every day for the trust Mr. Esqueda has
shown in her. Dave is my ultimate men-
tor, she said. All he tries to do is grow
people, and hes awesome.
DermaGarden offers an array of treat-
ments, including cupping, sugar hair re-
moval, facials and herbal soaksboth foot
and full-bodywhich include elements
like grated ginger, Himalayan sea salt and
essential oils. Many of these are beautified
by floating citrus slices.
There are also eyelash extensions and
ical-grade EVO nail gel, which is enriched
with nutrients such as vitamin A.
DermaGarden is located at 101 N. In-
dian Hill Blvd., C2-200 in Claremont. The
spas hours are Wednesday through Sat-
urday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. Ms. Marler said the shops
hours will likely to increase as business ex-
pands.
For information, call (909) 399-DERM
(3376), email info@dermagardenspa.com
or visit dermagardenspa.com.
Sarah Torribio
storribio@claremont-courier.com

Claremont resident offers holistic approach to medicine
M
yriad factors come into play
when a loved one is near the
end of their life. Moral, med-
ical, religious and monetary decisions are
often thrust upon patients and families in
their most intimate and fraught moments.
Death can be quick, beautiful, heartbreaking,
messy, loud, protracted, exhilarating, harrowing or
idyllic. Sometimes its all these things, or something
else altogether.
It is, however, the one place at which we will all ar-
rive. Youd think that by now we would have figured
out an elegant way to get there. But the truth is the
dignified or even pain-free end is simply not in the
cards for everyone.
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 9
Its Claremont resident Dr. Timothy Dauwalders
job to help right this wrong. The Executive Medical
Director for VNA Hospice and Palliative Care of
Southern California, Dr. Dauwalder was among the
first group to be certified as a board specialty pallia-
tive and hospice care doctor when he received his
medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Med-
icine of the Pacific in 2000.
When I started it was a few thousand, and now
theres forty or fifty thousand, he said. Its a big
movement now.
The doctor has by now helped hundreds of patients
go out with a greater dignity.
It was just something that I was drawn to, just by
observing my world, he said. And I ended up find-
ing out that practicing with the tenets I found in place
in palliative care fit with the foundation of compas-
COURIER photos/Steven Felschundneff
Dr. Timothy Dauwalder, medical director with VNA
Hospice Palliative Care of Southern California.
sion and the tools of science: objective, thoughtful ap-
proaches that are sound. But again [the question of]
has that foundation in compassion, and what does it
mean to the persons quality of life and to this con-
struct of suffering.
Broadly, palliative medicine helps patients be more
comfortable through the reduction of pain and suffer-
ing associated with disease. Hospice care is for end-
of-life patients and involves helping them and their
families be as comfortable as possible as the disease
runs its course. Ideally, hospice care occurs in the pa-
tients home.
Its a field of specialization that was only fully le-
gitimized in this country about 20 years ago. It has its
origins in England, where Dame Cicely Saunders
coined the phrase and went on to create the first mod-
ern hospiceSt. Christophers Hospicein a resi-
dential suburb of London in 1948. In 1963 Ms.
Saunders was invited to lecture to medical students at
Yale University, setting in motion the chain of events
that eventually brought the new concept of care for
the dying to the US.
Dr. Dauwalder didnt start out to be a hospice and
palliative care doctor. In his early residency doing
more traditional internal rounds, Dr. Dauwalder no-
ticed that treatment plans would scientifically, and ef-
fectively, diagnose and treat a disease. But he longed
for a more dynamic treatment plan.
What I noticed in this process of treatment that
was technically appropriate and scientifically sound
was that people didnt always look better or feel bet-
ter, he said. The diagnosis treatment plan really did-
nt address suffering. So if I looked at it very
objectively I would say that we and I and the system
helped many, many people. But when I looked at
them humanistically, and I started recognizing the suf-
fering that was in front of me, it became a bit over-
whelming.
That suffering is at the core of what hospice and
palliative care seeks to ease. Its a holistic approach,
comparatively speaking, when one thinks of how
family medicine has been practiced in this country for
time immemorial. Commonly, disease is treated as a
stand-alone, and the goal is to cure, regardless of
DAUWALDER/continues on the next page
 Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 10
DAUWALDER/from the previous page
whether or not that cure causes even more suffering.
Think chemotherapy, where oftentimes patients gain
Think tank aims to drive citys
an extra six months of life, but swallowing all that
poison means those six months are low-quality. The
expectation of patients undergoing hospice and pallia-
senergy use to net zero Project (CHERP, Inc.), the Hixon Center at Harvey

tive care is that they will suffer less, not that they will
be cured.
It is possible that hospice and palliative care is the
purest distillation of the Hippocratic Oath: Do No
Harm.
T
he community is encouraged to at-
tend Claremont Energy Vision, a
conference exploring the city-
wide strategy to drive the towns energy
use toward net zero. The event will take
Mudd College and the environmental analysis pro-
gram at Pomona College, the conference will focus
on an upcoming project, Claremont Locally Grown
Power (CLGP), which proposes to create a local non-
profit solar manufacturing facility to make and install
solar systems on 6,000 Claremont homes. The pro-

I
agree with that, Dr. Dauwalder place Thursday, April 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. gram is designed to be replicable in other cities. The
said. And the thing thats chal- at Shanahan Center, 301 Platt Blvd. in conference will explore the role of city government,
lenging psychologically for the Claremont Colleges and local businesses and
Claremont. nonprofits in this effort.
physicians is they often live under a false Sponsored jointly by Toward Ecological Civiliza- EcoCiv is a think and action tank, working with
constructand were taught itthat we tion (EcoCiv), Community Home Energy Retrofit NET ZERO/continues on the next page
can control, we can adjust and we can cure
all that is laid in front of us, and that is
simply false. And if you work under that
premise, your actions can be the source of
suffering, because it doesnt acknowledge
the reality that we dont, and that we cant,
and that aging and death are inevitable,
and there comes a time when we have to
adjust to organs that dont work.
If time is the great goal of traditional treatment,
quality time is the reward for Dr. Dauwalders pa-
tients.
A day is more relevant and important when you
have a year to live, than when youre 30, he ex-
plained. Its a greater component of your life. If you
take that day of suffering, that is a huge portion of
your life remaining. And it is not acceptable to me that
we would not be anything other than understanding
and compassionate to make that day the best we can.
Still, one would naturally think it must be excruci-
ating to see all your patients die. After all, the goal of
a traditional doctor is to keep patients alive at all
costs.
But thats the beautiful part, Dr. Dauwalder said.
I could avoid feeling and miss it. There are times
when I have to take a moment to have my feelings,
and then I get back to what I do with boundaries that I
think are safe and strong and sustainable for me. But I
dont find that theres a limitation for my capacity to
love people. Every day is a new day to care for some-
body. And it only gets better. It is hard, but people are
the most genuine, and all of our prejudices are just ir-
relevant. Its a beautiful place.
Mick Rhodes
mickrhodes@claremont-courier.com

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NET ZERO/continued from previous page
experts and practitioners to develop a comprehensive
roadmap toward sustainability. The group seeks to
identify how social, political and economic life needs
to be organized if humanity is to achieve a sustain-
able, ecological society over the long term.
The evening conference will explore major ad-
vances in sustainable energy and sustainable econom-
ics using the Local Government Engagement Model
from CHERP as a case study.
Attendees will explore the power of local commu-
nity organizations that are strategically engaged in ac-
complishing environmental goals, as well as
opportunities for students of the Claremont Colleges
to develop research projects and internships con-
nected with the model.
Different speakers will also discuss how the project
may be scalable across California, how it may pro-
vide a model for similar initiatives in other sectors,
and how major structural changes of this type are a
part of the broader transformation toward a sustain-
able society.
Organizers will providing short video interviews
with invited speakers and other supplemental materi-
als on ecociv.org prior to the convening.
The event will draw the attention of Claremont city
government, leaders from around the state and the na-
tion, students and faculty at the five Claremont Col-
leges and specialists in a variety of fields.
Confirmed participants include Sam Pedroza,
Claremont city councilmember; Tom Stallard, city of
Woodland councilmember; Ely Jacobsohn, US De-
partment of Energy; Charley Cormany, executive di-
rector of Efficiency First California; John B. Cobb,
Jr., board member of Toward Ecological Civilization
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 11
and Pando Populus; Philip Clayton, president of To-
ward Ecological Civilization; and Devon Hartman,
president and executive director of Community Home
Energy Retrofit Project, among others.
Although the scope of the event is much broader
that of envisioning an ecological societythe
CHERP Local Government Engagement Model will
form the central case study. CHERP, the Community
Homes Energy Retrofit Project, has created a suite of
initiatives designed to implement energy efficiency
projects across the city.
Conference goals are to educate local governments
and communities in the benefits of energy efficiency
and to provide the tools and resources necessary for
cities to achieve significant reductions in GHG and
maximize the many related benefits.
C
laremont is CHERPs founding
city and its test-kitchen for pilot
studies. Along with its strategic
partners, the city of Claremont and Sus-
tainable Claremont, CHERP created the
Claremont Energy Challenge through
which it can deploy initiatives and engage
the entire city in the experiment of captur-
ing all possible benefits from energy effi-
ciency.
Benefits to the community range from economic
stimulus, job creation, GHG reduction, property value
increase and environmental justice to improved
health, cost savings and quality of life for all its citi-
zens. All of CHERPs initiatives are designed to be
scalable and replicable in other cities and CHERP is
currently forming Core Energy Leadership Groups in
cities throughout California.
CHERP has simplified the sometimes-confusing
array of energy decisions by creating the Roadmap
to Net Zero for building owners, which includes
three steps: Easy Energy (i.e. LED light bulbs, behav-
ior, appliances, plug strips, energy monitoring), Build-
ing Retrofits (i.e. air sealing, insulation, HVAC
system design) and Solar PV for renewable energy
generation.
To provide renewable energy, CHERPs capstone
initiative is to create a local, PV panel manufacturing
facility called Claremont Locally Grown Power
(CLGP). CLGP will employ new, patented technolo-
gies that will dramatically simplify panel assembly
and reduce costs. This will be coupled with a non-
profit business model that employs local labor (bring-
ing back middle class manufacturing jobs) and
focuses on serving low- to middle-income households
first, which CHERP estimates will increase local, dis-
posable income by $6.5 million per year.
In these ways, CLGP aims to modify the current in-
vestor/profit-based model of selling solar while stim-
ulating the local economy, cutting GHG and
addressing environmental justice issues at the same
time.
By creating the CHERP Energy Collaborative at
Harvey Mudd College, the Hixon Center brings the
resources of the Claremont Colleges, faculty and stu-
dents to the citys sustainability effort.
The aim of the conference is to explore the many
emerging opportunities that CHERP believes are now
available for a strategic convergence of community
engagement, new technologies and sustainable eco-
nomics, which will facilitate the transition to a more
ecological society.
Economists and other consultants at the conference
will discuss the CHERP model, its relevance in ad-
dressing the barriers to achieving our ambitious state
climate goals and its economic ramifications.
For more details or questions, contact Rob Overy-
Brown by email to rovery-brown@ecociv.org or call
the EcoCiv office at (909) 621-5330.

PVHMC receives Adult
Level II Trauma Center
designation
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Cen-
ter (PVHMC) has announced that it has re-
ceived its Adult Level II Trauma Center
designation. The Level II Trauma Center
provides comprehensive life-saving treat-
ment to victims of car accidents and
falls and others with severe, traumatic in-
juries in the east San Gabriel Valley.
The hospitals trauma center desig-
nation is a tremendous achievement, said
Richard E. Yochum, FACHE, president
and CEO. The Los Angeles County
Board of Supervisors, our business and
community leaders and hospital team
worked tirelessly over the past two years
to bring expert trauma care back to the re-
gion. We all share a deep commitment to
ensuring the health care needs of our com-
munity are met.
Previously, trauma patients were trans-
ported more than 25 miles to receive treat-
ment at the nearest trauma center.
In a trauma situation, time to treatment
can literally mean life or death, Dr.
Michael Jimenez, trauma medical direc-
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 12
a helipad for aerial transports. hospital is implementing an injury pre-
OUR TOWN Along with its capital improvements,
the hospital has invested in new technol-
ogy to expedite care and communication
vention program. Treating trauma patients
is only half of the teams role. The other
50 percent is educating the community
among the trauma team. about injury prevention to decrease the in-
tor said. With the addition of the state-
All trauma team members carry hand- cidence of trauma.
of-the-art trauma center, we can now
held devices to receive immediate notifi- The opening of the center created ap-
deliver appropriate and immediate treat-
cation when a trauma patient is en route proximately 140 new health care jobs for
ment to trauma victims close to home.
to the center. Mounted screens in the trau- the region.
PVHMC estimates that they will care
ma bay allow radiology to immediately
for 1,000 to 2,000 trauma patients each
project images, so that surgeons can Claremont home tour
year.
make a quick diagnosis.
The hospital recruited a highly-trained to raise funds for at-
While the trauma center is not desig-
team of eight trauma surgeons, who pro-
nated to treat pediatric patients, it will nev- risk children
vide round-the-clock surgical staffing for
er turn one away. Pediatric trauma patients Supporting its mission to prevent child
the trauma center and are double board-
that arrive at PVHMC will be stabilized abuse in the community, the Claremont
certified in general surgery and surgical
in the emergency department trauma bay West End Auxiliary of Childrens Fund will
critical care. The trauma surgeons are sup-
or operating room and then be transport- host its annual home tour fundraiser, En-
ported by elite orthopedic surgeons, neu-
ed to a pediatric intensive care unit. tertaining in Style, on April 22 and 23
rosurgeons and 24-hour in-house anes-
PVHMCs emergency department is ap- from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., showcasing three
thesia coverage.
proved for pediatrics and requires all homes in Claremont.
In preparation for the trauma center, the
emergency nurses to have additional pe- The home of world travelers, Carol
hospital underwent major capital im-
diatric training. and Bill Christiansen at 4715 Webb
provements including:
Beyond treating trauma patients, the
An expanded emergency department OUR TOWNS/next page
to add 23 additional beds and a two-bed
trauma bay.
A trauma intensive care unit with 12
beds.
A new parking structure equipped with

OUR TOWNS/from the previous page
Canyon Rd., will be featured along with the home of
Judi and Bill Manis at 3821 Grand Ave. This home
will also be the site of artisan vendors, Found Treas-
ures merchandise and complimentary refreshments.
Both homes were recently remodeled and redecorated
to provide open entertainment spaces flooded with
natural light. Each home is unique in style and dcor,
reflecting the owners personal taste.
The third home on the tour is a new construction at
731 Hood St. This home is unfurnished, but will
showcase the work of local artists, with many of the
pieces offered for sale. Flower arrangements will be
provided by Archibald Florist, Carols Secret Garden
and Wisteria Grove. Graber Olives will also provide a
table display at one of the homes.
This event has proven to be a popular and success-
ful fundraiser to provide support to our most vulnera-
ble children, Wanda Pyle, president of Childrens
Fund stated. We are dedicated to breaking destruc-
tive cycles through community partnerships and
events such as this.
Childrens Fund was founded 30 years ago to serve
abused, neglected and impoverished children through-
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 13
out San Bernardino and eastern Los Angeles counties. Pong, 1077 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, (909) 625-
Since its inception, Childrens Fund has served 1.4 7288; Nunos Bistro & Bar, 2440 W. Arrow Rte., Up-
million children and last year alone, more than 78,000 land, (909) 624-0500; The Spot, 435 W. Foothill
services were provided to children in need. Blvd., Claremont, (909) 447-4223; Buttercup Cater-
Our goal is that abused children will be treated ing, 337 E. Arrow Hwy., Claremont, (323) 577-3081;
and given hope for a better future for themselves, and Eddies Italian Eatery, 1065 W Foothill Blvd.,
said Kerry Castel De Oro, event chairman. Claremont, (909) 398-1985
Tickets are $30 and may be purchased from many To learn more about Dining Out For Life 2017 or
businesses in downtown Claremont. For tmore infor- the Foothill AIDS Project, visit fapinfo.org/dining-
mation, call (909) 920-9438 out-for-life or contact the Claremont Foothil AIDS
Project office at (800) 448-0858. It is located at 233
Foothill AIDS Project prepares W. Harrison Ave., Claremont.
for second annual Dining Out
For Life event
Numerous local restaurants will help Foothill AIDS
Project (FAP) provide services to people living with
HIV and AIDS in the Inland Empire by participating
in Dining Out For Life on Thursday, April 27.
Fourteen restaurants will participate in the event,
donating anywhere from flat fees to 30 percent of the
days receipts. Each restaurant will work with a desig-
nated host, who will help spread the word about that
restaurants participation.
Local participating restaurants include House of

KGI professor develops oral vaccination device
V
accination patients
could one day self-ad-
minister vaccines using
a needleless, pill-sized technol-
ogy that jet-releases a stream
of vaccine inside the mouth.
Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) assis-
tant professor Kiana Aran developed the
technology while a post-doctoral scholar
at UC Berkeley in the labs of Dorian
Liepmann, professor of mechanical and
bioengineering, and Niren Murthy, pro-
fessor of bioengineering. In January
2017, Ms. Aran started her new role as
assistant professor at KGI in Claremont.
Her study did not test vaccine delivery
in people, but demonstrated that the
technology, called MucoJet, is capable
of delivering vaccine-sized molecules to
immune cells in the oral cavity of ani-
mals.
The technology is a step toward im-
proved oral vaccine delivery, which
holds the promise of building immunity
in the mouths buccal region of cells,
where many infections enter the body.
When a patient holds the MucoJet
against their cheek, the device releases a
jet stream that directly targets the buccal
region. This region is rich in immune
cells but underutilized in immunology
because of the challenge of efficiently
penetrating the thick mucosal layer in
this part of the oral cavity with existing
technologies, such as the oral spray often
Claremont COURIER/Healthy Living 2017 14
used for influenza vaccination. over the course of three hours compared shapes, sizes and designs to simplify
In laboratory and animal experiments, to a control experiment of administering vaccine administration procedures and
the research team showed that the Mu- ovalbumim with a dropper (similar to increase patient compliance, especially
coJet can deliver a high-pressure stream how oral vaccines, such as for the flu, for children. For example, MucoJet
of liquid and immune system-triggering are administered today). could be fabricated into a lollipop that
molecules that penetrate the mucosal The pressure is very focusedthe kids could hold in their mouths.
layer to stimulate an immune response diameter of the jet is very smallso Imagine if we could put the Mucojet
in the buccal region. The spray is pres- thats how it penetrates the mucosal lay- in a lollipop and have kids hold it in their
surized, but not uncomfortably so, and er, Ms. Aran said. cheek, Ms. Aran said. They wouldnt
would remove the sting of needles. The next step in MucoJets develop- have to go to a clinic to get a vaccine.
The jet is similar in pressure to a wa- ment is to test the delivery of a real vac- Founded in 1997, Keck Graduate In-
ter pick that dentists use, Ms. Aran said. cine in larger animals. The researchers, stitute is devoted to bioscience education
The portable technology is designed who hope that the MucoJet could be and discovery. It is the seventh and
to be self-administered and store vac- available in five to 10 years, aim to engi- newest member of the Claremont Uni-
cines in powder form, and could one day neer a version of the MucoJet that can be versity Consortium.Its mission is toen-
enable vaccine delivery to remote loca- swallowed and then release vaccines in- rich society with breakthrough ap-
tions. The MucoJet technology is prom- ternally. proaches to education and translational
ising, but years of further study are need- The researchers are considering other research in the life sciences.
ed before the device would be commer-
cially available. The study was pub-
lished this month in thejournal Science
Translational Medicine.
MucoJet is a 15-milimeter by 7-
milimeter cylindrical, two-compartment
plastic device. The solid components
were 3D printed from an inexpensive
biocompatible and water-resistant plastic
resin.
To test the MucoJets delivery system,
researchers designed a laboratory experi-
ment in plastic dishes using mucosal lay-
ers and buccal tissues from pigs. They
tested the MucoJets ability to deliver
ovalbumim, an immune stimulating pro-
tein, across the mucosal layer.
The experiments showed an eightfold
increase in the delivery of ovalbumin