Dr. Barbie Bennett, M.D

Posted by Rosalie McCloud 
on May 09, 2016
 
Today we were charmed and informed by our speaker, Dr. Barbie Bennett, M.D., Attending Physician, Stanford Health Care, Emergency Medicine.  On call at Peninsula Hospital Emergency she admitted to being an adrenaline junkie. 
 

Pledge of alleigience and invocation

The faithful assembled at the designated hour as President Barry  called the meeting to order.  Actually, the unfaithful were there, too, but no need to name names. 
Visiting Rotarian Teddy the K led the pledge of allegiance to the United States of America, although  he has a special fondness for South of the Border.   South of the Border will be an attractive haven for people not pleased with the outcome of the presidential election:  great food, warm weather, and a wall to protect us from the gringos.  Okay, I saw this on Facebook…
Charles Voltz invoked that “Change is Upon Us.”   No argument here.  Charles suggested we look to all the resources we enjoy through Rotary to continue to make life meaningful and rewarding.  Truly so; the benefits of Rotary Membership are constantly evolving and expanding.
 

Guests of the club & Visiting Rotarians

Guests of the club included Cathy Jones, attending for her third visit and beginning the process of becoming a member of Rotary Club of Burlingame.  She is an interesting lady and is a second-generation Rotarian following her dad Mike Horwitz.  So glad to have you, Cathy!
 
No visiting Rotarians today. 
 
 
 
 
 

Annoucements

Barry Parker survived a near-accident up near Skylawn Cemetery.    He was all shook up, for good reason!  Nothing like a near-miss to make you appreciate life and see everything in glorious, living color. Leave our Barry alone…for the next few weeks anyway.
Jim Shypertt and a few other Rotarians attended a recognition event at College of San Mateo over the weekend.  Jim reports they saw Tom Mohr and he looked good.  We think of you and miss you, Tom!
Mark your calendars.  On June 6, our meeting will be off site at Mercy Center up on Adeline.  We will enjoy boxed lunches and are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes.  Heels discouraged. It’s also  the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day Invasion.
The date of the mysterious mystery dinner at Chez Mariani is August 21.  Sign up for fun and frolic.

Newscast

We enjoyed a Newscast by Marc Friedman who has recently visited Cuba.    We had fun identifying the classic cars that are ubiquitous on the Island.  While I vaguely remember D-Day, probably because I was starting to get solid food for the first time, I definitely remember activities in 67 Chevys.   Ah, youth! Who says  Cubans don’t have a sense of humor.  They boast a “Rincon de los Cretinos,” a depiction of Republican cretins including Presidents Nixon, Bush 41, Bush 43.  A spot is reserved for the addition of a fourth cretin should hell freeze over.  Marc was able to return from Havana and through Customs with little attention.  Security a tad lax.
 

today's Speaker 

Cheryl Fama introduced our speaker, Dr. Barbie Bennett, M.D., Attending Physician, Stanford Health Care, Emergency Medicine.   This is what her business card says;  she is on call at Peninsula Hospital Emergency as well and has numbers of other hats she wears and boards on which she sits.  When asked why she selected emergency room as a practice, she admitted to being an adrenaline junkie.  She did point out that our Dr. Paul Nieberding had chosen another area of concentration, Ear-Nose-Throat.  Dr. Barbie thought blood and guts of the E.R. preferable to E.N.T. with secretions of all sorts that I will leave to your imagination.  Hey, someone’s got to do it, right, Dr. Paul?
Did Dr.Barbie mention www.youthfulsolutions.com?  No, she did not.  While she’s resting she operates a skin care and laser center providing regenerative/metabolic medicine.  That operation is at 215 N. San Mateo Drive, Suite 1, San Mateo, walking distance from your reporter’s office.  Your reporter could use some rejuvenation methinks.
The audience was in rapt attention, waiting for the examination that was promised of our City Councilman Ricardo Ortiz.  Never happened, but Dr. Barbie said she would be happy to visit again.  Yes, please!!!
Mary Murphy asked why, when her son Robert simply couldn’t breathe, 911 sent medical, fire department, and police to her home?  Proximity of first-responders!  It takes a while to get the medical team there and the police and fire staffs often can give relief until the medical folks arrive.   The police will also want to verify why the child stopped breathing? Was someone jumping ugly on someone else?  Was there a domestic dispute?  Not being able to breathe is not like a diaper rash, you know. Still, a 911 call for help could be anything and the E.R. is basically a 24/7 circus.
The majority of visitors to the E.R. are not really very ill.  Many times it’s a family member trying to be relieved of the responsibility of taking care of grandma or a fussy child.  The E.R. doctor on duty must decide what other specialties should be summoned:  X-ray? Psychiatry?  The police?  The paddy wagon? A person of the cloth for last rites?
Frustrating are “Google Graduates.”  Folks have a symptom and Google it; now they’re experts and want all the tests they read about. No matter how many degrees or years of experience the doctor has,  the patient knows it all from Google.  I must say Google does know everything, Dr.Barbie.Try not to visit the E.R. at 2:00 A.M. Why?  Sean Williams knew:  it’s when he’s closing up Paddy Flynn’s.  The drunks have been socking each other and walking into traffic!  I hear tell anyway.   Try not to go at 8:00 – A.M. or P.M.  That’s when the shift changes and you get a doctor who’s been on tired feet for hours and is losing fascination with you.
Why doesn’t the doctor know all about you? It’s in the computer!!!   Let’s see:  shall I stop your bleeding or stop and read “Gone with the Wind,” the story of your aches and pains an former institutionalizations! The patients don’t know! Don’t know what medications they are taking, when the symptoms started,  is there family history of this condition?  They report conditions that don’t exist.  Apparently there was a scary condition someone named jaw necrosis.  No such thing.  It’s good if you mention the parts of you that have been replaced, like they’re plastic or someone else’s junk.  It’s a lot to ask, but helpful.Staph infections are a serious problem.  We consume massive amounts of antibiotics through the meat we consume.  Pass the Chicken Alfredo.Hospitals cooperate with one another for information.  There is a “Care Everywhere” program. Kaiser hospital has a dispatch desk which will provide information about Kaiser patients when they’re being treated in other than Kaiser facilities.
Thank you so much, Dr. Barbie.  You are a force of nature.  Rotary Club of Burlingame will be donating a book in your name to the Burlingame Public Library as part of the Peninsula Health Care District “Health on the Shelf” program.