Sonoma Valley Hospital and Vintage House Announce Virtual Community Health Talks On Medication Therapies

March 11, 2021

Sonoma Valley Hospital Pharmacist Baqara “Maya” Yoder, PharmD, will lead an information series of virtual talks discussing new and emerging medication therapies for preventing and managing chronic health conditions. The talks are open to the community and are co-hosted with Vintage House.

The virtual series, “Health Talk: Ask A Pharmacist,” will be offered monthly for four months starting on March 23. Each features a different topic and opens with a presentation on a trending therapy followed by an open Q&A session. Talks will be held on the following dates from 9:00 am – 10:00 am and will discuss the following topics:

March 23 – Heart Health:  Pharmaceutical manufacturer, Novartis, recently announced clinical trial findings that show their medication, Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan), reduces adverse events in patients with heart failure.  We will discuss what the studies show.

April 20 – Kidney Health: We will be discussing kidney and renal protection and spotlight SGLT2 inhibitors and their role in reducing the risk of dialysis, organ transplantation or death due to kidney disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes. We will also explore if it provides protection against acute kidney injury.  

May 25 – Gut Health: All the microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea) that colonize the gut play a key role in your overall health. The symbiotic relationship between the microbiota and the host influences overall health and the risk of disease as well as behavioral and cognitive functions. We will discuss this growing area of research.

June 24 – Joint Health and Arthritis: What’s new in the treatment of osteoarthritis? Supplements to provide joint comfort like glucosamine and chondroitin are sometimes recommended. We will discuss if these agents are effective and if you should take them?

These virtual talks will be held on online via Zoom and there is no cost to participate, although reservations are requested. Register online at Vintage House’s website HERE   ( vintagehouse.org/events ) or by calling 707.996.0311.

About Baqara “Maya” Yoder, PharmD, is a clinical staff pharmacist at Sonoma Valley Hospital. She previously worked as a retail pharmacist and enjoyed helping patients with their prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. Her experience working in both hospital and retail pharmacies has given her the expertise to help patients in both settings. She completed a certificate in Transitions of Care from Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Medication Therapy Management from Department of Pharmacy at UC Davis Medical Center.

HealthTalk is an education outreach program of Sonoma Valley Hospital, providing our community with the latest health and wellness information to help them make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.