April 2025 eNewsletter

Wellness Navigation Team

The Wellness Navigation Team may be small, but they are mighty and they are here for you!

Our team plays a vital role in supporting our providers by managing wellness referrals and guiding patients toward the appropriate programs. Using their expertise in motivational interviewing, our navigators personally connect with each patient to ensure they receive the care they need.

In addition to patient support, our navigators assist multiple departments by providing essential administrative services. They help coordinate programs from start to finish, handling client registration, curating space for individual programs, offering marketing support, and meeting instructors’ needs—whatever it takes to make each program a success.

Meet Our Wellness Navigators

Our dedicated Wellness Navigators include:

• Brandy Towne – Supervisor
• Gloria Acevedo – Health and Wellness Navigator
• Whitney Mandel – Health and Wellness Navigator
• Wendy Buchanan – Director

Learn more about the Wellness Navigation.

May Walking Challenge May 1-31, 2025

Join the entire community for a 4-week virtual walk along the Pacific Crest Trail.

All participants who average at least 10,000 steps per day will be entered into a raffle to win one of three gift cards to a local vendor outdoor gear store.

• Sign up at: Tahoe Worx Wellness Portal
• Don’t have a Wellworks account? Create Wellworks account
• TFHD Employees: Company ID 11727
• Community Members: Company 11890
• Click on “Challenges” under Wellbeing Desktop and select “Activate” under the May Walking Challenge

Questions? Email [email protected].

Preteens and Teens Need Vaccines Too! Recognizing Adolescent Immunization Action Week

Babies and young children aren’t the only ones who need vaccines to keep safe from diseases – preteens and teens need vaccines, too! To help raise awareness, Tahoe Forest Health System is joining with the California Department of Public Health in recognizing April 7 – 11, 2025 as “Adolescent Immunization Action Week.”

During adolescence, protection from childhood vaccination against pertussis or whooping cough may begin to wear off. Whooping cough can make people sick with a cough so severe they break their ribs. It is very contagious and can be deadly to babies.

Learn more about Preteens and Teens Vaccination.

This month we are featuring Dr. Brooke Schauder who will be discussing SLEEP! Did you know that your brain starts to change up to 20 years prior to any outward signs of problems? There are some things we cannot change and there are lots of things that we can!

Led by Liz Schenk, Health Coaching Specialist

When: April 2nd, 4:00pm-5:30pm
Cost: FREE
Location: Eskridge Conference Room, Tahoe Forest Hospital, Truckee

The Prevent T2 (Diabetes Prevention Program) lifestyle change program can help you lose weight, become more physically active, and reduce stress.

Led by Brooklyn Dreher, RD

• A proven program to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes
• A CDC-approved curriculum and trained lifestyle coach
• A year-long program with weekly meetings for the first 6 months, then once or twice a month for the second 6 months
• Support from others like you as you learn new skills

When: Discovery Session April 15th, 5:15 pm-6:30 pm; Program starts April 22nd
Cost: FREE Discovery Session, Program FREE with a $100 Deposit for completion
Location: Eskridge Conference Room, Tahoe Forest Hospital, Truckee

Navigating menopause can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. The Menopause FREE Support Group is a safe space where women can share experiences, ask questions, and support each other. Whether you’re dealing with physical symptoms or the emotional changes of mid-life or want to better understand the journey, this group offers a compassionate community.

Open to women at all stages of menopause—whether you’re in perimenopause or post-menopausal—you’ll leave feeling empowered and connected.

Led by Liz Schenk, Menopause Coaching Specialist

When: April 16th, 5:15-6:15 pm virtual support group offered the 3rd Wednesday of each month
Cost: FREE
Location: Virtual

Jump-start healthy weight loss and refresh your wellness habits. Our goal is to help you develop sustainable changes that will promote a lifetime of well-being.

Led by Lisa Fligor, Registered Dietitian, we will take a deep dive into:

• Eating habits
• Exercise patterns
• Our relationship to food and weight

People are more successful at making healthy lifestyle changes with support. Call today to join our group to get expert coaching, peer support from like-minded individuals, and accountability that will make a difference. Includes 6 biweekly meetings and a 1:1 touch base with your Dietitian on the off weeks.

When: Program starts April 30th, 5:30-6:45 pm
Cost: $150
Location: Tahoe Forest Wellness

See all of our current classes and programs

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 5 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder (*see recipe note below)
• 1–2 teaspoons avocado oil, coconut oil, or olive oil
• 8 green onions, sliced; white/light green and dark green parts separated
• 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey (we use 93% lean) (Vegetarian option: replace with 1 cup shelled edamame)
• 2 12-ounce bags broccoli slaw mix or coleslaw mix
• Optional toppings: black sesame seeds, sriracha, sliced avocado, and/or fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos or soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and 5-spice powder. Whisk to combine then set aside.
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the white and light green parts of the green onions and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the green onions start to soften, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chicken or turkey to the skillet, break it up with a large wooden spoon, and cook for 5–6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high.
4. Add the broccoli slaw and sauce. Cook for 6–7 minutes or until the slaw is crisp-tender or cooked to your liking, stirring occasionally. Stir in the dark green parts of the green onions, then remove from the heat.
5. Serve in bowls, and garnish with sesame seeds, sriracha, sliced avocado, and/or cilantro leaves, if desired. May also serve in lettuce cups or over rice.

*to make your own Chinese 5-spice powder, in a small bowl, combine a pinch each (approx 1/16 teaspoon each) of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground fennel seed, ground star anise, and ground black pepper

Make 4 servings. Prep Time: 30 minutes
Recipe Source: The Real Food Dietitians