Case Study: Big Sur Health Center achieves continuity of care during natural disasters with eClinicalWorks

Big Sur Health Center - Customer Case Study

Big Sur Health Center is the only medical facility serving a remote 100-mile stretch of California’s Central Coast, caring for about 3,500 patients annually. Facing frequent wildfires, mudslides, earthquakes and a single coastal road, the clinic needed a way to maintain access to patient records and deliver care when roads, bridges, power and communications were cut off—most notably during the winter 2016–17 storms and bridge collapse that left the community isolated.

Having adopted eClinicalWorks’ cloud-based EHR in 2009, providers could remotely access charts, electronically prescribe to local pharmacies, and coordinate medication deliveries (including by helicopter) to stranded residents. The cloud solution preserved continuity of care during the crisis, enabled timely treatment that prevented serious complications, and demonstrated the clinic’s ability to keep the community healthy and resilient.

Big Sur Health Center

Brita Bruemmer

Medical Director