Medical Co-Director and Liaison for Kaweah Delta Healthcare District, Kern Medical Epilepsy Center
Chief of Neurology, Kaweah Delta Healthcare District
“The USC Epilepsy Care Consortium in Tulare, Kings and Kern county is intended to be a coordinated program to assist patients and their families. The program will help facilitate the care of the more difficult epilepsy patients who may require inpatient monitoring and possibly Neurosurgery which may help control their condition. The inpatient monitoring will be done at Kern Medical Center. Should any interventional surgery be necessary, that will be performed at the USC campus. Arrangements are in process to make sure that all of the Neurologists in the catchment area of the consortium are aware of this program. Protocols and procedures will be set up to expedite the referral of their more difficult patients to the consortium. The Tulare/Kings portion of the consortium is under the direction of Dr. Richard Pantera in cooperation with the offices of the USC neurosurgical group”
Director Bio:
Dr. Richard Pantera received his neurology residency training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis. He then served as a flight surgeon in the US Navy, stationed at Lemore Naval Air Station. After that, he has served as a principal resource for neurological care in Tulare County and Kaweah-Delta Medical Center in Visalia, CA. Having served at multiple leadership roles at Kaweah Delta, including as Chief of Staff, he fully understands the systems-level issues in providing basic and advanced neurological care, including epilepsy. Along with other key members of the USC Epilepsy Care Consortium, he is working to expand the reach of the first and only adult epilepsy center in Central California.