Layout 1 (Page 1) - Sheridan Memorial Hospital

Smart living
THE
SHERIDAN Press Friday, May 16, 2008
B8
Information now a click away
• Patient Channel
at Memorial allows
for better access
By Danae Brandjord
Marketing Manager, Memorial Hospital
Imagine … having access to helpful information on a variety
of health issues right from your hospital bed … accessing a short,
informative video clip on your home computer about what to
expect in a mammogram … calling a toll-free number to ask a
qualified professional a health-related question.
All of these options are available in Sheridan.
According to Nancy Hooge, clinical nurse educator at
Sheridan Memorial Hospital, the Patient Channel is now available
for patients and their families at the hospital.
This 24-hour patient-education TV channel provides network-quality
programming on a variety of health topics delivered
specifically to hospital patient rooms and waiting rooms.
Some of the topics include cancer, asthma, diabetes, heart
disease, high blood pressure, smoking cessation, parenting, wellness
and many more. New programs are added throughout the
year.
Additionally, Hooge said the patient channel has a Web site
where this educational content can be accessed (www.thepatientchannel.com).
Video clips on certain topics can be downloaded and there is
a wealth of health information available. There is also a link to
this site from Sheridan Memorial's Web site (www.sheridanhospital.org).
Hooge is very excited to have this opportunity available to
patients. “Having access to the Patient Channel is an exciting
addition to our patient-education program here at the hospital.
“There is a wide range of topics offered to assist patients and
their families in broadening their knowledge,” she added.
The content of this channel, a partnership between GE
Healthcare and NBC programming, is closely monitored by
independent advisory boards.
Dave Ross, manager of the Patient Channel, said that the content
quality is high because the boards review all content prior to
airing and identify new opportunities for topics that are contemporary
and of high interest to the general public.
Hooge said the information is important in empowering
patients to take an active role in their health care.
“The Patient Channel and NBC have taken the time to produce
relevant programs that affect a patient's health and wellness.
I am sure our patients, their families and our staff will appreciate
this option in providing education,” she said.
When seeking general medical advice, a personal physician is
always the best resource. Patients often call the emergency department
at the hospital with medical questions.
According to Iris Hehn, emergency department and ICU manager
at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, this puts the staff in an awkward
position because the emergency department staff cannot
give advice over the phone.
“Symptoms alone can be the same for many different medical
diagnoses, and an examination or visual assessment cannot be
done over the phone, so we really can't give them good advice,”
she said.
“We are open 24 hours a day and the staff is eager to serve
patients presenting to the emergency room,” Hehn said.
For simple questions, or if someone just needs a general medical
resource, an Ask-A-Nurse hot line is available to people in
Montana and Wyoming.
The Sheridan Press/Michael Sullivan
Sheridan Memorial Hospital Clinical Nurse Educator Nancy Hooge speaks with patient Tony Anthony about the
Patient Channel at the hospital Tuesday.
“We are very fortunate to have access to the Ask-A-Nurse hot
line. It is based out of Billings, Mont., and is toll-free to Wyoming
and Montana residents,” Hehn said.
The toll-free number for the Ask-A-Nurse hot line is (800)
762-8778. Hehn said the hospital phone system only allows calls
to be transferred to other departments within the hospital, and
therefore, the emergency department is unable to transfer a call to
the hot line.
Hehn said Ask-A-Nurse is an excellent resource for general
health questions.
“You can ask simple questions and receive simple answers,”
she said.
It is in the best interest of a patient, when inquiring about a
health-related problem, to seek timely health care. Consulting a
personal physician is the best thing to do, or if it is a life-threatening
situation, call 911.
For more information about any of these resources, contact
Sheridan Memorial Hospital.
Study: Older
brains don’t
benefit from
painkillers
CHICAGO (AP) — Results from a
large government experiment are dimming
hopes that two common
painkillers can prevent Alzheimer’s
disease or slow mental decline in older
people.
The arthritis drug Celebrex and the
over-the-counter painkiller Aleve
showed no benefit on thinking skills,
new findings show. Earlier results from
the same research showed the two
drugs didn’t prevent Alzheimer’s, at
least in the short term.
The experiment was halted several
years early in 2004 when heart risks
turned up in a separate study on
Celebrex. Researchers also had noticed
more heart attacks and strokes in the
people taking Aleve in the Alzheimer’s
prevention study.
Despite the study’s early end, there
was still enough data to hint at how the
drugs act on thinking and memory. The
findings were posted online Monday
and will appear in July’s Archives of
Neurology.
“These were not the results we
were hoping for,” said co-author
Barbara Martin of the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“We designed this study hoping we
would see a protective effect of these
drugs.”
Researchers hope to continue monitoring
the participants to see if they
find any delayed benefit.
Scientists have speculated that nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatories, such as
Aleve and Celebrex, might prevent
Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation
in the brain or by other means.
“The drugs have several effects in
the brain and the different effects could
be important at different stages in the
illness,” said study co-author Dr. John
Breitner of the University of
Washington in Seattle.
Nagging via text messages
to help teens remember meds
WASHINGTON (AP) — 4gt yr
meds? Getting kids to remember their
medicine may be a text message away.
Cincinnati doctors are experimenting
with texting to tackle a big problem:
Tweens and teens too often do a lousy
job of controlling chronic illnesses like
asthma, diabetes or kidney disease.
It’s a problem long recognized in
adults, particularly for illnesses that can
simmer without obvious symptoms
until it’s too late. But only now are doctors
realizing how tricky a time adolescence
is for skipping meds, too.
Of necessity, parents start turning
over more health responsibilities to their
children at this age. It’s also an age of
angst, sometimes rebellion, and when
youths may most hate feeling different
from their friends because of medication,
special diets or other therapy.
“It’s a time of so much change in
these kids’ lives,” says Dr. Marva
Moxey-Mims, a specialist in pediatric
kidney disease at the National Institutes
of Health. “It’s very difficult when
you’ve got a life-threatening illness to
say, ‘Let them make their mistakes.”’
There are few good statistics on how
many chronically ill kids don’t adhere
to therapy. But what little data exists is
alarming enough that the NIH’s
National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases will
bring specialists together in September
to debate next steps:
—Some studies suggest only half of
adolescents, on average, properly follow
treatment steps, says Dr. Dennis
Drotar of Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital. The more medications
required or the more troublesome the
side effects — even, for appearanceconscious
teens, such things as weight
gain from steroid medications — the
worse kids adhere.
—Asthma’s record is particularly
bad, with research suggesting as few as
30 percent of teenagers correctly take
medication to prevent asthma attacks.
—Among kidney transplant recipients,
adolescents have the worst longterm
outcomes of any age group, says
Moxey-Mims.
F ACTORY I NVENTORY
R EDUCTION SALE!
Let the Home Place
help you with your
housing needs
Congratulations
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It was a pleasure working with you.
349 Coffeen Ave. • 307.672.1707
Sheridan County Community Health
What comes to mind when you hear “public health?” Most people think of
immunizations. Yes, there are the flu clinics and children going to the public
health office to get their school shots. However, community health does much
more than give immunizations! We have many programs to promote healthy
lifestyles and public safety. For example:
• weekly blood pressure clinics
• confidential HIV and Hepatitis C testing and counseling
• TB screenings and followup.
• “Welcome Home” visits to new mothers to be sure everything is going
smoothly
• Best Beginnings program to be sure pregnant women receive the proper
health care
• Children’s Special Health Program provides assistance for children with
special needs
• community health education, including bloodborne pathogen training and
CPR certification
• bicycle and skateboard helmets for a low cost
• visit adults in their homes to monitor health conditions
• emergency preparedness planning in the community.
• evaluations to determine whether someone is appropriate to be placed in a
nursing home.
Most of our nurses serve on at least one committee, board, or coalition in the
community. We do have immunization clinics twice a week in the office. As
you can see, however, your local community health office does much more than
“give shots.” Call us or visit our website for more information on any of these
services! http://sheridancounty.com/info/cw/overview.php • 672-5169