Summer and Skin Safety

The summer weather is finally getting here, and while things are heating up, we’re all starting to plan for a fun and hot summer. But, there are several health risks that you need to consider when you make your plans for your outdoor activities.

Not only can overexposure to the suns UV rays cause sunburns and risk of overheating, UV rays are also a major contributor in a person’s risk for skin cancer.

The Center for Disease Control and GRMC have released several recommendations on how to stay safe while enjoying the summer weather.

1. Always wear sunscreen when you’re planning to be outdoors.
   Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, 30 minutes before going outdoors. It’s important to note that you should even wear it when you aren’t planning on being outside for that long.  Many burns occur when your outdoor activities last longer than expected and you’re caught unprepared. Always make sure to reapply as needed as well.
2. Seek shade often or stay covered up.
   Especially stay out of the sun during the midday hours when the sun is highest and UVA rays are strongest. Trees, umbrellas, and beach cover ups can be helpful in addition to light long-sleeve t-shirts and pants. The average cotton t-shirt has an SPF well below the recommended 15, so even when wearing clothes that cover your body, it doesn’t hurt to wear sunscreen as well.
3. Treat sun burn first aid seriously.
   If you do get sunburnt, drink water to replace lost fluids, take aspirin or ibuprofen for fever and headaches, comfort burns gently with a cool wet cloth, and stay out of the sun until burns clear. If you start to blister, lightly bandage the area with gauze to prevent infection, but don’t break the blisters. If the blisters do break, apply an antiseptic ointment to the open area. Make sure to seek medical attention if you have an exceptionally high fever.

If you follow these rules for prevention, there is no reason that your summer can’t be filled with hours of fun in the sun. The summer months are for going outside and enjoying the warm weather with friends and family. Taking these easy precautions to protect against sunburn and skin cancer will make sure that it stays fun.

For more information go to www.cdc.gov/chooseyourcover

Every breath you take

Breathe deeply. That’s easier said than done for some people. I help people with breathing conditions and limitations. GRMC has six full-time respiratory therapists, like me, to assist the physician in your care. You may be wondering what a respiratory therapist is or what it is that we do.

A respiratory therapist treats people with disorders affecting the cardiopulmonary system such as asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, cardiovascular disorders, and trauma.

Respiratory therapists earn an accredited two- or four-year degree, pass a national exam, and are licensed by the state they practice in. The program has both classroom and clinical experience so that when the practitioner comes out to work they, have already had hands-on experience in patient care.

Respiratory therapists can be found in many other areas such as home health care, long-term acute care hospitals, physician offices as well as in research positions. The role of the respiratory therapist has and continues to expand to meet the various needs of the cardiopulmonary patient.

Here at GRMC the respiratory therapists provide care and life support to patients in the emergency room, intensive care unit, pre/post operation, obstetrics unit, as well as the medical/surgical floors. We also offer inpatient and outpatient pulmonary function testing, outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation, and sleep studies.

Every breath matters, and we are here to help.

Written by Lori Dvorak, RRT, MBA
GRMC respiratory therapist

Planting Season at GRMC

Health and wellness includes exercise and healthy foods so GRMC employees went to work on planting a Giving Garden this week. Employees work in the garden – weeding and managing – during the growing season and help harvest the rewards. When the garden produces a surplus, donations are available to employees.

During peak season, the GRMC Day Camp participants will harvest and deliver produce to Mid-Iowa Community Action as a way to give back to the community. In 2014, the GRMC Giving Garden contributed more than 350 pounds of food to MICA for distribution to families in need.

In 2014, GRMC with Community Transformation Grant funds purchased gardening tools to create four community Giving Gardens. This helped launch the program.

In 2015, GRMC received a Grinnell College mini-grant to expand on this program and purchase additional equipment and tools for the Giving Gardens. The intent is to encourage gardening and help local residents produce safe, healthy foods.

Butterfly Gardens

GRMC’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of residents includes the creation of three Monarch Waystations on the campus this year.  Elizabeth Hill, Center for Prairie Studies and Conard Environmental Research Area at Grinnell College, and Tim Hammond, Grinnell College, helped GRMC employees plant the ideal habitat for Monarch butterflies. Doug Caulkins, Imagine Grinnell and retired Grinnell College faculty member, helped connect Hill with GRMC and foster this garden.

Be sure to check out the butterfly gardens throughout the growing season, located in the Healing Garden, near the Giving Garden, and on the west side of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building.

“Save the Monarch migration one butterfly at a time – plant milkweed”

For more information, check out http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/

GRMC: Where Miracles Happen Everyday

Hospitals across the nation will celebrate National Hospital Week this next week (May 11-15). The recognition was introduced by the American Hospital Association in 1921 as a way to celebrate the employees that support the health of their communities through compassionate care and commitment. 

Today, this has become the largest healthcare event celebrating all healthcare institutions including hospitals, hospices, clinics, and many others. According to the AHA, hospitals serve as economic contributors, gateways to care, centers for innovation, and are committed to quality and safety. 

As National Hospital Week emerges, consider giving thanks to all of the people that contribute to the overall function of your hospital – Grinnell Regional Medical Center – such as physicians, nurses, therapists, engineers, food service workers, volunteers, administrators, and many others. GRMC currently has 400 employees and 200 volunteers that all take part in the community’s health.

Different branches of the hospital contribute services that are vital in meeting the healthcare needs of the more than 40,000 residents in the Poweshiek, Jasper, Benton, Iowa, Mahaska, and Tama counties.

Together, we are making miracles happen every day in the lives of our patients and clients. 

For more information from the American Hospital Association, click here. 

Making a Difference in Everyday Excellence

For the past four years, GRMC has participated in The DAISY Award to recognize excellence in nursing.

DAISY stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System and was created in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). His family wanted to do something special in his memory. DAISY was created to award nurses for their everyday excellence.

Doris Rindels, Kim Jones, and Todd Linden

On April 29, GRMC honored the 2015 DAISY nurse for outstanding leadership, patient care, excellent nursing skills, and dedication to GRMC. In recognition of this award, the honoree receives a certificate, a special DAISY pin, a bouquet of fresh daisies, and an invitation to a special luncheon at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines on June 12. All DAISY Award nurses selected for the year are honored with others from Mercy Health Network hospitals.

GRMC’s 2015 DAISY Award goes to Kim M. Jones, RN, a member of the obstetrical team in the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center. Kim received nominations from supervisors and coworkers.

“Kim demonstrates compassion to women in labor through her kind words of encouragement. Her confidence, compassion, professionalism, and knowledge base are all attributes she utilizes to build trust in the nurse-patient relationship. Kim is cognizant of the importance of skin to skin time with mothers.”

“Kim goes above and beyond. She came in during a snow storm on short notice to cover another department so out of town staff could go home safely. She has been noted by her peers as an excellent teacher for NRP, prenatal classes, and preceptoring new employees and students. And she is a great GRMC advocate out in the community. Each year she helps distribute bike helmets to area third graders.  She was instrumental in implementing the transcutaneous bilirubin meter so GRMC follows AAP guidelines regarding infant surveillance for jaundice.”

“I would trust her with any of my family members.” “Kim is the kind of nurse that truly meets the worthiness of receiving the DAISY award. She is the kind of nurse we would want taking care of our families and our patients.”

Eighteen nurses were nominated at GRMC this year by patients, family members, co-workers, and supervisors. Every nomination shares incredible stories of compassionate care, great teamwork, and extraordinary nursing. It’s a tough decision to make.

Previous DAISY nurses from GRMC are Kim McNurlen, RN, Medical Surgical Unit in 2014; Diana Fenner, RN, Home Health, in 2013; and Ellen Waterbury, RN, ICU, in 2013.

May 6 to 12 is National Nurses’ Week. It’s a great time to recognize the dedication and compassion of nurses at GRMC and its affiliated clinics.

“The one really positive thing we could hold onto from the experience of his eight-week hospitalization was the skillful and amazingly compassionate care he received from his nurses - even when he was totally sedated. When Pat died, we felt compelled to express our profound gratitude to nurses for the work they do for patients and their families every day. This is the primary mission of The DAISY Foundation.” – quoted fro

Thinking About Weight-Loss Surgery?

It’s a life-changing decision and not a quick fix. If you are thinking about weight-loss surgery as an option, there are many things to consider. Start by having a talk with your primary care physician. Your doctor is the best place to begin the conversation. Weight-loss surgery is not always the best option, even for those who need to lose a lot of weight.

If you decide to explore weight-loss surgery, do as much research as you can on the programs available. There are several options in central Iowa, including Grinnell Bariatrics – a program between Surgical Associates of Grinnell and Grinnell Regional Medical Center. This program has been a pioneer in bariatric or weight-loss surgery since 1980. Today, this multi-disciplinary program is designed for each individual patient’s unique needs. The team includes nutritionists, mental health professionals, physical therapists, family medicine, exercise specialists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, and care coordination, in addition to surgeons. 

Where to start?

• 1.     Begin by talking with your primary care physician to see if weight loss surgery is a good option for you.
• 2.     Gather as much information as you can about programs that are available to you.
• 3.     Learn about the various kinds of weight-loss surgery.
• 4.     Research what steps you have to go through before, during, and after the procedure.
• 5.     Make sure that the programs you are interested in include plenty of support throughout the entire process and for years after your procedure.
• 6.     Get to know the medical team who will handle your care.
• 7.     And then make the decision based on what is right for you.

http://www.grmc.us/services/surgery/bariatric-surgery

http://www.grinnellsurgeons.com/en/bariatrics/

New Pain Solutions

What you need to know about rheumatology

Rheumatology (ROOM-ah-tall-ah-gee) is a subspecialty of medicine that works with various diseases that affect soft tissues, joints, connective tissues, muscles, and organs such as kidneys, lungs, liver, and the immune system.

Some of the more common ailments you might see a rheumatologist to diagnosis and treatment include arthritis, Lupus, fibromyalgia, and gout. Did you know that there are about 100 different types of arthritis? The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the more common. An estimated 27 million Americans live with osteoarthritis. It is developed through wear and tear on our joints as we age.

Rheumatoid arthritis or RA is much less common. Only about one percent of Americans, 1.3 million people, live with RA. It is an autoimmune disease where something triggers the immune system to fight against the tissue found within the body’s joints. RA tends to affect women more than men.

Pain is one of the common threads that runs through rheumatic diseases such as fibromyalgia, gout, arthritis, lupus, and other rheumatic diseases.  Women are often diagnosed more frequently than men for these diseases. Pain management and living well with chronic pain is something that rheumatologists provide for their patients.

Area patients now have a broader scope of rheumatology services available at GRMC. Eman Boulis, MD, with Central Iowa Rheumatology Clinic has been seeing patients at GRMC since the fall of 2014. Boulis is certified by the American Boards of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. She has published research on lupus and osteoporosis and has experience in the diagnosis and management of RA, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, bursitis, carpal tunnel, and joint and muscle pain, among other conditions and treatments.

For more information about rheumatology and the Central Iowa Rheumatology Clinic at GRMC, call 641-236-2338.

http://www.grmc.us/find-a-clinic-or-provider/visiting-specialists

http://www.arthritis.org/

www.grmc.us