Category Archives: Health Care

Government, Health Care, Kansas

Mosquito Prevention

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Red, Bite, and Blue: KDHE Recommends Mosquito Bite Prevention Over July 4th Holiday

Topeka – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment recommends Kansans take preventive measures against mosquito bites over the July 4th holiday. Five of six regions in Kansas are now at the ‘High’ risk level for West Nile virus. Mosquito surveillance in Reno, Sedgwick, and Shawnee counties has shown an increase Culex mosquitoes which can spread West Nile virus and other viruses that can affect humans and horses. This species of mosquitoes is most active at dawn and dusk.

West Nile virus can be spread to people through bites from infected mosquitoes, but it is not contagious from person to person. Symptoms range from a slight headache and low-grade fever to swelling of the brain or brain tissue and, in rare cases, death. Since 2002 there have been 692 cases and 35 deaths in Kansans from West Nile virus. People who have had West Nile virus before are considered immune. Cases are most common from mid-July through late September.

KDHE has developed West Nile virus risk levels to help guide prevention efforts for both communities and individuals. These risk level reports are updated weekly at http://www.kdheks.gov/epi/arboviral_disease.htm from mid-May to October.

KDHE recommends the following precautions to protect against West Nile virus:

  • When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient on skin and clothing, including DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. Follow the directions on the package.
  • Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
  • The elderly or immunocompromised should consider limiting their exposure outside during dusk and dawn when the Culex species mosquitos are most active.
  • Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
  • Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.

People should protect their horses too as West Nile virus in horses can be fatal. The virus can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 33% of horses infected with West Nile virus will die. A West Nile virus vaccine for horses is available and owners are encouraged to vaccinate or booster their animals. In addition, these mosquitoes can transmit heartworms to dogs. Contact your veterinarian to discuss a West Nile virus vaccine for your horses and heartworm prevention for your dogs.

KDHE maintains an Arboviral Disease Surveillance web page that is updated weekly: http://www.kdheks.gov/epi/arboviral_disease.htm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides this web page with additional information about West Nile virus and preventing mosquito bites: https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/prevention/index.html. For questions about West Nile virus or other arboviral diseases contact the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 877-427-7317.

Area News, Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Health Care

51 Ventilated COVID Patients Last Week in Crawford County

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Local health professionals encourage people to celebrate safely

Crawford County Covid-19 cases are increasing, as well as throughout the region and they are already affecting local and regional hospitals, according to Dr. Tim Stebbins, Crawford County Health Officer and Director at Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department.  

 

With the July 4 holiday approaching, Stebbins is concerned that traditional celebrations, including family and community gatherings, will increase the risk for transmission of Covid-19 and cause possible serious medical impact, especially on those who are not vaccinated against the disease.  

 

Since the initial wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, Via-Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has gone from single digits of Covid-19 patients weekly back up into the 20s, and last week to 51 including ventilated patients with admissions on track for similar numbers this week. 

 

Stebbins says nationally, 80-90% of new infections are in the unvaccinated/nonimmune group, with more than 90% of hospitalizations in the same group. Over the last few months, 98% or more of the deaths from Covid-19 are in the unvaccinated/nonimmune group. 

 

Health officials have confirmed some of the new infections in Crawford County are the Delta variant of Covid-19.  

 

As of mid-June 2021, the CDC estimates the Delta variant is accounting for 20% of new cases in the United States. The delta variant is challenging because it is highly transmissible and affects the younger age groups. 

In milder cases, infected individuals may mistake the symptoms for a bad cold and not realize they need to isolate. Common symptoms reported have been headaches, sore throat, a runny nose, or fever.

 

Testing for COVID-19 is an essential part of containing the disease, and the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas has rapid testing available seven days a week. The Crawford County Health Department can also provide rapid testing.  

 

For most vaccinated people, the current COVID-19 vaccines effectively prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from all current strains of the virus. Previous illness with Covid-19 also seems to provide some immunity from the disease. 

 

“Everyone should consider their own risk when celebrating, including their own current health and vaccination or immune status,” Stebbins says. “If you have any immune compromising disease or illness, such as cancer, you should carefully weigh the risks and consider mitigation.” 

 

Strategies to help prevent Covid-19 infection include handwashing, social distancing, and wearing a mask. It is especially important that all individuals, regardless of immune status, stay home if they think they might be ill. 

 

The single greatest protection against COVID-19 for individuals age 12 and up is vaccination. Crawford County has a robust vaccination capability and vaccinations can be found through nearly all local pharmacies, SEK Urgent Care, PSU Health, Community Health Centers of Southeast Kansas, and the Crawford County Health Department. Three different vaccines are available in the County and vaccination is available to anyone 12 or older.

 

It is possible for all of us to celebrate this holiday safely and to minimize the risk of harm to our family and friends, Stebbins says. “Everyone should consider their own risk when celebrating including their current health and vaccination or immune status. We must all be smart in what we do, consider the risks, mitigate if appropriate, and seriously consider vaccination to prevent further spread and impact of this disease.”

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Health Care

Reopening An Acute Care Hospital In Fort Scott Being Explored by Noble Health

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Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closed in December 2018. There is a possibility that Noble Health, K.C. Mo. will open a new acute care facility in the building.

NOBLE HEALTH TO EXPLORE REOPENING ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL IN FORT SCOTT KANSAS

Editor’s note: Rob Harrington, Bourbon County Economic Director, commented on the press release:  “My organization along with the County and City have been talking about this project for the last month. We are excited to see this move forward and are hopeful that the results of the feasibility study will be positive.”

June 25, 2021 Kansas City, MO.

Noble Health Corp announced today that it will explore the possibility of reopening the acute care hospital facility in Fort Scott, Kansas. The Kansas City company has engaged in a Cooperative Agreement with Bourbon County to conduct a feasibility study that could lead to the reopening of the hospital that closed in December of 2018.

Noble Health recently acquired two hospitals and a series of clinics in Central Missouri: Audrain County Community Hospital and Callaway County Community Hospital. Both acquisitions happened between August of 2020 and March of 2021.

“We recognize and support the need for hometown healthcare in rural communities,” said Don Peterson Executive Chairman of Noble Health. “We understand the significant negative impact on local communities and citizens when their hospital closes. And we intend to work with the citizens of Bourbon County to evaluate the opportunity to restore a once vibrant and valued hospital to the local community.”

“While we are optimistic about our engagement with Noble Health, we recognize that reopening the hospital is a significant undertaking,” said Rob Harrington Economic Development Director for Bourbon County.” Harrington went on to say that the engagement with Noble is to conduct a broad feasibility study that will take a few months to complete. “At the end of the study Noble will have determined whether or not reopening the hospital makes economic sense. We hope they decide to reopen it.”

The feasibility study is similar to the engagement Noble Health undertook before they acquired the hospital in Audrain County Missouri. That work took 6 months before Noble entered into a definitive agreement and purchased the hospital.

ABOUT NOBLE HEALTH CORPORATION

Noble Health Corporation’s mission is to provide high-quality medical care that addresses the needs of the rural communities they serve. The goal: to serve the communities and their residents with comprehensive, high-quality medical services delivered at reasonable prices close to home. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, Noble Health Corporation owns and operates rural acute care hospitals, and multi-specialty and primary care clinics.

Business, Fort Scott, Health Care, Mercy Hospital

Pharmacist Craig Campbell Retires

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Craig Campbell at his desk. His office has been housed in a wing at the Community Health Center since the closing of the former Mercy Hospital.

Craig Campbell is retiring from his 39-year career as a pharmacist on June 30.

A chance conversation with a relative changed the course of his life when deciding on a career.

“By chance, I was visiting with my great uncle who was a pharmacist,” he said. ” Willard Higbee, he was the brother of my grandma, Bernice Campbell.”

“I confided in him that I was working on a chemical engineering degree but did not think I could get through the math requirements,” Campbell said. “He said I would love pharmacy, so I visited with Ken Asher and Bob Tuchscherer, local pharmacists at the time, and they agreed that pharmacy was a wonderful profession.”

Technology advancement has changed his job as a pharmacist.

“Technology has advanced so much with the electronic medical record,” Campbell said.  “It brings into view so much more information that lets you know more about the patient, not just in the present moment but what has gone on before.”

“Prescriptions are so much safer now that we do not have to figure out the doctor’s handwriting,” he said.  “Sorry doctor friends. Pharmacists are an integral part of the patient care team now, since when I started in the fall of 1982.”

He has most recently been Mercy Health System’s Director of Pharmacy Performance, St. Louis, since November 2014. But his office is located in a wing of the former Mercy Hospital, although during the COVID-19 pandemic, he has worked mostly from home, he said.

From 1999-2018  Campbell served as Mercy Hospital Fort Scott’s Pharmacy Director, before that from ’92-’99, was a staff pharmacist at Mt. Carmel  Hospital (now Ascension Via Christi) in Pittsburg.

Campbell worked from1983-1992  for four pharmacy’s starting with his first job in Texas.

Campbell completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, OK, and an associate of arts degree in pre-pharmacy from Fort Scott Community College.

For Campbell,  the best part of his career was being a part of patient care teams, which come up with the best plan to improve patient health, he said.

“That has been rewarding,” Campbell said. “While at Mercy Fort Scott…my hometown, I was able to care for a lot of friends and family.”

“I once went into the room of an elderly teacher I had in the seventh or eighth grade,” he said. “The patient taught math. The patient said I must have been a student, but could not recall my name. I told who I was. The patient asked what I did for a living and  I said I was a pharmacist. The patient smiled and said, ‘I must have been a pretty good teacher.’ Yes, the patient was a good teacher.”

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been the biggest challenge of his career.

“In the six years I have worked for Mercy at the system level, the main responsibility is to make sure each hospital has the medications they need when they need them,” Campbell said. “COVID was the most difficult time as we were competing with every hospital in the country to have enough meds to treat patients, especially those on ventilators. There were many 20 hour days in April and May 2020.”

What is on the horizon for you?

My wife (Jane) says I am trading one OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) for another,” he said. “I would really like to help the city and county improve the overall quality of life through organizing volunteer groups to help our neighbors with whatever they need.”

Campbell is chairman of the Good Neighbor Action Team, which helps people with work on yards, house painting, etc.

“The community has three big events coming up next year with Big Kansas Road Trip in May, Good Ole Days, and the Fort Scott High School all-class reunion next June. We really have an opportunity to show off our great town and county.”

“We will also travel some and see more of the grandkids’ activities,” he said.

Campbel has four children: Ryan (who is deceased); Brett and wife, Kayla,  Pittsburg; Trevor and wife, Jami, Overland Park; and Jenna  Campbell and her fiance Devin,  Fort Scott. His grandkids are Mackenize Campbell,  Spokane, WA; Brecken and Landry Campbell,  Pittsburg and  Kennadie, Rush, Austyn,  and Larkin Campbell,  Overland Park.

Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Government, Health Care, Mercy Hospital

Bourbon County Government to Receive Former Mercy Building

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The Bourbon County Commission room in the courthouse, September 2018.

The Bourbon County Commission will be receiving the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. and $600,000 from Mercy as a donation to the county, Rob Harrington, Bourbon County Economic Development Director said in an email.

Robert Harrington. Submitted photo.

Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closed in October 2018.

The Sisters of Mercy had served the community since 1886.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas has had a clinic at the building since Mercy closed, but is moving when its’ lease is up at the end of 2022.

They have purchased the former Price Chopper store, 2322 Main Street, for their new facility.

The emergency department at the former hospital building also has a lease that will be up in 2022.

The county commission has been working on a solution to keep the building viable, as opposed to tearing the two-decades-old building down.

“Today is the beginning of a process, “Bourbon County Commissioner Clifton Beth said. “The attorneys will be going through the process of accepting the donation and the $600,000.”

Clifton Beth represents District 3. Photo from Facebook.

“We are in conversation with different entities that could potentially have use for that building,” Beth said.

The Bourbon County Commission is comprised of Beth, Lynne Oharah and Jim Harris.

First District Bourbon County Commissioner Lynne Oharah.
Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioner, District 2.

Beth said credit needs to go to Harrington who has been working to find entities that are interested.

“A lot of behind-the-scenes work is going on,” Beth said.

“We are trying to save the building,” Beth said. “My main priority is to have an Emergency Room in Bourbon County.”

“At the end of the day, the end users for that building, if they can use it, great,” Beth said. “If not, we’ll look at other options.”

“My goal is to be sure we have an ER,” Beth said. “Ascension Via Christi has one-and-one-half years left on their (current) lease. In conversations with them, they are planning to stay.”

Ascension Via Christi operates the emergency department at the former Mercy Hospital building.

To see more info on Ascension Via Christi:

Via Christi To Operate Fort Scott Emergency Room

Ascension Via Christi/Fort Scott Celebrates Opening of Emergency Department

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Health Care

CHC/SEK welcomes Family Medicine Physician Sarah Bradshaw

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Sliding fee discounts and financial assistance is available to eligible patients, as stated on the front door of the CHC/SEK Clinic in Fort Scott.


Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas welcomes Family Medicine Physician Sarah Bradshaw, MD, who has special practice interest in allergy, allergy symptoms, asthma and rashes.

She will begin seeing patients on Thursday, June 17 in the Fort Scott and Iola clinics.
Dr. Bradshaw, who is originally from Kansas City and now a Moran resident, interest in medicine began while watching her father work as an allergist. That’s where her own passion in allergy began.
“I saw how he helped people improve their health and got to know families over time,” she said. “I decided I wanted to help people improve their health too.”
A Kansas University graduate, Dr. Bradshaw completed her Doctor of Medicine at the Kansas University School of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the Kansas University School of Public Health.
CHC/SEK’s model of the Federally Qualified Health Center, which provides comprehensive and affordable care for people of all ages regardless the ability to pay, sparked Dr. Bradshaw’s interest in joining the health center.
Dr. Bradshaw’s scope of practice includes all facets of internal medicine, pediatrics, and family practice, except for obstetrics.
Most importantly, Dr. Bradshaw believes in giving patients the tools they need to live a healthy and allergy-free life.
“I enjoy teaching patients how to take care of themselves to improve their health,” she said. “I see them from time to time – patients are with themselves always.”
Bourbon County, Business, Health Care

Pain Management Massage Therapy Moves To Uniontown

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Pictured is the Bodyworks and Wellness ribbon cutting on May 27, facilitated by Uniontown Ruritan Club.
From left Ruritan Members  Mark Warren, Kevin Gleason, Raymond George, Joe George, Mauriel Whisenhunt-the owner, Henry Homan, and Mike Mason, stand in front of the business at 104 Sherman, Uniontown.

Mauriel Whisenhunt helped her grandfather, Clyde Brooker, when he was homebound and had edema.

“I would massage his feet, arms, and back,” she said. “He was the first who said God has given me a gift.”

This prompted her to begin a career in massage therapy.

Whisenhunt’s massage therapy is pain management, she said.

“I do pain management,” she said. “Everybody is different, I work to accommodate what the body may need.”

Whisenhunt said she is grateful for her clients.

She said many in the business don’t make it.

“Longevity in massage is five years,” she said. “It’s hard work.”

“I have so much gratitude for the personal relationships with people, watching client’s kids grow up, working in hospice,” she said. ” I have so much overwhelming gratitude. Every place I have been, it’s God’s timing.”

She is constantly learning, even after 20 years.

Her diploma from White River School of Massage.

“There is so much new coming out about science and massage,” she said.

Her constant challenge is trying to help people get out of pain and helping them with pain management, she said.

 

Mauriel Whisenhunt stands in front of her continuing education certificates at her business, Bodyworks And Wellness.

 

Whisenhunt has been a massage therapist for 20 years.

Last year, she moved her business,  Bodyworks and Wellness, to Uniontown, where she lives.

“COVID (the pandemic of the last year) prompted me to open shop in Uniontown,” Whisenhunt said. “I think all small businesses had to reshape their business plan.”

“We were told by the (Kansas) governor that we couldn’t work,” she said. “I was quarantined five times, two weeks each time from different places of contact.”

“When you can’t work, you have no income,” she said.

She and her husband, Rick, live in Uniontown and in addition, own a large building there.

“We revamped a small portion of his hobby space,” she said.

The building is located at 104 Sherman, just off Uniontown square. For an appointment call 620-224-7251.

 

 

Bourbon County, Health Care

Open House For Uniontown Clinic on June 12 from 2-3 p.m.

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The open house for the Uniontown Clinic of Girard Medical Center is this Saturday, June 12 from 2-3 p.m. The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The clinic is located on the main street in Uniontown, south of the Uniontown High School football field.

Refreshments and give-aways will be offered.

The clinic provides the following services: primary care, well-woman exams, sports and pre-school physicals, lab draws-with any physician’s order, and rapid testing for COVID, strep, flu, hemoglobin, blood sugar, urine, pregnancy and occult blood.

Call 620.756.4111 for more information.

 

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Health Care

CHC Update: Planning the Reno and Adding New Family Physician

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Financial assistance and sliding fee discounts are available to eligible patients, as stated on the front door of the CHC/SEK Clinic in Fort Scott.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Fort Scott, is still in the planning stage of the new site they purchased, the old Price Chopper store at 2322 S. Main.

“Planning on the renovation of Price Chopper is going smoothly,” Krista Postai, CEO and president, said. “It will have walk-in care along with regular medical clinic space and diagnostic, including x-ray, CT-scanner and bone density diagnostic equipment, offices for behavioral health/addiction treatment staff and other support staff and a drive-through pharmacy.”

 

Krista Postai. Submitted photo.

 

“No start date for renovation, as of yet,” Postai said.

“To help offset the expense of renovation, CHC/SEK was the recipient of a $1.1 million federal grant through the American Rescue Plan,” she said. “A large portion of the diagnostic equipment will also be covered by an $11.3 million grant that CHC/SEK received through the American Rescue Plan for Health Centers program.”

New Family Physician Is Added

“Dr. Sarah Bradshaw, a board-certified family physician with additional training in treating allergies will be joining the Ft. Scott Medical Staff in June,” Postai said. “Dr. Bradshaw is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Missouri of Kansas City. She also has a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Kansas School of Public Health. She was formerly employed by Allen County Regional Hospital.”

“Her time will be initially split between Iola and Ft. Scott,” she said. ” Her schedule is now being finalized and more details will be available this week.”

 

Health Care, Kansas

Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest

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TOPEKA – The Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention believes that every young person deserves to be safe from suicide and that the best way to reach youth in Kansas is to provide opportunities for them to reach out to their peers, thus the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest was created. The contest, which ended April 5, 2021, was open to Kansas youth in grades 6 through 12 and 28 youth from across the state dedicated their time and talents to developing messages to reach other youth with their submissions.

“We are pleased with the incredible quality of submissions for the contest. Every person who entered clearly put great thought and effort into their submission,” Steve Devore, President/CEO of Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ said. “We look forward to sharing them across the state to raise awareness of the possibility of hope and healing while working to provide enough support to Kansas youth so that no one ever walks alone in crisis. We anticipate all entries will resonate with youth but there were top prizes awarded for the three grade categories by youth judges.”

To view submissions to the Youth Suicide Prevention Art Contest, visit the online gallery at www.ksphq.org/artcontestgallery/.

The agencies involved in the Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention include the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

There is something each of us can do, follow these tips to help prevent youth suicide.

If I am a teen, I can…

  • Encourage friends that getting help for life’s ups and downs is okay.
  • Share stories about times getting help has worked.
  • Talk to my doctor during my annual well visit.
  • Break the stigma by encouraging discussion of mental wellness.
  • Be an example of kindness and connection to those around me.

If I am a parent, I can…

  • Be willing to listen without judgement.
  • Be the one to help my child seek mental and physical care when needed.
  • Store my firearms and prescription/over-the-counter medications safely at home to reduce the likelihood they will be used in a suicide crisis.

If I am a school employee, I can…

  • Be willing to listen without judgement.
  • Download the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale screener tool and champion protocol changes for successful implementation within my school or district.
  • Recognize social emotional learning initiatives that focus on building social skills especially problem-solving skills are effective upstream efforts to reduce suicide and other risky behaviors in students.
  • Implement evidence-based screening for depression and suicide for the entire student body.

If I am a community member, I can…

  • Be willing to listen without judgement.
  • Make resources for safe storage or disposal of means for suicide available (e.g. trigger locks, prescription take back initiatives).
  • Enroll in training like Mental Health First Aid or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills.
  • Participate in training like (ASIST) or Question. Persuade. Refer (QPR) to be able to better identify when youth are struggling with thoughts of suicide.
  • Practice good self-care; share my coping mechanisms with those around me, tell stories of seeking help and gaining recovery.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please text KANSAS to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Health Care

Pfizer vaccine available at CHC/SEK for people 12 and older  

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Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd.

The only FDA-authorized vaccine for 12- to17-year-olds is now available at all Community Health Center locations by appointment. The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is a two-dose vaccine that is given 21 days apart.

Now, entire households can be immunized against COVID-19 where previously only adults are were immunized. The vaccinations make it easier for students to return to regular schooling in person, and removes issues to school reopening’s by reducing the threat of transmission in classrooms, and allows adolescents to safely attend summer camps, sleepovers and get-togethers with friends.

Parents or guardians can request a vaccine appointment for their child on the CHC/SEK website chcsek.org. Click the COVID Vaccine Request button. After selecting the “first dose” button, there is an option to select the Pfizer vaccine. CHC/SEK representatives will contact the recipients to schedule a date for the vaccine. 

For those without web access, the health center has a toll-free number, 866-888-8650 and a second number for Spanish-speakers 620-240-8940 to make vaccination appointments.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also has endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for the 12-and-up group — and agreed that it’s OK to give more than one vaccine at the same time, especially for children who are behind on their regular vaccinations. More than 3.78 million children have been infected with SARS-CoV-2cases and at least 303 have died, according to the AAP.

Vaccinating children helps shield others in the community from the virus, including people who are not protected by the vaccine, such as cancer patients and those with impaired immune responses. 

Experts also believe the more persons who are vaccinated, the less likely the virus will mutate and continue to spread further.

As with all COVID-19 vaccines, there is no out-of-pocket costs to vaccine recipients.  

Area News, Health Care

Diagnostic Imaging at NRMC Sees Continued Growth

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Diagnostic Imaging employees at NRMC who provide patients with ultrasound exams include, (L-R) Matt Law, Jackie Karleskint, and Joe Heathman.

 

April marked a record number of ultrasounds performed at NRMC with a total of 329 exams. Diagnostic Imaging at NRMC involves many different types of imaging machines and exams. Ultrasounds are used by physicians to study soft tissue structures, such as the gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas, and bladder. 

Ultrasounds can also measure the flow of blood in the arteries to detect blockages. It is most commonly understood for its use in studying the developing fetus during pregnancy.

“Being non-invasive, ultrasound is a strong alternative for certain imaging exams while providing no ionizing radiation exposure to the patient, says Todd Fine, Director of Diagnostic Imaging at NRMC. “The number of ultrasounds performed in April reinforces the decision to beef up our ultrasound imaging department to meet the needs of the area providers.”

With the addition of new providers, NRMC has seen the need for ultrasounds grow steadily and has begun to invest in expanding its capabilities and staffing accordingly.

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About Nevada Regional Medical Center
Serving a six-county area since 1937, Nevada Regional Medical Center is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital. Nevada Regional Medical Center has earned recognition as a respected regional medical center for its comprehensive health care services, skilled and caring employees and state-of-the-art medical technology. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties, including family practice, women’s services, neurology, urology, psychiatry, orthopedics, wound care services, and general, vascular, thoracic and oncological surgery. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in oncology, pulmonology, podiatry, ear, nose, and throat and cardiology.