Health Health H e a l t h Essentials Essentials Essentials On August 29th The Leader will publish a special section on Local OnHealthcare. August 29th Dr. Tamisha Jones, medical On August 29th director and pediatrician at We The will Leader print the local will publish Legacy Health, said its quick The Leader will publish ramp-up with tele-health apdoctors, dentists, nurses a special section onin March gave pointments a special section on parents confidence to come in andLocal healthHealthcare. this summer. Local Healthcare. “Itthe reallylocal did help people,” We will print professionals that are Jones said. “The (virtual) apWe will print the local pointmentsnurses were with their doctors, dentists, open and spotlight Legacy health care providdoctors, dentists, nurses ers and it allayed fears. They and health essential healthcare. could peek back into the clinand health professionals ics.”that are professionals that are Parents got outreach calls open andopportunity spotlight on their children’s birthdays to This is your open and spotlight check in and talk about needessential healthcare. ed appointments. to let our readers know essential healthcare. Dr. Amar Trivedi, mediabout your business and cal director and dentist with Legacy, said the clinics colThis is your opportunity how it is operating laborated well along service This is your opportunity lines, to maximize the services to let our readers know during these times. that could be offered with an to let our readers know in-person visit. and about your business Trivedi said that when they about your business and talked to parents and patients, how it is operating how it is operating staff could explain the proFull Page - $1500 Stock photo during these times. tocols that were in place. BeAfter seeing athese decrease in well-child appointments and scheduled vaccinations for children in the spring, Legacy Community Health has seen during times. cause of CDC guidelines for an uptick over the summer. The Leader • Saturday, August 29, 2020 • Page 1B
In-person medical, dental appointments on rise By Betsy Denson
betsy@theleadernews.com
Dr. Dongwook Kristen, a physician at Dr. Van Tran Family Practice at 1919 N Loop W #218, said in-person visits are picking up at their medical office. “(They) are coming in for annual visits and well-women exams,” Kristen said. “Also those who missed scheduled blood work are starting up again.” Kristen said patients have asked questions beforehand about security precautions the office had in place. Aside from the mandatory masks and shields, they have reorganized their waiting room to maximize social distancing in addition to other measures. From anecdotal accounts, the uptick in healthcare visits comes from the increasing comfort people have with safety measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 as well as the reality that some appointments cannot wait until the pandemic abates. The Harris County Public Health department said the testing positivity rate in the county is at 11 percent. A late June poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation said about half of adults polled (52 percent) say they or another family member in their household skipped or postponed some type of medical or dental care because of the coronavirus pandemic, including 42 percent who personally skipped or postponed care. Dental care was the most likely to be skipped or postponed, followed by regular check-ups
dline
25th - 5:00 PM es August 29th
Half Page - there $800 dental offices, is a longer time in between appointments or physical exams. that you may delay diagnosis are “completely comfortable” tions for children. during the day to allow for exDr. Deepti Mishra, vice and find cancer at a more ad- with their high level of person1/4 - -$450 Full Page $1500 That is a good thing be- Page Full - $1500 president of medicalPage opera- vanced stage. It’s much better al protective equipment and cause, according to a Legacy tra cleaning. said they are waiting tions with Memorial Hermann to find these conditions early office precautions. news release, there was aHalf 50 3 Jones Ad Deadline Page - $800 5 $275 to x see what-will happen with Medical Group, said earlier to begin immediate treat“Ninety percent of the canpercent decrease in these Half Page $800 in-person school. She said Authis month that the hospital ment.” cellations are due to patients appointments in May and a is 3 generally time -a busy $450 system is encouraging paof the Oaks, postponing routine cleanings nearly 90 percent decrease 1/4 xPage - $150 in 3gust Page1717At- W.Dentistry $450 tients to come1/4 in for routine 34th St. #450, Dr. Ka- due to not feeling comfort- April. June, however, showed with older children who need August 25th PM sports mandacheck-ups since they have tie Stuchlik saidAd the office saw able,”she5:00 said. a 9 percent increase in the 2physicals Deadline 3vaccinations. xfor-5 - or$275 x 4 $110 tory safety measures in place to a “wave of patients” after reAt Legacy Community total number of well-child ap3 x 5opening - $275 “We haven’t seen that push ensure social distancing. from their shutdown Health, a full-service network pointments to the same time 3withx school-age 3- -$60 $150 (yet)Size kids,” “Pediatric patients need becausePublishes people needed to see August of community health clinics Business Card last year, and July had only a 29th 3 x 3 $150 she said. to stay on track with routine a dentist afterAugust six weeks. offering primary and specialty 13 percent decrease for chil25th - 5:00 PM vaccinations and we want to “This month, we’ve seen a care in the Texas Gulf Coast dren over 3 years old. 2 x 4 - $110 ensure that we are doing2rouslowdown compared to last region with 35 locations across x 4 $110 tine mammograms (and) colo- August, presumably as case Houston, Baytown, Deer Park Business Card Size - $60 noscopies,” Mishra said. “The numbers heightened,” she and Beaumont, there has29th been Publishes August Business Card Size - $60 problem with waiting on routine screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies is
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said. a noticeable upward trend this Stuchlik said theCovering majorsummer well-child appointthe Heights, GardeninOaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston ity of those who do come in ments and on-time vaccina-
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Heights fire station unlikely hub for blood donations
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Most 15-year-olds can’t wait to get their driver’s license. Jackson Guyre can’t wait to give blood. Guyre, a Woodland Heights resident and sophomore at St. Thomas High School, will turn 16 on Sept. 9. He’s already signed up to donate blood on Sept. 22 at the Historic Heights Fire Station, which has been hosting weekly blood donation events throughout the summer. Taking part is important for Guyre, who has twice been a recipient of donated blood. He was born with a congenital heart defect and needed blood during two open-heart surgeries, at 8 months old and again at age 14. “I think it’ll be pretty cool, especially because I’ve received blood before and I know how much it means,” he said. “Some people do it, but they don’t really know the impact it has on people. They do it because they know it’s a good thing, but they don’t realize how good a thing it actually is.” Guyre’s mother, Emily Guyre, is the executive director of the Houston Heights Association (HHA), which initially agreed to host one donation event in May but has since become a hub of sorts for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. The HHA was scheduled to host its 14th donation event of the year on Thursday and has five more scheduled for September and four slated for October. Blood center spokesperson Cameron Palmer, whose organization provides blood to 140 hospitals in 26 counties in the region, said the HHA has helped fill an important need during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the blood center typically gets about two-thirds of its donations from drives at schools, but they’ve all been closed for most of the last five months. And while Palmer said the need for blood declined during the early stages of the pandemic, when many Houstonarea residents were at home and elective surgeries were suspended, the demand has returned to normal levels as of late. He said more people are having operations, receiving treatments for medical conditions and sustaining traumatic injuries while out and about on the roads.
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Contributed photo The Historic Heights Fire Station has hosted 14 blood donation events, and nine more are scheduled for September and October.
“The need for blood is always going to be there,” Palmer said. “It doesn’t matter if we have this super hurricane coming in or COVID-19. We need about 800-1,000 units of blood every day to meet the demand for our community.” Palmer said the HHA has gone “above and beyond” in its role as an organizer of donation events. Its first 13 events from May through midAugust yielded a total of 524 donations, which Palmer said equates to saving 1,572 lives because each pint of donated blood can be used mined for plasma, platelets and red blood cells. Palmer also marveled at the consistently high participation level at the blood donation events hosted by the HHA, which has a total of 54 time slots at each event. Emily Guyre said every time slot was utilized during each of the first 12 events. Because donors typically have to wait at least eight weeks before giving blood again, Palmer said that means the HHA has been able to draw in new donors for most of its events. “It is just incredible that they’re able to constantly bring in people to donate,” he said. “It’s just amazing.” Guyre said she’s grateful to Heights-area residents for the making the ongoing blood drive such as success. It wasn’t something she necessarily envisioned when the HHA volunteered to host the first donation event on May 12, because it was looking for a way to engage the community and utilize the fire station, located at 107 W. 12th St., during a time when no other events were being held there because of the pandemic.
Because the donation slots filled up so fast on May 12, Guyre said the HHA decided to hold another event the next day and a third on May 28. Its next events were June 25-26, after which Guyre said the blood center asked if the HHA could start hosting them weekly. So they were held weekly during July and August, and the arrangement is continuing through September and October. Guyre said donation events come with no cost to the HHA beyond keeping the electricity running and the air conditioner cranked up at the fire station, where masks are required and there is adequate space between donation stations, and the blood center gives the HHA a $20 gift card to Target for each event it hosts. There also are incentives for the donors, who can receive a free COVID-19 antibody test with each donation. The blood center also has had monthly promotions, offering items such as beach towels, Blue Bell ice cream and socks for child cancer awareness. While they last, donors also will receive a coupon for a free appetizer at Kin Dee Thai Cuisine, a new restaurant at 1533 N. Shepherd Dr. Suite 160. “It’s been amazing. I didn’t expect it,” Guyre said of the community response. “We have just been full steam ahead all summer long. It’s so gratifying. The Houston Heights Association just loves being able to invite people in and give back to the City of Houston.” Giving blood is especially meaningful to the Guyre family. Jackson received the blood he needed from his parents, Emily and Jason, who have continued to donate blood so other
month and said he is counting down the days. “I just know that a lot of people need blood,” he said. “They either have a disease where they can’t make their own or they have a surgery where they lose a lot of blood and need people to donate blood to keep them alive. Life is precious.” For information about how to register to donate, email emily@houstonheights.org or visit the HHA’s Facebook page, @HoustonHeightsAssociation.
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