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MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS Need for professionals is so severe that a local lab will help pay tuition and will hire students who finish the two- or four-year degree program MORE WOMEN ­­—Thirty-five years ago, only 12 percent of practicing physicians were women. Today, 33 percent.

‘Healthcare in a Minute’ inside

Is This Toy Safe?

December • Issue 192

cnyhealth.com

CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

Heroin Surge Experts say use of heroin in Oswego County has never been so high.

Find out what’s causing the spike.

Nearly 150,000 children get injured while playing with toys every year. Be careful before you buy your next toy

INSIDE

Holiday Blues Yoga improves arthritis symptoms, mood. Says who?

Researchers at Johns Hopkins

Gwenn Voelckers

It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for some people, the holiday season brings just the opposite: stress, sadness and anxiety. But why? And how to beat the blues.

INSIDE

‘Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Those Who Live Alone’

SmartBites: Why Beef Deserves a Shout-Out

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High Blood Pressure Nearly half of Americans don’t control it, according to a recent CDC report December 2015 •

Flu Shots Excellus study shows only one in three Upstate New York adults aged 18 to 64 receives an annual flu vaccine.

Study suggests this may be a reason why there are so many more cases of the flu in the region

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Nearly Half of Americans With High Blood Pressure Not Controlling It: CDC Big part of the problem is getting people to take medications, stick with them, experts said

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early half of Americans with high blood pressure are not properly controlling their condition, increasing their risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease, a new government report shows.

About 47 percent of people with high blood pressure have not brought their numbers to a normal range, through either lifestyle changes or medications, according to data published Nov. 12 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s actually a huge improvement: Back in 1999, more than 68 percent did not have their blood pressure under control, the report found.

But it’s far short of the federal Healthy People 2020 goal, which calls for fewer than 40 percent of people with high blood pressure to have it uncontrolled by that date, according to the CDC researchers.

Experts agreed that the problem is still significant.

“I don’t think we have enough positive information to be cheering,” said physician Patrick O’Gara, executive medical director of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular

Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Although the trend is positive, the magnitude of the problem is self-evident. We have a lot of work to do.”

High blood pressure is defined as 140 or higher systolic pressure (the top number) and 90 or higher diastolic (the bottom number). Systolic is the pressure of blood in the vessels when the heart beats, and diastolic is the pressure between beats.

The overall rate of high blood pressure in the United States has remained constant, hovering between 28 percent and 29 percent, the new report found.

Two in three people over the age of 60 have high blood pressure, and one in three people between the ages of 40 and 59 have the condition.

What improvements there have been in controlling high blood pressure have not benefited all groups in the United States.

Whites are most likely to have their blood pressure under control, close to 56 percent, the CDC report showed. Blacks (48 percent under control), Asians (43 percent) and Hispanics (47 percent) are all more likely to be living with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

A large part of the problem is getting people to start taking blood pressure medications, and then to stay with them, said physician

Richard Stein, director of the Urban Community Cardiology Program at the New York University School of Medicine.

“Patients don’t like to take drugs,” Stein said. “I don’t like to take drugs. Drugs that don’t have an

obvious beneficial effect for me, it’s easier for me to forget to take them.”

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because people often have no immediate symptoms. Prescribing medication to a person who feels well can be difficult, Stein said.

One in 45 US Kids Has an Autism Spectrum Disorder

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bout one in 45 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, according to a new government estimate of the condition’s prevalence in 2014.

This new report is based on data collected during the yearly National Health Interview Survey, from interviews of parents about their children, and is the first report of the prevalence of autism in the U.S. to include data from the years 2011 to 2014, according to the researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Although the new estimate looks like a significant increase from the CDC’s previous estimate — which put the autism spectrum disorder rate at one in 68 children — the previous estimate was made using data from a different CDC survey, called

the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, which gathers information from children’s medical records. This one-in-68 estimate was reported in 2014, but was based on data collected during 2010.

None of the interview surveys and monitoring methods that report increasing prevalence rates of autism in the U.S. looked at why these numbers seem to be rising. But one reason could be that awareness of the condition has increased among both parents and health care providers, which has likely led to more children with the condition being identified, said Robert Fitzgerald, an epidemiologist in psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who was not involved in the research.

Happy Holidays from the Physicians and Staff at FamilyCare Medical Group, P.C.

Visit our website at www.fcmg.org to learn more about our practice and office locations.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Married People Fare Better Following Cardiac Surgery Patients who are divorced, separated or widowed had an approximately 40 percent greater chance of dying or developing a new functional disability in the first two years following cardiac surgery than their married peers, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published at the end of October in JAMA Surgery.

Elite Plus stroke care.

It’s why more people are saying “Take me to Crouse.”

‘Tummy Tuck’ Complications Bring High Risk Factors Abdominoplasty — sometimes called “tummy tuck”— has a higher risk of major complications than other cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Better Sex Lives After Weight-Loss Surgery Both men and women see lasting improvements in their sex lives after bariatric surgery, according to a new study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and presented here at ObesityWeek 2015, the largest international event focused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity. Findings were presented at a weeklong obesity conference hosted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric.

Weight Loss Apps Alone Might Not Help Used alone, a cell phone app that tracks exercise, calories and weight loss goals is, on average, not enough to create meaningful weight loss in young adults, according to new research from Duke Medicine.

Self-Weighing May Be a Hazardous Behavior Among Young Women Self-weighing can be a useful tool to help adults control their weight, but for adolescents and young adults this behavior may have negative psychological outcomes. Researchers from the University of Minnesota tracked the self-weighing behaviors of more than 1,900 young adults as part of Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) and found increases in self-weighing to be significantly related to increases in weight concern and depression and decreases in body satisfaction and self-esteem among females.

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t takes a talented team of dedicated, patient-focused experts to meet the most rigorous standards in the diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke — the most common form of stroke.

The new Elite Plus level of the Target: Stroke Honor Roll is reserved for hospitals that consistently meet aggressive door-to-treatment times that surpass the U.S. average.

Crouse is the only Central New York hospital to earn Elite Plus status from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Thanks to our team for exceeding the highest national standards of stroke care. You make us proud — and our patients grateful.

crouse.org/stroke

December 2015 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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CALENDAR of

®

HEALTH EVENTS

Sound-based therapy works on supporting change in learning, development, and wellness.

The Davis Model of Sound Intervention ® repatterms the subtle energy system between the voice, ear and brain, supporting a pathway of self-healing. Appropriate programs are determined by a proprietary test battery. People of all ages with all issues/diagnoses have obtained a more balanced self with this approach.

Now at the RoseHeart Center 5900 N. Burdick Street, East Syracuse, NY 13057 ddavis@thedaviscenter,com • 862-251-4637 Schedule online at www.thedaviscenter.com

Dorinne Davis

World’s Leading Sound-based Therapist

Group Classes at All Levels Individual Yoga Instruction Vedic Chanting and Mantra Yoga Gift Certificates Available

Dec. 3

Dec. 16

Meeting designed to help participants cope with holidays

Upstate photographers hold show, reception

“Coping with the Holidays” is the theme of the meeting sponsored

by Hope for Bereaved, Inc. , which will take place from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Dec. 3, at Hope For Bereaved, 4500 Onondaga Blvd., Syracuse. People who have experienced the death of a loved one will share their stories of how they handled the holidays.

There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Helpful handouts will be distributed and refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is not required. For more information, call 475-HOPE (4673) or visit www.hopeforberaved.com.

Dec. 13

Elder abuse conference held in E. Syracuse A nationally renowned expert on elder abuse will be the guest speaker during the 18th Annual Elder Abuse Conference: Aging is Natural, Abuse is Not, which will take place from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Dec. 11 at the DoubleTree Hotel in East Syracuse. The speaker, Ashton Applewhite, will address issues related to ageism and abuse. The talk will be followed by four scheduled breakout sessions featuring 13 different workshop options and 18 resource table vendors will share information.

The keynote and workshop sessions have been approved by the NYS Social Work Board for Continuing Education Contact Hours (total possible 4.75 hours).

Fee to attend is $45 and includes breakfast, lunch and snack. Registration is limited to the first 200 people. In order to register, visit www. verahouse.org and complete the application. Or call Vera House, Inc. at 315-425-0818.

A number of Upstate New York photographers will exhibit their best photos this month at the headquarters of Hospice of Central New York, 990 7th North St. in Liverpool. The exhibit, which started in November, will continue until the end of December. The show is free and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. A reception, which is open to the public, is scheduled from 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Photographers are presenting pictures taken of landmarks here in Central New York as well as special sites from West Virginia to Spain and everywhere in between.

Hospice of Central New York serves Onondaga, western Madison and southern Oswego counties and is the community’s expert resource providing compassionate and comprehensive comfort care at the end of life to patients and families through unique interdisciplinary services, bereavement counseling, education and collaboration. For more information visit www.hospicecny.org.

Holiday Angel Emergency Appeal ACR Health needs 20 additional “Holiday Angels” to help fill requests for assistance from families in need.

The long-standing Holiday Angel program pairs community members (Angels) with a qualified ACR Health client and their family. The angels get a list of needs the family has, and then makes holiday purchases for the families based on the list.

ACR serves Cayuga, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence counties. Holiday Angels are needed across our nine-county service area. If you would like to be a Holiday Angel, call 800-475-2430, or email events@ACRHealth.

Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga and Madison Counties in good A monthly newspaper published by

Health CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

Local News, Inc. 5,000 copies distributed throughout more than 1,000 high traffic locations, including all Wegmans stores.

In Good Health is published 12 times a year by Local News, Inc. © 2015 by Local News, Inc. All rights reserved. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126. • Phone: 315-342-1182 • Fax: 315-342-7776.

Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto • Associate Editor: Lou Sorendo Contributing Writers: Jim Miller, Eva Briggs, M.D., Gwenn Voelckers, Deborah Banikowski, George W. Chapman, Deborah Sergeant, Anne Palumbo, Melissa Stefanec, Matthew Liptak, Chris Motola, Jeremy Klemansk Advertising: Amy Gagliano, Cassandra Lawson Design: Chris Crocker • Office Manager: Alice Davis No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement—not to take the place of—the recommendations of your health provider.

Consult your physician before making major changes in your lifestyle or health care regimen.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Most Adults in Upstate Skip Flu Shots

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nly one in three Upstate New York adults ages 18 to 64 receives an annual flu vaccine, according to new research released in November by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

While not everyone who avoids the flu shot or nasal spray gets sick, there were about 16,000 confirmed cases among adults ages 18 and older in Upstate New York last year.

“I don’t think people take the flu seriously, and they should,” said physician Marybeth McCall, vice president and chief medical officer, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “Many refer to every case of the sniffles accompanied by aches and pains as the ‘flu,’ but flu is very specific and can be serious.”

Nationwide, flu causes 200,000 hospitalizations and nearly 24,000 deaths each year.

Flu shots and nasal sprays are among the essential benefits that are covered in full under the Affordable Care Act. They are available at many pharmacies and other sites without an appointment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that

everyone age 6 months and older get a flu vaccine annually.

“When it comes to confirmed cases of the flu, Upstate New York gets more than its fair share,” said McCall. “With only a quarter of the state’s population, Upstate New York accounts for around 37 percent of the state’s total confirmed cases.”

Flu activity usually peaks between December and February, but outbreaks can occur as early as October, and activity can last as late as May. “The beautiful weather we’ve had this fall may have lulled people into thinking that it’s not yet flu season, but it is,” McCall said.

Flu Vaccine Myths

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duration.

Myth: Flu season has already started. It’s too late to get the vaccine.

Fact: As long as flu viruses are circulating, it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

Myth: I got the flu vaccine last year, so I don’t need it this year.

Fact: Strains of viruses can change each season, and a person’s immunity declines over time.

Myth: If I get the flu shot now, it won’t protect me through the entire flu season.

Fact: Although the immunity provided by the flu vaccine can vary by person, immunity lasts through a full flu season for most people.

Fact: The flu vaccine can’t give you the flu, because the virus it contains has been inactivated or weakened.

Myth: Washing my hands will protect me from getting the flu.

Fact: Frequent hand-washing can help slow the spread of germs that cause the flu, but the single best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.

To access the Excellus BCBS infographic, “Facts About The Flu Vaccine,” go to excellusbcbs.com/ factsheets. To watch a video about the flu vaccine, go to youtube.com/ excellusbcbs.

Myth: The flu vaccine can cause the flu.

ommon myths may be the reason why two in three Upstate New York adults don’t get the vaccine.

Myth: The flu vaccine isn’t very effective.

Fact: While the effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies, it’s still the best way to prevent flu or shorten its

Healthcare in a Minute

By George W. Chapman

USA is still No. 1

When it comes to the cost of healthcare we’re still No. 1 in the world. In a study by the Commonwealth Fund, comparing costs and outcomes among economically developed countries, the U.S. maintains its No. 1 ranking in cost of care per capita. In 2013, our cost per capita was $9,086. That’s 50 percent higher than the cost per capita of No. 2, Switzerland. Australia, Denmark, Germany, France and Canada were all below $5,000. Japan, the UK and New Zealand were below $4,000 per capita. Again, we are not getting our proverbial bang for the buck. The U.S. did not rank “best” in any of the healthcare outcome measurements such as life expectancy, obesity, infant mortality, etc. Most interesting was the fact we see a doctor an average of four times per year, which was the third lowest among the countries in the study. High deductible plans or lack of insurance may be the reasons why many of us put off seeking care.

Sixty-four million Americans reported they have some trouble paying their medical bills, which probably keeps a lot of them from seeking care when they should.

Robot hospital

The first fully digital hospital ($1.7 billion and 656 beds) in North America opened in October in Toronto. In addition to having the most advanced/futuristic technologies and equipment, several areas are served by robots. They transport patients through imaging services, mix chemotherapy drugs in the pharma-

cy, scan drugs to be sure they go to the right patient and deliver medical supplies and food to patients. All of this will surely be coming to your hospital soon.

Women physicians increasing

Thirty-five years ago, only 12 percent of practicing physicians were women. Today, 33 percent of all practicing physicians are women. The 50 percent mark is not far off since 50 percent of medical students over the past few years have been women.

Industry observers are anticipating that women physicians will have an increasing impact on healthcare policy, politics, leadership, delivery and payment.

Revolutionary innovations

According to the Cleveland Clinic, we’ve seen these innovations recently: 1. Fast-tracked vaccines. Ebola was nipped in the bud rather quickly thanks to advances in genetic engineering, which gives scientists the ability to quickly target viruses and eradicate them. This will drastically limit the spread of diseases in the future. 2. Genomics. Physicians can target treatments for specific DNA markers of a patient’s disease, getting them into clinical trials matched to their conditions much earlier. 3.

Lifelike robotic limbs. You will be able to control them with your mind.

However, still being tested and very expensive. 4. Stroke treatment. A tiny wire cage-like device is implanted in blood vessels to catch and remove clots, speeding recovery and increasing the chances of a full recovery from a stroke.

ACA enrollment Health and Human Services estimates about 10 million people will have purchased insurance through the marketplaces in 2015. While officials believe the vast majority will re-enroll next year, HHS isn’t counting on a lot of growth in 2016 for a variety of factors. Individuals drop out when they get employer-based insurance. Some can no longer afford the premiums, even if subsidized.

Others are just confused by their plan’s requirements. The biggest factor, however, is that we are down to the “hard core” uninsured or the toughest of the remaining 8 percent to 9 percent still uninsured. The uninsured rate was 17 percent just two years ago.

Population health

As physician and hospital reimbursement transitions away from fee for service to pay for quality or outcome, the emphasis for healthcare providers and their systems will be effective population management of the people for whom they are responsible. According to the director of the Centers for Disease Control, physician Tom Frieden, there is a pyramid model to maximize outcome. The first level of the pyramid is comprised of income, employment, race and education. The second level includes public healthcare interventions like expanded coverage and benefits. The third level includes long-term preventive measures like immunizations and healthy life styles. The fourth level includes clinical interventions for chronic ailments December 2015 •

like hypertension, depression, obesity and diabetes. Education and outreach efforts are the tip of the pyramid. Frieden maintains the third and fourth levels are the most important for population management.

Advance care planning

Remember “death panels”? This cynical and misleading euphemism was part of the uninformed and hysterical criticism of the Affordable Care Act. Fortunately, six years into the ACA, the term has been dropped because there never were “death panels.” Honest and direct discussions between a physician and patient of the realistic options remaining toward the inevitable end of life are standard of care. Too often “heroic” measures are undignified and simply delay the inevitable. Following the lead of Medicare, most insurance plans pay physicians for “advance care planning” which includes discussing advance directives (DNR, ventilators, feeding tubes, etc.), hospice care and other end-of-life issues confronting the patient and their family. Medicare is very clear that advance care planning is at the discretion of the patient.

George W. Chapman is a health consultant who operates GW Chapman Consulting in Upstate New York.

To reach him, email gwc@gwchapmanconsulting.com.

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Meet

Your Doctor

In the News Psychiatrist David Keith recently directed a conference in Syracuse that gathered more than 90 mental health especialists to discuss, among other things, how to use humor in the healing process.

By Chris Motola

David Keith, M.D. SUNY Upstate psychiatrist gathers more than 90 experts to discuss uses of humor and creativity in the healing process Q: How did your specialty lead you toward integrating creativity into your practice and to put together your annual creativity conferences?

A: I’m a psychiatrist and a professor of psychiatry. I’m a psychiatrist who does family therapy, so I’ve worked with the whole system.

I would say that, within psychiatry, it’s a way of working that allows me to pay attention to other disciplines and the nature of creativity and become involved with the creativity conference. It’s called the Naomi Chernoff Creativity Conference after a younger faculty member who died in 2008. Her family helped us set up an endowment to support creativity education for psychiatry residents.

She, herself, was an artist as well as engaging clinician. Humor was a big part of the way she engaged with her students and patients.

Q: How do you study creativity as it applies to psychiatry?

A: To be honest, in a fairly random way. I don’t say that I study it so much as play around with it, but I don’t do it by myself. I have a committee that works with me.

Every year we work together to select a theme and develop a program around it. The first one we did was in 2007 and it was called Collage Mindset. At the center of that, we had a psychiatrist who is a collage artist from Stockbridge, Mass. We had one of our faculty talk about therapy that he was using that drew on deconstructive philosophy, from [Jacques] Derrida. We had a friend of mine who is a jazz pianist, vocalist and therapist from New York City who does something called jazz consultations. She’d have two jazz musicians watch the session through a one-way mirror, who would then improvise some music based on what they heard. Then they’d perform the piece for the family. After they left, the family would discuss how the music made them feel. So she came up and did that as part of our conference.

That was about three years ago. We just had our ninth conference.

Q: Sounds good. It reminds me a bit of a guideline I heard that I thought was pretty on point: constraints drive creativity.

A: Sure. I can say that in a family therapy interview, I may feel stuck or frustrated, so what I’ll do is turn my attention away from the patients for a moment, and that’s often when a creative or novel thought will come to mind. So frustration can drive a lot of creativity. The way we got going on this is, one of my younger colleagues and I wanted to expand the way we think about human problems. A lot of thinking in psychiatry is grounded on how surgeons think about human problems. Surgeons tend to think about problems in a much more narrow way. They’re obliged to do that, because you don’t want someone to think too broadly while they’re operating on you. But that way of thinking doesn’t work as well with psychiatry. We’re highly involved with culture. So it’s your body, it’s your personal relationships, and it’s the culture. So the kind of thinking required is very energized by creativity.

Q: How can it help families work through their problems?

A: So people show up, they have a problem. They may have looked it up on the Internet or talked about it with their family doctor.

They come look-

Q: So I think a lot of disciplines have tried to get a handle on what, exactly, creativity is, but I think this is the first time I’ve heard it approached from a medical context. What, to you, is creativity?

A: Let’s see. It’s the ability to be able to think simultaneously in and outside the box. Creativity is grounded in freedom, but an artist needs to balance that with discipline and responsibility. How’s that?

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

ing for a diagnosis. But I don’t give them a diagnosis. I involve them in a therapy process that, rather than based on convergent thinking, is based on divergent thinking, which is more associated with art. Scientists are skeptical about it. I’ve given talks about it, and many physicians get upset by hearing the word art in conjunction with medicine, because they want what they do to be based on empirical science. And while empirical science obviously has value in psychiatry, it’s also limiting and can come up short in dealing with ambiguous issues.

Q: One of things often said about the human brain is that it’s a pattern-recognition machine. Among the definitions I’ve heard for creativity is that it represents the ability to draw remote associations between two ideas that are, on the surface, very different. My impression, regarding mental health, is that you’re dealing with a lot of pattern-based issues. Is that where creativity comes in?

A: That’s good. In fact, there’s an author named Arthur Koestler. He has a book called “The Act of Creation,” which talks about associative thinking, which is pretty much what you’re talking about. Our thinking tends to occur inside of a framework or coordinate systems. But if you put two different coordinate systems together, you get novel ideas. I do a lot of writing, and I usually begin by looking up etymological definitions in the dictionary, but I’ve never actually done that, but you might have more information than I do.

Q: Not exactly.

I kind of wear two hats these days: one as a writer, and one as a programmer. One of the interesting things about that is that they both have different ways of describing creativity, right down to what they call it,

even if they’re talking about the same thing at the end of the day. The reaction you’re describing from your peers reminds me that lot of engineers who hate the word, but not the process.

They call it “innovation.” What do your patients tend to think of it?

A: I’d say it’s comparatively variable, but I think the capacity to think creatively is evidence of health.

Families who have more difficult problems are more likely to be more rigid in how they think. They don’t like ambiguity. So I’m trying to help them learn, first, how to tolerate ambiguity and then, hopefully, develop a taste for it. One of the purposes in doing these conferences is to help stimulate conversational thought among practitioners. We’re told how to practice and given manualized therapy systems. Those can be helpful to get started, but they interfere with creativity and the responsibility that comes with it. A lot of my assistants will remark that practitioners are talking to each other after the conferences, much more than they generally are after other conferences.

I want to get people talking about ideas and what they do.

Q: Is the word getting out? Are more people attending each year?

A: It seemed to this year. We had it at Syracuse Stage. We had 92 people this year, up from 70-something the year before. It’s not an overwhelmingly popular event, but a lot of people come back. I’m not sure the idea is very pervasive in the world at large. There’s apprehension about the idea because people think it means you can do whatever you want.

That’s never actually true. I’ve been doing this 45 years and have never felt like I can do whatever I want. I work with a kind of code that helps me think creatively, but also limits what I do. Does that make sense?

Q: Sure. Blue sky creativity tends to be less effective than applying it to the context of a specific idea or problem.

A: Ya. I have a code that guides my practice. I can’t tell you exactly what that is; it’s hard to articulate it, but I do operationalize it in my work.

Everything we do tends to be regulated by some kind of unconscious code.

Lifelines Name: David Keith, M.D. Position: Professor of psychiatry at Upstate Medical University Hometown: St. Paul, MN Education: University Minnesota Medical School, University of Wisconsin (residency) Affiliations: SUNY Upstate Medical University Organizations: American Psychiatric Association, American Family Therapy Academy, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Family: Married, four adult children Hobbies: Reading, blues harmonica, raising dalias

My Turn

By Eva Briggs

All About Concussions With schools back in session, kids come into the urgent care almost every day

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nce school is back in session, and kids resume organized sports, there are kids coming into the urgent care with concussions almost every day.

In fact, it’s estimated that 1.6 million to 3.8 million people suffer sports-related concussions in the U.S. every year.

The first question is, what is a concussion? There’s no universally agreed upon definition, because it’s a functional, rather than an anatomic, injury. That means that if you obtain a brain image by CAT scan or MRI, it will be normal. One way to think of this is to imagine that someone bends your finger back until it hurts. The pain and injury are real, even though it won’t show up on a finger X-ray.

So a health care provider will have to make a judgment as to whether a concussion occurred based on the patient’s symptoms and whether these symptoms occurred after a head injury.

Headache is the most common symptom. Symptoms can be somatic (physical) such as blurred vision, fatigue, nausea, light or sound sensitivity and vomiting. Concussions can also cause sleep disturbances, such as increased or decreased sleep, trouble falling asleep or drowsiness.

Cognitive impairments, which affect a patient’s thinking, include

amnesia, confusion, delayed verbal responses, trouble concentrating, difficulty remembering, disorientation, feeling foggy, feeling stunned, trouble focusing, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness. Less that 10 percent of people with concussions lose consciousness or get knocked out. So it’s important to be aware that loss of consciousness is not required to diagnose a concussion. Concussions can also cause emotional symptoms like anxiety, clinginess, depression, emotional lability, irritability, personality changes, and sadness.

You’ll notice that the list above does not include dilated pupil. I often see parents who can’t believe that their child has a concussion if his/ her pupils are normal. If a patient suffers a head injury so severe that there is a blown pupil (dilated and doesn’t constrict to light), they have more than a concussion and are very sick, with other serious symptoms.

Also, many people naturally have one pupil larger than the other, often not noticed until someone looks closely after a head injury.

Fortunately, most high school coaches and trainers have a form that they can fill out detailing a player’s

symptoms after a head injury. The patient then brings the form to their health care provider. This is very helpful, because the player often doesn’t recall all their symptoms, the coach isn’t usually accompanying the player to the clinic, and the parent may not have been there to directly observe the injury.

Most concussion symptoms occur immediately after a head injury or within several hours. And the symptoms of many concussions resolve on their own within seven-10 days. But the severity of the initial symptoms doesn’t always correlate with the time to recovery.

The Centers for Disease Control and other organizations recommend that patients who have suffered a concussion return to activity in a series of steps adapted from the International Concussion Consensus Guidelines.

Younger athletes recover more slowly, and most health care providers will recommend more conservative treatment for younger children.

Step 1, light aerobic activity, begins after the player has rested and been free of symptoms for 24 hours.

The goal is light activity to increase the patient’s heart rate such as walking, slow jogging or an exercise bike.

No hard running, weight lifting or jumping is allowed.

Step 2, moderate activity, involves limited head and body movement and includes activities such as moderate jogging, brief running, and moderate-intensity stationary biking and weight lifting.

Step 3 is heavy, non-contact activity, such as running, high intensity stationary biking, regular weight lifting routine and noncontact sports-specific drills.

Step 4, practice and full contact allow resumption of full contact practice.

Step 5 is return to competition.

The injured player needs to perform each phase for 24 hours without symptoms before progressing to the next step.

Here’s where a knowledgeable trainer and/or coach is invaluable.

And, if you do the math, even in the best-case scenario, it takes about a week before a player is ready to resume full competition. Schools require a second visit to a health care provider to clear an athlete to return to play. So please don’t kill the messenger when your health care provider refuses to release your child back to play on the first visit!

Once concern about returning players too soon is the second impact syndrome. Fortunately this is rare.

But a few people who sustain a second head injury before fully resolving a concussion experience disastrous consequences. It’s believed that the second injury causes the body to produce a surge of chemicals called catecholamines that cause brain swelling that progresses rapidly to coma and death.

So play safe, and be sure to let your student athlete know that it’s important to report head injuries to his/her coach.

Eva Briggs is a medical doctor who works at two urgent care centers (Central Square and Fulton) operated by Oswego Health.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 7

Live Alone & Thrive

By Gwenn Voelckers

Practical tips, advice and hope for those who live alone

‘Tis the Season: Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Those Who Live Alone

T

his column is for all of you who have friends or family members who live alone.

While the holidays can be a joyous time filled with laughter, cheer and gift giving, this time of year can also generate feelings of loneliness and anxiety. In my experience, those on their own may be especially susceptible to the “holiday blues.”

What can you do to add a little “merry” to the holidays for those who live alone? You can give the gift of time together — probably the most welcome and cherished gift of all. You can also give a thoughtful gift to lift a spirit, safeguard a loved one and warm a heart.

Below, I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas for you. Some are practical, others personal, all are designed to put a smile on the face of someone who lives alone:

For fun

• An invitation to join you on New Year’s Eve. This can be a challenging night for those who are newly divorced or widowed. I popped the cork with my sister and her husband after my divorce and was deeply grateful for their invitation to spend the evening together. It got my new year off to a great start.

• Tickets or gift

certificates to movies, concerts, art openings or the theater. Include an invitation: “Be my guest.” And insist on doing the driving.

• Dancing, cooking or art/craft classes. Do you have a single friend with two left feet? Dancing lessons might be in order. A widowed father who eats supper directly from the container? Consider a cooking class. Or a divorced sister who’s been looking for a creative outlet? A workshop in jewelry-making might delight her. There are so many possibilities!

For safety

• An AAA membership. I don’t leave home without it. A flat tire, an empty tank, a lost key — I’ve been there! This is a gift worth its weight in gold.

• Handy tools for emergencies or life’s unexpected moments.

Consider a compact no-battery wind-up LED flashlight with a hand crank.

This is one of my prized possessions.

How about a Swiss Army knife, complete with screwdrivers, scissors, toothpick, and tweezers? It even comes with a nail file and a highly coveted corkscrew.

Or, consider a motion-sensor that activates a chime or alarm when a visitor (or new suitor?) arrives. Those of us who live alone need to be prepared for whatever life offers up.

• A gift certificate for car washes.

While not necessarily a “safety gift,” I always feel better when my car is clean (and that can’t help but make me safer on the road).

Who doesn’t enjoy a clean, sparkling car?

Choose a car wash near your recipient’s home or work place.

For pampering

• An opportunity to be “treated like royalty.” How many of your friends who live alone indulge themselves in luxurious services? My guess is not many, if they’re like me. Who has the time or money? But that’s what makes this the perfect gift!

Why not surprise her with a spa certificate for a massage, facial, manicure or pedicure? Or make his day with a certificate for a gentleman’s facial or deep tissue/sports massage.

• For women in particular who live alone — fresh flowers delivered. Do you know a single woman who lives by herself? When’s the last time she got flowers? It’s probably been years . . . don’t I know it.

So, delight her with a bouquet of roses or tulips — preferably yellow, a color known to evoke the feelings of warmth and happiness associated with friendship.

• And speaking of deliveries, check out gift-of-the-month clubs.

Coming home alone at any time of

year can feel a little empty, but it can really feel lonely during the holidays.

Discovering a package on the doorstep can change everything.

Go online and check out gourmet gifts and food clubs. You won’t believe the variety of delicious items that can be delivered on a monthly basis: chocolate, hot sauce, cheese, tea, cigars, wine, beer, pastas, olive oil, cookies, popcorn, pancakes, you name it. I love this idea so much, I might treat myself.

For inspiration

• A gift of charity. Making a donation in someone’s name is a gift you can both feel good about. Think about your friend or family member who lives alone. What do they care about?

Choose an organization that supports his or her values.

• An invitation to join you in a volunteer activity. Helping others is a great holiday tradition.

Early on in my solo journey, a dear friend invited me to join her for a holiday gift-wrapping event to support the Humane Society. It felt wonderful to be out of the house and surrounded by other volunteers and staff who embraced the spirit of giving.

• A subscription to “In Good Health” and/or “55 Plus” produced by editor and publisher Wagner Dotto. Both periodicals are filled with inspirational articles and trusted health information. Consider gift subscriptions for your friends and family members who live alone.

Chances are good your holidays and theirs will be healthier and happier for it.

Gwenn Voelckers is the founder and facilitator of Live Alone and Thrive, empowerment workshops for women held throughout the year in Mendon, New York. For information about her upcoming workshops or to invite Gwenn to speak, call her at 585-624-7887, email her at gvoelckers@rochester.rr.com.

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Page 8

•

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

ES, Changing LIV Creating Futures!

Is the Toy You’re Buying Safe?

Nearly 150,000 children injured while playing with toys every year, according to a report

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

A

s you consider the “naughty” and “nice” children on your list, think of safety first. The Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital states that almost 150,000 children become injured while playing with toys every year.

What can you do to keep children on your list safe?

Rob Kornblum, consumer protection campaign organizer with New York Public Interest Research Group at NYC College of Technology, advises shoppers to follow package labels about age-appropriateness.

Simply because a toy appears on the shelf in the baby aisle doesn’t mean it’s safe for small children. Toys may be mislaid or wrongly categorized by store personnel.

Kornblum also warns shoppers to watch for hazards such as toys with magnets, small parts, or large toys with small, detachable or breakable parts. For example, a toy purse with rhinestones may not be safe for a toddler because the stones may pop off.

“These pose a choking risk for young children,” he said.

Anything smaller than 1.75 inch-

Jane Willis and two small friends enjoy the display train at The Village Toy Shop in New Hartford. Courtesy Jane Willis.

es may choke a small child.

“Shoppers need to be aware of the chemical content of toys on shelves, as well as other tough-tospot hazards,” Kornblum said.

Toys purchased without packaging, such as at a thrift store, craft fair or on eBay, lack age recommendations. In addition to small parts, look for hazards such as lead paint, toxicity (especially for craft projects), strangulation hazards (such as long strings and cords), loud noise levels (if it sounds too loud when near your ear, it’s certainly too loud for a child) and sharp edges and points.

“If it’s handmade, you have to trust the one who made it,” said Steven Blatt, pediatrician, professor of pediatrics and director of general pediatric division at SUNY Upstate University Hospital.

Keep in mind that often, children use toys for purposes not intended, such as a boy and arrow set could be used to shoot pets and people, not targets.

“Some are risky by design, like a trampoline, bicycles, skate boards, climbing toys and inline skates,” Blatt said. “Get things that are age-appropriate and get any safety gear.”

Safety hazards also depend upon the child’s maturity level. Some 5-year-olds, for example, still put small objects in their mouths. But in general, “they should be age-appropriate and usually safety is not a factor,” said Jane Willis, owner of The Village Toy Shop in New Hartford.

Her personnel recommends gifts to customers by asking the age of the child and what he likes. As for safety, “quality companies make quality toys with fewer safety issues,” Willis

said.

Cheap, thin plastic comprise many toys at dollar stores. Their brittle plastic tends to snap easily. With wooden toys, look for unfinished, splintery edges.

Older isn’t necessarily better.

Vintage toys may have sharp edges, worn parts, lead paint, shatter-prone materials and excessive weight. Cloth dolls and stuffed animals may not consist of flame-retardant materials nor washable fabrics. Their facial features may come loose, unlike the embroidered features of many toys of today.

Carefully examine vintage toys before passing them on to this generation. They’re not as accustomed to watching out for hazards--and neither are their parents.

Don’t give young children breakable models. For example, a glass figurine of her favorite fairy presents an irresistible temptation.

“Once a child sees a toy, he’ll want it,” Blatt said. “Don’t buy display toys. Toys don’t have to be expensive, but should help them be creative and physically active.”

Review toy recall lists. Every year, NYPIRG releases its Trouble in Toyland report at www.nyprig.org to help shoppers know about recalls and other issues. You can also consult The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall list at www.cpsc. gov/en/Recalls/Recalls-by-Product.

The CPSC’s Twitter handle @ OnSafety also offers real-time product recalls.

Five Tips for a Healthy Holiday

By Matthew Liptak

T

he holiday season is supposed to be filled with joy, but it can take a lot out of us as we give to others. Planning the best parties, decorating to please, preparing enough and the right food, not to mention getting the right presents—it can be a lot!

Take a moment to read these five tips to keep things healthy this holiday.

1) “You can do anything, you can’t do everything” This is advice some give to their children as they raise them, but these are words all of us might want to take to heart as Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and other holidays approach. Remember to pace yourself. Stress is real and many studies have shown it’s bad for your health.

Instead of rushing, rushing, rushing and trying to do too much for too many, consider taking a few things off the list this year. Meaningful visits with a handful of loved ones can be

healthier than trying to make everyone happy and stressing yourself out.

Special time with your loved ones might just be the best gift you get this year.

2) “A little can go a long way” Good food is one of the best parts of the holiday, but there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. Do you want to be part of it?

Think smaller portions and healthier foods. And if you are going to the big dinner or party with delicious treats you can’t avoid, think about eating some healthy snacks and drinking a glass of water before you get to you destination so you aren’t as hungry.

It might feel good in the moment, but overindulging on food and drink high in calories and saturated fat is something we all have to come to terms with later. A full holiday doesn’t have to mean a bulging belly.

3) “Walk it off” Most everybody knows exercise

is healthy. But with the holidays it’s easy to put exercise on the back burner when there are so many other obligations. This is a time when you need to exercise the most. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of exercise. If you can do 30 minutes a day, even if it’s broken up into 10-minute intervals, it can provide you with a gift for yourself this holiday season. The National Institutes of Health says that these short walks lower your risk of health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, strengthen your bones and muscles, help you burn more calories and lift your mood. If the weather’s bad outside try the treadmill at a local gym or a mall. Maybe you can buy a gift or two on your way home!

4) “Go au naturel” No, not naked — unless that’s your thing. Try taking 10 to 15 minute breaks when you need them just to be by yourself. And put down the tech. Many of us have a tendency to December 2015 •

fill up our moments with technology to feel busy. But according to the Mayo Clinic these 15-minute breaks may refresh you enough to help you get everything done that needs to be done. Take a break, slow your breathing and restore your inner calm.

Enjoy the moment!

5) “Remember the reason for the season” For Christians it’s the birth of Jesus, for Jews it’s the miracle of Hanukah, for others it may be heartfelt traditions and a special time with those we love. It really isn’t supposed to be about how big the pile is under the tree or how much fun we feel pressured to have. Remember to enjoy the spirit of the season if you can.

And remember there are those who are struggling this holiday too. Helping them might give you a healthier perspective on what matters most.

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

•

Page 9

Holiday Blues Why it happens and how you can beat it

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I

t’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for some people, the holiday season brings just the opposite: stress, sadness and anxiety. But why?

Richard O’Neill, associate professor at Institute for Decision Excellence and Leadership at SUNY Upstate Medical University, offered a few suggestions. But first, it’s important to distinguish between “the blues” and true depression.

People with clinical depression exhibit long-term sad moods. Family members may notice diminished interest in activities previously enjoyed; isolation; altered sleeping or eating habits; distraction and expressions of hopelessness or suicidal thoughts.

Seasonal sadness may not qualify as depression, but individuals experiencing them should work through those feelings. And people prone to depression should guard their emotional health, since a blue mood can morph into depression.

O’Neill said that the holidays can stir up memories such as sadness over the loss of a loved one no longer present.

“Some of us get depressed around the holidays because Flannery during the holidays people often get together with caring friends and family to have a good time,” he said. “If that does not happen for us we might blame ourselves, perhaps without being aware of doing so, and get depressed. Or because we have troubling, unresolved feelings about someone who we used to see during the holidays but is no longer in our life.”

Even for those who have experienced closure with the past or who cherish happy memories, the stress of the season can cause emotional issues. Personal expectations generated from a wonderful childhood often forms that mile-long to-do list and ratchet up anxiety.

“People feel pressured to over function during this season such as buying the ‘perfect’ gifts, hosting grand events, attending everyone

Page 10

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else’s gatherings, and connecting with family and friends that they may not normally see,” said Tracy Torelli, licensed clinical social worker with St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Care Center Behavioral Health.

It may seem strange that happy childhood memories could cause adults to feel blue, but recreating the magic as an adult takes lots of rather non-magical work.

Blended families also experience the stress of meeting others’ expectations, shuttling the children around to the various relatives’ homes. Some people compare their homes and holiday experience with another’s, which can cause friction.

To avoid feeling blue, “address predictable stressors ahead of time and, in general, lower expectations of the season,” Torelli said.

Minimize stress and the accompanying anxiety by prioritizing what’s important and letting go of the rest. Getting wrapped up in minutia only cranks up stress.

(Do you really need to scrub the baseboards in the kitchen for outof-town guests? Must everything perfectly coordinate for guests to enjoy your party?)

Delegate tasks. Making the feast a potluck instead of everyone relying only on you as the host.

Don’t make everything homemade. Take time to do the things you enjoy.

If some of your past traditions don’t feel “right” without a missing loved one, starting new traditions helps fill in the void.

If getting together with family has proven extremely stressful, set a time limit for a visit to give yourself breathing space. Avoid emotionally volatile conversations and resist the temptation to prove points and win verbal battles.

In general, maintaining the normal routine of exercise, eating a healthful diet and resting sufficiently helps reduce anxiety.

Kate Flannery, licensed Physiotherapist at Metro Fitness in Syracuse, said that consistent exercise is “one of the most effective tools to combat the difficult emotions of the holidays. Studies show that just thirty minutes a day of some type of cardio vascular exercise significantly increases feelings of wellbeing and resilience. Making time for regular exercise is a great tool for self care and its benefits are many for both body and mind.”

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Smack Down

Heroin Usage in Oswego County Takes Dramatic Jump

By Lou Sorendo

I

t’s known as junk, dope and smack. It’s also known as an epidemic.

Heroin abuse is at its highest peak that Jeanne Unger has seen in her 22 years of being the executive director at Farnham Family Services in Oswego.

Farnham treats people with a drug addiction, abuse or dependency diagnosis along with anxiety and depression.

Heroin is derived from morphine and is a highly addictive narcotic. It is an opiate that serves as a painkiller and works on the part of the brain that manages pain.

Other opiate-based painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycodone not only numb pain but also create relaxation and a sense of “feeling good” for the user, Unger noted.

Heroin has its grip on many who reside in Oswego County. It’s allure as the ultimate comfort drug has been enhanced by low prices and easy availability.

People with other substance abuse or dependence issues are also at increased risk. For instance, those who smoke marijuana are three times more likely to use heroin while those who abuse prescription opioid painkillers are 40 times more likely, studies show.

Unger said among her concerns locally are people using hypodermic needles to inject the drug, which creates other health problems. Also, heroin is being associated with “recreational use,” primarily among college-aged people.

Unger said injecting drugs is on the rise compared to 20 years ago.

In the late 1980s and ‘90s, HIV and AIDs were the hot topic and served to deter people from using needles to get high.

However, “kids growing up then did not have the same fear of needles. We are already seeing an increase in hepatitis C and HIV,” she said.

At Farnham, people who were seeking treatment for heroin abuse jumped from 4 percent in 2012 to 19 percent in 2014. There was a 33 percent jump in people seeking treatment for overall opiate abuse in that same time frame.

Alcohol and marijuana have traditionally been drugs of choice throughout the county and nation, but over the last few years, that has changed to opiates and heroin, Unger noted.

“In the ‘90s, if I saw five heroin users, that was a lot in the span of a whole year,” Unger said.

When legislation was put in place to create barriers to access to pharmaceutical painkillers, one aspect that was forgotten was “a bunch of people who were addicted that still needed something,” Unger said.

Being that they were not receiving treatment, they turned to heroin.

The trend started to take off around 2007, Unger said, and really grew to alarming proportions by 2011.

Numbers are revealing Numbers that reflect the amount of people in treatment for heroin and other opiates in Oswego County tell the story.

Among the 25 years old and older set in 2011, 104 people were in treatment for heroin. Another 299 people in that same age group were being seen for other opiates, such as pain medication.

Among that same age group in 2014, 442 people were in treatment for heroin while 246 were being treated for other opiate abuse.

Among those 25 and younger in 2011, 75 people were being treated for heroin use, while another 120 people sought help for other opiate usage.

Among the same age group in 2014, there were 226 people in treatment for heroin and 84 were being seen for other opiate use.

The numbers of those seeking treatment for other opiates dropped because of limited access to prescription narcotics and more availability of inexpensive heroin.

“What we’re seeing a lot of is a different sort of progression that a person goes through,” she said. “So when you have someone who has been abusing alcohol, it is a very hard addiction to treat, but it has certain pathways. It is very hard to engage heroin and opiate addicts as much because the withdrawals create a lot of craving and physical discomfort in a lot of ways.”

There are medical treatments for heroin, such as Suboxone. This prevents the user from going into withdrawal. “Then they try to titrate you down so you ultimately don’t need that,” Unger said.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical heroin user was lower class, homeless, unemployed and in a minority.

Unger said today, the typical user is a Caucasian male, in his mid20s, probably with some college or college educated, middle class and working.

Mental Health Disorder and Substance Use Disorder Connection

By Jeremy Klemansk

A

t SBH we treat more than 4,000 people each year from the greater Rochester and Syracuse areas who are dealing with a spectrum of substance use and/or mental health disorders.

Our patients have either a mental health disorder or a substance use disorder, but many are diagnosed with both disorders.

Each day in our clinics we see patients who are using substances other than as prescribed, or not prescribed at all, to eliminate the symptoms of mental health disorders ranging from mild to severe.

We see many patients who have exacerbated or developed mental health disorder symptoms due to the effects of substances altering their brain chemistry.

This connection is not present in every patient but there is a clear enough correlation that we find it necessary to treat both mental health and substance use disorders, and for the dual diagnosed patient, to do so concurrently whenever possible.

For example, a person might use synthetics to “get high,” which may trigger a psychotic episode; another person experiencing anxiety might take a substance to “take the edge off” — and in doing so repeatedly develop dependence on the substance. These are, of course, just a few different possible scenarios each with different disorders and substances.

55

For a person with a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, it is recommended to utilize a treatment program that addresses both disorders in an integrated treatment model.

The reasons are not just of convenience for the patient, or cost savings, although those alone should be compelling factors.

The key issue driving integrated care is that treating mental health disorders while not treating substance use disorders (without a reduction or elimination of the substances being misused) can render some medication ineffective, and in other instances could make symptoms worse rather than improved.

Additionally, for the patient who is being treated for substance use disorders without being treated for mental health disorders, the patient is rendered vulnerable by the lack of mental health symptom reduction which they may be abusing substances to try to avoid or decrease.

Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare

Treating Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders

Jeremy Klemansk is president & CEO, Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare. For more information about Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare, visit www.sbh.org

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Page 11

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Parenting

By Melissa Stefanec

melissa@cnyhealth.com

A Message to Those Without Children

T

hroughout our lives, we are divided and categorized. The older we get, the more ways society, companies and our peers have to group us. When you are in your 30s, there are a couple of sharp divides when it comes to your peers.

The first demographic is 1) married/ partnered; or 2) single. The second category divides people into two groups: 1) person with tiny wild animals (children) running about your ankles; and 2) non-purveyor of wild animals who has free time, disposable income and sanity. As I wander farther down the parent road, I find the divides becoming deeper. It doesn’t have to be this way.

This month’s column is going to be an open letter to people without children. There are some things I want you to know about me. I am sure there are other parents out there that feel the same way I do. So, on behalf of myself and those with a like mind, here goes.

Dear person without children,

My name is Melissa. I am a 33-year-old mother to a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son. I work a full-time job outside the home, and so does my husband.

Much like your life probably is, my life is crazy, busy and beautiful.

I am writing to you, a hypothetical person without children, to share some information with you. Unless you are one my co-workers, we probably don’t talk much, if at all. Maybe you are a total stranger, maybe you are a friend, or maybe you are a family member. Whatever your role in my life, I want you to know the following things:

1

I don’t care whether or not you have children — I think there is a stigma out there that parents view non-parents as something strange, sad or lesser. I don’t think childless people are any of those things. Your reproductive decisions and situation are none of my business. End of story.

2

I know I rattle on about my children — I am hoping you can find it in your heart to humor me. Most of my energy and time goes into caring for and loving them.

Right now, I have two full-time jobs.

When you share stories about your international vacation, I will be glad to live vicariously. When all I have to share is a funny kid story, I hope you can laugh with me. Someday, farther down the road, my conversation fodder will expand, but right now, my kids reign.

3

I value you — Especially if you are a friend or family member, I want you to know how much I

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

value our relationship. We probably don’t talk or see each other as much as we used to, but that is only due to circumstance. It has nothing to do with how much I would like to see you or talk to you. My kids monopolize my time. At the end of the day, I don’t have much left. I would love to pick up the phone to catch up with you, but instead I clip my fingernails, scrub spaghetti off the kitchen floor and try to eek out some quality time with my husband. You aren’t a top priority, but you are an important priority. When I do find time to call or visit, please realize this is a tremendous expense. I must really hold you dear. I got some time away, and I chose to spend it with you. Thank you so much for indulging me. I am glad you are around.

4

I am a mom, but that’s not all — Being a mom is now a big part of who I am, but it isn’t who I am. I am still a complicated person with wants, needs and desires that have nothing to do with my children. I still love all the things I used to, I just have very little time to do them. When we see each other, please remember that. I am happy to talk about things besides my children.

Please, for the sake of everyone, let’s talk about something else for a while.

5

I am not full of crap when I say, ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way’ — I am so tired. Some days are very hard. Sometimes, I want to scream. I envy your free time and independence. All that being said, if I could go back to being childless, I wouldn’t. I really and truly wouldn’t.

My children are responsible for some the most amazing experiences in my life. However, as with any other relationship, some days are better than others. So humor me when I need to vent. I will do the same when challenges arise in your life.

6

I’m a whole lot like you — Really. We aren’t a different species.

Sure, we’ve made different life choices, but who hasn’t? This world is a grand place because despite all of our differences, we are all very much the same. Next time we have trouble relating to one another, we need to remember that. Let’s find some common ground. Let’s get to know each other. Let’s reminisce.

In closing, keep inviting me to the barbeques and wine tours. One of these times, I will be able to make it.

(Just make sure you book me at least 60 days in advance.) It will be glorious. Please keep me in your thoughts and your circle, because I promise you are in mine.

Melissa

SmartBites

The skinny on healthy eating

Why Beef Deserves a Shout-Out

B

eef certainly has gotten a bad rap lately. Strike one: Many cuts contain saturated fat, the bad fat linked to heart disease.

Strike two: It takes an amazing amount of water (about 600 gallons) to create a single serving, more water than any other protein source. And strike three: Its consumption has recently been linked to cancer.

It’s enough to make a grown man or woman who loves beef cry!

While I’m not a big beef consumer, I do enjoy a juicy burger or steak on occasion. And my holidays just wouldn’t be the same without beef Wellington. So I am not anti-beef by any means. But I do believe that, as with certain other foods that have both benefits and drawbacks — say, chocolate, wine, cheese and nuts— we should limit our consumption.

Both the American Cancer Society and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, agree.

I go for beef about once a week because, calorie for calorie, beef packs a powerful nutritional punch.

First and foremost, it’s loaded with protein, an essential nutrient for building and maintaining all the tis-

sues and cells in the body. An average 3-ounce portion of lean strip steak, for example, provides about 50 percent of our daily needs. Not bad for only 155 calories!

On the B vitamin front, beef rocks with healthy amounts of B6 and B12 (both aid in red blood cell production) and impressive amounts of niacin (good for nervous and digestive systems and converting food to energy). Since many older people suffer from a B12 deficiency — whether through diet or poor absorption — it’s good to know that animal-based foods such as beef are terrific sources of this all-important B vitamin.

Consuming beef also boosts your intake of iron, zinc and selenium.

Iron carries oxygen and is necessary for the production of energy; zinc fortifies your immune system; and selenium is an antioxidant superstar, gobbling up cell-damaging free radicals.

But what about the saturated fat?

Yes, beef does have saturated fat; but not all cuts are created equal: some have less saturated fat than a skin-

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less chicken thigh, while others rival whale blubber.

Since eating foods that contain saturated fats increases our risk for heart disease and stroke, it benefits us to eat leaner cuts (round, chuck or loin in their name) versus fattier cuts (rib-eye, skirt, porterhouse).

And the link to cancer? The jury is still out on that one, although the World Health Organization recently classified the consumption of red meat as “probably” carcinogenic to humans. While some research points to the carcinogens that form when red meat is cooked at high temperatures as the culprit, other studies point to heme iron, a molecule found in red meat that may run amuck in the colon.

What to do? Most organizations recommend no more than one to two servings of red meat per week.

Helpful tips

Choose lean cuts without a lot of marbled fat. If the fat is along the side of the cut, remove it before cooking. Marinate meat with rich spices and acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice. To limit exposure to the high heat of the grill, the National Cancer Institute recommends precooking meat in the microwave or oven or on the stove for a few minutes.

Pan-Seared Strip Steak with Mushrooms Adapted from Martha Stewart; serves 2-3

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 strip steak center cut (1 lb., 1-inch thick) Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 8 oz. package portabella mushrooms, sliced 8 oz. package white mushrooms, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup (or more) low-sodium chicken stock 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parch-

ment paper. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Cook steak for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet, transfer to baking sheet and finish cooking in oven for 6-8 minutes (time depends on thickness of steak and how done you like it).

While steak is cooking, add mushrooms and garlic to drippings in skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add stock to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Stir in mustard and thyme, and simmer until sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Pour sauce over steak.

Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle columnist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes. She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Anne at avpalumbo@aol.com.

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Page 13

Meet Your Provider

Acu-Care Acupuncture Center

An acupuncturist who has a medical degree is on a mission to marry authentic-family-inherited acupuncture with Western and Chinese medicine in Syracuse Q.: How did you get interested in acupuncture?

When As a small child, I saw my grandfather, my uncle and my father inserting needles to treat patients. From then on, I told myself that I would be a doctor to help more patients. When I was in middle school, I started to learn traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture) from my grandfather and father. After my grandfather passed away, I studied under my father and would also visit my uncles’ clinic.

Later, I decided to go to medical school. I wanted to study medicine, not only traditional Chinese medicine, but also western medicine.

I wanted to know the difference between the two medical ways of practice. My goal was to use modern scientific technology to study Chinese medicine and to find scientific evidence to prove how acupuncture works and to develop a novel acupuncture treatment modality to improve acupuncture treatment results for all patients. I also wanted to be specialized in integration of

both traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine to reach the ultimate clinical outcome.

Q.: Did you always see yourself as a health care practitioner?

After graduating from medical school and after several years of studying medical research at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, I found out that Americans needed authentic acupuncture to improve their overall health and quality of life. It was then that I decided to practice acupuncture. It was and it remains my goal to show people how acupuncture works by combining the authentic-family-inherited training with my academic training in Western and Chinese Medicine to my acupuncture practice in Syracuse.

Q.: How long have you used acupuncture to treat neuropathy and pain?

I have more than 20 years experience treating neuropathy and pain. In the fact, acupuncture used as a method to treat neuropathy and

pain has been well documented in literature. Acupuncture can reach amazing clinical results in certain autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, dermatomyositis, etc.

Acupuncture is also an effective cancer support care focusing on improving cancer patient’s quality of life and modulating cancer immunity.

Rui Wang operates Acu-Care Acupuncture Center in Fayetteville. She is the seventh generation of her family to practice acupuncture. In addition, she has received medical training at University of Minnesota Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Q.: Why is acupuncture becoming so popular?

This is due to more and more people experiencing positive outcomes with acupuncture care. How to integrate acupuncture care with

conventional Western medicine practices is the current hot topic amongst healthcare providers. In my recent experiences more and more MDs are becoming interested in acupuncture as an effective method of treatment. As a private practitioner in the Syracuse area I receive hundreds of referrals from local MDs and other health care practitioners.

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One Night of Poor Sleep Equals Six Months on a High-Fat Diet New research finds that one night of sleep deprivation and six months on a high-fat diet could both impair insulin sensitivity to a similar degree, demonstrating the importance of a good night’s sleep on health.

This study, conducted by Josiane Broussard, PhD, and colleagues from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, used a canine model to examine whether sleep deprivation and a high-fat diet affect insulin sensitivity in similar ways. The findings was presented during a poster presentation Nov. 5 at The Obesity Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

Eateries Listing Calorie Counts Offer More Lower-Calorie Items

The Rural Health Networks of Northern New York are proud to celebrate Rural Health Day

Congratulations to our regional champions — and a BIG thank you to everyone working to make our communities healthier!

Leadership Champion: Chandler Ralph, Adirondak Health Community Wellness Champion: Josy Delaney, Alice Hyde EMS Champion: Mobile Integrated Health Care Committee

Large U.S.-based chain restaurants that voluntarily list calorie counts on their menus average nearly 140 fewer calories per item than those that do not post the information, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

An Aggressive Treatment for an Aggressive Cancer Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide.

In the United States, it accounts for only 3 percent of all diagnosed cancers but it causes almost 7 percent of all cancer deaths. A pancreas cancer diagnosis often comes after age 50 and after the cancer has spread, making it difficult to remove surgically. A new clinical trial that recently opened at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center may help more people to undergo surgery to remove their pancreas tumors. And that may help more of them to live longer.

According to physician Itzhak Nir, surgically removing the tumors is the only way to cure pancreas cancer. “Only 20 percent of patients ever make it to surgery, which is the only way to cure someone of this cancer.” And, he said that fewer than 5 percent of people whose tumors cannot be removed surgically survive for five years or more trial requires.”

Doctors Should Cut Back on Some Medications in Seniors Anyone who takes medicine to get their blood sugar or blood pressure down — or both — knows their doctor prescribed it to help them. But what if stopping, or at least cutting back on, such drugs could help even more? Two new studies suggest doctors should be doing that more.

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Women’s Health December 2015 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Upstate: ‘Dramatic’ Progress Being Made in the Fight Against Kidney Cancer

By Matthew Liptak

D

octors at Upstate Medical University and around the world are coming up with new ways to treat kidney cancer, a disease that once left patients with very little hope because it is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.

“We have seen some dramatic advances in the treatment of kidney cancer in the past decade based on research that found the causes of kidney cancer,” said Upstate’s head of urology, physician Gennady Bratslavsky. “At the present time many patients where kidney cancer has spread to other parts of the body have many more options for treatment. Many can live longer and enjoy a much better quality of life.”

In the past decade researchers have discovered the 14 or 15 genes that cause the different types of the disease. This has enabled physicians to formulate new plans of attack against the cancer.

Kidney cancer remains one of the 10 most common and deadly cancers in both men and women. More than 60,000 people will be diagnosed with it this year in the United States and 16,000 will die from it, according to Mehdi Mollapour, assistant professor of urology and biochemistry and molecular biology at Upstate Medical University.

Upstate announced in September its researchers had found a key cellular enzyme (c-Abl), which could become an effective target of drugs created to treat the cancer.

“By blocking c-Abl, we discovered a mechanism how to disable a guardian of cancer cells (Hsp90) that normally allows cancer cells to grow and thrive,” Mollapour said “Disabling the guardian is essential to halt the growth of tumors and kill the cancer cells.”

A separate study was just recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealing the results of a clinical trial on a new kidney cancer drug, Opdivo, an antibody therapy made by Bristol Myers Squibb. The drug was able to increase the average survival rate of trial participants by just over five months.

This summer it was also revealed in a study published in the journal Chemical Science that a formula comprised of titanium and gold can block enzymes and shrink kidney cancer tumors.

For many though, surgery is the first line of defense until these therapies can be further developed.

Local success story

Roxann Gillette is a 54-year-old Upstate patient from Port Crane, near Binghamton. She was diagnosed with renal cancer two years ago. In 2012 she was operated on by Upstate’s Bratslavsky to remove an 11-centimeter tumor. The surgery was minimally invasive and performed using the help of a laparoscopic robot.

The case was significant enough to be featured in the Journal of Urology in 2014.The surgery took six hours and Gillette was released from the hospital within two days.

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Mehdi Mollapour, PhD, assistant professor of urology and biochemistry and molecular biology, left, and urologist Gennady Bratslavsky, professor and chairman of the department of urology at Upstate Medical University. Photo by Deborah Rexine, Upstate Medical University.

“Dr Bratslavsky, took such good care of me and my family during the surgery,” Gillette said. “He kept them informed every step of the way. The surgery was long, but recovery was quite easy. There was some usual postoperative pain, but I was back home in two days, and back to work full time within eight weeks.”

Unfortunately some cancer has come back, but Gillette said it is being effectively treated.

“I was recently diagnosed with metastatic renal cell cancer,” she said.

“I had a small lesion on my right lung, that I received radiation of that lesion and with the first follow up, all seems stable. With that behind me, I am moving forward with my life.”

Gillette said most of the impact of the kidney cancer so far on her life has been mental and not physical.

Originally she had a difficult time coping with the diagnosis but that has changed.

“It took a while, but I no longer spend time grieving the future,” she said. “But look forward to tomorrow.”

The future for kidney cancer treatment seems bright according to doctors at Upstate, at least brighter than it was in the past.

“While nobody holds a crystal ball about the future of treatment, we are discovering new ways to attack kidney tumors and kidney cancer cells,” Bratslavsky said. “Every day we discover new ways of attacking tumor cells in the lab, and every day we study patients’ tumors to see how and what we have learned in the laboratory can be applied in clinical practice.”

By Jim Miller

How to Guard Against Deadly Aortic Aneurysms Dear Savvy Senior, My father died several years ago, at the age of 76, from a stomach aneurysm, which now has me wondering. What are my risk factors of getting this, and what can I do to protect myself, as I get older?

Just Turned 60 Dear 60, Stomach aneurysms, also known as “abdominal aortic aneurysms,” are very dangerous and the third leading cause of death in men over 60.

They also tend to run in families, so having had a parent with this condition makes you much more vulnerable yourself.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (or AAA) is a weak area in the lower portion of the aorta, which is the major artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As blood flows through the aorta, the weak area bulges like a balloon and can burst if it gets too big, causing life-threatening internal bleeding. In fact, nearly 80 percent of AAAs that rupture are fatal, but the good news is that more than nine out of 10 that are detected early are treatable.

Who’s At Risk?

Around 200,000 people are diagnosed with AAAs each year, but estimates suggest that another 2 million people may have it but not realize it. The factors that can put you at increased risk are: • Smoking: Ninety percent of people with an AAA smoke or have smoked. This is the number one risk factor and one you can avoid.

• Age: Your risk of getting an AAA increases significantly after age 60 in men, and after age 70 in women.

• Family history: Having a parent or sibling who has had an AAA can increase your risk to around one in four.

• Gender: AAAs are five times more likely in men than in women.

• Health factors: Atherosclero-

sis, also known as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels also increase your risk.

Detection and Treatment

Because AAAs usually start small and enlarge slowly, they rarely show any symptoms, making them difficult to detect. However, large AAAs can sometimes cause a throbbing or pulsation in the abdomen, or cause abdominal or lower back pain.

The best way to detect an AAA is to get a simple, painless, 10-minute ultrasound screening test. All men over age 65 that have ever smoked, and anyone over 60 with a first-degree relative (father, mother or sibling) who has had an AAA should talk to their doctor getting screened.

You should also know that most health insurance plans cover AAA screenings, as does Medicare to beneficiaries with a family history of AAAs, and to men between the ages of 65 and 75 who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes during their life.

If an AAA is detected during screening, how it’s treated will depend on its size, rate of growth and your general health. If caught in the early stages when the aneurysm is small, it can be monitored and treated with medication. But if it is large or enlarging rapidly, you’ll probably need surgery.

AAA Protection

While some risk factors like your age, gender and family history are uncontrollable, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from AAA. For starters, if you smoke, you need to quit — see smokefree. gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help.

You also need to keep tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and if they are high you need to take steps to lower them through diet, exercise and if necessary, medication.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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By Deborah Banikowski

Disability: Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes

F

or many of us, preparing for winter involves pulling out heavy coats from the closet and making sure our vehicle is ready for intense weather. Whether your winter brings snow, ice or flooding, you need to be prepared.

Preparing for a possible physical or mental disability is the same. Many people don’t think of disability as something that could happen to them.

Statistics show the chances of becoming disabled are greater than most realize. Fifty-six million Americans — or one in five — live with a disability.

Thirty-eight million Americans, or one in 10, live with a severe disability. A sobering fact for 20 year-olds is that more than a quarter of them will become disabled before reaching retirement age. Disability can happen to anyone. But who is prepared?

When disability does happen, Social Security can help people meet their basic needs. Our disability programs provide financial and medical benefits for those who qualify to pay for doctors’ visits, medicines and treatments. You can learn more about how you might be covered if you are disabled at www.socialsecurity.gov/ planners/disability.

Social Security pays benefits to people who worked and paid Social

Q&A

Q: If I retire and start getting Social Security retirement benefits at age 62, will my Medicare coverage begin then too?

A: No. Medicare benefits based on retirement do not begin until a person is age 65. If you retire at age 62, you may be able to continue to have medical insurance coverage through your employer or purchase it from an insurance company until you reach age 65 and become eligible for Medicare. For more information about who can get Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov.

Q: I prefer reading by audio book. Does Social Security have audio publications?

A: Yes, we have many helpful publications you can listen to. You can find them at www.socialsecurity. gov/pubs. Some of the publications available include “What You Can Do Online,” “How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies,” “Apply Online for Social Security Benefits,” and “Your Social Security Card and Number.” You can listen now at www.socialsecurity. gov/pubs.

Security taxes, but who can no longer work and whose medical condition meets the strict definition of disability under the Social Security Act. A person is considered disabled under this definition if he or she cannot work due to a severe medical condition that has lasted or is expected to last at least one year or result in death.

The person’s medical condition must prevent him or her from doing work that he or she did in the past, and it must prevent the person from adjusting to other work based on their age, education, and experience.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI), our other disability program, is a needs-based program for people with limited income and resources.

You can find all the information you need about eligibility and benefits available to you by reading our publication, “Disability Benefits,” available at www.socialsecurity.gov/ pubs.

While extreme winter weather may not affect all of us, the risk of being disabled and needing help isn’t based on geography. Chances are you know someone who is disabled or perhaps you live with a disability. If you wish to help a friend or family member — or need to plan for disability yourself — visit www. socialsecurity.gov/disability.

Q: How are my retirement benefits calculated?

A: Your Social Security benefits are based on earnings averaged over your lifetime. Your actual earnings are first adjusted or “indexed” to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Then we calculate your average monthly indexed earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. We apply a formula to these earnings and arrive at your basic benefit. This is the amount you would receive at your full retirement age. You may be able to estimate your benefit by using our retirement estimator, which offers estimates based on your Social Security earnings. You can find the retirement estimator at www. socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

Q: I know that Social Security’s full retirement age is gradually rising to 67. But does this mean the “early” retirement age will also be going up by two years, from age 62 to 64?

A: No. While it is true that under current law the full retirement age is gradually rising from 65 to 67, the “early” retirement age remains at 62.

Keep in mind, however, that taking early retirement reduces your benefit amount.

Careers in Healthcare

Let’s Talk!

Shortage of Skilled Workers Impacts Local Lab Laboratory Alliance of CNY wants to encourage students to study medical technology, offers help with tuition, job placement

A

career in laboratory medicine is a smart choice for students who enjoy science and want a strong job market upon graduation.

For years, the jobs have outpaced the number of medical technologist and technician graduates, resulting in an alarming national shortage within the clinical and anatomic pathology workforce.

The crisis has been unfolding for several years at Laboratory Alliance, Central New York’s largest clinical laboratory, and the key to resolving the shortage may be through greater awareness of laboratory career opportunities.

Laboratory testing has an estimated impact on more than 70 percent of medical decisions and is vital to the diagnosis and treatment of illness and disease. The information that a medical technologist — also known as a clinical laboratory scientist — gives to the doctor influences the medical treatment a patient will receive. Laboratory testing is projected to grow as baby boomers retire and their health needs increase.

Laboratory Alliance is telling anyone contemplating a two- or four-year degree in science to choose medical technology and there will be a career waiting upon graduation.

For more than a decade, the company has paid tuition assistance, sign-on bonuses and incentive program fees to educate and entice those interested in a career in medical technology.

“We always have positions available for qualified New York state-licensed medical technologists and medical technicians,” said Vice President of Human Resources Barbara Guiffrida.

A bright spot on the local horizon is the recent announcement that the Syracuse City School District was awarded a $3 million grant as part of the Syracuse Pathways to Technology (P-TECH) collaborative partnership between the Syracuse City School District, Onondaga Community College (OCC) and the Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York.

Henninger High School will enroll 56 incoming ninth-graders to attend the P-TECH Health Careers Academy.

They will graduate in five to six years with a high school diploma, an associate’s degree, industry-recognized credentials and preference for local jobs. Associate’s degrees in clinical lab technology or health information technology are offered through OCC and Broome Community College.

Laboratory Alliance, Upstate University Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital will provide employee mentors to the students, and will allow the students to be “first in line” for

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Medical and clinical laboratory technicians $29,580 for an entry level position $49,470 for an experienced worker Source: NYS Labor Department jobs after they graduate. Every year, the program will accept another 56 students.

Laboratory Alliance employs more than 400 people and operates four laboratories, including a main lab in Liverpool, and rapid response laboratories in Crouse and St. Joseph’s hospitals and Upstate University Hospital Community Campus.

Also, it provides laboratory services for regional hospitals and non-hospital clients including long-term care facilities and physician offices in central and upstate New York.

The clinical laboratory worker is an important player in the health care industry, but because they work behind the scenes and not directly with the patients, it’s not a top-ofmind career choice.

“We need to spread the word that laboratory careers provide a good wage, are stimulating, and they make a positive difference in the lives of others,” Guiffrida said.

Nationally, there are alarming shortages within the laboratory workforce, and projected shortages are even greater. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics study in 2012, 7,100 new jobs in medical and clinical laboratory technology will be created annually by 2022. In addition, the current workforce is expected to have a replacement rate of 26 percent, totaling an additional 8,500 jobs needed annually for the 10-year period.

Employment of medical laboratory technologists and technicians is projected to grow 22 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. An increase in the aging population will lead to a greater need to diagnose medical conditions through laboratory procedures.

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Submitted by Laboratory Alliance of Central New York December 2015 •

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H ealth News Geriatrician Sharon Brangman to be honored F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse recently announced that it would honor geriatrician Sharon Brangman with the 2016 F.O.C.U.S. Wisdom Keeper Award.

Brangman is a distinguished service professor at Upstate Medical University, where she serves as chief of its geriatrics division.

The award is presented annually to a citizen who has shown leadership, continual caring and an Brangman understanding of the importance of the vision for tomorrow, according to F.O.C.U.S. A new release describes Brangman as “an inspiration, role model, advocate and teacher who guides patients, doctors, caregivers, health care professionals, medical students, and citizens in the process of aging gracefully in good mental and physical health.”

Brangman, nationally recognized

by professional geriatrics organizations, was recently honored by SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher as a distinguished service professor. Along with her clinical practice at University Hospital, Brangman is also director of the CNY Alzheimer’s Disease Assistance Center and director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship.

The 7th annual F.O.C.U.S. Wisdom Keeper Event will take place April 6 at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center.

HCR serves 600th patient in Oswego County

HCR Home Care reached a major milestone recently, serving its 600th patient in Oswego County.

The company launched operations in Oswego County in February 2014. Since then, HCR has increased patient choice among home health care agencies and helped meet the need for community-based, home health services in the county and in the Central New York region.

HCR President Elizabeth Zicari said, “All of us at HCR Home Care are delighted to have served our 600th patient in such a short time.

We continue to collaborate with physicians, hospitals and community organizations in the region to serve

Full Time Immediate Openings

Clinical Supervisor: Masters in Social Work, Counseling or related field plus NYS License with at least 2 years of supervisory experience. Knowledge of Care Coordination/Health Homes and of County Resources. Strong interpersonal skills, well-Developed oral and written communication skills, highly motivated, able to work independently with good organizational and creative problem solving skills. Basic computer skills necessary.

Part Time Immediate Openings

Transportation Aide: To transport adults and children to and from appointments, school, etc. Effective communication, time management and organizational skills required.

Experience working with families and children a plus. Working knowledge of computers, is necessary. Must have reliable transportation as well as NYS driver’s license with and acceptable driving record.

Part Time Mentor: Associates Degree with at least 1 year of experience working with children. Provide mentoring services to youth with mental health diagnosis. Must be able to effectively communicate with youth, their families and other professionals and have a basic understanding of human development . Must have reliable transportation as well as a valid NYS driver’s license with an acceptable driving record. Good organization and communication skills, self-motivated and knowledge of Oswego County.

Peer Advocate position: Must have High School Diploma or GED and be at least 18 years of age. Must Self-identify as having direct personal experience living with mental illness and recovery and have at least one year of personal mental health recovery and able to manage own wellness. Must have reliable transportation as well as a valid NYS driver’s license with an acceptable driving record Good organization and communication skills, self-motivated and knowledge of Oswego County. Provide support and advocacy to eligible participants.

Young Adult Independent Living Skills Staff: Associates Degree with at least 1 year of experience working with children. Provide education/advocacy to youth ages 14-24 around skills needed to function independently within the community. Must be able to effectively communicate with youth, their families and other professionals and have a basic understanding of human development . Must have reliable transportation as well as a valid NYS driver’s license with an acceptable driving record. Good organization and communication skills, self-motivated and knowledge of Oswego County Send resume to Catholic Charities, 365 W. First St. S, Fulton, NY 13069 www.ccoswego.com Page 20

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Finger Lakes Center for Living and an Auburn Physician Therapist recognized

IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Douglas Fye of Auburn Community Hospital, Diane Harrington of Finger Lakes Center for Living, and Scott Brennan, relationship director for the Bankers Healthcare Group.

The Finger Lakes Center for Living at Auburn Community Hospital recently received the Healthcare Facility of The Year Award given annually by The Business Journal News Network and the Bankers Healthcare Group and part of the Excellence in Health Care Awards. On hand

patients and families, and to reduce rehospitalizations in Oswego and Central New York.”

Zicari said that many of HCR’s patients in Oswego County are referred from Syracuse-based hospitals.

“Crouse Hospital, for example, is a great partner in meeting our goal to keep people from being rehospitalized,” she added.

Tully Hill treatment center turns 25 Tully Hill Chemical Dependency Treatment Center recently celebrated its 25th year of operation with a series of events held at its Tully campus. It first day of operation was Oct. 3, 1990.

to receive the award was Diane Harrington, nursing home administrator, who recognized her team at FLCL for their dedication and service. Additionally, Douglas Fye, Auburn Community Hospital’s director of rehabilitation services was selected as one of two Physical Therapists of The Year.

The only private, nonprofit free-standing treatment center in New York state paid tribute to the professionalism and commitment of its staff with a staff appreciation luncheon on Oct. 9.

The facility also honored its 25 years of providing chemical dependency treatment services and programs to more than 17,000 patients and family members at its annual fundraising dinner.

The event, attended by supporters, Tully Hill alumni, board and leadership team members, featured a silent auction. It also honored and Tully Hill Executive Director Cathy L. Palm, who was presented with the Michael J. Falcone Tully Hill Honor Roll award. The award was given to Palm for her service and contribution to Tully Hill.

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H ealth News National groups recognize Crouse for its treatment of stroke patients When it comes to stroke care, every moment matters. That’s because a stroke can cause much damage, such as long-term disability.

In recognition of the high-quality stroke patient outcomes that Crouse Hospital’s team achieves, the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association recently presented Crouse with its “Get With The Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus.”

Crouse is the only Central New York Hospital to receive the Elite Plus designation.

The award recognizes Crouse’s commitment and success in ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate, timely treatment, according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines grounded in the latest scientific evidence.

In 2010, Crouse, a New York state-designated stroke center, was the first area hospital to earn “Gold Plus” status for stroke care treatment from the American Stroke Association. Crouse also earned this status in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patients receive care based on nationally-respected clinical guidelines,” says Chief Medical Officer Seth Kronenberg. “Crouse Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke” helps us achieve that goal.”

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke” achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and have achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality” measures.

To qualify for the “Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus,” hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. In addition to tPA therapy, those stroke patients who come to Crouse requiring more advanced treatment are quickly routed to one of two dedicated hybrid OR suites equipped with the region’s latest stroke care technology.

“Our team has worked hard to streamline our process, following best-practice guidelines to ensure that stroke patients receive definitive treatment as quickly as possible,” said Leanne Werbeck, stroke program administrator. “As a result, door-to-treatment times here at Crouse are consistently below national goals.”

Carol M. Baldwin Fund to support five breast cancer research projects at Upstate

Upstate Medical University researchers Juntao Luo, pictured, and Mira Krendel will use a Baldwin Fund grant to continue studies on a protein that impacts cancerous tumor growth. This is one of five studies the fund is sponsoring.

The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund Inc. is supporting five breast cancer research studies at Upstate Medical University with $250,000 in funding and two endowed lectures through its 2015 allocations program.

Since 2002, the fund has awarded Upstate researchers more than $3 million to further their studies into the cause of breast cancer. In addition to the grants, the Baldwin Fund sponsors two annual endowed lectureships focused on breast cancer developments. The Baldwin family dedicates their research grants and the endowed lectures in memory of

women who have been affected by the disease.

“It is important to continue the search until a cure for breast cancer is discovered,” said Beth Baldwin, whose mother, Carol, a breast cancer survivor, founded the Baldwin Fund. “We appreciate the support we receive from everyone who participates in our events. Their continued support will help to further knowledge into the cause of this disease and will take us closer to finding a cure. We owe it to the women who have lost their lives to the disease and to those who have survived,” she said.

The Manor’s Terry Woodworth Recognized as State Employee of Distinction Award Terry Woodworth, a longtime certified nursing assistant at The Manor at Seneca Hill, was recently honored with the Leading Age New York Employee of Distinction Award.

The award acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of direct care and indirect care staff that provide patients, residents and other employees with excellent service.

Pictured from left are Constituent Relations Assistant David Poleto, of State Sen. Patty Ritchie’s office; Oswego Health December 2015 •

Board Chair Bill Clark; State Assemblyman Will Barclay; Oswego Health President and CEO Chuck Gijanto; honoree Terry Woodworth; The Manor at Seneca Hill’s Chief Operating Officer Jason Santiago; Leading Age New York Vice President of Advocacy & Public Safety Ami Schnauber; The Manor at Seneca Hill’s Director of Nursing Esther Field; and Oswego Health Vice President of for Communications and Government Affairs Jeff Coakley.

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H ealth News Auburn Community Hospital Honors Dr. Frank Moran

A plaque was unveiled honoring the dedication and service to Auburn Community Hospital by physician Frank T. Moran. The plaque is mounted in the radiology patient reception area.

Moran started in radiology at Auburn Memorial in 1952 and retired as chief of radiology in 1985 after 33 years of leadership and service. He was fondly remembered for his caring nature extended to all patients and his

staff as well as his state-of-the-art knowledge of radiology and imaging technology. He was a member and past president of the Cayuga County Medical Society and had been previously honored by the Medical Society of the State of New York for 50 years of service.

On hand to view the plaque were his four children, from left, Thomas Moran, Ellen P. Moran, Sara Jo Podolak and Catherine G. Moran.

Michaud’s Jennifer Callen Receives ‘Employee of Distinction Award’

Michaud Residential Health Services Activities Assistant Jennifer Callen was recognized with a 2015 Long Term Care Employee of Distinction Award during a ceremony held in her honor. The statewide award presented by Leading Age NY is in recognition of Callen’s outstanding commitment and dedication to the care of Michaud residents over her 16-year career with the Fulton healthcare provider. Pictured (left to right) taking part in the award ceremony are: Mary Costigan, administrator at Michaud; Michelle

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015

Stepien, representing NYS Sen. Patty Ritchie; Employee of Distinction award recipient Jennifer Callen; Amy Schnauber, vice president of advocacy and public policy for Leading Age NY, who presented the Employee of Distinction award; Terry Wilbur, representing NYS Assemblyman Will Barclay; and St. Luke Health Services CEO Terrence Gorman. Callen and other award recipients from across the state were commemorated in a resolution passed earlier this year by the New York State Legislature.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2015