In Good Health: Rochester #197 - January 2022

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JANUARY 2022 • ISSUE 197

DIETS TO CONSIDER IN 2022

From classics like W.W. (formerly Weight Watchers) to new trends like keto, which one is the best for you? We cover the pros and cons, and local experts weigh in. P. 12

ALSO INSIDE: PFIZER VS. MODERNA: Which One Has the Edge? P. 5 SOCIAL MEDIA: Snapchat, TikTok, users at higher risk of depression. P. 2 LIVE ALONE & THRIVE: Flying Solo at 73. P. 8

FROM CANCER SURVIVOR TO MAJOR FUNDRAISER Angela Uttaro, a cancer survivor, has made it her mission to raise funds for Wilmot Cancer Institute. P. 15

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ARTHRITIS We spoke with Nathan Kaplan, board-certified orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. P. 7

How Drugs, Treatments Get Approval Clinical trials help researchers identify and refine better treatments.

Find out what you need to know about it. P. 16

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Social Media Tied to Higher Risk of Depression Users of Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok at higher risk of depression

T

he latest in a spate of studies investigating links between use of social media and depression suggests the two go hand in hand.

“The relationship between social media and mental health has been the subject of a lot of debate,” said physician Roy Perlis, lead author of the new study. He’s director of the Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnostics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

On one hand, social media is a way for people to stay connected to a larger community and get information about things that interest them, Perlis noted. On the other, even before widespread misinformation on these platforms was recognized, there was a sense that young people might be negatively affected.

The new study follows a yearlong look at social media use and onset of depression among nearly 5,400 adults. None reported even mild depression at the start.

But in multiple surveys over 12 months, depression status had worsened in some respondents, the study found. The risk rose with use of three hugely popular social media sites:

Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok. As to whether social media actually causes depression, Perlis said it’s unclear which is the chicken and which is the egg.

“One possible explanation for our results,” he noted, “is that people who are at risk for depression, even if they’re not currently depressed, are more likely to use social media.

Another is that social media actually contributes to that increased risk.”

But this study wasn’t designed to distinguish between the two, he said.

To explore adult vulnerability, Perlis’ team focused on social media users 18 and up (average age: nearly 56). About two-thirds were women, and more than three-quarters were white people.

All completed an initial survey about their use of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and/ or YouTube.

Participants were also asked about news consumption habits and access to social support when they felt sad or depressed.

None showed any signs of depression at the first survey. But

after completing at least one similar follow-up, nearly 9% showed a “significant” increase in scores for depression risk.

Increased risk was seen in users of TikTok or Snapchat who were 35 years old and up, but not among younger users. The reverse dynamic played out with Facebook users: Depression risk went up among those under 35, but not among older users.

Given that specific cause and effect aren’t clear, Perlis said the takeaway for now is that researchers need to understand the relationship between social media and mental health better.

“Even if social media use is only telling us about underlying risk rather than causing it, can we understand why? Might we be able to intervene to prevent depression and anxiety?”

Perlis asked.

He hopes his work will lead to some answers.

“We hope that our work will inform both mental health researchers and policymakers in thinking about how to study and potentially act on this relationship,” Perlis said.

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Page 2 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

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January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 3

Meet

Your Doctor

By Chris Motola

Justin M. Weis, M.D.

Head of intensive care unit at Thompson discusses what type of COVID-19 patients wind up in the hospital, why ventilators are not used as much and whether ICUs are prepared to handle the omicron wave of patients Q: The public policy focus with regard to COVID-19 has been laser-focused on the vaccines. But we want to talk to you about treatments for people with COVID-19 who are hospitalized. How has treatment evolved over the last two years?

A: Thankfully, we have a lot more information about COVID. With regard to the far end of the spectrum, the severe and critical illness, it really has a lot to do with a sub-population. A lot of it has to do with the virus strain, but perhaps even more so with the patients and their comorbidities: their age, any other illnesses they may have. The vaccines play a role in how likely someone is to develop critical illness.

But different than most pneumonias, COVID takes some time to ramp up.

Sometimes with very few symptoms in the beginning and then somewhere between seven to 14 days people very rapidly become extremely ill, with the major issue being oxygenation. So people may be at home with a typical flu-like illness but then suddenly have a lot more respiratory distress.

Or, even scarier, not have much respiratory distress, but their oxygen numbers are life-threateningly low.

Q: I take it that’s when many patients come to the hospital?

A: We’ll often see people come into the ER around the start of needing oxygen. And then suddenly on the hospital floor using a couple liters of oxygen—even a healthy individual without existing lung disease.

Within a day or two some of them may need the maximum

amount of oxygen we can supply through non-invasive means. Over time we’ve learned about different medicines that are helpful. That probably started a little more than a year ago. Some of it is based on general treatments of acute respiratory distress syndrome. There’s also some effort in the early phases to prevent viral replication. There’s been some marginal data on remdesivir. But it hasn’t had strong outcomes, particularly with the critically ill. We also use anti-inflammatories to try to mitigate the immune system’s over-exuberant response to the virus. In some patients, there’s a very strong inflammatory response that goes beyond just controlling the virus and starts damaging the lungs. Some of the strongest data is around steroids like dexamethasone and there’s been investigation into some others that are

used to treat autoimmune diseases.

If patients are having rapidly accelerating oxygen prob-

lems, we’ll apply these medications to try to prevent progression to respiratory failure and the need for ventilation.

Q: I wanted to touch on that because early on in the pandemic, the ventilator became a symbol of, short of death of course, the worst-case scenario. There were well-publicized ventilator shortages in New York City. We don’t hear about them as much lately. Are we not ventilating as many patients?

A: It’s understanding the illness better. In the initial phase of the pandemic in the spring and summer of 2020, there were a lot of unknowns.

There wasn’t the same understanding of how an individual’s illness might progress. Then there was the winter 2020 surge during the north’s viral respiratory season. Now, going back into this year we have staffing and fatigue issues. But you’re right, in the “unknown phase” the rapidly accelerating hours or days of oxygen requirements, it was a matter of understanding the patient’s condition and resource allocation. There are only so many ventilators in an area or hospital. There’s also a complicated transition of getting someone onto a ventilator. You have to put them to sleep with medications that actually stop them from breathing. So you have a limited amount of time to transition them onto the machine. So there’s some danger there. So there’s been a discussion about when to do it and we’ve become more comfortable watching patients’ illness evolve, intervening with treatments and preventing the need for mechanical ventilation. The other side of that is that if a patient is receiving the maximum amount of oxygen with a high-flow nasal cannula that’s pumping 40, 60, 80 liters of oxygen into their lungs—it’s like having your head out the window on I-90, so it’s a massive airflow holding their lungs open—getting them from that onto a ventilator can be very delicate. So to circle back around to your original question, we’re ventilating fewer people now, but the people we’re ventilating are extremely sick.

Q: I’ve heard some pretty wild stories about how low people’s O2 have gone and able to come back from it. Is that a quirk of COVID-19?

A: There are a number of illnesses, other pneumonias, flu, that can create a severe drop in oxygen.

What’s unique to COVID is how it can go from something about on par with a typical cold then rapidly—and more frequently—suddenly have that happen. Another unusual aspect is that people can have this severe inflammatory state, but it’s only affecting their lungs. So other organs may be less affected in the initial phases of the illness. The human body is an amazing machine that can compensate. So if your heart, kidneys and muscles are working well, your body can compensate until the wheels come off. Your body can tolerate low oxygen levels for a period of time, but underlying conditions can make it harder to compensate.

Q: How stressed are our ICUs from COVID-19 in your experience?

A: It’s a perfect storm. COVID usually takes about twice as long to treat as typical pneumonia. We’ve got a

Page 4 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

new variant, omicron, with a lot of unknowns. We’re going into winter in New York. And we were already low on staff in summer, but a lot of hospitals are working with 20%-30% staffing vacancies. FF Thompson has thankfully doing well with physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, but seeing another surge coming is demoralizing and exhausting. We’re not at our wit’s end, but it’s impressively difficult when all these issues come together.

Q: If you’ve just gotten a COVID-19 diagnosis what can either they, or doctors, do to decrease their chances of needing treatment at a hospital?

A: That’s a great and hard question. There have been a number of studies looking into how to stop progression into hospitalization. There are some more formal medications, which require help from some kind of medical provider, like monoclonal antibody infusions. There are two medications that are in the hands of the FDA, I believe, that are intended to stop progression. As far as things you can do without intervention: make sure you’re maintaining good hydration and nutrition and managing any underlying illnesses you might have. There are some questions about whether vitamin D and zinc help. They certainly don’t hurt; the data is not so clear. And monitor your illness so you know when to get help.

Q: What does recovery generally look like for severe and critical COVID-19 patients? How are they doing months later?

Are there many reinfections?

A: There are reinfections, but they’re typically milder. Whether they’re vaccinated or have had previous exposure, most people have developed some degree of protection. That can vary depending on how much disability and damage they may have had from a previous infection. Most patients make a complete recovery in lung function, but there are some who have scarring in their lungs or other organs. Critical patients who have gone through the paralysis we induce for mechanical support can take months to truly recover. It can be a life-changing event.

Overall, we’re seeing the survivability of this illness is getting better. Age and underlying functional status affect it, of course. Healthy people who are nevertheless on heavy amounts of oxygen, it can actually be borderline shocking how quickly some of them can come off oxygen. So it’s a very wide range. But we’re trying to be better about critical care recovery and follow-up.

Lifelines

Name: Justin M. Weis, M.D. Position: Pulmonary critical care physicianl director of the intensive care unit; president of medical staff at FF Thompson. Associate professor of clinical medicine.

Hometown: Musscatine, Iowa Education: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Affiliations: FF Thompson Hospital; Strong Memorial Hospital; Highland Hospital Organizations: American Thoracic Society; American College of Chest Physicians Family: Wife (Emily), son (Jack) Hobbies: Horseback riding, sailing, outdoor activities

Pfizer vs. Moderna: Which One Has the Edge?

W

hich coronavirus vaccine is best at beating COVID-19 — Moderna or Pfizer?

New research hands that honor to Moderna: In what is billed as the first head-to-head comparison of the two shots, researchers analyzed the health records of nearly 440,000 U.S. veterans who received one of the two vaccines between early January 2021 and mid-May 2021. All were followed for 24 weeks.

While both vaccines were highly effective in preventing infection, hospitalization and death, the Moderna vaccine conferred a 21% lower risk of infection and a 41% lower risk of hospitalization.

“Both vaccines are incredibly effective, with only rare breakthrough cases,” said research team member J.P. Casas, an epidemiologist and associate professor with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is also executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Million Veteran Program for genetics and health research.

“But regardless of the predominant strain — Alpha earlier and then Delta later — Moderna was shown to be slightly more effective,” Casas noted in a VA news release.

The infection rate during the follow-up period was 4.52 per 1,000 in the Moderna vaccine group and 5.75

per 1,000 in the Pfizer group. Those in the Pfizer group also had higher rates of symptomatic COVID-19 (0.44 more per 1,000), hospitalization (0.55 more per 1,000), ICU admission (0.10 more per 1,000), and death (0.02 more per 1,000) than those in the Moderna group.

An additional phase of the study covering the period when Delta was the main strain in the United States showed that the risk of infection was still higher among those in the Pfizer group (6.54 more per 1,000) than in the Moderna group.

The findings were published Dec. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Given the high effectiveness of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, confirmed by our study, either one is recommended to any individual offered a choice between the two,” said study first author Barbra Dickerman, an epidemiology instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“However, while the estimated differences in effectiveness were small on an absolute scale, they may be meaningful when considering the large population scale at which these vaccines are deployed. This information may be helpful for larger decision-making bodies,” Dickerman said in the release.

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Rural Hospitals’ ERs Just as Effective as Urban Ones: Study

I

f you live the country life, new research brings a reassuring finding: Your chances of surviving a heart attack, stroke or other potentially life-threatening medical emergency at a rural emergency department are

similar to odds at a city ER in the United States.

Researchers analyzed more than 470,000 outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries treated at rural and urban ERs between 2011 and 2015.

Overall 30-day death rates were 3.9% in rural ERs and 4.1% in urban ERs, according to the study. However, patients with symptoms that did not result in a specific diagnosis had higher death rates at rural ERs than urban ERs. The researchers also found that patients in rural ERs were much more likely to be transferred than those in urban ERs, 6.2% versus 2%.

“The rural emergency department system functions well for discrete conditions that can be quickly diagnosed and approached for treatment and, if necessary, transferred,” said senior study author, physician Keith Kocher, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Michigan Medicine-University of Michigan.

“We initially expected to see a more significant difference in mortality, as rates for inpatients are often higher at rural hospitals. However, the findings indicate these critical points of access for care are doing well for the patients they serve, even though they are frequently not resourced like peer institutions in

metropolitan areas,” Kocher said in a university news release.

“Arranging timely transfer of patients from a rural hospital can often be very challenging and has been made even more difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” added study lead author, physician Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen. She’s a graduate of Michigan’s National Clinician Scholars Program at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

“These findings further highlight how impressive it is that we found rural hospitals produced the same outcomes despite these challenges,” she said in the release.

The study was published Nov. 19 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The researchers noted that more than 100 rural U.S. hospitals have closed since 2010, depriving their communities of emergency care.

“This work demonstrates the critical importance of rural emergency departments,” Kocher said, stressing that policymakers should focus on ensuring access to these ERs.

Healthcare in a Minute

By George W. Chapman

Vaccine Saga Continues: 90-95% Compliance from Healthcare Workers

N

YS has already mandated all NYS healthcare workers must be vaccinated by early this past December 2021.

While many workers chose to quit rather than get the vaccine, most NYS healthcare facilities and physician offices report compliance rates in the 90% to 95% range.

Not all states issued a vaccine mandate. So, the federal government issued its own mandate ordering all healthcare workers in all states to be vaccinated by Jan. 4. Rather than comply, 14 states chose to sue. In December, a federal court in Louisiana granted them a temporary hold on the federal mandate. As the delta variant once again surges and the

omicron variant begins to spread, more and more people are getting vaccinated. Ninety-nine percent of patients who end up hospitalized, and possibly in the ICU on vents, are unvaccinated. Consequently, 99% of deaths are among the unvaccinated. Meanwhile, surveys of non-healthcare employers reveal 60% have mandates or are about to implement one. The major healthcare organizations, (AHA, AMA, ANA, etc.) remain fully supportive of vaccine mandates to protect both their members and their patients.

The administration is going to require health insurers to fully cover COVID-19 testing at your physician’s office and at home.

Women as Health System CEOs

supply costs and a workforce that is overworked, overwhelmed, underappreciated and demoralized.

To make matters worse, in the middle of the war, Medicare was about to impose salt- in- the- woundthanks- for- your- service cuts to their reimbursement effective Jan. 1. This is tantamount to cutting a soldiers pay and supplies in the middle of a war. The overall cut would be 10% while medical inflation is currently running around 10%. So it’s a 20% slash.

Physicians were to be cut 4% and clinical labs, performing all kinds of pandemic-related testing in addition to routine testing would be cut 23%.

Hospitals and nursing facilities were to be chopped as well. And to top it all off, the cuts come at a time when physician visits and hospital procedure declined. Granted, most of the cuts were planned pre-pandemic. But why did it take a last ditch effort by Congress to postpone (not cancel) the cuts? Didn’t anyone see this coming?

The very least we can do to support our “troops” and win the war is to get vaccinated and be patient

Forty percent of practicing physicians are women. This has been steadily increasing over the past two decades as there are now more females (52%) than males in medical school. Ninety percent of nurses are women. But according to a survey of more than 250 healthcare systems and national insurers, reported in the AMA Journal, in an industry dominated by women, only 15% of respondents had a female CEO. Female representation was slightly better in other senior suite positions like COO, CFO, etc. Maybe as a consequence, only 25% of the respondents had a female chair of the board. By comparison, various surveys of top US corporations reveal only 5% to 10% are headed by a woman.

Really Bad Timing Hospitals, nursing facilities, clinics and physician offices are the veritable front lines in the pandemic war. They are saddled with labor shortages, skyrocketing labor and

and appreciative when we seek care.

Sadly, the cuts to reimbursement was passed by Congress.

Death Rate Increased The overall death rate in the US increased 17% from 2019 to 2020. NYS ranked No. 1 with a 29% increase. Much of the national overall rate is due to preventable COVID-19 and overdose-related deaths. COVID-19 disproportionately impacted minorities, including American Indians, Blacks, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders. COVID-19 was the No. 3 leading cause of death.

Again, most of those deaths were preventable. Out of the 38 countries studied, the US ranked low (No. 33 for infant mortality) in most metrics.

Once again the US claimed No. 1 for most spending per capita. In sort of good news, the number of us with three or more chronic conditions decreased and the per capita spending on public health was up 33% to $116 per capita. Unfortunately, most of the public health spending increase was to put out fires like COVID-19.

Opioid Epidemic Overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 100,000 people died of a drug overdose the year between March 2020 and April 2021, and 75% of all drug overdoses were caused by opioids.

Drug overdoses killed more of us than car crashes and guns combined. Fentanyl-laced opioid pills (more kick) helped fuel the continuing epidemic. COVID-19 exacerbates the situation by causing relapses in addicts suffering from anxiety, depression and isolation. More must be done to battle this ongoing epidemic which impacts mostly rural teens and young adults. Naloxone reverses opioid overdoses. We need to expand the supply of, access to and affordability of Naloxone. Use telemedicine to reach isolated and rural areas where the epidemic is at its worst.

MAT (medically assisted treatment),

Page 6 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

which combines medication management and counseling, works well virtually.

To get a dramatic glimpse into the opioid problem, I suggest watching “Dopesick” starring Michael Keaton on Hulu. It focuses on the notorious Sackler family which developed and marketed OxyContin via their company, Purdue Pharma.

Having been sued by dozens of state attorneys general, the Sacklers agreed to a one-time settlement of $4.5 billion to be released over nine years. The average victim would be compensated between $3,500 and $48,000 which seems paltry. The Sackers never admitted guilt nor expressed remorse. All future profits from Purdue Pharma will be diverted to addiction centers. The Sacklers remain one of the wealthiest families in the world.

ACA Enrollment Open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act programs began Nov. 1, 2020, for new participants. As of early December, 4.6 million people had enrolled though either federal or state exchanges. Ninety-five percent of the new enrollees are eligible for tax credits which subsidize their monthly premiums. These enrollees are just above the poverty line and make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Consequently, they can purchase commercial insurance online at a graduated discount based on income. The ACA now covers 32 million people, or one in ten citizens.

George W. Chapman is a healthcare business consultant who works exclusively with physicians, hospitals and healthcare organizations. He operates GW Chapman Consulting based in Syracuse. Email him at gwc@gwchapmanconsulting.com.

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5 A

Things You Should 3.

Know About Arthritis

Common treatments

By Ernst Lamothe Jr.

rthritis has an immense impact on people of all age groups.

It affects the joints and tissues which can cause severe pain and swelling. Arthritis is a progressive disorder, which starts gradually and gets worse with time. More than 54.4 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Chronic medical problems like kidney and liver disease, some medications, and the presence or absence of other protective structures that protect the cartilage and allow the joint to function normally can cause arthritis,” said Nathan Kaplan, board-certified orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“The health and durability of this special tissue is dependent on the forces and impact that are imparted to the joint, the patient’s genetics, the environment and nutrients available for healing.”

Arthritis can be an umbrella word and a very generalized term which covers many conditions such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus and gout.

With each condition there are various forms of wear and tear along with joint inflammation whether that be in the hip, knee or small joints of the hand, feet and spine. The most common form of arthritis is a condition in which the cartilage, or special tissue that coats the ends of bones within a joint, wears down with time.

Kaplan explained five aspects of arthritis.

1.Misconceptions

Whether it is home remedies, inaccurate Internet fixes or just plain personal opinions, there remains many myths about how to turn back the clock on arthritis. Some

think that it will simply get better on its own which incorrectly has caused many patients to delay needed joint replacement surgery where they have lived in pain for years unnecessarily.

“Some people think non-surgical treatment options are just Band-Aid solutions,” said Kaplan. “While surgical treatments can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life, however, not all joint pain should be treated with joint replacement.

In many cases, it is better to wait, or treat the symptoms without surgery to avoid the risk of long-term complications that can be very debilitating.”

He also cautioned against the idea that arthritis is genetic.

“While a predisposition to developing arthritis can be inherited, it does not guarantee that you will need your hip replaced simply because a parent had both,” he said.

“The development of arthritis is affected by many factors that can be controlled and modified by any individual patient to avoid symptoms or progressive disease.”

2.Symptoms

Common symptoms include swelling of the joints, slight pain in joints in regular movements, stiffness and decreased range of motion. Symptoms can come and go, sometimes they can be mild, moderate or severe. They can stay the same for years or get worse over time.

Inflammation is a chemical reaction that stems from normal immune function and produces five classic signs: pain, swelling, warmth, heat, and loss of function.

“These symptoms are generally reported by patients as grinding, crunching, clicking, and catching, amongst others,” said Kaplan.

“Sometimes these sensations can be directly associated with pain. Loss of supportive tissue in a joint can lead to changes in alignment, like bowing of the leg.”

With arthritis, many orthopedic doctors treat the condition non-surgical first using braces for knee and hip problems. The brace helps stabilize the joints, especially for those who experience falls. There are also ways to strengthen core and back muscles to help with the joints.

There are many different types of direct injectable materials that can relieve pain such as steroids or cortisone.

“The non-surgical treatment options for arthritis are aimed at controlling the symptoms produced secondary to inflammation.

Inflammation is the body’s general response to something not working properly, and it produces typical symptoms that trouble patients with arthritis,” said Kaplan. “Maintaining a healthy weight and fit lifestyle with low-moderate impact activity helps to nourish and strengthen cartilage and structures that support the joint including the underlying bone. Strengthening the muscles that surround the joint will help offload forces across the joint to minimize repetitive damage.”

In addition, physical therapy comes in many forms but is overall targeted to help patients achieve these goals and can be one of the best long-term interventions to control symptoms.

Some even incorporate less traditional techniques like water-based therapy, acupuncture and massage.

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as Tylenol can help decrease pain, while anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen can directly block the chemical pathways that lead to inflammation in the body.

“Use caution taking these medications as there are potential adverse effects that patients should not only be counseled on, but monitored for.

Ask your doctor for guidance on taking these medications and always notify your primary care doctor if you start taking any new medications,” added Kaplan.

4.Don’t ignore the pain

The pain and functional limitations associated with progressive arthritis can lead to difficulties

Nathan Kaplan is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

completing regular activities of daily living. Joint pain is one of the leading causes of missed work and loss of income, but most importantly, it interferes with our ability to enjoy our recreational time. “Activity limitation can lead to progressive deterioration in heart, lung and other major organ function, worsening certain chronic medical conditions,” said Kaplan.

“The symptoms of arthritis can overlap with the symptoms of more serious musculoskeletal conditions and it’s important to make sure that a condition with dire implications isn’t missed.”

5.Listen to your body

Arthritis is a very prevalent condition that impacts the lives of millions of Americans each year.

Many resources have been dedicated to understanding the condition and its management.

“Don’t hesitate to seek the care of a provider if you begin to develop symptoms. We are here to help from the early stages onward. Your primary care doctor can help start the process and, in some cases, initiate treatment. Prevention, in the form of lifestyle modification, is paramount and we can help provide resources and counseling,” Kaplan said.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 7

Live Alone & Thrive

By Gwenn Voelckers

Practical tips, advice and hope for those who live alone

Flying Solo at 73: My Neighbor Has Found Her Wings

I

t’s been five years now since my former neighbor Karen lost her beloved husband to cancer.

Initially devastated by her loss, she understandably retreated into the safety and security of her closest family and friends.

And then COVID-19 hit.

It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, so I was delighted when I bumped into Karen at the grocery store last week. I asked how she was doing and she declared with a touch of hesitancy, but noticeable pride, that “I’m more resilient than I thought.”

Then she quickly added with a good-natured smile, “Did you hear?

I moved into a smaller home in that new housing development near the village.”

I could tell that Karen had taken the time to grieve and grow into the next phase of her life. And I was pleased when she readily accepted my invitation to share a little bit about her journey.

We met in her charming patio home for a heart-to-heart about what it’s been like since her husband of 49 years died in 2016.

Karen and Jim were high-school sweethearts. They married right after college and started a family soon thereafter, two daughters and a boy.

“Jim was my rock,” said Karen. “He did repairs around the house, mowed the lawn, kept our cars running, and so much more. We were good partners. And best friends.”

She stared into the distance, “I still miss him.”

They shared a conventional marriage, with responsibilities drawn

along traditional lines: Jim took care of the finances and maintenance projects, while Karen managed the household and tended to the children. “It was a happy marriage,” said Karen, “and we had an active and fulfilling social life.”

And then, unexpectedly, Jim (a non-smoker) was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died four and a half years later. For Karen, his death felt very sudden, despite his long and brave battle. “I guess I wasn’t facing reality,” she confided.

Karen’s next few years were consumed with grief and mourning.

But slowly and steadily she began to feel a return to normalcy. “I could talk about Jim without crying,” she shared.

As Karen regained her footing, she was also becoming more aware of her surroundings. Absent Jim’s care and attention, the house had fallen into disrepair. There was water in the basement, peeling paint and long overdue maintenance. “It was overwhelming,” Karen revealed. “I couldn’t sleep for worrying about the house, the finances and the long, never-ending list of chores.”

Below, Karen talks about how she got through the toughest times.

Q: How did you carry on after the love and support you had enjoyed for years was suddenly gone?

A: It wasn’t easy. Getting a handle on financial matters was one of my first priorities. Thankfully Jim had made good provisions for our retirement and made sure I knew what was what before he died. That was a

What’s Behind Unexplained Epilepsy in Kids?

G

enetic testing can help guide management and treatment of unexplained epilepsy in children, new research suggests.

“A genetic diagnosis impacted medical management for nearly three out of four children in our study,” said study author Isabel Haviland.

She’s a physician and a postdoctoral research fellow in neurology/neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

In the study, Haviland’s team examined the medical records of 152 children with epilepsy who were

tested between 2012 and 2019 at one U.S. institution and received a genetic diagnosis.

For 72% of the children, genetic testing affected at least one of four areas of management of their condition: care coordination, meaning they were referred to specialists or for diagnostic testing because of health issues related to the genetic finding (48%); treatment (45%); prognosis, or outlook for the course of their epilepsy (28%); and diagnosis (1%).

Among the children whose treatment was affected by genet-

blessing. Still, though, you wouldn’t believe how much there was to learn and do after Jim’s death.

My saving grace was our financial adviser. He helped me make sense of all the accounts, the transfers, the documents . . . everything.

Looking back, I don’t know how I got through it. It took time, but now I feel more in control of things. I even enrolled in online bill paying. I know that’s commonplace these days, but for me it was a big leap.

Q: Beyond finances, what other challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

A: The emotional ups and downs were my biggest challenges. I could be going along just fine and then a wave of deep grief would wash over me out of nowhere. Or I would get overcome with fears about the future.

Thank goodness for my adult children. They were my emotional anchors and I didn’t hesitate to call on them. When I was feeling sad and scared, they would scoop me into their arms and remind me that I wasn’t alone.

On a more practical level, my children also helped me with the new house. My daughters showed me how to change the furnace filter, my son mowed the lawn, and I’ve taught myself how to make some basic repairs around the house. Thank goodness for “how to” videos on YouTube! If needed, I’ll hire contractors to tackle the big stuff.

Q: What are your challenges today?

Is loneliness an issue?

A: Today? Oh, my challenges are very different. (Karen is smiling.) A challenge might be choosing between two equally inviting options: Walking with friends or playing Mahjong with my foursome. I think I’ll do both!

My life is very full; I don’t struggle with loneliness. I have my piano, my books, my friends and my adorable cat Lucy. I love curling up with her and a good mystery novel

by Louise Penny. ic testing: 36% had an impact on anti-seizure medication choice; 10% were eligible for gene-specific clinical trials or experimental drug use; 7% were started on gene-specific vitamin or metabolic treatments, such as the ketogenic diet; and 3% were treated with a drug not yet approved for their type of epilepsy.

The findings were presented in December at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting, in Chicago. Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“We found the impact of a genetic diagnosis was even higher in children whose epilepsy began before they turned 2 years old,” Haviland said in a meeting news release.

“About twothirds of pediatric epilepsy is unexplained, and genetic testing should be offered in these cases because of the significant potential impact on

Page 8 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

Q: And what about romance?

A: I doubt I’ll marry again. I’ve come to enjoy my independence. If I feel like eating cereal for dinner, that’s what I have. If I want to wear purple and pink together, that’s what I wear. I take pleasure in that freedom. Would I welcome a male companion for walks, movies or a dinner out? Sure, I’m open to that. I like to stay active.

Q: What advice do you have for others?

A: Maintain your friendships.

My friends carried me through the tough times and now they carry me through the good times.

I don’t wait for people to call me.

I pick up the phone. I invite people over and make plans. And, while I don’t consider myself computer savvy, I use email and Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family.

We share videos and jokes, and make arrangements to get together. My friends make all the difference!

As more women like Karen embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with living alone, they are finding their wings and the ability to fly solo with confidence and creativity. They learn first-hand, just as I did, that life goes on, that life can get better.

Even with the inevitable turbulence, living alone can lead to meaningful new relationships, surprising and satisfying self-discovery, and a renewed love for this precious, ever-changing life we live.

Gwenn Voelckers is the founder and facilitator of Alone and Content, empowerment workshops for women and author of “Alone and Content,” a collection of inspiring essays for those who live alone. For information about her workshops, to purchase her book, or invite her to speak, visit www. aloneandcontent.com management, including on clinical treatment and eligibility for clinical studies,” Haviland suggested.

Changes in treatment can make a significant difference for a child with epilepsy, according to Haviland.

For example, vitamin B6 is important for brain development but some genetic disorders affect its pathway in the brain. Supplements or related vitamins may partially correct the problem and treat the epilepsy.

“Genetic testing should be part of the standard evaluation of children with unexplained epilepsy,” Haviland concluded.

The Art of Shoveling (without getting hurt)

Four health professionals offer a blizzard of wisdom about snow shoveling (Perhaps hiring the neighbor kid may be the best thing to do)

By John Addyman

C

hiropractor Matt Alexander doesn’t have to look out the window to know what’s going on with the weather.

“A day or two after the first snowfall, we’ll get the phone calls from people suffering,” he said. “Nobody calls their surgeon after they’ve shoveled snow — that’s a ways down the road. They’re hoping to get better by then.”

So they call a chiropractor.

“We see a lot of snow-shoveling debacles,” he admitted.

Alexander, whose practice is at Apple Country Chiropractic in Williamson, knows a lot about man versus snow.

“People will present themselves with sharp lower-back pain and in more severe cases, pain down one or both legs. They’re finding walking and transitional movements very difficult, like getting in and out of bed, in and out of the car, on and off the toilet, walking in and out of work.

Those transitions are very tough,” he said.

“Snow shoveling employs bending, lifting and twisting, the root of 90% of lower-back injuries. And it especially affects the deconditioned crowd. So, snow shoveling sets you up for the perfect storm,” he added.

“You have a time of the year when people tend to be much less active, it’s cold and they wake up in the morning and there’s snow. They feel anxiety to shovel out and so they forget all common sense of athletic activity. They rarely warm up, they rarely stretch and they rarely take any precaution. They just go out and shovel as fast as they can…and have an injury.”

Most spine injuries happen in the morning, he said.

“Bending, lifting injuries are more common in the morning because after rest, your system has been unloaded and suddenly if you load it hard the first thing in the morning, you’re more vulnerable. Your body needs a chance to warm up,” Alexander explained. “People who warm up

always do better, and this is general.

Consequently, for snow shoveling, it’s even harder to warm up because its 20 degrees outside and more often than not, it’s the morning when you’re doing it.”

Devan Veeder, a physical therapist at Brownstone Physical Therapy in Newark, also gets phone calls after a snowstorm.

“The most common thing is muscle strains,” he said. “I think for even the most in-shape person, someone who exercises regularly, the first time [they] go out and shovel, they’re going to have a little bit of soreness in those muscles you use not that frequently and not that strenuously.

That’s normal and we don’t want people to be overly concerned about soreness in the lower to upper-middle back. That’s somewhat normal.”

But attitude can be a problem, Veeder warned.

“First, we all want to get it done quickly. And that doesn’t necessarily help us. So, take up smaller loads of snow. That sounds easy, sounds simple, until we get out there in the morning and we want to get to work quickly. So, we take big loads of snow. Lessening the load of the amount of snow you’re shoveling is one of the biggest things.

“To help with minimizing low back injuries, something people don’t always think about is holding down lower on the shovel, believe it or not, that way you’re closer to the load you’re lifting and that makes it a little easier to lift, with less strain on your back. You use your legs a little bit more and your arms, with less strain on your back.”

Poor mechanics and being lazy, Veeder warned, are instigators of suffering.

“Squat with your legs and get closer to the level of the snow. Move one arm closer to the bottom of the shovel to almost lighten the load,” he said.

Alexander and Veeder stress warming up before you take the shovel in your hand.

“Do the same thing you do for a sport. Stretch, warm up, not try to go too hard too fast,” Alexander said.

“Pace yourself. Do little bits at a time.

Don’t try to run a marathon all of a sudden. People typically don’t shovel all year long and suddenly six inches appear and there they are…it’s the deconditioned aspect: you wake up and suddenly say, ‘Ahhh, there’s snow out there.’”

“Some ways you can warm up are as simple as going for a walk or using a simple low-back stretch,” suggested Veeder. “One of the biggest things I see is people rushing because of dehydration.”

Make sure the night before you’re expecting to shovel snow, to hydrate. Truly, almost like athletes on a football field, everybody’s trying to rush water to them. When they’re cramping up, it’s too late. Same thing when you’re going out to shovel: you’re only going to be out there for 30 minutes anyway, so make sure you’re hydrated the night before or before you’re going to shovel because dehydration can lead to laziness; you want to get it done fast because you’re fatigued. Then you start to bend with your back and then issues ensue.”

Orthopedic surgeon Tim Wagner agreed.

“I recommend bending at your knees and hips rather than rounding your back to avoid low-back injuries and strains,” the Rochester Regional Health surgeon said. “Lift a manageable amount of snow with each turn.

Your position as you shovel should be with knees bent and using good posture.”

He recommends a warm-up inside before venturing out into the whiteness.

“And check with your doctor if you feel you might be at risk for falling or have any heart issues,” he said. “And be sure to get in to be seen by a doctor if joint pain is limiting you.”

Gerry Gacioch, a cardiologist at Rochester Regional Health, said some

people shouldn’t shovel.

“People who are frail, people with active chest pains or shortness of breath, people with back or orthopedic problems,” he said.

He also recommended against shoveling after eating a meal or while smoking.

“Your body is already using more cardiac output to digest the meal,” he said. “And you shouldn’t smoke, period.”

“Shovel at a comfortable pace,” he added. “You should not have pain, shortness of breath or dizziness. Dress in layers so you’re warm enough and can take off a layer if you get too warm. Listen to your body: rest frequently if your breathing starts to get hard. If you get cold, go inside and warm up.”

Heart attacks can be killers when shoveling. Gacioch said to be alert for chest pain or pressure.

“It can be in the chest, back, shoulder or arm,” he said.

Dizziness is another marker. As is shortness of breath that does not improve quickly when resting.

“You need to take your time if shoveling wet and heavy snow. Use partial shovels full, no straining,” he said.

The doctors also have some advice about that shovel.

“Use a shovel that is comfortable and fits your strength and body size,” said Wagner.

Gacioch agreed.

Alexander suggested, “Use a modest-sized shovel. People like to get a gigantic shovel and they end up getting more snow on it than they can handle. You always want to push the snow as much as you can, not lift and throw it.”

“Some people enjoy the tradition of blowing their back out every winter shoveling snow,” Alexander continued, thinking about those phone calls. “For those who don’t, the best advice of all is hire the neighbor kid.”

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 9

operates via a “peer model.” What does that mean?

A. Our services are provided by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. We actively recruit for folks with disabilities. We’re also working to identify BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) individuals with disabilities so they can come into the organization, as well as Black and Indigenous people of color who don’t have disabilities.

Q A & with

Bruce Darling

CEO of The Center for Disability Rights breaks down ableist assumptions

T

Q. In a few words, what is CDR’s mission?

A. The Center for Disability Rights works for the full integration, independence and civil rights of people with disabilities. We do that through direct services for folks as well as advocacy, both individual advocacy and systems advocacy.

Q. According to CDR’s website, it

Q. How does CDPAS help the dis-

CDR co-founder, president and CEO Bruce Darling spoke to In Good Health about his organization, the challenges it faces and the ways it intends to overcome them.

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I don’t recognize people. A woman hugged me at an event. Six months later, I realized who she was. I also have difficulties with time (and) spatial relations.

Q. CDR provides a number of direct services, including independent living skills training, a sign language interpreter program and vocational rehabilitation programs. Is there a program of which you are particularly proud?

A. Our consumer directed personal assistance services program is probably one of the most significant things we do. Unlike the traditional home care model, where the workers are identified, trained and then sent to your house to perform services, the disabled individual or their surrogate who is in the program takes on all of those functions. The disabled person or a surrogate or family member or someone connected to them, manages the support services that the individual receives in the home.

By Mike Costanza he Center for Disability Rights advocates for the rights of the disabled and provides programs that meet their needs.

Founded in 1990 without a budget or paid staff, the nonprofit now has more than 100 people on its payroll, along with many volunteers, and a current budget of about $45 million.

CDR has a 22,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Rochester, service offices in Geneva and Corning and offices in Albany and Washington, DC that address issues regarding governmental policies toward the disabled.

More than 10,000 people across the state benefited from its services in 2020 alone.

Q. How do CDR’s hiring practices help it operationalize the peer model?

A. We think the problems that we have are not because we’re disabled, but because society has not provided us with an even playing field of accessibility. As people who have navigated these things, we can share that information with each other and help each other navigate systems, and cope with the world in general that is sometimes hostile to us. Sometimes, people just know tricks of the trade.

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abled people it serves do this?

A. We provide them with training, so that they know how to manage their services. They actually recruit, hire and train the workers, called personal assistants, who are in their home. These paid personal assistants provide assistance with activities of daily living and other tasks, such as help with medications, injections, feeding tubes and ventilators. We also walk you through how you can recruit the personal assistants.

Q. How are the personal assistants paid?

A. Typically, when you’re in this program you’re going to be connected to it through Medicaid or a managed care program that’s managing Medicaid dollars. If you’re not connected up with Medicaid or a managed care company that pays for this, we’ll work with you to do that. We process billing and payroll for these individuals, can provide support when there are performance issues that need to be addressed with personal assistants, and can help with recruiting.

Q. How has the pandemic affected your operations?

A. Because we provide frontline support, we’ve kept our offices open, although we did remote a lot of workers. We have also significantly limited anything face to face, and we have installed Plexiglas office dividers. We have also installed $130,000 worth of air purification and air exchange equipment to make the air safer.

Q. What is CDR’s greatest immediate challenge?

A. Probably our biggest challenge is ableism, the oppression faced by people with disabilities.

Q. How do you plan to attack that problem?

A. We do this by being who we are, unashamedly. By being upfront about being people with disabilities and working to support our community, we break down the ableist assumptions that people have about us.

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Page 10 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

How to Build and Support a Strong Immune System Avoid stress, eat well and be well

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

T

he pandemic has brought greater attention to the importance of maintaining a strong immune system.

While receiving vaccinations helps improve immune response to communicable illnesses like the seasonal flu and COVID-19, supporting immune system health is also important for lowering risk for these and other illnesses.

Here’s what area experts recommend: • “Massage at its base is stress relief.

• “It improves circulation and the quality of sleep you’re getting.

Any time the body is at rest, at a molecular and cellular level, it works better. All of those things will boost immune systems, especially the way our busy lifestyles are. Moms and dads work so much and kids are over-scheduled. Rest is not emphasized enough.

• “Essential oils are part of my business. It’s about the benefits of the plants. Essential oils are the ‘blood’ of the plant. When you get the oil from the plant with distilling, all that the oil does for the plant, that’s what it’s going to do for you. Eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary, clove, frankincense, lavender, oregano, all of these all support immune health.

Young Living has an FDA-approved Vitality Line which you can ingest.

They have a white label. The oils themselves are the same, but the FDA requires a visual cue. You should always follow the manufacturer’s directions when using oils.”

— Danielle Strally, RN, licensed

massage therapist, Wellness By Danielle, Geneva.

• “Supplements are important, but I focus on food and the way of living. Food I recommend you should try taking every day is turmeric. Take it every day, as much as you can tolerate. Garlic, ginger, cinnamon and blueberries you should have every day. Fiber is very good.

Fiber helps the immune system and reduces inflammation. Some people may be sensitive to fiber. Mushrooms are good to eat.

• “Drink water regularly, not just taking too much at one time, but all day; drink water. The one simple indicator is when you go to the bathroom, the urine should look like water.

• “Olive oil should be part of a healthy diet. Use olive oil as a condiment. Sautéing is good. Frying isn’t and sugar is not good.

• “Stress damages the immune system. Some people think negative things about the future, like something bad is going to happen but no one has seen the future. Always have positive thoughts that good things are going to happen. Others think about old lies about the past.

The past is gone. Dragging through the negative parts of the past causes stress. Control the thoughts. It can be difficult, so we can think good things and bad things. If any negative thoughts come, think of good things.

• “Go walking to help manage stress and think happy thoughts.

Take a deep breath.

• “See a professional if you cannot control thoughts.

Healing Arts: Trigger Point Therapy Offers Pain Relief Some patients express surprise that just one treatment offers relief

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

W

hether it’s a frozen joint or localized pain, trigger point therapy from a licensed massage therapist can help.

“People come in with pain and decreased range of motion,” said Katrina Coleman, licensed massage therapist with Empire Therapeutic Massage in Rochester. “Trigger point therapy can help with that and make someone’s daily living better.”

Some patients express surprise that just one treatment offers relief.

For others, especially those who have endured a long-term issue, may take multiple treatments and need monthly “maintenance.”

“Everyone is different,” Coleman said. “It depends on the person’s activity level. If they do the same repetitive motion, it can bring it back.

The muscles try to go back into the state [they’re] comfortable in. It may take several treatments. Once muscles are no longer in trauma, they can relax. That signaling in the muscle

will eventually go away.”

She advises patients to hydrate well after treatment. They should also improve the healing process by alternating application of ice and heat to reduce any inflammation and to increase circulation.

Some trigger points transfer pain between a series of trigger points.

Cues from the patient can help the LMT to follow the path of the trigger points.

Danielle Strally, licensed massage therapist practicing as Wellness By Danielle in Geneva, said that posture and ergonomics play a big role in the development of trigger point issues.

“Trigger points are created when any given muscle structure is overused, misused like repetitive stress,” she said. “It’s the ‘tech neck’ because we’re all texting and we’re hunched down in the back of the shoulders’ trapezius where people say they hold their stress.”

As a result, muscles in the front

• “The home environment: make it like a temple, mosque or church: clean and relaxing. Use as few chemicals as possible and keep it dust-free.

• “Supplements can helpful.

Some people ask, ‘Why supplements?’ but they’re concentrated nutrients from food. Vitamin D has shown good effects at boosting the immune system. Even at hospitals they use vitamin D. Vitamin C is known for many years and zinc has shown as an important supplement.

Echinacea has shown to improve the defense.

• “If someone has a chronic problem, it needs to be stabilized; like high blood pressure or diabetes or autoimmune conditions. Chronic conditions, if not taken care of, can damage the immune system. These are the most important things regarding what we’re facing right now.”

— Physician Az Tahir, practicing holistic, natural and functional medicine in Rochester.

pharmacist and doctor to be sure there’s no contraindications.

• “Any foods with vitamin C, like fresh citrus, and garlic and onion, are wonderful.

• “Keep the sweets down as much as you can. Sugar can undercut the immune system.”

— Greg Deutschbein, ambassador of wellness at Lori’s Natural Foods Center in Rochester

• “Take basic vitamins and minerals. Keep up with your vitamin D, zinc and vitamin C. A lot of people are looking for quercetin to support immune health.

• “We’re also looking at n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a really great precursor to our master antioxidant, gluthathione, as it protects our lungs.

• “Traditionally, elderberry, echinacea, mullein and garlic: all of these can be used safely and effectively. Particularly those on a medication should run it by your shorten to compensate, the patient experiences pain.

She likens the effect to an old, crocheted blanket she has at home.

As holes form, she ties loose pieces of yarn together to “fix” it. However, this skews the pattern.

“When you overstretch the muscles, they ’fix’ themselves by pulling themselves back creating knots,” Strally said. “All your ‘pretty’ fibers get bunched.”

The trigger points are located in the “belly” of the muscle, usually.

The therapist applies pressure to the trigger point knot for 30 to 90 seconds, depending on the patient’s tolerance. At times, trigger point therapy can be uncomfortable. Strally bases the time length on patient feedback.

She refers patients to yoga of some sort because the stretching, balance and breath work helps them let go of tension.

“Relaxing can be the hardest job,” Strally said. “Some people are really coachable and lie on the table and they let everything go. That person will see really beneficial results that are longer lasting sooner than the person who comes in super tense.

It depends on where their mind is and how easy it is to let go.”

Her office receives references from physicians, chiropractors and physical therapists. Massage therapy used to be considered either a luxury

treatment or a last resort for pain relief. Strally said that it is becoming more mainstream as treatments like trigger point therapy offer real relief.

“I am seeing a lot of clients and patients who are not at the end of their rope,” she said.

Danielle Strally, licensed massage therapist practicing as Wellness By Danielle in Geneva, said that posture and ergonomics play a big role in the development of trigger point issues.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 11

12 Popular Diets for 2022 Here are the facts about several options

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

L

osing weight represents a top New Year’s resolution. Considering the obesity epidemic, it is a good idea. Many people turn to a popular eating plan or “diet” to shed pounds.

The following are some of the plans popular in 2022:

1 5:2 Diet / Intermittent Fasting • How it works: With 5:2, you eat as normal five days a week and restrict yourself to 500-600 calories on the two other days. With standard intermittent fasting, you eat only during an eight-hour window every day.

• Why it works: You are not restricted on what you eat, which helps you feel satisfied and not deprived. The calorie depravation days will result in overall calorie reduction. Most people think this is easier to stick with longterm.

• Caveats: You are not restricted on what you eat, which means you can eat a lot of unhealthful foods. You

A

may also really overdo it when you do eat.

2 Sirtfood Diet • How it works: Initially, you drink a lot of green juice smoothies. Then, you eat primarily foods that contain sirtuin proteins, such as kale, parsley, red wine, onions, strawberries, soy, matcha tea, salmon and mackerel.

• Why it works: The initial phase restricts calories, and the second phase includes foods many people enjoy.

• Caveats: It can be hard to stick with the smoothie phase and with the second phase; it can be challenging to eliminate many favorite foods. You also need nutrients from foods not on the list.

3 The Mayr Diet • How it works: You reduce high acidity foods and mindfully consume high-alkaline foods like vegetables and fish.

• Why it works: You are not eating as many calories by boosting the intake of low-calorie foods.

• Caveats: It is difficult to sustain long-term as it eliminates entire food groups. You can also miss nutrients found in certain foods.

4 The New Keto • How it works: You eat as minimal sugar and carbohydrates as possible and eat moderate amounts of healthful fat and high levels of protein diet (the standard keto diet limited protein to 20%).

• Why it works: Minimizing consumption of sugar and carbohydrates will reduce caloric intake and force the body to burn stored calories (fat).

• Caveats: It demonizes good sources of nutrients and can be hard to commit to long term.

packages of ingredients to prepare as your meals or completely prepared meals.

• Why it works: You have the convenience of home-cooked meals without the time commitment. Restaurant food can be high in fat and calories.

If you fix it yourself, you may save calories. The portions of meal kits or ready-to-eat meals may be lower than at restaurants as well.

• Caveats: Unless you select a company with dietary considerations built in, you may not save as many calories as you think. This is also expensive and could be repetitive (most companies have a limited number of entrees and may not vary them often), which can make it hard to stick with.

6 Noom

5 Meal Kits/Ready-to-Eat Meals

• How it works: The app tracks your calories and helps you learn whether they are helping you lose weight or

• How it works: A company ships you

(continued on next page)

So, What Do Local Experts Say About Popular Dieting?

licia Caiola-Hicks, a licensed practical nurse and practice manager at Vitalize Medical Center in Rochester, knows from personal experience that weight loss is not easy. At her heaviest, she weighed 354 pounds at 5 feet, six inches tall. For her, bariatric surgery in 2013 began her journey from morbid obesity.

“Anyone can go through the motions of getting the gastric bypass,” she said. “You can tell them you’ll change your ways, but what I did was lie to myself. I was not truly ready to end that addiction.”

However, her stomach eventually stretched back out. This enabled her to overeat and gain weight again. She had to be willing to change her outlook on food and learn how to eat right and stay active to lose 207 pounds total.

“What I try to tell my patients is it comes down to your mental state,” Caiola-Hicks said. “You have to change the mental compo-

nent that drives you to eat. Those who are morbidly obese have an undiagnosed eating disorder, which is a food addiction. What stressors make you compensate with food?”

Managing the stress that causes “comfort eating” was key for Caiola-Hicks, rather than finding a perfect diet.

“Once you can say, ‘This is my problem’ and work on establishing healthy ways to overcome these issues instead of self-sabotage, you will lose weight,” Caiola-Hicks said.

She allows her patients 24/7 access to her support via email or cell phone to offer moral support and mentoring.

After breaking her hip just before the pandemic began, she has put on some weight. Now that she has recovered from the injury, practicing yoga and getting back to eating healthful meals is helping her back towards her target weight.

She believes that beyond being mentally prepared for weight loss, people who want to lose weight need to adopt a healthful, lifelong eating plan: not a temporary diet.

She also finds fault with eating plans that lead to unhealthful outcomes, such as the keto diet.

“I’ve checked lab work on people who do high fat diets and their cholesterol levels are dangerously high,” Caiola-Hicks said.

Highly limiting diets can be difficult to maintain.

“If you restrict yourself from eating what you want, you’re setting yourself up for failure,” she said.

As for the pre-packaged meals, she advises people learn how to cook for themselves and select food while eating out or else they will regain weight once they stop buying the meals.

Paige Smith, training director at Gold’s Gym in Webster is also a black belt in tae kwon do and pre-

Page 12 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

cision nutrition-certified. In her 24 years in the fitness industry, she has learned that focusing on nutrition first means eventual—and lasting— weight loss.

It is also important to occasionally indulge.

“Life is precious and we should take advantage of an opportunity to go to the birthday and have the cake, have a drink,” Smith said.

“It’s so important to have that balance.”

With that in mind, she advises clients to avoid highly restrictive eating plans. She encourages meal planning to stay on track with healthful food and decrease “falling off the wagon” of nutrition.

“It takes out the excuse of ‘I was hungry and had to go through the drive-thru,’” she said. “There are a million things out there that are portable that if you plan ahead, you’re never going to get stuck where your only option is the quick, unhealthy option.”

Popular Diets

(continued from previous page) not.

• Why it works: It also offers the support of coaches for accountability, along with facing the cold, hard nutrition facts. People who like technology can find this very convenient. Noom can help you learn about food, which can result in lasting changes.

• Caveats: You can fudge about your consumption of fudge and other foods. No one will ever know. Also, it can seem a hassle for people who do not like using technology.

7 Pescatarian Diet

8 Mediterranean Diet

10 DASH Diet

• How it works: You eat healthful fats and, about twice a week, fish, along with beans, produce, whole grains and, in moderation, cheese and red meat.

• Why it works: Reducing your caloric intake will result in weight loss.

It also offers some benefits by nixing simple carbohydrates. The food is delicious and easy to stick with for weight loss.

• Caveats: Eliminating food groups is tough. This can make it hard to stick with for life.

9 Paleo Diet

• How it works: You eat mostly produce, along with seafood. Its focus is on whole, natural foods, eschewing processed foods. Grilling is an important part of food preparation.

• Why it works: By reducing calories, you will lose weight. Whole foods are also healthful source of nutrients.

• Caveats: Cooking with so few ingredients and methods of preparation is tough. It can take considerable time ensuring you are obtaining all the nutrients you need from such a limited number of foods.

• How it works: You eat only food that would have been available in the wild to people: nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and lean cuts of meat.

• Why it works: By cutting out processed foods, you cut lots of calories.

Many of the foods are tasty and appealing.

• Caveats: Entire food groups like dairy, grains, beans and legumes are eliminated, making it hard to stick with long-term. These food groups offer nutrients you miss.

• How it works: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet was meant to help people reduce their blood pressure by reducing sodium intake. You eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or nonfat dairy products, while limiting saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

• Why it works: Eliminating processed and fatty foods helps reduce calorie intake. You would also feel better by lowering the body’s inflammatory response. This can make it easier to stick with.

• Caveats: You should still be mindful of calories even while eating very healthful foods. Some people may feel deprived not eating treats occasionally.

11 Volumetrics Diet • How it works: You focus on foods that offer the most nutrition for the least among of calories by dividing foods into four categories, from least to most energy dense and then eat more of the lower-density foods as you can.

• Why it works: Filling up on low-calorie foods will reduce overall caloric intake. The plan will also help you stay satisfied as you eat the most nutritious foods most of the time, yet occasionally can have treats.

• Caveats: It can be difficult to determine what is low-calorie and higher calorie for some people, so Volumetrics does present a learning curve. It also requires constant scrutiny to stick with it.

12 W.W. (formerly Weight Watchers) • How it works: With this still-popular classic, you follow a program that assigns points based upon calories and nutrition.

• Why it works: By keeping the calorie count low, you lose weight. It can be easy to stick with as you can eat as much as you like of zero-point foods.

You can sign up for a point tracking app and get access to meetings. The accountability makes a big difference.

• Caveats: WW can be tricky to learn.

Members with budgetary constraints may find it expensive to maintain at more than $500 per year to join (although WW offers some free information online). Plus, to keep weight off, they will have to learn how assess foods.

SmartBites

By Anne Palumbo

The skinny on healthy eating

Our Body’s Most Important Nutrient? Water!

Every January, like so many, I make a nutritional resolution: Consume more calcium! Eat more whole grains! Up my protein intake!

This year’s resolution? Drink more water! The deluge of benefits from this nutrient, some new to me, are simply too important to ignore.

Water’s obvious benefits — prevents dehydration, produces sweat to regulate body temperature, flushes out waste, promotes regularity — are well known. What may come as a surprise are all the other important benefits that warrant their day in the blistering sun, too.

Referred to as the “WD-40” for joints and bones, water helps lubricate, cushion and protect your joints, spinal cord and tissues. Since it hydrates the padding between your joints, its consumption makes it easier to move around and may lessen discomfort caused by conditions like arthritis.

Proper hydration is the key to keeping your brain sharp and your mood bright. Research confirms that not getting enough water can negatively affect focus, alertness, shortterm memory and mood. Moreover, you don’t even need to be seriously dehydrated for this to happen: less than four cups of water daily in a 150-pound person. Got a long drive ahead of you? An important test? A long-awaited family reunion? Drink up!

When it comes to digestion and

Helpful tips According to many experts, most generally healthy people need about eight cups of water a day; but even a healthy person’s needs vary if water is lost through exercise or by being outside in the heat. All beverages containing water contribute to your daily needs, including caffeinated beverages or those containing alcohol. While both do make you urinate more, the water from these beverages still

getting the most out of your meals, water is your best friend. Drinking water before, during and after a meal helps your body break down the food you eat more easily. Water also helps with nutrient absorption by dissolving vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from your food and then delivering those health-bombs to the rest of your body for use.

Finally, water is a main component of saliva, which is where digestion begins.

Why do hearts, kidneys and skin love water? Your ticker swoons when you drink enough water because it doesn’t have to work as hard. Skimping on water, which leads to less blood in your body, can lower your

makes a positive contribution to total fluid consumption. To drink more water throughout the day: Fill a large water bottle to the top and make a dent every time you walk by; drink a glass of water before every meal and after every bathroom break; keep water in your car and drink up at stoplights. And know that you also get fluids from water-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables.

blood pressure and raise your heart rate. Kidneys count on this all-important nutrient because it helps them filter waste more efficiently, as well as prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections. And skin shines, literally, with adequate water intake. Even mild dehydration can cause skin to lose its luster, plumpness and elasticity.

Last but certainly not least, water could help you lose weight. It’s 100% calorie-free; it can help you burn more calories (the colder, the better); it takes up space in your stomach so you feel more full; and it may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals.

Strawberry, Kiwi, and Lime Infused Water 5 cups sparkling or regular water 1 cup ice cubes 1 kiwi, peeled and cut into slices ½-1 cup sliced strawberries 1 lime, sliced Pour water into a pitcher. Add ice, kiwi, and strawberries. Squeeze lime slices to release some of their juice into the water before adding them in. Stir to combine flavors. Refrigerate. Infused water tastes best on the day it is made.

Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle colum-

nist, 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.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 13

OMEN'S HEALTH

Angela Uttaro: From Cancer Patient to Major Fundraiser She is on a mission to raise money for Wilmot Cancer Institute for the doctor who treated her

By John Addyman

A

ngela Uttaro wants to share what she’s learned after her cancer diagnosis. She can look you in the eye to give you advice that just might save your life or give you more years of it.

“You’re not going to die tomorrow,” she said, passing on the wisdom her cousin, Ed Kelly, provided her on a similar day five years ago.

With that advice in hand, “tomorrow” takes on a whole new meaning for you. The time between now and tomorrow looks suddenly different. You have things to do.

And Uttaro passes on the advice from experience: “We are fellow club members. I know you don’t want to be part of this club, but here we are.

Do what you need to do. Say what you need to say. Don’t waste a moment of your life. Get your treatment, don’t sit on it. Go right away. Find the best doctors. Find the best nurses,” she said.

That’s what Uttaro did. She completed intensive research that started within five minutes of the news her family doctor, Megan Terwilliger, had handed her.

“She called and told me I had to come to her office,” Uttaro remembered, “And I say to myself, ‘Crap!

She just wants me to make a co-pay. I know that.’”

“Denial is such a beautiful place to live,” she added.

She’s older and a lot wiser now.

“My doctor told me I have pancreatic cancer and I knew that was not good. She gave me a list of providers and put me in an exam room and I was dialing for dollars right then and there. I was not going to leave her office until I had surgeon and oncologist visits scheduled as soon as possible,” she said.

She found herself at Wilmot Cancer Institute at University of Rochester Medical Center.

Uttaro had two daughters, Bernadette and Elizabeth, at home in Pittsford.

“Would I have to tell my children I might not make it to their graduations, because the doctors gave me 22 months?” she said. “I’m not leaving.

I’m their mother.”

“I happened to get Dr. David Linehan, who is the chief of surgery.

He’s doing research into curing pancreatic cancer. He’s doing things no one else is. And I’m interviewing him. ‘What’s your experience with the Whipple procedure (for pancreatic cancer surgery)? How many have you done? How long does it take?’” she explained.

9/11, then dealing with cancer Uttaro, now 62, has had a career rating and writing about high-yield, high-grade corporate bonds, selling bonds and now consulting institutions on their fiscal plans. She burned the internet on everything she could find on pancreatic cancer. She tapped her Italian family’s network, cousins who were doctors and others who did research, a neighbor who worked on the cancer drug Opdivo among many others.

“They were my team,” she said.

“That’s why I went to Wilmot. Honestly. Because I looked. My doctor here looked at me as a person, as someone worth saving. That’s how they look at all their patients. Find a doctor you have a rapport with. Find a doctor you can tell ‘I’ve got these sores.’”

She was working at Brown Brothers & Harriman on Wall Street on Sept. 11, 2001. The walk from there to pick up her kids (“I had baptized my second daughter on Sept.

9”) and reach home in the heavily polluted air may well have led to the cancer, doctors believe.

Now, 16 years later, the time had come to deal with the cancer.

Linehan was set to operate when Uttaro, from the table, told him, “I know you’re the doctor for me.”

“Why is that?” he asked.

“Because your undergraduate degree is in theology and I know

Angela Uttaro is a cancer survivor who has become a serious fundraiser for research at Wilmot Cancer Institute, especially that of physician David Linehan, who specializes in pancreatic cancer, which is a very deadly form of cancer. Uttaro and her team of Mary’s Angels participate in raising funds through the annual George Eastman Philanthropic 5K and wear halos in memory of people — especially those named Mary, who have died from cancer. you’re a man of God and faith,” she told him. ‘’You Googled me?” he asked, incredulous.

“You want to know who’s working on you,” she explained. “I think that’s a reasonable thing to do.”

On the day of the operation, Linehan opened her up, didn’t like what he saw and closed her up. Chemotherapy followed, to shrink what he had seen.

The experience of chemo Uttaro lost her hair and had a list of reactions.

“I was talking to my brother on the way home from work and he said, ‘It sounds like you’re throwing up.’ I told him, ‘That’s because I am throwing up.’”

The second surgery removed pieces of her stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and small intestine. “About 2 ½ pounds of stuff,” she said.

More chemo followed, to get it all. That was 2018.

Now, she looks great, sounds great and has become an ardent advocate for Wilmot and Linehan’s research and is part of the institute’s advisory board. She knew she had been lucky about the early diagnosis, fortunate to have ended up with Linehan, and blessed to have so many people come to her aid. But not everyone has that going for them.

She has set out to level the playing field.

“I didn’t want other patients to face the lack of treatment, lack of diagnostic tests, lack of time that I was facing,” she said. “I had done some research at this point and I knew how dire my situation was and that time was not on my side.”

She literally started fundraising to support Linehan’s work at Wilmot as chemo began. She had promised him she would help with fundraising.

“I was bald,” she said. “I was trying to raise as much money as I could. She also brought in $17,000 by organizing the George Eastman Philanthropy 5K. She petitioned her former company, Oppenheimer Funds, and received a $20,000 grant for research.

Her team shows up for the annual 5Ks (and a virtual event in 2020); a whole group of people sporting sparkling halos, Mary’s Angels.

“We do that in honor of my Aunt

Page 14 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

Mary who passed away from ovarian cancer, my friend’s mom who passed away from lung cancer and my friend Julie’s mom, who was also a Mary,” she said.

In December, she put on the Mary and Bright fundraiser showcasing 15 local small businesses at the Kings Bend Park in Pittsford. She worked it to support research at Wilmot and for Linehan, but also used it to recognize the people who were participating, “small businesses that I thought could use some recognition,” she said.

She urged them to give out gift cards to bring more traffic into their businesses or online.

Uttaro’s efforts have been highlighted at the annual Wilmot Discovery Ball fundraiser, on a night when more than $800,000 was raised for Wilmot research. She also wrote a letter to cancer patients (https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=UFX4mNOy0Wg).

She knows that doctors and nurses saved her life, but has also pressed a personal philosophy that she believes can help others who get the bad news that Mr. Cancer has paid a visit.

“I could make the rest of my life miserable,” she said. “Or, I could be happy.”

Angela Uttaro and her team. They have raised thousands of dollars for cancer research at Wilmot Cancer Institute.

Clinical Trials

How Drugs, Treatments Get Approval Clinical trials help researchers identify and refine better treatments

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

E

very pill, vaccine and therapy prescribed to you by your medical provider once underwent a clinical trial to prove its safety and efficacy. While it is reassuring that the process exists, most people know little about how it works.

“Clinical trials are the best way to measure whether a new medication, device or other type of treatment works and is safe,” said Carrie Dykes, Ph.D., director of research services for the Clinical and Transla-

What You Should Know About Clinical Trials and Research Submitted by Rochester Clinical Research What Are Clinical Trials?

• Clinical trials are research studies performed in people that are aimed at evaluating a medical, surgical or behavioral intervention. They are the primary way that researchers find out if a new treatment, like a new drug or diet or medical device (for example, a pacemaker) is safe and effective in people.

• Through clinical studies, doctors find new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, control and treat illnesses.

• Often a clinical trial is used to learn if a new treatment is more effective or has less harmful side effects than the standard treatment.

Clinical Trials: Imperative to New Medical Treatments • No new medicine, vaccine, therapy or device can make it to market without

tional Science Institute at URMC. “Clinical trials allow researchers to compare different types of treatment to advance our understanding of medicine and to improve the health of our community. Clinical trials are not just something used when you have no other treatment options.

They help researchers identify and refine better treatments.”

Researchers must carefully select volunteers who fit a profile of the patients that the new drug or treatment clinical trials • Clinical trials ensure safe, effective treatments making it to market for patients Clinical Trials Used for Myriad of Treatments, Medical Devices and More. Examples: • Vaccine • Drug (treatment: migraine relief, arthritis relief, drugs for certain disease, every drug has gone through clinical trials) includes oral, topical, injection • Device (ex: pacemaker) • Lab test (for example: a blood test to detect a certain protein) • Trials for healthy volunteers to find out average base levels of things (ex: specific blood proteins etc.)

Anyone Can Be Eligible for a Clinical Trial • Clinical trials are not just for those who are diagnosed with a certain illness searching for a new treatment • Vaccine trials especially seek healthy volunteers The Process of a Clinical Trial • Patient is pre-screened (usually by

would affect. Other factors of eligibility may include absence of certain conditions, age, gender and more.

Dykes said that people lacking good access to healthcare are often those hardest to recruit for trials, such as those underinsured, living in rural areas, older adults, minorities and people economically disadvantaged.

“Since clinical trial visits are often conducted at a healthcare location for safety reasons, people who phone) — Each study has inclusion and exclusions that permit what people can participate (ex: age groups, allergies, etc.)

• If patient gets through the pre-screen with no exclusions (conditions that would exclude them from being eligible to participate in the study) they come in for a screening visit — At this screening visit they meet with a nurse and doctor or physician assistant or nurse practitioner for a physical assessment, medical history assessment — If volunteer goes through screening with no exclusions they are enrolled into the study — Each study timeline is different, volunteer may receive the treatment or drug at this first visit or may not — Labs are also done at this visit (most studies have labs: blood draws) • Once patient is enrolled they complete their first visit and come in for visits based upon the study timeline given by the pharmaceutical sponsor — Timelines range in lengths and frequency — Length of entire study — How often the volunteer comes in — Each study is different!

• At each visit there is certain assessments and labs done • Typically blood work

cannot easily access care are often not included. However, one of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is the switch that many studies have made to conducting visits remotely,” Dykes said. “While not all steps of a trial can be done remotely, this has made it easier for populations without easy access to healthcare to participate.”

Trials are usually conducted in six steps: approval of the research protocol, screening, informed consent, data collection, study closure, and reporting of findings.

Dykes said that an institutional review board reviews every trial conducted in the US. The board is comprised of experts who look at the risks and benefits of the study to protect those participating. Volunteers are screened for their eligibility. The informed consent ensures that the participants understand the study. As the study ensues, researchers carefully monitor patients. In some cases, they remain at a healthcare facility.

In most cases, they participate in a number of visits to the facility so researchers can gather information.

“Once all participants have completed all study visits, the trial is closed,” Dykes said. “The researcher then analyzes the data and reports outcome of the trial.”

Participants typically receive a stipend for their time spent.

Trials typically research in phases. The earliest phase is in a lab Petri dish and then with animals. The first human trials use only a small, healthy group and focus on safety. As the phases continue, more individuals are added to the group and some receive the treatment and others (the control group) do not. This allows researchers to fairly compare the efficacy of what they are testing. As the phases continue, larger groups become involved, which can help prove efficacy among a variety of people.

Some groups are difficult to study for ethical reasons, such as pregnant women and babies.

“We don’t do a lot of those (continued on next page) • Making sure there are no changes in medications and health • Depending on the study (if it is to treat something specific) assess how the condition is doing (ex: migraines, are they better? Worse? Gone away completely?)

Why Clinical Trials • Clinical trials are a great way for people to do their part in advancing medicine and creating a healthier future. It gives back to the world.

• During clinical trials all volunteers receive study-related medical care.

Typically a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner will come in and do a physical exam and medical history evaluation to ensure the volunteer is a good candidate for the study.

• Volunteers are compensated for their time and travel. Typically around $100 per visit.

• It’s a way to receive cutting edge medical treatment, whether it’s a drug or a vaccine that is not yet on the market.

• Clinical trials allow patients to be more involved in their care and educated on their health. Education, informed consent and safety of the volunteer is always the top priority.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 15

Clinical Trials

It’s more than research.

It’s hope.

(continued from previous page)

types of trials because it’s difficult to recruit patients for,” said Adam Larrabee, president of Rochester Clinical Research. “Companies don’t want to risk the health of pre-term babies.”

Older adults are also challenging to study because they may have a long list of medications and health issues that could skew the results if their group size is too small. But it is also important to accurately represent their demographic which statistically does have more health issues than younger people.

“The elderly are an important part of our community,” Larrabee said. “They need to be represented in clinical trials.”

He reassures anyone interested in volunteering for a study that “you’re not a guinea pig. Participating in a study is a positive experience. We’re not a typical doctor’s office. You don’t come in and wait half an hour or an hour to see someone. We realize people are contributing their time

to promote science. We realize their time is valuable and we see them right away.”

He views participating in studies as an opportunity to receive healthcare as well as experience the satisfaction of contributing to health improvements that will affect generations of people.

Medical studies are also highly regulated.

“It’s come a long way for safety protocols,” Larrabee said. “Patients are very closely monitored throughout their participation and their primary care providers are kept informed. We’re not replacing anyone’s doctor but working with them. They’re human beings contributing to the advancement of new medicines. Medications are very, very expensive. And there are a lot of people who are underinsured. It’s expensive to pay for a medication. If you can get that through participating through a study in addition to receiving closer medical surveillance, why not?”

Look for clinical trials at www. clinicaltrials.gov.

The Silent Pandemic: COVID-19’s Impact on Mental Health

F

If you participate in health research, you can help us develop treatments and vaccines that could prevent illness or lead to cures.

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orty-one percent of adults report symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder. struggling with mental health “If there’s any good news since or substance use, according to the start of COVID, it’s that the Centers for Disease Americans have embraced Control and Prevention, up telemedicine, with its from 20% pre-COVID-19. increased access to behavNearly one in three adults ioral health services,” says now report having sympHopkins. “Patients can see toms of anxiety or depresa specific behavioral health sion. provider on an ongoing “Behind the masks, basis from the privacy of people are hurting,” their home, where they feel says physician Geoffrey comfortable and can call at Hopkins, senior medical their convenience.” He also director for behavioral points out that in areas that health at Excellus BlueChave a shortage of behavross BlueShield. “As we ioral health professionals, approach another year of Geoffery Hopkins especially those who treat living with COVID-19, children and adolescents, telemedieven more attention needs to be paid cine offers patients access to behavto mental health challenges as our country wrestles with finding its new ioral health services that otherwise may not have been readily available normal.” to them.

The National Center for Health Specialists providing care via Statistics, a part of the CDC, is montelemedicine for behavioral health itoring the situation closely. In April treatment include psychiatrists, social 2020, it partnered with the Cenworkers, psychologists, counselors, sus Bureau to conduct an ongoing and nurse practitioners. Services household pulse survey designed to include treatment of mental health complement the ability of the federal conditions such as generalized statistical system to quickly respond anxiety disorders, major depressive to, and provide relevant information disorders, dysthymic disorders, about the impact of the coronavirus posttraumatic stress disorders and pandemic in the U.S. The survey is adjustment disorders. Substance use collecting information on symptoms disorders treated by telemedicine of anxiety and depression experiproviders include opioid use disorenced by participants. der, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco Results have been consistent use disorder. since the pandemic began, with “If you’re dealing with mental 30.8% of respondents reporting health issues or substance use, speak symptoms of anxiety and depreswith your primary care doctor, or ask sion in Phase 1 of the survey (April your health insurer to help you find a 23 – May 5, 2020), and 27.3% reportbehavioral health provider,” advises ing symptoms in Phase 3.2 (Sept.

Hopkins.

29 – Oct. 11, 2021). For comparison, a similar pre-COVID NHIS survey Submitted by Excellus BlueCross conducted in 2019 found just 10.8% BlueShield of adults aged 18 and over reported

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Page 16 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

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ADVANCING MEDICINE AND CHANGING LIVES ROCHESTER CLINICAL RESEARCH PROUDLY CONDUCTS CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDIES IN THE GREATER ROCHESTER AREA. THESE STUDIES RESULT IN MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT HELP FUTURE GENERATIONS.

WWW.RCRCLINICAL.COM

Ask St. Annʼs

By Maureen Murphy

Volunteering with Seniors: Way More Than Bingo!

N

ow that the holidays are over, many of us once again have some time on our hands. If you’re looking for a rewarding way to spend that time, consider volunteering at a senior living community.

For the record, it’s not just about handing out bingo cards anymore!

Volunteering in any capacity is a great way to give back to the community and help make a difference in people’s lives. Working with older adults is especially fulfilling and can be as beneficial to the volunteer as it is to those on the receiving end of your generosity.

Here are a few of the ins and outs you may be wondering about:

What’s required before I can start volunteering?

Each community has its own procedures, but at St. Ann’s, you must be at least 16 years old; complete a volunteer form (available on our website); come in for an interview; and complete a confidential health screening. In accordance with New York state regulations, you must be fully vaccinated (including the COVID-19 vaccine). Once those steps are complete, you’ll attend an orientation session and be ready to join the good-hearted people who make up our volunteer pool.

How much time do I have to commit to Whether you’d like to volunteer on a weekly basis or a more flexible schedule, we welcome your support.

Some people come in for a set number of hours a week to do a specific assignment; others come in less frequently and help wherever they’re needed. We welcome both (and everything in between) and will work with you to find a role that fits your availability. Remember: Any amount of time you can spare will mean a lot to those you spend it with.

What will I be doing Again, we’ll work with you to find the right fit. There are plenty of opportunities at every senior community, and you won’t be forced into anything you’re not comfortable with.

At St. Ann’s, for example, volunteers assist our pastoral care department with transporting elders to and from mass, distributing Holy Communion, and providing companionship to those who could use an extra smile.

If you’re a book lover, consider reading to elders either individually or in small groups. (St. Ann’s has just begun its reading program and is looking for readers.) You can choose books that are special to you and present them in your own unique way.

Have a particular skill or talent

‘I’ve worked in volunteer services for many years and am still astounded by what I gain from being with our elders every day.’ you’d like to share? We can definitely make that work. Maybe you’re an artist or craft person, sing or play an instrument, or have an interesting hobby you’d like to demonstrate... the possibilities are as wide open as your personal experience. If you’re enthusiastic about it, our elders will enjoy hearing from you.

And if helping out at bingo is what you’re interested in, that’s fine too!

What if I want to play a more substantial role?

That, of course, is also very welcome. Check with the volunteer office of the senior community of your choice—there are always opportunities for those who want to make a greater commitment. At St. Ann’s, for example, we’re seeking volunteers to “adopt” a household. With support from staff, you’ll get to know the elders who live there and join them in planning positive, fulfilling experiences for the household. As communities like ours move away from large-scale events toward more personalized experiences for our elders, this is of growing importance.

I’ve worked in volunteer services for many years and am still astounded by what I gain from being with our elders every day. I’m humbled when they talk of their lives, the hardships they’ve endured, and the love and happiness they’ve embraced. Simply put, it expands my awareness of what it means to be human and the connections we all share.

The people who live in our senior communities want to continue learning, growing, and experiencing all the richness life has to offer.

Become a volunteer and help make that happen.

Maureen Murphy is manager of volunteer services for St. Ann’s Community. You can reach her at 585-6976523 or mmurphy@ mystanns.com.

Ask The Social

Security Office

From the Social Security District Office

Representative Payees Help You Manage Your Social Security Some people who receive monthly Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income payments may need help managing their money. When we receive information that shows you need help, we’ll work with you to find the most suitable representative payee to manage your benefits. A representative payee receives your monthly benefit payment on your behalf and must use the money to pay for your current needs, including: • Housing and utilities.

• Food.

• Medical and dental expenses.

• Personal care items.

• Clothing.

• Rehabilitation expenses (if you have a disability).

If you need help managing your benefits, tell a Social Security representative that there is someone you want to be your representative payee.

Your representative payee should be someone you trust and see often, and who clearly understands your

Q&A

Q: Can I refuse to give my Social Security number to a private business?

A: Yes, you can refuse to disclose your Social Security number, and you should be careful about giving out your number. But, be aware, the person requesting your number can refuse services if you don’t give it.

Businesses, banks, schools, private agencies, etc., are free to request someone’s number and use it for any purpose that doesn’t violate a federal or state law. To learn more about your Social Security number, visit www.ssa.gov/ssnumber.

Q: I’m applying for disability benefits.

Do I automatically receive Medicare benefits if I’m approved for disability benefits?

A: You will receive Medicare after you receive disability benefits for 24 months. When you become eligible for disability benefits, we will automatically enroll you in Medicare.

We start counting the 24 months from the month you were entitled to receive disability, not the month when you received your first payment. Special rules apply to people with permanent kidney failure and those with “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Learn more by reading our publication, Disability Benefits, at www.ssa.gov/pubs/10029. html.

Q: How do I apply for disability benefits? How long does it take to get a decision after I apply for disability benefits?

Page 18 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

needs. Social service agencies, nursing homes or other organizations are also qualified to be a representative payee. Ask them to contact us.

You can write to us within 60 days of being assigned a representative payee if you don’t agree that you need one or if you want a different representative payee.

We also offer an option, called, Advance Designation, which allows you to designate now someone to be your representative payee in the future. In the event you can no longer make your own financial decisions, you and your family will have peace of mind knowing that someone you trust may be appointed to manage your benefits for you.

You can submit your advance designation request when you apply for benefits or after you are already receiving benefits. You may do so through your personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/ myaccount or by calling and speaking to a Social Security representative.

You can find more information at www.ssa.gov/payee.

A: You can apply for disability benefits online at www.ssa.gov/ benefits. To get a decision on your disability application usually takes three to five months. The timeframe can vary depending on: • The nature of your disability.

• How quickly we can get your medical evidence from your doctor or other medical source.

• Whether it’s necessary to send you for a medical examination.

• Whether we review your application for quality purposes.

Create or sign in to your personal my Social Security account at www. ssa.gov/myaccount to check your claim status.

Q: I just got a notice from Social Security that said my Supplemental Security Income (SSI) case is being reviewed.

What does this mean?

A: Social Security reviews every SSI case from time to time to make sure the individuals who are receiving payments should continue to get them. The review also determines whether individuals are receiving the correct amounts. Learn more about SSI at www.ssa.gov/ssi.

Q: I plan to retire in spring. How soon can I file for my Social Security benefits?

A: You can file four months before you plan to receive benefits.

Go ahead and apply now if you plan to retire when winter’s frost finally lets up. To apply, go to www.ssa.gov/ retire. Applying online has never been easier—you can do it from the comfort of your home. All you need is 15 minutes and internet access.

By Jim Miller

Senior Alert: Your Old Cellphone May Not Work in 2022 Dear Savvy Senior, My 80-year-old father has an old flip phone he carries around with him for emergency purposes, but I’ve heard that these devices will soon be phased out. Is this true? If so, how can we know if his phone will be affected, and where can I find him a simple new one that he can operate.

— Searching Daughter

Dear Searching, Yes, it’s true! If your dad’s mobile phone is more than a few years old, he will probably need to upgrade it in the very near future.

Why? Because all of the major cell phone carriers — AT&T, Verizon and

T-Mobile — are shutting down their older 3G networks in 2022 to free up airwaves for 5G and other advanced services. So, if your dad is using an old 3G phone, like millions of other older Americans, he’ll need to get a new device if he wants to make calls, text or reach 911.

How to Upgrade

But you should also know that it’s not just older cellphones that will be obsolete. Older home security systems, medical devices and personal emergency response systems that still harness 3G will also be affected.

Adding to the confusion, older 4G phones that don’t support modern cellular voice technologies, such as Voice Over LTE or HD Voice, are impacted, too. Those customers may need a software upgrade or a new phone.

Here are the timelines for the 3G shutdowns: AT&T: Feb. 2022; T-Mobile: July 1, 2022; Verizon: Dec. 31, 2022; Sprint (which is owned by T-Mobile): March 31, 2022; and Sprint LTE: June 30, 2022. Other smaller carriers like Tracfone, Cricket, Boost and Straight Talk, will also be affected, because they rely on airwaves from the big three.

If you find that you do need to upgrade your dad’s cellphone, carriers are offering discounts and special promotions on replacement devices.

If you’re worried about your dad having to learn your way around a new device, you’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of modern new flip phones available that work on the next-generation networks.

Or, if your dad decides that he would rather forge ahead without a phone than upgrade, then he will need to cancel the service. Most carriers will let you cancel your plan without any penalty. However, if he forgets to cancel his phone plan and doesn’t upgrade to a working device, the company won’t automatically stop charging him just because he isn’t able to access their network.

Is Your Phone Affected?

How to Recycle

Cellphone carriers say they have been alerting customers who use older phones that services are ending, sending a combination of texts, letters, phone calls and emails. If you’re not sure about your dad’s phone, contact his carrier or check their website for a list of affected devices.

Another way to see if your dad’s phone is 3G is to look up his international mobile equipment identity number which can be found by pressing *#06# on his keypad. Once you have it, go to www.imei.info and type it in the search bar to get the phone’s details. If his phone has a frequency of 900 megahertz (MHz) or 2100 MHz, it’s 3G. You can also look for a “3G” icon at the top corner of his phone, but not all 3G phones have that icon.

If your dad does have to replace his old cellphone, the best way to dispose of it is to recycle it. Large retailers, such as Best Buy, offer recycling programs for old electronics.

Or you can search for local recycling programs on websites like Call2Recycle.org and Earth911.com.

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.

I’m ready to live.

That’s why I’m making the move—while I’m still young enough to enjoy the pool, the fitness center, the excursions, dining, entertainment and all the friendly people. Lots of people my age want to slow down. Not me, I’m just getting started.

Caring for the Most Important People on Earth Come see what first-class senior living is all about!

Schedule a tour of St. Ann's Community at Chapel Oaks in Irondequoit today: (585) 697-6606.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 19

Health News New chief of medicine appointed at Highland Physician Rebeca Denise Monk has been appointed as the new chief of medicine for Highland Hospital.

Monk, a University of Rochester professor of medicine, has served the health system for almost 30 years, most recently as chief, URMC Rebeca Monk n e p h ro l o g y division at Highland Hospital and medical director of the Highland Hospital inpatient dialysis unit.

A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, Monk received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City before completing her residency in internal medicine and her fellowship in nephrology at the University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital.

She served as director and founder of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, with responsibilities for creation of policies, procedures and order sets as well as and education of faculty, staff, pharmacy and fellows on use of various machines, solutions and protocols.

She has also served as medical director at Lake Plains Hemodialysis units in Medina and Batavia, and has extensive experience in the education of residents, fellows, and nurse practitioners.

“Dr. Monk will be an excellent addition to the already strong team at Highland Hospital,” said physician

Ruth O’Regan, chairwoman of the department of nedicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Her decades of experience as a leader both at URMC and throughout our healthcare community will add to the kind and compassionate care patients and their families have come to expect from Highland.”

Monk succeeds physician Robert McCann, who chose to step down after serving as the department’s leader for more than 20 years. McCann will continue to serve as the chief executive officer of Accountable Health Partners (AHP) and maintain his medical practice at Highland.

Anonymous donor gifts $1M to UR School of Nursing An anonymous donor recently made a $1 million gift to the University of Rochester School of Nursing to support generations of future nurses.

The donation has been earmarked to support the expansion of Helen Wood Hall, the home of the UR School of Nursing, which is currently undergoing a $15 million renovation to include more technologically enhanced experiential and collaborative learning spaces and accommodate future growth.

The $1 million gift, provided by a prominent member of the Rochester business community, is one of several large anonymous donations the school has received in recent years to support its operations. The donor had benefited from nursing care at home in the past and wanted to make a gift to recognize nurses for their selfless care and compassion for others.

“We are extremely grateful for this donor’s generosity, which will help us provide transformative nursing education for years to come,” said Kathy

Rideout, dean of the UR School of Nursing. “Our shared commitment to providing a cutting-edge home to learn and improve upon the science and craft of nursing will have an immeasurable impact on the health care providers and leaders of tomorrow, as well as the Rochester community who will benefit from their advanced education.”

Built in 1925, Helen Wood Hall is the original home of the University of Rochester’s nursing program.

The building served as a dormitory in its early years, with its residential space later converted to classrooms, clinical learning spaces and private offices. The need for larger and “smarter” classrooms as well as other student gathering spaces led to the 26,000-square-foot addition in 2006 of the Loretta C. Ford Education Wing, named for the school’s founding dean and the co-creator of the nurse practitioner role.

The current vertical expansion project will add three floors above the Ford Education Wing and will allow for larger, more sophisticated skills and simulation labs, additional classrooms, and dozens of collaborative learning spaces, which will be vital to prepare students for a rapidly changing profession.

The new addition is slated to officially open for student use in the spring of 2022.

Family nurse practitioner joins Geneva practice Family Nurse Practitioner Lindsay Craft of Geneva recently joined the OB-GYN practice of F.F. Thompson Hospital’s Canandaigua Medical Group. She is based at the practice’s Geneva site, located at 765 Geneva Crossing Way. Certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Craft

Northeast College Unveils New Campus Centerpiece Clock and Plaza

N

ortheast College of Health Sciences recently commemorated 30 years in Seneca Falls and its organization’s new name with the installation of a 19-foot post clock and creation of a new green-space plaza on its Seneca Falls campus. The clock and plaza honor Northeast’s historical role as a leading healthcare education institution.

Made possible by donors through the college’s “Celebration of Time” fundraising campaign, the clock is prominently located between the Kenneth W. Padgett Administration Building and the campus’s main academic buildings. This new addition symbolizes Northeast College’s legacy through time, while the clock face illuminates the future and serves to inspire upcoming generations of outstanding healthcare professionals.

“Over the past 102 years, our college has educated generations of innovative healthcare leaders while embracing change and providing meaningful learning opportunities,” said Northeast College President Michael Mestan. “This iconic clock will forever stand as a reminder of our great Northeast community and our

Page 20 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

obtained her bachelor ’s in nursing at Keuka College and her master’s in nursing from SUNY Binghamton.

Craft has worked as a family nurse practitioner for SeneLindsay Craft ca Family Health in Waterloo and in the Hubbs Health Center at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. She has also worked as a registered nurse in Thompson’s ICU as well as two other hospital ICUs in the region and the pediatric cardiac ICU at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

At the Geneva OB-GYN office, Craft is working in collaboration with physician Francis Finneran.

Thompson has new Birthing Center director Shannon McCarthy-Leone of Fairport is the new director of obstetrical nursing for F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua.

At the hospital, which is part of UR Medicine Thompson Health, McCarthy-Leone oversees the Birthing Center, where more than 700 babies were delivered in 2020.

A graduate of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center College of Nursing in Syracuse who obtained her bachelor’s of nursing at Keuka College, McCarthy-Leone completed her master’s in nursing education at Keuka in 2013 and received her doctoral degree in education from St. John Fisher College in 2018. (continued on next page) shared dedication to healthcare and academic excellence.”

Part of the college’s strategic plan to maintain and improve the physical plant facilities and grounds to enrich the campus environment, groundbreaking on the clock plaza began in June 2021. The Northeast community was able to witness the project’s progress in real-time via a strategically placed live webcam.

All About the Iconic Clock Situated at the center of the new plaza space, the 19-foot-tall clock is made from an original Seth Thomas casting and will serve as a focal point on the Northeast campus that can be seen across the grounds. This new landmark features roman numerals on the clock face and a header plaque with lettering highlighted in 23K gold leaf that reads “Northeast College Of Health Sciences.” Another matching plaque below reads “Founded 1919.”

The custom-made clock was engineered and fabricated by Electric Time Company of Medfield, Massachusetts. The general contractor leading the project was Mittiga Construction Co. of Geneva. Local architects QPK Design and mason contractors R.E. Kelley, Inc., both from Syracuse, also provided important roles.

Health News McCarthy-Leone was previously on the nursing faculty at both Keuka College and Finger Lakes Community College.

Prior to joining Thompson, she was a perinatal safety specialist with Rochester Regional Health. Her previous nursing experience included positions McCarthy-Leone within Unity Health, Newark-Wayne Community Hospital and the University of Rochester Medical Center.

McCarthy-Leone was named to her new position at Thompson upon the retirement of Deborah Jones, who had served as director of obstetrical nursing for 18 years.

“Shannon possesses extensive experience in perinatal quality and safety, leadership, education, research and risk management. We are thrilled to have her as part of our team,” said Thompson Health Vice President of Patient Services/Chief Nursing Officer Hazel Robertshaw.

helps offer meaningful ways to best support its LGBT community and create truly inclusive services.

“A cornerstone of Jewish Senior Life’s culture of person-centered care is respecting and celebrating diversity in all forms,” says Michael King, president and chief executive officer of Jewish Senior Life. “We understand that many LGBT older adults have experienced prejudice, social stigma, and discrimination. Our partnership with SAGE enables our staff to understand the unique issues LGBT older adults face, and meaningful ways to support the LGBT community.”

“Studies show that LGBT older adults often do not access aging services out of fear of discrimination,” says Christine Van Vessem, vice president of staff development and quality management, and one of the leaders for Jewish Senior Life’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. “It is very important to us to emphasize our inclusiveness related to gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. We are honored to partner with SAGE in this work so that we all thrive in an environment of compassion and acceptance.”

Thompson’s Service Excellence Awards announced

Physician John McIntyre, medical director at HCR Home Care, has been recognized by the Rochester Business Journal as a 2021 Icon Honors recipient.

Icon Honors recognizes Rochester business leaders over the age of 60 for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership within and outside their fields.

The honorees have moved their businesses and Rochester forward by growing jobs and making a difference in John McIntyre the community.

In nominating McIntyre, HCR founder and chairwoman Louise Woerner stated, “As one of the leaders in health care, Dr. John (Jack) McIntyre is truly an icon whose impact on the health sector of our economy needs to be recognized… Dr. McIntyre is a person who is revered… His ongoing recognition in leadership in his field of psychiatry attests to the respect and admiration he holds.”

To be eligible, honorees must have a long-standing commitment to the Rochester business community and significant professional accomplishments through innovation and leadership. Honorees must also be champions of their industries and demonstrate a sustained commitment to community service. They may be in the workforce or retired and must hold or have held senior management-level positions with significant authority in decision-making for their organization.

McIntyre, who has served as HCR’s medical director since 2015, was recognized during an online celebration Dec. 6.

UR Medicine Thompson Health’s Service Excellence Team recently announced 2021’s fourth-quarter recipients of the health system’s Service Excellence Awards.

Individuals receiving the awards were as follows: Morgan Becker, Geneva, of radiology administration; Leah Galens, Dundee, of floor 3 West; Tanya Ramirez, Canandaigua, of floor 3 West; and Peter Taylor, Canandaigua, of the Gardens Avenue in the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center.

The Service Excellence Award acknowledges Thompson associates who consistently deliver exceptional service. The SET selects award recipients quarterly, after reviewing system leaders’ submissions of compliments from patients, families and coworkers.

Each recipient of the Service Excellence Award is given points to be used on Thompson’s online shopping site and is featured in CEO presentations as well as on Thompson’s intranet site and in its internal newsletter.

Jewish Senior Life earns LGBT Care designation Jewish Senior Life has earned the SAGECare Platinum Credential through SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders). SAGE is a national advocacy and services nonprofit organization providing training and consulting on LGBT aging issues in order to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults.

The Platinum Credential, the organization’s highest level, demonstrates Jewish Senior Life’s commitment to LGBT elders, with in-depth ongoing staff sensitivity training that

HCR medical director receives award

Rochester Regional Health Appoints New CEO Richard “Chip” Davis, Ph.D., will begin his role on March 7

R

ochester Regional Health announced in December that its board of directors selected Richard “Chip” Davis, Ph.D., as the next CEO. He will assume his new role on March 7. He succeeds physician Eric Bieber, who announced his retirement in mid 2021.

A native of the Finger Lakes, Davis comes to Rochester Regional Health from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, where he currently serves as senior vice president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System’s South Market and Henry Ford Hospital. With more than 33,000 employees, Henry Ford Health System is the fifth-largest employer in metro Detroit and among the most diverse.

“It was clear during our interview with Dr. Davis that he has an unwavering commitment to patient safety and quality. Those qualities, along with his passion for innovation and his more than 25 years of work in complex healthcare environments, make him a great fit for Rochester Regional Health,” said Michael Nuccitelli, board chairman, Rochester Regional Health. “As a seasoned executive, Dr. Davis brings not only extensive experience but a new and energizing vision to Rochester Regional.”

Davis’ responsibilities as a CEO at Henry Ford include providing strategic leadership and direction over the clinical operations of the market and leading new clinical, academic, and commercial partnerships. He works closely with clinical and service line leaders to enhance coordination between primary care networks and specialty services. He has oversight of more than 100 care delivery locations, including two hospitals (totaling 1,240 beds) and over $2.5 billion in net patient revenue. Henry Ford Hospital has one of the country’s largest post-graduate

medical education programs with over 1,000 medical students, 517 residents, 165 fellows, and 900 nursing students.

While at Henry Ford, Davis led an initiative to create a state-of-theart Health System Central Command Center to coordinate transfers, admissions, and discharges across all hospital facilities. He was also instrumental in helping to broker a 30-year definitive agreement for Michigan State University to become the main academic partner for the health system and worked on the team to implement the first Hospital-at-Home program in the state of Michigan. Under his leadership the market made significant improvements in key inpatient and outpatient quality indicators.

“I am very excited to become the next CEO at Rochester Regional Health and look forward to working with all team members, the provider community, and patients and family members to continue the legacy of excellence during these challenging times,” said Davis.

Prior to joining Henry Ford, Davis spent more than 25 years with Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) in various positions, most recently as president and CEO of Sibley Memorial Hospital, a nonprofit hospital in Washington, DC. He was on faculty at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Business School.

Davis received his Ph.D. in public health from Johns Hopkins University. He also has a master’s degree in counseling and consulting psychology from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan.

Davis returns to New York with his wife, Morgan Adessa. He has three adult children — Kylie, Dana and Will.

January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 21

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Page 22 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022

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January 2022 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 23

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Page 24 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • January 2022