Winter 2017 Health Quest

HealthQuest W I N T E R 2 017

A publication of

Skagit Regional Health

Get moving Begin the New Year by adding easy exercise ideas 9

Diabetes

Education program puts focus on individual needs 15

Our

TraumaSystem Ambulance to aircraft, patients move quickly to receive life-saving care 4

Successful Festival of Trees completes Kidney Dialysis Project

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SAVE THESE DATES 14TH ANNUAL

Getting to know the new CEO

Monday, February 27, 2017

Il Granaio Restaurant 100 E. Montgomery Street Mount Vernon For reservations call: 360-814-8376 SPONSORED BY:

June 23, 2017

Skagit Golf & Country Club Burlington, Washington

and tickets 2 For information call: 360-814-8376

Mike Liepman, the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Skagit Regional Health, openly admits that he’s a competitive guy.

“I like to win,” he said, unapologetically, after being named CEO in August. “I want us to be first in class. Not just first in class north of Seattle, first in class for all comers.”

From Liepman’s perspective, getting there means addressing what he calls The Big Three: Culture of safety, employee engagement and physician satisfaction.

While much of this work will happen through meetings and process changes, he is also taking very visible steps toward building staff engagement with “rounding” as CEO in departments and clinical floors and holding employee forums.

Liepman and Commissioner Clark Todd rounded Skagit Valley Hospital recently to meet with staff and hear their feedback. “The challenge with rounding these days is that our system is so much bigger than it used to be,” said Liepman. “So, my challenge is to be as available as I can be, and make sure someone at the executive level is making these rounds on a regular basis.” The seven members of the elected Board of Commissioners also made a commitment to take turns

joining Liepman every couple of weeks to round different parts of the organization.

While rounding allows conversation with staff in a few departments at a time, employee forums are invitations for everyone to join the conversation. “That’s how we’re going to start addressing employee engagement,” said Liepman.

“We’re going to have lots of conversations!”

The overarching message that started and ended recent forums focused on the stability of the organization.

“Change in health care is usually the rule, not the exception,” Liepman said.

“And we are going to be OK, even better than OK. We are the third largest public health district in the state and we are doing well.

Our team does incredible work for our patients and our community. I believe this team can be the drivers to get us to that next level. And, when that happens, we will see great results you can be proud of.”

Mike Liepman President and Chief Executive Officer

HealthQuest WINTER 2017 | VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 1

HealthQuest is published three times a year by Skagit Regional Health and the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation.

For additional copies of Healthquest or more information, contact Outreach and Media Coordinator Meggan Carrigg Davidson at 360-814-2325 or go to our Web site at www.skagitregionalhealth.org.

Trauma system

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Get moving

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New providers

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Diabetes

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From ambulance to aircraft, patients move quickly to receive life-saving care Begin the New Year by adding easy exercise ideas, new food habits Specialists, primary care providers join Skagit Regional Clinics 25

Successful Festival of Trees completes Kidney Dialysis Project

Education program puts focus on patients’ individual needs

Best place to work Hospice of the Northwest earns ranking among top 100

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HealthQuest Classes

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HealthQuest Classes Mount Vernon

COVER PHOTO An Airlift Northwest helicopter prepares to land. Airlift makes 3,500 flights per year in the Northwest and Alaska.

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HealthQuest Class

Photo courtesy of Airlift Northwest

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Stanwood, Camano Island, and Cascade Valley Hospital

Registration

Winter 2017

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FAST FACTS

Falls = #1 trauma: At both Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon and Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington, the number one mechanism of injury for patients arriving at the ER is falls. At Skagit, 46 percent of trauma cases involve falls, well more than the second place cause, motor vehicle collisions, at nearly 24 percent. For those going to the ER at Cascade, falls account for 54 percent of trauma patients.

Transferred to Harborview: From April 2015 through March 2016, a total of 162 patients were transferred from Skagit Valley Hospital’s Emergency Department to Harborview Medical Center, with 49 transported by air and 113 by ambulance. 61 of the patients were in need of neurosurgery and 46 experienced multisystem trauma, all requiring a higher level of care.

2015 Emergency Department visits: 33,433 visits to the Skagit Valley Hospital Emergency Department; 19,775 visits to Cascade Valley Hospital Emergency Department.

Stroke – Time is brain: For those suffering a stroke, the average time from a patient’s arrival at Skagit Valley Hospital to receiving clot-busting medication is 47 minutes, with a national standard of 60 minutes. Only a small number of patients are eligible for this therapy, which must be started within three hours of the onset of symptoms. Arriving in the ER as soon as possible is key for stroke patients.

Heart attack – Time is muscle: For patients suffering a heart attack, the “door to balloon” time at Skagit Valley Hospital for a patient to receive angioplasty to reopen clogged arteries, averages 57 minutes in 2016.

The American Heart Association recommends 90 minutes or less.

Injury prevention: Part of the trauma system is to educate the community on how to prevent injuries, such as teaching about wearing helmets while riding bicycles or motorcycles, proper use of car seats for infants and children and how to prevent falls.

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Our

Trauma From ambulance to aircraft, patients move quickly to A motor vehicle accident. A fall from a ladder. Gun violence. All of these scenarios and countless more can launch the health care system, including Skagit Valley Hospital and Cascade Valley Hospital, into full trauma mode.

Washington state is a leader in the nation for having a highly developed trauma care system. That means patients – no matter if they are in Arlington or Burlington – will take a journey through a trauma system that will quickly get them to the right level of care to meet their needs.

“No matter what hospital you go to, we’re all doing the same things.

We share protocols and best practices,” said Jessica Bell, MSN, RN, Director of Emergency Services at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon. “We will get you to the right level of care whether you stay here for surgery and are admitted or we put you on a helicopter to go to Harborview or other

BELOW: Skagit Valley Hospital Trauma Team

healthcare facility. We approach every patient with a consistent, solid level of expertise, which has made a real difference in our community.”

Dr. Steven Lee, a general surgeon and Trauma Medical Director at Skagit Regional Health, said the team is ready when the call comes in.

“We have mass casualty plans in place, we have disaster plans in place and we can ramp up services as needed very quickly,” Dr. Lee said. “My role is to make sure our trauma team is available 24/7 and carries out its mission.”

Making quick decisions and moving patients to the right level of care are keys to the success of the trauma system.

Eileen Bulger, MD, Chief of Trauma for Harborview Medical Center and a Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, said the trauma system works as a hub and spokes providing access to all patients from urban centers to rural, remote areas.

aSystem receive life-saving care

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and hospitals such as Skagit Valley and Cascade Valley play key roles in that framework as Harborview receives 6,000 trauma patients each year.

“The community hospitals are absolutely critical for that initial stabilization of the patient,” Dr. Bulger said. “If we don’t have the strength of our community hospitals, our patients around the state won’t get the care they need.”

Dr. Bulger said that the trauma team at Skagit Valley Hospital is particularly skilled at using the trauma system, with early alerts to Airlift Northwest, one of the region’s leading medical air transport providers, for flights to Harborview.

“Skagit has some of the shortest transfer times in the state,” Dr. Bulger said. “That is really a model for the region.”

Chris Martin, Executive Director of Airlift Northwest, agreed that the role hospitals play in the trauma system is critical to positive outcomes by stabilizing patients and preparing them for the rapid airborne transport to Harborview, Seattle Children’s and other destinations.

“We save lives every day, that is just our job,” said Martin, noting Airlift Northwest makes 3,500 flights per year in the Northwest and Alaska. “We’re about peace of mind. We can get to definitive care faster. We’re the quick lifeline.”

These helicopters are flying intensive care units staffed by two critical care trained nurses with five or more years of experience on board each flight.

The helicopters CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

HOSPITAL TRAUMA LEVELS

According to the American Trauma Society, the following are the trauma facility designations: Level I: Harborview Medical Center in Seattle is the only Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma hospital in Washington state. Level 1 facilities provide 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons, and prompt availability of care in a wide variety of specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial, pediatric and critical care.

Level II: Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham are both Level II, providing 24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons, as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.

Level III: Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Island Hospital in Anacortes and Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville are all Level III, offering 24-hour immediate coverage by emergency medicine physicians and the prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists and have transfer agreements for patients requiring more comprehensive care at a Level I or II trauma center.

Level IV: Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and PeaceHealth United General Medical Center in Sedro-Woolley are Level IV facilities providing basic emergency department facilities to implement Advanced Trauma Life Support protocols, 24-hour laboratory coverage, trauma nurses and physicians available upon patient arrival.

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CALLING 911 The National 911 program provides the follow tips for calling for emergency help:

In an emergency, dial 911 immediately.

An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance. Examples include: A FIRE A CRIME, especially if in progress A CAR CRASH, especially if someone is injured A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, especially symptoms that require immediate medical attention If you're not sure whether the situation is a true emergency, officials recommend calling 911 and letting the call-taker determine whether you need emergency help.

When you call 911, be prepared to answer the call-taker's questions, which may include: THE LOCATION OF THE EMERGENCY, including the street address THE PHONE NUMBER YOU ARE CALLING FROM THE NATURE OF THE EMERGENCY DETAILS ABOUT THE EMERGENCY, such as a physical description of a person who may have committed a crime, a description of any fire that may be burning, or a description of injuries or symptoms being experienced by a person having a medical emergency Remember, the call-taker's questions are important to get the right kind of help to you quickly.

Be prepared to follow any instructions the call-taker gives you.

Many 911 centers can tell you exactly what to do until help arrives, such as providing step-by-step instructions to aid someone who is choking or needs first aid or CPR. Do not hang up until the call-taker instructs you to.

If you dial 911 by mistake, or if a child in your home dials 911 when no emergency exists, do not hang up—that could make 911 officials think that an emergency exists, and possibly send responders to your location. Instead, simply explain to the call-taker what happened.

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Our Trauma System CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 are based in Bellingham, Arlington, Seattle, Olympia and Yakima. The fleet has several fixed-wing aircraft as well, based in Seattle and Yakima.

Cascade Valley Hospital has a new helistop and sidewalk providing smooth access from an incoming helicopter to the Emergency Department across the street. The helipad at Skagit Valley Hospital is on the facility’s roof, with elevator access.

As highway traffic in western Washington gets more congested and travel times by land are unpredictable, Martin said she anticipates Airlift Northwest’s volume will go up in the years to come.

“Patients really are getting to definitive care much more quickly going by air,” she said.

It all starts in the field with highly skilled EMS personnel, said Matthew Russell, MD, a Skagit Valley Hospital Emergency Department physician and Medical Director for the Skagit County EMS system.

“The majority of our trauma patients come in via EMS – they are the entry point for our trauma system,” Dr. Russell said. “They can activate the trauma process from the scene. They can make the call and we can get our resources ready and assemble our team so we’re ready for the patient.”

Personnel at the scene of an accident feed critical information, such as patient vital signs and details of the situation, to the Emergency Department staff by radio as they are transporting the patient. Paramedics aboard ACLS rigs can perform assessments, begin treatment, pain management and supportive care.

Dr. Russell, a former paramedic, knows the challenges of working in the

field. “They are on the scene and it’s complicated by the environment and resource limitations, yet they are able to accomplish much of what we do here in the Emergency Department,” Dr. Russell said.

Once the patient arrives at the Emergency Department, it’s the dedicated staff who respond each time who make the difference, said Tyler Dalton, Trauma Coordinator at Skagit Regional Health.

“This is a continuum of patient care. It begins in the field and goes all the way to Harborview,” Dalton said.

Part of Dalton’s role is to review charts for trauma cases, attend meetings at the local, regional and state levels and make sure that resources are available and education for staff is current.

“We are always looking to see what the outcomes are and what we can do better,” Dalton said.

EMS and hospital staff work well together for the benefit of the patients, said Lene Schille, Emergency Department Director at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington.

“We have an amazing relationship with EMS,” Schille said, noting they attend meetings and training sessions together and run code drills to make sure all involved are ready to play their roles when a patient arrives. As a Level IV center, the trauma team’s role at Cascade Valley is to stabilize, treat and transport, she said.

Training and practice – from the EMS in the field to the top specialists in the city – are key to the trauma system.

“Everybody knows their role,” Bell said. “It’s a well-coordinated effort.”

BELOW: Cascade Valley Hospital Trauma Team

MyEClinic:

Patients provide positive feedback for new care option

Mental Health Center Three psychiatrists on staff to serve patients Mental health care at Skagit Regional Health now features the expertise of three board certified psychiatrists who are on staff to serve patients at Skagit Valley Hospital in the Mental Health Center, the Emergency Department and on patient floors.

Recruiting psychiatrists has been a challenge in recent years, which makes having three doctors a most welcome situation to better serve patients in the hospital and to consider future opportunities to see patients in an outpatient setting, said Holly Nielsen, MA, PhD, Clinical Manager of the Mental Health Center.

“A lot of areas rely on us and it feels good now that we have three psychiatrists and staffing, we are able to keep the unit full,” Nielsen said. “There is a definite need.”

With Psychiatrists Brian Waiblinger, MD, Vance Sherman, MD and Ron Solberg, MD on staff, the center is now able to care for patients near the 15-bed licensed capacity for the unit, which averages a daily census of 10 to 13 patients. The center accepts voluntary and involuntary placements for patients 18 years and older. The center is not a long-term care facility and patients have an average length of stay of four to seven days. The center staff does not provide detoxification services for those dealing with drug or alcohol addiction nor dementia care.

Most patients are admitted to the Mental Health Center through the Emergency Department, where a thorough evaluation takes place.

Patients who are mentally ill and deemed likely to inflict serious harm to themselves or others may be held in

the hospital for 72 hours. Court is held in the Mental Health Center three days each week to determine if a patient can be released or kept in hospital care for a longer period, Nielsen said.

Those who spend time in the Mental Health Center are increasingly patients who are admitted on an involuntary hold and have significant mental health issues, Dr. Waiblinger said.

“We tend to get the sicker patients who are more ill and with more psychosocial challenges,” said Dr. Waiblinger.

The psychiatrists also provide consultations for patients in rooms on the medical floors of the hospital who may also be suffering from a mental health condition.

The wrap-around program in the Mental Health Center includes individual counseling, group therapy, medication management, recreational therapy and assistance from a social worker.

When a patient leaves the center, they have an appointment with a community provider, resources and medications they need to continue their treatment.

“It’s our job to connect our patients with the outside services they will need,” Nielsen said.

The inpatient unit at the hospital is just one piece of the mental health care puzzle in Skagit and north Snohomish counties. The Mental Health Center team is looking at ways to support additional outpatient services as well.

“We have a vision, a threeto five-year plan, to best serve our patients and best meet the community’s needs,” Nielsen said.

Fast, efficient and thorough are words that MyEClinic patients have used to describe the on-demand health service that Skagit Regional Health began operating in July 2016.

MyEClinic offers 24/7 care from anywhere in Washington state for the treatment of common conditions, such as bronchitis, cold or cough, ear pain, fever, flu, pink eye, rash, sinus infection, sore throat and urinary tract infections.

Visits with a board-certified physician or nurse practitioner are available over the phone or via FacetimeTM, SkypeTM or video chat. On average, MyEClinic patients wait less than 10 minutes from when a visit is requested to the time that the visit begins.

MyEClinic providers review pertinent medical history, assess current symptoms and prescribe a treatment plan while you stay in the comfort of your home. The provider is able to write prescriptions for allergy medicine, skin cream or antibiotics, when clinically appropriate.

If the provider believes that a physical exam is required, you will be referred to one of Skagit Regional Clinics’ urgent care locations or to the nearest emergency room, depending on the severity of the patient’s condition.

A summary of your visit, including any treatment recommendations or follow-up care, will be accessible through your MyEClinic account. A copy of your visit summary will also be sent to your primary care provider, identified during enrollment.

Each MyEClinic visit costs a flat rate of $40, payable by credit card (Visa®, Mastercard® or Discover®).

Call 855-901-9139 or go to MyEClinic.org to request a visit or to learn more.

What patients are saying:

“Very fast and efficient service.”

“This was an excellent time saver and I couldn't be happier with the service!”

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Weight loss and Physical activity

By Emma-Lee Hefton — Health Education Intern, Skagit Regional Health

Weight loss. Calories in vs. calories out. Is it really that simple?

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and while weight loss attempts are many – especially at this time of year when New Year’s resolutions come into play – actual healthy, sustained weight management is less common.

These days, it can be confusing to sort through health messages from so many sources, but there are some main points health experts generally agree upon for healthy weight management.

Three health professionals at Skagit Regional Health, dietitians Mary Beth Robinson and Joani Pfeiffer, and cardiologist Robert Stewart, MD offer the following tips for healthier, more sustainable weight management.

DO's

DO exercise. It’s OK, really. Despite common perceptions, physical activity does not have to be rigorous. You can see results just by doing a little more than you are already doing.

For at least 10 minutes at a time, do something that makes your heart rate and breathing increase. When you get used to an exercise, increase the time, frequency, or intensity. Eventually, shoot for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days per week.

DO eat natural foods. Foods

closest to their natural form (such as an apple instead of applesauce) contain the most nutrients and are least likely to have unnecessary added ingredients, and therefore also may have fewer calories.

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DO eat a balanced diet. A healthy diet is one that is balanced and varied in nutrients. Each meal should consist of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. The USDA My Healthy Plate suggests half your plate be fresh, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, one quarter lean protein and one quarter whole grain. An 8-ounce serving of low-fat dairy completes the meal.

DO read labels. Food labels provide important information about the food you eat. Check the calories, fat, sugar, and other nutrient information. Ingredients are listed in order by amounts. For example, if the first ingredient is sugar, there is more sugar than anything else in that product. Labels also inform you of the suggested serving size.

DO use portion control. Dish

your food as you would normally, then measure it. How much are you eating compared to the recommended serving? Eat slowly and stop eating when you feel satisfied.

It can take up to 20 minutes for you to feel full from your food.

DO drink water. Drinking water does many great things for you. In this case, it can help you digest food more efficiently and not over-snack between meals. Sometimes when you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty.

DO treat yourself. Many people really fall off the wagon when they feel they cannot have a treat. It is OK to have a little treat once in a while.

The key is to not do it every day and to not over-indulge. The treat should also be of the appropriate size. The calories burned running a mile is not equivalent to a large bowl of ice cream.

DON'Ts

DON’T fall for fad diets. Any

diet with a name is one to be wary of. The most important thing is just to eat balanced and properly proportioned meals.

DON’T skip meals. People tend to make poor food choices when they are really hungry after skipping a meal. Skipping meals causes your blood sugar to drop low, spiking when you do eat, and your body also likes to store more fat after not eating for a long period of time.

DON’T give up. Don’t be frustrated

at a lack of success in weight loss despite healthy efforts. Everybody is different, having an intrinsic weight at which the body is most comfortable.

You can easily fluctuate 5-10 pounds from that weight. If you think you are doing everything right and still have trouble losing weight, talk to your provider for more help and support.

GET MOVING:

Easy tips to get active!

By Liz McNett Crowl — Skagit Healthy Communities Coordinator Regular physical activity is great for your health and can help you feel younger and stronger. From reducing your risk for several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, to helping you manage weight, boost mood, and improve sleep – being physically active has many benefits.

A general recommendation for an adult is to be active 30 minutes a day at least five days a week. If 30 minutes seems too challenging, break it up into smaller sessions of 10 to 15 minutes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has complete information on recommendations for adults, youth and older adults.

If you are not sure how much physical activity is right for you or if you want more details on benefits of activity this is a good resource: www.cdc.gov/ physicalactivity/index.html Walking is a great way to add physical activity to your lifestyle.

It is simple, inexpensive, and safe for most adults and children.

Here are some simple ways to add walking to your day: Add walking to everyday tasks. Walk to a destination like work or an errand or drive part way and walk the rest. Even driving to your destination and parking at the farthest end of the parking lot will add some steps to your day. Skip the elevator and take the stairs.

Make a walking date with a friend or family member. Family and peer support can be very helpful in starting and maintaining a regular exercise routine. Perhaps every evening after dinner you head out the door and walk around the neighborhood.

Walking with children is a great way to help them learn how to be safe pedestrians. Many school districts have Safe Routes to School programs and activities that encourage students to walk and bike to school.

If there are a few children in your neighborhood, consider forming a Walking School Bus, with you and other parents taking turns walking students to school.

For variety, pick up a Skagit County Walking Guide, available at Skagit Regional Health’s hospitals or clinics and visit all of the great trails and paths near where you live.

Start your own walking group.

Gather some friends or co-workers together and set up a weekly schedule of walking times and locations.

Keep a walking journal. Counting your steps can help you get started and keep track of walking throughout the day. Use a pedometer to count steps, write down your walks, and record your progress.

Online activity trackers like MyFitnessPal and mapmywalk are also free options.

Put on your walking shoes. Getting dressed for exercise and taking the steps to get out the door makes it more likely that you won’t forget or skip your daily walk. Make yourself daily reminders like a sticky note on the fridge, shoes by the door, an alarm on your phone.

There are lots of ways to add physical activity to your day, and walking is a great place to start. Biking is an option that can go further distances with less energy and is easy on the knee joints. Swimming is a weightless way to get in some cardio and many local gyms offer a variety of classes and machines with helpful staff to get you started.

Some online resources include: FitnessBlender: Internationally recognized fitness professionals Daniel and Kelli Segar from Skagit County offer free full-length workout videos and health information at FitnessBlender.com. From strength training to stretching, they offer a variety of levels to choose from so that beginners to advanced have many choices. There are many other sources of online videos available in pay-per-view or monthly subscriptions. These options give you the flexibility of choosing to exercise when it fits your schedule, right at home.

CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information on recommendations and more details on benefits of activity: https://www. cdc.gov/physicalactivity/index.html American Heart Association: Offers information on physical activity, suggestions for getting started and staying motivated: http://www.heart. org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/ PhysicalActivity/Physical-Activity_ UCM_001080_SubHomePage.jsp

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Healthy Eating Tools for Success January is a fantastic time to reevaluate our food habits, even if you’re not a believer in New Year’s resolutions. We are fresh off the holiday season, where comfort food surrounded us for months.

There is no better time than now to take a look at our food choices and make a few small adjustments that can add up over time.

Cooking at home is the easiest way to control what goes into your meals, but sometimes it’s difficult to come up with meal planning ideas. Thankfully, we live in a time when your solutions are only a click away!

Discovering Recipes There are probably millions of food bloggers on the internet these days. So, if you’re looking for a specific recipe, like “Slow Cooker Beef Stew,” a quick Google search is all you need to find thousands of variations. However, if you want to browse categories such as “One Skillet Dinners” or “School Lunch Ideas,” one of the best places to go is Pinterest.

Pinterest is much larger than a recipe search engine, but you won’t find an easier tool for this task. If you have allergies, diet restrictions, or simply want to find recipes that fit into a new diet plan – Pinterest has thousands of ideas. Each tile, or “pin,” has a picture from the recipe or the blog post holding the

recipe. You simply click on the pin and you’re taken right to the post, usually explaining the recipe in great detail. If you want to save the recipe for later, you can click the thumb tack icon in the corner of the pin – acting like a virtual pin board for anything you wish to save. Many users create dozens of boards, so you could have a board to pin recipes for dinners, slow cooker recipes, breakfast ideas, or anything else.

The best part about Pinterest, other than being free, is the ability to access it on all devices. So, feel free to pin recipes from your desktop computer, and then pull them up on your iPad while in the kitchen.

Online Recipe Nutrition Labels One small downside of utilizing food blog recipes is the lack of nutritional information. If you’re counting calories or macro nutrients, this can be frustrating. Food bloggers are pretty inconsistent in regards to nutritional information – some are fantastic, while some don’t include any.

Once again, the internet age has a solution! In the last issue of HealthQuest, we talked about MyFitnessPal as a tool to track fitness and calorie goals. It can also create complete nutrition labels with just a few clicks! It works like this: • In your browser, view the recipe you want to analyze • Copy the Web address of that recipe and paste it into the MyFitnessPal Recipe Importer (Click Food, then Recipes in the top blue bar) • Click “Import Recipe” and MyFitnessPal will pull all ingredients from that recipe into a recipe tool • Then, simply click “Match Ingredients” and it calculates the nutrition for each ingredient!

- Once you save the recipe in MyFitnessPal, you have the ability to go back any time and view a full food label on this recipe – just like the food labels at the grocery store.

It also retains the blog post link, so you can view the original blog post at any time.

Whether it’s sticking to a New Year’s resolution, or simply wanting to cook more meals at home, these recipe tools can make life in the kitchen so much easier. You might even impress your friends and family with your new cuisine variety.

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LEFT: Keith Jacobsen of Sedro-Woolley, pedals on a bicycle.

Patients get active

in the Heather Schols Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Just a few weeks after suffering a heart attack and having four stents placed in the arteries feeding his heart, Tom Yaun of Mount Vernon was on the treadmill in the Heather Schols Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Skagit Regional Health.

After attending the customized exercise program three days a week for several weeks, Yaun said he could feel his strength increasing.

“This is really great. You get a chance to test out your endurance,” Yaun said. “You have a heart attack and you don’t know where you’re at or how much to push yourself. Here, you can exercise, be monitored and do it safely.”

The program teaches patients to be more active and to make lifestyle changes that can lead to a stronger heart and better health. It is designed to help patients recover from a heart attack, heart disease, or surgery and to reduce their risk of future heart problems.

“I think it helps build up endurance more than anything,” said Keith Jacobsen of Sedro-Woolley, who had a stent placed last June and was participating in his 18th session of cardiac rehab. “I’ve lived in the valley for years and didn’t know about this program. I’m glad it’s here.”

LEFT: Tom Yaun, said he enjoys the ‘fun people’ he meets while attending Cardiac Rehabilitation.

In addition to the benefits of the education about heart health, diet, exercise and medications, Yaun said his morning workouts are fun.

“They’re all fun people here,” he said.

Patients often rave about the comforting atmosphere and develop new friendships while meeting other patients who are in a similar situation, said Jeff Rhodes, coordinator of the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Heart Healthy Fitness Program.

The new state-of-the-art Heather Schols Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and the Mark Iverson Cardiac Rehabilitation Gym were created through the generosity of donors to the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation.

A total of $410,000 was raised to build and equip the center.

“Everybody here really appreciates this program and the good work by the community,” Yaun said.

“Our new facility has been absolutely fantastic,” Rhodes said.

“Because of the increase in space and reliable equipment, we have had a 40 percent increase in patient visits since moving in and have hired additional staff. We cannot thank our community supporters enough.”

Winter 2017

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Skagit Regional Health’s

Growing Orthopedics Team

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Skagit Regional Health offers comprehensive orthopedic and sports medicine services in two locations, Skagit Regional Clinics - Riverbend in Mount Vernon and the Cascade Valley Orthopedics clinic in Arlington. Sports Medicine is also available in the Skagit Regional Clinics – Sedro Woolley location. Skagit Regional Health’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine team features world renowned and fellowship trained specialists.

The Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team has grown in recent months, improving patient access and creating opportunities for Sports Medicine providers also offer medical assistance for high school sports teams in the community.

Dr. Christopher Sheu and Dr. Roger Lee are frequently spotted on the sidelines of area sporting events, working with the athletes.

The Orthopedics Department offers the following services to patients: • Joint replacement services • Minimally invasive (arthroscopic) surgery

• Sports injury management • Fracture care for children and adults • Pediatric orthopedic care When total joint replacement surgery is needed, Skagit Regional Health offers pre-operative classes and education to prepare patients for their upcoming procedure. Classes help patients learn what to expect before, during, and after their surgery, as well as providing an opportunity to address concerns and complete pre-registration paperwork.

Whether or not surgery is needed, physical therapy and rehabilitation services can help patients return to a normal, active lifestyle postinjury. Physical therapy helps rebuild strength and improve motor skills in the affected areas, and can address underlying issues that could make a patient predisposed to future injuries.

Orthopedic and Sports Medicine appointments are available by calling Skagit Regional Clinics - Riverbend at 360-814-6800 or Cascade Valley Orthopedics at 360-435-6641.

ABOVE: The orthopedic team includes, from left, Richard Williamson, MD, Jimmy Dang, DO, Jon Ruff, PAC, Brittany Shepherd, PAC, Michael Picco, DO, Kay O’Neill, PAC, Christopher Sheu, MD, Jean Marine, MD, Kent Fry, PAC and Michael Thomas, MD.

New Providers SLEEP MEDICINE

UROLOGY

William Haynal, MD

Catherine Schnabel, PA-C

Specialty: Sleep Medicine

Specialty: Urology

Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon

Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon Skagit Regional Clinics – Anacortes

Practice Philosophy: I enjoy working with each patient to find the ideal treatment options that fit with their specific needs.

Why did you specialize in Sleep Medicine? I became interested in sleep medicine after seeing how prevalent sleep disorders were, and how significant of a difference could be made in the lives of patients by effectively treating these conditions.

What do you enjoy most about your practice? I most enjoy the major improvements that I see in patients’ lives once effectively treated: more energy to get through their day, feeling better, and no longer having to go through life feeling sleepy.

Dr. Haynal provides diagnosis and management of sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and other sleep-related disorders. He is a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, CA. He completed a Psychiatry residency and Sleep Medicine fellowship, both at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. Sleep Medicine appointments are available for patients ages 13 and older by calling 360-428-2586.

Why did you pursue a career in medicine? I was initially on the path to become a dietitian.

After completing my undergraduate degree I began working in the OR, and immediately fell in love with surgery.

I met several physician assistants along the way and loved the amount of patient interaction and responsibility they are given, as well as the ability to work in any specialty.

What do you enjoy most about your practice? I enjoy building a relationship with a patient, then having the opportunity to see them progress and improve. It is so rewarding. I also have amazing colleagues. I am lucky and blessed to learn from and work alongside them.

Ms. Schnabel completed a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Since moving to Washington, she has fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest, taking advantage of opportunities to hike and backpack with her fiancé.

Urology appointments can be made by calling 360-814-6565.

NEPHROLOGY Wanwarat Ananthapanyasut, MD Specialty: Nephrology Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon Practice Philosophy: I deliver my best care to my patients as if they are my family. I see them as an individual by understanding the root of the problems and focusing on a holistic approach.

What do you enjoy most about your practice?

I love interacting with new people and participating with wonderful teammates every day. It is an honor at the end of the day to be trusted by my patients whose lives are in my hands.

Dr. Anan completed her medical degree at Chiang Mai University in Thailand. She completed an Internal Medicine internship and Residency at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Anan completed a Nephrology fellowship at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, VA. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Appointments can be made by calling 360-428-2550.

Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) and Doctor of Medicine (MD): A comparison The following information comes from the American Osteopathic Association (www.osteopathic.org): • Students entering both DO and MD medical colleges typically have already completed four-year bachelor's degrees with an emphasis on scientific courses.

• Both DOs and MDs complete four years of basic medical education.

• Both DOs and MDs can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine— such as pediatrics, family medicine, psychiatry, surgery or ophthalmology.

• After medical school, both DOs and MDs obtain graduate medical education through internships, residencies and fellowships. This training lasts three to eight years and prepares DOs and MDs to practice a specialty.

• Approximately 60 percent of practicing osteopathic physicians practice in the primary care specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and OB/GYN. • DOs and MDs must pass comparable examinations to obtain state licenses.

• DOs and MDs both practice in accredited and licensed health care facilities.

• Together, DOs and MDs enhance the state of health care available in the U.S. • DOs receive specialized training in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), which involves hands-on care, and using the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, an osteopathic physician can move muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.

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New Providers OB/GYN

FAMILY MEDICINE AND PRIMARY CARE SPORTS MEDICINE

OB/GYN

Trisha Halvorsen, MD

Roger Lee, MD

Ying Liu, MD

Specialty: Women’s Health

Specialty: Family Medicine and Primary Care Sports Medicine

Specialty: OB/GYN

Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon Practice Philosophy: Treat everyone with respect and work towards joint decision making with my patients by giving them autonomy, respecting their decisions and working together to come up with a plan of care that everyone is happy with.

Special Interests: I love the whole array of general obstetrics and gynecology. I chose this specialty partially because of the varying conditions we see and treat every day including routine and high-risk obstetrics, contraceptive management and benign gynecology of all sorts. I additionally enjoy working with medically underserved populations.

What do you enjoy most about your practice? I enjoy the wide range of patients and various medical problems that show up on any given day. I also love surgery and the mix of the two ensures that work never gets dull!

Dr. Halvorsen received her medical degree from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in Duluth. She completed OB/GYN residency training at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, NE. Women's Health appointments can be made by calling 360-428-2575.

Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Sedro-Woolley Practice Philosophy: Working together with my patients in order to achieve their activity goals whether they are recreational, amateur or professionals.

Special Interests: I enjoy treating people of all ages with various musculoskeletal injuries in both athletes and nonathletes. I also do concussion management, ultrasound guided procedures and diagnostic exams, and general family practice care.

What do you enjoy most about your practice? Seeing people get back to the activities they enjoy following an injury.

Dr. Lee is a graduate of University of Texas at Houston Medical School. He completed family medicine residency training at Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, KS followed by a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. Dr. Lee is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine with Certificate Added Qualification in Sports Medicine (CAQSM). Outside of the office, Dr. Lee is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys camping, hiking, snowboarding and watching sports events. Appointments can be made by calling 360-856-4141.

Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon Special Interests: Dr. Liu says OB/ GYN is a specialty full of joy and is very rewarding for her. She is very interested in both low- and high-risk pregnancy care, and general gynecology, particularly minimally invasive procedures.

Practice Philosophy: Dr. Liu said she believes that taking time to listen and communicating with patients is vital in order to educate them and to provide them with excellent care.

Dr. Liu earned her medical degree from Taishan Medical College and Shanghai Medical University in China.

She remained at Shanghai Medical University for her residency and worked there as an attending for four years.

She also trained at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed a residency at Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Women’s Health appointments can be made by calling 360-428-2575.

WOMEN’S HEALTH Caty Norton, BSN, ARNP Practice Location: Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon

What do you enjoy most about your practice? Meeting and learning from a wide variety of women, young and old. I also enjoy collaborating with women to assist them in making positive choices.

Practice Philosophy: I’m a good listener and collaborate with my patients to assist them in making healthy choices. If I don’t have the answer, I will find it.

Ms. Norton received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Washington State University in Pullman and completed the OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner Training Program through Planned Parenthood of Seattle-King County. Ms. Norton is a lifetime

Specialty: Women’s Health

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resident of the Puget Sound. She enjoys bird watching, hiking, seakayaking and spending time with her husband and friends. Women’s Health appointments can be made by calling 360-428-2575.

Diabetes Education Program puts focus on unique patient needs From intake to completion, this diabetes education program is truly tailored to the patient.

Skagit Regional Health and Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics offer a dynamic program designed around each individual patient to educate and advocate a healthy lifestyle for those diagnosed with diabetes.

Founded in 2005, this physicianreferred program is certified by the American Diabetes Association and is available for patients in both English and Spanish with all types of diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. If trends continue, one in three adults will have diabetes by 2050, making programs like these extremely essential.

During the intake process, a coordinator assesses the needs, wants and goals of each patient. From there a plan is created to both address these qualifications and fit the time allotted by the patient’s insurance.

Most insurance plans cover up to 10 hours of education per year, which makes designing a path that fits within

those parameters a high priority.

“Individualized treatment and management plans create an environment to help patients know what they need to do to be successful in managing their diabetes,” said Amy Navarre Cantrell, PA-C, CDE, a Diabetes Educator and Insulin Specialist for the program. “What we offer is really unique.”

A team of educators, pharmacists, exercise physiologists, and nutrition specialists set a track with courses focusing on what is diabetes, blood sugar management, beginning and advanced nutrition education, exercises regimens, medication plans, how-to insulin classes, and healthy lifestyle and goal setting.

“Implementing a plan with these elements is truly vital to manage the diagnosis,” said Navarre Cantrell.

“We want patients to understand that they have a lot of different options when it comes to their diagnosis; they are in control,” Navarre Cantrell said.

A typical program can run from four to six weeks with a combination of one-on-one and small group

meetings of six to eight patients. After completion, a report is sent back to the referring physician and a followup is scheduled for three months out to evaluate how the patient is doing.

This certified program also offers Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM). A CGM unit is worn for a five-day period, offering as many as 288 readings in each 24-hour period.

This is an important tool to help patients visualize their blood sugar patterns, and to help educate and create a directed treatment approach for the best blood sugar management.

For more information about the program, which is available in Mount Vernon and Arlington, contact the Diabetic Education Program scheduler at 360-814-8329 or visit www.skagitregionalhealth.org, and search for Diabetes Education.

BELOW: From left to right; Christina Sackman, Loni Campbell, Randy Elde, Mary Beth Robinson, Michelle Frey, Joan Pfeiffer

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Women’s health services expand in Stanwood

Nikorn Arunakul, MD

Taras Kindrat, MD

Women’s health services are expanding in Stanwood as four OB/ GYN providers are now offering Monday, Wednesday and Thursday appointments to patients at Skagit Regional Clinics – Stanwood.

Nikorn Arunakul, MD, Taras Kindrat, MD, Ying Liu, MD and Trisha Halvorsen, MD, all board certified obstetricians and gynecologists, will provide care in Stanwood on a regular basis, in addition to office hours in Mount Vernon.

OB services are also provided by two Family Medicine with Obstetrics doctors, Rhett Andelin, DO and David Escobar, DO, who offer appointments in Stanwood five days a week.

In Arlington, David Gran, MD and Ann Hoffman, DO provide obstetrics and gynecology.

NIKORN ARUNAKUL, MD, provides general obstetrics and gynecology, high-risk obstetrics, minimally-invasive gynecology, contraceptive management, urinary incontinence and women's health. He also offers in-office Novasure ablation and Essure sterilization. He joined Skagit Regional Clinics in 2012, transitioning from a private practice in Florida. He received his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville where he completed his residency.

TARAS KINDRAT, MD, practices obstetrics and a full spectrum of gynecology with a focus on urogynecology and minimally invasive procedures. He joined the staff in 2015 and is a graduate of Lviv State Medical University in Lviv, Ukraine.

He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at New York Medical College/ Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center

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Trisha Halvorsen, MD

Ying Liu, MD

in Bronx, New York and an OB/GYN Residency at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center/Montefiore North Division in Bronx. “I practice evidence-based medicine while respecting the patient’s opinion,” Dr. Kindrat said.

TRISHA HALVORSEN, MD, said she strives to treat everyone with respect and to work towards joint decision making with her patients to develop a plan of care. “I love the whole array of general obstetrics and gynecology,” she said. “I chose this specialty partially because of the varying conditions we see and treat every day including routine and high-risk obstetrics, contraceptive management and benign gynecology of all sorts. I additionally enjoy working with medically underserved populations.” Dr. Halvorsen received her medical degree from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in Duluth. She completed OB/GYN residency training at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, NE. YING LIU, MD, joined Skagit Regional Clinics earlier this year after practicing with Mount Vernon Women’s Clinic wince 2014. She is interested in both low- and high-risk pregnancy care, and general gynecology, particularly minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Liu said she believes that taking time to listen and communicating with patients is vital in order to educate them and to provide them with excellent care.

Dr. Liu earned her medical degree from Taishan Medical College and Shanghai Medical University in China.

She remained at Shanghai Medical University for her residency. She also trained at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed a residency at

Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York.

RHETT ANDELIN, DO, joined Skagit Regional Clinics in 2015, is a board certified Family Medicine provider who also performs obstetrics. “I strive to provide exceptional comprehensive care to all my patients, treating them like family members,” Dr. Andelin said. “I want each of my patients to feel heard and understood and to know I care about them. My goal is to share complex medical information in a way that is memorable and understandable.”

He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Des Moines University in Iowa and completed the Broadlawns Medical Center Family Medicine Residency in Des Moines. Dr. Andelin's special interests include Obstetrics and Women's Health, Pediatrics, Sports Medicine, Dermatology, and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT). He is fluent in Spanish.

DAVID ESCOBAR, DO, provides the full spectrum of family medicine care, including obstetrics. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Skagit Regional Health after receiving his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Pacific Northwest University of the Health Sciences in Yakima. “I value caring for whole families in my practice; there is no greater privilege than to help bring new life into the world,” Dr. Escobar said. “And, because so much of preventive health occurs during pregnancy and in the first few years of life, caring for moms and newborns is such a critical feature of family medicine.” Dr. Escobar has special interests in obstetrics, OMT, sports medicine and integrative medicine.

For appointments call 360-428-2575 (Women's Health) or 360-629-1600 (SRC- Stanwood)

Help for Parkinson’s patients focuses on getting

LOUD

Patients with Parkinson’s disease often speak with a very soft voice and are sometimes hard to understand.

That’s because the muscles they use to speak and swallow are weakened by the illness.

Patients are getting help and getting LOUD with the assistance of certified therapists at Skagit Regional Health’s Rehabilitation Department.

The LSVT LOUD program is complimentary to the LSVT BIG program. The LOUD program focuses on the muscles that support speech and swallowing while BIG works on extremity and body movements to strengthen muscles to help with daily tasks and walking. Both programs are available at Skagit Valley Hospital and are based on the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) program.

The LOUD program is an intensive speech therapy series to help patients speak louder and improve clarity of communications. Exercising the muscles involved with speech also transitions to assist with swallowing.

“With Parkinson’s, everything kind of gets smaller especially the movements,” said Kristin Conzo, certified LSVT LOUD therapist.

“With this therapy, the body starts to grow accustomed to being bigger and louder. It helps reset their system

back to normal loudness and normal movement.”

The therapy sessions involve patients saying an “ahhh” sound for as long and as loud as they can and repeating the exercise 10 times to stimulate the muscles of the voice box. A biofeedback system shows on a computer screen the strength and length of their ability to hold the tone and volume. Subsequently, patients are asked to repeat sentences, phrases

and names that are important to them, that they can use in their daily lives.

Patients are instructed to practice these exercises daily at home and attend onehour personalized appointments two to four times each week.

“Some patients can only speak two or three words when they initially come in, or they can’t be understood,” Conzo said. “After therapy, families report they can hear and understand their family member and they are speaking more.”

The program, which requires a physician referral, is highly regarded

by Skagit Regional Clinics Neurologist Patti Brettell, MD. “This program, along with the BIG program, empowers patients to participate in their own healing. It is amazing to see how energized patients are when they return to the office,” Dr. Brettell said. “We have an engaged and dedicated rehabilitation team who are not only practicing American Parkinson's Disease Association guidelines, but inspiring the whole organization with their commitment to patient care.”

ABOVE: Kristin Conzo, certified LSVT LOUD therapist, demonstrates how voice levels display on a computer.

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Hospice: Dispelling the myths Hospice care is comprehensive care by a team of medical experts that allows patients and their families to focus on living as fully as possible.

Nearly 2 million Americans were served by hospice providers at end of life across the nation in 2014, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

That figure includes the providers and staff of Hospice of the Northwest, which serves patients and families in four Northwest counties. There are many truths to be learned about hospice care and understanding the difference between myths and facts.

MYTH: Hospice is where you go when there is nothing more a doctor can do.

FACT: Hospice is not a place; it is a philosophy of care providing medical, emotional, and spiritual care focusing on comfort and quality of life. Hospice care takes place wherever a patient calls home, including longterm skilled nursing, assisted living facilities and adult family homes.

MYTH: Hospice care starts when someone is close to dying and ends at death.

FACT: The focus of hospice care starts at the time of diagnosis or the acute phase of the terminal illness and extends beyond the patient’s death to the family during bereavement. Hospice care is most beneficial when there is sufficient time to manage symptoms and establish a trusting relationship.

MYTH: Choosing hospice means giving up hope.

FACT: Hospice provides comfort and quality of life when the hope for cure is no longer possible.

The hope for living each day to the fullest becomes the focus.

MYTH: You can’t keep your own doctor if you enter hospice.

FACT: Hospice physicians work closely with the patient’s doctor to determine a plan of care.

MYTH: Choosing hospice means giving up all medical treatment.

FACT: The reality is that hospice places the patient and family at the center of the care-planning process and provides high-quality pain management and symptom control.

MYTH: Good care at end of life is very expensive.

FACT: Medicare beneficiaries pay little or nothing for hospice.

Most insurance plans, HMOs and managed care plans include hospice coverage. Donors to the Hospice of the Northwest Foundation ensure that indigent and uninsured patients receive dignified and compassionate care.

MYTH: Hospice is just for the elderly.

FACT: Hospice serves anyone facing a life-limiting illness, regardless of age.

Hospice of the Northwest provides a continuum of care for individuals and families facing a life-limiting illness.

The team provides expert medical, emotional, social and spiritual support that contributes to the best possible quality of life for all ages. The hospice team focuses on the needs and goals of the patient to support patients and families living each day to its fullest in comfort and dignity. Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, VA and most commercial insurances. Through generous support from the Hospice of the Northwest Foundation, no patient is turned away for inability to pay. For more information, call 360-814-5550.

Elma Johnson’s pie breaks funding record – again!

Hospice of the Northwest Foundation held its 15th Annual Auction and Gala in September with 410 guests and 30 community sponsors. The event raised $240,000 in support of expert and dignified end of life care in Skagit, San Juan, Island and north Snohomish counties.

For the past few years Elma Johnson’s wild blackberry pie has generated a frenzy of bidding and excitement. In 2012 the bidding reached $2,700; in 2013 the pie sold for a record setting $2,800; 2014 saw an astonishing $5,200 paid; and last year, $10,000 was paid for the pastry.

This year, winning bids for the pie totaled $15,000!

When asked what makes it so good, Elma gave the credit to the wild blackberries.

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Other highlights from the event included a welcome from Bob Laws, the newly named Executive Director of Hospice of the Northwest and Medical Director Dr. Anita Meyer.

Both speakers shared their support of hospice care and encouraged the audience to help support the mission of compassion and dignity.

Hospice of the Northwest offers bereavement care, counseling, support groups, an eight-week grief recovery program, mailings, and a resource library. These bereavement services are available to loved ones of Hospice of the Northwest patients as well as anyone in the community who is experiencing grief. The “raise a paddle” for donor supported programs like bereavement raised more than $80,000.

The Hospice of the Northwest Foundation committed to providing more than $454,000 in program grant funds to Hospice of the Northwest during 2016.

Serving each other while serving others In October, Hospice of the Northwest learned that the agency had ranked 56 out of 100 on Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work in Healthcare list. Moreover, the agency was recognized 22nd on the list of healthcare providers nationally and is the only provider in Washington state to make the prestigious list.

The Best Places to Work in Healthcare list is part of Modern Healthcare’s recognition program honoring workplaces throughout the healthcare industry that empower employees to provide patients and customers with the best possible care, products and services.

Employees are surveyed to evaluate their employer in several areas including leadership and planning; culture and communications; role satisfaction; working environment; relationships with supervisor; training and development; pay and benefits; and overall satisfaction. Being named a best place to work recognizes an organization’s commitment to developing excellence.

As part of its commitment to employees, Hospice of the Northwest provides a supportive and open environment. Patient care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team and that team approach extends to the nonclinical aspects of the agency as well.

“Every person in the building is working toward the same goal,” explains Bob Laws, Hospice of the Northwest Executive Director. “We are all focused on quality of life. For the patient and for the people who love that patient.

We’re a team because we value each other’s knowledge and experience.”

When asked what she likes most about working at Hospice of the Northwest (HNW), Social Worker Caitlin Connolly answered: “HNW upholds a work environment that is supportive in nature. It

encourages communication, education and recognizes the value of the interdisciplinary team. It is an environment where I feel my experience and role as a social worker is respected and incorporated.”

Staff frequently mention the satisfaction they get from helping others as the main reason they like their job.

Hospice Care Aide Nicky Hill said she enjoys coming to work because “I know that I will be helping someone, either a patient or a family member, get through the day a little easier. Whether I am going to bathe them or just be there for support, I am able to help in a way that they need the most.”

Renee Wheeler, RN said "I feel proud of the work we do.

I like my job because I get to see the immediate help and relief hospice brings to patients and their families."

Non-clinicians at the agency also feel a dedication to the mission and the importance of serving the community. Staffing Coordinator Abie Robirds explained: “I get out of bed every morning excited to come to work. From the first day I started to now, I feel like I am able to provide quality care for patients at a time when they need it the most. I feel as though I am actively making a difference in the life of another person. When a patient had a hard weekend and needs a visit from one of our fabulous health care aides, I find someone to help. When a patient has pain and needs a nursing visit, I find a nurse to help. Although I don’t see patients in their homes, I love that I am able to directly provide help when it’s needed.”

Hospice of the Northwest, provides comprehensive care and comfort for patients facing serious illness and the loved ones who care for them. Established in 1989, Hospice of the Northwest’s 75 staff members serve patients in Skagit, Island, San

Juan and Snohomish counties. The Hospice of the Northwest Foundation provides financial support for staff education and to provide patient services not funded by Medicare.

In 2015, Hospice of the Northwest was awarded accreditation by the Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc., (CHAP) under the CHAP Hospice Standards of Excellence. CHAP accreditation demonstrates that Hospice of the Northwest meets the industry’s highest nationally recognized standards.

For more information about Hospice of the Northwest, contact Bob Laws, Executive Director, 360-8145579, blaws@hospicenw.org or Wendy Rohrbacher, Executive Director, Hospice of the Northwest Foundation, 360-8145702, wrohrbacher@hospicenw.org.

BELOW: Bob Laws, Executive Director, accepts the Modern Healthcare Award

The Hospice of the Northwest Foundation funds dignity, compassion and comfort to terminally ill members of our community and ensures that quality hospice care is available to all who are coping with a life-limiting illness. If you would like more information about the Foundation or Hospice of the Northwest services, please visit our website, www.hospicenw.org, or call (360) 814-5702.

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Skagit Regional Health

around the REGION CANCER CENTER 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 2016 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center. Employees, providers, community members, representatives of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and many of the donors who contributed to the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation’s $4 million capital campaign gathered on October 6 to celebrate the milestone and reflect on the past decade.

The evening also celebrated the important partnership between Skagit Regional Health and the SCCA. More than a decade ago, Skagit Regional Health became the second Network Member of the SCCA, a partnership between Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s.

The Regional Cancer Care Center sees approximately 150 patients daily, providing medical oncology, radiation therapy and support services.

BELOW: Director of Oncolgy, Barb Jensen with SCCA representatives, Cecilia Zapata and Ben Greer, MD.

NEW EQUIPMENT, CHAIRS ARRIVE AT SKAGIT VALLEY KIDNEY CENTER New hemodialysis stations and patient chairs have arrived at the Skagit Valley Kidney Center as a result of a $415,000 fund-raising effort by the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation.

Margaret “Scooter” Justesen, who spends more than three hours, three days a week receiving dialysis at the center, said the new equipment is wonderful and praised the staff for their compassion.

“These chairs are great. They have a heater and they are very comfortable,” she said. “They are very good to us here. They really help us out.”

The Foundation raised funds to replace all 27 hemodialysis stations for the center, which is located on the campus of Skagit Valley Hospital.

ABOVE: Margaret “Scooter” Justesen receives dialysis three days a week at the Skagit Valley Kidney Center.

MEDICAL AND OBSERVATION CARE UNIT OPENS 24/7

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The Medical and Observation Care (MOC) unit, located on the second floor of the northwest wing of Skagit Valley Hospital, opened full time to patients in October.

The unit was a patient care area prior to the opening of the new hospital in 2007 and has been used on a part-time basis in recent years for outpatient services and as an overflow area during periods of high patient census. The space received a facelift and is open for 24/7 services with a

focus on inpatient and observation services, inpatient dialysis and outpatient infusions, with a total of 13 private rooms and 22 staff including 16 nurses.

“We’ve been very busy on the inpatient side and we want to keep our patients here in our community,” said Bridgette Francisco, RN, BSN, clinical manager of MOC. “Having this operating 24/7, we will be better able to do just that.”

SKAGIT REGIONAL HEALTH SUPPORTS PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT Many Skagit Regional Health employees and providers were involved in supporting the annual Project Homeless Connect on September 9 at Skagit Valley College. The mission of Project Homeless Connect is to provide a single location where health and social service providers collaborate to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness or

those at-risk of becoming homeless with comprehensive, holistic, and immediate services.

Skagit Regional Health provided booths to offer information on healthy nutrition, taking vital signs, employees served as “guest guides” for event attendees, and organized the lunch service for guests. In addition, providers and residents offered primary care and podiatry services.

BELOW: Kandi Devenere, MN, RN, right, visits with Sheena Williams, patient registration at Project Homeless Connect in September

2007

2017

10THANNIVERSARY Construction of the 220,000 square foot expansion of Skagit Valley Hospital started in 2005 and featured an 11-month visit by a 140-foot tower crane and tons of concrete and steel reinforcements.

The project was complete in 2007 and more than 3,500 community members toured the new facility at a June open house, two weeks before the facility opened to patients.

The first baby was born in the new Family Birth Center just 90 minutes after patients were moved in to the new rooms on June 30, 2007, a girl weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces.

THINKING PINK IN OCTOBER! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Skagit Regional Health and Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics staff were often sporting pink!

The staff at Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics wore pink on Oct. 19.

Extended hours mammography at Cascade brought in an extra 100 patients for the screening in the month of October.

Mount Vernon Fire and Rescue celebrated the month by selling pink T-shirts, with proceeds benefiting The Breast Institute at the Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center. Firefighters brought a fire truck to the cancer center and Skagit Regional Health’s Business Center to thank all who joined in the effort.

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Psoriatic arthritis: A more recent discovery

By Kevin Welk, MD — Rheumatologist

Psoriatic arthritis is a relative new kid on the block in the inflammatory arthritis world. Although issues of the skin dermatitis known currently as psoriasis had been identified previously (seemingly since antiquity – Roman Empire, “leprosy” in the Bible, etc.), psoriatic arthritis has not been completely recognized as a distinct entity until the 20th Century when various clinical investigators started to recognize the unique qualities of those with psoriasis who had presentations of an inflammatory and destructive arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis’ popularity really accelerated after the publications by Dr. Verna Wright in Leeds England and in 1964 the American Rheumatism Association (now the American College of Rheumatology) officially recognized psoriatic arthritis as a distinct entity separate from rheumatoid arthritis.

Since then, and only until more recently, psoriatic arthritis has been mainly treated very similar to rheumatoid arthritis. As medical information evolved, we have seen how the issues of psoriatic arthritis seem to be unique on certain levels and can often mimic other forms of arthritis beyond rheumatoid arthritis.

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As an example, psoriatic arthritis can present in some cases much like gout or infection-related arthritis and have only one joint involved (such as a knee). Other times, it can be more migratory and involve three or four joints in various places of the body.

In other people, it can look similar to osteoarthritis with more prominent hand joint involvement (distal/end joint involvement of the fingers) and in other cases it can look like another arthritis that usually involves the spine (spondyloarthritis).

As noted above, it can also look a lot like rheumatoid arthritis in some people and it can have a very unfortunate presentation with a horribly destructive arthritis called arthritis mutilans.

More recently, investigators have discovered how psoriatic arthritis involves an area of the musculoskeletal system called the enthesis. This area is where the tendon of a muscle attaches to the bone. The enthesis seems to be particularly involved in the aberrant immune system response eventually leading to an autoinflammatory (“autoimmune”) issue within and around the musculoskeletal system.

The immune system seems to start a self-perpetuating issue of inflammation that leads to tissue destruction and damage particularly at the enthesis.

This type of auto-inflammation can lead not only to joint swelling and pain, but also to recurrent tendonitis, issues of finger and toe diffuse swelling like a sausage (called dactylitis), fingernail changes (psoriatic nail dystrophy), and spinal ankylosis (a form of ankylosing spondylitis).

Ultimately, it is important for anyone with a personal or family history of psoriasis to recognize issues of musculoskeletal pains and to not excuse them away as simply “getting older” or “normal” especially if they have issues of recurrent tendonitis (“chronic tennis elbow,” plantar fasciitis in their feet), joint swelling or deformity or issues of back pain that seems to get better if they are active and worse with resting.

We, as a medical community, want to appropriately recognize and treat those with psoriatic arthritis so that we can attend to the issue and not only improve their quality of life, but also potentially prevent damage that can never be recovered if left uncontrolled for too long.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR DR. KEVIN WELK provides a full range of rheumatologic services for children and adults including the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other conditions of the joints, muscles and bones. For an appointment, call 360-428-2550.

Looking for a new opportunity?

Try volunteering If you are interested in a chance to try something new, meet new people and help in the community, volunteering at Skagit Regional Health and Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics may be just the thing for you.

Volunteers work in all areas of the hospitals. There is always a high need for people to staff the information desks and the gift shop at Skagit Valley Hospital. In addition to way finding and answering visitor questions, our information desk volunteers help with patient transports, deliver flowers, distribute morning newspapers, do courier duties and assist with special projects. In the Skagit Valley Hospital gift shop, volunteers ring up sales and give great customer service along with assisting with presentation and merchandising.

Six-year volunteer Shirley Nyland enjoys her days in the gift shop at Skagit Valley Hospital. She was encouraged to start volunteering by a friend.

“I was recently retired and my friend told me about it. She was having fun, so I decided to try it too,” Shirley said. “It’s great. You meet a lot of

interesting people. It’s something you can do without a full-time commitment and it’s a way to give back to the community.”

Skagit Regional Health currently has more than 500 volunteers who contribute an average of 5,000 hours each month.

“Since I live in the community, it’s nice to donate my time back to the community,” Shirley said.

At Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington volunteer opportunities are available for information desk and patient transport, special projects and leading tours of the facility.

Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Steve Schultz at 360-814-2142 or stop by an information desk to receive an application. The minimum age to volunteer is 16 and the application process includes an interview.

ABOVE: Shirley Nyland has volunteered at Skagit Valley Hospital for the past six years, including a recent shift in the Gift Shop. Nyland calls her volunteer time ‘a way to give back to the community.’

Volunteers

At Skagit Valley Hospital and Cascade Valley Hospital Many jobs available.

Chance to meet new people.

Opportunity to help others.

For more information: Call 360-814-2142 Winter 2017

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MISSION The mission of the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation is to raise, manage and distribute funds to assure the continued availability of quality health care services and programs at Skagit Valley Hospital. The Foundation will foster awareness of and community support for Skagit Valley Hospital through the involvement of the people it serves.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Volunteers are the key to the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation’s efforts in securing philanthropy. The Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation is led by the following group of community leaders who serve generously and without compensation.

Zach Barborinas Dee Berglin Kevin Bingham Katie Biringer Jill Christensen Kati Collins Cheryl Conner Mary June Curtis

Jacqueline Hawkins Dr. Joshua Hawkins Debbie Hendricks Jama Hiltz Jim Hobbs Aldi Kllogjeri Matt Lehman Mike Lervick Mike Liepman

Jean Miller Melissa Nelson Larry Otos Jill Pickering Richard Roozen Brett Simbe Jim Spane Dr. Rob Zwick

S TA F F Linda Frizzell Executive Director

Wendy Ragusa Development Coordinator

Becky Wells Development Associate

To learn more about how you can support the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation, visit www.skagitregionalhealth.org/Hospital-Foundation Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation P.O. Box 1376 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 360-428-2140

Like us on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/ SkagitValleyHospitalFoundation

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Foundation Development Associate Becky Wells accepts a check from CPI's Henry Glassett.

CPI's Charity Club Program

A check for $1,344.75 was presented to Foundation Development Associate Becky Wells by September 2016 CPI Employee of the Month Henry Glassett. CPI’s Charity Club Program allows their employee of the month to select a charity that will receive a donation in their name, and Henry selected the Heather Schols Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. The Foundation is grateful for their generous support!

Monica Baca, Chief Radiation Therapist for Skagit Regional Health’s Regional Cancer Care Center, right, accepts a check for $1,517.51 from Riding Club President Doug Wood.

Sedro-Woolley Riding Club

For the past 10 years, the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation’s Breast Cancer Fund has been the lucky recipient of funds raised by the Sedro-Woolley Riding Club’s “Tough Enough To Wear Pink” campaign. To-date, the club has provided $11,406 to support breast cancer patients. We are so very grateful for their support!

Riverside Health Club owners Karen Westra and Denise Skelton present Foundation Executive Director Linda Frizzell and Foundation Board President Richard Roozen with a check for $1,580.

Riverside Health Club

Funds were raised during the Riverside Health Club’s “Think Pink Day” during which the club donated $5 for each member who wore pink to a group fitness class. All funds will support the Foundation’s Breast Cancer Fund and the patients it serves. Thank you Riverside Health Club!

Proceeds Reach Goal for Kidney Dialysis Project The 2016 Festival of Trees raised more than $262,000 Thanksgiving weekend and, in turn, helped reach the Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation’s campaign goal for the Kidney Dialysis project. The board committed in the spring of 2015 to raise $415,000 to purchase 27 new hemodialysis machines for the Skagit Valley Kidney Center.

In partnership with Title Sponsor Associated Petroleum Products, the Foundation hosted three special events during Festival of Trees weekend. The main event was the gala and auction sponsored by Heritage Bank and Whidbey Coffee. The Saturday night celebration hosted more than 600 guests and featured the live auction of 27 elaborately decorated Christmas trees and 11 unique live auction packages. The high-bid items included the “glassybaby…It’s Cold Outside” tree, the Sitka, Alaska fishing trip for four and the “Merry Christmas from a Galaxy Far, Far Away” tree.

While viewing the trees, guests enjoyed dining on gourmet hors d’oeuvres presented by seven local eateries including Chuckanut Manor, COA Mexican Eatery, Fortune Mandarin Restaurant, La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib,

Max Dale's Steak and Chop House, Panera Bread and Taste of India.

People’s and Designers’ Choice Awards

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Additional giving opportunities included a silent auction of 36 mini trees, the purchase of designer wreaths, best of live auction tickets, 50/50 raffle chances and tree raffle tickets. The Fund-A-Dream raised more than $30,000 for the project.

Chris Cammock presented the raise-the-paddle event where he shared the story of Sally Norris, a current dialysis patient who sees her kidney dialysis as her job – working together with staff on kidney care.

Cowboy Christmas

"We are thankful to the community for all of their support and for making our fundraising effort a smashing success!” commented Festival of Trees co-chair Jill Pickering.

Winter 2017

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Proceeds Reach Goal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 A family breakfast and two days of community tree viewing rounded out the full weekend of holiday merriment this year held at the Skagit Center-Christ the King Church in Burlington.

The Foundation is grateful for the tremendous support of Festival event sponsors Pacific Woodtech – Designer Wreaths sponsor, VHS Certified Public Accountants – Mini Tree Silent Auction sponsor, Alfie Hill – Banta – Tree Raffle sponsor, TeamHealth – Beverage Bar sponsor, Dwayne Lane’s Auto Family – 50/50 Raffle sponsor and Food Services of America – Best of Live sponsor.

Since the Festival of Trees debuted in 1988, it has raised more than $5 million to support programs and projects at Skagit Valley Hospital.

The impact on providing quality patient care has been and is tremendous – opening of the Regional Cancer Center, Mental Health Center, the Heather Schols Cardiac Rehabilitation Center and Mark Iverson Rehabilitation

Most Traditional Award Christmassy Spice and All Things Nice

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Gym and the Skagit Valley Kidney Center to name a few.

The important financial support from donors, sponsors, auction buyers, designers and volunteers, many of whom give annually to this beloved community event, is humbling and the Foundation is most grateful.

Best Tree Topper Award Crystal Christmas Spirit

On Friday, November 25, more than 225 guests attended Breakfast at the North Pole sponsored by Thomas Cuisine Management.

A buffet was provided by the Farmhouse Restaurant.

With a visit from that jolly old elf himself, Santa posed with guests young and old for professional photo sittings; kids enjoyed activities, sponsored by Doyle Guffie’s Rallye Auto Sales, Inc., including a game, crafts, face-painting, and the perennial “tree décor” scavenger hunt. Each young guest to the “North Pole” received a plush penguin from Santa and his elves, sponsored by Insight Healthcare

Best Children’s Theme Award Feliz Navidad! with the Magic of Mickey and Minnie Mouse

Architecture. Guests also had an opportunity to purchase chances to win a “Winter Fun” package with more than $1,300 worth of gifts, services and fun family experiences to enjoy during the winter months.

The community came to view the trees during Family Festival Days, sponsored by Skagit Bank and Life Care Center of Skagit Valley. With an opportunity to vote on their favorite tree, guests also enjoyed listening to live musical entertainment provided by local individual and group performers.

The winning ticket of the Tree Raffle was drawn at the conclusion of the weekend events.

Jackie Donovan of Burlington was the winner of “Mr. Snowman,” a delightfully decorated white, artificial tree was dressed in

Designer Sponsor’s Choice Award I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Our designers and their families spent a casual evening together among the trees at the annual Designer Appreciation Night on November 22. Sponsored by Peoples Bank, the evening celebration and recognition program included a champagne toast, dessert bar, photo booth by Strike a Pose Events.

colors of white, black and a touch of red. Tree raffle package included a Hewlett Packard Pro Tablet, TV with a collection of family movies and board games for the enjoyment of the entire family. The tree was designed by Brenda Litaker – lead designer, Sherrie Gugel, Shirley Spurrier, Sheree Hann, Nancy Angel and Brittany Crabb.

Most Original Award A Mad Hatter Christmas

Believe it or not, Festival planning begins every January. The Foundation board and staff are deeply appreciative of the hours and hours of creativity, organization and volunteer management provided by our Festival committee of more than 25 community leaders and volunteers. We give special thanks to Festival of Trees co-chairs Jill Pickering, Skagit Valley Hospital Foundation Trustee and Jamie Eslinger for their leadership and their committee to produce yet another spectacular and memorable Festival of Trees.

Foundation President’s Choice Award glassybaby…It’s Cold Outside

Winter 2017

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Photo by Linda Wright

HealthQuest CLASSES

CHANGE YOUR

STANWOOD/CAMANO CLINICS

CASCADE VALLEY HO

Cholesterol/Diabetes, Vitamin D and Bone Density Screenings

Childbirth Class

Full Lipid Profile plus Glucose: 10-12 hour fast required, water and prescribed medications only, no coffee or tea. No alcohol 24 hours prior. Fee: $29 Vitamin D: Fasting is not required. Fee: $49 Bone Density: This is a noninvasive, painless scan of one hand.

Results are available immediately.

Fee: $10 For information call 360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481.

No appointment or pre-registration is required.

Debit or credit card or personal check – no cash accepted.

March 1 (Wed) 8 – 9 a.m.

Skagit Regional Clinics - Stanwood 9631 269th Street NW March 15 (Wed) 8 – 9:30 a.m.

Camano Senior Center 606 Arrowhead Drive Camano Island

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AARP Driver Safety Program This two-session program for people older than 50 is designed to enhance the driving skills of the mature adult. Insurance companies are required to give a discount on auto insurance for those over age 55 who complete the course. Course fee is $15 for AARP members; $20 for non-members. Pre-registration is required.

February 16, 17 (Thur/Fri) 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Skagit Regional Clinics - Stanwood 9631 269th Street NW Pay at the class

Blood Drive March 22 (Wed) 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (except 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.)

Skagit Regional Clinics - Stanwood 9631 269th Street NW – mobile van Pre-registration required by calling 1-800-398-7888.

Island County Health Department The Island County Health Department is located at 127 N. East Camano Drive, down the hall from the Skagit Regional Clinics - Camano Island. Visit www. islandcountyhealth.org for more information or call 360-387-0184.

This course will be held on Saturday, March 11 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. for expectant parents. The course will include information about emotional changes during pregnancy, the labor process, breathing techniques, the role of the support person and information about breastfeeding. The fee is $95. A receipt will be given to participants, which can be turned into insurance for reimbursement. This class is held at Cascade Valley Hospital in the Rainier Conference Room on the second floor.

Pre-registration is required. Call 360618-7754 to register.

Total Joint Replacement Class This two-hour class helps to prepare patients for their upcoming joint replacement surgery. We have incorporated classroom instruction with procedure-specific therapy. You will learn what to expect before, during and after joint replacement surgery.

The class meets the first and third Monday of the month from 1 – 3 p.m. at Cascade Valley Hospital in the Rainier Conference Room. Patients are scheduled for this class by their Orthopedic provider prior to their planned surgery. There is no charge for this program.

HealthQuest Class Registration Information

Don't wait long. Many of our classes fill quickly so early registration is recommended. You are not confirmed in the class until we receive your payment (for classes requiring payment.) Don’t lose your space in class – pay early!

See the inside of the back cover of this magazine for registration information.

Pre-registration is required for all classes unless otherwise noted.

CAMANO ISLAND

127 N. E. Camano Drive Camano Island 360-387-5398

STANWOOD

CASCADE VALLEY HOSPITAL

SMOKEY POINT

MOUNT VERNON

360-629-1600

360-435-2133

360-639-3093

360-428-2500

9631 269th Street NW, Stanwood

330 South Stillaguamish Avenue Arlington

3823 172nd Street NE Arlington

1400 East Kincaid Street Mount Vernon

All classes require pre-registration unless specified. Call 360-814-2424 or see inside of back cover.

OSPITAL Blood Drive March 3 (Fri) 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (except 1 – 2 p.m.)

Cascade Valley Hospital Rainier Conference Room 330 S. Stillaguamish Ave., Arlington Pre-registration required by calling 1-800-398-7888.

Medicare 101 Class

Do you need help comparing or choosing a Medicare plan?

Skagit Regional Health along with MedicareCompareUSA® will offer a series of upcoming Medicare 101 sessions.

For additional information see page 39.

February 22 (Wed) 10 a.m. – noon Cascade Valley Hospital Rainier Conference Room 330 S. Stillaguamish Ave., Arlington

Volunteer Services at Cascade Valley Hospital To inquire about volunteering at Cascade Valley Hospital please contact Steve Schultz at 360-814-2142.

SMOKEY POINT CLINIC Weight Management Class “Healthy Weight: It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle!” This free class on how to achieve a healthy weight is presented by Dr. Natalia Usoltseva, a board certified internal medicine physician at UW Neighborhood Smokey Point Clinic. Dr. Usoltseva will discuss the health risks of obesity, diet and exercise programs, how to create a personalized daily food plan and treatment options.

Dr. Usoltseva will provide information that will help you maintain optimum health by managing your weight effectively on a daily basis. “Healthy Weight” is the second in a quarterly series of free classes sponsored by UW Neighborhood Smokey Point Clinic.

January 31 (Tue) 6 – 7:30 PM UW Neighborhood Smokey Point Clinic 3823 172nd Street NE, Arlington Lobby on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs Register today at uwmedicine.org/ smokeypoint.

MOUNT VERNON

Doc Talks

Integrating Ancient and Traditional Medicine into Modern Health Care David Escobar, DO of Skagit Regional Clinics, provides a broad overview of evidence-based approaches using complementary and alternative therapies in the 21st century. Mind-body medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and botanical medicine all have a role to play in our daily lives. This talk will explore the integrated role these therapies can play with both modern osteopathic manipulative medicine and the Western medical model.

February 13 (Mon) 6 – 8 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room Pre-registration is required CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Photo by Gary Brown MD

Winter 2017

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MOUNT VERNON CLASSES Doc Talks Health Education Meditation for Calming and Focusing Your Mind

Live Life Dry Do you or a loved one experience embarrassing or troublesome symptoms like leaking or dribbling urine, or not being able to “hold it”?

Statistics show you’re not alone.

These are symptoms of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). An estimated 52 million men and women cope with urinary leakage. Diabetes can increase risk and severity of urinary incontinence, but there are options for prevention and treatment.

Learn about ways to take control and live your life dry today in this presentation with Mansel Kevwitch, MD, urologist with Pacific Rim Urology.

March 8 (Wed) 6 – 8 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room Pre-registration required

Medicare 101 Class Do you need help comparing or choosing a Medicare plan?

Skagit Regional Health along with MedicareCompareUSA® will offer a series of upcoming Medicare 101 sessions.

For additional information see page 39.

January 25 (Wed) 10 a.m. - noon Skagit Valley Hospital San Juan Conference Room March 29 (Wed) 3 – 5 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room

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Let an experienced meditator guide you in simple techniques to become comfortable with this valuable skill in this popular threesession class. Meditation is now scientifically recognized to help reduce stress and anxiety, blood pressure and help with restful sleep.

Jan Hodgman, MA, has been meditating for more than 40 years and spent eight years in a Japanese Zen monastery.

January 25, February 1 and 8 (Wed) Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room 6 – 8 p.m. $39

Bicycling Knowledge & Skills Class Smart Cycling 101- a two-part bicycle education class is taught

by League of American Bicyclists certified instructors. Participants will gain confidence to ride on the road and knowledge to have a safe and pleasant experience.

Participants must be at least 18 years old or 14-17 with an adult, have their own functioning bicycle and helmet for Saturday and attend both sessions.

Register at 360-814-2424 or online at SkagitRegionalHealth.org.

For more information, contact Liz McNett Crowl by email at LCrowl@skagitvalleyhospital.org or by phone at 360-814-2331.

April 20 (Thur) 6 – 9 p.m.

April 22 (Sat) 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital San Juan Conference Room Free

AARP Driver Safety Program This two-session program for people older than 50 is designed to enhance the driving skills of the mature adult. Insurance companies are required to give a discount on auto insurance for those over age 55 who complete the course. Course fee is $15 for AARP members; $20 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required.

Feb 22, 23 (Wed/Thur) 1 – 5 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital San Juan Conference Room Pay at the class

Parkinson’s Exercise Program Skagit Valley Hospital physical therapist Bree Corbin, MPT has completed the required comprehensive hands-on training and testing through LSVT Global to become a certified LSVT BIG clinician. LSVT BIG is a researchbased exercise program focused on amplitude (bigger movement) training for individuals with Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s disease often results in slowing of movements and decreased size of movements leaving the individual struggling with daily tasks and walking. The BIG program focuses on teaching the amount of effort needed to produce normal movements through intensive and high-effort practice. The protocol consists of 16 one-hour sessions, four days a week for four weeks. This program is appropriate for all stages of Parkinson’s disease. Please discuss program options with your healthcare provider; a physician referral is required. For more information: LSVTGlobal.com or call 360-814-2184.

Parkinson’s LOUD® Program Skagit Valley Hospital speech language pathologist, Kristin Conzo, MS, CCC-SLP has completed the required comprehensive hands-on training and testing through LSVT Global to become a certified LSVT LOUD clinician.

LSVT LOUD is a research-based exercise program focused on amplitude (loud voice) training for individuals with Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s disease often results in slowing of movements and decreased size of movements leaving the individual struggling with daily tasks and walking. The LSVT BIG and LOUD program focuses on teaching the amount of effort needed to produce normal movements through intensive and high-effort practice.

The protocol consists of 16 one-hour sessions, four days a week for four weeks. This program is appropriate for all stages of Parkinson’s disease.

Please discuss program options with your healthcare provider; a physician referral is required. For more information: LSVTGlobal.com or call 360-814-2184.

Certified Diabetes Education Program Skagit Regional Health offers a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive education program for adults with diabetes, either newly diagnosed or for those patients who want additional guidance to help reduce the negative consequences of diabetes. The program includes individual and group education.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is available through the program. A small sensor, worn in the abdominal area, measures and stores data for four to five days.

A1C testing is also available.

A physician referral is required so talk to your health care provider.

The program and CGM is covered by most insurance companies. Please check with your insurance provider to confirm. For other questions, or more information about the program, contact our Diabetic Education Program Scheduler at 360-814-8329 or visit www.skagitregionalhealth.org, search Diabetes Education.

Diabetes Prevention Program A condensed version of the yearlong National Diabetes Prevention Class series is being offered. This class is designed to teach you how to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes with gradual, modest lifestyle changes.

Classes will be held at the Burlington Library in the Burlington Rotary Community Meeting Room on Monday, February 06, 2017 at 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. and on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.

To pre-register for these free classes or for more information,

please contact WSU Skagit County Extension: 360-428-4270 ext. 224, Laura DeFreese, Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach or laura. defreese@wsu.edu or visit http:// ext100.wsu.edu/skagit/fam/diabetes/.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program This intensive program can help patients with a wide variety of chronic lung disorders including, but not limited to, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic bronchitis or asthma, to reduce respiratory symptoms, improve functional independence and complications and reduce hospitalizations. The program is provided by a multi-disciplinary team plus individualized education to help patients understand and learn how to manage and cope with daily activities. Participants learn self-management and relaxation techniques to improve emotional wellbeing, skills to help regain control of their breathing, and pursue activities to the fullest extent of their abilities.

The classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. or from 1:30 – 3 p.m. for approximately 10-18 weeks. For more information call 360-814-2236.

Heart Healthy Fitness Program

Total Joint Replacement Class This two-hour class helps to prepare patients for their upcoming joint replacement surgery. We have incorporated classroom instruction with procedure-specific therapy. You will learn what to expect before, during, and after joint replacement surgery.

The class meets the first and third Wednesday of the month from 1 – 3 p.m. at Skagit Valley Hospital. For more information, directions and to register for this class, please call 360-814-2424. There is no charge for this program.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Have you had a recent heart attack, bypass surgery, angioplasty or stent placement, heart valve surgery or congestive heart failure? We have a program to help you return to your active lifestyle and learn how to reduce your risk factors. A team of Clinical Exercise Physiologists supervise the classes to provide a safe, friendly atmosphere to ask questions and learn how to pace yourself as you recover. This is a physician-referred program and Medicare and most insurances cover cardiac rehab. For more information call 360-814-8368.

Come join us for exercise in a safe and stress-free environment at Skagit Valley Hospital. The Heart Healthy Fitness Program focuses on individual goals and plenty of one-to-one attention. We work on strength training, balance and cardiovascular fitness. For questions, cost and class times, call 360-814-8368.

All classes require pre-registration unless specified. Call 360-814-2424 or see inside of back cover.

Photo by GaryWinter Brown 2017 MD

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MOUNT VERNON CLASSES clothes (no pantyhose). Shorts Health & or skirts are best. Any follow-up diagnostic tests are the financial Wellness responsibility of the patient; please check with your insurance provider.

Screenings Cholesterol/Diabetes, Vitamin D and Bone Density Screenings

Full Lipid Profile plus Glucose: 10-12 hour fast required, water and prescribed medications only, no coffee or tea. No alcohol 24 hours prior. Fee: $29 Vitamin D: Fasting is not required. Fee: $49 Bone Density: This is a noninvasive, painless scan of one hand. Results are available immediately. Fee: $10 For information call 360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481. No appointment or pre-registration is required.

Debit or credit card or personal check only – no cash accepted.

February 15 (Wed) 7:30 – 9 a.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room

FREE Skin Cancer Screening

FREE Vision Screening A certified ophthalmic technician with Cascadia Eye will conduct vision and glaucoma screenings.

This is not an evaluation of cataracts or macular degeneration. It is an acuity (vision) and eye pressure test only. Bring a contact lens case for storage during the screening. Call 360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481 to schedule an appointment.

Feb 24 (Fri) 1 - 3 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital San Juan Conference Room

Stroke and Aneurysm Screening

March 6 (Mon) 1 - 4 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room

This ultrasound screening test provided by Skagit Digital Imaging is non-invasive, quick and painless and will help you identify whether you are at increased risk for stroke and vascular disease.

The cost is only $59 for the combined carotid and aorta screening. To register for an appointment, call 360-428-8208 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Screenings are held at Skagit Radiology located at 1320 E. Division, Mount Vernon.

FREE Vein Screening

Blood Drives

Steven Lee, MD, surgeon with Skagit Regional Clinics, will be administering screenings to evaluate visible varicose veins that may be causing heavy, achy, tired legs and help raise awareness of venous disease and the available treatment options. Treatment options are covered by most insurances.

Screenings take less than 10 minutes and are open to men and women. Participants are examined individually in a private environment and should wear loose-fitting

March 6 (Mon) 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Mobile van at Skagit Regional Clinics – Riverbend 2320 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon

Corinne Sayler, PA-C with Fairhaven Dermatology will conduct visual inspections of skin abnormalities you are concerned about. Call 360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481 to schedule an appointment.

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March 2 (Thurs) 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room Pre-registration required

April 17 (Mon) 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Cascade Conference Room Pre-registration required by calling 1-800-398-7888.

Free Blood Pressure Screenings Automated blood pressure machines are available at the following locations: • Skagit Regional Clinics – Mount Vernon • Skagit Valley Hospital – Main entrance and Kincaid Street lobby • Skagit Regional Clinics - Stanwood

Is it Time for Your Mammogram?

In accordance with the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, screening mammograms are recommended yearly beginning at age 40.

The Breast Care Center

1320 East Division Street Mount Vernon 360-428-7270 A service provided cooperatively

by Skagit Valley Hospital and Skagit Radiology.

Childbirth & Infant Care

Pregnancy and Childbirth This six-week course for expectant parents includes information about emotional changes during pregnancy, the labor process, breathing techniques, the role of the support person, breastfeeding and a local pediatric care provider to discuss your baby’s first three months. The fee is $110. Medical coupons are accepted. Full payment or a copy of your medical coupon is required two weeks before the class begins. Classes are offered at Skagit Valley Hospital.

Pre-registration is required. Call 360814-2424 or 360-629-6481 to register.

Childbirth Preparation: Weekend Course

Breastfeeding and Newborn Care

Gestational Diabetes Program

Skagit Valley Hospital offers a twoday childbirth preparation class on weekends. Plan to begin the course in your seventh or eighth month of pregnancy. The class includes the same topics as the six-week course. A tour of the Family Birth Center is included. The fee is $95.

Medical coupons are accepted. Preregistration is required. Call 360-8142424 or 360-629-6481 to register.

Skagit Valley Hospital’s Family Birth Center’s nurse Lactation Consultants will aid parents in gaining the knowledge necessary to make feeding decisions regarding their new baby. In addition, a local pediatric care provider will be available to provide information on newborn care – time for questions will be allowed. Pre-registration is required. The fee is $25 for this two and one-half hour program. The cost is only $20 when registering for the weekend childbirth preparation class at the same time.

Call 360-814-2424 or 360-6296481 for class dates and times.

Diabetes during pregnancy, or gestational diabetes, can result in serious complications to your baby. Skagit Valley Hospital offers a referral-based education program to improve gestational diabetes selfmanagement skills, and provides tools for moms-to-be to feel confident they are doing all they can to have a healthy baby. Our highly trained and dedicated diabetes education team provides participants with the skills to manage their blood sugar through healthy eating, stress management, increased activity and blood glucose monitoring. The program offers individual nutrition therapy appointments. For more information please contact our Diabetes Education Program at 360-814-8329.

Family Birth Center Tours Free tours of the Skagit Valley Hospital Family Birth Center are offered twice a month. Call 360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481 to schedule a tour.

New Mom’s Group This group is led by a nurse/ lactation consultant and a WIC peer counselor. Bring your baby, join us for beverages and talk about your experiences as a new mom.

Meet other moms, weigh your baby, and get answers to your questions about breastfeeding, development and much more. Pregnant women, moms with babies and any woman with breastfeeding questions are welcome to attend. Held on Thursdays from 11 a.m. – Noon in the Skagit Valley Hospital Family Birth Center Waiting Room. Call 360-428-2229 with questions.

Lactation Services at Skagit Valley Hospital There are four Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant Registered Nurses available to visit you during your hospital stay and help you experience a successful start to breastfeeding your baby.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and would like to know more about Lactation Services at Skagit Valley Hospital, please call 360-814-BABY and one of our consultants would be happy to talk with you.

Child Safety Seat Checks Certified child safety seat technicians will assess your seat for age- and size-appropriateness, proper installation and use, recalls, and visible damage. This screening is highly recommended for parentsto-be, prior to the birth of your new baby, to learn how to safely install and use your car seat. Cosponsored by Safe Kids Northwest.

Pre-registration is not required.

Jan 19, Feb 16, Mar 16 (Thur) 12 - 2 p.m. (new time!)

Skagit Valley Hospital at main entrance covered area

All classes require pre-registration unless specified. Call 360-814-2424 or see inside of back cover.

Photo by GaryWinter Brown 2017 MD

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MOUNT VERNON CLASSES Skagit Healthy Beginnings Line

Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD)

The Skagit Healthy Beginnings Line is a new information and referral line to help families of pregnant women and young children find helpful activities and services that promote health, development and well-being. Call or text 360-6308352 to talk with Child & Family Health staff at Skagit County Public Health. Calls will be answered or returned Monday - Friday during regular business hours.

Did you know that regular dental care is recommended to start before an infant’s first birthday? Families with children up to age 6 can call Skagit County’s ABCD program at 360-416-1523 for help with dental care for their children.

Nurse-Family Partnership First-time moms who are eligible for Apple Health or WIC can enroll in Skagit County’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program. Moms are paired with nurses who meet with them from early pregnancy until their child turns two, providing personalized information and support for a healthier pregnancy and a more confident parenting experience. Services are provided

by Skagit County Public Health at no cost to families. For more information, please call 360-4161523. To read stories from moms who have enrolled in NFP, go to http:// www.nursefamilypartnership.org/ first-time-moms/stories-from-moms

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program The WIC program provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and linkage to health and social services. WIC serves women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or post-partum and infants and children up to age 5. WIC is an equal opportunity provider and does not discriminate.

Clinics are available at multiple locations across Skagit County: • Anacortes: 360-416-7595 • Concrete: 360-854-0435 • Mount Vernon: 360-416-7595 • Sedro-Woolley: 360-854-0435 • Swinomish Indian Health Clinic: 360-466-3900

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PCAP (Parent-Child Assistance Program) PCAP is a research-based program who assists women who have abused drugs and/or alcohol while pregnant to access services in the community. Women who meet the eligibility criteria will receive three years of intensive case management, which includes home visitation, intervention and transportation. PCAP will help clients build and maintain healthy, independent family lives, assuring that children are in safe and stable homes and work with the client to prevent future births of drug and alcohol exposed children.

PCAP is now hosted by Brigid Collins Family Support Center in Skagit County. For more information on the program, eligibility criteria or to make a referral, contact Elizabeth, the program supervisor, at 360-428-6622.

Kidney Dialysis Education Kidney Failure Treatment Options

This Skagit Valley Kidney Center program is for people with reduced kidney function who would like to explore treatment options for renal replacement therapy.

Patients, families and caregivers will receive information about treatment options (such as dialysis and transplant), diet, health maintenance, financial and social concerns. For more information and registration, call 360-416-5717.

Cancer Support Services All programs are provided for cancer patients and survivors and are free of charge. For additional information on any of these services or events please call 360-814-8255.

Cancer Support Group The Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center offers a monthly support group for individuals and their caregivers dealing with the emotional life changing challenges of a cancer diagnosis. The group is open and available on a drop-in basis (pre-registration welcomed.) The group meets at 4 p.m. the second Thursday of each month. To register, or for further information, please contact Peter Wold, MSW, Oncology Social Worker at 360-814-8255 or via email at pwold@skagitvalleyhospital. org. The meetings are held in the Safeway Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center, third floor.

Look Good, Feel Better The Look Good, Feel Better sessions are led by trained, volunteer cosmetologists who teach women either in active cancer treatment or about to start treatment how to cope with skin changes and hair loss using cosmetics and skin care products donated by the cosmetic industry. Women also learn ways to disguise hair loss with wigs, scarves and other accessories. Preregistration is required; register by calling American Cancer Society Everett office at 425-404-2193.

Jan. 23; Mar. 27 (Mon) 1 – 3 p.m.

Feb. 27; Apr. 24 (Mon) 5 – 7 p.m.

Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center Safeway Conference Room (third floor) 307 South 13th Street Mount Vernon

Art and Healing Group First and third Mondays of each month, 2 – 4 p.m. in the Safeway Conference Room (third floor) at the Regional Cancer Care Center.

Instructor Margaret Carpenter Arnett, BSN, ATR, has been doing art therapy with cancer patients for more than 20 years. Creating art can promote healing by reducing anxiety and stress and improving emotional wellbeing. Please note that artistic “skills” are not required! Come and join this fun and welcoming group. For more information call 360-814-8255.

Diabetes Support This group meets the third Tuesday of each month from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Sauk Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital. Call 360-814-8274 for more information.

Grief Support Services

Grief Support Services Hospice of the Northwest provides support to anyone in our communities coping with grief and loss after the death of a loved one. We have trained counselors who have counseling hours from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We offer drop in groups two times a month. We provide the

Grief Recovery Method Support Group throughout the year. The Grief Recovery Method Program provides action choices that help people move beyond the pain caused by loss. It is an eight-week program that creates a safe environment in which to look at old beliefs about dealing with loss; to look at what losses have affected your life; and to take new actions which lead to completion of the pain attached to one of those losses. For more information, referrals and to receive a current Grief Group schedule, please call 360-814-5570 or 360-814-5550.

Hospice of the Northwest Resource Center: A free lending library open to the community Books and other materials are available for adults, teens and children. Topics include caregiving, coping with disease, end of life concerns, grief and loss and spirituality. You can also visit our website at: www. hospicenw.org, selecting Helpful Resources, then click on Hospice Resource Library Catalog.

The Resource Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Hospice office at 227 Freeway Drive, Suite A in Mount Vernon and after hours by appointment. For more information call Hospice of the Northwest at 360-814-5550.

In-Service Education For grief and loss presentations for your organization or employees, contact the Hospice of the Northwest Bereavement Department at 360814-5570. For clinical education or presentations for your organization or employees, contact Hospice of the Northwest at 360-814-5550.

Hospice Program Seeks Volunteers A unique and meaningful volunteer opportunity is available through Hospice of the Northwest, serving Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish counties.

Volunteers offer support and companionship to individuals with life expectancies of six months or less. A Spring volunteer training is scheduled for Friday, April 28, Friday, May 5 and Friday, May 12 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Hospice office in Mount Vernon. Prospective volunteers must apply in advance. The next training will be held in fall 2017. To learn more, please contact Julie Pryor Barr, Volunteer Supervisor at 360814-5588 or jbarr@hospicenw.org.

Community Education Want to learn more about hospice services and what they might mean for you and your family?

Hospice of the Northwest staff is available to give educational presentations to community groups. For more information, please call 360-814-5550.

Photo by GaryWinter Brown 2017 MD

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MOUNT VERNON CLASSES Skagit Valley Mental Health REACH Center Mental Health Support Group

NAMI Skagit Open Support Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 – 9 p.m. in the Shuksan Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital. Family members and those living with mental illness are welcome. For more information contact Marti at 360770-5666 or Al at 360-424-5802.

Family-to-Family Evidence-Based Education Program Free 12-session (six-week) course for families of adults with mental illness or a brain disorder. The course focuses on helping family members understand the major mental illnesses and maintain their own well-being while providing needed support to their ill family members.

This program is provided by NAMI Skagit, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The next class will begin Monday, February 27, 2017 and continue each Monday and Thursday from 6:30 – 9 p.m. through Thursday, April 6, 2017. Call Marti at 360-770-5666 or Judy at 360-4245802 for more information. Space is limited so reservations are required.

Peer-to-Peer Education Program Free ten-session (five week) course for adults with mental illness or brain disorders to help them better understand their illness and maintain and improve their recovery. NAMI Skagit provides this program at no charge. The next course will begin the first week of March 2017. Call Polly Lowman at 360-630-9881 for more information and to register. Space is limited.

People come to Skagit Valley REACH Center to build confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth, being proactive in their mental health recovery and personal wellness.

We are a peer-run center that provides volunteer opportunities, community resources, housing education, employment education, public computer access, computer classes, community voicemail and self-supporting recovery classes. We work with individuals age 16 and older. SVRC is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and is located at 1413 E. College Way in Mount Vernon WA. For information call 360-8738635, or email Center Director, Mike Hudson hudsonm@cvab.org.

Youth and Adult WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) The Wellness Recovery Action Plan, or WRAP, is an evidence-based system that is used world-wide by people who are dealing with mental health and other kinds of health challenges, and by people who want to attain the highest possible level of wellness. This program is provided

by Skagit Valley REACH Center.

For more information call 360873-8635, or email Center Director, Mike Hudson hudsonm@cvab.org

Support Groups

Caregiver Support Groups A safe and supportive support group to share and learn from other caregivers offered in Burlington and Anacortes. Provided by Skagit Adult Day Program. Visit www.skagitadultdayprogram.org for more information.

Ostomy Support Group A friendly support group for people with ostomies, their friends and families. Meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Shuksan Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital (use Kincaid Street entrance) from 6 – 7 p.m.

For more information contact Cathy Schaeffer at 360-202-3410.

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Stroke Support Group This caring support group for stroke survivors, their loved ones and caretakers provides up-todate education and information.

Provided by Skagit Regional Clinics neurologists and rehabilitation therapists. Meets the last Friday of each month from noon – 1 p.m. in the Shuksan Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital (use Kincaid Street entrance.) No charge. For more information call 360-814-8394 or email ahagel@ skagitvalleyhospital.org.

Community News & Resources Speakers Bureau

Skagit Regional Health’s Speakers Bureau provides speakers on a number of health care related topics, many at no cost. For more information on speaker topics or to schedule a presentation, call Val at 360-814-2424.

Volunteer Services at Skagit Regional Health The Volunteer Services Department at Skagit Regional Health coordinates the activities of over 400 volunteers throughout the organization.

Today’s volunteers are doing work, in core areas, that is vital to the success of our organization.

Whether you’re retired looking to use your experience to give back to your community, looking for job experience, or just wanting to learn more about what the world of healthcare has to offer, volunteering can be rewarding and satisfying.

Some of the volunteer opportunities at Skagit Regional Health include: Information Desk Volunteers

In addition to information desks at Skagit Valley Hospital, Skagit Valley Regional Cancer Care Center and Skagit Regional Clinics Mount Vernon, Volunteer Services also operates a volunteer information desk at SRC in Stanwood, and soon at the Cascade-Skagit Health Alliance at Smokey Point. We are looking for the very best to inaugurate this new service.

Pianists

We are always looking for new piano players to join the group of volunteers and staff who play our grand piano on a regular basis. If you are an accomplished pianist who would like to share your talent for others to enjoy, call 360-814-2142.

Mail Delivery

Volunteers make a twice-daily circuit to pick up and deliver mail throughout the hospital.

Junior Medical Volunteers

The Junior Medical Volunteer program is for students age 15-18.

The program allows young people an excellent opportunity to explore the culture of a health care organization while giving service to their community. Junior Medical Volunteers work in many areas of Skagit Regional Health.

Each year, Skagit Regional Health awards scholarships to outstanding Junior Medical Volunteers. For more information or to become a member please call 360-814-2142.

For Students and Job Seekers

While volunteering can be a great way to explore job opportunities, network or get required school credits, we do ask volunteers to complete a minimum of 100 hours before requesting recommendations or receiving credit for hours volunteered. As the number of positions is limited, prospective volunteers should apply at least a year in advance of any school deadlines that may be applicable.

High school students seeking course or club credit should apply and begin volunteering before their senior year.

Guilds and Auxiliaries

Many volunteers choose to serve through membership in one of our volunteer service and fundraising groups including the Grace Cochrum Guild, J.E.M. Guild, SVH Auxiliary and SVH Guild.

Other Volunteer Department Services: Hospital and Clinic Tours

Tours of our facility for groups and individuals are available.

Reservations are required. Call 360-814-2142 to schedule a tour.

Gift Shop

The Skagit Valley Hospital Gift Shop has many wonderful retail gift items for sale. The gift shop is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. All proceeds from the Gift Shop are returned back to help Skagit Regional Health in areas of need.

Watch HealthQuest TV on Cable-Access Television Station 10 and on YouTube.com.

If you are a Comcast cable subscriber in Skagit County, be sure to tune in to channel 10 to watch HealthQuest TV. The show airs at 11:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. every day.

This half-hour show frequently features a new guest showcasing our local providers and health care professionals on a variety of topics ranging from latest treatment options for heart disease and cancer care to prevention topics highlighting local walking trails and cooking shows. You can also view our HealthQuest shows online at youtube.com/skagitvalleyhospital.

Contact Us

To inquire about volunteering or request services, please contact Steve Schultz at 360-814-2142 or contact our main information desk at 360-814-5059.

Need a Doctor?

Call our free Find a Doctor Phone Line at 360-848-5555 or 360-629-5850 from Stanwood or Camano Island. The referral line is open Monday - Saturday between 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

An Artist’s Statement: The land grows into you.

We moved to the Skagit Valley in 1977. The smell of the earth and sounds of the wind and tractors have been imprinted in my mind, but the light; the light is the craftsman. It's beautiful and changes with the time of day and season. It can come hard and burn the earth and soft, moving through water, mist, fog and rain.

Often I grab my camera and go. I'm not on the hunt, but waiting, letting it come to me. A glance, a reflection, a quick moment of beauty never to be revealed again in the same way. ~ Gary Brown Follow Gary on Instragram at @drdad1111 Gary Brown MD Cascade Ear Nose and Throat 111 S 13th Street Mount Vernon, WA 98274 360-336-2178

Photo by Gary Brown MD

Winter 2017

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Rounding:

Board members engage with staff, providers From a medical perspective, the term rounds is defined as “a teaching conference or a meeting in which the clinical problems encountered in the practice of nursing, medicine or other services are discussed.”

The hospital commissioners of Skagit Regional Health obviously are not using the term in a medical

ABOVE: Emergency Department Triage Nurse Tim Herlickson, RN, from left, Director of Emergency Services Jessica Bell, MSN, RN, Chief Executive Officer Mike Liepman and Commissioner Bruce Lisser have a discussion during rounds.

ABOVE: Executive Chef Sudha Sologar and Director of Food Services April Rubens stop for a photo with Mr. Lisser and Mr. Liepman.

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sense, however, we are using the same concept. We are making an effort to leave the board room and committee meetings to personally interact with those who make a difference to the patients we serve.

On my most recent rounding opportunity, Mike Liepman, Chief Executive Officer, took the time to walk me through the entire hospital.

We started with food service, then on to imaging, through a very busy emergency room, through surgery, the birth center and patient floors.

In every instance, the staff were thrilled to share their work as well as let us know how things are going.

We learned about how patient care and privacy could be improved with some small investments as well as how we can save in other areas by standardizing some procedures.

Rounding strengthens the team dynamic among employees, medical staff and the board. When others see board members rounding and engaging with them, they understand better that we are one team, united in fulfilling our mission.

I learned quite a bit in a short time, which allows me to keep my focus on quality patient care and what it takes to make it happen.

A quote from a Georgia hospital CEO on rounding really sums up my experience: “Rounding has been a key to my success as CEO. How can executives understand the needs of patients, physicians and nurses without interacting with them on a daily basis? When I walk through the hospital, it is a great opportunity to gather information and build trust by listening and responding to concerns. Rounding takes me beyond the paper dashboard so I can get the true pulse on the organization.”

– Mike Sherrod, CEO, Coliseum Northside Hospital, Macon Georgia The commissioners are committed to learning from rounding and are encouraged and impressed by what we see.

Bruce Lisser Board Member

Questions about Medicare?

Help is available at Medicare 101 class Do you need help comparing or choosing a Medicare plan? Skagit Regional Health will offer a series of upcoming Medicare 101 sessions and also offers a Medicare agent for regularly schedules one-on-one onsite support.

Medicare 101 sessions are set for the following dates: • 10 a.m. – noon on Wednesday, January 25 in the San Juan Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon • 10 a.m. – noon on Wednesday, February 22 in the Rainier Conference Room at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington • 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29 in the Cascade Conference Room at Skagit Valley Hospital.

• Pre-registration would be appreciated, but is not required by calling 360-814-2424.

For Medicare-eligible people who need help comparing and choosing the right Medicare plan, we make available the Skagit Regional Health Medicare Insurance Helpline, serviced

by MedicareCompareUSA®. Highlytrained MedicareCompareUSA® agents provide patients with unbiased plan comparisons for our accepted Medicare plans (including Traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplements and Medicare Prescription plans).

Agents are available to help by phone and by personal appointment at Skagit Regional Clinics – Riverbend, located at 2320 Freeway Dr. in Mount

HealthQuest Class or Screening

Date

Fee

Total amount enclosed: Name:________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code:____________________________________________________________ Day Phone:___________________________ Home Phone:_______________________________ E-mail address:________________________________________________________________

Type of Payment (Please do not send cash) Check (make checks payable to SRH-HealthQuest) VISA

Credit Card Number: ____________________________________

*MedicareCompareUSA® is a Medicare-specialty insurance agency not affiliated with the federal Medicare program. Services of MedicareCompareUSA® are offered at no cost; MedicareCompareUSA® is compensated directly by the Medicare plans accepted by Skagit Valley Hospital and Skagit Regional Clinics.

Class Registration

Please fill out this form and include your check or charge card number along with the requested information use one copy for each participant - feel free to duplicate this form or register on our Web site.

Mastercard

Vernon. This is the easiest way to compare and choose a Medicare plan that is guaranteed to be accepted by your Skagit Regional Health providers.

Call toll-free (866) 389-0445 for more information or to schedule a no-obligation Medicare insurance consultation.

Expiration Date:________________________ Signature: ____________________________________

Mail

HealthQuest

Skagit Regional Health P.O. Box 1376 Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Phone

360-814-2424 or 360-629-6481

Internet

www.skagitregionalhealth.org, click on Events

Fax

360-814-8222 Complete this form and fax it to the number above.

Questions?

Call Skagit Regional Health at 360-814-2424, from Stanwood and Camano Island call 360-629-6481 or for hearing impaired, please call TTY 360-814-2219 Winter 2017

39

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