Healthbeat summer 2011

healthbeat St. Luke’s

®

News anchor’s special delivery KCRG-TV9’s Ashley Hinson talks about the arrival of baby Max PAGE 6

A Cedar Rapids first Patient gets MRI-safe pacemaker PAGE 8

New cancer fighting tool Helping doctors detect lung cancer PAGE 10

What’s Inside 1

Health Clips

Health news you can use.

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10 - 11 St. Luke’s

healthbeat Vol. 16 No. 3 summer 2011 healthbeat magazine is produced locally by St. Luke’s Marketing Communications for the community and friends of St. Luke’s Hospital P.O. Box 3026 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3026 319/369-7395

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Regaining independence

A nurse is back to work caring for others thanks to St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

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Help from the skies

Lifeguard Air Ambulance rushes patients to the hospital when minutes matter.

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Special delivery

KCRG-TV9’s Ashley Hinson talks about the early arrival of baby Max.

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A Cedar Rapids first A Mount Vernon woman gets an MRI-compatible pacemaker.

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New cancer fighting tool

A special scope helps doctors detect lung cancer.

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Ask the expert

Where can I find reliable health information?

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For your health

Timely health and medical news.

Cover

Ashley and baby Max in their Marion home.

stlukescr.org

Missed the last issue?

All stories from Healthbeat, spring 2011, are available at stlukescr.org.

Connect with St. Luke’s at stlukescr.org

Health Clips A valuable tool for aging seniors Today, more and more people are choosing to stay in their own homes and maintain independence as they age. St. Luke’s Lifeline medical alert service offers you and your loved ones the peace of mind and comfort of easy access to help when you need it.

Lifeline is monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by trained professionals. Once enrolled in the Lifeline service, the phone bank staff keeps your medical history on-hand to call your friends or family members, dispatch an ambulance or call the police to come to your aid.

By wearing your lightweight, waterproof Lifeline help button, no matter where you are in your home, help will find you when you press the button.

Lifeline participants include: • Active seniors who live alone • Those concerned with personal safety or security • Patients with chronic medical conditions • Those who are physically challenged • Post-operative patients

For more information, call St. Luke's Lifeline at 319/369-7065.

Inspirational speaker Lee Woodruff coming to Cedar Rapids Lee Woodruff’s life was changed forever when her husband, ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff, sustained a brain injury while covering the war in Iraq.

Join Lee for the candid and inspiring story of her family’s heartache, perseverance, healing and triumph.

Tuesday, Sept. 6 • 7 p.m.

Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE To register for this free event, go to stlukescr.org or call 319/369-8068. Space is limited.

Laugh and cry as she reflects on the universal topics of life, delivering an uplifting message of love, healing and understanding that applies to our everyday battles.

Bottom line

Babies need diapers Two simple ways to help donate diapers to families in need.

Every day, infants and toddlers in our community go without one of their most basic needs – diapers. St. Luke’s Hospital is helping remedy this problem by supporting Waypoint Madge Phillips Center with a Bottom Line: Babies Need Diapers social media campaign through August 20.

Like us on Facebook facebook.com/stlukesbirthcare

Daily

?

Answer Daily Questions facebook.com/stlukesbirthcare

For each action you complete, we will donate a diaper to the Waypoint Madge Phillips Center.

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 | 1

Regaining

independence Nurse back to caring for others thanks to rehab

D

eb Wendt is used to caring for others. As a mother, wife and nurse, the 53-year-old has helped a lot of people over the years. She’s worked at St. Luke’s Imaging Services for four years working one-on-one with patients.

So it wasn’t easy when she ended up a patient herself last summer after a motorcycle accident.

“My husband and I were returning from a ride when we hit something in the

road causing us to crash,” said Wendt.

“I spent a month at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics recovering.

I was then transferred to St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) for physical and occupational therapy.”

Wendt sustained a spinal cord injury in the crash and is a paraplegic. She had to relearn how to do nearly everything.

How to sit up, move from her bed to a wheelchair, get dressed – things most of us take for granted until it’s taken away.

“It was hard for me because I am a nurse,” said Wendt. “I’m used to helping others cope with their medical issues.

But now I was the patient. It was rough at times but the doctors, nurses and therapists were wonderful. There are so many caring people at St. Luke’s and they wanted to provide the best for me so that I could be independent for the rest of my life.”

Improving quality of life St. Luke’s PMR has inpatient and outpatient care. St. Luke’s inpatient rehabilitation is accredited by CARF, the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission. This means St. Luke’s has passed an in-depth review of its services and meets nationally and internationally recognized service and quality standards.

Deb Wendt is back to work in St. Luke’s Imaging Services.

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“ I work with the St. Luke’s team to restore each patient, like Deb, to their greatest potential.

When we see them achieve great results it is very satisfying.”

Stanley Mathew, MD, physiatrist St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

St. Luke’s outpatient rehabilitation therapists work to improve patients’ quality of life by increasing their ability to do everyday tasks. The facility is located on the sixth floor of the hospital and the therapists provide the area’s most comprehensive rehabilitation services.

“St. Luke’s is an acute rehab facility, which means patients are evaluated and cared for by a doctor with three or four years of specialized training in taking care of patients involved in traumatic events,” said Stanley Mathew, MD, a physiatrist with St. Luke’s PMR. “I work with a team of experienced therapists that design a rehabilitation plan, tailored to meet each individual patient’s needs.”

After several weeks as an inpatient at St. Luke’s, Wendt recovered enough to return home but her physical and occupational therapy continued as an outpatient. For five months Wendt returned to St. Luke’s several times a week for outpatient therapy. It was during these therapy sessions she was able to learn how to work in the kitchen, transfer into a car and walk

“It feels so good to be back at work and return to a sense of normalcy,” said Wendt. “I now have a wheelchair accessible van and I’m able to drive myself to work. It feels so good to have some independence again.”

using braces in addition to other daily living tasks. Family members and care givers are encouraged to participate in the therapy sessions.

“We want Deb to reach not only her medical potential but her functional potential,” said Dr. Mathew. “I work with the St. Luke’s team to restore each patient, like Deb, to their greatest potential. When we see them achieve great results it is very satisfying.”

Wendt is also enjoying her summer.

Spending time with her youngest child, who just graduated from high school and her eight grandchildren.

Back to work One of Wendt’s goals was to return to her nursing job at St. Luke’s.

“I really enjoy my job,” said Wendt.

“I enjoy the patients and all of my coworkers. It’s really a great place to work.”

Wendt is proud to report she achieved her goal and returned to St. Luke’s in May where she is working part-time.

“I am grateful to the St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team,” said Wendt. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the experience of the nurses, doctors and therapists.

I can’t thank them enough.”

To schedule a tour of St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilita- tion, call 319/369-7331 or go to stlukescr.org to take a virtual tour.

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 |

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Help from the skies Lifesaving care minutes away

Cody Sojka is back to working on his car after an accident last summer.

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ody Sojka’s summer break last year was no vacation. Instead of playing basketball, swimming or hanging out with his friends the Vinton teen spent the summer recovering from a serious motor vehicle accident.

“I was with a group of five friends driving back from the mall in Cedar Rapids on the first day of summer vacation when one of my friends asked if anyone knew a shortcut to get home to Vinton,” said Cody. “I suggested a shortcut through Palo on a gravel road.”

The truck Cody and his friends were in hit a series of pot holes, then a telephone pole and finally landed in a ditch with the truck on its top.

“I was pretty scared,” said Cody. “My face was in the ditch. I heard all of my friends

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talking and I couldn’t move because my arm was pinned beneath the truck.”

His friends were able to free Cody by lifting the vehicle enough for him to remove his arm. Cody and his four friends escaped just before the truck started on fire.

“I remember lying on the ground and a farmer came over to help put the fire out,” said Cody. “I remember telling him ‘I think I’m going to die.’ He told me I would be okay and to lie back down.”

“I was out mowing the lawn when we received word that Cody had been in a wreck,” said Rhonda Sojka, Cody’s mom.

“Jeff, my husband and Cody’s dad tried calling Cody’s cell phone. A paramedic answered and told us Cody had been in a bad accident and what hospital did we want him to go to? We told him to take Cody to St. Luke’s.”

The Sojkas raced to the accident scene.

When they arrived there were four ambulances and St. Luke’s Lifeguard Air Ambulance.

“When we arrived the paramedics told us Cody was being air-lifted to St. Luke’s,” said Rhonda. “They said Cody had been seriously injured and they wrapped his left arm because it was bleeding quite a bit and he was in and out of consciousness.”

St. Luke’s Lifeguard Air Ambulance Flight Nurse Vicki Petersen and Flight Paramedic Marni Wacha stabilized Cody and Pilot Wayne Scheetz transported him back to St. Luke’s Emergency Room (ER).

Golden hour “We have many rural communities in Linn County and there are times when it might take 15 to 30 minutes for an ambulance to

get to a scene,” said Donald Linder, DO, St. Luke’s ER. “Lifeguard Air Ambulance can cut that transport time down dramatically. With trauma cases there is a golden hour. From the time of the accident you generally have about 60 minutes until that patient can really start running into some medical issues.”

Cody arrived at St. Luke’s ER and the trauma team sprang into action.

“I remember Cody was scared and in a lot of pain when I saw him,” said Dr. Linder. “We gave him pain medication and obtained X-rays. He had a number of broken bones, cuts and abrasions.”

Cody spent five hours in St. Luke’s Operating Room that evening. Lisa Coester, MD, Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, P.C. orthopedic surgeon remembers Cody.

“It was a memorable night,” said Dr. Coester. “I’ve never spent that much time picking that much glass out of a patient. He had several broken bones, which included severe pelvic trauma and his forearm was broken and needed splinting. I also spent some time stitching him up. He needed somewhere between 50 to 100 stitches.”

Recovery Cody spent about a week in the pediatrics unit of St. Luke’s Center for Women’s and Children’s Health.

“The care at St. Luke’s was excellent,” said Rhonda. “The nurses were great.

Cody got along really well with all of them.”

Once Cody left the Center for Women’s and Children’s Health his recovery continued at home for nearly eight weeks.

It has been a little over a year since the accident and Cody has mostly recovered. He’s back to tubing on the river near his home and playing an occasional game of basketball. He loves working on his car and keeping it in tip-top shape now that he’s driving.

“I’m doing pretty well,” said Cody.

“I’m grateful for Lifeguard, St. Luke’s ER team and the nurses at the Center for Women’s and Children’s Health. I’m just planning on enjoying my summer.”

Lifeguard Air Ambulance Thousands of individuals have been helped

by St. Luke’s Lifeguard Air Ambulance since it came into service 30 years ago. The blue helicopter has been a familiar sight in the skies around Cedar Rapids since February 23, 1981. Since its first flight, Lifeguard has flown over 6,800 flights.

St. Luke’s Lifeguard is called to many emergencies in Linn County and surrounding communities helping patients get the medical care they need as quickly as possible.

St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation raises money for Lifeguard Air Ambulance.

Individuals who wish to donate may call the Foundation at 319/369-7716 or log on to stlukescr.org.

“I owe a lot to the Lifeguard crew for getting Cody to St. Luke’s quickly,” said Rhonda. “He was losing a lot of blood after the accident. I think getting him the critical care he needed right away helped him recover as well as he did.”

“We have many rural communities in Linn County and there are times when it might take 15 to 30 minutes for an ambulance to get to a scene.

Lifeguard Air Ambulance can cut that transport time down dramatically.”

Donald Linder, DO, St. Luke’s ER Physician

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 |

5

News anchor’s most

important delivery A

s a television journalist you have to be prepared for the unexpected.

When breaking news occurs you must be able to adapt and roll with changes.

KCRG-TV9 News Anchor and Reporter Ashley Hinson had her own “little” breaking news earlier this year when her son decided to make his debut well ahead of schedule.

“I was set to host the March of Dimes (MOD) walk kick-off breakfast,” said Hinson. “I was emceeing the event and my water broke right before I was to start the program. It could not have been a more ironic situation.”

Ironic because – Ashley was only 36 weeks along – 40 weeks is considered full term.

The kick-off she was emceeing was for the March of Dimes walk, which brings awareness of prematurity.

“My obstetrician, Dr. Driscoll, was sitting next to me at the breakfast,” said Hinson.

“I leaned over and said to her ‘it’s probably good that you’re here – my water just broke.’ I wasn’t having any contractions at that point so I went on to host the event.”

“I was impressed because Ashley bravely went up and started emceeing the event,” said Alvina Driscoll, MD, OB-GYN Associates, P.C. “She was wearing a shawl and black slacks so you couldn’t tell that her water broke. You really wouldn’t have known anything was wrong by her demeanor.”

“I moved the program right along,” Hinson recalls. “I was able to finish and as soon as I was done Dr. Driscoll said to me ‘I’ll meet you at St. Luke’s’.”

“Every labor is different,” said Dr. Driscoll.

“Most women will start contracting before their water breaks. Some women will start labor (contractions) right away after their water breaks. And with some women their water will break and it may be hours before they start contractions.”

“I had called my husband Matt, before the kick-off to let him know what happened,” said Hinson. “He had been on stand-by because earlier in the morning I was feeling a little off.”

Ashley Hinson with husband Matt and son Max in their Marion home.

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“The other irony of the day is that I typically commute to Waterloo for my job,” said Matt Arenholz, Ashley’s husband.

“I had decided to take the day off to work on finishing our basement. So it was lucky I was in town and able to head over to the hospital when Ashley called.”

Labor and delivery Hinson arrived at St. Luke’s around 8:30 a.m. Nurses determined she was about four centimeters dilated and Ashley and Matt walked the halls of the Birth Care Center in hopes of moving labor along. Around 1:45 p.m. she received an epidural to help with pain control and started pushing around 3:30 p.m. Finally at 6:07 p.m. Maxwell Richard Arenholz made his entrance – just in time to catch the end of the six o’clock news. He weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 18 ¾ inches long.

“I had a rough delivery but to see Maxwell for the very first time – it’s an indescribable feeling,” said Hinson. “Words are not enough. To see him on my chest breathing, looking up at me, this baby I’ve been carrying and who has been kicking me really strongly for the last eight months – he was finally here.

It was a really powerful moment.”

“It was magical and cool,” said Arenholz.

“When I saw Max for the first time – it really was instant love.”

“Ashley had a really great pregnancy up to delivery day,” said Dr. Driscoll. “It was not complicated. She was a great patient, smart and knowledgeable. I’ve been

delivering babies for 21 years. It is a very satisfying profession and many times I can get a little teary-eyed when baby arrives.”

Excellent care “Our nurse was fantastic,” said Hinson.

“With her and my husband as labor coaches it made the experience go as smooth as it could. She was wonderful because at times I was a little overwhelmed and she was a real help with everything and explained everything really well as it was happening. I felt really comfortable with her.”

“Our nurse was terrific,” said Arenholz.

“I don’t think we could have been more pleased; she did a great job. All new parents have a lot of questions and she was really good with answering them all.”

Even though baby Max was born several weeks early he was healthy. The only issue Ashley and Matt had to worry about was that Max was a little jaundice. Infant jaundice is a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby’s skin and eyes. It occurs because the baby’s blood contains an excess of bilirubin, a yellow-colored pigment of red blood cells. This condition is common, particularly in babies born before 38 weeks gestation.

before Max arrived,” said Arenholz. “It helped me prepare for what to expect after the baby arrived, how I could help Ashley. It was a valuable resource.”

Hinson recently returned to work anchoring TV9’s morning and noon newscasts during the week.

“It’s good to be back to work and into a routine,” said Hinson. “One of the things I’ve learned through this whole, wonderful experience is to trust your instincts. I did a lot of reading before Max was born and just because it’s written in a book doesn’t mean it’s the right way or the only way – you have to do what is best for your baby and family.”

Take a personal tour of St. Luke’s Birth Care and see why three out of four babies born in Cedar Rapids celebrate their birth day at St. Luke’s, register online at stlukescr.org.

“We returned to St. Luke’s a couple of times to check Max’s jaundice and I was able to meet with the breastfeeding consultants,” said Hinson. “Everyone was a great help.”

“Something else that was helpful to us was the Boot Camp for Dads class I took

“ I’ve been delivering babies for 21 years.

It is a very satisfying profession and many times I can get a little teary-eyed when baby arrives.”

Alvina Driscoll, MD, OB-GYN Associates, P.C.

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St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 |

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A Cedar Rapids first Mount Vernon woman gets MRI-compatible pacemaker

A

and after an exam and several tests he determined I needed a pacemaker.”

“I’d blame my new shoes or something else,” said Rundle. “But when I fell flat on my face not once but twice in a period of two months I decided something must be wrong. I went to see my doctor.”

“Judy had sinus node dysfunction also called sick sinus syndrome,” said Todd Langager, MD, Cardiologists, L.C. and director of St. Luke’s Electrophysiology Lab. “This is the name for a group of heart rhythm problems in which the sinus node – the heart’s natural pacemaker – doesn’t work properly.”

t first Judy Rundle chalked up her missteps to clumsiness. The 72-year-old Mount Vernon woman had tripped and stumbled many times over the last couple of years.

Rundle said when she fainted she completely blacked out and didn’t remember much about either incident. One of the falls fractured her nose.

“I told my family doctor what happened and he recommended I see a cardiologist,” said Rundle. “I saw Dr. Langager

Pacemakers help the heart beat normally when natural electric impulses falter.

Within the heart is a group of cells called the sinus node that sends an electrical signal about every 60 seconds, causing the heart to contract and pump blood.

Pacemakers consist of a battery, a computerized generator and wires or leads with electrodes on one end that fire off impulses when heart rhythms are abnormal. Leads or wires are passed through blood vessels into the heart.

“When Dr. Langager told me I needed a pacemaker I thought I wasn’t that old,” Rundle joked. “I was just glad to hear there was something that could be done to prevent me from fainting again.”

Dr. Langager implanted a new type of pacemaker in Rundle, one that was magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible.

In February, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first pacemaker considered safe for use in an MRI machine under certain conditions.

New technology About 30 million MRI scans are done each year in the U.S. – to diagnose everything from cancer to diseases of the liver, pancreas, kidneys, heart, brain, spinal cord and more. Until now, patients with pacemakers were unable to undergo an MRI because of the risk of serious complications. The powerful magnet in the MRI machine sometimes interferes with the pacemaker’s operation, including the regulation of the heart’s rhythm. St. Luke’s is the first hospital in Cedar Rapids to use this new MRI-compatible pacemaker.

“For some conditions MRI scans are more accurate than CT scans,” said Dr. Langager. “With this new technology – these patients can get select MRI scans and benefit from improved pictures.”

“With this new technology – these patients can get select MRI scans and benefit from improved pictures.”

Todd Langager, MD, cardiologist Cardiologists, L.C.

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Heart Care on your schedule.

“I was happy to hear he used the new MRI-compatible pacemaker,” said Rundle. “I’ve had four MRIs over the years and as I age it’s hard to say if I might need another MRI down the road. I hope I won’t but you never know. It’s nice to know if I do I can.”

“At this point only a dual chamber pacemaker is available,” said Dr. Langager.

“There is not a single chamber pacemaker available but I anticipate there will be in the future.”

Rundle was sedated for the pacemaker implantation. She stayed only one night in a private room at St. Luke’s.

“Inserting the pacemaker takes about 30 minutes,” said Dr. Langager. “It’s placed just under the collarbone.”

“I had very little pain after the procedure,” said Rundle. “Everyone at St. Luke’s was great. They were in my

room often asking me if there was anything I needed. I really enjoyed my stay. I’ve always gone to St. Luke’s.”

Evening hours.

Cardiologists, L.C. (CLC) now offers evening hours at our St. Luke’s Hospital location to better serve their patients’ busy schedules.

Back to normal Today Rundle is back to feeling like her old self. She hasn’t had a fainting spell since the pacemaker was implanted and she’s back to two things she really enjoys, working with her horses and mowing the lawn.

“I feel good,” said Rundle. “This pacemaker gives me peace of mind.

My heart is good to go now – it’ll last forever.”

CLC started scheduling evening appointments for patient convenience. They offer a full spectrum of advanced cardiovascular services, from prevention and diagnostics through treatment and cardiac rehabilitation.

Trust the first and largest cardiology practice in Eastern Iowa.

Looking for a cardiologist?

Call 1-855-252-4327 to schedule your appointment.

Need expert heart care?

Trust St. Luke’s, the Heart Hospital and our physician partners at Cardiologists, L.C. call 319/364-7101 or log on to cardiologistslc.com to find a doctor.

Judy Rundle outside her Mount Vernon home.

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 |

9

New cancer fighting tool A special scope helps doctors detect lung cancer

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ecky Halverson is grateful. The Frederika woman traveled to St. Luke’s earlier this year for back surgery. As part of the pre-operative work needed to proceed with surgery, Neurosurgeon Mary Hlavin ordered a chest X-ray.

“I was driving home when I received a phone call from a St. Luke’s nurse,” said Halverson. “They asked me to come back for another X-ray because they noticed something and wanted another look.”

Halverson and her husband, Dale returned to St. Luke’s. Further exams confirmed there was a suspicious, small spot on her upper, left lung.

“It was a big surprise,” said Halverson.

“I was shocked but able to proceed with back surgery and shortly after my procedure I met with Dr. Cowden.”

A Cedar Rapids’ first “I recommended an electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) for Becky,” said J. David Cowden, MD, Respiratory and Critical Care Associates (RCC).

“St. Luke’s is one of only a few hospitals in the Midwest with the iLogic ENB, which is basically a GPS system for the lungs in which we use electro navigation guidance to locate, isolate and then access tumors anywhere in the lung.”

Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death and number one cause of cancer death. St. Luke’s is the only hospital in Cedar Rapids to offer this specialized procedure in the fight against lung cancer.

The superDimension iLogic System is a tool that combines GPS-like technology with a catheter-based system and uses the patient’s natural airways to access previously hard to reach lesions. A lung

lesion is abnormal tissue found on or in a person’s lung. Small lesions found in the outer area of the lung can be difficult to reach for diagnosis and treatment.

Traditional bronchoscopy frequently fails to reach the outer areas of the lungs often leaving only more invasive interventions for diagnosis. This procedure is minimally invasive and can be done on an outpatient basis. Patients typically experience a faster recovery period.

“What we are trying to do with the iLogic system is diagnose cancer at an earlier stage,” said Dr. Cowden. “This system improves the efficiency and speed with which we then diagnose and stage lung cancer while having a goal of bringing a patient from first contact to treatment within two weeks. This is our new standard and the way we approach lung cancer in an aggressive, evidencebased manner.”

“I had no pain after the iLogic ENB procedure,” said Halverson. “It was well done. I thought Dr. Cowden and the St. Luke’s team explained everything well and outlined what I should expect after the procedure, which was pretty minimal.”

“ What we are trying to do with the iLogic system is diagnose cancer at an earlier stage.”

J. David Cowden, MD, Respiratory and Critical Care Associates

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Unique technology “Previously before the iLogic ENB we were only able to access lung lesions within the inner one-third of the lung,” said Dr. Cowden. “Now with this new technology at St. Luke’s we are able to go to the very surface of the lungs to diagnose the lesions.”

“With the ENB procedure Dr. Cowden determined I had stage one lung cancer,” Halverson said. “They considered it fast growing and it was recommended I have surgery to remove the tumor.”

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. James Levett with Physicians Clinic of Iowa, P.C. removed the section of Halverson’s lung with the tumor. She stayed at St. Luke’s for several nights in a private room following surgery.

“Everyone was great,” Halverson said.

“The care was wonderful. The nurses took really good care of me.”

Early diagnosis and treatment “Becky is a perfect example of the benefits of our new technology at St. Luke’s and how we are using it to expedite and treat a patient with lung cancer,” said Dr. Cowden.

“Her lung cancer was diagnosed at an early stage. She was able to undergo surgery to remove the tumor after our staging indicated she was an appropriate candidate.”

Doctors determined Halverson required no further cancer treatment. She will see Dr. Cowden every three months for several years to make sure the cancer doesn’t return.

“With one procedure, found by chance, we were able to hopefully cure her lung cancer,” said Dr. Cowden. “For us to have a significant impact on identifying, diagnosing and treating lung cancer we have to have the tools and technology.

Becky Halverson is cancer-free after surgery earlier this year.

to diagnose and treat my cancer,” said Halverson. “I just feel so blessed and glad to have the expert care.”

St. Luke’s made this a priority and as a result the iLogic system is available to help cancer patients.”

Now that she’s cancer-free the Halversons are looking forward to a long-awaited trip to California in the coming months.

“It’s hard to describe how grateful I am that a chest X-ray was ordered and the doctors at St. Luke’s moved quickly

St. Luke’s Cancer Care is proud to have provided life-saving cancer services for over 127 years to patients in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities. For more information contact St. Luke's Cancer Care at 319/369-7836.

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 | 11

Ask the expert Where can I find reliable health information?

There’s an app for that!

St. Luke’s has partnered with iTriage, a smartphone application that allows consumers to access vital medical information and local medical services on their smartphone. The free application, can be downloaded on smartphones or by logging onto stlukescr.org/itriage-app. iTriage enables consumers to search medical symptoms, learn about possible causes and find the nearest location for treatment on their hand-held device. Eastern Iowans now have immediate on-the-go access to healthcare and facilities information from St. Luke’s Hospital and its clinics.

they are better prepared to seek care when time is of the essence and locate a provider qualified to treat their needs.” iTriage harnesses the power of mobility and the Internet to improve access to healthcare information. By bringing the tool to Cedar Rapids, St. Luke’s offers individuals’ immediate access to details about St. Luke’s Physicians & Clinics, contact information, wait times, hours of operation, directional maps and more.

“iTriage is a great tool but it is certainly not meant as a substitute for emergency care – if individuals think they are having a heart attack, stroke or other “We’re excited to bring iTriage to Cedar medical emergency they should go to the Rapids to increase the accessibility of acnearest emergency room immediately curate medical information for residents and iTriage can give you turn-by-turn throughout the region,” said Joshua Pruitt, directions to the closest ER,” MD, St. Luke’s Emergency Department said Dr. Pruitt. physician. “At St. Luke’s, we firmly believe in educating patients about the care they Built by emergency room doctors receive so they become active participants this app is available to millions of in their treatment. By giving patients consumers in over 80 countries. on-the-go access to health information,

iTriage mobile app Download to your smartphone for instant access to: • Information on thousands of symptoms, diseases and medical procedures • Locations of ERs, urgent care clinics, doctor’s offices and pharmacies • ER wait times and turn-by-turn GPS directions stlukescr.org 12 || stlukescr.org

Download manually iPhone®, iPod touch®, iPad™ Download at iTunes® Android™ Download at the Android Market BlackBerry®, Palm and others Use your phone’s browser to visit iTriageHealth.com to access the app’s mobile version At home: desktops and laptops Visit stlukescr.org/itriage-app and bookmark the URL for future use

“iTriage is good for people trying to locate the nearest ER or Urgent Care clinic, for those that want to evaluate their symptoms or see wait times,” said Dr. Pruitt. “iTriage is not a consultant for an emergency situation but it has a GPS feature to get you to the closest ER in a true emergency.”

Josh Pruitt, MD, St. Luke’s ER physician

For your health Gluten sensitivity & celiac disease Tuesday, July 19 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity are being diagnosed at an increasing rate. This workshop will offer the basics on gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, identify who is at risk for developing these conditions, as well as give useful tips for living gluten-free.

Managing stress: yours, mine & the other guy’s Monday, July 25 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

While stress is a fact of life at home and work, there are ways you can manage it and increase your happiness!

Learning how to not “react” to others is a key component to stress reduction. At this program, you will learn: what your stressors are, how to respond to others’ stress and emotions, conflict management skills and how to best communicate in stressful situations.

Is robotic surgery in your future?

Tuesday, Aug. 9 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Robotic surgery is no longer a thing of the future. Cedar Rapids surgeons are using state-of-the-art robots to perform hysterectomies, prostate cancer and uterine fibroid removal as well as others. For these patients, the pinpoint precision of robotic surgery leads to a faster recovery and better overall results. Attend this program and learn how robotic surgery works, the types of procedures available, why patients and doctors are choosing robotic surgery and hear the personal story of one patient’s robotic experience.

Classes are held at St. Luke’s Hospital, 3rd Floor Nassif Heart Center Classrooms. To register for these free events, go to stlukescr.org, click on Classes & Events or call 319/369-8068. | stlukescr.org

St. Luke’s healthbeat | summer 2011 | 13

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1026 A Avenue NE P.O. Box 3026 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3026

healthbeat St. Luke’s

We apologize for mailing problems such as duplicate copies. If you have questions or concerns about healthbeat magazine, please call us at 319/369-7395 or e-mail stlukes@crstlukes.com. © 2011 by St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA

99

$ Heart Scan

Call 319/369-8909

A simple procedure, St. Luke’s Heart Scan identifies calcified plaque in your coronary arteries and assesses your heart’s health. There are no injections, treadmills or pre-test fasting.

All that’s needed is your doctor’s referral.

The Heart Scan is for men & women between ages 40 and 70.

stlukescr.org

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