18 minute read
GIVE | CARE | SHARE: TN SUICIDE PREVENTION NETWORK
Suicide is a touchy word and subject for most. Many avoid conversations about it and rarely want to acknowledge the stigmas and myth surrounding it, yet it affects many individuals and families each year. The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) is an organization that aims to defeat the stigmas that surround suicide. According to the CDC, 12.2 million American adults seriously contemplated suicide, 3.2 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.2 million attempted suicide in 2020. And the issue is ever-growing, and suicide in Tennessee have been on a steady increase over the last few years compared to the rest of the country. In 2020, Tennessee saw a suicide rate of 17.7 per 100,000 of the population, which is about 29% higher than the rest of the U.S., according to the Tennessee Department of Health. VIP Clarksville talked to Morgan Tubbs, the deputy director of TSPN, about the resources available to those who need immediate help, and the damaging stigma around seeking help in moments of crisis. One of the stigmas that Tubbs and the TSPN are fighting is the particular stigma men face in seeking help. Tubbs said many men do not feel comfortable talking about their feelings and choose to suffer in silence rather than talk about their feelings. This is unfortunately confirmed when addressing the statistic of suicide in Tennessean males being 3.6 times higher than in females, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Tubbs said that there were particular challenges in terms of the MidCumberland region, of which Montgomery County is a part. “This region has six of the most populous counties in the state. This region also has just as many rural counties that need just as much outreach. That poses an interesting dynamic as far as how to structure our approach in this region,” she said. Tubbs added it is important to curate outreach that can resonate with big cities such as Nashville as well as the smaller communities. In order to combat these challenges, TSPN has established task forces that focus on specific areas that need extra attention, or areas where the rate of suicides is higher than others. The best way to end these stigmas is to educate yourself and others, and to have conversations about suicide and the impact it has. “Talking about it is what opens the line of communication. Talking about it is what normalizes it. Talking about it is really the first and best thing you can do when you want to really connect with someone when you want to see what they’re doing, where they’re at, and how they’re feeling,” Tubbs said. Reaching out to a hotline or a trusted friend, or even being that trusted friend for someone else, are small things that can make a very big difference in the efforts to fight the stigmas surrounding suicide.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Tubbs recommends people get involved. Information on how to donate, volunteer, and attend the regional meetings can be found on the TSPN website. The more people that are educated about suicide and its impact, the more the stigmas are crushed. Prioritizing mental health and the wellbeing of yourself and those you love are great ways to help prevent suicide. Never be afraid to seek help. Tubbs wants to remind people that suicide doesn’t discriminate and never hesitate to reach out for help if it is needed. “If you’re reading this article and you’re worried about yourself or a loved one, you are not alone. There are resources and people that want to help you and your loved one. Anybody can save a life.”
To the service members, veterans, first responders on the front lines of our communities, and their families: your mental health is important. Local nonprofit Soldiers and Families Embraced (SAFE) offers individual, couples, and youth counseling services at no cost and no insurance is required.
For more info on SAFE, visit https://www.soldiersandfamiliesembraced.org/, call (931) 591-3241, and be on the lookout for our next issue of VIP Clarksville Magazine.
NEED HELP? CALL 1-800-273-TALK (8255) OR TEXT TN TO 741741
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Midwifery Program
HOME TO THE LARGEST MIDWIFERY PRACTICE IN THE CLARKSVILLE-MONTGOMERY COUNTY AREA
What many might not know about Fort Campbell’s Blanchfield Army Community Hospital is that it is home to the largest midwifery practice in the Clarksville-Montgomery County area. Their team of 11 certified nurse midwives all have their masters or doctorate in midwifery. And it’s a diverse practice: some are doubly certified, and some have specializations in women’s health so they can go beyond delivering babies to ensure the health of mother, child, and their families.
Maj. Laurey Tyson, a certified nurse midwife at BACH, is taking over as chief of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. “Midwifery care, as practiced by certified nurse midwives, encompasses the independent management or the independent provision of care during pregnancy, child birth, and the postpartum period,” Tyson said. Many midwives also practice pre-conception care, which includes sexual and reproductive health. “Midwives may also serve as the primary care provider for women from adolescence throughout the lifespan, as well as care for the healthy newborn from the first day of life through day 28,” Tyson continued. And because they work with the military population specifically, the midwives at BACH practice a philosophy of care that’s tailored to the individuals being served. “We work very closely in concert with the 101st Airborne Division to understand the risks and medical needs inherent to the soldiers who serve that unit. … We serve a military population, we serve active duty soldiers, and we serve their family. There are some unique challenges that come along with those patients,” Tyson said. One such challenge ßan increase in mental health morbidity, like higher rates of depression, anxiety, or PTSD that can result from the stressors of being a solider or part of a military family. “We have trained providers within our service, within the midwifery service, that have certifications for perinatal mental health who can help provide mental healthcare specific to that period of time in a woman’s life,” she added. Jessica Chance is another a certified nurse midwife at BACH, and she’s been with the hospital’s midwifery department since 2012. She explained to VIP Clarksville that the difference between a midwife and an OB-GYN is that midwives are not medical doctors, and many cannot perform surgeries although some can assist in C-sections. And rather than looking at patients through a diagnostic lens, midwives ensure both emotional and physical wellness throughout pregnancy and after. “So, as a midwife, we actually take a different approach and look at the whole family structure and mom and baby together with more emphasis on education with breastfeeding, bonding, and education prior to delivery,” Chance told VIP. BACH’s midwifery department is also restarting a program for expectant mothers called Centering Pregnancy, which will be the only program like it in the area. While it’s not a new program, Centering Pregnancy is a model of prenatal care in which women actually get their prenatal care in a group setting according to gestational age, which provides several benefits. “We see significant decline in their C-section rates, a very good percentage of these patients breastfeed, high patient satisfaction, and decreased mental illness because they’re with a group of people so they can have that social interaction and that social support,” Tyson explained. Chance is heading up this effort to restart the program after COVID forced a pause in the offering. “It’s beneficial to anyone, but especially to our soldiers where many of them are alone. They don’t live here, they’re not from here, and the father of the baby many times is deployed,” Tyson said.
Midwifery Week
Oct. 2-8 is Midwifery Week and every year the American College of Nurse Midwives or ACNM, launches a nationwide awareness week to help promote midwifery, healthy births, and advanced practical nursing as a career choice.
Why Live With Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain affects millions of Americans nationwide. It hinders our lives and makes completing simple activities like walking the dog or picking up groceries nearly unachievable. Many people believe risky painrelieving surgery and habit-forming prescriptions are their only hope for a pain-free life. There is another option, all-natural regenerative therapy that helps your body heal itself instead of masking pain with harmful drugs, or invasive surgery. The medical professionals at QC Kinetix have not only used these regenerative therapies, but they have studied the way each different therapy works, and the affect it has on healing the joint. Through these years of treating countless numbers of patients, QC Kinetix developed several proprietary protocols that are designed to use the unique nature of each biologic treatment to achieve the best results possible. Any one of these treatments can promote healing of joints, and sometimes providers will administer one type of treatment as an aid to healing. However, combining multiple treatment types over a structured period of time provides the best results. Because of the healing nature of regenerative therapies, they can be used to treat numerous causes of pain. Joint pain due to arthritis and other chronic conditions can be quite debilitating. It may occur in larger joints like the knees, back, and shoulders. It may also occur in smaller joints such as the ankles, wrists, elbows, feet, hands – right down to the fingers and toes. The most common joint that suffers pain is the knee. Another source of knee pain is from injuries such as a torn ACL, torn MCL, torn LCL, or torn meniscus. The natural pain treatments that QC Kinetix provides eliminate pain by repairing and restoring damaged or injured tissue organically, giving you a pain-free life that will last for decades to come.
Regenerative Therapy For Knee Pain
The most common treatments for knee pain are steroids, physical therapy, arthroscopic surgery or a knee replacement. A total knee replacement is an invasive surgical procedure where surgeons replace damaged cartilage and bone with metal implants and a plastic spacer. Sometimes, it can take up to a year for a patient to fully recover. One of the more promising non-surgical treatments for knee pain relies on regenerative therapies to promote the healing and repair of cartilage and bone tissue.
Knee pain can be quite debilitating. Perhaps you’ve had trouble walking, or even performing activities as simple as sitting down and standing up for years. Maybe your doctor has said that a knee replacement is your only option. There is good news! QC Kinetix is here to offer a better alternative to knee surgery. Many of our patients have discovered our clinics while searching for natural knee pain treatments. Our regenerative therapies can assist with all types of knee pain, whether it’s due to an underlying chronic condition or a recent or even former accident or sports injury. The result is an improved quality of life with little-to-no recovery time. Our patients are raving about their results and the time that was saved by not having to go under the knife. Not to mention all of the potential long-term side effects that surgery can bring.
Treatment for Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are a common reason why people may seek out regenerative therapy. Our QC Injury protocol is designed to target joint pain and musculoskeletal injuries. Just because you hit the field or the gym hard, it doesn’t mean your body has to suffer. Whether you’re dealing with knee pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, a torn ACL/MCL/meniscus, or torn rotator cuff, we’re here to help. Skip the knee brace, and say no to surgery, thanks to our regenerative medicine treatments. Pain relief is well within your reach at QC Kinetix.
Pain from Medical Conditions
In addition to joint pain treatments, we also treat non-sports-related musculoskeletal pain resulting from conditions such as sciatica, plantar fasciitis or tendonitis. If you have pain in your nerves or tendons, our QC
Medical protocol just might be the perfect solution. Musculoskeletal pain can be the result of trauma, such as falls, sprains, or jerking movements, or it can be the result of overuse, repetitive movements, or poor body mechanics. No matter the cause, musculoskeletal pain may affect your lifestyle and quality of life, and can even be debilitating. Traditional treatments for musculoskeletal pain include taking antiinflammatories and painkillers while the body recovers. Physical therapy helps for many musculoskeletal injuries and pain, and therapeutic massage can address muscle pain in particular, but sometimes more aggressive non-surgical treatments are required to get the pain relief you need. Regenerative therapies are becoming increasingly popular for joint pain relief, as well as the management of soft tissue injuries. These therapies rely on stimulating your body’s natural healing response, speeding up recovery and lessening inflammation and pain. At QC Kinetix, we offer a safer, more practical, and effective remedy for your musculoskeletal pain. We will perform a comprehensive examination and offer the best treatment plan for your specific condition. Our primary goal is to help you avoid surgery and its related complications and prevent further injuries. Besides helping you avoid complicated and costly surgical procedures, regenerative medicine treatments are also an excellent alternative where other traditional orthopedic treatments have failed. These minimally invasive treatment techniques work by promoting rejuvenation in the injured area, which is essential for healing. Regenerative therapies are an exciting new field of study, and initial research shows promising results. If you find that traditional medicine isn’t sufficient to help you cope with your musculoskeletal pain, why not add our alternative pain treatments to your recovery plan?
Brookdale Senior Living
VOTED BEST IN MEMORY CARE IN CLARKSVILLE IN 2021 & 2022
When a senior is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, cognitive decline can happen fast and unexpectedly. That’s where Brookdale Clarksville - Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care comes in. As the only assisted living community in the area that is exclusively for memory care, it’s a unique local resource. Not only are they unique, they’re also the best at what they do: Brookdale Clarksville has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a 2022-23 Best Memory Care and they also won VIP Clarksville Magazine’s 2022 Best of the Best honor for best memory care facility. Marie Eppes, Brookdale Clarksville’s sales manager, has been with the community for about five years. “Our management team has a combined senior care experience of over 100 years,” Eppes told VIP. These experiences help the team at Brookdale implement solutions that are non-medication based. Brookdale’s Clare Bridge memory care programs are designed to create an optimal life by meeting each resident’s spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual, and physical needs. “Our memory care programs ensure that each day is structured to help our residents find purpose in a way unique to their personality. Memory loss does not have to mean that all is lost,” Eppes continued. The community at Brookdale Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care is secure, and all visitors are screened. It has a warm and inviting feel with furnishings that stand in total contrast to the sterile atmosphere you might expect of an assisted living community. It’s also just one level, and the layout is a big circle which is actually quite beneficial for those in certain stages of dementia that feel the need to stay in constant movement. In the center of the community is an enclosed courtyard with large, mature trees and manicured gardens. The freedom of going outdoors safely reduces the anxiety often associated with living in a secured community. What makes Clarksville’s Brookdale different, and makes them the very best, is their far-reaching impact. They aren’t just concerned about their community, they also actively work to build connections and offer resources to enhance the experience that seniors have outside of their community. Brookdale facilitates a bi-monthly Neighborhood Networking event, which brings together professionals serving seniors in any capacity. This event offers an opportunity to learn about the local resources available to assist our elderly community. Brookdale Clarksville is also the top local sponsor for the Walk 2 End Alzheimer’s, and Eppes is a community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. She holds monthly caregiver support groups for the public and educational sessions wherever people request them. As the largest senior living provider in the United States, Brookdale has been in business over 40 years and is currently serving over one million seniors across the country. They offer senior care in every capacity — independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, hospice care, and home health services.
Dawn Sawyer, Executive Director
“I love working for Brookdale because Alzheimer’s runs in my family and I have an opportunity to help families who would not have any where to turn for support. My family did not have help and every family dealing with this disease deserves help.”
Lori Griffith, Caregiver Avalon Hospice’s Caring Heart Award Winner
“I just love taking care of people! I’ve been a caregiver for eight years and can’t imagine working anywhere other than Brookdale! This is my family!”
Marie Eppes, Sales Manager
“I am a caregiver at heart with a passion for memory care specifically. I feel that this is the call on my life and I feel honored every day that Brookdale chose me for this role. I love that I am able to serve others, whether it be through direct care of the residents, helping families through the senior care decisions process, or educating our community about memory care.”
April White, Health & Wellness Director
“I love the family-like atmosphere. I appreciate that Brookdale provides the tools I need to effectively serve our residents, staff, and family members. I find fulfillment both professionally and personally when Brookdale respects my experience and allows me to be solutions-minded when facing the challenges that come with nursing leadership.”
“Some of my favorite residents are the veterans that live here. When I was in the service, we bonded through hardship, and when a mission went well, we bonded through that too. When one of my veteran residents is having a tough day and I can help make that better for them, that bond grows the same way. They feel like my family.” - Robert McKnight, Caregiver, Marine Corp Veteran, and Caregiver.
At the Advanced Cosmetic Surgery Centers of Kentucky and Tennessee, Dr. Mitchell Kaye and his staff pride themselves on personalized, professional care. For over 25 years, ACSC has restored patients’ confidence at their flagship Hopkinsville location.
Dr. Mitchell Kaye is triple board certified with over 25 years of experience. He has the distinction of scoring #1 in both the oral and written components of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery exam, only one of two surgeons in the world to do so.
He received his medical degree at Tufts Medical School in Boston, one of the top medical institutions in the country. He then completed his surgical training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School. Currently, he serves as Trustee on the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and as Chairman of the ABCS Written Exam Committee. Dr. Kaye’s rigorous training and his daily commitment to excellence in patient care and safety are the cornerstones of his practice.
Mitchell D. Kaye M.D., FACS Pennyrile’s Best Doctor
While I am very grateful to be awarded “Best Cosmetic Surgeon” Best Cosmetic Surgery Practice” in the Pennyrile area, I am most proud of our excellent safety record and successful outcomes in our practice. We stress using the most up-to-date information by staying current with the Surgical literature, continuing education, and training for best practices for our patients’ benefit. This attitude is present in each of our team members and at the heart of our practice philosophy. Thank you for your confidence in us.
When beginning your cosmetic journey, you may have questions that you want answered in an honest, detailed manner. That’s why Dr. Kaye meets with you for a personalized, face-to-face consultation. He takes the time necessary to discuss with you the options available and makes his recommendation to assist you in achieving your cosmetic goals.
Dr. Kaye offers a wide variety of topical, non-surgical, and surgical solutions. Obagi skincare regimens and permanent makeup provide patients non-invasive options. Non-surgical treatments, such as injectables and facial fillers, are always performed in-office by Dr. Kaye. Surgical procedures are typically completed at the flagship location of the ACSC in Hopkinsville, Kentucky in their private outpatient surgical suite.
