Making Your Home a Safe Environment

June is Home Safety Month. According to the Home Safety Council, home related injuries result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Fortunately, many accidents -- for both children and adults -- can be avoided if simple safety measures are taken.

Household Safety

• Wear protective footwear and eye wear when mowing the lawn, operating power tools, working with a chisel, or hammering metal on metal.
• Keep tools away from children until they are old enough to use them properly.
• All stairways should have a sturdy hand rail. Don't leave objects on stairways. Make sure that carpet on stairways is securely fastened.
• All entryways should have bright lighting.
• Unplug appliances when they are not in use.
• In the bathroom, use non-slip floor mats. Put non-slip appliques on the bathtub.
• Don't use any electrical appliances when you are wet or in the bathtub, shower, or pool.
• Keep guns locked up and unloaded. Firearms and ammunition should be stored separately.
• Make sure your house number is easily visible from the street.

When You Go on Vacation

• Arrange for friends or neighbors to pick up newspapers and mail.
• Notify a neighbor you'll be gone.
• Arrange to keep your lawn maintained.
• Use timing devices for your lights.

For more home and general safety tips, visit our Health Library at http://www.franciscanphysicians.org/.

All Franciscan Alliance WorkingWell Sites Achieve Worldwide Recognition

WorkingWell, the Occupational Health program of Franciscan Alliance's Northwest Indiana hospitals, reached a milestone recently when the last three of its five sites gained International Organization of Standardization certification.

WorkingWell's Hammond, Munster and Valparaiso locations recently joined their Crown Point and Michigan City counterparts in gaining the ISO 9001:2008 certification.

(Pictured: Rich Shelhamer, far right, national sales manager for Rosemont, Ill.-based Perry Johnson Registrars, displays the latest ISO certification award with Tom Gryzbek, center, president of Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Hammond and Dyer; and Tim Ross, Franciscan Alliance regional director of occupational/employee health.)

WorkingWell, a freestanding occupational health provider, is the only program of its kind to receive the designation.

ISO is the world's largest developer of international standards that have been instituted in 162 nations. For more than 65 years, ISO has been a leader in quality certifications for the steel and manufacturing industries. ISO certification assures a quality management system that provides a foundation of best practices, resulting in highest-quality care, improved outcomes and reduced errors for patients.

ISO certification follows a rigorous audit of an organization's quality management system. Quality goals are set, and when they are met, new goals are determined for a continuously improving quality system.

"Industry recognizes ISO as a global standard," said Tim Ross, Franciscan Alliance regional director of occupational/employee health. "Industry vendors are held to those standards, so why not hold occupational health to those standards? We are aligning ourselves with businesses; what better way to do that than to reach industry standards they understand." 

WorkingWell provides occupational health care services for all types of workers, including professional, industrial, police officers and firefighters.

Tom Gryzbek, president of Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Hammond and Dyer, was pleased to hear of the certification.

"Franciscan St. Margaret Health always strives to meet and exceed quality standards and metrics. The ability of our occupational medicine program to achieve this stellar recognition reflects the commitment to provide top-notch quality to the employees of the industrial clients we are privileged to serve," he said.

For more information on WorkingWell, visit: http://www.workingwellsite.org/.

FranciscanFit Mallwalkers Program Set for May 25

Heart health will be the presentation topic for the next Franciscanfit -- Steps to Good Health monthly Mallwalkers program.

The free program, sponsored by Franciscan Alliance hospitals in northern Indiana and Westfield Southlake mall, is scheduled for 8 to 10 a.m. May 25.

The public is invited to attend a 9 a.m. presentation of the program theme offered by Terri McCambridge, a cardiac catheterization nurse at Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Hammond. McCambridge will teach participants about lifesaving heart health numbers. High numbers can indicate a risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and several forms of cancer.

Glucose and blood pressure screenings also will be available.

New Mallwalkers members are welcome to register for the program, which takes place on the mall's lower level, outside of JC Penney, on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Regular walkers hours are 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 to 11 a.m. Sundays.

For more information, call (800) 931-3322.

Franciscan Alliance hospitals in northern Indiana include Franciscan Physicians Hospital LLC in Munster, St. Margaret Health-Dyer and Hammond, St. Anthony Health-Michigan City and St. Anthony Health-Crown Point.

FPH Joins Nation’s Top Health Care Providers With New Glaucoma Treatment System

Franciscan Physicians Hospital is the first hospital in Indiana to purchase Trabectome minimally invasive glaucoma treatment, according to NeoMedix, Inc.

Trabectome, developed by NeoMedix, Inc., Tustin, CA, is an FDA-cleared device that removes glaucoma-causing tissue, improves natural drainage pathways of the eye and eliminates pressure safely without the aid of mechanical implants or shunts. Trabectome is featured on the Glaucoma Research Foundation website as breakthrough technology for the treatment of glaucoma: http://www.glaucoma.org/.

As the first area provider of this new treatment in Indiana, Franciscan Physicians Hospital is joining several other nationally recognized health care institutions including Jules Stein, Mayo Clinic, Bascom Palmer, Duke, and Yale Medical.

Trabectome surgery is performed through a small incision and does not leave a permanent hole or pocket in the eye wall, allowing patients to return home the same day. The Trabectome procedure, taking approximately 20 minutes, maintains a remarkably high success rate in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) with minimum side effects.

Trabectome procedures at Franciscan Physicians Hospital will be performed by Karen Briggs, DO, and Aurabind Balagani, MD.

"This system will open up a whole new horizon in treating patients with glaucoma. This is a minimally invasive system, which is the best choice because it minimizes the chance for infection now and even years after a surgery case," Briggs said, adding, "Although anyone can develop glaucoma, some people are at a higher risk than others. For instance, persons over age 60 are at a higher risk for developing glaucoma, as well as Latinos and people with a family history of glaucoma. Glaucoma is also the leading cause of blindness for African Americans. It's important that anyone in these risk groups receives an eye pressure check and dilated pupil eye exam every year."

Barb Greene, president of Franciscan Physicians Hospital, states, "The Trabectome system is a great advancement for the community. It's just one more example of how we're providing minimally invasive care to serve our patients with reduced risk and cost effectiveness. We're looking forward to the expansion of this system as we lead the NWI region with this new method of care."

For more information, visit http://www.franciscanphysicianshospital.com/ or http://www.neomedix.net/.

About Glaucoma
Glaucoma, the second-leading cause of blindness, is a disease that causes irreversible damage to the optic nerve from increasing pressure within the eye. The Glaucoma Research Foundation states that glaucoma loss is not curable, vision lost cannot be regained, and that over 4 million Americans have glaucoma, yet only half know it. The Foundation adds that the most common form of glaucoma, called open angle glaucoma, has virtually no symptoms and generally no pain associated with the increase in eye pressure. The first sign of glaucoma is loss of peripheral vision that is usually not noticed by the patient until it affects the central vision.

Get Ready for Summer - Free Women's Health Event on May 26

Franciscan Alliance will present a free program titled, Women’sWorks – Tools for a Healthier You, from 2 to 6 p.m. May 26 at Westfield Southlake mall.

Offered in conjunction with National Women’s Health Week, the event will include a demonstration of the da Vinci Si (robotic) Surgical System, a discussion by Dr. P. Andrew Waran, MD, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, who  performs surgeries with the da Vinci system; health information, giveaways and a summer fashion show, which is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Information will be available on critical risk factors for women, symptoms and treatment options to assure better health.

The program will take place outside the JCPenney store on the mall’s first floor. For more information, call (800) 931-3322.

Franciscan Alliance Northwest Indiana hospitals include St. Anthony Health-Crown Point, St. Anthony Health-Michigan City, St. Margaret Health Hammond and Dyer, and Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster.

Heart Disease in Women: Brighter Thinking for a Brighter Future

Speaking of Women's Health is an annual event dedicated to educating women to make informed decisions about health, well-being and personal safety for themselves and their families. This year's event took place on May 12th at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Merrillville, IN.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital was excited to have Hilton Hudson II, M.D., F.A.C.S., a cardio-thoracic surgeon at FPH, attend the event and give a presentation on heart disease in women. Dr. Hudson, over the course of 40 minutes, covered a range of topics including heart disease symptoms, causes, preventions, and treatments. FPH and Dr. Hudson would like to share some of that information with you.

Dr. Hudson, in his presentation to roughly 30 women, opened with stories of 3 middle-aged women with heart disease. These women, coming from different backgrounds and lifestyles, denied the facts and evidence that was leading to heart failure and eventually encountered critical health issues, and even death in one case. The point of these stories: to explain how even young, healthy women are at risk.

After telling these stories, Dr. Hudson explained several conditions including coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and angina (when the heart is starved for blood). For all conceptual purposes, Dr. Hudson reiterated the notion that coronary artery disease and coronary heart disease were, for the patient's understanding, basically the same.

Dr. Hudson explained that angina is a condition in which the heart is starved for blood, while a heart attack occurs when blood flow to an area of your heart is completely blocked. Angina, the lack of oxygen-rich blood flowing to an area of heart muscle, can be recognized as a pressure of squeezing in your chest. Pain may also occur in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Dr. Hudson's consistent advice: don't risk it. If you're having pain, see a doctor and GET CHECKED OUT!

At this point, Dr. Hudson began speaking about coronary heart disease (CHD) in women. He relayed the following statistics: CHD is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. One in nine women ages 45-65 has coronary artery disease (CAD), and one in three women older than 65 has CAD. Furthermore, CHD in women has more complications than in men, has less successful bypass surgery and angioplasty, and generally has delayed diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Hudson's words were strong yet again: get checked out if you're feeling any abnormal pain or discomfort!

A large indicator of women with CHD is risk factors, which were highlighted as a significant motivator for getting evaluated. These include:
-Family history (strongest risk factor)
-Smoking (disproportionately raises your risk for every type of cancer)
-Cholesterol levels
-Hypertension
-Diabetes
-Obesity and being overweight
-African American ethnicity

Signs and symptoms of a heart attack or CAD, brought forward by Dr. Hudson, include:
-Check pain
-Vague check pressure
-Weight gain
-Vomiting
-Palpitations (abnormal heart beats; too fast or too slow)

Now for the good news! Dr. Hudson covered both prevention and treatment of CAD in women. BE ADVISED: THE BEST TREATMENT IS PREVENTION!! Dr. Hudson made this very clear to all women in the presentation. See your doctor and be aware of YOUR risk factors. Also, don't smoke, keep diabetes controlled, and exercise; those who exercise have a 44% lower risk of CHD!

Women should keep a consistently healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, low saturated fats, and low cholesterol. Also, cholesterol lowering drugs, called statins, can help to reduce strokes and death from CHD. But before considering medications, talk to your doctor. He/she can help you make the best medical decision that takes your risk factors into the picture.

If, and only if, prevention fails, there are treatment options available, says Dr. Hudson. These may include:
-Bypass surgery
-Valve surgery
-Stents
-Angioplasty
-Endovascular stenting

It is Dr. Hudson's belief that before anyone reaches the point of a treatment listed above, she/he should choose prevention. Prevention is easier, cheaper, and less painful than treatment alternatives.

In retrospect, Dr. Hudson covered all of these topics with one recurring theme: avoid denial and get checked out if you're experiencing any abnormal or uncomfortable symptoms. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. Don't let it take you or your loved ones.

For further information on heart disease and wellness information, visit our complete online health library.   

Franciscan Companion Newsletter Receives Bronze in International Design Competition!

Franciscan Physicians Hospital is proud to announce that they are the recipients of a bronze award in the magazine category from Summit International Awards. Moran Design, of Hammond, IN, handles the layout, design, and distribution of the newsletter. They submitted it for the 2011 award competition. Thousands of submittions poured in from 22 countries with the Hammond design firm scoring among the very best with their creative entries.

The "Franciscan Companion" is a quarterly newsletter written and edited by FPH employees Andrew Mullins, PR & Marketing Coordinator, and Janet Rolley, Executive Assistant. The full color, family-oriented magazine features short articles centered around living a healthy, happy life. It also works to highlight healthcare services, community organizations, and fun facts, providing a well-rounded, friendly magazine.

Janis Moran, owner of Moran Design in Hammond, states "Receiving an award from Summit International, a permier arbiter of creative excellence, is truly a coveted honor due to its prestige worldwide. Our entries were creative opportunities for us, with the goal of fostering effective communications for out client-it's what we like to do."

Moran Design, a veteran in the industry, provides state-of-the-art graphic design, advertising, marketing, Web design, copywriting, photography and public relations services.

Summit International Awards, celebrating it's 17th year, is an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in the marketing communications industry. It administers three distinguished advertising and marketing award competitions throughout the year with the goal of raising the awareness of companies and individuals who have the creative and marketing talent to go beyond the ordinary.

"Winning a Summit Creative Award is a significant accomplishment," says Jocelyn Luciano, executive director for Summit International Awards. "The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit recognition."

Franciscan Physicians Hospital offers a special thanks to Moran Design for their exceptional work in the design industry. Their ability to implement various themes and factors into a concept, while maintaining the goal and directive of the piece, sets them apart from the norm. The hospital truly appreciates all of the work they do.

To view the award, click here!