- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogA physical therapist by training, Kelly Rund is used to working in the outpatient world, without the lines, tubes and monitors that are fixtures of a hospital room. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed things. Kelly is one of 36 physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists and rehabilitation aides redeployed to work with COVID-19 patients on Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) medical/surgical units as part of the new Prone and Mobility team. Six members of the team are working in AAMC’s Intensive Care Unit. The program has two components. Staff members are trained to “prone” patients, or place them on their stomach. The process takes about an hour and helps mitigate COVID-19 symptoms and increase the amount of oxygen they are getting into their lungs. They are also trained to assist with patients’ mobility, helping them walk around their rooms and do other activities to keep them moving. Kelly, who normally is based at AAMG Physical Therapy’s Edgewater office, says the program has given her an opportunity to support patients emotionally as well as medically. It’s nice for them to see a friendly face, even if it’s hidden behind masks and face shields, she adds. “I feel very thankful just to be someone who can be in there and sit with them,” Kelly says. Christy Wu, AAMC’s inpatient physical therapy manager, says the program began at the start of the pandemic. Clinic staff members were originally redeployed to help patients with their mobility, which decreases their fall risk and the likelihood that they’ll have to return to the hospital. But there was a growing need to have clinical staff on hand to prone position patients. Studies have shown that prone positioning could lead to improved outcomes for patients who are on ventilators. Doctors at hospitals in New York and Massachusetts have seen improvements when COVID-19 patients are placed in the prone position. “You definitely see a difference when you get these patients off of their backs,” says Clarisse Labor, a physical therapist with AAMG Physical Therapy’s Bowie North office. Each team member is trained to do both prone positioning and mobility – it just depends on what and where the need is. AAMC already had mobility training in place for nursing staff and has adapted prone positioning training from Massachusetts General Hospital. “They have amazing clinical skills, and we are putting them where they are needed and helping to support the nursing units,” Christy says. “We’ve had really great feedback from the nursing directors.” Since the beginning of May, the team has prone positioned 150 COVID-19 patients, Christy says. Mobility numbers aren’t yet available. Kelly and Clarisse say their colleagues in the hospital have been supportive and eager to show them the ropes. “It’s been several years since I worked in acute care, and it’s definitely different than outpatient,” Clarisse says. “But the nurses and therapists have been very helpful and I definitely felt welcomed. I feel fortunate that I am still able to help in these times.” Elizabeth Bailey, clinical supervisor on the Observation Unit, added that the team has gone above and beyond their assigned duties. “Today I watched a special needs patient on our unit just beam with pride as they encouraged her, telling her how well she was doing,” she says. “They assisted other patients with ambulation to the commode, and even changed briefs and bed linens as they worked with the patients. This was not expected or even asked of them – they wanted to do it.” Christie Thibeault, nursing manager on the Observation Unit, praised team members for providing an extra set of hands in an extremely busy time. Thanks to the team, nurses can stay focused on other aspects of care. “They have just been phenomenal support for our nursing staff, and have improved the quality of patient care tremendously,” Christie says. A former ICU and trauma nurse, Christie has long been familiar with the benefits of prone positioning and says she’s eager to dive more deeply into how it’s improved COVID-19 patient outcomes post-pandemic. “There’s so much that should come out of this,” she says. “Did it decrease their length of stay? Did it prevent them from going on a ventilator?” Christie is excited to see the impact of this important work.0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOn Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday, President and nurse Sherry Perkins praises today’s nurses for the incredible work they are doing. Today is the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday and the end of Nurses Week. The World Health Organization (WHO) named 2020 the Year of the Nurse in recognition of Nightingale – the founder of modern nursing. The WHO could not have predicted what nurses and their teammates would see this year with COVID-19, nor the new definitions of health care heroism. In a recent interview with the media about our nurses and the AAMC team, I was proud to tell our community, “They aren’t just heroes; they’re superheroes.” I am often asked to describe patient care; how to do that? In contemplating Nurses Week, I can think about important life events: emergency room visits, a parent in an ICU, the birth of a baby – a nurse is there with a team. A nurse is there knowing and caring, linking tenderness and mastery. Nurses know what it means for humans to be old, sick, weak, complex, and vulnerable. Nurses know how to prevent and treat infections, manage pain, teach, rescue, heal, console, and see problems before they occur. Nightingale was quoted as saying, “Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift – there is nothing small about it.” On my first day of work less than four months ago, I described the AAMC team this way – “the unique mixture of science and caring…progressive expertise of our physicians, the dedication of our nurses, the excellence of our interprofessional clinical support partners, the acumen of our leadership and administrative team, the compassion of our auxilians and volunteers, the devotion of our patient and family advisors, and the governance of our board.” Each of you makes AAMC a unique place for our patients and our community. Even more I am awed by what a team you are. Florence Nightingale would be proud. I know I am. Thank you for what you do for each other and for our patients and families.0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn honor of Nurses Week and Hospital Week, Victoria Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health, expresses her appreciation for our health care heroes during these uncertain times. In the world of health care, May is typically a major month for celebration. It is the moment each year when we honor our nursing staff during Nurses Week and follow with an even larger gathering to honor all staff members during Hospital Week. But this is not a typical year, and no one knows that better than you. Like health care workers across the nation, we are witnessing how every facet of our lives has been dramatically altered by this virus. We know that communities need us now more than ever. While this is a point of pride, it also is a heavy responsibility. You answer the call every day to help patients and support their families, all the more challenging because no one knows when the ferocious hold of this pandemic will subside. So it hardly feels like a time to celebrate. This May will stand out like no other in the chronicle of modern health care. As you each take your rightful place in this historic moment, there is no greater time to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of each of you – for your unselfish duty to your profession, your compassion for those who are suffering, and your unparalleled commitment to one another. And you do all this while bearing concerns about your families and your own well-being. In past years this month would prompt a “theme” to play out across each of our campuses. If we had a “theme” this year, it would be a short, simple, two words. You would hear it when you go into every patient room, from every corner of every ICU, every nursing station, supply room or underground hallway – and we would say it over and over again. Thank you. Thank you for showing up each day. Thank you for wearing the protective gear that sometimes feels cumbersome or worrisome to your patients. Thank you for working with uncertainty, for not knowing if or how you can help the next patient, for accepting that despite all your remarkable skills and best training, no one has seen what you are seeing now. Thank you for demonstrating care and concern not just for our patients, but for each other. We see you and all that you are doing. You’re doing a good job. Take a look for yourselves. Whether you are doctor, nurse, therapist, pharmacist, dietitian, aide, housekeeper or volunteer, we know that your compassion for our patients – and the extraordinary acts of courage and compassion you show for each other – is what will see us through these coming days. As the famed American author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou wrote, “We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” You are what brings joy to this month of May. Thank you, Tori Bayless, Chief Executive Officer, Luminis Health0
- Cancer Care, News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) has earned CEO Cancer Gold StandardTM accreditation for its work to reduce the risk of cancer for its employees and covered family members. AAMC is recognized for encouraging healthy behaviors and improving health outcomes for employees by promoting prevention measures, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings and ensuring access to quality care. “Anne Arundel Medical Center is honored to be among the leading organizations to achieve the CEO Cancer Gold Standard Accreditation™,” said Sherry B. Perkins, president of AAMC. “We strive to provide the highest quality of care for our patients and are equally committed to promoting the wellbeing of our employees and their families. We offer the latest technology in diagnostics and treatments, with access to innovative research and clinical trials to deliver care and support that comes with compassion. Cancer is not only treating a disease, it’s caring for each person throughout his or her journey.” The Gold Standard accreditation recognizes AAMC’s programs to reduce cancer risk by taking concrete actions in prevention, screening, cancer clinical trials, quality treatment and survivorship, and health education and health promotion.0
- Cancer CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogSummer is right around the corner. Thoughts of long sunny days spent at the beach, on the water fishing or out in the yard gardening remind us to protect ourselves from too much sun exposure. But sunburn can also happen when you least expect it. Even when we’re not outside for long periods of time enjoying the summer sun, we should be concerned about the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Incidental sun exposure refers to the kind of exposure you get during everyday activities, such as walking the dog or going to and from your car. It’s not as obvious as a day at the beach, but it adds up over time. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, incidental sun exposure accumulated during your lifetime is linked to an increased risk of skin cancer. Have you ever been sunburned without knowing how it happened? Here are four lesser-known ways the sun can damage your skin. It’s easy to think you’re protected from the sun on a cloudy day, but actually, more than 90 percent of UV rays can shine through light cloud cover. Sun exposure can’t be ignored while swimming, either. Up to 40 percent of UV rays can penetrate shallow water. Don’t forget reflected light. Sand, water and snow reflect between 25 and 80 percent of UV rays. Hiking or skiing in the mountains can also mean more sun exposure because UV radiation increases with altitude. Surprisingly, a significant amount of sun exposure can occur even when you’re not outside! The type of rays that cause sunburns (UVB rays) are blocked by glass, but up to 60 percent of UVA radiation linked to premature aging (UVA) can penetrate glass. Sitting by a window for extended periods of time throughout the day, whether it is in a car or a building, can increase harmful sun exposure. A study conducted in France found that people with more skin damage to one side of their face spent a significant part of their job driving. Although windshields are laminated and filter out UVA rays, side and back windows are not and can let in skin-damaging UVA rays. The sun exposure drivers received through the side window contributed to uneven aging on their face. In fact, American drivers have more skin cancers on the left side of their face. The lesson? Protecting your skin from overexposure to the sun is always important, no matter where you are or what the season. Follow these guidelines to prevent premature aging and reduce your risk of skin cancer. Apply broad spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30) every day and apply one ounce to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours (more often if you’ll be sweating or swimming). Seek shade, especially between 10am to 4pm. Wear sun protective clothing or add sun protection, such as SunGard by RIT, when you wash your clothes. Wear a wide-brimmed hat. Protect your eyes with UV-blocking sunglasses. Avoid tanning beds. Examine your skin every month. See your physician every year for a professional skin exam, and make it a daily routine to protect your skin! Author Joanne Ebner is a cancer prevention program supervisor at the AAMC Geaton and JoAnn DeCesaris Cancer Institute. Originally published April 26, 2016. Last updated June 18, 2018.0
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