- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogYou may be a parent trying to keep up with your child’s health. Or an active senior citizen in retirement. Regardless of your age, immunizations are a vital prevention tool for everyone. Making sure your immunizations are current is especially important during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic because underlying conditions can increase your risk for infection. Vaccines are also an effective way to protect you from other serious diseases. Scheduling a routine visit with your provider is one of the best ways to ensure all your vaccines are up to date. How often do I need a routine physical? Your routine check-up schedule depends on your age. Children should follow the recommended vaccination schedule of their pediatrician. Adults, ages 18-49, should visit their general physician once every two years. If you are 50 years old or older, schedule a physical exam every year. How do vaccines work? When you get a vaccine, your body creates an immune response to a particular virus or disease. This immunity protects you from that virus or disease in the future. Are vaccines effective? It’s important to understand that no vaccine is 100% effective. For reasons related to each person’s immune response, not all vaccinated persons develop immunity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most routine childhood vaccines are effective for 85% to 95% of patients. Flu vaccines are more challenging. This is because of different flu types and mutations. On average, flu vaccines give a 50% reduction in the risk of flu for the general population. Although flu vaccines are not as effective as childhood vaccinations, they are still worthwhile. Why are vaccines important? Getting vaccinated is important because it is likely that you’ll build up antibodies against that specific infection. This can save your life. A certain percentage of people who get the vaccine don’t become immune. They and the people who can’t get vaccinated (i.e., infants, immune-compromised individuals, people undergoing certain medical treatments, etc.) will hopefully be protected by herd immunity. Herd immunity means that if enough people are immune to a disease, the disease will have a hard time finding anyone to infect. This causes the disease to die down. An estimated 70% of the population needs to be immune to COVID-19 for it to die down. Recommended Vaccines Vaccination schedules vary by age. To see a full list of recommendations, visit the CDC website. Your doctor can also recommend any vaccines you should get. Make sure your immunizations are up to date. Set up a routine physical with your provider. Doctors’ offices are safe, ready and open to care for you. Author Scott Eden, MD, is a practicing family medicine physician at Anne Arundel Medical Group Chesapeake Family Medicine in Annapolis. He can be reached at 443-481-4080.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center is participating in two high priority, national Coronavirus (COVID-19) studies: Infection Prevention: for people who have had a high exposure to COVID-19, but are not yet infected. Early Treatment: people who have a documented COVID-19 infection and some symptoms of COVID-19, but are not sick enough to be in the hospital. Since there are no recommended treatments for either situation, the purpose of the study is to determine if infused antibodies collected from a recovered COVID-19 patient (convalescent plasma) can either prevent a COVID-19 infection or prevent the disease from getting worse in those who have it. What is convalescent plasma? Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood. It contains antibodies that fight infections. People exposed to COVID-19 may benefit from receiving antibodies against COVID-19 virus from the plasma of those who have recovered from COVID-19. Getting plasma with antibodies may help your body develop its own antibodies, which protects you from a COVID-19 infection. What is the safety of receiving a plasma donation? Convalescent plasma undergoes careful testing to ensure its safety and has proven useful for other infectious diseases in the past. Thousands of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have safely received the plasma. How do I know if I qualify for the Infection Prevention Study? You may qualify if you: Are 18 years of age or older. Have been in *close contact with an infected person within the past four days. Do not have symptoms of COVID-19. Can travel to a nearby facility for evaluation. Are currently COVID-19 negative. (You will receive a COVID-19 test to confirm.) *Close contact with someone who has COVID-19 means you: Live in the same household. Have had direct physical contact (hugging, kissing). Are a health care worker and had an exposure without wearing recommended PPE. Provide care for someone with COVID-19 without recommended PPE. How do I know if I qualify for the Early Treatment Study? You may qualify if you: Are 18 years of age or older. Have had a positive COVID-19 test within the past six days. Are still having at least one COVID-19 symptom at enrollment. Are sick, but do not need hospitalization. Can travel to a nearby facility for enrollment and transfusion. What is involved in receiving the plasma infusion? You will receive one plasma infusion and then have five to seven follow-up visits over 90 days. All visits are at an outpatient office. There is a narrow window to enroll based upon the date of your exposure (96 hours from the last exposure days) or first symptom/positive test (6 days). I’m interested in participating. Who do I contact? If you’re interested in participating, please email [email protected] and a member of our team will contact you. Modest compensation for your time is available for those who qualify to participate. If you had COVID-19 and would like to donate plasma to future COVID-19 patients to help in their recovery, learn more about what you need to know to qualify.
- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogEnvironmental Services (EVS) Supervisor Belawn McGowan is one of more than 100 members of Anne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) EVS team who keeps the health system safe to care for patients. The team uses a ‘secret weapon’ of sorts to achieve this every day: Tru-D SmartUVC, a germ-killing robot. Out of 300 hospitals in the U.S., AAMC ranked number one for usage of the Tru-D room disinfection robot. AAMC received the first place spot for completing the most sterilization cycles in May with only one robot. Tru-D uses Ultraviolet (UV) rays to disinfect patient rooms, the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit at AAMC. It ensures patient safety by reducing the risk of health care-associated infections. “When you enter a hospital you expect everything to be clean, neat and tidy,” Belawn said. “We are the frontline team who ensures this is done right. We use the Tru-D robot as an extra tool to make sure everything is cleaned well in the hospital.” How it works At AAMC, Tru-D goes by a different name. Staff call the robot “CRIS,” which stands for Clean Rooms Improved Safety. The cleaning process is twofold: once the EVS team cleans and disinfects a room, CRIS disinfects the room a final time. The robot uses UV light to kill bacteria, spores and viruses. The cleaning process takes between 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the room. This added layer of disinfection helps the EVS team ensure a safe patient environment during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “CRIS helps us do our jobs efficiently,” Belawn explained. “There are spores and other germs that can stay on surfaces for long periods of time. There are also cracks and crevices that we can’t get to. We use CRIS to make sure surfaces are germ-free and hard-to-reach areas are sanitized.” No one can be in the room when CRIS is in operation. The robot’s UV rays can be harmful to humans. CRIS sends a text or audio message to a member of the EVS team when the disinfection cycle is done. Belawn said the EVS team’s goal is to make sure that patients feel safe every time they enter the hospital for care. “Achieving this ranking was a team effort,” she said. “We keep CRIS running to make sure everything is clean and sanitized at AAMC at all times.”
- Orthopedics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogI was concerned about going to a doctor since I’m in a high-risk group for COVID-19, but the pain in my shoulder was intense, movement was limited and my symptoms kept getting worse. In 2016, I had surgery on my left hand to repair an artery. After the surgery, my activities were restricted for several months to allow complete healing of the artery. It was during this time that some of my muscles atrophied and my left shoulder froze. However, after several months of rehabilitation, I was able to return to the gym and exercise. Once gyms closed because of COVID-19, I really lost the ability to continue exercising and started to experience problems with my left shoulder again. I contacted my physician at AAMG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Specialists. My physician explained the safety protocols they had put in place to keep patients safe and I made an appointment. Once I got to the office, I called the receptionist to let her know that I had arrived. She told me to wait in the lobby where I could safely distance while keeping comfortable. When the doctor was ready for me, the receptionist called and instructed me to go directly to the appropriate waiting area without needing to otherwise sign in. Next, a nurse took my temperature. No one else was in the waiting room. A staff member directed me to an exam room where I met the doctor. The whole experience was professional, efficient and safe. I’m so happy that I did not postpone my visit. My shoulder would have continued to deteriorate and the pain would have gotten worse. Now I am improving my flexibility. The pain in my shoulder is subsiding. I will no longer hesitate to return for follow-up appointments knowing that AAMC has established protocols to keep patients safe. Author Tony R. is a resident of Millersville, Maryland.
- PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogBreastfeeding takes patience and persistence but the journey is a beautiful thing. Your body is supporting the growth and development of a tiny human – that’s no small task! Repeat these mantras to yourself whenever you need a little encouragement along the way. “One more time, one more time.” Some moms may set an initial goal of breastfeeding for a year, or longer. In those first few days, or weeks, the long-term goals may actually make breastfeeding feel very overwhelming. When you are dealing with a bad latch, over- or under-supply, or general exhaustion, you may think, “How am I going to get through the day, let alone a year?” Stop right there. Deal with one feeding, then another, and then take on tomorrow, and then the day after that. Meeting smaller goals may help you reach the larger goal you set for yourself. “I am doing something beautiful.” You might feel awkward or self-conscious about nursing in public or even around friends and family. Besides figuring out the logistics—where to sit, do you want to cover to feel comfortable, what to wear to make nursing easy—you may be wondering what other people are thinking about you. The only person you need to worry about is your baby! You are doing something beautiful and natural. Keep your mind focused on this thought and let everything else fade away. Also, don’t forget you’re protected by Maryland law to breastfeed your baby in any public or private place where you’re permitted to be. “It’s ok, relax. Help is on speed dial.” You don’t have to do this alone. We’re in the midst of a breastfeeding revolution and support resources are readily available. Take advantage of them. Find a lactation consultant before you actually need the help. Put AAMC’s Warm Line in your speed dial list (its 443-481-6977). Join a social network of other new moms. Many moms use these tools to help them not only deal with breastfeeding difficulties, but also to help adjust to their new role of “mom.” (See below for a full list of resources.) “Sometimes goals change and that’s okay! A happy mom is a good mom.” If you start to feel unhappy or stressed, you may be putting too much pressure on yourself! If breastfeeding is in your heart then by all means keep going —find help and remind yourself that you are doing the best job you can. But, if you need to adjust your breastfeeding goal, be confident in that decision too. Don’t beat yourself up. Any amount of breast milk is important. Be proud of yourself! Your baby thinks you are the best mother just as you are. “I’m doing a great job!” Motherhood can be scary, difficult and, at times, overwhelming no matter how you feed your baby. But, it can be amazing, beautiful, fun and life-changing. Remind yourself every day that you’re doing a great job! Best wishes in your breastfeeding journey. It might be a piece of cake. But, if it’s a bit challenging keep telling yourself, “I got this.” Take advantage of helpful resources, embrace it and enjoy discovering the amazing strength that you never knew you had. Author Lindsay Bittinger is a local mom, living in southern Anne Arundel County with her husband, two daughters and one crazy puppy. Breastfeeding Resources AAMC offers several breastfeeding support classes, all of which have gone virtual due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. See a complete schedule here. Breastfeeding Warm Line: Anne Arundel Medical Center’s lactation staff is available to answer any questions you might have about breastfeeding. You can reach our consultants seven days a week via our Warm Line at 443-481-6977. Simply leave a message and they’ll return your call between 9 am and 4 pm the same day. You can also e-mail our lactation staff anytime at [email protected]. Find a Lactation Consultant: A board-certified lactation consultant can help address your breastfeeding concerns or challenges. You can find one in your area through the United States Lactation Consultant Association directory. AAMC Smart Parents: Join our Facebook community focused on the journey of parenthood. This is a safe, non-judgmental group to ask questions and get answers from local moms and dads, and AAMC experts. Originally published April 14, 2016. Last updated Aug. 11, 2020.
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