- PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s a nightmare scenario for many parents — your child has head lice. Unfortunately, it’s also pretty common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 6 million to 12 million cases of lice each year in the U.S. among children ages 3 to 11. An average of 500 cases of head lice are found among Anne Arundel County students yearly, according to the county Department of Health. A discovery of head lice can be unsettling for children and their parents. So what do you need to know as your kids head back to the classroom? Facts about head lice Head lice are blood-sucking parasites that can usually be found on people’s heads, and sometimes on their eyebrows and eyelashes. Head lice move by crawling. They cannot hop or fly. The bugs spread through personal contact, such as head-to-head touch. They can also spread through contact with an item such as a comb, scarf, or hat used or worn by someone with head lice, though that is less common. Having lice doesn’t mean you are dirty. A lice infestation has nothing to do with personal hygiene. Symptoms can include itching, sores on the head from scratching, and difficulty sleeping because head lice are most active in the dark. And while they are a nuisance, head lice don’t spread disease. They are not a public health hazard. How to treat head lice If someone in your home has head lice, check every member of your household for lice and nits (tiny, grayish-white eggs.) Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter or prescription shampoos. These shampoos will kill lice, but may not kill all of the nits. You may have to treat again in seven to 10 days. Call your doctor if two rounds of lice treatment are unsuccessful. You should also consult your doctor before treating children who are younger than two years old. To remove nits, use a fine-toothed, metal comb, or pick the nits off the hair shaft with fingers or tweezers. Washing, soaking and drying items at temperatures higher than 130 degrees Fahrenheit can kill lice and nits. You only need to clean items that have been in contact with an infected person’s head in the 48 hours before treatment begins. The CDC doesn’t recommend fumigating your home or using insecticide sprays. Preventing the spread of lice In Anne Arundel County, students with have lice or nits less than a quarter of an inch from their scalp must undergo treatment before returning to school. Nits that are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp are usually not viable and are unlikely to spread. As your children head back to school this year, remind them to avoid head-to-head contact with other children. They should also avoid sharing combs, brushes, hats and other items that touch the head. Originally published Aug. 22, 2017. Last updated Aug. 26, 2019.
- OrthopedicsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe start of a new school year means fall sports season is here as well. It’s important to be smart about returning to sports to help your child prevent injuries. Here are 12 tips to prevent problems when your child is back on the field: Stay active. If your child is not participating in organized sports over the summer, help them stay active to maintain some cardiovascular fitness. This way, it will be easier for them to get back into shape for the fall season. Build slowly. Sports can be demanding. Kids should not go from doing nothing to doing high demand exercise without some prep work. One week is not enough to “get into shape.” It’s best to build slowly over several weeks to prepare. Eat well. It’s easy to slip into bad eating habits over the summer. But that makes it hard for your child to get back to a good fitness level needed for sports. Sticking with good eating habits all year will give them the building blocks for a healthy body and excellent sports performance. Diversify. In today’s sports landscape, youth athletes have far more options for participating in their favorite sport all year round. Single-sport youth athletes have a much higher rate of overuse injury and burnout. Studies show that participating in different sports throughout the year can improve performance in the primary sport more than practicing in one sport all year. Your child can learn multiple skills from other sports that can contribute to their primary sport. Sports should be fun. Approximately 6 percent of youth athletes participate in collegiate level sports. But the chance of your child having a career playing sports is less than one in 1,000. The other 999 kids will use their education for their livelihood. So focus on the fun of sports, teaching teamwork and other excellent life skills. Be supportive. Winning is fun but it’s not everything. It’s important to be a supportive parent and cheer for the great plays. Enjoyment and participation are far more important to your child in the long run. Emphasize the good efforts and improvements over the season. Encourage participation regardless of athletic ability. Incorporate injury prevention routines into the warm up. This includes proper hydration, stretching and light cardio. You can find more sport specific recommendations at www.stopsportsinjuries.org. Don’t push through pain. Youth athletes should not have chronic pain. A sore muscle or bruise is normal, but routine pain is not. You should talk to a doctor if your child develops an overuse injury. Get an annual sports physical. Serious injury or sports-related death is extremely rare but often recognizable to a trained medical professional. An annual sports physical is an important part of getting your child ready to play. Check your equipment. Kids grow between seasons. Equipment wears out in time. Using improperly fitting or broken equipment is a recipe for injury. Stretch both before and after participation. A good warm up and a good cool down are equally important. Hydrate! The start of fall sports is often at the end of the summer, when the weather is still very hot. Proper hydration and temperature control is crucial for prevention of heat exhaustion and muscle fatigue. Injury prevention and knowledge about what precautions kids should take is just as important for coaches as it is for parents and young athletes. If you notice a change in your child’s technique, such as limping when running, rubbing a leg during activity or grasping a wrist, you should pull the athlete out of play. If you see that the problem continues, consider getting an assessment for your child before returning to play. Make sure your young athlete is feeling good and not suffering through an injury. Kids should enjoy sports. So go out there, play and have fun! Author Ben Petre, MD, is a sports medicine doctor and surgeon at Anne Arundel Medical Orthopedics. He can be reached at 410-268-8862. For more information visit aamcortho.com. Originally published July 23, 2018. Last updated Aug. 26, 2019.
- Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s past 9 am on Friday, Aug. 2. Three teenagers wearing AAMC volunteer t-shirts stand in front of a blank wall covered in navy blue paint. They’re chatting back and forth, exchanging ideas they’re excited about – like where they’re going to paint a polar bear or a penguin. They pull out their cell phones, scroll through Google Images and quickly regroup to discuss. “I’ll start with the mountains,” says Janine Avante. Janine is working with Jayden Harrold and Caitlin Doherty on painting AAMC’s latest tunnel mural. Janine and Jayden learned about the opportunity while volunteering at the hospital. They shared the opportunity with their friend Caitlin. The team of artists are working on beautifying one of the pastel walls near the IS Help Desk office. But it’s not all about embellishment. The mural carries a message. “We had the idea to pay tribute to the environment because it’s something we need to be more aware of,” says Janine, while she starts to sketch an outline of tall mountains on the wall. “Our schedules at school are usually filled with music classes, so when we learned about this opportunity, we thought it would be cool because we never really get the chance to do art like this.” This project is part of their Performing and Visual Arts Internship through Broadneck High School, where they are all ascending seniors. Janine and Jayden are in orchestra. Caitlin is in band. Jayden drafted the mural sketch at home prior to painting the wall. “When employees walk down the hallway, I hope they think about how the work they do here affects everyone everywhere and continue to take care of the environment,” he explains. An hour goes by and the wall is covered with several outlines. Jayden is standing on a stool painting green brush strokes on the upper left of the wall to portray the Aurora Borealis. Janine is in the middle using a white pencil to sketch the Rocky Mountains. Caitlin is standing on the far right of the mural detailing the snow on each mountain peak. “Some employees walking by already told us they like how different this wall is from the rest,” says Caitlin. “We hope to bring environmental awareness because denying that we need to take care of it won’t make the problems go away,” she adds. “Awareness and acknowledgement is the first step.” The volunteers hope to complete the mural by the end of the month. Know someone interested in becoming a student volunteer? AAMC offers a variety of volunteer opportunities and internships for students who are looking for real-world, hands-on job training.
- Employee SpotlightGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCharles (Chuck) Fields and Sergeant Michael (Mike) Fuller have very different job responsibilities. Chuck, director of Information Systems support, works in a call center environment, managing anywhere from 100 to 150 calls per day while handling other IT related tasks. Sgt. Fuller, lead security officer, walks approximately 12 miles per day around campus making rounds, helping visitors find their way and keeping the hospital safe. But, on a personal level, Chuck and Sgt. Fuller share a similar sense of compassion. This unlikely duo, both in passing while at work, encountered a man struggling with addiction. They came together, sat with the man and encouraged him to seek help in the hospital’s Emergency Department (ED). Chuck and Sgt. Fuller helped the man over to the ED and stayed until he was seen. Sgt. Fuller could relate to the man in more than one way. “I’m a person who’s in recovery,” he explains. “I attend a recovery meeting that takes place here in the hospital. My empathy is there. But also, that’s the person I am. When you sit down with somebody and give them a little bit of one-on-one attention, when they’re already feeling awkward, it takes the pressure off of them.” Before leaving the ED, Chuck wrote his name and number on a piece of paper and placed it inside the man’s pocket. “It was just a moment where I felt that this gentleman needed some additional help,” he says. “At any point, if he did need something, I was happy to spend some more time with him just to be able to help.” By chance encounter, Sgt. Fuller saw the man a month after the incident. He expressed how grateful he was for Sgt. Fuller and Chuck taking the time to help him during what he felt was a very vulnerable moment in his life. “Sometimes people who come through here, especially those who suffer with addiction and relapse, can feel like their bridges have been burned,” says Sgt. Fuller. “The neat thing about being at AAMC is that we have so many resources, and we have a hospital that has a lot to offer to our community.” Pro tip: “When someone is coming up to you to talk, listen. We are all in this together.” If you know a great individual or a fantastic team going above and beyond to make a difference, make sure to let us know! Looking for a career in health care? We invite you to join a diverse and collaborative team of professionals working together to innovate the future of health care for our entire region. Check out our career opportunities.
- PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen school is out for the summer, your whole family may be on a more relaxed schedule. That may include kids’ bed times. But with the new school year beginning, it’s time to get your children back on track so they are getting enough sleep to focus on their school work. A lack of sleep can lead to an array of problems for children and teenagers. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) says lack of sleep is linked to behavior and learning problems, and an increased risk of accidents and injuries. Some evidence also suggests a lack of sleep could lead to conditions including diabetes, obesity, hypertension and depression. Yet a 2016 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than two-thirds of high school students are sleeping less than eight hours every night. This could be because there is a shift in the body’s circadian clock during puberty, causing teens to naturally prefer a later bed time. Are you confused about how much shut-eye your children should be getting each night? It varies depending on how old they are, but the AASM says babies, children and teens need much more sleep than adults. Here are its sleep recommendations: 4-12 months: 12-16 hours 1-2 years: 11-14 hours 3-5 years: 10-13 hours 6-12 years: 9-12 hours 13-18 years: 8-10 hours It can be hard to tell when young children are tired. While adults slow down when they’re exhausted, children speed up, the National Sleep Foundation says. For that reason, it can be easy to confuse signs of sleepiness with signs of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Back-to-school sleep tips The National Sleep Foundation offers the following tips for helping your child develop good back-to-school sleep habits: Two weeks before school starts, start to help your child get on a school sleep schedule gradually. Every night, set a slightly earlier bedtime, and every morning, a slightly earlier wake-up time. Don’t use the weekend to catch up on sleep. Before bedtime, start a relaxing routine, such as bath and story time for younger children or reading time for older children. Limit screens, including TV and electronic devices, before bed time. Avoid big meals close to bed time, and caffeine six hours before bed time. A dark room, comfortable bed, and room temperature that is not too hot or cold make for the best sleeping environment for your child. Most importantly, follow these rules yourself so you can set a good example for your children. If you suspect your child isn’t sleeping enough, talk to your pediatrician. Author Rebecca Duncan, MD, is a primary care physician with AAMG Kent Island Primary Care. To reach her practice, call 410-604-6560. Originally published Aug. 22, 2017. Last updated Aug. 16, 2019.
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