- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLuminis Health hospitals, Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) and Doctors Community Hospital (DCH), have started a phased approach to resume non-emergent surgeries, starting with urgent, medically necessary procedures beginning this week. The decision was made following careful consideration of guidelines by the Maryland Department of Health, as outlined in Governor Hogan’s “Roadmap to Recovery” plan for the state. In phase one, AAMC and DCH are pre-screening cases for medical necessity — defined as non-life threatening issues but those that are likely to cause harm if they are delayed any further. The hospitals started with their backlog of cases since limiting surgeries and procedures to emergencies or urgent cases only on March 18 after the governor’s statewide order. Doctors’ offices began contacting patients last week so they could be scheduled for evaluations prior to surgery. “Now more than ever it’s important to stay on top of your health, which may require you to come in for a doctor’s appointment or procedure,” said Adrian Park, MD, chair of Surgery for Luminis Health. “An ‘I’ll wait it out’ attitude due to fear of COVID-19 could put your health at risk and cause long-term damage. Know that we are taking the precautions necessary for the safety of our patients and our providers.” The health system’s safety protocols include: Masking of all patients and employees Extensive cleaning of exam rooms before every appointment Frequent disinfection of common areas, including waiting rooms, elevators and bathrooms Daily screening of all staff, following CDC and state guidelines Daily screening of patients before coming to the office Protected check-in and check-out procedures “No Waiting Room” procedures to reduce exposure to other patients As an additional safety precaution, and as recommended by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, patients are asked to self-isolate seven days prior to their scheduled procedure and complete a COVID-19 test two or three days prior to their surgery. As the health system plans for next phases beyond urgent, medically necessary procedures, information for resuming all other procedures, including elective, will be announced at a later date. “We will continue to monitor our supply chain, service needs and status of the pandemic to guide our decision making — all while keeping the safety of our patients at the forefront of our planning,” said Park. Find out more on additional services, including imaging and physical therapy, that are resuming this week at AAMC at askAAMC.org/SafeReadyOpen and at DCH at www.dchweb.org/safe-ready-open. Some Luminis Health services have remained opened and available to the community, including behavioral health inpatient and outpatient services. The J. Kent McNew Family Medical Center and Pathways treatment center also implemented the health system’s measures to keep patients safe.
- Community, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCharlotte Wallace makes her way inside Morris H. Blum Senior Apartments. She knocks three times on one of the wooden doors. ‘I’m a nurse with Anne Arundel Medical Center,’ she identifies herself. The lock slowly turns. Before Wallace knows it, a hand quickly grabs the bag she’s holding and then disappears with the sound of the door shutting. ‘Thank you,’ they shout from inside. She smiles, grabs another bag and repeats the process. She does this with more than 150 tenants in that building alone. “Some of the seniors we visit are scared and close the door immediately,” she said. “Others give us Halloween candy in exchange as a thank you and some are just excited to see new faces.” Wallace explained a few of the residents are not as in tune with the news or updates. As a result, they’re confused as to why Wallace and her team are there. “We answer their questions and give them as much education as we can,” she added. Wallace is a community health nurse at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC). Her main role is to bridge the hospital and the community. When news about coronavirus (COVID-19) broke, she knew she had a lot of work to do. She started by contacting community partners to look at ways to slow down the spread of the virus. This meant looking at the ‘wrong trends,’ misconceptions and ways to close the gap. To do this, she launched the COVID-19 Community Outreach program. The primary goal of the program is to decrease the spread and hospitalization of COVID-19 patients. This is achieved through increased education and improved access to support and health services. “We quickly discovered there was a gap in some of our housing units,” Wallace explained. This was primarily the case where subsidized seniors, disabled adults and homeless shelter residents lived. Wallace had already built relationships of trust and understood the systemic problems in the community. As a result, her approach included passing out educational fliers and kits to meet basic needs. On April 14, she started to knock on doors to personally distribute the kits. To date, she has visited 18 different locations around Anne Arundel County – conducting visits in 14 of those locations by herself. Just a couple of weeks later, another team at Doctors Community Hospital (DCH) did the same in Prince George’s County. This team covered 10 additional locations. “We used the same program in Prince George’s County,” said Leslie Strimel, director of Case Management, Social Work and Transition for Care at DCH. “We sent out a nurse practitioner to the communities that the county identified as being in need of this program.” Just like in Anne Arundel County, Strimel said low-income seniors in residential facilities formed these communities. Each COVID-19 Community Outreach kit has two cloth masks per resident, two laundry detergent pods and a bar of soap per apartment, along with educational resources. The printed resources are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines simplified by Wallace to help residents understand how to best protect themselves. Each kit also includes fliers that explain how to wear a mask, how to protect yourself and others, how to wash your clothes during the pandemic and much more. In Prince George’s County, the educational material includes the 211 number, which is also a crisis number for behavioral health. According to Wallace, the identified gaps already existed. However, the outbreak made these and the need to close them more obvious. “Some people told me that they just wash their clothes in hot water and don’t use any soap,” she said. “With the pandemic, a lot of our most vulnerable residents are taking a bigger burden. ‘Just doing telehealth’ is not possible without a phone or an email address. Some of these residents don’t even have a landline.” Wallace goes out at least twice every week and visits several sites to distribute kits. Additionally, she gives out kits with instructions. These are specifically for management at the sites and include best practices to protect their residents. Wallace also uses visits as an opportunity to conduct screenings. These include screenings for mental health and nutrition. According to her, many seniors she visits are scared, isolated, already limited and depressed. “We came across a senior who was very depressed,” she said. “I went through a basic screening and I gave the person the crisis response number in case they needed to reach someone. I was giving out that number at least once per building, which is common.” To date, the program’s teams conducted over 2,900 visits in Anne Arundel County and over 2,250 visits in Prince George’s County. And while it is hard to measure the true impact of the outreach, Wallace is confident the team is helping many during this difficult time. “One day, a team entered a floor to find a gentleman, with rotted nubs for teeth, standing in the hallway,” she said, adding that he started to cry. “He said he thought we missed him with our ‘masks and laundry soap’ after his sister, who lives in the same building, called him to tell him that the nurses came by her apartment.” After a short screening, they noted that he had major food insecurities and connected him to the Senior Nutrition Program. Another resident received her kit and couldn’t stop hugging it. “She was so excited to receive two laundry detergent pods,” Wallace said. Similarly, Ursula Friton, manager of Transitional Care at DCH, said residents in Prince George’s County have been very welcoming of the program. According to her, it’s been very new but a great experience both for the DCH team and the seniors. “There was a big need for this program in our county,” she said, explaining that the program is on its third week. “Seniors are happy to see us and very grateful to get their kits.” The outreach teams in both counties plan to continue working with managers at the various facilities. They plan to support the most vulnerable communities, even after the pandemic subsides. Wallace and Strimel are working with both counties and the Maryland Health Department to reach other communities that are in need of resources and information.
- Women's Health, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a source of anxiety for many. And if you’re pregnant, it’s likely you’re worried about your health and your baby’s wellbeing. That anxiety you may feel is a normal response to a threatening situation. Changes around doctors’ office visits and hospital policies have affected the pregnancy experience for most women. But, it’s important to keep in mind that these changes are being done to protect you and your baby. Your obstetrician’s goal is always safe mom and safe baby. Your obstetrician also can reassure you that the hospital is a safe place to come—whether it’s for delivery or other urgent health care concerns. Attention to safety is any hospital’s number one priority. This makes hospitals a safer place than most anywhere else you’ll visit during this pandemic. We are careful and constantly evaluating the effectiveness of our safety. And while you continue to progress through your pregnancy journey, there are several options you can consider to ease your anxiety during this pandemic. Take virtual classes. There are many interactive and informative virtual options available. Most hospitals offer their own virtual opportunities, including tours, support groups, prenatal exercises (like yoga), newborn care and breastfeeding support. These are now offered through online platforms and apps that focus on self-care and wellness throughout pregnancy. Share your worries. Share them no matter how small you may think they are. Talking to trusted friends, family and even your physician can be beneficial. Keeping your worries and anxieties to yourself can create additional anxiety. Enjoy some fresh air. Never underestimate the healing power of sunshine and the outdoors. Fresh air can help decrease anxiety and create a renewed sense of calm. Practice mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis has proven physical and emotional benefits. It can benefit your immune system, lower your blood pressure and regulate your body’s reaction to stress and fatigue. These are all very important during pregnancy, especially during this time. Consider practicing mindfulness meditation and mindful breathing outdoors. Disconnect. Take a break from social media platforms for a few days. Also, try minimizing your exposure to news coverage. It is important to be informed. But, it’s more important to find a healthy balance of reliable information without triggering anxiety. Be positive. Create a mindset to focus on all of the positives. Center your mind. Try following the daily/weekly development for you and your baby. Also, try creating positive affirmations. Hang these on the refrigerator as reminders. Make an effort to let the positives of pregnancy outweigh your worries. With good practice, minds are very capable of resetting. This will help you to focus during this worrying time. Be easy on yourself, no matter where you are on your pregnancy journey. Know that anxiety is a very normal and expected emotion in any pregnancy. Even before COVID-19 existed. Anxiety is certainly higher than usual. Especially during our new normal. But, don’t forget, there are many ways to help decrease your anxiety and worry. Reach out for mental health support if you get to a point that your anxiety is getting in the way of your daily routine. This can include impacting your appetite or sleep patterns, or by increasing your feelings of hopelessness or nervousness. Many mental health services are now virtual. If you need to, you can reach out for help within the privacy of your own home. Author Cindy Radovic, MA, BSN-BC, is clinical director of Emergency and Inpatient Mental Health Services at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To schedule an appointment with her, call 443-481-3519.
- Behavioral Health, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOur mental health is just as important to care for as our physical health. This is especially true when we’re naturally feeling more stress, fear and anxiety due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These feelings can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions for anyone, both adults and children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds us that learning to cope with stress makes you, the people you care about and your community stronger. Mental health refers to our feelings, emotions, thought patterns and behaviors. We all experience positive and negative feelings—that’s completely normal. The only difference from one person to another is how much it affects our daily functioning and how we cope. Mental disorders can affect anyone, anywhere Mental illness affects millions of people each year. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found nearly half of Americans report the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting their mental health. For the past year, we’ve led a training program on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a mental health condition. Just as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps you assist someone having a heart attack, you can help someone experiencing a mental illness by understanding how to respond to certain signs. You can help, too Having the right tools and knowledge to help can be lifesaving. It’s important if you live with or know of someone who may have a mental illness to know how to have the conversation that encourages them to get the help they need. Tips from evidence-based training include: Pay attention and approach the individual. If you live with someone experiencing a mental illness, no one notices changes more than you. Identify the stressors in their environment. Did anything change environmentally to cause their behavior change? Did they change jobs? Are they having problems with their relationships? Don’t be afraid to approach the person and ask about anything you’re noticing. Validate and honor their experience. Let the person know they’re not alone or that they should not be ashamed of their feelings. “You’ll be fine” doesn’t validate how someone feels. Be respectful of the person and how they feel about their experience. Get informed. There are endless resources available to help someone who’s experiencing a mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health First Aid and NAMI are just a few of the many organizations that provide free tools for those looking to learn more about mental health or seek to train themselves. Encourage them to seek help. Any time there’s a concern, you should talk with them. Someone may tell you they’re fine or that they don’t need help, but that doesn’t mean they’re okay. If the person’s behavior changes and is causing distress, encourage them to seek help. Early intervention can prevent symptoms from going from mild to severe. If it’s causing distress to the person, it’s time to seek help. If behavior or thinking starts to get dangerous—toward you or someone else—it’s a must to get help. Get them to their nearest emergency room. Call 911, if needed. Emergency rooms are safe and have protocols in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Know that we’ve expanded services to better support people who are in a psychiatric crisis. The J. Kent McNew Family Medical Center provides both inpatient and outpatient options for care. The medical center provides a brand new state-of-the-art inpatient psychiatric hospital, as well as our relocated psychiatric day hospital. Both have procedures in place to protect our patients from COVID-19. Living with someone who has a mental illness can be challenging, especially now. You can help us share the message that no one should be ashamed to admit they have a mental illness. If you’re well informed and equipped to intervene earlier on, not only are you helping to reduce stigma around mental illness, you’re addressing one of the most important public health issues of our time. Authors Donna Phillips, M.A., is the clinical director at the J. Kent Mcnew Medical Center’s Psychiatric Day Hospital. You can reach her at 667-204-7311. Maria Winters, LCPC, is a mental health clinician at AAMC. You can reach her at 667-204-7311.
- Cancer Care, Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWeight loss surgery has many health benefits for the obese, including lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. But many don’t realize lowering cancer risk is another reason to consider the procedure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is linked to 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S., including: Breast (in women past menopause) Colorectal Endometrial (lining of the uterus) Esophageal Gallbladder Kidney Liver Meningioma Multiple myeloma Ovarian Pancreatic Stomach Thyroid Uterine An important distinction the National Cancer Institute (NCI) makes is that obese people who have weight loss surgery appear to have lower risks of obesity-related cancers than obese people who don’t have the operation. NCI bases this off of a 2013 study on weight loss surgery, but more research continues to emerge. The Annals of Surgery published a study on bariatric surgery and cancer risk. Researchers followed 89,000 severely obese patients, including about 22,000 who had weight loss surgery, for an average follow-up of three and a half years. The patients who had weight loss surgery were 33 percent less likely to develop any cancer during the study, which ran from 2005 through 2014. When they looked specifically at obesity-related cancers, the numbers increased. Patients who had weight loss surgery were 41 percent less likely to develop obesity-related cancers, and 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with tumors linked to obesity. There are a few types of weight loss surgery. The majority of the patients in this study had gastric bypass surgery in which a small stomach pouch is created and the small intestines are rerouted. Twenty-seven percent of people in the study had sleeve gastrectomy in which a portion of your stomach is removed. In this particular study, more than 80 percent of the participants were women. It’s important to note that researchers found a link between bariatric surgery and cancer risk in women, not men. Since many cancers take years to develop, the researchers noted it’s possible their research underestimates the impact of weight loss surgery on cancer risk. Research will continue, and we’ll get a better understanding of the link between obesity, weight loss and cancer risk. Until then, the reality is that there are nearly 15 million adults in the U.S. who are severely obese. Cancer prevention is just one of the many reasons to consider bariatric surgery. To learn more about weight loss surgery, attend a free seminar at AAMC. To learn more or register, visit luminishealth.org/weight-loss-surgery. Author Alex Gandsas, MD, is a bariatric surgeon at the LHAAMC Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery Program. To reach his practice, call 443-481-6699. Originally published Jan. 22, 2018. Last updated July 5, 2023.
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