- Community, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogEvery day we learn something new about the coronavirus (COVID-19). But as we continue to gather new information, myths about the virus have also been spreading fast. It is critical that we are able to tell apart facts and misinformation, especially as it impacts vulnerable communities. Current data shows an unequal burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health disparities among racial and ethnic groups are traced to economic and social conditions, such as living conditions, work circumstances, underlying health conditions and access to care. Here are the facts: Truth 1: COVID-19 has the potential to affect everyone. COVID-19 impacts all races and ethnicities. However, older people and people with other underlying health conditions – such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes – are at a higher risk of getting seriously ill. Truth 2: It is not proven that certain hot drinks or foods will prevent infection. There is no evidence that drinking hot fluids, lemon juice or alcohol, or eating hot peppers or garlic, will prevent you from getting COVID-19. There are two different paths just past our tongue. One is our esophagus for food and liquids. The other is our trachea for breathing. Inhaling small droplets of the virus is the most common way the virus enters our bodies. Truth 3: Children, teens and young adults can get the virus. The virus infects people all ages. However, older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. Truth 4: Bathing in hot water does not prevent the virus. Taking a hot bath after exposure to COVID-19 will not kill the virus inside your body. Your best defense is preventing exposure. For example, washing your hands often, wearing a face covering and physical distancing from people who aren’t in your household. Since distancing from people is not always an option for everyone, wearing a mask or facial covering is especially important. Frequent and thorough hand washing is best. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is also an option when access to soap and water is limited. Truth 5: It’s possible that if you don’t feel sick or show any symptoms you can still spread the virus. Many people who feel well can actually have COVID-19 and spread it. It’s important to follow the CDC’s recommendation to wear a mask and maintain six feet of distance from others. Truth 6: Hospitals are safe. Hospitals are safe, ready and open to provide you safe expert care, including preventive appointments, select surgeries, procedures and diagnostic testing. Safety protocols are in place to offer the highest standards of care. Our doors are open and we are ready to treat patients with non-COVID related medical needs in a safe environment. Truth 7: Everyone can seek medical care. Seeking medical attention will not make any legal processes, like getting a green card, more difficult in the future. Everyone should seek medical care if needed. As we continue to learn more about this pandemic, it’s important that you take care of yourself. Do not delay or be afraid to seek medical care when you need it. Authors Tamiko Stanley is the director of Diversity and Inclusion at Luminis Health.
- Cancer Care, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWe are living in a time of great uncertainty due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has forced us to stay home, change our behaviors and in many cases, cancel our plans. But one activity you shouldn’t postpone or cancel is getting a mammogram. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray that allows doctors to look for changes in breast tissue. It is the best tool doctors have for early detection of breast cancer. If you are scheduled to get a mammogram this year, here are some important things to remember. Early detection is key With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. According to the American Cancer Society, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. In the U.S., one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Mammograms don’t prevent breast cancer. But they can save your life by detecting cancer early, typically before a lump can be felt and when it is the easiest to treat. This is why our survival rates are so high. The five-year survival rate for all breast cancer cases is 90 percent. But, when breast cancer is found early and hasn’t spread beyond the breast, the five-year survival rate is 99 percent. There are two types of mammograms, screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms. Radiologists use screening mammograms to look for signs of breast cancer in women without symptoms or other issues. Diagnostic mammograms scan a woman’s breast if she has symptoms, such as a lump, or if a screening mammogram detects a change. When should you begin getting mammograms? Women who are 25 and older should have a formal risk assessment for breast cancer, according to the Society for Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines. This involves a meeting with your primary care doctor or other provider. They will look at your risk based on family history of breast and ovarian cancers. Women whose mother or sister had breast or ovarian cancer have the highest risk. However, you want to look out for any family patterns of cancer. The SBI and ACR recommend that women with an average risk of breast cancer begin getting yearly mammograms at 40. Women who are higher risk should begin getting mammograms based on their provider’s recommendations, plus annual supplemental imaging. Cancers grow at different rates and a “normal” mammogram one year is no guarantee that things won’t change in a year. That’s why it’s important to stick to an annual schedule. If you notice any changes in the way your breasts look and feel, call your doctor immediately. Your provider can show you how to do a breast self-exam if you have questions. Mammograms and COVID-19 We understand these are unprecedented times and there are many unknowns. However, we also know that it is safer than ever to come to our outpatient offices for your mammogram. We want to assure you that we have safety measures in place to protect our patients and our staff from exposure to the virus. Our safety guidelines include: Extensive cleaning throughout the day of our equipment and office space. Temperature screenings for both patients and staff as well as screenings for other COVID-19 risk factors. Spacing out appointments so there aren’t too many patients in waiting rooms at one time. This also gives us more time to focus on individual patients. We can also have patients wait in their cars until it is time to come inside. Requiring all of our providers and staff to wear masks. We are happy to provide patients with a mask if they don’t have one. As we welcome patients back into our office safely, we also want to remind you to please stay home if you are sick. If you think you have symptoms of COVID-19, here’s what to do. If it’s time for you to come in for your mammogram, please don’t let fear keep you from getting this life-saving screening. Cancer won’t wait until the pandemic ends. And you shouldn’t, either. We are here and ready to take care of you and your breast health. Wen Liang, DO, FACOS, is a breast surgeon with the Rebecca Fortney Breast Center. She can be reached at 443-481-5300. Amy Sarina, MD, is a radiologist with Annapolis Radiology Associates. She can be reached at 410-266-2770.
- CommunityGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn the wake of recent events, Luminis Health CEO Tori Bayless shares how our health system plans to confront racism, together. It is impossible to witness what we all are witnessing this week without sharing these words with you… Racism. It is an ugly reality that pervades our society. It has no place in our country, in our community, or in our health system. We will confront racism head on, and take action against it. Overt. Systemic. And everything in between. The recent, senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are the most recent incidents of a long-standing legacy of inequity that demands justice. They demand that we do better. This problem that lingers in our society is not the burden of people of color alone. The ugliness is impacting our co-workers, patients, friends and family. Therefore, it is our problem to confront together. In the tumultuous days since the murder of George Floyd, emotions are understandably running high. Outrage. Grief. Sadness. Fear. Anger. Together we are planning our response as a health system that will underscore our commitment to justice and to every human life. We will do it together, as a team. As one. We also are caregivers. And we will care for each other, our patients and our community through this unrest and this ugly reality. We need to ask, how can we work together to understand those who need to be heard and protected? How can I be a better ally to my colleagues? It goes even deeper. How can I hear what I am not hearing? As a health system our core values fight against racism – but is it enough? Are we making progress? Today, I encourage you to check on each other. Offer to listen. Think about actions you can take, big and small, to start making a difference. I will be doing the same. And we will share our organizational response with you in the coming days. Together, we can heal and make change happen. Together we will be a part of the solution and support the eradication of inequity.
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogHolding a red marker, Teri Boss writes ‘thank you’ on the inside label of each newly sewn gown. She sketches a tiny red heart beside every ‘thank you’ she writes. These gowns do not have an ordinary purpose. They adorn the backs of nurses at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) who are working every minute to save the lives of COVID-19 patients. Boss is one of nearly 40 community volunteers who have sewn almost 900 isolation gowns for the nurses of AAMC. In April, during our patient surge, the sewers produced 50-80 gowns a day. “I wanted to give back and take care of my country during this difficult time,” said Boss, a first-generation Polish American, who came to the U.S. in the early 2000s. “The love I’ve received from people in this country inspired me to help.” Teri Boss is one of nearly 40 community volunteers who have sewn almost 900 isolation gowns for the nurses of AAMC. Despite great efforts to conserve gowns during the pandemic, the supply was running low and more were needed for nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. “None of us were sleeping. We were worried about running out of isolation gowns,” said Joan Twigg, RN, who coordinated the gown conversions. “We have to protect our health care workers during this pandemic and back then we were seeing a lot more COVID-19 patients than we are now.” Sewing Angels Twigg said AAMC obtained 800-1,000 lab jackets to help with the shortage. They were not an easy replacement to isolation gowns because they opened in the front. Isolation gowns open in the back to prevent contamination. Twigg took some of the lab jackets home to see if she could make them work. Despite creating a prototype isolation gown, which sealed up the front and opened in the back, she still had a problem. “I brought them into the hospital and said ‘If we could just get a room full of sewers for two days we can do this,’” Twigg said. This was not an easy fix due to social distancing and visitor restrictions enacted by the hospital to protect patients and staff. Twigg contacted a friend who is a family and consumer sciences (FACS) education teacher to see if she could help or knew anyone who could. The friend connected her to FACS teacher, Lenore Martin, who reached out to her sewing network. Martin, who has sewn for years, reached out to fellow sewers and created a video to show them how to put the gowns together. With that, the volunteer COVID-19 sewing gown operation was born. Volunteer Lenore Martin sews gowns for AAMC nurses. “I think all of us feel great about being able to help,” Martin said. “It’s not a lot that people who aren’t qualified in the medical field can really do right now. I’m just really thankful that our sewing abilities are able to be beneficial to the hospital and to the nurses.” The gowns are made out of tent-like material and are washable for reuse. The reuse factor solved the gown shortage problem. Volunteer Julie Bays Julie Bays is a FACS teacher and a lifelong sewer. She learned from her grandmother at the age of 10. She calls sewing her “happy place” and was glad to join the team of sewers. Helping was personal for her. “I have a daughter who works in the emergency room,” Bays said. “I admire how she gets up and goes to work every day with such a willing spirit. It was really nice that I could do a little bit to help the people on the front lines.” The volunteers’ work has not gone unnoticed. They have received notes of thanks from nurses and photos with them wearing their gowns. Some AAMC nurses refer to the network of sewers as angels. They have sent pictures holding up signs that say, “Thank you, sewing angels.” Making a Difference Bays and other volunteers have also sewn masks and scrub caps for AAMC during the pandemic. Volunteer Monette Callahan Like Bays, Monette Callahan also has a personal connection to health care. Her son is an ICU nurse who is currently caring for COVID-19 patients in Baltimore. Regularly he tells her of the challenges that front line workers are facing. “My son says, ‘This is for real mom. This is scary. It’s not like what you see on social media,” Callahan said. Ultimately, Callahan wants to do her part to support her son as well as others working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I enjoy sewing the gowns because I know I’m helping and making a difference in my own way,” she said. “I have the skills, I have the machine and I have the time. Why not go ahead and help?” Learn ways you can help our community.
- 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.
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