- Cancer Care, UncategorizedGeneral Page Tier 3BlogExcerpts from Living Well with Cancer podcast interview with Stephen Cattaneo, MD, thoracic surgeon at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Dr. Cattaneo discusses screening for lung cancer and Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Lung Cancer Screening Program. Listen to the entire interview here. Who should be screened for lung cancer? Those at the highest risk of lung cancer are the ones that we recommend be screened. What that means practically is folks between 55 and 80 who either are currently smoking or have stopped in the last 15 years. They also should have smoked at least 30 pack-years of cigarettes over their lifetime What that means is a pack a day for 30 years, two packs a day for 15 years, something like that to get to a multiple of 30 pack years. Is it just a one-time thing to get screened for lung cancer? No, that’s a great question. Absolutely not. In fact the important thing is not to just get the first screen but to keep getting subsequent lung cancer screenings once a year until you reach the age of 80 or until it’s been 15 years since you’ve stopped smoking. The goal of screening is to find lung cancers early, at a time when they’re treatable and we’ve learned that more cancers aren’t found on that initial scan but they’re actually found on later scans which is why it’s important to continue to follow-up and to have scans every year. Read more about a three-year, $1.25 million grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to help us expand our Rapid Access Chest and Lung Assessment Program.
- Men's Health, Women's Health, WellnessGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s not unusual to see Stephanie Hammons and Renee Franklin walking the halls of Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) at lunchtime. In fact, it’s very common to see these teammates from the Communications Department walking together on one of AAMC’s walking paths, logging steps every day on their lunch break. Stephanie and Renee share not only the demands of their busy jobs routing communications through AAMC’s entire network, but also a partnership to sustain healthy lifestyles. In the last year they have lost a combined total of 165 pounds and each credits their friendship for helping them be successful. “We help each other,” said Renee. “We share meals, recipes and we walk together on our work breaks. Stephanie helps me stay on track because I don’t want to disappoint her.” Stephanie agrees: “When we have difficulties we text each other for additional support, especially if we encounter road blocks. It’s a lot easier to do things with a friend—including losing weight.” Both Stephanie and Renee found the motivation to lose weight and get healthy in serving as role models for their children. “I was tired of the weight loss roller coaster,” said Stephanie. “I could lose weight but I would gain it back. I wanted to get healthy once and for all for my kids and myself. Best decision I ever made.” Renee’s motivations were similar: “I have a four year old son and I found it hard to keep up with his active lifestyle. I knew I had to make a change.” They both have built physical fitness and healthy eating into their family routine, and made a commitment to sticking to those routines. According to Stephanie, “I plan our family dinners ahead of time and stick to a routine each day. It’s the only way it works for me. After dinner my kids and I go to the gym together. My 14-year-old son works out with me and my 8-year-old daughter goes to the gym day care. We go to the gym five to six days a week.” In addition to walking during her breaks at work, Renee spends time in the evening running around and playing with her son. “Taking care of myself is easier since I plan out when and what I will eat,” she said. Both women say the most important part of a successful weight loss journey is do it for the right reasons and commit to making a total lifestyle change. “I have changed my mindset,” said Renee. “I have totally given up soda, fried and fatty foods, breads and pasta and I watch my sugar intake.” Stephanie agrees: “You have to make a lifestyle change not a ‘diet’ mindset. You will need to work out and eat healthy on a regular basis for life. So, do it for yourself and no one else.” And of course, finding a friend to do it with always helps, too.Finding a fitness buddy increases your chance of success creating a healthier lifestyle. Plus, AAMC offers classes, nutritional counseling and other resources through our Energize program.
- Behavioral Health, Women's Health, Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOne Friday, after a long day at work at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Christina Delfendahl decided she was done with cigarettes. She was literally tired of smoking after 16 years of the habit. A quick stop after work at the local pharmacy to pick up nicotine patches, and she was on her way to a new beginning. Christina was certain it would work this time. She tried to quit the year before, first cold turkey, then by using a prescription, then a few months later using specialized gum. She also attended free employee smoking cessation counseling at AAMC. The counseling provided support and resources, and the counselors developed a personal plan to help Christina cope with the ups and downs of quitting. Before she wasn’t quite ready to kick the habit, but now this pack-a-day smoker really wanted to do it. “I knew it would work this time because I was ready. I really wanted it. I knew it would be a few weeks with the patches and that made it easier to know there was an end not far away. It ended up taking four months with the patches before I was smoke-free,” says Christina. Christina adds that having a support system made a difference. “My co-workers had been encouraging me to stop smoking for long time and once I decided to do it, they were there to help me stick with it,” she says. It’s been almost one year since Christina quit and she feels great. Christina is doing CrossFit classes and enjoys having more energy, a better sense of smell and an overall healthy living lifestyle. As an added bonus, Christina set aside the money she would have spent on cigarettes, saving enough to buy a new bedroom set. Ready to quit? Learn more about smoking cessation programs at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Courses and individual counseling are free if you live, work or attend school in Anne Arundel County. If you live elsewhere in the region, our staff may be able to navigate you to free resources in your area so please call 443-481-5366. If you’re an employee, we have specific resources for you, too.
- Community, News & Press Releases, Patient & Family AdvisorsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen Lucretia Jackson entered the hospital for surgery in January, she knew she would never be in the dark about her care. From the moment she woke up, Lucretia would know when her next test was scheduled, what level of pain she should expect, the names of the nurses caring for her, what number to call for questions, and much more. She knew this because she had helped design the whiteboards hanging in every patient’s room. Lucretia is a patient advisor on the hospital’s Patient Safety Committee that developed the whiteboards. “It was a comfort for me,” she says, “because when the nurses came in, I could call them by name. They discussed my goals, my potential discharge date, and my pain management. Everything was clearly addressed and included on the whiteboard.” New Approach Wins Accolades Unlike traditional inpatient room whiteboards, the new patient and family-centered whiteboards at AAMC are not blank slates, but rather charts to be filled in with the information patients want to know. A new approach that rethinks the way hospitals communicate with their patients, the whiteboards won the prestigious 2015 Minogue Award for Patient Safety Innovation. It’s the highest award given by the Maryland Patient Safety Center, and the new whiteboard was selected from among 74 other innovative ideas from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and New York. Shirley Knelly, AAMC’s vice president for Patient Safety and Quality, says patient advisors such as Lucretia helped identify the need for a better way to communicate with patients and families. Together, they came up with an idea for a revised whiteboard and designed it based on patient input. “Originally, we wanted to use the boards to tell patients what we thought they should know about,” says Shirley. “Our ideas included such things as their dietary requirements and fall risk, but that’s not what’s most important to a patient. What’s important to the patient is when they are scheduled for tests such as MRIs and x-rays, and what to do if they have questions. They want to be assured that hospital staff have the name of a contact person to call if they can’t speak for themselves.” Those are things the safety committee has included in the whiteboards, and they’ve trained every member of the patient care teams to use them. “It’s a different level of transparency from the patient’s perspective,” says Lucretia. The innovative approach has gained a great deal of attention from other hospitals. In March, Lucretia and Shirley gave a presentation on the whiteboards at the Maryland Patient Safety Center’s annual conference. “Three hundred participants attended the presentation,” Shirley says. “Many hospitals have asked for a copy of our whiteboards.” Shirley says she was overwhelmed with excitement when she heard the patient and family-centered inpatient whiteboards had been chosen for the Minogue Award. “The family advisors and the patient safety committee worked so hard on the board,” she says. “To be recognized statewide as the winner of this award is something we are very proud of, but what’s most satisfying is that it really improves the patient and family experience here at AAMC, and that other hospitals are going to be using it, too.”
- Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLast summer, Michelle Pack was just doing what parents do in every playground across the country—helping her daughter on the slide. At 14 months, Annetta was too young to go alone, so Michelle went down the slide with her daughter nestled between her legs. That evening Annetta, who had been walking since she was 10 months old, would not put weight on her leg. By the next morning she wouldn’t stand in her crib, so Michelle took her to Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists. Orthopedic surgeon Edward Holt, MD, confirmed that Annetta had broken her leg while sliding with her mother. “I see about seven or eight of this type of fracture every year,” says Dr. Holt. It happens when the grippy sole of a toddler’s shoe prevents his or her foot from sliding forward. The shoe sticks, but the weight and momentum of the parent twists and breaks the child’s leg. Often, the parent doesn’t even realize it’s happened, as was the case with Michelle and Annetta. “It’s not something that needs surgery,” says Dr. Holt. “Usually they just need a cast, but the parent is devastated that he or she broke the child’s leg.” Like most parents, Michelle says she had never heard about the risks of sliding with a toddler. Dr. Holt says it isn’t being publicized in the medical community either. So, about four years ago, he began to campaign for public awareness on sliding board safety. The word has been spreading steadily since he received attention in The New York Times and in local news outlets. Last fall, in a partnership with Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, AAMC posted signs to educate parents and care providers of the risks of sliding with a toddler. The signs are posted at every Anne Arundel County playground. “My recommendation for parents who want their 2-year-olds to go on the slide is to let them go by themselves,” says Dr. Holt. “Or, if they feel compelled to slide with the child, take the rubber-soled tennis shoes off first.” Watch a video featuring Dr. Holt talk about sliding board safety.
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