Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss colon cancer with Michael B. Tempel, MD, colorectal surgeon, and Kim LaVaye Brown, RN, OCN, nurse navigator with Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital Cancer Center,

Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White are joined by Ahmed Sabe, M.D., executive director of Cardiovascular Services at Mercy Medical Center, and Daniel Harvey, physician assistant for Mercy Cardiovascular Institute (MCI), discuss COVID-19 concerns and recommendations for those with cardiovascular disease during the Health Matters radio program on News-Talk 1480 WHBC. They will also discuss MCI’s new 24/7 line, ensuring patients have access to a medical professional to have their questions and concerns addressed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Thanks for listening today! We’d like to remind our listeners, if you suspect you have a medical issue, please contact your healthcare provider. Thanks to our sponsors Mercy Medical Center, Studio Arts & Glass. As always, we thank our listeners for joining us on Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. Have a healthy week and we’ll see you again next Friday right here on News Talk 1480 WHBC.

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Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White talk with Sereen Zawahri Krasuna, MS, RD, LD, program coordinator for Mercy Weight Management, joins us and will be discussing healthy holiday eating, including baking substitutions, delicious appetizer alternatives and additional tips and tricks to keep your holiday eating and drinking in check.

Thanks for listening today! We’d like to remind our listeners, if you suspect you have a medical issue, please contact your healthcare provider. Thanks to our sponsors Mercy Medical Center, Studio Arts & Glass As always, we thank our listeners for joining us on Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. Have a healthy week and we’ll see you again next Friday right here on News Talk 1480 WHBC.

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Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss Home Health Care with Carrie Samijlenko, Community Educator, and Darlene King, Field Administrator, for Mercy Medical Center Home Health.

Carrie and Darlene are discussing home health care, its benefits to patients and family members, the qualifications needed to receive home health care, the specialties involved, and how to know when home health care is appropriate.

Sometimes the best medicine can be the comfortable, familiar surroundings of your own home. Mercy Medical Center Home Health Care provides skilled nursing, therapy and other services to promote recovery, rehabilitation and maximum independence 24-hours a day, seven days a week in the comfort of your home.

To learn more about Mercy Medical Center Home Health, please call 234-203-3211 or visit https://www.cantonmercy.org/homecare/

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Podcast Audio:

Thanks for listening today! We’d like to remind our listeners, if you suspect you have a medical issue, please contact your healthcare provider. Thanks to our sponsors Mercy Medical Center, Studio Arts & Glass. As always, we thank our listeners for joining us on Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. Have a healthy week and we’ll see you again next Friday right here on News Talk 1480 WHBC.

Learn About Medicine Center Services:

Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss visits with Barbara Frustaci, BSN, RN, Administrative Director Mercy Medical Center Canton Ohio 

You can find all our Health Matters Podcasts here:  iTunes   Google Play  Stitcher

5/15/2020 Show Notes 

Good morning and welcome to Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. I’m your pharmacist, Paul White. We’re glad you joined us. Before we begin, I would like to thank our sponsors, Mercy Medical Center and Studio Arts & Glass, We continue our shows from our administrative offices and wish our friends at WHBC and our listening audience continued good health. Our guest today is Barbara Frustaci, BSN, RN and Administrative Director of Mercy Offsite and Rehabilitation Services. Barbara, welcome back to the show. Thanks for joining us, we are looking forward to talking with you today.

Barbara replies:

Brad:   Like so many aspects of our lives, covid19 has changed everything; especially in the health care community.  Today we will talk with Barbara about the importance of resuming health and wellness physician visits, the safety of our hospitals and moving forward with elective procedures and the resumption of scheduling wellness visits.

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Paul:  While it seems like we have been living under the cloud of this pandemic forever, the reality is it has been about 8 weeks and in that time everything has changed.  Like our pharmacies, Mercy Medical Center’s priority is the health of their patients.  The first step in moving forward is having confidence in the safety of our facilities.  Can you tell us what Mercy Medical Center is doing to keep their facilities safe for patients?

Barbara replies:

Of course, Paul! Our patients can be assured that our main hospital as well as our 10 Health Centers and physician offices are following enhanced cleaning and sanitizing processes in accordance with CDC guidelines. Our waiting room seating at all of our facilities has been rearranged to ensure proper social distancing. We ask that ALL patients wear a face covering or mask during their visit. We also ask that all patients come to their visit or appointment, alone, if possible.  Hand sanitizer is conveniently located for all of our patients to use at any time. Rest assured our employees are practicing proper hand hygiene and are wearing masks to protect our patients and themselves. We always want to remind our patients that proper hand hygiene is critical in order to stop the spread of infection. Also, at our main hospital campus, all patients are screened and temperatures are taken before being allowed into our hospital in an effort to protect our patients and employees. Our patients’ health and safety continues to be our #1 priority as we navigate this pandemic.

Paul:  I understand elective procedures have resumed.  How are procedures prioritized?

Barbara replies:

Yes, Mercy Medical Center has reopened all physician practices and is now performing diagnostic testing not requiring an overnight stay, these include: mammography, pulmonary function testing, sleep studies, therapy services, including physician, occupational, speech therapies and lung screenings. Our surgical teams reviewing surgical cases that have been cancelled and will be prioritizing and rescheduling them in the coming weeks. So, any patients who previously had surgery scheduled then cancelled due to COVID-19, they will be hearing from our team in the next few weeks. Our team will make sure that our previously scheduled surgeries will be handled before adding on new diagnostic and surgical procedures. 

Paul:  What should patients and their families know before coming to a Mercy site for a procedure?

Barbara replies:

That’s a great question, Paul. What our patients and their families need to know before coming to any of our facilities is:

1.    We request that the patient come inside the facility alone, if possible.

2.    We request that the patient has a face covering or face mask already on when entering the Mercy facility

3.    When you enter a Mercy facility, be prepared to be screened and have your temperature taken

4.    If you have COVID-19 symptoms or think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, do NOT come to your procedure or appointment. We ask that you contact your healthcare provider for further direction. If you have emergency COVID-19 warning signs, including trouble breathing, seek medical attention right away. Call 911 or call your nearest emergency facility.

Brad:  The media has emphasized the need for families to social distance while their loved one is being treated or having surgery.  This is a significant concern for many listeners.  How does Mercy handle these situations and keep family members informed?

Barbara replies:

This is correct, Brad, right now Mercy Medical Center, along with all of the local hospitals, have a no visitation policy for safety and protection of our patients and employees. We encourage patients and their families to stay connected virtually, via cell phones, hospital telephones, tablets or computers 24 hours a day. We understand that this is very difficult for our patients and their families and friends. Our Mercy healthcare providers are so kind and understanding, they are helping some of the patients stay connected with family and friends by assisting the patient with Facetime, Skype, etc. We know that connecting with family and friends is so important to the healing process, and our employees want to make that happen in every way possible while adhering to social distancing standards.

Brad:  It seems as though Covid19 has increased awareness and an almost urgent need to utilize Telemedicine.  Can you explain what Telemedicine means to a patient?

 Barbara replies:

Telemedicine allows patients and healthcare providers to communicate via video, phone, or email for diagnosis, treatment, and general care. It allows patients to have virtual appointments with their healthcare providers from the comfort of their own homes. Our Mercy Primary Care Physicians actually have their own telemedicine service, Teladoc, so that they can still hold virtual appointments to treat and diagnose while maintaining social distancing.                    

Brad:  What conditions or symptoms are recommended as being treatable for Telemedicine? 

Barbara replies:

Telemedicine programs like Mercy’s Teladoc can be used for minor health issues that don't require lab tests or imaging to diagnose. Allergies, coughs, colds, flu, infections, insect bites, sprains, and gastrointestinal symptoms can all be evaluated virtually. Of course, for emergency or life-threatening situations, call 911 immediately or go to the nearest emergency facility.

Brad:  Who staffs Telemedicine and how safe is it?

Barbara replies:

Mercy physicians who utilize the Teladoc technologies with their patients, the service is staffed by our physician office employees who call the patient a few minutes for their scheduled appointment to get them registered before their virtual visit with their healthcare provider. With telehealth technologies, patient adherence to care increases, access to care is improved, providers can network with each other, and the safety of patients can be monitored more closely in homes and alternative living facilities. 

Brad:  Does Telemedicine replace our family doctor, or do they communicate and share patient history and other information?

Barbara replies:

Brad, The Teladoc telemedicine program that Mercy utilizes is an actual appointment with your normal healthcare provider, so, no, they do not replace your family doctor, it is simply a more convenient, safer form of appointment with your already established provider. 

Paul:  Do most insurances cover Telemedicine?

Barbara replies:

Telemedicine services through Mercy incur the typical co-pay, but, depends on your insurance plan.

Paul:  How does Telemedicine improve patient outcomes?

 Barbara replies:

Since patients are visiting virtually, it is very convenient – it removed hurdles such as no transportation, or difficulty in transportation to physical limitations. By removing those barriers, it ensured that the patients make and keep their appointments. Also, since the patient is staying at home for the appointment, they are practicing social distancing and staying safe and healthy at home.

Brad:  How is Telemedicine good for our community?

Barbara replies:

During this current pandemic, telemedicine has allowed our communities to still seek medical attention for non covid-19 – related illnesses and injuries, while still practicing social distancing, and allowing patients to stay safe and healthy at home.

Paul:  For the past 8 weeks almost, everything has stopped.  Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.  How do we return to normal and what recommendations do you have to help us feel safe and confident as we return to regular appointments?

                           Barbara replies:

It will definitely be a slow, very slow return to every day life. Our community can stay safe and confident by continuing to practice safe social distancing, following all recommended CDC guidelines, practicing good hand hygiene, wearing a face covering or face mask in public areas. We are all in this together. There is no need to panic or be scared. We ask everyone to practice all of the above safe practices while still enjoying all of the wonderful activities and entertainment opportunities as they are allowed to open and be utilized.

Brad:  If listeners are concerned about returning to general health and wellness visits, how would you help them understand the importance of maintaining their health visits?

Barbara replies:

Maintaining health appointments are just as important as ever! In order to protect yourself against COVID-19 and any other illnesses and viruses out there, you need to keep yourself as healthy as possible and your immune system as strong as possible. Telemedicine, as we discussed earlier, is an excellent and convenient way to keep up with your healthcare providers during this time, without leaving the safety of your own home.

Paul:  Should listeners be prioritizing their health and wellness visits – and what guidelines might you offer to help them?

Barbara replies:

Keeping up on your routine health and wellness visits and screenings are important, Paul. We encourage patients to use virtual/telemedicine options with their physicians right now. Our Mercy STATCAREs are also offering telemedicine/virtual appointments as well – so you don’t have to leave the safety of your home, even for a STATCARE visit. Do you what you feel is safe. If you have routine bloodwork, that is not emergent, then hold off until you feel it is safe to go and get it done. And, as always, if you have life-threatening illness or injury, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency facility. 

Brad:  How are hospitals prioritizing elective surgeries and are they limited to offsite facilities?

Barbara replies:

Many of the diagnostic procedures such as mammography, pulmonary function testing and sleep studies are being done at our main hospital campus as well as select off-site facility. Our surgical teams reviewing surgical cases that have been cancelled and will be prioritizing and scheduling them in the coming weeks. So, any patients who previously had surgery scheduled then cancelled due to COVID-19, they will be hearing from our team in the next few weeks. Our team will make sure that our previously scheduled surgeries will be handled before adding on new diagnostic and surgical procedures. Surgical procedures are only done at our main hospital campus.

Brad:  Are they limited to same day procedures to minimize overnight stays in the hospital?

Barbara replies:

That is correct, Brad, as of right now we are only doing outpatient surgical procedures that do NOT require an over night stay  to keep patients out of the hospital it at all possible. Since the stay-at-home/stay-safe orders are still in place, the safest place for our patients to be is at home, practicing social distancing. This keep our surgical patients, our inpatients and our employees as safe as possible.

Thank you to our guest, Barbara Frustaci, BSN, RN, Administrative Director of Mercy Offsite Rehabilitation. We would like to remind our listeners, if you suspect you have a medical issue, please contact your health care provider. Thanks to our sponsors, Mercy Medical Center, Studio Arts & Glass. As always, we thank our listeners for joining us on Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy. Have a healthy week and we’ll see you again next Friday right here on News Talk 1480 WHBC.

Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss Tips for Staying Safe and Well this Winter.

Coronavirus Resources:

This program aired on March 6th, 2020 and the information detailed in the audio of the podcast was current at that time. We have updated this post with local resources to keep you informed about the developing situation at hand.

Ohio Department of Health

CDC COVID-19 Site

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

Coronavirus Symptoms vs Influenza Symptoms

Steps to Prevent Illness

Managing Coronavirus-related Stress

You can find all our Health Matters Podcasts here:  iTunes   Google Play  Stitcher

This episode is sponsored by Mercy Medical Center and Studio Arts and Glass.

Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss TAVR aortic valve replacement with Dr. Ahmed Sabe, president of the Heart Hospital at Mercy Medical Center in Canton Ohio.

This is a special two part series that is detailed in the attached podcasts.

You can find all our Health Matters Podcasts here:  iTunes   Google Play  Stitcher

This episode is sponsored by Mercy Medical Center and Studio Arts and Glass.

Health Matters is a weekly radio show sponsored by the Medicine Center Pharmacy on WHBC 1480 AM in Canton, Ohio. This episode pharmacists Brad White and Paul White discuss the role of a Hospitalist with Dr. Michael Linz, Chief of Inpatient Medicine with Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio.

You can find all our Health Matters Podcasts here: iTunes Google Play Stitcher

Hospital stays can be full of surprises; one might be that the doctor who shows up in place of your personal physician. Hospitalist medicine is the fastest-growing medical specialty in the United States. Demand for this specialty was initially fueled by managed care efforts to bolster efficiency, cut costs, and improve care. Today, patients admitted to the hospital tend to be more severely ill. Hospital-based doctors can better attend such patients, respond to their problems and navigate the hospital’s increasingly complex systems.

Today we're going to talk with Dr. Michael Linz and we're going to talk about what a hospitalist is and how during a time, when a patient might feel vulnerable, they are there to manage their care and work with their personal physician.

We'd like to remind our listeners today that our program's also available on our podcast. You can just look for Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy in your favorite podcast app, and listen to any of our programs anytime. You can also post up questions on our live Facebook feed today. [00:42]

What is a Hospitalist?

Quiz Time!  Choose your answer from the possible answers below:

1. A groupie of the TV show “House”, who's obsessed with the smell of hospitals, and hangs out in the waiting room all day, talking with the ladies at the information desk, drinking day-old coffee, and eating packages of stale Graham crackers.

2. The real application of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, waking up every morning and perpetual training in the residency program, being on call 24/7, no patient cap and no duty restriction hours.

3. Your third choice is, not actually a physician at all, but an undercover administrator hired by the hospitalist to control utilization management, kind of like Undercover Boss that infiltrates the medical staff and reports all rumors back to the CEO.

4. The last potential answer is the main cog in the fastest-growing specialty in American medical history, boasting more than 50,000 physicians in a mere 20-plus years, transforming itself, not only into an indispensable part of the hospitalist patient's care and management team, but the key driver in future health systems delivery and payment reform. [01:56]

The answer is D.

History of Hospitalist Concept

Interestingly, this is a concept that started in California in the early 1990s. It was first brought into play by the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, but it really first became its own entity in 1996, where Paul Wachter, who is known as the father of hospitalist medicine, coined the term “hospitalist” in the New England journal article in 1996. So, it actually started in earnest and the University of San Francisco, California. So, it's only been around for 20-plus years. [03:20]

Can Smaller Hospitals Do This?

Hospitalist programs can be anywhere from 30 or 40 docs up to three, four or five physicians. A union hospital in Dover, which is a relatively small hospital and an access hospital has hospitalist program. They have programs out in Coshocton and in some of the critical access hospitals, much smaller in size than sometimes you may have just one hospitalist working as an admissions position for the day, but it can be anywhere from one to a hundred. [05:32]

What are the Pros of Hospitalist Medicine?

Well, that's the premise; it's easier said than done. The advantage of the hospitalist model is you have physicians that are hospital-based, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, you have immediate access to care at the bedside. You have efficiencies in moving through testing procedures, working with consultants. You have protocols that are in place for managing length of stay, and efficiencies of transfers of care. And so you have somebody who is there, basically, at all hours of the day, and we really work as an extension of the primary care physician as far as communication and interaction with them as well. [07:03]

Availability of physicians 24/7

Mercy not only has a hospitalist program, which is medicine and whatnot, they also have an OBGYN hospitalist program as well. So, OB-hospitalists that, again, are there 24/7 and help with the deliveries and whatnot. There are hospitalists in pediatrics, neurology, and also in the post-transitional care in the nursing facilities as well. So it's really a continuum of care that's being developed and integrated. [08:27]

What if you want to see your own doctor instead of a hospitalist?

Normally, your primary care physician notifies their patient population that they don't go to the hospital regularly, and that they're being cared for by hospitalists. So, we have an understood relationship with which physicians that we take care of their patients or not. And so I've really never had anybody say, “I don't want you to take care of me”. I've had instances where we'll get the primary care physician, maybe on the phone, and we have a three-way conversation. But, generally, it's been a smooth process, and I think the population understands the changes in healthcare and how medicine works. [09:15]

How do we become a Hospitalist?

The majority of the hospitalists, probably 90% of hospitalists, are graduates of an internal medicine residency program, which is a hospital-based program. So, you have to have a residency graduate training, just like you would in any other primary care specialty.

There's a growing number of programs that are actually having different tracks where you can go into the training program and move as an inpatient track, really moving as a hospitalist or an outpatient track where you're going to work in the outpatient setting. Family medicine, which traditionally has always been an outpatient practice, now also has an inpatient track as well, and I have to my physicians or family medicine grads, who did an intensive inpatient program, and so it is definitely stratifying to its own drummer. And I think eventually there will be specifically categorized programs in hospitals medicine as more of the teaching programs are overseen by academic hospitalists. [10:37]

What are the work models for a Hospitalist?

There are various work models for the hospitalist system. The most common or traditional is what's called a “seven-on seven-off model” where a physician will work seven days in a row and then have seven days off. The shifts are usually 12 hours, seven in the morning till seven in the evening, and then seven in the evening till seven in the morning, depending on what your work shift is. Other models are a “Monday through Friday model” where a physician will work Monday through Friday at various times, and then weekends are done on a rotational basis.

The seven-on seven-off model has various mutations as well, where people work part of a week, especially if they're part-time, or they have families at home and they want to work just X amount of shifts per month, there are swing shifts that come in throughout the day. So, there are all these machinations off this model, but that's the traditional model that works. [15:24]

What type of patients do you care for?

Our hospital is a team that cares for all patients that come through the door that have medical issues. So, we take care of patients who are co-managed with the intensivist and the ICU, with the cardiologists in the CCU, with cardiovascular surgeons. We admit all the normal traditional health issues to the hospital: pneumonia, congestive heart failure, infections, abdominal pain. We also work on a consultant role for the trauma program. So, a patient comes in with trauma we’ll handle their medical issues, or we'll do consultant work for orthopedic care or rehab care.

So, we really run the entire spectrum. And again, there are specialized physicians within their same disciplines. So, in internal medicine, we don't see young children, and we don't do any OB. So, the obstetricians have OB hospitalist, the pediatricians have a pediatric hospitalist. So, it's divided based on training. [17:49]

Tell us about Sound Physicians

Sound Physicians, it’s a very cool story. It was founded in 2001 by a physician by the name of Rob Bessler, who's from Ohio, grew up in Berea, did his medical education at Case Western and his residency at Cleveland Clinic. He ended up on the West Coast in Tacoma, Washington, and with eight or nine other guys started a hospitalist program was one hospital in Tacoma with nine doctors in 2001. So, fast forward, 19 years, and Sound Physicians is the largest hospital management group in the country. They are 42 states, 3,500 providers, over 350 hospitals, and all physician-run, physician-led, physician-managed, which is very comforting to myself knowing that I have a physician at the top of the chain who is making decisions based on safety and quality of health care. [20:52]

What other advantages are there of the hospitalist model?

Well, there are a number of advantages:

1. The data is pretty strong as it reduces the cost of care, predominantly, by being able to reduce length of stay, improve efficiencies, have testing done in a timely manner, getting results back, co-managing with the consultants, discussing with them, working at the bedside with the patient and families, working with the case management department, and moving people through in a timely manner; not rushing people through their hospital stay, but working efficiently.

2. The other important thing is, even though it decreases the length of stay, it does not affect; we never allow patient safety and quality of care to be superseded by time. So, that's very important.

3. The other advantage is quality of care and patient satisfaction scores are higher in the hospitalist medicine model. Again, because you're there, you can go back and see the patient two or three times a day, meet with the family, discuss things, meet with the consultant. So, it's the ability to have one on one open communication that is really, really a key.

So, our model allows us time at the bedside rather than having us have to go into the computer and have our head buried in a laptop. We actually sit down at the bedside and talk to the patients and comfort them, and actually provide them the time that they require. [25:27]

The other advantage to the program is what we call work-life balance. It's bantered about a lot but is a real entity. Young physicians coming out of training, like the idea of time-working, time-not-working ability to have time with a family to do other things. Sometimes physicians who may want to go on to further specialty training will take what's called a gap-year or two, work as a hospitalist either to solidify what they want to do long-term, work on research projects on the weeks they're off or pay off debt. [27:41]

What are the disadvantages of this model?

The main disadvantage, in my opinion, is that the model itself purposely creates a discontinuity of care. Again, not having your primary care physician take care of you, who you may be gone to for 20 years and they know you like the back of your hand, and so you're meeting somebody who you don't know, who's going to take care of you and have to figure out everything in a matter of day if they're in for an observation; a matter of hours. We have physicians that come and work a couple of days here a couple of days there. So, there's maybe one physician that you have Monday, Tuesday, and then maybe another physician Wednesday, Thursday. So, there's some disconnect there as well. There definitely is not an optimal model for communicating with the primary care physician and having their input as well. So, these are our definite disadvantages to the model itself. [28:43]

FAQs on Coronavirus

We see the trends just based on our patient population because we take care of 150 people or more a day on my service. So, we're seeing what's coming through, and so we'll see trends in different viral infections, different bacterial infections, as well as infections that set people up for secondary pneumonia. In general, the influenza virus has not had a big impact this year. We guesstimate on our service that we’ll probably see that rise in March. Now, we're seeing mostly RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) which is a virus mostly seen in children, and then Rhinovirus and Enterovirus, and human metapneumovirus which sets people up then to secondary pneumonia, which is probably still pneumococcal pneumonia.

Coronavirus is not caused by drinking Mexican beer by the way, and coronavirus has been around for a while and we've had patients intermittently with coronavirus here. What's different is the virulence or nastiness of the strain that mutated in China, and it's, obviously, become epidemic and pandemic. The protection is basically no different than protecting yourself from getting the flu:

• Good handwashing technique

• Prevention of droplets that spread by covering your mouth and nose when you cough

• Again, washing your hands if you are ill

• Not going to work, not going to school, staying home and staying isolated

• Again, having an influenza vaccine is still a very important thing as well as a pneumonia vaccine, if appropriate.

We have not seen too much of the coronavirus yet, but it will come. I was speaking with one of my good friends who live in California and the folks in California are definitely on edge because of the amount of international travel and international folks that live in that part of the country. I know there's a recent question from students from Miami of Ohio.

So, the CDC is on top of things, our infection control department has a protocol already set up, I'm definitely sure that other hospitals would have the same protocol. So, I think the potential for any type of epidemic or significant exposure in Canada, Ohio is going to be fairly small. But again, any anybody who has flu-like symptoms should definitely see their primary care physician. [44:49]

This episode is sponsored by Mercy Medical Center and Studio Arts and Glass.

Did you know that your oral health offers clues about your overall health — or that problems in your mouth can affect the rest of your body? This morning we will talk with Dr. Garrett Heck, Chief Resident at Mercy Dental Services. We hope you will protect yourself by learning more about the connection between your oral health and overall health.

Most people who experience mental health problems recover fully, or can live with and manage them, especially if they get help early on.

But even though so many people are affected, there is a strong social stigma attached to mental ill health, and people with mental health problems can experience discrimination in all aspects of their lives.

We will talk with Chris Fogarty, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Mercy Medical Center about mental health initiatives in our community and reducing the stigma attached to mental health conditions.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  These are powerful words.  It’s important to measure how common mental illness is, so we can understand its physical, social and financial impact — and so we can show that no one is alone.

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 25 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34

Community Resources:

Mental Health First Aid Training

Mercy Medical Center Plain Chris Fogarty Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

This week’s episode discusses skin cancer risks and how you can be proactive to protect yourself when you enjoy the sunshine this summer. Do you know what increases your risk for skin cancer? How many times a day do you need to reapply sunscreen? Learn from the experts at Mercy Medical Center for best practices to protect yourself from overexposure and sun damage.

What is more fun than enjoying the out of doors in the summer? Well it certainly isn’t a visit to the emergency room as a result of an injury. This program is led by Dr. Mark Lamielle and provides great summer safety tips for outdoor activities, summer travel, staying hydrated, and maximizing your fun while minimizing your risks! Take this opportunity to check your medicine cabinet and make sure that you have the basic first aid items to treat those cuts and scrapes and make sure your items are in date. Must have on hand items include band-aids, gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream, pain relievers, and hydrogen peroxide.

This episode of Health Matters with the Medicine Center Pharmacy as we discuss National Stroke Awareness Month with Maria Griffin, CNP, Stroke Coordinator for Mercy Medical Center. Did you know that every 40 seconds someone in the United States suffers a stroke? Stop by the Medicine Center Pharmacy to get your blood pressure checked by one of our pharmacists.

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This Friday edition of Health Matters with The Medicine Center Pharmacy features your Pharmacist Paul White and sitting-in for Compounding-Pharmacist Brad White is Health Matters Radio Show Executive Producer Nancy Wharmby. Nicole Selinsky, Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietician from Mercy Medical Center

Holiday weight gain is real. Depending on what study you read, the average weight gain is between 5 and 10 pounds. Now that we’ve enjoyed holiday feasts and lots of delicious baked goods, we still have New Year’s parties and other holiday gatherings to look forward to. They may be fun, but the parties continue to offer delicious foods, drinks and extra calories. As we inch closer to 2019, it’s time to set our resolutions for healthier and happier living. In this segment, we look at how we can avoid extra, unwanted calories, talk about portion control and help you get ready for the New Year with Mercy Weight Management’s Registered Dietitian Sereen Zawahri Krasuna.

Registered Dietitian Sereen Zawahri Krasuna from Mercy Weight Management shares tips on food substitutions, portion size, healthier eating and fun exercise options.

Summer is here and looking your best is usually top of mind for vacationers, sunbathers and pretty much anyone who wants to show more skin. But, as we all know, putting the pounds on is a lot easier than taking them off. In this segment, we hear about some healthy eating alternatives and get some advice on losing some of those unwanted pounds. We’ll also talk about weight management resources at Mercy Medical Center.

Pharmacists and hosts Brad White and Paul White talk about healthy weight loss with Mercy's Sereen Zawahri-Krasuna.

For many Americans, summer means fun in the sun.  The kids are out of school, adults are on vacation and it’s time for outdoor activities like swimming, riding bikes and outdoor barbecues.  However, summer is also the time of year consumers are most likely to be injured.  June, July and August are peak months for Emergency Room visits.  If you are wondering how to avoid being a summer statistic and how to keep your children safe and healthy please listen in as Andrew Bolgiano, RN, ENT-P, EMS and Trauma Coordinator at Mercy Medical Center and Brad White R.Ph. discusses tips for a safe, healthy summer.