IGH MV 149 July 2018

PRICELESS

MVHEALTHNEWS.COM

JULY 2018 • ISSUE 149

Out of Nowhere

Fourth trimester Real test for moms comes in the first three months of having a newborn.

Page 6

Deadly meningitis can strike at any moment See Page 5

NY ranked among worst for docs

Women’s Health Edition

Page 18

Meet Your Doctor

• Listen to body If you listen to your body carefully, you can discover what exact needs it has!

Single moms Single mothers carrying the weight of the world.

Page 7

Dr. Brian Jackson

• Dr. Loretta Ford

Reconstructive dentist masters the specialty of implants.

Page 14

Former nurse, Dr. Loretta Ford, instrumental in launching profession of nurse practitioners

Above and beyond

Crackin’ Crab

Senior Sensation

Marybeth McCall earns Genesis Group’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gloriously low in fat and calories, crab is an excellent lean protein source.

Florence Wood earns senior citizen award for service.

Page 11

See SmartBites, Page 13

Page 12

July 2018 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 1

20 YEARS OF SERVICE

“It’s very important for everyone to have health insurance. I feel proud and satisfied because I can help others.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity Fidelis Care has given me.”

Isabel Ondreicka Member Services Support Associate

HERE TODAY. HERE TOMORROW.

HERE TO STAY.

1-888-FIDELIS • fideliscare.org (1-888-343-3547)

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

TTY: 711

Nationally Recognized Stroke Care.

Say “Take Me to Crouse.”

As one of just 10 hospitals in New York State to have earned Comprehensive Stroke Center certification, Crouse Health is proud to provide the full range of stroke care services.

Minutes Matter Comprehensive stroke centers are the best-equipped medical centers in a geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication.

At Crouse, receiving fast stroke diagnosis and treatment starts even before patients arrive at the Emergency Room. Once on the scene, our Emergency Medical Services partners start communicating with our ER and stroke teams, providing information vital for immediate treatment.

Working together, we’re consistently meeting — and exceeding — aggressive door-totreatment times that surpass the U.S. average. Crouse provides options for post-stroke rehabilitation, as well as continuing education to patients, our EMS partners and the community about the risks factors and signs of stroke.

Advanced Stroke Rescue Crouse is the only hospital in the region equipped with two hybrid operating room suites, allowing our multidisciplinary stroke team to provide the most advanced endovascular stroke rescue capabilities 24/7.

Exceeding Stroke Treatment Standards Median Time (minutes)

37

2016

38.5

2017 2018

35

YTD

Source: AHA/ASA Get With the Guidelines

If tPA is given within three hours of symptoms, the effects of stroke decrease significantly. Crouse has earned the American Heart/Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus recognition for meeting — and exceeding — AHA guidelines for giving tPA within 45 minutes.

Community Partner KNOW YOUR STROKE SIGNS

F. A. S. T.

FACE DROOPING

ARM WEAKNESS

SPEECH DIFFICULTY

TIME TO CALL 911

As a New York State-designated Primary Stroke Center since 2007, we’ve worked to raise awareness in our community about the warning signs of stroke.

With our designation as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center and home to the region’s newest ER, Crouse Health continues to deliver superior stroke care to Central New York patients.

ST ROKE ? CAL L 911.

crouse.org/stroke

July 2018 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Welcoming

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All services are directly connected to and supported by Community Memorial Specialties and Hospital Services, and accessible to the Crouse Health network of services.

Be sure to follow and like us for the latest news and updates!

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

Brian J. Jackson, DDS

CALENDAR of

HEALTH EVENTS

Got a health-related activity or event that you would like publicized?

Call Lou Sorendo at 315-749-7070 or email lou@cnymail.com.

Mondays

Food Addicts in Recovery to meet Food Addicts in Recovery holds an anonymous meeting from 6:308 p.m. Mondays at Trinity United Methodist Church, 8595 Westmoreland Road, Whitesboro.

For more information, call Helen at 315-794-2314.

Tuesdays

Insight House offers family support group Insight House Chemical Dependency Services, Inc. is offering a family support group meeting from 6:15-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Insight House, 500 Whitesboro St., Utica.

The group is free and open to anyone who is concerned about a loved one’s relationship with alcohol, opiates/heroin, or other substances.

For more information about the group, call 724-5168, ext. 265, from 8:30-4 p.m. weekdays.

All calls are strictly confidential.

Thursdays

Root Farm offers fresh local produce Are you interested in savoring healthy, farm fresh produce each week this summer?

The Root Farm is in its second year of offering its communitysupported agriculture opportunity, enabling participants to enjoy 15 weeks of locally grown vegetables and flowers.

Full shares cost $450 each and can be picked up at The Root Farm, 2680 King Road, Sauquoit, from 3-6:30 p.m. every Thursday.

Half shares are also available for $300.

“This is a wonderful way to support The Root Farm and the services it provides to so many children and

adults from our community, while also enjoying a wide variety of fresh, local produce,” said a Root Farm spokesperson.

For more information or to sign up, email info@rootfarm.org or call 315-520-7046.

The Root Farm, a nonprofit organization, has expanded to a new location on over 100 acres in Sauquoit. The Root Farm is focused on learning and healing for people of all ages and abilities through the power of equine, agricultural and recreational experiences.

July 5

Parents bond to battle addiction A support group — Parents of Addicted Loved Ones — meets from 7-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of every month at the Canajoharie Fire House, 75 Erie Boulevard, Canajoharie.

The next meetings are July 5 and July 19.

The support group is for parents with a son or daughter who is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

PAL is a nonprofit organization run by a volunteer board of parents.

For more information, visit www. palgroup.org or call PAL at 480-3004712.

July 9

Support forum for patients, cancer survivors The Mohawk Valley Health System’s Cancer Center’s monthly support forum for patients and cancer survivors will be held at 6 p.m.

July 9.

The cancer support forum meets at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of every month in the Cancer Center’s fireplace lounge on the main floor of Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Ave., Utica.

Continued on Page 23

Meningitis This disease can kill quickly — Is your child protected?

By Rachel Evans

E

ach year across the country, we hear about cases often involving college students becoming ill and sometimes dying from bacterial meningitis.

Kimberly Coffey was one of these people.

Kim was a vibrant and healthy 17-year-old who was finishing up high school, studying for finals, and getting ready to start college in the fall to study nursing. One day, Kim was not herself. She came home from school experiencing body aches and a fever of 101.

Her pediatrician instructed her to come in for a visit the following morning if her flu-like symptoms persisted. However, by morning, Kim was very sick. Kim’s mother Patti, a registered nurse, knew something was significantly wrong. Kim was experiencing excruciating pain “from her eye lashes to her toes,” along with a rash that was spreading across her body.

After being rushed to the emergency room, the doctor determined it was a case of bacterial meningitis.

Patti thought her daughter was protected, so how could this be?

“I was completely blindsided when the doctor told me she suspected Kimberly had bacterial meningitis. I told her that it couldn’t possibly be true because she had been vaccinated,” Patti said. “What I did not know was that the MenACWY vaccine did not protect my daughter against Meningitis B. In 2012, Meningitis B vaccines were not available in the United States, but they are now.”

Hours after Kim’s initial symptoms, her heart and kidneys began to fail, and two days later the infection had spread to her bloodstream (meningococcemia). Kim started dialysis, but soon thereafter, she went into cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated and placed on a ventilator. Days later, a CT scan confirmed brain herniation, and she was declared brain dead.

Patti then had to make one of the most difficult decisions a parent ever faces by removing her daughter from life support. Kim was buried several days prior to her high school gradu-

Oneida, Herkimer in good

Basics on meningococcal disease

What is it? — Meningitis refers to an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, and infections of the blood.

Meningococcal disease is a serious, deadly infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria.

The onset of illness often happens suddenly, with people going from healthy to severely ill in a matter of hours.

There are at least 12 types of Neisseria meningitidis, also known as serogroups. Serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y cause most meningococcal disease.

How is it spread? — Meningococcal disease is spread from person to person through respiratory and throat secretions. Coughing, sneezing, kissing, or contact with infected items such as drink glasses or eating utensils can spread the illness.

The bacteria live in the nose and throat of about 10 percent of the population, who are also known as disease carriers. Some people may show no signs or symptoms of the

and

Health MV’s Healthcare Newspaper

ation.

“My daughter Kimberly contracted Meningitis B two years too early. A Meningitis B vaccine wasn’t available to help protect her in 2012.

As of 2014, Meningitis B vaccines are available in the U.S. Please make sure to have the Meningitis B conversation (with your child’s doctor),” Patti said. “Many people are under the common misconception that meningococcal disease is only a ‘college’ disease. Bacterial meningitis does not discriminate. Remember, Kimberly was a perfectly healthy high school senior living at home, and she contracted Meningitis B.” The Kimberly Coffey Foundation was created in Kim’s honor. Patti now travels around the country to advocate and spread the message about the importance of full meningococcal vaccination. That includes two separate vaccines — one for MenACWY plus another for MenB. The foundation is striving for “zero lives lost or affected by this disease,” according to its website at www.kimberlycoffeyfoundation.org.

Madison

counties

A monthly newspaper published

by Local News, Inc. 20,000 copies distributed. To request home delivery ($15 per year), call 315-749-7070.

In Good Health is published 12 times a year by Local News, Inc. © 2018 by Local News, Inc. All rights reserved. Mailing Address: 4 Riverside Drive, Suite 251, Utica, NY 13502 • Phone: 315-749-7070 Email: lou@cnymail.com

Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto Associate Editor: Lou Sorendo Contributing Writers: Patricia Malin, Barbara Pierce, Kristen Raab, Deb Dittner, Pauline DiGiorgio, Brooke Stacia Demott Advertising: Amy Gagliano Layout & Design: Dylon Clew-Thomas Office Assistant: Kimberley Tyler No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement — not to take the place of — the recommendations of your health provider.

Kimberly Coffey illness, yet still spread the infection to others. College students and others who share close quarters are at increased risk for getting sick from this disease.

What are the symptoms? — Symptoms often mimic the flu, including high fever, headache, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, body aches, red-purplish skin rash (purpura), weakness, confusion, and cold hands and feet.

What is the treatment? — Antibiotics can prevent the spread of infection. If someone thinks they have meningococcal disease, they need to get to the hospital immediately. People that have been in close contact with someone that is diagnosed with

meningitis may receive medication to prevent them from getting sick.

What can I do to prevent my child from getting meningococcal disease? — The best way to prevent meningococcal disease is to get vaccinated.

There are two types of meningococcal vaccines available in the U.S. that protects against all five of the serogroups — meningococcal conjugate vaccines (Menactra® and Menveo®) and Serogroup B meningococcal vaccines (Bexsero® and Trumenba®).

The meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against four major strains of bacteria that cause about two-thirds of meningococcal disease in the U.S. The Serogroup B meningococcal vaccine (MenB) protects against a fifth type of meningococcal disease, which accounts for about one-third of cases in the U.S. As of Sept. 2016, all students in New York state must be vaccinated against meningococcal disease (types A, C, W, and Y), at 11 to 12 years old, and receive a booster dose at age 16.

Teens and young adults also may be vaccinated with a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control, adolescents between the ages of 16 and 23 years old may receive a series of meningitis B vaccines to provide some protection against meningitis B. The vaccine may be recommended for other children and adults. If you are unsure whether your child has received the meningococcal vaccines, including the meningitis B vaccine, ask your doctor today.

Visit www.kimberlycoffeyfoundation.org for more information.

HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDED Family Medicine Routine Preventative Exams Well child care and Immunizations Diabetic Care Physical Exams Gynecological Care Podiatry Laboratory

Call 315-624-9470

1001 Noyes Street Utica, NY 13502 205 W. Dominick Street Rome, NY 13440

The Falcon Clinic for Health, Wellness and Recovery is a primary care clinic in Utica, NY. We offer general medical care with a major focus on osteopathic principles and on prevention and treatment of behaviors that are destructive to health. We offer primary care treatment for any medical illness including hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders, skin diseases, stomach and intestinal problems,, neurologic disorders, and sports injuries.

We also treat minor injuries, wounds and small lacerations.

1 Oxford Crossing, Ste, 1, New Hartford, NY Osteopathic Speciatly Office - Primary Care Dr. Richard Chmielewski - Dr. Michael Redner Counseling - Robert Carr, LCSW-R Accepting new patients

(315) 507-4751 July 2018 •

|

Business Hours:

Monday 9-5 Tuesday 9-5 Wednesday 9-5 Thursday 9-5 Friday 9-5 CONNECT WITH US

www.falconclinic.com

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 5

Women’s Health The fourth trimester

Postpartum doula: Real challenge are months following birth When babies are born, they are incredibly ill-prepared for life outside of the uterus. Understanding this and treating newborns as if they were still in the womb can make life much easier, say the experts.

“The fourth trimester should be a time of mimicking life inside the womb for your new little one — be skin to skin, feed her on demand, keep her close and act quickly when she has a need. Remember, you cannot spoil a baby,” said midwife Rhonda Huggins in Natural Awakenings magazine.

By Barbara Pierce

H

aving a new baby will the best thing that ever happened to you and hardest thing you’ve ever gone through.

This is what Naomi Starsiak, a trained birth and postpartum doula from Oriskany, would like new moms to know.

The first three months after your baby is born are the hardest.

With her mother, Starsiak operates Mohawk Valley Doulas, a network of doulas who share and teach about Starsiak labor, birth and babies, and help new moms handle the challenges of birth.

“The ‘fourth trimester’ is what we call the time after your baby is born,” said Starsiak. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. The fourth trimester describes the first months after the birth, when women are adjusting to motherhood, dealing with the aftermath of birth and the reality of having a newborn.

It’s an intense time of change and growth for the baby and for the parents. When it’s seen as the fourth trimester, everything that’s going on makes better sense and seems more manageable.

“It’s a period of rapid changes — for your body and baby,” explained Starsiak. “In movies, the

Count on your ‘tribe’

baby comes out and the mom is back to normal. That’s not the way it is. It took your body nine months to make all the changes it made during pregnancy; it takes a couple of months to get back to normal.”

“You’re not getting those hormones anymore. Your brain is changing. That’s why we get the baby blues,” she added.

This is a time of transition — your body is transitioning back, you are transitioning to life with this little new baby, and your baby is adjusting to life outside the womb.

What helps you get through?

“A big thing that helps is the ‘tribe’ you have — family and/or friends,” said Starsiak.

They provide emotional support.

Surround yourself with people who share your vision of how you want to parent.

“It’s so important to have people around you who support you,” she added. “Women have either thrived or crumbled due to this one thing.

If your vision of how you want to parent goes against your family, that can be hard and add stress.”

She gives the example of breast-feeding. “If neither your mother nor your mother-in-law ever did it, and don’t know how, and if you breast feed, that means they can’t have the joy of feeding the baby and they won’t support you in breast feeding,” Starsiak said. “So find a support group. Go to social media; find an online community on Facebook or somewhere.”

“Also find a friend, or friend of a friend or a girl in a nursing support group, etc. who is in your shoes (as in also has a newborn. Those middle-ofthe-night texts, and ‘Is this normal?’ conversations are priceless to your sanity,” advises Laura Beth online.

“And let your husband know how he can help,” she adds.

Babies cry a lot. That’s their only way to communicate. The piercing wails let you know they are hungry or need their diaper changed.

These early conversations can be frustrating but you’ll get a handle on what the baby needs before long.

Starsiak recommends the book “The Wonder Weeks.” The author breaks down the first 18 months of life and what you can expect each week. “It’s helped so many moms,” said Starsiak. “Especially first-time moms.”

For example, the author describes the developmental leaps babies make during certain weeks.

They become more fussy, clingy and prone to crying during these leaps, because they are experiencing vast changes beyond their control.

“It helps to know, “That’s why my baby is crying. I know there is nothing I can do; it won’t last. I’ll get my sweet baby back,” she added.

All told, the first three months of parenthood are a very challenging time, no matter how much help you have or how prepared you think you are.

“Just remember it’s all worth it — every sleepless moment, every tear you both shed, every blow-out diaper, and every ounce of spit up because having a newborn is the best thing in the world,” says Laura Beth.

Starsiak offers her experience on pregnancy, birth or newborn-related issues to anyone interested, and she will speak at events.

She can be reached at 315-7362503 or visit https://doulamatch. net/profile/3285/diane-starsiak.

We are excited to announce the addition of Sarah Alexander RN, MS, FNP to the practice

Get Your Copy Today!

Website: drpatlaino.com Purchase at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Now accepting New Patients for Primary Care beginning

August 1, 2018

Cathryn J. Barns

RN MS FNP ANP-C Specializing in diseases of the skin, including acne, warts, moles, skin cancer, rashes, psoriasis, eczema, skin infections, sun damages, hair and nail disease

1 Notre Dame Lane Utica, NY 13502 315-733-7913

We continue to be located next to Notre Dame High School

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

Between You and Me

By Barbara Pierce

Being a Single Mother: A Letter to Christine

By Barbara Pierce

C

hristine just became a single mother of her children, 15- and 12-year-old sons, and a 6-yearold daughter. I know Christine and her children well, as they are neighbors to and best friends with my daughter and her children. Christine just split from Bob. Here’s what I’d like to say to her: Dear Christine: You’re now a single mom — take charge. The lives of your kids depend on you to get it to together and assure them, in both what you say and how you behave, that everything is under control.

Life as a single mom will test every part of you.

Expect the unexpected and take it as it comes. I’ve been there. I know how tough it is.

It’s tough and can be brutally difficult, but you Pierce can do it. You have the strength within you; you just need to tap into it. Be a tough, resourceful, no-nonsense person I know you can be.

Your kids need you to be a responsible adult, to take charge.

Your kids are devastated. They can’t start to heal until you can take charge. You have to let them know that, no matter what, you’ll figure it out, make it work, and you’ll always be there for them.

No matter how devastating the upheaval of your split with Bob is, how deep your pain, or how frightening the road ahead, remember there is no one your kids need more than you.

To be a good mom, you need to drop the things of the past, forget all the “What ifs?” and the “What might have beens,” and turn your attention to the fact that you’re now a single mom. Don’t let the bad that happened to you consume you. It doesn’t matter how you ended up a

single mother; you’re in a new world now.

Divorce takes a terrible toll on kids. Their family is the primary source of their security and happiness — it’s been yanked out from under them.

It’s a devastating blow that their father is gone. The wounds are real and deep; it doesn’t matter if they’re teens or toddlers.

And Christine, what you did last week — bringing your new boyfriend to meet your sons — was an incredibly stupid thing! I’m so disappointed in your poor judgment.

Whatever were you thinking?

Most relationships will end.

So your kids get to like the latest man in your life, then you break up with him. They (and you) have to go through the pain of losing him.

That’s bad enough for you, but you shouldn’t put them through that time and time again. Meeting a series of men who will move in and out of their lives — nothing good can come of that.

Meeting your kids should be a special privilege offered to a man only when he’s proven himself to be a stable presence in your life and you’re sure he’s going to be around for a while.

Evidence is overwhelming that kids raised by single parents don’t fare nearly as well as those raised in two-parent families. They are far more likely to abuse drugs, do poorly in school, serve time in jail, may be chronically ill, depressed, or sexually promiscuous.

But having your kids raised by both parents is not an option for you.

Make no mistake: Dads do matter. Dads have a powerful influence over their children, just by being there and by loving them. No one can replace a dad. Kids desperately want him in their lives though he may be the last man you want in your life.

What’s more, they need him. So you have to try to give them their dad in their lives.

It’s a serious dilemma. You don’t

want anything to do with him, but Let them see him as often as possible. your kids love him and want to be Kids need to learn firsthand what close to him. But when it comes a good father is. Find good two-pardown to you or them, guess what? ent families and make them a part You lose; they win. Sacrifice is the of your kids’ world. Let them learn central theme in the lives of all good through friends or family the critical moms. lessons they can learn from observSo after taking control of your ing good men being a husband and own life and providing your kids father. How else can you expect them a safe and secure home, the most to create it for themselves and their important thing you can do for your kids? kids, without question, is give them a So be the great single mom I real shot at a solid relationship with know you can be. their dad.

Love, Don’t ever let them think they Barbara were in any way responsible for the • Barbara Pierce is a retired licensed divorce. Kids tend to blame themclinical social worker with many years selves for what happens in their of experience helping people. If you family. would like to purchase a copy of her book, And don’t bad-mouth their dad; they have half his genes, after all. Tell “When You Come to the Edge: Aging” or if you have questions for her, contact her them good things about their dad. at barbarapierce06@yahoo.com.

Let them talk about him openly.

MVIGH_Naqvi_4.7917x10.444.qxp_Layout 1 6/20/18 11:21 AM Page 1

Miracle Drawing tickets may be purchased online

M

iracle Drawing tickets may be purchased online using credit cards The Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation recently announced that credit cards can be used online as an accepted form of payment for tickets to the $100,000 Children’s Miracle Network Miracle Drawing.

This year marks the 22nd annual $100,000 Miracle Drawing where one lucky person will win $100,000 in cash. Tickets are on sale with a maxi-

mum of 4,300 tickets available.

The Miracle Drawing will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at the St. Luke’s campus of FSLH in New Hartford.

Tickets may be purchased for $100 online with a credit card at mvhealthsystem.org/miracle-drawing or with cash or check at one of our participating ticket locations.

For more information or to purchase a ticket, call the FSLH Foundation at 315-624-5600.

July 2018 •

CANCER CARE. CLOSE TO HOME.

Medical oncologist Muhammad Naqvi MD sees patients in the Oneida and Syracuse offices.

If you’re facing a diagnosis of cancer, turn to the experts at the Upstate Cancer Center. Upstate physicians have been providing comprehensive cancer care for patients in Oneida for 25 years.

Explore your treatment options, close to home.

Our highly personalized care includes the advanced knowledge and technology found at the region’s only academic medical center. The power of teamwork brings together board certified physicians and oncology certified nurses to consider all options to create your treatment plan. As part of a research university specializing in cancer, Upstate also offers access to clinical trials.

Upstate Medical Oncology 603 Seneca St., Oneida 315-361-1041

Upstate Radiation Oncology 605 Seneca St., Oneida 315-606-5045

Cancer Center at oneida upstate.edu/oneida

Expertise Compassion Hope l

l

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 7

Women’s Health The feminine touch

one of those women, but a six-week course called “God in Money” changed my direction and ultimately enabled me to succeed in making MP Order Proposal# money. I came to realize that the he classification of: Ad more money my company made, Letter the more people I could hire and the more wealth I could spread around.

Six-figure women believe that money 2014 By Dr. Patricia K. Laino decision-maker in your own business These roles have been passed down buys us freedom and independence. through time whereby men are 5544766 For a woman to successfully Acct# A1ZGFE Sales Rep: GRIMALDI,venture.

JENNIFER L Size: HCN6 Ad Id: AMZHMA1 Contract# The female business owner must taught specific survival skills needed taying healthy while operatreach the American Dream, she juggle all of her home, business, in the business world. ing your business is especially needs to begin by saying “no” to personal and professional problems, Many women stressful for anyone. money-conscious poverty. When we issues and concerns that happen have difficulty The stress doubles or triples if make money, we can hire more peoeveryday. because they you are a woman business owner ple, grow the economy and spread Through the centuries, men have have not been who assumes the roles of running the wealth around. been the designated breadwinners conditioned to do a house and caring for the family, Never before have we seen so and sole providers for their families. this. Most men let while juggling the role of the key many women become successful in things roll off their business. You too can discover how backs, whereas to become a healthy and wealthy many women Diabetes? six-figure woman by following some tend to be emoof my inner secrets. tional and have Flat Feet?

I highly recommend that you fear of making do everything in moderation such Plantar Fasciitis? someone angry. as eating, drinking and exercising.

Laino I believe that you You may be eligible for shoes at little or no cost!

There is a saying that hard work can’t be powerful if never killed anyone. I think this is you never engage in conflict situatrue because I’ve seen many of my tions that frequently arise when you entrepreneurial students work hard go into business. and thrive.

Successful women are willing to Never sweat the small stuff address conflict as it arises because in your business operations. Most to avoid conflict means giving up stressful situations are small stuff in power to their opponents. the eyes of women who are sucAs a woman, going into your cessful in operating their business. own business is one of the most If your business is not bleeding important decisions you will ever profusely (losing money) and is still make in your lifetime. I know bebreathing (still able to make money), cause I’m one of those females that then anything is chose to enter the possible. Find a world of entrepregood business neurship. mentor or coach I have trained and get help and coached hunbefore stress kills dreds of women you. who wanted to Six-figure open their own women are conbusinesses. More stantly raising than 83 percent the bar higher of my female stuand higher and dents have gone reaching for more. on to start up and When woman operate robust entrepreneurs and healthy busistretch their AMZHMDNLM 14-Mar-2014 07:57 nesses today. limits, they begin As a longtime thinking outside business owner the box for other and an entrepreways to achieve neur coach, I have found that most whatever they want in their business women lack the “old boys” or womventure. Successful businesswomen en’s network to help them cope in have a strong desire to create sometheir business. This still remains true thing new and introduce things that sting Information: to a certain extent even in today’s they think the present world lacks entrepreneurial world. and needs.

Some women wear too many Successful businesswomen know hats to really get serious about that money is, in fact, a sign of sucstarting their own businesses. They cess and they go all the way to make change, please contact your sales representative are very caring individuals who put it. They focus on profits, always their families first and this takes up Book Customer Service at 1-800-891-1899. keeping this in sight and they meaa great deal of precious time. While AAMZHMB2DNLMA sure their success by their profits. this is acceptable, starting a business ______________________ Winners keep their operations requires long hours and complete fosimple and uncomplicated so that cus. In order for a woman to succeed, they can make changes swiftly. They Raymond Alessandrini, OTR/L, she must search her soul to be certain are the women who dare to reach for Please Note: Print quality may vary fromCLT final product. she is ready to make the sacrifices Richard Panetta, PT DPT and achieve the American Dream. that need to be made to launch her AQUATIC THERAPY Keep following my blogs on business. drpatlaino@aol.com if you want to SPINE CARE Many times, I meet women succeed in your own business or entrepreneurs who are reluctant to CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH purchase my book called “Unlock make money and I call this the fear NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS the American Dream” or “Women of financial success. It took me many & Wealth” from Amazon or Barnes (SUCH AS STROKE,PARKINSON’S, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS) years and a great deal of research to & Noble for more of my secrets and determine that some women think BALANCE DISORDERS business advice. being poor is noble and giving away FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY their product or service relieves the EVALUATIONS guilt they feel of becoming prosper• Dr. Patricia K. Laino is the ous. executive director of the Women’s Early on in my career, I was Business Center of New York State.

Tips for women business owners on how to stay healthy

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

Catalyst for Change

Former nurse, Dr. Loretta Ford, instrumental in launching concept of nurse practitioners

By Patricia J. Malin

T

o describe Dr. Loretta Ford as a lively woman is an understatement.

Hardy and healthy, Ford — who turned 96 years old Dec. 28, 2016 — is a whirlwind, not to mention her typical description as a nurse, innovative educator, popular speaker and author.

Ford, accompanied by her daughter, Valerie Monrad, traveled to Utica in 2017 to give the keynote address at the inaugural white coat ceremony for 115 nurse practitioner students at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica before returning to her home in Florida later that day.

The event is held to recognize the transition of first-year NP graduate students from the classroom to intensive clinical study in hospitals and to actual examination of patients.

Her daughter didn’t think that was unusual for her energetic mother. “I think last year we traveled on 40 weekends,” said Monrad. It appears Ford never slows down.

“She keeps her brain alive. She’s a voracious reader,” Monrad added.

“She writes for a lot for health journals and she’s a news junkie.”

Don’t let the title “doctor” fool you. Ford is not a medical doctor. She earned a doctorate in education from the University of Colorado School of Education, and her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Colorado School of Nursing, where she first gained attention.

Ford and her colleague, Dr. Henry Silver, saw first-hand a regional shortage of family care physicians, especially pediatricians, in rural Colorado in the 1940s and 1950s that limited health care delivery. In 1965, the University of Colorado awarded Ford and Silver a grant to create a demonstration project that resulted in expanded training for nurses.

They later developed the first educational curriculum in the nation for NPs with the theory that nurses could supplement the work of physicians. Slowly, their innovative ideas were implemented, though not without strong resistance and criticism.

Keen foresight

Even then, Ford and Silver foresaw the future and had anticipated a shortage of physicians to treat a growing population.

In the 1960s, the baby boomers, born after World War II and the largest generation in history, started to flex their muscle and impact American society. President Lyndon Johnson unveiled his “Great Society” social programs in 1965, marking the debut of Medicaid and Medicare.

Those are still hot topics of debate as Congress strives to deal with a new, unconventional businessman-turned-president, 70-year-old Donald Trump.

Ford, who was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, started out as a public health nurse.

She broke many traditions along the way and has now reached legendary status.

“Even though we had the education, nurses were limited when we

went into the community,” she said.

“You didn’t have the resources. We lacked the statutory authority” to prescribe medical treatment.

In 1967, Boston College initiated one of the first master’s programs for NPs. The Bunker Hill-Massachusetts general nurse practitioner program

began one year later.

Today, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners boasts 220,000

Continued on Page 15

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 9

Women’s Health The Balanced Body

By Deb Dittner

Listen to your body talk Heed the call while seeking to improve your gut bacteria

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oday, I hear many women complain of fatigue, poor sleep, moodiness, bloating, brain fog, and holding onto belly fat.

You pay a visit to your health care provider and blood work shows everything to be normal. But you don’t feel normal.

These symptoms are quite common but the solutions don’t seem to be easily found.

This is where listening to your own body comes in as it tells you a lot of information.

You just need to Dittner really listen and then make changes accordingly in regards to nutrition and lifestyle choices.

Finding the answer can sometimes be hit or miss and trial and error, but in time and with determination, these changes can make all

the difference in the world.

You can transform your health through nutrition, healing remedies of the past, and knowledge of today.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”

This was true then and is even more so today. He also said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Let’s explore these quotes from a modern standpoint.

Sugar is everywhere today. Not just from doughnuts (11 grams), soda (39 grams in 12 ounces), and ice cream (14 grams in ½-cup vanilla) but from fruit juice (23 grams in 1 cup), pasta (12 grams in 2 ounces) and bread (1.4-2.1 grams per slice).

To calculate: 4 grams = 1 teaspoon. All in all, that’s a heck of a lot of sugar!

Sugar increases inflammation, effects levels of estrogen and testosterone and play a large role in insulin resistance and how well we burn fat.

In listening to your body and its needs, consider sugar in all forms as an occasional treat.

A whole food nutrient-dense diet consisting of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, arugula, and collard greens, will bind with excess hormones in the gut and help to flush it out improving the microbiome of the gut.

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Veggie out!

In listening to your body and its needs, consider adding in 3 to 5 cups of these veggies daily. I know that sounds like a lot but the end result may be well worth it. Start slow as these veggies can cause initial bloating.

Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your hormones. The emotional stress of everyday life, the stress of a poor diet, lack of sleep, and even exercising too much can all play a role in your hormones.

Reducing stress, both emotionally and bodily, with whole nutrient-dense foods and physical exercise, is often forgotten during any kind of treatment you may seek.

In listening to your body and its needs, consider adding yoga (“Down Dog” is a great app), meditation (“Calm” and “Simple Habit” are great apps), an early morning walk in nature, or being mindful a few minutes throughout your day.

If you are eating a whole foods

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

nutrient-dense diet, exercising, and managing stress but still not feeling quite right, you may want to consider adaptogens such as ashwagandha, maca root, or rhodiola.

In listening to your body and its needs, consider these powerful and highly effective herbs; however, they should be discussed with a knowledgeable health professional before delving straight in.

Improving the gut may actually be the best thing you can do for your overall health. Research is showing that a healthy gut microbiome can work wonders for hormone imbalances, thyroid issues, other autoimmune issues, and more.

Healthy gut bacteria are improved by avoiding preservatives and harsh chemicals that can be ingested from foods or from skin care products and cleaners.

In listening to your body and its needs, consider improving your gut bacteria by eliminating antibacterial products, avoiding the overuse of antibiotics, by “getting dirty” in the garden, and walking barefoot (grounding).

• Deborah Dittner is a family nurse practitioner and health consultant. Her mission is to transform as many individuals as possible through nutrition and lifestyle changes. For more information, check out her website at www.debdittner. com or contact her at 518-596-8565.

Women’s Health Genesis of Greatness

Sister Maureen Denn, Dr. Marybeth McCall attain pinnacle of success

By Patricia J. Malin

A

s young women, both Sister Maureen Denn and Dr. Marybeth McCall had various career aspirations.

At one point, though, they each took a detour and eventually ended up getting acclaim for their decades of service to health care.

McCall and Denn received the Genesis Group’s Lifetime Achievement Award recently and were named to the Healthcare Hall of Distinction along with Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. and the Masonic Care Community, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Picente also presented awards at the Oneida County Outstanding Seniors Awards luncheon before becoming a recipient a short while later.

Although Picente is not directly involved in health care, he was nominated for his support for improving health care in Oneida County.

Genesis Group Director Ray Durso Jr. said the group’s board of directors agreed an exception could be made in Picente’s case.

Kathy Contino-Turner, director of communications and marketing, accepted the award on behalf of the Masonic Care Community.

McCall made her mark as an executive with hospitals in Rome, Utica and Syracuse and before becoming chief medical officer for Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in the Syracuse and Utica regions.

Denn (Sister Mary Edward), a sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 61 years, is a patient advocate for Mohawk Valley Health System and a former chaplain.

“The Genesis award recalls for me 30 years of a very privileged history and honor of serving people in my beloved hometown,” Denn said.

Denn, who recently turned 80, grew up in south Utica in a tight-knit

family of six children. With Our Lady of Lourdes Church, its school and its priests and nuns always nearby, she joked that she was exposed to what she called a “Catholic incubator” from a young age, so it seemed inevitable that she would become a nun.

She graduated from the College of Saint Rose in Albany and received her master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. She then worked as a secondary education teacher throughout Syracuse, Utica and the Capital District.

After leaving teaching, she served in several Catholic parishes, including in Utica as a parish minister, outreach coordinator to the homebound and elderly and religious education teacher.

She also worked as a chaplain for Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare until retiring in June 2012.

“I worked alongside remarkable staff and was invited into people’s lives at the most difficult moments they were enduring,” she recalled.

“What a privilege! I am so grateful to God and all whom I met who afforded me this wonderful opportunity.”

In 2010, Denn received the HealthFriends of the Year Award

sponsored by Faxton St. Luke’s.

“She is always there to listen to employees, medical staff, patients and their families, which is often the best medicine,” an FSLH spokesperson said at that time.

In 2014, Denn, a granddaughter of Irish immigrants, was named grand marshal of Utica’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, an event she thoroughly enjoyed.

Just a few months after retiring as a chaplain in 2012, she took on a part-time job as a spiritual and bereavement minister for McGrath, Myslinski, Karboski & Nunn Funeral Directors in Utica, a role she still embraces.

She also volunteers at the Cancer Center at the Faxton campus of MVHS. “It’s 15 hours a week, but it’s become a ministry in itself,” she said.

“I learned so much from the nurses, patients and families about the resilience of the human spirit, and about compassion from the doctors,” she added. “What a great source of comfort, spirituality and humor they are.”

Engineering a career

McCall, a native of Yonkers, studied chemical engineering as an undergraduate student, graduating magna cum laude in 1974 from Manhattan College.

However, after a stint as a phlebotomist and a hospital technician,

Continued on Page 19

“I had cancer...

cancer never had me.”

Meet Lori:

Sister Maureen Denn, left, joins Marybeth McCall after they both earned Genesis Group’s Lifetime Achievement Awards recently.

“In 2011, I was diagnosed with what was considered a virtually incurable cancer: Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL).

Upon receiving this diagnosis, I was in shock. I left the surgeon’s office, sat in my car, and cried. I was then referred to HOA and encouraged to begin treatment as soon as possible since 90% of the time, MCL can quickly become metastatic.”

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 11

Women’s Health Senior stalwarts steal spotlight Advocates for area elderly recognized for outstanding contributions

By Patricia J. Malin

C

Florence Wood of Whitesboro recently received the 2018 outstanding contribution by a senior citizen award from the Oneida County Office of the Aging. On hand to help her celebrate is her husband, Richard. to brighten their holidays for their adopted seniors, he said.

The Office for the Aging & Continuing Care and local radio station Big Frog 104 sponsored the event.

The other organizations honored were the Ava Dorfman Senior Community Center of Rome; Mohawk Valley Institute for Learning In Retirement; Capital District Health Plan; Utica Rescue Mission; Community Wellness Partners, and the New York State Long Term Care Ombudsman Volunteer Program at the Resource Center for Individual Living, which advocates for the rights of seniors.

works as a teacher for the deaf in California.

Bank of America was recognized for its contribution to hundreds of Mohawk Valley seniors.

It was the first business to participate in the annual “Santa for Seniors” event in which it has “adopted” nearly 100 seniors.

In presenting the award, Romano noted Bank of America employees volunteer for the event by purchasing, wrapping and delivering gifts to many area nursing home residents and Office for the Aging homebound clients.

Many times, however, the employees “go above and beyond”

t

all it joie de vivre or simply get up and go.

It’s the unquenchable energy that was in abundance at the annual Oneida County Older Americans Month luncheon held recently at Hart’s Hill Inn, Whitesboro.

Thirty-nine senior citizens and six individual organizations that rely greatly on a corps of active volunteers were recognized with certificates of achievement.

Florence Wood of Whitesboro received the 2018 outstanding contribution by a senior citizen award from the Oneida County Office of the Aging and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. The outstanding contribution by an organization or business went to Bank of America.

The Office for the Aging & Continuing Care’s Advisory Long Term Care Council presents the awards each May in conjunction with National Older Americans Month.

The theme chosen by the Administration for Community Living to signify the 2018 Older American’s Month was “Engage at Every Age.” Oneida County Office of the Aging Director Michael J. Romano praised the seniors as engaged in helping move the county and region into the future, as well as setting positive examples and improving the quality of lives for persons of all ages.

He called Wood a role model who does everything from the heart.

“All you need is to get involved,” Wood said in her acceptance speech, “(and) use your talents to stay young.

I would rather wear out than rust out,” she said to applause. “I’m not going to sit home and wait for death to come to me.”

Wood, who describes herself as 83 years young, is a retired teacher,

but she has barely stopped working. She is a part-time teacher with BOCES Oneida-Herkimer-Madison, helping 43 adults and two children take the path to United States citizenship.

Wood, a native of New York City, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY Cortland. She moved to Whitesboro in 1962.

Although she taught grades K-12 in the Whitesboro Central School District, she was also a reading specialist and would help students overcome learning disabilities.

In 1995, she earned a certificate in advanced study in administration and began working with gifted students.

Since retiring in 1995, she has dedicated her time to serving on the New York State United Teachers committee, helping 270 teachers from her home district deal with retirement issues.

She has been a volunteer tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America for 12 years. Wood also provides rides to medical appointments for these students.

For the citizenship classes at BOCES, Wood gives lessons in civics and reading for two hours a week over a 10-week period.

Wood is a 40-year member of the New York chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, the honorary international educators society, and served as president from 2000-02.

She was also named the “Unsung Heroine of the Year” by the local chapter of New York State Women Inc. last year, and was honored recently at the annual New York State Older New Yorker’s Day celebration in Albany.

Her husband, Richard Wood, is a retired bus driver for the Whitesboro Central School District. The couple has been married for 51 years, and raised a daughter, Debbie, who

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

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FOR WHEN YOU’RE SICK

Fuel Up!

Diet & Nutrition ative Extension of Oneida County’s Eat Smart New York program.

Pay attention to how certain foods make you feel, and take the time to enjoy food. Simply eating slower can also help with digestion.

Healthy foods good for mind, body and spirit

By Rachel Evans

F

ood, food, food! If you are like me, my life revolves around it.

I am constantly thinking about what I am going to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For those of us who are always on the go, convenience is often the key to our dining choices. Quick food does not have to be unhealthy food, though. Your body is on the go 24/7 so it needs the proper “fuel” to run well.

Unhealthy foods and too much of them are one of the culprits Donovan for weight gain and obesity. Obesity directly contributes to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. There is a large percentage of adults who are overweight or obese locally.

According to recent New York State Department of Health expanded behavior surveillance system data, about 70 percent of adults in Oneida County are overweight or obese, compared to approximately 75 percent in Herkimer County, and 64 percent in Madison County. The New York state average is 62 percent.

Healthy food coupled with exercise can help maintain a healthy weight. Adults should generally exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Those who have difficulty fitting in time to exercise can break it up into 15-minute sessions, 10 times a week. It is important to incorporate exercise habits that are life long and fit with your lifestyle.

Make realistic changes that you can maintain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who lose weight gradually and steadily, such as 1-2 pounds per week, have a better likelihood of maintaining a healthy weight. A weight loss of even 5 to 10 percent of a person’s total body weight can improve blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugars.

For those who are overweight or obese, weight loss can also lessen the chances for developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and many forms of cancer. For those who have chronic illnesses, weight loss can also improve conditions.

Another key to maintaining a healthy weight is mindful eating or intuitive eating.

People need to eat in a way “that nourishes our mind, body, and soul while honoring and respecting our own individual dietary needs and never with shame, guilt, or ethical confusion,” said Cynthia Donovan, project manager for Cornell Cooper-

Negative effects

You may not feel stressed, but sometimes eating fast or multitasking triggers the stress response in the body. This “fight or flight” response causes a whole slew of bad reactions, including: — Stimulation of the nervous system — Increase in blood pressure — Suppression of digestion — Suppression of immunity — Decreased energy — Greater inflammation Take the time to really experience all of the senses when you eat.

How does the food look? How does the food smell? What does the food sound like when you are chewing?

And lastly, how does the food taste?

Along with mindful eating, think carefully about the actual food you are consuming and how it makes you feel. Immediately after consuming foods with high fat or sugar, our bodies often release endorphins. These are the “feel-good” chemicals in the body.

Within an hour or so of eating these high-fat or sugary foods, blood sugar will drop and cause you to feel sluggish. Fast food and junk food contain a lot of empty calories and have little nutritional value. They also cause you to feel hungry a lot sooner, compared to if you had eaten

a meal full of nutrient-rich foods.

Fast foods are often high in saturated fat, sugar, and salt, which increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

As a little test, try to cut out processed foods from your diet for a couple of weeks. See how this makes you feel. Replace processed foods with healthier versions. For instance, instead of white bread, use whole grain bread.

Replace potato chips with nuts, seeds or whole-grain crackers. Instead of dip at a party, make homemade hummus with chickpeas.

After several weeks of going without processed foods, you will likely notice an increase in your energy and feel better overall. You will likely also not be as hungry as often.

Donovan suggests the importance of using MyPlate as a starting point to know what should be included on your plate each day.

MyPlate is the nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

MyPlate focuses on incorporating five food groups into your diet that include proteins, dairy, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

Physical activity is also important and adults should get at least two hours and 30 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity that requires moderate effort, or one hour and 15 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity that requires vigorous effort.

Many foods labeled “bad” or “unhealthy” have actually been found to promote inflammation in the body.

SmartBites

The skinny on healthy eating

Crack a crab for lean protein and more

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ome people see crab the same way they do white pants: a summertime fancy to be enjoyed from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Me? I fancy the crustacean all year long because it’s simply too nutritious and too delicious to do otherwise.

Gloriously low in fat and calories, crab is an excellent lean protein source. A 3-oz. cooked serving (about ¾ cup) has only 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, scant carbs, and 20 grams of complete protein.

Slow-to-digest protein keeps us sated longer, is essential for building and repairing tissue, and is also an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

Eating too little protein, in fact, can make us feel sluggish, irritable, and weak. What’s more, not consuming enough protein can make the struggle to lose weight even harder.

Crab rocks with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals — from iron

Helpful Tips

to zinc, niacin to selenium — but it’s biggest claim to nutrient fame is its vitamin B12 content: nearly 150 percent of our daily needs in an average serving.

Vitamin B12 lies at the core of our body’s ability to make DNA for new cells, form healthy red blood cells, maintain sound nerves, and turn the food we eat into energy.

Furthermore, vitamin B12 may help protect against brain volume loss in the elderly, according to researchers from the University of Oxford.

Looking to boost your hearthealthy omega-3s? Much like other shellfish, crabs deliver. While no omega-3 superstar (like salmon), an average serving of crab has about 400 mg, which many deem an adequate daily amount for most. A diet rich in omega-3s may help to prevent heart disease and stroke, lower inflammation, and improve cognitive function.

Because crabs come from the salty sea, they do have sodium,

When buying fresh, choose crabs that feel heavy for their size, move when you touch them, smell briny-fresh, and look bright and clean. Cooked crab in the shell should smell fresh, with no trace of “fishy” odor. Crab meat sold outside the shell is available fresh-cooked, frozen, and canned. It’s best to cook and eat live crabs the same day they are purchased. Fresh-cooked crabmeat will keep for two days, refrigerated. Canned crab is often imported from Asia and tends to have more sodium than fresh and frozen crab. from around 300 to 900 mg per 3-oz. serving, depending upon which kind of crab you eat (Alaskan King has the most; Blue, the least). Since too much sodium can increase your risk of stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease, you’ll want to monitor your intake and skip the extra salt and salty butter.

Crabs also serve up about 60 mg of cholesterol per 3-oz. portion, which may or may not concern you.

Although my cholesterol runs high, I’m less concerned about dietary cholesterol these days because numerous studies — including one from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — claim that, for many, the

July 2018 •

biggest influence on blood cholesterol is the mix of fats and carbohydrates in your diet, not the amount of cholesterol in your food.

Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle colum-

nist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes. She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Anne at avpalumbo@aol.com.

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Page 13

Aversion to Allergies Learn to identify, protect against harmful allergens

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hile many of us are enjoying warmer temperatures, seasonal allergies can put a damper on spring and summer fun.

In addition, deep cleaning our homes and visiting friends with pets can also trigger allergies and cause a great deal of discomfort. Luckily, there are some steps we can take to diminish the problem.

Tonya Winders, president and CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network, said people are most commonly allergic to pollen and mold spores and indoor allergens like dust, dust mites, indoor mold and pet dander.

What is actually happening when we experience allergy symptoms?

“When people with seasonal allergies breathe in allergens, their immune system identifies these substances as dangerous invaders and produces antibodies to destroy them,” Winders said. “When this happens, it causes inflammation, mucus and excess fluid, leading to the symptoms we all hate — runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, sneezing, red and watery eyes, postnasal drip and shortness of breath.”

Winders underlined the importance of meeting with your doctor or an allergist to get a complete diagnosis. “Work with your doctor to identify allergens that are triggering symptoms, and then look for strategies to avoid them,” she said.

This might include closing your windows and avoiding outside activities earlier in the morning and into the afternoon when airborne pollen is the most prevalent. In addition, “If you have asthma, exposure to an environmental allergen can set off an asthma flare,” so be extra cautious if you have these conditions.

While some doctors might diagnose patients based on symptoms and a physical exam, allergy testing is the definitive answer.

The Allergy & Asthma Network explains the three tests typically used to diagnose allergies: — Skin tests: Droplets of suspected allergens are placed on or just under the skin surface; raised bumps (about the size of a mosquito bite) strongly indicate a reaction or allergy to that allergen — Blood tests: Lab tests detect antibody reaction to specific allergens — IgE tests: A blood test that detects how much IgE (the antibody related to allergies) is in your blood; does not identify specific allergens “Both skin prick and blood tests are very accurate in showing an immune response or sensitivity to a particular allergen,” Winders said.

You don’t have to suffer with seasonal allergies being there is medication that can help.

Continued on Page 24 Page 14

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Meet

Your Doctor

By David L. Podos

Brian Jackson, DDS

Dr. Brian Jackson is an implant surgeon and reconstructive dentist who has been surgically placing and restoring dental implants for over 20 years. He practices at Slavin-Jackson-Burns DDS Family Dentistry and Dental Health in Utica.

Q.: How long have you been practicing dentistry?

A.: It’s been well over 20 years.

I received my dental degree in 1989 from the University of Buffalo, then spent a year doing a general dental practice residency program. I practiced for a few years then was involved in a part-time program at New York University that was focused on implant dentistry.

jawbone, so it adds a further dimension for treatment.

What that allows us to do is to be very specific on the placement of the implant.

It allows us to know very clearly where nerves and blood vessels are, so we are much more efficient working surgically. We can also design our final prosthesis on the computer so we have an accurate picture of the final product.

Q.: What is an implant?

A.: An implant is really nothing more than a tiny titanium screw that generally serves two purposes. It either can be used to retain or hold a denture in place, which is known as an over-denture, or it can be used to serve as a root of a tooth where you can put a crown on the tooth.

It can be used to have crowns or bridges permanently cemented in or can be used as a retentive feature for dentures.

Q.: When did you start incorporating implants into your practice and why?

A.: My first surgical placement of a dental implant was in 1993. For me, there are two reasons why I began doing more implants. First, I always liked the surgical aspect of dentistry.

I also did not want to give up the cosmetic side of dentistry, so with implants, I could do both.

Q.: What do your patients say about implants, and what is the biggest benefit of them?

A.: From a biological point of view, the biggest advantage of doing dental implants is that it prevents bone resorption. So, if you remove teeth, in time the bone resorbs away.

There is no reason for the bone to be there because the tooth is gone.

By placing a dental implant into the patient, you maintain the bone.

The thing that patients often ask is, “Why did I wait so long to do it?” I have yet met a patient that regretted having an implant procedure.

They also say they didn’t realize how simple it would be to have an implant, and how easy it was going to go. They didn’t have to be put to sleep or have to take narcotics. So, for most patients, they say it was a pretty easy, seamless procedure.

They are healthier, more confident, and they don’t get cavities, because you cannot get a cavity on a dental implant.

see things going in the world of implants?

A.: Because we understand the science behind implants, we are going to see the manufacturers change design and surface structures and we will combine that with computer-aided design. Procedures will become more minimally invasive.

Designs will virtually be done on the computer. Not only will we be able to do enhanced treatment times, we are going to reduce the time things need to be done.

Also, because of CBC technology (a cone-beamed computed tomography scan) that is a very specific CT scan of the jawbone, it gives us information on the thickness of a patient’s

Q.: Technology is changing all the time. Regarding dentistry and specifically implants, where do you

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

Q.: I understand that you lecture nationally as well as internationally to dentists regarding implants.

A.: I didn’t start speaking until I got published in peer-reviewed dental journals. But yes, I do speak to dentists nationally and internationally on implants. I am one of only 400 board-certified implant dentists worldwide, and I take that very seriously because it required a great deal of education and training.

Being able to do both the surgical and restorative aspects of implants has allowed me to take the body of evidence from researchers from all over the world, put it together, and consolidate procedures, which then I can speak about on a national as well as an international level.

I also speak about two procedures that are unique to me that I use in my practice — Synergy 2 and Synergy 2 complete.

These procedures drastically cut down on the time a patient needs to come in, regardless if I am doing a single-tooth implant replacement, a full-arch rehabilitation, or replacing many or all of a patient’s teeth.

Lifelines Hometown: New Hartford Education: Dental degree, University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine; dental practice residency program, St. Luke’s-Memorial Hospital Center, Utica; implant program, New York University College of Dentistry Affiliations: Diplomate, American Board of Oral Implantology-Implant Dentistry; honored fellow, American Academy of Implant Dentistry; member, American Dental Association Personal: Married, two sons and a daughter Hobbies: Travel; golf

Spiritual Health Milk & Honey

By Brooke Stacia Demott

What’s the Rush?

Patience is fruit of the spirit

A

round a table, a gaggle of 4 year olds fidget and squirm, waiting. A woman enters the room, smiles, and places a large marshmallow in front of each child.

“If you like, you may eat this now,” she said. “If you wait 10 minutes, I will give you something better.” She leaves.

One child grabs for the marshmallow.

Several others follow suit; only two decide to wait. Ten minutes passes. The woman returns, rewarding each patient child with two marshmallows. The others realize their Demott mistake.

This was a real control study done some years ago to determine the kids’ ability to be patient. Let’s unpack it.

The kids who took the marshmallow represent most of us. We live in the most impatient nation, in the most impatient era in history.

Why waste time saving, when you can charge it? In fact, why wait for anything? The Internet gives us shopping, entertainment and information at the touch of a button, anytime, anywhere. We can have it all, right now! We are on a breakneck pace to achieve and acquire, and rarely stop to ask ourselves, is this really for the best?

If we see something we want, we’ll grab at it immediately, even knowing we might regret it later. Think pornography, Big Macs, or a home we can’t afford.

Grab it … fast!

The patient child is an admirable rarity. He demonstrates restraint, hope, and trust. He exhibits maturity and even a degree of wisdom. He is what we want to be — calm, assured, and purposeful.

From a distance, we can see that patience has value. Patience represents a heart at rest.

So, what makes us impatient? I see four underlying causes.

— Boredom. In the context of the marshmallow test, “There’s nothing to do in this room.”

Our days belong to mundane moments, punctuated occasionally with the possibility of the exciting.

— Distrust. “She’s probably lying. I’d better take what’s in front of me.”

Interestingly, it is she who gave the small gift — which promised a bigger one — with a caveat of trust.

Perhaps we have been lied to in the past, disappointed by people we trusted. Now, we don’t trust God to provide, either. Our sight is marred by the fact that every good thing we have was given by God, as a reminder of the greater good He has planned.

— Discontent, or the birthplace of compulsive behavior. Life seems happier for people who have better bodies, jobs, kids, marriages, etc.

Solace is sought in quick-fix diets and shopping sprees that leave us depleted instead of fulfilled.

— Anxiety, or the frantic belief that you are missing out. “If I don’t eat that, I’ll regret it.”

Worry, that drives reaction. We fret about losing an opportunity, and that’s when panic drives us to make reckless decisions.

Is there any hope for us, steeped in years of impulse living, to learn patience? The kids who were given the promise of a better reward couldn’t handle the wait — and we don’t even have that assurance. Or

do we?

“Do not grow weary in doing good. For you will reap a harvest in due time, if you don’t give up.”

(Galatians 6) Patience is the fruit of God’s spirit; if we are going to get it, we’re going to have to get it from God. To develop patience, we must … wait for it …

That’s it. We must wait for it.

The only way to learn patience is to practice waiting. God will put us in situations to practice by leaving us uncomfortably without answers, but with assurance. “Wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you.”

Waiting, like everything else in God’s economy, is a learning experience. There is beauty in the interim unknown; it is in the waiting that we are built.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you practice waiting.

— Contentment: Grumble through life, and disappointment will become your constant companion. Much of our lives depend on our perspective; life is as beautiful as you choose to see it.

— Trust: God’s blessings — large or small — are only a shadow of His extravagant and grand promise of a blissful eternity after this life has ended. Even the best days are just the “marshmallow” by comparison.

— Clear planning: When you panic, your plans are scattered. When you wait, you can make a thoughtful and purposeful decision about how to proceed.

— Gratitude: When gratitude lights up your life, it casts a shadow over those potential idyllic scenarios that drive your discontent. The grass begins to look vividly green on your side.

Patience believes in the good result it has yet to experience, and is satisfied with the promise.

• Brooke Stacia Demott is a columnist with In Good Health newspaper.

Got a question for Demott? Feel free to email her at brooketo@aol.com.

Loretta Ford: Pioneer of nurse practitioner field Continued from Page 9 members and states that 6 million patients daily visit an NP. Ford became founding dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester in 1972. She spent the remainder of her nursing career — 24 years — there. “(Rochester) was very progressive,” she noted. “All the health care professions — nurses, physicians, occupational and physical therapists and administration at both the university and the hospitals — were first rate. I was dean of both the school and hospital. It was called the unification model.”

While dean of the nursing school, Ford became director of the university hospital’s nursing service and introduced the interdisciplinary approach of nursing practice with education and research with service.

Hobart and William Smith colleges in Geneva recognized her with

its prestigious Elizabeth Blackwell Award in 2003.

In 2011, she was profiled on CNN in advance of her induction into the Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.

New age of technology

One major concern across the entire health profession today is the influence, good and bad, of technology, Ford told students in her address at the white coat ceremony.

“Every day, there’s a new technology. Your patients will not only get information, but it will be interpreted as well, so patients will begin to make decisions that are based on their individual data,” she said.

“This is a power shift because knowledge is power and in this environment of rapid changes, you must be ready, able and willing to adjust your roles accordingly, and also to innovate, imagine and initiate new

roles for yourselves,” she added.

She encouraged students to lead the way on major changes. “We need you to invent, to inspire, to engage and get out front to lead the charge,” she said.

Ford is also a humorist. She concluded her address to the students by remarking, “I’ve been hissed at, revered, praised. I’ve even been plagiarized and crucified, but not botoxed and detoxed.”

SUNY Polytechnic Institute was recently ranked ninth in a statewide study of the most affordable bachelor’s nursing degrees.

“This recognition reinforces that SUNY Polytechnic Institute is committed to providing an education that is affordable while remaining worldclass,” said SUNY Poly Interim President Dr. Bahgat Sammakia.

The website collegechoice.net evaluated schools across New York state.

July 2018 •

Bikash Regmi, a native of Bhutan, and his wife, Kumari Regmi, left, both registered nurses and SUNY Polytechnic Institute nursing graduates, celebrate with Dr. Loretta Ford following the white coat ceremony in 2017.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 15

Summer Safety Have fun, but be careful out there Jump, dive, or slide into summer: Keep safety in mind

By Barbara Pierce

W

ho doesn’t love summer?

With it comes a plethora of picnics, beaches, pool time, fireworks, camping and grilling.

But long days, plus lots of time outside, means more visits to the emergency room during summer months. You and your family are at more risk for falls, sunburn, burns or boating accidents.

Here are some pointers for summer safety: Fire “Fires are devastating,” said chief fire marshal Raymond Centolella of the Utica Fire Department.

House fires burn hotter and faster than ever before because furniture is now made of plastic which burns fast and hot.

“Most home fires are preventable,” he added.

He made the following recommendations: — Plug heavy-duty equipment, such as an air conditioner or dehumidifier, directly into the outlet.

An electrician can install the proper size and type outlet for the equipment. Do not use an extension cord.

Extension cords are among the most dangerous of electrical appliances.

— If you must use an extension cord, use the shortest and biggest

cord. Don’t get a 50-foot cord if you need a three foot.

— You can’t change a two-hole outlet to a three hole. Plug adapters are convenient, but they are never safe.

— Most fans are designed for indoor use. If you use a fan on your porch or outside, never leave it unattended. Run it when you need it, then turn it off.

— Don’t use your grill on your porch or under any roof. Use it 10 feet away from your house, even if it’s charcoal. Don’t bring it into the house if it rains. Any flame creates carbon monoxide, which kills people.

You don’t see it or smell it, but it can kill you.

— Don’t store your propane tank in your home or on your porch.

— Always make sure your dryer vents are cleaned out and make sure they vent to the outside. Built up dust is a fire hazard.

Lyme disease

The threat from Lyme disease is at an all-time high. If it isn’t identified or treated early, it can become a chronic life-changing illness.

That’s what happened to Syracuse teen Audrey Mitchell: “I don’t look sick. But I have a horrible headache, a fever, intense joint and muscle pain, dizziness, and my skin is so painful that my clothes hurt,”

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office. “People do enjoy them.”

Sign up by calling 315-765-2222.

Drowning

she said on NPR online.

To avoid Lyme disease, avoid ticks. Protect yourself, especially when walking in the woods, by wearing long sleeves, a hat and pants and using an insect repellent with a DEET concentration of 20 percent or higher, suggests the Centers for Disease Control.

Deer ticks live in shady moist areas at ground level, also in lawns and gardens. Avoid contact with soil, leaf litter and vegetation. Avoid dense woods and sitting on the ground.

When you get home, check your clothing, skin and hair for ticks.

Shower, then do a full body check.

Boating

The leading cause of boating deaths is drowning. Most people drown because they aren’t wearing a personal flotation device.

Alcohol and drug use are another significant cause of fatal boating accidents.

To insure you have a safe day on the water, first always assess the risks and wear a PFD when conditions require. Never mix alcohol, drugs and boating.

To operate a motorboat, you must complete an approved boater education course. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office offers free boating classes — June 9 in Rome and June 23 in Forestport.

“These classes are very popular,” said Sue Goding of the sheriff’s

Drowning is one of the top causes of injury and death in children.

An adult should actively watch children at all times while they are in a pool. For young children, an adult should be in the water, within arm’s reach. For older children, an adult should be paying constant attention and free from distractions, like talking on the phone, socializing, or drinking alcohol.

Children need to learn to swim.

Swimming lessons do not provide “drown-proofing” for children of any age, so supervision is still necessary.

No one, adult or child, should ever swim alone.

Heat stroke

Heat strokes and heat-related illnesses occur when the body’s temperature rises quickly. Signs include confusion, hallucinations, weakness, dizziness and nausea. Skin can be either hot and dry, or cold and clammy.

Keeping cool is important (think shade, air conditioning, a swim), but you also need to stay hydrated (water is better than sports drinks).

People aged 65 or over are particularly vulnerable, as are those with a chronic illness.

Dehydration

Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough fluids to carry out its normal functions.

Anyone may become dehydrated, but the condition is especially dangerous for young children and older adults. It can lead to serious complications.

That’s why it’s important to increase water intake during hot weather. Beer is dehydrating and doesn’t substitute for water.

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By Jim Miller

How to create a living will Dear Savvy Senior, What’s the best way to go about making a living will?

I recently retired and would like to start getting my affairs in order, just in case.

Approaching 70 Dear Approaching, Preparing a living will now is a smart decision that gives you say in how you want to be treated at the end of your life. Here’s what you should know, along with some resources to help you create one.

Advance directive To adequately spell out your wishes regarding your end-of-life medical treatment you need two legal documents: A “living will” which tells your doctor what kind of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated, and a “health care power of attorney” (or health care proxy), which names a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to.

These two documents are known as an “advance directive,” and will only be utilized if you are too ill to make medical decisions yourself. You can also change or update it whenever you please.

Do-it-yourself It isn’t necessary to hire a lawyer to complete an advance directive.

There are free or low-cost resources available today to help you write your advance directive, and it takes only a few minutes from start to finish.

One that’s completely free to use is Caring Connections, a resource created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. They provide state-specific advance directive forms with instructions on their website (CaringInfo.org) that you can download and print for free. Or you can call 800-658-8898 and they will mail them to you and answer any questions you may have.

Or, for only $5, an even better tool is the Five Wishes living will.

Created by Aging with Dignity, a nonprofit advocacy organization, Five Wishes is a simple do-it-yourself

document that covers all facets of an advance directive that will help you create a more detailed customized document. It is legally valid in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

To learn more or to receive a copy, visit AgingWithDignity.org or call 888-594-7437.

Want legal help?

If you would rather use a lawyer, look for one who specializes in estate planning and health care-related matters. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA.org) and the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC. org) websites have directories to help you find someone. Costs will vary depending on the state you reside in, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $200 and $500 to get one made.

Do not resuscitate You should also consider including a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR) as part of your advance directive, since advanced directives do little to protect you from unwanted emergency care like CPR. Doctors and hospitals in all states accept them.

To create a DNR, ask your doctor to fill out a state appropriate form and sign it.

Another tool you should know about that will complement your advance directive is the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). Currently endorsed in 22 states with 24 more in some phase of development, a POLST translates your end-of-life wishes into medical orders to be honored by your doctors. To learn more or set one up, see POLST.org.

Tell your family To insure your final wishes are followed, be sure you tell your family members, health care proxy and doctor so they all know what you want.

You should also provide copies of your advanced directive to everyone involved to help prevent stress and arguments later.

For convenience, there are even resources like DocuBank.com and MyDirectives.com that will let you and your family members store your advanced directive online, so you can have immediate access to them when you need them.

Richard M. Cherpak, M.D. Richard M. Cherpak, M.D. Dr Stanley Weiselberg Richard M. Cherpak, M.D. Garth J. Garramone, D.O., F.A.C.P. Garth J. Garramone, D.O., F.A.C.P. Dr Norman Neslin GarthBrett J. Garramone, F.A.C.P Brett R. Gandhi, Gandhi,D.O., M.D. R. M.D. Dr Robert Pavelock Norman R. Neslin, M.D. Brett R. Gandhi, M.D. Dr Bradley Sklar Norman Neslin, M.D. Robert R.R.Pavelock, M.D. Dr Richard Cherpak Norman R.F. Sklar, Neslin, M.D. Bradley M.D. Robert R. Pavelock, M.D. Dr Garth Garramone Stanley P. Weiselberg, M.D. Robert R. Pavelock, M.D. Dr Brett Gandhi 116 Business Park Drive, Bradley F. Sklar, M.D. Utica, 13502 Bradley F.NYSklar, M.D. Dr Harvey Allen p. 315 -624-7070 | f. 315-316-0367 Stanley P. Weiselberg, M.D. info@mveccny.com Dr Emil Miskovsky Stanley P. Weiselberg, M.D. UT-000595577

mveccny.com

116 Business Park Drive, Utica, NY 13502 Phone Fax p.315-624-7070 315 -624-7070 | f.315-316-0367 315-316-0367 info@mveccny.com mveccny.com

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O.BY:___________________________ Box 5443, PROOF O.K. O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY:________________________ Norman, OK 73070, or PLEASE READ CAREFULLY • SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE visit www.savvysenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the (100%) NBC UT-000595577 Today show and author ADVERTISER: MOHAWK ENDOSCOPY PROOF CREATED AT: 2/22/2017 9:24:00 AM of “The SavvyVALLEY Senior” UT-000595577 book.

SALES PERSON: UT6021 NEXT RUN DATE: 02/26/17 SIZE: 5.389X10.125 PUBLICATION: UT-SS2

July 2018 •

PROOF DUE: 02/24/17 12:59:55 IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

•

Page 17

Ask The Social

Security Office

From the Social Security District Office

Y

Monitoring earnings record can pay off

ou work hard for your money.

You’re saving and planning for a secure retirement. Now you need to make sure you’re going to get all the money you deserve. Regularly reviewing your Social Security earnings record can really pay off, especially when every dollar counts in retirement.

If an employer did not properly report just one year of your work earnings to us, your future benefit payments from Social Security could be close to $100 per month less than they should be.

Over the course of a lifetime, that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars in retirement or other benefits to which you are entitled. Sooner is definitely better when it comes to identifying and reporting problems with your earnings record. As time passes, you may no longer have easy access to past tax documents, and some employers may no longer be in business or able to provide past payroll information.

It’s ultimately the responsibility

Page 18

•

of your employers — past and present — to provide accurate earnings information to Social Security so you get credit for the contributions you’ve made through payroll taxes.

But you can inform us of any errors or omissions. You’re the only person who can look at your lifetime earnings record and verify that it’s complete and correct.

So, what’s the easiest and most efficient way to validate your earnings record? n Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ myaccount to set up or sign in to your own my Social Security account; n Under the “My Home” tab, select “Earnings Record” to view your online Social Security Statement and taxed Social Security earnings; n Carefully review each year of listed earnings and use your own records, such as W-2s and tax returns, to confirm them; n Keep in mind that earnings from this year and last year may not be listed yet.

Report: NY ranked nearly worst state for physicians Physicians sound off regarding some of the more challenging conditions

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

T

he personal finance website WalletHub recently released its report on 2018’s “Best & Worst States for Doctors.”

New York came in third from last, meaning only Rhode Island and New Jersey are worse states in which to practice. South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Iowa and Minnesota ranked as the top-five best states.

The report included 16 key metrics, which range from average annual physician wages to the quality of the public hospital system.

For doctors practicing in New York, the outlook is grim.

In the following categories, the Empire State rated: • 49th — Average annual wage of physicians (adjusted for cost of living) • 42nd — Average monthly starting salary of physicians (adjusted for cost of living) • 51st — Hospitals per capita • 16th — Insured population rate • 28th — Projected percent of population aged 65 and older by 2030 • 46th — Projected physicians per capita by 2024 • 49th — Malpractice award payout amount per capita • 50th — Annual malpractice liability insurance rate Leila Kirdani practices at Quality of Life Medicine in New Hartford and Rochester. Kidarni practiced in traditional family medicine for 15 years. Her offices don’t accept insurance but operate on a fee-for-service business model to eliminate the red tape and allow providers to practice in a more patient-centered fashion, Kirdani said.

She said insurance company mandates since the Affordable Care Act have made it “ridiculously complicated to see patients. So much is being demanded of doctors. It’s not about the relationship with the patients, which is what a lot of doctors and people value. It’s about documentation.”

For example, if a doctor doesn’t check off every box and include the required wording in each area of the chart, he doesn’t receive reimbursement for the visit — which can be paltry to begin with compared to the doctor’s operating overhead.

“It gets down to bean counting,” Kirdani said. “Are you checking off all the right boxes? It’s not about patient satisfaction.”

Instead of focusing on patients, doctors bury their noses in laptops as they fire off questions and tap in patients’ responses.

Richard Chmielewski, founder and medical director at The Falcon Clinic for Health Wellness and Recovery in New Hartford, said medical malpractice insurance premiums represent a leading reason why many physicians who accept insurance re-

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

imbursement cram in as many visits as they can.

“If a patient is injured as a result of malpractice, they deserve to be covered,” he said. “Lawyers get a contingency fee of one-third or more of the awards. The incentive is to go really high for pain and suffering, which drives up the cost of everything, especially the cost of medical malpractice insurance.”

Barbara Greenwald, executive director of the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society, also said the high rate of medical malpractice suits in New York has complicated the delivery of medical care. As a result, doctors must pay high premiums for medical malpractice insurance for protection.

She said her organization and the Medical Society of the State of New York has been lobbying for a cap on emotional damage claims.

“We don’t get very far,” she said.

“Lawyers are more apt to go into politics than doctors.”

She said doctors Downstate struggle to make enough money to afford the high cost of living in the city, since insurance reimbursements are so low. In Upstate New York, health organizations struggle to attract enough care providers to meet the needs.

“To draw docs to sparsely populated areas, you need to enhance the infrastructure,” Greenwald said. “It’s a more complex problem. To attract physicians, they’ll want amenities and a hospital nearby. Some doctors are going back to making house calls.

It should be ‘prescriber prevails’ instead of the insurance company deciding on cost.”

To read the entire report, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/bestand-worst-states-for-doctors/11376.

Do you have an interesting story idea?

Call 749-7070 today!

Health News MVHS names director of information systems Joelle Fasolo has been named director of Mohawk Valley Health System information technology financial and ambulatory applications.

In this position, Fasolo is responsible for overseeing the evaluation, implementation and support for all financial, revenue cycle and ambulatory information Fasolo systems at MVHS. Fasolo has been an MVHS employee for 16 years, most recently serving as senior application analyst, supporting ambulatory electronic health records.

Prior to her role as senior application analyst, Fasolo worked as a nurse in endoscopy and case management.

Fasolo earned her Associate of Applied Science from St. Elizabeth College of Nursing in Utica and her bachelor’s degree from SUNYIT.

MVHS opens Rome medical office Family medicine specialists Anthony Cotronea, Nicoletta Tallandini and Mary-Jane Borst have joined the Mohawk Valley Health System Medical Group and opened their practice as the MVHS Rome Medical Office.

Prior to joining the MVHS Medical Group, Cotronea was in private practice and affiliated with both Rome Memorial Hospital and with Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica.

Cotronea received his medical degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. He completed graduate training at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in Patchogue and his bachelor’s degree at Hamilton College in Clinton.

He is certified by the American Board of Family Practice and is a member of the Cotronea American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Tallandini was previously in private practice at Mohawk Glen Family Practice, LLC, and served as medical director of the Rome Memorial Hospital Residential Health Care Facility, both in Rome.

Tallandini received her medTallandini ical degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. She completed a residency in family medicine at the St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency in Utica.

She is certified by the American Academy of Family Practice and is a member of the American Medical Association.

Before joining MVHS, Borst was Borst employed as a registered nurse-robotics coordinator in the department of surgery at Oneida

Healthcare.

Borst received her master’s degree in family nurse practitioner studies from the SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica and her bachelor’s degree from Keuka College in Keuka Park.

Borst completed her Associate in Applied Science in nursing at St. Elizabeth College of Nursing in Utica and is enrolled in the registered nurse first assistant program at the National Institute of First Assisting.

She is certified in advanced cardiac life support and basic life support.

MVHS names medical imaging director Anthony Dischiavi has been named director of medical imaging at the Mohawk Valley Health System.

In this position, Dischiavi is responsible for directing and coordinating all activities of the medical imaging department at MVHS. He is also responsible for operational Dischiavi supervision and strategic leadership while providing oversight to all functional, clinical and programmatic services related to medical imaging.

Dischiavi has been employed

by MVHS since 2003 and has served as computer tomography technologist and cross sectional/CT physics instructor and patient care instructor at the Faxton St. Luke’s School of Radiology in Utica.

He has most recently held the position of assistant director and systems administrator for the medical imaging department at MVHS. Dischiavi received his diploma in medical radiography from the Faxton St. Luke’s School of Medical Radi-

ography, and his associate degree from Herkimer County Community College.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Empire State College in Saratoga.

MVHS IT department names security analyst Nicholas Spudie has been named IT security analyst I of the Mohawk Valley Health System.

In this position, Spudie is responsible for planning and implementing security measures to protect computer systems, networks and data.

He is also responsible for staying up-to-date on the Spudie latest Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health regulations, intelligence and hackers’ methodologies, in order to anticipate potential security breaches.

Spudie has been an employee of MVHS since 2009 when he served as an information technology student intern. He most recently worked as an IT desktop support technician.

Spudie earned his associate’s degree in business management from Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in cyber security, information assurance from Utica College.

MVHS names AC-1 nurse manager Meghan Nolan has been named nurse manager of AC-1 at the St. Luke’s Campus of the Mohawk Valley Health System.

Continued on Page 20

Sister Maureen Denn, Marybeth McCall heroines of health care Continued from Page 11 she suddenly found a new calling.

In 1974, she enrolled at Georgetown University and came out four years later with a Doctor of Medicine degree with honors.

She spent 38 years in a variety of roles in medicine prior to her retirement in 2016.

“It has been a great privilege to be chosen to become a physician,” she said. “I have been at the amazing event of a new birth, performed resuscitation to regain life, encouraged someone through a difficult illness and grieved following the loss of a patient and friend even through natural death.”

She met her husband, Dr. Frank Dubeck, in medical school and they have been married 42 years and have two children.

McCall served active duty with

the U.S. Air Force for several years as a staff physician at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb., and has attained the rank of major in the Air Force Reserves.

She and her husband moved to the Mohawk Valley in 1985. McCall worked as a primary care physician at Slocum-Dickson Medical Group in New Hartford, specializing in internal medicine.

McCall first got involved in hospital administrative work at the Masonic Care Community in Utica, where she served as associate medical director from 1989-1993.

In 1994, she became medical director at the Court Street Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Utica, where she provided direct patient care services to an inner-city population.

From 1994-95, McCall returned to caring for the elderly again as an internal medicine physician and

assistant medical director at the Heritage Home.

She then moved across the street to Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare as senior vice president and medical director from 1995-2001.

In 2001, looking for new challenges, she became chief medical officer at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse.

Over the next four years, she was responsible for helping the hospital successfully emerge from chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

Late in 2005, McCall moved to Rome Memorial Hospital and accepted a position as chief medical officer until June 2007.

She also taught classes in the nurse practitioner program at SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica.

In July 2007, she began her distinguished seven-year association with Excellus BCBS. She was associate medical

July 2018 •

director in the Utica office through December 2009 before being elevated to chief medical officer Central New York and Southern Tier, working from regional headquarters in Syracuse.

Concurrently, she held the title of chief medical officer for the Utica region. In January 2016, she gave up her position as CMO for CNY and Southern Tier to focus exclusively on the Utica region. She retired from the latter position in July 2016.

At the dinner, she thanked the community for giving her opportunities to grow, and “for challenging me to achieve when it all seemed too hard and for supporting me through hardships,” she said.

McCall remains active in community service in Utica, helping out the American Heart Association and serving on the board of Sunset Wood retirement community.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 19

Health News Continued from Page 19 In this position, Nolan is responsible for nursing operations including clinical and administrative responsibilities for AC-1, an adult inpatient medical surgical unit with a focus on the bariatric and orthopedic patient populations.

Prior to this position, Nolan held nursing positions within Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare, most recently as a staff nurse in the post anesthesia recovery unit at the Faxton campus.

Nolan earned her associate’s degree in nursing from Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Utica College.

Mahardy

Notaro

SECON graduates new nurses St. Elizabeth College of Nursing in Utica graduated 90 new nurses recently.

The 112th graduation ceremony was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Utica, following a procession across Genesee Street.

College President Varinya Sheppard joined Jessica Eldred and Beverly Plante, deans of student and faculty development, in presenting the Verdgeline graduates with their Associate in Applied Science degrees. Senior class advisers Doreen Delrosario and Michelle Wolff presented them with the SECON pin.

Scott Perra, president/ CEO of the Mohawk Valley Health System, welcomed the graduates, faculty, staff and participants. Robert Scholefield, executive vice president/chief operating officer of MVHS gave the commencement address.

Valedictorians are Megan Mahardy of Utica and Marianna Notaro of Clinton.

Salutatorian is Sabrina Verdgeline of Rome.

Community Foundation names coordinator Joseph B. Wicks of Bouckville has been named special projects coordinator at The Community Foundation Page 20

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RFA graduate receives scholarship from Rome Memorial

Rome Memorial Hospital, a supporter of high school sports broadcasts on ESPN Radio Utica/Rome, recently presented a scholarship award to salutatorian Tristan Hunzinger, Rome Free Academy class of 2018, for his exceptional athleticism and outstanding character. Hunzinger, varsity basketball captain for two years, has been a member of the RFA basketball program for six years in addition to being the starting quarterback on the football team for three years. Hunzinger will enroll at Siena College, Loudonville, in the fall. Celebrating the occasion are, from left, Rome Memorial Hospital Director of Therapy Services and Business Development Rena Hughes; Tristan Hunzinger; his parents, Ann Marie and Mike Hunzinger; and RFA varsity basketball coach Nick Medicis. of Herkimer & Oneida Counties.

Wicks coordinates Community Foundation work in area initiatives such as the Mohawk Valley Health System’s new downtown Utica health care campus. He acts as a community liaison to facilitate regional integration of the MVHS project and provides property relocation assistance for nonprofit organizations and businesses.

In addition, he will work with Community Foundation partners to develop Wicks reuse plans to repurpose certain MVHS facilities.

Wicks previously served as community engagement lead coordinator and grant manager at Integrated Community Planning, Inc. in Oswego, where he was responsible for the management and operation of the Advancing Tobacco Free Communities grant.

He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., and

is a graduate of the religious studies program at Elim Bible Institute in Lima.

For information about The Community Foundation, visit www.foundationhoc.org or call 315-735-8212.

RMH director recognized with Genesis Award Ashlee L. Thompson, director of outpatient behavioral health services at Rome Memorial Hospital, was one of the health care professionals honored at the Genesis Group’s annual Healthcare Recognition Awards ceremony, held recently at Hart’s Hill Inn, Whitesboro.

A credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor through the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, state of New York, Thompson is director of the hospital’s community recovery center.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

The CRC is certified by the New York State Department of Health and AIDS Institute as an opioid overdose prevention program.

This certification allows the CRC to provide Narcan kits and training to its clientele and community members. Thompson and her staff provide essential Narcan training sessions for the community.

Thompson Thompson earned her bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College, Syracuse, and her master’s degree from Touro College, New York City.

She is working toward a master’s degree in health care administration from Utica College.

Thompson and her staff have developed a monthly family support group that meets the third Monday of each month at RMH. The group offers a safe place for information and advice for those trying to help their loved ones who are battling addiction.

The Genesis Group is a civic organization that unites business and community leaders working to advance regional economic, social and cultural interests, and to foster unity and cooperation in the Mohawk Valley region of Central New York.

RMH awards clinicians for commitment to patients In recognition of National Nurses’ Week and members of Rome Memorial Hospital’s Clinical Services division, RMH’s Clinical Services Professional Excellence Committee recently presented the 2018 Excellence Awards to 14 individuals who exemplify excellence and commitment to the health and wellness of the community.

The committee asked nurses and clinicians from departments throughout the hospital to nominate their peers for the awards.

A “Nurse of the Year” was selected for each nursing department. From among this group, a “Nurse of Excellence” was named.

In addition, other departments named their clinicians of the year.

“Most of us have been together as the clinical services team for a few years now,” said Durinda Durr, vice president of clinical services.

“As such, we agreed to celebrate as a team during nurses’ week because we are joined together to help one another live up to our vision to be ‘exceptional people delivering exceptional care.’”

The 2018 award winners are: — Jodi Wallace, emergency department, emergency services nurse of the year and nurse of excellence — Teresa Troia, continuum of care, non-clinical nurse of the year — Andrea Hamilton-Larry, 2 East, medical surgical nurse of the

Continued on Page 21

Health News provided support and coverage for each other to maintain high-quality service.

The honor roll was established to highlight the key role public health workers play in protecting and promoting the health of all New Yorkers.

Continued from Page 20 year — Ryan Vencek, 2 East, Nightingale nurse award — Mary Reader, senior behavioral health unit, behavioral health services nurse of the year — Audrey Wood, intensive care unit, intensive care unit nurse of the year — John VanderPyl, residential health care facility, long-term care nurse of the year — Laura Bambury, residential health care facility, long-term care licensed practical nurse of the year — Heather Gulick, respiratory therapy, cardiopulmonary services clinician of the year — Laura Lonergan, pharmacy, pharmacist of the year — Cori Bewick, 2 North, critical care services nurse of the year — Shannon Scott, post anesthesia care unit, peri-operative services nurse of the year — Sarah Fleck, maternity, maternal child-care nurse of the year — Jan Bass, continuum of care, social worker-case manager of the year

Ophthalmologist joins Slocum-Dickson Alexander R. Harris will be joining the ophthalmology department of Slocum-Dickson Medical Group in New Hartford on Aug. 6.

Harris specializes in all aspects of eye and vision care. He is skilled in cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation, all forms of ophthalmic lasers and Harris treatment of various eye diseases.

He provides care for eye conditions including glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye and more.

Harris completed his ophthalmology residency at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. He earned his medical degree from the Commonwealth Medical College of Pennsylvania in Scranton, Pa., and completed post-graduate training at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa. He is a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

He is joining his father, ophthalmologist Alan D. Harris, who has provided eye care to patients at SDMG for nearly 30 years.

HealthNet announces summer pilot project Herkimer County HealthNet recently announced a pilot project set to take place in the village of Herkimer this summer.

Excellus BCBS issues health awards

Physical therapist receives LFH President’s Excellence Award Nicole Hebert was recently received Little Falls Hospital’s inaugural President’s Excellence Award. The award is given to a non-nursing individual within the organization who has demonstrated superior performance in upholding the values of LFH. Hebert was chosen from among five finalists for this award because of her overall performance in each of the value areas including relationships, excellence, accountability, service, learning and integration. Celebrating the occasion are, from left, LFH President Michael Ogden; Hebert, and Suzanne McSweeney-Herman, director of physical therapy. Hebert began her career at LFH in 2002 as a physical therapy assistant and obtained her doctorate in physical therapy in 2009 from Utica College.

Through a partnership with the Lead-Free Mohawk Valley Coalition and the Walking Environmental Assessment Project Team, the pilot includes a visual exterior assessment of homes in the village identifying chipped and peeling paint as well as walkability of streets and conditions of sidewalks.

“The project’s focus is to collect data and to utilize the resources of the Herkimer-Oneida County Planning Department to map the results.” said Thomas Curnow, executive director, Herkimer County HealthNet. “We anticipate that after the data is collected and mapped, then our project team can start to identify needs based on it.”

The Walking Environmental Assessment-Village of Herkimer Pilot Team consists of representatives from Herkimer County HealthNet, the village of Herkimer, Herkimer County government, Herkimer-Oneida County Planning Department, New York State Department of Health, Public Health, and Working Solutions.

The project budget cost is $10,376, which consists of funds from The Community Foundation-supported Lead-Free MV Coalition, HealthNet and the Herkimer County College Corps internship program.

Interns are expected to start the assessment process in June and will continue through August.

After the project is finished, the data collected and maps developed will serve as support for grant applications, educating elected officials for private or public funding, and for multiple use by agencies at the village and county levels.

Oneida County Health Department honored The Oneida County Health Department Environmental Services Division has been selected as a 2018 New York State Public Health Works!

Honor Roll awardee.

Staff were selected for the award because of the dedication to the field of public health and for overcoming a variety of challenges over the past year, including a municipal water system emergency, and multiple outbreak investigations requiring extended hours for clinical and environmental staff.

The joint investigation of a Legionella outbreak helped to reduce health disparities and support health equity through uninterrupted protection of water, food supply and environment in the county. The division’s lead poisoning prevention program and Healthy Neighborhoods program further served to assess health disparities and support health equity for impoverished portions of the county.

Throughout 2017, the environmental services division team

July 2018 •

Several nonprofit organizations in the Utica-Rome-North Country region have been chosen from among more than 45 applications to receive Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Spring 2018 Community Health Awards.

Each award recipient will receive up to $4,000 of the $25,000 allocated by the company to help fund health and wellness programs in its 14-county Utica-Rome-North Country region.

Through a competitive application process, Excellus BCBS’s Community Health Awards support programs that have clear goals to improve the health or health care of a specific population.

Awards focus on improving the health status of the community, reducing the incidence of specific diseases, promoting health education and enhancing overall wellness and are made based on scope of need, goals of the program, number of people expected to benefit from the program and positive impact on the community’s health status.

One of the organizations is Stevens-Swan Humane Society in Utica.

Award funds will help offset the cost of rabies vaccines for all animals adopted from the shelter as well as animals vaccinated at 14 public rabies clinics held through November.

Program to examine Medicaid details Diana Wulforst, certified health care access associate of the New York State of Health, Cooperstown, will be the featured speaker at Valley Residential Services, 323 Pine Grove Road, Herkimer from noon to 1 p.m.

July 16.

Wulforst will speak on “Medicaid at a Glance,” discussing what is covered and who is eligible, as well as hospital inpatient versus outpatient services, laboratory and X-ray services and many other informative topics regarding Medicaid-covered services.

NYS of Health is the official health plan marketplace for New York state residents. The NYS provider and health plan look-up is an Internet tool that can be used by consumers to investigate and research provider networks and health plans.

It can be accessed at https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/.

For reservations, call VRS at 315219-5700 by July 11.

Subscription?

Call 749-7070 today!

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 21

Dental Health Smile with Dr. Suy

By Dr. Salina Suy

The many layers of dentistry Health care field is multi-faceted

I

n this month’s column, I want to answer one of the most frequently asked questions I am asked and the answer is — YES, I am the dentist!

FUN FACT: Women are taking over dentistry! The average class now has a 1:1 female to male ratio.

I am very proud to be a young female doctor in this field. Most patients seem surprised because they think I look so young — which I blame on my petite size of 5 foot.

In reality, I am 28 years old and went through nine years of schooling straight after high school. I want to take readers down the career path of Suy a dentist to help everyone understand how we are trained, how we differ from other doctors and the different types of dentists out there.

I want to thank several readers for approaching me these last few months about the column — It warms my heart! Thank you for the positive energy and support and I hope you learn something new today.

What is a general dentist?

Your general dentist is the dentist you see every six months for routine maintenance of your oral health care (also known as your main dentist).

They are equivalent to your primary care physician as in medicine, also known as your regular medical doctor of primary care physician.

A general dentist is your primary care dental provider. This dentist diagnoses, treats, and manages your overall oral health care needs, including gum care, root canals, fillings, crowns, veneers, bridges, implants and preventive education. General dentists perform many procedures while specialists are more limited in their practice.

Your general dentist may be a DDS or DMD: doctor of dental surgery or doctor of medical dentistry.

How does one become a dentist?

The path to any doctorate is long and hard; those pursuing these types of careers should truly love their field. There are certain things that need to be checked off along the pathway to becoming a dentist.

Summary steps: — High school diploma or generPage 22

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al education diploma: Apply and be accepted into a college or university — Bachelor’s degree (any major): Four years — Complete sciences according to the medical standard — Complete the dental admissions test: Competitive score above 19 — Complete 200 hours of dental shadowing — Graduate with a competitive grade-point average of 3.4-4.0 — Apply and be accepted into an accredited and competitive school: Four to seven years recommended — Doctorate: Four years — Complete all course work and all clinical requirements.

Don’t let this fool you. In dental school, we took up to 30 credit hours per semester. The average full-time student takes 12 credit hours.

— Take the National Board Dental Examination Parts I & II and pass.

— Obtain a license: Requirements for licensure are different in each state within the United States.

— New York state hospital general practice residency: 1 year Most dentists are general dentists. Among dentists are the dental specialists who pursue further selective training in their fields and includes: — Dental public health: Dentist who concentrates on community prevention — Oral and maxillofacial radiology: Dentist who concentrates on the reading of X-rays — Pediatric dentistry: Dentists who concentrate on treating children — Endodontics: Dentists who concentrate on root canal therapy — Oral and maxillofacial surgery: Dentists who concentrate on surgery — Periodontics: Dentists who concentrate on gum disease — Oral and maxillofacial pathology: Dentists who concentrate on diagnosing oral diseases and lesions — Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics: Dentists who concentrate on teeth alignment — Prosthodontics: Dentists who concentrate on mouth rehab — Other specialties in the making are oral implantology, dental anesthesiology, sleep apnea and pain management.

• Salina Suy is a health and wellness advocate and general dentist in Utica. Want to learn more?

Visit Facebook @smilewithdrsuy or www.smilewithdrsuy.com.

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

From left, Eric McKinstry, Michele Franklin and Susan McKinstry celebrate earning the Center for Donation and Transplant outstanding hospital outreach award.

MVHS receives Center for Donation and Transplant award

T

he Mohawk Valley Health System has received the Center for Donation and Transplant outstanding hospital outreach award for going above and beyond to support a culture of organ donation within the community.

The award acknowledges the staff at MVHS for its efforts to promote organ donation, educate the community about donation and its continuous support of CDT outreach efforts.

“MVHS has instituted national best practices in organ donation,” said Donna Sickler, MVHS quality professional and organ procurement liaison.

“MVHS staffs have repeatedly demonstrated a high quality of critical care skills, along with skills that are needed to care for and support the families during the donation process,” Sickler said.

Organ donation has increased from 17 percent to 27 percent in Oneida County this year.

Susan McKinstry, Eric McKinstry and Michele Franklin, who accepted the award on behalf of MVHS, have taken on leadership roles in the Donate Life Utica volunteer group and actively involve the community and the health care facility in outreach awareness.

Health

Susan McKinstry works as a critical care clinician and CDT liaison and Eric McKinstry works as a clinical coordinator of respiratory therapy.

Franklin is a registered nurse in critical care and has been available to support grieving families and staff, offering support, guidance and understanding. She is instrumental in caring for potential donors and the DCD donors in the operating room.

In addition to flying the Donate Life flag year-round at the Donor Memorial Garden on the St. Luke’s Campus, MVHS participates in a number of different events celebrating Donate Life Month. MVHS employees and volunteers make blankets for organ donor families that say “yes” to donation or move forward with the loved one’s registered wishes to be an organ donor.

Additionally, hospital staff participates in National Blue and Green Day in April, showing their support for donation awareness by wearing the Donate Life colors of blue and green.

To register as a donor or for more information about how to get involved, visit the CDT’s website at www.donatelifecdt.org.

in good

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HEALTH EVENTS

Got a health-related activity or event that you would like publicized?

Call Lou Sorendo at 315-749-7070 or email lou@cnymail.com.

Continued from Page 4 The forum, led by the Cancer Center’s social worker, offers support to anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information or to RSVP, call 315-624-5241.

July 9

Support group to meet at RMH The brain aneurysm, AVM (arteriovenous malformation) and stroke support group will meet from 5:30-7 p.m. July 9 at Rome Memorial Hospital’s second-floor classroom.

The group meets on the second Monday of every month.

RMH is located at 1500 N. James St., Rome.

For more information, call Deb Dunn at 315-533-6467 or email RomeNY@JoeNiekroFoundation.org.

July 11

Free smoking cessation classes to begin The Oneida County Health Department, in collaboration with the Mohawk Valley Health System, is offering a free, three-week series of Freshstart smoking cessation classes.

Freshstart is an evidence-based program created by the American Cancer Society. The classes will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on July 11, 18 and 25 in the Sister Johanna Conference Room at the St. Elizabeth Campus, 2209 Genesee Street, Utica.

Refreshments will be provided.

Those who complete the program will receive a $25 grocery gift card.

The Freshstart approach is geared toward helping participants increase their motivation to quit.

The program is open to all Oneida County residents 18 years and older.

For more information or to register, contact Joanne Ambrose at MVHS at 315-801-8269.

July 12

Laryngectomy support group to meet The Laryngectomy Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at noon July 12 in the Sister Regina Conference Room on the first floor of the St. Elizabeth Medical Center hospital building, 2209 Genesee St., Utica. The support group is sponsored by SEMC. Laryngectomy support group meetings are held at noon on the second Thursday of each month.

A laryngectomy is the procedure to remove a person’s larynx and separates the airway from the mouth,

nose and esophagus. The laryngectomee breathes through an opening in the neck, called a stoma.

The public is welcome to attend.

Those with questions can call the speech therapy department at 315801-4475.

Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Friday and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, the center participates with most major insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. A sliding scale fee is available for self-pay clients.

For more information, call 3344701.

July 18

Valley Health Services accepts syringes Valley Health Services is accepting the community’s medical waste of needles, syringes and lancets from noon until 2 p.m. on July 18.

The service is available on the

July 16

Subscription?

Call 749-7070 today!

Hereditary Cancer Risk Screening

Community Recovery Center there to help The Community Recovery Center of Rome Memorial Hospital, certified by the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, provides outpatient services for the treatment of adults and adolescents who are chemically dependent on alcohol, prescription medications and illegal drugs.

The group is led by substance abuse counselor Danielle Russell, who has 10 years of experience in the field of addiction.

The group is free and open Russell to everyone but focuses specifically on the problems faced by those who have a love one who is suffering from addiction.

The group meets from 6-7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month in the second-floor classroom at Rome Memorial Hospital. The next meeting is July 16.

Located at 264 W. Dominick St., Rome, the Community Recovery Center operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday and Friday and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

For more information about the Community Recovery Center, call 315-334-4701.

third Wednesday of every month.

The waste must be in approved puncture-resistant containers available at local pharmacies and properly marked “biohazard.”

The containers may be brought to the outpatient receptionist on the ground floor at VHS, who will contact the personnel responsible for medical waste disposal.

VHS is located at 690 W. German St., Herkimer.

Questions may be directed to Tammi King, infection control nurse, at 866-3330, ext. 2308.

Personalized Breast Care

Learn your personal cancer risk with genetic screening now offered to all breast imaging patients at The Women’s Imaging Center, a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence Patients will be screened for 28 genetic mutations that impact hereditary risk for eight cancers:

July 16

Family support group focuses on addiction Families who are dealing with the problems of addiction can find help and information at a support group meeting from 6-7 p.m. July 16 in the second floor classroom at Rome Memorial Hospital.

The group meets the third Monday of each month and is free and open to everyone.

Offered by the hospital’s Community Recovery Center, the support group provides an opportunity to discuss issues with others who are in the same situation.

Certified by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, the Community Recovery Center, 264 W. Dominick St., Rome, offers alcohol and substance abuse treatment for adolescents and adults.

   

Breast Ovarian Gastric Colorectal

   

Pancreatic Melanoma Prostate Endometrial

For more information, contact Leigh Loughran, operations manager, at 315.338.7577.

Medical Imaging Center 1500 N. James St. Rome, NY 13440

July 2018 •

315.338.7027

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 23

Allergies nothing to sneeze at Continued from Page 14 Consider an over-the counter medication or talk to your doctor about a prescription.

Options include: antihistamines or decongestants that can be used to block allergy symptoms or reduce congestion, or nasal sprays that can prevent and soothe nasal inflammation.

Winder said a doctor can discuss possible side effects with you, and that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should definitely talk to their doctors before taking any medication. In addition, over-thecounter saline sprays “may also be helpful for some in moisturizing and cleansing the nasal membranes.”

Get with a professional

While it may be convenient to simply take over-the-counter medications, Winders suggests seeing your doctor or speaking with a pharmacist “to confirm that you’re using an allergy medication correctly.” It may actually take practice to properly use nasal sprays. “Proper technique is critical to get results you need for relief from symptoms,” she added.

Seasonal allergies are just one of the problems allergy sufferers experience. “Dust inside homes can contain many allergens from pets, cockroachPage 24

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es and dust mites, as well as mold and pollen that comes in through open windows or on clothes,” Winders said.

To help prevent symptoms of home allergies, keep your windows closed. Winders also recommends wearing a mask while vacuuming and dusting. “Allergy symptoms often become worse during or immediately after vacuuming or dusting because they stir up dust particles, making them easier to inhale,” she said.

Other solutions that Winders offers include: — Replace carpets, upholstered furniture and heavy drapes with hardwood floors or washable furnishings.

— Cover beds and pillows with allergen-proof encasings.

— Use a HEPA-filter vacuum daily, especially in rooms where the person with pet allergies spends the most time.

— Mold may be a bigger problem as it may be undiscovered or unaddressed.

Winders said it grows on any organic substance, as long as moisture and oxygen are present, so it is frequently found in basements, bathrooms, carpets, and refrigerators.

Preventive steps can help, so Winders recommends checking the

humidity in your home to ensure it is between 30 and 50 percent.

Using a dehumidifier in damp areas can also make a difference.

If you experience pet allergies, you can take antihistamines, decongestants and corticosteroid nasal sprays. Your doctor might also recommend allergen immunotherapy, or allergy shots that can reduce sensitivity to pet dander.

There are also certain breeds of dogs and cats that shed less, but Winders says, “There is no breed of dog or cat that is hypoallergenic or can promise to be best for people with pet allergies.”

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • July 2018

In addition to help a doctor and medication can provide, Winders says there are some lifestyle changes that may also help with pet allergies.

“Limit exposure and restrict pets to one area of the home when inside,” she said.

Preventing animals from going into your bedroom can also help.

It is unnecessary to dislike our brief spring and summer months because of allergies.

For more information about the Allergy & Asthma Network, visit http://www.allergyasthmanetwork. org.