In Roads
Inside information for the employees of Mercy Medical Center
PFS Has Spirit, Do You?
September 05, 2014
“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” -The 14th Dalai Lama
On the last Friday of every month, employees are able to wear their orange Hello humankindness t-shirts. Show your department’s spirit and send pictures of coworkers you see wearing their shirts to lindsey.gallagher@dignityhealth.org. The next t-shirt day is 9-26-14.
Train your brain to crave healthy food
Fill your plate with superfoods Each of the next several In Roads will feature a different superfood and its health benefits.
Broccoli
By Jacque Wilson, CNN
It may be possible to rewire your brain so that it wants and craves even healthier foods. How? By following a healthy diet. We know, that wasn't the quick fix to afternoon ice cream binges you were hoping for. But this research could lead to a more sci-fi solution to the obesity epidemic. In a pilot study published Monday in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes, scientists say that changing your eating behavior can actually change how your brain reacts to high-calorie and low-calorie foods. "We don't start out in life loving french fries and hating, for example, whole wheat pasta," senior author Susan Roberts, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Energy Metabolism Laboratory, said in a statement. "This conditioning happens over time in response to eating -- repeatedly -- what is out there in the toxic food environment." So it makes sense that the opposite would also hold true. Scientists divided 13 overweight and obese participants into two groups: a control group and an experimental group. At the beginning of the study, both groups underwent an fMRI to record their brain activity in response to photos of various foods. The experimental group then participated in a behavioral intervention program, which included portion-controlled menus and support group sessions. The
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A superfood is easy to find in the grocery store, contains nutrients that are known to enhance longevity and has other health benefits that are backed by peer-reviewed, scientific studies. Broccoli makes the list because it's one of nature's most nutrient-dense foods, with only 30 calories per cup. That means you get a ton of hungercurbing fiber and polyphenols -- antioxidants that detoxify celldamaging chemicals in your body -- with each serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dignity Health Invests in Leading-Edge Medical Technology
From the 2014 Open Forums
Q: Are we going to standardize policies, procedures, and operations at all facilities? Why or why not?
A: We understand that every community is different, every facility has unique challenges, and every patient population is different; therefore standardization will not and should not completely eliminate the need for some local customization and flexibility. But we will standardize when it makes sense and is appropriate. For example, we will use clinical care protocols that are evidence-based, so that all of our patients receive treatment that has proven outcomes. For example, we have found that using the “ventilator bundle” in our ICUs has helped reduce ventilator acquired pneumonia, so it makes sense to do that in every ICU. Standardized approaches can bring increased safety, improved quality, better patient satisfaction, and greater efficiencies. Over time, treatment standardization will increase across the organization. Our standards for patient experience will be systemwide because all of our patients deserve the same high standards of care and compassion. An example of that is our universal commitment to the “no pass” zone – that each of us will stop and help any person we see who seems to be lost or in need of assistance. Finally, in terms of costs, it reduces our expenses when we standardize laboratory equipment and other supplies.
SIMPLIFYING SOFT TISSUE BALANCE
One company offers a device that uses a sensor and wireless communications to help a surgeon perfectly align a knee replacement. A second offers a smart phone app that allows physicians to remotely monitor fetal heartbeat and the mother’s contractions in high-risk deliveries. What do these companies have in common? Both OrthoSensor, an orthopedic medical device manufacturer, and AirStrip, a remote patient monitoring company, are at the leading edge of the technology revolution in health care. Both have products that are in use in Dignity Health facilities. And both have benefited from investments by Dignity Health. “In 2013 Dignity Health created a $25-million fund for strategic health care co-investments,” said Richard Roth, Vice President of Strategic Innovation. “We invest between one and five million dollars in companies that we know because their products are in use in our facilities. In the past year, we’ve invested in a number of companies, and we are evaluating many more.” Keith Callahan, Senior Vice President
of Supply & Service Resource Management, and the executive sponsor for the OrthoSensor investment, said Dignity Health is looking for companies that lower the cost of care, improve quality or increase access. “We look for companies that have the potential to benefit the entire system and to grow far beyond the footprint of Dignity Health,” he said. OrthoSensor uses a disposable “knee balancer” that is positioned between the upper and lower surfaces of the knee replacement and transmits data that helps a surgeon be sure that the new knee is properly aligned. The OrthoSensor system, which can prevent costly revision surgery, is currently in use at our Northridge and St. Rose Dominican hospitals. AirStrip connects the various bedside monitors for a patient who is in labor to a server that transmits the data to a smart phone or tablet so that obstetricians, when not at the bedside, can constantly monitor their patients’ conditions. AirStrip is used in 30 Dignity Health hospitals, as well as numerous other health systems around the country. Dignity Health has also invested in the cloud-based analytics company Evariant, which collects vast amounts of data to help hospitals better understand care preferences of providers and consumers. “We’re convinced that new technologies can improve the quality of care and help keep costs under control at a time when both are critical in the health care industry,” said Roth. “When we find the right companies with the right technologies, we think it makes sense to deploy those technologies in our facilities and to invest in them as well.”
Lloyd Dean Takes a Cold Shower for ALS Ice Bucket Challenge former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates posted an ice bucket video on social media. Frates, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, originally challenged a few friends to follow his lead. Since then the challenge has swept the nation raising nearly $100 million to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The fatal disease attacks parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. President/CEO Lloyd Dean accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with style. On Wednesday, Aug. 27, he took an ice-cold dousing on the infield of AT&T Park at the hands of San Francisco Giants’ mascot Lou Seal. In the process he pledged a $20,000 donation to the charity from Dignity Health and challenged three hospital CEOs and two professional sports team executives to take the ice bucket challenge and to match the donation. The viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took off in July when 29-year-old
Continued from page 1: “Train your brain to crave healthy food” participants were asked to reduce their calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories a day and to follow a highfiber, high-protein diet to prevent hunger and cravings. After six months, people in the experimental group had lost an average of 14 pounds, while the control group had lost about 5 pounds.
Lloyd was challenged by French Hospital President Alan Iftiniuk. Before he succumbed to the ice bucket, Lloyd extended his own challenge to Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard Tyson, Sutter Health President and CEO Pat Fry, UCSF Medical Center CEO Mark Laret, and to San Francisco 49ers’ President and CEO Jed York as well as Mario Alioto, Senior Vice President of the San Francisco Giants.
Both groups again underwent an fMRI scan, and researchers showed the study participants photos of low-calorie and high-calorie foods, such as a turkey sandwich on wheat bread and a container of french fries. They looked at how the participants' brains responded to these photos, particularly in the striatum, a region known to be associated with the brain's reward system.
You’ll find a brief video of our soaking CEO at http://www.dignityhealth.org/ Video/SYSV2_M146494. And you can learn more about the challenge at #icebucketchallenge.
Previous studies have shown that high-calorie, fatty, sugary foods trigger the pleasure center of the brain. That's why you naturally crave these unhealthy foods: You expect to be rewarded with dopamine for eating them.
Local Organizations work with our Foundation to Fundraise By Delene Meidlinger, Annual Giving /Event Officer
Merced City Firefighters: During October, Merced City Firefighters will wear pink to raise awareness about breast health and cancer. They are taking pre-orders for the $20 t-shirts (see flier on pg 3) to raise money for the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center. Order form and payment must be received by September 19th to ensure delivery by October 1st. However, orders will be taken up to October 10th. The firefighters are coming to Mercy the week of September 15th to collect pre-orders, so bring your money and forms that week. Last year, 500 t-shirts were sold and the firefighters want to throw out a challenge to beat that record this year. So let’s do what we can to help them! Our president, David Dunham, has kindly given permission for all non-clinical employees to wear their t-shirts on each Friday during the month of October. If you have any questions, please contact Delene Meidlinger at the Mercy Foundation Office at 209-564-4200. American Legion Riders: Save the Date for Wednesday, September 17th as the American Legion Riders will have a booth in front of the Medical Center to sell raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 1500cc motorcycle. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit bringing an Endoscopic Ultrasound to Mercy Medical Center.
But people in the experimental group showed a slightly different response to seeing high-calorie foods after participating in the intervention program. Researchers saw less activity in the striatum when participants were shown these foods and more activity when they were shown lower-calorie foods. The same did not hold true for the control group. "There is much more research to be done here, involving many more participants, long-term follow-up and investigating more areas of the brain," Roberts said. "But we are very encouraged that the weight-loss program appears to change what foods are tempting to people."
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Merced City Firefighters Local #1479 During the Month of October, Merced City Firefighters will wear PINK to raise awareness about Breast Health and Cancer. Have regular mammograms, do your monthly self-checks, and buy a T-Shirt to raise money for a cure! Proceeds Benefit Dignity Health Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center Note: Order form and payment must be received by September 19th to ensure delivery by October 1st. Orders will be taken up to October 10th.
Men’s Sizes S
M
L
XL
2XL 3XL
Women’s Sizes S
M
L
XL
Total 2XL 3XL Quantity
Quantity
Cost $20.00
Total (Quantity X Cost)
Make your check payable to the Merced City Firefighters Local # 1479. Name: Address: Email: Phone #:
Order may be picked up at: Merced Fire Department 99 E. 16th Street Merced, CA 95340 For Additional Information Local1479@gmail.com Order Filled by: __________________ Date: ________________________ Amount Collected: _____________ Cash / Check # ___________________
STROKE Prevent. Treat. Beat.
What is Stroke?
?
blocked
Hemorrhagic
ruptures
Prevent.
√
80%
No. 4 cause of death in
Ischemic
A stroke occurs when a vessel in the brain ruptures or is blocked by a clot.
the U.S.
1
To reduce your risk for stroke, follow Life’s Simple 7™:
of all strokes are preventable.
Manage Blood Pressure
Lose Excess Weight
Get Physically Active
Eat Better
2
Lower Cholesterol
Reduce Blood Sugar
Don’t Smoke
Treat. Ischemic stroke patients have up to
3
hours* to receive tPA treatment. 3
*Up to 4 1/2 hours for eligible patients.
Beat.
If you or your loved one is a stroke survivor, you are not alone! Check out the resources below to learn more and connect.
ur Heart Help Your Yo
in Bra
1-888-4-STROKE
Love
@American_Stroke
http://bit.ly/17PXD7h
StrokeAssociation.org StrokeAssociation.org/StrokeConnection
Facebook.com/AmericanStroke
Sources: 1 Low-Risk Lifestyle Behaviors and All-Cause Mortality: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study Ford ES, Zhao G, Tsai J, Li C. Am J Public Health. 2011 Oct;101(10):1922-9. 2 Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Disaeses 2010. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2011. 3 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2013; 44: 870-947. Published online before print January 31, 2013, doi: 10.1161/STR.0b013e318284056a.
©2013, American Heart Association