More@Mercy - Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital - Spring 2019

@ MENTAL HEALTH IN AMERICA

1 5 IN

ADULTS

experiences a mental illness.

Nearly

1 25 IN

ADULTS

lives with a serious mental illness.

$193.2 BILLION

in earnings are lost every year because of serious mental illness.

Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness

SPRING 2019 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Healing the mind PROGRAMS HELP PEOPLE COPE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health issue, you should know that Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital is ready to help.

We provide compassionate, comprehensive behavioral health and psychiatric services for many mental health illnesses, including depression, anxiety, bipolar

disorder and schizophrenia.

“Very simply, we help people with a mental illness reclaim their lives,” says Roger McBride, MS, RN, Director of Behavioral Health at Mercy Fitzgerald.

And because mental illness has a ripple effect on families, “We help them, too, with support and guidance as their ­— Continued on page 2

IN THIS ISSUE

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COUNT ON EXPERT CARE Dr. Raj brings compassion and experience to cancer treatment

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BREATHE EASIER Get screened for lung cancer

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Learn more about Mercy’s mental health services at mercyhealth.org/behavioralhealth.

Meet our new oncologist

CARING FOR YOU To schedule an appointment with Dr. Raj, call 610.237.7950.

Being diagnosed with cancer can be scary.

Oncologist Rajesh Rajesh Thirumaran, Thirumaran, MD, MRCP MD, MRCP (UK) (UK), truly understands that. “I try to see every patient within 24 hours of their diagnosis,” he says. “No one with cancer should sit at home worrying and waiting to see a doctor.”

Dr. Raj—that’s how he introduces himself—is a new arrival at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital. Last fall, he joined the medical staff as Director of Infusion Services at the Cancer Center.

Dr. Raj is not new, however, to treating people with cancer. He’s practiced locally for a decade, helping thousands of adults fight cancer and saving many lives.

Besides years of experience, Dr. Raj comes to Mercy Fitzgerald

Healing the mind ­— Continued from front page loved ones heal,” he says.

Here is a look at just some of the mental health services at Mercy Fitzgerald: Help in a crisis. Mercy Roger Fitzgerald is one of only McBride, MS, RN two hospitals in Delaware County with a Crisis Response Center. It provides 24/7 care for anyone who needs immediate mental health help. An expert crisis team performs emergency evaluations and makes referrals for effective treatment. This team is also ready to help with involuntary mental health commitment.

Intensive inpatient care. When a mental illness is severe enough to require hospitalization, individualized,

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with excellent training. It includes a dual fellowship in oncology/ hematology at Lankenau Medical Center and Thomas Jefferson University.

What attracted Dr. Raj to the Mercy Cancer Center? Besides its state-of-the-art care, the hospital has “an entire team that puts patients first,” he says.

The latest and best care Dr. Raj treats most cancers. And for appropriate patients, that treatment includes the latest advances in immunotherapy.

These breakthroughs use the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.

“Immunotherapies have dramatically extended the lives of people with cancer who otherwise might have died in months,” Dr. Raj says.

If you’re his patient, you can count on a doctor who will help you understand all your treatment options. “That’s a crucial part of what I do every day,” Dr. Raj says.

intensive therapy is available and is provided by a team of experts, including board-certified psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and therapists.

A peer engagement specialist—someone who has experienced a mental illness firsthand and is specially trained in helping others—is also available to support patients after discharge.

Long-term support. The Community Care Program helps support area residents with severe and chronic mental illness with case management and peer coaching.

“We match them with the community services they need to help prevent relapses,” Roger says.

This vulnerable population receives special support to remain on the path to recovery, such as managing medications; continuing their follow-up care; and pursuing social, vocational and educational goals.

“All of these services really change lives,” Roger says.

“They are important resources for the community.”

Where’s the sodium?

IT’S HIDDEN IN PLACES THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU When you have heart failure, you might find yourself playing detective. Managing your care involves sleuthing for sodium— or salt. It’s found in a lot of foods and can make your condition worse by causing fluid buildup and forcing your heart to work harder.

Key sources

Penn partnership advances care for heart failure patients If you’re struggling t o cope with the symptoms of heart failure, here’s something you should know: Mercy is collaborating with Penn Medicine to help people whose heart failure hasn’t responded to standard therapy get more specialized care.

At Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Stephen M. Chrzanowski, MD, a Penn Medicine heart failure cardiologist, sees these patients.

Just last year, Philadelphia Magazine recognized Dr. Chrzanowski in its "Top Docs" issue.

“This makes the best possible care for heart failure easily available to area residents,” says Martin O’Riordan, MD, Director of Mercy’s Cardiovascular Service Line. “And we’re providing a service that’s rare for a community hospital— the expertise of a heart failure specialist.”

A team effort If you’re referred to Dr. Chrzanowski, he’ll work closely with your doctor to

medically manage your heart failure.

And if necessary, he will collaborate with his Penn Martin colleagues to O’Riordan, MD provide advanced therapies at Penn Medicine, such as a heart transplant or a left ventricular assist device, a surgically implanted pump that helps the heart do its job.

This heart failure expertise is currently available at Mercy Fitzgerald. And there are plans to expand access.

“We hope to provide specialized heart failure care at all of our Mercy campuses,” Dr. Chrzanowski says.

MAKE THE CALL Mercy’s cardiovascular expertise is just a phone call away: 1.877.GO MERCY (1.877.466.3729).

More than 70 percent of the sodium we consume comes from processed and restaurant foods—and not just from potato chips or french fries.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), top food sources of sodium include bread and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, burritos and tacos, soup, and sandwiches.

Read labels Ask restaurants about low-sodium items on their menus. And read labels to find and choose prepared and packaged foods that are likely to be healthiest.

Terms to look for include: •• Sodium-free or salt-free— less than 5 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving.

•• Very low sodium—35mg or less per serving.

•• Low sodium—140mg or less per serving.

•• Reduced sodium—at least 25 percent less sodium than the regular product.

•• Light in sodium—at least 50 percent less sodium than the regular product.

•• No-salt-added or unsalted—no salt added during processing, but not necessarily salt-free.

The AHA recommends limiting sodium consumption to no more than 2,300mg per day. mercyhealth.org

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LUNG CANCER SCREENING

A potentially life-saving test For many cancers, finding the disease early offers the best chance of a cure.

But some cancers Eugene typically don’t Choi, MD cause symptoms until they’re already advanced, which makes them difficult to successfully treat.

That’s certainly true for lung cancer—and it’s also why screening for lung cancer is so important.

Screening can help spot lung cancer in its beginning stages, which helps lower the risk of dying from the disease, says Eugene Choi, MD, a hematologist/oncologist with Mercy Health System.

“The smaller the lung cancer is when it’s found—and the less that it has spread to other parts of the body—the better the chance we have of curing someone,” he says.

“It’s that simple.”

And that’s why screening is often recommended for people at high risk for lung cancer, such as adults with a history of heavy smoking.

Are you a candidate?

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, you may be a candidate for lung cancer screening if all three of these things are true for you:

LEARN MORE Read about all the services available at the Mercy Cancer Center. Go to mercyhealth.org/cancer.

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•• You are between 55 and 80 years old.

•• You are either a current smoker or have quit within the past 15 years.

•• You have a history of heavy smoking. You may be considered a heavy smoker if you smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years, two packs a day for 15 years or a half a pack a day for 60 years, Dr. Choi says.

Painless, simple and quick Lung cancer screening is done with a low-dose CT scan, which uses special x-ray equipment and sophisticated computers to make multiple, cross-sectional pictures of the lungs. Studies show that lowdose CT scans are better at finding lung cancer than a regular chest x-ray.

A low-dose CT scan is fairly quick, and it doesn’t require any injections.

“I have not met a single person who regretted getting the scan,” Dr. Choi says.

After the test, a radiologist studies the images for any abnormal areas,

called nodules, which may be cancer.

If an abnormality is found on your scan, you may need further testing to determine if it is cancer or not, Dr. Choi says. That usually means getting a lung biopsy.

Talk to your doctor Lung cancer screening has minimal risks. The test does expose you to radiation, though the x-ray dose is much lower than a regular chest x-ray.

If you’re at high risk of lung cancer due to your smoking history and age, ask your doctor about getting screened. Medicare and many private insurers cover lung cancer screening for those who are eligible.

Finally, remember this: If you ever are diagnosed with lung cancer, Mercy has a team of specialists who can treat you with skill and compassion, including a nurse navigator to help guide you through the entire treatment process.

“At Mercy, we have all the resources to make this happen for you,” Dr. Choi says.

Women: Know these things about lung cancer Here’s a fact that may surprise you: Lung cancer—not breast cancer—is the No. 1 cancer killer of U.S. women. That’s been the case since 1987, in fact.

The top reason why women develop lung cancer is smoking, which causes the vast majority of lung cancer deaths in both women and men.

Smoking isn’t the only risk factor for lung cancer, however.

About 1 in every 5 American women diagnosed with lung cancer has never smoked.

One reason is that other things besides smoking can cause lung cancer. Those risks include being exposed to radon or secondhand smoke or having a family history of lung cancer.

Whether you smoke or not, see your doctor right away if you develop these common signs and symptoms of lung cancer: •• A cough that doesn’t go away or gets worse •• Coughing up blood or rustcolored spit or phlegm •• Chest pain that often worsens with deep breathing, coughing or laughing •• Hoarseness •• Weight loss and loss of appetite •• Shortness of breath •• Feeling tired or weak •• Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back •• New onset of wheezing mercyhealth.org

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WHAT IS HOME HEALTH? You might be surprised at the many services available through Mercy Home Health. Read about them at mercyhomehealth.org.

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Tell all. Be candid about your symptoms, medical history, habits and health concerns. “You won’t get the help you need if your doctor or other provider is in the dark,” Dr. Raziano says.

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Be your own advocate 3 WAYS TO GET THE HEALTHCARE YOU DESERVE For the best possible medical care, keep these two words in mind: Speak up.

“Doctors certainly know a lot about medicine,” says Donna Raziano, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Mercy Home Health. “But they may not know enough about you to give you truly appropriate care unless you tell them.”

Here’s how to communicate effectively for your health:

Ask questions. “You’re not bothering your doctor; you’re getting the information you need to take better care of yourself,” Dr. Raziano says. You might want to ask: •• What is my diagnosis? What does it mean for my future?

•• How should I take my meds? What are the side effects?

•• Will I need a test? What will the results tell me?

•• What are my treatment options?

•• Do I need to change my daily routine?

•• Could home health services help me recover?

•• Can you explain my condition as simply as possible?

If you don’t understand the answer, keep asking until you do.

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Clarify. Repeat the doctor’s advice using your own words. And at the end of the visit, take a few moments to review what the two of you agreed on.

Remember: You are your own best advocate, and taking an active role in your care is one way to ensure that you and your doctor are working together to improve your health.

Know the risks of opioids Opioid pain medicines are in the news a lot, and for good reason.

They can help treat different kinds of pain. But they also have serious risks, such as addiction and overdose. Opioids can also cause side effects like constipation. And they can be misused and abused.

What’s more, some of the risks from opioids are higher among older adults.

Could there be a better medicine?

If you need pain relief, opioids may not be the best option for you. “There are safer ways to treat chronic pain,” says Donna Raziano, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Mercy Home Health.

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“And some may even work better.”

Ask your doctor about: •• Over-the-counter pain relievers •• Physical therapy and exercise •• Counseling that helps you cope with pain and stress

Safety tips If your doctor says you do need to take an opioid, there are things you can do to help reduce your risk of opioid problems.

For instance, tell your doctor if you have ever been addicted to or abused a substance (even tobacco) in the past. And tell your doctor about any other medicines you take.

“It is very dangerous to use some medicines with opioids,” Dr. Raziano says. “Examples are sleeping pills and medicines for anxiety or seizures.”

If an opioid is your only option, be sure that you: •• Take your opioid as directed. Never take more than prescribed.

•• Don’t drink alcohol when taking one.

•• Never share your opioid with anyone.

•• Keep your opioid in a secure place so other people can’t get to it.

After you take your vital signs at home, the results are automatically sent to a Mercy Home Health nurse.

Your connection to better health MERCY CARECONNECT TELEHEALTH MONITORING MAY HELP KEEP YOU HEALTHY AT HOME Do you have a chronic health condition, such as heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Living with a serious condition isn’t always easy. Among other things, you need to stay on top of your symptoms to make sure your condition isn’t getting worse.

Having a nurse check on your vital signs, such as your heart rate or blood pressure, every day could give you peace of mind and help you avoid a trip to the emergency room (ER) or a hospital stay.

That’s what the Mercy CareConnect Telehealth Monitoring Program is all about. It is provided by Mercy Home Health. Since 2008, telehealth has helped more than 8,000 Home Health patients in the comfort of their homes.

Close monitoring Telehealth allows the Mercy Home Health team to keep track of your symptoms electronically on a daily basis. If you receive this service: •• Special medical equipment will be set up in your home at no cost to you. You will get a blood pressure cuff, a scale to weigh yourself and

a device that goes on your finger to check your heart rate and the oxygen levels in your blood.

•• You’ll use the equipment to check your vital signs each day.

•• The results will automatically be sent to a Mercy Home Health nurse through a tablet computer—which you’ll receive at no cost—designed specifically for this purpose.

Catching problems early A Mercy Home Health nurse will check your daily vitals on a computer screen.

Here’s what could happen next: Perhaps you have heart failure and you’ve suddenly gained several pounds. When the nurse notices this change on your reading, he or she will call you and (if necessary) your doctor so that your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed right away.

“We can reach out to the doctor in a much faster manner,” says Telehealth Supervisor Lauren

Sinclair. “We can recognize these little changes, after we’ve assessed the patient over the phone, to try to keep them out of the hospital.”

In other words, telehealth helps you and your Home Health team deal with little problems before they become big ones.

“The Mercy CareConnect Telehealth Monitoring Program works,” says Ruth Martynowicz, Vice President of Operations for Mercy Home Health.

“Over 90 percent of our patients who receive Mercy CareConnect services are able to avoid ER visits, emergency doctor visits or repeat hospital stays while in the program.”

Understand your triggers Mercy CareConnect can also help you recognize the symptoms of your disease and what may trigger them.

Because you’re able to track your vital signs daily, you can learn how decisions may affect your health.

GET CONNECTED Talk to your doctor if you think the Mercy CareConnect Telehealth Monitoring Program might be a good choice for you. You can also call 1.888.690.2551 to learn more. mercyhealth.org

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Women: Keep your bones strong As women get older, their bones tend to lose some of their Michael strength. That Yang, MD puts them at risk for the brittlebone disease called osteoporosis.

Fortunately, there’s much that women can do as they age to keep their bones as strong and dense as possible. Michael Yang, MD, a Mercy sports medicine specialist, explains why women are at special risk for weak bones and how they can maintain bone health.

Why is bone health more of a concern for women than for men?

Answer: Women’s bones are naturally smaller than men’s bones.

Also, the sharp drop in estrogen after menopause makes women’s bones weaker. Women have almost four times the risk for osteoporosis as men have.

Q

What can women do to help maintain bone health as they age?

Answer: Women can help keep their bones strong by: •• Being physically active •• Avoiding alcohol •• Not smoking •• Eating a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables •• Consuming healthy amounts of calcium, such as in milk and other dairy products

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Getting enough vitamin D in your diet is helpful, too. But regular exercise and eating nutritious foods may be more important than vitamin D supplements.

When should women have their bone mass tested?

Should men have theirs tested too?

Answer: It’s recommended that women undergo bone density testing when they turn 65. Your doctor might suggest testing earlier if you’re at high risk for fracture. There isn’t currently enough evidence to recommend bone testing in men.

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STAY HIP TO BONE HEALTH Find a Mercy orthopedic specialist near you by calling 1.877.GO MERCY (1.877.466.3729).

MORE @ MERCY is published as a commu­nity ­service for the friends and patrons of ­Mercy Health System. Information in MORE @ MERCY comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your healthcare provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you would like to stop receiving this publication, please email IAtMercy@mercyhealth.org. 2019 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.