Digital Edition of HUPdate - 10/30/2015

Volume 26

Number 22 October 30, 2015

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

It’s Good for the Body and the Brain!

Do something that you enjoy, that gets your heart rate up and makes you feel good.

Most people know the physical benefits of exercise. For example, it strengthens your heart, thus lowering your risk of cardiac disease. It helps control diabetes and has been shown to lower the risk of some cancers. Regular workouts also build up muscles and strengthen bones.

But what may not be as well known to the average person is its tremendous value for the area above the neck: your brain.

“Exercise is one of the most under-prescribed and under-utilized treatments we have,” said Mahendra T. Bhati, MD, of Psychiatry. “Multiple studies have shown exercise to help a wide range of mental conditions, including anxiety, depression and even dementia.”

Why does exercise help raise our spirits? Very simply, it increases blood flow, which, in turn, delivers more oxygen to tissues in the brain and body.

This provides a natural energy boost and also improves moods. “One study investigated the use of the drug erythropoietin, which enhances blood flow, for patients with clinical depression,” Bhati said. “It resulted in an improvement in mood. Exercise can do the same thing ... with no side effects.”

`` Garry Scheib in the Marine Corps Marathon

INSIDE A Special Start to College Life.....3 Bridging Cultural Understanding...........................3 Creating an Equitable, Inclusive Environment..............4 Derm Reaches Out to Prevent Skin Cancer.............4 Nominations Open for MLK Community Award....................4

Bhati practices what he preaches to his patients. His regular workouts include biking, tennis, hiking, skateboarding, and other outdoor activities. “Exercise is an integral part my life,” he said. “I notice a dramatic effect when I don’t exercise. My mood isn’t as good.”

Regular exercise has been an important part of Garry Scheib’s life as well.

HUP’s CEO and COO of the Health System competed in sports throughout both high school and college and continued his active lifestyle with a variety of sports, including biking, running, tennis, and racquetball. He completed his first marathon in his mid-forties and continued this pace until an old football injury required him to give up first long-distance biking — and then running.

But that didn’t stop his workouts; he merely switched gears, to walking.

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It’s Good for the Body and the Brain!

But we’re not talking about strolls. “I walk as fast as I can without my knee hurting,” he said. (He averages about 4.5 miles an hour.) To fit exercise into his busy schedule during the week, he wakes at 4:30 am, drives to work and then starts a one-to-two-hour walk from the parking garage, up along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, and back. He tries to do this workout two to three times a week and also walks on both Saturday and Sunday. Like Bhati, Scheib uses exercise to relieve stress and tension. “If I go a few days without physically doing something, I don’t feel as mentally clear as when I work out,” he said. `` Scheib in the MS-150

“I do my best thinking during these walks,” he continued. “When I’m done, I immediately pick up a pen and paper and write down ideas, questions I want to ask.… That’s when I do my planning for the day and week.” He said he is also more effective and more efficient at work after exercising, accomplishing a lot in a short period of time.

Although Scheib can no longer run a marathon, that hasn’t stopped him from participating: he now walks the 26.2 miles. He completed the Marine Corps Marathon and the Disney Marathon last year and frequently participates in the Philadelphia half and full marathons.

His motivation to participate, aside from the physical and mental benefits, stems from helping others. Over the past 20 years, he’s raised over a half million dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as part of his participation. “It gives me the incentive to get up early so I have the time to get to work and workout,” he said.

Although the switch to walking took a while to get used to, he strongly recommends that everyone — including runners — include this type of exercise as part of their workout routine. “It trains different muscles than running, and I think it makes you a better runner.”

While walking marathons isn’t necessary to get the mental benefits of exercise, a leisurely pace won’t do it. Bhati recommended that people follow the American Heart Association guidelines: exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes…. and break a sweat.

“My advice: Do something that you enjoy, that gets your heart rate up and makes you feel good,” he said.

And for those who say they don’t have time, “we can all sacrifice a half-hour a day,” Bhati said. “There are 23 ½ hours to do all the other things.”

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`` Receiving special recognition for reaching 6,000 points in last year’s Healthy Rewards Program are (from left) Danielle Auxer, Nyree Lyons, and Aisha Komara. The other HUP winners are Jeannie Austin, Kathleen DiRocco, and Kimberly Clark.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S to the Winners of the 2014-2015 Healthy Rewards Leadership Event

Over 6,000 employees participated in the 2014-2015 Healthy Rewards program. Throughout the year, the program offered a variety of activities to help participants rise through the four levels, each offering a different incentive with the opportunity to earn up to $200, win a Fitbit, and win a recognition event with leadership, including the Wellfocused Walk-Off, Re-Think Your Drink Campaign, and a fun Summer Grilling Throw Down recipe challenge in which the winning recipes were featured in the hospital cafés.

This year, 220 employees reached the top tier, with 6,000 points!

Of that group, 25 were chosen from a raffle as winners of a Leadership Recognition Event. At last month’s HDDC meeting, Garry Scheib, CEO of the hospital, presented a special certificate and a Fitbit to three of HUP’s six winners for their efforts.

“Thank you to all who participate in the Healthy Rewards Program and for choosing to live a lifestyle that promotes better health and well-being,” said Jen Brady, manager of Employee Health and WellBeing. “The better care we take of ourselves, the better we will be able to care for patients, our families, and the community.”

Through email, Brady asked winners what kept them motivated to reach the top level: • I had a personal loss and I realized life really is too short.

Getting rid of stress but learning to enjoy life more, while being active/healthy.

• B eing a new nurse, I was motivated to get healthy for my patients as well as myself.

• I reached the 6,000 by dedication. The tasks asked weren’t demanding. I just had to find the time to do it.

It’s never too late to start participating in the Healthy Rewards Program for the 2015-2016 program year! The more activities you participate in, the more points you accumulate, and the more incentives you can earn! Log in today at PennMedicine.Limeade.com to join in on the fun.

A SPECIAL START TO COLLEGE LIFE L.U.C.Y. (Lifting Up Camden Youth) Outreach is a volunteer program that tries to improve quality of life for Camden’s youth (ages 12 to 19) through educational, social, spiritual, and serviceoriented programming. This year the program helped four of its members transition to college, but none could afford the bedding and supplies that most college freshman bring with them.

The staff of Ravdin 6 stepped up to help, “adopting” one of the students and sending him off to St. Joseph’s University in style.

According to Eugenia Kim, who leads the unit’s community outreach efforts, they collected $300 in gift cards as well as cleaning and shower supplies, office supplies, and St. Joseph’s blankets.

“Everyone on the floor brought in something,” she said.

“John’s [the recipient] eyes filled with tears when he saw the donated gifts for college,” said Barbara Prior, nurse manager. “My staff make me so proud. I thank them for making a difference for someone less fortunate.”

In a personal note from Kristin Prinn, LUCY Outreach executive director, she thanked the Ravdin 6 staff for “your extremely thoughtful and generous basket [that] was so special and made John’s transition to SJU so special! He loves his Hawk blanket!”

To learn more about LUCY, go to www.LucyOutreach.org.

`` Thanks to the Ravdin 6 staff (above), John Rosario, the student they “adopted,” has a great head start on some of the supplies he’ll need for college.

My staff make me

so proud. I thank them for making a difference for someone less fortunate.

BRIDGING CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING Since 2007, Qun-bin (QB) Xiong, a Lab Medicine specialist, has been volunteering at the Main Line Chinese Culture Center, a non-profit organization.

Initially focusing on keeping the Chinese culture and language alive for young Chinese-American children “to help bridge cultural understanding between the East and the West,” he soon expanded his outreach to senior members of this community. “About five years ago, we began to see more older Chinese coming to visit or stay with their families,” he said. “They would come to the Center with their grandchildren and then sit around for hours until the children’s classes were done.”

Because most of the older visitors knew very little English, Xiong helped to start a small program for them, using volunteer high school and college students to teach them very basic English. Soon the Center became the go-to place for the older group, not only for English lessons but also questions about their health, where to go if they need health care, how to get there, and much more. `` Qun-bin Xiong (r) with staff members of the Main Line Chinese Culture Center

While the Center wanted to do more, the funding wasn’t there… until Xiong received a generous Penn Medicine CAREs grant. This funding will help provide a whole range of activities for the seniors: from a free calligraphy class and mental wellbeing seminar to physical exercise and musical meditation. The Center will also offer free flu vaccinations. “We have just used the Penn CAREs fund to acquire a karaoke/DVD machine to get them up and moving around!” he said.

Although the Center only offers its programs on Sunday afternoon, “the word is getting out.

Families come or sometimes the seniors come alone,” he said. “We want to keep the program going and make it even more productive.”

To learn more about the Main Line Chinese Culture Center, go to www.mlccc.org.

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Creating an Equitable, Inclusive Environment Penn Medicine hospitals (HUP, Penn Presbyterian, PAH and Chester County) were recently recognized among the 2015 class of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s “Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” list and the first to be announced in the organization’s rolling admissions in 2015. The HRC is the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization.

Since 2013, the Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health has implemented 25 LGBT health education and training initiatives, had six research papers published or in press, and has given six research presentations on various LGBT health topics. Penn Medicine hospitals earned top marks in meeting non-discrimination and training criteria that demonstrate commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBT patients and their families.

Penn Medicine’s efforts extend to staff as well. Penn Pride@HUP, a new resource group, will provide an avenue for LGBT employees and LGBT allied employees at HUP to address disparities they ­— and patients — may face in the workplace.

Penn Pride @HUP will meet the third Wednesday of every month at 5pm in Dulles 106.

You can also sign up for its newsletter by emailing PennPrideatHup@uphs.upenn.edu or Jennifer.Newcomer@uphs.upenn.edu.

Derm Reaches Out to Prevent Skin Cancer

Nominations Open for MLK Community Award The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Involvement Recognition Awards are given to five individuals (Penn/Penn Medicine faculty, staff, students, and members of the broader Philadelphia community) who demonstrate significant contributions in community service and/or work for social justice efforts. The awards committee is seeking nominations for individuals whose work most merits this recognition. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, November 13.

You can access the nomination form and learn more at www.upenn.edu/aarc/mlk/ award.htm.

If you have any questions, please contact the African-American Resource Center at 215.898.0104 or aarc@pobox.upenn.edu.

HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Trissy Laurito Designer

ADMINISTRATION

Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications

For the second year in a row, Dermatology staff from both the Perelman Center and Radnor were able to attend and participate in the ‘Smiling for Sarah Life and Legacy Celebration in West Philadelphia’. They spent the afternoon handing out patient education on detecting and preventing skin cancer, along with free Aveeno lotion with SPF samples purchased through the Penn Medicine CAREs grant.

“It was truly an amazing opportunity to provide the community with relevant information on skin cancer, with particular emphasis on melanoma, which took Sarah’s life,” said Mayange Mitchell, MBA, access administrator in Dermatology.

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