December 6, 2011
Cardiology Services now available in Yerington & Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Cardiology is a branch of Carson Tahoe Cardiology (shown above)
On December 8, 2011, in collaboration with Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth Cardiology will hold its first cardiology clinic at Mammoth Hospital’s SPORT Center. Mammoth Cardiology is a branch of the Carson Tahoe Heart Institute and is accredited by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACCVPR). Mammoth Cardiology offers bimonthly clinic visits as well as some diagnostic echo cardiography and physician consultation. “I am excited that the cardiologists from Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare have decided to provide care at the clinics of Mammoth Hospital,” says Gary Boyd, Mammoth Hospital CEO. “They are outstanding physicians and I am sure they will serve the community well.” If further cardiac care is needed, the Carson Tahoe Heart Institute is ready with advanced technology for cardiac diagnostics, treatment, open heart surgery and rehabilitation.
Additionally, CTC holds bimonthly cardiology clinics in Yerington at South Lyon Medical Center. Yerington will also offer bimonthly clinic visits as well as some diagnostic echo cardiography and physician consultation.
Board Certified Cardiologists serving in Yerington and Mammoth Lakes include Stephen Tann, MD, focusing on peripheral vascular interventional cardiology procedures; Nathan Ho, DO, focusing on cardiac catheterization and coronary interventional procedures; and David Baker, MD, focusing on coronary artery disease, vascular heart disease, general cardiology, cardiomyopathies, and non-invasive imaging.
For more information or to make an appointment at either location, please call the main CTC line at 775.445.7650.
Patients will be seen at the following locations:
Yerington
South Lyon Medical Center
213 S. Whitacre Street
Yerington, NV 89447
(775) 445-7650
Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth SPORT Center
85 Sierra Park Road
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93547
(775) 445-7650.
August 5, 2011
Hopefest – You’re invited
The Carson Tahoe Cancer Center is celebrating 5 years of caring with a huge outdoor festival. The fun begins at 5 pm on Friday, September 9th with food and drinks provided by Firkin & Fox and High Sierra Brewery and two live bands for dancing.
Click here for a word from the Foundation
Honor your loved ones – touched by cancer – by planting a flag in the Healing Flag Garden, or enter to win your choice of a brand new 2011 Ford Focus or Toyota Corolla, generously donated by Dick Campagni for four years in a row. Click here for more raffle details.
Bring your family, friends, and neighbors(and lawn chair) to this FREE event, and have a blast as we celebrate five years of hope and healing.
Come because you care. Party like you don’t.
For more information please call 775.445.5161 or go to CarsonTahoe.com
Don’t forget that every Friday leading up to the event we are having Facebook contests to win a Hopefest VIP Pack (a new car raffle ticket, two event drink tickets and a sun shade), so stay tuned.
December 16, 2010
Stroke is the No. 3 Killer in the United States
Shawn Binn, M.S. CCC- Speech-Language Pathologist and founder of the Stroke Support Group
While heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, stroke is not far behind at No. 3, and it causes more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease, according to the National Institute of Neurological disorders and stroke.
Unlike a heart attack, which occurs when blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are blocked, a stroke — sometimes called a “brain attack” — occurs when blood flow to an area in the brain is cut off and cells that are deprived the oxygen and glucose needed to survive die.
Among risk factors linked to stroke is the risk of too much alcohol use. Shawn Binn, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist for Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center and founder of the center’s stroke support group for patients and their caregivers. “There have been quite a few studies on the relationship between alcohol and stokes,” said Binn, a Reno native who has worked with stroke patients at CTRMC since 2001.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, consuming large amounts of alcohol appears to increase the risk of dementia as well. The key words are “large amounts.” It seems that in moderation, alcohol — especially red wine — might have a protective effect. “That would be one drink a day for women and two a day for men,” Binn said.
Up to 50 percent of all strokes are preventable, but many of the risk factors can be controlled before they cause problems. They include alcohol and tobacco use, blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, a high intake of sodium, lack of exercise, weight, stress and low intake of some minerals such as calcium and potassium.
Uncontrollable risk factors include age (55 and older), gender (men have more strokes, women have deadlier ones), race (African- Americans are at increased risk) and family history of stroke.
Binn noted one rather surprising factor that affects patients who have had a stroke. “Studies show that people with higher educations do better when recovering from stroke,” Binn said. “Possibly it’s because they read more, have a better understanding (of what’s happened) and they will continue to do their learning exercises.”
Binn’s learning exercises for her patients are varied. “If there are cognitive or thinking issues, they need to work on problem solving like listing the sequence of making a bed, going shopping or working,” she said. “We do logic puzzles, we read, we try to replicate their normal activities so they can return to that environment.”
Stroke also can limit a person’s ability to swallow, resulting from weakening of the tongue or loss of coordination of tongue movements. The patient also can choke or cough during or after meals, and they can suffer from chronic upper-respiratory infection. “There’s a risk of getting pneumonia because things can go down the wrong way,” Binn said. “There are throat and tongue exercises they can do and they can change the consistency of their food.”
There are two types of stroke: ischemic, which occurs in the blood vessels of the brain, and hemorrhagic, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain breaks or ruptures.
Anyone experiencing any of the symptoms listed below should call 911 immediately — NINDS’s motto is “Stroke strikes fast. You should too.”
The most common symptoms are:
• Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body
• Loss of vision or dimming (like a curtain falling) in one or both eyes
• Loss of balance or unstable walking, usually combined with other symptoms
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
• Loss of speech, difficulty talking or understanding what others are saying
“One of the most misunderstood things about stroke is when it causes the patient to have difficulty talking — they can’t remember words or read and understand what they just read or they don’t remember how to write — so people assume that the patient is not intelligent any more, but they are as smart as they ever were, they just can’t express it the same,” Binn said. “They still have memory and knowledge and no way to share it, but, luckily, we can work on a lot of therapy strategies to give them back some of that expression.”
As reported by Zoe Rose of the Reno Gazette-Journal 12/14/10
November 10, 2010
A Long Awaited Homecoming
Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare welcomes two new pediatricians, Dr. Rebecca Papez and Dr. Jenny Smokey back to the Carson Valley. Drs. Smokey and Papez were both born and raised in Northern Nevada, so they are excited to be given the opportunity to return and to give back to the community that gave them so much as children. Both doctors will join Carson Medical Group and are accepting new patients in Carson City, Minden and Gardnerville. Call 775.885.2229 to schedule an appointment.
July 30, 2010
Staying Healthy During a Tough Economy
Dr. Andrea Weed, Chief of Medical Staff at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center at CTRH
Dr. Andrea Weed, Internal Medicine Physician and Chief of Medical Staff at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, talks about encouraging patients to maintain good health even during financially tough times.
When money is tight, our tendency is to cut costs in every aspect of life. However, we need to remind the community to continue to make good health a priority. The economic downturn has meant real pain for families and communities. For many, a pink slip also means losing vital health coverage and represents tough choices about family healthcare.
Be careful of the dangers of putting off or canceling required treatment and regular testing. I can’t emphasize enough about the importance of staying on top of daily medications. Some people are going to extremes by not filling prescription drugs, cutting pills in half, postponing doctors’ appointments or even skipping them all together to avoid extra expenses. While it may result in some financial savings in the short run, your overall health may suffer, resulting in more severe health issues and larger medical bills down the road.
What should you do?
1. Talk to your healthcare provider – If patients cannot afford to pay for their medical expenses due to factors such as lack of insurance or unemployment, financial counselors are available to help them arrange a payment plan. Patients should never ignore their medical bills and feel like there is no other option because they can’t pay. There are resources available to ensure patients receive the support they need.
2. Don’t put off your annual screenings, lab tests or physician appointments. Monitoring your daily health and well-being can lead to earlier detection of possible diseases or long term health issues, dramatically reducing the cost of your overall healthcare.
3. Take advantage discounted lab tests for underinsured and uninsured patients. Most hospitals offer these special discounts and affordable lab tests can keep you on track and in charge of your health. Remember that many illnesses or disease are preventable and much easier to treat in the early stages – not to mention much less expensive.
June 9, 2010
Cholesterol By the Numbers
Dr. Anthony Field, Cardiologist, VP of Medical Affairs at Carson Tahoe
When it comes to reviewing your cholesterol panel, there is so much more to know than just the total cholesterol. Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dl. The other sections of the cholesterol panel that are important factors in your overall health are triglycerides, high density lipoprotein or ‘good cholesterol,’ and low density lipoprotein or ‘bad cholesterol’.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Panel (NCEP), men’s HDL cholesterol should be greater than 45 mg/dl. Women’s HDL cholesterol should be greater than 50 mg/dl. If the HDL cholesterol is below 40 mg/dl, this is a risk factor for heart disease. The NCEP guidelines suggest that the cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio be less than 4.5. Anything greater is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease. Exercise, niacin (large doses directed by your physician), low alcohol consumption and smoking cessation can all help raise the HDL cholesterol value.
Elevated triglycerides are also a risk factor for heart disease. Triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dl. Exercise, weight loss, decreasing the carbohydrates in your diet and increasing dietary alpha omega-3-fatty acids (e.g., fish oil, flax seed oil and salmon products) can help decrease the triglyceride value.
The LDL cholesterol is the most discussed part of the cholesterol panel and should be 130 mg/dl or less if you are postmenopausal or greater than 45 years of age (without heart disease or diabetes). If you have heart disease or diabetes, the LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dl. Exercise, smoking cessation and eating less saturated fat can help decrease cholesterol value.
Other risk factors for heart attack and stroke include aging, genetic background, smoking, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Hopefully this will clear up some of the confusion patients have when receiving their cholesterol panels. Feel free to leave comments and I will respond in a general manner. Above all, know your numbers and discuss your entire cholesterol panel and other risk factors with your doctor so that he can give you more specific answers and proper medical advice.
May 26, 2010
Just another day in the ER?
Annette Patellos, Carson Tahoe Nurse Director
Two things you can say about working in healthcare, no two days are ever the same and working in a “silo” is not an option. Tuesday, July 28 was a day that reinforced my strong feeling that Carson Tahoe is not only a great place to work but if you need medical care, there is no better place to be.
July certainly has not been the typical slow month that we in hospital work have come to expect. The Emergency Department (ED) has been hopping and the acuity of patients has been extraordinary. The patient volume on this particular Tuesday, 105, is not illustrative of the actual work load brought on the ED by the variety of patients who presented that day. I tell you this not to be an alarmist or a complainer but because I am honored to have been a part of a team that pulled together so well, to do so much, in such a short period of time.
At 1530, as I walked toward the ED from the Sage Café, it was obvious that even with a well staffed ED this case mix was a tough one. A critically ill baby, four legal holds, code blue in two, five ambulances in the bay, full exam rooms, hall beds full, a full waiting room and ten charts in the “waiting to be seen” bin. As soon as I walked in the core, I inquired about what I could do to help. In a flash I was signed in the Pyxis and helping to administer medications. When I turned around, I saw Paul Laird, Director of Laboratory and Outpatient Services right there helping with phlebotomy needs. On the other side of the core was Linda Hurst, ER manager, assisting with patient care needs. All the while the regular ER physicians, nurses, CNA’s, unit clerks and registration staff were doing what they do so well, triaging and registering patients in a calm and diligent manner.
I watched and worked, and worked some more, all the while thinking about what great care was being delivered. The true definition of teamwork was unfolding before my eyes and the organized chaos that is the emergency department was working like a fine-oiled machine. By the end of the evening it was apparent that nearly every department in the hospital had come together to “Put Patients First”. The ARC had stepped in to take the legal holds so we could free up some rooms. A nurse from Peds had stepped in to help with the critically sick baby. BHS staff was there to assist the legal holds. Registration was helping at the bedside. Security was helping move patients. And most important, while patients knew it was a busy night, they were well cared for and treated with dignity.
I often say that I work with an amazing team of professionals yet now I have a more clear understanding of the crazy, wonderful, poignant world in which we work. I appreciate you all for your work on Tuesday, July 28…just another day in the ED.
May 21, 2010
What Makes a Great Hospital?
Ed Epperson, President and CEO
The healing process is about more than just having convenient access to high-tech treatment, state-of-the-art facilities and respected medical experts. True, all those factors are key to any patient’s success – and Carson Tahoe is proud to be the home of every single one.
But true healing goes beyond mere medicine. At Carson Tahoe, we understand this. That’s why we’ve created a safe and secure setting for patients, visitors and staff alike. With homelike settings and family-friendly accompaniments, as well as stunning terraces overlooking Eagle Valley, Carson Tahoe Health offers a positive, healing environment that can be seen, heard and felt throughout the medical center.
Our mission at Carson Tahoe is “to enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”
Our core values include “putting patients first and treating everyone with dignity and respect.”
We want to start a dialogue with our patients, friends, family members, and community. We encourage you to comment on our blogs because your feedback is valuable to us.
CTRH is a not-for-profit 501c3 corporation.
Here's to Your Health 