After three and a half years, we are proud and grateful to be able to say that with the help of all of you, we did it. The St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation met its goal of raising $6 million to put toward the St. Elizabeth Hospital revitalization project. We could not have made it this far without the help of all our generous donors, friends and neighbors. Together, we are setting forth on a path to continue offering high-quality, personalized care for our patients well into the next century. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
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It’s Personal Campaign – Thank You For Helping Us Meet Our Goal
Cold Weather Health Hazards
Cold weather presents increased risks to your workforce in a variety of ways: It can directly injure the body, aggravate existing physical injuries and even cause injury through changes in our environments. However, you can mitigate the risk. All of these injuries can be prevented—with preparation.
Low Temperatures and Wind Chill
The physical elements of cold—cold temperatures, rain, sleet, snow and wind—can cause direct injury to the skin and body. The mildest form of injury is chilblains, which is a skin tissue injury. This occurs when uncovered skin is exposed to low temperatures and wind. A more serious tissue injury is frostbite. In frostbite whole appendages such as fingers, ears and noses are damaged. Frostbite can even result in amputation in severe cases. The most serious kind of cold-related injury is hypothermia. This type of injury compromises the makeup of vital organs such as the heart and brain.
Remember, air temperature is only part of the picture. Wind chills can cause harm beyond the digits on the thermometer. For a wind chill calculator, visit the National Weather Service online. Continue Reading »
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and there is a lot of information to be had if you are pregnant or know someone who is and want to decrease your chances of having a child with a birth defect.
According to the National Birth Defects Prevention Network:
- Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States
- More than 120,000 babies born with a birth defect (approximately one in every 33 live births) are reported each year in the United States
- Birth defects are the most common cause of death in infants and the second most common cause of death in children ages one to four years old
- Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. It occurs in one out of 100 births
Don’t let these statistics overwhelm you. The risk for many types of birth defects can be reduced through healthy lifestyle choices before and during pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant should:
- Consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily
- Manage chronic maternal illnesses such as diabetes, seizure disorders or phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight
- Talk to a health care provider about taking any medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, as well as any supplements Continue Reading »
Handwashing tips to help prevent the spread of colds and the flu
Frequent and proper handwashing is the key to killing germs and preventing the spread of colds and the flu. You might already know that, but do you really know the right way to wash your hands? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here’s how:
1. Wash your hands with warm running water and soap.
2. Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds (as long as it takes to sing once through the ABCs or Happy Birthday).
3. Be sure to wash your wrists, the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
4. Leave the water running while you dry your hands on a paper towel.
5. Protect your hands with the paper towel while you turn off the water. This will prevent your clean hands from touching the faucet – a potential source of germs.
When soap and water aren’t available, gel sanitizers or wipes containing 60-90 percent ethyl alcohol or isopropanol are the next best thing. Keep these in your car, purse or desk. Using a dime-size amount of gel, rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of the skin and nails, until the gel is dry.
Resolution tips to keep you on track
We’re about a week into 2014, so I thought it would be a good idea to see how everyone’s resolutions have been going. Good, I hope!? I’ve noticed that a lot of resolutions people make revolve around wellness. Losing weight tops the list of the ten most popular resolutions along with staying fit, quitting smoking, spending less, getting more organized and spending more time with the family.
About 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but less than 10 percent actually succeed in achieving their resolution or goal. Unfortunately, resolutions tend to be abandoned quickly. Why is that?
- Too vague. More specific goals tend to result in more successful outcomes. General goals are hard to grasp and usually result in loss of interest. Analyze what you are really trying to accomplish and break it down into more specific goals. Instead of “I will drink more water,” try, “I will keep a water bottle on my office desk, in my car, on my nigh stand and drink at least eight cups of water a throughout the day.”
- It can be lonely sometimes. While personal goals are… personal, but the effort to reach that goal does not have to be. Studies show that the more you share what you are trying to accomplish with others, a support network, family, friends, etc. the more successful you will be. Friends and family can support your efforts to achieve your resolution. Workout with a buddy, go running with your neighbor find a “team” that will motivate you.
- You lose track. As tedious as it sounds, keeping track of your efforts does help. Whether they are food journals, or fitness trackers; pedometers that track how many steps you’ve taken in a day or an app that lets you know how many hours of sleep you’ve gotten, can help hone in on areas you want to work on. In addition, it keeps you accountable and well… on track!
- Forgetfulness. People who are reminded of their goal on a consistent basis tend to be more successful in achieving those goals. The best thing to avoid losing focus of your goal is to write it down. Make yourself several notes with your goal written on it and post these all over your house; on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator and pantry door; in your car, etc. Make yourself a bookmark and keep it in your favorite book; write it as a screen saver for your computer, tablet or phone. Tell your friends and family. If your goal is to drink more water for example, you can easily program your phone, computer or table to make a sound every hour as a reminder to drink water. If your goal is to get more physically active, carve out time in your calendar (write it in) to do just that.
- No reward system. Good deeds should be rewarded. If you reach a milestone along the way to your final goal, do something good for yourself (do not reward yourself with food). Buy a book, enjoy a massage, take a day off work, etc. Do something that will create a positive feeling. It’ll keep you motivated.
Above all, when making resolutions try to focus on ONE behavior change. Trying to change too many things at once is NOT a strategy that will lead to success. Good luck to you and a happy 2014 to all!
Stories of Personalized Care
