Newspaper Page Text
MCG starts preferred provider
agreement with home health care
__The Medical College of Georgia
Hospital and Clinics has entered
into preferred provider agree
ments with three home health
care agencies, a move that en
hances the continuum of care of
fered patients and positions the
“hospital more competitivelyin the
‘changing health care market
“place.
-* “These strengthened relation
~ships will help ensure quality,
‘cost-effective care in the home
"setting for our patients who need
'it,” said Peter Kendall, Senior
‘Assistant Hospital Director of
"MCG Hospital and Clinics. “These
‘agreements also enable us to of
fer a broader range of health care
“services in negotiating contracts
Vitamin E helps helps Alzheimer’s patients
i Houston
< TakingVitaminE oraParkinson’s
-drugcalled selegiline helpedslowthe
“progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
~in patients studied nationwide.
+ “These medications slowed dete
rioration by, at best, about seven
“'months,” said Dr. Rachelle Doody,
*‘clinical director of the Alzheimer’s
‘' Disease Research Center at Baylor
' College of Medicine in Houston.
" Baylor was one of 23 centers that
“participated in the two-year study
='funded by the National Institutes of
- Health. Study participants were di
' vided into four groups that received
either Vitamin E tablets, selegiline, a
-combinationofboth drugs,orasugar
- pill placebo.
© “The drugs taken separately
* worked betterthanthe combination,”
‘'said Doody, who is on the neurology
Strokes warrant
cemergency actions
By James L. Phillips, M.D.
' Baylor College of Medicine
| Btroke symptoms require fast
| ac@ifi‘?“? . &
| While most of us know that
heart attack victims need to go to
‘the hospital immediately, few
people react that promptly to
stroke symptoms.
Called a “brain attack,” a stroke
occurs when a blood clot or a rup
tured artery interrupts the blood
flow to part of the brain. Cells die
iinthe area deprived of blood, oxy
gen and nutrients, and this ini
tial cell death starts a chain reac
'tion leading to further tissue dam
‘age.
The result can be permanent
disability and even death.
. Strokes used to be hard to treat,
but treatments effective in the
first few hours following a stroke
are being tested and approved.
. “Clot-busting” drugs similar to
the ones used for heart attacks
are also beneficial for strokes. One
approved drug, t-PA, helps break
up blood clots and prevent fur
ther cell damage.
- However, to minimize damage,
t-PA and experimental stroke
drugs must be administered
within the first three to six hours
of stroke symptoms. To benefit
from these medications, you must
get to the hospital immediately.
» Dr. Dennis Mosier, a neurolo
gist at Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston, is testing a new drug
FOCUS
on some
fine food.
Visit
BL’s!
"17 Bivd.
with managed care organiza
tions.”
Preferred providers include St.
Joseph Hospital Home Health
Care and Hospice Services in Au
gusta; Eldercare/Southern Home
Care Services, a Valdosta, Ga.-
based company with an Augusta
office; and pediatric Services of
America, based in Norcross, Ga.,
which also has an Augusta office.
The agreements are effective for
one year with the potential for
renewal.
“Today’s health care market
stresses reduced costs and short
ened hospital stays while main
taining quality care,” Patricia
Sodomka, executive director of
MCG Hospital and Clinics said.
staffat the Methodist Hospital. “The
combination only slowed progression
by about five months.”
To measure disease progression,
researchers looked at four markers
of deterioration—institutionaliza
tion, progression to sever dementia,
loss of ability to perform basic daily
activities and death. Patient assess
mentsweremadeeverythreemonths
during the two-year period.
Doody saysthat whileitisnotclear
why the medications work, research
ers believe Vitamin E and selegiline
help minimize oxidative damage of
brain cells. “Oxidation stresses the
brain cells and helps move the dis
ease process along,” she said.
Neither medication caused severe
side effects. However, the Vitamin E
dose was much higher than the level
found in standard vitamins. Doody
for early stroke treatment called
a neuroprotective. This type of
drug, designed to stop the chain
reaction of cell damage, must be
given within six hours.
Mosier believes that physicians
will one day treat stroke patients
in the emergency room with a
combination of neuroprotectives
and clotbusters.
Chances for stroke recovery are
greatly improved by fast action.
Do not hesitate to call 911 at the
first sign of any of these symp
toms:
® One-sided weakness, numb
ness or paralysis.
* Problems speaking or under
standing.
* Dizziness or loss of balance.
* Blurred or decreased vision.
* Sudden sever or unexplained
headache.
Recognizing stroke symptoms
and reacting promptly can be the
difference between life and death
or between recovery and major
disability.
S h I . t
Al'( you imagining the worst? Peer pressure is a powerful force for teenagers. espe
cially during the summer when more free time can mean trouble. Byt there are
some things parents can do
= Work with your teen to arrange productive summer activities with other adoles
cents you know.
= Decide, together, on the kinds of activities that are off-limits, regardless of what
friends may want.
: = Discuss ways to say no.
® Always ask to meet new friends.
= Don't hesitate to communicate with your teen when you think a friend is out-of
line, but be prepared to listen.
= Provide a stable and supportive home environment.
If your teenager seems to be influenced too much by others, you may want to bring
him in for an assessment. Sometimes just knowing you're aware of what's happen
ing, and ready to do something about it, will be enough to help your teen get things
straight. To make an appointment, call 1-800-CHARTER.
e
00l Behavioral Health System
3100 Perimeter Parkway / Augusta, GA 30909
“Our enhanced relationships with
these home health care agencies
provide concrete mechanisms for
ensuring that MCG Hospital meets
the needs of today’s market.”
MCQG first evaluated a number
of local and regional providers of
home-based health care services.
Three were selected based on the
quality of their services, organi
zational stability, cost-effective
ness and their ability to meet the
full range of services needed by
MCG patients as well as specific
needs of pediatric and geriatric
patients, Mr. Kendall said.
He stressed that the relation
ships are not exclusive and that a
patient’s company may have with
a home health care provider.
recommends that Alzheimer’s pa
tients and family members discuss
the options with a physician.
While Vitamin E and selegiline
appear to be promising strategies for
slowing Alzheimer’s progression, the
publicshould notassume thesedrugs
can prevent Alzheimer’s.
“Further studies need to be done
involving people at risk for develop
ing Alzheimer’s,” she said. “Right
now it is too early to generalize about
how beneficial these drugs would be
to the general public,” said Doody.
Doody feels future solutions for
Alzheimer’s will not involve just one
drug or therapy. “After a few more
years of studying risk factors and
therapies, I believe we will end up
individualizing treatment and even
individualizing prevention strate
gies,” she said.
Maybe you turned your head for a quick
check of the clock. Perhaps you reached
down to grab a pencil as it rolled off the
desk. Suddenly, you're stopped in mid
movement by a sharp pain shooting
through your neck or upper back. The
most common explanation for such agony
is' the simple crick, or muscle spasm.
These spasms tend to occurin the smaller
muscles, which have very specific jobs,
such as holding the head steady. When
extra demands are made of these
muscles—as when you've held your head
in an awkward position for an extended
period, or you lift your upper body while
twisting it in an abnormal way—they are
likely to respond by locking up. Cricks are
rarely signs of any serious health prob-
E. Synergic Health Centre
q Gerald D. Oliver, M.D.
Internal Medicine and Pediatric Medicine
fi Adoption Opportunities
DHR : As provided by the Georgia Depanfnent of Hl.xman Resm.xrces
and your local Department of Family and Children Services.
GEORGIA
DEPARTMENT OF
Could you be a foster or adoptive parent?
Many people have questions about the requirements for being a foster or adoptive parent.
Often they have thoughts about helping children who need homes but weren’t sure they
were qualified.
Both singles and married couples are needed. If you are married, both spouses have to
attend the training program together.
Financially you must be able to support your own family, but how you manage your in
come is more important than the amount of money you have.
Both parents may be employed. Your home doesn’t have to be fancy but must meet ac
cepted standards of health, safety and sanitation. There must be enough space for additional
children.
Foster and adoptive parents need to be physically and mentally able to meet the needs of
children who may have physical and emotional problems.
You must also be willing and able to use non physical discipline techniques.
To become a foster or adoptive parent, you need to complete a 30-hour training program
offered by the Department of Family and Children Services.
If you are interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent or would like more informa
tion, call Brenda W. Brown at the McDuffie County Department of Family and Children
Services, at (706) 595-2946 or your local Department of Family and Children Services. For
adoptions only you may call Bonnie Kirschling at 1-888-460-2467.
What causes cricks
lem. Rest, gentle massage, a heating pad,
and a little patience usually resolve the
condition within a few hours or days. Check
with your doctor if the pain is particularly
severe or if it does not ease over time. The
pain that is felt from a crick is actually the
sensation of a muscle that has contracted
and won't let go.
Before seeking massage to alleviate the
discomfort of a crick, first check with your
doctor because the effects of massage may
present risks for some people with underlying
medical conditions. For more information,
call SYNERGIC HEALTH CENTRE at 648-
3500, or see us at 1055-A Silver Bluff Road,
our office hours are by appointment. When
you'regoingthedistance. ..youshouldn'thave
to go it alone. Let’s work together!
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AUGUSTA FOCUS JULY 24,1997
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