Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4B
October 15, 2008
^Reporter
Rabies shots bite a budget
Recent News
Headlines:
Rabid Vampire Bats in
Venezuela Kill 30 People -
Fox News Network
Shortage of Rabies
Vaccine in USA - CDC
Alert
Man Bites Dog - Coney
Island Gazette
I regret that I have
not written in a
while, but I have
been away
on busi
ness. Yes it is
true. I was Off
to See the
Wizard. You see
O.J. Booker, the
CEO of Monroe
County
Hospital, asked
me to investi
gate the costs
that SMALL
hospitals incur
to keep supplies
of rabies vac
cines, snake anti
venom and similar medica
tions in the hospital phar
macy. Naturally the small
est hospital I could think
of was in Oz, so I flew on
Tornado Air out of Atlanta
Hartsfield Airport. Don’t
you know you can fly any
where from Atlanta?
In any event I made my
way down the yellow brick
road and knocked on the
gates of the Emerald City.
The guard informed by
that nobody gets in to see
the Wizard, not nobody, not
no how. He did direct me
to Mr. HA Munchkin (HA
is short for Hospital
Administrator) of the Oz
Regional Medical Center
(ORMC). At first HA was
very polite and asked if
there was anything I want
ed. To which I replied,
“Yeah how about a Little
Debbie snack and a thim
ble of Coke.”
“Lions, Tigers and Bears,
oh my... what a crock, that
is”, roared HA.
“Man that girl
should have said
Bats, Cats and
Snakes instead.
The Enchanted
Forest is loaded
with them. On
top of that just
before Dorothy
clicked her shoes
and disap
peared, her dog
Toto bit UK
(Unlucky Kid)
Munchkin on
the leg. The
Lollipop Guild was quite
angry that we had to give
UK shots for Rabies but
since we had no informa
tion on the dog we were
stuck. “, HA reported bit-
ingly.
So I asked the little fella
to explain to me about bite
wounds and all the kinds
of anti-serum and vaccines
that every hospital must
have, even at ORMC and
our own Monroe County
Hospital. He said that for
rabies prone bites (dogs,
cats, bats etc) if you can’t
test the animal, then you
have to give Rabies
Immune Globulin at $800
per vial often requiring
two vials and then a series
of 5 vaccines at $600 per
dose. Which means the
hospital must have $4,600
worth of rabies medicine
on hand.
HA hissed that for pit
viper snake bites (copper
heads, rattlesnakes) you
have to give anti-serum
called Cro-Fab. Now that
stuff is expensive. Each
vials costs $2500 and it
usually takes 6 vials
($15,000) and that is just
for the initial dose.
Later he rhymed that
several months ago Little
Miss Muffet sat on her
tuffet for a curds and whey
feast and got bitten by one
of those nasty Black
Widow Spiders (BWS).
She was real sick and had
to get the BWS anti
venom. Did you know that
stuff costs $105 per vial
and the typical dose is 2
vials ($210) and some peo
ple need more.
HA then pip-squeaked,
“Now add all that up, and
you see that just to have
all this stuff here in the
hospital sitting around
waiting for someone to get
bit, we have to spend near
ly $20,000 just to keep all
the medicines in stock.
That is a lot of money.” To
which I shortly thereafter
replied, “Especially to a lit
tle place like yours.”
He did not take my com
ments too kindly, said he
had had enough or my
wise cracks and accused
me of being prejudiced
against small people. He
said I had better leave or
he was going to send his
new Chief of Security, Mr.
Mini-Me, to give me a
whipping. Naturally I said
the thought of that struck
fear from my toes all the
way up to my ankles. In
any event, I decided it was
time to head home, so I
made a bee line to the Oz
Regional Airport and flew
back to Atlanta.
I trust you find this
information of interest and
understand the lengths
and expense the hospital
goes through to keep the
pharmacy stocked with the
medications needed. After
all you just never know
when something is going to
jump up and bite you and
you never really know
exactly where it may bite
you either. By the way, the
shortage in Rabies Vaccine
is true, but there is no
cause to panic, the
Department of Health is
prepared to handle the sit
uation.
Dr. John Rogers is an
emergency room doctor at
Monroe County Hospital.
By John
Rogers, MD
Diabetics can
still enjoy a
great meal
When it comes to daily diets, most people can approach
what they eat with little regard for concerns greater than
gaining a pound or two. Particularly for younger people,
what they eat isn’t so much a concern as how much they
eat and how much they exercise.
For others, however, diet can be a significant considera
tion regardless of their age. Diabetics, for example, must
remain careful about what they eat at all times. For
some, a meal plan designed with a physician is the way
to go. For others who have lived with diabetes for years,
they can likely gauge what’s right for them depending on
the type of diabetes they have and the treatment they’re
receiving.
But diabetes doesn’t need to keep you from enjoying
meals that are both delicious and healthy. Such is the
case with the following recipe for “Chicken and Corn
Chowder” courtesy of FoodFit.com, an online resource
that emphasizes healthy eating and active living. With a
host of diabetes-friendly recipes in addition to fitness
tips, FoodFit.com can help anyone, whether they’re dia
betic or not, live a healthier and more active lifestyle.
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Fax: 478-994-8923
Chicken and Corn Chowder
Serves 6
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2 large ears of corn, shucked
1 slice uncooked bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 small red potatoes
11/2 cup low-sodium chicken or
vegetable broth
2 cups reduced fat (2%) milk
1 red pepper, diced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh dill
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the grill or broiler.
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Add the onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaf. Turn the heat
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about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, slice the corn kernels from the cob.
5. Dice the potatoes and add them to the soup pot with
the chicken broth. Simmer until the potatoes are just ten
der, about 10 minutes. Add the milk, peppers, chicken, and
dill and cook until the chicken is just cooked through.
Remove the thyme and bay leaf. Adjust the salt and pep
per and serve.
To learn more about living with diabetes, visit the
American Diabetes Association Web site at www.dia-
betes.org.
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