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Grand Opening Continued...
Administrator lor Nursing Services, said. Nurses will chart at the bedside
rather than at the nurses station, making them more available to ob/gyn
patients.
W ith computerized documentation, which interfaces with in-room fetal
monitoring, nurses and doctors have remote capability that enhances their
effectiveness. (lardy said. From their offices, doctors will have instant
access to vital fetal information and can issue orders based on current fetal
monitor activity.
Also, nurses can now monitor several fetal-monitor strips and screens
from one room, a medical advancement which means they can spend more
time with individual patients rather than scurrying from one room to the
next, she said.
Newborn babies also will benefit from the expansion. Johnson said
"The nursery has been expanded and there is more glass, so that nurses in
the nurses station can see the babies as well." she said. "It's sort ot like
double coverage."
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To reduce the risk of
developihg skin cancer, Dr.
Cabasares recommends you:
-
• Minimize sun exposure
between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when
the sun’s rays are strongest.
• Before heading outside, cover
with clothing or apply sunscreen
all exposed parts of the body. I
The higher the Sun Protection 1
Factor (SPF) the better. Don’t
be lulled, however, into I
thinking that a sunscreen
provides unlimited protection
You can still get burned if I
you stay out too long. ___ —
• Protect a child’s sensitive skin, 1
either with clothing or
sunscreen. Remember, almost -vli*
all serious sun damage I
occurs in the first 18 years of life.
“One thing that makes my hair I
stand on end is seeing toddlers I
in strollers in the sun, ” he
said. “They should not be out J
there.’’ *
• Stay away from sunlamps and /
tanning parlors. Overexposure to
UV rays can be dangerous whether
it occurs on the beach or in the
tanning bed.
But,Not So Fast.
itne to don those swimsuits and head outdoors for some serious fun in the sun.
But wait. Not so fast. Before over-indulging in the sun’s ultraviolet rays, take a moment to remember your
skin.
Too much exposure to the sun can severely damage your skin —and that damage could lead to skin cancer
later in life. Other factors such as heredity and environment may also boost your risk of skin cancer, which is
on the nse in Georgia. But research shows that sun exposure plays a major role in the development of skin
cancer, both in the total amount of sun received over the years and in overexposure resulting in sunburn.
Maybe sunbathing isn’t such a good idea after all.
“I think that there should be a movement that will tell the public that the pursuit of this golden tan is not
necessarily healthy,” said Dr. Horatio Cabasares, a general surgeon and Chief of Staff at Perry Hospital.
Skin cancers come in many different types, the most common being basal cell and squamous cell forms, and
melanomas —a potentially deadly form of skin cancer that can quickly spread to other parts of the body.
Basal cell and squamous cell cancers begin in the basal or squamous cells of the epidermis, or the top layer
of skin. Typically slow-growing, such cancers may be removed surgically or through chemical peels or anti
cancer creams.
Melanomas, the most serious form of skin cancer, vary in morphological type and can spread to other parts
of the body through the lymph nodes or blood system. A nodular melanoma, one that looks like a black mole,
is the worst form. Dr. Cabasares said. The most common melanoma is a type that spreads superficially.
“When you talk about melanoma and how dangerous it is ... you’re talking about its thickness,” he said.
“And we’re not talking thickness in inches, we’re talking millimeters.”
Asa first step in treatment, melanomas are surgically removed. Depending on the size of the lesion —and
whether it has spread patients may also undergo radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
“The danger of this is that almost all drugs used for treatment of advanced melanoma are experimental at
best,” he said. “Once the lymph nodes are involved, the survival rates go down.”
What does skin cancer look like? According to medical experts, you should check your skin periodically
for lesions that appear flat, red and scaly, or round, waxy and shiny. Also look for changes in size, shape and
color of existing moles and the appearance of new ones.
Should something look suspicious, see a doctor for a complete examination, diagnosis and treatment.
The incidence of skin cancer is rising in Georgia, mostly among residents moving into the state from other
areas, Dr. Cabasares said. Men are also developing more skin cancers, particularly on the trunk of the body—
an especially difficult area to treat because it is hard to tell into which lymph nodes the cancer has spread.
People with red hair, blue eyes and fair skin should be particularly mindful of sun exposure, as those
characteristics make one more susceptible to the development of skin cancer.
“The environment is not helped by the fact that we’ve depleted the ozone layer, which is supposed to filter
the ultraviolet light,” he said.
1 or families, the Women’s Center features a large waiting area complete
with play space for children, separate restrooms and vending machines.
Previously families had to go to another floor for vending service.
In addition to standard labor, delivery and postpartum care, mothers who
are discharged before their babies are able to go home may sleep overnight
in the center’s family room and be with their newborns.
The tv pical hospital stay is about 24 to 48 hours for a vaginal delivery
and two to three days following a caesarean birth, (lardy said.
education is an important element of the Women's Center. A large
conference room on the center’s first floor features space for education
classes including prenatal and newborn courses and office space for a
lactation, or breast-feeding, consultant.
or more information about Special Delivery
and the new Women's Center, call 542-7927.
oin us far the
Grand Opening of our
new Women ’v Center
Sat unlay. August 2nd
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.