Medical Center’s 10K set Oct. 23: Children’s Classic also returns

by Natalie Jordan, The Daily News, originally published on 8/28/2010

Plans for one of Bowling Green’s autumn traditions were announced Friday during a news conference at The Medical Center.

The 31st running of The Medical Center 10K Classic is set for Oct. 23, offering a 1.5-mile fun walk, a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run/walk, a 10K (6.2-mile) wheelchair race and a 10K run. Back for the second year is the Children’s Classic race for kindergartners through sixth-graders, which has new sponsorship from Graves-Gilbert Clinic’s Pediatrics Department.

Six pediatricians at the clinic – Debbie Sowell, Pippa Pinckley-Stewart, Patricia Faulkner-Simmons, Mark Lowry, Chris Castelli and Brent Baker – pooled their funds to sponsor the Children’s Classic race, which will start at 10 a.m. at the top of Big Red Way.

“We’re delighted to sponsor the Children’s Classic,” Sowell said. “Obviously, we care for many children in the area and we care for all children in the area, and this is a great opportunity to promote health. ... Childhood obesity is reaching epic proportions, so anytime we can promote any type of healthy activity is a positive for all of us.”

In previous years, a children’s race was held at the Western Kentucky University track, said Joe Tinius, race co-chair. However, construction at WKU’s Houchens-Smith stadium halted that. The children’s race returned last year, and Sowell said the pediatric staff will provide help during this year’s event.

The children’s run will unfold as it did last year, with advance preparation taking place at the children’s schools. Participating kids will keep a training log, which they will bring with them on race day. If the training log is complete, Sowell said, the children will run the last leg of the race down Big Red Way and cross the same finish line as the adult runners.

The 5K run will start at 7:30 a.m. and the 1.5-mile fun walk will start at 7:50 a.m. Participants in the fun walk cannot run, but participants in the 5K run can run or walk. The 10K wheelchair race will start at 8:25 a.m. and the 10K run begins at 8:30 a.m.

Tommy Loving, race co-chair, said the route of the race will be the same as last year, leading participants through downtown.

“It’s a great run,” he said. “We have a scenic downtown area.”

The course follows a stretch of Chestnut Street to East Second Avenue, then up State Street to East 13th Avenue, back down College Street with a loop around Fountain Square to East Seventh Avenue, then from East Eighth Avenue onto Center Street for four blocks. Finally, it turns onto Kentucky Street before concluding near Houchens-Smith Stadium on Big Red Way.

Streets will be closed for the running/walking routes starting at 7:15 a.m. All streets will be open by 10 a.m., he said.

Participants also will have a chance to enter a $10,000 cash giveaway, which is open to all participants who complete their event. Those eligible will be entered for a special drawing at the awards ceremony, with $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000 prizes. The awards ceremony will start at 11 a.m. Oct. 23 at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Participants must be present at the awards ceremony to win.

This year, the Road Runners Club of America state championship awards will be given in various divisions.

“This is an event that is important to the community,” Tinius said. “It is probably the longest road-running event in the state ... an event to be proud of.”

Leading to race day, there will be a Health and Fitness Expo at the Sloan Convention Center sponsored by The Medical Center. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 22, people may participate in activities and screenings. The Medical Center will provide its services, including pulmonary function testing, blood pressure screening and body fat composition measurement.

In addition to the Health and Fitness Expo, the 10K Southern Foods Pre-Race Pasta Party will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sloan Convention Center. There, participants can pick up their race packets and register for the event. Additional tickets may be purchased at the door, which are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 12.

Jenny Golden, event coordinator for the classic, said those who can’t pick up race packets at the pasta party can do so on race day during morning registration at 6 a.m.

Entry fees, which are nonrefundable, are $30 for an individual, $70 for a family if registered by Sept. 24. Between Sept. 25 and Oct. 21, the fees are $35 for an individual, $90 for a family. After Oct. 21, the fees are $40 for an individual, $110 for a family. Online registration will end at midnight Oct. 21.

“The countdown is on,” Golden said. “We’re very excited, and looking forward to race day.”

This will be the 31st year for the Bowling Green road race. Doris Thomas said The Medical Center continues to support the race because it ties into its mission to “care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.” She said it also ties into promoting healthy lifestyles.

“This is such a great family event,” Thomas said. “Like the tagline says, ‘the race for everyone.’ It is an event for the entire family, with plenty to choose from, whether a walker or runner.”

— For more information or to register online, visit www.themedicalcenter10kclassic.com; to register by phone or for more information, call 796-2141 or toll free at 877-545-1696.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Retired nurse heads up Stroke Support Group

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/27/2010

Helen Edmonds has been around the medical field for much of her life.

“My mother was a physician’s assistant for a long time,” she said.

When the time came for her to choose a career, Edmonds decided to become a nurse. She enrolled at Western Kentucky University when the program became available there and graduated with an associate’s degree in its second class.

“I was glad to be a part of it,” she said, smiling.

After 35 years as a registered nurse at The Medical Center, Edmonds retired in 2003. She hasn’t totally left the profession behind, though. She currently facilitates the Stroke Support Group, which meets from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall. The group is for stroke survivors, their families and caregivers to talk about their experiences, challenges and needs.

“We’re geared toward being there for support and hope by giving them the information they need to meet the challenges they have because of the stroke,” she said. “We meet here to give advice. We’re here to engage.”

Building the support group hasn’t been easy because the number of participants fluctuates, but Edmonds has no plans to give up trying.

“We might have two this time, three the next time and then drop to zero. We’re trying to keep people interested in coming back,” she said. “To be able to sit in a group and discuss what’s happened in your life - some of the simplest things might help us. You learn so many things that will help someone.”

Edmonds worked as a telephone operator while she was at WKU and started working at The Medical Center once she finished school. She began as a staff nurse on the medical floor and worked her way up to unit director of the urology and surgical units. The last department of the hospital where she worked was in outpatients. In her 36th year at the hospital, she decided to retire.

“My husband had already retired,” she said. “I think you know when it’s time.”

Even though she’s retired, Edmonds keeps her nursing license current. She has done some nursing at the Health and Wellness Center and volunteers at the hospital.

“I enjoy it,” she said. “I don’t think I will totally give (nursing) up.”

One of her favorite things about being a nurse is helping people.

“I like being able to help someone through illness or procedures, and then they go home better than when they came in,” she said. “Sometimes that doesn’t always happen. It makes you feel good when that happens.”

— For more information about the Stroke Support Group, call 745-0942 or 877-800-3824.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Cyclists Ride Out Loud to fight kidney disease

by Justin Story, The Daily News, originally published on 8/15/2010

A gaggle of cyclists set forth from Chaney’s Dairy Barn early Saturday morning, all pedaling to raise awareness.

The National Kidney Foundation’s fourth annual Ride Out Loud event attracted about 75 bike riders, many of whom spent the morning riding a 44-mile course that took the group into Auburn and wound along state and county roads before ending back at Chaney’s.

Ride Out Loud, through sponsorships and donations, helps raise money to fund efforts to educate people about preventing kidney disease and about the need for organ donation.

“You always want to ride for a very good cause,” said Joy Graham of Bowling Green, a fitness instructor who rode the 44-mile course Saturday.

The Kentucky Region of the National Kidney Foundation and The Medical Center, the presenting sponsor for the event, have collaborated on each year’s ride, with participation and contributions growing each year.

Abby Johnston, regional special events manager for the NKF, said about $4,000 was raised through Ride Out Loud last year.

“We get a lot of new families (participating) each year,” Johnston said.

The NKF is a voluntary health agency devoted to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, increasing the availability of organs for transplantation and improving the health of people and families affected by these diseases.

Cyclists who registered for Saturday’s ride could choose from routes covering eight, 20, 44 or 67 miles. Two people had signed to ride the 67-mile course, but appeared to change their mind, as their names were crossed out and added to the 44-mile route.

The routes were designed with all levels of riders in mind, although many of them opted to ride the second-longest route.

“Most of those people who ride are serious riders,” said Joe Causey, chaplain for The Medical Center and volunteer coordinator for Ride Out Loud.

Small signs with information about kidney disease were placed along each route.

According to the NKF, 26 million Americans have kidney disease and 20 million more are at risk, and Kentucky ranks near the top among states in numbers of people suffering from or at risk of getting kidney disease.

More than 97,000 people nationwide, and more than 750 people in Kentucky, are on a waiting list for organ transplants.

The Bowling Green League of Bicyclists plays a large role both in raising awareness of the event and participating, and several of its members were preparing their bikes Saturday morning in Chaney’s parking lot.

“For some people it’s going to be the longest ride they’ve been on, they’ve trained for it, and for others, they’re here to support a good cause,” said league member Stephen Ogden of Bowling Green.

Temperatures early Saturday were in the mid-70s and climbing, and several cyclists packed water and Gatorade with them.

Volunteers also provided chilled grapes, bananas and trail mix to cyclists.

Ogden, who has participated in the Ride Out Loud in previous years, chose to ride the 44-mile course.

“It is hot, but it could be worse,” Ogden said. “It’s when you stop riding that the weather matters. When you’re riding it feels like a 21-mile-an-hour breeze is hitting you at all times.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Parent Education and Support: New support group aids parents of kids in neonatal intensive care

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/14/2010

When Fida Georges’ twin sons spent six weeks in neonatal intensive care after being born eight weeks early in 2007, she didn’t think she needed support for herself.

“When I had my babies I would have declined it, but I realized later on that I would have wanted support,” she said.

Now Georges is a committee member and support parent for a new group designed to help these parents. NICU P.E.A.S. - Parent Education and Support - provides encouragement and support to families who have a child in The Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit.

“We get paired up with new parents and do one-on-on counseling services,” Georges said. “We’ve been doing it for over a month now. It’s going really well.”

A support group also meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the hospital’s Medical Conference Room. Parents gather and share their experiences. Each second Tuesday there is a speaker on topics such as breastfeeding, postpartum depression and respiratory therapy, said Debra Smith, charge nurse for The Medical Center’s newborn nursery and NICU.

“There is a nurse leader and support parent at each meeting. We provide refreshments,” she said. “A lot of mothers stay here a long time. The days get long and hard on the families.”

NICU P.E.A.S. is funded by an $8,800 community grant received through the March of Dimes, Smith said. The money was used to buy things for parents that make caring for their babies easier, such as a cloth doll that the mother wears for a few hours on her skin and is placed in the incubator with her baby. Parents also receive a blanket, water bottle and snacks, educational material and a kangaroo to remind them to practice Kangaroo Care, which involves holding the baby with skin-to-skin contact.

“Studies show that babies thrive with skin-to-skin contact,” Smith said.

Parents are offered a support parent within 24 hours of babies being admitted to the NICU, Smith said. If parents decline the support but decide later that they want the service, they can contact Smith. The support parents have undergone background checks and are able to discuss the babies with the parents.

“When parents see a badge, they know this person has been approved by the hospital,” she said.

The group has six active support parents, and Smith hopes to add more.

“We add names to the list of parents who come through the NICU who would be good support parents,” she said. “We contact them after one year.”

Dr. Aspasia Fissikoudi, a neonatologist at The Medical Center, said that 10 percent of the babies born there enter the NICU because of prematurity, stress or other medical problems. The average stay is two to three weeks, though some are there anywhere from a few days to a few months.

“Parents can (visit) for as long as they want. We encourage it,” she said. “We want them to be involved as much as possible. When the babies are stable, we encourage skin-to-skin contact.”

Fissikoudi said parents learn a variety of things, including how to hold the baby and exercises to help them get stronger.

“It’s magic when you see them get to know their baby,” she said.

Cheri Natcher, an NICU P.E.A.S. board member, said she wished the group had been available when she gave birth to her son, who was six weeks early, weighed 3 pounds, 3 ounces and has grown up to be a healthy teenager.

“I have a 16-year-old who was a preemie. It was a huge responsibility,” she said. “When you have a baby with respiratory problems and jaundice who can’t maintain his body temperature, it’s scary. It’s so nice to talk to somebody who has walked this path.”

Although it has been years since her son was in the NICU, the memories are still fresh for Natcher. Being a part of the group helps her reach out to other parents who are experiencing it.

“I feel like it’s important to give back,” she said.

Georges agreed that the memories of being in the NICU stays with parents. Her twins, who will turn 3 in October, were born eight weeks early and were in the NICU for six weeks. She said the fact that they are healthy and developmentally on track is a blessing.

“We grow up naive. We believe we will get pregnant, have the baby and bring the baby home,” she said. “(When it doesn’t happen that way), it’s a huge shock. It’s a huge wake-up call.”

NICU P.E.A.S. provides healing not only for the new parents, but for the support parents as well, Georges said.

“Once you’ve been through the NICU experience, you’re never the same,” she said. “I’m glad to have this organization up and running in Bowling Green.”

The Medical Center will have an NICU Reunion for former NICU patients and their families, doctors, nurses and staff members from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 12 in the hospital’s auditorium.

— For more information about NICU P.E.A.S. or the reunion, call 796-2144 or visit www.mcbg.com.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

More mothers are choosing to breastfeed: Breastfeeding Awareness Month a platform for education, experts say

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 8/6/2010

Amanda Hughes remembers how difficult it was to breastfeed her son, Josiah, when he was born four weeks ago.

“I worried that I wouldn’t have enough milk because I had a breast reduction four years ago,” the Bowling Green woman said. “I did a lot of research about how to increase my milk supply and why (breastfeeding) is better. It was kind of difficult at first because my husband couldn’t feed him, but it’s easier now. Once we get into more of a routine, it’ll get better. I’m really enjoying it.”

As World Breastfeeding Week draws to a close Saturday and Breastfeeding Awareness Month continues in Kentucky through August, advocates promote ways to successfully nurse. This year’s theme is “The 10 Steps,” which refers to steps identified by UNICEF and the World Health Organization as crucial to providing optimal breastfeeding care for new mothers and babies in maternity care settings and are standard requirements for recognition as a Baby-Friendly hospital or birthing facility. The steps are listed at UNICEF’s website at www.unicef.org.

To celebrate the month, the Barren River District Health Department has displays and giveaways and mailed letters to breastfeeding mothers, said Susan Brown, a board certified lactation consultant at the health department.

“Statistics show moms want to breastfeed,” she said. “Once they do it, they need support to carry through, and that takes a whole community.”

Marilyn Thomas, a board certified lactation consultant at The Medical Center, agreed. More mothers giving birth there want to breastfeed, she said.

“In the past six months, an average of 72 percent of moms came in requesting to breastfeed,” she said.

Breastfeeding is recommended by various health organizations. The district health department and the American Academy of Pediatrics support breastfeeding as the ideal and the only nutrition a baby needs during the first six months of life. The academy also encourages breastfeeding with complementary food for at least the first year and beyond if both mother and the baby desire. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend breastfeeding continue with appropriate complementary foods through the child’s second year and beyond.

“Breastfeeding is healthier for society and better for the economy. More and more of the studies say that this is true,” Brown said. “There is nothing to throw away. The milk is ever changing. It’s not the same from breast to breast and feeding to feeding.”

Some benefits include enhanced brain development, higher IQ scores, better speech development, straighter teeth, stronger and more developed facial muscles, optimum mother-infant bonding and a reduced risk of ear infections, asthma, allergies, childhood leukemia, diabetes, hereditary high cholesterol, sudden infant death syndrome and obesity.

“Breastfeeding improves temperature with skin-to-skin contact,” Brown said.

The health department, The Medical Center and various other organizations work together to ensure that mothers have the support they need to breastfeed successfully. For example, when patients participating in Women, Infants and Children – a national supplemental food program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – are in the hospital, they are referred to Brown, who can call the mothers before they are released from the hospital. Breastfeeding peer counselors are available through the health department. Mothers can also receive help after they are discharged from lactation consultants at the hospital for a fee.

“We see outpatients as needed,” Thomas said. “Some doctors send patients for a consult visit.”

One aspect of breastfeeding that Thomas and Brown agreed needs improvement is support from businesses once breastfeeding mothers return to work. For example, The Medical Center has a place where lactating mothers can pump their milk, Thomas said.

“Many moms go back to work and don’t have an office where they can pump,” Brown said.

WIC clients returning to work qualify for an electric breast pump, Brown said. Even for those who don’t pump, though, breastfeeding doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing way of life.

“It can work if you only breastfeed at home,” she said.

Hughes said that at first she only planned to nurse Josiah for six weeks. Now her goal is to breastfeed him for six months to a year. She also plans to pump once she returns to work. She urges mothers who are having a difficult time breastfeeding to stick with it if possible.

“It’s definitely going to be frustrating in the beginning. Once you and your baby get used to it in the beginning, it will be worth it,” she said. “When you get frustrated, remember why you did it in the first place – for your child. It’s definitely healthier for them.”

Free breastfeeding classes are available from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the second Tuesday of odd-numbered months. For more information, call 781-8039.

The Medical Center also offers free breastfeeding classes monthly. For more information, visit www.mcbg.org.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)