Making positive changes: The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center offers pre-diabetes class

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 5/08/2010

Tom Pearce was somewhat surprised when he found out about three weeks ago that he has diabetes, but he knew other people weren’t.

“People expect me to have it,” he said. “I’ve got to lose some weight.”

The Bowling Green man knew he would need help in controlling his disease. He recently took a pre-diabetes class offered at The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center at Greenwood Mall to learn lifestyle changes he can make.

“My wife came with me. That shows a big support,” he said. “(The class) will make a lot of difference in the long run.”

Many people are familiar with diabetes, where the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to change sugar, starches and other foods to energy. Pre-diabetes is a medical diagnosis that involves an impaired fasting glucose, said Teresia Huddleston, clinical nutritionist and regional diabetes coordinator at the Barren River District Health Department.

“It’s above normal, but it does not meet the criteria for actual diabetes,” she said. “We used to use the term ‘borderline,’ but we don’t use it anymore.”

According to the March issue of “Diabetes Forecast” magazine, the cost of treating diabetes in the United States is expected to triple to $336 billion per year over the next 25 years. One in three adults is at risk for developing diabetes, Huddleston said.

“With pre-diabetes, there’s a 50-50 chance of it turning into diabetes if you continue your current lifestyle,” she said. “It is treated with lifestyle modification.”

At a recent pre-diabetes class, Marissa Hesson, certified diabetes educator for The Medical Center, talked to participants about the condition.

“Doctors are not going to want to diagnose you with diabetes on one reading,” she said. “It’s a wake-up call. It’s time we start to make changes.”

Exercise and healthy eating are key to controlling pre-diabetes, Hesson said. People should aim for 150 minutes of exercise a week – such as 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Those who are inactive should start slowly and get permission from a doctor before they start an exercise program.

“I’m reading things that say that 10 to 15 minutes of walking is better than nothing at all,” she said. “You can start at five to 10 minutes and add on to that.”

Shedding weight also helps, Hesson said.

“If you’re overweight, losing five to 10 pounds can reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes,” she said.

Controlling portion sizes and the amount of carbohydrates is also important, Andrea Norris, registered dietitian at The Medical Center, told the class.

“You want to choose the right carbohydrates. It’s not that these things are bad,” she said of foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes. “It’s just how much you eat.”

Non-starchy vegetables are considered a “free food,” meaning these can be eaten more. Carrots and fruit can also be eaten, but carefully. People should also watch out for fruit juice.

“Carrots can sometimes break down real fast and make blood sugar go up,” she said. “You need fruit, but you have to watch how much fruit you’re eating. Fruit juices can have just as much sugar as soda.”

A single banana or apple can even be too much at times, Norris said.

“Watch apples and bananas in the store,” she said. “They’re often bigger than a single serving size.”

Norris suggested participants eat three meals a day with three snacks.

“When you skip breakfast, it slows the metabolism,” she said. “You need consistency in the timing of your meals.”

Fiber also is important, Norris said.

“It acts like a vacuum. It sucks up fat and sugar,” she said. “It’s bulky, though, so drink more water.”

Instead of buying sugar-free foods, Norris suggested choosing regular foods and watching portion sizes.

“Sugar-free adds extra stuff (to make it taste better),” she said.

Pearce said portion size has been his biggest problem.

“I eat a lot of everything,” he said. “I commute, so I have a terrible tendency to eat in the car. It usually means fast food.”

Although he already has diabetes, Pearce said the class helped him. He plans to change his lifestyle by beginning an exercise plan, which includes bicycling, and planning his meals better. He has an application on his cellular phone that helps him keep up with his eating habits.

“If I plan what I’m going to and do the plan, I’ll be OK,” he said. “This is a chance to start making some of these changes.”

— For more information about the pre-diabetes class at the Health and Wellness Center, call 745-0942 or toll-free at (877) 800-3824. For more information about the health department’s diabetes education class, call 781-8039, ext. 119.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Sleeping disorders and kids: Sleep apnea in youngsters is often caused by enlarged tonsils, adenoids

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/24/2010

Is your child snoring at night?

Maybe you’ve noticed your child has morning headaches, behavioral problems, poor school performance or excessive daytime sleepiness.

If so, there’s a strong possibility that your child is not getting good sleep at night.

“It could be a sleep disorder if they’re having a diminished amount of sleep or unrestful sleep,” said Graves-Gilbert Clinic pediatrician Dr. Debra Sowell. “There may be more problems with attention the next day. Attention deficit is sometimes accentuated by that condition.”

Sleep disorders in children don’t always get the same attention as those in adults.

“A lot of people don’t think of pediatric sleep disorders as a problem,” said Tuyen Trinh, respiratory coordinator at Greenview Regional Hospital. “They think they’ll grow out of it.”

Often, the route to finding out if a child may have sleep problems begins with a visit to a pediatrician. Sowell said she regularly sees children with various sleeping problems, particularly sleep apnea, a disorder in which people stop breathing for short periods of time while they sleep because of a blockage in the airway.

“It could be sleep apnea, particularly if they snore,” she said. “Obese children seem to be at an increase of having trouble.”

Ken McKenney, director of The Medical Center’s Sleep Center, said he is seeing more young people with sleep apnea.

“At first we used to see a lot of middle-aged men. Now we see more teenagers, especially football players (because of their thick neck and build),” he said. “We get a lot of referrals from ear, nose and throat doctors.”

While the hallmark symptoms of sleep apnea in adults include snoring, pauses in breathing and excessive daytime sleepiness, it may not be the same in children, Trinh said.

“Children may snore continuously. Children may be more restless,” she said. “Obesity is typical in adults (with sleep apnea), but it’s not a predominant factor in kids.”

In fact, sleep apnea in children is often caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Removal often solves the problem in children instead of using a continuous positive airflow pressure machine, a device often used by adults that features a mask over the nose to keep airways open.

“That’s usually the most successful,” Trinh said of the surgery for children.

The air pressure machine is usually the last resort for children.

The next step to finding out about a child’s sleeping disorder may include a sleep study, which usually takes place at a sleep center such as the ones at The Medical Center and Greenview. Technicians monitor the children’s breathing, movement and any awakening that may happen during the night. The studies try to re-create as much of the child’s sleep habits as possible.

“We like to see children as they sleep at home,” McKenney said. If they sleep in the same bed as another person at home, they want both people present for the study. “We won’t get an accurate study if (the other person) is not here.”

Trinh said it isn’t unusual for parents to be present for a sleep study, even if they sleep in a different room.

“We want to make them feel comfortable,” she said.

Finding out if a child has sleep apnea is important, particularly because there is a link to heart disease, Trinh said.

“If you knew you were going to have a heart attack tomorrow, would you do what you could to prevent it?” she asked.

Starting a good bedtime routine from the time they are infants is important in helping children get a better night’s sleep throughout their lives.

“Put them to bed when they’re still drowsy,” Sowell said. “It leads to good sleep habits as they grow older.”

Regular bedtime habits such as a bath or shower, a story and brushing teeth can get children into the mind frame that it’s time for bed. At least nine hours of sleep a night is optimal for children.

“Parents have a wonderful opportunity to get them into good sleep habits at an early age. Use anything that gets you into a routine of bedtime,” McKenney said. “Be mindful of how they sleep at night. Allow them plenty of time to sleep.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Women’s art expo set this weekend

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/22/2010

When Jane Ward Kehrt decided to enter her artwork in The Medical Center’s first Women-in-the-Arts Exhibit 20 years ago, she was excited that there was an event celebrating female artists.

“It’s close, it’s a good show and it celebrates women. I appreciate the fact that they are concerned with women in the arts,” the Glasgow artist said. “Men had been pretty much put on the front burner of art. There are women with tremendous talent who never got the exposure that men got.”

The Medical Center is continuing to give women the opportunity to show and sell their artwork with the 20th annual Women-in-the-Arts Exhibit. The entries will be displayed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at The Medical Center Auditorium. Winning pieces will be displayed from Monday to May 17 in the Capitol Arts Center’s Houchens Gallery, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

The exhibit is open to Kentucky women ages 18 and up. The experience ranges from seasoned to new, Community Wellness Director Linda Rush said.

“We have 57 women who have entered artwork and 112 pieces of artwork,” she said of the free exhibit, which includes watercolors, paintings, pottery, photography and weaving. “The majority of the artwork is for sale.”

Twenty-five percent of the sales will go to the Capitol’s Visual Arts Program, which presents new works and exhibitions in the center’s galleries.

“There are always costs associated with it, so anything we get from the sale of the artwork does a lot to support it,” said Capitol Gallery Director Lynn Robertson.

Mary Pat Turner, an art professor at Belmont University in Nashville, will be the juror for the event. The winner of the Purchase Award will be bought by and displayed at The Medical Center. Eight to 10 artists will win $100 Merit Awards. There will also be honorable mentions.

“This is something the women artists look forward to every year. There is a lot of talent in this community,” Rush said. “The exhibit has been successful because of the quality of artwork and the support from the community.”

Kehrt has entered two watercolors this year – a horse scene and Elkhorn Creek, both scenes from her native Lexington.

“Elkhorn Creek ran through our farm. It’s a beautiful creek,” she said. “I’m doing a series of creeks in Kentucky. I’ve been gathering reference work.”

She has won the Purchase Award twice as well as several honorable mentions. Watercolor has been her medium of choice for many years because after 20 years of painting with oil, she developed an allergy.

“I usually enter whatever I’m painting at the time. I’ve lived in a few states, and I believe we live in one of the beautiful states,” she said of Kentucky. “I just look around me. I paint what I see.”

The special awards and extended displays make the Women-in-the-Arts ideal for an artist, Kehrt said.

“They do a tremendous job of getting it out to the public,” she said.

— For more information, call 745-1010 or toll free at (800) 624-2318 or e-mail info@mcbg.org.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Home Care supervisor relishes chance to see patients

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/17/2010

When Pat Pearson was considering careers as a youngster, her dreams floated near water.

“I wanted to be a marine biologist, but I didn’t have the money to go to school on the coast,” she said.

Instead, she decided to tag along with a friend who was going to nursing school at Western Kentucky University. Earning a degree in nursing would provide job security if she needed it later, she thought. But once she got into the program and started practicing, she found she wanted later to become sooner.

“After I got into it, I liked it. I realized it was the right choice,” she said. “It was what I meant to do. I love taking care of people. It fit me.”

Pearson has been the clinical supervisor for The Medical Center Home Care for 11⁄2 years, but she has worked there for 19 years. Her duties include overseeing scheduling, reviewing charts for corrections and sending out reports. The program takes care of patients at their homes.

“I’m here for any problems there might be in the field. If the nurses have any problems, they call me,” she said. “I can go out to help them. I love patient care. Any chance I get to see patients, I’m out the door.”

After earning an associate’s degree in nursing, Pearson took her time finishing her bachelor’s degree at WKU.

“I had a small son and worked full time,” she said. “It took seven years to finish my bachelor’s degree.”

While attending school, Pearson worked in emergency rooms, first at Allen County War Memorial Hospital in Scottsville for about 14 years and then at Logan Memorial Hospital. She loved the variety of working in the ER.

“I thought it was the only place to be,” she said, laughing.

A rotation with Home Care, a part of her degree requirement, changed her mind.

“I never thought I’d like it. I went on a visit with a nurse, and I fell in love with it,” she said. “We went into people’s homes. They were so glad to see us. They welcomed us in and treated us like family. We weren’t doing anything major.”

The welcoming feeling from patients and their families hasn’t changed over the years.

“That’s how it is every time you go somewhere,” Pearson said. “They trust you to take care of them. The patients rely on you to do what’s right for them.”

After she graduated from WKU, there was an opening for a staff nurse at Home Care. She got the job and was staff nurse for 15 years before spending three years as an assessment nurse who handled patient admissions.

Pearson’s love of taking care of people runs in the family. Her daughter-in-law is a nurse, and her son, who made a career change, graduates from nursing school in May.

“They’re expecting their first child,” she said excitedly.

Now that she has her feet firmly planted in Home Care, Pearson says it is the only place she wants to be.

“You feel like you’re making a difference in somebody’s life,” she said. “It’s the best place to work.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Hospitality House work begins

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/16/2010

Representatives from Commonwealth Health Corp., its philanthropic division Commonwealth Health Foundation and The Medical Center broke ground on its “home away from home” for the families of seriously ill patients at The Medical Center and Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital.

“Hospitality House will be a home away from home where families can eat, sleep and recharge and still be near their loved ones. Three months ago we started a capital campaign,” said Doris Thomas, marketing and development vice president for Commonwealth Health Corp. “Our dream is becoming a reality. We’re looking forward in eight months to celebrating a ribbon cutting. We’re very fortunate to live in a community that is supportive to the people in need around us. We’re grateful for the continued support.”

Designed by Stengel-Hill Architecture and built by Scott, Murphy & Daniel, the 13,564-square-foot Hospitality House will be located on The Medical Center campus at High Street and Fifth Avenue. The building will include 12 private guest rooms and baths, a kitchen and dining room to accommodate multiple families, a prayer room, a community room with comfortable furnishings and a business center with computers and Internet access. There will be no charge to stay there, but guests who are able to make a donation for each night they stay will be encouraged to do so.

“The project is a wonderful thing,” said Mike Murphy of Scott, Murphy and Daniel, who is chairman of the capital campaign committee.

So far, CHF has raised $2.1 million in pledges and donations for the “Extending Home” public capital campaign, which will help build, furnish and staff Hospitality House. Nearly $1 million more is needed to establish an endowment to ensure ongoing operation.

“We’re flying on the wings of faith. We haven’t raised the (total amount) of money to do it, but we taking advantage of the good pricing in the construction industry,” he said. “We need to get to the $3 million mark, but we don’t need to stop there. We need to keep going. When everyone pitches in, it makes for light work.”

Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said having The Medical Center here has been good for the community, and CHC really cares about the needs of the patients and their families.

“The Medical Center has become a real medical hub for southcentral Kentucky. It’s important for economic development and quality of life,” he said. “People are getting quality care right here. We have some of the finest physicians in the United States.”

— For more information, call the Commonwealth Health Foundation at 796-5543 or visit www.hospitalityhousebg.org

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Healthy Kids Club program focuses on physical activity, nutrition

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/03/2010

The children at the Boys & Girls Club sat huddled close together on the floor Wednesday, each with a leg stretched out.

“Switch legs, guys,” said Health and Wellness Center intern Maggie Roe as she put out a different leg, leaned into it and asked the children about a different stretch. “Does everybody know how to do the butterfly?”

The boys and girls, all ages 6 to 9, were participating in the Healthy Kids Club, a program of The Medical Center’s Health and Wellness Center that focuses on physical activity and healthy nutrition for children. The program usually costs $10, but the center teamed with the Boys & Girls Club to offer scholarships for the children. Roe teaches two separate classes – one with 19 children and the other with 34 – for about an hour twice a week.

“These are the essential years to develop those good habits of exercise and nutrition,” Community Wellness Manager Jenny Golden said. “We want to be able to teach good values at an early age.”

The children started the six-week program last month. For the first three weeks, they focused on exercise, including stretching, aerobics and strength training. During the last three weeks, they will learn about nutrition, including the food pyramid. They do challenges to get them interested in what they are learning and receive T-shirts at the end of the program.

“They’re so enthusiastic. They’re willing to learn,” Roe said. “They’re always curious about what we’re going to learn.”

Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Pam McIntyre said the program is going well.

“Obesity is a big issue in Kentucky and other states,” she said. “This is a good way to partner with another agency that will provide that education for us. We’re happy to be doing that.”

Since starting the Healthy Kids Club, some of the kids said they have taken what they have learned outside the classroom.

“I like to swim, run and play tag with my brother and sister,” 8-year-old Emme Chappell said. “(At Healthy Kids Club) I get to work out with my friends, and it’s fun to do with them.”

Myrycal Reed, 7, said she has learned to do push-ups and sit-ups, which are harder. Her favorite exercise is the toe touch.

“You can make your legs all the way straight,” she said as she demonstrated one. “You bend down like that.”

Madison Rather, 6, said she is used to exercising because she does cartwheels, backbends and flips in gymnastics, but also enjoys doing the exercises in the class.

“We’ve been doing this,” she said as she stretched her arms. “I used to do cheerleading, too.”

Roe said the children are usually eager to tell her about their healthy habits.

“They’ll say something like, ‘I exercised today. I did 17 laps around the gym,’ ” she said, laughing. “I love doing this. I hope they’ll learn skills they’ll keep throughout adulthood.”

Golden said organizers are happy Healthy Kids Club has been successful.

“We enjoy working with groups of children,” he said. “Any other group that is interested, we’d be happy to help provide the program.”

— For more information, call the Health and Wellness Center at 745-0942.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Franklin Medical Pavilion celebrates grand opening: Officials also mark 10-year anniversary of hospital’s affiliation with CHC

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 4/02/2010

The Medical Center at Franklin celebrated two milestones Thursday with the grand opening of its new Franklin Medical Pavilion and the 10-year anniversary of when Commonwealth Health Corp. acquired the former Franklin-Simpson Memorial Hospital.

“The best thing that ever happened to the city of Franklin was The Medical Center coming here,” Franklin-Simpson Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Steve Thurmond said. “It has been a wonderful partnership for the past 10 years.”

Franklin-Simpson Judge-Executive Jim Henderson agreed.

“There has been a reform of health care in Franklin over the last 10 years,” he said. “Millions of dollars have been invested in this place. It is a tremendous asset to our local economy, not only in the real dollars it produces for the economy itself but to the draw it is to the economic development of the community.”

Henderson was on the hospital board before CHC came on board. He said Franklin-Simpson Memorial Hospital was suffering because of a lack of experience in managing the hospital the way it needed to be managed. In fact, there were times when only one patient was in the entire hospital.

“We lost $600,000 the first year I was judge-executive in 1999. Our hospital was going to close,” he said. “You can’t sustain a business in that kind of market.”

The hospital is now often full, Henderson said.

“The transformation has been incredible in the facility. CHC has been providing health care for years in southcentral Kentucky,” he said. “They had the expertise to make the hospital succeed. CHC breathed new life into the hospital. The service is as good as you could ever ask for in a small rural community like Franklin.”

Having a first-rate hospital is critical to drawing businesses and industry, Henderson said.

“It’s almost like a domino effect. Companies look for health care options for their employees,” he said. “It’s an investment in the community.”

The new Medical Pavilion is a 17,633-square-foot, two-story medical office building connected to The Medical Center at Franklin’s 25-bed patient care wing. It houses several hospital services, including rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and laboratory, as well as three physician suites. Drs. Robert Wesley and Karuna Reddy have moved their practices there. The project started last summer and costs about $3.4 million.

The hospital also had a separate $5 million expansion and renovation project, which included construction of a new 25-bed patient care wing and renovations of the previous inpatient area that was completed in December 2007.

Franklin Mayor Herbert Williams said he is pleased by the hospital’s expansion.

“We need all the facilities we can get. Since (CHC) has taken over, we see a better facility here,” he said. “We are pleased with what we see going on here. It’s pretty much what a hospital needs to be.”

Clara Sumner, chief executive officer at The Medical Center at Franklin, said the growth couldn’t happen without the commitment of the staff and believes the growth shows commitment to the community.

“Franklin is a growing community, so we had to keep pace. We’re doing what is needed so people can get the best health care at home,” she said. “We want to continue to progress in the community and be an important part of the community.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)