Tag Archive for: #mariaparhamhealth

MPH Volunteer Services April Fundraiser

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— submitted by Lisa Radford, MPH volunteer coordinator

Volunteer Services of Maria Parham Health announce their April fundraiser. The Masquerade Sale, where everything is $5.00, will be in the JT Church Classroom Wed. April, 18 (7am-4pm) and Thursday, April 19 (7am-2pm). Necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, rings, scarves, watches, bags and so much more. Come check it out. Something for everyone…come experience the FRENZY!

(This is not a paid advertisement.  However, Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS Radio and WIZS.com.)

Is It Time for a Colonoscopy?

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The following is re-published with permission from Maria Parham Health.  It is offered as news in the public interest.  It is not a paid advertisement.  This is not medical advice.  If you would like to view the original story on the MPH web page, please click here.

Do you remember when you used to put on your favorite bell bottoms and disco dance the night away? If you do, then it’s probably time to think about a routine colonoscopy screening. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, excluding skin cancers. And the vast majority of these cases occur in people 50 and older.

The good news is that the overall incidence of, and death rates associated with, colorectal cancers have been on the decline for more than a decade, thanks in large part to effective colonoscopy screenings that can detect the disease in its early stages.

“Colonoscopies are so important because they can improve our ability to detect colorectal cancer quickly and early, making the disease much more easily treatable” says Dr. Mark Dubinski, Gastroenterologist at Maria Parham Health. “Colonoscopies can also help us identify and remove colorectal polyps before they even become cancerous. The benefits are enormous.”

What are the symptoms?

Colorectal cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages – another reason that screenings are so important. Still, you should see your doctor if you have any of these warning signs:

Bleeding from the rectum;

Blood in the stool or in the toilet after a bowel movement;

Change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool;

Persistent cramping or discomfort in the lower abdomen;

An urge to have a bowel movement when the bowel is empty;

Constipation or diarrhea that lasts for more than a few days;

Decreased appetite;

Nausea or vomiting; and

Unintentional weight loss.

While these symptoms can also be indicative of other health conditions, your doctor can help you get to the root of the issue and determine the underlying cause.

How can I help prevent it?

Colonoscopy screenings are the number one way you can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer since the screenings can help detect the disease early or find polyps before they become cancerous. While the vast majority of new cases occur at age 50 and over, the disease does not discriminate and can happen to men and women at any age.

“We recommend that everyone talk to their doctor about their colorectal cancer risks and discuss when a colonoscopy could be right for them,” Dubinski says.

You can also be proactive in prevention in other ways. Living a healthy lifestyle that includes daily exercise, a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting your alcohol intake and eliminating smoking can reduce your risk for colorectal and many other forms of cancer. Knowing your family’s medical history is also important – a history of the disease in your immediate family puts you at a higher risk for the disease.

Contact 800.424.DOCS (3627) to find a physician and take the next steps to schedule your colonoscopy today.

SIDEBAR: What to Expect During a Colonoscopy
Colonoscopies are an easier procedure than many realize. Shortly before the procedure, you will likely be given pain medication and a sedative to minimize discomfort. During the approximately 30-minute procedure, any polyps found will be removed by the doctor and tissue samples will be sent for a biopsy.

Keep in mind that you will be instructed to follow a special diet the day before your procedure and will need to have someone available to take you home afterward.

— courtesy MPH

(MPH is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not a paid advertisement.)

MPH Volunteer Services March 2018 Fundraiser

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— submitted by Lisa Radford, Volunteer Coordinator at MPH

Volunteer Services of Maria Parham Health announce their March fundraiser. The new and popular “IN THE BAG” handbag sale will be in the John T. Church classroom on Wed., March 14th (7am-4pm) and March 15th (7am-2pm). Kenneth Cole, the Sak, Jessica Simpson, Ivanka Trump, Lucky Brand, Nine West, Michael Kors, Christian Siriano, Adrienne Vittadin and London Fog are just a few of the brand names you’ll find in designer handbags, brief cases, luggage, wallets, mini bags and small leather goods.

(This is not a paid advertisement.)

Maria Parham Health Implementing New Visitor Restrictions during Flu Season

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— Press Release from Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health Implementing New Visitor Restrictions during Flu Season

Henderson, NC (January 12, 2018) – Our primary goal at Maria Parham Health is to provide the best quality of care in an environment that is safe for our patients. To protect them, at times we must manage their exposure to illnesses that are easily spread, like the flu.

We carefully monitor flu activity levels in our hospitals and the community. When certain thresholds are met, we must take action to halt the spread and limit the number of visitors allowed in our patient areas. Due to the high numbers of respiratory illness and influenza, Maria Parham Health has implemented visitor restrictions.

If you are visiting our hospital during flu season, please be prepared for the possibility of limited visitation and safety hygiene requests to be made.

Visitors are limited to immediate family members or designated adult caregivers, who have no fever, cough, or other flu-like symptoms.

Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to visit unless for a medical appointment or an ED visit.

All persons with flu symptoms (cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, vomiting, extreme tiredness, muscle aches and or diarrhea), please do not visit patients.

Visitors are asked to wash hands frequently. Foam hand cleanser is available throughout the building.

If you are here for services and have flu symptoms, please ask for a mask upon arrival.

You may see some of our staff wearing masks as a safety precaution for our patients.

To help prevent the spread of flu germs outside of the hospital, please wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol hand gel and encourage others to do so as well.

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Maria Parham Health welcomes Dr. Aidevo Igbide

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The following is a press release from Maria Parham Health, not a paid advertisement.

Henderson, NC – Maria Parham Health (MPH), a Duke LifePoint hospital, is excited to announce that Aidevo S. Igbide, MD has joined their primary care physician practice, Maria Parham Primary Care. Dr. Igbide joins our community from Surrey, BC, Canada where she practiced family medicine. Dr. Igbide has over 17 years of experience as a doctor and has worked in multiple countries throughout the world. You can continue reading this article here.

Dr. Igbide earned her medical degree from the University of Benin, School of Medicine in Benin City, Nigeria. She completed a residency program at London Deanery, Sidcup Training in Family Medicine and also trained in internal medicine at the Queens hospital, London Deanery both located in London England. Dr. Igbide holds several licensures including North Carolina  medical Board and College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. She previously held a teaching license with the Washington State Medical Board. She is also certified through multiple organizations and societies including, Board certification by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She is a Member Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP), United Kingdom and a Member Royal College of Physicians (MRCP), United Kingdom. She is ECFMG certified and board eligible with the American Board of Family Physicians (ABFM).

Dr. Igbide holds several active professional memberships in the following organizations, Canada Medical Protection association, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Canadian Medical Association and the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom. When she is not working, Dr. Igbide enjoys swimming, aerobics and Zumba dancing, cooking and traveling. She is also a soprano soloist and enjoys taking time to practice her skill.

Maria Parham Primary Care is located in the Vance Medical Arts Building across from Maria Parham Health. This practice offers primary care services for the entire family including preventative care, annual wellness care, childhood illness, well child care, women’s health, treatment of chronic illness and geriatric care. Dr. Igbide joins Dr. Gary Smith and Dr. Kavitha Subramanian at Maria Parham Primary Care.

Dr. Igbide is now accepting patients at Maria Parham Primary Care located at 511 Ruin Creek Rd, Suite 101 in Henderson. To reach Maria Parham Primary Care, please call 252.436.0040 appointments can also be made online by visiting mariaparham.com.

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(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not a paid advertisement.)

Maria Parham Health Hosts Emergency Preparedness Drill

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— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Henderson, January 5, 2018—Maria Parham Health, in coordination with Vance County Emergency Operations, conducted an Emergency Preparedness Drill at the hospital on December 8, 2017. The Emergency Preparedness Drill was a joint training exercise that was designed to test the preparedness and response of local, regional and state agencies should a real crisis occur. This project was a vision that was started in a conversation with Maria Parham Health, Chief Executive Officer, Bert Beard, County Commissioners, Archie Taylor, Jr. and Tommy Hester, Jr. and City of Henderson Councilman, Mike Inscoe. “Several months prior to planning this drill, a conversation was had discussing concerns with the safety in our nation pertaining to mass casualty shootings,” stated Bert Beard, CEO, Maria Parham. “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Hester and Mr. Inscoe were instrumental in connecting the key leaders we needed to pull a drill of this scale off and we are very appreciative of their dedication and leadership. Every entity involved, both locally and regionally, stepped up and engaged to make this a value-added exercise for the community,” stated Beard.

More than 100 volunteers, hospital employees and local emergency responders participated in the mock emergency preparedness drill. The event staged by Maria Parham Health Emergency Preparedness Team, inclusive of key leaders from Vance County Emergency Operations and first responder entities, focused on response plans for an actual disaster, which could trigger a sudden influx of patients, media, concerned community members and the “worried well” to the hospital. The full scale mass-casualty drill was conducted in collaboration with multiple partner agencies including the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sherriff’s Office, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, Vance County Emergency Medical Services, City of Henderson Fire Department, Duke Healthcare Coalition and Maria Parham Health. “It takes the entire community of emergency responders to pull a drill of this scale off, stated Jason Reavis, Assistant Director of Emergency Operations for Vance County. “We had a very dedicated team and everyone was focused on completing a safe and successful drill while making our community more prepared for an event of large scale,” stated Reavis.

Maria Parham Health is the first hospital in the region to host an emergency preparedness drill of this scale. The scenario for the practice event was a simulated active shooter on hospital grounds. More detail to planning the event was required due to the nature of the event, the multiple entities involved, the necessary steps to respond to an event of this type and having the event taking place during some of the hospital’s busiest hours. “Safety is always our top concern when we are participating in any drill,” stated Steven Vaugh, Captain of the Henderson Police Department. “We did not want to disrupt any normal operations of the hospital, but we needed to respond as if it were a real situation. Everyone collaborated to make sure safety was the top focus and through the joint efforts of everyone involved we completed the drill with no injuries or harms,” stated Vaughn.

Hospitals are required by The Joint Commission to have disaster response plans in place and conduct periodic drills for improvement and training purposes. However, this drill was designed to test the process and responsiveness of all of Vance County’s emergency responders and examine how each entity would work with the hospital staff through their protocols. “Everyone who participated in this drill are vital organizations for emergency response in our community, including Maria Parham,” stated Steve Cordell, Henderson Fire Department Fire Chief. “The planning process and the actual drill were very insightful for our team to understand how the hospital will respond to internal emergency situations and how we can better work with and communicate if something takes place on their campus,” stated Cordell.

One of the main focus points for the hospital to review was patient care inside the hospital if a disaster were to happen and how hospital staff would work with emergency responders to treat and transport patients internally. “We work in partnership every day with the hospital to provide care for the people in our community, however, this drill offered the opportunity for us to test our response procedures inside the hospital,” stated Javier Plummer, EMS Director for Vance County. “Our team is used to responding and then communicating with the hospital when an emergency happens. This situation took us out of our standard procedures and gave us a different angle in working with the hospital. I feel both teams performed well and walked away with great opportunities to build on,” stated Plummer.

A scenario such as an active shooter in any location involves everyone in every emergency response organizations pulling together to diffuse the situation and provide care to the community during and after the situation is over. This drill provided every key emergency response organization in the community valuable insight and opportunities to work better together and provide better response to the communities they serve.

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(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  However, this is not a paid advertisement.  This is a news release issued by Maria Parham Health.)

Fresh Year, Fresh Start in 2018

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— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Ask anyone what their New Year’s resolution is and chances are they’ll mention a determination to eat healthier. While many of us may consider a renewed focus on healthy eating as a way to make up for the rich indulgences of the holiday season or as a pathway to fit more comfortably into that favorite pair of jeans, healthy eating comes with even greater rewards. It can reduce our risk of illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer; and it can help boost our energy, sharpen our memories and stabilize our mood, leading to a noticeable improvement in our overall health.

If you’re embarking on a path to healthier eating this year, here are some tips to help make it a little easier to make healthy food choices all year long.

Slow and steady wins the race. Changing the way you eat overnight can be daunting. Instead, make one or two healthy changes each week – drinking fewer soft drinks one week, perhaps eating a salad with dinner each night the next week. Rather than making a sweeping change that can be hard to sustain, you’ll be building and maintaining healthy habits that last.

Make a plan. Plan ahead so that you can control what and how much you are eating. Choose a day of the week to spend some time preparing a batch of healthy meals that you can package up, refrigerate or freeze and heat up throughout the week. “Meal prep” can free up your time for other pursuits during the week and help eliminate the stress that comes with “What do I want for lunch?”

Get back to basics. Stock up on healthy recipe basics like olive and canola oils, beans, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, fresh and/or frozen fruits and veggies, unsalted nuts, fresh and dried herbs and spices, and lean chicken and fish.

Fill your glass. With water, that is. Soda, energy drinks and sports drinks are a big source of extra sugar – and calories. Instead, choose water, tea, coffee or other unsweetened beverages.

Read the labels. When you’re grocery shopping, take a moment to glance at the label and make sure the items you’re choosing are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, and high in fiber and good-for-you nutrients.

Don’t forget breakfast. You’ve heard it a million times because it’s true. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a breakfast high in protein and fiber each morning can jump start your metabolism, satisfy your hunger and make those doughnuts in the break room a little less appealing.

Be realistic. Eating healthy doesn’t mean starving or depriving yourself. Allow yourself the occasional indulgence, so that you don’t feel that you’re missing out. Just be careful of your portion and really savor and enjoy it.

For more tips on healthy eating, visit www.choosemyplate.gov. If you’d like to talk to someone about how healthy eating can be part of an overall healthy lifestyle, call Maria Parham Health at 800.424.DOCS (3627) to make an appointment with a primary care provider.

From all of us at Maria Parham Health, we hope you have a very happy – and healthy – new year!

(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not an advertisement.)

MPH Emergency Preparedness Drill

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Friday morning, Maria Parham Health in coordination with Vance County Emergency Operations conducted an Emergency Preparedness Drill at Maria Parham Health on Ruin Creek Road.  The drill was scheduled to last 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. EST.

The Emergency Preparedness Drill was a joint training exercise that tested the preparedness and response of local, regional and state agencies should a real crisis occur. More than 100 volunteers, hospital employees and local emergency responders took part in this mock emergency preparedness drill. The drill began at 9:00 am, however set up and preparations began as early as 6:00 am.

The event staged by the Maria Parham Health Emergency Preparedness Team focused on response plans for an actual disaster, which could trigger a sudden influx of patients, media, concerned community members and the “worried well” to the hospital.

The full scale mass-casualty drill was conducted in collaboration with multiple partner agencies including the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sherriff’s Office, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, Vance County Emergency Services, City of Henderson Fire Department, Duke Healthcare Coalition and Maria Parham Health. The scenario for the practice event was a simulated active shooter on hospital grounds.

Organizers cautioned ahead of time that the event was a significant exercise and the local community could expect to see emergency responders at Maria Parham Health looking and acting as if it were a true disaster. Normal hospital Emergency Department operations and patient care were not be affected by the drill in any way.

Hospitals are required by The Joint Commission to have disaster response plans in place and conduct periodic drills for improvement and training purposes.

The Tree of Lights 2017

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— information provided by Vance County Relay for Life and is courtesy of The Women’s League of Henderson

Once again, The Women’s League of Henderson will be sponsoring the Tree of Light. A bulb can be purchased in honor or memory of a loved one. Each bulb costs $10.00. This is a tax deductible contribution that supports a wonderful cause.

We all must continue to strive to find a cure for cancer. Many of us have been touched by this terrible disease. We are asking for your help by purchasing a bulb for the tree.

You are cordially invited to attend the tree lighting ceremony, which will be held on November 30,2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the hospital lobby. The Tree of Lights is located in front of Maria Parham Health on Ruin Creek Road.

 

 

Former Franklin Medical Center Gets New Name

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— courtesy Maria Parham Health

Former Franklin Medical Center Gets New Name: Maria Parham Franklin

Unveiling of new brand signals progress in restoring healthcare services to Franklin County

Louisburg, NC – Maria Parham Health, part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, unveiled a new name for the former Franklin Medical Center: Maria Parham Franklin. The new name was presented to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and Louisburg Town Council on November 20. This development marks an important milestone in efforts to bring essential healthcare back to Franklin County following the closure of the Louisburg hospital in 2015. Plans are in place to open a freestanding emergency department with 24/7 emergency care in mid-2018.

“Establishing the Maria Parham Franklin name symbolizes important progress in returning healthcare to our county,” said Sidney Dunston, Vice-Chair, Franklin County Board of Commissioners. “This is a clear sign of forward momentum for our community that will allow us to move beyond the closure of Franklin Medical Center and look toward a new, brighter future. We’re excited to be working with the Maria Parham and Duke LifePoint teams to get this facility back up and running, so that the people in our region will have access to the care they need and deserve.”

In 2016, the board of commissioners reviewed potential strategic partners interested in taking over services at the closed Franklin Medical Center. It unanimously voted to accept a proposal from Duke LifePoint to operate Franklin Medical Center as part of Duke LifePoint’s Henderson hospital, Maria Parham Health, and turn the Franklin County facility into a freestanding emergency department with 24/7 emergency care, diagnostic services and behavioral health services.

In 2017, a lease agreement was reached and Duke LifePoint began seeking state approvals to reopen the hospital’s emergency department as a freestanding emergency center. It also is working to secure state funds to further the development of additional behavioral health beds and services.

“We’re delighted to introduce the Maria Parham Franklin name to Louisburg and Franklin County,” said Bert Beard, CEO of Maria Parham Health. “Over the next few months, everyone will begin to see changes at the hospital site. By mid-2018, we expect needed renovations and hires to be complete so the first phase of the new emergency room can open to the public. We look forward to working with local officials to rebuild healthcare services in this region and ensure the health and wellbeing of people here.”

Maria Parham Franklin is expected to bring as many as 65 new jobs to Franklin County in the next three years, contributing to economic development and job growth in the region.

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(Maria Parham Health is an advertising client of WIZS.)