Friday, June 30, 2006
Dr. Metts Joins Sacred Heart Medical Group
 PENSACOLA -- Dr. Jeffrey Metts, a primary care physician board certified in internal medicine, has joined Sacred Heart Medical Group and is seeing patients in the Sacred Heart Medical Park on Airport Boulevard.
Dr. Metts earned his medical degree at the University Of Florida College of Medicine and also holds a master’s degree in public health and tropical medicine from Tulane University.
He trained in internal medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. He was chief resident in internal medicine at Drexel University and later served as an assistant professor of medicine there.
Dr. Metts joined the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital in January, serving as a hospitalist who concentrated his practice on care of hospitalized patients. In his new location on Airport Boulevard, Dr. Metts will see patients in a primary care practice, partnering with Dr. Steven Claus.
A resident of Gulf Breeze, Dr. Metts enjoys swimming, running, surfing and football. For more information or an appointment, call 850-416-4600.
Sacred Heart Medical Group is Northwest Florida's largest network of primary care physicians with locations in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Bay and Baldwin counties.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Sacred Heart Web Site Adds Health News and Online Library
Pensacola, Fla. - Sacred Heart Health System has redesigned its web site to include a new online health library designed to give consumers an easy way to get the latest medical information.
The library offers current health news headlines from Concept Communications, along with informative and easy-to-understand health topics. Articles in English and Spanish are categorized by disease and wellness topics, heart, cancer, diet and exercise, children's, women's and seniors' health, mental health, workplace, and other health concerns.
There are also interactive features including health quizzes and calculators for measurements such as body mass index, target heart rate and calorie counts. To access the library, simply visit Sacred Heart’s web site at http://www.sacred-heart.org/healthlibrary or click on the link for Online Health Library on our homepage.
"Having the latest health information on our website, gives people in our area a readily accessible way to find quality health information," says Dick Appleyard, vice president of marketing for Sacred Heart Health System. "Information on losing weight, quitting smoking, staying healthy - it's all there. This is a true community resource."
“We are pleased to be a part of Sacred Heart’s online efforts to promote health and wellness,” said Veronica McQuillan, president of Concept Communications, based in San Diego. “Our partnership will help Sacred Heart’s web site visitors more easily find the health and wellness information they want and need.”
Sacred Heart’s web site also includes interactive health information from KidsHealth designed to answer health questions from parents, teens and children. The site features thousands of physician-approved articles developed by children’s health experts of the Nemours Foundation. Topics include parenting tips, food and fitness, pregnancy and newborns, emotional and behavioral issues affecting teens and children, and children’s health problems.
Sacred Heart Health System has established itself as Northwest Florida’s most preferred hospital and its leader in providing high quality health care to children and adults. Key services of the 449-bed hospital in Pensacola include: our Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, Children’s and Women’s Hospital, a Level II Trauma Center, Cancer Center, a home health agency, a 120-bed nursing home and a network of primary care doctors that stretches from Foley, Alabama to Panama City Beach, Florida. In 2003, the Health System also added Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, a 50-bed community hospital in Walton County, east of Destin. For more information, call 850-416-7000 or visit http://www.sacred-heart.org.
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### Labels: Concept Communications, Kids Health, Medical Reference, Online Health Library
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Free Aneurysm Screenings Offered in Pace at Sacred Heart Medical Park
Sacred Heart Medical Park on Highway 90 in Pace is offering free screenings for aortic aneurysms. These exams may be scheduled by calling 416-2940 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Individuals 40 and older can make their own appointments and do not have to rely on their physician to make the appointment or order the screening. The screening procedure is done to assess the size of the abdominal aorta and look for aneurysms – weak spots or bulges in an artery that may develop without symptoms. The screening is a simple ultrasound procedure, which lasts approximately 15 minutes.
Results will be available immediately. Participants should not eat or drink anything for four hours prior to their scheduled appointment.
Aneurysms often grow over time and the risk increases that they will rupture and cause severe bleeding or sudden death. Aortic aneurysms rarely produce symptoms. By detecting aneurysms at an early stage, physicians are able to monitor their growth and treat them before they rupture. Individuals at highest risk for aortic aneurysms are white males and those who have a history of smoking, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history. Aortic aneurysm screenings also are available at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. For more information about the interventional and diagnostic imaging services of Sacred Heart Hospital, visit www.sacred-heart.org.
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Saturday, June 24, 2006
State Physicians’ Society Names Dr. George Smith Physician of Year
 The Florida Academy of Family Physicians has selected Dr. George Smith of Pensacola as this year’s Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Smith has served as medical director of Escambia Community Clinics (ECC) for the past 12 years. He will be honored at the Academy’s Recognition & Inauguration Celebration on July 29 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.
“Dr. Smith has an unwavering passion for the medically needy,” said Don Turner, administrator of the ECC board of directors. “He is a champion of the underserved in our community and a dedicated leader who is committed to providing quality care to the residents of our area.”
In addition to his duties as medical director at ECC, Dr. Smith also serves as a clinic patient provider. He is a member of Access Escambia (indigent care task force), and has served on the West Florida Area Health Education Center board. His participation on numerous boards, committees and local agencies has helped to improve health care in this area of Florida, according to Turner.
Dr. Smith also has contributed to the education of future physicians and other medical personnel. He serves as an adjunct professor for the Florida State University School of Medicine in Pensacola. Students studying to be doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants rotate through ECC and receive instruction from Dr. Smith and other clinic physicians.
Originally from Jamaica, Dr. Smith completed medical school in his homeland, graduating with honors. He completed a family medicine residency in Washington, D.C. in 1992 as chief resident. Dr. Smith is a recipient of the Andrew A. Best Award for research.
ECC, located at 2200 N. Palafox St., is supported by Escambia County, Sacred Heart Health System and Baptist Health Care. ECC’s mission is to provide quality outpatient primary and acute healthcare services to the citizens of Escambia County and surrounding area, with special focus on the under insured, un-insured, indigent and medically needy, regardless of their ability to pay for services.
For more information about Escambia Community Clinics, please call (850) 436-4630.
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Saturday, June 17, 2006
AIRHeart Crews Recognized for Katrina Evacuation
 AIRHeart, Sacred Heart Health System’s air ambulance service, has been awarded the Igor Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service for its role in airlifting critically ill patients and exhausted staff from New Orleans hospitals after Hurricane Katrina. The award is given yearly by Helicopter Association persons and organizations which best demonstrate the value of helicopters in saving lives, protecting property and aiding those in distress. AIRHeart was recognized for its participation in relief efforts for New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina this past fall. AIRHeart crew members aided in the evacuation of patients and staff from Tulane University Medical Center and transported them to hospitals in Pensacola and Lafayette, La. Participating crew members included Tim Keohane, RN; Dave Dunlap, paramedic; Dan McDonald, pilot; Karen Tayes, RN; Chuck Jeter, paramedic; and Chuck Lancaster, pilot. Following the hurricane, AirHeart, Coast Guard and other civilian helicopters landed on rooftops and parking garages to evacuate medical facilities that were flooded and without power. Helicopters also were instrumental in airlifting food, water, supplies and emergency responders to the flooded city. “I am very proud of the AIRHeart Program and the men and women who give so much back to their communities and to their program,” said Ron Mosley, regional transport program manager for Sacred Heart Health System. “We also have the support from administrative staff including Bill McLaughlin, Debbie Bostic, Joana Adams and the entire Sacred Heart Health System that provides us with the means to help so many people.” AIRHeart is dedicated to transporting critically ill or injured patients to health care facilities throughout Northwest Florida, with two helicopters based in Walton County and Marianna, Florida. ###
Orthopedic Surgeon Explains Joint Replacement Surgery
 Sacred Heart Health System will present a free Joint Pain Seminar in Pensacola on Tuesday, June 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Dudley Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s Ninth Avenue campus.
The seminar, presented by Dr. Jean Dabezies, will help attendees decide if joint replacement surgery is right for them. The seminar will focus on procedures of the hip and knee. Representatives of Sacred Heart’s Regional Total Joint Center also will be on hand to answer questions.
Dr. Dabezies, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with fellowship training in joint replacement, specializes in adult joint reconstruction, arthritis surgery, and hip and knee joint replacement.
Seating is limited and reservations are required. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 850-416-1600. ###
Monday, June 05, 2006
Dr. Timmons to Discuss Pain Management
Sacred Heart Hospital’s Senior Service’s program will present a free seminar titled “Pain Management: Knowing the Right Thing to Do” in Pensacola on Wednesday, June 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s Ninth Avenue campus.
The seminar, presented by Dr. Ruben Timmons, a board-certified pain management physician, will help attendees learn how to manage pain and how to make the correct choices regarding their pain management.
Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620.
This seminar is part of the monthly series of free health education programs sponsored by Sacred Heart SeniorSpirit. Sacred Heart SeniorSpirit is a free program for persons 55 and older. Benefits include free screenings, seminars, special in-patient benefits such as a free daily guest meal ticket and newspaper delivery, a monthly calendar of events detailing all SeniorSpirit events, and a quarterly newsletter containing health and event information.
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