Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Weight Loss Surgeon to Discuss Lap Band and Other Techniques on Dec. 14
Dr. Jeffrey L. Lord, a specialist in laparoscopic weight loss surgery, will present “Weight Loss Surgery: Is It Right for You?” on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Hospital Conference Center in Pensacola.
The only board-certified bariatric surgeon in Northwest Florida with advanced fellowship training in weight loss surgery, Dr. Lord serves as director of the Sacred Heart Institute for Surgical Weight Loss. He has special expertise in minimally invasive surgical weight loss procedures.
Dr. Lord and the Institute for Surgical Weight Loss can perform two types of weight loss surgery that use small incisions. The first is laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, which involves a permanent rerouting of the digestive system that leaves patients with a small stomach pouch. The surgery creates a bypass that reroutes food around a portion of the small intestine.
The second, newer approach performed at Sacred Heart is adjustable gastric banding. Using a laparoscope, the surgeon places an inflatable band around the stomach, creating a small upper pouch at the top, with restricted passage to the rest of the stomach. This pouch fills quickly and creates a feeling of fullness.
Dr. Lord and his staff provide comprehensive evaluation of clinically obese patients to determine their candidacy for these life-changing procedures as well as extensive patient/family education to create a foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
Reservations are required for this free seminar. To make a reservation or to obtain more information, please call (850) 416-1628 or visit www.sacred-heart.org.
Mall Ball to Benefit Sacred Heart Children's Hospital
The 12th annual Mall Ball at Cordova Mall will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, from 8 a.m. to midnight to benefit sick and injured children at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. The event is coordinated by the Krewe of Les Petits Enfants (Order of the Small Children) and presented by Wendy’s.
Last year, nearly 3,000 people attended the event and raised more than $115,000 for Children’s Hospital, a hospital dedicated to the care of children for more than 37 years. It is the only pediatric hospital in Northwest Florida and provides a number of pediatric sub-specialists in partnership with Nemours Children’s Clinic.
Cordova Mall will close early that evening to allow the Mardi Gras-style festivities to begin at 8 p.m. Attendees can enjoy live music and sample foods from approximately 25 Pensacola restaurants. Entertainment will be provided by Accent, David Suhor’s CityMix Jazz Quartet, Reunion Band and Touch of Gray. A silent auction also will be part of the fun, including vacation packages, jewelry, art, golf outings and much more.
You must be 21 or older to attend. A limited number of tickets are available this year. Tickets can be purchased in advance of the event for $40 per person at Guest Services at Cordova Mall after Dec. 25 or the Sacred Heart Foundation office. Tables of 8 are available for $350 if purchased by Jan. 8; $400 after Jan. 8. Tickets can be charged by phone by calling 416-4660.
Over the past 11 years, the event has generated close to $1 million in proceeds on behalf of sick and injured children at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. For more information, call Sacred Heart Foundation, (850) 416-4660.
The Pediatric ER: The Right Fit for Little Ones
Imagine being three feet tall, having a fever of 102, feeling really bad, and sitting in a large, strange waiting room filled with big people who are sick and in pain.
Fortunately, this is not the scenario in Pensacola, where there’s a special place little ones can go when they need emergency care – Sacred Heart Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Room on Ninth Avenue. Here, Garfield keeps track of the time, sea creatures float by in a beautiful mural, and X-rays come with colorful stickers.
Open 24 hours a day, Sacred Heart’s Level II Emergency/Trauma Center is home to this nine-bed Pediatric Emergency Room. (The Pediatric ER typically closes for a short period in the early hours, but children still can obtain treatment as there are physicians and nurses in the main ER who are trained to treat children as well.)
Sacred Heart is the region’s only Trauma Center equipped and staffed to treat both adults and children. Services include the AIRHeart air ambulance service, which deploys to emergency medical situations across the region.
“An adult ER can be a scary place to a child,” said Dr. Gary Pablo, medical director of Sacred Heart’s Emergency/Trauma Center who is also board certified in pediatric emergency medicine. “There are bad traumas and ambulances coming and going. The atmosphere can be tense. The pediatric ER is much more sedate and kid-friendly. For a sick child, it’s a physically and emotionally better place to be.”
Sacred Heart’s pediatric ER staff members are specially trained and experienced in treating children for everything from viruses to broken bones to trauma. “You’re not going to approach a 3-year-old with a fever in the same way you would approach a 70-year-old person,” said Dr. Pablo. “When your staff members specialize in caring for children and do that on a daily basis, you get better patient outcomes.”
An average of 1,392 patients per month are seen in the pediatric ER, or about 46 a day. Staff includes physicians who are board certified in pediatric emergency medicine and others who are board-certified pediatricians.
In addition, physicians who are training in pediatrics through Sacred Heart’s residency program affiliated with FSU’s College of Medicine see patients under the supervision of board-certified ER physicians. All nurses in this area also have specialized training in emergency care of children.
Caring for kids demands a high level of compassion, according to Dr. Pablo. For example, experienced nurses are trained to insert an IV needle into a little arm without causing pain. Sometimes they numb the area to help take the sting out of the needle. The pediatric ER stocks also stocks smaller, appropriately sized IVs, splints, catheters, and endotracheal tubes.
Many injuries seen in the pediatric ER can be avoided, according to Dr. Pablo, who urges parents to make sure their children are wearing safety helmets while rollerblading, skateboarding and biking.
“I have seen so many injuries in children that could have been prevented – drowning, for example, and traumas like brain injuries because the child was in a car accident and wasn’t secured in an appropriate child-safety seat,” he said. “A child can even drown in a bucket of rainwater that is left out in the backyard.”
Want to learn more about preventing injuries in infants and children? Sacred Heart’s website at www.sacred-heart.org offers an online health library that provides a wealth of safety information. This library also contains a wide variety of children’s health articles written at reading levels for children and teenagers.
For more information about Sacred Heart’s pediatric ER, please call (850) 416-7000.
Auburn Fan to Donate Kidney to Alabama Fan on Nov. 21
Shirley pulls for Auburn. Sam roots for Alabama. Despite being on opposite sides of one of college football’s most heated rivalries, Shirley Pitts of Pace will donate a kidney to Sam Fitts of Elberta, Ala. on Nov. 21 – four days after the 2006 Iron Bowl.
“Shirley thinks that her kidney is going to convert me!” says Sam, 64, minister of education at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pace, Fla., where Shirley is a member.
Shirley, 47, will undergo surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center to have her donor kidney removed via laparoscopy. A Pace resident who grew up in a family of serious Auburn fans, Shirley is employed in the central processing department at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. She has worked for Sacred Heart for 27 years.
She was touched by Sam’s testimony in church regarding a heart transplant he underwent 18 years ago after four heart attacks resulting from a family history of hyperlipidemia (elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides). Sam is a Samford University graduate who is known for his calm demeanor, “except when Alabama plays,” said Shirley.
What compelled Shirley to make a decision that involves some risk to her own life?
“Sam reminds me of my mom, who had several health problems before she died,” said Shirley. “God has been good to me. I’m thankful every day that I have this opportunity, especially to help someone who is serving God like Sam does.” Sam also serves as director of Vacation Bible School and Discipleship for Santa Rosa Baptist Association.
It was a chance meeting in Sacred Heart’s cafeteria that led to Shirley’s decision to help Sam, whose family members are not good donor candidates. “I ran into his wife Iris who works at Sacred Heart. She mentioned Sam needed a kidney and I jokingly said I would give him one!”
Shirley then underwent two days of medical tests and interviews at the Alabama Transplant Center at UAB. Of the 300+ kidney transplants performed at the Center, about one-third of donated organs come from living donors like Shirley. “I researched this beforehand, too,” she said. It took two months for the transplant team to compile all the test results and thoroughly review the case to determine that “Pitts fits Fitts,” as Shirley noted.
Living with one kidney will be no different from living with two, according to Dr. Humam Humeda, director of Sacred Heart’s dialysis unit. “People live normal lives with just one-quarter of a kidney,” said Dr. Humeda. “I highly encourage people to donate kidneys. Right now, there’s a five-year waiting list. Some people die just waiting for a kidney. If Shirley ever needs a kidney in the future, she will be put at the top of the waiting list, after children who are waiting for a donor.”
Sam’s wife is deeply grateful for Shirley’s generosity. “If Sam had to wait for a kidney, he would have had to have dialysis. Being a heart transplant patient, he would be at risk of infection from dialysis.”
Sam and Iris have known Shirley for two years. Shirley and Sam have worked together on a number of church-related activities. “She’s a joy to be around,” said Sam. “She’s the greatest thing since sliced bread! We just love her.”
A power walker and softball player who leads a healthy lifestyle, Shirley has never undergone surgery. “People ask me if I’m scared because I’ve never had surgery before. I’m not really scared; I’m excited to be able to do this!”
Sam calls Shirley a hero, but Shirley says, “If anybody’s a hero, it’s Sam.”
Friday, November 10, 2006
Leg Pain and Varicose Veins: Topic of Seminar in Pace on Nov. 14
Sacred Heart Hospital’s Senior Service’s program will present a free seminar on leg pain and varicose veins on Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Rehabilitation Clinic at Sacred Heart Medical Park in Pace.
The seminar will presented by Dr. Fernando Kafie, a board-certified vascular surgeon. The talk will discuss prevention and treatment options for varicose veins, as well as the risks of leaving them untreated, including deep vein thrombosis. After the presentation, attendees will be able to ask questions and meet Dr. Kafie.
Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.
Sacred Heart Medical Park at Pace provides diagnostic services and rehabilitation services to the Pace community, as well as family practice, OB/GYN and other specialty physician’s offices. The facility is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on the north side of U.S. 90 in Pace, between Woodbine Road and Chumuckla Highway.
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.
Sacred Heart Offers Free Screenings to Needy, Elderly, and Uninsured
Sacred Heart Health System’s mobile health unit will provide free health screenings in November at three sites in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Sacred Heart’s Mission in Motion program targets persons who are poor, uninsured, or elderly.
The mobile unit will provide blood screenings to measure blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol and blood count. The schedule is as follows:
• Friday, Nov. 17 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Pace First United Methodist Church Council on Aging, 4530 Chumukla Highway.
• Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Council Council on Aging, 5550 Ecofina St, Milton.
• Thursday, Nov. 30 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Davisville School, Highway 97, Davisville.
Mission in Motion is a community service of Sacred Heart Health System, celebrating 90 years of service to Northwest Florida. The mobile unit is funded by Sacred Heart Health System and staffed by nurses and a driver. The mobile unit’s services also are made possible by support from the law firm of Kerrigan, Estess, Rankin and McLeod, as well as the Gannett Foundation and other community donors. For more information, call (850) 416-7826.
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Seminar Explains New Surgical Treatment for Irregular Heartbeat
Sacred Heart Hospital’s Senior Service’s program will present a free seminar on atrial fibrillation, also known as irregular heartbeat, in Pensacola on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s Ninth Avenue campus.
The seminar will be presented by Dr. James Lonquist, a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon. The seminar will help attendees understand the signs and symptoms of atrial fibrillation and will discuss new treatments available for this common heart disorder.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder affecting more than 2.4 million Americans. Because of abnormal electrical activity, the upper chambers of the heart contract so rapidly and irregularly that it is difficult for the heart to beat effectively. The disease may endanger those with chaotic heart rhythm by triggering blood clots that can move to the brain, causing devastating strokes. About 15-20 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.
Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620. For more information on the surgical procedure, please click on the link below this article.
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.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Seniors’ Seminar Focuses on Long-Term Care Planning
Sacred Heart Hospital’s Senior Services’ program will present a free seminar on long-term care planning in Pensacola on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Home Care, 213 E. Wright St.
The seminar will cover the real costs of long-term care, as well as options available for attendees and their families. The speaker will be Joan Connell, RN, CLTC, of Mainstay Financial Group in Gulf Breeze.
Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.
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.
Lap Band and Other Weight-Loss Surgery Techniques are Topic of Seminar on Nov. 14
Dr. Jeffrey L. Lord, a specialist in laparoscopic weight loss surgery, will present “Weight Loss Surgery: Is It Right for You?” on Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Hospital Conference Center in Pensacola.
The only board-certified bariatric surgeon in Northwest Florida with advanced fellowship training in weight loss surgery, Dr. Lord serves as director of the Sacred Heart Institute for Surgical Weight Loss. He has special expertise in minimally invasive surgical weight loss procedures. Dr. Lord and the Institute for Surgical Weight Loss can perform two types of weight loss surgery that use small incisions. The first is laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, which involves a permanent rerouting of the digestive system that leaves patients with a small stomach pouch. The surgery creates a bypass that reroutes food around a portion of the small intestine.
The second, newer approach performed at Sacred Heart is adjustable gastric banding. Using a laparoscope, the surgeon places an inflatable band around the stomach, creating a small upper pouch at the top, with restricted passage to the rest of the stomach. This pouch fills quickly and creates a feeling of fullness.
Dr. Lord and his staff provide comprehensive evaluation of clinically obese patients to determine their candidacy for these life-changing procedures as well as extensive patient/family education to create a foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
Reservations are required for this free seminar. To make a reservation or to obtain more information, please call (850) 416-1628 or visit www.sacred-heart.org.
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