College Athletes Gear Up For Fall

The typical high school senior may be yearning for the day when she can start slacking – on school, on household chores, and on staying in shape.

But for student athletes like Susannah Feinstein, the college acceptance letter didn’t mean any less pressure. If anything, she stepped up her game.

Feinstein, who starts as a freshman at University of Pittsburgh this week, spent the spring of her senior year improving on her track times in order to become a part of the university’s Division 1 Track and Cross Country team. By committing to her training, she was able to get her times low enough to be accepted onto the team.

“It’s intense training,” she says. “There’s a lot of discipline involved with long-distance running. But it’s really good stress relief, and important part of maintaining my mental health.”

Sinai neurologist Kevin Crutchfield says that discipline and commitment to a sport can result to a college freshman having more direction.

“Athletics at the college level keep children focused and makes them time efficient,” he says.

Crutchfield, the director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute of LifeBridge Health and a former college athlete himself, works with a number of student and professional athletes. In addition to his treatment of those who are brain injured, Crutchfield talks to players about the prevention of brain injury. The secret to keeping both brain and body healthy lies in training, Crutchfield says.

“In the spring, I talk about training and off-season fitness,” he says. “This is especially true in areas such as football, where I tell the players ‘you need to get in shape now.’ Otherwise, being slower and having slow reaction times can lead to injury.”

With the absence of parents, sleep deprivation, missing meals and drinking can become a problem for any college freshman. But the consequences for a collegiate player can be dire.

“You can’t do the typical partying because your body won’t be okay for practice,” Feinstein says. “You need to take a holistic approach to staying healthy, including drinking a lot of water, doing weight training and avoiding repetitive motion.” Plus, any NCAA athlete like Feinstein will need to follow requirements such as having a sports physical, maintaining a certain GPA, and having random drug testing.

Feinstein says that she's looking forward to being a member of the team, even as she juggles three hours of daily practice with an intense college program in nursing.

“I love running. I plan to be on the team all four years,” she says.

Cancer Resource Day Today at Sinai Hospital

Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute patients, family members and employees are invited to a Cancer Resource Day today in the Cancer Institute Conference Room, Sinai Hospital.

A cancer diagnosis can mean a financial and emotional hardship on patients and families. Participants at today's event include the American Cancer Society, Ruscombe Mansion(Holistic Healing Center), the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Komen Race for the Cure.

"The goal is to bring a variety of local cancer resource providers so that those who are at the hospital, be it for treatment or for visiting, can stop by," says Jill Adler, M.S., Coordinator, Patient Information Services, Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute. "These providers offer education materials, support programs, fund-raising events, volunteer opportunities, and information on subsidies on for things like transportation."

To learn more about organizations offering financial assistance to cancer patients, click here. To learn more about the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute, click here or call 410-601-WELL (9355).

This week LifeBridge Health & Fitness donated 20,000 pounds of weight plates, dumbbells, pre-set dumbbells and adjustable benches to the Baltimore County Police SWAT team.

"They will be utilizing the equipment to enhance their training in order to be able to have more explosive strength for raids and subduing criminals," says Michael Kelly, MS, C-NMT, CSCS, CCS, Fitness Manager at LifeBridge Health & Fitness. "We were glad to give this equipment to people who are on the front lines of fighting crime."

The estimated value of the donated items was $20,700. LifeBridge Health & Fitness is in the process of installing new weight training equipment for members. Training with weights increases muscle strength in specific areas, plus can help with balance and increasing endurance.

To learn more about LifeBridge Health & Fitness, call 410-484-6800.

Professional Development at LifeBridge Health

At LifeBridge Health, we are proud to offer chances for our employees to continue their professional development.

That's especially true for nurses, who are offered up to $5,000 in tuition assistence if they are full time and have been an employee for at least a year. LifeBridge Health has relationships with the University of Maryland, Drexel University, Stevenson University and Walden University, all of which have nursing programs.

"We are promoting registered nurses to get their bachelor of science in nursing, and for those BSNs to get their masters' degree," says education development consultant Susan L. Bindon, RN, MS. "We encourage our employees to look at all the options."

Bindon says there are different motivating factors for those returning to a classroom. For some, it can open doors or provide validation after many years as a clinical nurse.

"Some people want to be a role model for their kids, others may be interested in a new job or a career path," she says. "Those pursuing their masters may do so to become a nurse practitioner, a nurse educator, to go into nursing administration or academia. Informatics is also a popular field."

Today Sinai and Northwest nurses can visit with representatives from the University of Maryland School of Nursing Graduate Program. Sinai nurses are encouraged to stop by the CCU Conference Room, second floor, between 8 and 10 a.m., and Northwest nurses are encouraged to stop by the Level 3 Conference Room, third floor, between 2 and 4 p.m.

Donate Blood Today

It's not too late to give blood and give the gift of life.

The Sinai Hospital blood drive will run until 12:30 p.m. today. The LifeBridge Health goal in 2010 is 550 units.

According to the American Red Cross, the need for blood donations goes up during the summer. Here are some more facts from the Red Cross:

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.

Employees like Anthony Gilbert, Levindale Environmental Services, and Karen Chapman, Sinai Business and Guest Relations, both pictured, did their part at the July and August drives by giving blood. Join them in helping save lives!

Sign Up Today for Race for Our Kids

Fall is around the corner, and that means it's time to register for Race for our Kids!

The race, presented by the Sinai Hospital Auxiliary, benefits the Division of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai.

The race will be Sunday, September 26 at 8 a.m. Participants run through the Mount Washington neighborhood.

Show your support by participating in the 5K, 10K or 1 Mile Family Fun Walk.

For a limited time, take advantage of our early bird registration discount -- registration is $30 for adults and $15 for kids 12 & under until August 15. After August 15, the registration goes up to $35 for adults and $20 for kids.

Click here to register. There are no additional fees with registering online.

Your registration fee includes:
- Under Armour shirt
- Admission to the best post-race party in town, sponsored by the Classic Catering People
- Chip-timed race (5K and 10K)
- $7,500 in cash prizes (10K)

Please help us spread the word about the race - pass along the website information or this post onto your friends and colleagues, become a fan on Facebook, and get a group together to sign up as a team!

Visit us at www.raceforourkids.com for more information or call Jen at 410-601-9328.

See you there!

Levindale Wins Transportation Award

As a recognition of its services to seniors in the community, Levindale has won a Beverly Foundation Senior Transportation Service Award (STAR).

The Beverly Foundation provides research, education, and assistance to encourage and facilitate mobility and transportation for older adults. Almost 400 STAR applications were received this year, and were reviewed by professionals from across the country. The Trustee Commendation Award won by Levindale means $5,000 for enhanced services.

"The money will be specifically used for training drivers," says Gretchen Barnes, LifeBridge Health manager of transportation. "Many of our clients have Alzheimer's or dementia, and there are new techniques for drivers in handling potential situations."

In June, there were 2,273 passengers picked up and brought to Levindale or Adult Day Services in Pikesville. LifeBride Health's Adult Day Services are designed for physically frail individuals with special medical needs such as diabetes, hypertension and post-stroke disabilities, and those with mental health problems such as dementia, confusion and Alzheimer's disease.

To learn more, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

A Lifetime Commitment to LifeBridge Health

At LifeBridge Health, we regularly recognize employees who have reached service milestones, beginning with 5 years of employment. But we thought it was time to highlight some employees who have been with LifeBridge Health more than 35 years, as their longtime commitment makes for an invaluable source of history and knowledge.

Imagine the year is 1958. Seventeen-year-old Harriet Garner, who has just started working at Sinai Hospital. Fast forward to the present and Garner, medical secretary in the Gynecology Oncology department, still works at Sinai Hospital. Has she seen a lot of changes? "Oh my yes!" says Harriet.

"Personnel was three people. Three! There were four of us in Accounts Payable and I don’t even think there was a Marketing department," Garner says.

Employees at LifeBridge Health tend to stay around for a while. Sometimes they stay for a very long while. Bernice Rubinstein, secretary in Food Production, began working at Sinai in 1964 and recalls that women weren’t allowed to enter the hospital if they were wearing pants.

It was only when patients began being seen in the rehab building in 1967 when women could enter Sinai Hospital outfitted in pants. "And then the women’s tops had to be tunic-length and the same color as the pants," says Bernice, laughing at the memory.

"A lot of things have changed," she says.

At Northwest Hospital, Elizabeth Colfelt, Surgical Services family liaison in Guest Relations, marvels at the physical changes and expansion she has witnessed since she began working as a nurse’s aide in 1974.

Like Harriet, Elizabeth has had a few jobs throughout her long career. She has worked as a cashier, financial counselor and plastic surgery coordinator.

In fact, the ability to move into different jobs at LifeBridge Health is one of the things that was appealing.

"There is always a job you can go to in the hospital system," she says.

Elizabeth moved into her present job in October 2007 and says it was her best move yet. "I love this job," she says. "I’m an advocate for anyone who comes into surgery." She says she's doing "work she loves."

These longtime employees sometimes had other options - at one point Bernice was offered a job with the federal government. But she turned it down.

"I have never regretted it," Bernice says. "I’m still enjoying working here. It keeps my brain active. It’s almost impossible to believe I have worked here for 45 years."

Levindale Doubles Capacity for Behavioral Health Unit

Recently Levindale officially opened its expanded Behavioral Health Unit. Doubling its capacity from 20 to 40 beds, the unit provides comprehensive care for geriatric patients who have both medical and behavioral health challenges that require 24-hour supervision.

Patients in Levindale’s Behavioral Health Unit are taught skills to help them lead productive, satisfying lives through group and individual sessions with Levindale’s highly trained, compassionate staff members.

“Our number one priority is to provide the tools to improve the quality of life of our patients through treatment, knowledge and education, not only for them but for their families and their other health care providers,” says Aric Spitulnik, president and COO of Levindale, pictured above with vice president Susan Levy, vice president Cathy Gallo, clinical leader Leslie Peddicord, R.N., and director of nursing hospital services Dean A. Smith. “We hope to prevent the need for them to be hospitalized again.”

Levindale’s team of professionals works together to come up with individual plans to treat the entire person. As an example, as people age, they may develop diabetes or a heart condition, which could make them feel physically weak. Those changes could cause emotional instability or depression.

“To help them on the road to recovery, every patient sees a psychiatrist daily. In addition, he or she may attend group therapy and rehabilitation sessions, if indicated,” Peddicord says.

Rehabilitation can consist of physical, occupational, speech and recreation therapies, depending on the patient’s needs. All of Levindale’s programs are offered in structured, safe, stimulating and nurturing environments so that participants can remember what it’s like to be a vital part of the community.

For more information, call 410-601-2289.

Heating Up

Are you too hot?

Hot flashes, a common term for a sudden wave of heat usually partnered with sweating, can be extremely uncomfortable for women, who can experience them during peri-menopause and up to five or more years after menopause. However, a new study has shown that losing weight can reduce the number and severity of hot flashes.

The study, conducted at University of California, San Francisco, took 150 overweight menopausal women who experienced hot flashes. One hundred of the women were enrolled in a demanding weight loss program. The program was designed to help the women lose 9 percent of their body fat.

At the end of 6 weeks, those who participated in the program were twice as likely as the women in the control group to experience improvement in hot flashes.

Dee-Dee Shiller, D.O., gynecologist and the director at the Women's Wellness Center at Northwest Hospital says that although the study represents good news, regular exercise in itself will reduce symptomatic hot flashes for many women.

Other ways to alleviate hot flashes are to reduce stress through meditation and relaxation and avoid caffeine, says Dr. Shiller.

Hot flashes are not only irritating; they can be related to increase in depression, anxiety and insomnia, and you should see your doctor if you experience these effects of hot flashes. However, its nice to know that relief might be as simple as regular exercise, stress reduction and weight loss if your BMI is 25 or higher.
-Holly Hosler

Dunkin’ Donuts Honors Nurses in August

For the second year in a row, Greater Baltimore area Dunkin’ Donuts will be saluting nurses by offering them a free, medium coffee each Tuesday in August as part of their “Thanks to You” heroes program.

Nurses can receive their free coffee by showing their hospital badges at participating Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Baltimore City and County, and Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, Talbot, Queen Anne and Kent counties.

Earlier today, Dunkin’ Donuts honored Dennis Rosos, RN, BSN, in a ceremony at Northwest Hospital. You can see the ceremony below.

A native of California, Rosos began his career in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman, serving as a medic and specializing in post-anesthesia and critical care. He earned his bachelor's degree in Health Science with a focus in Health Care Administration, but soon realized his passion was for patient care. Upon earning his BSN from the University of Oklahoma, he was hired by Northwest Hospital this past February.

Thank you, nurses, for all that you do! Go enjoy that coffee!
-Holly Hosler