Keeping Your Infant Safe

Since 1989, U.S. hospitals have worked closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to implement measures designed to prevent infant abduction, such as the case of Carlina White. Over the last two decades, the number of in-hospital infant abductions has declined due to these preventative efforts.

Sadly, abductors have increasingly targeted homes, shopping centers and other public areas. Between 1983 through 2010, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports an annual average of 9 to 10 documented infant abductions and that 95% of these abducted infants were located and safely returned to their parents – usually within a few days to two weeks. While this is good news, nonetheless it is important for hospital staff and parents to work together to achieve the goal of making this a never event.

What can parents do to prevent an abduction from occurring? Here are some tips that Sharon M. Rossi, R.N.C., M.S., director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Sinai Hospital, says every parent needs to know and follow. Rossi was on Good Morning Maryland @ 9
on ABC last week.

In the hospital:

• Only allow staff wearing a picture hospital ID badge to handle your baby.
• When resting or sleeping, place the baby bassinet next to your bed on the window side so it is away from the doorway.
• When you plan to shower or sleep, discuss supervision of your baby with your nurse.
• Call a nurse at any time if you have questions or feel uncomfortable about the behavior of a staff member.

At home:

• In public birth announcements, do not include your home address.
• Do not post information about your infant with pictures on social media walls – only share this with those people you know and trust. Because privacy settings can change with little or no notice, don’t assume that anything you post on social media is private.
• Avoid using outside decorations (wooden storks, balloons, etc.) to announce the arrival of your newborn.
• Verify all home visits with the hospital or home health company or local health department agency before setting up any appointment to be seen in your home.
• Check for visible photo ID before opening your door to any utility worker or general repair person. If unsure, do not open the door and instead verify the employee's identification with the company.

While shopping:

• Always use an approved car seat that is safely buckled in your shopping cart.
• Never leave your infant unattended or turn your attention away from your infant.
• Do not allow a person you do not know to “keep an eye on your infant.”
• Do not use social media features that tag your location.
• Once your shopping is done, secure your infant in the car, lock the doors and then load your groceries. Keep the keys with you and do not leave your infant in a car that is running.

Patient Safety Fair at Sinai on March 8

Sinai Hospital is proud to sponsor the Annual Patient Safety Fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8. This fair shows how different products are used at Sinai, encouraging safer care for every patient, every day.

Products on display will include the VersaCare bed, which helps prevent pressure ulcers. Reducing these ulcers, also known as bed sores, has been a high priority for LifeBridge Health facilities. Both Levindale and Northwest offer wound care.

"It is of paramount importance to Sinai to engage staff and others as we strengthen collaboration and commit to safe health care for all," says Sinai patient safety officer Tina Gionet, RN, MS.

Everyone is invited to attend the fair, from staff to patients. Sponsors will receive lunch and attendees will receive refreshments. There will be a raffle for gift cards and giveaways.

-Elizabeth Leis-Newman

Sinai Vice President Named to ADA Board

Sinai Hospital Vice President Lorrie Liang has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the country’s largest voluntary health organization battling this debilitating disease.

Nearly 27 million people live with diabetes and 57 million more are pre-diabetic. Not only can this disease be life threatening, but it can take a big toll on families, as well as on those who have it. Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose to be used for energy. The ADA works to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of the people affected by it.

As a member of the ADA board, Liang is responsible for assisting with the organization’s business affairs. She also works closely with its volunteers and staff on activities and initiatives.

Liang has been active with the American Diabetes Association for eight years and has served two terms as the chair of its Community Leadership Board in Maryland and as an Executive Committee member of the Baltimore Community Leadership Board.

Among her many leadership roles at Sinai Hospital, Liang overseas the departments of Medicine, Surgery and Anesthesia; the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics; The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute; Faculty Practice; Medical Education and research projects.
-Helene King

Cold Vs. Flu: The Battle

It’s the bout of the season, and it’s fought at home, at work and in public.

In one corner, the symptoms are suddenly feeling feverish, having a headache, being achy, feeling tired and spiking a fever, sometimes with a scratchy throat.

In the other, the signs are gradually noticing a stuffy nose, frequent sneezing, and a sore throat coupled with a hacking cough. A fever rarely develops.

It’s the battle of the flu verses the cold. No one has to fall victim to a knockout punch from either.

“The flu is a respiratory virus that’s contagious,” says Peter Andrews, P.A., director of Employee Health at Sinai Hospital. “Those at high risk include the elderly, children, health care workers and people with some chronic health conditions. However, everyone is susceptible, so prevention is key.”

There’s no reason to let the flu give you a sucker punch. “The great thing is that the flu is most often preventable,” says Rose Wetzel, R.N., B.S.N., manager of Occupational Health at Northwest Hospital.

“For most people, the flu shot or nasal spray will prevent the virus. Both are quick and easy.” It takes about two weeks before antibodies develop protection against the virus. If you do come down with the flu, rest is the best way to get better, unless you are in a high-risk group.

In that case, check with your doctor immediately to see if medication to lessen the symptoms is needed. On the other side of the ring, the common cold, which can be caused by more than 200 different viruses, is usually mild and rarely turns into other serious health problems, such as infections or pneumonia. A fever is seldom associated with a cold. Again, because a cold is caused by a virus, medicine will only treat the symptoms, not provide a cure.

If you do get sick, stay home, rest, avoid contact with others and contact your doctor if necessary.

“One of the best ways you can avoid a cold and the flu is to wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands,” says Lucia Smedly, infection prevention specialist at Levindale and Courtland Gardens. “Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub for 20 seconds, the time it takes to sing, “Happy Birthday.”

Other ways to stay healthy?

• Eat right and exercise.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Stop smoking
• Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin C or other supplements that can boost your immune system.

-Helene King

Gardens Help Healing at Hospitals

In the midst of a cold Maryland winter, it's helpful to visualize spring and blooming gardens at LifeBridge Health facilities.

Building gardens at hospitals is a practice that goes back at least a thousand years in both Eastern and Western medicine. More than just something pretty to look at, this cultivation of plant life produces physiological benefits. Yes, gardens are good for your health.

Studies by Texas A&M architecture professor Roger S. Ulrich, Ph.D., have shown that after viewing nature – even in a garden setting - for as little as three to five minutes, one’s blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension are restored to more optimal levels. In effect, one has been de-stressed. Evidence also demonstrates that patients who have views of gardens or nature from their rooms report less pain.

For employees, gardens often provide a much needed contrast to the stark, sterile, technical hospital environment; plants stimulate the spirit, mind and body in ways the inorganic world cannot. So it’s no wonder that gardens are being incorporated into the landscape at various LifeBridge Health centers.

Earlier this year, right outside of Sinai’s Lowell and Harriet Glazer Atrium, the new Jacqueline H. Hess Memorial Garden was unveiled. Named for a founder of the Sinai Auxiliary and Gift Shop, a gift from George Hess and his sister Diane Pelham Burn established the Hess Garden Fund in 1984. The garden’s flora includes ginkgos, river birches, roses, hydrangeas and nepetas. Diane created the garden’s metal tree sculpture, and Jacqueline’s grandchildren David and Bill Hess made the new sundial. David also crafted the benches.

Northwest Hospital is in the midst of building a garden near its main entrance.

“The creation of the Healing Garden at Northwest is the result of employee feedback,” says Northwest Hospital President Erik Wexler. “Staff have suggested that we have an outdoor area where employees and visitors can go and ‘de-stress’ from the challenges we all face. We seized the opportutunity to construct the garden after the trailers were removed from the front of the hospital.”

In December, the garden’s larger trees and shrubs were planted; additional
plantings are expected in the spring. The entrance walkway to the garden will be paved with bluestone, and heavy benches will allow employees, patients and visitors to relax.

While Sinai and Northwest have what are considered “passive gardens,” through which observers relax and passively enjoy the environment, Levindale has plans to open an “active garden” modeled after Kibbutz Lavi in Israel.

“Levindale’s new garden will open all the senses,” says Betsy Narrow, president
of the Levindale Auxiliary. Lighting, waterfalls and music will combine to create a Zen-like effect. Residents will be encouraged to use all five senses to explore and cultivate the garden.

Even the sense of taste will be covered, as herbs will be planted for residents to enjoy.

“The garden will be built with areas for residents and children to plant together,” Betsy says. Planting beds will be accessible from wheelchair height. Seating areas in the garden will be designed to allow wheelchair-bound residents to pull up and socialize with others.

Levindale’s “sensory garden,” located in a courtyard, will be visable from an interior hallway. That way, residents who don’t care to venture outside can still enjoy the visual aspects of the garden.

Over the years, LifeBridge Health’s new healing gardens will undoubtedly provide for stress reduction and increased well-being for thousands.

-Holly Hosler

Sinai Hospital Wraps Up Banner Year in Baltimore

The holidays are a time to celebrate family. At Sinai Hospital, we’re part of a large family of dedicated health care providers, which is why we wanted to look back and highlight some of the accomplishments of 2010.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, some of the year’s highlights included:

• The opening of the Alfred I. Coplan Pediatric Hematology Oncology Outpatient Center, offering a larger, brighter clinic that meets the needs of some of our youngest patients.
• Governor Martin O’Malley visiting to discuss health information technology
• Race for Our Kids raising more than $120,000 to benefit the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai. Save the date for Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 for the next race!
• The Save-A-Limb ride raised more than $120,000 to benefit the Save-A-Limb Fund at the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics. The 2011 ride is Sunday, October 23.
  
• The Hyundai Foundation providing a $100,000 research grant to Joseph Wiley, M.D., chief of the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital
• Hosting A Line in the Sand, a groundbreaking exhibit highlighting awareness of domestic violence
• A group of employees, including physicians John Herzenberg, M.D. and Aaron Zuckerberg, M.D., going to Haiti to assist victims of the earthquake.
• Being one of 169 hospitals nationwide to receive HealthGrades 2009/2010 Women's Health Excellence Award. This exclusive designation recognizes Sinai as a leader in quality patient care.

Additionally, Sinai Hospital President Neil Meltzer concluded being the chairman of the American Heart Association and was appointed the U.S. Government Accountability Office's National Health Care Workforce Commission.

We are looking forward to tackling 2011 with the vigor and dedication that makes us special. May the next year be healthy and happy for you and your family!

-Elizabeth Leis-Newman

Sinai Hospital Offering Valet Service

Did you know that if you visiting Sinai Hospital's Hoffberger building you can now use valet service?

Simply drive up to the Hoffberger entrance and you will see the valet. The hours are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is identical to the main lot, which is $7 for up to five hours and $12 for 5 to 24 hours.

Those who are visiting Sinai Internal Medicine, Sinai OB/GYN, Ambulatory Surgery Center or other physician practices should enter through Hoffberger.

To see the Sinai Interactive map, click here. To make an appointment with a Sinai physician, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

Sinai Medical Staff Honored

Twelve physicians were honored for their 30 years of active service at Sinai Hospital yesterday.

Physicians Richard Berg, Steven Berlin, Paul Bodnar, Marc Gertner, Lennard Herbst, Martin Kanner, Olusegum Lawoyin, Marshall Levine, Paul Lunis, Ira Mandell, Edward Morris, and Murray Pearlman were recognized.

In his career as a rheumatologist, Dr. Morris said the most important thing he's learned is "how to listen." He is pictured at right with physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor Martin Kanner, M.D.

At Sinai, Dr. Morris says he has found "quality care and a hospital that is responsive to physicians' needs," he says, in addition to high-quality primary care doctors.

Sinai Hospital president Neil Meltzer commended the physicians on their commitment to the hospital.

"They have been mentors and leaders for young physicians, and we greatly appreciate their service," he says.

To find a physician at Sinai Hospital, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

Treating Esophageal Cancer

Need another reason to stop smoking or to lose weight? Consider the mortality rate of esophageal cancer. Each year there are around 16,000 people diagnosed and 14,500 people die, putting it alongside lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer as one of the most deadly cancers. Famous people with esophageal cancer include actors Humphrey Bogart, Ron Silver and author Christopher Hitchens.

The risk factors for squamous cell esophageal cancer are tobacco abuse, alcohol abuse and injury, which can include drinking very hot liquids on a regular basis. The risk factors for adenocarcinoma include gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and obesity.

Last week, thoracic surgeon Nikhilesh M. Korgaonkar, MD, MBA, discussed updates in surgery and esophageal cancer at Sinai Hospital Grand Rounds.

“Surgery is achieving its goal, but better systemic treatments are needed to increase the benefits of optimal local control,” he said. While there are many surgical approaches, one with a high rate of satisfaction is a transhiatal esophagectomy. In this procedure, a surgeon removes part of the esophagus and moves up the stomach into the chest, then connects the remaining esophagus to the stomach through the neck. In one study of patients following a transhiatal esophagectomy, 89 percent said they were pleased with the ability to eat and 96 percent said that in hindsight they would choose to have the same operation again.

In addition to surgery, many studies showed that the most positive results were found in patients who had chemotherapy and radiation therapy concurrently. Additionally, patients with chronic GERD symptoms should be monitored for Barrett’s esophagus, Korganokar says. Up to 50 percent of patients who are undergoing an esophagectomy for Barrett’s esophagus with high grade dysplasia end up having adenocarcinoma.

To learn more about Dr. Korganokar or cancer treatment at LifeBridge Health, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

-Elizabeth Leis-Newman

Sinai Hospital Employees Achieve ACMPE Certification

Eight Sinai Hospital employees recently completed a year-long process to achieve certification from the American College of Medical Practice Executives.

Vice President Lorrie Liang led a group of hospital employees - Chris Jorgenson, Mike Stein, Mary Jane Herbert, Nisha Gupta, Donald Abrams, Stefanie Thomas and Charles Efird - in achieving the certification. The group is pictured at right.

"It's been a long journey," Liang says. "To be nominated into the college, one must have three years in a leadership role, 50 hours of continuing education, and letters of reference. To become certified, one must pass a 350 question objective exam and a three essay exam."

In August, the group took the exams, which focused on quality, risk, governance, finance, operations, information technology, human resources and patient care services. The employees began the application process in August of 2009, and all successfully passed the exams on the first attempt.

"It's huge that we all became certified," Liang says. "This designation demonstrates competence and excellence."

Thomas, a financial administrator at Sinai, says the team supported each other through the rigorous certification process. "It is a testament to the dedication of everyone in the group that all eight of us have been certified and passed both exams on the first attempt," she says.

Reducing Health Disparities Through Communication

Communication between doctor and patient can be fraught with misunderstandings and assumptions. The “Reducing Health Disparities: Teaching Residents to Deliver Culturally Competent Patient-Centered Care” workshops at Sinai Hospital are a call to action. The three workshops, spread over three months, are designed to provide information, skills and resources that enhance the ability of physicians to understand and communicate with patients from diverse cultural and language backgrounds.

According to research provided at the workshop, U.S. physicians reported “no preference for white vs. black patients or differences in perceived cooperativeness.” However, physicians showed “unconscious preferences favoring white Americans and unconscious stereotypes of black Americans as less cooperative with medical procedures.”

Medical residents and physicians working at Sinai Hospital have a unique opportunity to serve a diverse population that includes Orthodox Jewish and African-American communities.

At Tuesday’s workshop, health care providers completed exercises that promote a better understanding of patients’ diverse backgrounds. In one exercise, participants were given a handout with the picture of a multi-colored wheel. Three rings were drawn on the wheel. Written on the “internal dimensions” ring were characteristics including gender, ethnicity and race. The next ring was labeled “external dimensions” and included appearance, marital status, work experience, religion and personal habits. The outermost ring was labeled “organizational dimensions” and included the phrases "management status" and "work location."

Participants were asked to choose three words or phrases they felt demonstrated who they were. Most of the participants chose one word that was a physical identifying marker, such as gender or race. But the other two choices identified characteristics you would not know by looking at a person such as parental status.

“Only 10 percent of who we are is something I can see with my eyes,” said facilitator Marcos Pesquera, executive director of the Center on Health Disparities, a division of Adventist HealthCare. “Ninety percent are things we can not see. If we don’t talk to each other, we will never know. In other words, what I can see with my eyes is only 10 percent of who you are.”

Facilitators cited an example of an African man seeking medical help (in an unnamed American hospital) who was very unresponsive to the doctor. The physician could have dismissed the man as being “uncooperative.” But upon further questioning, it was learned the patient had recently lost a close relative in tragic circumstances. Information like that can lead to a different diagnosis or make the physician make additional recommendations, such as a referral for counseling.

The lesson? It is not wise to jump to conclusions about someone relying only on what you see.

“Are we really understanding the patient and the patients’ needs?” asked Diane Maloney-Krichmar, director of Graduate Medical Education at Sinai and a facilitator at the workshop. After the exercise, all of the participants had a much more thorough understanding of one another. It was an understanding that didn’t depend only on sight.
-Sandra Crockett

Get Moving With CardioSculpt

Do you need a way to start burning off those holiday calories? Help is around the corner.

The Sinai Hospital Employee Activities Committee sponsors exercise classes, and an 8-week session of CardioSculpt begins next Tuesday, December 7. CardioSculpt gets you moving and your heart rate up, but also includes exercises designed to tone and build muscles.

The classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Sinai Hospital. The session ends on Tuesday, February 1.

The cost is $30 for all eight weeks. Payment for the classes may be made by cash or payroll deduction for Sinai employees. You do not need to be a LifeBridge Health employee to enroll, so grab a relative or friend and come join the class.

Questions? You can reach Robin at 410-601-8443.

A Labor of Love From the Friends School

Several postpartum mothers are the recipients of a special service project from Friends School of Baltimore students.

The kindergarten students of Fran Morrissey and seventh-grade students of Erin Zimmerman worked together to tie and stuff fleece pillows on Quaker Community Day. The students made a total of 18 pillows, which were donated to Sinai Hospital's Labor and Delivery unit. They will be used by mothers who have had a C-section, who hold the pillows across their stomach when coughing or doing deep breathing.

"The goals of this project were to build community between students at Friends and to use our talents to help members of our local community," Morrissey says. "The kindergarten students also increased their fine motor skills while learning to tie knots and follow a sequential pattern. We incorporated empathy, reflection, resiliency, collaboration and communication skills into this activity."

Students and the teachers discussed how pillows help the healing process and what it feels like to work together, Morrissey says.

"The seventh graders provided a direct service to the kindergarten students and both groups of students provided indirect service to the surgery patients," she says.

To learn more about Sinai Hospital's Labor and Delivery unit, call 410-601-9355 (WELL).

Advice on Shopping for Safe Toys

Before you hit the stores for Black Friday, make sure you realize which toys can cause injuries to children.

The Maryland Public Interest Research Group released its annual Trouble in Toyland report this week, and reported that dangerous and toxic toys can still be found.

In the past three years, 15 children have died after choking or asphyxiating on a toy or toy part; two died in 2009 alone. A good rule of thumb is to see if parts of the toy can fit through a toilet paper roll. If so, those parts can cause a choking hazard, especially for children under age 3.

While companies have made progress with producing safe toys, Sinai Hospital pediatrician Anthony Caterina, M.D., urged parents to physically handle the toy before buying and to peruse the Maryland PIRG list of unsafe toys. Lead and other metals have been severely restricted in toys in the past two years, but Maryland PIRG researchers found some toys containing toxic lead and antimony on store shelves. Lead has negative health effects on almost every organ and system in the human body, and antimony is classified as a human carcinogen.

“In addition to physical characteristics, there can be chemical problems with toys such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates,” Dr. Caterina says. “Thankfully we have groups like Maryland Public Interest Research Group that provides a list, and I encourage parents to look at it before buying toys. We can all agree that the best holiday experience is a safe holiday experience.”

To hear more from Dr. Caterina, including advice to parents on Internet shopping, click below..

Sinai Hospital Mourns Longtime Surgeon

Sinai Hospital is deeply saddened by the death of associate surgeon-in-chief Rhonda S. Fishel, M.D., MBA, FACS.

"Dr. Fishel taught generations of medical students and residents not only how to be excellent surgeons, but how to be compassionate physicians," says Neil Meltzer, President of Sinai Hospital. "Even once she became ill, Dr. Fishel remained committed to working with physicians, residents and patients at Sinai. Her tenacity and commitment were admirable, and she will be missed."

Dr. Fishel, 55, who was diagnosed with uterine sarcoma five years ago, continued to work at Sinai until a few weeks ago.

“Other people would have quit earlier, but she was really old-school and believed in her work,” says Thomas Genuit, MD, MBA, FACS, interim chief of the Department of Surgery and head of the Division of Trauma “She always fought for what she believed in, namely her patients.”

Dr. Genuit says Dr. Fishel received numerous accolades for her teaching, including the Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teacher from Sinai in 1995.

“She had a way of making you learn not by being harsh, but by being kind, and using humor to point out mistakes,” he says.

In recent years, Dr. Fishel used her experiences as both doctor and patient to develop a presentation for physicians titled “Giving and Receiving Bad News: Lessons I Learn.”

"I never understood what it felt like physically until I had to go through it. It's like a pain in your chest,” she told the Baltimore Sun in 2006. She gave the presentation across the country, including at the annual meeting of the American Medical Student Association in 2007.

Dr. Fishel spent the majority of her career in Baltimore, graduating from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1979, and completing a fellowship in surgical research at Sinai in 1983. She was the director of surgical care and the director of trauma services at Sinai until 1997, when she became the director of trauma services at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida. She returned to Sinai in 2000, becoming the associate surgeon-in-chief at Sinai, and a professor of surgery at Hopkins. In addition to the Golden Apple Award, she was honored as Sinai Surgical Resident of the Year in 1986, received the Golden Scapel Award from the Sinai Department of Surgery in 1992, and was voted a “Person of the Year” by Baltimore Magazine in 2006. A lifelong learner, Dr. Fishel earned her MBA from Hopkins in 2006.

In her spare time, she had a stand-up comedy routine that she performed locally and for family.

“She was very funny; she loved humor. We are better people for having known her,” says Lois Hagstrom, Sinai manager of Surgical Specialties, a coworker and friend of Dr. Fishel for close to 30 years.

In addition to her wife Michaela (Mickey) Barron, Dr. Fishel was close to her brothers’ families, and especially proud that one of her nephews, Dr. Matthew Fishel, became a pediatrician, Hagstrom says. An avid animal lover, Dr. Fishel was especially passionate about Great Danes.

“They had several over the years, and I hope they are waiting for her,” she says.

In addition to her wife and nephews, Dr. Fishel is survived by brothers Larry and Alan Fishel, and one niece. Services will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc., 8900 Reisterstown Road at Mount Wilson Lane.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions in her memory to the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute, Sinai Hospital, 2401 W. Belvedere Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21215. The family will be at home at 15 Shaded Glen Court, Owings Mills, MD, 21117.

-Elizabeth Leis-Newman

Last Week to See A Line in the Sand

This is the last week to see the House of Ruth Maryland's A Line in the Sand. This special exhibit features portraits of groups or individuals who have made a large impact in preventing domestic violence. It has been touring for two years, and Sinai Hospital is honored to be the exhibit's last stop. The House of Ruth Maryland helps thousands of battered women every year. Don't miss your chance to see these photographs, on display in the Sinai Hospital Atrium.

If you need more information about the Family Violence Program at Sinai, dedicated to providing counseling and information for victims of domestic violence, call 410-601-WELL (9355).

Sinai Hospital Hosts A Line in the Sand

If you've been in the Sinai Hospital atrium in the past week, your eye may have been caught by a series of evocative and stunning photographs.

They are part of the A Line in the Sand exhibit, which has toured for two years and is making its final stop this month at Sinai. Against the backdrop of this exhibit, House of Ruth Maryland, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence, held a press conference at Sinai Thursday to announce two important initiatives.

The first is a teen-focused website, youlovemeyoulovemenot.com, which encourages teens to take an interactive "Rate Your Relationship" quiz. This website, funded in part from a grant from Verizon Foundation and CoverGirl, encourages teens to define, in their own words, what "you love me" or "you love me not" means by uploading video clips, texts and photos. The site also provides the warning signs of an abusive relationship and gives tips on staying safe.

The second is a new partnership with Alpha Chi Omega, which is working with the House of Ruth Maryland on a teen curriculum that will be used to help young people understand domestic violence.

Speakers at the press conference included Bill and Michele Mitchell, pictured above, whose daughter Kristin was killed at age 21 by her boyfriend. The Mitchells, who founded the Kristin Mitchell Foundation, have worked since 2005 to educate teens about domestic violence and pushed for high schools to adopt lessons on dating violence into the curriculum. These lessons recognizing the warning signs for an abuser, and breaking up in a public place.

"When Kristin attended middle school and high school here in Maryland, none of this information was available," Bill Mitchell says. "Our family has learned many of the warning signs after the fact."

To see A Line in the Sand, visit Sinai's atrium through November 12. You can also click on the video below of Beth Huber to hear more about the exhibit.

National PA Week: Daniel Martin and Angela Urban, Department of Medicine

It's National Physician Assistant Week, and we're celebrating our dedicated physician assistants at LifeBridge Health by having them share their stories.

Being a Medical PA at Sinai Hospital
by Daniel Martin and Angela Urban, Sinai Hospital, Department of Medicine

For Physician Assistants at Sinai Hospital covering day/evening service, the constants of our daily routine are sign-in and sign-out (when we first become aware of new patients/and updated about current patient), and the gentle lead of a vibrating beeper. Our duties as medical PAs vary with the need of our patient population we serve. If there are no urgent/emergent needs at hand, we see and evaluate patients in the order of medical stability. Our daily goal is to facilitate medical management as prescribed by the attending physician and consulting staff, and to respond to the medical needs of our patient population when their attending physician is not readily available.

We try to have a systematic approach to each day. PAs often try to take care of any pending issues, such as a patient being discharged, obtaining a consent form, following up on lab work, etc. You never know exactly how busy the night will be. Due to the resident's other responsibilities, often 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. can be a very busy time. We can have anywhere from 2 to 6 admissions per night of varying diagnoses.

What is great about being a PA is the autonomy, variation of diagnoses, and the fact that you never know exactly what the day will bring. It keeps you on your toes. Many times during the week we'll go home thinking, “Hmm, I’m gonna have to read up on that.” We feel blessed to have jobs that are challenging on an academic and personal level.

Are you interested in working as a PA at LifeBridge Health? Click here to see our open positions.

National PA Week: Natalie E. Porcaro, Neuroscience House Staff

Wednesday kicks off National Physician Assistant Week, and we're celebrating our dedicated physician assistants at LifeBridge Health by having them share their stories this week. Sinai Hospital will also host a special breakfast for PAs at 7 a.m. on Wednesday in the Sinai Board Room.

A Day in the Life
by Natalie E. Porcaro, Sinai Neuroscience House Staff

Choosing a profession can be one of the most difficult decisions that a person has to make during their lifetime. This life-changing decision usually is forced upon someone at a young age. Studies show that most students are actually spending an extra year in college to obtain their bachelor’s degree because they want to alter their career path - more than fifty percent of college freshman change their major.

In the sense of choosing a career path, I feel rather lucky, as there was no question in my mind as to what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. I can’t remember a time in my life when I questioned going into the health care profession. Even as a child, my favorite game was “doctor," as my favorite toys were my plastic stethoscope and reflex hammer.

While the time I come into work varies slightly, my days are anything except routine. I awaken usually when the sun is still sleeping, and I jump start my body and mind by a thirty-minute workout. I either go for a jog or use my elliptical, and I need the wake-up call the exercise gives me to clear my mind and prepare for the day to come. I eat my breakfast, an English muffin with peanut butter and jelly, in my car on my drive to work, and always have a travel mug of coffee at my side. I usually end up getting either peanut butter, or jelly, or both, on my scrubs and, needless to say, the first thing I then do is head to the locker room to change.

The team starts sign-out/report at 6 a.m. We run through our patient list to review each patient’s status, what test or laboratory studies they will have, consults that need to be called or reviewed, and other miscellaneous tasks that need to be completed (i.e. physical and occupational therapy recommendations, social work input, etc). After report is completed, we divide and conquer.

There is no such thing a “typical” day, so referring to “a day in the life” of a physician assistant, or any health care provider for that matter, will stretch across a wide spectrum of events. We have the typical Operating Room patients that need consents, orders placed, and laboratory values reviewed. Floor rounding comes next, with the most critical patients in the Intensive Care Unit being a priority. If only rounds were as simple as seeing patients, life would be a lot easier – but as most of you know, we have to carry around a “rock” or several “rocks” that beep, bong, and screech until you respond – the pagers. To trip up your day, there are undoubtedly consults on the floor, in the Emergency Department, and throughout inpatient units. Some days, as soon as you take a break, you need to report to the ED immediately. The next thing you know, you’re either getting someone ready for the OR to evacuate a large subdural hematoma or stabilize a severe spinal fracture with spinal cord compression. You could be putting a ventriculostomy catheter into someone’s ventricle to relieve hydrocephalus. Whenever you’re finished, your lunch, which could now really be your dinner, is cold and probably no longer safely edible – but that’s “a day in the life,” and secretly, we all love it.

At the end of the madness, we regroup to make appropriate list modifications and updates before we do another round of team sign out/report. The night shift arrives around 7 p.m. and after report is given, has a whole other “to do” list to follow up and check, and I’m certain a whole other story to tell by the time the next morning rolls around to do it all over again.

My drive home at night is a time to unwind. I usually go home and have dinner while sitting in front of the television. I frequently have a glass of wine, or two – that always helps the relaxation process at the day’s end. I’ll share stories sometimes with my roommate when I need a sounding board (while of course maintaining proper confidentiality); she humors me and listens. When I first started working at Sinai as a new graduate, I’d lay awake often, going over my entire day – all my orders, my admits and consultations, my notes, my patients. I still lay awake at night sometimes, but mostly my thoughts are solely on the patients themselves – not necessarily their lab values or therapy recommendations. It’s hard to tell someone that they have a brain tumor and maybe six months to live, or to tell someone that they’ve severed their spinal cord and are now a quadriplegic. It can be hard to go home at night, knowing you are in good physical health, and have a particular patient and their family on your mind.

What makes it worthwhile? What makes restless nights bearable? Knowing that tomorrow brings a new day of new patients, new ailments, and new opportunities to truly help someone – not always by saving their life with CPR or emergent surgery, but sometimes even on a level as simple as taking time to talk to them, comfort them, and let them know that you’re going to do everything in your power to help heal them. I couldn’t ask for a better team, better attending physicians, or a better support staff than the Neuroscience Center staff at Sinai.

Are you interested in working with Natalie and the other PAs at LifeBridge Health? Click here to see our open positions.

National PA Week: Roy Ruehle, Department of Surgery

Wednesday kicks off National Physician Assistant Week, and we're celebrating our dedicated physician assistants at Sinai Hospital by having them share their stories this week. Sinai Hospital will also host a special breakfast for PAs at 7 a.m. on Wednesday in the Sinai Board Room.

The Life of a Surgical PA
by Roy Ruehle, Sinai Hospital Department of Surgery

I remember when I first discovered what a physician assistant actually was. It was during my enlistment as an Army Medic in the early 1980s. When working alongside PAs during an overseas military deployment in Europe, I decided that this would be a career where I could actually play a front line role in patient care.

After my full-time enlistment was over, I began PA school at Hahnemann University, and later would begin working at Sinai Hospital's Department of Surgery, a role that I've had now for nearly two decades. My role in the Department of Surgery has been ever- changing as requirements and programs within the department have changed.

My role is also a bit different as I was not only a civilian PA at Sinai, but also a senior medical officer in the U.S. Army National Guard. I've served both my community and country, and spent close to a year in Iraq.

When I'm working at Sinai, my day starts off about 4:30 a.m. I begin "rounding" at 5:30 a.m. This is when I see patients, evaluate overnight lab reports, studies, and tests. We prepare the surgical patients for the day's events. Much like the military, we work as a team to fight disease and trauma, and hope to improve the lives of the people who are entrusted in our care. PAs are an important link between residents, attending physicians, patients and families. We are usually working in the front lines of treating and evaluating the needs of those who we serve. As the morning progresses, we are expected to perform a variety of duties from hands-on direct patient care, to ordering vital tests, to going to the operating room. Saving and improving lives, improving quality of life, and always making sure that we always primum nil nocere, which means "first, do no harm."

In addition to our routine care, there are the traumas, which are tragic events that can forever change the lives of the people we see. Our team of physicians, PAs, and nurse practitioners focus our combined skills. We hope to return these victims to the lives and families they had before these tragic events occurred. When you are in the military, these events can be even more stressful, as not only do we have to save a life, but avoid losing ours while helping others. Always remember that freedom is not free, and there are a few men and women that take their turns on the front lines so that we all can live free.

At the end of a 14-hour shift, we are tired, hungry, and sometimes stressed. We return to our own homes knowing that our job is unlike most other jobs. To coin an "Army Theme": It's not just a job, it's an adventure. And this adventure changes every day. We find comfort in our families, have dinner, play with our children. We go to bed, wake up hours before anyone in the house, and begin the next day.

Are you interested in working with Roy and the other PAs at LifeBridge Health? Click here to see our open positions.