Adena News and Press Releases

(image) Bennie Upchurch, MD, FACP, AGAF, FACG, FASGE is an Adena Gastroenterologist who joined Adena Health System in 2020 after years of serving patients in private and institutional practice throughout central Ohio. As a physician certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Upchurch treats all ranges of and all ages with gastrointestinal issues. He can’t stress enough the importance of age- and history-appropriate colonoscopies to help save the lives of patients.

Don’t Vent, PRE-Vent

There are around 140,000 of cases colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosed each year in the U.S. CRC can occur in the colon or rectum when abnormal cells appear in a tissue growth or polyp. Polyps are often initially noncancerous and occur in nearly half of average-risk men and women age 50 and older. But if left untreated, the polyps can develop the abnormal cells that lead to cancer.

“Colorectal cancer is preventable cancer,” says Dr. Upchurch. “It’s one of only a few preventable cancers because by following advised screening practices, patients get any potentially harmful polyps removed during their colonoscopies.” So why would patients not get their prescribed colonoscopies? There could be a few excuses why patients don’t get their regular colon screening, but typically, once a patient has a colonoscopy, they realize it’s generally simple, painless and the definitive way to prevent colorectal cancer.

“Some patients have anxiety over getting their colonoscopies – they’ve heard the prep is unpleasant, the procedure is uncomfortable or risky, or they might have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia,” says Dr. Upchurch. “But there have been a lot of improvements to colonoscopy procedures, and our Adena Gastroenterology (GI) team uses innovative techniques.” The Adena GI team screen and assess patients before their visit. Currently, patients are required to have a pre-colonoscopy COVID-19 test to ensure their health safety. Once patients are cleared and ready for prep, the Adena GI team works with them and walks them though every step of the process.

Watch Your Back

Generally, as with many cancers, as people get older, their risk of getting colorectal cancer increases. Women 50 and older have an increased chance of getting cancer of the proximal colon, or first and middle parts of the colon, than men of the same age.* Other commonly found risks that increase chances or colorectal cancer are existing medical conditions such as a bowel disorder (i.e. Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis) or personal/family history, or a lifestyle habit such as: lack of exercise, poor diet (low fiber/high fat), obesity, or regular use of alcohol or tobacco. To know what factors may put you at personal risk, visit the Adena colon cancer health risk online assessment tool.

Early colorectal cancer may often appear without symptoms, which is why it is so essential to get proper screenings. If a patient does have symptoms, they could be:

• Bleeding from the rectum
• Blood in the stool or in the toilet after having a bowel movement
• Dark or black stools
• Decreased appetite
• Unintentional weight loss
• Weakness/fatigue – shortness of breath

Don’t Poo-Poo the Prep

One thing Dr. Upchurch always stresses to his patients, “Understand the importance of bowel prep.” The better the prep works, the easier it is for the doctor to see everything and make sure that any polyps are removed. “There have been lots of changes to preps over the years to make them more tolerable for patients,” says Dr. Upchurch. The Adena Gastroenterology team can help patients choose a prep method/product that will work best for them. “Proper prep basically ‘washes the grass clippings from the sidewalk’,” says Dr. Upchurch, “and it is key for a successful colonoscopy.”

Adena Primary Care Providers will refer their patients 50 years and older, or sometimes sooner if they have certain risk factors or history, to receive a colonoscopy. Most insurance companies and Medicare will cover a patient colonoscopy after age 50 and follow-up colonoscopies every five to ten years. Patients can also call Adena Gastroenterology directly at 740-779-8530 to schedule their colonoscopy or visit Adena.org. Having your colonoscopy can prevent colorectal cancer. It’s an important health milestone you can’t afford to neglect. If you’re due for a colonoscopy because of age or risk factors, call you doctor or Adena Gastroenterology today!

* American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2020-2022. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society, 2020. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/colorectal-cancer-facts-and-figures/colorectal-cancer-facts-and-figures-2020-2022.pdf.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) has granted the Adena Cancer Center another three-year, full accreditation. The status recognizes the Adena Cancer Center – designated as a comprehensive community cancer program that is the only one of its kind in southern Ohio – among the nation’s best facilities for improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients, using cancer prevention, research, education, and comprehensive, quality care.

Adena has received the accreditation every three years going back about three decades. During the last three-year review period, Adena was able to create a medical oncology clinic in Fayette County, add a thoracic surgeon and achieve radiation oncology accreditation from the American College of Radiology for the first time. Roughly 70 percent of all cancer programs nationwide choose to go through the voluntary Commission on Cancer national accreditation process, and Adena Radiation Oncologist Dr. Gregory Thompson said the process utilizes strong benchmarks to help ensure the Health System is providing the highest standards in cancer care delivery.

“We are going on probably around 30 years of accreditation, which is remarkable,” Dr. Thompson said. “There’s a lot of people who work really hard to maintain that accreditation. It’s a huge investment of resources that really pays off in terms of quality and delivering the best care to the community.”

The CoC survey assesses Adena’s cancer program on a number of standards including: quality, research, continual goal setting and improvement, and survivorship. The CoC accreditation is a measure that shows Adena is delivering quality care across the spectrum of a cancer diagnosis. This includes the program’s continued growth and adaptation to the ever-changing landscape of cancer care.

With this accreditation, Adena Cancer Center will be listed on CoC’s website in the, "Find a CoC-Accredited Program" section, making it easier for patients to find close-to-home, comprehensive cancer care. A CoC designation helps the public immediately recognize Adena’s commitment to patient-centered cancer care and quality. 

If you or a loved one are in need of cancer care, contact the Adena Cancer Center at (740) 542-3030 or visit Adena.org/cancer.   

(image) Quit the Smoke – No Joke!

Fred Yingling, RPh, MBA, Health System Director of Pharmacy Services and Michael Johnson, PharmD, Ambulatory Pharmacy Director are two hard working Adena pharmacists. They’ve both been with Adena for nearly ten years, of which, almost six of those years have been dedicated to creating and overseeing Adena’s Smoking Cessation program. The program initially started at the request of a local company looking to improve their employees’ health by helping them to quit smoking. The program was such a success that Adena Health System offered it to their own employees, and now it is available to anyone who wants to quit smoking.

The “Why” in Try

Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death worldwide, according to the American Lung Association. It claims over 443,000 American lives each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Ross County, Ohio, has a significantly higher rate of lung cancer (94.7) compared to the state of Ohio (69.3) and the U.S. (54.6). Ross County also has considerably higher death rates due to cancer (196.2) than state (176.2) and national (159.4) levels, of which, the leading occurrence is lung cancer. In addition to the high death rate due to lung cancer, Ross County has higher than state and national rates of heart disease, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases*. These are all conditions that can be brought on or have an increased risk from smoking.

To lead by example and create a healthy environment for our patients, visitors, employees and volunteers, Adena Health System follows a 100% smoke- and tobacco-free policy at all its facilities. This policy applies to all visitors, patients and employees on all areas of Adena properties including green spaces and parking lots. The Adena tobacco-free policy sets a positive example for community members and helps those wanting to quit know they have a safe and healing environment at Adena.

“We show smokers there are immediate and long-term health benefits to quitting,” says Michael Johnson. Some of the immediate benefits are improved taste and smell, improved breath, less yellowing of teeth, fingers and fingernails, and less being “winded” by daily activities such as walking or climbing stairs. Healthwise, smokers who quit, experience:

• After 20 minutes: drop in heart rate and blood pressure
• After 12 hours: the carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
• In 2 weeks to 3 months: improved circulation and lung function
• In 1 to 9 months: reduction of coughing and shortness of breath
• After 1 year: risk of coronary heart disease reduced to half that of a nonsmoker
• After 5 years: risk of mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder cancer cut in half; stroke risk can fall to that of a nonsmoker after 2-5 years
• After 10 years: risk of dying from lung cancer reduced to half
• After 15 years: risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker

In addition to better health, smokers who quit can also realize some significant cost savings by not purchasing cigarettes or other tobacco products. Michael and Fred have detailed cost saving scenarios showing patients they can save thousands of dollars a year by quitting.

The “It” in Quit

Tobacco, like other addictive substances, is not easy to quit which is why Adena is here to help. Studies show cessation programs that combine counseling and medications significantly increases a participant’s success rate. “We typically use nicotine replacement or drug therapy to help patients reach their goal of quitting,” explains Fred Yingling, “And we are often able to help supply patients with initial over-the-counter medications.”

At Adena, the Quit Clinic helps patients take the appropriate interventions based on their willingness to quit. “We work with patients to determine their best cessation pathway,” says Yingling, “Each person requires an individual approach. We use the five A’s: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange, to guide our patients through their tailored cessation program.”

The Adena Quit Clinic is a 12 week, in-person (or via online) clinic, designed to help people quit smoking. Program participants have a scheduled visit every two weeks in order to discuss and assess their challenges and progress. During a patient’s first visit, an Adena Quit Clinic pharmacist works to evaluate the participant’s tobacco habit and develop a cessation plan that is achievable. They help patients find the right tools to enable success, including over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies and/or prescription drugs depending on the patients’ needs. The Adena Quit Clinic operates out of the Adena Chillicothe Rehab & Wellness location and from the Adena Medical Centers in Jackson, Waverly and Greenfield.

The How is Now

“We partner with patients through each step of the program to help them reach their goal of quitting,” says Johnson. Part of the program entails identifying “triggers” that entice smokers to light up. Sometimes, just the habit of lifting a cigarette to mouth just needs to be broken. “We talk to patients about their triggers and work to find healthy replacement options, such as taking a walk when they crave a smoke or drinking a glass of water.”

Quitting is hard. The Adena Quit Clinic pharmacists know how to help smokers use a variety of means to get them through the difficult times. “We often tell patients to let all their friends and family know they are quitting,” says Yingling, “this keeps them accountable to themselves and helps others be supportive.” Other tips include setting a quit date, knowing that a craving lasts six minutes to try and avert lighting up with another activity and realizing that the first 72 hours will be the most difficult. Patients may also experience restlessness, frustration, anger and difficulty concentrating along with other temporary withdrawal symptoms. But each day without smoking is a step in the right direction.

If you or a friend or family member want to quit smoking, talk to your Primary Care Provider for a referral or call the Adena Quit Clinic program at 740-779-8745. The experienced program pharmacists can provide smokers with the resources, tools and confidence to quit smoking, for good.

* Adena Health System. Ross County Community Health Needs Assessment. Chillicothe, OH: Adena Health System, 2019. https://www.adena.org/files/resources/ross-county-chna-2019-final.pdf.

(image) Adena Health System and Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH) finalized their agreement for FCMH to become a member of Adena, officials from both organizations and Fayette County Commissioners announced in a signing event held earlier today. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 25-bed critical access hospital, located in Washington Court House, will officially become part of Adena Health System on May 2, 2021, and operate under the name Adena Fayette Medical Center. Adena will assume operation management of the hospital today. 

“In today’s healthcare landscape, strong, regional networks are vital, and we are excited about Fayette County Memorial Hospital becoming part of our Adena family,” said Adena President & CEO Jeff Graham. “By adding FCMH, we ensure close to home access to critical medical services for the residents of Fayette County and further advance our delivery of care across the region. Our goal is to grow the care here and not to have people leave the county.”  

Graham also set a vision for what the future of healthcare in Fayette County will look like in the coming years, “A key component of this agreement is what the future holds for the physicians, advance practice providers and caregivers at Adena Fayette Medical Center and the residents of Fayette County. Through the course of our due diligence, we looked at the investment needed for the current hospital and it really changed our discussions about the future. And that future involves building a new critical access hospital on the current site. We understand the impact localized healthcare has on a community and how a new hospital drives the local economy. Having facilities that allow new services for patient care.”

Further details around Adena Fayette Medical Center’s construction project will be announced at a later time.

The new agreement deepens a collaboration between the two organizations and builds on an existing partnership established in 2018.

“The mission of Fayette County Memorial Hospital, since its founding in 1950, has been to improve the health of our community through high-quality patient care and education,” FCMH CEO Mike Diener said. “That mission and the desire to be our community’s first choice for healthcare has been the foundation for our decision to initially partner with and now join Adena Health System. Adena has already proven their commitment to providing access to valuable care right here at home. Adena’s desire to come along side us and invest in our caregivers and our campus will ensure our original mission continues in a new hospital that will enhance our ability to deliver quality patient care with advanced medical technology and increased training opportunities for our caregivers. We are eager to take this next step with Adena Health System and look forward to what the future holds for the residents of Fayette County and our surrounding communities.” 

Adena and FCMH received approvals to move forward with all agreements in unanimous votes by the FCMH Board of Trustees on Jan. 25 and the Adena Board of Trustees and Fayette County Commissioners on Feb. 1.

“Fayette County Commissioners are very pleased to come to this agreement with Adena Health System,” explained Jim Garland, President, Fayette County Board of Commissioners. “Adena’s commitment to keeping healthcare local and their demonstrated years of partnership in providing specialty care in Fayette County, we believe presented the best possible outcome for our residents. We look forward to a long, successful relationship.”

Based in Chillicothe, OH, Adena Health System is an independent, not-for-profit and locally controlled healthcare organization founded by nine area churches serving the needs of people in nine counties of south central and southern Ohio for over 125 years. It employs nearly 4,000 people. Adena provides specialty services typically found in larger markets keeping patients close to home for their care. Driven by a mission of “Called to serve our communities”, Adena Health System now includes four hospitals, six regional clinics and multiple primary care, specialty clinics and urgent care locations.

Have you had to miss some of life’s best moments due to abdominal pain, nausea or worse, after eating? It could be a sign of gallstones or gallbladder disease. Fortunately, Adena Health System can help!

The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ located under the liver. It stores and concentrates bile produced in the liver that gets released into the upper small intestine and aids in the digestion of fat. When the duct to the small intestine gets blocked with either gallstones or bile build-up, the resulting irritation causes inflammation that leads to abdominal pain, discomfort and often gallbladder disease.

Gallstones are caused by a chemical imbalance in the bile that leaves excess cholesterol to form small “stones” in the gallbladder and the hepatic duct (which leads to the small intestine). Gallstones are very common and not problematic until they start accumulating. It is thought that an excess in high-fat foods may trigger the gallstones. Foods such as fried foods, highly processed foods like cakes, pies and cookies, whole-milk, cheese, ice cream, butter and fatty red meat should be avoided if a person has gallbladder issues. Symptoms of gallbladder disease include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, fever, chronic diarrhea, jaundice and irregular stools and urine.

Although medicines can be used to relieve discomfort, the definitive treatment for gallbladder issues is to remove the gallbladder surgically. Removing the gallbladder often has little impact on the digestive system and the procedure is regularly done minimally invasively to reduce pain and recovery time.

The risks of not treating gallstones can include unpredictable attacks of gallstone pain, gallbladder rupture, episodes of inflammation or serious infection of the gallbladder, bile ducts or pancreas. Jaundice and discomforts like gas, vomiting, and diarrhea can occur and diminish quality of life.

The bottom line? You don’t need to live with the disruption of gallbladder pain and discomfort. Call Adena Surgical for a consultation at 740-779-4550, so you don’t have to leave your date at the table!

(image) Adena Health System took several steps closer to adding Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH) to its family of hospitals, with the approvals on several agreements by the Adena Board of Trustees and Fayette County Commissioners. 

The Adena Board of Trustees, in a unanimous vote on Monday, agreed to move forward on all transaction agreements for Adena to acquire the 25-bed critical access hospital. Last week, in another unanimous vote, the FCMH Board of Trustees adopted a motion to move forward with the agreement as well. Under the approved agreement, Adena would begin a management agreement of FCMH operations on February 15, with targeted completion of the transaction April 1.

Additionally, the Fayette County Commissioners agreed yesterday to move forward with the transfer of real estate and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) management agreements to Adena. Because FCMH is currently county-owned, Commission approval of the agreements was needed.

“Having FCMH formally become part of the Adena network is the welcome next phase in making sure people across our region have continued access to quality health care, right in their own back yard,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “The partnership we have had with FCMH has been successful for them, for Adena and most importantly for the patients who don’t have to travel far from home to receive the specialty care they need.”

Graham added, “When we reengaged with the Fayette County Commissioners and FCMH Board about taking on FCMH, we decided it was the right thing to do for each of our organizations; as well as an important opportunity to keep care local for those in the communities we serve. This is exciting news for the growth our Health System and rural healthcare across southern and south central Ohio.”

In a statement released by the Fayette County Commissioners, “The Fayette County Commissioners are happy to report an agreement is being finalized to bring Fayette County Memorial Hospital into the family of Adena Health System. As Commissioners we are pleased that the many conversations that have been held with both the Fayette County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and Management from have brought us to the point of continuing to provide local health care. Adena Health System provides the opportunity with many specialists to allow our families, friends and neighbors to get care close to home.We look forward with great anticipation to working with Adena Health System to provide great health care right here in our community.”

Adena has been providing a wide range of primary and specialty care services to residents in Fayette County since 2012. Adena and FCMH partnered on a formal clinical affiliation agreement in September 2018, expanding the volume of specialty care being offered on the hospital’s Washington Court House campus. 

Adena Health System currently includes Adena Regional Medical Center, located in Chillicothe; Adena Greenfield Medical Center; and Adena Pike Medical Center, located in Waverly. FCMH, which will be rebranded as Adena Fayette Medical Center, will be Adena’s fourth hospital in its system.

(image) John Keller, MD is an Electrophysiologist who has been with Adena Cardiology for eight years. During that time, he and the Cardiology team have brought many new procedures to Adena Health System to not only help treat patients, but also give them a chance at a cure. He takes pride in advancing the cardiac treatment of patients locally so they can be cared for close to home.

The A to Z on Afib

Atrial Fibrillation, commonly called Afib or AF, occurs when the heart's upper chambers (atria) beat irregularly, out of coordination with the lower chambers (ventricles). “Afib is caused by disorganized electrical impulses in the atria,” says Dr. Keller, “ultimately, we don’t know what causes these disorganized charges, but we know that conditions such as obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary disease and sleep apnea can all lead to risk of developing Afib.”

Often patients will present no symptoms of Afib, but when symptoms do occur, they can include heart palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue. “Forty percent of patients are asymptomatic,” explains Dr. Keller, “but having Afib can put them at risk for some dangerous things, such as a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.” The erratic heartbeats in the atria can lead to blood clots which can then move to other parts of the body, causing stroke (brain) or heart attack. This is an important reason for people to get appropriate screenings and regular check-ups. “The longer that a patient has Afib, the harder it is to get rid of,” says Dr. Keller.

Keeping You on Rhythm 

If a patient shows signs of Afib during a check-up or screening, their Primary Care Provider will generally refer them to the Adena Cardiology team where specialists like Dr. Keller perform thorough case reviews to assess the patient’s risk factors for heart attack, stroke and heart failure. This helps determine the best Afib treatment plan. There are two approaches in getting a patient’s heartbeat back into regular rhythm – one, is rate control and the second, is rhythm control. “The approach we take depends on the patient’s history, age, general health and symptoms,” says Dr. Keller. “Each case is very individualistic, so we need to tailor a treatment to the complexity of the patient’s condition.”

 A rate control treatment is generally a medication-based approach using blood thinners or beta blockers, while rhythm control is treated with medication, cardioversion (shock treatment), ablation or surgery (or a combination of these) with the intent to end or cure a patient’s Afib. Dr. Keller says that he’s been treating Afib patients more and more with AF ablation that uses a burning or freezing technique to create scar tissue in the atria that disrupts the erratic electrical impulses. Dr. Keller quite often uses cryoablation (freezing technique) which is a relatively fast and simple and has repeatable outcomes. Once the procedure is over, a patient usually stays in the hospital one to two days for observation. Ablation cure rates for Afib are around 70-75% says Dr. Keller, although in some cases it may take more than one Afib ablation procedure.

How Not to Clot

Not every patient is a candidate for ablation, shock therapy or surgery. In these cases, doctors often use blood thinners to help prevent clotting to reduce risk of strokes or heart attacks. When blood thinners aren’t an ideal solution due to a patient’s risk factor of blood loss through a fall or injury, Adena Cardiologists often use an advanced, minimally invasive, implantable device to help avert blood clots. “This implant is what’s known as a left atrial appendage occlusion device,” says Dr. Keller, “and it can be highly effective in preventing clots for patients who can’t go on blood thinners.” 

We’ll Treat You Right

Dr. Keller wants patients to know that Adena Cardiology offers comprehensive Afib treatments with options for every patient – “right here where they live.” The Adena Cardiology team helps patients manage their Afib through a number of therapy options, and partners with them to help them control and often reverse atrial fibrillation. If you’ve experienced Afib symptoms, or have heart concerns, contact your Adena Primary Care Provider, Adena Cardiology at 740-779-4570 or visit Adena.org to schedule an appointment. There are options for treating and even curing Afib – Adena can treat you with a comprehensive care approach close to home.

(image) In recognition of February being American Heart Month, let’s focus on the body’s wonderful workhorse, your heart! Your heart is at the center of it all, continuously pumping around 2,000 gallons of blood through the body each day. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells while also removing waste. It’s comprised of four chambers: two upper chambers called the right and left atria (singular: atrium) and two lower chambers called the right and left ventricles. The heart is an amazing vital organ!

To help you with heart care, Adena Cardiology has a range of advanced services and strategic relationships with the area’s top cardiac professionals. Adena can check patients’ heart health with a Cardiac Calcium Scoring test. Cardiac calcium scoring can determine if you’re at risk of a heart attack or heart disease and is recommended for women over 50 and men over 40 who have risk factors including:

The cardiac calcium scoring exam is a simple, painless computerized tomography (CT) scan that can be completed in minutes. It determines the amount of calcium build-up in the heart’s coronary arteries which can indicate a patient’s risk for a heart attack. The exam can detect early stage heart disease even when a patient shows no symptoms.

Adena Cardiology offers comprehensive treatment for heart disease and related cardiac issues. They have a strategic partnering relationship with the Heart and Vascular Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Our partnership with OSU’s Heart and Vascular team is a great benefit for our patient’s,” says Adena’s Jarrod Betz, MD, “together, we are able to take a holistic approach to our patients that may need heart surgery.” Dr. Betz is an interventional cardiologist who often treats patients for aortic stenosis, a leaky heart valve, one of the most common and serious heart valve diseases. Aortic stenosis occurs when there is a narrowing of the valve in the large blood vessel (aorta) branching off the heart. This narrowing keeps the valve from opening fully, reducing blood flow and putting additional stress on the heart. Symptoms of aortic stenosis can be shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness and/or chronic fatigue.

“When a patient comes to us with aortic stenosis, we do thorough work-ups with CT scans and tests to understand the range of their condition,” says Dr. Betz. He then engages the team from the Heart and Vascular Center at The OSU Wexner Medical Center to determine the patient’s best care path, including options for surgery. “We meet regularly as a ‘heart team’ to discuss the best plan for our patients,” says Dr. Betz. “Most often, we have to replace the aortic valve and we’ve had a lot of success in treating our aortic stenosis patients with a transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) procedure.” The TAVR procedure has really become the standard of care over the last 15 years for aortic stenosis, explains Dr. Betz. Prior to that, patients would typically have open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve, which is harder on the body and often requires a four to eight week recovery time. “With the TAVR procedure, we access the valve through the femoral artery or through small incisions in the chest which makes the replacement less invasive and usually means a quicker recovery time,” says Dr. Betz.

(image)

“The strategic alliance with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular team means that our Adena patients get comprehensive expert care with all their planning and follow-ups happening close to home,” says Dr. Betz. “The team approach promotes individual assessment and continuity of care and that’s what makes it such a benefit to our patients.”

Patients who feel they may be experiencing heart disease symptoms such as general tiredness, chest pain or tightness and/or shortness of breath, should check with their Adena Primary Care Provider to assess their risk and determine next steps through either a calcium scoring test or other examination. Annual health exams are highly recommended by Dr. Betz as an important means of discovering heart issues. Fortunately, the Adena Cardiology team can address and treat patients for a full range of cardiac issues, so they can help you start the journey to heart health.  

If you have heart concerns, call 740-779-4570 or visit Adena.org/cardio to see how Adena Cardiology can help!

Adena Health System is expanding its care for patients with the addition of six specialty providers, across multiple service lines. These incoming physicians and advanced practice providers are delivering even more options for comprehensive, close-to-home care for our patients throughout the region.

Adena is pleased to welcome:

Brenda Mershon, Certified Nurse Practitioner joins Adena Kidney Specialists caring for patients in Chillicothe. Mershon earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Marshall University in Huntington, WV.  

Kirk Rankine, MD is now accepting new patients with Adena Kidney Specialists, seeing patients in Chillicothe, Circleville, Jackson, Washington Court House and Waverly. A board-certified nephrologist, Dr. Rankine earned his medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University 

Emily Reynolds, Certified Nurse Practitioner is now seeing patients at Adena Urgent Care locations throughout the region. Reynolds has been with Adena for eight years previously working as a staff registered nurse and patient care coordinator. She earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the Chamberlain College of Nursing.

Matthew Weaver, Certified Nurse Practitioner, is welcomed to the growing team of providers at Adena Urgent Cares. Weaver returns to Adena having cared for patients with Adena Occupational Health during his clinical rotations. He earned his Master’s degree in Nursing from The Ohio State University.

Brittany Weeks, PsyD is now caring for patients at the Adena Counseling Center. Dr. Weeks is a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, WV, where she earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.

Laura Wells, Certified Nurse Practitioner comes to Adena Cardiology caring for patients in Chillicothe. Wells earned her Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty degree from the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

(image) Meet Seth Haynes, Director of Quality and Performance Improvement at Adena Health System. Seth, who has been very active working with other regional and local organizations in connection with COVID-19 vaccine distribution, unfortunately has personal experience with Coronavirus after contracting the virus shortly before Christmas. Here, he shares his story of being hospitalized during the holidays to provide another perspective to area residents considering whether to wear masks, socially distance, practice good hand hygiene, avoid large gatherings and get vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them.

On discovering he tested positive for COVID-19

“I tested positive for COVID December 16. I’m a healthy 37-year-old and I’ve never been hospitalized in my life. I’ve actually only been to an Emergency Department once in my life, nothing serious. During the first five days after testing positive, I had very severe, flu-like symptoms and I had all COVID symptoms minus losing my taste and smell that you’ve heard of. After day five, though, I went to the ED here in Chillicothe because I started to have really bad shortness of breath. It really progressively got worse until Christmas morning when I woke up about 5 a.m. – I was really trying to make it to watch my 3-year-old and 7-year-old open Christmas presents – but I couldn’t make it any longer because my oxygen level had dropped to about 85 percent and I was really gasping to try and breathe. I probably waited a day longer than I should have before going back to the ED. I was admitted on Christmas Day and I was hospitalized for five days.”

On his hospital stay

“I was very scared for the first 48 hours because at one point my oxygen had dropped below 70 percent and I was put on very high-flow oxygen to maintain my level at 90 percent for several hours with nurses constantly monitoring me. Honestly, I thought I might die in the place I was born in 1983 without any family by my side and not being able to watch my kids grow up. That still, just to think about it right now, just kind of upsets me.”

On the road to recovery

“I received the best care and treatment from our Adena 2NE team. I received the full regimen of treatment – plasma, steroids, Remdesavir – and then I was able to go home after five days. I still have bilateral pneumonia and other lingering COVID symptoms but I’m feeling much better now. I really want to thank my family, friends and everyone who was praying for me in the community. It really meant a lot, and I think that helped me get through this.”

 A message to the community

“Our family has really taken everything with COVID very seriously with masking and social distancing, but I hope my story that I’m sharing puts into perspective that this virus is unbiased to who gets it, how it might impact you – no matter your age or how healthy you are – and also who you might unknowingly pass it to. I’m urging you to sign up on our website to get the vaccine and when it’s your turn to come get it and to also encourage others in the community to do the same. The vaccine and continuing good hand hygiene, masking and social distancing is the path to ending 

(image) Meet Laura Arnett, a nurse practitioner at Adena Health System who has both worked with patients suffering from COVID-19 and dealt with being infected herself. She has experienced self-quarantining in the basement of her home away from her family for a time and the frustration of being unable to respond when her baby was crying while pregnant with she and her husband’s second child. Despite her best efforts, her husband, baby and mother-in-law, Valerie – who ended up having to be hospitalized -- contracted the virus.

Here, she and Valerie share some of their thoughts -- both from the front lines and as those who have battled the virus -- for members of the community to consider when deciding whether to mask, social distance, practice vigorous handwashing and avoid large gatherings. 

On being infected and trying to protect her family:

“I quarantined away from my husband and baby and they still caught it a few days later. I’m pregnant and my symptoms included dizziness, shortness of breath, fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, cough, loss of taste and loss of smell. I still can only smell at random times three months out now, and I regained my taste a month and a half after having COVID. Even after my 10 days of quarantine, I was still short of breath and dizzy intermittently for a couple weeks after. We tried and tried and tried to avoid (contracting the virus), especially when I was in my first trimester, but couldn’t.”

On the toll hospitalization can take on family members:

“I think the biggest thing that people need to remember is if their family member’s in the hospital, they won’t be able to be there with them. Think about the toll that’s going to take on the family member trying to heal and the toll it’s going to take on the family as well. A lot of these patients can’t handle being away from family.”

Valerie on being in the hospital without family:

“It’s very difficult. You can talk to them on the phone, but it’s not the same. We had to double up beds because they were so crowded (during one of the significant patient surges) and they split the room. My first thought – I’m a very non-social person – was ‘Oh, no!’, but I found myself needing that human contact and having someone else in the room, even though they were sick, too, it was kind of comforting just having someone there. … You think about a lot of things – your priorities and how you want to handle things. It’s really scary and you don’t know if you’re going to die, you really don’t.”

On any similarities to the flu:

“I worked ER for five years before I went to what I’m doing now and this is not the flu. I think it’s hard for people to see that because COVID is so much more contagious – they see just how easily it can transmit without people being symptomatic. Also, people do not realize the long-term effects COVID has on the body in comparison to the flu. It is much different in that sense, in addition to how much more contagious it is.”

On some of the frustrations in offering treatment:

“You try to hold up the morale as best as you can, but you have so many people who don’t take it seriously still. Then, to come in (to work), it’s hard to juggle that.”

On how people should approach stopping the spread:

“I think my biggest thing is people still need to wear a mask, they still need to care about one another, care about your neighbor.”

You can find more stories from the frontlines by visiting Adena’s healthcare heroes page

Your Wellness Journey

People often use the word wellness, but what does it truly mean? Wellness likely means different things to different people. What might be wellness for you, may look completely different for your neighbor or your friend. From a health care perspective, wellness is actively engaging in healthy habits to enable your best physical and mental outcomes. Wellness can be attained, but it must also be maintained in order to achieve a person’s best health. The following tips are presented to help you on your personal wellness journey.

The COVID-19 Detour

When talking about wellness, it’s hard to ignore this past year and the health challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But even amidst the health care upheaval, Adena teams have been on the front lines preparing for your office visits. We know the importance of wellness and want patients to know that our Primary Care Physicians (PCPs), Pediatricians and all of our health care specialists are here for you. We are taking extra precautions so you can continue your wellness journey.

In addition to wearing a mask and maintaining six feet of distance between you and others, we also strongly encourage all patients to get their seasonal flu shots. The flu shot is designed protect a person from getting the flu or lessen their flu symptoms. If someone gets the flu without having had a flu shot, they may be more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. Adena offers flu shots at most of its locations, including Adena Urgent Care facilities (Chillicothe, Circleville, Hillsboro, Jackson and Waverly), the clinic at Walmart in Chillicothe and at all Adena Primary Care and Pediatrician offices.

Adena also recommends that all persons 65 or older or those with a chronic condition such as lung, liver or heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism or smoking, should talk to their PCP about getting a pneumococcal vaccination (pneumonia vaccine). Many COVID-19 patients have struggled with the extra burden of pneumonia in addition to COVID-19. This puts them at greater risk of respiratory failure. Your Adena PCP can help you determine if a pneumonia vaccine may make sense to reduce this health risk.

Taking precautionary measures, getting your flu shot and practicing safe COVID-19 guidelines, are all proactive steps you can initiate on your path to wellness.

The Highway of Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle habits, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and reducing stress, can help you on your path to achieve and maintain wellness. If a person is used to living a certain way, it’s not always easy to adjust. But there is help. Adena offers counselling and guidance from physicians and diet/education specialists who can advise patients in making lifestyle changes. The key is starting gradually, making incremental changes you can control and plan for. For example, a newly diagnosed patient with Type 2 Diabetes will likely need changes in their diet, weight, exercise and medications in order to help control their blood sugar. Adena Diabetes & Education specialists are available to guide patients in this new territory. Making small initial changes like eliminating soda, tea or energy drinks from a person’s diet can make a big difference. When a patient starts taking control of their wellness they are working to feel their best.

Along the Way

People, especially as they get older, should envision wellness as a destination, not just a side trip. To help them navigate, it is important for patients to visit their PCP or pediatrician to receive annual wellness checks, vaccines and to get age appropriate health screenings. Adena Family Medicine professionals are committed partners in guiding patients through health risks and for knowing when screenings are necessary. Adena also has convenient online health risk assessment tools. Our PCPs are recognized by NCQA,  a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality, as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. This means our PCPs educate, diagnose and treat all basic health needs, including physicals, immunizations, health screenings and disease prevention. Screenings enable early issue detection and early detection can be lifesaving. This chart is a quick guide for when certain screenings are appropriate for adults*:

Because wellness can look different for each person, Adena is here to help. Adena health care professionals are experienced, skilled and caring. They are committed guides in your journey to wellness. If you are due for an annual well-check, or have health questions or concerns, call us to connect you to, or help you find a doctor at 740-779-FIND (3463). At Adena.org, you can find a physician, schedule an appointment and visit the Adena online Wellness Library to or find more wellness tips and information.

(image) On January 4, 2021, the Adena Family Medicine - Jackson Walk-In Clinic will become the latest Adena Urgent Care location! The new Jackson Urgent Care will provide extended hours seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., giving patients more convenient access to the Adena services and health care professionals they trust.

The Urgent Care is located at the Adena Health Center – Jackson, 1000 Veterans Drive. The newly converted Urgent Care will be open 12 hours daily for your urgent health needs. They will treat patients with a wide range of issues including sudden pain, rashes, sinus infections, bronchitis, flu, asthma, burns, fractured bones, sprain/strains, cuts/lacerations, bites, earaches, UTI, sports physicals, flu vaccines, lab tests, imaging services COVID testing and more! *The onsite lab support provides physicians and patients with convenient in-house access and the ability to review results quickly. The Adena Urgent Care - Jackson professionals will continue delivering the quality care that patients know and expect and that has been supporting the Jackson community for years.

To make your visit as efficient as possible, you can walk-in or reserve your appointment online to minimize your wait time.

For even more convenience, your visit and results will link into your Adena medical records. Your Adena Primary Care physician and Adena health care team can easily access your records for secure continuity of care.  

The Adena Urgent Care - Jackson caregivers are committed to get you in, treated and back to life as quickly as possible. And now, they can do that with expanded hours and comprehensive care.

Visit the Adena Urgent Care - Jackson -- when your medical needs can’t wait.

Adena Urgent Care - Jackson
1000 Veterans Drive
Jackson, OH 45640
phone: 740-395-8050

*IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS: If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, headaches, please do not visit our urgent care facility. If you, or your family member, have symptoms related to COVID-19, please call our Adena COVID-19 Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233). Our 24-hour hotline representatives can help guide your next steps.

(image)

Xequiel Hernandez, MD has been with Adena Family Medicine – Washington Courthouse for three years. He enjoys working in family medicine and wants to help patients understand some of the ins and outs of managing this unusual cold & flu season. Dr. Hernandez is also dedicated to giving back to the community through two regional substance abuse programs that provide local help to those in need.

The Ins and Outs of Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs)

Although upper respiratory infections (URIs) occur year round, they occur more commonly in colder months during the fall and winter. URIs include nasal obstruction, a common cold, sore throat (including strep throat), influenza (flu), tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis and ear infections. For adults and children, a cold is the most common upper respiratory infection. It’s usually indicated by congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and possibly a sore throat and fever. Right now, as the world battles the coronavirus (COVID-19), it’s not always easy to know if your URI symptoms might be a cold or coronavirus? This chart of typical symptoms can help you compare:

Short on Breath? Could be Bronchitis

Bronchitis is a common URI caused by a virus or by breathing in something that irritates the lungs such as tobacco smoke, fumes, dust and air pollution. The irritation causes inflammation of the bronchial tubes—the major airways into your lungs – and often results in forming a thick mucus. The inflammation and mucus can limit air exchange in the lungs. It can often be confused for coronavirus. “Signs of bronchitis might be excessive coughing, back pain, chest tightness, low fever or fatigue from poor breathing,” says Dr. Hernandez. “When a patient calls our office with symptoms, we have a thorough question-based screening process to distinguish their URI cause.” Once a patient comes into the office and it’s determined they have bronchitis, they are generally treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics and required rest and fluids. With proper care, cases usually subside after a few weeks. More chronic cases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), may require oxygen, bronchodilator medications, pulmonary rehabilitation, antibiotics, steroids, vaccines, or in severe cases, surgery.

Signs of Sinusitis

Sinusitis, or sinus infection, is another common URI that occurs when your nasal cavities become infected, swollen and inflamed. A sinus infection is usually caused by a virus or bacteria and often persists even after other upper respiratory symptoms are gone. Symptoms of a sinusitis include headache, facial pain, runny nose, bad breath, fatigue, congestion and a reduced sense of smell and taste. Some of these symptoms may lead to its confusion with coronavirus. Again, proper screening and patient history review can help determine if the patient should come into see their Adena Primary Care Provider or call the Adena COVID-19 Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233). An acute sinus infection can often run its course in around 10 days without treatment. Patients can take over the counter decongestants, penicillin, cough medicine, antihistamines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or analgesics to help alleviate pain and pressure. If your pain is severe or your sinus infection lasts longer than 10 days, patients should schedule an appointment with their Adena Primary Care Provider or Adena ENT. Chronic sinus infections can last over three months and should be treated with antibiotics. If a patient has more than four sinus infections in a year, they need to see their Adena provider to check into any underlying cause.

Behind the Screen

“Our phone and pre-visit screening process is proven to be effective in determining how best to direct our patients,” says Dr. Hernandez. “Although there is some gray area in these different URI symptoms, we are always cautious, meaning we advise patients to get a COVID-19 test if there is any question.” Dr. Hernandez explains his office can order a COVID-19 test for patients to visit an Adena Urgent Care or other testing location. Patients can also call the Adena COVID-19 Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233) any time if they have any questions. “Our priority is to keep our patients safe and take the best approach in guiding them back to good health as soon as possible,” says Dr. Hernandez.

If you have URI symptoms and would like to speak to an Adena health care provider near you, call 740-779-FIND (3463) or visit Adena.org.

(image) Reggina W. Yandila, DO is a Primary Care Provider with Adena Internal Medicine who wears many hats. She has been with Adena Health System for almost 15 years. While she still sees patients, she also connects with the greater community by serving as a member on the Adena Board of Trustees and serving as the Adena Central Regional Medical Director. As Medical Director, Dr. Yandila meets with Adena colleagues to constantly improve patient care using education, technology and feedback from the communities they serve, such as the ECF (Extended Care Facility) Coalition – a group dedicated to elder & long-term care patients and reducing their hospital admissions. Through her many roles, Dr. Yandila helps bring the Adena mission of serving our communities to life.

Push, Don’t Lift

According to the National Safety Council, roughly 100 people die each year from shoveling snow with an average of 11,500 injuries that occur and require a trip to the emergency room. People need to be thoughtful and take precautions when going out to shovel their driveway. “Don’t just ‘get it done’,” says Dr. Yandila, “there are things to consider before exerting yourself out in the cold weather.” The cold causes your blood vessels to constrict, this can lead to decreased oxygen to the heart.  When you are out shoveling the snow or using a handy snow blower, this can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to suddenly increase. This action can cause clots to form and clog up vessels of your heart. So, what can you do? Take steps to best adapt and prepare for winter snow shoveling:

1. Stretch for 10 minutes before going outside – this increases blood flow and breathing and warms up the muscles before doing the hard work of shoveling.
2. Dress appropriately – wear shoes/boots with good traction, hats, gloves and dress in layers.
3. Plan breaks – don’t try to do the work all at one time. Take your time and plan small breaks where you can come inside, warm-up and drink some water.
4. Stay hydrated – drink water before, during and after your time shoveling snow.
5. Push snow versus lifting it – this will help by not putting extra strain on you back, neck and arms. Using a snow blower or a neighborhood teen is even better.
6. Tell someone what you are doing – so they can periodically check on your wellbeing while you’re shoveling.
7. Pay attention to your body – are you experiencing tightness in your chest, heart racing, shortness of breath, abnormal cold sweat or sharp pain, dizziness? Don’t overdo it. Listen to the signals your body may be sending and stop or take a break if something is not right.

Winter Fashion Do’s

Dressing appropriately for cold weather doesn’t mean being fashionable, it’s all about keeping you safe. “Most of us probably remember as kids our parents or an adult telling us to wear a hat when we went outside – and there’s really something too that,” says Dr. Yandila. “The truth is you can lose heat from other areas of your body, it is just sometimes we forget to cover our heads.  “Body heat rises and escapes from your head -- wearing a hat reduces that heat loss. It is also a good idea to cover your nose and mouth when you are outside in the cold to help you breathe in warm air and decrease the chances of irritating your nasal passages and lungs.” Dr. Yandila explains that layering your clothes is a good idea so that if you do start to get hot, you can peel off outer layers so you can remain comfortable. Wearing a moisture wicking underlayer can help keep you dry and reduce the risk of feeling chilled from damp material against your skin. If you have sensitive eyes, you may want to consider investing in a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare of the snow. And of course, it’s always a good idea to have warm gloves, socks and boots. Your extremities (hands and feet) are where frostbite can initially occur so it’s important to keep them warm. Hand and foot warmers can be a great addition for times of extended outdoor exposure.

Travel Advisory

It’s often best to stay in during bad winter weather, but if you need to venture out, here are a few precautionary tips to keep your travels safe. First, try to give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going. Slippery streets and potential black ice already make for extra hazardous driving, so don’t be in a rush. Try to keep your gas tank close to full. It adds a little weight for stability, and should you get delayed in traffic, you can stay warm and keep your car running. You should always keep a car emergency kit in your vehicle, but it can be especially important in the wintertime. “Another good idea is to pack extra blankets in your car,” says Dr. Yandila, “just in case you get stranded. And we always tell folks to make sure they have their medical information with them should they happen to get into an accident.”

Watch for ice getting in and out of the car and wear shoes/boots with good traction to help keep you upright.

Although winter weather can be challenging, by taking extra precautions, it can also be beautiful, enjoyable and safe. Folks age 55 and older, should listen to their bodies and not overdo it. If you do experience pain or injury, contact your Adena Primary Care Provider, an Adena Urgent Care or the Adena Emergency Department for the appropriate treatment.

Adena Health System, along with other statewide partners, will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to the public this week as part of the state’s Phase 1B vaccination program. At this time, Ohioans age 80 and older are the first group eligible.

The Health System is set to receive 300 doses of the Pfizer vaccine early this week in preparation to begin administration on Wednesday, January 20 at the PACCAR Medical Education Center located on the campus of Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe.

Adena’s vaccination administration will be by appointment only. The Health System has begun contacting its patients that meet the eligibility requirements to set appointments. Vaccination appointments can also be made by eligible non-Adena patients by calling Adena’s COVID-19 Hotline at (740) 542-SAFE (7233). Those who cannot get an appointment can be placed on a wait list by visiting www.adena.org/COVIDvaccine. At this time, Adena is offering the vaccine at no cost.    

WHERE:             

PACCAR Medical Education Center

446 Hospital Rd

Chillicothe, OH  45601

WHEN:            

Wednesday, Jan 20, 12–5 p.m. 

Thursday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Friday, Jan. 22, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Individuals with appointments to receive their vaccination through Adena are asked to bring photo identification and be prepared to wait approximately 15-30 minutes following their shot for monitoring. All vaccination recipients will be asked to schedule and receive their second of the two doses required from the same location at the appropriate time. 

In the early stages of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, doses will be available in limited supply for specific critical populations as a part of phased approach. As supply increases, COVID-19 vaccines will be available to all Ohioans who choose to be vaccinated.

The Ohio Department of Health has launched a tool on coronavirus.ohio.gov where Ohioans can select their county or ZIP code to see a list of providers that received the vaccine. Community members are encouraged to check the state’s website for additional vaccine administration locations. In most counties, vaccines are being made available through area health systems, hospitals, county health districts, local pharmacies and other locations. Each provider manages its own schedules and appointments. Due to the limited supply of vaccines at this time, please do not make appointments at multiple locations.

(image) For months, the approval of vaccines to stop the spread of the Coronavirus has been seen as a critical next step in the eventual return to normalcy. As approval of two vaccines thus far – produced by Pfizer and Moderna – has become reality and administration of initial doses has begun, it continues to be met with questions and uncertainty among some as they consider whether to take the vaccinations once they become generally available.

Whether their hesitance has been brought on by the uncharacteristic speed at which the vaccine was developed and approved, worries about potential side effects, misinformation circulating on social media or simply a desire to wait and see how others handle the vaccinations before agreeing to take the two-shot dosage, it has become apparent that clear communication regarding the vaccine is a must.

Adena board-certified allergists and immunologists Dr. Rekha Raveendran and Dr. Dana Esham – both having already taken the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and heartily encouraging others to do so when it becomes available to them -- have been doing extensive research on the various COVID-19 vaccines. Recently, they took some time to address many of the questions surrounding the Moderna vaccine.

SPEED OF VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

While vaccines traditionally are years in the making, there have been several factors that have contributed to the shorter time frame with this virus, including the fact that earlier last year, scientists received the genetic makeup of COVID-19, which made vaccine development easier. This circumstance, coupled with the fact that mRNA vaccines have been in development over the past decade in response to other viral diseases, have also helped speed the process along, as did the amount of funding made available to push COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing forward.

HOW THE VACCINE WORKS

One of the common concerns Dr. Esham hears from patients is that it will have a negative impact on their genetic makeup, which is not the case. The vaccine utilizes a small piece of mRNA that is picked up by the cells in the body to create the spike protein contained on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. The body’s immune system then recognizes the spike protein as an intrusion and destroys the cell while creating antibodies against that protein. Those antibodies will then attack the virus immediately if exposed to it in real life before illness can set in.

Addressing another related concern the two physicians have heard, a person cannot contract COVID-19 through the vaccine because there is no active virus within the vaccine.

“When you get the vaccine, you are getting mRNA that encodes for just a piece of the virus (the spike protein),” Dr. Raveendran said. “By getting this information, your body can make very specific antibodies to the spike protein which can neutralize the virus and protect you should you come in contact with it.”

VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS

In clinical trials, Moderna’s vaccine was shown to be 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection seven weeks after trial participants received the second dose, with just five people out of 13,934 who received the actual vaccine contracting COVID-19 versus 90 out of the 13,883 participants who were given a placebo. In the trials, the vaccine was 100% effective in the 65-and-older demographic and 93.4% effective in the 18-to-64 demographic, as well as 100% effective against severe infections. The trials also revealed that it can be administered to immunocompromised patients, but its effectiveness may be diminished for them, as well as for any patients who take the first dose but fail to receive the second.

Dr. Esham said those who receive the first dose are, at best, 50 percent protected – making that second dose essential to reach that 94.5% effectiveness. Additionally, it may take 10 to 14 days after the first shot to reach even that 50 percent protection as the body reacts to the vaccine.

She added that even after taking the second dose, people still need to take public safety precautions such as mask wearing and social distancing until enough people take the vaccine to build up more of a herd immunity.

SIDE EFFECTS

While there have been no significant side effects or allergic reactions reported out of the Moderna trials, Dr. Esham and Dr. Raveendran have fielded questions about the few reported serious allergic reactions being investigated from the Pfizer vaccine – the ingredient polyethylene glycol (PEG) is being looked at as the most likely trigger for those reactions but further investigation is still being done into the cause of those reactions. Both vaccines contain the ingredient, but the allergists noted serious allergies to it are fairly rare and that PEG can be found in many everyday products including laxatives, lubricants, toothpaste, lotions and other items. As such, they indicated those who have PEG allergies may already be aware that they have a reaction to PEG and should consult with an allergist when considering whether to take the vaccine.

The most common side effects, however, are those similar to flu shots – some pain at the injection site following the first dose and headache, fatigue, chills and some aching joints reported by some trial participants from the second dose. Those side effects typically last anywhere from two to three days and are more common following the second dose.

VACCINATIONS WITH OTHER ALLERGIES, CONDITIONS

Dr. Esham shares the story of a patient with asthma and medication allergies who didn’t think she could take the vaccine. The fact she had those conditions – particularly for a virus with breathing difficulties as a major symptom – was exactly why she should take the vaccine, Dr. Esham said.

In fact, the doctors noted, those with common food, medication, insect or seasonal allergies are no more at risk of an allergic reaction to the vaccine than those without those conditions. Those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to PEG, however, will likely be advised to avoid the vaccine.

THE UNKNOWNS

While there’s no long-term data available as yet regarding the length of the vaccine’s protection, there is 90-day data from about three dozen people showing the titers showing protection are still there. As time passes, more data continues to be collected.

“The initial data did show that the vaccinated patients have better antibody response,” Dr. Esham said. “I think that’s an important distinction for people to know.”

While getting infections naturally can lead to immunity, this is not always the case. There have been reports of patients getting COVID-19 more than once, as well as patients not having evidence of neutralizing antibodies even after severe COVID-19 infections. 

With vaccines, the goal is targeted immune response to a part of an infectious agent, in this case the spike protein. By being able to target a specific response to a specific part of the virus, the vaccine can provide a better and more specific antibody response in the majority of recipients. 

The most recent unknown comes in the form of reports of a mutated strain of COVID-19 originally coming out of the United Kingdom and now being found in some states. Both doctors said it is too early to tell what impact that may have on the effectiveness of the vaccine, but that it shouldn’t be a factor in deciding whether to take the vaccine. 

“I still think if it’s between getting the vaccine and not getting the vaccine, I would certainly get the vaccine,” Dr. Esham said. “If a new strain becomes an issue and they have to change the vaccine just like they do with the flu vaccine, then we do that.”

Dr. Raveendran added that, on occasion, the flu vaccine doesn’t always match up exactly with the predominant strain of the virus, but that it still provides enough protection to lessen the effects on those who contract the flu. The hope, she said, is that would be the same situation with any mutated strains of COVID-19. 

Moderna recently released a statement expressing confidence its vaccine will be effective against variant strains of the virus, saying the company will continue with testing against those strains.

THE RECOMMENDATION: TAKE THE VACCINE

Both Dr. Esham and Dr. Raveendran enthusiastically encourage taking the vaccine, asking those making up their minds to consider the tragic deaths, long-term health issues, social distancing, economic impact and daily struggles we all continue to experience. They also stress that those who do take it cannot let their guard down in the near future and must continue practicing socially responsible behavior regarding the virus. 

“I want people to be excited, because I think this is the first step to getting our lives back, but we need to take a cautious step because we’re not going to be back to normal life by June,” Dr. Esham said, noting the speed with which other companies get approval for their vaccines and increase the available supply across the country could impact timelines. 

Both doctors say they welcome patients to reach out to them with any questions about the vaccine that may make their decision about taking it a bit easier.

(image) Meet Madison Francis, a float pool nurse who works throughout Adena Health System and has treated COVID-19 patients, also doing post-mortem work. She said that while performing that latter role, it was not uncommon to see a patient pass of Coronavirus on any given shift. 

Here, she shares some thoughts from the front lines for members of the community to consider when deciding whether to mask, social distance, practice vigorous handwashing and avoid large gatherings.

On beliefs held by some that COVID-19 is just a bad flu and only impacts the elderly:

“There’s 50-year-old men and women passing. These are not grandmas and grandpas at the end of their life, these are 45, 50 year olds. These are not the elderly. I think a lot of people don’t take it seriously if they are 45 and healthy and they might just have asthma or hypertension or something along those lines. I take care of patients who were working a 9-to-5 job last week and now are in the hospital requiring 10 liters of oxygen.”

On beliefs held by some that masks weaken the immune system:

“Some people who argue it weakens their immune system by wearing a mask, honestly, it really makes me laugh because I’ve worked 16-plus hour shifts. Since March, I’ve worked anywhere from 40 to 72 hours a week in either a N95 mask or respirator and I’m healthy, so I don’t understand how that would weaken anyone’s immune system. One thing we do know for sure to stop the spread is to social distance, wear masks or facial coverings and practice good hand hygiene.”

On communicating with patient families:

“I’m critically care trained, so I know that when a patient comes in and they can’t breathe on their own – not intubated but they’re on high-flow oxygen therapy or a Bipap – we know what that means. Those patients are still alert and oriented and still talking and still want to communicate with their families, so I make it a point during my shift to communicate with families. I always offer using FaceTime so they can see their family member. … It is so hard to communicate (a patient’s critical condition) to (family members), or they’ll call and say, ‘I want to talk to Dad,’ but he’s on a bipap machine and can’t talk to you on the phone. I can take the FaceTime in there, but he cannot hold a phone and talk because of the machine. … We also try to make it a point to have one person who can call the rest of the family members. It takes so much time just to be on the phone and talk to the families and do FaceTime, and you’re trying to care for these people. It’s a lot, actually.”

On protecting her own family:

“Originally, with all of the uncertainties, I was going to isolate from them. Now that we know more about the virus, after each shift I change my clothes, I shower at the hospital and then I go home. I put my scrubs in a special bag and I wash them as soon as I get home. I make sure my shoes are wiped down. I actually have more fear of getting it at the grocery store than I do of getting it at the hospital now.”

On whether hospital staff are burned out:

“I really think people think our frustration is burnout. We’re not burned out. I will take care of COVID patients every single day, it’s a privilege to be able to take care of our community that way. I see that as I am there for that person.”

To hear more about the experiences of some of Adena’s frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis, please see the story “COVID-19 toll intense on Adena frontline healthcare workers.”

Adena Health System announced today that it will be transitioning its electronic medical records (EMR) to Epic, the most widely-used and comprehensive health record system in the country. The move to a new EMR platform is one of the key outcomes of Adena’s recent expanded affiliation with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Through this partnership, Adena can serve as an Epic Community Connect Partner with Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. This extends Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s electronic medical records to respective independent partners allowing Adena to leverage the expertise and resources Ohio State Wexner Medical Center invests into optimizing its own EMR platform for the sake of patient care quality. Ohio State Wexner Medical Center will assist Adena in the installation, training and utilization of its new EMR.

“Epic is the gold standard in electronic medical records and we are committed to meeting the unique needs of our region through improved clinical efficiency, health care administration and patient care," said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “When I came back to Adena, I heard loud and clear from our patients and community members that our billing needed fixed. I have also heard from our Adena providers and caregivers that our current two-system EMR is cumbersome and not ideal. That is why I am excited we will be moving to a solution that will be significantly felt by our patients and staff.”  

For Adena, Epic improves care coordination by providing an integrated, single source to access and seamlessly share health information with providers, improving clinical efficiency, safety and quality, productivity and satisfaction. Enhancements to other operational areas will be significantly impacted as well where patients will benefit from improved scheduling and registration. 

“We are excited to have Adena join our Epic Community Connect program and look forward to the substantial benefits patients will experience through the shared EMR,” said Phyllis Teater, chief information officer at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “Now both facilities can share patient records with their complete medical history to aid in better care, better referrals and better population health management. It helps keep patient care local whenever possible and provides our partners with more affordable access to a state-of the art EMR system.”  

Patients will benefit from Epic’s intuitive one-stop patient portal for mobile, tablet and desktop applications. The robust system offers patients access to all their medical records, including lab tests, medical imaging, prescriptions, vaccinations, physician referrals, and more in one convenient location. The EMR system also leverages the medical center’s referral network and allows both organizations to share best practices for improved patient care and outcomes. 

Adena’s EMR implementation will take approximately 18-24 months, with go-live in 2022.

(image) Meet Jennifer Lower, a respiratory therapist with Adena Health System working closely with COVID-19 patients daily, performing their breathing treatments, intubating patients and trying to keep them from having to go on ventilators. She has been involved with Coronavirus patients since the beginning of the pandemic, and like many of her colleagues regularly battles mental and physical exhaustion while remaining upbeat and supportive towards her patients.

Here, she shares some thoughts from the front lines for members of the community to consider when deciding whether to mask, social distance, practice vigorous handwashing and avoid large gatherings.

On the emotional toll:

“It’s hard looking into the faces of these patients who know that they’re dying and they know that they don’t have their family there and you can see it in their face. While we sit there and we hold those patients, you try to tell them it’s going to be OK, but you know it’s not. I think that sticks with me the most. We won’t be able to get some of these memories out of our heads. … I don’t know that we’ll ever forget this, ever. There are some images that are etched into your brain that we’re never going to get rid of, and we all feel the same way.”

On the patients:

“Some of these patients come in and, overall, they’re healthy. Then, within a matter of hours or days, you’re literally fighting to keep them alive. … It is literally like your own family member laying there, and it’s every single patient because we’re with them every single day, and that’s what I wish people could understand. This is so physically and mentally draining, and to see people not wanting to wear a mask – if they could only see what this really does. It doesn’t discriminate – healthy or not healthy, it can treat you the same way. You can be healthy and you can still die from the virus, and we see that. They really need to understand it can get to you, too, and we don’t want to be in there holding your hand, we want you to wear a mask and do the right things to keep yourself healthy and keep your family healthy.”

On her colleagues:

“We’ve all come together, we help each other out, if we see each other crying in the hallway – because that does happen – we’re hugging each other. … I know the community can’t see it, but in here, we feel isolated, but we are fighting this for them. We want to be here for them and we don’t want to get sick, and that’s another reason why it’s important for them to just follow the guidelines.”

On protecting their own families:

“I think all of us have concerns about our families, that’s why we try to take the proper precautions when we’re at work. We change our clothes when we get here and we change them after, and even changing right when we get home – going straight to the shower. I don’t go home and hug my kids, and that’s hard for my youngest one to understand, but even if I change my clothes and take those precautions, I’m still scared to death because I do see what it can do.”

Advice to the community:

“If you’re not going to wear a mask for yourself, at least wear it for the person next to you for whom the virus may be deadly or for somebody who has a child at home who has an autoimmune disorder that could potentially be fatal. If you’re not going to do it for yourself, do it for your front line workers who are tired and need this to end, too.”

To hear more about the experiences of some of Adena’s frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis, please see the story “COVID-19 toll intense on Adena frontline healthcare workers.”

(image) The birth of a baby has always been a symbol of new beginnings and fresh hope – and following what has been an unprecedented 2020, no year has probably been more in need of a positive start than 2021.

So when Cassandra and Charlie Dalton, Pike County natives who now live in Chillicothe, welcomed their new son, Rylan, as Adena Health System’s first baby of the New Year, it was a cause for excitement and optimism for the future.

“Hopefully he’s a good luck charm and makes this year better,” said Cassandra.

Rylan, at 9 pounds, 15 ounces and 22 inches long, entered the world at 3:41 a.m. New Year’s Day. He joins the couple’s four- and five-year-old daughters in the family, both of whom Cassandra said were more than ready to meet their new brother.

“They were so excited, they can’t wait for us to get home,” Cassandra said Friday evening.

Cassandra is looking forward to the return home as well and what the next few months have in store as they adjust to being a family of five.

“I’m looking forward to just spending time with my kids and my husband and seeing my babies grow up,” she said.

Per tradition, the New Year’s Baby was presented with a basket of baby items, clothes and other gifts, donated by the Adena Women’s Board.

Congratulations to the family.

For more about Adena Health System, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

The year 2020 has been unlike any other, with a global pandemic taking hold just a few months in, disrupting life as we knew it and leaving everyone adjusting and searching for what is considered the new normal. The year for Adena Health System was no different, but the physicians, advanced practice providers and caregivers across the nine-county region that Adena serves learned to adapt, innovate and strive in the face of ever-changing conditions brought on by coronavirus. 

Across the country, the health care industry was pushed to its limits financially, balancing the care needs of those with the virus and those without while maintaining the physical and mental well-being of the health care heroes along the frontlines. Elective surgeries and procedures were even temporarily shut down at one point by the Governor to preserve valuable personal protective equipment and staffing resources. 

Despite all these challenges and demands, Adena persevered. The Health System not only kept its promise to safely care for patients across south central and southern Ohio, but it also grew its presence in local communities, expanded its technology to meet the new needs of patients and built upon existing partnerships to bring more specialized care closer to home for patients and their families.

“This has definitely been an unprecedented year, one that none of us have seen in all our years in healthcare,” said Adena President & CEO Jeff Graham. “Adena’s mission is ‘called to serve our communities’ and I am so proud of the way our providers and caregivers have answered that calling. They not only have responded, but proactively met the challenges of this virus every day to safely provide care our region can trust. It is the strengths and talents of every person who calls themselves an Adena caregiver that we are in the position we are today. We can look towards 2021, not only with hope and promise, but with a foundation of clinical and operational excellence that will lead us for years to come.” 

Adena continued to enhance how it delivers care to patients throughout the region, achieving numerous industry accolades and announcing additional growth. These included:

• Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC), for a second consecutive year, being named one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals for 2020 by Healthgrades®;
• The Health System being named a Gallup Exceptional Workplace. Now a five-time winner, Adena was one of just 38 organizations in the world to receive this distinction in 2020;    
• ARMC’s Maternity Program being named to Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals;
• ARMC being awarded an ‘A’ in the Spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade;
• Adena Health Center - Woodlands and Adena Community Pharmacy - Woodlands opening to make care more accessible for Chillicothe’s downtown and east end residents;
• Expanding care in Pickaway County, with the opening of Adena Urgent Care - Circleville;
• Adena Family Medicine - Ironmen Clinic opening to the public to provide more localized care in Jackson County; 
• Adena and Nationwide Children’s Hospital expanding an ongoing partnership to now include 24/7 newborn and pediatric inpatient coverage and other expanded specialty services at ARMC;
• Continuing construction of the new Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute, scheduled to open on the campus of ARMC in summer 2021;
• Adena Health System receiving positive news from several nationwide credit rating agencies with Moody’s Investors Service affirming the Health System’s A3 rating with a stable outlook and S&P Global assigning its A- rating with a stable outlook; and
• The addition of 29 new physicians and advance practice providers across multiple service lines delivering even more options for comprehensive care. 

“These, and so many other accomplishments over the past year, are keeping care accessible and close-to-home for our patients and families,” added Graham. “While COVID-19 created unique challenges for safe care delivery, I am so proud of our Health System’s response to this virus and many of the initiatives we have implemented as a result, such as telehealth services; curbside labs and testing; expanded specialty services and use of our critical access hospitals in Greenfield and Waverly. These moves, and more, will have lasting positive impacts beyond the pandemic as we continue to be a trusted healthcare partner for our region.”      

For more about Adena Health System, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image) Amy Maggard, DO is a Pediatric Specialist who grew up in Athens, Ohio. She has been working in outpatient pediatrics for over two and a half years and is currently taking new patients at Adena Health Center - Waverly. She realized her passion for pediatrics in her third year of medical school. Since then, she has enjoyed treating children and making office visits fun. 

Resolve to Engage Jr.

Each new year, people resolve to make improvements in their lives. Whether it’s losing weight, eating better, completing an overdue house project, the new year gives many adults a fresh perspective on life. But have children experienced enough life to create resolutions? Maybe, maybe not. It’s difficult enough for adults to stick to their self-promises, so it might be more difficult for children and adolescents whose worlds are constantly evolving with new trends, technology and social media influences.

What would happen if you resolve to engage your child or children about their health? Show them by example that it’s important to eat healthy, exercise, get good rest, balance obligations and go to regular wellness check-ups. Together, you can work to improve aspects of your health, even if they are just small changes. The benefits would be three-fold: improving your health, helping your child/children and possibly spouse improve their health, and having a shared experience where you can celebrate wins help keep each other on track. 

Pediatric Well-Checks – the Foundation of Good Health

As part of your New Year’s promise, help your child or children understand the importance of well-checks.  Annual well-checks are needed to gauge and maintain good health, especially during the current times of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re hearing that some parents are concerned or worried about bringing their children in for non-essential check-ups due to coronavirus,” says Dr. Maggard. “But we feel it’s more important than ever for kids to have their well-checks.” 

Well-checks are important because they enable prevention, and prevention is the key to staying healthy. Well-checks also serve as checkpoints for growth, weight, diet, dental health, screenings, physical and emotional health. They help pediatricians monitor kids’ progress and intervene if adjustments should be made. Getting well-checks also teaches children that annual doctor visits are part of maintaining good health.

Important to Immunize

For children, well-checks often include a vaccination/immunization. Let your children know that this vital medicine keeps them from getting really sick and helps them to achieve good health. 

For parents of infants 0-24 months, they know it is essential for their baby’s development to follow the prescribed guidance on infant well-checks. Babies receive a number of protective immunizations in just the first 15 months of life. Immunizations protect children from birth through 18-years of age from deadly diseases like diphtheria, measles and whooping cough (the last two having made a comeback in recent years). Due to the easy transmission of these diseases, it is considered essential to get your children immunized to help protect them and others. Especially during this time of COVID-19, an outbreak of whooping cough could leave children particularly vulnerable to respiratory infection.

Now More Than Ever

With the isolation we’ve all experienced due to the impact of coronavirus, it’s important to let your children know that their well-check is also a check-up for how they are feeling. Studies have shown a rise in stress, anxiety and depression in children and adolescents since the onset of COVID-19. “We see kids feeling more isolated,” says Dr. Maggard. “The routine of sports, classes, social gatherings and daily structure have all changed. We’ve seen kids lose sleep, not eat, become depressed, retreat and display signs of chronic fatigue just because they are having difficulty adjusting to this forced ‘new normal’.” 

Well-checks can help identify problems children may be having and spot potential instances of stress and feelings of depression. “If parents have concerns or we see issues in a child’s behavior, we can work with the parent and the child in discovering triggers and trying to eliminate or minimize causes of stress and isolation,” says Dr. Maggard. If a child shows signs of stress and anxiety, Adena Pediatric Physicians are well equipped to help. Parents might be asked to limit a child’s exposure to daily news reports, or encouraged to have open conversations with their child about what’s going on in the world and with the pandemic. The Adena Pediatric staff can also refer patients to one of our many Adena counsellors for additional help.

Dr. Maggard says to help children cope with the changes brought on by the coronavirus, she suggests getting kids active and helping them develop some type of routine. Physical activities such as walking, running, online exercise, etc., can help reduce stress. In addition to getting active, reducing the time in front of the TV or on social media can also help reduce some feelings of inadequacy or feeling alone. “Plan routine family time,” says Dr. Maggard. “Game night or movie night togethercan really help a child’s perspective.”

One thing is certain, we are all in this together, so let your children know the importance of good health. Scheduling and ensuring your child’s well-checks and screenings is just one more way to help keep them structured, healthy and well-balanced in a time of uncertainty. Adena Pediatrics is here to be your partner. Call (740) 779-4300 or visit Adena.org to schedule your child’s well-check appointment today. 

Nurses, others plead with public to observe safety recommendations

The casualties of COVID-19 extend beyond the patients themselves.

Their families, unable to be in the hospital room to offer comfort, suffer. So, too, do those frontline healthcare workers who are in the room, fully invested in trying to provide what’s missing for the patient.

“The best way to describe it, we are the family for these people,” said Adena respiratory therapist Jennifer Lower. “Their families can’t come in, can’t hold their hand, can’t tell them they’re going to be OK. So we put on a brave face, we go in and tell them those things, we hug them, we cry with them. When we walk out, we have to have our moment, too. We find a room and we cry. We get so close to these patients and we have to tell them goodbye sometimes. We are who they have.”

Lower, like many others with shared experiences working with COVID-19 patients at Adena Health System, expressed frustrations the Coronavirus has produced on so many fronts. Frustration for families who can’t be with loved ones sometimes fighting for their lives. Frustration brought on by physical and emotional exhaustion. Frustration over trying not to take the mental toll of the work or the virus itself home to their own families. Most importantly, frustration when seeing those in public not wearing masks, not social distancing, not practicing good hand hygiene and choosing to attend large gatherings.

Registered nurse Madison Francis is among those sharing in those frustrations. When she reports for work, she first has to brace for the reality that someone is likely to die at some point during her shift, courtesy of the Coronavirus.

“I would say before COVID-19, I had not dealt with patient death as much because we have a palliative floor, so usually end-of-life is sent to that unit,” Francis said. “I’m a float pool nurse, so I go everywhere in the health system, but unless it was something tragic, like a code where we lost a patient, I never really dealt with death that much.

“Since the pandemic hit, I do post-mortem care and I much more regularly have seen a patient pass during several of my shifts.”

As a float pool nurse, Francis has the opportunity to work shifts away from the COVID-19 unit. She knows, however, that those assigned to that unit permanently don’t have many opportunities to get away, and she doesn’t know how they deal with the daily stress while performing their jobs at the high level needed by patients. That stress is now being shared by other healthcare providers within Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe, Adena Greenfield Medical Center and Adena Pike Medical Center in Waverly as the volume of COVID-19 patients has required their placement to be distributed throughout the Health System.

The same story is being played out in hospitals across the state, and while it may not seem possible, the ongoing holiday season may push that stress even higher as those fatigued by ten months of pandemic living and those who don’t believe the virus is as serious as it is being portrayed decide to ignore repeated public safety guidance. The result: The largest surge of new cases and hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

Nurses and physicians – often thought of when one mentions “front-line workers” – are not the only Adena Health System employees feeling COVID’s impact. Consider: 

• Phlebotomist Crystal Greene, who is among those who draw blood for testing. Maintaining the optimism that “together we are stronger than the virus,” she nevertheless feels numb and exhausted and doesn’t want to talk when she goes home after trying to be that friendly face patients need to face another rough day or night. “When I took my position in this field, I knew there would be times I would have to give more than just my 100 percent and I was prepared for that – or so you think you are. You become more than just a caregiver, you’re now someone’s ‘person’ because their loved one can’t be in the room with them due to restrictions. You go above and beyond your position because sometimes other caregivers need a helping hand, too.”
• April Thomas, a central processor in the lab at Adena Regional Medical Center. Saying she and many of her co-workers are beyond stressed and tired, Thomas notes they have been processing COVID-19 tests since the start of the pandemic – which can include anywhere from 100 to 200 specimens daily – in addition to normal daily specimen processing. The volume over such an extended period of time, and with testing only continuing to rise as cases are surging, is draining. “I don’t know if I am coming or going anymore,” Thomas said. “There have been a lot of days here lately that I sit on the edge of my bed and contemplate if I should come to work because I’m tired and stressed out, but I put on my big girl pants and come because I know that patients need my help.”
• Nichole Dailey, a phlebotomist who says working during the pandemic is one of the most stressful and frightening things she and her family have ever been through, especially as she’s seen several of her fellow phlebotomists test positive for the virus. “I worry every single day when I am working the COVID unit that I will get it or that I chance bringing it home to my fiancé and my three young boys,” she said. 

Nurse Practitioner Laura Arnett can sympathize with concerns about family transmission. Pregnant with her second child, Arnett was working in the emergency room around the time she contracted COVID-19 in October and attempted to quarantine herself in her home’s basement to protect her husband and baby – noting how heart-wrenching it was to hear her child crying and not being able to respond. Despite her efforts, they both caught the virus anyway, and while they can all count themselves among the “recovered”, she still experienced dizziness and shortness of breath a month into her recovery.

Arnett’s mother-in-law, Valerie Arnett, babysits Laura’s son. She, too, experienced a fever, shortness of breath, cough and headache for about 10 days before being admitted to the hospital on Halloween. After her discharge, she was right back in the hospital two days later when her oxygen levels dipped dramatically. She learned she not only had COVID issues, but pneumonia as well, and began what would become a five-day stay without the ability to have family with her due to visitor restrictions.

Being left alone with her thoughts only compounded her stress, she said.

“I was petrified, I was in tears,” she recalled. “It’s like you know you have it but it’s eye opening because there’s people dying of this and you have it. I had visions of a ventilator in my head – you do that, you go there. It was really scary.”

About a month removed from her hospital stay, she still has bouts with dropping oxygen levels and any exertion – just climbing some stairs or carrying her grandson, “things we take for granted” – leaves her trying to find her breath.

These are the faces not represented in the oft-reported Coronavirus numbers, the lives impacted by the decisions made by friends, family and strangers around them. They share a frustration over those who choose to ignore safety precautions, tell them masks don’t work or even deny the existence of the disease – until it’s too late.

“I had a guy who was passing – he was a do not intubate and could not breathe on his own anymore so he decided on comfort care,” Francis recalled. “So we give medications to make him comfortable so he’s not gasping for breath and he told me he did not believe in this virus – he did now, at that point – but he said he just couldn’t believe he didn’t believe in it until now.”

Francis says like many of the nurses, she does everything she can to keep a patient’s outlook positive and hope alive – a difficult task for the several who come in asking “I’m not going to make it, am I?” That effort, especially in situations in which she recognizes the odds facing a patient are pretty long, can be mentally taxing on healthcare staff who get to know COVID-19 patients pretty well because of hospital stays that can stretch over weeks.

Losing those patients can take its toll, and trying to prepare the patient’s family members before allowing them into the room in an end-of-life situation requires additional strength. 

“A lot of times when the family comes, we all walk back with them because the family is able to be there when we withdraw care,” Francis said. “While we gown them up, we tell them stories about our interactions with their loved one before they were intubated or before they weren’t able to talk anymore.” 

Francis, who tries to protect her own family by making sure she changes clothes and showers before leaving the hospital then putting her scrubs in a special bag and washing them as soon as she gets home, says it didn’t have to be this way but that misinformation has led some people to disregard suggested safety protocols. It’s not just a disease impacting the elderly population, masks don’t weaken the immune system, those dying don’t necessarily have a number of underlying conditions, she said, addressing just a few of those misinformation items widely circulating on social media.

Laura Arnett agrees, and urges people to consider the toll it’s going to take on their family if a loved one needs to be isolated in the hospital due to a Coronavirus diagnosis. Valerie Arnett, speaking from experience, said people should also ask themselves how they would feel if they were the one isolated facing an uncertain future.

“You think about a lot of things – your priorities and how you want to handle things,” she said. “It’s really scary, and you don’t know if you’re going to die, you really don’t.”

(image) Adena Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Graham has been re-elected to the Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) Board of Trustees. OHA President and CEO Mike Abrams recently announced Graham was among three members of the board re-elected for a new three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

“In this unprecedented time, Ohio hospitals are leading Ohio’s health care response to the global pandemic while navigating significant hardships, straining workforce, financial and supply resources,” said Abrams. “We look forward to working with our board to continue leading important patient safety, economic and advocacy strategies to support our mission of collaborating with member hospitals and health systems to ensure a healthy Ohio.”

The OHA Board of Trustees sets policy and strategic direction for matters affecting hospitals throughout Ohio. The board includes representatives from small and large hospitals, urban and rural hospitals, teaching facilities and independent facilities and health care systems. The board consists of four officers, the OHA president and CEO and 13 trustees-at-large.

“I am honored for the opportunity to continue my service on the OHA Board of Trustees and lend a voice for rural health care across south central and southern Ohio,” said Graham. “Adena Health System’s vision is to be our regions’ most trusted partner in health care and now more than ever our patients and community members need strong health care services that are close to home and there for them when they need us most. As an advocate for our physicians, advanced practice providers and caregivers as well, I will continue to support our health care heroes in their tireless efforts to safely care for our communities.”      

Established in 1915, the Ohio Hospital Association represents 240 hospitals and 13 health systems throughout Ohio that employ 260,000 Ohioans and contribute $31.4 billion to Ohio’s economy along with $6.8 billion in net community benefit. OHA is the nation’s first state hospital association and is recognized nationally for our patient safety and health care quality initiatives and environmental sustainability programs. Guided by a mission to collaborate with member hospitals and health systems to ensure a healthy Ohio, the work of OHA centers on three strategic initiatives: advocacy, economic sustainability, and patient safety and quality.

(image) Continuing to build on safety and convenience initiatives for patients utilizing Adena’s testing services, new structures outside Adena Urgent Care - Western Avenue and Adena Wellness Center - West, both in Chillicothe, have been pressed into use for the winter months to keep curbside testing going.

The structures, known as ootBoxes, resemble a small office measuring only about 10 feet by 8 feet, but what they bring in terms of convenience for patients and staff far exceeds their size.

“It just makes it a true drive-up service where, right now, our caregivers have been going out in the elements and having to locate the patient’s car—make, model and color,” said Jessica Matheny, Adena Service Line Director for Urgent Care & Occupational Health. “This allows for a more organized and centralized area to provide these curbside types of services.’”

Adena Urgent Care - Western Avenue, located at 55 Centennial Boulevard, recently began operating out of two of the structures, one to handle curbside lab draws and the second to deal with all curbside COVID-19 and point-of-care tests that are presented to the Urgent Care. 

Taneka Willis, who manages Adena Urgent Care - Western Avenue, said 15 parking spots have been designated for lab work and Urgent Care needs through the ootBoxes, but if those spots are filled, patients can use any of the other parking spaces in the lot. From their parked car, patients will call to register for lab draws or any other outpatient services. During the call, they will be asked if they would like to come inside the main building for service or if they would prefer a curbside option.

Those choosing a curbside option will complete the registration process over the phone and their information will be sent electronically to the appropriate ootBox. When the lab technician has the patient as being next on the list, the patient will be called and asked to pull up to the ootBox for the blood draw. The phlebotomist would then go through the usual identity and order verifications, draw blood and send the patient on their way.

Willis said the process should help with patient flow at a Western Avenue location that this year has regularly experienced daily patient counts far higher than prior to the pandemic, with its peak hitting over 150 patients in a single day for just its Urgent Care services. When lab and other ancillary services are included, the Western Avenue location is serving an average of between 350 to 375 patients daily. 

“When we started curbside draws earlier this year, we were lined up all the way down the street,” Willis said. “Now using the curbside parking spots, we can have people parked in those spots and can move pretty quickly having two phlebotomists inside the ootBox ordering (labs) or drawing (blood).”A similar process is being used for other Urgent Care services as well. Patients can visit www.adena.org/urgentcareto find estimated wait times at each location. They also can then click to reserve an arrival time at their chosen Urgent Care to help with scheduling, similar to putting your name on a wait list at a restaurant.

Upon arrival, patients will park and call the number on the sign. If they haven’t pre-scheduled a time online, they will be added to the queue at that time. Patients will then be registered and, when nurses are ready for the patient, a phone call will be made to the patient with instructions to pull up to the ootBox for their testing needs.

For more about Adena Health System, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram,or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image)

Open Your Mouth and Say, “Ahhh!

Chad Keller, DO is an otolaryngologist (more commonly referred to as ENT or Ear, Nose and Throat doctor) at Adena Regional Medical Center.  He grew up in nearby Hocking Hills and went to college, medical school and residency right here in Ohio. Dr. Keller loves his work and sees both adult and pediatric patients. 

Why Tonsils (and Adenoids)?

“One of the most common reasons we see pediatric patient's is due to concern for issues relating to the tonsils and adenoids.  So it is important to know that pediatric patients’ can have treatment for these conditions locally," says Dr. Keller.

Tonsils are part of the body's immune system. They are located in the back of the mouth on each side of throat and help stop germs from entering the body. The adenoids are like the tonsils, but are located in the back of the nose. Both contain different kinds of white blood cells which are responsible for killing germs. Once a child reaches 12-18 months, other tissues help take over the immune process and tonsils and adenoids tend to shrink over time.  When tonsils do not shrink over time, they may lead to infection or become enlarged. 

 Tonsils In or Tonsils Out? 

It’s often a question, is it better to remove a patient’s tonsils, or not? The answer? It’s really a patient-by-patient determination. “We always recommend what we feel is best for the patient which means we don’t always recommend surgery.” says Dr. Keller. 

While there are many reasons to remove the tonsils (tonsillectomy) or adenoids (adenoidectomy), there are two main reasons why a child would have their tonsils or adenoids removed, 1) they have repeated infections, called adenoiditis and tonsillitis or 2) they have enlarged tonsils which can cause issues in breathing properly during sleep called Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). Because the tonsils and adenoid are so alike, they are often removed together at the same time.

Sleep Disorder Breathing is the medical term for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in children. SDB is different than Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) that occurs in adults. In children, Sleep Disorder Breathing is most often caused by enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids. “Sleep Disorder Breathing, that’s really one of the biggest reasons we take tonsils out,” says Dr. Keller. Left untreated, enlarged tonsils and adenoids can lead to sleep deprivation in children, causing issues such as hyperactivity, bed-wetting, and “failure to thrive.” Symptoms of Sleep Disorder Breathing could be any of the previously named issues along with: 

• Snoring
• Pauses in breathing during sleep
• Restless sleep or sleeping in unusual position
• Snorting, coughing or choking
• Chronic mouth breathing

What’s Trending - Less Pain, Lower Risk 

“At Adena ENT, we offer a procedure called intracapsular tonsillectomy,” says Dr. Keller. “It’s become more popular over the last couple of years because it generally means less bleeding, less pain, less dehydration and quicker recovery time for the patient than a traditional tonsillectomy.” 

Intracapsular tonsillectomy removes almost all of the tonsil tissue, but leaves a very thin layer of tonsil tissue in place to protect the sides of the throat which offers the benefits Dr. Keller mentioned above.

Intracapsular tonsillectomies are often performed when the tonsils/adenoids are enlarged; when the tonsils/adenoids are incurring high rates of infection, a traditional tonsillectomy is recommended. Both procedures offer a fairly smooth post-operative recovery, with “less than 5% of traditional tonsillectomy patients experiencing post-operative bleeding and around 1% or less post-operative bleeding in patients who receive the intracapsular tonsillectomy,” say Dr. Keller.

Where’s My Ice Cream?

Typically, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedures are either a same day (patients come and go on the same day of surgery), or more often for younger patients, an overnight stay. “We like to observe our younger patients, to made sure they are recovering well,” says Dr. Keller. After surgery, patients are restricted to light activity for two weeks. This helps prevent strain and the potential for bleeding. Patients are also required to drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated which helps keeps the throat moist and prevents it from feeling dry and sore. And yes, ice cream is allowed. “I tell parents and patients that after a tonsillectomy, they can generally eat or drink whatever they choose.” says Dr. Keller.

Dr. Keller and the Adena ENT staff are highly skilled and experienced along with their teams of nurses, anesthesiologists, and other health care assistants. They have years of experiences with kids and adults, so should you or a loved one need a tonsillectomy, you know you are in good hands with Adena ENT. 

If you feel you or someone you know maybe suffering from continued strep, sore throats, ear infections, or has issues with disrupted sleep due to enlarged tonsils or adenoids, contact your Adena primary care provider for a referral or click here for guidance on what location and provider might work best for you.

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Adena Health System and Nationwide Children’s Hospital have expanded an ongoing partnership to now include expert, family-centered clinical care for newborns and children requiring hospitalization at Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe.

Nationwide Children’s hospitalists will begin caring for children who are hospitalized at Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC) beginning January 1, 2021. Adena and Nationwide Children’s have been working together in helping to care for the region’s children since 2011.

Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham today praised the plan that will keep families together when a child is hospitalized for illness or recovering from a procedure. “Parents understand the stress and fear that comes with having a child in the hospital,” he said. “Adding an hour drive – each way – to spend time with the child adds another layer to that overall stress. It is our hope that by incorporating Nationwide Children’s hospitalists to the care of Adena’s newborns and pediatric inpatients will give parents and families peace of mind, knowing there are now more opportunities for them to be close to their home and family as their child recovers.”

Expansion of the current partnership comes from Adena and Nationwide Children’s common goal, to give children and families in the south central and southern Ohio region greater access to close-to-home, advanced pediatric care. ARMC will now have 24/7 in-house newborn and pediatric inpatient coverage and care as well as Nationwide Children’s hospitalists rounding in the special care and well-baby nursery.

“We look forward to working with Adena to expand the quality of pediatric specialty care in the region, and increasing access to pediatric care in and around Ross County,” said Kristyn Wasylik, interim director of regional development at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Together, we are expanding the quality of care, and meeting our common goal to keep children and their families closer to home as much as we can.”

Other accomplishments related to the existing Adena/Nationwide Children’s partnership include:

• Onsite pediatric cardiology, hematology, oncology, and gastroenterology;
• Neonatal and Emergency Department consulting, ambassador support, and training for Adena’s Level II nursery;
• Partners for Kids, an Accountable Care Organization collaborating with Adena Pediatrics to ensure quality of care for children enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care;
• Education programs for Adena providers and staff;
• Direct connect lines for transport of newborn/nursery and Emergency Department services; and
• Pediatric patient education materials.

To learn more visit www.adena.org and www.NationwideChildrens.org.

As Adena Health System continues looking for creative ways to manage current and potential surges in COVID-19 patient volumes, a new program that may have relevance for patient care even beyond the pandemic launched last week.

Adena at Home is utilizing patient navigators and home health nurses, coupled with remote patient  telemonitoring, to provide an option for moving recovering Coronavirus patients transitioning to less severe symptoms out of much-needed COVID unit beds at Adena Regional Medical Center and into their own homes.

“This program is geared towards expanding our expertise beyond the four walls of the hospital and managing COVID-19 patients as much as possible in their own home environment,” said Dr. Jashanpreet Singh, Chief of Inpatient Operations. “Our goal is to pull some of the patients from that unit into this program and send them home a little earlier than they would have eventually gone, but having a dedicated care team of remote patient monitoring nurses and a team of clinicians led by (Chief Clinical Officer) Dr. Kirk Tucker and Julie Stone NP who are going to be following these patients in their home environment.”

Last Tuesday’s launch of the program is the latest in an effort to decompress bed demand in the COVID unit at ARMC at a time patient surges are more frequently reaching or exceeding unit capacity. A few weeks ago, Adena Greenfield Medical Center created an eight-room unit to accept COVID-19 patients who are recovering but not yet ready to care for themselves at home, and just recently Adena Pike Medical Center also began accepting COVID-19 patients.

Adena at Home plays off that same philosophy, but designates those same types of patients to recuperate at home. It also builds off the foundation of existing Home Health and Population Health care coordination efforts.

The program is being implemented in phases. The first phase would focus on patients currently recuperating in the COVID unit on a clear path to recovery. Upon discharge, patients would be provided with a kit containing such things an iPad with video and messaging capability, pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, thermometer and tools for monitoring symptoms such as a shortness of breath stoplight tool, anxiety tool and COVID symptom tracker form. Educational materials tackling such topics as how to isolate at home and managing symptoms at home will be part of the packet.

With those tools, patients can provide necessary information for nurses and clinicians monitoring their condition. They will get daily registered nurse phone or video status call checks for seven to 10 days depending on symptoms, as well as daily virtual rounds led by Dr. Tucker and Stone to discuss whether any changes in the treatment protocol or medication need to be made and to just speak with the patient about their condition. Patients will also have access to 24/7 support from a Population Health or Adena Home Health  nurse in case they have questions or concerns overnight.

After the seven- to 10-day period, care of the patient will transition back to the patient’s primary care provider with updated clinical  notes and medication information.

Patients will not be required to take part in the Adena at Home option, and their families will be included in the decision-making process. As of Monday, 12 patients had been enrolled.

“One of the criteria is the patient’s and family members’ willingness to be part of the program,” Dr. Singh said. “Willingness and engagement are very important. Consider this as a very important step in patient-centered medical care because you are really engaging the patient and their family into the decision-making in their health and recovery process.”

The second phase of the program would involve patients presenting with symptoms at Urgent Cares or the Emergency Department. If they are determined not to require hospitalization but are showing serious enough symptoms to require home monitoring, they would be sent home with a treatment protocol kit and access to the same remote nursing and clinical care as those in phase one.

The third phase would create the same situation for patients presenting with symptoms at primary care offices. Expansion to the second and third phases will be determined by the severity of existing pandemic conditions.

Dr. Singh and Bambi Huffman, vice president of care coordination, said there are several advantages to an approach that has enjoyed success at other health systems that have tried it, including the psycho-social advantages to the patient being able to finish their recovery in a familiar home environment. 

The program shows great potential for outlasting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think from a strategic vision standpoint, COVID has shown us that even though right now we are operating under a surge umbrella, this modality and pathway of treatment for our patients– is going to be the wave of the future,” Dr. Singh said. “Once COVID is under control and we are out of the pandemic, we can really build on these programs in the future and promote them toward patients with chronic conditions like heart failure, helping us reduce re-admissions and manage them better in their own home with patient-centered decision making .”

Dire circumstances often require creative responses. That’s certainly been the case for Adena Health System in the midst of its largest COVID-19 patient surge since the pandemic began in the spring. 

In addition to challenges created by recent rapid and marked increases in COVID positive patient volumes, mounting hospitalizations across the region also have virtually eliminated the possibility of being able to transfer patients to other health systems when Coronavirus surge numbers exceed Adena Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) 30-bed COVID cohort unit’s capacity.

In order to continue providing the most comprehensive care, not only for its COVID-19 patients but those utilizing other medical services in the communities served by Adena, the Health System has turned to several new initiatives and solutions for meeting the challenges presented by COVID-19.

“When we were for preparing for COVID-19 back in March, our focus was around understanding the virus and securing the proper amounts of personal protective equipment required to safely care for patients and protect our staff. Fast forward to today and it is vastly different,” said Adena President & CEO Jeff Graham. “We continue to see record numbers daily of COVID patients, as well as care for record numbers of patients through our urgent care locations. I cannot express enough my gratitude for our providers and caregivers during this time, as we have been able to safely care for the communities across our nine-county service region while also keeping a focus on tomorrow. Our ability to anticipate the challenges ahead and put creativity and innovation at the forefront to implement strategies quickly and effectively has allowed us to stay strong and provide care for the patients and families counting on us.” 

Here’s a brief rundown of those efforts and what they mean to patients and their families:

• Critical Access Hospitals: As patient surges in the COVID-19 unit at ARMC began to more frequently push toward capacity slightly less than a month ago, Adena Greenfield Medical Center (AGMC) and Adena Pike Medical Center (APMC) began working toward creating space in their hospitals for COVID-19 patients on the road to recovery who were not quite healthy enough to be sent home. The idea was to free up beds and staffing in the COVID-19 unit at Adena Regional Medical Center for the most serious Coronavirus patients. AGMC prepared an eight-room wing separate from the remainder of the hospital, outfitting it to safely handle the needs of Coronavirus patients, and opened it to its first patients a couple weeks ago. With the surge in hospitalizations, the unit most days is operating at or near capacity. Adena Pike Medical Center in Waverly, meanwhile, began accepting COVID-19 patients with a similar approach to that of AGMC last week.

• Adena at Home: In another effort to ease the crunch on bed space and staffing, an Adena at Home initiative began this week. Using a telemedicine and tele-monitoring approach, the program identifies COVID-19 patients recovering in the COVID units who are able to care for themselves at home but still have symptoms significant enough to require monitoring. Those patients can now be sent home with self-monitoring equipment such as an iPad with messaging and video capabilities, blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters to take readings they can share with medical staff who check in daily on their condition and answer questions or make any needed adjustments to medications. The initiative also offers 24/7 remote nursing support should a patient or their families experience something unexpected overnight. The program may be expanded over time to include patients who are showing symptoms at the Emergency Department or Urgent Cares that may not be serious enough to require admittance as an inpatient. Primary care offices may become part of a third phase of implementing the Adena at Home program should it become necessary. Patients will not be required to take part in the Adena at Home option, and their families will be included in the decision-making process as well as receive education on how they can help monitor the patient and what to do should an emergency arise.

• Use of PACCAR Medical Education Center: As a way to help determine the best course of action for patients related to the COVID-19 surge, the PACCAR Medical Education Center on the Adena Regional Medical Center campus is being pressed into service the middle of this month as a respiratory surge center. Patients arriving at the Emergency Department or referred by their primary care physician with symptoms that could suggest COVID-19 will be directed to the facility for a full evaluation and possible period of monitoring to determine the best options for their care.

• Blended and expanded staffing: Adena is aggressively pursuing additional nursing staff to help meet increasing needs brought about by the COVID-19 patient surge. In addition to conducting a recent recruitment and hiring fair to boost permanent staffing, the health system has contracted with a rapid staffing firm specializing in providing medical staff in disaster relief situations to temporarily help bolster staff levels. Many among the Health System and Adena Medical Group staff also have either volunteered to take extra shifts or to tackle other duties in order to meet staffing needs to best serve patients. 

• COVID Inpatient Placements: Adena Regional Medical Center has begun placing COVID and non-COVID patients on the same inpatient units in some trial areas. This type of blended patient placement allows for flexibility with nursing assignments and room availability, and offers more ability to match patient’s needs with provider and staff resources and skill sets throughout the system. Care teams on these units are skilled in managing a variety of other infectious disease processes such as MRSA and C-Diff in safely meeting the care needs for these patients.  

As it has been from the start, the situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic continues to be a fluid one. Adena officials will continue monitoring the latest in vaccine development and availability and making any other operational changes that should become necessary in the coming months in order to see that our communities navigate the crisis as effectively and safety as possible.

Meanwhile, every individual in the community plays a role in reducing COVID-19 patient surges. Please observe well-publicized public safety protocols, including wearing masks, maintaining at least six feet of social distancing, practicing frequent and rigorous hand washing for at least 20 seconds at a time and avoiding large gatherings. 

Graham concluded, “Our healthcare heroes need your help. Our caregivers have been treating COVID-19 patients for over 10 months – and they are exhausted. We cannot pick and choose when we follow these safety guidelines. We have to follow them every single day if we want to beat this virus. We are all in this together.”

(image) Kerry Bellew, DO, is a Primary Care Physician with Adena Chillicothe Family Physicians. He’s had years of experience in Chillicothe and treating patients for hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure Can Be Serious!

Hypertension typically occurs in adults over 30, although it’s becoming a more common occurrence for younger adults. According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of all adults in the United States suffer from high blood pressure. It is typically more prevalent in men than it is women until about the age of 65. “Hypertension is a chronic condition,” explains Dr. Bellew, “we often see it in people who are overweight or obese, smoke, have diabetes, high stress levels, have a family history of high blood pressure,  or have a high intake of sodium, fat and/or cholesterol in their diet.” There are two types of hypertension: primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary, often called essential hypertension, is the most common. It is usually attributed to a number of possible factors including age, family history, race, weight, diet, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise. Secondary hypertension is usually the result of another pre-existing condition such as kidney disease, sleep apnea, thyroid or adrenal gland issues or as a medication side effect.

By the Numbers

Typically, any blood pressure measurement that is over 130/80 is considered high blood pressure. But what do the numbers mean? The top number is the systolic measurement, the maximum pressure exerting from the heart while it is beating. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure and represents the pressure in your arteries between beats. When these numbers are elevated beyond 130/80, it means your heart is working much harder than normal to pump blood through your arteries. Over time, the increased pressure can lead to other health issues such as heart disease, stroke, aneurisms, kidney failure and more. Dr. Bellew comments that according to the Mayo clinic, “Every extra pound of weight we carry, we add 5 miles worth of blood vessels. If your heart beats 100,000 times a day, it has to travel 500,000 miles a day for one pound of fat.” That means your heart has to work much harder to get blood pumping through your body and why being overweight often leads to high blood pressure.

Silent but Deadly

Dr. Bellew recommends that anyone 18 or older should get an annual blood pressure reading – more if they have increased risk factors like being overweight, smoking, lack of exercise, or a family history of hypertension. “The trouble is, hypertension symptoms are often silent,” says Dr. Bellew. Often if people are having symptoms such as blurry vision, headaches or general fatigue they could be in a hypertensive urgency state (high blood pressure not yet in danger of critically impacting organs), or a hypertensive emergency state (high blood pressure with the danger of damaging organs). “If any of these symptoms occur repeatedly, patients should contact their physician immediately,” says Dr. Bellew.

Can-trol

The good news is hypertension can be controlled on several levels. First, just simple lifestyle changes, like losing 10 pounds, can make a difference advises Dr. Bellew. Changing your diet by reducing sodium, fat and cholesterol can also help. “There are a ton of foods with high sodium content,” comments Dr. Bellew. “By reducing the times people eat out, or eat frozen or canned foods, that can make a difference because they often contain a lot of sodium.” If improved diet and exercise aren’t working, there are a number of effective medications that can help patients control their blood pressure. At Adena, our health care teams work with patients to make shared decisions on what might work best to control their hypertension. “There’s not always one set treatment path,” says Dr. Bellew, “but there are a number of trusted options to help patients gain control of their blood pressure.” 

If you suffer from hypertension, have risk factors or haven’t had your blood pressure taken in the past year, contact Adena at 740-779-FIND (3463) or click here for guidance on what location and provider might work best for you.

Adena Health System announced today that it will be tightening its visitor restrictions on Monday, November 23, 2020 in an effort to help limit the spread of Coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses, as inpatient volumes at its hospitals and COVID-19 positive cases across the region continue to rise.  

“One third of all confirmed positive Coronavirus cases in Ohio since February have occurred in the last two weeks,” said Chief Clinical Officer Kirk Tucker, MD. “That shows you the magnitude of this current surge. It is trends like this that our clinical and operations teams examine closely and make decisions that are in the best interest for our patients, visitors, physicians and staff.” 

He added, “This is why Adena is moving back to a tightening of our visitor restrictions. It is important to know that we were unanimous in our plan not to go to a zero visitor policy at this time. Having zero visitors is bad for patient morale, but also creates challenges with staff coordinating patient discharge plans with family members or support persons not present.”

Effective Nov. 23, 2020, at Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe, Adena Greenfield Medical Center in Greenfield and Adena Pike Medical Center in Waverly, visitor access will be limited to:

• One named visitor on Non-COVID Inpatient Units per day during limited visiting hours;
• One named visitor in Emergency Departments for non-COVID suspected or confirmed patients;
• One named visitor for Inpatient Maternity/Labor & Delivery/Pediatrics COVID patients per patient including minor patients and one visitor for non-COVID patient with exception of minor patients who will be allowed one parent in addition to one named visitor;
• No visitation with the exception of end of life for Confirmed or Suspected Inpatient COVID patients;
• No visitors in ICU without clinical team approval;  
• Up to two visitors limited to immediate family for any End-of-Life Situations;
• One visitor for Elective Surgery patients going home after the procedure;
• No visitors on the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit;
• No visitors for Outpatient/Ambulatory Clinic visits and testing unless the following exceptions;
  • Minor patients (under 18) – two visitors, limited to only parents or guardians
  • OB and Pediatric clinics:  new mothers with lifting restrictions 
  • OB Clinic: no visitors 
  • Pulmonary Clinic: one visitor for patients struggling with ambulatory issues 
  • One visitor/support person for patients with significant physical or mental disabilities 
  • Support person required for care planning or to support of disease management (i.e., cancer diagnosis) – must be approved by provider in advance
  • Patient brought in by transport
• No visitors under age 18;
• One named visitor acting in the role of a Caretaker for non-COVID patient will be allowed access if meet requirements set by clinical team;
• Inpatients may have one in-person Spiritual Support visit by their own clergy for brief spiritual support if requested by patient and family; 
• Due to space limitations in relation to social distancing, waiting room areas are closed to visitors; and 
• Visitors are not to be loitering in the hospital and must remain in patient room at all times. 

Hospital visiting hours will be limited to 2 - 7 p.m., seven days a week. Adena’s Visitor Policy is available to view at www.adena.org/VisitorPolicy. To assure a safe environment, all visitors are required to participate in the COVID-19 screening process at entrances, maintain social distancing, follow hand hygiene guidelines, and must wear a mask or face covering throughout their visit including while inside of the patient room.

BreatheWell Ross and the Partners for a Healthier Ross County, join the American Cancer Society in promoting the 45^th Great American Smokeout, an annual event the third Thursday in November each year, to encourage smokers to make a plan to quit smoking. 

In both their 2016 and 2019 community health needs assessments conducted by Partners for a Healthier Ross County, smoking was linked to three of the top five leading causes of death in the community, including heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory issues like COPD. 

“Not only is smoking and other tobacco use contributing to early death of Ross County citizens, but it also is occurring at higher rates than in other parts of the state and country,” said Kim Jones of Adena Health System and co-chair of Partners for a Healthier Ross County. The 2019 assessment survey determined that more than 25% of Ross County citizens use tobacco, which is almost 10% higher than the rest of the nation. These statistics enabled the Ross County Health District to obtain a grant from the Ohio Department of Health in 2018, and coordinate BreatheWell Ross, a sub-committee of Partners for a Healthier Ross County that educates the community on the dangers of smoking and vaping, as well as promotes the options smokers have locally to help them quit. 

Kim Hardesty, coordinator of BreatheWell said, “There are accessible options for cessation such as the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line. By dialing 1-800-QUIT-NOW, you get telephonic support, access to free nicotine replacement therapy, and a cessation counselor to help you develop your plan to quit and follow up.” Other options within the community include the Adena Quit Clinic, which provides in-person counseling and support, or talking to your primary care provider.

Although smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States, Hardesty noted that smokers can and do quit smoking, and we can continue to see more former smokers than current smokers if the community works together to encourage cessation and provide the support needed to quit. 

For more information on smoking and vaping cessation, contact Kim Hardesty at the Ross County Health District, at 740-779-9652 or khardesty@rosscountyhealth.org.

(image) Dr. Jeffrey Rose, MD is an experienced oncologist at the Adena Cancer Center. During his 11 years in practice, Dr. Rose has helped his patients manage every type of cancer, with emphasis on lung, breast and colorectal – the three most common cancer types. His key advice to patients, “Screening is of the utmost importance.”

The Factors in Risk

There are several factors which could increase your risk of getting cancer explains Dr. Rose. One is genetic. You could have a higher risk factor if your family has a history of cancer. Another is your health behavior. If you smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke, are overweight, have an unhealthy diet, lack exercise or have possible radon exposure*, you could be at greater risk for cancer. Additionally, if you aren’t getting age appropriate screenings for cancer, you increase your risk of late-stage detection. This could lead to a fatal cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Rose says there are potential warning signs for cancer. A patient should consult their physician if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Abnormal lumps or thickening under the skin
• Sores or cuts that don’t heal
• Unexplained weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual bleeding or discharge from any part of the body
• Blood in urine
• Change in bowel habits, black, tar-like stools, or bright blood per rectum
• Persistent cough or hoarseness
• Difficulty swallowing or persistent indigestion
• Change in warts or moles

Screening is Believing

A screening test is used to look for a disease when a person doesn’t have symptoms. (When a patient does have symptoms, tests are considered diagnostic.) The most common cancers Lung, Breast, Colorectal and Prostate, all have advanced screening tests that are recommended at key target ages. 

Guide for Cancer Screening

The Right Approach

“Advancements in cancer treatment have come a long way in the last five to ten years with new medicines and medical approaches,” explains Dr. Rose. Based on the type and stage of cancer, the Adena Cancer team works together with primary care and other specialists to determine what treatment option, or combination of treatment options might work best for a patient. “Sometimes we can provide surgical options and avoid more intensive treatments like chemotherapy,” says Dr. Rose. In other cases, the team may use chemotherapy before or after surgery to improve outcomes. Treatment is designed around each specific patient. “Our Adena care teams work together. We hold weekly tumor conferences to discuss each patient’s needs and treatment responses.”

Adena offers genetic counselling for patients. If a patient has a certain genetic mutation, we work with genetic teams at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to help understand, screen, counsel and evaluate the patient and the patient’s family. This helps determine the best pathway to care. 

Through a collaboration with the Columbus Community Clinical Oncology Research Program (NCORP), Adena patients also have potential access to clinical trials for leading-edge cancer treatments.

“The key is age-appropriate screenings for early cancer detection,” says Dr. Rose. “With advanced technologies and medications, cancer patients have more opportunities than ever to beat cancer, but they need to have regular screenings to detect any issues early.”

Patients can also evaluate their potential cancer risk with the Adena online Heath Risk Assessment tools. Knowing your risk, sharing your results with your doctor and regular screening can be some of the best tools to fight cancer. 

* Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. It comes from a combination of elements in the soil which occurs with some frequency in southern Ohio. It is can often emanate from cracks in basement floors and walls.

Adena Health System is searching for new and experienced Medical Assistants (MAs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) with a passion for caring for others. During its hiring event, Adena will accept applications and host open interviews for nurses at all stages of their career.

 Opportunities are waiting for both MAs and LPNs.

When:    Thursday, November 19, 2020

               4 to 6 p.m.

Where:   Adena PACCAR Medical Education Center

               446 Hospital Rd.

               Chillicothe, OH  45601

Instructions for the event:

• Complete the online application in advance of the event
  • https://pm.healthcaresource.com/cs/adena/#/job/2627
• Medical Assistant applicants must currently be registered or certified in the state of Ohio or have the ability to obtain their certificate within 90 days of hire. 
• LPN applicants must be licensed in Ohio or have the ability to obtain their license within 90 days of hire. 

All interested MAs and LPNs are encouraged to attend this hiring event. Sign-on bonuses of $1,500 for MAs and $2,000 for LPNs are available. Opportunity for the sign-on bonus will be active for those who apply through November 30, 2020.

During the event, all state and local health guidelines for social distancing and masking and enhanced safety measures will be strictly followed to ensure everyone’s health and well-being.

Lung Cancer Screening Event Saturday, Nov. 21

Never smoking or quitting smoking have been proven to reduce the incidence of lung cancer, but the greatest chance to survive lung cancer is by catching it early. This can be accomplished with a simple lung cancer screening.

Entering its sixth year, Adena Health System’s free lung cancer screening program has become a national model for excellence – and is saving lives. Since it began in 2014, Adena has screened over 3,000 people for lung cancer, diagnosing nearly 100 confirmed lung cancer cases and finding a range of other critical conditions including breast cancer, heart aneurysms, tumors and other conditions they may not have found without the benefit of the free CT scan.

Many people may not experience symptoms linked to lung cancer, especially in the early stages. This is why a lung cancer screening is so important. The no-cost lung cancer screening is a simple, painless, low dose, non-invasive CT scan that can identify tumors or lesions potentially needing further medical attention.

Those eligible for the free screening are: 

• Between 55-74 years old; 
• Have 30 or more “pack years” of smoking in their past (a pack year = 1 pack a day for 30 years, 2 packs a day for 15 years, 3 packs a day for 10 years, etc.); and  
• Are a current smoker, or someone who has quit smoking in the past 15 years

If you or a loved one meet these criteria, please consider setting up a free lung cancer screening. People in the above groups are recommended to have a lung screen each year for the greatest chance of survival in the event of a lung cancer diagnosis.

Adena’s free lung cancer screenings are available year round, but the Health System will be holding a special screening event, in recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.  

Adena Free Lung Cancer Screening Event

Saturday, November 21, 2020

8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Adena Regional Medical Center
272 Hospital Road
Chillicothe, OH 45601

Patients meeting the screening criteria may schedule an appointment for this specific event, or a future lung cancer screening by calling (740) 542-LUNG (5864).

As you prepare to leave home and stare at that mask on the dresser -- deciding whether you want to put it on -- spend a minute thinking about those who may be impacted by your decision.

Think about the people who have contracted the Coronavirus and seen it negatively impact or even end their lives. Think about children fearful of getting too close to parents in self-quarantine or families with empty chairs at the dinner table. Think about those physicians, nurses and other hospital staff members putting themselves and their families in harm’s way to care for yours -- battling exhaustion and much worse in the process.

Then put yourself in their place.

“I’ve had so many one-on-one conversations with the nurses working the COVID unit and I’ve been completely humbled by their experiences because it’s not so much about the workload, but it’s about the emotional piece of it – not just what’s happening in their 12-hour shift, but how it’s impacting them personally,” said Lometa Smith, Director of Nursing at Adena Health System. “We’re dealing with a group of nurses that typically, prior to (the Coronavirus), rarely saw a death on that unit. Now, it’s something that they have had to learn to deal with.”

Think about that for a moment. They’ve had to learn to deal with it -- learn to deal with the deaths of people they’ve provided care for and gotten to know over days and weeks in the hospital. 

Could you do that? 

Unfortunately, in the communities served by Adena, not everyone is thinking about their decisions in those terms. Whether due to COVID fatigue, claims masks are uncomfortable or infringe upon personal freedoms or simply accepting the virus as a “new normal,” area residents who generally wore face coverings in public early in the pandemic have been moving away from the practice, even while more counties move into the Ohio Department of Health’s orange and red zones indicating a high incidence of the virus.

COVID-19 hospitalizations across southern Ohio and the rest of the state are experiencing a fresh surge, putting strains on hospital beds, ventilators, ICU beds and hospital staffing. More than 40 of Ohio’s 88 counties – including Ross, Pike, Highland and Fayette – are listed as red on the Ohio Department of Health’s Public Health Advisory System, the third of four levels of public emergency indicating high exposure and spread with a recommendation for residents to limit activity as much as possible. Many of those counties, including the four mentioned above, also were labeled as having a high incidence of cases – putting them just one step below a Level 4 purple designation carrying a recommendation that residents only leave home for supplies and needed services.

While the health care services provided by Adena have spent the first seven months of the pandemic preparing to handle case surges, the size of those surges -- which can be limited by following simple preventative measures such as universal face masking, social distancing and good hand-washing practices – is a critical factor in that response. Recent peaks in hospitalizations in Adena’s COVID unit have created a strain both within the unit and elsewhere. To help handle the load, Adena moved some of its acute care patients to its critical access hospitals in Greenfield and Waverly offering the same quality of care. The Health System also reached an agreement with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to have OSU take Coronavirus patients should Adena’s unit reach its patient limit. In another example of health systems looking out for each other in times of crisis, Holzer Medical Center in Jackson also offered to take COVID patients if necessary.

According to the Ohio Hospital Association, hospitals have been working locally, regionally and statewide on preparedness through data collection, modeling and planning coordination in an effort to prepare for worst-case scenarios of pandemic spread. Individually, hospitals, clinics and physician offices are ensuring patient safety by actively cleaning areas and surfaces, limiting the number of visitors, screening visitors for signs of Coronavirus and following other protocols so that Ohioans can keep up with their preventative and routine health care that is also essential to have addressed.

The OHA recently launched a $1 million public awareness campaign, “Do the Right Thing,” to encourage actions that can limit the spread of the virus and to showcase the efforts of healthcare workers on the front line of the fight against it.

The toll of surges on front-line healthcare workers is significant. Besides the mental strain of regularly putting themselves at risk of exposure to the virus, they often find themselves spending more time away from their own families, working long hours, covering shifts for co-workers and sometimes taking on additional tasks beyond their own job descriptions when patient loads increase dramatically.

The recent case surges come at a critical time. Months of colder weather loom close on the horizon, which will limit people’s activities and force them indoors where air is recirculated through enclosed spaces. The traditional cold and flu season is in its early stages. The approaching Thanksgiving through New Year’s holiday season will have scores of people weary from COVID fatigue desperate to gather with friends and family.

As much as they may want to forget the pandemic for a little while, it’s going to become more important than ever for people to recognize the situation for what it is and to take the actions each individual has available to them to fight back.

“When you look at the numbers, they’re real,” said Rhett Holland, Adena Vice President of Quality and Safety. “COVID is still a deadly virus and the one thing it needs more than anything else is us. It needs us to spread. It needs us to survive.” 

It’s time, therefore, for each of us to take back the power that will ensure that businesses stay open, our economy rebounds, our health care system remains fully functional and our children can continue to stay involved in sports and other activities. It’s time to take a stand to protect yourselves, your neighbors, your loved ones and those you pass in a grocery store aisle or stand next to in line at the post office.

That power is simple to summon. Wear a mask. Practice frequent and vigorous handwashing. Stay at least six feet apart from others. Avoid large gatherings of people.

The power to help end all of this exists. Ultimately, it rests with you.

(image) Jill Hopkins is a Registered Licensed Dietician who has counselled many new and existing diabetic patients. She has been serving Adena patients for over 35 years. Her passion is teaching patients that diabetes is manageable, and how they can continue to live happy, healthy and long-lasting lives.

Answer to Diabetes? You Bet There Is

“When I consult a patient for the first time who has received a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, I let them know right away that they can control diabetes, it doesn’t have to control them. And, if they take care of themselves, they can live a long and healthy life,” says Hopkins. Many people think that long-term diabetes complications like losing a foot, blindness or dialysis are inevitable outcomes, but Hopkins strongly reinforces this is not the case. Adena has many resources, like Hopkins and her team of dieticians, Adena physicians and certified diabetes educators who work together with patients to help them best face and manage the challenges of diabetes. 

Pause for The Cause

Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose provides energy to your cells, tissue, muscles and brain and is regulated by insulin. People with diabetes are not able to produce insulin as they should. This impacts the amount of glucose that remains in their bloodstream, causing high blood sugar levels which can lead to more serious health issues over time. Symptoms of diabetes are increased tiredness or fatigue, increased hunger or thirst, unexpected weight loss, frequent urination, blurred vision and slow healing cuts, bruises or skin infections.

What’s Your Type?

There are three types of diabetes – Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational. 

 According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), over 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year; 90 percent of which are patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Old Habits, New Tricks

“Many of the patients we see with Type 2 diabetes have unhealthy lifestyles which lead to them to being overweight or possibly obese and subsequently their diagnosis,” says Hopkins. She works with the Adena medical staff to interview patients and set an individualized course in how to approach their health and diabetes management. With many of the Type 2 patients being 65 and over (nearly 29%), it can often be challenging to help people change lifelong habits. But Hopkins and the Adena teams work with patients to make incremental changes to the patient’s lifestyle and not get discouraged. “At first, we identify just a few small things they can change to help improve their diet and health, like eliminating soda, energy drinks or sweet tea, or by choosing an apple over a cookie,” says Hopkins. “Initially we shoot to have a person lose 5-10 percent of their body weight which can make a big impact in their health and how they feel.” The team continues guiding and counselling the patient in a reasonable step-by-step process so that old habits can be replaced with new, healthier behaviors.

A1c is the Key

A1c stands for glycated hemoglobin and represents a percentage of how much sugar is attached to the blood's hemoglobin protein. The A1c test measures of how well your body has controlled the amount of sugar in the blood over the past two to three months. Monitoring your A1c is critical for diabetes management and health improvement. The following chart gives guidance on A1c levels, but patient’s A1c goals may be determined more by their health and other medical conditions. A1c testing is not a replacement for blood sugar testing which for most diabetics should be tested at least 2-3 times a day.

Tips, Tools & Tech

Hopkins and the Nutrition Services team are very experienced in training patients in diabetes management and control. They use tools like plastic food models and properly proportioned plates, cups and bowls to instill healthy food choices and portion control in patients. They advise new patients to bring a family member or loved one who can help encourage and support a patient with their new diet choices and health journey. Patients can utilize the convenience of telehealth visits to make regular check-ins. And there are also a number of technology applications (apps) that can help monitor blood sugar, food intake, sleep and exercise. Helping a patient gain control of their life is how they gain control over diabetes. “There are many tools and technology that can help patients today,” says Hopkins. “We want patients to know that they are not alone and that Adena is here to help them take control of their diabetes and their overall health.”

Adena Health System is expanding its care for patients with the addition of three specialty providers, across multiple service lines. These incoming physicians and advanced practice providers are delivering even more options for comprehensive, close-to-home care for our patients throughout the region.

Adena is pleased to welcome:

Jennifer Davis, Audiologist, is now serving patients at Adena Audiology in Chillicothe. Davis returns to southern Ohio following five years of practice in Georgia. She earned her Clinical Doctorate of Audiology from Ohio University.

Gowtam Ravipati, MD joins the growing group of specialists with Adena Cardiology. A board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Ravipati earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is currently accepting new patients in Chillicothe and Waverly.

Rekha Raveendra, MD, comes to Adena Allergy and Immunology adding needed services to the region. Dr. Raveendra earned her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, OH. She is currently accepting new patients in Chillicothe.

For more about these and other Adena providers, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image) When Adena Cancer Center opened in 2012, it promised cancer patients, their friends and families quality, comprehensive cancer care close to home.

Within that promise, the word comprehensive is key because a cancer diagnosis creates turmoil inside a patient beyond the obvious physical challenges. Uncertainty over future prospects, whether anything could have been done to prevent it, how family will respond to the diagnosis, whether it will be fatal – all are among questions that patients grapple with and family members struggle to answer without having a shared understanding of what their loved one is going through.

That’s where healthcare providers such as oncologist Dr. Shylaja Mani, who believes providing critical emotional support is almost as important as the physical care she delivers, come into play.

 “I  know empathy is the biggest thing for these patients, just listening to their problems and trying to address their problems, whether it’s physical or emotional or psychological, whatever it takes to get them through these treatments because breast cancer is a multi-disciplinary treatment – it involves surgery, radiation, hormone therapy and chemotherapy sometimes,” Dr. Mani said. “The treatment itself lasts six to nine months – it’s a long time to go through treatment for your cancer. My approach to them is to be empathetic and be a listener to their problems.”

That need may be even greater in the age of COVID-19, as restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the virus also have limited patients to just one family member accompanying them on visits to the Cancer Center. Dr. Mani, who has been an oncologist for five years and is in her second year with Adena, said the emotional support role was among the factors that led her into cancer treatment.

“Sometimes (cancer) strikes you all of a sudden and the devastating news forms a deep bond (with those providing care),” Dr. Mani said. “We become their family member and hold their hands through to the end (of treatment) and it gives you a lot of job satisfaction.”

That satisfaction does come with a risk. Since she develops an almost familial connection with her patients, Dr. Mani says “it really hits you hard” if something goes wrong, especially if the downturn is unexpected.

Dr. Mani is quick to point out that physicians are far from the only ones who step up to provide the various levels of support cancer patients need. Everyone from the social workers and financial counselors, who deal with any transportation or financial hardships that may impact patient treatment, to nurse navigators like Holly Hooks and Carrie North, who follow patients from diagnosis through the end of treatment, help bring hope and relief to patients.

“We have a comprehensive (breast cancer) program in our cancer center,” Dr. Mani said. “When they get their mammogram and are diagnosed with breast cancer, their care starts at that point. The nurse navigators are involved from the very beginning and make sure the patients get their appointments with the different specialists they’re supposed to see.”

The Cancer Center also utilizes a multidisciplinary tumor board conference that provides a comprehensive evaluation of patients with a new diagnosis of breast cancer to make sure the course of treatment is in line with what the most current guidelines recommended. That way, if a patient is facing significant challenges, more than one person will be involved in making decisions about what is best for that patient. 

Hooks, a nurse for 28 years – the last 25 of which have been spent at Adena – is an integral part of the patient care process. Immediately prior to becoming a nurse navigator for the Cancer Center, she was working as a nurse navigator with patients primarily over the telephone. She realized through that experience how badly she missed the direct personal contact with patients and the accompanying bonds that form from that contact.

“I usually will call the patients and touch base with them on their diagnosis, so I feel like we connect right at that moment that we tell them they have breast cancer,” she said. “I tell them I’m there to listen, that I’m here to help them. I identify any barriers that might inhibit their care and I’m here to help break those walls down.”

Hooks is thankful for her opportunity to work with breast cancer patients because the number of different treatment options when compared with other types of cancer give her the opportunity to provide them with one of the greatest needs of all – hope.

The relationships formed between patient and provider generally don’t end with the completion of a treatment program. It’s not uncommon for patients to surpass the five-year mark with no recurrence, which Dr. Mani said constitutes being “cured,” and then to keep following up with their physician for the next 10, 15 or 20 years.

“They’ve developed that bond with us and they feel in a safe place that the oncologist is kind of watching over things for them,” Dr. Mani said. “They’re doing their part getting their annual mammogram, which is all it takes to monitor (their progress), but just seeing us and meeting with us that once a year makes them feel secure and safe. We also screen and treat for long-term complications from their cancer therapy. Even though it’s been a long time since I’ve treated them, I still remember how remarkable their journey was – how strong they were, what the hardships were, how they somehow got through all that.

“I do share some of these experiences without revealing any personal information with my patients who are currently being treated and have challenges. To know that somebody else was in the same boat as them instills more hope and confidence and a light at the end of the tunnel.”

At the end of the day, it’s that endurance and hope that are important, she concluded. Those traits, coupled with promising discoveries and remarkable treatment advances in the field of breast cancer, should result in growing numbers of women making the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor.

The Adena Cancer Center holds accreditations from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer and American College of Radiology – the latter for its radiation oncology work -- demonstrating that it is truly providing comprehensive care for patients and their families in the community.

Adena Health System, the Ross County Commissioners, the City of Chillicothe, Ross County Health District and Chillicothe City School District have joined forces to assist qualified Ross County residents in gaining free access to COVID-19 testing. Qualifications for this testing include: the person must be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or if asymptomatic, must have been in contact with a person identified as carrying the Novel Coronavirus.

 The Ross County Commissioners have allocated Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to cover the cost of testing for any qualified resident of Ross County who needs a test. Adena Health System will execute the testing program through its multiple COVID-19 testing facilities, after the person contacts the Adena COVID-19 Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233).

“Ross County was fortunate to be awarded funds from the CARES Act,” said Commissioner Steve Neal. “The costs associated with COVID-19 testing is forcing some families to make a decision to forgo or delay testing when experiencing symptoms of the virus. This collaboration with Adena, the City of Chillicothe, and the Ross County Health District gives us an opportunity to provide testing for qualified Ross County residents at no cost to them, and saving lives.” 

If a resident of Ross County - or any county in the south central and southern Ohio region - believes they have symptoms of Coronavirus; or if they are not showing symptoms but have been in contact with someone confirmed to have the virus, they should call the Adena COVID-19 Hotline before seeking care. Once callers access the COVID-19 Hotline, a screener will conduct a brief interview to determine if testing is needed. An appointment will then be set up for the caller at one of Adena’s Urgent Care testing facilities throughout the region.

Patients with COVID-19 symptoms will:

• Be scheduled for a required exam at the testing location; and
• Testing will be administered and sent to Adena’s lab for processing.

Patients not showing symptoms but who have been in contact with a COVID-positive person will:

• Be scheduled for a curbside nasal swab at their nearest testing facility;
• The patient will NOT exit their vehicle; and 
• Receive a COVID PCR Test with results provided in two to five days, depending on statewide testing volume.

Because of the virus’ high risk to others, COVID-19 testing is NOT a walk-in service at Adena Urgent Care locations or physician offices. For anyone in need of a test, the first act is to CALL Adena’s COVID-19 Hotline at 542-SAFE to begin the process of setting up an appointment.

Expanding community-wide testing also includes the addition of in-school testing for any Chillicothe City Schools student. This in-school testing is being provided with CARES Act funding that has been awarded to the City of Chillicothe.

“Any Chillicothe City Schools student with COVID-19 symptoms, or who has been identified by the Ross County Health District as being in contact with a COVID-19 positive person can be tested at school, and at no cost to their family,” said Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney. “By having in-school access to testing, school personnel can quickly identify and separate students who may be carrying the virus or exposed to it faster and more effectively.”

To be tested at school, a child’s parent or guardian must approve the use of in-school testing. Parents may also request testing for their child if they are symptomatic or if they have been exposed to a person confirmed to have the Novel Coronavirus.

With Chillicothe’s in-school testing program, the Ross County Health District is providing the testing swabs, with samples being collected by the school nurse. Once complete, the swab is taken by courier to Adena’s laboratory for processing and results. Non-symptomatic students will have the COVID PCR Test, which could take several days for processing, depending on statewide volumes. Symptomatic and asymptomatic students will be dismissed from school to quarantine or isolate – if showing symptoms – at home until they receive Health District clearance to return.

“Thanks to Mayor Feeney and the City of Chillicothe for identifying CARES Act funds to launch this needed testing protocol in our city schools,” said Debbie Swinehart, Superintendent, Chillicothe City Schools. “This assistance will enable us to identify and separate infected students, reducing risk to other students, faculty and staff.”

Testing costs for students attending Ross County area schools will be covered by the Ross County Commissioners CARES Act dollars. Testing is not currently being performed within county schools, but parents/guardians with a symptomatic child/children or a non-symptomatic child should begin the testing process for their child/children by first calling Adena’s COVID-19 HOTLINE at 740-542-SAFE and following the steps outlined above.

“The commitment of our community partners in supporting this specific health care need of individuals, families and children comes at a time when we are seeing more cases of the virus in our hometowns and region,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “By making sure no family has to decide if or when to come forward for COVID-19 testing is nothing short of a blessing for many people, and the overall safety of our communities and region.”

To meet growing community need, Adena has doubled the number of staff serving patients through its COVID-19 Hotline, cutting down on-hold time. The Health System has also increased staff in its Urgent Care/Testing locations to meet the increasing number of people in need of COVID-19 testing, as well as treating the patients expected as we enter influenza season. Adena has begun similar talks with other communities in its nine-county service region.

Graham assured, “Despite this long span of providing intense care for patients with COVID-19, and the growing volumes of people entering the testing process, Adena’s dedicated caregivers continue to stand ready to navigate the current spike in cases, and to meet the health care needs of people in our communities.”

COVID-related visitor restrictions prompt creative response by Women & Children’s Center for safe baby viewing.

Nobody wants to see their Grandpa Joe climbing a ladder or Aunt Helen perched atop a wobbly chair outside the windows of the Women & Children’s Center trying to get a glimpse of the latest addition to their family.

A version of those scenarios has played out, however, outside the windows of patient rooms where mothers have been bonding with their newborns since precautionary visitor restrictions were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(image)

Prior to Coronavirus, an expectant mother could have up to several visitors at a time while in labor and delivery and an unlimited number of visitors once moved into the mother/infant rooms after giving birth. Once the virus became a factor, expectant mothers were permitted one support person – a spouse, significant other or another family member, for instance – during labor and delivery and for the remainder of their hospital stay to prevent the spread of Coronavirus to Adena’s littlest patients.

The change in protocols produced a considerable and concerning outcome as families had to change how they viewed their new baby.

“We were seeing that families were attempting to view babies through the (patient room) windows in maybe not the safest manner because the windows on the outside aren’t level with what’s on the inside – so they would have a chair or a ladder or some other type of item that they would just have in their car and they were trying to stand on it and look in the window,” said Tasha Turner, nurse manager of pediatrics and the nursery. “We were really concerned someone was going to get hurt. (It was happening) almost every day.”

While safety was a critical part of the problem, it wasn’t the only concern. Turner explained that Women & Children’s leadership were concerned that a family member may accidentally look in the wrong window.

The challenge was to find a way for families to safely view their newest loved one without having to enter the ward to do so.

“We discussed how we can allow families to see the new baby because we know that’s important to families, so we started thinking is there another area we can use to make this possible?” Turner said. 

Since infant safety is one of the ward’s top priorities, its leadership knew they had to be careful with their decision.  They had a few meetings on the issue and walked the unit looking for the best option. 

“We found this one area out on Mother/Infant -- it’s a large window facing out toward the parking lot, and we thought if we could do something to make the outside area (leveled) up to the inside area, then we would easily be able to have the family look in at the baby.”

They worked with Jeff Mundhenk, Facilities Director, to develop a plan to achieve this. The result is a newly constructed wooden ramp leading to a platform outside that window just off the northeast corner of the hospital. With signage and guidelines posted, families are able to schedule a time to stand on the platform and look at the new baby resting in a crib by the window. Times will be arranged between the new mothers and their family members, then ward staff will be informed when times are confirmed.

“We want to make sure that we’re keeping an eye on that area to make sure everyone is safe, especially in the beginning,” Turner said. 

Staff on the Women & Children’s Unit will assist moms and their support person to make sure babies are being kept safe on the inside as well.

Keeping ward staff in the loop on scheduled times also will help prevent a backlog of families from congregating outside the viewing area during periods in which the ward is handling a large number of births. When multiple families are awaiting a turn on the platform, social distancing will be observed between families and a time limit of 15 minutes at the window will be in place. 

With the platform now in use, security will be monitoring activity around it “just so they can check and make sure people are using it safely,” Turner said.

The platform is the latest example of the type of out-of-the-box thinking about patient-centered care – in this case going beyond patients themselves to include their extended families – that helped earn Adena a spot this summer on Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. Only 231 hospitals across 36 states were selected to receive the honor.

Adena joins Lifeline of Ohio effort to convert placental material into grafts to speed healing of burns, wounds

Simply put, Makala Baisden likes helping people. (image)

The 23-year-old Jackson resident was registered as an organ donor even before receiving her driver’s license, and some of the experiences she’s had since then have only reinforced her belief in the importance of organ donation programs.

“I’ve had multiple people (I’ve known) that have had malfunctions with their organs and just bodily issues,” Baisden said. “I have grown up with people who have needed skin grafts because of severe burns. If you can help out, if there’s something you can donate in any way, shape or form, you might as well do it. You don’t know who could use it.”

Baisden, then, was the perfect choice to become Adena Health System’s first patient in its latest partnership with Lifeline of Ohio – the relatively new Placenta Donation Program. On Oct. 5, she gave birth, not only to a son to join her four-year-old daughter in the family, but also to a new way for the Health System’s patients to help others.

Adena becomes just the 11^thhospital in the state to join Lifeline of Ohio’s Placenta Donation Program. At its very core, the program allows expectant mothers with scheduled Caesarian section deliveries to donate the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic membrane from the birth to Lifeline of Ohio. The organization then can arrange for the material to be processed into an allograft that can be used to aid in the healing of acute and chronic wounds and other maladies.

Normally, the placenta material is just discarded following a birth. Instead, through the donor program, the grafts created from the material can aid in treatment of burns, skin cancer, scar revisions, venous ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and vascular ulcers, among other conditions, according to Lifeline of Ohio.

Because of their ongoing organ and tissue donation relationship, Lifeline of Ohio reached out to Adena to see if the Health System was interested in participating in the placenta program. According to Jamie Arledge, nurse manager, education regarding the program was made available to OB/GYN providers, labor and delivery staff and OB/GYN surgery schedulers once the decision was made to go forward with it so a smooth process could be put in place.

“The provider educates the patient on the placenta program itself to see if they would be interested in the placenta donation and, if so, then we make the referral to Lifeline of Ohio, who reaches out to the patient and determines if they meet criteria for donation,” Arledge said. “If they do, the Lifeline rep comes here on site that day to collect and do everything they need to do.”

Baisden said that after receiving the initial paperwork on the program, her interest was piqued, but she needed to research a little more before committing. Her desire to help others, coupled with the wide range of applications for the grafts created from the placental material, proved to be the tipping point.

“I think a lot of people should get involved with it because, one, it’s beneficial for multiple people, and two, it’s not like you’re using (the placenta) afterward,” she said. “It’s a win-win.”

According to Lifeline of Ohio, there is no cost to the patient to take part in the donation program and participation does not affect the medical care afforded to mother and baby or the birthing experience. Participation is open to any expectant mother 18 and older without any disqualifying medical conditions who has a Caesarean section delivery scheduled. 

The mother will sign a consent form, complete a donor risk assessment interview and respond to a medical history questionnaire several days before the scheduled birth. Bone Bank Allografts, the processor used by Lifeline of Ohio to produce the grafts, said that in addition to the pre-screening qualification process, testing for infectious disease is conducted according to Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

A Lifeline of Ohio coordinator meets briefly with the mother the day of the delivery to double check her identification and answer any lingering questions. The coordinator also will ask an RN to complete a blood draw for the infectious disease testing, which Arledge said is done at the same time as the normal blood draw for Adena’s labs.

Once the placenta is available, it is placed in a sterile basin to be passed off to the Lifeline of Ohio coordinator for packaging and transport. If the provider finds a need to send the placenta to the lab for pathology, that decision would override the donation.

The placenta is then sent by Lifeline of Ohio to Bone Bank Allografts for analysis and creation of the grafts. A single placenta can produce anywhere from 15 to 50 grafts, with the average number coming in around 25.

Lifeline of Ohio says the placenta-derived allograft tissue has a natural biologic role in enhancing natural wound healing by achieving fast-tissue epithelialization -- encouraging epithelial cells to migrate upward to more speedily repair a wounded area. This can help decrease the length of hospital stays and clinic visits for those with ongoing wound treatment.

Arledge said Baisden is the only Adena patient lined up for placental donation at the moment, but she expects others to take part as awareness of the program grows.

“I think when you think about Lifeline of Ohio and what they do for those with needs of organ donation or transplants – the miracles that their program offers – I think it’s amazing that we can offer something (like this),” she said. “This placenta sustained life for her infant, and now she can give – maybe not necessarily the gift of life, but continue a good function with that placenta that otherwise is just done when it’s done its work. Now we can extend it and offer healing for someone else.”

While participating mothers are not paid for their donation – the National Organ Transplant Act having made the buying and selling of organs illegal – they do receive a thank you gift bag from Lifeline and some follow up correspondence from the organization. 

More importantly for donors like Baisden, however, they receive the satisfaction of knowing that by giving of themselves – quite literally, in fact – they are improving the quality of life for others. 

Preventing the Flu Starts with You

Avoiding the flu this season takes one simple step, getting an influenza vaccine. Adena Health System offers many flu shot clinics, making it easy for you and your family to get vaccinated. 

Adena is offering flu shots at all of its Urgent Care and Walk-In locations across its nine county service region. Flu vaccinations are also offered by appointment at any of Adena's Family Medicine, Primary Care and Pediatric locations.

“This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, it’s more important than ever for the public to get their flu shot,” said Kirk Tucker, MD, Adena Chief Clinical Officer. “We recommend getting your flu shot as soon as possible in order to prevent strains of the flu which could leave people more susceptible to additional Coronavirus infection and serious illness. A flu shot not only protects the individual, but it protects others by limiting the chances of flu virus contraction and spread. Especially in light of the pandemic if a person were to get the flu and then contract Coronavirus, the combination could be potentially fatal. By pulling together, we can beat this cold and flu season.”

For children over six months and adults, the flu shot can prevent them from getting sick, prevent flu-related hospitalizations and potentially lessen symptoms or length of illness should they get a strain of the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months of age and older, including the elderly and pregnant women, receive an annual flu shot. Flu shots taken by pregnant women can protect their babies from the flu after birth. Most insurance companies cover the cost of a flu shot, but patients may want to check with their insurance provider if they are unsure.

Together, we can protect ourselves and each other against the flu by getting a flu shot today. To schedule a flu shot with Adena, call (740) 779-7500, or skip the wait and reserve your appointment time online at one of Adena’s Urgent Care or Walk-In Clinics. To learn more, visit Adena.org/FluShots.

This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to get your flu shot. Adena Health System recommends getting your flu shot as soon as possible in order to prevent strains of the flu which could leave people more susceptible to additional Coronavirus infection and serious illness. A flu shot not only protects you, but it protects others by limiting the chances of flu virus contraction and spread.

For children over six months and adults, the flu shot can prevent them from getting sick, prevent flu-related hospitalizations and potentially lessen symptoms or length of illness should they get a strain of the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months of age and older, including the elderly and pregnant women, receive an annual flu shot. Flu shots taken by pregnant women can protect their babies from the flu after birth.

Adena Chief Clinical Officer Kirk Tucker, MD is also urging community members to get their flu shots as quickly as possible to provide a layer of protection against flu, especially in light of the pandemic. If a person were to get the flu and then contract COVID-19, the combination could be potentially fatal.  

Adena is offering flu shots at all of its Urgent Care and Walk-In locations in Chillicothe, Circleville, Hillsboro, Jackson and Waverly – including the Adena Clinic at Walmart in Chillicothe. Flu vaccinations are also offered by appointment at any of Adena's Family Medicine, Primary Care and Pediatric locations. Most insurance companies cover the cost of a flu shot, but patients may want to check with their insurance provider if they are unsure.

Together, we can rally to protect ourselves and each other against the flu by getting a flu shot today. Call Adena at (740) 779-7500, or skip the wait and reserve your appointment time online at one of our Urgent Care or Walk-In Clinics at Adena.org/UrgentCare and get flu shots for yourself and your family. By pulling together, we can beat this cold and flu season.

Construction of Adena Health System’s five-story, 111,000 square-foot orthopedic and spine facility has been ongoing for the past year. With one more year of construction expected before its 2021 grand opening, today, Adena leaders announced the name of the building that will house services including: orthopedics, sports medicine, podiatry, neurology, an in-patient unit and a spine center. The building’s official name is the Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute (AOSI).

The Institute will include clinical space, operating suites, inpatient and outpatient recovery rooms, imaging, physical therapy capabilities, and a three-story parking structure. The building is adjacent to Adena Regional Medical Center, located in Chillicothe. Beyond a brand new facility, patients will experience a new and engaging experience when they enter the building and throughout their stay.

“Safe and quality care is the expectation of every patient, every time they seek treatment,” said James Fleming, Jr., MD, interim medical director of Adena Bone and Joint Center. “While the care we provide is paramount to our patients’ wellbeing, it is also equally important to deliver excellent, concierge service throughout the patient journey. This is where patients of Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute will notice the most change in their health care experience; and will make AOSI a destination for orthopedic and spine care in our region.”

Adena is also pleased to announce the addition of Neel Patel, MD, to its nationally-accredited orthopedics program. Dr. Patel is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in total joint reconstruction, which includes general fracture care, and total and partial hip (anterior) and knee replacements and revisions.

Dr. Patel said he came to Adena to help patients regain their quality of life. “Patients in this rural community are resilient and active; and they want to resume their lives without hindrance,” he said. “I put the patient in the forefront of their own care; and with them and their families, we work as a team to optimize their goals for treatment.”

He also speaks highly of his new colleagues who share a unique appreciation for Adena and its patients. Dr. Patel added, “They are truly here to the help our patients and the community. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that we achieve the highest level of outcome for our patients.”

Dr. Patel earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College’s School of Medicine. He served his residency at New York Medical College’s Westchester Medical Center, and a performed his fellowship at Joint Implant Surgeons, located in New Albany, OH.  Dr. Patel is now seeing patients in Chillicothe. To make an appointment, call 740-779-4598. 

The Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute is scheduled to open in summer 2021.

Adena Health System and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced today an expansion of their affiliation in an ongoing effort to make quality health care more available and cost-effective for residents of south central and southern Ohio.

While the two health systems will remain independent, they’ll expand their existing collaboration to develop additional care options for people within Adena’s service area who will benefit from highly-specialized treatment. The agreement also will create new research and educational opportunities for both organizations.

“Our strategy has long been to provide quality, trusted, close-to-home care for patients in our region and, through this expanded partnership with a renowned health care entity such as Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, we can add specialty care benefits for patients while at the same time keeping that care local,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Each organization is deeply committed to providing excellence in quality and safe care for the people in the communities we serve. This partnership will bring a combination of expertise and resources together toward that goal benefiting our patients and our staff.” 

The affiliation will allow both health care systems to identify best practices and develop shared strategies to best meet community health needs. It will also expand the ability to implement wellness and preventive care programs to address issues impacting the general health of the overall populations served by Adena and the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Such general health issues are identified in local Community Health Needs Assessments performed every three years under terms of the Affordable Care Act, with the most recent southern Ohio assessments conducted in 2019 including conditions such as obesity, lung cancer, poor nutrition and addiction.

The partnership will also explore ways to utilize an expanded roster of physician resources, will look to improve the quality and efficiency of both organizations through developments in patient service lines and administrative improvements, and will allow the two organizations to work together in meeting health care industry challenges in population-based health care delivery and payment strategies in both clinical care and public health prevention and awareness efforts.

Among the most significant outcomes with the expanded partnership will be Adena’s ability to work with the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center on the streamlining of its electronic medical records into a single system expected to improve accuracy and simplicity in billing, referrals and other recordkeeping areas.

“We look forward to expanding patient access to the unparalleled level of care academic health centers can provide,” said Dr. Hal Paz, executive vice president and chancellor for Health Affairs at The Ohio State University and CEO of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “Through this collaboration with Adena, we have the opportunity to create unique health care solutions that are designed to meet the needs of patients in Chillicothe and other south central Ohio communities.” 

One of the nation’s leading academic health centers, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, offers health care services in virtually every specialty and subspecialty in medicine. Thousands of patients come here each month for treatments and services they can’t find anywhere else. Providing access to health care information is central to its research, education and patient care mission. The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is dedicated to improving health in Ohio and across the world through innovation in research, education and patient care.

(image) Dr. Bryan Borland is a Diagnostic Radiologist who grew up in Chillicothe. His work with Adena patients and clinicians helps determine the best steps for patients who may encounter an abnormal mammogram. His best advice, “Get your mammogram as advised by your doctor. Early detection is key!”

Your Breast Support: #SupporttheGals

At Adena, we are working to remind people about the importance of regular mammograms. Early detection often leads to the successful treatment, remission and eradication of breast cancer. We’re asking our patients, friends and colleagues to use #SupporttheGals to help promote regular mammography screenings. Using #SupporttheGals in social media posts and texts will let your friends and family know you care about them, and that you want them to be proactive in breast cancer screening. 

Sizing Things Up

Did you know the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that only about 66% of women age 40 and older have regular mammograms? “The biggest deterrent in women getting a mammogram is often fear,” says Dr. Borland. “It makes them nervous; they think it’s painful and/or they’ve heard of bad experiences from someone, or on social media.” Although it may cause some brief discomfort, mammograms are nothing to be afraid of, and having regular screenings can help with early cancer detection and treatment. About 12% of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.[1] It is also possible for men to get breast cancer. Breast cancer symptoms can include a lump, or lumps in the breast, abnormal thickening or dimpling of the breast skin, redness, nipple inversion or discharge. Many women may not display symptoms, which is why regular mammograms are essential.

The American College of Radiology(ACR)and Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) recommendsannual mammographic screening beginning at age 40 for women of average risk. Screenings should continue annually as long as you are in good health.  Higher-risk women should start mammographic screening earlier and may benefit from supplemental screening modalities. Contact your provider to determine your risk of breast cancer.

Breast Tests

There are two types of mammograms: screening mammograms for initial breast review, and diagnostic mammograms. Diagnostic mammograms are ordered when the initial screening reveals something abnormal in the breast that requires further inspection by a radiologist. 

However, the need for a diagnostic mammogram doesn’t mean cancer. The diagnostic screening is for additional clarity, says Dr. Borland. “We use it to assess tissue anomalies and determine one of three steps forward: one, no action; two, monitor any changes at six month check-ups; or three, biopsy the abnormal tissue to see if it is cancerous.” With any diagnostic screening, Dr. Borland works closely with the patient’s oncologist or primary care physician to provide the patient with complete understanding of the diagnostic test results.

Breast Defense

To better serve patients, Adena has invested in the region’s only 3D mammography unit that allows for more accurate breast cancer detection. Also known as tomosynthesis, 3D mammography uses innovative three-dimensional screening technology to help visualize through dense tissues layers. When a patient may be high risk, have dense breasts or previous abnormal screenings, 3D mammography is clinically proven to increase cancer detection by 30-40%. 

Breast Factors

If women are at high risk, they should consult their physician and begin mammograms as early as 30 years old. Common high risk factors can be:

• A known family history of breast cancer;
• Having the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or having a first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister, or child) with the gene (based on genetic testing);
• Getting older;
• Increased hormones – due to early menstrual /late menopause start;
• Having dense breasts; or
• Having previous chest radiation therapy (between ages 10 and 30).

Additional, but avoidable, risk factors for breast cancer are:

• Not exercising or being physically active;
• Being overweight or obese after menopause;
• Taking hormones – usually post menopause;
• Reproductive history; or
• Drinking alcohol – studies show that woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she consumes.

Knowing What’s Breast

If a patient’s diagnostic mammogram does require a biopsy, Dr. Borland works with the patient and her/his physician to select the most effective biopsy procedure. Typical biopsy procedures are either an image-guided biopsy using ultrasound and a biopsy core needle (standard of care). There is also the stereotactic biopsy, which uses a core needle and mammography imaging to guide the needle. Both biopsies take about 20 minutes to perform, and are regularly done in-office. Stereotactic biopsies are often used when breast tissue contains multiple calcifications. Calcifications are small calcium deposits that form in the tissue and are usually benign. 

What’s Best for Your Breasts

Breast cancer can be a daunting disease, but survival rates continue to increase due to improved treatments and early detection. “Sometimes, caregivers are so busy caring for others, they neglect their own health,” says Dr. Borland. “Or, people change jobs and may not have insurance to cover the testing -- we see many reasons as to why women do not have their regular screenings.” If patients don’t have insurance, there are assistance programs to help get essential screenings. If you are in this situation, please call Kendra Pollard, Breast Health and Imaging Navigator at 740-779-8665 to learn about available options. 

As we recognize Breast Care Awareness month this October, we hope you will remind friends and loved ones to get their regular mammogram screenings by using #SupporttheGals in your social media posts and texts. It’s a great way to show you care. 

Curbside Flu Shot Event Sat., Oct. 3

Adena Health Center - Woodlands will soon be home to the new Adena Community Pharmacy. Adena Community Pharmacy - Woodlands, formerly known as Pixelle Family Pharmacy, is expected to open Monday, October 5, 2020. The Health Center and Pharmacy are open to the public and will give patients living and working near downtown and east Chillicothe a new option for coordinated and convenient health care.

Located at 311 Caldwell Street, Adena Community Pharmacy - Woodlands will offer convenient hours, drive-thru window service, and automatic refills for many prescriptions. Adena’s experienced pharmacy staff is also available to help with questions and prescription guidance, as well as offering influenza and Shingles vaccines on a walk-in basis.

Pharmacy hours will be:

Monday - Friday          8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; 

Saturday                      9 a.m. - 1 p.m.; and 

Closed Sunday.

To celebrate its opening, Adena Community Pharmacy - Woodlands will host a curbside flu shot event. With flu season right around the corner, you have the power to protect yourself and your family from influenza this year. Stop by to get your flu shot without ever leaving your vehicle. 

WHAT:            Adena Community Pharmacy - Woodlands

                        Curbside Flu Shot Event

WHEN:             Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020

                        8 a.m. – Noon

WHERE:          311 Caldwell Street

                        Chillicothe, OH  45601

 You do not need an appointment for the curbside flu shot event and adults and children can both receive their flu shot during the event. For children over six months and adults, the flu shot can prevent them from getting sick, prevent flu-related hospitalizations and potentially lessen symptoms or length of illness should they get a strain of the flu. Please have your insurance card and an ID ready upon arrival. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of a yearly flu shot. If you do not have insurance, the cost will be $19.99. Due to enhanced safety precautions, only credit cards will be accepted during the event. No cash. 

For more information about the Adena Health Center - Woodlands and its community pharmacy, visit Adena.org/woodlands. To speak to a Pharmacy representative to learn how you can transfer your prescriptions, call 740-779-5600. 

Over the past several months, Adena Health System and Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH) have been engaged in a due diligence phase for FCMH to become a member of Adena Health System. Through the course of due diligence, Adena and its Board of Trustees have determined it is in the organization’s best interest that Adena’s level of engagement with FCMH remain as an affiliate partner. Adena remains committed to its affiliation and strong partnership with FCMH in delivering high quality, specialty care, and supporting FCMH in being an economic driver in the community. 

Adena Health System President and CEO Jeff Graham shared this message with the FCMH Board earlier this week, explaining that Adena is not continuing with the acquisition process. Graham explained, “Adena remains steadfast in its commitment to build strong, trusting relationships with communities and the healthcare providers in its nine-county service region.” He further emphasized, “Whether an entity wants to join the Adena network or remain independent, the overall goal is to ensure that patients in south central and southern Ohio have access to the best possible care, close to home. The existing partnership we have with FCMH has been successful for both Fayette and Adena, and more importantly for the patients who don’t have to travel far from home to receive the care they need.”

Adena has been collaborating with FCMH since 2017, with providers delivering a wide range of close-to-home specialty care within FCMH facilities. The two organizations inked a formal partnership affiliation agreement in September 2018, and have expanded the volume of specialty care being offered at the hospital’s Washington Court House campus. These specialty services include: Cardiology, Dermatology, Nephrology, Neurology, Ob/Gyn, Oncology, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology.  

Adena currently operates three hospital facilities, located in Chillicothe, Greenfield and Waverly. For more about Adena Health System visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image) As an experienced surgeon on Adena’s Cardiothoracic team, Dr. Kevin Radecki knows the devastation that comes with a lung cancer diagnosis. He values working closely with the multidisciplinary team at the Adena Cancer Center, using data from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), to help guide patients through their lung cancer treatment options.  

Here’s What You Should Know

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer with more than two million global cases each year. It also has the highest mortality rate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Symptoms for lung cancer can include excessive coughing that does not go away; coughing up blood; chest pain that worsens with deep breathing; hoarseness when coughing or laughing; loss of appetite; unexplained weight loss; shortness of breath; fatigue; and wheezing. Those at higher risk for lung cancer include people who are older; smokers, former smokers or people using tobacco products; those with a family history of lung cancer; people who are exposed over time to asbestos or pollutants. Patients should get regular check-ups and tell their doctor about any symptoms they may be experiencing. Early detection is the best chance for successful treatment.

The Down Lobe

It might sound unbelievable, but a lobectomy is in an operation to remove diseased tissue by extracting one of the lobes of the lung. The surgery is often performed on patients with lung cancer. The body’s lungs include five sections called lobes. The right lung has three lobes, and the left lung has two lobes. Once the affected lobe is removed, the lung’s remaining healthy tissue can work as normal. A lobectomy can be performed as an open procedure (thoracotomy) or as a minimally-invasive procedure using a surgical robot. Known as VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery), the procedure is performed making four small incisions to allow for a camera and small, flexible surgical arms.

Could a Robotic Lobectomy Be Right for You?

A robotic lobectomy, or robotic VATS procedure, is thorascopic (using small incisions and cameras) and enables the surgeon to make precise, surgical movements to remove the lobe. The result is typically less pain and a quicker recovery time for the patient. “The latest robot has great dexterity, and is even more advanced than the previous model,” says Dr. Radecki. “By performing the lobectomy thorascopically, there is no need to open the chest, move muscles around and spread ribs apart. This means less stress on the patient, and less pain after surgery.”

Not all patients are candidates for robotic lobectomy. It is usually best if the patient’s lung cancer is classified as Stage 1 or Stage 2, and if a patient’s tumor is smaller than six centimeters in diameter. “It’s very case specific,” adds Dr Radecki. “We work closely with the patient’s oncologist to plan a treatment path where the surgery and any therapy complement each other.” That might mean using chemotherapy or radiation before surgery or after, as a means of making sure the cancer can be completely removed in surgery.

Post My Lobe

The robotic VATS procedure usually takes about two hours and 30 minutes. “Patients are about 80 percent back to their normal routine within two to three weeks after surgery,” says Dr. Radecki. “With an open incision, the recovery time for a thoracotomy is four to six weeks.” 

Once the lobectomy is complete, the removed lobe, along with surrounding lymph nodes are sent to Adena Pathology for a thorough review. If cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes or the lobe’s perimeter tissue, the team will likely recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy to minimize the risk of returning cancer cells. If the tissue and lymph nodes are free of or contain few cancer cells, the patient will likely need to come in for regular screenings every six months.

Prior to surgery, patients must take a pulmonary function test to assess their current lung strength. “There are 18 segments within the lungs,” says Dr. Radecki, “By figuring out how many segments we’re taking out, based on the patient’s pre-op breathing test, we can predict what their post-op breathing will be like after surgery.” 

Be Positive, Be Proactive

If you are at risk for lung cancer due to age, family history or smoking, screenings are critical. Adena has a highly successful lung screening program, and was among the first in the nation to begin offering free lung cancer screenings to people meeting specific criteria. “Lung cancer screening can increase your survival chances by 20 percent,” says Dr. Radecki. Detecting cancer early is the best means for successful treatment. With a successful VATS lobectomy, patients can return to daily activities and quality of life relatively quickly, “and that’s really what we want for our patients.” says Dr. Radecki.

Adena Health System is expanding its care for patients with the addition of two specialty providers, across multiple service lines. This incoming physician and advanced practice provider are delivering even more options for comprehensive, close-to-home care for our patients throughout the region.

Adena is pleased to welcome:

Ashley Fausnaugh, Certified Nurse Practitioner joins Adena Gastroenterology, expanding the System’s services for digestive system health for patients of all ages. Fausnaugh earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the Chamberlain College of Nursing.

Nicole Rex, MD comes to the Adena Family Medicine - Main Campus Clinic adding primary care services to Chillicothe. Dr. Rex earned her medical degree from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikesville, KY.

For more about these and other Adena providers, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image) If you’ve experienced varicose veins in your legs, you know they are not pretty. They can be unsightly, painful, throb, ache, itch, make you feel tired and indicate other more serious health issues. So, why do you get varicose veins? And can you get rid of them?

Varicose veins are caused from pooling in blood vessels that return blood to the heart. Blood gets trapped in blood vessels due to gravity, weakened vein walls and low-performing vein valves. This creates bumpy, purple artery clusters beneath the skin. Contrary to what many may believe, spider veins are not actually varicose veins. Although they are both caused by circulation issues, the small blue, red starburst-looking veins are generally painless and are caused by increased blood pressure in veins and blood vessels.

Varicose veins are largely attributed to heredity, but can also occur during pregnancy or for patients who are overweight. Patients experience an increased risk for varicose veins as they get older, if they sit or stand for long periods or have an inactive lifestyle. There are some measures you can take to help prevent or decrease varicose vein occurrence. Practices such as maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, elevating your feet while sitting, wearing support hose and not sitting or standing for extended periods of time without movement.

While usually not medically urgent, untreated varicose veins can potentially clot and lead to conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or chronic venous disease – both serious conditions which should be treated right away. 

The good news? Adena can help treat your varicose veins and restore your legs’ look and health. And most treatments are relatively quick with a short recovery time. There are procedures to close off the veins, thus removing the excess pressure and pooling. Varicose veins can be sealed using ablation or inter-vein sealant. Veins can also be surgically removed or “tied-off” in a procedure called vein ligation or stripping. Other treatment options may include medication or compression therapy or a combination thereof.

Adena Heart and Vascular offers free vein screenings to help patients assess risk and learn about treatment options. We work with patients to identify a treatment path that works for them. Call our offices at 740-779-4360 and we’ll schedule you into one of our open screening times. Treat your legs, they go the extra mile for you!

(image) The Adena Health Foundation is built on its strength of supporters whose generosity enhances health care for people in our region today, tomorrow, and for years to come. One of the many ways the Foundation is able to accomplish this is through scholarship programs for students pursuing degrees in the health care field. 

The Foundation recently received over $20,000 from the G. Howard Wood, M.D. Medical and Nursing Student Loan Trust. This gracious amount was presented to the Foundation by its Trustees Bob Hess and Bambi Huffman.  

The Trustees determined after nearly 30 years that is was an appropriate time to turn the remaining assets over to the Adena Health Foundation, where the funds will memorialize Dr. G. Howard Wood and be used for outright grants of scholarships to medical and nursing students from Ross County, further fulfilling the original purpose of the Trust.

Dr. G. Howard Wood’s wife, Jane, had set up the Trust in 1991 as a memorial to her late husband. Dr. Wood began the practice of general medicine in Chillicothe in 1947 and retired in 1983.

“The only way that this is even possible, is because of our friends, community partners and supporters,” said H. E. Beau Bowman, III, Executive Director, Adena Health Foundation. “We are all so very thankful to have earned their trust when making philanthropic investments.” 

For their generous contribution, Dr. and Mrs. Wood will be added to the Adena Health Foundation’s Legacy Society. This is a special group of friends and supporters who have made a planned gift supporting Adena and the care of our communities.

For more information on the Adena Health Foundation, visit Adena.org/adenafoundation or call 740-779-7528.

(image) Have you ever said this, or worse yet, been told this? Excessive snoring could be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Dr. Corey Cheresnick, an Adena ENT surgeon, knows the troublesome impacts of sleep apnea and works closely with the Adena Sleep Center team to deliver surgical solutions for OSA patients.

What’s Up with Apnea?

There are an estimated 22 million Americans who suffer from sleep apnea. Left untreated, it can cause serious health issues. Apnea causes exhaustion, irritability, lack of focus and studies show it can increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, dementia, cancer and death. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, where soft tissue in the throat/tongue block a patient’s airway. Symptoms include excessive snoring, insomnia, dry mouth or sore throat, abrupt awakenings, morning headaches, chronic fatigue, lack of concentration, mood swings, high blood pressure, weight gain, night sweats and a decrease in libido. 

But I’m so Tired!

It might seem weird that patients can’t sleep, or get good sleep, when they are so exhausted. “Imagine being woken up every 1-3 minutes throughout the night,” explains Dr. Cheresnick, “you may not actually wake up, but your brain does from a buildup of excessive carbon dioxide and a lack of oxygen. It’s very disruptive and patients with severe OSA can wake up as often as 30 to 100 times an hour.” This lack of proper oxygen and restfulness can put extreme stress on a person which then causes bodily functions to breakdown. 

Don’t Just Rollover

There are a number of treatment options for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Our experienced Adena Sleep Disorders team is skilled in helping patients navigate treatment options. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is considered the gold standard of care for OSA. It uses a machine to push mild air pressure into the nose and throat using a facial respirator mask, keeping airways open during sleep. Not all patients are tolerant of using a CPAP device. In those cases, there are other OSA treatment options, including surgery, that can help patients regain normal breathing while they sleep.

Beyond the Mask

While there are several surgical procedures, like the tightening of soft tissue and tongue, that can help to alleviate the causes of sleep apnea, Dr. Cheresnick has found great promise in the Upper Airway Stimulation devices. The device helps keep the patient’s airway open during sleep through mild stimulation. A breathing sensor monitors respiratory effort and sends mild stimulation to a nerve that controls movement of the tongue, opening the airway during sleep. Patients turn the device on and off with a remote and work through fine tuning the device with the Adena Sleep Center team to make sure the stimulation adjustments are effective for the patient. “We work together as a team,” says Dr. Cheresnick. “Using check-ups and monitoring, we deliver coordinated care with the Sleep Center team to make sure the device is working well for the patient.”

Patients must meet certain health requirements to be a good Inspire candidate. Once they meet those criteria, implanting the device typically takes around three hours as an outpatient procedure. “It’s really been a gamechanger for patients,” says Dr. Cheresnick, “the results have been great.”

If you are experiencing obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, or are currently under OSA care and would like to consider alternative sleep apnea treatment options, check with our Adena Sleep Center, 740-779-7286, to see how they can help.

For the third year in a row, Adena Health System has been named a Gallup Exceptional Workplace. This is Adena’s fifth Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, which was formerly known as the Gallup Great Workplace Award.

According to Gallup’s website, they have renamed the award in an effort to, “more fully capture the extraordinary achievement of the winners who meet the rigorous standards set by the most comprehensive workplace study ever conducted.” 

Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham said now, more than ever, having an engaged workplace is critical. “Our team stands ready to deliver outstanding quality and safe care during these unprecedented times. We are fortunate to have many talented people contributing to Adena’s mission of caring for those in the communities we serve. Each caregiver is critical in our ability to deliver the best possible care for our patients. Caregivers across the Health System are contributing to these efforts – not only during this pandemic, but every single day.”

Graham acknowledged caregiver engagement has been the driving force in a number of other recent accolades, including Adena Regional Medical Center being named one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades two years in a row. 

According to Gallup, about 15 percent of the world’s workers show up engaged and ready to maximize their performance each day. However, a few exceptional organizations, like Adena, have more than 71 percent of their workforce ready to exceed expectations.

Adena has made a concerted effort in recent years to retain physicians, advanced practice providers and caregivers, with outstanding results. In 2019, Adena retained 94 percent of its physicians. Through its BEST Program, a six- to eight-month experiential program designed to teach Adena’s core leadership philosophy, the Health System retained 85 percent of its emerging leaders since 2014; promoting nearly one third of them as new leaders.

Adena Chief Human Resources Officer Heather Sprague added, “Adena is focused on engaging and developing its workforce as we know that this directly affects the care and compassion our patients receive from us, after all we are called to serve.”

Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award winners represent a wide range of industries and countries, and set a high standard for what the world's employers can achieve. In addition to being a 2020 winner, Adena earned the honor in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019.

To learn more about the 2020 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, visit www.gallup.com/workplace. For more about Adena Health System, its services and career opportunities, visit www.adena.org.

Adena Health System will ease visitor restrictions for inpatient visits, effective Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. A no-visitor restriction went into effect on July 20 when it was determined the number of positive COVID-19 cases were increasing to levels the region had not previously experienced.

“With the summer, we saw significantly more positive COVID-19 cases throughout Adena’s nine-county service region,” said Dr. Kirk Tucker, chief clinical officer for Adena Health. “While we understand the impact these decisions have on our patients, their families and support people, it is necessary for all of us to be flexible when it comes to doing what is necessary to ensure the safety and protection of our staff, patients and communities.” Tucker, added, “The curve has flattened once again, and I believe in most cases, it is safe to allow one visitor where we can.”

Under the single visitor policy, those admitted to Adena, with the exception of specialty or high-risk areas, may have one visitor at a time during visitation hours. The allowance of visitors to specialty and high-risk areas, such as Behavioral Health and COVID-19 cohorts will be determined at the unit and/or provider’s discretion.

Visitor information includes:

• Hospitalized patients may have more than one visitor in a day, but just one visitor at a time;
• ER patients may have one visitor accompany them;
• Maternity patients may have one support person with them throughout labor, delivery and the duration of her stay;
• Maternity patients under age 18 may have one parent or guardian visitor, in addition to the father of the infant;
• Visitors are not permitted in ancillary testing areas, UNLESS the patient has a disability and needs help accessing care;
• Elective surgery patients may have one visitor who will be going home after the procedure;
• Due to space limitations in relation to social distancing in waiting and exam rooms, one person may join a patient for most physician office visits;
• No visitors under age 18 (unless they are the parent of a patient); and
• Patients under age 18 may have two parents or guardians visit, who are not required to leave at close of visiting hours.

Hospital visiting hours are 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., seven days a week. Adena’s Visitor Policy is available to view at adena.org. To assure a safe environment, all visitors are required to participate in the COVID-19 screening process, register upon entry, follow social distancing, hand hygiene guidelines, and must wear a mask or face covering throughout their visit in the hospital or health center.

Adena Health System has incorporated higher levels of safety in all of its facilities. To learn more about Adena’s current safety protocols, view our video Safe at Adena, located on adena.org.

Adena Health System is expanding its care for patients with the addition of five specialty providers, across multiple service lines. These incoming physicians and advanced practice providers are delivering even more options for comprehensive, close-to-home care for our patients throughout the region.

Adena is pleased to welcome:

Amy Bennie, PsyD, is now caring for patients at the Adena Counseling Center. Dr. Bennie is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California, where she earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.

Jarod Betz, MD joins the growing group of specialists with Adena Cardiology. Dr. Betz earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine. He is currently accepting new patients in Chillicothe and Circleville.

Cristen Collins, MD, comes to the Adena Counseling Center adding much needed child and adolescent psychiatry services to the region. Dr. Collins earned her medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine.

Phillip Perona, MD, joins Adena Cardiology and is caring for patients in Chillicothe and Greenfield. A board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Perona earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas.

Kristen White, MD, joins Adena Pediatrics after earning her medical degree from Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, located in Dayton, OH. Dr. White returns to Adena after having worked at Adena Regional Medical Center before pursuing medical school.

For more about these and other Adena providers, visit us at adena.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

(image) Orthopedic Specialist Dr. Oludare Ogunsola (known by his patients as Dr. O) is driven to give patients relief from injuries and joint pain. Here are some of his insights into current treatment options for arthritis and other orthopedic issues.

A Pain in the Neck… or back, knee, hip, shoulder, hand, foot, etc.

There are two main types of joint pain: acute pain, which is usually due to an injury; and chronic pain, most often tied to arthritis or joint disease. At Adena Bone and Joint Center, we most often see and treat osteoarthritis that occurs from years of wear and tear. Osteoarthritis typically affects patients over the age of 30 and is characterized by dull, achy pain produced with activity. Adena’s Bone and Joint team is a multispecialty group that can treat all forms of arthritis to help improve, lessen or even mitigate symptoms – and get people back to living their lives.

Our Joint Approach

At Adena, we take a holistic approach to treatment of joint pain. We assess a patient’s degree of arthritis through exams and testing, then work with the patient to choose the treatment plan that works best for them. “I would say 90% or more of our patients do not need surgery and can be treated in the office,” says Dr. O. Factors causing joint pain could be a patient’s daily activities, sedentary lifestyle, diet and weight -- all things that can be adjusted to help minimize joint impact. Working with a patient’s primary care provider and possibly a dietician, Dr. O and the Adena Bone and Joint team work to help patients achieve their best health and then continue to access bone and joint needs from there.

Not Your Grandparents Joint Treatment

When treatment requires medications or injections, there are many options to help patients. For chronic arthritis pain or orthopedic injuries, Adena orthopedic providers often use orthobiologics to treat diseased or damaged cells, using the patient’s own healthy cells. One of these treatments is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) used to regenerate and heal injured tendons or muscle. With PRP, a patient’s platelets are “super charged” through a centrifuge and injected back into the damaged tissue area to aid healing and re-growth. The PRP treatment has shown a high rate of effectiveness for qualifying patients. An orthobiologic treatment for arthritis is stem cell harvesting. This uses a mix of bone marrow and fluid from a patient’s hip. The healthy cells are then processed and injected into the arthritic area. “This treatment for arthritis maybe an alternative to total joint replacement and will be the gold standard of the future,” says, Dr. O. “It takes about one hour and is an in-office procedure. There are few to no side-effects, and the treatment has been delivering very promising results.”

Grin and Bear it?

If joint pain is a regular part of your life, or is limiting your quality of life, call the Adena Bone & Joint Center. “There’s no need for patients to suffer joint pain, especially with all the advancements in medications and treatment options available,” says Dr. O. “There are things we can do to prevent excess wear and tear on patients’ joints.” Changing diet, weight and exercise can all help reduce joint pain. 

Replacement Parts

If a patient is not a candidate for injections, or is still experiencing chronic joint pain after running the course of treatments and therapies, joint replacement is an option. Adena Orthopedics has an excellent team of orthopedic surgeons who are experienced in the joint replacement of hips, knees and shoulders, using advanced surgical and robotic techniques. “Surgery is generally our last resort, but sometimes it is the best answer for patients who are experiencing chronic pain due to bone on bone friction or joint degradation,” says Dr. O. “We try to avoid surgery at too young an age, and we have an optimization program that helps patients meet healthy requirements before going into surgery.” Meeting these requirements helps to avoid potential complications and prepares patients for optimal outcomes.  

Being Flexible

Orthopedics is a hands-on, in-person practice, but we can offer consultations and perform patient check-ups using Virtual Visits. Patients should call the Adena Bone & Joint Centerto see what will work best for their circumstances. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Adena Health System has been taking extra precautionsto ensure the safety of our patients and staff with extra cleaning, sanitizing and maintaining safe distances during a visit to our facilities. We work with patients to make their visits meaningful and productive. “We know that it’s not always easy, missing work or time with family for an appointment, and we value our patients’ time,” says. Dr. O. “We work diligently in providing our patients the best experience with each office visit.”

(image) You might be shocked to learn your heart is older or younger than you are. That’s because it all comes down to the stress and strain it takes throughout your lifetime. See what factors go into your heart’s age, and what you can do to stay young at heart!

When You Were a Kid

We don’t think of children as having heart issues, but your lifestyle as a youth can have an impact on your older self. From a young age, people can build up plaque (fatty deposits) in their arteries through poor diets and lack of regular exercise. It is important (and never too late) to build a healthy lifestyle -- even if you didn’t do this in your early years. Healthy foods that are high in fiber and low in fat are ideal for your heart health. This includes foods like fruits and vegetables. Eating moderate portions at regular mealtimes is also advised, as is avoiding in between meal snacks. In today’s busy world, focusing on our heart health is not always easy. However, building good eating habits, along with getting at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous movement a day will help your heart health. It’s never too late to recapture the kid in you.

Know Your Numbers

Remember the saying, “A pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure?”  This means that it is better to proactively work toward your best health, versus having to be treated for an ailment that you might have been able to prevent. Regular check-ups and screenings are the first step in prevention. Adena Heart and Vascular offers this handy guide to help patients know at what age they should get important screenings. In addition, Adena Heart and Vascular is providing a guide to knowing signs of a heart attack or stroke. These guides may help you test for and recognize heart-related symptoms that could save your life.

At the Heart of it All

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the #1 cause of death in the United States. Often, those who die from CVD, which includes heart attack and stroke, had no prior symptoms. It is important to know each of your CVD risk factors; and how you can reduce those risk factors in your life. Risk factors include age, gender, related health issues, family history, smoking, diet, weight, exercise, cholesterol and stress. 

Complete the What Age is Your Heart online assessment tool to understand your heart health, and your risk for heart disease. The assessment tool will generate a report you can share with your physician or an Adena cardiologist. They can help you make the right lifestyle changes to reduce your CVD risk. Call Adena Heart and Vascularat 740-779-4570, so we can help you achieve your best heart health. 

Social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantine. We have heard these terms used endlessly over the past five months as ways to protect ourselves and others from the spread of Coronavirus. If you or someone you know have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed, you have probably been instructed to follow these guidelines. 

But what does each mean? And why are they effective? Understanding these self-protection measures and following the guidelines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your local health department and Adena Health System can play a big role in keeping you and your loved ones safe in this critical time.  

Social Distancing - Keep a safe distance to slow the spread

Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping a safe space between yourself and others who are not from your household. To practice social or physical distancing, stay at least six feet, about two arms’ length away, from other people who do not live with you. It is important to maintain social distancing in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Social distancing should be practiced in combination with other everyday preventive actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These include wearing a face covering, avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, and frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Self-Isolation -Separate yourself from others if you have COVID-19

Self-isolation is used to separate infected individuals with the virus from people who are not infected. Self-isolation is used for two groups of individuals: (1) people with COVID-19 symptoms and are able to recover at home, and (2) people who have no symptoms, are asymptomatic, but have tested positive for COVID-19. People in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and should use a separate bathroom, if available. They shouldavoid contact with other members of the household and pets, not share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils, and if using a common bathroom should clean and disinfect all surfaces every time. Sick individuals should also wear a cloth face covering when around other people in their home and should not go to public places. 

When self-isolation ends and it is safe to be around others depends on various factors and situations. The CDC recommends individuals self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, symptoms have improved and have experienced at least 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Quarantine - Stay home if you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19

Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.

Why are Following These Guidelines so Important?

Positive cases for COVID-19 have been increasing recently across the state, and locally in Adena’s nine-county service region. From the onset of this global pandemic, the best methods to limiting the community spread of this deadly virus is by following the recommended guidelines for social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine. If you have been asked by your health care provider or local health district to self-isolate or quarantine due to testing positive or being exposed to COVID-19, it is of the utmost importance to follow all instructions to safely recover and limit further exposure among others. 

Why does Self-Isolation and Quarantine last 14 Days? What If I Feel Better Sooner

Fourteen days is the overall length of time between exposure and the appearance of signs or symptoms. After this time period, the risk of passing the virus to someone else is very low or nonexistent. While you may not feel sick, and these safety measures may be an inconvenience in your daily life, eliminating the virus depends on people being responsible in avoiding the spread of COVID-19. Be mindful of members of your family and others in our communities who are more vulnerable to COVID-19, who could become seriously ill or even die. We are all in this together. 

Should I Get Tested for COVID-19? What is the Cost?

Adena follows the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) criteria for testing people for Coronavirus. If your symptoms and/or condition do not meet the testing criteria set by the ODH, there may be a charge for COVID-19 testing. It is recommended that that people look at the current ODH testing criteria, and should check with their health care carrier or insurance provider to understand any associated testing costs.

If an individual is ill and believes they have some COVID-19 symptoms, but not all listed by ODH, they may not meet the ODH testing criteria. Some symptoms of Coronavirus can be similar to a cold, flu or other common viral illnesses. As with any illness, if symptoms are not severe you should stay home and treat your illness as you normally would. You may also call Adena’s COVID-19 Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233) for a phone screening. However, if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, a severe headache or other potentially life-threatening problems, go to the nearest emergency department or call 911. Please notify the 911 dispatcher or the emergency department of your COVID symptoms PRIOR to arrival.

Stay Informed 

For more ways to protect yourself and others from Coronavirus, visit adena.org/togetherwecanstayhealthy.

Because this is a new virus, information about COVID-19 is constantly evolving. For the latest information, the following websites are available with the most up-to-date information:

• CDC - cdc.gov/coronavirus
• Ohio Department of Health - coronavirus.ohio.gov
• Adena Health System - adena.org/COVD19
• Ross County Health District - rosscountyhealth.org

Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has been named to Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The distinction recognizes facilities that have excelled in providing care to mothers, newborns and their families, as verified by the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. ARMC is one of only 231 hospitals in 36 states to be awarded this honor.

Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized metrics. This includes compliance with process measures, including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section; as well as lower rates of early elective delivery, Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) C-section, and episiotomy.

“Adena Women and Children’s Center is dedicated to providing close-to-home pre- and post-natal care that is among the nation’s highest standards for safety and quality,” said Dr. Richard Villarreal, medical director for Adena Women’s Health. “To be recognized by Newsweek is a testament to the extraordinary level of care and service by our physicians, advanced practice providers, midwives and staff. We strive to deliver the latest in safe and most comprehensive care for mothers and babies at every stage of pregnancy, labor, delivery and post-partum care.”

The number of deliveries at ARMC continues to grow annually. In 2019, there were just over 1,000 births at the hospital.

“Best Maternity Care Hospitals showcases an elite group of hospitals from across the country. These facilities stand out for the care they provide to women and families, and for giving babies a strong start to life,” said Nancy Cooper, global editor in chief of Newsweek. “Particularly in these uncertain times, we are honored to share this list of top-ranked facilities with Newsweek’s readership.”

The Newsweek award continues a string of safety and quality recognitions for Adena Regional Medical Center and its Women and Children’s Center. Within the last nine months, ARMC was again named a Top 250 Hospital by Healthgrades™, and received an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for overall hospital quality and safety. Adena’s Women and Children’s Center also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Perinatal Care.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with Adena Women and Children’s Center, visit www.adena.org/obstetricsprenatalcare. 

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Now more than ever, our health and that of our loved ones is a top priority. When it comes to receiving health care, how do you choose where to go? Do you get all of your health care from one source – or do you mix it up based on your illness or issue?

Whether you are a current patient of Adena Health System or not, we want to hear from you. To participate in the System’s 2020 Consumer Health Care Survey, participants must be 18 years or older, and currently live in one of the following counties: Fayette, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto or Vinton.

“Committed to our patients, and everyone living in south central and southern Ohio, Adena is always looking at how we can continuously improve,” said Adena’s Vice President of Brand and Marketing Susan Wollebeck. “Through the current survey, we hope to learn what is important to people when making health care choices for themselves and their loved ones. With this important input, who hope to gain a better understanding of how we can best serve our patients, based on what they like and need.”

 The consumer survey will remain open through Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Anyone meeting the above criteria, who is interested in participating in the survey can access it by going to https://www.adena.org/inside/page.dT/2020-survey. Those who complete the survey will be able to claim a free First Aid kit.

Adena Health System is expanding its care for patients with the addition of six providers across multiple service lines. The additional physicians and advanced practice providers will offer even more options for comprehensive, close-to-home care.

Adena is pleased to welcome:

Laura Arnett, Certified Nurse Practitioner, has been with Adena since 2015. She has served in various roles within Adena Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Arnett has earned a Master’s degree in Nursing. She joins Adena Podiatry, now seeing patients in Chillicothe and Circleville.

Jean Ekwenbie, MD, joins the growing group of specialists with Adena Cardiology. A board-certified, non-invasive cardiologist, Dr. Ekwenbie earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, located in Houston, TX. She is currently accepting new patients in Chillicothe and Jackson.  

Rachel Fulwider, Certified Nurse Practitioner, is now serving patients at Adena Urgent Cares in Chillicothe and Circleville. Prior to coming to Adena, she worked for 10 years as a registered nurse at a Columbus, Ohio Emergency Department. Fulwider earned a Family Practice Nursing degree from the Chamberlain College of Nursing.

Alok Singla, MD, comes to Adena Neurology,adding pediatric neurology services to the region seeing patients in Chillicothe and Circleville. Dr. Singlaearned his medical degree from the Himalayan Institute of Medical Science in Dehradun, India, and completed his residency and fellowship in Buffalo, NY.

Marcus Richardson, DPM, is now accepting new patients with Adena Podiatry, seeing patients in Chillicothe and Greenfield. Dr. Richardson earned his medical degree from the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his residency in Columbus, OH.

Bennie Upchurch, MD, joins Adena Gastroenterology, expanding the System’s services for digestive system health for patients of all ages. Dr. Upchurch earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, located in Iowa City, IA. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Upchurch comes to Adena after having practiced privately and with urban and rural health care organizations throughout central Ohio.

Registration for the Scioto Valley Golf Classic is now open. The annual event is sponsored by the Adena Health Foundation and will take place Friday, August 21 at Crown Hill Golf Club, located in Williamsport. 

Proceeds from the 2020 Golf Classic will benefit the Adena Health Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. The Fund was established to provide emergency assistance in support of Adena Health System facilities and the health care heroes, the physicians and caregivers who are continuing to deliver care for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 WHAT: 2020 Scioto Valley Golf Classic

 WHERE:  Crown Hill Golf Club 

                 9500 US-22

                 Williamsport, OH 43164 

WHEN:   Friday, August 21

               Shotgun start at 9 a.m.

Along with fun and fellowship, the top priority for this year’s event will be the safety of all participants and organizers. All state and local health guidelines for social distancing and enhanced safety measures will be strictly followed to ensure everyone’s health and well-being. Participants may register as an individual or foursome. Five different sponsorship levels are also available.

For more information or to register, visit adena.org/golf2020 or call 740-542-GIVE (4483).

Adena Health System Sports Medicine is proud to announce its 2019-2020 male and female Athletes of the Year scholarship recipients. Adena’s Athlete of the Month Program is open to all high school senior athletes in Adams, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties. The outstanding student athletes are recognized for making a considerable effort to maintain a higher grade point average and perform community service, while reaching high levels of athletic accomplishment. Monthly winners are then eligible for the Athlete of the Year scholarship.

Adena Sports Medicine High School Male Athletes of the Year:

• Noah Donley, Oak Hill High School
• Nate Keiser, Unioto High School

Adena Sports Medicine High School Female Athletes of the Year: 

• Rylee Fee, Vinton County High School
• Abigail Meldick, Oak Hill High School
• Hannah Stark, Adena High School

“The 2020 graduating class faced many challenges and adversities due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Melissa Richendollar, Adena’s Director of Rehabilitation Services. “Adena Sports Medicine felt it was only fitting that we celebrate multiple winners this year, and to recognize these outstanding young men and women for their achievements both on the field and in the classroom.”

The Adena Sports Medicine Athlete of the Year Scholarship is funded through activities conducted by Adena’s Sports Medicine Team, in conjunction with the Adena Health Foundation.  

Congratulations to our winners and to all our 2019-2020 Adena Athletes of the Month recipients. For more information about the Adena Athlete of the Month program, visit www.adena.org/athlete. 

(image) In a special ceremony held earlier today on the campus of Adena Regional Medical Center, construction crews lifted the final steel beam into place signifying the completion of the steel framing for Adena Health System’s new orthopedic destination facility.

The eight-foot beam, which was adorned with caregivers’ signatures, was accompanied atop the structure with a pine tree - a construction tradition. The tree, known as a “topping tree” celebrates the completion of the skeleton of a building structure and for many builders, the tree stands as a symbol for good luck and prosperity for the future occupants of the building.

“It’s almost hard to remember how this looked just 10 months ago when we broke ground on this project to see where we are today,” said Jeff Graham, Adena President & CEO. “The skill and expertise of our clinical and surgical team is the primary reason patients come to us. Through the growth of our services, which include this new facility, we have an opportunity to expand on our patient care and regional partnerships; to be top of mind and the region’s first choice for care.”

Graham added, “No one wants to travel far from home to have surgery or to receive care for their conditions. Along with the latest clinical spaces and operating rooms, we want every patient that comes to us at this facility to receive not only exceptional health care, but to experience a concierge service approach to every step of their journey. We want to make this type of patient experience the most positive it can be, and it’s what our patients ultimately deserve.”

Orthopedic Surgeon Brian Cohen, MD shared those sentiments, “Since I arrived nearly 20 years ago, we have built an orthopedic program at Adena that has been extremely successful, and has outgrown its current space. This new facility will give us the space we need to provide our patients with the best surgical and care experience possible. It will also allow us to deliver that care, including: surgery, imaging, recovery and inpatient rehab all within a single location. Our commitment to excellence, safety and quality doesn’t change with a new building; but it will grow, and we will continue to give our patients everything they need – without having to leave the region.”

The five-story 111,000 square-foot facility will house Adena’s nationally-accredited orthopedics program. The building will also be home to the Adena Spine Center, sports medicine, neurology, podiatry and other orthopedic specialties. Construction is expected to be complete in summer 2021.

Depression/Anxiety Reported as a Top Health Issue in Ross Co.

Results of the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), performed by Partners for a Healthier Ross County, reveals that income status continues to lead to poorer health outcomes and health behaviors. In Ross County, 18 percent of residents live at or below the U.S. poverty level.

“The Community Health Needs Assessment gives us a regular opportunity to hear directly from the people we serve, and to understand the factors that contribute to their overall health,” said Kim Jones, Adena Community Health and Development director. “Working together, Partners for a Healthier Ross County, evaluates data and develops strategies and programs that address the needs of our community’s most vulnerable, and increase access to the care and services they need to achieve optimal health and wellbeing.”

According to the Ohio Department of Health’s 2019 County Health Rankings, Ross County continues to have a lower life expectancy rate at 75.1 years. This is more than two years fewer than Ohio’s average of 77.2 years old, and more than three-and-a-half years below the U.S. average of 78.8 years old. In some cases, life expectancy can vary by nearly 11 years from one Ross County neighborhood to another.

“Through the assessment, our community partners work together to improve health outcomes for Ross Countians,” said Kelly Dennis, Director of Health Promotion at the Ross County Health District. “As we use the data and community input gathered in the assessment, our major focus is on addressing the root causes that lead to poor health outcomes. It is critical that we drive our responses and actions to improve health outcomes in Ross County.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists leading causes of death (rate per 100k) in Ross County to be:

1.     Heart disease                                                  206

2.     Cancer                                                            196

3.     Chronic Lower Respiratory diseases               74

4.     Accidents                                                          76

5.     Stroke                                                                43

6.     Diabetes                                                            34

Mental Health:  Depression/anxiety continues to be a top health issue in the community. Nearly 38 percent of CHNA survey respondents admit to being depressed or anxious, though most do not seek regular treatment for it. Just 10.2 percent say they have visited a mental health specialist, despite Ross County having a higher patient to provider ratio (340:1) than the state average (470:1).

Substance use:  Drug overdose deaths continue to be the leading accidental death cause, according to Ross County death records. Those responding to the CHNA survey show that 61 percent of those who use alcohol earn more than $25k a year, and 35 percent earn less than $25k. People who admit to smoking or using some form of tobacco flip in terms of income, with nearly 42 percent of those earning less than $25k per year saying they regularly use tobacco, compared to 17 percent in the above $25k a year income group.

Obesity, Heart Health, Diabetes:  Physical activity and nutrition play a role in our overall health and wellbeing and are proven to reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Nearly half (49.6%) of all Ross Co CHNA respondents say they eat one serving or less of fruits and vegetables each day; and about 26 percent say they get less than 30 minutes of exercise a week. 

Those surveyed self-reported their heart health to be as follows:

·        High Blood Pressure                           39.6%

·        Overweight or obese                          32.5%

·        High cholesterol                                  26.2%

·        Diabetes                                              18.0%

·        Heart disease diagnoses                      5.1% 

The CHNA survey was available last fall and earlier this year for residents of communities served by Adena Regional Medical Center. It focused on the respondent’s perception of the health issues facing our communities, as well as their own overall health and conditions. The CHNA must be conducted every three years by all 501(c)(3) hospitals, as required by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.  

To view the complete results of the Adena and Partners for a Healthier Ross County 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) visit www.adena.org/chna.

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Do you ever feel gassy or bloated and wonder if it’s something to be concerned about? In a recent discussion with Dr. Bennie R. Upchurch, Gastroenterology Specialist with Adena Health System, we explore common digestive issues and identify when you should check in with your health care provider. We also provide informative tips in helping avoid digestive pain and discomfort.

Feel the “burn”?

At Adena Gastroenterology, we most commonly treat patients for frequent heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Gastroesophageal reflux is when there is a backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus, or throat. It can cause an uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest, but is usually treatable with changes in diet and eating habits. Fatty foods, alcohol and tobacco can all contribute to heartburn. If heartburn occurs for patients more than 2-3 times a week, or they have other symptoms such as vomiting after meals, difficultly swallowing, coughing, wheezing or frequent chest pain, a patient’s condition may have progressed to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. If they are experiencing any of these symptoms, they should contact their primary care physician or contact Adena Gastroenterologyfor the best treatment options. 

We also treat patients for other common issues such as incontinence, ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), nausea, vomiting and more. Not all of these issues are serious, but if they are frequently reoccurring for patients, we advise them to come see us a soon as possible. Typically, all these issues are treatable and there is no reason anyone should suffer through uncomfortable symptoms.

Digestive Battle of the Sexes

We see almost an equal number of men and women for digestive issues, but some conditions seem more prevalent in one versus the other – basically, men’s and women’s digestive systems are not exactly the same. Men tend to have more issues with stomach acid and ulcers then women. And women tend to have more issues with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) than men. That doesn’t mean that men can’t have IBS or women can’t have Acid Reflux, but because of how their digestive systems work a little differently, some digestive issues do tend to appear more commonly based on a person’s sex. 

Why Can’t I Eat as I Used to?

As you get older, your gut composition changes. Typically, patients will notice a difference in the impacts of food starting somewhere in their 50s-60s. Some changes can be triggered by changes in diet as we get older, or just a change in biology. It’s recommended as patients age, that they drink at least eight glasses of water a day and get plenty of dietary fiber, such as oatmeal, beans, nuts, and fruits such as apples, berries, citrus fruits, and pears. 

It is not uncommon as patients get older that they become lactose intolerant; meaning their stomach can become highly agitated by dairy products, including milk, ice cream, cheese, etc. This is due to a decline in lactase, an enzyme in the small intestine responsible for breaking down the sugars in dairy and turning them into energy. It is not understood why this happens as some people get older, but it could be as simple as developing an intolerance, or it could be signaling the potential for some other digestive disorder like Crohn’s Disease, bacterial overgrowth or Celiac disease – all digestive issues where patients should seek their doctor’s help for treatment and guidance on relief. Like most digestive issues, some help can be gained through altering one’s diet and eating habits, and there are also helpful medications that may relieve some digestive pain and discomfort. Either way, it’s best to get it checked out by your health care provider or by making an appointment at with Adena Gastroenterology Department. 

When Should You be Concerned?

Patients should be concerned if they see any significant change in their digestive process. Trouble swallowing, excessive heartburn, chest pain, nausea or frequent vomiting could all be indicators that something is off balance in the digestive system and patients should check with their primary care provider or Adena Gastroenterologyon how best to be treated. Similarly, if a patient is experiencing changes in their bowel, frequent diarrhea, incontinence, constipation, abdominal pain, frequent fevers or bleeding from the rectum -- bright red blood can mean there is an issue such as internal hemorrhoids – they should consult a physician as soon as possible. Although many issues can be treated with diet, early diagnosis is generally always better for digestive issues and solutions.

When Should You Not be Concerned?

Our body goes through changes as we age and that includes our gut and digestive system. Bloating and gas often become more frequent, but are not generally indicators of illness. Try changing some things in your diet that might seem to cause these discomforts like reducing certain vegetables or dairy. Paying attention and knowing how your body responds is very helpful should things change and you feel you’ve developed a more concerning symptom.

Can I Believe What I See on the Internet?

There are tons of ads on the internet promoting diets and digestive supplements. Pre- and probiotics have become more popular than ever. The reality is, while some patients may feel better taking these products, there is no evidence they make a great impact on the digestive system. In some cases, they may help cleanse or “reset” to make a healthy gut flora, but they won’t have much, if any, impact if there is a greater digestive issue at play. If patients are experiencing anything that seems more than out of the ordinary, they should consult with their health care provider or Adena Gastroenterology.

(image) Have you ever felt like that – where, if you laugh, you might “have an accident”? Do you not always make it on time? Get the inside track on issues of incontinence (urological leaking) and the treatment options available. Dr. Stephen Johnson has been a Urologist at Adena Health System for over ten years and is passionate about making significant improvements in his patients’ quality of life. 

The Download on Incontinence

Urinary incontinence, or bladder leakage, occurs when the muscles and nerves around the bladder experience control issues in retaining urine. It is often associated with pregnancy, childbirth, pelvic surgery or menopause, but actually, urinary incontinence is common for both men and women – especially as they get older. 

There are two main types of incontinence: urge and stress incontinence. With urge incontinence, patients experience a strong, sudden urge “to go” and often their bladder contracts and urine starts without control. This is a condition seen in both men and women. With stress incontinence, patients are predominantly women and experience leakage due to weakened muscles often  from childbirth or certain surgeries.

There is a third, less common type of incontinence, called overflow incontinence. It occurs in men and women when their bladder gets so full it can no longer hold the urine in. If this occurs with any frequency, patients need to consult with their physician or our Adena Urology Departmentsince this type of incontinence could lead to other health issues, including kidney damage. 

No matter the symptoms, patients should consult a physician if they are experiencing any incontinence. “I always stress to patients that although incontinence is common, it is not normal. There are a range of treatment options to help improve a patient’ issues,” says Dr. Johnson.

Surgery? Probably Not

At Adena, we take a conservative approach to incontinence treatment, working through the least invasive options to more progressive options, only if needed. First, we assess the patient. Although we often like to see patients in person, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have become very skilled at virtual visits.

Once we understand the patient’s condition, we initially look at their diet and behavioral habits to see if making changes can help alleviate their incontinence. We often recommend patients see a pelvic floor health therapist to work with them on improving pelvic and bladder strength. Through exercise and behavior modification, therapists help patients retrain their bladder, increase core and pelvic strength, and eliminate dietary irritants that can factor into incontinence. 

If a patient needs further help, there are medications we can prescribe that are very effective. Many of the newer medications have little or no side effects. And then, if needed, there are procedural options – some in-office and some require surgery. 

Mainly, we want patients to realize there are many treatment options and that Adena Urology works with patients to tailor an individual treatment path for them. Incontinence left untreated can be terrible for patients. We’re here to help.

Bladder Tune-Up

Yes. Diet, behavior changes and exercise can all help. For diet, if people eliminate or avoid bladder irritants such as pop, tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol, sugary, fruit flavored or caffeinated drinks that’s a good start. Energy drinks are generally the worst of all of these and should be avoided if a person is experiencing leakage. Foods to avoid would be spicy foods, chocolate, tomato-based items, and citrus, like oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes. Also, drinking plenty of water can help dilute urine and toxins in urine that might agitate the bladder.

Kegel exercises can help build strength in the pelvic floor. There are a number of guides and devices online. Just make sure you are doing the exercises correctly with reputable equipment. If a patient has questions, they can call our office. 

Behavior changes beyond diet can also help. Training yourself to go at regular times and not hold your urine can be helpful. 

Not Just Part of Getting Older

“We always tell our patients, although incontinence is very common, it is not normal and any signs of beginning or continual leaking should be checked out by a physician,” says Dr. Johnson. Some incontinence is normal after pregnancy (especially after vaginal delivery). This is often temporary and pelvic floor strengthening is important.  Any significant or profound incontinence should always be evaluated as it could indicate an injury to the urethral sphincter (intrinsic sphincter deficiency). This is a rare complication in the United States, but more common in 3rd world countries.

If you’re experiencing regular incontinence, for either men or women, don’t just “sweep it under the rug,” thinking it’s part of aging. Call your primary health physician or call our Adena Urology Department. Incontinence can be treated and there’s no reason to live with the worry and discomfort incontinence can bring.

Adena Health System announced today that it is making a return to full visitor restrictions to help limit the spread of the Coronavirus. 

“Given the recent surge in positive cases both statewide and locally, we are implementing the strictest measures to ensure the health, safety and protection of Adena’s patients and staff,” said Chief Clinical Officer Kirk Tucker, MD. “We are seeing outbreaks throughout our communities and an increase in patients to our COVID-19 unit. This indicates we have a high probability to experience a large surge over the next four weeks.”

He added, “From the onset of this pandemic, we have learned to be proactive and nimble in our decision-making to safely protect those coming to us for care or working in our facilities. For the safety and well-being of everyone, we will continue to monitor state and local health data and will make adjustments to our visitor policies when appropriate.”

Effective immediately, at Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe, visitor access will be limited to:

• No visitors in clinical care areas, inpatient units and the Emergency Department.
• Visitor exceptions will be for the following:
  • “End of life” situations – requires approval of the patient’s provider;
  • Labor and delivery – includes the infant’s mother and one support person;
  • Minor patients (under 18) – two visitors, limited to only parents or guardians;
  • Patients having major surgery – one support person on the day of and day after surgery; and
  • Patients with significant physical disabilities – one support person.
• Visitors are not permitted for patients confirmed or suspected of COVID-19.
• Visitor expectations during this phase also include:
  • Visitors under age 13 are not permitted;
  • All visitors require an Adena caregiver escort to and from the unit they are visiting;
  • All visitor waiting areas are closed;
  • Visitors are not to be loitering in the hospital.

Visitor restrictions remain at Adena’s two critical-access hospitals - Adena Greenfield Medical Center and Adena Pike Medical Center - Adena Cancer Center and all urgent care and walk-in clinic locations. No visitors are allowed in clinical care areas unless deemed “absolutely necessary” by the patient’s care team.

Patients, staff and visitors are required to be screened at entrances and must follow Adena’s universal masking requirement throughout the course of their visit or shift. People should also maintain social distancing guidelines while on premises.  

Current visitor policy information can always be found on Adena’s website by visiting adena.org/VisitorPolicy.

(image) Adena Health System Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) Kirk Tucker, MD has been on the frontlines of the system’s Coronavirus efforts from Day One, helping to safely build and sustain a COVID-19 care delivery model across south central and southern Ohio. Four months after the region’s first cases, the numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19 is trending up both nationally and locally, and Dr. Tucker advises everyone to keep working to protect themselves and others in our communities. 

“This has been a very long haul,” Tucker said. “It is understandable that people are wearing down from the stress, fatigue and challenges this pandemic has caused in our daily lives. If there is anything I can stress to my patients and people in our communities, it is ‘don’t stop now.’ We need to continue to safely protect ourselves and those around us just as hard, and with the same commitment that we did four months ago.”   

With a close eye on federal, state and local health data, Tucker believes the current increase in positives cases may be the last. Following a 60-day course of events, trends on positive cases should begin to decline. 

“My hope is based on evidence we are watching that indicates by fall we could be on the tail end of this curve; and Coronavirus will become more of a thing in our past than our present,” he added. “That is why it is so important for us to stay focused in our efforts to wear a face mask, wash our hands and follow proper social distancing guidelines. I understand we all want to return to what our lives looked like before this pandemic. But we can’t be in a rush to return where it sets us back in the progress we have made.”

Tucker, an Internal Medicine physician, is encouraged that patients across the region have been returning to seek care at Adena’s hospitals, health centers, and clinics, while helping to limit the spread of the virus.    

“Adena has been extremely safe and thoughtful in its reopening of services; and from the beginning has put the health and well-being of our patients, visitors and staff as the top priority with enhanced safety and cleaning measures,” he said. “Adena has also made testing for COVID-19 more accessible for patients in the region with availability at all Urgent Care locations and a number of walk-in clinics. For us to remain on top of this health crisis, we encourage anyone who believes they have symptoms, or have been exposed to a person confirmed to have COVID-19 to call the COVID-19 Screening Hotline at 740-542-SAFE (7233).”

“Having practiced at Adena for 17 years, one thing I know about this community is we pull together, support one another and overcome any obstacle,” said Tucker. “That is what we need to do now – it is what we have seen to this point and what will get us to the finish.”

Join us for the next edition of Living Well with Adena, where our infection prevention experts will break down the rhetoric around the effectiveness of masks and other face coverings, by offering science-based facts on the topic. They will also provide an update on COVID-19’s resurgence in our communities, and discuss how to protect ourselves and others, as we battle this pandemic together. Participate in the discussion by tuning in on Thursday, July 16 at Noon on Adena’s Facebook Live and YouTube Live feeds. For more information or to access any previous Living Well with Adena, visit adena.org/livingwell.  

Adena Pike Medical Center (APMC) has partnered with Senior Life Solutions on an intensive outpatient group therapy program for seniors. Senior Life Solutions is designed to meet the unique needs of older adults typically ages 65 and over struggling with symptoms of depression and anxiety, stress from age-related health concerns, or difficult life transitions such as the loss of a loved one.

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Senior Life Solutions to bring this service to Adena Pike Medical Center,” said Brandy Strain, APMC Director of Nursing. “This partnership supports the needs and services that critical access hospitals provide to our rural community and we could not be more excited to offer this program to patients.”

Individuals may benefit from the Senior Life Solutions program if they are experiencing any of the following common indicators or triggers of depression and anxiety:  

• Recently experienced a traumatic event
• Lost a spouse or close family member
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Changes in appetite
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of energy
• Feelings of sadness or grief lasting more than two weeks
• Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness

Following an assessment and admission into the program, each patient’s care plan is individualized and Senior Life Solutions staff typically meets with patients up to three times per week. Currently, the program is conducting therapy on-site at the hospital with enhanced safety measures as well as via virtual visits to safety serve patients from the comfort of their homes by video or telephone. Referrals to the program can be made by anyone, including a patient’s physician, family member, the patient themselves, or another health care professional.

For more information, call 740-947-6512 or visit www.adena.org/sls.

dena Pike Medical Center (APMC) now provides services to patients reporting to its Emergency Department following a sexual assault. Beginning this month, Adena Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide care, support and aid to these patients.

“We hope that by delivering this much needed service at Adena Pike Medical Center, we can enhance the care we provide to patients affected by sexual assault, and assure they are receiving the best possible trauma-informed care,” said Julie Fairchild, SANE/Forensic Nursing Coordinator. “By not having to be transferred to see a SANE nurse, or having to tell their story one more time can mean the difference between a patient seeking additional services or not.” 

 Previously, patients arriving at APMC with a report of sexual assault were transferred to Adena Regional Medical Center, located in Chillicothe, for an examination by a specially trained SANE nurse. Trauma-informed services now being provided at APMC can include medical examination; sexual assault evidence collection; prophylactic treatment of sexually transmitted infections; appropriate testing; forensic photography, and documentation of injuries. Additional services to help the patient in her/his recovery includes advocacy; resource linkage; referral to safety services, including safety planning and shelter placement.

 Adena’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are qualified forensic nurses who have received special training to conduct sexual assault evidentiary exams for sexual assault victims. SANE nurses are specially trained in the medical, psychological, and forensic examination of a sexual assault victim. They collaborate with the health care team, law enforcement and community members to provide the best response to the needs of the community concerning interpersonal violence. 

For more information about SANE and Adena’s Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate Program, visit www.adena.org/sane.

(image) Adena Home Health Care has been named a Top Agency by HomeCare Elite^®, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. For 14 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlighted the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. This marks the fourth time Adena Home Health Care has earned this distinction.

“Adena Home Health Care plays an important role in helping patients safely continue to meet their care needs - whether through a pandemic or every day,” said Deborah Hanson, director of Adena Home Health Care. “Keeping our patients safe in the comfort of their homes while still receiving the care they need is maybe more important now than ever. Patients and their families cannot delay in seeking care and we are glad we can be there for them when and where they need us. Recognitions such as this help instill trust with our patients and their families that Adena Home Health Care can best meet their needs at the highest levels of safety and quality.”

More than 8,800 agencies were considered in the ranking, with 2,207 being recognized on the HomeCare Elite winners list. HomeCare Elite agencies are determined by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, best practices implementation, patient experience (HHCAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial health.

The ranking is developed by ABILITY^® Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare. It is sponsored by DecisionHealth, part of the H3.Group. 

“We’re pleased to recognize Adena Home Health Care for exemplifying best practice in patient care,” said Christine Lang, senior director for ABILITY Network. “Adena Home Health Care’s home health professionals have demonstrated exceptional commitment to care quality and the patient experience.”

In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least three outcomes in Home Health Compare.

“Congratulations to Adena Home Health Care from all of the staff at DecisionHealth,” said Marci Geipe, product manager for DecisionHealth. “Your leadership and staff have placed a premium on the patient care your agency provides as showcased by your quality outcome scores. The entire community benefits from the compassion that your staff shows toward your patients, leading to cost savings for the entire healthcare system.”  

Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Adena Home Health Care offers patients and their families a single resource for all in-home medical care needs. Adena Home Health Care serves patients in Fayette, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross and Vinton counties. For more information, call 740-779-4663 or visit adena.org/HomeHealthCare.

Adena Cancer Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology, as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Radiation oncology, or radiation therapy, is the careful use of high-energy radiation to treat cancer. A radiation oncologist may use radiation to attack a cancerous mass or to relieve a patient’s pain.

“Practices, like Adena Cancer Center, are awarded this accreditation after careful review, and we are best prepared to deliver quality radiation therapy at a national standard,” said Alex Wilson, MD, Adena Cancer Center medical director and radiation oncologist. ”Patients who choose cancer care at an ACR accredited facility should have peace of mind in knowing their safety is of utmost importance to the hospital and physicians providing their treatments. In the era of COVID-19, Adena Cancer Center is further committed to social distancing, masking, enhanced cleaning and reducing the number of people in our facility at all times, keeping our patients and staff as safe as possible.”

The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body, with more than 700 accredited sites, and 30 years of accreditation experience. The ACR seal is awarded only after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field to facilities that meet specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards set by ACR. Programs awarded the ACR seal of accreditation represent the highest level of quality and patient safety.

The on-site evaluation looks at patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and assessment of quality assurance programs. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which decides if the operation meets accreditation standards and identifies areas for continuous practice improvement.

To learn more about Adena Health System’s close-to-home cancer care, visit adena.org/cancer.

As part of its safe and careful reopening efforts, Adena Health System has eased visitor restrictions for inpatient visits effective immediately. Under the new visitor policy, anyone admitted to Adena, with the exception of specialty or high-risk areas may have one visitor per day during visitation hours. That visitor must be the same person for the entire day. Specialty and high-risk areas, such as Behavioral Health and COVID-19 cohorts will determine visitation at the unit and/or provider’s discretion.

“The support of family and other support persons is an important aspect of the healing process,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “While it was important to limit access to patients and staff for the past several weeks, we are pleased to be able to offer patients and families an opportunity for in-person interaction and visitation. To assure a safe environment with appropriate social distancing, and maintenance of our personal protective equipment, such as masks, it is necessary to limit how many people are in Adena facilities at any given time. We will require visitors to participate in the COVID-19 screening process and to register upon entry. Everyone who enters must follow social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines, and must wear a mask or face covering while in the hospital.”

Visitor information includes:

• One visitor per day – same person all day – for most inpatients (Exceptions: COVID-19+ inpatients, Inpatient Rehabilitation, and Behavioral Health – pending permission of the unit);
• Surgery patients are allowed one visitor on the day of surgery;
• No visitors under age 18 (unless they are the parent of a patient);
• One visitor may accompany a patient presenting to an Adena Emergency Department;
• Patients under age 18 may have two parents or guardians visit, who are not required to leave at close of visiting hours; and
• Due to limited space in waiting areas, visitors are not permitted during most physician office visits and/or visits to testing areas (Exceptions: OB/Gyn patients may have one visitor for ultrasound appointments. Both parents may accompany a child under 18 to pediatric clinic visits).

 Hospital visiting hours are 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., seven days a week. Adena’s Visitor Policy is available to view at adena.org.

Adena Health System has worked diligently to incorporate higher levels of safety in all of its facilities. This includes making physical distancing a priority in waiting areas and spaces where people may need to form a line; universal masking is required of every caregiver, visitor and patient in all public areas; and enhanced cleaning and disinfecting is being performed several times a day, especially for high-touch areas. 

(image) Adena Health System is dedicated to providing its patients, visitors, physicians, caregivers and volunteers with a safe and healthy environment. As a proponent of health and wellness for the communities in its nine-county service region, Adena today announced its refocus toward being 100% smoke- and tobacco-free on all its properties with policy enforcement effective immediately. 

“We know that smoking and the use of tobacco products at any of our hospitals, health centers and clinics is detrimental to the health and safety of our patients, staff and visitors,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “As an organization, Adena supports an environment where everyone who visits us for care or works to take care of our patients is supported in all efforts to live tobacco-free; and is not exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke while they are on any of our campuses.”

Adena advocates the U.S. Surgeon General’s findings that tobacco use in any form, active and passive, is a significant health hazard. The Health System further supports the findings of the American Hospital Association that recommends hospitals “serve as a role model of health for the community.” Additionally, based on our recent Community Health Needs Assessment, smoking and tobacco use ranks among the highest in the state, and is a leading contributor of related health conditions and death.

 Graham added, “This is not a new initiative for the health system. In 2008, Adena implemented a smoke- and tobacco-free policy. With the Coronavirus especially, we have been reminded how important it is to protect the safety, health and well-being of our communities when it comes to all respiratory illnesses. The decision to prohibit smoking and tobacco-use at all Adena facilities aligns with many other hospitals, health systems and businesses worldwide in choosing to provide healthier environments for their patients, visitors and employees. This is the ideal time to champion this initiative, and put its renewed focus at the forefront.”

Adena Health System’s Smoke- and Tobacco-Free policy prohibits all smoking and the use of all tobacco:

• In all Adena Health System owned, leased, satellite, and affiliated buildings where Adena employees work; 
• On all Adena Health System owned or leased grounds; 
• In all Adena Health System owned, leased or rented vehicles, on or off Adena grounds;  
• In any personal vehicle parked on Adena Health System owned, leased and affiliated property/parking lots; and  
• At all events hosted or organized by Adena Health System.

Adena has help available for tobacco users who are interested in quitting. Assistance is available through a Smoking Cessation Program, or your primary care physician can develop a treatment option that will work for you. If you do not have a primary care provider, call 740-779-FIND (3463) to make an appointment with one near you. Adena also offers a nationally recognized free lung cancer screening program for some current and former smokers.

For more about Adena Health System’s Smoke and Tobacco-Free policies and programs, visit adena.org/TobaccoFree.

By: Dr. Reggina Yandila, Primary Care, Adena Internal Medicine

(image)
Summer is here. We are at the halfway point of 2020 – and what a year it has already been.

When the year started, many of us had health and fitness goals. The seeds were planted. We were ready. The first few months were fairly normal. Then all of a sudden we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. 

As safety measures and precautions increased across the state, we found ourselves living under “stay at home” orders. It hit us like a ton of bricks. We are used to going where we need or want to go. Then suddenly schools, gyms, retail stores, and even some hospital services were closed or stopped until further notice. All of those goals for better health and trips to the gym stalled for many. Some of us had to think about homeschooling our children while trying to work from home all while trying to read about this new virus that changed our world and our lives. How we do stay safe from this new disease that is seemingly spreading like wild fire?

For many of us, the stress of it all overtook our motivation for making good decisions about food and exercise. We put off taking care of our general health care needs like well visits and check-ups with the doctor to monitor chronic illnesses. Out of fear of contracting COVID-19, many spent weeks managing issues for which they normally would have sought medical care to avoid stepping foot into a hospital, Emergency Room or doctor’s office.

Now as the world reopens, we find ourselves in this “new normal.” We are again learning to adjust. 

We started wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines. Here in Ohio, we did well and helped to “flatten the curve” as best we could, though we cannot ignore to what expense. The financial impact on our local businesses and our hospitals has been difficult, and it will take years to recover from those losses. However, something had to be done to slow the anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases in our state and nation.

Several months of staying at home and physically distancing from others has had a profound effect on the mental and physical health of our communities. As a Primary Care Provider, I am seeing more cases of new and/or uncontrolled anxiety and depression. One thing I always like to stress with my patients is making their own physical and mental health a priority through eating healthy and exercising. This not only helps my patients, but also their families, friends and neighbors as they do the same.

Eating healthy can help ward off illness, make you feel better, detoxify the body, and may help you lose some weight. Many have seen their scales tip in the wrong direction since the onset of COVID-19, and being confined indoors. Carrying extra weight can increase the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease, joint problems, and more.

Exercising is a great compliment to a healthy diet. As the weather warms up and we begin to safely leave our homes more often, we can find more ways to increase our activity levels. Walking helps to lower your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, and it also helps to bring peace of mind by releasing endorphins that make us feel good. While walking is a great form of activity, we must remember to maintain our safe and appropriate distance from others.

Don’t forget to talk to your Primary Care Provider before you begin any type of exercise regimen. This is a perfect conversation to have with your health care provider during your annual well visit, which many times is covered by your insurance at no cost. The well visit is also a time to make sure you are up to date on your screening exams and labs.

As health care services reopen, it is understandable that people may be hesitant to return to their doctor’s offices. I want to assure you that Adena is working hard and taking every precaution to keep you safe. All across the Health System, we have implemented enhanced cleaning and safety measures to ensure your safety.

As soon as you arrive, you will see the changes made to keep patients and staff safe. Screeners greet every person who enters with questions related to possible exposure to COVID-19 and a temperature check. If someone has a fever of more than 100F, and has other symptoms and/or contact with someone that has COVID or suspicious for it, they will be referred to the COVID-19 Screening Clinic for further evaluation and/or testing.

When a person is cleared to enter an Adena facility, they must wear a mask or cloth face covering. If they don’t have a mask, we will give them one. Once inside, directional signage to allow for social distancing will guide them through the facility in the safest way possible; and waiting areas have been redesigned to allow for six feet of spacing between chairs. While always striving to be the best at cleanliness and safety, Adena has escalated the level of cleaning in its buildings and clinics to assure high-touch areas are cleaned often. This is all intended to keep you safe while you get the care you need.

In most cases, patients will receive a call from their provider’s office to pre-register for their appointment. Clinics with limited space may require a patient to call when they arrive at the hospital or doctor’s office and to wait in their car until it is time for their visit. COVID-suspected patients are directed to our COVID Clinic or ER for severe symptoms. Our goal is not to mix those suspected of this disease with routine patient care. There are still other illnesses out there besides COVID, and as a result of this, we have designated “well” and “sick” sides to try to keep you from contracting any other illnesses.

Adena is taking these safety measures so our patients feel safe in coming back to see us. Coronavirus is out there, but don’t let fear keep you from seeking the health care you may need. There are still diseases such as strokes, blood clots, etc. that can be deadly or life changing that are still out there. I have patients that if they did not come in to be treated, they would have had different outcomes. Even my colleagues that are taking care of patients in the hospital are noticing that patients are coming in sicker to the hospital, leading to prolonged stays because of waiting too long at home to seek care. Please don’t let that be you.

Adena is a safe place for you to come for care. If you want to learn more about how Adena is keeping its patients and visitors safe, visit adena.org/TakingEveryPrecaution. Your Primary Care Providers and Specialists miss you.

Stay Safe. We look forward to seeing you soon! 

For nearly three months, our nation and communities have experienced unprecedented change, stress and sadness in managing the global pandemic. Most recently, those same emotions are being felt within our communities as racial tensions have been heightened by unacceptable acts of violence. 

What we see in the media, or experience in our cities and towns, has opened a dialogue in efforts for positive change that highly impacts the African American community. Following is a statement on the Adena Health System’s commitment to every patient from President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Graham, and Chief Human Resources Officer Heather Sprague:

“Adena Health System was created by the women of our community 125 years ago to meet the health care needs of the people who live here. Our founders made no distinction when it came to who we were to care for, and that sentiment remains today.

Whether in 1895 or 2020, Adena is here to provide quality health care to all persons, regardless of race, gender, economic status, sexual preference, identity or religion.

We firmly believe that diversity and inclusion is what makes a community. Each of our individual qualities and experiences is necessary in building a culture that keeps us all moving forward.

Adena’s physicians and caregivers represent many of our world’s cultures, beliefs and races. It is what makes us unique as individuals, and it makes us stronger as a team and organization. We are committed to providing the highest quality health care to anyone who needs us. 

At Adena, we are dedicated to living out our organizational values of integrity, quality, excellence and trust, for every patient, every time. We do this with respect for every patient, and we are committed to treating you as you would want to be treated.”

“Patients visiting an Adena Urgent Care for curbside testing, or any care need, can feel confident that they are coming to a safe environment,” added Dr. Black. “Each Adena Urgent Care location has enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures in place, incorporated social distancing, masking requirements and other safety precautions to protect those coming to see us for care and for the safety of our staff.”   

Adena Urgent Care locations offer walk-in service, or patients may skip the wait by reserving their appointment time online. For more information or to reserve time for you visit, go to adena.org/UrgentCare.    

(image) As we all learn to live with COVID-19 in our daily lives, don’t forget about other serious health conditions that require our attention and rapid response. Ignoring the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can be a life threatening decision.

Don’t let a fear of respiratory illness keep you from seeking the care you need.  

At Adena Health System, we are closely monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on our communities, while providing you with quality care in a safe environment. Know that we are taking every precaution to protect you and your family during the COVID-19 outbreak, and every day. The important changes we are making are intended to keep you safe when you visit an Adena health center, clinic or hospital. This is evident by Adena recently earning a national ‘A’ rating for hospital safety by the Leapfrog Group. 

Don’t wait to get help if you experience any of these heart attack warning signs:

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
• Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders. 
• Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but shortness of breath also can happen before chest discomfort.

Other symptoms of a heart attack could include unusual or unexplained tiredness and nausea or vomiting. 

If you notice the symptoms of a heart attack in yourself or someone else, call 9-1-1 immediately. 

(image) Adena Health System Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) Kirk Tucker, MD is here to tell patients not to delay or put off seeking any type of health care for fear or worry about contracting Coronavirus. Adena, like other hospitals and health systems nationwide, is a safe place to come for care.

“If there is one message I could stress to members of our communities right now, it would be that Adena is a safe place to return for their health care needs,” Tucker said. “I understand as businesses and restaurants begin to open up there is going to be a hesitation to return for many. But when it involves your health care, I want to assure people that our hospitals, health centers and clinics have the right policies and procedures in place, and we have the highest of standards and quality to safely care for those in our region.”  

He added, “Statistically across the country, we are seeing dramatic trends that show the number of emergency department patients presenting with heart attacks and strokes are down by as much as 50 percent. What this tells me is, people are not seeking out the care they need for these serious conditions or others when they are experiencing symptoms like chest pains, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, bleeding or headaches. It concerns me very much.” 

Dr. Tucker said people will be impressed when they come to any Adena location and witness the level of safety measures and guidelines that have been instituted towards patient and visitor safety. He is quick to say that in its return to fuller operations, all of Adena’s decisions have patient safety in mind. 

“I like to compare our approach to a dimmer switch,” Tucker said. “We are not going to just flick a switch and be back to normal. We are taking a slow and thoughtful path to ensure the safety and protection for everyone - patients, visitors and our staff. We follow all recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health. Anyone entering an Adena facility has their temperature checked and they are asked a series of questions about recent travel history or exposure. They are also handed a mask if they need one. We have redesigned many of our hospital and clinic spaces to allow for proper social distancing, and we have instituted enhanced cleaning procedures throughout the System.”

Dr. Tucker looks at Adena’s new safety protocols as almost having a hospital within a hospital. Patients suffering from any respiratory illness are identified, many times before they enter the doors, and can be safely cared for in areas separate from other patients, maximizing the safety and protection of all patients and visitors.

“Adena is safe, but you don’t have to just take my word for it,” he added. “Adena Regional Medical Center earned a national ‘A’ hospital safety rating from The Leapfrog Group for Spring 2020. This grade is reflective of Adena’s safety policies and processes. It compares us with other hospitals and health systems across the U.S., so patients can make the best health care decision for themselves.”

Tucker concluded, “If you have a health care need that has gone unaddressed for the past 90 days, please reach out to your primary care provider or present yourself to one of the ERs in our region. Patients should be confident in seeking health care and in trusting Adena.”

For more about Adena Health System’s enhanced cleaning and facility safety procedures, visit adena.org/TakingEveryPrecaution.

Adena Health System will officially open its newest location to the Circleville community with the addition of an Urgent Care facility on June 1. The 5,000 square-foot facility is located on the city’s south side within Circleville Plaza at 166 Summit Ave., Circleville. Adena Urgent Care – Circleville will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

 “We are excited to finally open this location, and expand Adena’s health care services in Circleville,” said Adena Health President and CEO Jeff Graham. “We delayed our original opening date because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now is the right time to open and to safely help our patients in Pickaway County take care of their urgent health care needs.”

Like all Adena Health System locations, Adena Urgent Care – Circleville staff and providers will closely monitor the effects of COVID-19 in the community, while providing quality care in a safe environment. Additional safety measures and enhanced cleaning practices are in place to minimize risk for patients, visitors and staff. Graham added, “Patients can feel secure in knowing that Adena hospitals and outpatient locations are safe.”

Anyone seeking services at Adena Urgent Care – Circleville will have the ability to skip the waiting room experience by using a convenient online service that allows them to sign-in from home or elsewhere. After signing in online, the patient can continue working or resting at home until they are notified that it is time to come in to the clinic to see a provider. Traditional walk-in service will also be available.

Initial services offered at Adena Urgent Care – Circleville include:

• Acute care for illnesses like flu, colds, cough, strep throat and more;
• COVID-19 testing;
• Sports physicals;
• Sprains, strains and minor fractures;
• Outpatient laboratory services; and 
• X-ray and mobile 3D mammograms.

Primary and specialty care services continue to be offered at Adena Health Center – Circleville, located at 140 Morris Road; and Adena Specialty Clinic – Circleville, located at 798 N. Court Street. To make an appointment with a provider serving Circleville and Pickaway County, call 779-FIND (3463).

For more information or to make an appointment at Adena Urgent Care – Circleville, call (740) 420-3151 or visit www.adena.org/UrgentCare.   

Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has been awarded an ‘A’ in the Spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This national distinction recognizes Adena’s achievements in providing safe health care. ARMC is one of just 43 A-rated hospitals in Ohio. More than 2,600 U.S. hospitals are graded in the survey. 

“Patients who trust Adena with their care can be confident that our safety measures exceed the standard levels for the Healthcare industry,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Earning an ‘A’ grade for safety reinforces that Adena is operating at the highest standards. Safety and quality is a team effort, and our physicians, advanced practice providers and caregivers are dedicated to taking every precaution to protect our patients during the COVID-19 outbreak, and every day. Our communities can feel secure in knowing that Adena hospitals, health centers and clinics are safe places for when they need care.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to hospitals twice per year. Letter grades are assigned to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for Adena. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.

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Health Care is Safe and Available 

Adena Health System is participating in a statewide public awareness campaign that focuses on the safety and availability of health care. Led by the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and Ohio State Medical Association, the campaign assures people that Ohio’s hospitals and physician offices are safe. It also explains the importance of taking care of one’s health care needs by going to a doctor or hospital for routine and urgent medical care.

The statewide hospital campaign encourages people to not delay the care they need, or to doubt the safety of Ohio’s hospitals. The message affirms that health care providers are safe, open and available to deliver high-quality care to Ohioans. The campaign features two videos:

“Your health matters” – It is safe for you to visit your doctor or your hospital. Make an appointment today or seek urgent care when you need it. Your health matters. 

“Health care is safe” - Ohio’s health care providers have always treated people who are sick, and ensured the wellness of those who are not in safe, appropriate care settings. Our hospitals and doctors’ offices are safe, and we are here for you - like we have always been and always will be.

“As we each begin to navigate our new normal, patients can be confident that when they seek care at any Adena Health hospital, health center or clinic, they will find the highest levels of quality, cleanliness and safety,” said Adena Health President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Across the System, we have added screening processes for anyone who enters, created socially distant waiting and common areas, installed safety barriers where needed, and have added enhanced cleaning and disinfecting processes to our nationally-recognized quality and safety practices. Anyone entering an Adena facility should be assured they are in a safe place for close-to-home care delivered by our exceptional team of caregivers.”   

The campaign comes as the result of a trend being seen across Ohio and the nation. Health care providers are seeing a substantial decline in the number of patients coming in for preventative and emergency treatment. Several national studies have found people with serious health conditions or symptoms are avoiding hospitals out of fear of catching COVID-19 or contributing to its spread, risking their health in the process. 

“Ohio hospitals and health systems are a vital source of health care and wellness services for our communities,” said Mike Abrams, president and CEO, Ohio Hospital Association. “Every day, hospitals are committing resources and preparing their facilities to ensure patient safety and health care quality. We encourage Ohioans to get the care they need today.”

Anthony Armstrong, MD, president of the Ohio State Medical Association added, “There is tremendous concern for people who urgently need medical attention for conditions unrelated to COVID-19. The message has to be clear: Your health is your responsibility; and it is safe to seek the care you need from your doctor.” 

As all Ohio providers, Adena is following state and federal guidelines to make sure its facilities and staff are prepared to receive patients in the safest and most efficient ways possible. The OHA warns that delaying or avoiding care can lead to serious complications or long-term health problems.

When you hear the phrase, “in this together,” you may not envision long-time business competitors coming together to share ideas, processes and resources. This is exactly what is happening among a team of south central and southern Ohio health system leaders who are working together through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ohio’s Region 7 Health Care Collaborative includes CEOs from Adena Health, Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH), Holzer Health System, King’s Daughters Medical Center of Ohio (KDMC), and Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC). The collaborative came together to create an incident command center to coordinate regional care of patients suspected of having or testing positive for COVID-19, and for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases in the area. The collaborative has been a model for the state of Ohio throughout the pandemic.

However, these health care systems are no strangers to collaborating. Several members of the collaborative have already been working together to assure patients in our region have access to the care they need, close to home and family. 

“It started more than two years ago, with a phone call between Mike Canady, CEO at Holzer and me talking about our shared vision for each of our organizations - to stay independent,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “We started looking at how we could accomplish that, and how we start working together for the better good of the community. From there the conversations started to grow.”

Dr. Canady was having similar talks with former SOMC CEO Randy Arnett at the time, so with Graham, the three came together to discuss how the organizations might collaborate to achieve their common goals of independence and keeping care close to home. “I’m a firm believer that you can’t do business with someone you don’t have a relationship with,” said Dr. Canady. “The whole thing has been about recognizing that we all have a lot of similar interests and we have crafted some of our business opportunities around that.”

Two more CEOs joined the collaborative in its discussions. The now, five-member group included Jack Janoso, President and CEO of Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster; and Mike Diener, CEO of Fayette County Memorial Hospital, located in Washington Court House. Last spring, the group held a formal work session with key members of their teams, discussing how they could work in partnership for the betterment of each other, and the communities they serve. Thoughts discussed included ideas such as shared purchasing opportunities or clinical services sharing.

“That was really the next phase of our collaboration,” said Graham. “What are the things we can do together to really keep the care close to home?” He added that even though each organization is trying to accomplish the same thing, they also remain competitive in their markets. “That will never change. But by having this collaborative, it really aligns the relationships and how we build off of each other in the services we provide or don’t provide within the region.”

The work group included SOMC’s new President and CEO Ben Gill, while still in his previous role. When named CEO, Gill was immediately onboard with nurturing the collaboration of likeminded competitors. “There is a tendency to think in absolutes when it comes to competition, and I don’t think that’s necessarily the case,” said Gill. “Competition has its place. But if the goal is to take care of the community we serve then there is also an obligation to collaborate.”

CEO Mike Diener of FCMH, which has a formal partnership with Adena for a number of shared specialty services said, “It has been interesting for us, because Fayette Memorial Hospital is located in a region that pulls us into the northern region and Columbus market. But organizationally, operationally, and culturally we have much more in common with the hospitals in the southern Ohio region. They have some of the same challenges and the same opportunities that we have. It is refreshing and encouraging to coordinate our activities with them. I feel FCMH is better prepared because of the relationships we’ve had with our health care partners in southern Ohio.”

To learn from their peers, the CEOs reached out to a group in northern Ohio that had formed a similar relationship. The southern Ohio team hoped to gain an understanding about how the northern Ohio group works together to enhance the availability of care in their respective region. Using what they had learned from their norther partners, the southern Ohio group began exploring how to move toward the next phase of their collaboration. “We started looking at the hospital collaboration that was working for northern Ohio, and then COVID-19 happened,” said Dr. Canady. “That has pulled us together even more -- out of necessity. We all hang together or we all hang separately.”

Over the past six to eight weeks, the group has become formally known at the state level as Ohio’s Region 7 Health Care Collaborative, and is a model for other regions in the state. The relationships that have been built between the health care leaders continue to strengthen, and are benefiting the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Having this established relationship has really been a huge advantage for us in how quickly we pulled together the Regional COVID-19 Incident Command,” said Graham. “We were a step ahead of most regions in Ohio, because of how we and our teams had been building relationships prior to COVID -19. It was very easy for our teams to align and to assemble the necessary people and resources needed to establish a regional command center.” 

Through the Regional Incident Command, there has been a great deal of teamwork at all levels. The collaborative teams quickly adopted a plan to use similar processes, and treatment area set-ups. This allows each entity to know on a daily basis how everyone in the region is prepared to care for their patients and to monitor volumes should they have to transfer patients in the event of a massive surge.

Along with the Incident Command, the CEOs have maintained at least weekly conversations to discuss high-level issues, including the challenges all health systems are facing because of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Any time there is a crisis you circle the wagons. I know we do here,” said SOMC’s Gill. “Everyone in the world is affected by this pandemic. We all need to work together, at least regionally, because we do share a lot of the same challenges and resources. It stands to reason we should work together to have a regional response to a regional problem. I think those relationships that were built before this began are really starting to bear fruit, and you can see that we are better because of it.”

Joining the collaborative as a direct result of the Coronavirus is King’s Daughters Medical Center Ohio Executive Administrator Curtis Meltzer, who expressed his gratitude for being added to the group as part of the Region 7 Health Care Collaborative’s pandemic response. “The work that has been done by this collaborative has been quite impressive,” he said. “I think the fact that you have leaders from five health care systems from throughout our region, who have been able to come together for our community is amazing in itself. The fact it has been done so fast, thorough, and cohesively is what really stands out to me.”

“The work we’ve done to build these relationships previously; and the closer we have become through the COVID-19 crisis, my expectation is that we come out of this even stronger,” Graham concluded. “I hope we continue to share innovative ways of working to be sure that we all come out of this strong, and we are each here for the long term, providing health care for our local communities.”

Dr. Canady added, “The more we can collaborate, without negatively impacting each other’s markets, the better off we all are."

Unclear how long COVID-19 will be a part of their businesses and everyone’s daily lives, the leaders agree they want to continue the work together for the good of the communities and people they serve long after the crisis.

Much of the world’s health care focus lately has been with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, but as we move through the month of May, recognized as National Stroke Awareness Month, let us not forget those other serious health conditions that require our attention and rapid response.

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke. It only takes 12 minutes for a pea-size portion of the brain to die during a stroke. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the risk for permanent disability and death. But, the good news is that more than 80 percent of strokes are preventable. Understanding the causes and warning signs of a stroke could save a life.

What is a stroke?

A stroke is essentially a brain attack that occurs when blood flow to an area of brain is cut off and causes lack of oxygen to brain tissue. 

When brain cells do not get oxygen, they die, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible. A delay in treatment increases the risk of permanent brain damage or even death.

Strokes can be one of the most devastating emergency conditions that can strike. But they don’t have to be. Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke, and getting care quickly gives you the best possibility of restoring full health. 

Stroke Risk Factors 

Anyone can have a stroke, at any age, at any time. Most strokes can be prevented by keeping medical conditions under control and making positive lifestyle changes. 

Once these factors have been identified, it is best to work with your health care provider to establish how you can reduce your risk. 

Medical Risk Factors:

-      High Blood Pressure 

-      High Cholesterol

-       Heart Disease

Lifestyle Risk Factors: 

-   Tobacco Use

-    Physical Activity

-    Diet 

Recognize: What are Symptoms of a Stroke? 

-      Numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, particularly on one side

-    Confusion, trouble speaking

-      Dizziness, trouble walking, loss of coordination 

-      Severe headache with unknown cause 

Respond: What to do if you expect stroke?

Knowing your risk factors is only half the battle. Strokes can happen suddenly, anytime and anywhere. If you think you or someone else may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T.

F- Face 

Ask the person to smile. Does one side of their face droop?

A- Arms

Ask the person to raise both arms, Does one arm drift downward?

S- Speech

Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred? 

T-Time 

If you see any of these signs call 9-1-1 right away.

To learn more about stroke care at Adena, visit adena.org/stroke. 

Acting on Gov. Mike DeWine’s guidance, Adena Health System will begin a cautious, thoughtful return to giving patients access to some surgeries and procedures, in a safe, clean environment. On May 6, Adena will begin a slow ramp up of ambulatory surgeries, in-office procedures, diagnostic testing and diagnostic imaging that do not require an overnight hospital stay. 

Since the state’s March 2020 order that restricted all nonessential surgeries and procedures, Adena physicians and providers have only performed these operations to avoid risk of life, permanent dysfunction, progression of disease, or rapidly worsening symptoms. Through the pandemic, some surgeries and procedures that did not meet these criteria were postponed. 

“Our patients have been waiting to take care of non-emergent aspects of their health that may be of concern, or creating discomfort for them,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “We are ready to move forward in restarting some surgeries and procedures to care for the health needs of our patients and communities. Using an abundance of caution to protect patients and caregivers, our work teams have developed plans and processes to allow us to slowly and safely resume these procedures.” 

The restart of ambulatory surgeries and procedure will begin at half of Adena’s normal capacity. This will limit the number of people in our buildings at any given time. System wide allowances are also being made for appropriate social distancing in all facilities, which includes the re-engineering of common and waiting areas, and placing barriers in places where six-foot spacing may not be possible. 

“Aside from home, I can assure everyone in our communities that Adena’s hospitals and facilities are among the safest places anyone could be at this time,” Graham added. “Regardless of the pandemic, it is important for all of us to take care of our general health. While we continue to live with COVID-19, we cannot neglect our health and wellbeing out of fear. Adena is safe and we will continue to incorporate measures to keep our patients, staff and communities safe and healthy.”

Adena has worked to protect patients and staff by implementing the following protective measures implemented throughout the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Opened a COVID-19 screening hotline and COVID-19 testing center to identify those suspected of being infected with Coronavirus;
• Created a COVID cohort unit to isolate infected patients from non-COVID;
• Began Virtual Visits between patients and their provider using at-home technology;
• Started drive-up lab services for blood collection;
• COVID-19 verbal and temperature screenings for anyone entering an Adena facility;
• Visitor restrictions to limit people within hospitals and clinics, with very few exceptions;
• Having some employees work from home to reduce the number of people inside our facilities;
• Closing areas that attract group gatherings to allow for social distancing;
• Enhancing cleaning methods and schedules; and
• Requiring all staff, patients and visitors to wear masks in all facilities. 

Virtual visits will continue for patients who are able to take care of general health care from home using a computer or phone to connect with their provider. When a patient is unable to have a virtual visit, or needs to come in to a clinic or hospital, they will receive instructions on where to park and enter the building to get a temperature screening and mask before proceeding to the clinic or hospital department.

Patients can expect to hear from their provider’s staff, which will be reaching out to reschedule those procedures that were postponed due to the shutdown of procedures in mid-March. Patients may also call their provider to make arrangements to reschedule, or to schedule a new appointment for a health concern or need.

Health System Hopes to Collect 10,000 Homemade Masks

For community safety, and to limit the spread of COVID-19 by those who may carry the disease without knowing, or those who have the virus but are not yet showing symptoms, Adena Health System now requires every employee, patient and visitor to wear a mask while in any of its facilities. This universal masking requirement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recent recommendation that everyone entering a health care facility, regardless of symptoms wear a mask.

“As we all learn to live with the threat of COVID-19 in our daily lives, protecting ourselves and others when we can’t stay at home is essential in maintaining health,” explained Adena’s Chief Clinical Officer Kirk Tucker, M.D. “The use of a facemask – along with physical distancing, covering our cough and good hand hygiene – is one more layer of protection in keeping ourselves and others as safe as possible from the Coronavirus.”

Dr. Tucker added, “Along with screening staff, patients and visitors for fever and symptoms when they arrive at one of Adena’s locations, facemasks are now required and being provided upon entry – while maintaining supply for our clinical caregivers. Adopting this universal masking practice is just one more layer of protection against the spread of respiratory illness, and keeping everyone in our locations and communities as safe as possible.”

Facemasks are available for anyone entering an Adena hospital or clinic location. However, patients and visitors are encouraged to wear their own facemask if they have one. A personal facemask must be in good condition, meaning it should be clean, and should fit well. Each patient or visitor must wear a mask for the duration of their visit when outside of their exam room or in communal settings such as hallways and waiting areas. If a personal mask appears to be in less than good condition, a replacement mask may be required for the visit.

To help in this effort, many more masks are now needed for Adena to maintain the number of medical-grade masks required for its front line and clinical caregivers. To help meet this increased need for facemasks for all patients and visitors, the Health System is looking for community help through donations of homemade masks. Adena has set a goal to receive 10,000 homemade facemasks. Those in our region are being asked to help Adena meet that goal to help keep our communities healthy and safe.

For learn more about how to make a mask, or how to donate, visit adena.org/10000masks. For the most up to date COVID-19 specific information, and updates related to Adena operations and services, please visit adena.org/COVID19.

Adena Health System is successfully managing its inventory of N95 masks for front line caregivers by partnering with Battelle Institute through its new decontamination system. Adena was among some of the first in the nation to collaborate with Battelle in its process to decontaminate N95 or N95-equivalent respirators for reuse by health care personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“The national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line caregivers has kept the health care industry, including Adena, looking for ways to make our inventories last as long as possible,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “While Adena was in good shape for our day-to-day PPE needs, when facing a pandemic, we had to get more in house and have been purchasing what we can when it is available. However, learning that Battelle was working on a process to decontaminate N95s in mass quantities was a game changer. Adena was fortunate to get in on the ground floor of this exciting process. We are grateful to now have extended the longevity of this important equipment that helps to keep our front line heroes safe and healthy.” 

Battelle received emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its process on March 29, 2020. Days later, Adena sent its first batch of 33 N95 masks to Battelle for decontamination and recycling. Thirty-two of Adena’s first N95 respirators came back in like-new condition, and were placed back into the System’s PPE inventory.

“It only takes Battelle 24 hours to turn around for us, and they check each mask before sending it back,” said Adena Sterile Processing Manager Sidney Brintlinger. “As of April 17, we have sent out 361 masks, with nearly all coming back to us, clean and ready for their next use should we run out of new N95s during the pandemic.”

According to Battelle, successful testing on decontaminated N95 respirators demonstrated acceptable performance through 20 decontamination cycles. Prior to submission, Adena’s Sterile Processing staff inspects each respirator, discarding those with visible soiling or damage, and N95s that are cellulose-based, which are incompatible with Battelle’s decontamination process.

When Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the closure of all kindergarten through 12th grade schools in Ohio due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the announcement motivated caregivers with Adena Hospice to pull together for children in our region - extending their caring beyond their normal patient population. 

The team’s concern arose from the fact that many local students would not have a healthy meal during the day without the benefit of a school-provided lunch.

“Sadly, for many children, a school lunch is largely depended upon as their primary meal of the day,” said Jennifer Bandy, Adena Hospice Manager. “Areas such as Pike County are often faced with these very unfortunate concerns, especially in difficult times like what we are facing now. We want to show support for our communities in any way we can, and to support them as much as they support us.”  

Inspired by the efforts of family physician Dr. Ellis Frazier with Adena Family Medicine – Piketon, who for years has acted as a collection point for non-perishable foods for the Pike County Food Pantry, the Hospice team collected items amongst themselves in which to donate, to help fill this community need.

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Adena Health System President and CEO Jeff Graham today praised Adena’s more than 3,000 caregivers for their work in response to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Graham went on to explain the financial challenges associated with providing care during these unprecedented times; along with the difficult decisions having to be made to keep the Health System strong and viable during the current health crisis and moving forward.

“I cannot begin to describe the pride and confidence I feel for every caregiver, and their contributions to the health and well-being of our patients, especially during this time,” said Graham. “The passion each Adena caregiver puts into their work, and the talents displayed – either through direct patient care or in contributions related to System operations – makes difficult decisions like those we are facing that much harder.”

Graham continued, “Adena, like many health systems or hospitals across the country, is managing through the ever-changing circumstances related to COVID-19. As a result, organizations, like Adena, cannot sustain maintaining current spending without suffering serious long-term financial repercussions. Our projections show Adena will face a deficit of more than $50 million through 2020. Therefore difficult decisions are needed, while making reductions to cause the least disruption for our patients and frontline caregivers.”

Factors identified in calculating Adena’s financial projections include the significant impact of lower operating revenues due to drastic reductions associated with the State’s order to stop all elective surgeries and procedures, along with overall volume decline in Emergency Department hospital admissions, Urgent Care visits, and normal, everyday hospital census. Additionally, unplanned expenditures around caring for patients presenting with COVID-19 symptoms, and patients who test positive for the virus have also contributed to financial challenges. Similar factors are resulting in reduced income for nearly all U.S. hospitals and health systems, which are also making difficult financial decisions.

To mitigate its financial deficit, Adena is taking steps to reduce expenses. However, this alone is not enough to ensure the Health System can emerge from the pandemic in a financially stable position.

“Adena has a responsibility to provide quality health care to the more than 400,000 people we are privileged to serve, living in our nine-country service region,” Graham said. “Making sure Adena remains a strong and vibrant health care organization is needed to ensure we are here for our communities who depend on us in their time of need. Assuring Adena is here for our caregivers and our patients requires making some difficult decisions.”

To remain a viable health care organization, Adena is planning to implement temporary furloughs of nonclinical employees, and other caregivers who are not providing direct frontline care of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly one-third of Adena’s workforce of more than 3,000 are being impacted by some measure of cost savings; this includes the approximately 500 individuals who will be temporarily furloughed.

“This is a temporary furlough, not a layoff, meaning caregivers will be able to return to their current position, and will keep their health benefits throughout the period in which they are on furlough,” Graham emphasized. “Individuals are also eligible for unemployment compensation benefits through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Any employee impacted by a furlough during this time is not losing their job and they will return to Adena as quickly as we get through this pandemic and we stabilize as an organization. I want to be clear that Adena will maintain full support of our frontline positions, and this will not impact those areas that provide direct patient care.”

Graham closed, “Despite our challenges, I look toward Adena’s future with optimism. I have sincere gratitude for our incredible caregivers, and from the outpouring of support by people in the communities we serve. We are humbled by the response from our communities and thankful for the many prayers and expressions of appreciation for Adena’s health care heroes. Amongst all this uncertainly, we are focused on getting our caregivers, patients, and communities through this crisis, so that all emerge fit and ready to face the future together.”

For the most up to date COVID-19 specific information, and updates related to Adena operations and services, please visit adena.org/COVID19 ; also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.

Adena Health System is among many hospitals across the nation to receive relief payments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to help cover some financial deficits related to COVID-19. Adena Health System has been awarded $7.9 million from the newly-created Provider Relief Fund, and is part of the initial disbursement of the first $30 billion from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“We are extremely thankful for the relief funding being provided by HHS,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Taking care for our patients, communities and caregivers is Adena’s mission and highest priority. These funds will help to fill a portion of the deficit we have experienced over the past month in preparing to battle COVID-19; as well as the financial losses related to the forced cancellation of elective procedures, coupled with a steep reduction in day-to-day patient visits.”

According to HHS, $1 billion in initial funding is being directed to U.S. hospitals and physician practices, in direct proportion to their share of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) spending. The portion of funds awarded to each hospital or system is related to the amount of Medicare FFS billed by each last year. In 2019, total Medicare FFS billing for U.S. hospitals and physician practices was $484 billion.

“Our current projections over the next several months as we navigate through the current crisis created by COVID-19, projects Adena is facing a deficit of $50 million or more this year,” Graham added. “I am pleased that these funds are coming to us in the form of a grant, versus a non-forgivable loan as originally released, which helps organizations like Adena stay viable and strong for the communities they serve. Even with this much appreciated funding, Adena must continue to make difficult decisions that require us to continue planned expense reductions in order to manage through this pandemic without sacrificing patient care. Adena is and will always be committed to delivering the medical expertise and compassionate care to meet the health care needs of our communities while operating effectively, efficiently and safely – now and long into the future. I want to be clear, we will not make any reductions that will decrease the level of patient care, or minimize support to Adena’s frontline caregivers.”

The Provider Relief Fund is making direct payments to support hospitals and providers with health care-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, and to ensure uninsured Americans can get testing and treatment for COVID-19.

Graham added, “I want to thank Representatives Steve Stivers and Brad Wenstrup, and U.S. Senator Rob Portman, all of whom have reached out to learn of our needs, and how Adena is managing through the COVID-19 crisis. Each has been a strong advocate for Adena and other rural health systems in the state. I appreciate their compassion, support, and the work they are doing to get the assistance needed to those of us in south central and southern Ohio.”

For more about Adena Health System and its services, visit adena.org.

Most of us have heard the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The saying, by ancient Greek philosopher Plato, is used to describe how a need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet that need, or to solve an immediate problem.

While we may have heard this phrase throughout our lifetimes, we can now say we’re living it.

Adena Health System has spent the past month or more preparing for how we can effectively provide patient care during a pandemic. Our teams have been innovative in creating solutions for how we manage those COVID-19 cases, while still meeting the health care needs of people in our region. Projects that might have taken months to research, plan and execute in normal times, have become reality in just days or weeks, due to an intense and immediate need.

Innovation is about solving a problem. Here are just a few of the amazing examples of innovation completed in a short amount of time to meet the needs of our communities related to Coronavirus:

• Created a COVID-19 hotline (740-542-SAFE) to begin the screening process;
• Established the COVID-19 Testing Center on the ARMC campus;
• Converted inpatient units at ARMC into a COVID-19 Cohort Units to care for patients suspected of and confirmed with the virus. The conversion included adapting the HVAC system to create negative air flow to remove contaminated air from each room of the units, and protecting others throughout the hospital; and
• Launched a respiratory triage facility within the PACCAR Medical Education Center, to relieve pressure on our Emergency Department and staff in the days and weeks ahead.

We also recognize that even during a pandemic, people still have regular health care needs. Adena and others are doing what we can to enable people to stay safely at home, while still receiving general and some specialty care. Teams have come together to launch innovative options that are meeting the needs of many of our patients, and physicians and APPs.

A telehealth option has been launched. Using a landline for a voice visit, or a computer or Smartphone for a virtual visit, the patient can speak with their provider from the comfort and safety of home. This option has been quickly adopted; with more than 4,820 telehealth visits completed in the past week (Apr. 1-8).

Those in need of lab work also have a convenient and safe option to have blood drawn outside of a clinic or hospital setting. Drive up lab draw stations have been set up where anyone with a lab order may drive up, register by phone, and have their blood drawn while never leaving their vehicle. Temporary drive up lab stations are set up at Adena Health Center – Western Avenue; Adena Cancer Center; Adena Health Center- Jackson; and Adena Health Center – Waverly. Since opening the first drive up lab draw station on Mar. 27, more than 655 patients have used this convenient service at these four locations.

And to keep patients out of ERs and Urgent Care settings, where they could easily encounter patients with COVID-19 symptoms, Adena Bone and Joint Center has launched four temporary walk-in orthopedic injury clinics across the region. The clinics are giving people an option to have sprains, fractures and other orthopedic injuries assessed and treated as safely as possible. The clinics are located at the Adena Health Pavilion in Chillicothe; Fayette County Memorial Hospital’s Medical Office Building in Washington Court House; Adena Health Center – Jackson; and Adena Health Center – Waverly.

In today’s health care climate and always, when it comes to taking care of our patients, our communities and our people, Adena’s caregivers are leading the way. 

Thank you for trusting Adena Health System with your family’s health care. I have prepared a video message to you - our patients and our communities - sharing how Adena is working to navigate this challenge, with an eye toward the future. 

Please stay safe and healthy. May God bless you and your family.

Adena Health System is offering walk-in injury clinics for patients with orthopedic injuries, and in need of immediate assessment and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. These temporary walk-in clinics are intended to keep otherwise healthy patients from spending time in area Urgent Care facilities and Emergency Departments, and their associated waiting areas. By launching the set of Orthopedic Walk-in Injury Clinics Adena hopes to limit the risk of patient exposure to acute, contagious illnesses, including COVID-19.

“Providing walk-in injury care in our Chillicothe clinic, and other regional ABJC clinic facilities, is a safer option for our healthy patients at this time, and saves the limited resources Adena physicians and caregivers require in our hospitals during this unprecedented time,” said Dr. Brian Cohen, Adena Bone and Joint Center Medical Director. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to be able to offer our patients this option to receive the urgent, orthopedic and sports medicine care they need, in a space that is generally not used to care for seriously ill patients.”

People experiencing orthopedic injuries such as sprains, strains, fractures, concussions or other sports medicine related issues are encouraged to seek treatment at one of Adena Bone and Joint Center’s walk-in injury clinics. Clinics within the following locations will be open Monday through Friday from *8 a.m. – 5 p.m. for walk-in orthopedic care during the current pandemic:

Adena Bone and Joint Center

Adena Health Pavilion

4437 State Route 159

Chillicothe OH

Adena Health Center- Jackson

1000 Veterans Dr.

Jackson, OH

Adena Pike Medical Center

Medical Office Building

100 Dawn Drive

Waverly, OH 

Fayette County Memorial Hospital

1450 Columbus Ave, Suite 201

Washington Court House, OH

*9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Adena Bone and Joint Center in Chillicothe will also be open for walk-in visits on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Onsite X-rays are available at each listed location.

Patients visiting Adena’s orthopedic injury walk-in clinics will be treated by a physician specializing in orthopedic injuries. For more information, please call 740-779-4598.

For the most up to date COVID-19 specific information, and updates related to Adena operations and services, please visit adena.org/COVID19; also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.