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Our Pharmacist, Sean Thurston, using the new glove box in pharmacy to mix medications. The new hood provides an ultra sterile environment for this process.

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Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages, and the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. When people practice safe behaviors, they can help prevent injuries – and even death.

Make a difference: This month, spread the word about strategies for staying safe. Encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

We can all use this month to raise awareness about important safety issues like:

• Slips and falls
• Workplace and employee safety
• Emergency preparedness

Here is a great website to understand risks of older construction materials in your home: EPA.Gov

Did you know that, according to the CDC, about half of all falls happen at home? Here is a link to a fall prevention check list: CDC.Gov Fall Prevention Check List

We’ll be sharing other safety related information throughout the month!

Tammy Faughtenberry , Angie Monyak and the team in our dietary department provide creative, beautiful, wonderfully tasting dishes:

No ordinary cafeteria food; Angie Monyak’s homemade hummus.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are the main cause of skin cancer. UV damage can also cause wrinkles and blotches or spots on your skin.

These are just some of the reasons why Columbia County Health System is proud to participate in Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month and help raise awareness of the risks of sun damage. During the month of May, join us in taking action to prevent skin cancer and reduce the risk of UV damage.

Steps you can take to protect your skin:Stay out of the sun between 10am and 4pm.Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.Cover up with long sleeves and hat.Check your skin regularly for changes.
Skin cancer affects people of all ages, including older adults. Learn how and why: Seniorhealth.gov website

A recent article by Washington State Hospital Association, WSHA, recognized Dayton General Hospital for dropping our 30-day readmission rate from 25% to 0.0% from first quarter of 2010. Courtney Gritman, our Quality Assurance nurse, was quoted as saying, “Because we have a small, strong community we know what resources are available and we can pool them. We know the patients’ socioeconomic backgrounds, and whether or not they have someone at home to care for them. And we can make sure they have what they need to recover when they go home.”

Click to read more:

This sums up nicely where patient care is going: Healthcare is becoming a community solution, not just about a clinic or hospital. Nation wide, healthcare organizations are working towards the “ACO and Medical Home” models of care. ACO’s are Accountable Care Organizations and are partnerships between physicians, hospitals, clinics, patients, and other community healthcare providers to create a “system of care.” Columbia County Health System is already implementing many of these concepts.

We wanted to remind you that you do have the choice to get your MRI performed locally. Every Thursday, Alliance Imaging brings a MRI coach to Dayton with a state of the art, General Electric, 1.5 Tesla MRI, an industry standard for most MRI studies. MRI’s are performed by appointment only and your provider or specialist will call us to get you on the schedule. The diagnostic images are then read by St. Mary’s radiologists, in Walla Walla with the results forwarded along to your doctor.

NCADD provides a wealth of information and tools to people looking for information or help with alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependance is more than just a personal health issue; 36% of those under correctional supervision were drinking at the time of their conviction offense, and 40% of convicted murderers said that alcohol played a factor in the homicide. Learn more about how alcohol affects our communities here: NCADD.ORG

Drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of health-related problems like injuries, violence, liver disease, and some types of cancer. This April during Alcohol Awareness Month, Columbia County Health System encourages you to take this time to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of drinking too much.

In 2010, 37% of all traffic related fatalities, in Washington State, involved an alcohol impaired driver. There 19,783 3-time DUI offenders in Washington State and Washington Ranks 8th in the Nation for DUI related fatalities. To spread the word and prevent alcohol abuse, Columbia County Health System is joining other organizations across the country to honor Alcohol Awareness Month and prevent alcohol abuse in our community.

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting. Here are some strategies to help you cut back or stop drinking:

• Limit your drinking to no more than 1 drink a day for women and no more than 2 drinks a day for men.
• Keep track of how much you drink.
• Don’t drink when you are upset.
• Avoid places where people drink too much.
• Make a list of reasons not to drink.

[Source: DLG Law Firm | Personal Injury]

The National Cancer Institute developed a “Risk Assessment Tool” to help people understand their risks, as well as, provide information to assist in having an informed conversation with your healthcare provider.

The Colorectal Cancer Risk Assessment Tool was designed for use by doctors and other health providers with their patients. If you are not a health provider, take these results to your doctor or other health provider to discuss your personal risk of colorectal cancer. (Colorectal cancer is another way to say colon and rectal cancer).

This tool does not yet apply to American Indians and Alaska Natives, but the National Cancer Institute is working to improve the tool for use by these groups of people.

If you are African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic/Latino, please click here for more information about race, ethnicity, and how the tool was developed.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, colorectal cancer is cancer that occurs in the colon or rectum. Sometimes it is called colon cancer, for short. The colon is the large intestine or large bowel. Colorectal cancer affects men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, and is most often found in people aged 50 years or older. In the United States, it is the third most common cancer for men and women. Of cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be. If everybody aged 50 or older had regular screening tests, as many as 60% of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.

For more information and resources regarding colorectal cancer screening, speaking to a loved one about your concerns regarding getting regularly screened, and questions to ask your doctor, please visit the Healthfinder.gov website.