A new chest pain center, the Midwifery Mingle and more

What's going on in health, October 6-12

Posted 12/31/69

Wayne Memorial launches chest pain center

HONESDALE, PA — The Chest Pain Center at Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH), a new program which received temporary accreditation privileges this summer, …

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A new chest pain center, the Midwifery Mingle and more

What's going on in health, October 6-12

Posted

Wayne Memorial launches chest pain center

HONESDALE, PA — The Chest Pain Center at Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH), a new program which received temporary accreditation privileges this summer, is designed to improve the quality and efficiency of care for patients who could be experiencing a life-threatening heart attack.
Anyone who comes to the hospital’s emergency department complaining of chest pain—pain from the neck to the umbilicus—will receive an EKG (electrocardiogram test) within 10 minutes. This begins the process of either confirming or ruling out a serious cardiac issue.
It’s one of several new protocols that the hospital is instituting.
Cardiac disease is still the number-one killer of Americans, claiming the lives of close to 700,000 people in the U.S. each year. More than seven times that many—five million Americans—visit hospitals each year with chest pain.
“Not all chest pain is cardiac, but cardiac chest pain is the most critical, and if we can help people receive the proper treatment more quickly, we will undoubtedly save lives,” said Walid Hassan, M.D., interventional cardiologist and medical director of the hospital’s cardiac catheterization laboratory, the Heart and Vascular Center. The center is provisionally accredited by the nationally recognized program-development organization Corazon, which also accredited the chest pain center.
Dr. Hassan and Bradley Serwer, M.D., added that the chest pain center is also about education—helping people learn and master the warning signs of cardiac disease, to seek treatment and follow lifestyle recommendations.
“Some people are at a higher risk of having a heart attack than others,” said Dr. Serwer, who is the medical director of the Chest Pain Center and of WMH’s cardiac rehabilitation program. “Increased risk of having a heart attack is based on family history, lifestyle choices and the presence of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. Our goal is to identify those at elevated risk and make adjustments to lower their risk so that they can live their best life.”
Statistically, only about half of emergency department patients reporting chest pain actually have a life-threatening cardiac issue, but prompt treatment is key.
“Wayne Memorial is also set up to treat non-cardiac chest pain caused by other issues, such as heartburn, anxiety, pleurisy or asthma,” said Dr. Hassan, “but when signs point to acute coronary issues, our cardiologists are called in to consult and prescribe the next steps, which could be a stress test or echocardiogram or, if needed, a cath lab procedure.”
For more information, visit CardioSmart at the American College of Cardiology. The site has tips on symptoms, diagnoses and caregivers. Under “Find Your Heart a Home,” you’ll find more about Wayne Memorial Hospital’s services.

Midwifery Mingle to be held at new women’s health center

HONESDALE, PA — The community is invited to attend Wayne Memorial’s annual Midwifery Mingle on Thursday, October 20 at the new Women’s Health Center on Park Street.
The event takes place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The women’s health center, part of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC), will officially relocate to 626 Park St. in early October. The facility, formerly occupied by Northeast Eye, has been remodeled, and will offer women a modern setting to receive outpatient care from nurse-midwives and OB/GYN physicians.
“With both Midwifery Week and the start of seeing patients at our Park Street office happening in October, we decided to combine the events,” said Kara Poremba, RN, practice manager at the center.
As in the past, the Midwifery Mingle will feature information booths about maternity, pediatrics and lactation services. The majority of the festivities will be held outdoors, and refreshments will follow similar safe-serving protocols as were done last year, due to COVID.
A ribbon-cutting for the new facility will be held at 1:15 p.m., followed by tours.
“Recognizing the valuable services our midwives provide has always been a cause for celebration,” said Frederick Jackson, executive director, WMCHC. “Having the opportunity to unveil a $1.5 million facility at the same time makes this year even better.”
The theme for National Midwifery Week 2022, which is observed from Sunday, October 2 to Saturday, October 8, is “Midwives for Justice.” It is a testimonial to midwives’ commitment to equitable, ethical, accessible and quality health care for all, a press release stated.
For more information about Wayne Memorial’s Midwifery program or the New Beginnings birth suite, visit www.wmh.org.

GAIT workshop to offer help with PTSD

MILFORD, PA ― For those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), help is available in Pike County. A workshop will be held on Saturday, October 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at GAIT Therapeutic Riding Center.
The Pike County Commissioners, Office of Emergency Management and Veterans Affairs Office will sponsor the workshop to address the needs of people suffering from PTSD, discuss how it affects families and children, and demonstrate how equine-assisted health and wellness programs can improve lives.
Staff from the Pike County Veterans Affairs Office will attend the workshop to provide local, state and federal information to veterans and their dependents. Jesiah Schrader, the Pike County director of veterans affairs, will lead the discussion. Appointments for filing claims and additional benefits can be scheduled during the workshop.
The Pike County office of emergency management (OEM), along with the PA state fire commissioner, will also attend the workshop.
“Our hope is to get emergency responders on board… for those suffering from PTSD and any other mental health problems,” said Tim Knapp, director of the OEM. “This is a big problem in the emergency services and could be a great way for them to get the help they need.”
The workshop is designed for inactive or active-duty veterans, law enforcement personnel, first responders and their immediate families who are living with PTSD and related conditions.
There will be a hands-on demonstration of the services available at GAIT, as well as food, entertainment and a tour of the facility.
GAIT Therapeutic Riding Center is located at 314 Foster Hill Rd.
Registration is required by Monday, October 10. Call Anne Raider at 917/751-5841, or email advisorycouncil@gaittrc.org.
For more information, visit www.gaittrc.org.

Lions donation to benefit Garnet Health - Catskills nurses

HARRIS, NY — On September 12, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills received a $6,000 donation from the Town of Fallsburg Lions Club. The donation to the hospital was made in memory of Seymour Berenson from Hurleyville, who served two terms as the Lions Club president, and was its treasurer for over 30 years.
Funds were raised via the Town of Fallsburg Lions Club’s annual golf tournament, and will benefit the nursing team at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills with the creation of a healing break room.
This special room honors the critical work the nurses do, a press release stated. The break room will promote nurses’ physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellness, and allow them the breaks they need to continue to provide high-quality and effective patient care.
To date, The Town of Fallsburg Lions Club has donated close to $100,000 to the hospital.
For more information about making a contribution to the hospital, call Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills at 845/333-8962, or visit www.garnethealth.org/giving/foundation-catskills.

Patient-satisfaction award for Garnet Health - Catskills wound center

HARRIS, NY — Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills announced that the Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center (WHHC) received RestorixHealth’s Patient Satisfaction Award.
Recipients of this award meet or exceed national patient satisfaction benchmarks over a set period of time.
RestorixHealth is the nation’s leading wound-care solutions company.
“This achievement reaffirms our commitment to the patient experience,” said Gregg Atlas, medical director of the WHHC. “We are proud to be recognized for the quality of care our expert team provides its patients each day.”
Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center focuses on improving outcomes and preventing lower-limb loss in patients with non-healing wounds. The approach to wound care is aggressive and comprehensive, a press release from the hospital noted, coordinating traditional and advanced therapies and techniques that are proven to reduce healing time and improve healing rates.
Relied upon by doctors for more than 100 years, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to help facilitate or accelerate healing in patients with the wounds and stubborn infections that can result from medical conditions like diabetes and osteomyelitis. During the treatment, a patient sits in a small pressurized chamber filled with 100 percent oxygen. By breathing in pure oxygen, the body gets access to more oxygen than it would normally, which helps speed the healing process.
The center is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and technicians with advanced training in wound care and hyperbaric medicine.
For more information, visit garnethealth.org/woundcare. To make an appointment, call 845/333-8430.

Vinod Sharma, M.D., named director of psychiatry residency at Wright Center

SCRANTON, PA — The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has named Vinod Sharma, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist, as the program director for its psychiatry residency. Dr. Sharma had been serving as the associate program director of the program since 2021.
Dr. Sharma succeeds Sanjay Chandragiri, M.D., Ph.D., the founding program director, who helped establish the residency in 2017 in response to the national shortage of psychiatrists.
The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s first class of residents graduated in 2021.
Sharma is a graduate of the Government Medical College in Amritsar, India. He completed his general psychiatry residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX, and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
His tenure at the Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education began in 2020 as an outpatient psychiatrist. Sharma also served as medical director of behavioral health from 2021.
Sharma accepts children and adults as psychiatric patients at the Wright Center Mid Valley practice in Jermyn, and at the Scranton practice.
To schedule an appointment, go online to TheWrightCenter.org and use the express scheduling system, or call 570/230-0019.
For more information about the Wright Center’s mission and integrated health care services, visit TheWrightCenter.org.

New dentist joins the Wright Center for Community Health

HAWLEY, PA — Dr. Surbhi Abrol, a board-certified general practice dentist, has joined the Wright Center for Community Health where she is accepting new patients of all ages at Wright Center primary care practices in Lackawanna and Wayne counties.
The Wright Center offers comprehensive dental services for the entire family, including emergency services and routine check-ups and cleanings, denture care, oral cancer screenings, extractions, fillings and X-rays, regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. A sliding-fee scale is also available.
Abrol will see patients at the Hawley practice, 103 Spruce St.; at the Mid Valley practice in Jermyn; and at the Scranton practice. In addition, she will staff select pop-up dental clinics aboard the Driving Better Health mobile medical unit, which offers regional residents access to dental care.
Born and raised in India, she is a graduate of Panjab University in Chandigarh and the Himachal Pradesh University in Sundernagar, where she graduated at the top of her class. In 2017, she completed her prosthodontics residency at the Himachal Dental College.
Abrol earned her doctor of dental medicine degree at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
To schedule a dental appointment at the primary care practice that is most convenient for you, go to TheWrightCenter.org, or call 570/230-0019.
For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org and click on patient care and primary care offices.

Perry Langbein joins Lake Region urgent care staff

HONESDALE, PA — Lake Region Urgent Care, part of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC), recently welcomed Perry Langbein, CRNP, as its newest provider.
The urgent care center, located at 273 Grandview Ave., sees patients seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., for non-life-threatening conditions.
Langbein earned his master’s degree in nursing from the University of Scranton. He completed clinical rotations toward his nurse-practitioner degree at Lake Region and the Honesdale Family Health Center—another WMCHC entity.
In addition to his education as a nurse practitioner, Langbein has experience as a board-certified emergency and trauma nurse. After working in busy emergency departments in Scranton and in Newton, NJ, he is comfortable and enthusiastic about his new post at Lake Region, he said. “The flow, the setting—it’s an important service. I think I found my niche here.”
Lake Region Urgent Care, part of WMCHC since 2020, treats conditions, such as lacerations, burns, sprains, colds and allergic reactions, seven days a week. Also offered on-site are lab, X-ray and respiratory services, as well as occupational medicine, which ranges from pre-employment screenings to CDL physicals.
Visit www.lakeregionurgentcare.com or call 570/390-4545 for more information.

Garnet Health - Catskills, Wright Center, GAIT, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Chest Pain Center, veterans, ptsd, midwifery mingle, Lake Region Urgent Care, Perry Langbein

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