Wrangell Medical Center
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Wrangell Medical Center
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Healthbeat - January 2000 HEALTH FAIR 2000 "Your Health In The New Millennium" Plans for Wrangell Medical Center’s Annual Health Fair have begun, with the committee meeting on a monthly basis now. Our theme for the Health Fair 2000 is "Your Health In The New Millennium". Be prepared to learn more than ever this year! Our committee is in the process of confirming vendors. Also in the works, is the annual drive for donations and door prizes. Our Health Fair is the only community sponsored health fair in the State of Alaska, and is noted by other communities to be the best in Alaska! This success is due to the dedication and hard work of our volunteers, as well as the monetary support we receive locally. We boast over 25 door prizes each year. If you would like to have a vendor booth, or see a specific educational opportunity for your health, or simply become a Health Fair Volunteer, please contact Marleen Carroll at 907-874-7137. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or would like to donate a door prize, please call Cathy Gross at 874-7124, or email her at cgross@wmcmail.org. Remember, our success with the Health Fair is your success! IN THE HOSPITAL:By Janet Buness, Director of Nursing Services We have several new employees to welcome aboard: Coleen Davenport, RN; David Bell, LPN has joined the staff on a part time basis. Lora Laube on the billing staff and Angela Denton CNA. Diabetes Grant Update We are still in the process of spending the grant money we received from IRA-PATCH for Diabetes Education in the community. We have been able to purchase many educational pamphlets and videos with the money. We have also used the money to bring Diabetic Educators to the community to assist us in setting up our own diabetes education program. We have used these Diabetes Educators to hold informational meetings on diabetes with the general public and for general education of our nursing and dietary staff. We plan on using the rest of the money for community education and the purchase of cookbooks and other educational materials and supplies during the coming year. Again, we wish to thank the local IRA for their generous grant to Wrangell Medical Center. Long Term Care By Cinda Stough The Activities Department and Residents would like to thank the following: Darwin and Dolly Walters for the Poinsettias and all the nice gifts for our Christmas BINGO; Margaret Fletcher for wrapping them. The Elks and Emblem Club for the fruit basket. Carol and Mike Hay for candy and fruit. St. Rose of Lima Junior High Youth Group for the Christmas card and fruit basket. St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church for the Christmas gifts. Daisy Girls for singing Christmas carols and for the candy canes. Lynn Campbell for the donation for Christmas gifts. Salvation Army Home League for the holiday door name tag ornaments and wrapping paper. Baptist Church Carolers for singing to us. Frances Davies and family for the pizzas and entertainment, laughter, and helpfulness. Julia Nergaard family for all the help and assistance. Marilyn Robison for the Christmas donation. Pioneer Auxiliary for gift and stocking stuffers. Beta Sigma Phi for the Christmas socks and door hangers. The Catholic Altar Society for the new clothing donation. To the McCloskey family for Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves. To Marzie and Tearesa for the last minute hair appointments. The school classes that sang Christmas carols. Thanks to all the residents of Wrangell who took the time to stop and visit our facility. To the staff that went out of its way to make the holiday "Family". To Angerman’s for the new shirts for Christmas gifts. I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. To everyone, thank you for your help and Christmas spirit. HOSPITAL AUXILIARY
The Hospital Auxiliary would like to thank everyone who made this year’s Christmas Bazaar such a great success. We extend a special thanks to Dick and Jeannette Ballard for the use of the 49 Star Trade Center again this year. Coming up in the new Millennium, we will be having our plant sale again in May in front of the Elks. Also in May, we will be doing the Mother’s Day Silver Tea with the LTC residents at Wrangell Medical Center. We are looking forward to a new year. TO YOUR HEALTH Stroke Update The number of people who have strokes each year is much higher than the half million previously estimated. The latest issue of the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, reports the number of first time and recurrent stroke victims is actually closer to three-quarters of a million. The researchers, as expected, also found the risk of a stroke increases dramatically with age. First strokes among people in the 75 to 84 age group are twice that of earlier estimates, and for those 84 and over, three times the earlier estimates. Researcher, G. Rhys Williams, points out that while stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, it is preventable in most cases. Many risk factors for stroke are treatable, considering family history, increasing age and prior stroke; or modifiable, if smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are eliminated. Keeping Pounds Off Many Americans will put on pounds during the holidays. If you are one of those, you may want to consider new research from Brown University — that it may require much more exercise than previously thought to lose the pounds and to keep them off. We frequently hear that one-half hour of moderate exercise a day is recommended for fitness. That is a good start, but the study of more than two thousand people who lost an average of sixty pounds and kept it off for a year showed they exercised about an hour a day — not necessarily all at once, but still twice as much as previously thought necessary. Brown University’s Dr. Rena Wing says most of the people studied walked about ten miles a week, then did aerobics, weight lifting or other fitness activities. Sudden Exercise As Americans anticipate the New Year, many will make resolutions to become healthier either by diet or exercise or both. But a warning from the Journal of the American Medical Association (11-10). Extremely inactive people, commonly referred to as "couch potatoes", should go slow when they finally do decide to exercise. Dr. Paul Thompson and his colleagues found that people who are extremely inactive are more than thirty times more likely to have a heart attack during exertion than at any other time. If the body is not accustomed to vigorous exercise, its circulation system becomes stressed by rising blood pressure and increasing heart rate. However, the researchers say the results of their study should not be construed as an excuse not to exercise. "To Your Health" is an information service in which Wrangell Medical Center subscribes. Listen to KSTK for further information.
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