Posted By: Becky Slatin 
Date Posted: May 16th, 2012 Category: Medicine
Fanaye Dadi, MD, says she has seen the best and worst in health care. Growing up in Ethiopia, attending medical school in Cuba and now living in the United States, she has witnessed the full spectrum of health care. She has seen what is possible in a developed country and the challenges faced by those [...]
Posted By: Make Medicine Better Date Posted: May 13th, 2012 Category: Breakthroughs, Health Care
By Laura Putre, Hospitals and Health Networks Before St. Louis Children’s Hospital had a child protection program, there was Nancy Duncan, a staff nurse in the emergency room whose mother had taught her at an early age to say “penis” and “vagina” without blushing. “When a case of child maltreatment and, often, sexual abuse came [...]
Posted By: Mary Duffield, RN Date Posted: May 10th, 2012 Category: Caregiving
My nursing career began in 1949, when I was 8 years old. I had a hospital ward on my parents’ front porch. In the days before store-bought nurse kits, I improvised with dolls as my patients, dishtowels for slings, hot water bottles and handkerchiefs for bandages. My fascination with psychiatric nursing began two years later [...]
Posted By: Stephanie Perry Date Posted: May 7th, 2012 Category: Day in the Life
Eighteen-year-old Jake Vollmer is a Cardinals fan — a big Cardinals fan. His room in his family’s Florissant home is covered in Cardinals baseball memorabilia, including posters, hats, bobble-heads, jerseys and a Missouri license plate decorated with the red bird that reads “No. 1 Fan.” While he was one of thousands of St. Louisans thrilled [...]
Posted By: Make Medicine Better Date Posted: May 3rd, 2012 Category: Health Care, Medicine
A BJC pharmacist is using the web to teach patients about over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Ask the Pharmacist is part of “Help for Your Health,” BJC’s employee wellness program. Missouri Baptist Medical Center resident pharmacist Duane Wesche, RPh, takes questions about prescription and over-the-counter drugs submitted from the public and employees through www.bjchealth.org. Since it began, [...]
Posted By: Becky Slatin Date Posted: April 30th, 2012 Category: Caregiving
Where is the Family Resource Center, the Ronald McDonald Family Room or how late are visiting hours? Where can I get a phone charger, find a video or just a place to go for some quiet time? These are all common questions asked by parents whose children have been hospitalized at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. [...]
Posted By: Andrew Knef Date Posted: April 23rd, 2012 Category: BJC Health Hall of Famer, Health Care, Other
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch [...]
Posted By: Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD Date Posted: April 20th, 2012 Category: Health Care, Healthy Living
April is Minority Health Month, which recognizes the range of health conditions that unequally impact the health of many minority populations. These health disparities or health inequities have existed for decades and continue to exist despite advances in medical treatments and technology. For the first time, the National Institutes of Health is hosting Minority Health [...]
Posted By: Peggy Gordin, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Date Posted: April 19th, 2012 Category: Caregiving, Health Care, Other
As we approach springtime and graduation season, I thought I would share some ideas with you that I used in a graduation address for the Goldfarb School of Nursing last December. The theme was navigating a successful career, and I think the “rules of the road” are as applicable to those of us working at [...]
Posted By: Melissa Lueking, MD Date Posted: April 16th, 2012 Category: Medicine
By Melissa Lueking, MD It seems as though health care keeps moving to a more specialized style. If you have a stomachache, you see your GI doctor. If you have a rash, you see a dermatologist. For far too many people, the primary care physician is that person who needs to sign the form for [...]
Posted By: Kathy Holleman Date Posted: April 12th, 2012 Category: Caregiving
The patient was like many others who came to Michele Gatzert’s ICU – elderly, heavily sedated and on a ventilator. He was seldom conscious and when he was, he couldn’t speak. What set him apart? This particular patient led Gatzert to find a way for her staff to better connect with their patients and patient [...]
Posted By: Patrick Donovan Date Posted: April 2nd, 2012 Category: Medicine
A BJC Medical Group physician recently used Twitter to educate the St. Louis community on diabetes and hypertension. Aunita Hill, MD, hosted a Twitter chat April 12. She practices internal medicine at Sunset Hills Adult Medicine on South Lindbergh. While Dr. Hill was in college, her mother became disabled due to diabetes complications. “She had [...]
Posted By: Washington University School of Medicine Date Posted: March 27th, 2012 Category: Health Care
Emergency physician Chris Carpenter, MD, wishes his grandfather, a sprinter who once competed against the legendary Jesse Owens, had received different care when he visited the emergency department for bumps and scrapes in his final years. Although his grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease, physicians allowed him to give his own medical history and then sent him [...]
Posted By: Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD Date Posted: March 22nd, 2012 Category: Medicine
Earlier this year, the Association of American Medical Colleges announced some substantial changes to the Medical College Admission Test, which is widely known as the MCAT. Although the MCAT is used as a key consideration for admission to most U.S. medical schools, many have questioned whether the test, especially the writing sample, is biased against [...]
Posted By: Dr. Michael Fuller Date Posted: March 19th, 2012 Category: Medicine
Many of you may have heard the recent news in regards to the FDA updating the risk profile for the common cholesterol lowering medications referred to as “statins.” As portrayed by the media, if you take this medication you are sure to end up with dementia and crippling diabetes. Let me share my perspective on [...]
Posted By: Dave Whaley Date Posted: March 13th, 2012 Category: Health Care
Intensive Care Unit patients often feel isolated from the rest of the world. They are not only compromised by illness, they are also faced with a wide range of stressors that can interfere with the healing process. Studies have shown that the therapeutic effects of music help to alleviate anxiety and reduce stress. In some [...]
Posted By: Kathy Bretsch Date Posted: March 8th, 2012 Category: BJC Health Hall of Famer
PWHC In the event of a stroke, every second counts. The clock starts ticking at the onset of symptoms. Rapid evaluation and intervention of acute stroke, not readily available in many rural communities, are critical in the reduction of death and disability. Last month, Progress West HealthCare Center and Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, through a [...]
Posted By: Becky Slatin Date Posted: March 6th, 2012 Category: Breakthroughs
Dale Franklin never thought the simple ringing of a bell would sound so good. But when Dale and Belinda Franklin’s daughter, 6-year-old Izzy, rang a bell in early February to signal the end of her chemotherapy, the tone also signaled a new chapter for the family. For the Franklins, however, the path that led to [...]
Posted By: Kathy Holleman Date Posted: February 23rd, 2012 Category: Day in the Life
Paul Wallace set the bar for Valentine’s gifts extremely high this year. On Feb. 14, Wallace, 40, of Alton, IL gave Vanessa Vassar, his wife’s best friend, one of his kidneys at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Vassar, 40, had grown up and gone to church and school with Wallace’s wife, Sara, in Alton. Though Vassar moved out [...]
Posted By: Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD Date Posted: February 13th, 2012 Category: Healthy Living, Other
The phrase ‘a broken heart’ is commonly used to describe the emotional state of a person who seems to be struggling following the loss of a loved one or an intimate relationship. Because the well-recognized heart symbol is frequently associated with love, the broken heart symbolizes the breaking of the relationship. There has been an [...]
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