Uncategorized – Here for Life

What is lifestyle medicine?

September 7, 2021

Your behavior and lifestyle (how one lives), play a very important role in your health. Sometimes, changes in behavior and lifestyle can have a great impact on how your body deals with diseases and your health. Whether your goal is to prevent health problems and harness your body’s true potential for wellbeing, or learning how to live with and even reverse some of the problems that come with diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, stroke, cancer or heart disease, you will benefit from taking action. (more…)

Worry monsters

September 3, 2021

When the COVID pandemic began, volunteers began making masks. And more masks. And more masks. They were in high demand and gratefully accepted. They were used by staff, patients, and visitors in all areas as the system began to adjust to pandemic rules and restrictions. But, as vaccines rolled out and mask mandates lifted (outside of healthcare facilities), there was no longer a need for more masks. Our mask makers, who love to sew and love to help others, were approached with a new idea for their creativity outlets – worry monsters.

What is a worry monster? (more…)

Caring in our communities – paramedics re-unite with 5-year old Cora, a lucky girl brought to our Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center

July 14, 2021

Cora Stabler is a sweet, normal 5 year old little girl. On May 8^th of 2021, Cora took a fall down 15 steps and was seriously injured. Hennepin EMS Paramedics Scotty Crawford and Nick Linder responded to the 911 call and provided expert emergency medical care to Cora and then transported her to the Pediatric Level One Trauma Center at HCMC, a part of Hennepin Healthcare. The Pediatric Level One Trauma Center at HCMC offers an unparalleled experience for critically injured children. Outcomes are among the very best in the nation for pediatric trauma patients. (more…)

New paramedics closer to graduating

June 18, 20211

In January we featured a blog post on Clark and Caleb, two members of the Hennepin EMS Paramedic Training Program. The program started in mid-December and the group has been on a rigorous path to become official paramedics. (more…)

Stroke recovery challenges 83-year-old marathon runner

June 15, 2021

Robert “Bob” Nepple has been on the run since he was 12 years old – and had no plans to slow down until a recent illness brought him to Hennepin Healthcare.

“I like to run,” he said. “I would run to school. It was about a mile.” Not including those unofficial miles back and forth to school, the 83-year-old has run at least 1,000 miles in his life, including to the top of Pike’s Peak and back, which is 26 miles. (more…)

Telehealth, Teamwork, and Other Silver Linings during a Pandemic

May 13, 20211

A reflection from Amy Mensch, RN, Program Manager, Outpatient Psychiatry for Mental Health Awareness Month

Every year, May is identified as Mental Health Awareness month. I don’t know if there has ever been another year when it feels more relevant and significant to stop for a moment and consider mental health and what that means. The past year has been extremely difficult. Challenges at work, struggles at home, confusion, divisiveness, isolation, and fear have visited us daily. For those of us working in mental health, we’ve seen a magnification of all the things we knew were already a problem for the patients we serve, as well as ourselves and our family members; increase in suicide rates, increase in acuity of psychiatric symptoms, increase in substance use, and increase demand for services. (more…)

Donate to women and girls in need for National Women’s Health Week. Period.

April 30, 20216

EMS is coordinating a drive to collect feminine hygiene products for women and girls in need. They are collecting pads, tampons, and new underwear to support women’s shelters, homeless shelters, and other community programs.

Facts:

1 in 4 women struggle with inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products, often having to choose between buying food or period supplies
35 states tax menstrual supplies as non-essential items
Food stamps do not cover menstrual products
The average woman spends about $20 per cycle
Access to menstrual hygiene products is both a human rights and public health issue

(more…)

What is Integrative Physical Therapy? How is it different from just regular PT?

April 23, 20211

This is a question I hear almost daily in my work at Hennepin. And it’s a great question because right now Integrative PT is an emerging but nationally undefined specialty. Here at Hennepin we have four fabulous physical therapists who specialize in an integrative and holistic approach to healing and our team recently brainstormed on what distinguishes our work from that of a more traditional physical therapy approach. (more…)