Page 4 – Here for Life

Save a life from opioid overdose – get people breathing again!

June 8, 2018

The ongoing national opioid crisis has a devastating effect on our communities and has changed the way our health system approaches treating pain. On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. The experts at Hennepin Healthcare are involved in a number of initiatives to help patients receive the care and pain medications they need, in a safe way. One of these initiatives is to provide access for patients and their caretakers to the life-saving medication naloxone. We are grateful to be ahead of the curve when it comes to prevention and treatment of opioid overdose, thanks to our dedicated staff and initiatives that are helping save patients from death from overdose.

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Teen HOPE programs helps teen parents find their path

June 2, 2018

by Maria Elena Baca, Public Affairs Officer, Hennepin County

Adrianna Blackmon’s confidence is contagious. During a tutoring session, Katelyn Williams smiled and sat up a little straighter under Blackmon’s encouragement as the two paged through a study guide for her upcoming biology test.

Both young women participate in a partnership between Hennepin County Health and Human Services and Hennepin Healthcare’s Teen HOPE program.

The Teen Hope initiative embeds public health nurses in schools to create one-stop resource centers to help pregnant and parenting teens manage their county benefits and their own and their children’s health as they work to continue their education. (more…)

Read Sten’s Story

May 15, 2018

Think strokes just happen to seniors? Think again. A stroke was the last thing healthy Sten Anderson thought would happen to him at the young age of 24. But it did.

This May, being Stroke Awareness Month, you should be aware that a stroke can happen at any time, at any age and even to perfectly healthy people. Sten felt a major headache come on while running on his treadmill and, although there can be different signs of stroke, there are four main ones. Educate yourself because in the case of stroke – time is critical. From the onset of a stroke to the arrival at the emergency room, damage can be minimized the quicker you get there. Move F.A.S.T.

FACE – Is their face drooping? Ask them to smile to find out.
ARMS – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
SPEECH – Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase like Mary had a little lamb. Is their speed slurred or does it sound strange?
TIME – Call 911 and note the time of the first symptom. This will help determine treatment options.

Sten was lucky, but it wasn’t without determination and lots of work. The Hennepin Stroke Center and the Knapp Rehabilitation Center were a big part of his young life. Read Sten’s story.

Join us, and get health tips from the experts!

May 14, 2018

Hennepin Healthcare is hosting a series of free educational events focused on keeping you healthy, active and feeling your best. Attend one, or attend them all.

These events will be held at our beautiful new Clinic & Specialty Center, located on our downtown Minneapolis campus.

After each sessions, we’ll provide time to interact with the presenters and tour the Clinic & Specialty Center.

The series starts off with our “Decade of Dave” event featuring Dr. David Hilden and a live broadcast of the Healthy Matters radio show.

We’ll follow that up with Here 4 Health education sessions in July, August and September.

See the full series of events and topics below, and register here for the events you would like to attend.

A Decade of Dave – Live Broadcast of the Healthy Matters Radio Show

Sunday, June 10, 2018; 7 -10 am

Topics:

Diabetes and the Sweet Life; Laura LaFave, MD
Arthritis Treatment Options – Moving from Pain to Gain; Rawad Nasr, MD
Sleep Health – What Keeps you up at Night; Ranji Varghese, MD

Here 4 Health

Thursday, July 12, 2018; 5 – 7 pm

Topics:

How to Live to 100 or Die Trying; David Hilden, MD
The Ins and Outs of GI Health; Jake Matlock, MD

Here 4 Health

Saturday, August 11, 2018; 9 – 11 am

Topics:

Dermatology, Sara Hylwa, MD and Jing Liu, MD
The Ancient Art and Modern Practices of Integrative Medicine – Acupuncture and Chiropractic; Richard Printon, DC, MTD and Jessica Brown, LAc, Dipl. Ac

Here 4 Health

Saturday, September 15, 2018; 9 – 11 am

Topics:

You Gotta Have Heart – Women’s Heart Health; Michelle Carlson, MD
Best Practices in Breast Health; Leah Hahn
A little Help from Your Friends – Physical Therapy for Women; Beth A. Stegora, Senior PT, DPT

Register here.

The Clinic & Specialty Center is located at:

715 South 8^th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55404

Nurses Week 2018: Meet three Hennepin Healthcare nurses

May 7, 2018

National Nurses Week is an annual celebration that starts on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. We take this time to honor nurses for the work they do, and learn more about nurses’ role in health care. This year’s theme is “Nurses: Inspire, Innovate, Influence.”

In honor of this year’s theme, we interviewed three nurses across the Hennepin Healthcare system and talked to them about what inspires them to do the work they do.

For more information on National Nurses Week, visit the official National Nurses Week website here – and be sure to thank a nurse at your next visit to Hennepin Healthcare!

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You’re invited to submit ideas for our time capsule

April 17, 20181

As we begin a new era of healthcare, we want to capture our story with a time capsule that will be sealed in our new Clinic & Specialty Center. Staff, patients, and community members are invited to submit ideas for objects and artifacts that represent who we are and the legacy we’ve built so far. Suggestions will be collected until Friday, April 27.

Here are a few of the ideas that have already been submitted:

Patient menu
Photo of first Clinic & Specialty Center patient
Wound dressing supplies

How to participate
Fill out the suggestion form here with your ideas. Please note the time capsule’s dimensions (19″ x 12″ x 9″). All items placed in the time capsule must be dry and non-perishable. When suggesting items, items made from materials like paper, plastic, and glass may work best.

Time capsule installation
We will compile all the ideas and choose the best items to be placed in the time capsule. The time capsule with these items will then be installed during a celebratory ceremony at the Clinic & Specialty Center. There, the time capsule will stay for the next couple of decades for future generations of Hennepin Healthcare staff and community members to uncover.

We look forward to your ideas!

Recognizing Brain Injury

March 23, 2018

Guest Blogger: Kary Briner, Hennepin Healthcare Traumatic Brain Injury Center Coordinator

March… Longer days, warmer weather, a hint of spring in the air, and of course, Brain Injury Awareness Month. We at Hennepin Healthcare’s Traumatic Brain Injury Center invite you to take a moment to think about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its impact on people. Listed below are ideas on how you can learn more about the injury, how they are treated, prevented and, most importantly, recognize those who are affected.

1) Know the numbers. Traumatic brain injuries affect millions of Americans every year. 2.8 million per year by some counts [i]. In addition, TBI contributes to roughly 30% of all deaths due to injuries[ii]. There are currently over 100,000 Minnesotans living with a disability due to brain injury[iii]. While the cost for care and loss of productivity of these injuries is high; the personal and emotional toll to those who are injured and their families is immeasurable.

2) Prevent. Prevention means a lot more than wearing a helmet or avoiding the football field. It does make a difference and it doesn’t always have to be complicated. There are many minor changes that each of us can take every day to make ourselves, our loved ones, or even a complete stranger safer. Making sure to never drive distracted or under the influence, taking care not to drive at speeds in excess of what is safe for the weather or road conditions. Ensuring yourself and everyone in the car is properly restrained, every time. Taking extra caution and time while walking on icy sidewalks, and helping others do the same. Wearing a helmet when doing any activity that involves moving faster than your two legs can carry you. And overall, taking an extra moment to think about safety in activities that many do every day.

3) Learn. If you work with individuals with brain injuries, take a few minutes this month to increase your knowledge on the subject. Watch a webinar, attend a conference or seminar, read a journal article, or seek out a colleague with knowledge on the topic. Or check out resources online; such as the Brain Trauma Foundation, the CDC, or our own website. Our very own Brain Injury Research Lab also has incredibly exciting, cutting edge research.

4) Get involved. This one might be a bit of a stretch for most, and that’s OK. But some of you might decide to do more. Volunteer your time, donate money or resources, or lend your support. There are other options as well, including our friends at the MN Brain Injury Alliance, who do amazing work every day to support individuals who live with this injury.

5) Honor. Contemplate, just for a moment, what it would be like to live with a brain injury. Think about how you would feel if your life, or that or someone you love, changed in an instant. What if you were unable to do your job? If your relationships with your friends and family were altered, or if you were unable to do the things that you love, even for just a few weeks? Brain injuries, even those classified as mild, can and do change lives in an instant. Ultimately, all of the new exciting developments and our desire to do more while doing better, are driven by our continued effort to honor those affected by this injury affected.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you could get involved, please reach out. By phone: 612-873-3284; e-mail: Kary.Briner@hcmed.org; or go to our website. Your brain, or someone else’s, will thank you.

Kary Lehman Briner, LICSW
Traumatic Brain Injury Center Coordinator
Hennepin Healthcare

[i] Data from the CDC.

[ii] Data from the CDC.

[iii] Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance

Why I care about colon cancer screening

March 16, 2018

When I set out on my path to medical school, I knew I would work in an aspect of medicine in which I would have the opportunity to work with patients long term and be able to help focus on various aspects of the whole patient. These goals are what have driven me to be a primary care doctor here at Hennepin Healthcare. As a primary care doctor, my goal is always to treat patients as people first. I also aim to work with patients to be their healthiest selves in all aspects: physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. To me, one of the most fundamental parts of my primary care practice is not just to treat illness, but to work to prevent diseases before they happen. I love discussing vaccines and cancer prevention strategies as these are ways we can work together to help them not get sick in the first place. This is why I am passionate about colon cancer screening. (more…)

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