Guest post by Richfield Clinic doctor Dana Rae Barr, MD, FAAFP
When your child is not making the expected academic progress or having “behavior” problems in school, he may have an undiagnosed learning disability. I did not fully appreciate all of the possible diagnoses that can contribute to academic struggles. Until recently… (more…)
We had the pleasure of interviewing Kyrsten and her family to learn more about their experience with our Birth Center’s Certified Nurse Midwives during Kyrsten’s birth of her first child. Now, because of her outstanding experience, she is returning to the Birth Center to give birth to her second child.
Learn what has inspired Kyrsten and her family to return to the Birth Center and what they liked most about their experience.
Visit hcmc.org/birthcenter to learn more about the Birth Center at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Orlando. Las Vegas. Manhattan. A Texas church. It’s global. It’s horrific. Senseless.
This subject is a tough one to talk about with your children. It’s all over – on tv and social media. But the first thing parents must do is process their own emotions and control their own reactions. If you become frantic or lose your cool, your child may do so as well.
“Follow your child’s lead,” advises child psychologist Dr. Lidan Gu. (more…)
Chris Leatherdale has been through a lot, but you’d never know it if you met him. Chris was taken to HCMC after suffering burns while saving his horses that were trapped in a barn fire. After spending weeks in our burn unit, he became a patient at our Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center, where patients take time recovering from trauma and begin the long process of rehabilitation. (more…)
Fall often brings changes in school routines – and for little ones going to preschool or daycare, these transitions can be filled with tearful goodbyes. Pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Kristen Wiik has some perspective and helpful hints for parents who might be dealing with separation anxiety. “If you’re concerned about separation anxiety, you’re doing the right thing by seeking solutions,” she explains. “Many parents hear from teachers and daycare providers that their child’s anxiety resolves soon after they leave their child. Unfortunately, this does little to reduce the emotional departures parents are experiencing – but be encouraged that these tough transitions often pass quickly. Sometimes these experiences may actually be more traumatic for the parents than they are for their kids.”
According to Dr. Wiik, most children experience an increase in separation anxiety around age 12-18 months. This is indeed a normal pattern in children with healthy attachments to their caregiver(s). This anxiety often passes as a child gets older, and reactions to separation anxiety can also change with age. (more…)
As we continue to introduce areas of the new Clinic & Specialty Center, we take you to one of the busiest and most important areas that many patients will visit during their time in the building – the pharmacy.
The Clinic & Specialty Center will actually have two pharmacies, one retail pharmacy – for patients, and one internal pharmacy that supplies medications solely for the medication needs of clinics within the building. We had the privilege of sitting down with Mike Pitzl, Pharmacy Director and visionary behind the design of the Clinic & Specialty Center pharmacies, to learn more about some of the new features and enhancements to the patient experience.
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As it is National Hispanic Heritage Month there is no better time than now to celebrate the amazing Aqui Para Ti (APT) program at the Whittier Clinic.
Serving Latino youth ages 10-24, the program is now 15 years old and a shining example of HCMC’s commitment to our Minnesota Latino population, receiving awards and recognition from many sources and agencies. The clinic provides medical care, coaching, health education and referrals for Latino youth and their families. Created and lead by Dr. Maria Veronica Svetaz, the program has served over 1,500 youth and their families in Minnesota. (more…)
By Julie Philbrook, RN, DNP, MAN, MAL
Falls are the leading cause of trauma-related injury and death among those age 65 and older. Every year, more than 2.3 million non-fatal fall injuries among older adults are treated in emergency departments in the US resulting in more than 734,000 patients being hospitalized. The direct medical costs for falls in the senior population total over $34 billion. Twenty to thirty percent of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries, such as lacerations, hip fractures or traumatic brain injuries. Even if no injuries occur after a fall, many people develop a fear of falling, which in turn often causes them to limit their activities. This can result in reduced mobility and loss of physical conditioning, subsequently increasing their risk of falling.
Research has proven that the risk of falling decreases when seniors take part in educational programs, which teach exercises that target building strength and maintaining balance. These programs also address other fall-related topics, including, the effects medications can have on balance, sleep, mental alertness, the role a change in vision plays in the risk of falls, and safety in and around the home environment. (more…)
