Gwinnett Medical
Center
Honored in National Quality
Study
Among Top Five Percent in the
Nation According to HealthGrades
Gwinnett Hospital System has been named a recipient
of the 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical
Excellence™, based on a study issued by HealthGrades,
the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings
company.
The study analyzed data from Gwinnett Medical
Center in Lawrenceville and Joan Glancy Memorial
Hospital in Duluth.
“It’s an honor for us to be ranked among the top
five percent for clinical quality of all hospitals in
the country by an independent source such as
HealthGrades,” said J. Thomas Karr, Jr., interim
president and CEO of Gwinnett Hospital System and
Gwinnett Medical Center. “I’d like to congratulate our
physicians and staff for their dedication to quality
and the outstanding patient outcomes they provide to
this community.
“Quality of care is our top priority at Gwinnett
Medical Center. Providing our patients and families
with the best care possible is at the heart of our
mission. Being named as a top hospital in one of the
largest healthcare studies in America validates
dedication and hard work from our physicians and
staff. We are proud to be one of only two hospitals in
the state of Georgia to receive this award.”
In addition to the Distinguished Hospital Award,
Gwinnett Medical Center is a recipient of the 2006
HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™, ranking
the hospital among the top five percent in the nation
for overall pulmonary care. They’ve also received
HealthGrades’ five-star rating for the treatment of
stroke.
Each year, HealthGrades independently analyzes the
clinical quality performance of all nonfederal
hospitals across the country in 28 procedures and
diagnoses, ranging from bypass surgery to the
treatment of heart attacks. Hospitals that receive the
HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical
Excellence are those hospitals that rank in the top
five percent when all 28 individual scores are
aggregated into an overall score. Out of over 5,000
hospitals graded, only 277 U.S. hospitals qualified
for this prestigious award in 2006.
“Our physicians have earned recognition for the
high quality care they provide because they have
stepped up and taken leadership roles in our
System-wide pursuit of clinical excellence,” said Roy
E. Gilbreath, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical
Officer at Gwinnett Medical Center. “Their diligence
and dedication to excellence means that our patients
get the best care available in the nation. We are very
proud of the fine work our physicians are doing.”
About Gwinnett Medical
Center
Gwinnett Hospital System,
anchored by flagship Gwinnett Medical Center, is a
not-for-profit healthcare network providing high
quality facilities and services to Gwinnett and the
surrounding community. With over 4,000 employees and
800 physicians, the system provided care in 2005 to
almost 400,000 patients. To learn more, visit http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/.
About
HealthGrades
HealthGrades (Nasdaq:HGRD) is
the leading healthcare ratings organization, providing
ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and
physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans
and hospitals. Millions of consumers and hundreds of
the nation’s largest employers, health plans and
hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ independent ratings
and decision-support resources to make healthcare
decisions based on the quality of care. More
information on the company can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com/.
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Emory Eastside Medical Center
Emory Eastside Medical Center, located on a dual
campus in Snellville, is a combined effort between the
impressive medical resources of Emory Healthcare—a
leading medical research university and medical care
provider, HCA—the nation’s largest hospital
corporation. Emory Eastside Medical Center—Gwinnett’s
second-largest hospital system--is a 200-bed,
full-service, acute-care medical center with almost
1500 employees and 450 affiliated physicians.
In 2004, Emory Eastside’s medical team treated
9,102 in-patients and had over 48,000 emergency visits
and 2,381 total obstetrical deliveries. Medical
services include general acute care on an inpatient
and outpatient basis, in-patient physical
rehabilitation, 24-hour emergency care, pediatric
urgent care, level III neonatal intensive care, and a
host of state-of-the-art outpatient services. In
addition to basic diagnostic services are PET
scanning, digitized radiology, MRI, CT, and cardiac
catheterization—with the newest medical equipment,
specialty staff, and state-of-the-art techniques and
skills to diagnose disorders and disease. Emory
Eastside offers a variety of other specialty services
from its newly designed Breast and Diagnostic Center,
such as mammography, stereotactic core biopsies, and
ultrasound imaging, along with bone densitometry. And,
located in the Eastside Physicians Center is an
accredited diabetes education program taught by
certified diabetic educators who are registered nurses
or clinical dietitians.
Many specialized services are available at the
Eastside Heritage Center, which is located off Highway
78 on Fountain Drive. The Senior Mental Health Program
is the only one of its kind in the county.
Psychiatrists, counselors, and medical professionals
assist older adults in adapting to the complexities of
the aging process. The Mood Disorders Center
specializes in the treatment of psychiatric disorders
for adults and geriatric patients. The Eastside
Heritage Center is also the site of the Pain
Management Center, where patients with chronic pain
learn to cope with and manage this complex process. At
the Wound Clinic patients are treated for long-term,
non-healing wounds. The multi-disciplinary approach to
treatment has resulted in an 85% healing rate (the
national average rate of healing is 25%) and the
average cost for this care is 35% less than
traditional wound treatment. Patients with sleep
disorders may find treatment and solutions at the
newly-expanded Sleep Disorder Center. Also located in
the Heritage Center is Health Happiness You-H2U, the
health and wellness program designed specifically for
the 50+ population. The newest addition to the
Heritage Center is the beautiful, 20-bed, inpatient
physical Rehabilitation Center.
To locate a physician who refers patients to Emory
Eastside, call the Eastside Physician Referral Line at
770-972-7570 and for more information, call
770-979-0200 or visit http://www.emoryeastside.com/.
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Gwinnett Medical Center | Duluth
From a three-room cottage that served as Duluth’s
Joan Glancy Memorial Clinic built to an 81-bed, all
digital state-of-the-art hospital opening this
October, healthcare in Duluth has come of age.
For more than 60 years, the Duluth community has
received its medical care Glancy-style. That warm,
personal-touch care that you’ve experienced at Joan
Glancy Memorial Hospital is about to spread to more
than 175,000 square feet of fresh, new space in
Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth. It’s a new hospital,
but with the same great tradition of care.
Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth will be located at
3620 Howell Ferry Road in Duluth, between Pleasant
Hill Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. This
campus was home of the Glancy Outpatient Center and
the Hudgens Professional Building.
The integration of all of these healthcare
resources within a highly accessible campus brings
major benefits to patients and physicians alike. The
hospital will have 81 private patient rooms and 6
family suites complete with wireless Internet access
and room service that includes an extensive restaurant
style menu.
The campus will be a state-of-the-art, all-digital
facility complete with barcode scanning of patients’
armbands and medications to ensure quick, accurate
administration, paperless medical records to provide
quick and easy access, instant entry and retrieval of
nursing and physician documentation, computerized
scheduling system to improve customer service,
immediate access to digital radiology imaging,
automated surgical information system design to
provide consistent high-level support, computer-based
order-entry system to eliminate handwriting issues,
and an integrated computerized emergency
department.
Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth has been carefully
designed to combine a quiet, healing environment of
warm colors, focal lighting and natural elements of
stone and wood. The end result will be a hospital that
caters to patients, family members and visitors,
promotes healing and hospitality, and offers the very
latest medical technologies for efficient treatment
and quick recovery times.
A Lasting
Legacy
Healthcare in Gwinnett has a history
of heroic community action. It began more than 60
years ago when the Duluth community responded to the
tragic death of a local 6-year old because of the lack
of available medical care. The community came together
to build Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital in 1946.
Since that time, Gwinnett citizens have risen to
the challenge whenever opportunities have come along
for a better quality of life.
Today, this same community response is needed to
ensure that the healthcare needs of Gwinnett are
fulfilled. Every dollar generated through the Legacy
Campaign goes to the bottom line of funding Gwinnett
Medical Center-Duluth.
Together, let us provide the best in healthcare for
our citizens, today and tomorrow.
For more
information about giving options and naming, contact
the Gwinnett Hospital System Foundation at
678-442-4634 or email jriddle@ghsnet.org.
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Blood Line
Heart Attack, Strokes and Blood
Pressure
The American Heart Association and the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have launched a new
“Act in Time” campaign to increase people’s awareness
of heart attack and the importance of calling
9-1-1 immediately at the onset of heart attack
symptoms.
Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death
emergencies—every second counts. If you see or have
any of the listed symptoms, immediately call 9-1-1.
Not all these signs occur in every heart attack or
stroke. Sometimes they go away and return. If some
occur, get help fast! Today heart attack and stroke
victims can benefit from new medications and
treatments unavailable to patients in years past. For
example, clot-busting drugs can stop some heart
attacks and strokes in progress, reducing disability
and saving lives. But to be effective, these drugs
must be given relatively quickly after heart attack or
stroke symptoms first appear. So again, don’t
delay—get help right away!
Heart Attack Warning
Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and
intense—the “movie heart attack,” where no one doubts
what’s happening. But most heart attacks start slowly,
with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected
aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before
getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart
attack is happening:
{ Chest discomfort } Most
heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the
chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes
away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable
pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
{ Discomfort in other areas of the upper
body } Symptoms can include pain or
discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or
stomach.
{ Shortness of breath } May
occur with or without chest discomfort.
{ Other signs } These may
include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or
lightheadedness.
Stroke Warning
Signs
The American Stroke Association says
these are the warning signs of stroke:
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or
leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden
confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
•
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden
trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination.
• Sudden, severe headache with no
known cause.
120/70
Do
you understand what the numbers in your blood preasure
mean?
The first number refers to your systolic blood
pressure. Systolic is the maximum pressure, taken
right after your heart pumps. The second number refers
to your diastolic blood pressure. Diastolic is the
lowest pressure you have, measured when your heart is
relaxed.
If high blood pressure isn’t treated, your heart
may have to work harder and harder to pump enough
blood and oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. A
heart forced to work harder for a long time tends to
enlarge and weaken. A slightly enlarged heart may work
well, but one that’s enlarged a lot has a hard time
doing its job.
High blood pressure also hurts arteries and
arterioles, the very small arteries that connect
larger arteries to the tiny capillaries. They
eventually become scarred, hardened and less elastic.
This may happen as you get older, but high blood
pressure speeds up the process, probably because it
damages the artery wall and speeds
atherosclerosis.
Arterial damage is bad because hardened or narrowed
arteries may not be able to supply enough blood to
your body’s organs. And if your organs don’t get
enough oxygen and nutrients, they can’t work properly.
Another risk is that atherosclerotic plaques may
rupture. Then a blood clot forms, shutting off normal
blood supply to part of your body.
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CANCER
5 life-saving
screening tests
|
|
SCREENING
|
RECOMMENDATIONS*
|
MAMMOGRAPHY
Breast
Cancer
|
Every year for women age 40
and older, in addition to an annual clinical
breast exam. Beginning at age 20, women should
have clinical breast exams about every three
years. |
PAP SMEAR
Cervical cancer
|
Starting three years after a
woman first has a vaginal intercourse of no
later than 21. Yearly with standard Pap or every
two years with liquid Pap. Every two to three
years at age 30 if you have had three normal
Paps in a row. |
MANUAL EXAM & PSA
BLOOD TEST
Prostate cancer
|
For all men every year
beginning at age 50. Aferican-American men and
others at higher risk for prostate cancer should
begin Prostate cancer annual screening at age
45. |
COLONOSCOPY
Colorectal
cancer
|
At age 50, or earlier if you
have other risk factors. The colonoscopy can
find and remove polyps before they become
cancerous. |
ABCDE SKIN CHECK
Skin Cancer
|
Self-check moles and spots
monthly and see your doctor if you find changes
in Asymmetry, Borders, Color, Diameter, and Evolution (or other
changes). | | |
|
*Recommendations can vary
depending upon your overall health and family
history. Talk to your
doctor about what would
be the best schedule for you.
Source:
American Cancer
Society | |
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Blood Line
Heart Attack, Strokes and Blood
Pressure
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused
by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe
illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way
to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination
each fall.
Every year in the United States, on average 5% to
20% of the population gets the flu; more than 200,000
people are hospitalized from flu complications; and
about 36,000 people die from the flu. Some people,
such as older people, young children, and people with
certain health conditions, are at high risk for
serious flu complications.
Symptoms
- fever (usually high)
- headache
- extreme tiredness
- dry cough
- sore throat—runny or stuffy nose
- muscle aches
- Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and
diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in
children than adults
How Flu Spreads
Flu
viruses spread mainly from person to person through
coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Most
healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning
1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after
becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass
on the flu to someone else before you know you are
sick, as well as while you are sick.
Preventing the Flu
The
single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu
vaccination each fall. There are two types of
vaccines:
- The “flu shot” — an inactivated vaccine
(containing killed virus) that is given with a
needle. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6
months of age and older, including healthy people
and people with chronic medical conditions.
- The nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made
with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause
the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “Live Attenuated
Influenza Vaccine”). LAIV is approved for use in
healthy people 5 years to 49 years of age who are
not pregnant.
About two weeks after vaccination, antibodies
develop that protect against influenza virus
infection. Flu vaccines will not protect against
flu-like illnesses caused by non-influenza
viruses.
When to Get
Vaccinated
October or November is the best
time to get vaccinated, but getting vaccinated in
December or even later can still be beneficial since
most influenza activity occurs in January or later in
most years. Though it varies, flu season can last as
late as May.
The flu vaccination is not for everyone. Please
consult your physician for more
information.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/
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October: National Breast Cancer Month
Significant progress in mammography technology
continues to help physicians diagnose breast cancer in
its earlier stages. When coupled with new treatment
options, early diagnosis through mammography screening
can significantly improve a woman’s chances of
survival. That’s good news because in the United
States more than 200,000 new cases of invasive breast
cancer are diagnosed each year.
Mammography screening is the single most effective
method of early detection. That’s why an annual
mammogram is recommended for women over 40. A clinical
breast examination by a health care professional
should also be done on a regular basis. Additionally,
women can take charge of their own breast health by
understanding their personal risks of the disease,
performing a breast self exam every month and
reporting any breast change promptly to their health
care provider.
Unfortunately, studies have indicated that a
significant number of women over 40 years of age fail
to get a mammogram, and of those who do, many never
follow up with a second mammogram. Women cite a number
of reasons for their nonparticipation, including lack
of finances and lack of time. It is important that
women know that there are resources available to help
address these issues. For example, throughout the
year, low-cost or free mammography screening is
available to many women who are over 40 and
underinsured or uninsured. Additionally, many
mammography centers offer extended hours and some even
provide child care for moms having mammograms.
In an effort to encourage women to have an annual
mammography screening, National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month (NBCAM) sponsors recommend making
every day National Mammography Day. Whether it means
scheduling an appointment on a 40th birthday, or if it
means reminding a friend to make an appointment, every
step counts.
For information on low or no cost mammography
screening, contact the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) at 888-842-6355 or visit their
website at www.cdc.gov. Women seeking mammograms at a
reduced rate are urged to make their appointment early
in the year, as space may be limited. To find a
breast-imaging facility, contact the National Cancer
Institute at 800-4-CANCER. For more information, visit
http://www.nbcam.org/.
