Chief Wellness Officer Posted on August 18, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeHave you seen Nathan Littauer’s “Chief Wellness Officer” Ad Campaign? We are featuring it on many local stations. See it here:
The EVENT Fundraiser highlights Posted on August 18, 2010 by Dakota PikeOh what a night! Thank you to everyone who made this year’s event such a success. The EVENT’s Journey Along the Nile highlights can be seen here:
Taking your lungs on vacation Posted on August 18, 2010 by Dakota PikeWhen the news wanted to know how to travel with a lung condition, they turned to Barbara Deluca, Respiratory Care Therapist at Nathan Littauer Hospital. She helped create a program at Littauer called, ” Taking your lungs on vacation”.Consider this: many people with a lung condition like asthma or COPD, opt to stay home because of their apprehension to travel. If Nathan Littauer Respiratory Therapists have their way, more people with lung conditions will join the ranks of those taking an old fashioned summer vacation. Nathan Littauer is offering some advice and some practical tips for people with lung disease planning on traveling this summer.“Getting ready to go on vacation is always a lot of work, but if you have breathing problems that require you to be on oxygen, an inhaler or a nebulizer, planning for a trip can sometimes seem overwhelming.” stated Barbara Deluca, Respiratory Care Therapist at Nathan Littauer Hospital.It doesn’t have to be that way say respiratory therapists from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). Ms. Deluca adds, “I want people to know that their lung disease should not hinder them from enjoying life. They just need to plan ahead.”See the news story here:She concludes, “What is important is to have a good quality of life and if you want to travel we can help you get there.”XXX * Information provided by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, you can get more information by visiting: The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology www.aaaai.org. To learn more about lung health, visit the American Association for Respiratory Care’s patient education website at www.YourLungHealth.org.Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who assist physicians in treating and managing respiratory patients in hospitals, outpatient centers, physicians’ offices, skilled nursing facilities, and patients’ homes.The American Association for Respiratory Care is a professional membership organization of respiratory therapists dedicated to respiratory therapy education and research. Among its goals are to advocate on behalf of pulmonary patients for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals and to benefit respiratory health care providers.
Nathan Littauer Ahead of the Pack: Most Connected Hospital in the Region Posted on August 12, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeCaption for photo Sarah Katz, NLH’s Social Networking Technician helps the hospital use new tools to reach audiences.Gloversville, NY…You may be surprised to hear that the hospital with the largest social networking system in the region is Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville, NY. “We wanted to build an information platform not just a website.” stated Laurence E. Kelly Hospital President and CEO. He added, “We have a lot of information and good news to share here and we saw social media as just one more way to reach our vast audience.” He explained, “Also, we wanted people to know that we embrace new technology in a myriad of forms, be it in social media or in medicine.” “According to our research, we are the only hospital in the region with a blog, Facebook site, a Twitter account, and YouTube channel.” stated Cheryl McGrattan Hospital Spokesperson. To date, the hospital also has the largest amount of “Friends” of any local hospital. Their findings are also supported by Ed Bennett who maintains a national website devoted to hospitals using social media. (www.ebennett.org). According to Ms. McGrattan, “It makes good sense to use these tools. All 14 hospitals listed on the 2010-2011 U.S. News Honor Roll are using social media. And 78% of the larger Best Hospitals List are also engaged on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.” (E. Bennett). The hospital also created a microsite using social media (radiologyrevolution.com) to highlight their diagnostic capabilities, a tool many large corporations use to promote a product. The hospital’s efforts recently caught the attention of social media guru Jason Falls who wrote about Nathan Littauer Hospital in his blog. (http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/) . The blog is followed by 50,000 people. Jason Falls said, “Organizations like the Nathan Littauer Hospital are doing a great job of pushing media relations into a new era. While social media is often focused on serving the end consumer audience, Nathan Littauer’s communications team is using new media tools to continue to serve traditional media as well. They’re a good example of what the evolution of PR looks like in 2010.”To reach their social media goals, the hospital employed a Social Networking Technician, Sarah Katz. In five short months, Sarah has built a social media platform consisting of Facebook sites, videos on YouTube, Twitter and has created a network of devoted fans. She describes, “For a conservative industry like health care, Nathan Littauer did not have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the social media world.” She added, ‘For that I give Nathan Littauer a lot of credit”.“It seems to be working.” According to Sue Kiernan, “Social media is an additional touch point for Nathan Littauer.” She explained, “One afternoon we heard from a woman in Ohio on our Facebook site whose mother had been a resident in our nursing home. She wondered if anyone remembered her mom. We quickly contacted the nursing home and were able to get word to her that her mother was very well thought of and remembered by several staff. She was so touched by our response. That type of interaction is not seen in a mere website alone.”“Everyone here has really embraced this initiative” stated Sarah Katz. “Staff have submitted wellness tips which we post every week. We have posted videos of what our diagnostic testing is like, we created photo albums showing the construction progress of our new Emergency Center, and we have videos of physical therapists giving instruction on how to stretch before a round of golf.” The hospital also launched a Facebook campaign, “100 Reasons to get a Mammogram”, in which the hospital asked their Facebook fans to submit reasons why they or a loved one should get a mammogram. Sarah notes, “The campaign was extremely quick and successful. We had responses from politicians, local celebrities, doctors and business leaders.” We are also launching a YouTube series which demonstrates how to eat well on the run.What is next for the hospital? According to Sue Kiernan, “Right now we are completing a project in which we will try Tweeting births in our new Birthing Center. Beyond that I can only say, ‘Become a fan on our page and you will be the first to know about our plans for the future’.”xxx
Wellness Words August 2010 Posted on August 12, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Carol Tomlinson RN BSCommunity Health Educator SKIN CANCER PREVENTIONMore than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the National Cancer Institute. The good news is that skin cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer.Protection from the sun is important at any time of the year. The sun sends ultraviolet rays (UV-A and UV-B) which we cannot see. Long-term, unprotected exposure to the UV rays causes up to 90 percent of all skin cancer. Sunburned or tanned skin is actually damaged skin, according to the New York State Department of Health.Before you head outside, take these few simple steps to protect yourself from the sun’s damaging rays:Schedule outside activities for early mornings or late afternoon. If possible, avoid the hours of10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest.If you must be out during these hours, stay in the shade as much as possible or use an umbrella or tent for artificial shade.Cover-up when in the sun. Choose clothes such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants or skirts that are made of tightly woven fabrics. Wear wide-brimmed hats that shade the face, scalp, neck and ears.Use sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes that are rated to block UV-A and UV-B rays.Remember, you still need to be careful on cloudy or hazy days as well. Clouds do not block most UV rays. Also, be careful around surfaces such as sand, cement, water and even snow that can reflect the sun’s rays on the skin. You also need to be aware of the effects of certain medications. Some prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine can cause the skin to be more sensitive to the sun. Ask your pharmacist or physician if you are concerned that you may be taking one of these drugs.Although you may have heard of some controversy over the use of sunscreen recently, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) recommends the use of sunscreen especially during the times the UV rays are strongest. DOH recommendations for the effective use of sunscreen include:Choose a sunscreen that offers both UV-A and UV-B protection.Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside.Rub a generous amount of sunscreen on all uncovered skin. Do not apply around the eyes but do wear sunglasses.Light clothing will not filter out all UV rays, so use sunscreen on areas that will be covered by light clothing.Use sunscreen stick or lip-balm on sensitive areas such as lips, ears, nose, hands and feet.Choose a waterproof sunscreen if going in the water.Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after you swim or do things that make you sweat.Towel dry before re-applying sunscreen after swimming or if sweaty.Just a few moments of prevention and you can be outdoors and enjoy all of our beautiful weather with friends and family.For more information on skin cancer prevention, contact your health care provider, the National Cancer Institute 1-800-4-CANCER (www.cancer.gov), or call HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at www.nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
