The Holidays are Here!
Has the holiday season crept up on you? The holiday season usually brings added stress to our lives so take time to care for yourself. Be sure to check out the left column for the free community lectures that Eisenhower sponsors.. Many focus on healthy eating which is especially challenging this time of year. Baseball fans...don't miss hearing Hall of Famer Johnny Bench speak on December 13. It's a potluck! As usual, there are many exciting things happening at Eisenhower! This month we are announcing our new partnership with Walgreens and our reaccreditation as a Chest Pain Center. ~Happy Thanksgiving from Eisenhower Medical Center~Walgreens to Offer Outpatient Pharmacy Services at Eisenhower
Eisenhower Medical Center announced it has brought Walgreens outpatient pharmacy services to the main Eisenhower campus in Rancho Mirage. The outpatient pharmacy, located in the Kiewit Building, is now owned and operated by Walgreens.
“Walgreens brings a rich history of trusted pharmacy services, while also giving our patients the ability to pick up their medications right at the Medical Center in addition to any Walgreens pharmacy in the Valley or throughout the U.S.,” says Lyle Matthews, Pharm.D., MAM, Director, Pharmacy Services, Eisenhower Medical Center. “As a stand alone pharmacy, Eisenhower Outpatient Pharmacy has provided great convenience to Rancho Mirage campus patients. However, with new clinics in La Quinta and Palm Springs, and many of our patients living or traveling elsewhere periodically, we recognized the need to bring greater access to meet our patients’ prescription needs. Together, Walgreens and Eisenhower Medical Center offer high quality pharmacy services with the focus on prevention and wellness that both organizations value.” click for more
Eisenhower Reaccredited as Chest Pain Center
Eisenhower Medical Center has received full accreditation as a chest pain center from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). Originally accredited in 2006, Eisenhower Medical Center became the first hospital in California to earn Cycle III accreditation with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) in 2009 is now the first in the Valley to achieve Cycle IV accreditation with PCI.
Chest Pain Centers strive to quickly diagnose cardiac patients, begin treatment within minutes and significantly improve the chance of a positive outcome. According to SCPC, Chest Pain Centers reduce mortality rates by 37 percent. SCPC is a non-profit international society focused on improving cardiac care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other heart related issues.
The emphasis of accredited Chest Pain Centers includes focusing on high-risk patients as well as decreasing unnecessary admissions of low risk patients with chest pain. An estimated 50 to 60 percent of emergency department chest pain patients are admitted to coronary care units and most are found to be free of cardiac disease. Chest Pain Centers achieve success with early intervention and rapid initiation of therapy. click for more
Canada Fest 2012
Canada Fest 2012 will be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on December 8 to 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
In celebration of our Canadian friends, Eisenhower Medical Center is a proud participant in Canada Fest 2012 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs.The two-day festival celebrates the best that Canada and the United States of America have to offer. Joining Eisenhower are 350 vendors featuring entertainment, seminars/demonstrations, specialty shows, celebrity/sports figure signings, show stoppers on the Esplanade, beer garden with food and beverages, holiday shopping/displays, charity activities, and drawings/giveaways.
Payable at the event, admission is $10 and children under 8 years of age are free. Parking is extra.
All Community members are invited to attend.
Eisenhower Recognizes Lung Cancer Awareness Month
November is recognized nationally as Lung Cancer Awareness Month — 30 days to focus on raising awareness and providing education about lung cancer prevention and treatment.
Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for both men and women, there is hope on the horizon, according to Eisenhower medical oncologist Davood Vafai, MD. Although the disease is rare among people under the age of 45, more people die from lung cancer than from colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. These numbers include both smokers and non-smokers; however, the risks are much greater for smokers.
Despite the grim statistics, Dr. Vafai points out several recent developments that give him hope for the future.
One treatment option under study includes pills that can block cancer cells from forming, called genetic alteration, which identifies the gene that makes normal cells become cancerous. "If we block the pathway, the cancer cells die," he said. "As time goes by, with more research, we can find more genetic pathways that can target different cancer cells."
On another research front, "We are finding new therapies to boost your own immune system to fight cancer, which may not cure cancer but will buy time," he said.
"The best chance to cure cancer is early detection," says Dr. Vafai. "The use of Computerized Tomography, or CT scans, is the new standard for detecting cancer while still in its early stages. The CT scan is a vast improvement over chest X-rays, which have been used for years. With the CT scan, which can detect cancer cells in smaller, early states, we have seen historic progress in the cancer field — a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer deaths," according to Dr. Vafai. click for more