St. Joseph's/Candler

If you or a loved one have never had to stay in the hospital, you may be unaware of a very important member of our healthcare team – the case manager. At St. Joseph’s/Candler, our case managers are registered nurses or certified social workers who work directly with patients and families, as well as the multi-disciplinary care team, with one goal in mind: getting you safely discharged when it’s time. “We do all we can to ensure patients have a safe transition whether that’s back home or to rehabilitation or a long-term care facility,” says Laurie Frazee, manager of clinical care coordination for St. Joseph’s Hospital. “We try to make it as safe as possible by ensuring patients have all the resources they need to prevent them from returning to the hospital.” The case manager can help the patient and family in many ways: https://lnkd.in/eYuqSTEa

Have you plateaued with your weight loss goal? Or maybe you are thinking of ways to shed a few pounds. One way to lose weight – as well as gain and maintain – is to get a better understanding of your metabolism. Your metabolism is one factor in weight loss and weight gain, says Tori Thomas, registered dietitian with the Candler Wellness Center. Other factors include being age, muscle mass, diet, physical activity, etc. The best way to learn more about your metabolism is through a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test, which is offered through the St. Joseph’s/Candler Wellness Center. Simply put, metabolism is all the energy (calories) required for bodily functions needed to live such as breathing, your heart beating, digestion and regulating body temperature, Thomas says. The rate at which your metabolism occurs is called your metabolic rate. More at https://lnkd.in/dmhUmRbV

Have a wound that just won’t heal? One option to treat it is through diet. Yes, what you eat and drink can have an impact on wound care. “Diet is vital to wound healing,” says Dr. Thomas Donohue, medical director for the Center for Hyperbarics and Wound Care at Candler Hospital and our Hinesville location. “Without adequate nutrition that includes protein, vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc, the likelihood of healing is extremely low.” More at https://lnkd.in/dHz82GES

Meet Lynn Ferrelli, AOCNP, and Kimberly Todd, AOCNP, oncology nurse practitioners with South Carolina Cancer Specialists and Dr. Gary Thomas. Lynn has worked here for 14 years, and Kim more than eight. They see a full clinic patient load each day, developing treatment plans for patients, ordering imaging and medications, as well as seeing new patients, at both the Bluffton office and in Hilton Head. Lynn and Kim help with education, symptom management and general support for patients and family. They also help treat hematology patients in addition to oncology patients. “Patient care is my favorite part of the job,” Lynn says. “We see patients at their worst. They fear the worst, fear the unknown. We help them get through treatment and return to some quality of life. It’s our job to be with them during that time and try to make them feel as best they can. I really enjoy helping our patients.” “Like Lynn said, it’s the patients, 100 percent,” Kimberly adds. “We develop relationships with them and get them through tough times. It’s different than other outpatient settings where you may treat a patient once and never see them again. We’re really developing relationships over time. We know them so well. That helps them too because they know what to expect, and that really helps in their long-term care. We get to develop relationships with their families also, their support system. In cancer care, that makes such a big difference. The patients are what keep me here.” “That and Dr. Thomas is a really great clinician. He loves his patients. He really puts the patients’ needs and goals first and expects the same from us.” Meet other LCRP co-workers on our website: https://lnkd.in/ecNwkQ6P #oncology #oncologynursepractitioner #oncologynursepractitioners #nursepractitioner #cancer #cancertreatment #healthcare

We were honored by a personal message of resilience and courage at the SmartWomen Luncheon & Expo by keynote speaker Laila Ali, a professional athlete, wellness advocate and famed daughter of Muhammad Ali. SmartWomen is our annual fundraiser for the Telfair Mammography Fund to help pay for mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women. Make a donation today by texting the word MAMMO to 50155.

If you have Parkinson’s disease, there may come a point where you feel like you are losing your voice. Or, maybe you are already experiencing a softer, weaker tone. Because Parkinson’s is a progressive, neuro-degenerative disorder, one of the areas affected is speech. Similar to how other muscles weaken due to Parkinson’s, your voice muscles can weaken too. Additionally, your respiratory support can be reduced, which means your air flow to make the vocal cords work and be louder and project, gets a little lighter. “Unfortunately, this is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s,” says Amanda Kidd, speech language pathologist for St. Joseph’s/Candler’s outpatient speech therapy. “We see it pretty often.” While there’s not a cure for Parkinson’s, we can help you manage your symptoms, including learning to find your voice again. At St. Joseph’s/Candler, we have two speech therapy treatment programs designed to help Parkinson’s patients suffering with speech issues. Both are offered through outpatient speech therapy, which is located at the Center of Oto-Neurology office in Plaza B on the St. Joseph’s Hospital campus. Additionally, some of our speech therapists in inpatient rehabilitation are certified in these programs. https://lnkd.in/dTqJpTXn #speechtherapy #parkinsons #parkinsonsdisease #movementdisorders

Join us for a special Buddy Check 3 event Oct. 18 at Jenkins High School! Call to make an appointment today!?

Our partnership between Tina Tyus-Shaw, Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph's/Candler and WSAV-TV will host the 3rd Healing Heroes: A Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivors, a fashion show featuring breast cancer survivors from the area, on October 26. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the Telfair Mammography Fund to help pay for mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women. Want to make an additional donation to the Telfair Mammography Fund now? Simply text buddycheck to 50155. https://lnkd.in/gsCj95pW

It’s time to get those sneakers on, moms-to-be. With every stretch, every lunge and every breath, you are sculpting healthier futures for you and your baby. “Exercise during pregnancy has been proven to decrease pain and discomfort throughout pregnancy,” says Dr. Ashley Hunsuck, an OB/GYN at Savannah OB/GYN. “The patients I see that are truly active throughout pregnancy rarely speak to the discomforts other women say they experience in pregnancy.” A big benefit of regular exercise during pregnancy is reducing your chances of developing gestational diabetes, Dr. Hunsuck says. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes in a pregnant woman who did not have or know she had diabetes prior to becoming pregnant. More at https://lnkd.in/es_vbpnF #healthypregnancy #obgyn #pregnancy

The early warning signs of diabetes are the same for both men and women: frequent urination, constantly feeling thirsty, blurry vision and fatigue, to name a few. Some women may think that’s just a part of a busy lifestyle and put off going to the doctor. Regardless of a hectic lifestyle, if you experience any of the common warning signs of diabetes, talk to your doctor. Ashley Andrews, population navigator for the St. Joseph’s/Candler Center for Diabetes Management, lists some of the different ways diabetes affects men and women at https://lnkd.in/eahS7Fii