Recommendations for Breast Cancer Screenings Raise Questions, Confusion

Are you confused about the controversy raging over the new breast cancer screening recommendations published recently by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force? I sure am!

The task force, a government-appointed panel of doctors and scientists, has recommended that woman get mammograms every two years between the ages of 50-74. After 75 the risks and benefits are unknown according to the group. They have also recommended against breast self exam and question the value of exams by physicians. This conflicts directly with the recommendations by other medical groups, such as The American Cancer Society (ACS), which continues to recommend mammograms beginning at age 40.

The ACS believes: mammograms for women of average risk should be performed annually after age 40; breast exam by a doctor is recommended at least every three years in the 20s and 30s and annually after 40; breast exam is an option. The ACS acknowledges that mammography has limitations – some women who are screened will have false alarms, some cancers will be missed and some women will undergo unnecessary treatment. But the limitations do not change the convincing evidence that using mammography as a screening tool from age 40-74 saves lives.

Guidelines are based on an extensive review of clinical trial and other data available at the time. Judgments about the balance of risks and benefits also come into play. Experts can look at the same data and reach different conclusions. So how are we to know what to do?

What to do is not a decision you have to make on your own. Talk to your physician about the approach that is right for you. For more information on this topic visit komen.org, cancer.org, or ahrq.gov/clinic/USpstf/uspsbrca.htm.

And if you would like to show support for breast cancer awareness, treatment and research, join us at the Komen South Florida Race for the Cure on Jan. 30 in West Palm Beach. Martin Memorial is serving as the host hospital.

And for something a little more light-hearted, check out the Martin Memorial Pink Glove Challenge, which was created to help raise awareness about a disease that took the lives of more than 40,000 women and men in 2009.

--Judith Johansen, RN, BSN, CCRP
Clinical Research Coordinator

Martin Memorial Throws Down the Gauntlet – and Pink Gloves – for Breast Cancer Awareness

Consider the “Pink Glove Challenge” as the health care version of “So You Think You Can Dance” mixed with “Bring It On.”

Martin Memorial Health Systems initiated the challenge after seeing the now famous “Pink Glove Dance” on YouTube that showcased more than 200 hospital workers from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore.

Inspired by the video and its success at promoting breast cancer awareness, Martin Memorial decided to make a video of its own – South Florida style. The video took three days to shoot, with the crew visiting more than 40 departments throughout the health system. More than 500 Martin Memorial physicians, associates and volunteers participated in the filming.

(Click here to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/user/MartinMemorial)

And while making the video proved to be tremendous fun for everyone involved, more importantly it created a conversation about breast cancer not just in the local community but beyond. It also challenged other health care providers to do their part in raising awareness of a disease that saw an estimated 194,000 people diagnosed with new cases of breast cancer and approximately 40,700 dying from the disease.

“Our hope is this challenge will help continue to raise awareness about breast cancer in a way that is also entertaining,” said Mark E. Robitaille, president and chief executive officer of Martin Memorial. “We help women and men in their battle against this disease every day. And every day, their courage, determination and strength increases our resolve to continue providing the community with access to the best possible breast cancer resources.”

Martin Memorial, which is serving as host hospital for the 2010 Susan G. Komen South Florida Race for the Cure event in West Palm Beach on Jan. 30, sees hundreds of breast cancer patients every year at its Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center. In 2009, breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer at Martin Memorial with 22 percent of diagnoses.

“Dodge for the Cure” Tournament Kicks Off With Sign-Up Event on February 5

With the third-annual Tom Vadas Memorial “Dodge for the Cure” just a few months away, now is the chance for rusty dodgeball warriors to practice their skills.

A kickoff party is being held on Friday, Feb. 5 for teams and players interested in participating in the “old-school dodgeball tournament.” The event, which benefits the Martin Memorial inpatient oncology unit, takes place May 8 in Jensen Beach.

There is a maximum of 60 teams and the spots go fast, so the kickoff event allows players to register their teams and be ensured of reserving a spot in the field.

The kickoff party will be held at the Martin Memorial Medical Center Conference Center, located at 200 S.E. Hospital Ave. in Stuart. It will take place in two sessions, with the first going from 6-6:30 p.m., followed by a second session from 6:30-7 p.m. During each session, team captains can take a guided tour of the inpatient oncology unit to see how their donations will help benefit Treasure Coast cancer patients. A group photo of all attending teams will be taken at 5:30 p.m.

The registration fee for the youth division (fifth to eighth grade) is $100 per team, while registration for the adult division (ninth grade to all adults) is $30 per player until April 1 and $35 after that date. Each team includes six to eight players. This year there are also two adult categories: the Bonzai Division is for those who choose to be more competitive; the Average Joe division is for those a little less competitive.

The tournament will be held Saturday, May 8 in the Jensen Beach High School gymnasium. The youth division will kick things off with team check-in at 2:30 p.m. and the adult division (ninth grade on up) check-in beginning at 6 p.m.

Funds from the tournament go to the inpatient cancer unit at Martin Memorial. For many cancer patients and their families, the unit becomes a home away from home as they battle the disease. The goal of the tournament is to raise funds to purchase amenities that will help their sometimes lengthy stays more comfortable. In its first two years the event has raised more than $28,000.

The tournament was created in memory of Tom Vadas, who fought Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 16 years before passing away in 2007. Tom spent most of the last year of his life in the cancer unit at Martin Memorial, and he wanted to create a place where patients and their families could feel upbeat and motivated to continue their fight against cancer each day.

For more information on the event, visit dodgeforthecure.com.

Sticking to Those New Year’s Resolutions? Or Are You Making Lifestyle Changes?

It’s that time of year again when we all resolve to get back in shape or just take off those few extra pounds we put on during the holidays.

I have a better idea.

Why not resolve to make fitness and healthy eating a lifestyle change. Your mindset is the key to success. This is not for the short run, this is a lifestyle change. If you’re new to working out or if it has been awhile, here are a few simple rules to help you get started.

· Watch your food intake (calories in/calories out). It all sounds so simple but we all tend to underestimate our food intake and overestimate our exercise output. A simple rule of thumb is that we typically burn about 100 calories per one mile of walking. Keep a food diary and really think before you take that slice of pizza.

· Absolutely do resistance training and cardio workouts.

· Work with a personal trainer at least at the beginning. At Martin Memorial Health and Fitness, we offer a complimentary training session to get started on the right path.

· Set realistic goals for yourself. A perfect example of a short term and realistic goal is to sign up for a 5K walk/run. As a matter of fact, we have the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on January 30 in West Palm Beach. Get together with friends and sign up to walk or run. If you are an exercise newbie, I recommend walking. What a great way to start off your New Year!

· Mix it up! Zumba, yoga, pilates, low-impact aerobics, biking, boot camp, stationary bikes, elliptical, rowing, treadmills, strength training, water aerobics! The list goes on and on. We must always challenge ourselves and our bodies. If you change up your routine, you will most likely stick to your fitness program.

· Make exercise a priority. Exercise should be scheduled into your day. You only need 30 minutes a day to make a difference.

In closing, please be patient. Your body will respond to this new way of life in no time at all. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2010.

--Jane Reynolds
Health and Fitness Technician
Hospital South Health and Fitness

Fourth-Annual Fleet Feet 5K Lets You Run for Your Heart – and Others – on Feb. 13

For numerous Treasure Coast residents, running provides tremendous health benefits for their hearts.

On Feb. 13, they can once again benefit the hearts of others by participating in the fourth-annual “Fleet Feet Run for Your Heart” in Stuart. The event features a 5K run and a 1-mile walk, with proceeds from the event going to the Frances Langford Heart Center at Martin Memorial.

The event begins at 7 a.m. at Fleet Feet, located at 2440 N.W. Federal Hwy. in Stuart. Cost of the event is $20 for pre-registration and $25 after Feb. 1. Awards will be provided for top male and female overall finishers, male and female masters division winners, as well as first, second and third places in each division. For the first time, this year’s event will also be chip timed by AccuChip.

“This is a great opportunity to support a facility that helps hundreds of people in our community every year,” said Susan Hastings, co-owner of Fleet Feet Sports Stuart. “For those who are in it for the competition, it is a very fast course with many personal records set. If you simply enjoy a run to start your weekend, the course couldn’t be nicer.”

In its first three years, the race has annually drawn around 300 participants – including a combination of seasoned runners all the way to first-time racers – and raised approximately $17,000.

For registration information, visit fleetfeetstuart.com, call the store at (772) 232-9225, or e-mail Hastings at susan@fleetfeetstuart.com.

Grand Opening to be Held at St. Lucie West Health and Fitness Center

The new Martin Memorial St. Lucie West Health and Fitness Center will celebrate with a grand opening for the community on Thursday, Jan. 14.

The public is invited to visit the facility from 5:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. to see what the fitness center has to offer. There will also be special savings available for membership plans and sessions with personal trainers.

Located at 582 N.W. University Blvd., Suite 350 in St. Lucie West, the center has a wide variety of both innovative new fitness equipment and traditional cardiovascular and strength training equipment.

The new facility at St. Lucie West features something no other fitness center across the Treasure Coast has – Kinesis. This advanced equipment offers a unique fitness experience by taking what the body does naturally and adding resistance. There are also special classes that focus on tennis and golf, allowing members to improve their fitness levels and work on their games at the same time. And the facility offers Silver Sneakers classes as well.

Like Martin Memorial’s other fitness centers, the St. Lucie West location provides medically directed fitness services that members have grown accustomed to receiving. That includes a full line of cardiovascular and strength equipment, child care, massage, lockers and shower facilities. There are also fitness classes designed for people with specific ailments such as diabetes, cancer and cardiac rehabilitation.

The St. Lucie West Health and Fitness Center opened at its permanent facility on Nov. 3, 2009. The fitness center was relocated to a temporary location in October 2008, in order to make room for a freestanding emergency department at Martin Memorial’s St. Lucie West facility.

For more information or to sign up for Kinesis classes, please call (772) 785-5522.

New Martin Memorial Foundation Web Site Makes Giving for a Good Cause Easy

The Martin Memorial Foundation has been helping provide Treasure Coast residents with exceptional health care for more than 25 years. Now, the Foundation has launched a new Web site that makes it easier than ever to see how philanthropy is making a difference in the lives of Martin and St. Lucie county residents.

The new site, GIVEmmhs.org, allows potential donors to go online when they are considering making a future gift. There, they can learn where the money goes, hear inspiring donor stories, sign up for an event, calculate how much they would benefit from deferred gifts, and make a gift safely and securely. The site also includes information and updates on new gifts and programs through the Foundation. Later in the year, the site will host online communities for Foundation volunteer groups, including committee members for events such as the Chrysanthemum Ball and Goombay Bash.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to continue engaging community members in a way that is easy and convenient for them to use,” said Arthur M. “Rusty” Brink Jr., vice president and chief philanthropic officer for Martin Memorial. “The Web site will be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to discover the powerful impact philanthropy has on health care.”

The Martin Memorial Foundation was created in 1983 and has raised approximately $97 million since its inception, helping to fulfill the health system’s mission of providing access to the very best care and services available. Gifts to the Foundation have been the driving force behind some of Martin Memorial’s key services, including: the Frances Langford Heart Center; the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center; the Martin Memorial Hospital South Emergency Department; and the David L. Smythe Wound Center as well as the David L. Smythe Center for Children.

Gifts to the Foundation have also helped purchase sophisticated, lifesaving technology such as a PET/CT scanner; 64-slice CT scanner; two cardiac catheterization labs; Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy equipment; and a Picture Archiving and Communication System.

Martin Memorial Commemorates David L. Smythe Center for Children

For the second time in a little more than two years, Martin Memorial Health Systems has honored David Smythe by naming something after him.

On Aug. 10, 2009, Smythe made a cash gift of $2 million to Martin Memorial, benefiting children’s services at the health system. In gratitude for his generosity, on Jan. 7 the David L. Smythe Center for Children was commemorated at Martin Memorial Medical Center.

Smythe also made a $500,000 gift to Martin Memorial in June 2008 after being impressed with the care he received at the health system’s wound medicine center. In November 2008, the David L. Smythe Wound Center officially opened its doors after moving from its previous location to a new office at 314 Hospital Ave. in Stuart.

“You receive a tremendous benefit from the act of giving,” Smythe said. “I wanted to be able to help children and their families and this is one way I can accomplish that.”

Funds from the gift will be used to support Martin Memorial’s maternal-child, pediatric rehabilitation and pediatric programs in Martin and St. Lucie counties. In addition, an endowment established by the gift will also provide annual funding for those programs as well as other programs within the health system.

Smythe, who splits his time between Stuart and Summit, N.J., has had a long history of community involvement, thanks in part to his business success. In 1959 he purchased an American Motor Corp. franchise in Summit and a few years later opened Smythe Volvo there. Today, the Smythe Volvo Organization is celebrating 50 years in the automobile sales industry and is one of the largest Volvo dealerships in the United States.

“David exemplifies the partnership we share with the communities we serve,” said Mark E. Robitaille, president and chief executive officer. “He truly understands the critical role philanthropy plays in providing exceptional health care, and he has provided a perfect example of how one person’s compassion can help improve countless lives.”

Martin Memorial Begins Using Electronic Birth Registration System

Registering newborn babies with county health departments has become faster and more efficient at Martin Memorial Medical Center thanks to the Internet.

On Dec. 28, 2009 Martin Memorial’s birth registry department began utilizing an electronic birth registration system provided by the state of Florida. The system allows the hospital’s birth registrar to electronically enter information, register a child’s birth with the state, and capture and store necessary signatures. The system does away with the hospital’s need to send original hard copy birth certificates to local county health departments.

The electronic birth registration system makes the process more efficient, reduces the use of paper and improves customer service by eliminating parents’ two-week wait to receive their children’s birth certificate. New parents may be able to pick up the birth certificate at the health department on their way home from the mother’s hospital stay.

The hospital’s birth registrar logs onto the Internet and accesses the database for the Florida State Department of Vital Statistics. The information is entered and a draft version of the birth certificate is printed and provided to the parents, who then review the information to ensure its accuracy. If there are changes, the registrar makes them at that time.

Once the information is approved, the parents use an electronic signature pad stating everything is correct and the registrar also signs off on the document. Then the registrar sends it to the database through a secure connection.

Each birth certificate has its own tracking number, and every week the hospital reviews birth records and compares it to the state database to ensure there are no errors.

Want a Healthier You in 2010? Making Small Changes Can Have Huge Benefits

So, another year has flown by and believe it or not it’s not just a new year but a new decade. Where does time go? I reflect back on my life ten years ago and it’s amazing how much different life was then. But one thing remains the same: my commitment to wellness, including eating healthy and exercising.

However, it wasn’t always this way but through lifestyle changes I made it happen. So, my goal for you this year is not to make another resolution to go on a diet, but to look for ways to make lifestyle changes happen.

Diets are only good if it teaches you behavioral modification, which involves eating healthy and exercising. I hear it every day: “I lost 20 pounds following this diet but I gained it all back.” My first question back is, “Did you go off the diet or stop exercising?” You can’t expect to maintain your weight loss if you go back to your old ways. After all, how did you put the weight on in the first place?

In our minds we think of diets as a short term intervention. But we need to change that mindset. Think of how you can make healthier changes. Maybe you reduce your eating out and make healthier meals at home or brown bag your lunch. Whatever healthy changes you make will only lead you in the right direction. Remember, nothing happens overnight and there is no right or wrong.

Lifestyle changes are goals that we work towards. Chances are if we dive straight in then we will be overwhelmed and fail. But if we incorporate changes more slowly, then we can work them into our lifestyles. For starters, each week set a time and day to exercise and put them into your appointment book. Then gradually increase the days to fit them into your schedule.

This year make a resolution to your own wellness – whatever might be. The Martin Memorial Center for Health and Healing offers individual and group weight-management programs, smoking-cessation programs and diabetes education. Make a commitment to yourself. Call our office at (772) 223-4916 for more information.

-- Beth St.Louis MS, RD, LD/N
Program Dietitian, Center for Health and Healing

Martin Memorial Set to Open Fitness Center at Port St. Lucie Community Center

Martin Memorial will officially open its new fitness facility in the Port St. Lucie Community Center on Jan. 7 at 6 a.m.

The Martin Memorial Health and Fitness Center at Port St. Lucie Community Center is located at 2195 S.E. Airoso Blvd. It will offer a full line of cardiovascular and strength equipment, personal training and massage therapy at this new location.

Martin Memorial operates six medically-directed health and fitness centers from St. Lucie West to Hobe Sound, where members have access to highly trained staff dedicated to improving and sustaining individual well-being through fitness. That includes programs designed to improve disease management and to integrate clinical care. Members can receive medical fitness profiles that will help them identify potential problems and highlight areas that can be worked through with assistance from Martin Memorial’s clinically trained personnel.

A grand opening will take place this month. For more information on the facility, please call (772) 223-4966.