• Biopsies
• Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Breast Ultrasound
• Consultations with Oncologists
• Digital Mammography

“These are our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and neighbors. They are women in our communities and they’re in need of important healthcare services,” said Robbie Nicol, Executive Director, YRMC Community Outreach and Philanthropy. “We’re so grateful to the Safeway Foundation and the Prescott Valley Safeway employees for stepping forward to offer their support to ensure these women receive the diagnostic services they need.”

For more information about The BreastCare Center at YRMC and services available as a result of the Safeway Foundation contribution, please contact YRMC’s Community Outreach and Philanthropy Department at (928) 771-5686.

The Infusion Center serves patients:

• 8:00 am-10:30 pm, Monday-Friday.
• 8:00 am-2:00 pm and 7:30-10:30 pm, weekends or holidays for people undergoing continuous therapy.

“We’re delighted that The Infusion Center is available for the many people of our communities who need ongoing therapy services,” said Yoerger.

The Family Resource Center at Yavapai Regional Medical Center has partnered with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to offer a car seat distribution program to their Healthy Families and First Steps participants.

Healthy Families offers parents and children free home visits from highly trained support specialists. Information on healthy pregnancy and bonding with one’s baby, along with developmental screenings and connection to community resources are provided. Now, thanks to the Governor’s Office grant, the Healthy Families team can offer free safety seats and supporting education to help keep children safe inside their family’s vehicles too.

Recipients must be currently enrolled in the YRMC Healthy Families program and meet certain requirements, such as having a vehicle with working seat belts and attending a child safety seat class. Those not enrolled in either program will be looked at on a case by case basis and could also be referred to other community resources providing this service. The classes are taught by nationally certified Child Passenger Safety technicians.

Upon successful completion of the child safety seat class, parents will receive one car or booster seat, depending on their needs. Parents are given time to install their new seats, using the information they have learned, and the seats are then checked by the class instructor to ensure proper installation.

Keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle is one of the most important jobs that parents have. YRMC’s Healthy Families and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety have just made it easier for many of our families in the Quad City area. For more information, please call Candace at the Family Resource Center at (928) 771-5651. 

“These visitation restrictions are temporary. They will be lifted when the flu season ends,” Nicol said. “We very much appreciate the support of the community as we strive to protect patients from this virus.”

Understanding the Flu

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness that can cause mild to severe illness. Flu complications can lead to hospitalization and even death. Flu can be particularly dangerous for older people, young children and people with certain chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease. Healthy individuals with no chronic medical conditions may suffer from complications such as pneumonia, dehydration, ear infections or sinus infections that require additional medical treatment.

RSV is another infection of the lungs and respiratory tract that can be particularly severe in premature babies and infants with underlying health conditions. RSV can also become serious in older adults, adults with heart and lung diseases, or anyone with a very weak immune system.

Protecting Yourself from the Flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months of age and older get a yearly flu vaccine. Here are other tips to reduce your chances of getting the flu:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub, if soap and water are not available.
•  Avoid close contact with people who are ill with the flu.
• If you are sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Avoid spreading germs by not touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects to keep them as germ-free as possible.

Partners for Healthy Students provides free health services to uninsured or under insured students at the schools it serves. The healthcare services, which are provided by certified pediatric nurse practitioners, include:

• Diagnosis and treatment of illness
• Prevention/well child visits
• Sports physicals
• Prescription medicines for acute illnesses
• Laboratory tests and radiology services
• Referrals to doctors, dentists and other specialists
• Health education for safety, nutrition and dental hygiene

“Our program helps children stay healthy and keeps them in school so they can learn,” said Mary Ellen Sandeen, RN, MSN, CPNP Program Director, Partners for Healthy Students. “We’re grateful for Wells Fargo support of the work Partners for Healthy Students does in our communities.”

Restaurant Raises Funds for YRMC Community BreastCare Fund

Breast cancer prevention in the Quad Cities got a boost in October, thanks to a campaign sponsored by the Gurley Street Grill, 230 W. Gurley St., Prescott. The campaign – Boot Out Cancer – raised $12,568 for the YRMC Community BreastCare Fund.

Krystal Burge and Mark Peterson, founders of Fork in the Road Restaurants, which owns Gurley Street Grill, recently presented the check to John Amos, President and CEO, Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC).

As a registered nurse, Almendarez is familiar with the value of caring for the “total person.” He recalls a night that he was working in the emergency department (ED) of a hospital and an elderly man experiencing chest pain suffered a heart attack. Almendarez, who was performing CPR, called for staff to bring the gentleman’s wife of 50 years from the waiting area. Almendarez asked the wife to hold her husband’s hand and talk to him. As the ED team continued CPR and other life-saving measures, they called out the man’s name and encouraged him not to give up. After much effort, the man’s heart began beating.

“Three months later, that man, his wife and his granddaughter returned to the hospital to thank the ED team,” Almendarez said. “He told me that he could hear me calling his name while I was performing CPR. That was an eye opener. It demonstrated for me the importance of having behaviors engaging in total healing.”

In addition to supporting YRMC’s vision for a Total Healing Environment, Almendarez is committed to identifying ways to increase the hospital’s efficiency and to getting involved in several Prescott Valley service organizations.  

Almendarez and his family are enjoying their new home and his son’s school, both in Prescott Valley. The family is taking advantage of the community’s many festivals and outdoor activities. Almendarez also is looking forward to attending his son’s soccer games.

 

“Our nurses have completed trauma training and our physicians are board certified in Emergency Medicine or have earned Advanced Trauma Life Support certification,” said Christopher Thompson, RN, YRMC’s Trauma Coordinator.

To sustain YRMC’s Level IV trauma designation, Thompson will:

• educate YRMC’s trauma team about current trends in trauma care;
• pursue ongoing review of the trauma team’s performance; and
• sponsor community education outreach programs to prevent trauma.

“This is a huge commitment for the hospital,” Thompson said. “It’s a testament to YRMC’s dedication to its Total Healing Environment.”

The Yavapai Community Hospital Association, which does business and operates as Yavapai Regional Medical Center, will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, April 30, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Thumb Butte Room on the Campus of YRMC West in Prescott. The public is invited to attend.

The purpose of YRMC’s annual meeting is to summarize the hospital’s achievements during the previous calendar year.

• Cathy Cunningham will present the Council of Electors’ Report.
• Clifford Morgan, M.D., will present the Chairman of the Board of Trustees’ Report.
• Patrick Gallus, D.O., Chief of Staff, will present the President of the Medical Staff’s Report.
• Lynnel Walters will present the Director of Volunteers’ Report.
• John Amos will present the President and Chief Executive Officer’s Report.
• In addition, two Yavapai Community Hospital Association members will be elected to one-year terms on the Council of Electors.

Copies of YRMC’s 2013 Annual Report will be presented to members of the Board of Trustees and made available to members of the public.

For more information on Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s annual meeting, contact the Administration Office at (928) 771-5676.

“CareConnect helps YRMC patients make informed healthcare decisions,” said Michelle Henson, Supervisor of YRMC’s HIM department. “It gives people access to much of the same high-quality healthcare information available to their caregivers.”

People hospitalized after June 11, 2012 – when YRMC’s electronic medical record (EMR) was introduced – may access their health record information through CareConnect. However, anyone who has ever been hospitalized at YRMC is encouraged to set up a CareConnect account in order to begin building their secure online health record.

Creating a CareConnect account is simple and takes approximately 10 minutes. To set up an account contact:

• Health Information Management, YRMC West, (928) 771-5657, extension 0  
• Health Information Management, YRMC East, (928) 442-8657  
• Admitting Department, YRMC West, (928) 771-5110  
• Admitting Department, YRMC East, (928) 442-8110

“With CareConnect, people can be on top of information about their health,” Betts said. “CareConnect empowers people.”

For more information about CareConnect or other YRMC programs and services, visit www.yrmc.org.

 

 

 

During an Anterior Approach hip replacement, Dr. Schuenman accesses the patient’s hip joint from the front (anterior) of the hip by moving the HANA table and then making a three-to-four inch incision. The HANA table uses x-ray imaging which allows for controlled placement of the new hip – a challenge for surgeons doing conventional hip replacement surgery.

“The HANA table allows for perfect positioning of the hip for every patient,” he said. “This is a reproducible outcome.”

Because the Anterior Approach procedure does not disturb muscles essential to hip function – like conventional hip replacement – patients are walking within hours of the procedure and return quickly to their normal activities.

When compared to conventional hip replacement surgery, Anterior Approach hip replacement features:

• Less muscle trauma (conventional hip surgery requires the surgeon to detach muscle from the pelvis or femur)
• Reduced hospitalization
• Smaller incision (three to four inches compared to ten to 12 inches with conventional hip replacement)
• Less blood loss (particularly when combined with YRMC’s Patient Blood Management strategies)
• Reduced pain
• Faster recovery (a total of two to eight weeks compared to two to four months with conventional hip replacement)
• No post-operative restrictions and less concern about dislocation

“YRMC’s Orthopaedic program is recognized as among the top nationwide by leading quality assessment organizations,” Dr.  Schuenman said. “For hip replacements, YRMC is one of 34 hospitals from among nearly 700 to receive the highest score from a well-respected consumer rating organization. When I see this kind of recognition, it makes me even more proud to work with such an excellent team of surgeons, physicians, nurses, surgical technicians and therapists.”

Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) has published its 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment. The assessment – conducted every three years – is a comprehensive look at the health needs of Yavapai County residents with a focus on western Yavapai County.

“As the area’s leading not-for-profit healthcare provider, YRMC goes to great lengths to stay connected to the community,” said Robbie Nicol, YRMC’s Executive Director of Community Outreach and Philanthropy. “The Community Health Needs Assessment provides information that allows YRMC to take that connection to an even deeper level. It ensures our services, programs and partnerships benefit the people we serve.”

The report highlights the challenges that can affect overall community health. It also reveals the need for effective partnerships between YRMC and other local not-for-profit organizations to address those challenges. The Community Health Needs Assessment was developed using data from county and national sources as well as surveys and interviews with key local organizations. 

“This report is an opportunity for the entire community to focus on ways to improve the health of western Yavapai County residents,” Nicol said. “YRMC is proud to lead this effort by sharing this valuable information.”

The Community Health Needs Assessment covers Yavapai County with a focus on western Yavapai County, including the Quad-Cities area of Chino Valley, Dewey/Humboldt, Prescott and Prescott Valley. Also included in the assessment are the communities of Bagdad, Mayer, Paulden and Skull Valley.

The 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment is available for download free of charge via YRMC’s website located at www.yrmc.org. For more information, contact YRMC’s Community Outreach Department at (928) 771-5686.