Oak Ridge Today

Oh, Baby! Labor, delivery nurse takes job to new level with her own at-home delivery

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Whaley-Family-March-2016

Clockwise from top: David, Jakob, Deegan, Megan, and Emery gather for a picture before leaving for home as a family of five. (Photo by Covenant Health/MMC)

 

As a labor and delivery nurse in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Megan Whaley, RN, FNP, knows a thing or two about childbirth. She has 11 years of experience and two boys of her own, but her delivery skills were put to the test on March 21 when the family’s newest addition made a dramatic entrance.

Megan was two days overdue and had been experiencing gradual contractions, but her previous labors had been hours-long and she was sure she had plenty of time. But as the morning went on her contractions got stronger, so she called her husband David who was at work in Lenoir City.

“She didn’t seem panicked in the first phone call,” remembered David. “I was at work in a meeting and an hour away. We thought we’d be fine, but then she called back and said we need an ambulance.”

“By 10 a.m. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital,” said Megan who recalls the overwhelming need to push that signaled her impending delivery. [Read more…]

Methodist offers a new weapon in fight against lung cancer

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance

Cigarettes bring together more than 50 chemicals that are known to cause cancer. In fact, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States and worldwide.

In the U.S., lung cancer is responsible for 29 percent of cancer deaths, more than those from breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Statistically, lung cancer caused by smoking is responsible for nearly 135,000 U.S. deaths per year.

Early detection [Read more…]

Battle of the bands helps Hospitality Houses at MMC

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Doc Rock Check Presentation

Local physician band Second Opinion donated $2,211 to Methodist’s Hospitality Houses, the band’s health charity of choice, when they competed at Doc Rock. Pictured from left are Sandra Jernigan, Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance member; John Jernigan, MD, Second Opinion drummer and retired otolaryngologist; Kim Maes, Hospitality House coordinator at Methodist Medical Center; and Ken Luckmann, MD, Second Opinion band member and retired gastroenterologist. (Photo submitted by Covenant Health)

 

Second Opinion, an Oak Ridge-based physician band, has donated $2,211 to the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center. The donation was from the band’s participation in Doc Rock for Health, an annual battle of the bands, which was hosted by the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance at Knoxville’s Old City earlier this year.

On June 19, Kim Maes, coordinator of the Hospitality Houses, was presented with the check. The houses have been the band’s longtime charity of choice for the event. Their participation has helped raise more than $10,000 for the Hospitality Houses.

Methodist’s Hospitality Houses primarily provide free lodging to families and patients who travel to Methodist for cancer treatment, as well as other outpatients who require extended treatment. [Read more…]

Survivor Sundae honors cancer survivors, families, friends

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Mt. LeConte Jug Band

The Mt. LeConte Jug Band is pictured at the 2014 Survivor Sundae. (Submitted photo)

 

With improved screenings and advanced treatment, more and more people are beating cancer each year. But that doesn’t change the significance of being a cancer survivor and the hard fight to put cancer in its place.

Join Methodist Medical Center and Thompson Cancer Survival Center at Methodist as they celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day on Sunday, June 7, with Survivor Sundae. This special ice cream social will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center at 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Survivor Sundae will honor cancer survivors and their families who have supported them along the way. [Read more…]

Stroke symptoms, rehab to be discussed during Tuesday night lecture

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Arthur Moore

Arthur Moore

Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and affect more than 795,000 Americans each year. It’s important to recognize the signs of a stroke, know what actions to take, and get on the road to recovery.

Join Methodist Medical Center for Health Night on the Town as Arthur Moore, MD, medical director of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Mary Dillon, MD, medical director of Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, discuss the many aspects of a stroke, from signs and symptoms to rehabilitation. The program will take place on Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Covenant Health, parent company of Methodist Medical Center, is the only stroke hospital network in East Tennessee, which means no matter where you live, stroke care is always nearby. When patients need a higher level of stroke care, they are transported to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, the leader of Covenant’s stroke network and the region’s first comprehensive stroke center, a press release said.

Mary Dillon

Mary Dillon

Health Night on the Town is a medical lecture series presented by physicians and other health professionals. Programs are held in the hospital’s Ridge Conference Room at 7 p.m. on the last Tuesday of every month except June, July, November, and December. Health Night is free and open to the public. For more information about Health Night on the Town, please call (865) 835-4662.

Benefits of bariatric surgery to be discussed Tuesday

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Mark Colquitt

Mark Colquitt

For many patients, making the decision to undergo a bariatric procedure is a process. Some are driven by health concerns, while others are seeking changes that will enhance their life experiences—playing with their children, traveling comfortably, or enjoying the great outdoors. Patients must weigh the benefits of the surgery with the lifetime changes they will need to make in order to be successful.

Learn about “The Benefits of Bariatric Surgery” as Methodist Medical Center, Fort Sanders Center for Bariatric Surgery, and bariatric surgeon Mark Colquitt, MD, partner to present this month’s Health Night on the Town. The presentation will take place Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Bariatric surgery is an operation on the stomach and/or intestines that helps patients with extreme obesity to lose weight, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland.

Health Night on the Town is a medical lecture series presented by physicians and other health professionals. Programs are held in the hospital’s Ridge Conference Room at 7 p.m. on the last Tuesday of every month except June, July, November, and December. Health Night is free and open to the public. For more information, call (865) 835-4662.

Substance abuse the topic of Tuesday health lecture

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Melody Morris

Melody Morris

Substance abuse comes in many forms. It can be the abuse of legal substances, such as alcohol or prescription drugs, or it can be illegal, such as the abuse of marijuana, cocaine, or methamphetamine. And it affects more than just the person using the drugs. Substance abuse can break apart families, ruin personal relationships, and make it difficult to keep a job.

Learn more about substance abuse when Methodist Medical Center partners with Ridgeview Behavioral Health to discuss this important topic during Health Night on the Town on Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center, located at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Staff from Ridgeview will discuss substance abuse and its co-occurring mental health issues as well as an innovative treatment for expectant mother’s who have used or are at risk of using drugs. [Read more…]

Let the games begin: In It to Win It fundraiser gets test run

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MMC In It to Win It Tic Tac Challenge

In It to Win It Game Master and Assistant Superintendant of Oak Ridge Schools Chris Marczak shakes things up as he attempts to empty the mint containers without using his hands. (Photo by MMC)

 

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s fun, new event—“In It to Win It”—is just a week away, but Tic Tacs and rubber bands were already flying when the Games Committee, led by Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendant Chris Marczak, did a test run on Wednesday.

“In It to Win It” features 60-second party games, which take ordinary objects and turn them into challenges between you and your fellow guests. Bring your best sense of balance, coordination, aim, and humor for these creative challenges. [Read more…]

Baby Dylan rings in new year at Methodist Medical Center

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New Year's Baby 2015 MMC

Photo courtesy Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge

 

He was due on December 28, and Dylan Cohen Williams was supposed to be one of the last babies of 2014.

But after making Mom and Dad wait a few days longer, on January 1, 2015, at 12:53 p.m. he became Methodist Medical Center’s first baby of the New Year.

Dylan weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was 20 inches long. [Read more…]

Wanda Crowe named hospital’s MMCer of the Year

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Wanda Crowe

Wanda Crowe

Wanda Crowe, anesthesia tech in the Surgery department at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the 2014 MMCer of the Year.

Hospital employees cast their votes for MMCer of the Year among the candidates who received MMCer of the Month during 2014, and Crowe, who was named MMCer of the Month in October, received the greatest number of votes to earn this special distinction.

As an anesthesia tech, Crowe’s duties include transporting patients for surgery, maintaining a clean environment for the operating rooms and assisting her coworkers with a variety of tasks to ensure a high quality of care for all patients. Crowe has been with Methodist since 1995. [Read more…]

Testosterone levels to be discussed at Health Night on Tuesday

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Adam Shrewsberry

Adam Shrewsberry

Submitted

As men age, the body naturally produces less testosterone. In some men, the drop can be dramatic enough to cause fatigue, muscle loss, weight gain, sexual problems, and depression.

Up to one-quarter of men older than 45 may suffer from low testosterone. The condition is more likely to occur as a man grows older.

Learn more about “Low T,” its effects, and the benefits and risks of testosterone replacement therapy, as Adam Shrewsberry, MD, the newest urologist to join the medical staff at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, discusses “Testosterone: Knowing Your Number” at Health Night on the Town. [Read more…]

Honors: MMC names August employee of the month

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Gilly Lipang

Gilly Lipang

Submitted

Salvacion “Gilly” Lipang, a housekeeper in the Environmental Services Department at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the MMCer of the Month for August.

Lipang has been with Methodist since 2010. She is described by Chris Rhodes, environmental services director at Methodist Medical Center, as “one of the most upbeat, happy individuals I have had the privilege of meeting.” Rhodes said Lipang always has a smile on her face and is a very hard worker who will do any task asked of her to the best of her ability. Rhodes said he receives many compliments on her friendliness and dedication to her job.

Lipang received two nominations. One nomination noted, “Gilly exceeds all standards of care for our patients and performs excellent care at all times.” This nomination continued: “When she cleans the rooms for our patients, they shine. She doesn’t miss a spot; everything in the room is in its place and ready for us to greet the patients with comfort in knowing she has performed a job well done.” [Read more…]