Oak Ridge Today

Osteoporosis the topic of Health Night at MMC this evening

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Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes thinning of bones. Over time, this weakens the bones and can make them more fragile and more likely to break—even under minor stress or spontaneously. It can affect any bone, but the hip, spine, and wrist are most often involved.

People with osteoporosis may not get any symptoms. Some may have pain in their bones and muscles. Sometimes, a collapsed vertebra may cause severe pain, decrease in height, or spinal deformity such as a hunched back. Because many people do not experience symptoms, or may not associate their symptoms with osteoporosis, the condition can be left unchecked until advance symptoms, such a broken bone, occur. Osteoporosis is, in fact, the leading reason of broken bones among the elderly. That’s why understanding the risk factors and prevention tactics is so crucial. [Read more…]

Thrive, Prevent, Celebrate: Survivor Sundae offers cancer information

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The Mt. LeConte Jug Band will once again entertain guests at Methodist’s “Survivor Sundae” celebration and cancer awareness event on Sunday, June 4, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The Mt. LeConte Jug Band will once again entertain guests at Methodist’s Survivor Sundae celebration and cancer awareness event on Sunday, June 4, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

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 as they celebrate National Cancer Survivors’ Day on Sunday, June 4, with the fourth annual Survivor Sundae. This special ice cream social will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. June 4 at the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center at 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike, a press release said.

“Survivor Sundae will honor cancer survivors and their families who have supported them along the way as well as provide cancer prevention and awareness information for the community,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Forbes names Covenant Health one of ‘America’s Best Employers’

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Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Covenant Health, parent company of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named one of “America’s Best Employers” by Forbes magazine and is the highest-ranking Tennessee organization to receive the designation this year. Only seven Tennessee firms made the list of 500 top large companies, a press release said.

Covenant Health was ranked 38th on the list this year, the health system’s second year to be ranked as one of America’s Best Employers by the national business publication. The 2017 lists include the best large and midsize companies in the United States.

Companies and organizations in the top 38 along with Covenant Health included such major institutions as Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Costco, Facebook, Sandia National Laboratories, Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Duke University, Publix, Michelin, Southwest Airlines, and NASA. Covenant Health was listed 10th among hospitals and healthcare organizations and is the only East Tennessee healthcare entity selected in 2017.

Jim VanderSteeg

Jim VanderSteeg

“Covenant Health is proud to receive the Forbes designation for the second year in a row and to be included in such a prestigious list of national and international companies and organizations,” Covenant Health President and Chief Executive Office Jim VanderSteeg said. “Our employees make a commitment to support our health system’s pledge of excellence, which includes putting our patients first, excellence in everything we do, and making Covenant Health the first and best choice. This commitment creates a workplace environment that instills pride among all of us at Covenant Health.

“Our employees are essential to our health system’s success and to accomplishing our mission of improving the quality of life in our communities,” he added. “I am grateful for their expertise and dedication and for the compassionate care they give our patients every day.”

Forbes partnered with statistics firm Statista to compile data from a survey of more than 30,000 U.S. employees, 84 percent of whom work full-time. Employees were contacted anonymously online without the involvement of their employers, and respondents represented the U.S. workforce by gender, age, region, education, and ethnicity. According to Forbes, the direct score which determines placement and title as a top employer is derived from the question: “How likely are you to recommend your employer on a scale of 0-10?” [Read more…]

Colorectal screenings to be the topic of April Health Night

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Charles Orton

Charles Orton

 

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States after lung cancer so keeping up with proactive screenings is important, a press release said. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that adults age 50 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer, and that adults age 76 to 85 ask their doctor if they should be screened.

To learn more about colorectal screenings, join board-certified gastroenterologist, Charles Orton, M.D., for April’s Health Night on the Town program. Health Night will take place on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center located at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Health Night program to focus on bladder issues for women over 40 on Jan. 31

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Scott Peters

Scott Peters

 

Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder are health problems that can add undue stress to your everyday activities. The conditions can cause you to feel depressed, guilty, and tired from not sleeping well and can affect your quality of life.

Learn more as obstetrician and gynecologist Scott Peters presents “Help, My Bladder is Controlling My Life” in a discussion of bladder issues that affect women over 40 during Methodist Medical Center’s Health Night on the Town physician lecture on Tuesday, January 31, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center, which is located at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Chadwick, Emch are Roane State’s 2016 Outstanding Alumni

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Lisa Chadwick

Lisa Chadwick

 

A healthcare expert and a leading geospatial scientist are Roane State’s Outstanding Alumni for 2016.

The recipients are Lisa Chadwick of Knoxville, director of risk management for Functional Pathways in Knoxville, and Whitney Emch with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Chadwick graduated magna cum laude from Roane State Community College in 1991 with an associate degree in nursing. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Berry College and a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of St. Francis. [Read more…]

MMC hosts Walk to Remember for those dealing with the loss of a child

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No matter the length, every child’s life leaves an impression on a parent’s heart. That’s why the Walk to Remember was established 16 years ago. The national event brings together parents, nurses, and caregivers who’ve lost children. It is a time to celebrate the lives of children who’ve passed away, a time to share memories and remember the life of a child.

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge will host the Walk to Remember on Sunday, October 30, from 2-4 p.m. at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, located at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. (The walk will be canceled in the event of rain.)

Whether you are a parent who has lost a child of any age or a nurse or caregiver of a child, all are invited to attend the walk, bring mementos, and take part in a remembrance ceremony, a press release said. Walk to Remember is a free memorial walk sponsored by Methodist Medical Center. The program is held in cities across the country each October, and the Oak Ridge walk is the only program in the greater Knoxville area. [Read more…]

3D mammography offered at Oak Ridge Breast Center, to be discussed at Health Night lecture Oct. 25

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Thomas Lemond

Thomas Lemond

The Oak Ridge Breast Center now offers 3D mammography or digital breast tomosynthesis, the newest advancement in breast screening technology. It allows radiologists to see around and between breast tissues with greater clarity than ever before, a press release said. These more defined images may help detect cancer earlier and the x-ray exposure and screening procedure is performed like a traditional 2D mammogram.

Learn more about 3D mammography with Dr. Thomas Lemond, a board-certified radiologist and medical director of the Oak Ridge Breast Center, during Health Night on the Town on Tuesday, October 25, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center, 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The program is free and open to the public. [Read more…]

Stanley, a doctor running for Charter Commission, supports term limits

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David Stanley

David Stanley

David Stanley, a doctor running for Anderson County Charter Commission, supports term limits for the county mayor and the County Commission, as well as more active citizen participation, a press release said.

Stanley is running for the District 7 seat on the eight-member Charter Commission in the November 8 election. District 7 includes the Highland View, Glenwood, and Pine Valley voting precincts.

Stanley was born and raised in Maryville, the press release said. After obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and graduating from medical school in Memphis, Stanley spent time as a medical missionary in Laos, where he founded a modest hospital on the border of Cambodia and Laos, bringing modern medicine to the area for the first time, the press release said.

Once he returned to the United States, he moved his young family to Oak Ridge, where he built his medical practice from the ground up, the release said. [Read more…]

Methodist, AARP offer safe driving program for seniors

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To help senior drivers hone their safety skills, Methodist Medical Center is sponsoring an AARP Driver Safety Program on Thursday, September 22, and Friday, September 23. The program is from 1 to 5 p.m. each day in the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center’s conference room, which is located at 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The eight-hour classroom refresher course is designed to help drivers 50 years and older to improve their skills. Most auto insurance carriers are required to offer discounts for drivers who complete this accredited course.

The course explains the age-related changes that occur in vision, hearing, and reaction time and provides useful driving safety tips for handling these changes. Certified AARP instructor Jack Cowen will be presenting this course through a combination of group discussion and video activities. [Read more…]

Suicide prevention is topic of September’s Health Night on the Town

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John Kupfner

John Kupfner

Renu Bhateja

Renu Bhateja

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in support of this important initiative, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is bringing together medical professionals from Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, and Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services for a special Health Night on the Town presentation. The program will take place Tuesday, September 27, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room at Methodist Medical Center, 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Join Methodist as John Kupfner, MD, board-certified psychiatrist on staff at Peninsula Behavioral Health, and Renu Bhateja, MD, psychiatrist at Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services, discuss suicide prevention, warning signs to look for in loved ones, and how to receive help.

Kupfner has been fellowship trained in child and adolescent psychiatry, a press release said. He received his medical degree from the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, and he completed fellowship training at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kupfner currently serves as the department chair of Peninsula, medical director for Peninsula Outpatient Clinics, and works as a staff psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents. He also serves as an attending psychiatrist at Peninsula Hospital. Kupfner is the current chair of the Physician Wellness Committee at Parkwest Medical Center. [Read more…]

Hospitality Houses at MMC win 2016 Historic Preservation Award

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Hospitality Houses

One of the Hospitality Houses is pictured above. (Submitted photo from March 2015)

 

The Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center have won the 2016 Historic Preservation Award, the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association announced Friday.

The award is presented by the ORHPA each year on Oak Ridge’s birthday, September 19. That’s the day in 1942 that General Leslie Groves selected this area as the first site in support of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

The Hospitality Houses are managed by Kim Maes of Methodist Medical Center, a press release said. These houses are original Oak Ridge E-2 duplexes located at 210 and 216 West Tennessee Avenue. [Read more…]