One of the nation's largest and most successful HIV-testing programs in a world-renowned trauma center celebrates a milestone in making HIV testing as routine as screenings for diabetes and heart disease.
Following a doctor’s visit at Martin Luther King Jr. Health Center in southeast Houston, a mother and her daughter make two stops within the health center. One at the facility’s pharmacy to fill a prescription for diabetes medicine; the other at the center’s farmers market just steps away thanks to Healthy Harvest, an innovative approach by the Harris County Hospital District to provide patients with healthy food options.
Weight gain or loss may not always be caused by what you eat...it could depend on the medicines you're taking. Learn which pills pack on the pounds and other effects they could have.
While the upcoming daylight saving time slated for 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, affects everyone, children, including teenagers, may need some help adjusting. Experts say the spring's loss of an hour tends to be the most disruptive with sleeping patterns.
Every year, thousands of teens and young adults celebrate Spring Break by binge drinking large amounts of alcohol, a dangerous right-of-passage and one linked to possible brain damage later as adults.
Roaring snores that rumble a room or violent snorts for breath during sleep could be sounds of obstructive sleep apnea. While a true diagnosis is only possible with a sleep study, if left untreated, the sleep disorder could be fatal.
Ozone, the prevalent gas found in air pollution, and mostly experienced from March to October, can trigger severe violent breathing attacks in many people, particularly children and seniors, says a lung expert from Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston.
Friday the 13th can be an ominous date for some. It's a fear for some people and for others a true phobia -paraskevidekatriaphobia - the morbid, irrational fear of the date.
A decision to stop driving for a senior can significantly impact his or her quality of life, affecting their mental state and overall well-being. If a senior’s driving raises concerns, approach the matter compassionately to preserve the person’s dignity and keep them and others safe.
Early detection of stroke and immediate treatment is the best way to ensure patients have the best recovery possible. Treating a stroke victim — quickly in minutes and seconds — can be the difference between life and death.
The option of a vaginal birth after having a Caesarean delivery (VBAC) is difficult to find for women who want that procedure. More doctors and hospitals are not willing to perform the risky procedure. However, a VBAC advocate and practicing physician from Ben Taub General Hospital says provided the expectant mother meets certain guidelines and the delivery is performed in a fully-staffed and fully-equipped hospital, the VBAC can be performed safely.
Dr. Kenneth L. Mattox, chief of staff, Ben Taub General Hospital, and distinguished service professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, has been elected vice president of the American Surgical Association, becoming the first Houston-area surgeon elected to the prestigious academic, scientific and surgical organization.
In 1993, the Harris County Hospital District in Houston, Texas, created its own School of Diagnostic Medical Imaging to meet the demand for these specialized professional. Over the years, the school has grown to four programs: diagnostic medical radiography, diagnostic medical sonography, computerized topography (CT) graduate fellowship and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) graduate fellowship. Today, it's produced 413 graduates through 20 graduating classes.
Trauma Survivors Celebration is an annual event hosted by the Harris County Hospital District to honor the survivors of trauma and recognize their successful recoveries. These are victims of motor vehicle accidents, industrial injuries and crime that have received care at Ben Taub General Hospital or Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. The event reunites the former patients with physicians, nurses and EMS first-responders.
Dr. Margo Hilliard, MPH, senior vice president, Community Services, Harris County Hospital District, received the 2012 Kathryn S. Stream Award for Excellence in Women’s Health by the Texas Medical Center Women’s Health Network, an organization of health professionals dedicated to advancing women’s health through collaborations in education, research and advocacy. The organization, located in Houston, Texas, is part of the world’s largest grouping of healthcare institutions, hospitals, research facilities and medical schools.
The Harris County Hospital District joins only one other public healthcare system in the nation to offer two post-professional physical therapy residency programs with the recent accreditation of the Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency by the American Physical Therapy Association.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has reverified the Level I trauma center designation for the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center at Ben Taub General Hospital, and the Level III trauma center designation for the emergency center at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital.
The Harris County Hospital District uses a family approach that involves children and their parents in tackling childhood obesity. Many have successfully lost weight, but the main hope is to instill healthy eating and exercise habits that will continue for children as adults.
The Harris County Hospital District has won the 2012 Gage Award for Improving Population Health for its Healthy Harvest, a program that coordinates farmers markets in healthcare centers to encourage patients to eat more fruits and vegetables. The award was given June 21 by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) during its annual national conference in San Francisco.
Dangers of seniors wandering off and getting lost can often end in tragedy and appear to be more common as evident by the steady announcements of Silver Alerts, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, across the country. The problem is so widespread that understanding why seniors wander could help keep them safe and avoid tragic consequences, say geriatric experts from the Harris County Hospital District.
For the second year in a row, the Harris County Hospital District was named to the Most Wired list by Hospitals and Health Networks, the flagship publication of the American Hospital Association. The Harris County Hospital District joins one other healthcare system in Houston and six others in Texas to be recognized for advances in technology.
While the effects of the sun on fair or light skin are better known, the impact on darker or ethnic skin is less understood. What is known is that in the last 30 years, the deadliest form of skin cancer — malignant melanoma — continues to increase among all races claiming in the U.S. alone, 22 lives a day, says a dermatology expert with the Harris County Hospital District.
Maybe it’s running to get in shape or a desire to race like an Olympian. Whatever the goal or reason, Harris County Hospital District physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists have some tips to help runners stay on track. As a beginner, take it slow and easy, and as a more experienced runner, don’t overdo it.
Before the 'ouch' becomes a long-term problem, physical therapists at the Harris County Hospital District want parents to know the dangers and preventable steps of poorly used or overloaded backpacks.
Today marks a transformational time for Harris County, Texas residents with the public launch of Harris Health System, the new business name for the Harris County Hospital District.
Harris Health System celebrates the completion of Smith Clinic, the system’s first outpatient specialty facility. The new facility enhances and expands specialty care for patients formerly seen at hospital-based clinics located at Ben Taub Hospital. The five-story, nearly 168,000-square-foot facility will provde care to about 75,000 patients visits a year.
Dr. Carmel B. Dyer has been named chief of staff for Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, part of the Harris Health System. Dyer, professor and director, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine and associate dean, Harris County Programs for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), is the fourth chief of staff in the hospital’s history.
A program by Harris Health System in Houston, Texas aims to cut the alarming number of African-American women dying from pregnancy-related complications or suffering miscarriages. The educational campaign targets women before they get pregnant on having a safe and healthy birth.
Miniature-sized candies are great alternatives for Halloween, but could scare up high calorie and carbohydrate counts if parents don’t monitor how many their children eat, warn pediatricians from Harris Health System. While the amount of calories and carbohydrates per treat is relatively low compared to regular-sized candies, too much of the smaller treats could be just as bad.
The Labrada sisters (Tamara, Diana and Yadira) share more than a family connnection. The trio also share the designation of breast cancer survivors. From their diagnosis of cancer under age 40, the youngest at age 25, the sisters have stuck together to battle cancer.
With so many youngsters picking up the sport/hobby of archery thanks to its increased popularity in TV shows like “Revolution” and movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Brave,” Harris Health System rehabilitation and pediatric experts caution parents about the potential dangers of long-term injuries to hands, wrists, arms and shoulders.
Whether supporting President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney, this year’s election will take people on a roller coaster of emotions from elation to anger depending on the results. To deal with post-election blues, Harris Health System psychiatrist Dr. Asim Shah prescribes a strong dose of no TV, radio, social media and Internet coverage.
Garfield Gibson Jr. could barely sit in his wheelchair, let alone stand for any period of time following his stroke. Thanks to ongoing rehabilitation care, including the use of a new horticultural therapy garden at Harris Health System, he now sits and stands for long stretches of time. He and his therapist say the therapy garden has done wonders for his rehabilitation.
With temperatures dropping and cold weather settling in, people will turn to gas furnaces, space heaters and fireplaces for warmth. Not so fast, caution pulmonologists from Harris Health System, who recommend that everyone get those devices checked for carbon monoxide leaks. Known as the silent killer, carbon monoxide is the gas byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fuel used in cars, gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal or wood, gas ranges, fireplaces and heaters.
A figurative mine field of savory dishes and desserts await many this holiday season, from pumpkin pies topped with whipped cream, green bean and mushroom casseroles, pork tamales, cranberries and cornbread dressing to fruit salads and oven-roasted turkey. Harris Health System experts warn that while most will indulge in these tasty foods and some will gain weight, people with diabetes will need a plan to stay healthy during the holidays.
As fall semesters wind down at the country’s colleges and universities, students will be pulling all-night study sessions to prepare for final exams. Ironically, the loss of sleep during these all-nighters could actually work against them performing well, says a Harris Health System sleep specialist.
The popularity of personal music devices like iPods and other MP3 players and their lack of sound-limiting controls has a Harris Health System ear specialist concerned. These devices, when combined with attached ear buds and headphones, can generate sound levels up to 115 decibels, well above the highest level of 85 decibels recommended by most hearing experts.
Amid the frenzy of decorating, planning and shopping for the holidays, health may take a backseat. However, the stress brought on by these activities plus cold temperatures could lead to heart attacks or heart-related complications if left unchecked.
Losing weight is one of the most cited New Year’s resolutions each year. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the least successful. Harris Health System offers some simple strategies for success in 2013, and it starts by recognizing that losing weight is a lifestyle and not merely a change in diet.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has reverified the Level III trauma center for Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, a distinction the hospital has held since 1996.
Robin Garza knows trauma. She sees it on a daily basis as trauma services program manager for one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the U.S.—Harris Health System’s Ben Taub Hospital. In fact, her advocacy to raise awareness about the dangers of trauma led her to develop Just Drive, a statewide campaign to discourage distracted driving, including texting and driving.
Harris Health System has been named among the “Best 50” healthcare providers in the U.S. and Canada for its industry-leading efforts in supply chain management by the Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), a worldwide healthcare technology company.
Dr. Spencer Greene wants to make sure the standard treatment for copperhead snake bites, the most common venomous snake in greater Houston and southeast Texas, works, and if it doesn’t, he wants to stop its use. A national research is being coordinated at 18 healthcare sites across the country—Harris Health System's Ben Taub Hospital is one of five in Texas.
Harris Health System is now using sign language video technology to better communicate with its hearing-impaired and hard-of-hearing patients. Connecting patients with physicians and nurses in a timely and convenient manner is one of the driving forces behind the new portable iPad®-equipped wheeled carts (similar to rolling blood-pressure stands) that act as in-person translators of American Sign Language for patients and staff at a moment’s notice. The program has four such carts complete with speakers and audio enhancement capability at Harris Health’s Ben Taub, Quentin Mease and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals.
Harris Health System's Ben Taub Hospital is the recipient of a newly created recognition by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Gold Plus-Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award. The award means the hospital achieved high marks for response and care provided for acute ischemic strokes, the most common stroke—87 percent of all cases—in America.
Derek L. Curtis, new chief nursing officer of Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, wants to enhance the opportunities for nurses and increase their role in patient-centric care where patients and families have a greater say in the hospitalization of loved ones. Additionally, the 21-year nursing professional, wants to encourage nurses to pursue more expert certifications, as well as master’s and doctorate degrees.
Karina Valencia needed more hope than the physicians and staff could muster shortly after her son’s shooting, the near-death victim of a convenience store robbery. Luckily, she got the hope she needed, and more, from a peer support group set up for family and friends of hospitalized intensive care patients. In particular, was the story shared by group leader Michael Segal, a patient advocate at Harris Health System's Ben Taub Hospital—himself the victim and survivor of a convenience store shooting.
A nurse-midwife is an option for low-risk expectant mothers at Harris Health System. For sisters, Dominga and Leticia Gomez Lozano, the option became a family affair. Both opted for a certified nurse-wife delivery versus a traditional obstetrical physician birth. They say the experience was life-changing and helped them build on an already strong sibling bond.
Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital has been named CNOR Strong by the Competency and Credentialing Institute because of its high number of certified nurses in the operating rooms (CNOR) staff—becoming only the fourth hospital in Houston and 12th in Texas to receive the distinction. To achieve the recognition, hospitals must have more than 50 percent of operating room nurses certified, a rigorous process that involves nurses mastering high standards of perioperative practices.
First-grader Destiny Lopez had just sharpened her pencil eager to finish up a writing assignment when she accidently tripped—impaling the pencil through her chest and into her heart. Nearly 15 years later, the now 23-year-old and recent mother, still bears the scar of that near-fatal accident. On May 14, she and caregivers from Harris Health System’s Ben Taub Hospital, as well as first-responders from the Houston Fire Department, will be joined by someone who many consider the unsung hero of the accident—teacher Terry Kirksey, who did not pull out the pencil from Lopez’s chest—giving her a fighting chance to survive the heart injury.