Food can play a critical role in someone's health, especially in managing a chronic illness. One approach is helping patients eat better and stay healthier, and it's a concept called Food is Medicine.
The Food is Medicine program at ChristianaCare is called the Delaware Food Farmacy, and it is changing the way that patients eat.
In this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Michelle Axe, program manager of Food and Social Care Initiatives at ChristianaCare, and Rob Gurnee, the executive director of Lutheran Community Services in Wilmington share how the Food is Medicine concept is changing the way we are improving nutrition insecurity in the community.
Learn how the shift from food insecurity to nutrition security can help keep patients healthy at home.
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Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It’s a challenge for every health system – a challenge with no easy solutions.
ChristianaCare is home to America’s 15th busiest ED, and in the third installment of our year-long series, “The Toughest Questions in Health Care,” Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, “Why can ED wait times be so long?”
Together, we walk the complex maze of healthcare efficiency, examining the intricacies behind long queues. Learn how factors like hospital-wide patient volume, case severity prioritization and the ripple effects of post-acute care facility shortages contribute to a significant bottleneck. And explore a data-driven approach to improving patient flow and emergency department functionality.
Finally, we provide guidance on choosing the most suitable venue of care for a variety of medical needs, a major way the public can be part of helping hospitals reduce wait times in the ED.
Ric. Cuming is chief operating officer of ChristianaCare. In this role, Ric oversees the delivery of efficient and fiscally responsible system operations. He also works with other leaders to ensure high-quality and safe patient care. Ric joined ChristianaCare in 2016 as the system’s first chief nurse executive.
Dr. Kert Anzilotti is chief medical officer for ChristianaCare. His work focuses on the optimization of care delivery across the health care system through strategic visioning, network development, clinical technology implementation and leveraging medical informatics.
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- Should I Go To the Emergency Room, Urgent Care or Primary Care?
- Emergency Care at ChristianaCare
- ER visits are getting longer amid hospital staffing shortages
- The Complexities Of Emergency Medicine And Prolonged ER Wait Times
Every minute that a brain is not getting blood flow during a stroke millions of neurons are dying. So, every minute, every second counts when treating a stroke patient.
That is why ChristianaCare’s stroke team has been on a multi-year journey of exploring every element, every step of the initial treatment process and the amount of time it takes to get a patient from coming in the door to getting IV blood thinners – known as Door To Needle (DTN) time.
We take a deep dive into how expert stroke teams bring clarity to chaos while working against a ticking clock with Dr. Kim Gannon, medical director of ChristianaCare’s Comprehensive Stroke Program. We explore where opportunities to reduce DTN have been found and where they are still available in the high-stakes decisions and protocols that swing the pendulum between recovery and lasting impact. And we understand the impact of the first rule of medicine – do no harm.
Learn how a drive to be exceptional today and even better tomorrow is leading to drastically better outcomes for patients who come to one of the nation’s highest volume stroke programs.
Dr. Kim Gannon, an active vascular neurologist, oversees ChristianaCare's stroke program, one of the busiest stroke programs nationwide. She combines the expertise of a clinician with doctorate research to improve both patient and population health in neurological care. Dr. Gannon oversees ChristianaCare’s inpatient neurology consultative service, neurocritical care, and neurointerventional surgical services.
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Health care providers have a lot of information on their patients – medical histories, demographics, identity and financial data. That means those providers have a responsibility to appropriately use and protect patient data.
In the second installment of our year-long series, “The Toughest Questions in Health Care,” Dr. Ed Ewen, Director of Clinical Data and Analytics for ChristianaCare, and ChristianaCare’s Chief Information Security Officer Anahi Santiago help answer the question, “How do we use and protect patient data?”
We journey through the evolution of collecting patient data and examine how health systems use data to improve individual and community care. And we consider the complexity and scope of the challenge of thwarting cybercriminals, especially as more care moves outside the digital safety of the hospital or doctor’s office.
Dr. Edward Ewen is Director of Clinical Data and Analytics for ChristianaCare. He leads the organization’s enterprise information management program and is responsible for coordinating and setting strategy for its data warehousing, data governance, and business analytics activities. He has over 25 years’ experience in health care data warehousing and analytics.
Anahi Santiago is Chief Information Security Officer at ChristianaCare and one of the nation's foremost cybersecurity experts. She has overall responsibility for the organization’s information security program and strategic direction. Winner of the prestigious Routhy Award, Santiago has extensive experience in areas of cybersecurity, privacy, regulatory compliance, program management and infrastructure services.
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According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Obesity is a serious and chronic health condition. Weight management can be complicated. It’s not always just about willpower and poor food choices.
This week Drs. Caitlin Halbert and Lisa Breslow join us for a frank and enlightening discussion of obesity and the immense but important journey toward better health. We explore the bariatric surgery process – from determining if surgery is right for a patient to the operating room to the incredible results that are possible in the following days, weeks and months. Learn how ChristianaCare’s comprehensive approach to weight loss surgery sets it apart from similar programs in treating the whole patient every step along the way.
And dive into the space where pop culture and medicine collide. Hear how shows like My 600-lb Life and 1,000-lb Sisters compare to the reality of bariatric surgeries. And get the low down on the true usefulness and safety of medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy, that have gotten so much attention recently.
Caitlin Halbert, D.O., MS, is a board-certified general surgeon with a focus in Bariatric and Foregut surgery. She practices at ChristianaCare and is the Assistant Program Director for the General Surgery Residency Program. She is the Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Bariatric Surgery Program.
Dr. Lisa Breslow, D.O., is a family medicine physician with over 15 years of experience and is dual board certified as an obesity medicine specialist. Her appointments are exclusively for patients with health and wellness goals related to weight loss. She believes in encouraging patient self-education while partnering with each patient to create a comprehensive health and wellness plan structured to meet their needs. She is committed to providing evidence-based education and treatment for obesity.
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This past week the FDA for the first time approved use of a gene editing-based therapy. The new treatment is for people with Sickle Cell Disease. Gene editing has the potential to transform so many areas of medicine. ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute is the only institute of its kind in the nation at a community-based health system, which has led GEI to take a unique approach to gene editing research.
On this week's episode, we talk with Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer at ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute, about the patient-centered approach his researchers take. We find out what factors the team considers first when determining what to study and learn what that means for the development of new medicines to treat cancer and inherited diseases.
Join us for a great conversation on the past, present and future of gene editing - what is working, what is not, what opportunities there are beyond medicine and so much more.
Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., is executive director and chief scientific officer at ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute. He is also co-founder and chief scientific officer of CorriXR Therapeutics. Widely recognized for his pioneering work in the fields of molecular medicine and gene editing, Dr. Kmiec has developed CRISPR based genetic therapies for Sickle Cell Disease and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Gene and Genome Editing.
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“Reach out and touch someone” is more than a vintage AT&T jingle, it can also be the secret to addressing pain, anxiety, stress, nausea and more.
Healing Touch is a heavily researched form of energy therapy that can bring relief and comfort to patients and caregivers alike. Stacy Noel, Nursing Integrative Care Nurse Manager, joins us for this episode to share the benefits and opportunities around this ancient healing art.
Learn how Healing Touch works and what it looks like at the patient bedside at ChristianaCare. Get suggestions on centering, grounding, intentions and affirmations that you can use at this stressful time of year.
The insights you'll gain from this episode about holistic healing methods will surely be an eye-opener.
Stacy Noel is the Nursing Integrative Care nurse manager at ChristianaCare. In this role, she implements holistic programs, such as Healing Touch, aromatherapy, mindfulness practices, meditations, to both caregivers and patients throughout ChristianaCare.
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- The Healing Power of Healing Touch (video)
- What Is Healing Touch Therapy?
- The Effects of Healing Touch on Pain, Nausea, and Anxiety Following Bariatric Surgery: A Pilot Study
- Effects of Healing Touch and Relaxation Therapy on Adult Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
Especially due to the pandemic, most of us have had at least one telemedicine interaction – maybe sitting at home talking to a clinician via smartphone app when you have a fever or sore throat.
But virtual interactions can now also be part of your care when you’re actually in the hospital.
In this episode discover how virtual nursing is making acute care more efficient and effective. Michelle Collins, ChristianaCare vice president for nursing professional excellence, and Melanie Ries, a nurse providing virtual acute care at ChristianaCare, are with us to share the positive impact this innovation is having on patient experience, shrinking lengths of stay and enhancing overall outcomes.
Listen as we explore not only what virtual acute care nursing looks like today but how the success ChristianaCare and other health systems are seeing with this work could have future benefits far beyond nursing in the hospital.
Michelle L. Collins leads ChristianaCare's systemwide efforts to support nursing practice innovation and problem-solving. She also has led ChristianaCare to achieve its third Magnet designation, a preeminent excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only 9 percent of the nation’s hospitals hold the prestigious Magnet designation. ChristianaCare has earned Magnet designation for Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, Ambulatory Services, and ChristianaCare HomeHealth.
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The average person’s heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times during their life. As we age the possibility of developing an irregular heartbeat – arrhythmia – increase.
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of arrhythmia. In this episode Dr. Kevin Tsai, a cardiac electrophysiologist with ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health, tells us about how treating AFib is changing and improving locally and nationally.
Dr. Tsai explains the mechanics of AFib, risks and care options. Then he shares why a treatment technique called catheter-based ablation is becoming more common, why it is offering better outcomes for many patients and why those results may be even easier to achieve in the coming years.
The US Centers for Disease Control estimate 12 million Americans will have AFib by 2030. So, now is the time to learn about the condition and the best options for improving quality of life for those facing it.
Dr. Wen-Chi Kevin Tsai specializes in cardiovascular disease, clinical cardiac electrophysiology and internal medicine. Dr. Tsai is board-certified in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
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From Chat GPT to self-driving Teslas, in some ways it feels like we're living in the future we were promised in movies and television. Similar technologies are having a huge and growing effect across the healthcare industry.
In this episode Kat Collard, ChristianaCare Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, and Susan Birkhoff, Ph.D., Program Director for Technology Research and Education at ChristianaCare, open up the world of robots in patient care. They shed light on how mechanical marvels are enhancing efficiency and improving patient outcomes.
Hear about ChristianaCare’s own cobot, Moxi, which is designed to handle the tedious, and yet surprisingly complex, task of collecting and transporting supplies. Learn about the dramatic benefits of that work and the challenges of integrating robots into an ever-dynamic hospital environment.
If you are curious about the future of healthcare and how robots are part of that, this conversation promises to be a fascinating and informative listen.
Katherine Collard is chief nursing informatics officer at ChristianaCare, responsible for the strategy and implementation of IT systems that directly impact nurses. In addition to leading the system's work with Moxi, she has also led teams in improving documentation for nurses particularly around pressure injury identification on admission. This process led to a significant improvement in identification on admission avoiding significant penalties.
Susan Birkhoff, PhD, is a nurse and a scientist leading and supporting interprofessional research education, systemwide technology evaluation, and grantmanship. She conducts research studies that investigates the implementation of technology-based solutions to improve complex health problems.
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