Start 2018 with Freedom from Smoking

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital is offering the Freedom From Smoking program starting on Monday, January 15 and running weekly through February 26.

This program is designed for adult smokers and features step-by-step plans to help smokers gain control over their behavior. Cigarette smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals and can lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking is a behavior that negatively affects nearly every organ in the human body. It is also a cause of heart disease and stroke.

This program is taught by an American Lung Association-certified respiratory therapist. Each class runs from 6-7:30 p.m. and registration is required. The cost for the program is $80. Please call (716) 592-9643 for more information and to register.

maurices of Springville Donates to BCH Mammography Program

Representatives from maurices of Springville presented a donation to the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Imaging Department and BCH Foundation on November 20.

Store Manager Karen Baker and Assistant Manager Megan Slisz delivered a check to Lead Mammographer Judy Heary, which will go to the BCH Foundation. The gift is dedicated for use in promoting 3D mammography and encouraging women to get screened as recommended by their healthcare providers.

This donation came from maurices’ in-store activities throughout the month of October related to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you to all of maurices staff and the volunteer work that made this support possible! We appreciate how local businesses can take on the challenge of supporting local healthcare and promoting community health!

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Annual Appeal Begins

The annual appeal for the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation has begun! Letters will be sent out over the next two weeks. Our appeal this year is asking donors to reflect on the question, what does Bertrand Chaffee Hospital mean to you?

Share your story with us.

Here’s a look at what BCH meant to the community, from an article in the Springville Journal in the 1960s:

“Your hospital must meet the most unpredictable needs – it must continually be ready to serve and offer its services, and bring more roads to recovery, in an age that is filled with tremendous medical advances.”

Those words ring true today.

Your gift to our foundation funds equipment for the hospital and nursing home that helps your neighbors. Help us keep patients on their roads to recovery with a donation to our appeal before the end of the year.

Donate Now.

Melanye Deuble-Hankins, PA Joins BCH Primary Care Center

Melanye Deuble-Hankins will join the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Primary Care Center on Monday, November 27 as a physician assistant.
Deuble-Hankins has nearly two decades’ experience as an NCCPA-certified physician assistant, and has worked in cardiology and clinic settings. As a primary care provider at an occupational health clinic in Salamanca, she has also been in charge of emergency response for about 13 years.

“I am so happy to be joining the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital medical staff,” said Deuble-Hankins. “I am looking forward to greeting patients with a genuine smile, a willing ear, and sound judgement. I never forget what an honor and privilege is it, to be caring for you and your family!”

Deuble-Hankins began her career in the healthcare field as an ambulance attendant and flight medic with the STARFLIGHT program in Jamestown, New York. She moved into cardiology as a cardiac ultrasound technologist before earning a bachelor’s degree from D’Youville College. She has been a physician assistant in medical offices in Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County, bringing extensive cardiology diagnostics training to the care she gives to her patients.

“Our primary care practice has been able to recruit patient-focused providers to our staff since opening in 2010,” said Nils Gunnersen, BCH CEO. “We’re excited to have Melanye join our team.”

The BCH Primary Care Center is scheduling patients with Deuble-Hankins immediately, and she will be accepting all major health insurances. For an appointment, call (716) 592-8140.

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Monthly Diabetes Support Group Schedule for 2018

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital will coordinate monthly diabetes support group meetings for Type I and Type II diabetics and their loved ones in 2018.

Interested individuals are invited to participate in this group to share recipes, coupons and information about topics related to diabetes and health in a supportive and welcoming environment. The group will meet at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital on the first Monday of each month from 6-7 p.m. A Certified Diabetes Educator will facilitate the group, and meetings are free of charge. This group is part of the BCH diabetic education program, which is accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

There will not be a meeting in January due to the New Year’s holiday. Topics starting in February include: February 5, Infections; March 5, What is Type 2 Diabetes?; April 2, Plate Method Diet; May 7, Kidney Disease; June 4, Carb Counting; July 2, Diabetes Bingo; August 6, Mediterranean Diet; September (closed for holiday); October 1, Asthma and Diabetes; November 5, Diabetes Distress; December 3, New Year, New You.

For more information, call (716) 592-9643. Meetings will be canceled when Springville-Griffith Institute schools are closed for a snow day.

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital’s event calendar is published on Google Calendar.

Gourmet Dining with BCH

About 30 guests attended the Gourmet Dining on a 400-calorie Budget luncheon on November 1. This event started the activities for National Diabetes Awareness Month in November.

The idea for a lunch and cooking demonstration was a collaborative effort from members of the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Diabetes Education Team. Kyle Schwann, a registered dietitian, developed the diabetes-friendly recipes and worked with the BCH Dietary Department to scale up the size to feed a bigger audience.

On the menu: pork tenderloin with apple stuffing and a raspberry glaze, roasted seasonal vegetables, a brown and wild rice medley, and pumpkin cheesecake bites for dessert.

Schwann had the ingredients prepped and ready for the demonstration, while Chef Linda Hamblin worked in the Concord Senior Center kitchen to cook the pork and rice, and roast the carrots, potatoes, parsnips and kale.

Most crucial to the demonstration was the concept of portion sizes. Each guest received a set of BCH-branded measuring cups to assist with food preparation and portion size.

Questions from the diners included whether they should cook with butter or margarine, and if diabetics could eat rice. 

The answers, from Schwann, were that in moderation, you can cook with butter or margarine, but that butter burns at a lower temperature, so watch it closely! And as for eating rice, that comes down to portion size. Brown and wild rice have more fiber than white rice, and a standard portion size of rice would be 1/3 cup – much less than you would expect!

Schwann also talked through possible substitutions for ingredients and techniques for prepping the meat. She also had on display a plate where the approximate portion sizes were draw out as in a pie chart. Liz Cappola set a “1500-calorie” table, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and a healthy snack displayed with realistic food models.

Next on the calendar for BCH: the Ask-an-Expert night on November 16 starting at 7 p.m., presented by the Buffalo Chapter of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). This will also be held at the Concord Senior Center, and a panel of experts will be available for questions, large and small, about diabetes, medications, devices, recipes and healthy behaviors. The event will be moderated by Kathleen Hebdon, RN, who coordinates the BCH Diabetes Education Program. Hebdon also is active in the AADE, and was recently elected the vice president for New York State.

Free Leg Vein Screening – November 9 in Arcade

Heart Center team 2017Thursday, November 9
5-7 p.m., Arcade Volunteer Fire Hall

Leg vein screenings by Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Heart Center providers and staff. Featuring blood pressure screenings by the Arcade Volunteer Fire Department.

Appointments required – call (716) 592-9644 to schedule.

Coordinated by Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, Bertrand Chaffee Hospital’s Heart Center, and Arcade Volunteer Fire Department.

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Brings 3D Mammography to Community

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital has announced that it has added 3D mammography, also called digital tomosynthesis, to services provided in its Imaging Department.

“The actual ‘3-D’ part of the mammography is a software upgrade,” said Lisa Smith, Imaging Department Manager. “There was an intensive period where the software was installed and tested and our staff received training on the new protocol.”

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital converted to a digital mammography system in 2012, with significant support from community donations and a grant from the Springville-Griffith Community Education Foundation.

“We are glad to have been able to have this in place in time for October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said CEO Nils Gunnersen. “It’s a natural time to remind women to make sure they are getting mammograms on a schedule recommended to them by their healthcare provider.”

Digital mammography involves a two-dimensional image that is reviewed by a radiologist for masses or signs of unusual growths. With 3D mammography, a series of images are taken to create a three-dimensional picture that has more detail and definition.

“Our investment in digital mammography was a significant one, and we made it with the knowledge that we would be able to convert to 3D imaging in the future,” said Teresa Donohue, CFO. “This continues our work to keep up with the latest technologies that we see a need in the community for.”

The funding for this project came from the New York State Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation Program. BCH will use the $11.3 million award for 3D mammography, an upgraded nuclear medicine camera, a permanent MRI machine and a new structure for primary care and specialist services.

3D mammography appointments are available weekdays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and extended hours from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

 

Erie County Health Department Narcan Use Workshop on September 20

The Springville Regional Services Coalition and Bertrand Chaffee Hospital are coordinating another workshop with Erie County’s Health Department on opioid overdose recognition and Naloxone use. This free event will take place on Wednesday, September 20 at the Springville Middle School at 6:30 p.m.

This class trains people to recognize signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose, properly administer naloxone and take the necessary follow-up steps. The information in this workshop can help to save the life of a family member, friend, neighbor or colleague who is experiencing an overdose caused by an opiate or prescription narcotic.

Participants who successfully complete the training will receive a kit containing two doses of naloxone at no charge. This free training is open to anyone 16 years old or older. Register online at bit.ly/narcan0920 or call (716) 592-2871 ext. 1485.