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Summer is here, and with it comes accident-related injuries that often can be prevented with a little common sense, and these safety tips:
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Providence Medical Research's Radica Alicic, MD (left), Katherine Tuttle, MD and Sandeep Saha, MD (not pictured) are investigating an experimental drug that could benefit patients with severe diabetic kidney disease. |
Providence Medical Research Center plans to begin enrolling patients in July, 2009, for a clinical study to determine whether an experimental drug improves the kidney function of patients who suffer severe diabetic kidney disease.
Dr. Katherine Tuttle, lead researcher here on the study, says the research also will monitor the effects that the drug, currently called FG-3019, has on patients’ cardiovascular function, because many people with chronic kidney disease also have serious cardiovascular problems that might be improved by the medication.
“Studies such as this one—which could have a significant positive impact on high-risk patients who haven’t been helped by other therapies—are a good fit for Providence Medical Research Center,” says Dr. Tuttle, “because one of our major goals is to conduct research that will benefit patients who need it most.”  |
Dr. Andy Agwunobi, shown here in a garden area at Sacred Heart, joined Providence Health Care about 15 months ago. |
Dr. Andy Agwunobi says one of the things that convinced him to leave a high-ranking post in Florida and move across the country to the Inland Northwest was his desire to achieve a better work-life balance, one that would afford him more family time.
As CEO of Spokane-based Providence Health Care, the Inland Northwest’s largest health-care system, for a little over a year now and also recently named CEO of both Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital and Providence Holy Family Hospital, some observers might wonder how he’ll find that balance.
considered a death sentence for a child.
Times have changed, though, and one Sacred Heart doctor
continues to treat these patients as they live on into adulthood.
To meet Chad Rigsby, a 36-year-old Spokane high school English teacher and father of three, you’d never guess he once was a “miracle baby” who survived unthinkable setbacks. Born with a cluster of heart defects, he would turn a frightful shade of blue from lack of oxygen in his blood.
Doctors at Sacred Heart fixed the hole in Chad’s heart … and still care for him today.
The health-savvy among us perk up at the latest heart news and studies about anti-aging and skin. But bones? Our attitude seems to be, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
Advances in orthopedics, though, are helping fix complicated problems that affect joints and bones, something millions of Americans face every year. Andrew Howlett, MD, a specialist in orthopedic oncology and traumatology, shares the inside scoop on what’s new at Providence Sacred Heart.Learn More…
A new radiation treatment machine recently installed at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital, along with some optional features that will be installed later, will enable the hospital to improve its accuracy in irradiating cancerous tumors, and minimize damage to nearby healthy tissue.
Using the new device, called a linear accelerator, radiation therapists will be able to reduce the area of a patient’s body that receives radiation treatment, and also will be able to speed up the treatment process, which can be uncomfortable for patients, according oncologist J. Lance Griffiths, MD.
“Reducing side effects on healthy organs will help improve our patients’ quality of life substantially,” Dr. Griffith says.
Induced hypothermia—lowering a patient’s body temperature to 92°—has been used to treat patients who remain unconscious after their hearts are restarted following a cardiac arrest. But according to Madeleine Geraghty, MD, director of the Primary Stroke Center at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital, it’s not for the heart … it’s for the brain.
“Brain cells don’t die suddenly from oxygen starvation when blood flow stops, but sometimes are stunned,” she explains. “Cooling slows the body’s metabolism and can allow stunned brain cells to wake up.
That same technique may prove to be the next advancement in treatment for preventing or limiting brain-tissue damage caused by a stroke. (Learn More…)
“My name is Olivia. I am 8 years old and I had bad trouble going potty. Then I got to meet Barb and she helped me learn to listen to my body and take care of myself. Now I feel AMAZING.”
Since age 5, Olivia had pain so severe that her parents took her to the ER several times. The daily episodes eventually landed them in the office of a pediatric gastroenterologist who recommended the Pediatric Continence Center at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. (Read More…)
The Providence Center for Faith & Healing was created to give patients, families, staff and the community a holistic approach to health care.
Ten years later, the center’s mission to integrate faith and medicine is stronger than ever. And since its original inception, the center has grown into an educational institution offering classes and resources for patients and the public, services that comfort patients and their families, and training for staff, including education on ethical issues related to medicine. (Read More…)
April 24 · 7 p.m.
Bing Crosby Theater (map)
A special concert, benefitting the Endowment for the Providence Center for Faith & Healing.
You may not recall their name, but you’re sure to remember their songs! The music of The Brothers Four has delighted millions for over 40 years. Folk songs from America, Ireland, Scotland, Japan and China round out a repertoire of tunes old and new. An evening with this quartet is an unforgettable time of music and entertainment.
Tickets are priced $18-50. Call 325-SEAT or visit www.ticketswest.com.