Viewing by month: January 2010

Reflections on Luck

Like our CEO Chris Thomas this is my first attempt delving into the blogosphere. Well sure, I’ve read some friend’s blogs but never posted anything. As it says in my intro, I am a Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator. I spend a good part of my professional life talking about food and its relationship to our health. As I pondered a topic for my first posting, I could not take my mind far from the tragedy in Haiti.

If we read the paper, go online, or watch the television news we are inundated with mind boggling statistics of death, destruction, and rampant human suffering. Local people, as well of the rest of the country have responded with great empathy and efforts to help the people of this impoverished island nation. The politics and history of Haiti’s existence is best left for others to discuss, however there are a few thoughts I’d like to share.

It’s said that two-thirds of Haiti’s population lives on less than 1 U.S. dollar per day. As I went through the cafeteria line here today and electronically charged my $6 meal to a payroll deduction, I thought to myself, “Wow, I am lucky!” Now I know that on-site cafeteria with payroll deduction may in itself seem like extra luxury, but the truth is for most of us, we live in a world of relative abundance in terms of food. Food advertisements often tout a value or savings menu of items for a mere $1. In Haiti, that’s a day’s work. My lunch today - 6 days work. I truly am blessed.

If we got up today brushed our teeth, took a shower and flushed the toilet we used more fresh water than a typical Haitian has access to on a normal day, pre-earthquake. With the current catastrophe it is known that thousands more will parish due to lack of access to drinking water or from diseases associated with contaminated water. Going to bed hungry is one thing, but going for days completely without water is unimaginable. As the United States and much of the world airlifts water and food to the people of Haiti, again I am reminded of my good fortune as I fill my water bottle daily.

Some things we say become cliché because they are, for the most part, true. Working in healthcare, we need not look far to find others less fortunate. I think most would agree that despite all the negatives in our lives, the truth is we have it pretty good. One thing we must never take for granted is our health. Please join me in recognizing our own personal good fortune, and if you’re so inclined, say a prayer for people suffering throughout our country and throughout the world; and especially the people of Haiti.

Be well, Ray

1 comments - Posted by Ray Jensen at 2:30 PM - Categories:

Community Hospital on Tom Brokaw Series

Community Hospital is part of new Tom Brokaw’s series American Character Along Highway 50.

This television event will premiere tonight, January 18, 2010 with limited commercial interruptions. Our local, Grand Junction NBC affiliate KKCO, will not carry this programming, it will air locally on cable channel 37 at 6 pm.

American Character Along Highway 50 is a series of interviews that capture issues that affect average Americans, including health care, unemployment, small business struggles, education and the real-estate crises. One of the stories in this segment involves a young woman who had surgery at our facility, with Dr. Steve O’Dell as the surgeon.

To learn more about the series follow this link: http://www.usanetwork.com/highway50.

0 comments - Posted by Administrator at 9:54 AM - Categories:

Why I Ride

By Steve Rauch

During the second week of August, I marked my 100th commute to work by bicycle. I finished the year having ridden to work 176 days. My round trip commute is just four miles, mostly on bike lanes. My riding weather and distance would draw little notice from those Seattleites pursing the coveted Soaked to the Gills Trophy.

People sometimes ask if I have ridden a century or ridden over the Monument yet. My answer is no. Some seem surprised, I think they assume that anyone who rides to work so often must be a serious cyclist, or maybe everyone assumes cycling is more a recreational activity than an activity of daily life.

I began to consider the reasons I do ride.

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that active commuting was "positively associated with fitness in men and women, and inversely associated with BMI, obesity, triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and insulin level in men". The health benefits of active commuting are certainly one reason I ride.

Bicycling is also efficient, even moreso than walking. An article on human power finds that the calories that would move a cyclist three miles would only move a car 280 feet. The efficiency and speed are certainly another reason I ride to work.

But my prime reason for riding is something else altogether. Nearly every day I ride, I exchange a hand wave with another rider, say hello to dog-walkers and exercisers, or even stop my commute to talk with a man walking his dog who wants to tell me about the heron he has just seen over at the irrigation pond. How many times have you turned off your car during your morning commute, gotten out, and greeted someone you don't even know? I have stopped to watch a mother duck herding her ducklings across the path and to make eye contact with a deer ravaging the tomato plants in a home garden. I arrive at work in a better mood than if I had driven.

The real reason I ride was best given voice by Henry David Thoreau in Life Without Principle. The second last sentence of that essay is: "Why should we not meet, not always as dyspeptics, to tell our bad dreams, but sometimes as eupeptics, to congratulate each other on the ever-glorious morning?" No matter how you get to work, or when, may your morning always be ever-glorious.

0 comments - Posted by Administrator at 12:29 PM - Categories:

A Healthy Community Takes a Village

 Well, this will be an interesting venture for me, entering the world of Blogging. My daughters have gotten me up to speed with texting, (make sure you purchase unlimited texting for teenage daughters!!!) Facebook and MySpace. I am even set up to download streaming movies to my new Blue-Ray DVD players. But Blogging……Taking the plunge today.

This past Friday I had the privilege of attending the Grand Opening of the new Maverick Center at Mesa State College. What an amazing facility! It contains 14 classrooms, a state-of-the-art natatorium swimming pool, a running loop, a recreation center packed with gym equipment, a human performance lab to test fitness, and other amenities.

We should all feel very fortunate to have such a facility in our Community. As a Triathlete/Swimmer I am excited to have the finest swimming pools on the Western slope directly across the street from our hospital. No more excuses…time to take another plunge and get my butt in the pool!!!

One of the highlights of the evening was the dedication of the Copeland Family Athletic Training Room. This honor was bestowed on Dr. Larry Copeland and his family for their years of dedicated service to the athletic department of Mesa State. The entire Copeland family continues to work diligently to support and advance sports medicine, student athletics and the Athletic Department at Mesa State. Congratulations Larry Copeland!

The new Hamilton Recreation Center was also announced at the Maverick Center dedication. This Center is named after Jamie Hamilton, president and CEO of Home Loan. In his second job he works for $1 a year as the college’s athletic director. Jamie served for many years on the Community Hospital Board of Trustees and is currently serving on the Hospital’s Foundation Board. Congratulations to you also Jamie!

Today I would like to also leave you with some thoughts on the Grand Valley’s recent notoriety as a national leader in low cost, high quality care. One of the elements not often mentioned in this discussion regarding quality and affordability is the role healthy competition plays. Having more than one hospital in a community is a valuable asset. Community Hospital has long been the local leader for affordable health services and we remain committed to providing our community a great value for their healthcare dollars.

Soon you and your family will be able to access pricing for many of the most common services that we provide at Community Hospital on our web site. For the first time you will be able to easily compare prices. With quality not a question, I encourage you to look for the best value for your healthcare dollars. We think this service will be extremely useful and valuable for all of our patients and physicians.

As you review the prices and compare our costs, you will find that our charges are generally 20 percent less than other Grand Valley providers. We consistently save the Medicare program 11% while providing quality care for Medicare patients and we continue to be a leader in patient satisfaction scores. Become an informed consumer visit these web sites to compare: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, http://www.qualitycheck.org

The Bottom Line: If keeping healthcare costs in check is important to you and your family, then Community Hospital is a GREAT CHOICE! – Chris Thomas

3 comments - Posted by Chris Thomas at 11:05 AM - Categories: