Flushing Man Credits Sleep Testing for Saving His Life

“My test results revealed that I had a serious medical

condition called sleep apnea and

that I needed help breathing at night.”

Craig Atchley, Patient

Continued on page 2

Connection

Sixty percent of adult drivers reported driving a vehicle at least once while feeling drowsy, and more than one third reported actually falling asleep at the wheel, according to a recent National Sleep Foundation poll. Even more alarming, 11 million drivers admitted they had an accident or near accident because they dozed off or were too tired to drive.

Craig Atchley, 42 of Flushing, is one of those accident statistics. He credits his crash for waking him up to his sleep problem and the McLaren Sleep Center for saving his life.

In May of 2004, Atchley was driving home from work to take a nap, when he fell asleep at the wheel and sideswiped another vehicle.

Atchley realized how fortunate he was that no one was hurt and used this experience as the final motivation to seek help for his sleep problem. He said that the signs of a problem existed since his late teens when he began snoring. In fact, Atchley had such severe snoring over the years that his wife began to wear ear plugs to bed. She told him he would quit breathing during sleep, but still he put off seeking medical help.

In 1998, he began having to take a two hour nap at 1 p.m. everyday just to make it through the day.

“My dad had a snoring problem, my brother had one and I had one, but my mom always

Craig atchley, 42 of Flushing, is diligent about taking care of the medical equipment he uses to help him get a healthy night’s sleep. He is well aware of the negative consequences of not treating his sleep apnea.

A Monthly Publication of McLaren Regional Medical Center Volume 7, Issue 10 November 2007

What’s Inside...Concierge Service Benefits MRMC Employees ..................3McLaren Continues Tradition of Recognizing Nurses in Honor of Margaret McLaren ..5Screenings Promote Alzheimer’s Awareness.........6

said, ‘don’t worry about it; people snore, it’s ok’,” Atchley noted. “It turns out it wasn’t ok.”

Following his accident, Atchley called his family physician who immediately referred him to the McLaren Sleep Center for testing.

“My test results revealed that I had a serious medical condition called sleep apnea and that I needed help breathing at night,” stated Atchley. “I received a machine in July 2004 and from the first time I used it I felt like a new person. I really cannot describe how different I felt. I can even sleep on my back! The machine is portable if I am staying away from home.”

Atchley is an advocate for people to get tested if they are experiencing problems sleeping.

“Going to the McLaren Sleep Center is like being in your own home; it’s not like being in the hospital,” he said. “The apnea was hard on my heart and making it dangerous for me to drive; I really think getting help saved my life.”

“Sleep helps you to restore and rejuvenate many body functions,” stated Joseph Varghese, M.D., pulmonologist and Medical Director of the McLaren Sleep Center. “For adults, a lack of sleep can affect one’s mood as well as the ability for neurons in the body to repair themselves. The immune system can become weak, making the body more vulnerable to infection and disease. People who do not get enough sleep start creating a sleep debt. Some people can make up for this sleep debt by getting extra sleep, but for those who accumulate a chronic sleep debt there can be serious long term effects. If you have any concerns about your sleep habits you should talk to your primary care physician; it may be more serious than you realize.”

The McLaren Sleep Diagnostic Center features:• Accredited by the American

Academy of Sleep Medicine

• Physicians Board Certified in Sleep Disorders

• Registered Polysomnographic Technicians and Registered Respiratory Therapists trained to conduct sleep studies

• Confidential treatment provided by experienced professionals

• Pulmonology, Neurology, ENT and Psychology Consultants

• Follow up care to assess progress

If you have questions for the McLaren Sleep Center, please call (810) 342-3900.

Other common sleep disorders include:• Narcolepsy - excessive

drowsiness during the day even when nightly sleep time is within normal range with a tendency to sleep at inappropriate times. These overpowering sleep “attacks” may last for a few minutes, to an hour or longer.

• Insomnia - the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

• Parasomnias - include a wide range of disorders that disrupt sleep including sleep walking, sleep terrors, sleep eating, and the acting out of dreams.

PLMS/Restless Leg SyndromePeriodic Limb Movement Syndrome and Restless Leg Syndrome are conditions that cause the legs to move or jerk repeatedly, disrupting sleep.

Did you Know?Apnea is a Greek word that means without breath. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed, with obstructive being the most common. With all three types people who go untreated stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times and often for a minute or longer. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea is a combination of the two. During an apnea event the brain briefly arouses people to resume breathing. The process causes one’s sleep to be fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep apnea is very common, affecting more than twelve million Americans according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, however, sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. If left untreated sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency and headaches.

Flushing Man Credits Sleep Testing for Saving His Life CoNtINued fRoM PAge 1

“Going to the McLaren Sleep Center is like being in your own

home; it’s not like

being in the hospital.”

Craig Atchley, Patient

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Do you sometimes wish there were two of you in order to accomplish all of the things on your “to do” list? Many McLaren employees have discovered the advantage of the newest employee service, the Best Upon Request concierge service.

“This is a service an employer can offer that everyone in the organization can enjoy,” said lead concierge at MRMC, Margie Gray-Shillaire. “We are here to help make life a little easier.”

What can Best Upon Request do for you?• Take care of your dry cleaning

and shoe repair• Do your grocery shopping• Take packages to the post office• Fill up your gas tank• Order and pick up lunch or

dinner• Take your car to be washed,

detailed, or have the oil changed• Research and book vacation

packages• Shop for gifts

They also sell convenience items for employees such as stamps, greeting cards and gift cards. Since its introduction in late August, over 600 requests have been filled by the concierges. Here is what some employees that use it have to say:

“I work full-time and go to college, and love the extra help. I have used the concierge service

about 10 times for various things; anything from shipping care packages to my son in college, to an oil change. Both Margie and Yolanda are very pleasant and dependable.” Alison Bayley, RN, Case Management

“I use the service everyday to mail packages. It saves me time and money. Margie and Yolanda really go the extra mile for the employees.” Catherine Olise, Quality Management

Here are some things the concierge does not do:• They do not charge the

employee for their services• They do not accept tips• They do not require you to use a

credit card for services• They do not exclude any

McLaren employee from using the concierge service

Would you like to give it a try? It’s as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Fill out a registration form and then access the concierge for services through email, voicemail, or in person)

2. The concierge fulfills your request while you work and will let you know when it is completed.

3. If your request requires payment, you may pay by cash, check or credit card

The concierge service is open between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their office is located on the ground level across from the dining room. Concierge staff Margie Gray-Shillaire and Yolanda Palmer can be reached by calling 342-3000 or emailing BestUponRequest@mclaren.org.

Concierge Service Benefits MRMC Employees“It’s very convenient, saves us time and is a nice treat.”Clinton Hnilica, Rn; Yvonne Jones, na ii; Manuel Quitos, asst. nurse Manager; erika Martin, Rn; Brenda Lakies, Rn; pam Coleman, na ii; and peggy Liljeblad, Lpn, look forward to their thursday morning tradition of hot coffee drinks from tim Horton’s.

“I am very pleased with the concierge service. They have taken my car to a shop three times to have a remote car starter installed and adjusted. They also go shopping at Sam’s Club for me.” Janice graham, Rn, iV therapy, 5n

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Congratulations to the Quality Management Department, whose bus-themed pumpkin was declared the winner of this year’s pumpkin decorating contest hosted by the Food and Nutritional Services Department. For placing first, Quality Management will receive a pizza party. Congratulations also to Fenton Physical Therapy and the Diet Office in Nutritional Services who took second and third place in the contest. Quality Management pumpkin designers are: Doris Monroe, Catherine Olise, Dawn Stafford, Lisa Ash and Leisa Pertler.

Quality Management’s Bus Pumpkin Takes First

Thanks to the Joint Express Team, Family

Orthopedic Associates,

McLaren Therapy

Services staff and Biomet

Orthopedics, Inc., for making the day a great

success!

McLaren welcomed 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton to the Medical Center on Monday, October 29. Biannually, MRMC holds community seminars with Family Orthopedic Associates to promote its orthopedic program, including Joint Express for knee and hip replacement patients. Mary Lou, a hip replacement recipient, spoke at a press conference held in the auditorium; she visited patients on 8 Tower, and met with employees for autographs and pictures. That evening at the Holiday Inn Gateway Centre in Mundy Township, Mary Lou spoke to previous joint replacement patients and again signed autographs and posed for pictures. The day concluded with the community program where Mary Lou was joined by Norman Walter, M.D., and Stephen Burton, M.D. Thanks to the Joint Express Team, Family Orthopedic Associates, McLaren Therapy Services staff and Biomet Orthopedics, Inc., for making the day a great success!

New Hip Hooray!

Mary Lou Retton shows off her McLaren Joint express t-shirt, that norman Walter, M.d. (pictured right) gave to her at the community orthopedic program.

McLaren’s Joint express team poses with Mary Lou on 8 tower.

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McLaren Regional Medical Center continues the tradition of honoring Margaret McLaren and its nurses with its Nursing Excellence Awards each November. This year’s winners were honored on November 2 at ceremonies in Ballenger Village. Five nurses, all nominated by their peers, were recognized for the contributions they make at work and in the communities where they live. This year’s celebration marked the third time the selection process was a cooperative effort between union representatives and hospital nursing management. The winners were honored by their nurse managers in front of family, friends and employees from throughout the Medical Center.

“Many hospitals would be envious of the nursing care we have here at McLaren,” stated Donald Kooy, President and CEO of MRMC.

“You can see the results of our exceptional nursing care by the many regional and national patient safety and quality awards we have received.”

This year’s honorees are Michael Cox, RN, 12 Tower; Julie Goodrow, RN, Intensive Care Unit; Nicole Jones, RN, 10 Tower; Laura Sullilvan, RN, Intensive Care Unit; and Verlen Webb, RN, Rehab Unit.

“You are truly the unsung heroes at the bedside, and we owe you our gratitude,” stated Joan Maten, Vice President of Nursing at MRMC.

The five recipients are honored throughout the entire year. They are first selected in January and their photos are displayed in the hospital’s lobby. In the spring, they are nominated for the state-wide Nightingale Awards, sponsored by Oakland University. They are then recognized again in November, the month of Margaret McLaren’s birthday, at the Nursing Excellence Event.

This year’s Nursing Excellence program featured a surprise visit by JoNeil Smith, RN, a former MRMC Nurse Manager. JoNeil was chosen in 2006 among 5,000

applicants to work for the Center for Front Line Nursing Leadership in Washington, D.C. She gave a motivational presentation for the nursing staff in attendance stressing the importance of taking care of yourself.

McLaren Continues Tradition of Recognizing Nurses in Honor of Margaret McLaren

pictured L-R are four of this year’s nursing excellence winners Verlen Webb, Rn, Laura Sullivan, Rn, nicole Jones, Rn and Michael Cox, Rn.

Joneil Smith, Rn, a former MRMC nurse Manager

“You are truly the unsung heroes at the bedside, and we owe you our gratitude,” Joan Maten, Vice President of Nursing at MRMC

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McLaren Family Practice Residency hosted free memory screenings on Tuesday, November 13. Seventy-eight individuals concerned about memory problems signed up for a free memory screening as part of National Memory Screening Day, a national initiative of the Alzheimer’s Association of America. National Memory Screening Day promotes proper detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and successful aging.

“Early diagnosis of dementia is extremely important as the newer FDA approved “brain-protecting” drugs such as Aricept and others have been shown to slow the decline of this relentless disease,” said Barbara Mercer, M.D., family practice physician specializing in geriatric care on staff at McLaren. “We also recognize a milder memory loss disorder, called Mild Cognitive Impairment. Because these patients, while still fully functional have a significant risk to progress to dementia, early intervention is critical.”

Memory screenings are simple. They average 10 minutes to complete and consist of questions and tasks to assess memory. They do not diagnose an illness, but can indicate whether someone should follow up with a full medical exam. Proper diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related illness is essential to managing and treating the disease and planning for the future.

A subsequent medical exam may reveal the person has a reversible condition such as a vitamin deficiency or a thyroid problem, or an irreversible disorder like Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Warning signs of dementia include: forgetting people’s names and events, asking repetitive questions, loss of verbal or written skills, confusion over daily routines, and erratic mood swings.

Help for CaregiversThe Alzheimer’s Foundation has published information for those caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The

following information and other helpful information can be found at info@.alzfdn.org.

Due to the overwhelming response, McLaren Family Practice intends on offering the free memory screenings again next year, possibly expanding the number of days screenings are offered. The McLaren Family Practice Residency offers care for people of all ages, including obstetric care for women. New patients are welcome.

Call 733-9650 to schedule an appointment.

Screenings Promote Alzheimer’s Awareness

“Early diagnosis of dementia is extremely important as

the newer FDA approved

“brain-protecting” drugs, have

been shown to slow the decline of this relentless

disease,”Barbara Mercer, M.D.

Barbara Mercer, M.d.

Patrick Atkinson, Ph. D., has earned high marks from his students, earning him a top ranking on the RateMyProfessor.com website. Dr. Atkinson was recently recognized in a Flint Journal article as being among the top 50 professors in the national student poll. On a five-point scale, Atkinson earned an overall score of 4.9. Atkinson is a professor of mechanical engineering at Kettering University and Director of Orthopaedic Research at McLaren.

“I feel fortunate to work with many great instructors in both engineering and orthopaedics,” said Dr. Atkinson. “I have the unique perspective of spending half of my time instructing engineering students and half with orthopaedic residents, who come from very different educational backgrounds. This allows me to look at the problem of bioengineering from two views and target the problem.

His expertise is Biomechanical Engineering and more specifically Orthopaedic Biomechanics and Automotive Injury Biomechanics (Crash Safety). He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanics from Michigan State University and a B.S.M.E. from GMI Engineering and Management Institute.

Applause

patrick atkinson, ph. d.

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Mohammed Khader, M.D., a family practice specialist, has joined the medical staff at McLaren Regional Medical Center. He is seeing patients at McLaren Family Practice Residency, G-3245 Beecher Rd., Flint. Dr. Khader completed his residency at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint. He received his medical degree from Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai, India. Dr. Khader is accepting new patients. He can be reached by calling (810) 733-9650.

Welcome to the Medical StaffSunita Tummala, M.D., a board certified neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist, has joined the medical staff at McLaren Regional Medical Center. She is seeing patients at her office located at 5084 W. Pierson Rd., Flint. Dr. Tummala completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. She also completed her neurology residency at Henry Ford Hospital. She received her medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Dr. Tummala is accepting new patients. She can be reached at (810) 732-6464.

Dialysis Now Located on 4CIn-patient dialysis has settled in to their new location on 4 Central. The sun-filled suite features a centrally located nursing station, more beds and new water purification system. A member of the dialysis unit can be reached by calling 342-2175.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it...is to attend or sponsor this event and help fund the Child Evaluation Clinic housed at McLaren Regional Medical Center.

This is the region’s only clinic that provides medical and psychosocial examinations of children who are suspected victims of child sexual abuse. The Clinic serves a five-county region and works closely with area court systems, law enforcement agencies and the Child Advocacy Center in meeting this critical and growing need.

For more information, contact (810) 342-4475.

Connectiona monthly publication for employees and friends of McLaren Regional Medical Center.

donald Kooy, President and Ceo,McLaren Regional Medical Center

Managing editor: Laurie Prochazka,director of Marketing Communications

editor:ellen Peter, Marketing Communications Specialist

Contributing Writers:Sherry Stewart, ellen Peter, Laurie Prochazka, and contributions from McLaren employees

photography:ted Klopf, and contributions from McLaren employees

design:Shamiah Specht, graphic designer,McLaren Art department

printing:McLaren graphics department

We welcome comments, suggestions, and ideas: ellenp@mclaren.org or call (810) 342-4478

McLaren Regional Medical Center was a major sponsor of this year’s Senior Wellness Expo at the Holiday Inn Gateway Centre on Friday, October 26. The Medical Center featured the Spine Program, Joint Express Program, Diabetes Education Program, Case Management Services, and the “Ask the Expert” booth, staffed by Family Practice Residency physicians who answered questions and took blood pressure readings. McLaren was also represented by three speakers. Irene Houghton, RN, and Carol

Higgins, RN, discussed heart health and Adrienne Williams, Ph.D., shared tips on how to keep our memories strong as we age. The Senior Wellness Expo is designed to offer information that helps adults maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. The Expo included not only health screenings and flu shots, but demonstrations, speakers, and products geared toward anyone 50 and over actively seeking to improve their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

October 26: Senior

Wellness Expo

MISSON: McLaren Health Care, through its subsidiaries, will be Michigan’s best value in healthcare as defined by quality outcomes and cost.

Community Connection

pictured L-R: nancy Clifford Walsh, Rn, Social Worker, Lois Jefferson, Rn, Case

Manager and tahera azharuddin, M.d.,

were some of the McLaren employees who volunteered to

participate at this year’s Senior Wellness expo.

November 27

Blood Drive

Mark Your

Calendars!

Blood Drive The American Red Cross thanks all MRMC employees and visitors who donated blood at the recent blood drive held in Ballenger Auditorium on Thursday August 30. A total of 42 pints of blood were collected. The next blood drive at McLaren will be held on November 27.