healthy neighbors

7/29/2019 Healthy Neighbors

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FALL 2012

Reaching Out to the LGBT Community

Its dinner hour at Te SAGE Center in the Chelsea neighbor-

hood. Several women call out to another to join them at their

table. A man asks a young volunteer about the days vegetable.

Another pours over Te New York imes, lingering ater his

ternoon collage class. A ew riends discuss the SAGE Singers.

SAGE, which stands or Services and Advocacy or Gay, Lesbian,

isexual and ransgender Elders, is a national organization that oers

upportive services and consumer resources to LGB older adults and

heir caregivers, advocates or public policy, and provides training or

ging providers and LGB organizations. Tis center, which opened in

March 2012, provides a comprehensive array o services and programs

elated to arts and culture, tness, ood and nutrition, health and well-ess, and lielong education to LGB adults age 60 and over in New

York City, says Sarah Savino, manager o the center.

Mary Simmons, RN, a community health nurse at Beth Israel,

shown above, ar let), spends two aternoons a week at the center, in a

artnership between Beth Israel and SAGE. Ive taken time to get to

now everyone and provide some counseling on health issues and medi-

al management, says Ms. Simmons. Soon, Ill be doing programming

hat ocuses on topics o importance to the aging LGB community,

he adds.

When we opened the center, Beth Israel ran a health air or us

nd it was a big success, says om Weber, Director o Community

Services at SAGE (shown above, ar right). Tis is the kind o dyna

resource this center wants to be, he added, pointing out that the sen

citizen center model that was born in the 1960s hadnt evolved much

over the decades. Te mayor and the New York City Department

the Aging wanted to make senior citizen centers more impactul and

they unded 10 new ones. We are one o those 10 and the only ull-t

LGB senior center in the country, he explains.

Te city is not the only entity considering how to better serve the

needs o targeted populations. Barbara Warren, Director or LGB

Health Services at Beth Israel (shown above, second rom let), point

out that Beth Israels work with SAGE alls under the broader umbr

o the Destination Diversity Initiative across the entire ContinuumHealth System, o which Beth Israel is a part. Beth Israel is increasi

and improving our LGB health services in all settings, she says. W

believe our partnership with SAGE will be an excellent model or u

collaboration with other important organizations, too. l

lFor more information about Beth Israels commitment to the LGcommunity, please call 212.844.6389. For more informati

about The Sage Center, please call 646.576.8669 or visit

www.SageUSA.org/TheSageCenter.

EALTH NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER


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Message from the PresidentWith the arrival o all, so comes the fu season!

Please remember to get your annual infuenza or

fu shot. Now is the perect time or everyone older

han six months to receive this protective vaccine.

Te fu vaccine is sae. However, individuals who

re allergic to eggs, have had a reaction to a fu

accine in the past that required medical attention,

r have had a history o Guillain-Barr syndrome,

hould consult with their physicians.

Beth Israels Karpas Health Inormation Center

will be oering ree seasonal fu vaccines at Phillips

Ambulatory Care Center, 10 Union Square East,

Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Conerence

Center, 2nd foor. Please see Karpas Calendar insert

or complete schedule.Call 212.420.4247 to register

nd or more inormation.

Once you have made that essential appointment,

njoy another issue oHealthy Neighbors!You can

ee how Beth Israel Medical Center is reaching out

o and providing services or members o the LBGommunity, patients interested in bloodless surgery,

hose who seek treatment or hernias, and anyone

nterested in living a lie o wellness and health.

Remember, We are a lways here to help!

Harris M. Nagler, MD, FACS

resident, Beth Israel Medical Center

Bloodless Surgery for JoinReplacementMedical experts say that patients who receive blood transusions h

more complications and inections and an increased length o sta

the hospital. Choosing a bloodless approach to surgery makes g

medical sense or nearly everyone, explains Steven F. Harwin, M

Chie o otal Hip and Knee Replacement at Beth Israel.

More patients are opting or transusion-ree surgery simply to avoid complic

tions like transusion reactions, allergy and the remote chance o disease transmi

sion. For some patients, like Jehovahs Witnesses, their religious belies will not a

accepting blood or any reason. Diana Hector (shown below with Dr. Harwin) is

Jehovahs Witness and Dr. Harwins patient. Dr. Harwin replaced my hip in 20

I turned to him again a ew months ago to replace my knee because I knew he ha

the expertise and would respect my belies, she says.

Te Blood Management and Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program at

Beth Israel coordinates bloodless health care throughout the institution, encoura

pharmaceuticals, procedures and technologies to avoid the use o transused bloo

and its components. Experts estimate that 40 percent o transusions nationwide

unnecessary, says Sandra Gilmore, Director o the program.

Dr. Harwin uses a number o techniques to conserve blood, including boostin

iron in the patients blood beore surgery, using anesthetics that help lower blood

pressure, and meticulous operative techniques. Dr. Harwin doesnt rely on arbitr

trigger levels or postoperative transusions. I a patients hemoglobin level drops

there are no symptoms, we dont automatically transuse, he explains.Orthopedics at Beth Israel is one o several specialties that engages in bloodle

options. Our international reputation or excellence attracts people rom all ove

world who have an interest in blood management, says Ms. Gilmore.

With six kids, 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, Ms. Hector is h

to be among the thousands o Dr. Harwins patients who have had successula

bloodlesstotal hip and knee replacements. l

l For more information on The Blood Management and BloodlessMedicine and Surgery Program, please call 212.420.2430 or visit

http://www.chpnyc.org/services/BI_BloodlessMedicine.

Visit Beth Israels brand-new blog for health and

wellness information from our doctors, nurses and

ther health care professionals. Topics range from

urgery, yoga and high blood pressure to dietary

upplements, heart health and how to get your kids

o take their medication. Check out Health Bytes at

www.HealthBytesNYC.com.


3/4

WES SIDERS, AKE NOE!Beth Israel has just opened or will soon open the ollowing new

primary and specialty care locations in your neighborhood:

NOW OPEN! BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL GROUPWEST 14TH STREET

222 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011

212.604.1800

NOW OPEN! BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL GROUPWEST 23RD STREET

309 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011

212.352.2600

Please call the location nearest you or more inormation on hourservices and insurances accepted.l

Help or Hernia Suerersernias are one o the most common

perations in America, says

Michael Leitman, MD, FACS, Director

Beth Israels Hernia Center. Hernias

ccur when part o an internal organ bulges

hrough a weak area o muscle. Patientshould know that we can almost always treat

ernias on an outpatient basis with minimal-

y invasive techniques, minimal discomort

nd a quick return to normal lie activities.

I your hernias are more complicated

r you have a case o a recurrent hernia, we

an help. Our team o surgeons is expert in

iagnosing and treating all types o hernias,

rom the most common to the most complex.

Te small subsets o hernias that do require

more extensive surgeries are rare, but we

ave the ability to treat them and have great

esults, adds Dr. Leitman.

Te centers surgeons use a comprehen-

ve range o surgical procedures (including

obotic surgery and complex repairs done

multaneously with plastic and reconstructive

urgeons). Te experts also stay up-to-date

n the latest materials or repair, including

he latest synthetic mesh products. Te goal

o mesh repair surgery is to close the hole in

the muscle, with the mesh placed between

the layers o muscle to decrease the likelihood

that the hernia will come back over time. Te

mesh acts as a scaold to allow the body to

produce natural scar tissue in and around it to

keep the hole closed.

Te centers surgeons also work closely

with other specialists, such as those who care

or the digestive system or those who prov

sophisticated imaging tests, to provide you

best and most successul treatment plan o

your hernia type. l

H

Beth Israel Medical Center, along

with other members of Continuum

Hospitals of New York, has teamed

up with Te New York Daily Newsnd NBC-New York to provide

valuable health information to the

New York metropolitan community

via a multimedia platform. Visit

www.LiveWellNY.com for excellent

health tips and advice, as well as

more information on the program.

l To make an appointment with one of tsurgeons at the Beth Israel Hernia

Center, please call 212.844.1555.


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IsraelMedicalCenter

East16thStreet,Fl2York,NY10003

w.BethIsraelNY.org

NonproftOrg.

U.S.Postage

PAID

Permit#3109

NewYork,NY

Caution! Food-Drug Interactionsou may be rightly careul about drinking alcohol while on medi-

cation, but did you know that you should also consider what

ou eat? Sally S. Wong, PhD, RD, CDN, Clinical Nutrition Manager

t Beth Israel, outlines common unhealthy or dangerous ood-drug

nteractions you should know about. For instance, i you take:

Statins (Lipitor), avoid graperuit, which can dangerously multi-

ply the drugs eect. Blood thinners (Wafarin), be careul how oten you eat

Vitamin K-rich oods like green, leay vegetables. You dont have

to avoid these oods entirely, but you should eat a steady amount

so your doctor can ne-tune the medications dosage according

to your normal diet. You should, however, avoid cranberry

products, which interere with the drug.

Antibiotics, avoid graperuit, which can block the eect. For

some classes o antibiotics (Cipro, Avelox, tetracycline), calcium

also blocks the drug, so dont eat dairy products within two hours

o taking these antibiotics.

Blood pressure-lowering drugs (ACE inhibitors), be careul

how you eat potassium-rich oods like bananas, oranges and

green, leay vegetables. You may not have to avoid these oods

entirely, but because the drugs increase potassium in your body,

your doctor may want to guide you on whats a sae amount.

Anti-depressants (MAOI class),avoid oods rich in tyramine,

oten pickled, smoked, aged or preserved oods, such as aged

cheeses, sausages, wines, soy sauce, sauerkraut, caviar and organ

meat like liver. Tis interaction can cause a very dangerous hyper-

tensive crisis.

Bronchodilators(Ventolin, Albuterol),avoid caeine. Te c

bination can cause excitability, nervousness and racing heartb

HIV medications(saquinavir, ritonavir), avoid garlicky dish

and garlic supplements, which render the drug ineective.

Y

side:LGBThealth,treatingherniasandbloodlesssurgery.

Always ask your physician about what information you shou

know regarding your medications. For instance, some medic

tions should be eaten with foods and some taken on an emp

stomach. If you dont have a regular doctor, call 877.886.933

for a physician referral.

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