BIDMC News and Notes
11/20/2009 (10:33:51am)Tags: violence recovery Arab-Israeli conflictComments: (0)
Robi Damelin lives in Tel Aviv and lost her son to a sniper while he was on military reserve duty in March, 2002. Mazen Faraj lives in Bethlehem and lost his father in April 2002 when a member of the Israeli Defense Force mistook the bag of groceries for something else.
Damelin and Fraj channeled their grief into the Parents Circle-Families Forum, created in 1995 as a way to spearhead a reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Damelin and Faraj will tell their stories -- and their efforts to stop violence and bloodshed -- in a special forum sponsored by BIDMC's Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
The event is free and open to the public who RSVP by Dec. 11. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Margaret Brevig
11/20/2009 (9:43:22am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Amy Ship, a primary care physician at BIDMC, has been named this year's "Compassionate Caregiver" by the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center.
Ship's personal and professional story was highlighted at last night's annual awards gala in Boston and in a story on NECN.
11/18/2009 (4:14:13pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC neurologists Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, and Daniel Tarsy, MD, have been awarded grants totaling more than $1.5 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) to conduct investigations aimed at improving the quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease.
Pascual-Leone, Director of BIDMC's Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, will oversee a three-year $1.498 million grant to investigate the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy to control symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Tarsy, Director of BIDMC's Parkinson's Disease Center, will lead a study comparing two types of speech and voice therapy to determine which is more effective in treating the decreased voice volume experienced by many Parkinson's patients.
For more, click here.
11/17/2009 (9:57:13am)Tags: breast cancer mammographyComments: (0)
BIDMC oncology social worker Hester Hill offers her observations on U.S. Preventive Service Task Force's new recommendations to woman about mammography and breast self-examinations.
A quick summary:
"This is clearly very different from what we have all been told for years. It is, however, not so different from what doctors have known and what the evidence has demonstrated. Mammograms are not as good a screening test in younger women as they are for post-menopausal women. The reason for this is the difference in breast tissue; dense tissue makes it more difficult to read the scans."
11/16/2009 (3:06:04pm)Tags: cardiovascular care Thomson ReutersComments: (0)
BIDMC has earned a spot in the Thomson Reuters annual study identifying the 100 U.S. hospitals that set the nation's benchmarks for inpatient cardiovascular care.
The study examined the performance of 971 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients diagnosed with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery or percutaneous cardiovascular interventions (PCI) such as angioplasties.
The study, in its 11th year, found the top performing hospitals perform over 50 percent more cardiac surgeries than peer hospitals.
For more details, click here.
11/12/2009 (3:23:11pm)Tags: quality top hospital patient safetyComments: (0)
Atrius Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are expanding their relationship to establish a new model of health care delivery between a large ambulatory multi-specialty practice and a leading academic medical center, according to Gene Lindsey, MD, president and CEO of Atrius Health.
The boards of directors from Atrius and BIDMC both voted Wednesday evening to build the expanded relationship.
For more details on what this will mean, click here.
11/9/2009 (1:10:25pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Emergency preparedness is the watchword at all health care facilities these days.
Go behind the scenes with the BIDMC Emergency Management Team as it held its first full-scale decontamination drill at night, simulating the Emergency Department response to a "dirty bomb" explosion at a nearby college campus.
11/9/2009 (12:44:44pm)Tags: archives Ruth FreimanComments: (0)
Long before BIDMC was born in 1996, Beth Israel and New England Deaconess hospitals were leaders in health care with a long history of personalized patient care and community service.
That history has been carefully preserved in an archives maintained by one of the hospital's longest serving staff members. Archivist Ruth Freiman has held the job for 30 years, following 20 years of service as a volunteer.
The BIDMC Board of Directors recently honored her commitment by designating the Ruth and David Freiman Archives at BIDMC. Dr. David Freiman was the former Chief of Pathology at Beth Israel Hospital and assisted with the development of the archives during his retirement.
Take a tour of the archives with this remarkable woman.
11/4/2009 (1:33:14pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC has instituted new patient and visitor guidelines and restrictions to help protect the medical center's most vulnerable patients - and everyone - now that the flu has become widespread.
Visitors with symptoms of the flu are asked to delay their visits until they are well. Areas of the hospital that care for patients most vulnerable to the flu have instituted the most stringent guidelines. For example, on many of our floors, children under 12 are no longer allowed to visit.
Visit the Flu Facts page on bidmc.org for updated guidelines and restrictions as well as tips on fighting the flu, caring for someone with the flu and when to call a doctor.
11/4/2009 (1:31:29pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Here's a moving story about a young auto accident victim and a remarkable recovery, made possible in part by the trauma team at BIDMC.
10/28/2009 (10:37:55am)Tags: hand hygiene infection controlComments: (0)
BIDMC's latest effort to improve hand hygiene is a contest among units to see who can score the highest in terms of compliance.
BIDMC Bowl-a-rama (Knock Down the Germs) is highlighted in this post on the OSHA Health Care Advisor blog.
10/27/2009 (12:08:24pm)Tags: NIH transplant carbon monoxideComments: (0)
Leo Otterbein, PhD, a scientist in the Division of Transplantation at BIDMC whose novel research has revealed medical applications for carbon monoxide gas, has been awarded a $1.4 million, four-year EUREKA grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The award will enable Otterbein to continue to study the underlying biology behind this seemingly paradoxical idea and, if successful, could lead to new therapies for a range of medical applications from adjunct cancer treatments to fighting bacterial infections to helping kidney-transplant patients avoid organ rejection.
An acronym for Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration, EUREKA grants are part of an initiative unveiled last year by the NIH to fund innovative research and test new, unconventional ideas.
To learn more about Otterbein's work, click here.
10/27/2009 (11:49:24am)Tags: RFID pumps technologyComments: (0)
Instead of a floor by floor search of the hospital it recently only took two elevator rides and a walk across Brookline Avenue to track down a missing medication delivery pump.
"I renamed RFID to Really Finds Infusion Devices," David Mangan, a clinical pharmacist supervisor, says with a laugh.
RFID actually stands for Radio Frequency Identification. All of BIDMC new pumps feature this tracking device. Mangan had loaned one pump to a floor to practice accessing the medication library. But the test pump had accidentally gone into general circulation, and Mangan quickly alerted Clinical Engineering.
"We were not concerned for patient safety about this pump being in general circulation," Mangan says. "The medication library on this pump was accurate, but set up differently than what nurses are used to."
It took technology toordinator Pam Dicapua and Clinical Engineering Manager Dick Hatch, Manager 30 minutes to locate the pump thanks to RFID.
Hatch says the RFID tags on each pump send out a signal to access points around the hospital, pinpointing the floor a particular pump is on. If this system had not been in place, Clinical Engineering staff would have had to manually search each of the medical center's 1,275 pumps.
"This saved us from searching through two million square feet of office space," Mangan says.
For realizing the test pump had gone into general circulation, Mangan was honored by BIDMC's Board of Directors during their Oct. 21 meeting.
To lean more about the "Caller Outer of the Month," click here.
10/26/2009 (2:36:13pm)Tags: breast cancer mammographyComments: (0)
There is a new digital mammography van now in Boston - one of the first such digital mobile vans in the country - thanks to the support of national and local foundations and businesses,
The vans are scheduled at several BIDMC-affiliated health centers including the Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester.
In 2002, the City of Boston launched the Mayor's Cancer Crusade that included the purchase of a mammography van to offer breast screenings at local health centers. Operated by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the program has provided more than 25,000 mammograms to 11,000 women, 60 percent of whom speak a language other than English. Sixty confirmed diagnoses of breast cancer have been made and thousands of women have benefited from breast health education programs.
10/26/2009 (11:26:39am)Tags: obstetrics gynecology community healthComments: (0)
The South Cove Community Health Center offered a warm welcome to Dr. John Yeh, the newly appointed Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the hospital affiliate of SCCHC, where more than 300 Asian-American babies are born each year.
Among those on hand were, from left: Hee Man Chie, MD, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, SCCHC; John Yeh, MD Chief OB/GYN, BIDMC; Helen Chin Schlichte, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, BIDMC; Steven Tang, MD Board member, SCCHC; April Tang; Board member, SCCHC; Board of Overseers, BIDMC; Cindy Chen Board member, SCCHC.
For more on the visit, click here.
10/23/2009 (1:00:37pm)Tags: intensive care patient-centered care qualityComments: (0)
BIDMC has been honored by an international group of critical care specialists for its work to improve the experience of patients and family members in intensive care units (ICUs).
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), with 14,000 members in 80 countries, named BIDMC the winner of the 2010 Family-Centered Care Award, given annually to one hospital or ICU to "recognize innovation that improves the care provided to critically ill and injured patients and their families."
To learn more, click here.
10/21/2009 (4:12:54pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC has been named to the 2009 Harvard Pilgrim Hospital Honor Roll, which includes hospitals whose performance was among the top 25 percent of those measured nationally on a set of composite quality metrics.
For more information, click here.
10/21/2009 (3:54:15pm)Tags: surgery science educationComments: (0)
Students at Madison Park and Brookline high schools recently got a chance to view surgery up close and personal.
The classes taught by Julie Joyal Mowschenson, RN, combines classroom lessons with putting the theory into action by running simulated medical cases on a robotic patient at Harvard Medical School.
For more, click here. And to see the Boston Globe's coverage, click here.
10/16/2009 (12:34:34pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC geneticist John Rinn, PhD, whose research has helped uncover a new class of RNA, has been named to this year's "Brilliant 10" list of top young scientists by Popular Science magazine. The list appears in the magazine's November issue.
Check out Rinn's accomplishments and those of his nine other brilliant colleagues.
10/16/2009 (12:28:28pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC has been honored with an Institutional Leadership Award from MassEcon, a private, non-profit partnership of business, industry leaders, and government dedicated to fostering economic growth in the Commonwealth.
The award will be presented at a Nov. 24 luncheon that will also recognize 17 other companies from across the state. The Sixth Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Award is the only event of its kind in Massachusetts recognizing companies for their outstanding contributions to the Massachusetts economy.
To learn more, click here.
10/13/2009 (1:42:41pm)Tags: research NIHComments: (0)
BIDMC has been awarded $38.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
BIDMC scientists received a total of 69 grants across all medical-center departments, including surgery, neurology, pathology and a wide swath of divisions within the Department of Medicine including cardiology, hematology/oncology, nephrology, gastroenterology and geriatrics.
For more details, click here.
10/13/2009 (1:30:05pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Clifford B. Saper, MD, PhD, Chairman of BIDMC's Department of Neurology has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Saper is one of the country's leading neuroscientists studying the brain circuitry that controls basic physiologic functions. His work has greatly extended the understanding of the body's wake-sleep cycles, brain responses to immune stimulation, and the brain's control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and has helped lead to advances in treating sleep disorders, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute is one of four distinguished organizations that make up the National Academies, which provide scientific and technological advice to the nation.
For more, click here.
10/13/2009 (1:12:38pm)Tags: flu emergency careComments: (0)
BIDMC emergency room physicians Peter Smulowitz and Stephen Epstein have been discussing a new poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians that expresses concern about readiness for an H1N1 outbreak.
Smulowitz tells WCVB-TV that pandemic planning should continue with the idea that all hospitals are prepared for a worst-case scenario.
And Epstein repeats the message on WBZ-AM, along with some common sense tips on how to care for yourself.
10/8/2009 (3:41:30pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC's men (and women) in blue have gone green.
When Chief Operating Officer Eric Buehrens and Facilities Senior Vice President Walter Armstrong discovered that Public Safety was in the market for a new vehicle, they asked Chief Chris Casey to check out a hybrid model.
"I talked with my lieutenants and agreed that it could be a win-win," Casey said. "We would get a much needed second car while meeting a medical center goal to go green for energy savings and emissions reduction."
Casey worked with BIDMC's Sustainability Coordinator, Amy Lipman. She estimates the Ford Fusion hybrid will save the medical center $1,300 a year in gas.
"The new strategic plan includes a hybrid replacement policy," Lipman said. "As we replace existing cars, we hope to replace them with hybrids. Because we do a lot of around-town driving and idling, the kind of driving where hybrids are at their best and traditional cars are at their worst, hybrids are a much better fit for us."
10/8/2009 (3:30:48pm)Tags: Red Sox first aidComments: (0)
At the heart of BIDMC's relationship with the Red Sox is the skill, enthusiasm and commitment to service that a team of BIDMC staff brings to every home game.
Last Saturday, representatives of that team - BIDMC First Aid - took to the field during pre-game ceremonies and received a hearty cheer from Fenway fans before the start of the game against the Cleveland Indians.
"The First Aid team has had a busy year, not only having the Red Sox games, but five concerts as well," said Sue Pacheco, RN, and leader of the First Aid team.
Some Fenway First Aid Facts
*Thirty BIDMC nurses, physicians and technicians from the Emergency Department, the post-anesthesia care unit, intensive care units and operating rooms rotate through the First Aid and the Green Monster stations for all home games - including the upcoming play-offs.
*Staff receive anywhere from 25 to 70 visits per game at the First Aid station. Last year more than 2,000 patrons were treated with almost 200 transferred to BIDMC.
*Staff treats cuts, injuries from foul balls and heat related illness to name a few.
10/5/2009 (12:36:18pm)Tags: pathology educationComments: (0)
Pathology residents at BIDMC are going to be learning a lot -- about themselves.
A new course will let them learn about genetic tests marketed to consumers, by testing their own DNA in search of genes linked to various illnesses.
The Boston Globe's full story is here.
10/5/2009 (12:25:56pm)Tags: BID-Needham fluComments: (0)
While the Dimock Center, the BIDMC-affliated community health center in Roxbury, offered a free flu shot clinic on Saturday, BID-Needham officially cut the ribbon on a new emergency room and 20 additional beds that may come in handy during flu season.
Check out the WCVB-TV story that includes an interview with Dimock and BIDMC doc Hope Ricciotti, as well as Needham CEO Jeff Liebman and chief nursing officer Penny Greenberg.
10/2/2009 (3:48:50pm)Tags: Red Sox back spasmsComments: (0)
Hearts may be beating a little easier around New England with word that Josh Beckett appears to have his back spasms under control.
BIDMC physical therapist Kathy Shillue talks to Gary Gillis about what causes back spasms and how they are treated in the latest installment of Red Sox Health News.
10/1/2009 (5:21:23pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
NECN took a tour of the $30 million expansion at BID-Needham, which includes a new, bigger emergency department and 20 new patient rooms.
Check it out -- and stop by the grand opening on Saturday.
9/30/2009 (1:33:04pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
For a second year in a row, BIDMC has been named an American Heart Association Gold Start! Fit-Friendly Company.
The medical center achieved gold status by recognizing the importance of a healthy workplace for staff and by offering ways to get physically fit.
"This award recognizes BIDMC's continued commitment to enhancing the health of their employees through innovative wellness programs that promote a more active and healthy lifestyle," said Jenifer Babineau, Fitness and Wellness Manager, Tanger Be Well Center. "BIDMC supports employees in these efforts by increasing heart healthy menu options in the cafeterias, subsidizing membership to the Tanger Be Well Center and providing a smoke free work environment."
Adult Americans spend the majority of their waking hours at work, many in sedentary careers - amplifying the risk for medical problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Obesity alone costs American businesses $12.7 billion in medical expenses and $225.8 billion in health-related productivity losses per year.
Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program participants implement various options to encourage physical activity, nutrition and culture enhancements such as on-site walking routes, healthy food options in cafeterias and vending machines, annual employee health risk assessments and online tracking tools.
9/28/2009 (2:39:28pm)Tags: workforce development Comments: (0)
A recent after-work event to celebrate the work of BIDMC staff participating in classes and other activities to further their careers was a welcome break for busy students. But for some the celebration was brief - they were gearing up for class at 6 p.m. that very night.
It was typical of the juggling of school, work, family and more that marks the lives of the 350 BIDMC and New England Baptist Hospital staff members participating in the Employee Career Initiative (ECI).
To learn more, click here.
9/28/2009 (12:44:57pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
It seems like a small thing for most men -- and it is. Until you get older.
While some of the testing methods are unpleasant, the failure to be aware of the health of your prostate can lead to other, more uncomfortable consequences.
That's why Drs. Martin Sanda and Andrew Wagner discuss prostate awareness with Gary Gillis in the latest installment of Red Sox Health News.
9/25/2009 (1:20:24pm)Tags: Red Sox BIDMCComments: (0)
Normally, BIDMC staff are at Fenway Park standing by as part of the medical team or in the stands thanks to the $5 ticket program. But on a sunny, warm September afternoon, four teams of 10 staff members found themselves studying their line-ups before walking out to a play softball on the field of dreams.
But as the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox and Red Sox Nation, BIDMC staff are invited to play an afternoon of softball in the outfield each summer. Since the original game was rained out in July, the lucky team members got to live their dreams this week.
For a photo slide show of the afternoon, click here.
For a video, click here.
9/25/2009 (11:50:27am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham is poised to formally take the wraps off a $30 million expansion that includes a new emergency department and 20 state-of-the-art patient rooms.
To get a flavor of the addition, click here. And to read the Needham Times' coverage, click here.
9/25/2009 (11:37:00am)Tags: pain Red SoxComments: (0)
With the baseball playoffs looming, the Patriots in full swing and Bruins and Celtics seasons just around the corner, athletes, injuries and pain is becoming a major focus for many fans.
Dr. Zahid Bajwa a pain specialist and Director of Education and Clinical Pain Research at BIDMC's Arnold Pain Center, talks to Gary Gillis about ways that athletes -- and all oof us -- can deal with pain.
9/24/2009 (1:02:17pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The BIDMC Board of Directors has honored three people for their leadership and service.
Sharon Wright, MD, Jane Mataw and Howard Wolk were recognized at the annual meetings of the BIDMC boards. To get the details, click here,
9/24/2009 (12:58:45pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Stephen Kay of Chestnut Hill has been elected chair of the Board of Directors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, retuning to a post he last held at the former Beth Israel Hospital.
To learn more about the new chairman -- as well as additions to the bpoards of trustees and overseers, click here.
9/22/2009 (9:51:03am)Tags: primary care patientsComments: (0)
National Public Radio took a look at a trial underway at BIDMC and two other hospitals that would enable patients to see the notes their doctors right about them.
Funded through a $1.4 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Pioneer Portfolio, the 12-month OpenNotes© Project will bring together approximately 100 primary care physicians and 25,000 patients to evaluate the impact on both patients and physicians of sharing the comments and observations made by physicians after each patient encounter.
Physicians and patients at Geisinger Health Systems in Pennsylvania and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle will also participate in the 12-month trial.
9/16/2009 (2:29:11pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC honored Lois E. Silverman's accomplishments as she concludes her four-year tenure as the hospital's first female chair of the Board of Directors with a celebration at the Mandarin Oriental.
Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart was a surprise special guest at an event that also included the traditional bestowing of a ceremonial white coat. All llving former board chairs joined in the ceremony.
The gala also featured a "white coat" ceremony, where Silverman was joined by all living past board chairs. The group includes:
Back row, from left: John Hamill, New England Deaconess Hospital, 1991-1994; Robert M. Melzer, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1999-2002; Eliot I. Snider, Beth Israel Hospital, 1983-1985; Carl S. Sloane, BIDMC, 2002-2005; Alan W. Rottenberg, BIDMC, 1996-1999.
Front row: Edward H. Linde, BIH, 1989-1991; Edward I. Rudman, BIH 1992-1994; Silverman; Norman B. Leventhal, BIH, 1979-1982; Stephen B. Kay, BIH, 1994-1996 and incoming BIDMC 2009.
To read more, click here.
9/16/2009 (1:55:56pm)Tags: health care costs Mitchell RabkinComments: (0)
Dr. Mitchell Rabkin, CEO emeritus of the former Beth Israel Hospital -- and an active Havard Medical School professor -- takes a look at some of the problems any effort to reform our nation's health care system will face.
In an op-ed in today's Washington Post, Rabkin and John S. Cook point to two major flaws that need to be addressed:
-Fee-for-service payment. This worked reasonably well decades ago when there was less to know, less the physician could do, and less he or she could charge for. But with the abundance of technologies and treatment possibilities now available, fee-for-service is inflationary and will continue to be so. This is becoming widely recognized, but few have come up with effective ways to deal with our nation's ever-rising cost.
-In general, physicians are not accountable for cost. The actions for containing costs are largely in the hands of the insurers. Payment policies, shaped pretty much by Medicare, give insurers the decision on what to pay for and what not, and how much to pay. That has neither controlled inappropriate rise in health care costs nor cut down on unnecessary care.
9/16/2009 (1:40:11pm)Tags: kidney cancer NCIComments: (0)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) an $11.5 million, five-year SPORE grant to focus on cancers of the kidney.
Michael Atkins, MD, Deputy Director of BIDMC's Division of Hematology/Oncology, will oversee the grant, which involves collaborations with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital via the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.
As the only NCI-funded SPORE focused on cancers of the kidney, this grant aims to improve detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of kidney cancer, which affects about 54,000 Americans each year and causes approximately 14,000 deaths.
SPORE grants (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) are designed to promote interdisciplinary and translational research that rapidly moves scientific discoveries to a clinical setting to directly benefit patients. This grant is a renewal of a previous $13.3 million kidney cancer SPORE awarded to Atkins and his team of collaborators in 2003.
For more detail, click here.
9/15/2009 (4:57:22pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Sunday's second annual Reason to Ride bike-a-thon was "a marvelous success," according to founder Tom DesFosses of Peabody.
And marvelous success might be an understatement. The event, which raises funds for cancer research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, has raised more than $40,000 so far, with donations still arriving - more than twice as much as last year.
You can read the full Salem News account here.
9/14/2009 (2:19:33pm)Tags: Heart Walk CVIComments: (0)
BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute team broke past records and raised more than $30,000 for the American Heart Association's cardiovascular research and education programs at the annual Heart Walk Saturday, Sept. 12.
In the CVI tent prior to the walk, Red Sox pitching ace Luis Tiant signed autographs and encouraged the more than 100 team while the walkers mingled.
9/11/2009 (9:35:05am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC researcher Jack Lawler enjoys working at the basic level of science. The pathologist and his lab work at teasing out the various mysteries of a family of proteins known as TSPs, or thrombospondins, which could provide pathways to helping in specific medical research areas, such as heart disease, arthritis, wound healing, and cancer.
They will be able to a lot more than to a $711,148 grant Recovery Act grant from the National Heart Lung Blood Iinsstute's Division of Intramural Research, Cell Biology and Physiology Center.
To learn more, including a video of Lawler, click here.
9/11/2009 (8:24:53am)Tags: media health care reformComments: (0)
Cleaning out my e-mail I found this excellent link to a Newshour with Jim Lehrer discussion about how the media are covering the debate over health care.
Panelists include Roger Sergel of ABC News, Trudi Lieberman of the Columbia Journalism Review and Tom Rosensteil of Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Check it out here.
9/10/2009 (2:03:59pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Carolyn Bernstein, MD, a specialist in headache medicine, has joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a full-time member of the Arnold Pain Center.
Bernstein joins the departments of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine and Neurology from Cambridge Health Alliance, where she was the Director of the Women's Headache Center and a staff neurologist for 18 years.
9/10/2009 (11:33:29am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC President and CEO Paul Levy has some thoughts on how the nation will be able to afford health care reform.
Writing for the New York Times, Levy says broader access cannot be paid for without additional costs.
It's a theme he follows through on in an interview on NECN.
9/10/2009 (11:23:56am)Tags: neurology multiple sclerosisComments: (0)
BIDMC researchers have found the virus responsible for PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) can be reactivated in multiple sclerosis patients being treated with natalizumab (Tysabri).
The findings appear in today's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
PML is a rare brain disease that typically affects AIDS patients and other individuals with compromised immune systems.
For more on the study, click here. For a look at some coverage, click here.
9/10/2009 (9:31:56am)Tags: Red Cross 9/11 Red SoxComments: (1)
BIDMC and the Red Sox are teaming up with the American Red Cross for the annual 9/11 Blood Drive.
From 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET at Fenway, or 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Boston City Hall, you will have the opportunity to remember and honor those we lost on 9/11 by giving others an opportunity to survive.
If coming into Boston isn't convenient, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to find a location near you.
And for more on the Red Sox perspective, click here.
9/9/2009 (4:05:42pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Laurence A. Turka, MD, an international leader in the fields of transplantation immunology and transplantation research, will join the faculty of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, effective Nov. 1.
Turka comes to BIDMC from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Medicine, where he is the C. Mahlon Kline Professor of Medicine and formerly Chief of the Department's Renal Division. A distinguished leader in the field of immune tolerance research, Turka serves as a Deputy Director of the Immune Tolerance Network, an NIH-funded consortium of researchers working together to establish new treatments for diseases of the immune system. As editor-in-chief of the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), Turka is also a prominent voice in clinical and translational research.
To learn more, click here.
9/9/2009 (3:29:40pm)Tags: LGBT agingComments: (0)
Aging, health and wellness in the LGBT community is the topic of a forum scheduled for Monday Sept. 21 at the Fenway Community Health Center from 5-8 p.m.
AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen will be the keynote speaker at the forum co-sponsoted by BIDMC, Hebrew SeniorLife, Fenway Health, Stonewall Communities and the LGBT Aging Project.
The forum will address key health issues facing LGBT people as they age and is specifically focused on health care providers.
Hansen will discuss LGBT aging, diversity and health care reform, followed by a panel discussion addressing medical health and aging, an LGBT consumer's perspective, gender and identity expression and housing and social service options for the LGBT community.
Continuing education contact hours will be provided for nurses, social workers and physicians.
The forum will be held at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. There is limited seating and parking is available on a first come first served basis.
For more information or to register, please RSVP online at www.fenwayhealth.org/LGBTaging or call Alice Cohen at 617-927-6170.
9/2/2009 (5:08:08pm)Tags: diabetes wound careComments: (0)
Researchers in the Division of Podiatry at BIDMC and the Doctor's Research Network of South Miami have found a direct correlation between a diabetic patient's ability to heal a wound and their blood sugar control.
The study prospectively followed 458 diabetic patients with open foot ulcerations and tracked their hemoglobin A1C, a long term measure of blood sugar control.
Based on this long term study, the researchers proved for the first time that Hemoglobin A1C does in fact have a direct bearing on wound healing.
To learn more, click here.
9/2/2009 (5:05:12pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Tone deafness is the result of bad wiring in a person's brain, according to a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
The study's lead author, Psyche Loui, studies music and the brain at BIDMC and Harvard Medical School. She joins WNYC Radio's "Soundcheck."
To hear the interview, click here.
8/31/2009 (5:07:30pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Appropriately selected prostate cancer patients, including older men and men with small, low-risk tumors, may safely defer treatment for many years with no adverse consequences.
That's according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). Led by researchers at (BIDMC), the study appears online today.
To learn more, click here.
8/21/2009 (3:53:41pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
First jobs have a way of shaping and molding people in unexpected ways - just ask any of the 36 summer interns who took positions throughout the medical center thanks to BIDMC's Office or Workforce Development. Many of the self-admittedly "shy" students found the immersion into real office work a groundbreaking life event.
To hear more about their experiences, click here.
8/21/2009 (3:47:17pm)Tags: cancer depression Red SoxComments: (0)
When Red Sox color man Jerry Remy made his first appearance in the NESN broadcast booth since this spring, you knew that the smile that lit up your face was simultaneously shared with tens of thousands who tune in to Sox games.
For months, legions of Rem Dawg's fans had missed his wonderful, easy humor and wise baseball insights. But we had also wondered and worried whether his absence from the booth was connected to the lung cancer for which he had surgery last year. As it turns out, what kept Jerry Remy away from the game was depression and yes, it was connected to his cancer.
To hear BIDMC clincians talk about depression and cancer, click here.
8/19/2009 (11:54:52am)Tags: Red Sox back pain Tim WakefieldComments: (0)
BIDMC Spine Center Co-Director Kevin McGuire, MD, tries to break down the various ailments that can cause back pain, particularly as we get older.
A case in point: Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
8/19/2009 (11:15:24am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham has been recognized for its commitment and success in implementing a high standard of stoke care with the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke ¬Gold Performance Achievement Award. The hospital won the award last year as well.
To learn more, click here.
8/17/2009 (3:22:30pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BOSTON -- The American Red Cross, Boston Red Sox, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have joined together for the 7th Annual September 11th Day of Remembrance Blood Drive.
Locally, Day of Remembrance Blood Drives will be held at Fenway Park, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Boston City Hall from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To watch a video, click here. For more information, click here.
8/13/2009 (11:09:30am)Tags: arthritis exerciseComments: (0)
For 11 years, exercise physiologist Marlene DaCosta has been creating exercise regimes for people with arthritis and many other health issues at BIDMC's Tanger Be Well Center. She knows what it's like for them. She has osteoarthritis in her right hip and has had lupus for 18 years - and she exercises most days of the week to control her conditions.
Read more about her and training regimes in this week's Bay State Banner.
8/13/2009 (10:58:06am)Tags: cardiac nutritionComments: (0)
You don't have to feel quite so bad scarfing down that chocolate.
Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about three fold compared to those who never touch the stuff, scientists have reported.
BIDMC primary care physician Ken Mukamal, whose research looks at the plusses and minuses of alcohol and tea among other things, says this something unique to chocolate.
"It was specific to chocolate -- we found no benefit to sweets in general."
For more details, click here.
8/11/2009 (10:01:18am)Tags: obstetrics gynecologyComments: (0)
John Yeh, MD, has joined BIDMC as the new Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The appointment represents a homecoming for Yeh who was a resident in Ob/Gyn at the Beth Israel Hospital in the mid-‘80s.
Yeh comes to BIDMC from the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, where he has served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics since 2000. A sub-specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Yeh has authored or coauthored more than 200 articles, review articles, conference proceedings and abstracts.
He currently serves on the editorial boards of several journals. In May of 2009, Yeh received one of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's highest national honors, the "Distinguished Service Award."
To learn more, click here.
8/10/2009 (10:35:56am)Tags: World War II HolComments: (0)
Doctors in the Lodz ghetto in Poland during World War II often gave their patients one thing that proved indispensable -- even when the tools of their trade were missing,
To understand the importance of hope, check out this story in today's Globe.
8/10/2009 (10:19:00am)Tags: music health careComments: (0)
The Boston Globe profiles Dr. Mache Seibel, who practiced obstetrics and gynecology at at BIDMC -- including performing the state's first successful in vitro fertilization.
Seibel left the doctor's office for the recording studio, in 2003, founding HealthRock. He now writes, performs, and records songs for children and adults that aim to do for health what School House Rock did for math and English: use a catchy tune to get valuable information stuck in people's heads.
To read a fuller interview, click here.
8/7/2009 (2:02:30pm)Tags: Triggers rapid responseComments: (0)
Why does a patient take a sudden turn for the worse? BIDMC physician Michael Howell, the director of critical care quality, has just won a prestigious grant to try to figure that out.
Howell is one of 20 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars -- and the only one in Massachusetts. His three-year, $300,000 grant is aimed at finding signs that suggest a patient's potential need for emergent reactive care and designing a system to provide that care.
For more details, click here.
8/5/2009 (6:07:31pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
As President Obama and Congress weigh changes in the nation’s health care system they must avoid creating a system where physicians are financially motivated to pressure patients into mandated treatments that conflict with their values and needs, two Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center physicians warn.
Writing in the Aug. 6 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, Pamela Hartzband, MD, and Jerome Groopman, MD, caution that health care reform carries with it the potential to create a clash between two recent trends in medicine – the humanism movement that focuses on individual values, goals and preferences – and the move toward evidence-based practice where data and guidelines standardize therapies and procedures.
For more, click here.
7/31/2009 (1:16:03pm)Tags: cancer researchComments: (0)
A new research laboratory established at BIDMC will enable cancer specialists to characterize molecular abnormalities in individual melanomas and help physicians provide more personalized treatment and clinical research approaches.
The Michael Egan Memorial Research Laboratory for Melanoma Translational Research was established in part through a $100,000 gift from BJ's Wholesale Club.
The lab will chiefly serve to genetically classify tumors from patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma. Specifically, analyses will be performed on patient tumor tissue to evaluate for the presence of cancer-causing mutations of genes.
Egan was the chief executive officer of TransMolecular Inc., an oncology-focused biotechnology company in Cambridge and husband of BJ's Wholesale Club President & CEO Laura Sen, and had been a patient of Atkins.
For more, click here.
7/31/2009 (1:09:04pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The 37,000 square foot addition to BID-Needham will not officially open until the fall. But a sneak peak of the new emergency room, MRI suite and private, patient rooms is available in three-part video series.
Click here for First Impressions, as BID-Needham President and CEO Jeff Liebman explains the reasons behind the first expansion at the hospital in more than 35 years.
Click here to watch how the construction will change Needham's Emergency Department.
The third and final video explores the 20 new, state-of-the-art private patient rooms.
7/29/2009 (1:16:05pm)Tags: scoliosis spine surgeryComments: (0)
Nice update on the progress our own Rhonda Mann is making as she recovers from complicated spinal surgery from Dr. Paul Glazer.
The story notes that one benchmark of Rhonda's progress is that she can sit through a full Red Sox game without pain.
To learn more, click here.
7/23/2009 (2:51:56pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC physician and researcher Dan Barouch has some thoughts about why the STEP trial to test the efficacy of a HIV vaccine was disbanded.
Writing in study in the advanced online version of Nature Medicine, Barouch and his team rules out a leading explanation for adverse events.
To learn more, click here.
7/21/2009 (4:42:17pm)Tags: quality top hospital patient safetyComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is among three hospitals nationally to be recognized for their leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care.
The 2009 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® was awarded to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., which will receive $75,000. BIDMC was honored as the finalist and will receive $12,500. Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, received the Citation of Merit.
BIDMC was cited for its goal of eliminating all preventable harm by 2012 and for emphasizing leadership and transparency to help the hospital move toward that important goal. The award notes BIDMC's strong values of reliability, safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness and equity are reinforced throughout the organization.
To learn more, please click here.
7/21/2009 (12:44:57pm)Tags: Red Sox hand surgeryComments: (0)
Ever wish you could make that bare-handed stab of a home run (or foul ball) at Fenway Park? Wish again.
BIDMC orthopedic surgeon Charles Day makes a great case for wearing a glove before trying to make yourself or your child happy with a Major League souvenir.
To learn more, click here.
7/21/2009 (12:26:07pm)Tags: alcohol obesityComments: (0)
Does gender make a difference in how you deal with the calories from alcoholic beverages? A BIDMC researcher says it might.
Dr. Ken Mukamal tells US News & World Report it appears that men who drink more have a higher overall caloric intake -- that is, they don't compensate for the alcohol calories by eating less. Women who drink, however, tend to simply replace food calories with alcohol-maybe skipping their usual dessert, for example, to make up for a predinner drink.
To learn more, click here.
7/21/2009 (12:16:30pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC once again placed in the company of the top hospitals in the United States, according to the latest edition of the US News & World Report "Best Hospitals" edition.
For details, click here.
7/10/2009 (2:09:54pm)Tags: ALS Red SoxComments: (0)
BIDMC and the Boston Red Sox teamed up to host 25 ALS patients last Saturday, the 70th anniversary of the day Yankess slugger Lou Gehrig revealed he had the disease that has come to be named after him.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive nervous system disorder that gradually destroys the nerves responsible for muscle movement. The cause of ALS is unknown and there is currently no cure although medications, therapy and support are available. Walking, balance and swallowing are all challenges for patients.
The commemoration took place in Major League Baseball venues across the country to raise awareness of ALS and research to combat this disease. Players wore "4 ALS" patches on their uniforms.
7/10/2009 (1:59:31pm)Tags: students careersComments: (0)
BIDMC hosted nine student interns this year, giving them exposure to health care jobs and a taste of what it's like to work in an administrative, business or clinical role in an academic medical center.
The internships, offered through partnerships with various organizations in the City of Boston, provides academic school year.
To learn more about the programs and their participants, click here.
7/9/2009 (10:22:03am)Tags: surgery Comments: (0)
An unassuming, pastel-colored ceramic jar sits on a desk outside the operating rooms on BIDMC's west campus. A closer look reveals that this jar is a piggy bank, used for taking bad words and turning them into good deeds.
"I'm the swear patrol. I call them N.G. words for no good," said Heidee Albano, RN, who originally used a small cup to make cussing co-workers pay per profanity. "Every swear is accepted."
The OR nurse, originally from the Philippines, has been serving as the "swear patrol" since coming to the medical center in 1987. She began collecting a quarter per swear in 2007, promising staff a pizza party with the proceeds.
In November 2008, she read an article in the Boston Globe about a little Haitian boy whose family had sold their sole source of income - two cows - in order to pay for his vital brain surgery. The story inspired Albano to instead dedicate the proceeds of the "swear jar" to purchasing a new cow for the family.
To learn more, click here.
7/9/2009 (9:55:11am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC clinicians, researchers and administrators have been in the news these days.
Dr. Michael Howell, director of critical care quality, talks about how a five-point checklist -- and a simple measuring device can prevent pneumonia and save lives.
CEO Paul Levy speaks to that issue as well as BIDMC's effort to eliminate preventable harm -- all part of a Channel 5 series on health care reform.
The OpenNotes trial bringing doctors and patients together to see the value in sharing physician notes is examined by the American Medical News.
Florence Brown, co-director of the Joslin-BIDMC Diabetes and Pregnancy program speaks with USA Today about the special issues moms-to-be can face.
A scientific smackdown? That's what Wired Magazine is calling a debate launched by a discovered in a BIDMC lab suggesting chickens may descend from the T Rex.
7/7/2009 (12:02:40pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
What happens when physicians share notes with their patients?
A new study led by BIDMC will examine the impact of adding new layer of openness to a traditionally one-sided element of the doctor-patient relationship - the notes from patients' doctors' visits.
Funded through a $1.4 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Pioneer Portfolio, the 12-month OpenNotes© Project will bring together approximately 100 primary care physicians and 25,000 patients to evaluate the impact on both patients and physicians of sharing the comments and observations made by physicians after each patient encounter.
Physicians and patients at Geisinger Health Systems in Pennsylvania and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle will also participate in the 12-month trial.
To learn more, click here. For a report in American Medical News, click here.
7/2/2009 (4:33:05am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Rafael Campo, MD, a physician and poet, has been appointed Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The office is based in the Center for Education, where Campo's initial efforts will include coordination of undergraduate and graduate programs to enhance minority recruitment and retention at Harvard Medical School and BIDMC, and collaboration with colleagues in faculty development and academic careers to increase supports for minority faculty at BIDMC.
Campo is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at BIDMC where his medical practice serves mostly Latinos,gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered people, and people with HIV infection.
He is an essayist and poet, whose work has appeared in many major antholgies and periodicals.
7/1/2009 (3:38:12pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The calendar says it is summer, even if you couldn't prove it looking out the window.
But do you want to enjoy a healthy summer, whenever it arrives? Experts at BIDMC weigh in -- from how to prevent five common summer mishaps, to what to put in your first aid kit.
Also, tick bites -- who should be concerned? And avoiding summer sports injuries. Plus, share your healthy grilling recipes!
7/1/2009 (3:28:15pm)Tags: elderly drivers DriveWiseComments: (0)
The headlines have been brimming with news about older drivers involved in accidents, often with fatal outcomes.
BIDMC geriatrician Suzanne Salamon discussed the types of family problems associated with taking away the keys from a loved one in an interview on WGBH-TV's "Greater Boston."
And BIDMC's DriveWise program was at the center of a feature in the Boston Globe about a one-time racing car hobbyist who is coping with his diminishing skills behind the wheel, looking for help in finding the right time to hand over the keys.
For more about DriveWise, click here.
6/19/2009 (12:12:57pm)Tags: primary care patientsComments: (2)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,has launched a pilot program that would allow patients to see notes written about them by their doctors.
Funded with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the "open notes" project will enable about 100 doctors at the hospital and two other sites will allow 25,000 to 35,000 patients to read their physicians' notes for a year as part of their online medical record.
To learn more, please check out this Boston Globe story.
6/19/2009 (12:06:42pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) has awarded full accreditation to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The three-year accreditation signifies that BIDMC is committed to providing clinical research participants with safeguards that surpass the threshold of state and federal requirements.
To learn more, click here.
6/19/2009 (11:52:37am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center been recognized by the Premier healthcare alliance as a winner of the Premier Award for Quality (AFQ). BIDMC is one of 23 winners out of more than 3,796 eligible hospitals nationwide.
The AFQ recognizes leading healthcare organizations that efficiently provide outstanding patient care and consistently set the standard in clinical excellence nationwide. Distinguished by its consideration of performance-based criteria, including clinical quality outcomes, resource utilization, and clinical process indicators, the AFQ measures top performers at the overall hospital level.
BIDMC was one of just two Massachusetts hospitals named. For more information, click here.
6/15/2009 (11:21:20am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
A busy few days for BIDMC in the news.
Pharmacist Rena Lithotomos told the Boston Herald how she was able to find a job in a down economy: staying in touch with people she knew.
The Jamaica Plain Gazette reported on the decision of Urban Medical to join forces with Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare to continue to provide care for elders and the chronically ill in Boston's Jaimaica Plain neighborhood.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Daniel Leffler spoke with National Public Radio on how diet can help people deal with the impact of celiac disease -- even 13-year-olds who love PBJ on wheat bread.
And BIDMC chief compliance and privacy officer Leon Goldman notes how people may say things online that they would not say otherwise in a CIO Magzine look at the impact of Facebook and Twitter are changing data privacy rules.
6/12/2009 (2:15:59pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center kicked off Pride week by honoring Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., at its 16th annual LGBT Achievement Awards.
To learn more about the ceremony, please click here.
6/12/2009 (2:03:59pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC physician Danny Sands, a co-author on the first set of guidelines every published on using e-mail in patient care, weighs in on the growth of social media in medical practice.
"On the one hand it is really good to see the human side of your doctor on a site like Facebook," he tells the New York Times. "On the other hand,maybe letting your patient get too close isn't always good for the therapeutic relationship."
6/11/2009 (4:11:41pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BOSTON -- It was not a typical Thursday afternoon for sophomores from Madison Park Vocational Technical High School in Boston. They played Jeopardy!, took a tour of an operating room and watched a gastric endoscopy procedure.
These eight students were members of the Blue Scholars Program, a partnership between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the high school.
The Blue Scholars Program targets high potential ninth grade students and provides academic as well as enrichment experiences to help them maintain a B-grade point average or higher, according to Jackie Haley, a community relations specialist for BCBSMA. This unique partnership affords the students opportunities to explore their interests and broaden their access to information and resources so that they may realize their life goals.
To read more about their day, click here.
6/9/2009 (2:39:44pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Twenty-five Boston Public School students were inducted into the Red Sox Scholars Class of 2009 in an on-field ceremony with their BIDMC Medical Champions and Red Sox players at Fenway Park on June 7. The 25 Scholars, who will enter sixth grade in the fall, are all academically talented, financially challenged middle school students in the Boston Public Schools.
Click here to watch a slideshow of photos from the day's events, which started with a meet-and-greet luncheon at Fenway for the Scholars, their family members and BIDMC medical Champions.
Click here to watch a video of the entire ceremony.
The program is the educational cornerstone of the Red Sox Foundation, the team charity of the Boston Red Sox, and is presented by BIDMC, the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox and Red Sox Nation. Each of the 25 Scholars will receive a $10,000 college scholarship, along with access to tutoring and mentoring from Red Sox Foundation staff members and other after school enrichment activities. On Sunday, a new sign celebrating the Scholars program and the relationship between the Red Sox and BIDMC was unveiled on the left field side wall of the Green Monster.
6/9/2009 (10:40:46am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The Celebration of Life is BIDMC's way of recognizing National Cancer Survivors' Day, an annual, worldwide event. The program, held on Sunday, is organized each year by a committee headed by two-time cancer survivor Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW.
"I remember when I was first diagnosed in 1993. I wondered who would care for my 12-year-old daughter," Hill Schnipper said. "I am happy to say that I will be at her wedding in September."
To read more about the day's activities, click here.
6/5/2009 (12:18:54pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BOSTON - What do solid waste disposal and orthopedic surgical implants have in common? To Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's contracting department, they are just two areas where reverse auctions - where vendors bid for the right to provide services - can save money.
To learn more about the onlien auctions and the cost-saving potential, click here.
6/4/2009 (3:15:10pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Six BIDMC hospitalists are among the first to earn the new Fellow in Hospital Medicine (FHM) designation from the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM).
Among those recognized during a recent convention are: Alex Carbo, MD; David Feinbloom, MD; Joseph Li, MD; Melissa Mattison, MD; Anjala Tess, MD; and Nancy Torres-Finnerty, MD.
The physicians are among a select group of 500 chosen by the Society from nearly 30,000 hospitalists in the country. The designation was created to recognize hospitalists which have achieved unique accomplishments in the field of hospital medicine.
To be designated as a fellow, an applicant must be a hospitalist for five years, a member of SHM for three years, demonstrate their dedication to quality and process improvement, commitment to organizational teamwork and leadership, as well as lifelong learning and education.
6/3/2009 (3:57:06pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
After 33 years of continuous partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Urban Medical will formally become part of Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare.
On June 1, the practice changed its name to Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare-Jamaica Plain and will continue to provide services at the same Centre Street location.
Becoming a part of BIDMC's primary care network ensures a natural progression in the historically strong working relationship and a shared mission to provide high-quality, innovative and compassionate primary care to community residents.
"This is the continuation of a partnership. Beth Israel Deaconess and Urban Medical have held shared philosophies about the importance of quality primary care for many years," Chief Executive Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Jeffrey H. Liebman, explains. "We are committed to building a model of care that will be successful in the current health care environment while maintaining health services for Jamaica Plain residents."
Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare is a network of approximately 150 primary care and hospitalist physicians practicing in the greater Boston, Needham, Brockton and Milton areas. BIDHC offers the convenience of community-based health care while maintaining close ties to a world-class academic health institution, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
"The goal is not to change the style of care that is currently provided," says Liebman about what the change to Beth Israel Deaconess Healthcare will mean. "It is to enhance what has worked so well for the JP community, and to build on a well-respected and recognized physician practice."
Operating as Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare-Jamaica Plain, the practice will continue to serve the elderly and chronically ill populations seen as a critical part of the organization's mission since its inception. A primary goal moving forward will be to build on long-standing relationships with area sub-acute care facilities.
"This practice has had strong relationships with sub-acute care facilities," said Liebman. "Continuing and building those relationships is very important to us."
6/3/2009 (2:42:22pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will honor Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons at the 16th Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Achievement Awards recognizing outstanding contributions towards advancing LGBT issues.
Frank will also serve as keynote speaker.
The ceremony will be held during PRIDE Week on Monday June 8, serving as a way to illustrate BIDMC's commitment to inclusion and respect for the LGBT community.
Frank is outspoken on many civil rights issues, including those affecting the LGBT community. Through the 1990 Immigration Act, Frank advocated for the removal of restrictions based on the "sexual preference exclusion."
In 1998, Frank founded the National Stonewall Democrats, the national LGBT Democratic organization. Honored by countless organizations, in 2009, Frank topped the list of Out Magazine's Annual Power 50 listing.
Simmons is the current mayor of Cambridge and the first openly lesbian African-American mayor in the United States. She is a strong advocate for LGBT rights and as a city councilor, she spearheaded the first ever LGBT town meeting and was instrumental in establishing an LGBT city commission with paid staff. She also created a liaison position within the Cambridge Public Schools to help LGBT parents find LGBT-friendly schools for their children.
This year also marks a renewed partnership between BIDMC and the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center, which provides medical and mental health services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth with specialty programs for HIV treatment and transgender health issues.
As part of a community service project BIDMC will once again collect toiletries throughout the month of June that will be donated to the Health Center for its patients.
6/2/2009 (2:22:05pm)Tags: Healthy Work/Healthy Home environmentComments: (0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has received national recognition for his environmental efforts.
Practice Greenhealth, the nation's only membership association devoted to environmentally responsible healthcare, recently offered BIDMC "Partner Recognition" as part of its 2009 Environmental Excellence Award program.
The competitive awards are given within the healthcare sector to institutions for outstanding programs to reduce the facility's environmental footprint.
BIDMC hosts an annual Health Work/Healthy Home event each spring to highlight efforts by people around the medical center to promote and environmental awareness at home and on the job.
6/2/2009 (12:30:51pm)Tags: cancer survivorsComments: (0)
BIDMC's 16th annual Celebration of Life event, brings together cancer survivors and their extended network of family, friends and caregivers.
This free, one-of-a-kind event recognizes the courage and resiliency of cancer survivors and the important people in their lives. It will take place Sunday, June 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue.
For many, the day has become an annual marker - much like birthdays and anniversaries - in which they return year after year to unite in a symbolic event to show the world that life after cancer can be a reality. The BIDMC event is part of National Cancer Survivors Day - an annual, worldwide Celebration of Life held in hundreds of communities throughout the United States, Canada, and other participating countries.
This year's event features more than two dozen workshops led by BIDMC medical experts, a special three-hour workshop facilitated by life coach Tracy Fitzpatrick, a survivor's panel discussion led by WCVB-TV reporter and breast cancer survivor, Kelley Tuthill, lively music, art, and many opportunities for participants to share their personal stories.
There is no charge to attend Celebration of Life, but advance registration is required. Please call (617) 632-8037 to register. You can also register or learn more about the day's schedule of events, including a silent auction by visiting the website.
6/1/2009 (1:38:16pm)Tags: mental health counseling teensComments: (0)
BIDMC's Department of Psychiatry and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) are collaborating on a new special mental health clinic for young people.
The collaboration creates the Center for Early Detection, Assessment, and Response to Risk (CEDAR), a specialized clinic for young people experiencing clinical signs of risk for psychosis, and their families.
For more, click here.
6/1/2009 (11:25:54am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC emergency room physicians will be spending some more time on the Cape this summer.
The urgent care hours, starting July 3, are part of BIDMC's affiliation with the Outer Cape Health Services.
For more details, check out the Cape Cod Times.
5/29/2009 (8:06:08am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
The CBS Evening News has taken a look at BIDMC's handling of the financial hurdles being faced by employers -- and employees -- around the country.
The story follows similiar looks by the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and NBC Nightly News.
