Patient Shares Musical Gift with Infusion Center

Ted Kearns of Rixeyville has been battling colon and liver cancer for several years and has been receiving treatment at Fauquier Hospital’s Infusion Center since last July. He says, “I’ve been through some dark times, but most days, I feel great.”

He appreciates Dr. Syed Salman Ali, of Fauquier Health Hematology/Oncology, and all the nurses and staff in the Infusion Center. “Everybody here has been wonderful to me. I feel very comfortable here,” he said. He appreciates them so much, in fact, that he spent his 77th birthday brightening up the Infusion Center with karaoke music. Ted sings karaoke most Thursday nights at the Inn at Kelly’s Ford, and wanted to share his special gift with his Infusion Center friends.

Ted’s friend, Mike Tornatore, provided the sound equipment, and patients and staff were treated to four musical numbers. The music was great and the applause generous.

See a video of Ted Kearns seranading the nurses and patients in the Infusion Center at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_fZKyZfzMI

There is a longer version at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv742MGN18A

A Gem of a Volunteer

About 220 Fauquier Health volunteers attended the health system’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. Gift Shop volunteers received special recognition and were highlighted in a video that explored the Gift Shop’s early days as the hospital Snack Bar. (Click here to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5MtpIFRHVA.) Elizabeth Gaines, shown here, was this year’s recipient of the Gem Award. Gems are retired volunteers with more than 2,000 hours of service to Fauquier Health. Gaines, lifelong Fauquier County resident, retired after 20 years and more than 3,000 hours of service.

Fauquier Hospital Celebrates Earth Day April 20

Celebrate Earth Day at Fauquier Hospital!

Learn About Local Foods tomorrow (Friday, April 20) in The Bistro, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gardeners will be planting herbs and vegetables in the Healing Garden by the Bistro patio. Come talk with local farmers about locally grown food. A display of local produce will be in the Bistro as well, and lunch will feature food from local farms.

Above, new Bistro Chef Tony DeWalt clips herbs from Fauquier Hospital's Healing Garden.

Fauquier Hospital Introduces New Tool for 24/7 Stroke Care

Fauquier Hospital was confirmed as a Certified Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission in February of 2011 and passed its annual inspection on March 23. The designation recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care. To receive accreditation, hospitals must demonstrate compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and standards.

Fauquier Hospital’s stroke program provides a coordinated response to treat patients who present symptoms of a possible stroke. Ina Bowman, director of Fauquier Hospital’s Emergency Department, explained the importance of quick action in case of a stroke: “Some stroke patients can dramatically increase their chances of a full recovery if they receive certain medication within 180 minutes of the onset of symptoms.” When a potential stroke patient comes into the emergency room, an alert goes out to physicians, CAT scan staff and the laboratory, as well as speech, occupational, and physical therapists. These professionals work together to determine if the patient is a candidate for the clot-busting medication.

Beginning April 2, Fauquier Hospital will have another tool to help address stroke symptoms quickly. Fauquier Hospital Emergency Department physicians will collaborate via crystal clear video feed with board-certified neurologists to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat patients suffering from neurological emergencies, including stroke. This partnership with Specialists On Call, Inc., will give patients access to around-the-clock critical care in neurology.

Chief Medical Officer Anhtai Nguyen, M.D., said, “Our neurologists provide consistent and high quality of care for all stroke patients, but cannot be on call every minute of every day. Because timely treatment is so crucial in stroke cases, we felt it was vital to always have a neurologist available to assess patients immediately.”

“With Fauquier Hospital’s new state-of-the-art technology, a neurologist will be able to read CT scans and lab results in real time, discuss treatment with the patient and the patient’s family, and recommend medication and procedures without delay.”

Specialists on Call’s board-certified, fellowship-trained specialists adhere to strict standards of practice when discussing, diagnosing and recommending treatment options to hospital staff and patients. With videoconferencing technology and secure lines of communication, neurologists will interact directly with hospital physicians, nurses, patients and their families in a completely personalized bedside consultation, making the experience comfortable for all involved.

Specialists on Call is located in Leesburg, Virginia and operates in 180 hospitals across 12 states, providing more than 1,500 consultations a month.

In any community, highly qualified medical specialists are in demand. Once a patient displaying acute stroke symptoms arrives in the ED, the teleneurology program assures that a specialist is providing expertise within 15 minutes. For stroke patients, that could make all the difference for a full recovery.

Family Autism Fair on April 25 at Fauquier Hospital

Fauquier Hospital will host a Family Autism Fair on Wednesday, April 25 in the Sycamore Room. The event is designed to provide insight into collaborative team building, the working world, and resources and programs available locally.

From 4:30 to 5 p.m., visitors will register and meet with exhibitors. At 5, there will be a seminar on collaborative teaming. From 6:30 to 7:30, light refreshments will be served as participants visit again with exhibitors, and from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a seminar on autism and working will be presented. The panel of presenters will include working teens, a work place supervisor, work coach and teacher.

The fair has been organized by the Commonwealth Autism Service and its Rappahannock Rapidan Autism Action Group. Exhibitors from Northern Virginia will be present, but the emphasis will be on resources and programs provided in Orange, Madison, Culpeper and Fauquier counties. Call 1-800-649-8481 for more details.

Pediatric Rehab Holds Open House at New Location

Fauquier Health Pediatric Rehabilitation will host an open house at its new location at 493 Blackwell Road (the Warrenton Professional Building), Suite 316 in Warrenton, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Monday, May 7. Reservations are appreciated but not required. Call (540) 316-2680.

Parents and professionals are invited to tour the new, vastly expanded location; meet the therapists and learn how services might benefit children. Therapists will provide free screenings for children (infants to teens) and answer questions regarding developmental milestones for speech and motor skills. Parents can talk to therapists about whether certain therapies over the summer might help children get ready for school in the fall.

Fauquier Health Pediatric Rehabilitation offers speech, physical, and occupational therapy for children through age 18. It is also the only area pediatric rehabilitation center offering aquatic physical therapy.

Fauquier Health Pediatric rehab operates a second office at 7915 Lake Manassas Drive in Gainesville.

April is Organ Donation Month

Organ, eye and tissue donation is the process of recovering organs, eyes and tissues from a deceased person and transplanting them to others who need them. There are more than 108,000 people in the U.S. waiting for organ transplants. Each year, approximately 6,000 people die waiting for an organ transplant that would have given them a second chance at life. Additionally, each year hundreds of thousands of people benefit from donated tissue that is used for life-saving and reconstructive purposes, and corneas that restore sight.

April is National Donate Life Month, and a good time to consider becoming an organ donor.

The most commonly transplanted organs are the kidneys, liver, heart and lungs. Tissue transplants are also possible: skin is used as a temporary dressing for burns; bone is used in orthopedic surgery to facilitate healing of fractures; heart valves are used to replace defective valves; tendons are used to repair torn ligaments on knees or other joints; veins are used in cardiac bypass surgery; and corneas can restore sight to the blind. Many tissues that cannot be used for transplant can be recovered and used in research studies to advance medical science.

By becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor through DonateLifeVirginia.org, one person can donate a heart, two parts of a liver, two kidneys, two lungs, intestine and a pancreas. One tissue donor can enhance the lives of more than 50 people.

Donation costs nothing for the donor or the donor’s family; all charges related to the donation process are billed to the organ, eye or tissue recovery agency. During the recovery process, conducted under standard, sterile conditions in an operating room, the body is fully reconstructed once organs and tissues are removed, so an open casket funeral is possible if the family wishes.

The Code of Virginia states that family permission is not required when you have documented your decision to donate. While it is still helpful for family members to know what you want, their permission will be sought only if your decision is not registered, either through the DMV, or online at DonateLifeVirginia.org. Those under the age of 18 can indicate their wishes to donate, but parents and guardians must make that decision.

When you register your choice to be a donor at the DMV, it puts the heart on your driver’s license and puts your general donation decision in the Donate Life Virginia Registry. If you register your decision at donatelifevirginia.org, you may place specific instructions about which organs or tissue may be used and for what purposes.

Anyone can be considered for donation, regardless of any past medical history or age. At the time of death, donation program professionals will review your medical and behavioral history to determine if you are a candidate for donation. To date, the oldest donor was 101 years old.

Just check “yes” at the DMV when you renew your driver’s license or identification card, then go to www.donatelifevirginia.org to clarify your wishes.