Spring Forward with SMART Lifestyle Goals

By: Matt Miller, Lead Clinical Dietitian Each year many of us make resolutions to change our lifestyle, including; eating healthier, exercising more and achieving a healthier body weight. However, many resolutions fall short as we lose steam along the way. Now is the perfect time to Spring into action by developing a well-defined plan and setting achievable goals by using SMART objectives. SMART stands for: • Specific. The more detailed and targeted your description, the better you [...]

Healthy Fats: Easy Recipe Substitutions for a Delicious and Healthy Diet

Let’s look at how we can use the healthier fats to make delicious food. When it comes to cooking, it is important to know why ingredients are important to the recipe and how we can modify them. This is especially true of fats. Altering the fats in a recipe can drastically change the taste and texture. What Fats Do in Foods • Fats provide flavor and richness • Fats help retain moisture • Fats improve texture and promote flakiness and tenderness in baked goods [...]

Remembering Those Who Give the "Gift of Life"

It's fitting that National Donor Day is February 14, a day we already associate with love. On this day, we raise awareness about organ donation and celebrate the lives of organ and tissue donors. Most people will eventually be affected by donation in their lives. They will either know someone who needs, or has received a life saving transplant. Or, they will learn that someone they know was a donor.  What is the need for organ donation? The need for organs is great and grows eve [...]

How to Prevent Heart Disease at Any Age

Preventing heart disease means making smart choices now that will pay off for the rest of your life. Lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking habits take a toll on your body over the years. Anyone, no matter your age, can take simple steps to keep their heart healthy during each decade of life. It all starts with one small thing. All Age Groups Eat Heart Healthy • Choose a healthy eating plan. The foods you eat may decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. High bloo [...]

What One Small Thing Will You Change in 2019?

We know how hard you work to take care of others. So we want to help make it easier—and more fun—for you to take care of yourself too. Did we mention the chance to win over $500 in weekly prizes? Our new website—One Small Thing and the Healthy Tips Challenge—can help you find small ways to be healthier and stay motivated. Because research shows that small changes in how you eat, sleep, and move can lead to big rewards when it comes to your health. We encourage you t [...]

Words Matter: Using our Voices to Speak Out Against Dangerous Speech

By: Michelle LeBeau, President, Alice Hyde Medical Center & CVPH Matt Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Alice Hyde Medical Center Kent Hall, MD, Regional Vice President of Medical Affairs Wouter Rietsema, MD, Vice President Population Health and Information Services, CVPH As headline after headline brings to us news of the latest horrific act of violence, we are compelled to speak up.  It’s no longer enough to send our “thoughts and prayers” to the people of Chicag [...]

The Skinny on Tummy Tucks

Imagine never having to do another sit-up ever again. That sounds too good to be true, and also a little like a line straight out of an infomercial, but it is a very real and happy byproduct of a tummy tuck. Most people seek a tummy tuck procedure to get rid of excess skin of the abdomen, often due to multiple childbirths, extreme weight loss or natural loosening of skin with age. But the procedure does more than just remove excess fat and skin of the abdomen; it brings separated muscles of t [...]

Is That My Mother in the Mirror?

Sooner or later “it” happens. You are feeling good. Maybe like you did in your 20s, and then BAMM, you walk past a mirror and wonder why your mom is looking back at you. It’s then that you start to wonder about dermal fillers or Botox to help restore a more youthful appearance to your face. Fillers Whether it’s a set of parentheses that has parked itself around your mouth or a row of wrinkles creeping across your forehead, fillers can subtly correct many of the sev [...]

Jessica Sienkiewicz Goes Back to the Drawing Board to Care for Her Patients

Clinical Assistant uses artistic talents to improve patient experience

Jessica Sienkiewicz, Clinical Assistant, is part of the team that provides care to thousands of patients who come through the doors of the Emergency Department (ED) each year.  Using the tools of her trade - stretchers, thermometers, blood pressure and EKG machines, along with her skills and compassion, she strives to provide both quality care and an exceptional patient experience to those who turn to the ED in their time of need. But it may with a paint brush and her talent as an artist [...]

For Jane Zachelli Kindness Is Always on Menu

Language barrier no match for Nutrition Services team member

Health care technology can assist physicians as they pinpoint a cancerous tumor, starve it so it can’t grow while simultaneously attacking it with chemotherapy. It can help nurses monitor vital signs and pick up slight, subtle but life altering variations. It can also help a patient get a good meal. Jane Zanchelli, a 19 year veteran of Nutrition Services used the technology at her disposal to make sure her patient, whose native tongue was not English, received a satisfying meal.  T [...]