BAYSIDE HEALTH DOCTORS ARE AI.MIS ACCREDIDATES
AI.MIS is the American Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Drs Killeen, Berlin and Eschbach are physician affiliates of this prestigious organization.
The organization has announced that Bayside Health Association has received its Practice of Excellence designation.
Bayside is being recognized for it's expertise in laparoscopic and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, particularly laparoscopic hysterectomy and ovarian disease. The recognition was given to Bayside Health for the high volume of procedures performed and positive patient outcomes.
Recognized instiutions have made minimally invasive surgery a priority, which helps minimize recovery times and provide better patient outcomes.
"Being named an AIMIS Practice of Excellence is exciting, but what's rewarding is that it shows we're doing what's best for the patients," said Dr. Steven D. Berlin, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beebe Medical Center." The physicians on the medical staff at Bayside have pioneered many of these laparoscopic techniques, and they've shown commitment to it because of the benefits to patients."
Job Posting
LPN to assist the providers with patient care and patient phone triage. Would prefer someone with Ob-Gyn experience, but we are willing to train.
Full or part-time available for the Lewes location, but must be willing to work in both the Georgetown and Lewes locations.
Please reply via this website or call 302-645-4700 x 313 and ask for Melissa Warren.
LabCalls
Bayside Health Association has completed the installation of an automated test results system called LabCalls®. This system will enable you to receive test results at your convenience. We believe this system is the most accurate and effective way for you to retrieve confidential information.
Initially, Bayside Health Association will use this system to notify you that your Pap smear results are normal. We hope to expand this service to include other test results.
Bayside Health Association has set a date of mid January for patients to retrieve their results on LabCalls®.
How does LabCalls® Work?
After your scheduled appointment, you will receive a card with your unique identification number and a PIN, the designated Labcalls® phone number and a web address. You can obtain your results by either method. You will need to enter your unique identification number and PIN as prompted by the system.
We have included an Icon, My Test Results, on our home page that will link you to the LabCalls® webb address.
FLU VACCINE
Who should get a flu vaccine this season?
All people 6 months and older are now recommended to receive annual influenza vaccination. This recommendation includes women who are pregnant during flu season. This is a new and expanded recommendation for this season. In February, 2010, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted in favor of "universal" influenza vaccination in the United States to protect as many people as possible against the flu.
What viruses will this season’s vaccine protect against?
The flu vaccine is updated every year to combat the flu viruses that research indicates are most likely to cause illness during the upcoming season. The 2010-2011 flu vaccine is being made in the same way as seasonal vaccines have been made for decades. It will protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season, and two other influenza viruses (an H3N2 virus and an influenza B virus). About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.
Even people that got vaccinated with the 2009 H1N1 vaccine or last year’s seasonal vaccine need to be vaccinated with the flu seasonal vaccine this year. This season’s vaccine provides protection against other influenza strains that were not in either the seasonal or the 2009 H1N1 vaccine last season and besides, immunity from a vaccine gotten last year may decline over time.
Bayside Health Association encourages everyone to receive a flu shot.
Dr. Steven Berlin:Recertification in Bone Density Testing for Osteoporosis
The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) has announced that Dr. Steven Berlin, MD, has recently attended the ISCD's Bone Densitometry Course and has been recognized as a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD). He has taken the ISCD Bone Densitometry Course and passed a rigorous exam on bone density testing for osteoporosis. There are over 5,000 certified clinicians and technologist worldwide. Certification in bone densitometry is a demonstration of proficiency and is a requirement for some insurance companies and HMOs.
ISCD is a nonprofit professional society of over 4,000 clinician and technologist members from more than 40 countries. ISCD is dedicated to improving the quality of bone density testing for osteoporosis, educating healthcare providers, increasing patient awareness, and supporting scientific advances. The proliferation of new technologies for measuring bone density, combined with the development of improved treatments for osteoporosis, has created great demand for the education and certification of healtcare providers.
Osteoporosis, a bone fragility disorder that can lead to fracture, is a disease that affects 44 million Americans, causing 1.5 million fractures each year, with an annual healthcare cost of about $17 billion,. Osteoporotic fractures can result in chronic pain, disability , loss of independence, and even death. Early detection of low bone density before fractures occur is the key to successful management. Bone density is easily measured with an instrument called a bone densitometer, using DXA(Dual X-ray Absorptiometry) technology. With medications now available and under development, experts feel that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease-not an inevitable part of aging.
March is National Colorectal Awareness Month
Ask women about the cancer that worries them most and they're likely to name breast cancer as their top concern. What most women don't know is that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women combined. Nearly the same number of men and women are diagnosed with colon cancer each year.
Fortunately, colon cancer is also one of the most preventable cancers. In fact, the five-year survival rate for colorectal cancers found in the earliest stage tops 90 percent.
Women need to know that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable when found early. The take-home message: Talk to your doctor. Get the facts. Get screened.
For more information on colorectal cancer:
American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
ACOG www.acog.org
What Pregnant Women Should Know About H1N1 Virus
Q: Why does CDC recommend that pregnant women receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine?
A. It is important for a pregnant woman to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine as well as a seasonal influenza vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets any type of flu is at risk for serious complications and hospitalization. Pregnant women who are otherwise healthy have been severely impacted by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (formerly called “novel H1N1 flu” or “swine flu”). In comparison to the general population, a greater proportion of pregnant women infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus have been hospitalized. In addition, severe illness and death has occurred in pregnant women. Six percent of confirmed fatal 2009 H1N1 flu cases thus far have been in pregnant women while only about 1% of the general population is pregnant. While hand washing, staying away from ill people, and other steps can help to protect pregnant women from influenza, vaccination is the single best way to protect against the flu.
Q: Is there a particular kind of flu vaccine that pregnant women should get? Are there flu vaccines that pregnant women should not get?
A. There are two type of flu vaccine. Pregnant women should get the "flu shot"— an inactivated vaccine (containing fragments of killed influenza virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in pregnant women.
The other type of flu vaccine — nasal-spray flu vaccine (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine)—is not currently approved for use in pregnant women. This vaccine is made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu). LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant
Q. Will the seasonal flu vaccine also protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu?
A. The seasonal flu vaccine is not expected to protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu. Similarly, the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will not protect against seasonal influenza.
Q. Can the seasonal influenza vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine be given at the same time?
A. It is anticipated that seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 vaccines may be administered on the same day but given at different sites (e.g. one shot in the left arm and the other shot in the right arm). However, we expect the seasonal vaccine to be available earlier than the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. The usual seasonal influenza viruses are still expected to cause illness this fall and winter. Pregnant women and others at increased risk of complications of influenza are encouraged to get their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as it is available.
Q: Is the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine safe for pregnant women?
A: Influenza vaccines have not been shown to cause harm to a pregnant woman or her baby. The seasonal flu shot (injection) is proven as safe and already recommended for pregnant women. The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will be made using the same processes and facilities that are used to make seasonal influenza vaccines.
Q: What safety studies have been done on the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine and have any been done in pregnant women?
A: A number of clinical trials which test 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in healthy children and adults are underway. These studies are being conducted by the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Studies of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in pregnant women are expected to begin in September.
Q: Does the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine have preservative in it?
A: There is no evidence that thimerosal (used as a preservative in vaccine packaged in multi-dose vials) is harmful to a pregnant woman or a fetus. However, because some women are concerned about exposure to preservatives during pregnancy, manufacturers will produce preservative-free seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines in single dose syringes for pregnant women and small children. CDC recommends that pregnant women may receive influenza vaccine with or without thimerosal.
Q: How many 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine shots will be needed?
A: Some people, including pregnant women, may need two doses. We will know more about the number of doses once data from the clinical trials are available.
Q. What will be the recommended interval between the first and second dose if two doses are needed?
A. This will not be known until clinical trial data are available. We anticipate that 21-28 days will be needed between the first and second doses.
Q: What are the possible side effects of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine?
A. The side effects from 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine are expected to be similar to those from seasonal flu vaccines. The most common side effects following vaccination are expected to be mild, such as soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Some people might experience headache, muscle aches, fever, nausea and fainting. If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and may last as long as 1-2 days. Like any medicines, vaccines can cause serious problems like severe allergic reactions. However life-threatening allergic reactions to vaccines are very rare. In 1976, an earlier type of swine flu vaccine was associated with cases of a severe paralytic illness called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) at a rate of approximately 1 case of GBS per 100,000 persons vaccinated. Some studies done since 1976 have shown a small risk of GBS in persons who received the seasonal influenza vaccine. This risk is estimated to be no more than 1 case of GBS per 1 million persons vaccinated. Since then, flu vaccines have not been clearly linked to GBS. GBS has a number of different causes, and GBS can occur in a person who has never received an influenza vaccine. The potential benefits of influenza vaccination in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death substantially outweigh these estimates of risk for vaccine-associated GBS.
Anyone who has a severe (life-threatening) allergy to eggs or to any other substance in the vaccine should not get the vaccine. People should always inform their immunization provider if they have any severe allergies, if they’ve ever had a severe allergic reaction following flu vaccination, or if they have ever had GBS.