Weekly Health Beat
What Can You Do to Control Rabies? | Massage Therapy at HCMH | Come Home to HCMH for Skilled Nursing | Surgery at HCMH | Specialty Physician Schedule
What Can You Do to Control Rabies?
Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is secreted in saliva and is usually transmitted to people and animals by a bite from an infected animal. Once the outward signs of the disease appear, rabies is nearly always fatal.
Rabies is a big problem in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Over the last 100 years, rabies in the United States has changed dramatically. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that more than 90% of all animal cases reported in the U.S. now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals.
Only mammals can get rabies; birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians do not. Most cases of rabies occur in wild animals—mainly skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes, and foxes. In recent years, cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies. This is because many cat owners do not vaccinate their cats before the cats are exposed to rabid wildlife outdoors.
Rabies vaccination and animal control programs, along with better treatment for people who have been bitten, have dramatically reduced the number of human cases of rabies in the U.S. Most of the relatively few, recent human cases in this country have resulted from exposures to bats. The CDC states that the number of rabies-related human deaths in the U.S. has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990's. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful. In the U.S., human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.
To help control and prevent rabies: have your pets vaccinated; keep your pets under your supervision so they don´t catch rabies from a wild animal; don´t handle wild animals and if you see one acting strangely, call your local animal control officer. If your pet is bitten, consult your veterinarian immediately even if they have a current vaccination.
If you are bitten—don’t panic, but don’t ignore the bite. Wash the wound thoroughly and vigorously with soap and lots of water. Call your health care provider immediately and explain how you were bitten. Follow your provider’s advice. If necessary, your provider will give you the recommended post exposure treatment and may also treat you for other possible infections that could result from the bite. If it can be done safely, confine or capture the animal that bit you and call your local animal control officer.
Massage Therapy at HCMH
Feeling achy, run-down, and just plain tired? A massage may be exactly what you need. Most people receive massages to relax, reduce stress, or relieve muscle aches and pain. Others have found that massage has been useful in restoring normal joint movement.
Peggy Schleuger, Licensed Massage Therapist, provides Massage Therapy services at the Britt Medical Clinic. Call 641-843-5050 to schedule your appointment. Gift certificates are available.
Come Home to HCMH for Skilled Nursing
After an illness, stroke, injury or surgery, a patient may be getting better but still needs some additional skilled care before returning to a home environment. Skilled nursing services (Swing Beds) are extremely beneficial when a patient is ready to leave the acute care level of a hospital stay, but is not yet well enough to return home.
At HCMH, skilled nursing patients are cared for on the Acute Care floor of the hospital by our staff of health care professionals. A Discharge Planner from another facility will assist in transferring a patient to HCMH for skilled nursing services or, in some cases, a patient may stay in the same hospital bed moving from one level of care to another.
Our patients often choose skilled nursing/swing bed services at HCMH because they can be closer to home. Skilled nursing patients at HCMH receive our high quality of care, with in house medical staff and RNs, and patients can recover while they are closer to families, friends and loved ones.
Surgery at HCMH
Hancock County Memorial Hospital offers weekly surgical clinics with Dr. Harry Condoleon, Dr. Richard Unger and Dr. Abdi Ahari. These surgical specialists will evaluate your specific symptoms and determine the procedure or treatment that is right for you. If surgery is the answer, the surgeon and trained HCMH staff are available. For more information on surgery or the surgical clinics in Britt, contact the hospital.
Next Week’s Specialty Physician Schedule:
For the convenience of area residents, the following Specialty Clinics are available in the coming week at HCMH in Britt. Call HCMH at 641-843-5000 or 1-800-255-9389 for more information
Wednesday, September 1
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Unger
Thursday, September 2
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Ahari
Monday, September 6
Labor Day
Tuesday, September 7
Orthopedic Clinic: Dr. Crane
Cardiology Clinic: Dr. Zadeii, Mercy Heart Center
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Condoleon
Wednesday, September 8
Ear, Nose and Throat: Dr. Jalukar
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Unger
Thursday, September 9
Podiatry Clinic: Dr. Donahoe
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Ahari
Monday, September 13
Neurology Clinic: Dr. Verma
Tuesday, September 14
Cardiology Clinic: Dr. Beasley, Mercy Heart Center
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Condoleon
Wednesday, September 15
Urology Clinic: Dr. MacGregor
Surgical Clinic: Dr. Unger
Thursday, September 16
Podiatry Clinic: Dr. Donahoe
HCMH Providers Available at the Britt Medical Clinic:
Julie Larson, ARNP
Angela McGregor, ARNP
Ashlea McLeod, PA-C
Jerry Nelson, M.D.
Saturday Clinic: 8:00 a.m. – noon.
HCMH Providers Available at the Garner Family Practice Clinic:
John Boedeker, D.O.
Jerry Nelson, M.D.
Kathryn Pottratz, ARNP
Monday and Wednesday Clinics to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday Clinic: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Kanawha Medical Clinic:
Ashlea McLeod, PA-C
Wesley Medical Clinic:
Angela McGregor, ARNP