BMH

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Services will offer its seven week course “Standing Tall Spine Health: Level 1” beginning Monday, April 29 at 4:00 PM in the BMH Exercise Room.

The program is designed for individuals diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, or those at risk for low bone mass. Each class consists of a brief educational session followed by guided exercise. Education topics include instruction in safe movement for fracture prevention, strength and flexibility exercises for improved body alignment, and nutrition for bone health.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced the Brattleboro Cardiology practice will move into a newly designed Cardiology Center located on the second floor of the Richards Building opening Monday, April 15.

The move merges the offices of cardiologists Michael Cohan, D.O., and Mark Burke, M.D., into a single space. The Center will also serve as an outreach clinic for Daniel Walsh, M.D., a vascular surgeon from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

Diagnostic Imaging Technologists Susan Gautot RT(R,M) and Ellen Wapner RT (R,M,CT,QC) of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital successfully completed requirements to become Certified MammaCare Specialists.

MammaCare is the recognized standard for teaching and performing clinical breast examination in breast cancer screening clinics. The certification authorizes Gautot and Wapner to teach MammaCare practices to women and other health care professionals.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Susan and Ellen to the MammaCare family,” said Dr. H.S. Pennypacker, President of the MammaCare Corporation and one of the original team of scientists who developed MammaCare. “They will make an important contribution to medical education and women’s health throughout Vermont,” he added.

News from the Massachusetts Medical Society

Montague resident Kathleen M. McGraw, M.D. has been honored by her physician peers of the Franklin District Medical Society as the district society’s 2013 Community Clinician of the Year, an honor recognizing her professionalism and contributions as a physician.

The Community Clinician of the Year Award was established in 1998 by the Massachusetts Medical Society to recognize a physician from each of the Society’s 20 district medical societies who has made significant contributions to his or her patients and the community and who stands out as a leading advocate and caregiver. Dr. McGraw will receive the award at the District Society’s annual meeting Thursday April 25 at the Hotel Northampton.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced the establishment of Vermont’s only comprehensive Center for Wound Healing. Located on the BMH campus, the Center provides the most advanced therapies available for the treatment of chronic and non-healing wounds.

When the Center opens its doors and begins seeing patients on May 9, it will be the first facility of its kind in the state of Vermont and has been designed to serve the tri-state region, said BMH President and CEO Steven R. Gordon.

“Chronic, non-healing wounds are a problem for 8 million Americans, many of whom are elderly and managing chronic health problems, including diabetes, venous disease and injuries from radiation therapy,” said Gordon. With Windham County having the oldest population in Vermont, which in turn is the second oldest state in the whole country, Gordon adds that “The BMH Center for Wound Healing fills the need for this vital medical service not only for our local community, but also for the region.”

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital today announced that George Pierce Terwilliger, MD, has been appointed Site Director for its Emergency Department.

Dr. Terwilliger has been practicing emergency medicine at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire since 2002. He comes to BMH through a unique professional services contract with Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic, by which Harneet Sethi, MD, serves as Program Medical Director for Emergency Medicine at Cheshire Medical Center and BMH.

“Our arrangement with Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic and Cheshire Medical Center allows BMH to share in the expertise of physicians like Dr. Terwilliger to meet the existing need in Brattleboro,” says Kathleen McGraw, MD, Chief Medical Officer at BMH.

Prior to his current post, Terwilliger had been a member of the ED staff at BMH for two years and spent 10 years practicing emergency medicine at the Gifford Center in Randolph, Vermont. He also has seven years’ experience as Medical Director of a family medicine practice in Chelsea, Vermont.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and AARP are co-sponsoring a Driver Safety program on Saturday, April 20 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Room.

This driver’s refresher course is for people ages 55 and over and is designed to provide awareness of aging as it affects driving. The class covers normal physical changes associated with aging, provides practical techniques to compensate and review “rules of the road” with an emphasis on defensive driving practices.

Space is limited to 20 participants. The cost is $12.00 for AARP members with a membership card & $14.00 for non-AARP members. Call 802-251-8425 to register in advance. Fee covers materials only. Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch.

The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Respiratory Care Department announced it has established regular hours for electroencephalogram (EEG) testing and made an upgrade to its Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) system.

BMH Respiratory Services Manager Laurie Kuralt, RN, BSN, CCRN, says a staff member recently received extensive training in performing EEG tests, enabling the hospital to offer regularly scheduled hours for EEG testing three days a week on an outpatient basis, as well as on weekends should the need arise. An EEG test measures electrical activity in the brain. It is used to diagnose epilepsy, study sleep disorders like narcolepsy, and check for mental health problems or problems with dementia, among other applications.

Senior Solutions will offer a free, eight-week program that helps senior citizens with balance issues, starting Saturday, April 13 at 10:00 AM in the Brew Barry Conference Center at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

“A Matter of Balance” helps seniors deal with their fears of falling and creates better solutions to prevent falls. To register for this free program, call 802-257-8877.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Services will offer another edition of its five-week “Standing Tall Spine Health: Level 2” program beginning Monday, March 25.

The program is designed for individuals diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis who have previously completed the Level 1 course. The classes consist of advanced strengthening exercises for the core and postural muscles as well as a continuation of progressive balance challenges. Level 1 education principles will be reinforced through class discussion while exercising.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will offer a free presentation on computer ergonomics Monday, March 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Center.

“How to Properly Set Up Your Workstation” is for anyone who experiences stiffness or discomfort when sitting at a computer for work or personal use. Chris Vitello, occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, will demonstrate how to set up a computer station in the best possible way to fend off pain and injuries.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will offer a free, introductory session for its six-week course, “Letting Go of Stress” on Wednesday, April 3 at 5:15 PM in Brew Barry Conference Room 2.

The multi-session class will provide participants with the theory, practice and motivation to establish and maintain an effective lifelong stress reduction program. Following the introductory course, the program will meet every Wednesday through May 15.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced it has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care, Inc. (VPQ) in recognition of efforts to develop a program that would reduce unnecessary hospital readmission. In addition, VPQ has cited BMH’s comprehensive program and will highlight the hospital’s work in the VPQ annual report this summer.

In conjunction with the international observation of World Doula Week March 22-28, the Doula Program at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will celebrate 10 years of providing services to the community.

A doula is a trained woman who comforts and supports mothers and their families as they bring their babies into the world. Scientific trials have shown remarkable improved birth outcomes because of the presence of a doula. They also show a decreased amount of intervention and a higher number of mothers viewing their birth as a positive experience.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced that Gerald Doherty, PA has joined Brattleboro Family Medicine and is accepting new patients.

Doherty graduated from the Physician Assistant Studies program at the School of Science and Health, Philadelphia University in Pennsylvania in 1999.  Most recently, he has been a Physician Assistant in Emergency Medicine at Cheshire Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Keene, New Hampshire.

He has also worked for Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vermont and Central Vermont Medical Center in Barre.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital presents a free talk about urinary function by Director of Men’s Health Craig Rinder, MD, on Monday, March 11 at 7:00 pm in Brew Barry Conference Room 2.

A board-certified urologist, Dr. Rinder will discuss how urinary function changes as people age and the causes and solutions to many common complaints, particularly among men over the age of 50. To register or get more information, call 802-257-8877.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced
Sean Amos, MD has joined its Department of Hospitalist Medicine.

Amos is a 2003 graduate of Harvard
Medical School and has worked as a hospitalist on a contract basis in several
settings, including Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Arizona; Northwestern
Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont; and Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine.

Most recently, he worked for St. Vincent’s Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Amos was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2006.

Southern Vermont Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine will
present a free talk about shoulder injuries by Dr. William Vranos on Thursday,
February 28 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Brew Barry
Conference room.