Living

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and Brattleboro Area Hospice are co-sponsoring a free interactive workshop on May 19 entitled, “How to Talk About the End of Life.”

Talking about one’s dying is not something most people feel comfortable doing. We would rather put it off until we absolutely have to. Even healthcare providers avoid it. This interactive, how-to workshop will include personal stories and examples of the powerful benefits of talking about it.

On May 19, at 6:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Room, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be offering a free educational program entitled, “Understanding Back Pain and Sciatica: When is Surgery Advised,” by Dr. Jon Thatcher.

Thatcher, who is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, will discuss the causes of back pain, surgical and nonsurgical treatment options, and when surgery is appropriate.

“Many people suffer from back pain, and most back pain can be treated conservatively without surgery,” says Thatcher. “Surgery becomes more effective when leg pain is caused by a pinched nerve in the lower back known as sciatica.”

On May 12, at 6:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Room, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be presenting a free educational program entitled, “The Anterior Hip: A Muscle-Sparing Approach to Total Hip Replacement,” by Dr. William Vranos.

Vranos, a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, will describe this new approach to replacing the hip, which is minimally invasive and spares muscles from incision allowing patients to have a shorter recovery time and less rehabilitative time.

On May 13, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM, is hosting an open house to celebrate its new location in the Medical Office Building at 19 Belmont Avenue, Suite G102 on the ground floor, at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. 

Situated just across the street from their old location and conveniently located on the hospital grounds the new office provides larger space and updated facilities.

“The new location is bright, beautiful, and fully functional,” says Dr. Valerie Rooney.”We’ve added an additional exam room and are accepting new patients to our new facility.”

There is a health care records concern I have about “global consent” — whereby your records are stored in one big state file, to which, if you sign a release, any health care provider may have access.  This story was on Vermont Public Radio — link to it http://digital.vpr.net/post/new-patient-information-system-sparks-privacy-debate .  For information on the information exchange, see vitl.net .

This is what I sent to my legislators regarding this issue:

A new Six-Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins on Tuesday May 6th and will meet each Tuesday from 4:30-6:00 pm, ending June 10th. The group is free of charge and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter where you are on your journey of grief.

Bereavement Support Groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences, insight and encouragement, through discussion, handouts, and suggestions for moving through grief. This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice (BAH) and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. No prior connection with BAH is required in order to participate.

at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be hosting a on May 3, 2014. The Symposium will be held in the Brew Barry Conference area from 7:30 AM -12:30 PM.

The Symposium will host several speakers who will discuss the impact of heart disease on women. Topics will include cardiac risk factors, emergency care, STEMI protocols, cardiac rehabilitation and how Accountable Care Organizations are working to improve the continuum of care. For more information about speakers, .

“We are very excited to be able to bring so many experts together to discuss the impact of heart disease on women,” said Marcy Rushford, Director of Cardiovascular Health. “Women are often so busy taking care of others, that they neglect themselves and the warning signs for heart disease. By offering this free seminar, we are hoping to raise awareness.”