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What do Lehigh Valley Health Network, the Empire State Building and the Pyramids of Giza all have in common? We’re participating in “Light it Up Blue” for autism awareness during the month of April. An estimated one in 88 children is diagnosed with this complex brain disorder. You can see Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest’s Kasych Family Pavilion dressed up in blue as you pass the hospital each night in April.
Think dodgeball is only for grade school gym class? Think again. Lehigh Valley Health Network employees and representatives of local fire departments made up 20 teams that competed in the annual Great Balls of Fire Dodgeball Tournament at the Lower Macungie Community Center. The event raised more than $9000, which will be used to support the health network’s burn survivor programs. The winner of the tournament was the team from the Children’s Clinic, cleverly named the “Snot Rockets” (shown). Other witty team names included “Code Red” from the emergency room, “Did You Reboot?” featuring employees from information services, and VSAS Orthopaedics’ “Bone Crushers.”
On April 4, about two dozen people in downtown Allentown joined others across the Lehigh Valley in using part of their lunch time to take a walk. While that might be normal for some, this group was participating in the American Heart Association’s National Walking Day and encouraging others to get up and get walking. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Lehigh Valley Health Network cardio-thoracic surgeon, Theodore Phillips, MD, spoke to the group about the benefits of the simplest and single most effective form of exercise to achieve heart health. Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for as little as 30 minutes each day can help reduce the risk of heart disease. The Heart Association’s National Walking Day is part of the annual Lehigh Valley Heart & Stroke Walk, which will be held on Sunday, Sept. 23 at Northampton Community College.
Lehigh Valley Health Network writer Gerard Migliore marked the 25th anniversary of his kidney transplant March 31. His kidney was donated by the family of a 19-year-old California woman, making the anniversary a day of many emotions, Migliore says. “I remember feeling desperate back in 1987. I had been on dialysis for almost six years and wondered if a transplant was ever going to happen. Then the call came. It felt like someone had tossed me a life preserver. At the same time, it was a very sad moment. I knew someone had died and a family was grieving. I’m here today because that family chose to think of others at a time of terrible loss. As grateful as I am, I’ve spoken to many donor families and, amazingly, they say they are equally grateful to meet me. Seeing transplant recipients live productive lives brings them peace and a sense of purpose. If you haven’t signed up to be an organ donor, please talk it over with your family. A few moments now can make a difference in so many lives.” April is National Donate Life Month, which raises awareness about the critical shortage of organs for transplant. Learn more about organ donation through the health network’s Transplant Center or the Gift of Life Donor Program.
Technically, the monsters were already at Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest. But these monsters didn’t create too much chaos. Elmo and Cookie Monster stopped by for a special visit with children like 3-year-old Cole, pictured here with his mother, before their big performance at Stabler Arena later in the evening. One of the children even gave Cookie Monster his favorite thing in the world— a packet of chocolate chip cookies. It’s become an annual tradition for Elmo and his friends to visit the children in the hospital. Each year the visit brings big smiles from all involved.
For Deborah Allen, being diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumor wasn’t the end of the world. Instead, she saw it as an opportunity for a fresh start and a new outlook on life. Armed with a revived purpose, Allen was determined to eat right and get fit. She also won the Chix Makover Contest, sponsored by Hosfeld Insurance. She did a big reveal after her makeover at Boston’s Restaurant in Fogelsville, Pa. Proceeds from the “Dine to Donate” event at Boston’s were given to Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Physiology Treatment and Research Fund, which helps burn survivors lead more productive lives through leading-edge scar management processes such as laser treatment, exercise, massage and more.
Daily lifestyle choices impact health and well-being in many ways. At this year’s Mini Medical School titled The Mind/Body Connection: Your Health is in Your Hands, you can take an in-depth look at the important connection between your mind and body. Learn how the brain functions, how lifestyle choices and stress affect your heart and physical fitness, and techniques you can adopt to manage your stress. Mini Medical School is a free program held April 5, 12, 19 and 26 at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Call 610-402-CARE to register.
After surviving breast cancer two years ago, Dianne Laubach did something she had never done before—began working out in a gym. It was a big change for the 51-year-old Allentown woman, who operates a general construction business with her husband. Laubach’s opportunity to join a gym came courtesy of Assist to Fitness, a Lehigh Valley Health Network program that funds free, three-month fitness center memberships for women with breast cancer. Funding comes from the annual Women’s 5K Classic. “I discovered I loved the exercise equipment and felt like I was taking control of my health and life,” Laubach says. She has since purchased a full membership, exercises regularly, and her cancer has been in remission for two years. Exercise and fitness are crucial when it comes to certain forms of cancer. “Some studies show you can reduce your chance for recurrence of breast cancer by as much as 50 percent by simply maintaining your weight,” says health network physical therapist Linda Boyle.
Close to 150 Salisbury Middle School students recently danced the night away for a good cause. They raised $10,000 for Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Prager Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. Following the dance-a-thon, Salisbury Middle School Interact Club students presented the money to representatives of the health network’s cancer center. The fund, which supports cancer patients directly for non-medical expenses, was nearly depleted after an unprecedented year of giving to patients in need.
Lehigh Valley Health Network is joining forces with the Lehigh Valley’s newest team—the Phantoms. Team owners Jim and Rob Brooks (second and fourth from left), and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski (fourth from right) joined with health network leaders to announce the partnership. The health network is a founding partner in the new Allentown arena and will serve as the Official Health Care Provider for the team. The health network also is proposing a sports medicine and fitness destination in the office complex that will connect to the arena. “This arena project is the most significant revitalization project in Allentown’s history,” says health network president and CEO Ron Swinfard, MD (third from left). “We are proud to be a part of it and excited about the opportunity it gives us to further enhance the health and wellness of people in Allentown and our surrounding communities.”
Click the image above to download the flyer.
Don’t miss the fun! Join us at the Chix Makeover Party at Boston’s in Fogelsville for a dine to donate event. During the event, the new look of the winner of the recent Chix Makeover contest will be revealed. The Chix Makepver contest and Chix Makeover party were created and organized by local insurance “chick” Donna Hosfeld of Hosfeld Insurance in Macungie. Last October, Hosfeld organized the Perfectly Pink Purse Party, also hosted at Boston’s, which raised more than $4,500 for our Pink Ribbon Fund which helps women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
The night of the event, bring a copy of the flyer to the right and Boston’s will donate 15 percent of your bill to our Scar Physiology Treatment and Research Fund, which helps burn survivors lead more productive lives through leading-edge scar management processes such as laser treatment, exercise, massage and more.
Event details:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
6-9 PM
327 Star Road Allentown, PA 18106 610-841-5900
Carole Handley, RN, of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s neuroscience intensive care unit (NSICU), doesn’t know for sure if her patient made it back to his family and community in Kentucky before he passed away. But in her heart, she believes he made it. Initially, her patient traveled from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to receive care in one of the nation’s only facilities that provides behavioral health care to members of the plain community. Knowing our reputation for providing culturally-appropriate care, the patient’s family brought him here. That’s where caregivers realized he wasn’t suffering from depression, but from a terminal neurological disease. “I had to be sensitive to their wishes,” Handley says. “When they asked if they could bring him back to Kentucky, I didn’t think about saying no. I knew how important it was to them. I only asked myself how we can get this done.” When his family and friends arrived to pick him up in a van, Handley and her colleagues positioned him so he could be transported safely. “I think they made it,” says Handley. “I have to believe they made it.”
Lehigh Valley Health Network recently launched HeartAware, a free, online heart risk assessment to help people learn if they’re at risk for heart disease and how they can become more heart healthy. HeartAware is a 28-question survey available on lvhn.org that takes only minutes to complete. When you complete the test, you’ll receive a customized report about how to become more heart healthy. If you’re at risk for heart disease, you’ll be offered a free cholesterol blood test and free appointment with a HeartAware nurse. If the appointment determines you’re at an elevated risk for heart disease, you can follow up with your primary care physician or can be referred to a physician who is a member of the HeartAware program.
Signed up for the Lehigh Valley Health Network Marathon for Via? Get in a walking workout for the event’s 5K walk or team relay by going on the Get Out! Lehigh Valley trail walk at the Pool Wildlife Sanctuary in Emmaus on March 31 at 10 a.m. Register for the event and get hiking tips by visiting lvhn.org/getoutlv.
On Saturday, March 31, 16 dodgeball teams will enter the Lower Macungie Community Center to compete for the Great Balls of Fire dodgeball tournament trophy. Only one will emerge as the day’s victor. The winners may have a few more scrapes and bruises, but they will be able to say they dodged the most dodgeballs. Plus, the tournament supports burn survivors and burn survivor programming. Price of admission for this family-friendly event is $5 for adults and $2 for children. The tournament starts at 12:30 p.m.
Lehigh Valley Health Network has three Magnet-designated hospitals, including Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street, both in Allentown, Pa., and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Pa.. The health network is also comprised of labs, health centers, physician practices, home care, hospice and pharmacies, and serves the Pennsylvania communities of Easton, Doylestown, Quakertown, Hazleton, Lehighton, Perkasie, Pottstown, Pottsville, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Stroudsburg, and the Poconos and also Phillipsburg and Flemington, N.J., and western New Jersey. Lehigh Valley Health Network has also been recognized by US News & World Report as one of Americas Best Hospitals and by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing care. You dont have to travel to Philadelphia or New York for quality health care.
©2012 Lehigh Valley Health Network
610-402-CARE
Toll Free: 1-888-LVH-CARE
Cedar Crest & I-78, P.O. Box 689,
Allentown, PA 18105-1556
