Lake Health

CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio, January 26, 2011 - Although flu season is well under way, the virus is making a slow start this year.  It's not too late to get a flu shot.  The vaccine is especially important for those who could suffer serious complications from the flu such as the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems.  The seasonal flu vaccine will protect against an influenza A H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the 2009 H1N1 virus. 

Beginning January 26, Lake Health will be offering seasonal flu shots for $10 during regular business hours.   The Tyler Urgent Care Center, Chardon Campus, Madison Campus, and Willowick Campuses are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Painesville Quick Care Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Middlefield Clinic, located inside Walmart Supercenter, is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.  The Perry Walk-in Care Center is open Monday through Friday 2:30 to 9 p.m.

CONCORD TWP., January 24, 2011 - Lake Health senior leadership recently honored The Operating Room at TriPoint Medical Center, TriPoint Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Hand/Occupational Therapy and the Above and Beyond... And Then Some award recipients.

The Operating Room at TriPoint Medical Center was awarded with the RITSI (Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, Stewardship, and Innovation) award.  The RITSI award is given quarterly to the department who best exemplifies the RITSI values which are part of the Mission, Vision, and Values of Lake Health.

The Hearty Cup was awarded to Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Hand/Occupational Therapy Departments at TriPoint Medical Center.  The Hearty Cup is given quarterly to a department with great patient satisfaction scores.  The Department's 95.9 score overall (100-point scale) equates to a 99th percentile ranking versus the Press Ganey All-Facility Database of comparison hospitals. Press Ganey, a leading health care measurement consulting group, establishes benchmarks for patient satisfaction with a database of over 950 hospitals across the country.

Fall and winter typically bring cooler temperatures and shorter days, and for many people, it also triggers depression. Fortunately, the blues are not all in your head.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, occurs when we have less natural sunlight, due to the late mornings and early evenings, knocking our body's daily rhythms out of sync with the sun.  The pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, responds to darkness by secreting a hormone called melatonin, which resets the brain's central clock. Our body increases production of melatonin in the dark, which may cause symptoms of depression.

Here's how, you can stop SAD from disrupting your life.

We often go to great lengths to look and feel our best. Yet many never realize that one of the keys to a healthy body and a productive life rests just below the neck.  The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland below the larynx that produces thyroid hormones; chemicals that affect the function of many of the body's organs including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, bones, and skin. Thyroid hormones are extremely important to the body's overall function. They help regulate metabolism, help the body make energy, and perform many other important functions. Thyroid disease is quite common, and involves imbalances in the amount of thyroid hormone produced and structural thyroid abnormalities.

"Many people with thyroid disease are often undiagnosed for years," Lake Health Endocrinologist Dr. Martin Mandel said. "The consequences resulting from a thyroid disorder could be prevented by a simple visit to their doctor."

The early symptoms for Hypothyroidism in adults may include: constipation, carpal tunnel syndrome, getting tired very easily, and very low cold tolerance. Later symptoms may include: dry skin, anorexia, increasingly deep voice, hair loss, increased weight, depression, and puffy eyes.