It’s been almost 18 months and I’m set to graduate this July from Rice Memorial Hospital School of Radiologic Technology and Ridgewater College in Willmar. It’s been a great mix of class time and clinicals and I’ve really enjoyed getting to go to some of the local healthcare organizations like ACMC, Rice Hospital, Paynesville Hospital and Renville County Hospital. It’s great that these organizations work with students so we can get the hands on experience we need.

Jennifer Stang, Radiologic Technology Student

Going to college can be expensive; I heard about a scholarship opportunity that was available through Affiliated Community Health Foundation (ACHF), so I applied. I was so happy when I found out that I was chosen to be one of the recipients of the scholarships. It really meant a lot to me and it helped me through my last year of college by only having to work every other weekend. I was also able to pay some of my tuition and extra bills that would have required me to take out a loan for school; now I will have less debt to pay off when I’m done.

Recently, I’ve started filling out job applications. Ideally I would like to end up in a rural community, so I’m hopeful I can find somewhere close to home. I grew up in Richmond, MN and I guess I just like the small town life; so we will see what happens. All I know is that I’m really excited to get out and work in my field because I really love what I’m doing!

The 2012 scholarship awards have just been announced; click here to learn more about the recipients.

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Giving Books to Children

Amber Vick, MD, Family Medicine, ACMC-New London/Spicer

“It’s always a special time for me when I have the opportunity to give a child a book,” states Dr. Amber Vick. “When I give out the books, I make sure to tell the child that I am giving them a book to take home and read with mom and dad.  We want kids to know that reading is important, and we also want them to know it’s an important thing to do with their parents. We give out books at every well-child visit and we are lucky to have lots of great books with familiar characters. If we know that our patient loves Thomas the Train, we try to find a book that will encompass their interests.  It’s fun because I have parents that come back to me and say that their child just loved the book they got and when it’s time to read, they tell mom that they want to read the “Dr. Vick book”.  That tells me the child appreciates the book and I know I’m helping to grow a child’s love for reading!”

Andrea Carruthers, RN, PHN, Care Management Coordinator, ACMC-Willmar

“Our providers know that part of a child’s development is learning how to use and handle books.  When they give books to children, they are also looking for signs to see if they turn the book the right way so that the pictures and words are correct.  They may also ask them to point at colors or pictures to make sure they are meeting the developmental milestones,” states ACMC Care Management Coordinator, Andrea Carruthers, RN, PHN.  “We also know that it’s important to meet the needs of the diverse populations in our clinics.  We try to make sure that we have books with pictures of East African and Hispanic people so kids have an opportunity to see their own culture come alive in the story they are reading.”

Funding our Program

In 2011, ACMC providers gave out over 10,000 new books to children during well child exams. Our Reach Out and Read program is funded from three different sources; Affiliated Community Medical Foundation (ACHF), ACMC administrative budget and miscellaneous grants from sources such as Target, Reach Out and Read, and the United Way’s EMPOWER: Women United in Philanthropy.  We also receive donated and/or reduced cost books from a variety of sources including the Reach out and Read program, wholesale distributors and other publishers that have an excess of books that are geared towards children ages six months to five years.  All donations are important; in early 2012 we received 1600 free books from the Reach Out and Read sustainability award.  Every year, ACMC budgets $24,000 to fund our Reach out and Read program. Book donations and grants help keep the actual dollars spent within our budget.

You Can Help

Along with the Reach Out and Read program, ACMC Clinics also accept gently used children’s books for our waiting rooms.  All books are available for a child to take home if they’d like; this helps them build a reading library.  If you have any gently used children’s books you’d like to donate, please bring them in to your nearest ACMC location and drop them off with the front desk staff so they can be checked. We check all of the books to make sure they are appropriate and in good condition for children in our communities.

At ACMC, we want to help prepare our youngest patients to succeed in school by sharing books and encouraging families to read together.  Our hope is that it develops an early love for reading!

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ACMC Team Member Tami Kobienia, P.T., M.A., and 3rd year medical students Kelsey Redland, Libby Miller and Neil Johnson

Our weekly medical student education program took Kelsey, Libby and Neil to ACMC’s Hearing and Balance Center in Willmar on May 9th. They each remarked on the value this session provided them. They appreciated Tami’s time to educate them on this health care avenue that is not always available to them as medical students. Patients presenting to their Family Medicine provider with dizziness, nausea, and imbalance can receive evaluation at the Hearing and Balance Center to determine the cause and contributing factors and the appropriate treatment for recovery.

Some of the most common diagnoses evaluated at the Hearing & Balance Center include positional vertigo, inner ear viral infections, migraine-related vertigo, difficulty walking with imbalance and/or falls. The evaluation results are then relayed to the patient’s provider for a proper diagnosis, and vestibular rehabilitation can be initiated to resolve dizziness and restore patient’s balance abilities. Doctors can monitor the patients response to therapy and, in some cases, may chose to adjust the patient’s medications based on treatment recommendations.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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In 2004, the Affiliated Community Health Foundation (ACHF) established a medical scholarship program to assist medical students from rural ACMC communities.  The goal of the scholarship is to encourage medical students to practice in rural Minnesota after completion of their medical degree. By helping out students from our communities, the hope is that they come back home or close home when they are done.

Each year, $1,000.00 scholarships are presented to students that are attending accredited medical programs that lead to a degree of medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy.  Students that are interested in applying must demonstrate that they are a permanent resident within the service area of an ACMC clinic.

With a shortage of physicians that will only grow as our population ages, ACHF believes that it is important to invest in the future of our students as well as continue to bring physicians into our communities to serve the needs of our patients. Past scholarship recipients have been extremely grateful for the scholarships received from this program.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please complete the application form and return it to Julayne Mayer by June 15, 2012.  Scholarships will be awarded on August 1, 2012.  Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis and students must reapply to continue to receive funds.

If you would like more information about the scholarship program or to see a listing of past recipients, click here.

Watch our video to see what kind of impact a future healthcare shortage could have on rural communities.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Whether playing baseball, softball, golf, tennis or competing in track and field, there are certain things that you can do as a parent to help prevent spring sports injuries.

Getting a Sports Physical

Most schools require a pre-participation physical to be completed before your child can play on a sports team. Sports physicals are a very important part of participating in sports; this exam helps determine whether it’s safe for your child to participate. The two main parts of a physical are the medical history and physical exam. The medical history portion addresses medical history for the athlete as well as family medical history. The physical exam consists of assessing general body functions. The athlete’s height and weight, vision, heart rate, lung sounds, blood pressure and musculoskeletal functions are taken to make sure that they are healthy and able to participate in physical activity.

Get Active

If your child has been inactive for a while, it’s a good idea to get them moving several weeks prior to starting organized activities to prevent injury. As an athletic trainer, my main purpose is to help keep athletes from injuring themselves. One major factor to preventing injury is making sure the body is ready for vigorous activity. Limiting TV time and ensuring a proper diet are a few things that can help prepare your child for activity. Making sure they are moving at least 30 minutes a day and incorporating sport-specific activities will help them get ready.

Always warm-up

Along with preparing a few weeks in advance, warming up before an activity can help prevent injuries. I constantly tell my athletes that a proper warm-biup of light jogging or biking along with stretching can do wonders for your body. I recommend about 5 to 10 minutes of low-intensity, all-body warm-up. Next, I suggest at least 5 minutes of large muscle group stretching focusing on the legs, arms, hips and back.

Once Activity Starts

Once sports have started and your child is prepared for activity, we need to focus on maintenance. I tell my athletes that they need to know their body and recognize when something is wrong.

Athletes should never avoid coming to see me or their doctor to address aches and pains for fear of being told to stop a sport. Letting an injury go untreated can worsen the injury or lead to more serious complications. Your child should see a doctor or an athletic trainer whenever they have pain or another symptom with activity that is so severe they can’t exercise at all.

Jessica Slavik, Athletic Trainer, ACMC-Willmar

Along with recognizing injury, there are other important factors that go into keeping your child healthy. Help keep your child hydrated by making sure they:

• drink at least 16 ounces of water or a sports drink one to two hours before activity
• drink another 7 to 10 ounces about 10 to 20 minutes before activity and
• drink 6 to 8 ounces every 20 or 30 minutes during activity

Eat Healthy

Besides staying hydrated, I tell my athletes to eat properly. Eating breakfast every day is by far their most important meal of the day. They should also make sure that they are replenishing their energy with protein rich foods and that they are not skipping meals. Discourage your children from eating too close to a workout which can cause digestive discomfort. Instead, meals should be eaten about three to four hours before exercising, or small snacks such as a banana can be eaten about an hour or two prior to working out.

Talk to your child’s healthcare provider or athletic trainer if you have any questions. Good luck and stay active!

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Skin Cancer is Attacking our Young!

At ACMC, we have three dermatologists and we are all seeing the same trend that is being reported nationally; skin cancer is on the rise! We are seeing an increase in all types of skin cancer: basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Of all these, the most impressive and most frightening increase has been that of melanoma. This is not just a disease of the elderly; women between the ages of 16 and 34 have had the most significant increase in this cancer. When I started practice 20 years ago, melanoma was an infrequent diagnosis. I now make multiple new melanoma diagnoses every week, follow many past melanoma patients daily and have had a number of patients die from this disease, including a 29-year-old woman. This is an epidemic, it’s scary and for many people it’s preventable!

Are Tanning Beds Safe?

There is no such thing as a safe tanning bed; they are all bad PERIOD! The World Health Organization has declared them to be a carcinogen and called for a ban. The Federal Trade Commission has prohibited the tanning bed industry from making false claims that UV light is beneficial. The reason they are no longer allowed to make those statements is because there is NO safe way to tan! A tan is your skin’s attempt to protect itself from a carcinogen. Over the last decade, more and more research has demonstrated that tanning bed use increases the risk of skin cancer, most significantly melanoma. Studies by Dr. DeAnn Lazovich from the University of Minnesota have demonstrated that the relationship is linear. Any tanning bed exposure is risky, but the younger you are when you start tanning and the more you do it, the greater the melanoma risk.

Base Tanning for Vacations

As people plan mid-winter trips to the tropics or try to ready their skin for summer, a common trend is to use indoor tanning beds to develop a base tan. This is ill-advised. A tan provides minimal sun protection and significant skin damage. It simply doesn’t make sense.

Sun Safety

Know your three S’s; sunscreen, sun-protective clothing and sun avoidance. When you are out in the sun you should use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Make sure you use a generous amount (the equivalent of a shot glass full).

Cindy Firkins Smith, MD, Dermatology, ACMC-Willmar/Litchfield

Reapply it every two hours and after swimming or sweating. It is also important to remember that sunscreen is only one part of the equation. You should also wear sun protective clothing and a hat, as well as avoid the sun, if possible during the most intense times of the day (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) Parents, remember that your children are watching you. If you are telling them to put on sunscreen and you are not doing so yourselves, they aren’t likely to see its importance.

Self-Exam

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your skin. If you see anything that’s unusual (asymmetrical, with irregular borders, or unusual color, anything different from your “typical” mole, or anything changing) schedule an appointment and get it checked out. Many skin cancers are preventable with good “sun sense” and most are curable if diagnosed early. Be Smart. Be Safe. Be Cancer-Free.

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ACMC-Willmar

For your convenience

We don’t schedule patients in Urgent Care; we see you on a first-come, first-served basis so that it is more convenient for your schedule. Did you know that you can check our website to see what the wait time is going to be? It’s a great feature that we offer for our Willmar and Marshall clinics and is updated by our reception staff every 15 minutes. Urgent Care is unpredictable and occasionally we have someone that comes in with an injury that is bleeding or a condition that might be more “urgent” than someone with a bad cold or flu, so we bump them up on the list and see them right away.

Access to services

When I’m caring for patients in Urgent Care, every patient that walks through the door is important to me. I make sure my patients get a thorough enough examination that we don’t miss a more serious problem than was initially suspected. Urgent Care has access to a wide variety of tests and offers CT scans and ultrasounds during regular business hours, as well as labs and other routine tests at any time. We also have access to many specialists just down the hall in Willmar. If care is needed after the Urgent Care visit, we have you follow-up with your regular provider.

Having a regular provider is important

At ACMC, we feel it is important that you choose a primary care provider instead of just using Urgent Care every time you are sick. When you pick someone to care for you on a regular basis, the provider gets to know you, your history, and your social situation. When you come to Urgent Care, we try to get a hold of your primary care provider to see if they have an opening for you that day or next day. If you don’t have a primary care provider, we take the opportunity to try to help align you with someone.

When should you come to Urgent Care?

David Swanson, MD, Urgent Care, ACMC-Willmar

When trying to decide whether or not to come to Urgent Care, there really isn’t one blanket statement that fits all. If you have a minor cold or just feel cruddy, it’s probably ok to just let the virus run its course. If there is something more serious going on like a persistent high fever or pain, or exposure to strep throat, it might be time to come in. Remember, you can always call and talk to your regular doctor who knows your history to help you decide what to do.

We’re here when you need us!

Urgent Care is available at ACMC-Willmar and ACMC-Marshall and we are here for you when you need us, after hours and on weekends for those things that just can’t wait until morning or until Monday. Come see me in the clinic and I’ll be happy to take care of you!

*Other ACMC clinics that offer extended hours for patient convenience are: Benson, Granite Falls, Litchfield West, Redwood Falls and Willmar Skylark Optical.

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Elizabeth Miller, 3rd Year Medical Student

Sometimes our path isn’t always clear and you have to experience life a bit to help see where you belong and my journey to medical school certainly didn’t start in the traditional sense.

Finding My Way

After high school, I went to college and studied at the University of St. Thomas where I majored in Biology. Originally I thought that I wanted to go to medical school after graduating college, but there was a big part of me that was unsure. The decision to go to medical school is really a big commitment, so I decided to take a few years off to go out into the working world to gain some experience in healthcare. While I enjoyed the path of exploration, my heart kept telling me that I wanted to be on the other side of medicine, working one-on-one with patients. Had I started medical school right away, I would be further along than I am now, but I realize that I needed those experiences to define my vision.

Currently, I’m a third year medical student at Des Moines University in Iowa. During the first two years of medical school, we spend most of our time with our noses in books studying for what we will need to know when it’s time to interact with patients. We have time in labs with simulated patients, but that’s nothing like when you get to your third year when you get to do rotations while learning about the different specialties in medicine in a hands-on atmosphere.

Exploring Medical Specialties

A native of Willmar, I was happy to come to ACMC for my clinical rotations. With all the specialties that ACMC-Willmar has to offer, it will be a great place to help me prepare for my future as a doctor. My surgery rotation with Dr. Steven Bell has been one of my favorites so far because it’s so hands-on and not just all clinic-based. I’ll be with ACMC until July, and between now and then will spend time in Nephrology, ENT, Dermatology, ER as well as a second rotation in Family Medicine. When I leave I will be left to decide what areas of medicine I want to focus on during my fourth year of medical school and finally what my specialty will be in residency.

I’ve really enjoyed learning from all the different providers. I watch their style, how they approach patients and medical issues, and how they work with the patient to come to a diagnosis. It will really help me as I figure out what my personal style will be. The patients here have been great to work with as well; they are really understanding and willing to let us give our assessment and I commonly hear, “you have to start somewhere.” It’s nice that they are willing to help out future doctors! It’s been an interesting journey so far, and ACMC has given me a great start. I’m excited to see where the next chapter of my medical education leads me!

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The capacity and potential for change and adherence is within every person. The following are some important keys to successful change.

Right Goal = momentum to get started

To be successful, you need to find the right goal or you will not have momentum to get started. It is only the right goal if YOU WANT to make the change. Goals that start with the words should, ought and must often lead to perfectionist beliefs, anger and failure. This also suggests that you don’t own this goal, but it is likely someone else’s idea and will not result in success.

Right Reasons = motivation to follow through

Research suggests that the more internalized the reason or reward, such as making a change for overall health or improved cholesterol, will produce longer term success. This is contrasted with short term results that occur when your goal or reward is external, such as fitting into that dress for an upcoming wedding.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any one thing.” Abraham Lincoln.

Motivation follows action, it doesn’t precede it.

If you are waiting to go to the gym until you “feel like it” it probably isn’t going to happen. On the other hand, if you have a life goal that is to improve your fitness and YOU identify a reasonable action such as going to the gym 3 days/week, you will be more likely to follow through because you are committed. As you go to the gym, your motivation will build because you are following through on an important goal that YOU WANT to achieve. Commitment is the key, which goes back to selecting the right goal.

You are not the problem.

Tamara Hein, R.D./CDE-ACMC Weight Control Center

If you think that you are weak and unmotivated and thus overweight, you are making the core of who you are the problem, which has no easily identifiable solution. However, if you skip breakfast, this can cause you to over eat in the evening which adds excess calories and results in weight gain. Skipping breakfast is the problem. Your goal becomes the flip of the problem, to start eating breakfast. This will shift your calories to earlier in the day which results in less snacking and smaller portions at supper, which reduces your overall calorie intake and results in weight loss.

To be successful, set reasonable, attainable goals that you want to achieve and remember not to make YOU the problem! Good luck with the rest of 2012! If you would like support identifying and achieving your goals, check out our team at the ACMC weight control center.

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