CoxHealth

The Zika Virus and How it Could Affect You

By • Feb 3, 2016
Zika Virus
CDC

Talks of the Zika Virus continue to grow, with the World Health Organization declaring it a "public health emergency of international concern.” But what exactly is the Zika Virus?

Cindy Robertson, the Infection Prevention director at CoxHealth, explains.

“The Zika Virus is a single-stranded RNA virus. It is closely related to Dengue, Yellow Fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile Virus, and it is transmitted to humans by the Aedes species mosquito.”

Local Hospital Using New Method for Monitoring Heart Patients

By • Feb 1, 2016
St. Jude

A device that’s new in Springfield can help keep heart patients out of the hospital, and all they have to do is lie on a pillow for a few seconds once a day.  KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.

CoxHealth is using a new procedure to monitor heart patients.  The method consists of a sensor that’s implanted in a patient’s pulmonary artery, which is located just outside the heart.

"And what that does is it literally senses the pressure, and we can therefore track changes of the pressure in the lungs," said Dr. Stephen Kuehn, cardiologist with CoxHealth. 

New Device Prevents Clots in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

By • Jan 12, 2016
bostonscientific.com

Patients in southwest Missouri who suffer from atrial fibrillation now have another option when it comes to reducing their risk of stroke.  KSMU's Michele Skalicky has more.

A device called a Watchman, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the last year, is now being offered at CoxHealth.

The tiny device—just two to three centimeters—is implanted in the left atrial appendage and prevents clots from forming in the out pouch of the heart.

Open Enrollment Approaching for Health Insurance Marketplace: What You Need to Know

By • Oct 30, 2015
Healthcare.gov
Healthcare.gov

The federal health insurance Marketplace reopens for its annual enrollment period November 1. Austin Boyland, a certified application counselor with CoxHealth, says there are a number of new things you need to know about the process.

The Marketplace was established under the Affordable Care Act for those who don’t have access to coverage through their employer or can’t afford private insurance.

“The three top questions that we get: One being what is the penalty [if I don’t sign up], two when can I enroll, and three where can I get help?” Boyland says.

New Clinic Treats Those With High Breast Cancer Risk

By • Oct 20, 2015
jasleen_kaur / Flickr

A new clinic for those at high risk for a certain type of cancer is now open in Springfield.

The High Risk Breast Clinic at CoxHealth exclusively treats women with an increased lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

According to CoxHealth, it also works with women who have a personal history of breast cancer and who would benefit from specialty care.

The clinic will also provide “appropriate surveillance, determine the need for chemo-preventive treatment and offer education on ways to reduce the risk for breast cancer.”

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