Health

An administrator for the Mercy health system has been named president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA).

Dr. David Barbe is currently vice president of regional operations for Mercy Springfield Communities. He oversees five regional, rural Mercy hospitals, 90 clinic practices and more than 200 physicians and advanced practitioners in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

His selection by AMA members came earlier this week. Barbe will serve as president-elect through June 2017, after which he’ll assume the full role as president.

A heat advisory is in effect starting at noon today and going through tomorrow evening.  That means a period of hot temperatures is expected., and the heat and humidity could lead to heat illnesses, according to the National Weather Service.  It’s offering suggestions for staying safe including drinking plenty of fluids, staying in air conditioning and staying out of the sun if possible.  Check on relatives and neighbors.  If you have to work outside, take frequent breaks.

According to CoxHealth, common signs of heat-related illness are: 

A new report from the Food Research and Action Center shows a 13 percent decrease in the number of low-income children in Missouri receiving summer meals.

The study examined data from July 2015. It compares the number of children receiving summer meals to those receiving free or reduced-price lunches during the regular school year.
 

Going into combat or experiencing other traumatic incidents can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other issues.  A series of classes, which start tomorrow, is targeted at those at risk—military veterans and first responders.

Kerry Miller, volunteer coordinator at CoxHealth, said Wellness for Warriors will use things like yoga and relationship building to help people learn to cope with the changes they’ve experienced.

There’s an app for lots of things these days, and now CoxHealth is offering an app for expectant parents.

The health system’s BabyBeginnings smartphone app is being called “a one-stop source for medically-founded information from conception to birth and beyond.”

Dr. Staci Niemoth (NEE-muth), medical director of Women’s Services at CoxHealth, says expectant moms always have questions about the changes they’re experiencing, and this app gives them vetted information that’s available at the touch of a button.

Cox College is celebrating its newest edition to assist its occupational therapy students with the opening of a new training facility.  

Cox Cottage, as it’s being called, is a roughly 900-square foot ADL (Activities of Daily Living) apartment unit inside Cox North that allow students to learn how to help patients with everyday skills such as cooking, vacuuming, eating, bathing and even sleeping.

Effective Monday, Dr. Andrew J. Evans will head the Springfield Clinical Campus through the University of Missouri’s School of Medicine. Evans was recently named associate dean and chief academic officer for the program, which begins welcoming students in June. 

Dr. Linda Headrick, a professor of Medicine at MU, says Evans is uniquely positioned to lead the campus.

“He’s had a personal direct experience in all three of the partner organizations; The Missouri University School of Medicine, CoxHealth in Springfield, and Mercy Health System in Springfield.”

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.”

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.”

A new primary care clinic opening this week aims to help over 2,000 patients in its first year that might otherwise struggle to get treatment.

On Monday, officials with Mercy Springfield and Missouri State University unveiled the new MSU Care Clinic inside the school’s O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Building. It provides healthcare access for low-income, uninsured patients who are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.