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Dua’a (Dee) Ibrahim-Weber, a human resources leader with more than 30 years of experience, has been named chief human resources officer of MidMichigan Health. She will succeed Greg Ghilardi, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, who will retire on Dec. 31, 2020, after 13 years with the Midland, Mich., based non-profit health system. “Greg’s commitment to excellence and his leadership in our organization have made a significant difference for all of us at MidMichigan Health,” said Diane Postler-Slattery, Ph.D., FACHE, president and CEO, MidMichigan Health. “We congratulate him on his many accomplishments and wish him all the best for his retirement years.” The recipient of Michigan’s HR Executive of the Year Award from the American Society of Employers in 2018, during his tenure, Ghilardi led a number of successful projects with MidMichigan Health.
Flu Season Cont. Shouldnât we be more focused on COVID-19 than influenza? We certainly need to keep our focus on COVID-19, but one way to protect our valuable health care resources is to reduce the chances of other serious infections like influenza. Ensuring that all health care workers and community members receive the flu vaccine is a great strategy to reduce the influenza disease burden in our communities. Letâs all get vaccinated for the flu, protect ourselves and our resources from that lethal virus, so we can focus on the risks that COVID will present this coming fall and winter. How can you tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19 symptoms? Itâs going to be difficult to tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19 symptoms since both illnesses produce respiratory symptoms. In addition, itâs possible to have both infections at the same time. Testing needs to be done to determine if symptoms are due to flu or COVID-19. Those interested in more information on the flu vaccine may visit www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm
Flu Season Cont. How does the flu vaccine work? The flu vaccine works by causing antibodies to form in the human body. These antibodies provide protection against infection if that individual is later exposed to the actual virus. Vaccines in the U.S. protect against three (âtrivalentâ) or four (âquadrivalentâ) different strains of the flu virus. Once the flu vaccine is administered, it takes about two weeks for the body to generate the protective antibodies. These antibodies then provide protection for several months following the vaccination. The best time to receive the flu vaccination is in the fall, prior to the arrival of the seasonal virus. Most medical providers begin administering the vaccine in September but will continue to administer for the duration of the flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Who should be vaccinated? With rare exception, every human older than 6 months of age should receive the flu vaccine each year. Some people may not be candidates for certain vaccine types,
While COVID-19 has caused significant illness and concern for millions of Americans and residents across the globe, experts at MidMichigan Health remind us not to lose sight of another potentially lethal virus - Influenza. Influenza is a seasonal virus that impacts the U.S. population each year between late fall and early spring. Since 2015, influenza has caused between 280,000 to 810,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S., and 23,000 to 61,000 Americans have died from the virus. Fortunately, influenza is a preventable illness because of the annual flu vaccine.
Under the stewardship of the MidMichigan Health Foundation, $207,300 has been awarded to 160 students for the 2020-2021 school year from The Bernard F. and Melissa Anne Bailey Family Fund. More than $2 million in total has been awarded in scholarship funds by the Bailey Family Fund to assist students as they pursue a career in health care since it began offering scholarships in 2005. Applications for the 2021-2022 school year will be accepted from Dec. 1, 2020, through March 1, 2021. Those interested in reviewing the eligibility guidelines, including a scholarship application, may visit www.midmichigan.org/bailey, or call (989) 839-3638. Those interested in additional scholarship opportunities may visit www.midmichigan.org/scholarships
MidMichigan Medical Center – Alpena has recently acquired new equipment that will help provide excellent trauma care to patients in its Emergency Department. The LUCAS® Chest Compression System by Stryker delivers automated chest compressions to patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Alpena received one for the Emergency Department and one for the Intensive Care Unit. The LUCAS® system applies consistent chest compressions to an unresponsive patient at a rate appropriate for the age and size of the patient. It is consistent, cannot tire and increases blood flow to the brain faster than manual compressions. The average time it takes to transition patients from CPR being performed by an individual to the device is only seven seconds.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, June 1, Urgent Care and Occupational Health services will be available in the Towsley Building, 4201 Campus Ridge Drive, Suites 2400 & 2500, on the campus of MidMichigan Medical Center - Midland. Normal business hours will resume in June: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Online appointment booking will also resume June 1. This temporary relocation was prompted by record levels of flooding in the region that impacted the Urgent Care building at 3009 Saginaw Rd. That location is temporarily closed and patients who require urgent care services are being advised to seek care at any other MidMichigan Urgent Care location now through May 31. Occupational Health clients are being directed to MidMichigan Urgent Care – Freeland through May 31. Patients may get up to date information about current wait times, hours of operation, maps and driving directions for all MidMichigan Urgent Care locations by visiting www.midmichigan.org/urgent.
MidMichigan Health has joined a Mayo Clinic research program that will use convalescent plasma donated by recovered COVID-19 patients to treat hospitalized patients fighting the virus. The plasma study will be offered at more than 100 hospitals nationwide including MidMichigan Medical Centers in Gratiot and Midland. Pulmonologist and Critical Care Medicine providers John Blamoun, M.D., and Mark Jacob, M.D., are local investigators engaged in bringing this opportunity to MidMichigan communities. “We are honored to collaborate with Mayo Clinic experts to help identify a treatment that could accelerate the recovery of hospitalized patients with COVID-19,” said Dr. Blamoun. “Plasma treatment has been successfully used to treat other infectious diseases, such as those with Ebola. We are hopeful this study will show the same positive outcome for our patients who are seriously ill with the COVID-19 virus.”
To keep our communities safe and help slow the spread of COVID-19, MidMichigan Health is requesting the public in need of in-person medical services to arrive to MidMichigan facilities with cloth face coverings, such as a cloth mask that covers the mouth and nose, a scarf or a bandana. The use of the MidMichigan’s Virtual Health Clinic rather than an in-person visit is also strongly encouraged. To view instructions on how to make a cloth face covering, visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html. Those wishing to make an appointment through the MidMichigan Virtual Health Clinic may call (888) 591-0500. As a service to the community, MidMichigan Health has also published a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. Staff is also available to help answer community questions Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hotline can be reached toll-free at (800) 445-7356 or (989) 794-7600.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented people around the world with scenarios that require extreme measures. While we have the drive to do what’s necessary to physically limit contact, we must make use that same sense of purpose to stay connected to each other in alternative ways to secure our mental and emotional health. “Human beings are, by nature, social creatures. While many of our seniors were already facing isolation and loneliness, the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe has now created more people in isolation,” said Kathy Dollard, Psy.D., director of behavioral health, MidMichigan Health. Now more than ever, it is time to support our seniors, and each other, in any way we can. Reach out to family, friends and neighbors with a phone call, a text message with encouraging words, a card or letter. Use the technology at your disposal to video chat with your children, friends or join groups online. Do what you can to offer support to others and realize benefits yourself, as well.