There are five major risk factors for foodborne illness, like inadequate cooking and contaminated equipment. Our Food and Nutrition colleagues from across the system share some tips on how to decrease the chances of getting sick from a foodborne illness.
LIVEWELLMAGAZINE.ORG
Experts Share Risk Factors for Foodborne Illness and Discuss Why Food Safety Matters - LiveWell Online Magazine
While keeping your children safe is important year-round, Baby Safety Month in September is a good time to review opportunities to improve safety at home. Learn more at http://mhs.social/mpWV50Bva3Z.
Nancy Hughes participated in a clinical trial for individuals who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). After passing a number of tests, she was scheduled for the valve procedure. The trial has given Nancy freedom, extra time and gave her added independence from the oxygen tank.
LIVEWELLMAGAZINE.ORG
2005 Clinical Trial Gave Area Patient the Gift of Time – Now Approved for All - LiveWell Online Magazine
Thanks to the Friends of Memorial, the kids at Memorial Child Care have some new interactive playground equipment. Learn more about Friends of Memorial at http://mhs.social/8ck850Bn8rZ.
Memorial Child Care
September 9 at 3:38 PM ·
Thanks to the generosity of Friends of Memorial, children at Memorial Child Care are enjoying some fun, interactive new playground equipment this summer. Thank you to this great group for providing so many smiles with their renovation of one of our play areas!
Congratulations to Marlena Constant for being named a 2020 Children’s Champion by Illinois AEYC. Marlena is a colleague at Memorial Child Care in the infant and toddler room and has been a support system for parents and kiddos during the uncertain and stressful time of COVID-19.
Illinois AEYC
September 2 at 12:19 PM ·
Illinois AEYC would like to congratulate the 2020 Children's Champions!
Carol Weisheit- Illinois AEYC
Marlena Constant- Capitol Area Chapter of Illinois AEYC
Holly Imhoff- Heart of Illinois Chapter of Illinois AEYC
Connie Graska- Joliet Area Chapter of Illinois AEYC
Melissa Breeden- McLean County Chapter of Illinois AEYC
Glenda Hall- Southern Illinois Chapter of Illinois AEYC
We value the impact they have made as an early childhood professionals. It stands out in their contribution to the field, their local chapters and to Illinois AEYC. These folks continually go above and beyond what is expected and make a positive difference in the lives of Illinois children and families. Illinois AEYC gratefully acknowledges these efforts.
We will honor our 2020 Children's Champions on October 24, 2020 with virtual awards ceremony during the Illinois AEYC Virtual Growing Futures Conference.
How can you tell if your doctor, pharmacist or health department facility is a safe place to go to get your flu shot? Call before your appointment for their open clinic hours to learn more about their safety procedures.
Herd immunity has been brought up in relation to COVID-19, but what is it and when will it happen?
Renee Gentry, RN, suffered a stroke at the age of 40. After her stroke, she went through a battery of tests – CT, CTA, MRI and cerebral angiogram – and was formally diagnosed with MoyaMoya disease.
“Thanks to one of our amazing neuro interventionists, Dr. Casey Muehle, was able to identify the potential for MoyaMoya disease from reading my head CTs and MRI.”
LIVEWELLMAGAZINE.ORG
Young Stroke Survivor Thriving in Healthcare Career - LiveWell Online Magazine
Is it safe to go get a flu vaccine this year? Yes! Wear your mask, maintain social distancing and practice hand hygiene when going out to get your flu shot.
How can you tell the difference between COVID and the flu? Symptoms are similar, but not the same. Reduce your risk of getting the flu by getting your flu shot. The same preventive measures to decrease the spread of COVID can help protect you from getting the flu. Continue to wear your mask and practice proper hand hygiene and social distancing.
Congratulations to our August Colleague of the Month, Michael Ryan! Before working at MMC as a Customer Support Specialist III with our information services team, Michael was an Avionics Electronic Technician in the Air Force and a Communications Technician in the Army.
His nominator explained that Radiation Oncology recently discovered an issue with several new devices. “The only possible solution to get [these devices] to work would be to purchase more robust and very expensive computers,” he wrote. But Mike was able to use his extensive knowledge to find an alternative solution and these devices are now working successfully with no additional cost. Mike’s dedication to ensuring a great experience with this technology, as well as embodying our MHS value of stewardship, makes him a great pick to be colleague of the month.
Congrats to Zach Wisnasky, BSN, RN, CCRN, who received the MMC Mentor of the Year nursing award. “Zach guides safe practice for patients, makes appropriate recommendations to MDs regarding patient care & greatly assists new nurses,” one nominator wrote. “He’s the best nurse I know.”
Congratulations to the 2B ENT & General Surgery nursing teams who received the Daisy Team award for excellent care of a complicated trauma patient with an extended length of stay. “Phenomenal teamwork & interdisciplinary collaboration helped render the delivery of quality patient care,” wrote the nominator.
We encourage you to follow the Sangamon County Department of Public Health Facebook page and take steps to slow the spread in our community. Wear masks. Watch your distance. Wash your hands.
Sangamon County Department of Public Health
Mark your calendar for this year's Festival of Trees! This year's festival will feature 6 ½' and 4' trees and wreaths from Nov. 21 - Nov. 29. We have new activities including coloring pages, flat Santa, recipe videos and decorating tips & tricks!
Visit http://mhs.social/jzik50C0Zl6 for more information and event updates.
Wearing a mask, especially when close to others, is vital to slow the spread of COVID-19. Masks are only effective if worn correctly. Please continue to be mindful of these guidelines.
Please join us in congratulating Pat Dianora as our September Colleague of the Month.
Pat has worked at Memorial for more than 16 years and is best known for managing the Mastectomy Boutique, where Pat fits mastectomy patients for bras and prosthesis. Pat’s supervisor said: “Pat has many roles, but the one that is most important to her is managing the Mastectomy Boutique. She frequently refers to those patients as ‘my ladies.’ In the early months of COVID-19, I know how much she missed her ladies. Pat was eager to do whatever it took to get those patients back in the door. For Pat, her ladies and their families and caregivers, it means the world to have that face-to-face interaction, even if they are wearing masks and eye protection. Pat has been essential in keeping a clean and safe environment for those patients.” One of Pat’s patients had this to say: “While she may not feel she is saving lives, she is certainly making our lives much more comfortable, livable and even hearty. She’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to Memorial.” Thank you for all you do, Pat!
If you're following the COVID-19 numbers, please be aware they likely won't reflect reality for several days, due to the holiday and the possibility that people delayed care or testing. After the holiday when doctor's offices and testing centers reopen, we expect to see a jump in cases.
However, we likely won't see the actual impact of Thanksgiving gatherings until a couple of weeks into December because of the time for symptoms to develop. If you were exposed at Thanksgiving, symptoms could appear between Nov. 29 and Dec. 10. Common initial symptoms are a fever of 101F or higher, a cough, headache, fatigue or diarrhea.
Community spread is at an all time high. Please self-monitor for symptoms. Check your temperature daily. If you go out, wear a mask to protect others from pre-symptomatic spread. Get tested if you have symptoms, and stay home if you have symptoms of any infectious disease. Please visit our COVID-19 webpage at http://mhs.social/1grH50CwAm5 for testing sites, resources, and more.
Below is today's COVID-19 Community Dashboard with the number of people being treated for COVID-19 throughout our hospitals.
This dashboard is posted daily on our Memorial Health System
page. Make sure to like and follow that page to see these dashboard every afternoon.
Memorial Health System
November 27 at 7:00 PM ·
Below is today's COVID-19 Community Dashboard with the number of people being treated for COVID-19 throughout our hospitals.
The dashboard includes the number of people currently hospitalized at Memorial Medical Center, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Passavant Area Hospital, Taylorville Memorial Hospital and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
We are one of two hospitals in Springfield and one of two hospitals in Decatur. The dashboard only reflects our MHS hospital information and does not include data from hospitals outside of our system.
If you're following the COVID-19 numbers, please be aware they likely won't reflect reality for several days, due to the holiday and the possibility that people delayed care or testing. After the holiday when doctor's offices and testing centers reopen, we expect to see a jump in cases.
However, we likely won't see the actual impact of Thanksgiving gatherings until a couple of weeks into December because of the time for symptoms to develop. If you were exposed at Thanksgiving, symptoms could appear between Nov. 29 and Dec. 10. Common initial symptoms are a fever of 101F or higher, a cough, headache, fatigue or diarrhea.
Community spread is at an all time high. Please self-monitor for symptoms. Check your temperature daily. If you go out, wear a mask to protect others from pre-symptomatic spread. Get tested if you have symptoms, and stay home if you have symptoms of any infectious disease. Please visit our COVID-19 webpage at http://mhs.social/Z8wj50CwBBm for testing sites, resources, and more.
We are thankful for each and every one of you! Please celebrate Thanksgiving with the utmost care and concern for your loved ones during this time of community spread.
“We recognize how much people anticipate and enjoy coming together at Thanksgiving,” said Gina Carnduff, system director of Infection Prevention for Memorial Health System. “Unfortunately gathering together this year has to be approached with an unrelenting focus on safety. That means limiting contact to only those in your immediate household.” Please stay home and have a healthy holiday.
Learn more about the COVIDI-19 at http://mhs.social/cobb50CqBdO.
LIVEWELLMAGAZINE.ORG
How to Count Your Blessings Together Online This Year - LiveWell Online Magazine
President of Memorial Health System Hospital Group and CEO of Memorial Medical Center, Chuck Callahan, asks you to celebrate Thanksgiving with only those in your immediate household. While different this year, staying home will help decrease the spread of COVID-19 and keep our loved ones safe. Please stay home for Thanksgiving and have a healthy holiday.
Proper COVID-19 mitigation efforts were in place during the filming of this message.
Side effects after the COVID-19 vaccination are normal and to be expected. The first dose tells your body to “Wake Up.” It tells your body how to recognize the virus that causes COVID-19 so you can start to build antibodies.
The second dose tells your body to “Start Fighting.” The side effects some people feel after the second dose are your immune response kicking in to fight what it thinks is the virus that causes COVID-19.
Even after your second shot is fully effective, it remains important to continue to wash your hands, wear a mask and watch your distance to stop the spread of COVID-19.
If you have previously recovered from COVID-19 and received the vaccine, you are now eligible to donate all blood products, including convalescent plasma at Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. You must have received the vaccination after your COVID-19 diagnosis, and you must be within 6 months of the resolution of your symptoms.
For additional questions regarding eligibility to donate plasma or blood, please visit http://mhs.social/c6HX50DhP3g.
With the colder weather, warming centers are available for those in need of shelter. Please visit http://mhs.social/elJL50DtDmL to find the closest location to you.
WANDTV.COM
Warming centers open as colder weather sets in
Watching the game at a party is fun, but watching your distance is more important. Our communities are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases. Staying home to watch this weekend's game will help COVID-19 from spreading in our communities.
During Black History Month, we're recognizing black history-makers in our communities. This week, we recognize Dr. Jeanelle Norman, Ed.D. President, NAACP Decatur Branch & former member of the DMH board of directors. Thank you for your commitment to our community, Dr. Norman! Learn more about Dr. Norman at http://mhs.social/wCRx50DrKd4.
Refrain from taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen prior to getting the COVID-19 vaccine. If you develop side effects, pain relievers can be taken.
If you currently take aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or similar medications, continue to take your medications prescribed by your doctor.
