February 2018 - Media Tip Sheet

Listed below are story ideas from The Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). To pursue any of these stories, please call John M. Lazarou at 443-849-2126 or jlazarou@gbmc.org.

• MORE EDUCATION NEEDED FOR THE PUBLIC ON THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
• RECENT NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE STUDY SHOWS LINK BETWEEN FLU AND HEART ATTACK
• UNDERSTANDING PARKINSON’S DISEASE
• PUTTING A STOP TO TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
• SEE IT BEFORE YOU LOOSE IT
• NATIONAL WINE DRINKING DAY

MORE EDUCATION NEEDED FOR THE PUBLIC ON THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT


Sexual assault has been a major topic in the press recently with a focus on Larry Nassar. Nassar, the former doctor for the USA Gymnastics team, has been sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for multiple sex crimes. More than 140 female athletes came forward to publicly confront him in court and to speak on how he sexually assaulted them in his capacity as a doctor. Also, The Tale, a film that premiered during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, deals with the subject of sexual assault via a fictionalized account of an adult recounting how she was taken advantage of sexually by her two athletic trainers when she was 13 years old. Most parents and teenagers would agree that the “sex discussion” is awkward and the topic of sexual assault – that’s a bit harder. But with increased focus on the issue of sexual assault, these conversations may soon have a higher priority on a parents' checklist. Laura Clary, RN, FNE-A/P, SANE-A, CPEN, Clinical Program Manager for GBMC’s SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination) Program and/or Colleen Moore, Domestic Violence Coordinator for the GBMC’s SAFE Program and current Vice President of the MD Healthcare Coalition Against Domestic Violence, can offer expert comment on how parents can address the topic of sexual assault with their children and offer reasons as to why there needs to be a continued increase in the public’s awareness of the problem of sexual assault and teenagers.




RECENT NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE STUDY SHOWS LINK BETWEEN FLU AND HEART ATTACK


Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States as more than 600,000 Americans die from this each year. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine validated the correlation between seasonal flu and cardiovascular deaths. The increased chance of a heart attack is because of increased stress the body is under and oxygen levels and blood pressure dropping. With February, slated as American Heart Month, and Friday, Feb. 2 designated as National Wear Red Day (reminder for the public to know their cardiovascular risks and take action to live longer, healthier lives), GBMC primary care physicians (PCPs) can discuss the importance of an annual flu vaccine, in injection form, for cardiovascular disease patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease and the importance that heart and stroke patients to get immunized against pneumonia and the flu unless they’ve experienced a bad reaction or allergy to the vaccines. They are also urging the public to have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels examined in the hopes to save lives and raise awareness of these serious health issues. A GBMC PCP can discuss the importance of clinical lifestyle evaluations, which includes tests for total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, blood pressure and body-mass index, and offers information on certain lifestyle changes that can help people improve their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and healthier body mass index and weight.




UNDERSTANDING PARKINSON’S DISEASE


American singer-songwriter and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician, Neil Diamond, recently announced that he would retire from touring due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. According to the US National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, affecting an estimated four to five million people worldwide, that can cause tremors, slowness of movement and other symptoms. A GBMC neurologist can discuss what a diagnosis of Parkinson’s normally means for a person’s health and what treatments are available to slow down the progression of this disease.




PUTTING A STOP TO TEEN DATING VIOLENCE


According to a recent national survey, one in 10 teens have reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey and nearly half of all teens in relationships say they know friends who have been verbally abused. February is National Teen Dating Violence awareness and prevention month and is a good opportunity to speak with teens about healthy relationships and dating violence. Laura Clary, RN, FNE-A/P, SANE-A, CPEN, Clinical Program Manager for the SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination) Program at GBMC, advises parents that starting conversations – even if they don’t think their teen is dating – is one of the most important steps to help prevent dating violence and talking about what it means to have a healthy relationship. She can discuss what is relationship abuse, why is teenage relationship abuse hidden, why does it occur in some relationships, what are some of the warning signs that a teen is involved in an abusive relationship and that a girlfriend, boyfriend or partner is abusive.




SEE IT BEFORE YOU LOOSE IT


Today, more than two million Americans ages 50 and over have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and this number has been projected to double by the year 2050. AMD is a common eye disease that affects the central part of vision (also known as the macula), which is where the sharp, clear, straight-ahead vision is processed. In its earliest stages, AMD can be difficult to diagnose and in some cases it progresses so slowly that many do not notice a change in their vision. In other cases, the deterioration is very rapid. February is designated as AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month. Janet S. Sunness, M.D., medical director of Hoover Low Vision Clinic at GBMC and a specialist in low vision, macular and retinal disease, can discuss the importance of early diagnosis, outline symptoms, risk factors, causes, surgical and non-surgical treatment options.




NATIONAL WINE DRINKING DAY


Some people celebrate National Drink Wine Day daily, but, the official “holiday” is on Sunday, Feb. 18th. A registered dietician at GBMC, can discuss the health benefits on the appropriate consumption of wine.