October 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 email jlazarou@gbmc.org

• EYE DOCTORS WARN PARENTS ABOUT KIDS USE OF DECORATIVE CONTACT LENSES
• AMERICANS IMPACTED BY HEARING LOSS HITS RECORD NUMBERS
• OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
• DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO COMBAT ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS
• INFECTION PREVENTION WEEK

EYE DOCTORS WARN PARENTS ABOUT KIDS USE OF DECORATIVE CONTACT LENSES

With Halloween a few weeks away, now is a good time to remind parents about protecting their kids' eyes against serious infections from the use of decorative contact lenses. Kids who want to look like their favorite movie star or singer, or have the perfect look for Halloween costume and choosing to change the look of their eyes with contact lenses could cause a lot of damage to their eyesight. One of the ways to lower your child’s risk for serious eye injury is to simply avoid wearing decorative contact lenses. Allison Jensen, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist within GBMC’s Department of Ophthalmology can offer parents tips and simple precautions on healthy and proper contact lens usage and care habits and how to avoid potential complications.

AMERICANS IMPACTED BY HEARING LOSS HITS RECORD NUMBERS

More than 40 million Americans, aged 20 to 69, have some type of hearing loss with approximately 10 million of those resulting from exposure to loud noise. Hearing also impacts the brain and cognitive thinking. A study by the Lancet commission on dementia, cited hearing loss as one of the nine risk factors for causing dementia which typically starts many years before it is recognized. Also, the National Institutes of Health states that approximately 28.8 million could benefit from the use of hearing aids. While age is often cited as a factor, there are growing numbers of younger people also reporting hearing loss. Brian A. Kaplan, MD, FACS, with the Ear, Nose and Throat Associates and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at GBMC OR Dr. Regina Presley, senior cochlear implant audiologist at GBMC, can discuss all aspects of hearing loss (causes, symptoms and levels, prevention and treatments, etc..) and the significant advances in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other hearing assistive technologies that are available for those who have suffered some form of mild hearing loss or typically just have trouble hearing. October is also National Audiology Awareness Month. For more, please visit: https://bit.ly/2QM4SrZ (GBMC patients AVAILABLE for interviews upon request)

OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. How serious is this issue? According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, in the United States, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by their partner or spouse. An article in Forbes Magazine said that one in three female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner and estimates domestic violence costs 8.3 billion dollars annually in medical costs as well as lost productivity in the workforce. Despite these alarming figures, domestic violence has been labeled a “secret killer.” Here in Baltimore County, domestic violence impacts one in four families. Laura Clary, RN, FNE-A/P, SANE-A, CPEN, clinical program manager for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center’s (GBMC) SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examination) Program and/or the Domestic Violence Coordinator for the GBMC SAFE Program, can offer expert comment from the victim’s perspective regarding domestic violence and offer reasons as to why there needs to be a continued increase in the public’s awareness of the problem of domestic violence in our society.

DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO COMBAT ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS

Arthritis, a disease that results in the inflammation of the joints, affects over 52 million people in the U.S. and is more common in adults over the age of 65. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis is more common in women than in men and in those that are overweight. The knees and hips are the largest joints in our body and are instrumental in supporting our body weight and helping us move and since they are also weight-bearing joints they are at a high risk for osteoarthritis (OA) the most common form of arthritis. Approximately 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with hip and knee arthritis according to U.S. government statistics. Jamie Johnston, MD, a surgeon with Orthopedic Specialists of Maryland at GBMC, can explain the causes, signs, and treatments for arthritis, outline what is OA, causes, diagnosis, risk factors and treatment options, such as joint preservation versus replacement, for arthritis in the knee and/or hip. He can also outline ways a person, diagnosed with knee and hip arthritis, can improve their quality of life. World Arthritis Day is observed annually on October 12.

INFECTION PREVENTION WEEK

Over the past few years, the healthcare industry has made significant strides in the realm of hospital patient safety. According to the 2015 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report, hospital-acquired condition rates dropped 17 percent from 2010 to 2014, leading to approximately 90,000 fewer patient deaths in hospitals. However, the healthcare industry acknowledges that more work needs to be done. Carolyn L. Candiello, Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety with GBMC HealthCare, can discuss GBMC’s patient safety program, with a focus on infection prevention, and answer the following questions: What is the most effective method that you’ve at GBMC to prevent and control hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)? How are you focusing on improving patient safety and quality and preventing HAIs? What are some examples of your ongoing efforts to keep patients free from HAIs? Recently, Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) HealthCare Inc. has received honors from the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) for their organizational efforts to further patient safety and for its use of Lean and Lean Daily Management to improve health outcomes for patients and reduce preventable harm such as infections, falls with injury and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. Infection Prevention Week (Oct. 14—20) is geared to raise the awareness of the role infection prevention plays to improve patient safety.