Contact: Corrie Edwards

(561) 263-2893

Corrie.Edwards@jupitermed.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

JUPITER MEDICAL CENTER’S PAVILION DELIVERS HOT MEALS TO HOMEBOUND

Jupiter, FL (November 16, 2012) – The dietary department at Jupiter Medical Center’s Pavilion doesn’t just prepare meals for residents. They prepare meals for those homebound in the local community, five days a week, every week of the year.

Working closely with The North County Churches Home Delivered Meals, Inc., The Pavilion is able to deliver meals in the Jupiter/Tequesta area each week, all year long. They’ve been delivering meals to the community for over 30 years.

“We send out about 15-20 meals per day to those in need with three delivery routes,” said Valerie Carson, Pavilion Dietary Supervisor. “I’ve been here 27 years, and The Pavilion’s been participating in the meal delivery program even longer than that.

“Valerie Carson and everyone at the Pavilion are absolutely wonderful to work with,” said Lori Vassalotti, Director at North County Churches Home Delivered Meals, Inc. “They care so much about the community and helping out those in need. They’re absolutely rock stars. If I call Valerie with a new need, she is supportive and does all she can to help. Jupiter Medical Center is very supportive of our meal delivery program.”

Volunteer drivers deliver the meals, and range from college aged to senior citizens. “One of my favorite parts about this meal delivery program is seeing the drivers come together,” said Carson. “The volunteers just get excited about delivering the meals. I get calls all the time about it.”

For Thanksgiving, the meal recipients will receive the same meal as the Pavilion’s residents, including turkey, gravy and all the trimmings. Meals are packaged up carefully and are often the exact same menu of the residents. Meal recipients typically are unable to do their own shopping or cooking and generally pay about $5.00 for each meal. 

The Pavilion, a sub-acute rehabilitation and long term care, post-acute facility that also offers hospice beds with Hospice of Palm Beach County.  The Pavilion offers the unique benefit of being located on the same campus as Jupiter Medical Center with convenient access to an abundance of healthcare resources. When a medical condition requires continued monitoring or extensive rehabilitation, or if independent or assisted living is no longer an option, consider the top quality, specialized care at The Pavilion. For more information or to schedule a tour, please call (561) 263-4444.

About North County Churches Home Delivered Meals, Inc.
North County Churches Home Delivered Meals, Inc. is a non-profit organization providing meals to the homebound. Its purpose is to provide an affordable, balanced meal to the homebound in northern Palm Beach County. Started in 1978 by representatives from various churches, the program seeks to serve the area roughly from Tequesta, south through Lake Park.  The meals are prepared by The Pavilion at Jupiter Medical Center and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and delivered by volunteers. For more information, please contact Lori Vassalotti at (561) 745-8000 or visit www.northcountymeals.org.

About Jupiter Medical Center

A not-for-profit 283-bed community medical center consisting of 163 private acute care hospital beds and 120 long-term care, sub-acute rehabilitation and Hospice beds, Jupiter Medical Center provides a broad range of services with specialty concentrations in orthopedics and spine, geriatrics, minimally-invasive surgical procedures including robotic surgery, emergency services, cardiac services, obstetrics, cancer care and advanced diagnostics. Founded in 1979, the medical center has approximately 1,500 team members, 520 physicians and 700 volunteers. Jupiter Medical Center is the recipient of the HealthGrades ‘America’s 50 Best’ Award™ for two years in a row (2011-2012) and the Distinguished Hospital Award - Clinical Excellence™ for eight years in a row (2005-2012). For more information on Jupiter Medical Center, please call (561) 263-2234 or visit www.jupitermed.com.

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Enjoy the Holidays - Healthier! 
Brought to you by the JMC’s Institute for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery

The holidays can be a joyous time of year with family and friends, but they may also bring stress and anxiety as we struggle to keep up with often-unrealistic demands and expectations. Below are some helpful tips to help you stay healthy during the holidays.

Exercise:
During the season, try to have as many ‘normal’ days as possible – days when you eat healthy foods and exercise. While a workout can’t compensate for overeating, it does help stabilize weight and gives you a psychological boost too. Document your exercise time in your weekly planner and consider it as absolute.
 

How to Enjoy Parties without Overeating:

• Do not arrive at a party hungry. Eat a light meal or snack before going to a food-laden party. Try to eat foods high in protein, like a handful of almonds, chicken, cup of cottage cheese. These foods will make you feel full and help you eat less at the party.
• Pass on pretzels, salted nuts, chips, dips, sauces and dressings. Spend your calories wisely.
• Wear a form-fitting outfit, with a belt if possible.
• Plan how much alcohol you will drink. It loosens your inhibitions and contributes to calorie consumption. Instead of high fat eggnog, have a light beer or wine. After that, stick with calorie-free drinks such as water, unsweetened ice tea, hot tea or coffee.
• Stand or sit as far away from the buffet table as possible. Keep your back to the table so you can’t see it.
• Wear a special piece of jewelry, such as a ring or bangle, as a visible reminder to yourself to eat in moderation.
• Focus on socializing. Don’t stand at the food table. Focus your energies on making conversation with others instead of food. Conversation is calorie free.
• Portion control is the key to avoiding weight gain during the holiday season. Use a side plate. Fill your dish with larger portions of healthier foods like lean proteins, cheese, and veggies and only take small portions of extra fatty foods.
• A small portion of an appetizer may help you from overeating at dinner. Stick with veggies and a piece of cheese. Avoid crackers, chips, dips and dressings.
• “Small Plate Please!” Fill half of your plate with protein, one quarter with veggies or salad, and if you must, the final quarter with a starch. Be careful with gravy, dressings and butter. Remove the skin from your turkey and discard. Never go back for seconds.
• Brush your teeth between courses; it helps to subdue your appetite.
• Learn to say “NO”! Practice saying, “No thank you, I’ve had enough.” You will find it’s not so hard.
• After a holiday meal, go for a walk with friends and family to enjoy holiday displays in the neighborhood.
• For dessert, have a small piece of what is being offered. Better yet, find a reduced calorie recipe and make your own to serve or bring as a dish with you. 

Holiday Cooking Tips:

• Enlist the help of friends and family. It’s up to you to figure out your vulnerabilities and strengths – and communicate them.
• This year, a holiday makeover is definitely in order, meaning it’s time to deck the kitchen with healthier ingredients and lower-calorie treats. With visions of skim milk, egg substitutes, and a sprinkle of cinnamon dancing in your head, the trick is to pack in the flavor and pull out the fat. This way you can enjoy all the tasty treats the season has to offer, without the guilt and gratuitous calories.
• Substitute fatty ingredients with lower fat, lower calorie foods. You can still enjoy your favorite stuffing or mashed potatoes recipes, but use fruits and vegetables in your stuffing and try smashed sweet potatoes.
• Use fruits and spices to flavor your dishes instead of meat drippings and butter. 

Smart Seasonal Drinking:

• Seasonal drinks are a staple of the holiday season but treats like hot chocolate, eggnog
• and cider are high in calories from either alcohol or cream (one cup of eggnog is 400
• calories).
• Drink plenty of water in the days around big holiday gatherings to keep you feeling full
• and hydrated. Drinking water will also help you flush out your system and shed extra
• salt that your body may be absorbing.
• Alcohol is almost always flowing at holiday events. Seek alternatives to higher calorie
• drinks like beer and eggnog. Opt for hot tea, light beer or wine spritzers.
• Limit your alcohol intake to just one or two glasses. The more you drink, the more
• inclined you are to keep eating past the point of fullness.

Remember these tips and you can still ‘eat, drink and be merry’ – just in a healthier way – during the holidays.

For more information, please contact Julie Minister, RN, CNOR, LNC, JMC’s Institute for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, at JMinister@jupitermed.com or (561) 263-5695.

November is American Diabetes Month, a time when all Americans should take a moment to evaluate the importance of preventing and controlling this pervasive disease. Diabetics also have to take added precautions to prevent a common affliction of the disease, diabetic foot ulcers.

At any given moment somewhere between 4% and 10% of diabetic patients will have a diabetic foot ulcer and over a lifetime of diabetes, a quarter of diabetic patients will experience a diabetic foot ulcer. The more risk factors are present, the more likely a diabetic foot ulcer will occur. In high risk groups it is not uncommon for nearly half of the patients to develop a new ulcer every year.

More troubling still is that approximately 3-5% of cases, the ulcer will become severe enough that an amputation will need to be performed in order to save a leg or even the patient’s life. Approximately 80,000 limb amputations are performed every year as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcers. When critical limb ischemia is present, 13% of patients will have an amputation.

 Diabetic foot ulcers don't just pose significant health issues; the costs can also be staggering:

•       The cost to heal a simple diabetic foot ulcer is about $5,000-$6,000, assuming prompt treatment

•       Cost for patients with infected ulcers or with peripheral arterial disease is nearly $21,000 on average at today’s prices.

•       Minor amputations (e.g. big toe) initially cost $23,000 on average while below the knee amputations cost $53,000

•       Annual cost of diabetic foot ulcers in the USA is about $12.5 billion

Many diabetic foot ulcers can be prevented through routine foot care by both the patient and his or her physician or podiatrist. Proper fitting of shoes are also important. Other recommendations include wearing seamless socks or stockings, changing socks or stockings daily, avoiding garters or elastics that are tight around the legs and, of course, walking daily. Since early detection is always the best defense against any ailment, diabetics should check their feet regularly for signs that a problem may be developing.

With appropriate and aggressive care, most diabetic foot ulcers will heal. However, delays in treatment or inappropriate treatment can cause wounds to progress and may require foot or leg amputation even in low risk patients.

When should a diabetic patient consider visiting a specialized Wound Care Center®?

•       When a  wound has failed to show significant healing in 4 weeks of standard care (no meaningful decrease in wound size, for example)

•       When a wound involves deep tissue structures, or is limb- or life-threatening.

The Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Services at Jupiter Medical Center encourages and welcomes the opportunity to evaluate, manage, and effectively treat anyone who may be experiencing chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 561-263-5760. 

As Miami Dolphins players and fans get excited about the remainder of the 2012 football season, Jupiter Medical Center, the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation and the National Football League (NFL) are gearing up for another year of encouraging men to “Know Your Stats About Prostate Cancer®.” Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men with 240,000 diagnosed each year. African American men have the highest incidence rate for prostate cancer in the United States.

“Know Your Stats” is teaming up with Jupiter Medical Center and former Miami Dolphins player and Hall of Famer Larry Little in Jupiter, Florida for a free men’s health event on November 11, 2012, from 10a.m. - 2p.m. at Abacoa Town Center’s amphitheater. The event will provide critical health information to men ages 40 and older, encouraging them to talk to their doctors about their urologic health and prostate cancer risk.

Along with athlete Larry Little, Daniel Caruso, MD, Board Certified Urologist, will speak about prostate cancer awareness. The da Vinci® robot, a minimally-invasive surgical system, will be on site, with demonstrations. Complex conditions including urologic procedures can be treated with minimally-invasive surgery using the da Vinci® robotic surgical system. In addition, attendees can enjoy a men’s health fair with screenings and risk assessments. JMC will also raffle a pair of Miami Dolphins tickets to the New England Patriots game in Miami taking place December 2, 2012.

Fans and NFL players across the country can join the team at www.KnowYourStats.org to help spread the word about prostate cancer and the importance of knowing your risk factors.  The national campaign is focused on turning awareness into action by encouraging men to talk with their doctors about their risk for prostate cancer. 

Now in its fourth year, the campaign is bringing the message to fans across the country, educating men and their loved ones about prostate health.

“As prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer in America, and African-American men are at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer and more than twice as likely to die from the disease, it’s important that Jupiter Medical Center educates local men on the importance of prostate cancer screening and risk. We’re excited to have Larry Little join us at Abacoa Town Center and we look forward to a fantastic turnout,” said Dr. Caruso.

In 2007, the AUA Foundation joined forces with the NFL Player Care Foundation, an organization focused on the health issues of retired players, to educate retired players about their prostate cancer risk.  The NFL Player Care Foundation was created to address health and quality of life issues encountered by retired players.  

Because prostate cancer is most treatable when caught and managed early, the AUA recommends that men 40 and older talk with their doctors about prostate cancer and their risks.  Men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer should know that not all prostate cancers require treatment, and that not every treatment is perfect for every man. If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, talk to your doctor about what your treatment options are and which one may be best for you.

What You Should Know, or Share with the Men in Your Life, About Prostate Cancer:
? Prostate cancer defense begins at 40. Talk with your doctor to learn more about your prostate health and cancer risk.
? Not all prostate cancers require active treatment and not all are life-threatening. The decision to proceed with active treatment is one that men should discuss in detail with their urologists.
? Not every treatment is perfect for every man. If you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer, talk to your doctor about what is right for you.
? Know Your Stats – and don't let prostate cancer take you out of the game. Visit www.KnowYourStats.org to learn more.

To RSVP for the free men’s event at Abacoa Town Center on November 11, please CLICK HERE.

Top 10 Things You Should Know About
Breast Health

10. Comprehensive Breast Care Program

Jupiter Medical Center’s Comprehensive Breast Care Program combines the diagnostic expertise found at the Margaret W. Niedland Breast Center, with advanced treatment options at the Kristin Hoke Breast Health Program. The program was the first in Palm Beach County to be accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. Visit our new breast health website, jupiterbreastcare.com, to learn more about our services.

9. Revolutionary Breast Imaging Technology

The Margaret W. Niedland Breast Center offers tomosynthesis, revolutionary 3D breast imaging to find breast cancer at an earlier stage, providing an eight percent increase in breast cancer detection. This new technology is especially useful for women with dense breasts. We also offer Positron Emission Mammography (PEM), which detects breast lesions as small as a grain of rice; a state-of-the-art Hologic Discovery bone density DEXA system, which has the capability to perform single sweep total body composition to determine bone health; Phillips IU22 Breast Ultrasound units with elastography capability, which detect and measure hard, cancerous breast tissue; and breast MRI, with a wide bore design to reduce anxiety and claustrophobia.

8. Get a Mammogram

If you are a woman between the ages of 35 – 40 you should have a baseline mammogram. Mammograms are part of preventive health and are covered under the Affordable Health Care Act. To schedule a mammogram at the Niedland Breast Center, call (561) 263-4414. A result letter with the actual report will be sent after the visit. If additional imaging is required, you’ll receive a phone call from a team member at the Margaret W. Niedland Breast Center and they will assist you with setting up an appointment. You will need a prescription from your healthcare provider for any additional exams. For more information or questions, call (561) 575-2000.

7. Spa Nights & Extended Hours

Spa Nights are offered Wednesday evenings, from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm, at the Niedland Breast Center, featuring chair massages, aromatherapy and light appetizers. The facility also offers extended hours on Thursdays and every other Saturday.

6. Know Your Risk

Do you know your family history? It’s important! Mutations to either breast cancer gene — BRCA1 or BRCA2 — significantly increase your risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer when compared with the cancer risk of a woman without a BRCA gene mutation. Men with inherited BRCA gene mutations also face an increased risk of breast cancer. BRCA mutations may increase the risk of other types of cancer in women and men as well. Conni Murphy, ARNP, coordinates the Risk Assessment & Cancer Genetics Program at the Niedland Breast Center. Call (561)-575-2000 or visit jupiterbreastcare.com/genetic-testing for more information.

5. Reduce Your Risk

Some of the steps you can take to reduce your risk are lifestyle changes including: maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, eating more fruits and vegetables, and quitting smoking. Be proactive about your health and start making small changes that can make a big difference! Visit jupitermed.com/health for healthy lifestyle information and calculators to help you reach your goals.

4. Real Men Wear Pink

Jupiter Medical Center’s second annual Real Men Wear Pink event will take place on Friday, October 12^th at Downtown at the Gardens. We’re looking for a few good men who aren’t afraid to wear pink as Jupiter Medical Center goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Put on your best pink shirt or tie, take a picture and post it on our Facebook page. Then bring the family and join us for a free concert with The Party Dogs!

3. We’re Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Jupiter Medical Center is the premiere sponsor of the 2012 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Save the date for Saturday October 13^th, at the Meyer Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. To join our team, register online at makingstrides.acsevents.org.

2. Tell A Friend

Take the time to tell a friend about the importance of breast health. Whether it’s your mother, sister, daughter or friend let them know that you care about them and want to make sure that they practice better breast health! Visit jupiterbreastcare.com for more information on better breast health.

And the #1 Thing You Should Know is…..

1. Early Detection Is The Best Protection

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. More than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. When breast cancer is detected early (localized stage), the five-­year survival rate is ninety-eight percent. Be sure to  get your annual mammogram and perform monthly breast self-exams.