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Subject:	A colleague recommends WH - A Guide to Women's Health: Fall 2008
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John Muir Health enjoys a tradition of providing advanced and innovative medical care, and our gynecologic oncology services are a perfect example. This program, one of only a few in the area offering leading-edge, robotics-assisted procedures, is detailed in this month’s feature article. On other pages, learn about our state-of-the-art shoulder replacements—among the services for which John Muir Health has been named one of “America’s Best Hospitals 2008” by U.S. News & World Report—and endovascular treatments for potentially life-threatening thoracic aortic aneurysms. Find the latest from the John Muir Birth Center (postpartum rooms are newly renovated) to tips for seniors on healthy aging. More news you should know: Our new Tobacco-Free policy extends tobacco-free zones to all properties and grounds throughout John Muir Health.

—J. Kendall Anderson
President and CEO,
John Muir Health

Chest Pain Centers - 24/7

Chest Pain Centers at our Walnut Creek and Concord medical centers help ensure that patients who arrive in the hospitals’ Emergency Departments with chest pain receive rapid assessment, diagnosis and, when needed, immediate intervention in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. More good news: Both hospitals are designated STEMI Receiving Centers (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) by Contra Costa County’s Emergency Medical Services. The goal is to ensure that patients identified by paramedics in the field to be at high risk for a heart attack receive specialized care as quickly as possible.

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The Ultimate Birth Experience

One of the most important decisions an expectant mom can make is where to have her baby. This decision will have long-lasting significance for mom, baby and the family, and should be considered carefully.

“We’re dedicated to providing the birth experience women have told us they want, with the assurance that advanced medical services are immediately available when and if they’re needed,” says Christy Kaplan, director of the Women’s Health Center (WHC). “In fact, the John Muir Birth Center was chosen by new moms in 2007 and 2008 as Bay Area Parent’s Best Hospital to Have a Baby—and with good reason.”

Specializing in low- and high-risk obstetrics, the John Muir Birth Center offers all of the elements for a memorable and healthy birth experience, including:

• Highly trained, experienced physicians and nurses: “The Birth Center and the Level III Intensive Care Neonatal Nursery are supported by 24-hour, in-house availability of obstetricians, anesthesiologists and pediatricians, as well as perinatologists and neonatologists (specialists for high-risk pregnancies and infants),” says Cindy Tetzloff, R.N., B.S.N., manager of the John Muir WHC. “In addition, the Walnut Creek campus recently received Magnet™ recognition status for our nursing expertise, a distinction awarded to only 5 percent of all hospitals nationwide and no others in the East Bay.”
• Newly remodeled postpartum rooms: The Birth Center features private well-appointed postpartum rooms with beautiful mirrors, sconce lighting, hardwood floors and accommodations for partners to stay overnight.
• Luxurious amenities: “Enhancing a woman’s comfort, security and sense of tranquility is an integral part of our philosophy,” says Kaplan. “Each new mom is offered a beautiful Vera Bradley tote bag filled with a variety of amenities, such as fragrant soaps and lotions, and a soft throw blanket when she arrives in her postpartum room.”
• Pregnancy concierge and childbirth classes: “The prenatal classes offered at the WHC in downtown Walnut Creek are comprehensive and come in customizable packages— everything from childbirth prep to what to expect during a baby’s first weeks and how to feed multiples,” says Tetzloff. “We also have a knowledgeable pregnancy concierge to help guide new parents in selecting classes. The WHC’s classes are available to everyone—no membership is required—and are offered on weekends and weeknights in our downtown center, as well as in Brentwood or online, to make it convenient, affordable and tailor-made for busy lifestyles.”
• The Bay Area’s most comprehensive breastfeeding support: “Our postpartum nurses are lactation trained. Board-certified lactation consultants are available to assist with challenging breastfeeding situations,” says Tetzloff. “At the WHC and in Brentwood, we offer free weekly breastfeeding support groups; free one-to-one, 30-minute checkups with a lactation consultant; and, for more complex cases, fee-based consultations by appointment.”
• Popular new parents and baby groups: “New classes are continually added to meet the growing demand from our families and community,” says Tetzloff. “John Muir Health is an established leader in family-centered maternity care,” emphasizes Kaplan, offering all of the elements for a memorable and healthy birth experience, along with access to exemplary clinical services from one of the region’s most comprehensive medical centers. “Together, our caring, skilled clinical providers, beautiful facilities, wide array of classes and support groups, and highly advanced technology provide a track record of excellence that gives families the peace of mind that everything will be well taken care of. That’s been our promise for generations—and one that today’s moms can count on us to deliver.”

For more information - Visit the Birth Center online for information about John Muir Birth Center Tours, WHC Childbirth Classes and more. To contact the WHC's Pregnancy Concierge, call (925) 941-7900

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The Lowdown on Shin Splints

If you aren’t exactly sure what shin splints are, you may not have experienced the condition’s telltale discomfort: pain and tenderness along or just behind the inner edge of the tibia, the large bone in the lower leg. Known by orthopedists as medial tibial stress syndrome, shin splints usually develop when vigorous exercise, sports or other physical activity leads to painful inflammation of the tibia’s muscles, tendons and periosteum (tissue covering a bone).

Sudden changes in physical activity—such as increasing the days you work out; running longer distances; or starting new, rigorous impact training—can contribute to shin splints. Other risk factors include flatfeet or abnormally rigid arches.

Several weeks of rest are the key to nonsurgical treatment. A doctor may also recommend anti-inflammatory medications, use of cold packs and mild compression, plus stretching exercises. Only in rare and very severe cases is surgery needed. And what about prevention? Avoid overuse of muscles, vary any high-impact training with low-impact activity and wear proper footwear.
Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

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Copyright © 2008 by John Muir Health. WH is published three times a year by John Muir Health as a community service and is not intended for the purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. WH Editorial Advisory Board: American Heart Association and the Office on Women's Health, U.S. Public Health Service. Produced by DCP.

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