bbowman@dailyitem.com

Valley hospitals enter 2022 trying to balance care for patients, safety protocols and preventative medicine for non-COVID patients.

The new year starts with record numbers of COVID-19 cases across the United States and Pennslyvania. That means the coronavirus will be part of our lives well into the new year.

In early August, Valley hospitals were treating seven combined COVID-19 patients. As the calendar flips to 2022, there are 183, which is down from nearly 220 around Christmas.

Geisinger had been treating at least 100 COVID-19 patients every day in December at its main campus in Danville. At Evangelical Community Hospital, the number has hovered around 50 for nearly two months.

According to its COVID dashboard, about 1 in 4 people who test at Evangelical are coming up positive in the last two weeks.

In mid-December, Geisinger brought back its more strict visitor policies, allowing one visitor to be permitted per hospitalized adult patient.

We are reaching or exceeding capacity in some hospitals, Geisinger said in a release announcing the change. These guidelines protect the health and safety of our patients and staff. Having fewer visitors allows our staff to focus on treating our patients.

Statewide, more than 5,000 patients are hospitalized for COVID as the calendar flips. The last time the state Department of Health said more than 5,000 COVID patients were hospitalized statewide was nearly a year ago: Jan. 12, 2021. The number of patients hospitalized across Pennsylvania increased by more than 100 in each of the final five days of 2021, putting additional strain on hospitals that have been dealing with COVID for more than two years.

By Jan. 4, staffers at all Valley hospitals will be required to be vaccinated or tested regularly following an approved exemption.

Schools and universities will be dealing with COVID heading into the new year as well. Public schools in the Valley are scheduled to reopen on time on Monday when winter break ends. Last week, Penn State officials announced students will return for in-person classes on Jan. 10.

Bucknell and Susquehanna universities have not made similar announcements, yet, but students at Bucknell must have a booster shot before returning for the spring semester later this month.

Vaccines are available to people over the age of 5 and boosters have been approved for people as young as 15. In the coming days, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve boosters for individuals as young as 12.

Testing will be a big focus in 2022. Geisinger has appointments open for PCR testing at multiple sites across its system, while Evangelical has a no-appointment drive-thru location open for testing six days a week. Over-the-counter at-home tests are proving to be a little more difficult to come by, however, as demand and supply issues have limited availability in some areas.

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LOOKING AHEAD COVID will again be part of life in 2022 - Sunbury Daily Item

Most of us are completely drained from the hardships and challenges of the last few years. Living through a pandemic can be physically and emotionally overwhelming. The days, months, and now years since the first case of novel coronavirus disease can all add up and take a significant toll on your mental well-being.Studies show that there have been substantial increases in anxiety and depression since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, as we move forward into a new year, its time to embrace innovative approaches to help more people find mental wellness. Our IOP and Lifestyle Medicine services at New U Therapy & Family Services can help people in our community find optimal mental health in the new year and beyond.Were Focusing On Preventative CarePreventative care can save lives! We know about the importance of annual exams and wellness checks for our physical health. The same is true when it comes to mental health. We need to have more options for people to find support services earlier and throughout life. Implementing a preventative mindset when it comes to facing mental health challenges can help more people find relief.Embracing preventative care in mental health means stopping problems from developing, getting worse, or returning. Simply put, Lifestyle Medicine involves the application of behavioral, environmental, and psychological principles to enhance overall wellbeing.Our new Lifestyle Medicine program can help people stay well and create an improved quality of life. The program aims to reduce symptoms and give them the tools and knowledge they need to help manage and maintain mental wellness.Get Your Life Back On Track With IOPOne in every five people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Untreated mental health disorders can present ongoing obstacles that hold people back from thriving in life. Everyone experiences anger, sadness, anxiety, and grief from time to time. These challenges can sometimes linger and potentially cause people to question their abilities and self-worth, making it hard to move forward.Our innovative IOP program can help change your mindset to view these challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth and building resiliency. IOP can help those suffering from symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, fatigue, or general overwhelm improve their coping strategies and move forward in renewed wellness.Find Support In The New YearIt is time to let it go and focus on whats in front of you this year. We all need to find renewed energy, motivation, and relief. With locations in Valencia and West Lake, our compassionate team at New U Therapy & Family Services is here to walk with you through lifes struggles. Reach out for a higher level of support today and find out which insurance-covered options are right for you.

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Embracing Innovative Approaches To Mental Health In The New Year And Beyond - Magazine of Santa Clarita

(Photo provided by Covenant Health)

LUBBOCK, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) The following is a press release from Covenant Health:

This January, Covenant Health celebrates the 30th anniversary of the LifeStyle Centre.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary, in 2022 the LifeStyle Centre will be offering several incentives for all new members.

The LifeStyle Centre is one of Lubbocks finest facilities for health and wellness, LifeStyle Centre Director Tommy Parrish said. We not only want to see new members join us for this 30th anniversary celebration, but we want them to create new healthy habits and encourage them to make long lasting positive lifestyle choices.

The original Covenant Health LifeStyle Centre opened in 1984. In January 1992, the LifeStyle Centre moved from Covenant Medical Center to the top of the east parking garage. In 2018, it underwent an $8 million renovation, including $1 million in new equipment, to become Lubbocks elite gym for fitness and medical rehabilitation.

This month, the LifeStyle Centre will also be opening back up to pre-COVID hours. Our new hours will be:

Finally, the LifeStyle Centre will begin offering additional group classes once again. We will offer more than 40 group classes both in the gym and in our pool each week.

More information on the LifeStyle Centre can be found at https://www.covenanthealth.org/our-services/lifestyle-centre/ or by calling (806)725-4386.

About Covenant Health:As a faith-based health care system, it is Covenant Healths vision to create Health for a Better World. As the Best Hospital in the Panhandle Plains region as voted by U.S. News and World Report, Covenant Health has consistently provided exceptional health care to West Texas, and eastern New Mexico for more than 100 years. Our clinically integrated health network of eight hospitals, and more than 6,000 caregivers allows us to provide our patients with better access to care using more innovative technology and procedures, while focusing on new age approaches to health care like education and preventative medicine. To learn more about Covenant Health, please visit covenanthealth.org or our Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, pages

(Press release from Covenant Health)

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Covenant Health celebrates 30th anniversary of the Lifestyle Centre - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

ProHEALTH Dentalis pleased to announce the addition of three new clinical and business leaders to enhance their executive team as the company continues to progress into a new phase. Despite the ongoing pandemic, ProHEALTH Dental established new clinical affiliations with major medical providers and expanded with the opening of several new offices throughout their markets. To meet the needs of their growing network, ProHEALTH Dental welcomes Kai Zhao as their first Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Nicholas Elian as their new Chief Dental Officer, and Dr. Martha Miqueo as their new Associate Chief Dental Officer.

We are thrilled to have these new members on board to help lead ProHEALTH Dental into our next stage of development. Kai Zhao is a champion of oral healthcare with extensive experience in dental practice operations, insurance contracting, and revenue cycle management. As highly regarded clinicians in their respective fields of prosthodontics and pediatrics and orthodontics, Doctors Nick Elian and Martha Miqueo will bring great insight and innovation to their new roles, said Norton Travis, CEO of ProHEALTH Dental. Our team remains fully committed to our unique model of integrating medicine and dentistry and our mission of improving the oral and overall health of the patients we serve.

As of December 20, 2021, Kai Zhao took on his role at ProHEALTH Dental as the new Chief Operating Officer overseeing operations, revenue cycle, IT, and more. As a healthcare management professional, Zhao brings over 15 years of experience and a wealth of knowledge in operations and revenue cycles from multi-office dental companies including Dimensional Dental Management and Gentle Dental Group. Previously, Zhao served as Chief Operating Officer at Simply Beautiful Smiles where he was responsible for designing operational controls and administrative procedures to achieve maximum efficiency and regulatory compliance. He has a solid understanding of dental group practice concepts, potential opportunities, and threats facing dental care professionals today.

Dr. Nicolas Elian and Dr. Martha Miqueo have been working with ProHEALTH Dental throughout 2021 to build the companys ProHEALTH Riverside Dental office in Hoboken, NJ. As of January 1, 2022, both Dr. Elian and Dr. Miqueo have stepped into their roles within ProHEALTH Dentals clinical leadership team. Together, Dr. Elian and Dr. Miqueo co-foundedVizstara, a training institution with the mission of assisting dentists in gaining expertise in a wide range of specialty services and practice efficiencies.

Dr. Elian previously served as the head of the Division of Implant Dentistry and Program Director of Experimental Research at New York University College of Dentistry, as well as an adjunct professor in the Department of Periodontics at The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He currently sits on the faculty of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Elian consults on product development for industry manufacturers and is an inventor and expert in both cell culture and tissue engineering.

As a key opinion leader, Dr. Elian is highly sought after as a skillful and motivating international speaker. He serves on the editorial boards of many peer-reviewed journals and has trained an extraordinary number of specialists and general dentists in the science and surgery of implants.

Dr. Martha Miqueo is a specialist certified in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. She is a graduate of New York University College of Dentistry, where she also held a teaching position as assistant clinical professor for several years in graduate and post-graduate programs.

She has served as an attending physician at Bellevue Hospital, The New York Foundling Hospital, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Hackensack Hospital.She currently sits on the Advisory Board of The Airway Revolutionary Foundation (TARF) and is working closely with Columbia University College of Dental Medicine to establish a program for airway disorders.

About ProHEALTH Dental

Based in Lake Success, New York, ProHEALTH Dental affiliates with health systems and medical groups to coordinate dental services with primary care medical services and promote the oral and overall health and well-being of their patients. Under these affiliation arrangements, ProHEALTH Dental develops state-of-the-art dental offices to provide both preventative and restorative dentistry, as well as all needed specialty services, for both children and adults. ProHEALTH Dental currently operates offices in New York and New Jersey.

For more information about ProHEALTH Dental, please visit http://www.phdental.com.

FEATURED IMAGE CAPTION: From left to right Kai Zhao, Dr. Martha Miqueo, & Dr. Nicholas Elian.

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ProHEALTH Dental Welcomes Three C-Suite Leaders in the New Year - Dentistry Today

Health is a human right and if there is any good that came out of these two years of Covid-19 pandemic, it has to be the way it made us prioritise physical and mental health like never before. From paying attention to our diets to cooking our own meals in the lockdown and taking out time for exercise as the world slowed down, our health was our primary focus and as 2021 draws to a close, its a good time to look back and to look forward to ring in the New Year 2022 with a sense of positivity and hope while continuing to aspire for better physical and mental health.

Dr Jennifer Prabhu, MD in internal medicine and pediatrics, spills the beans on 5 fitness tips for a healthier you in 2022. If you are looking for a few simple fitness tips to help you achieve those seemingly elusive long-lasting health results, check out these easy tips on diet, exercise, sleep and more.

Tip #1: Eat more plants

Dont underestimate the power of plants as preventative medicine. There are so many seemingly innocent fruits, veggies, nuts, grains and legumes that pack quite a punch of immunity boosting nutrients.

Is there a better way to start out a new year than with a stronger immune system? Just a few examples- for a natural vitamin C and E kick, make sure you pile on the palak (and other leafy greens like methi, sarson ka saag, laal bhaji) and bring home the broccoli (and gobi and cabbage).

Zap those viruses away with zinc found in all mushrooms, nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds (til) and of course lentils and beans. Delight in more vitamin D to reduce inflammation- found in most fortified cereals and all plant based milks (soya, almond, oat, rice).

Tip #2: Reduce the inflammation-producing foods in your diet

Many people dont realise that what you put in your mouth ultimately affects the rest of your body, not just your digestive system. If you suffer from knee pain, acne or headaches (to name a few), it might just be a result of what you eat.

Unfortunately- one of the most pro-inflammatory foods is actually milk and milk products (dahi, butter, cheese, paneer and yes, even ghee). Instead of giving up all your dairy, try just 1-2 dairy free days a week and notice how your body feels the following day.

You will feel lighter, more energized and experience less aches and pains over time. It has been proven that each time people avoided dairy, something positive happened to their bodies.

These days, it is not tough to avoid dairy. Thankfully, there are a plethora of plant-based dairy substitutes out there to help when a craving strikes.

Tip#3: Move it! No really- get up and go

You dont have to join a fancy gym to reap all the incredible benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Did you know that incorporating just 30-45min a day of heart pumping activity three days a week has a 2-fold impact on heart disease for example?

Increased heart rate means more blood and oxygen supply to all your vital organs including brain (better mood and concentration), intestines (less bloating and acidity) and skin (less oil and acne). A simple rule of thumb to make sure you are putting in the right amount of exertion is if you can hold a full conversation while exercising (without feeling breathless).

If you can, you need to push harder! Walking fast will do the trick- no need to run a marathon. If you cant get outside, there are plenty of free videos on the internet to choose from, for every age and skill level.

Tip# 4: Sleep on it

Another simple lifestyle change that can make a huge impact, is working towards increasing your sleep quality and duration. Poor sleep has been linked to depression and anxiety, obesity, high BP, even a higher risk of infections (i.e.- suppressed immunity).

In the new year, set a goal to improve your sleep hygiene and notice a surprising positive impact on many aspects of your life. How to achieve this? If you move your exercise to the evening or night, your sleep will likely be longer and deeper. Even if you just do this 1-2 days a week.

Turn off your devices at least one hour before bed. Choose a good book, some calming music, a warm bath or even better - meditate! There are also safe, non-habit forming and natural supplements that can help retrain your body to sleep more efficiently.

Melatonin, Ashwagandha and L-theanine have been proven to have these benefits in many clinical trials. Of course, always consult your doctor before starting any supplement.

Tip #5: Teach an old dog a new trick

It seems almost silly but learning a new skill, taking up a new hobby or even just setting a different long term goal (at home, at work or with family) can start a snowball effect of positive changes. Create a goal and move towards it. Having something to look forward to and be proud of is an enormous mood booster.

In fact, many research studies have found that those people without a hobby are significantly more likely to develop a mood disorder in their lifetime (anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD to name a few). Having something to work on makes one feel positive.

Another remarkable benefit of hobbies is in finding like-minded people that share your passion. Building your friend and community support circle is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. So, try something new and different this year- you never know where it might lead you!

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Happy New Year: 5 fitness tips for a healthier you in 2022 - Hindustan Times

CANTONThroughout the holidays, some tend to overindulge in the decadence of all the various treats, telling themselves theyll take off the few extra pounds once the new year begins.

What many dont understand is there are other consequences to not having a healthy diet aside from carrying extra weight.

More: Graham Health Systems Sours honored. Heres why.

Lacey McMahill is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Board Certified Advanced Diabetes Management Education with Graham Health Systems.

She explained the different types of diabetes, If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar levels, are too high. Glucose comes from foods you eat. The cells of your body need glucose for energy. A hormone called insulin helps the glucose get into your cells.

With type 1 diabetes, your body doesnt make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, your body doesnt make as much insulin or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in your blood and causes high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels cause a horde of health-related complications.

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There is also prediabetes. McMahill said those diagnosed as prediabetic have higher than normal blood sugar levels than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. Those with prediabetes, are more than likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

McMahill said 10.5 percent or 34.2 million of the US population have diabetes, Type 1 diabetes occurs mainly in children and young adults, although it can occur at any age. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diabetes in the United States.

More: Graham Hospital Service League annual Sneak Peek

Genetics do appear to play a role intype 1 diabetes, but the cause has yet to be identified, In type 1, the pancreas does not produce any insulin at all, These patients cannot survive without supplementation from an external source of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is much more common and accounts for 90 to 95 percent. Type 2 diabetes primarily affects adults, however recently type 2 has begun developing in children. There is a strong correlation between type 2 diabetes, diet and physical inactivity.

Diabetes has a very of symptoms.

To name a few:

Increased urination, often at night

Increased thirst

Increased hunger and appetite

Unintentional weight loss

Blurry vision

Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet

Fatigue

Dry skin

Skin sores that heal slowly

More infections than usual, especially urinary tract infections and/or yeast infections

According to McMahill a person should contact their doctor if any of the symptoms are present and persistent and/or you have a family history of diabetes, Checking for diabetes is as simple as taking a blood sample to check a random blood sugar level. Further tests can be ordered from there if your provider feels it is necessary, she said.

How important is a patients diet when it comes to managing their diabetes?

So important. The sugar in your blood comes from certain foods called carbohydrates or carbs. Foods that are high in carbs include candy and sweets, sodas, breads, tortillas, beans, potatoes, corn, peas and white rice just to name a few. The more carbs you eat, the higher your blood sugar level will be, said McMahill.

More: Canton woman pleads not guilty to first-degree murder; requests jury trial

Further, she explained whether a person has type 1 or 2 diabetes or even prediabetes, making the right food choices is an important way to keep your blood sugar as a healthy level. When you control your blood sugar you lower your chance of having serious health problems from diabetes such as loss of vision and heart problems.

If a person is prediabetic, or are at risk for diabetes, eating foods that keep your blood sugar levels healthy may help prevent type 2 diabetes later on in life.

However, there isnt a specific diet or meal plan that works for everybody, All eating plans for diabetes have a few things in common, including eating the right foods in the right amounts at the right times. I work with my patients to help them develop a way of eating that works with their lifestyle, she said.

More: Graham Health System increasing minimum wage

McMahill said shes been working in healthcare for years, My first bedside nursing position was to recover patients who had just had open heart surgery. I saw so many people who may have been able to prevent or delay the need for intervention all together if they were given the right guidance and encouragement. I have always been fond of the preventative medicine approach to helping patients avoid developing conditions and complications before they start. Patients with more education have better outcomes. I also love teaching. I love that warm, fuzzy feeling I get when I see the light bulb turn on. What I most enjoy is celebrating my patients accomplishments with them. This is not an easy condition to manage, but it can be done and I am here to help them every step of the way. My position is one that is also not easily accomplished, and I love a challenge. The prevalence of diabetes is on the rise and more educators continue to be needed.

More: Graham Hospital School of Nursing site of upcoming accreditation review

McMahill received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria. She received her Master of Science in Nursing degree with an emphasis in care of the whole family, from birth to death, from Chamberlain University in Downers Grove. She is a certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Since that time she has obtained additional specialty certifications as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and as a Board Certified Advanced Diabetes Management Provider to better serve her patients.

Originally from Elmwood, she moved to Canton after meeting her husband and has lived here for the last 11 years, I have really grown to love this community and I wholeheartedly consider it mine now. We have two beautiful children and love spending all of our free time watching them grow, she shared.

Continued here:
Understanding diabetes. Here's what you need to know! - Canton Daily Ledger

By Kristi Eaton, Next City

January 4, 2022

Alison Lopez and her husband were driving in a suburb north of Tulsa, Oklahoma, when Lopez noticed her 3-year-old daughter had a blister on her finger that had opened up, turning red and starting to swell.

Lopez, a nurse, knew she needed to seek treatment for her daughter. The family headed to a nearby urgent care clinic called MedWise, a new venture from ubiquitous convenience store chain QuikTrip. Headquartered in Tulsa, QuikTrip now operates a handful of healthcare clinics in the Tulsa metropolitan area. MedWise offers preventative and urgent care treatment.

Lopez says when they arrived at the clinic, it was full, but when she explained that her needs involved a possible infection involving her 3-year-old daughter, the woman doing check-in spoke to the doctor and went ahead and saw them.

Lopez's daughter was treated with an ointment on site and had her finger wrapped before getting a prescription for antibiotics, she says.

"We weren't even there, probably, a total of maybe an hour, hour and 15 minutes," Lopez says.

Officials with QuikTrip, who pride themselves on friendly and fast customer service at the more than 750 stores across the U.S., are seeing if they are able to translate that efficiency into the healthcare industry.

QuikTrip ultimately plans to open up 15 MedWise clinics in the Tulsa metro area.

In a video MedWise posted to its Facebook page, MedWise Chief Medical Officer Patrick Aguilar said that the locations were selected based off data from the Equality Indicators Report. Since 2017, the report has been released annually in Tulsa in an effort to identify inequalities, to measure their impact, and to track progress in reducing or eliminating them.

"We're really committed to making sure we put MedWise Urgent Cares in locations that are convenient and accessible for all the people who need us," Aguilar said in the video.

Aisha Jefferson-Smith, spokesperson for QuikTrip, declined to answer specific questions, but provided a statement about MedWise clinics from Aguilar: "We are excited to be a part of providing healthcare to the Tulsa community and look forward to continued growth. Since opening, but especially over the past month, our teams have had the privilege of caring for a large number of patients. From COVID testing to caring for the basic illnesses of everyday life, we've been honored by the trust the community has placed in MedWise. We look forward to the future and are excited to be a resource for patients who need to be seen promptly but don't need a visit to the emergency department."

QuikTrip isn't the only chain looking to increase its footprint in the healthcare industry. In July, Dollar General announced that it would increase the amount of cough and cold, dental, nutritional, medical, health aids, and feminine hygiene products in its more than 17,000 stores. It also announced the appointment of a chief medical officer. The company said Albert Wu will help develop Dollar General's new healthcare services, which will ultimately include telemedicine and prescription medicine pickups.

Steven Merahn is a physician who wrote a book on reforming the U.S. healthcare industry. Merahn says that anything that makes healthcare more accessible such as QuikTrip offering urgent care services is a good thing.

However, he adds, there are two big risks associated with the growth of urgent care in any community: Disruption of continuity of care with existing primary care providers and fragmentation of care for those individuals with chronic illnesses, which are especially prevalent in underserved and economically disadvantaged communities.

The move to expand to healthcare products is going to chip away at market demand for full-service pharmacies and grocery-based pharmacies, says Kennedy Smith, a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. And Smith says, "Dollar store staff simply do not have the medical or pharmaceutical training and expertise to provide customers with responsible guidance in choosing over-the-counter medicine and medical supplies."

Merahn says QuikTrip should make an effort to ensure coordination of care and sharing data with providers and healthcare systems for the patients seeking urgent care.

At the same time, QuikTrip needs to make itself part of the broader healthcare community and support referrals to primary care and specialist providers for those patients who need chronic condition management, or those who use urgent care as their primary source of care, Merahn says.

He adds that chain stores have an understanding of the "tactile" experience of service efficiency, consistency, availability, responsiveness, convenience that is sometimes not well understood in traditional healthcare organizations.

"We could all do well by bringing some of those skills to healthcare delivery," he says. "If they can apply the same discipline to the emotive aspects of care dignity, empathy, sincerity, urgency it could bring some value to the community of service, especially if their commitment to healthcare is wrapped in an equal commitment to health equity."

Lopez, the nurse, sees how the QuikTrip brand could translate to other industries.

"You always get customer service at QuikTrip and they have good products," she says. "It makes sense to venture out into other fields and then if you can put that type of quick service but good service into healthcare, I think that's what is needed."

EDITOR'S NOTE: QuikTrip's MedWise clinics statement was originally attributed to spokesperson Aisha Jefferson-Smith, at Jefferson-Smith's request. Attribution was changed to MedWise Chief Medical Officer Patrick Aguilar per a follow-up request by Jefferson-Smith.

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'Convenience Store Healthcare' Is Expanding | Across America, US Patch - Patch.com

Whaturgent care clinics likeTulsa'sMedWise can do to advance health equity.

Alison Lopez and her husband were driving in a suburb north of Tulsa, Oklahoma, when Lopez noticed her 3-year-old daughter had a blister on her finger that had opened up, turning red and starting to swell.

Lopez, a nurse, knew she needed to seek treatment for her daughter. The family headed to a nearby urgent care clinic called MedWise, a new venture from ubiquitous convenience store chain QuikTrip. Headquartered in Tulsa, QuikTrip now operates a handful of healthcare clinics in the Tulsa metropolitan area. MedWise offers preventative and urgent care treatment.

Lopez says when they arrived at the clinic, it was full, but when she explained that her needs involved a possible infection involving her 3-year-old daughter, the woman doing check-in spoke to the doctor and went ahead and saw them.

Lopezs daughter was treated with an ointment on site and had her finger wrapped before getting a prescription for antibiotics, she says.

We werent even there, probably, a total of maybe an hour, hour and 15 minutes, Lopez says.

Officials with QuikTrip, who pride themselves on friendly and fast customer service at the more than 750 stores across the U.S., are seeing if they are able to translate that efficiency into the healthcare industry.

QuikTrip ultimately plans to open up 15 MedWise clinics in the Tulsa metro area.

In a video MedWise posted to its Facebook page, MedWise Chief Medical Officer Patrick Aguilar said that the locations were selected based off data from the Equality Indicators Report. Since 2017, the report has been released annually in Tulsa in an effort to identify inequalities, to measure their impact, and to track progress in reducing or eliminating them.

Were really committed to making sure we put MedWise Urgent Cares in locations that are convenient and accessible for all the people who need us, Aguilar said in the video.

Aisha Jefferson-Smith, spokesperson for QuikTrip, declined to answer specific questions, but provided a statement about MedWise clinics from Aguilar: We are excited to be a part of providing healthcare to the Tulsa community and look forward to continued growth. Since opening, but especially over the past month, our teams have had the privilege of caring for a large number of patients. From COVID testing to caring for the basic illnesses of everyday life, weve been honored by the trust the community has placed in MedWise. We look forward to the future and are excited to be a resource for patients who need to be seen promptly but dont need a visit to the emergency department.

QuikTrip isnt the only chain looking to increase its footprint in the healthcare industry. In July, Dollar General announced that it would increase the amount of cough and cold, dental, nutritional, medical, health aids, and feminine hygiene products in its more than 17,000 stores. It also announced the appointment of a chief medical officer. The company said Albert Wu will help develop Dollar Generals new healthcare services, which will ultimately include telemedicine and prescription medicine pickups.

Steven Merahn is a physician who wrote a book on reforming the U.S. healthcare industry. Merahn says that anything that makes healthcare more accessible such as QuikTrip offering urgent care services is a good thing.

However, he adds, there are two big risks associated with the growth of urgent care in any community: Disruption of continuity of care with existing primary care providers and fragmentation of care for those individuals with chronic illnesses, which are especially prevalent in underserved and economically disadvantaged communities.

The move to expand to healthcare products is going to chip away at market demand for full-service pharmacies and grocery-based pharmacies, says Kennedy Smith, a senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. And Smith says, Dollar store staff simply do not have the medical or pharmaceutical training and expertise to provide customers with responsible guidance in choosing over-the-counter medicine and medical supplies.

Merahn says QuikTrip should make an effort to ensure coordination of care and sharing data with providers and healthcare systems for the patients seeking urgent care.

At the same time, QuikTrip needs to make itself part of the broader healthcare community and support referrals to primary care and specialist providers for those patients who need chronic condition management, or those who use urgent care as their primary source of care, Merahn says.

He adds that chain stores have an understanding of the tactile experience of service efficiency, consistency, availability, responsiveness, convenience that is sometimes not well understood in traditional healthcare organizations.

We could all do well by bringing some of those skills to healthcare delivery, he says. If they can apply the same discipline to the emotive aspects of care dignity, empathy, sincerity, urgency it could bring some value to the community of service, especially if their commitment to healthcare is wrapped in an equal commitment to health equity.

Lopez, the nurse, sees how the QuikTrip brand could translate to other industries.

You always get customer service at QuikTrip and they have good products, she says. It makes sense to venture out into other fields and then if you can put that type of quick service but good service into healthcare, I think thats what is needed.

EDITORS NOTE: QuikTrips MedWise clinics statement was originally attributed to spokesperson Aisha Jefferson-Smith, at Jefferson-Smiths request. Attribution was changed to MedWise Chief Medical Officer Patrick Aguilar per a follow-up request by Jefferson-Smith.

Kristi Eaton is a freelance journalist based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and elsewhere. Visit her website at KristiEaton.com or follow her on Twitter @KristiEaton.

Excerpt from:
'Convenience Store Healthcare' Is Expanding - Next City

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today at CES 2022, Sleep Number Corporation (Nasdaq: SNBR), the sleep health, science, research and innovation leader, announced its most dynamic technology platform. The new 360 smart beds advanced sensing capabilities will enable future features to proactively monitor and improve an individuals sleep and health over time, responding to their changing needs through evolving life stages. Sleep Number also unveiled smart furniture to complement and enhance the health and wellness features of the 360 smart bed. These new innovations, which were honored with three CES 2022 Innovation Awards, reveal a future where advanced monitoring, personalized insights and health evaluations are possible from home and empower simplified, preventative health care at any life stage.

The new 360 smart bed can redefine real-world health care by enabling continuous monitoring of a sleepers general wellness, sleep health behaviors and chronic sleep barriers, generating real-time insights and actions to the smart sleeper, their caregivers and physicians. Over time, the smart beds machine learning and artificial intelligence can identify out-of-norm events and alert the sleeper to pattern changes. In the future, the 360 smart bed may detect illness and alert a sleeper to potential health conditions including insomnia, sleep apnea or cardiac events.

As a company with purpose, we are improving the health and wellbeing of society through higher quality sleep. Our technology platform offers an innovative solution that can redefine real-world health care with simple, attainable proactive care and early intervention from home, and from the comfort of your 360 smart bed, said Shelly Ibach, President and CEO, Sleep Number. Our newest 360 smart beds support sleepers changing needs at every life stage, with personalized comfort and insights for the highest quality of sleep.

An individuals sleep health needs change throughout their life, and as people undergo milestones, they need solutions that help them live healthy, independent lives, said Annie Bloomquist, Chief Innovation Officer, Sleep Number. In listening to our customers our smart sleeper community and learning from over 13 billion hours worth of proprietary sleep data, our newest 360 smart beds will support sleep health at every stage. Our best-in-class sensing capabilities that deliver the highly accurate data we collect nightly, will allow us to provide personalized health insights and health risk evaluations to meaningfully improve sleep and enable preemptive care throughout their life.

Smarter Nights Sleep Through Science and Innovation

The new 360 smart bed technology platform builds upon the original award-winning Sleep Number 360 smart bed. Introduced in 2017 at CES, the 360 smart bed was the first commercialized smart bed to provide sleepers effortless comfort and personalized insights about their sleep health and habits. The 360 smart bed was the foundation and propelled the growing sleep tech category, which continues to expand thanks to consumers interest in quality sleep as a major contributor to overall health. Today, by leveraging over 13 billion hours of sleep data gathered nightly, the company has significantly innovated its 360 smart bed, creating both a superior sleep surface and a highly innovative tool for sleep health, science and research. 360 smart beds are now being used by some of the worlds most renowned sleep and health institutions as learning and research tools.

The platforms latest development is enabled by new multi-sensor technologies and advancements in embedded software capabilities, AI and machine learning algorithms. The design creates an adjustable, responsive and holistic microenvironment for each sleeper. This highly individualized environment becomes more important over time as people age; the smart bed responds to the unique health needs of each individual.

The dynamic nature of the 360 smart bed means its specifically designed to interact with sleepers. To ensure exceptional quality sleep as sleepers bodies age and change, the combination of high-tech textiles, antimicrobial components and graphite-infused foam cools and moves air through the sleep surface to alleviate moisture and heat buildup near the body. A personalized sleep experience that combines superior individualized comfort with an actionable picture of how sleep can influence health is a hallmark of Sleep Numbers smart beds and new updates, features and insights will continuously be delivered to the smart beds over time.

The new 360 smart bed and its prior version are six-time CES Innovation Award winners, and the new 360 smart bed technology platform was recognized in the Health & Wellness and Smart Home categories at CES 2022. The new 360 smart beds will be available in 2023 starting around $1,099.

Smart Furniture Offers Accessibility and Improved Sleep Environment

Sleep Numbers new smart furniture is designed to complement and enhance the features and health and wellness benefits of the 360 smart bed and FlexFit smart adjustable bases. The furniture creates an ideal environment to support sleep health and provides an integrated sleep experience with a modifiable form factor for aging and recovery, providing comfort, aiding in mobility and helping maintain independence at home. The new furniture also eliminates clutter, conveniently combining popular sleep accessories into a single solution for customers to have the perfect individualized sleep environment to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Key smart furniture features include:

While designed to support sleep and accessibility needs for sleepers at any age, the features of the new smart furniture were informed by Sleep Number-conducted research studying the needs of a discrete aging population. The smart furniture further supports the 360 smart beds unique ability to change and adapt with the sleeper and their individual needs.

The new smart furniture will be available in 2023, with pricing to be announced.

Future of Connected Sleep Health Panel at CES 2022

Sleep Number will also host a virtual panel on the Future of Connected Sleep Health on Wednesday, January 5, which will be available online at sleepnumber.com/pages/ces. Moderated by science editor and writer Yasmin Tayag, this 30-minute conversation features Sleep Number President and CEO Shelly Ibach; Director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine and Chief of Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Phyllis Zee (MD, PhD); Sleep Number Vice President of Innovation Strategy and Business Ventures, Cassie Morris; and Sleep Number Vice President of SleepIQ Health, Raj Mills.

The panel will discuss the emerging role of sleep technology in research and clinical care, the potential for predictive and diagnostic technology in the home, sleeps role in aging, and growing consumer focus on health at all life stages and the desire to age in place.

To learn more about the new Sleep Number 360 smart bed technology platform and Sleep Number smart furniture, visit sleepnumber.com/pages/ces and the CES booth at the LVCC, North Hall (booth #8443).

About Sleep Number Corporation

Individuality is the foundation of Sleep Number. Our purpose driven company is comprised of over 5,000 passionate team members who are dedicated to our mission of improving lives by individualizing sleep experiences. We have improved over 13 million lives and are positively impacting societys wellbeing through higher quality sleep.

Our award-winning 360 smart beds are informed by science. They learn from over one billion sleep sessions of highly-accurate, real world sleep data the cumulation of over 13 billion hours worth to automatically adjust to each sleeper and provide effortless comfort and proven quality sleep. Our 360 smart beds deliver individualized sleep health reports and insights, including a daily SleepIQ score, and are helping to advance meaningful sleep health solutions by applying sleep science and research.

For life-changing sleep, visit SleepNumber.com or one of our over 625 Sleep Number stores. More information is available on our newsroom and investor relations sites.

Forward-looking Statements

Statements used in this news release relating to future plans, events or performance such as plans to expand our capabilities to enable preventative health care and monitor for health and wellness events are forward-looking statements subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Additional information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties is contained in the companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other periodic reports filed with the SEC. The company has no obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements in this news release.

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Sleep Number's New 360 Smart Bed Delivers At-Home Connected Sleep Health: Will Proactively Monitor and Improve Sleep Health Over Time - Business Wire