Download UCH in the News - University of Colorado Hospital

Volume 6 | Issue 23 | through June 4, 2013
Mentions in the media almost
always have unforeseen consequences. Although we never really
know how they will work, we
work to get positive mentions in
the media to help attract patients
and gain attention to our clinical
outcomes, our advanced facilities and, not least, the enormous
benefits to a patient that academic
medicine can bring.
Interested in the hospital’s media
relations efforts? Have an idea
you think the media may like?
Want to see the stories behind
the stories?
Contact Dan Weaver
•E
mail him at
[email protected]
•C
all him at 720-848-7852
UCH in the News
Notable mentions of the hospital, its people and its community.
A spin on vertigo.
Fox31, Denver, 5/9
The whirling sensation caused by displacement
of particles in the inner ear can be treated with a
simple maneuver that puts the sufferer’s head in an
upside down position, says Carol Foster, MD. Story.
Guns really do kill people.
Durango Herald, 5/13
And they’re often used by people to take
their own lives, according to the Colorado
Department of Health, which reports that about
80 percent of firearm deaths in the state are
suicides. Carol Runyan, MPH, PhD, says as horrific
and headline-grabbing as are mass murders like
those in Aurora and Newtown, Conn., they are
comparatively rare. “The vast majority of homicides
are by people who know you. They’re not by
strangers,” Runyan says. Meanwhile, Marian Betz,
MD, MPH, disputes the notion that people who try
to commit suicide will do so whether or not they
have access to guns. “A majority of people who
attempt suicide, and don’t die, don’t go on to kill
themselves in the future,” she says. Story.
Skipping a wire may help afib patients.
WebMD, 5/14
Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) can correct
dangerous heart arrhythmias, but new evidence
shows patients may be better off with devices that
attach one electrical lead to the lower chamber of
the right side of the heart than with more expensive
ICDs that attach leads to both the upper and lower
right chambers. The study showed that patients with
a single-chamber ICD had lower complication rates
than patients who received the dual-chamber device,
says Pamela Peterson, MD. Story.
Natural remedies nothing to sniff at.
Fox31, Denver, 5/14
Many people treat seasonal allergies with
medications, but Ban Wong of The Center for
Integrative Medicine at UCH says natural remedies,
like changes in diet, may do the trick without the
need for pills. Wong also performs acupuncture on
some patients with allergies. The key, he says, is to
find the underlying cause of the problem. Story.
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Volume 6 | Issue 23 | through June 4, 2013 | Page 2
A second look at solitary confinement.
Psychiatric News, 5/17
The common belief that prolonged solitary confinement for
prisoners is psychologically harmful may not hold up under closer
scrutiny, according to a study led by Jeffrey Metzner, MD. Only a
small number of inmates segregated from the rest of the prison
population showed clinical deterioration in their mental health
status. One possible explanation: prisoners find ways to adapt
psychologically to the unpleasantries of administrative segregation.
Story.
Breaking news on osteoporosis.
Fox31, Denver, 5/17
Menopause and the accompanying decline in estrogen levels has
long been associated with bone loss and osteoporosis in women.
But Wendy Kohrt, PhD, warns that becoming less active can also
accelerate bone loss. “We know from studies from astronauts in
space, or people with prolonged periods of bed rest, that when you
remove physical activity and loading forces from the skeleton the
rate of bone loss accelerates dramatically,” Kohrt says. Story.
Kids dig gardens.
Denver Post, 5/18
Students at Aurora’s North Middle School have planted the
district’s first community garden. Older students from the Anschutz
Medical Campus helped fund the project, which is part of North’s
health sciences curriculum. The garden work helps kids get in touch
with nature, stay active and learn, says Michele Doucette, PhD.
Story.
Testosterone test is inconclusive.
Better Living, 5/20
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is promoted as a fix for
men looking to recapture their youthful vitality, but Kerry Hildreth,
MD, says there is little evidence that TRT can turn back the
clock for otherwise healthy men with low levels of the hormone.
However, she adds, it makes sense for men who are clinically
deficient in testosterone to discuss TRT with their physicians. Story.
System execs reach top ranks.
Denver Business Journal, 5/20
Becker’s Hospital Review lists UCH President and CEO John Harney
and Poudre Valley Hospital President and CEO Kevin Unger among
its “100 Leaders of Great Hospitals in America.” According to the
publication, leaders on the list demonstrate “a crystal clear vision
and a relentless pursuit toward an organization’s mission.” Story.