By: Robert Remler
People of any age can develop pneumonia, but people over 60 years of age who are ill or in a weakened condition are more at risk than those who are healthy.Those who smoke or suffer from diabetes or alcoholism are also at great risk for developing community-acquired pneumonia.The signs and symptoms of community-acquired pneumonia may include sudden chills followed by sustained high fever, chest pain, productive cough with thick, possibly rust colored mucus, and rapid and/or difficult breathing.Pneumonia can be effectively treated with antibiotics.Dr. Kamholz is a Professor of Medicine at SUNY Downstate and is a well recognized specialist in Pulmonary and Critical Medicine. He is also the David J. Greene Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine."Through our clinical affiliation with the North Shore -Long Island Jewish Health System, we are upgrading all clinical protocols to improve outcomes for major illnesses," says Narenda K. Hadpawat, M.D., Director of the Dept. of Medicine and president of the Medical Board at PHC."We thank Dr. Kamholz for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit our hospital center and educate our staff on more effective ways to treat today's most common infections and other lung infections."
Treating Skull Base Tumors
A tumor the size of an orange was imbedded deep within Elza Pissaro's brain. Its size and location and the fact that it was entangled with her brain stem and cranial nerve made the treatment of this skull base tumor highly complicated.The team at South Nassau Communities Hospital provided a comprehensive treatment approach that included neurosurgery and gamma knife treatment to enable Mrs. Pissaro to preserve the quality of life she enjoyed."This was a very difficult case," confirmed neurosurgeon Michael Brisman, M.D., Co-Director of the Long Island Gamma Knife at South Nassau. "There aren't many hospitals in the world that could have tackled this kind of problem and had such a good outcome."By all accounts, Mrs. Pissaro's prognosis is excellent. "In some patients with unusually large tumors such as this, we surgically remove as much of the tumor as possible first, then use the gamma knife on any residual tumor," Dr. Brisman explained."In other cases gamma knife surgery may be the lone or main treatment."Unlike traditional surgery, gamma knife does not involve any cutting, therefore there is no bleeding, risk of infection, or lengthy hospital stay. By focusing extremely high doses of radiation with pinpoint accuracy, one gamma knife treatment is as powerful as 20-30 regular radiation treatments. Gamma knife surgery at South Nassau is performed by Dr. Brisman and Edward Mullen, M.D., Co-Director of the Long Island Gamma Knife, both of whom are experienced in the technique.Dr. Mullen earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed postgraduate training at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.He was trained in gamma knife surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, the first US site of the device.A graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Brisman earned his medical degree at Columbia University. He completed a neurosurgical residency at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. Dr. Brisman has performed gamma knife surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.For additional information on the Long Island Gamma Knife, call 1-866-LIGAMMA.
Elder Law 2002
Senior citizens and professionals in the aging network are invited to attend a workshop entitled "Elder Law 2002". It will be offered on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the meting room of the Nassau County Aquatic Center, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. The Nassau County Dept. of Senior Citizen Affairs offers this program, the last in the series for 2002, free-of-charge. Registration is required in advance.Attendees will have an opportunity to learn the latest information on Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap policies, Social Security, HMOs in Nassau County, long term care insurance and other programs. The presentation will also include information on the various health care options available to senior citizens as well as present an upcoming delivery system.The workshop co-presenters are: Clara Woll, Coordinator, Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program of Family and Children's Association; and Daniel Okrent, Attorney, Senior Citizen Law Project of Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc..Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. For more information and to reserve a seat, please call the Nassau County dept. of Senior Citizen Affairs at 571-5814. Directions and parking instructions will be forwarded upon registration.
