St. John's Episcopal Hospital, South Shore, in Far Rockaway opened its renovated Cardiac Care Center on Feb. 15 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 43-bed patient unit provides 24-hour monitoring for patients who are having, or at risk for having, heart problems or recovering from a cardiac event. Thirty beds are equipped with radio-frequency telemetry monitors that send signals to the central nursing station and are watched constantly by qualified staff for changes in patients' conditions.
Free autoimmune support and lecture
The Nursing Education Department at Glen Cove Hospital is offering a free support group and lecture for autoimmune disorder sufferers on Thursday, March 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the hospital's Toffler Conference Room, 101 Saint Andrew's Lane in Glen Cove.The Autoimmune Support Group is open to anyone with an autoimmune disorder such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis and other disorders. An autoimmune disorder causes the body to attack itself.A lecture will be given by activities therapist Carol Marino of Glen Cove Hospital, titled "The Impact of Illness on One's Spiritual, Emotional and Creative Well Being." Marino is a certified therapeutic recreational therapist. For more information, call the group coordinator Larry Raynor, RN, of the hospital's Nursing Education Department, at (516) 674-7833 or 674-7839.
New relief for lower back pain
A new medical innovation, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, shows that people shackled with lower spinal disc problems can now have the future they once envisioned.Patients who have had artificial spinal disc replacements testify that it is changing their outlook, from one of chronic pain and physical limitations to a return to active living free of the burden of continual pain. South Nassau Communities Hospital's Spine Center is one of 15 U.S. spine centers that offers artificial disc replacement.Orthopaedic surgeon Michael Shapiro, MD, co-director of the Spine Center, is among the first orthopaedic surgeons in the U.S. to implant an artificial spinal disc. "The disc is going to revolutionize spine surgery, just as artificial replacements did for the hip, knee and shoulder," said Shapiro. "Previously, spine surgery only succeeded at alleviating pain and partially restoring motion. After just a few months post-surgery, my patients are recognizing the benefits of the disc replacement, and it is filling them with optimism that soon they will be enjoying the daily activities and lifestyle of their choice."The artificial disc is made of two metallic endplates and a movable high-density plastic center. Its design aligns the spine and preserves the flexibility to bend and twist. Clinical trials comparing artificial disc replacement to spinal fusion showed that artificial disc patients maintained flexibility, experienced improvements in pain and function and left the hospital sooner than those who had a spinal fusion.For more information, call South Nassau's Spine Center at 1-866-LI-SPINE (547-7463).
