As many as 44,000 blood donations are needed every day across the country to meet the needs of patients. Make an appointment to donate by visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities in our area include:
Stoddard County
December. 27 from 12-5 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 102 E. Castor in Dexter
December 21 from 1-7 p.m. at Greater Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce, 111 W. Pine in Poplar Bluff
December 27 from 12-5 p.m. at Black River Medical Center, 217 Physicians Park Drive in Poplar Bluff
Dunklin County
December 17 from 1-5 p.m. at Holcomb Elementary School, 102 Cherry St. in Holcomb
December 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center, 1301 First St. in Kennett
December 19 from 1-5 p.m. at Missouri Delta Medical Center, 1008 N. Main in Sikeston
December 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at VFW Hall, 217 S. Frisco in Chaffee
December 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 604 Sycamore St. in Scott City
December 26 from 3-6 p.m. at YMCA, 511 Taylor Street in Sikeston
December 28 from 2-7 p.m. at Sikeston Factory Outlet Stores, 100 Outlet Drive in Sikeston
If you have questions about the process of being a blood donor, simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
November is American Diabetes Month
For those who live with it every day, coping with diabetes can be a challenge. That may be why the American Diabetes Association chose November – the month with the most famous day of the year for eating huge, unhealthy amounts of food – to promote national diabetes awareness.
Some 6 million people in the U.S. have undiagnosed diabetes. It’s a very serious, life-threatening disease if not treated appropriately, says Donald Lamoureaux, DO, a board-certified family practice physician at Missouri Southern Healthcare. As many as two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke, and the disease is the leading cause of kidney failure, according to the ADA. “But it’s also a highly treatable, controllable disease,” says Dr. Lamoureaux, “and there are more options available now than ever before, especially with early detection and treatment.”
Review these symptoms and share with friends and loved ones in case someone you know is suffering from undiagnosed diabetes.
SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES
- Excessive thirst and increased urination
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Blurred vision
- Frequent infections or slow-healing sores
- Tingling hands and feet
- Red, swollen and tender gums
Call Missouri Southern Healthcare at (573) 624-5566 to learn more about diabetes and schedule a screening with a qualified provider.
Missouri Southern Healthcare's Bernie Clinic recently opened under the leadership of Bernie native, Cara Dillinger, F.N.P. A ribbon cutting and open house are planned for October 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Hotdogs, chips and soda will be served. The clinic is located at 810 North Walnut Street and is accepting appointments by calling 573-293-5336. MSH Bernie Clinic is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Missouri Southern Healthcare invites you out to celebrate the new addition to the MSH family of clinics. MSH now operates eight clinics across the community, including Dexter Internal Medicine Group, MSH Family Medical Care, Dexter Children's Clinic, The Clinic at Walmart and MSH General Surgery located here in Dexter, MSH Bloomfield Family Clinic in Bloomfield, MSH Malden Clinic and now MSH Bernie Clinic.
DEXTER, Mo. – Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter hosted Gov. Jay Nixon today as MSH was honored as one of the eleven rural hospitals throughout Missouri to receive the MoBroadbandNow grant. Thanks to this $262,000 grant initiative, Missouri Southern Healthcare will being to expand and improve their digital technology procedures in Dexter and their surrounding facilities.
“One of the very real benefits of improved broadband service in rural Missouri is in telemedicine – connecting Missourians and their physicians with specialists many miles away who can look at high-resolution images and receive other vital information on a real-time basis to help doctors treat those patients,” Gov. Nixon said. “Expanded broadband accessibility between healthcare providers will mean access to quicker and more specialized care that is often life-saving for patients.”
Amy Akers, Chief Executive Officer at Missouri Southern Healthcare, was on hand to share her excitement regarding the significance of this award to rural heathcare and the future operations of MSH. She acknowledged the communities support and the contributions of the Missouri Southern Healthcare staff in bringing this grant to our local hospital.
"We are grateful the Governor and his team recognize the great positive impact this organization has on our rural community, and their financial support will help us continue our work," added Akers.
Akers specifically pointed out that Jeff Miller, Christie DeArman and Josh Miller were instrumental in the submission for the grant under the MoBroadbandNow program. Josh is a Dexter native and controller at Missouri Southern Healthcare. Christie is the Director of Quality Improvement. Jeff Miller is the Director of IT and was able to formulate the grant submission on a short timeline to achieve this award.
Missouri Southern Healthcare, formerly known as Dexter Memorial Hospital, is a 50-patient bed acute care hospital with six rural health clinics. The hospital is receiving a grant of up to $25,000 to help increase broadband speed throughout its healthcare system and to expand its connectivity with the clinics.
“I commend Missouri Southern Healthcare and the other rural hospitals for their efforts to use these benefits as part of their healthcare missions,” the Governor said. “We continue to see how MoBroadbandNow has benefited Missouri in healthcare, education, public safety and commerce, and will do so for decades to come.”
The grants, which come from a federal grant to the state of Missouri as part of its state broadband plan, will be distributed in seven installments between Dec. 1, 2012 and July 31, 2014.
Gov. Nixon launched the MoBroadbandNow initiative in 2009 to greatly expand broadband to reach more homes, businesses, schools, health care facilities, and public safety agencies. Over the next few years, Missouri will see a total investment of more than $310 million to expand broadband throughout the state, through a combination of federal, state, local and private sector resources, including more than $192 million in competitive federal funding obtained by the state of Missouri and its private and local partners.
The press conference will begin at 10:15 this morning, September 5th, 2012 in the main entrance lobby of Missouri Southern Healthcare. Refreshments will be offered immediately following the presentation.
Grant funding will help to expand and enhance broadband accessibility and adoption specifically in regard to the support of utilizing electronic healthcare record management. The transition from a paper based system to an electronic system is a large undertaking that requires added equipment and process for your local hospital. This change in operations delivers a host of efficiencies to our community and the patients of MSH.
The Rural Health Broadband Initiative supports rural hospitals and health clinics in under served cities and towns with the last-mile connection and ongoing service. Healthcare professionals and providers need access to broadband to offer telemedicine services, electronic health record management, patient registration and data collection, digital imaging and transmission, professional development and training along with other applications through online resources.
For more information about today's event, contact Amy Ellinghouse, Marketing Director, at 573.614.1970.
