If you think only smokers die from lung cancer, you are less than half right.

Only 20.9 percent of lung cancer victims are current smokers. Learn more about lung cancer at a free seminar hosted by SoutheastHEALTH on Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Southeast Cancer Center, 789 South Mount Auburn Road.

Participants will learn about signs and symptoms of lung cancer, prevention and early detection, new and current treatment options and support and other resources.

Lung cancer survivor Coy Becker of Bernie, Mo., will share his story first-hand.

Serving on the panel of experts for the seminar are

George Berberian, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery

Andrew Dickey, MD, Hematology/Oncology

Stephen LaRue, MD, Pathology

Aravind Pothenini, MD, Pulmonology

Joseph Miller, MD, Radiation Oncology

Andrew Moore, MD, Hematology/Oncology

Jehan Murugaser, MD, Primary Care

Beth Altenthal, BSN, RN, Cancer Nurse Navigator

Doug Heuring, BS, RCP, RRT, Respiratory Therapy and

Debbie Leoni, MSA, RN, Cardiovascular Outreach Services.

Reserve your seat now by calling 800-800-5123 or register online at SEhealth.org/lungs.

Cape Girardeau, MIssouri - Come join a great team at SoutheastHEALTH! Positions are currently open throughout the SoutheastHEALTH system, including opportunities from housekeeping and nursing to accounting and physical therapy, along with many other departments. 

A Career Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2, at HealthPoint Fitness, 2126 Independence in Cape.

Human Resources will be conducting on-site interviews and answering questions for all available positions.

Fair participants should bring along a resume.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Sibling Class, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 1 and again on Wednesday, Nov. 22 from 5:30 until 7 p.m. in the Harrison Room at Southeast Hospital, is designed to help children prepare, in a positive way, for the addition of a new family member.

The class is geared toward children, ages 3 to 8. Class size is limited. Register online at SEhealth.org/Events or by calling (573)331-6190.

Join SoutheastHEALTH tonight at the fair from 6-8 p.m. in the Kids Ag/Farm Education Area.  

There will be fun activities for the kids including a “Get Active” prize wheel, “Future Doctor/Nurse” photo booth and information on healthy eating for kids!  

Stop by and see us for some fun!  

SoutheastHEALTH is proud to sponsor the Kids Ag/Farm Education area this year. 

Cape Girardeau, Missouri -  SoutheastHEALTH Neurosurgeon Kevin Vaught, MD, of Regional Brain and Spine, is the first neurosurgeon in the U.S. to perform a sacroiliac joint (SI) fusion using the latest generation of the Mazor XTM surgical assurance platform.

The Mazor X was put into use at Southeast Hospital earlier this month. The hospital is the first in Missouri with the Mazor X platform. The system combines unprecedented pre-operative planning tools and analytics with unparalleled intra-operative guidance, giving patients the most advanced spinal surgery options available. 

SI joint dysfunction is improper movement of the joints at the bottom of the spine that connects the sacrum to the pelvis that results in pain in the lower back or upper legs and inflammation of the SI joint, Dr. Vaught explains. The sacrum is a triangular shaped bone at the bottom of the spine below the lumbar region and connects to the pelvic bones known as the iliac crest on the right and left side of the SI joints. “These joints act as shock absorbing structures and typically only move a small amount,” Dr. Vaught says. 

SI joint pain normally occurs from the joint moving too little due to degenerative joint disease or too much due to loose ligaments that support the joints due to pregnancy or trauma. Dr. Vaught adds that “approximately 25 percent of low back pain is due to SI joint dysfunction. Most patients will improve with conservative care such as therapy and injections.” 

If surgery is necessary, the procedure typically lasts less than an hour and requires an overnight stay in the hospital. “Most patients appreciate significant pain relief soon after surgery,” adds Dr. Vaught.

Patient benefits of Mazor minimally-invasive procedures include less pain, less blood loss, smaller incisions, shorter hospitalization and a quicker recovery time. Of particular benefit to patients with the Mazor X is a dramatic reduction in radiation exposure during surgery.