Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

As the weather warms up and summer training begins, preventing heat-related injuries in student athletes becomes a huge priority for local health officials, coaches and parents. “We still have about 10 athletes that die of heat stroke, mostly in football, every five years,” said Dr. Michael Miller of St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine. There’s a lot that can be done to get athletes ready for workouts in hot weather according to Dr. Miller. He talked to Local 12’s Liz Bonis about training beginning inside with athletic trainers, before an athlete ever goes outside. Click here to watch the segment with Liz…

Local hospitals are on high alert after the World Health Organization recently published its first ever list of potentially deadly bacteria. The WHO says the list is necessary to advocate for new antibiotics needed around the world. Before a superbug can be treated, though, it needs to be tracked, which is where the experts at St. Elizabeth Healthcare come in to the picture. Click here to watch the team talk with Local 12’s Liz Bonis. Patty Burns, an infection control manager at St. Elizabeth, has her team track all organisms, but, in particular, resistant organisms. One of their most recent…

If you’re living with a chronic, non-healing  wound, you’re not alone and you don’t have to suffer in silence. That’s the message the St. Elizabeth Wound Care Center wants people to remember this week, which is Wound Care Awareness Week across the country. “We have many patients who are dealing with non-healing wounds or traumatic wounds that show no significant signs of healing,” said Dr. Roger Teller, Medical Director of the Patrick T. Birrer Wound Care Centers, “and they’re struggling, but we want them to know they’re not forgotten. We want them to receive the best quality of care.” St.…

The Food and Drug Administration recently provided new information about a possible connection between breast implants and cancer. The FDA has now identified 359 cases and nine deaths linked to this association. When Liz Bonis spoke with cancer specialists at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, they indicated the FDA just released an update to the numbers they have been tracking related to breast implants and cancer since 2011, but that there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to breast augments or reconstruction surgery. Dr. Michael Guenther, a surgical oncologist with St. Elizabeth, broke down what the numbers mean. “The…

If you’ve been sneezing and wheezing more than usual lately, you’re not alone. The experts at St. Elizabeth talked to Local 12’s Liz Bonis this week about one of the chief complaints in Tri-State doctors’ offices right now. During the segment, Danielle Brown, talked about her daughter’s struggles with allergies and asthma. “[Mackenzie] gets a rash every time the wind blows,” she said. “[Most of the time] we just do over-the-counter stuff, unless it gets too bad.” Dr. Sofia Qureshi says it’s a bad time of year for people with allergies and asthma. “Allergies make it worse because asthma responds…

Whether you’re mowing the lawn, sitting by the pool or chasing kids through the sprinklers, it’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been outside. That is, of course, until you feel that telltale tingling or itchiness that means you’re going to look like a lobster soon. Here are our best tips to avoid – and, if necessary, treat – a sunburn: What’s the best defense against sunburn? Use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher–anything lower won’t offer adequate protection. Apply sunscreen to any uncovered skin 30 minutes before you go outside and once you’re out there,…

With temperatures outside warming, right now is the best training time to help ease your body into outdoor exercise. As the weather warms up and you move your activities back outdoors, the St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine team wants to remind you to stay well hydrated this summer. From sports drinks to water to pickle juice “Our main emphasis needs to be on nice cold water. But the longer the event, there is some evidence that the sports drinks can have some benefit, not just from the electrolytes but the carbohydrates and the flavoring in a sports drink … A…

The St. Elizabeth weight management team focuses on teaching people what it takes not just to lose weight, but also to keep it off. Local 12’s Liz Bonis wanted to find out what really works when it comes to keeping lost weight off, so she spoke with  Karah Stanley, a registered dietitian at St. Elizabeth. Watch the segment here. Stanley said the very first thing to do is set a goal. Setting a goal to eat smaller portions of food works, and if you don’t know what a portion is, Stanley suggests finding out. “If you don’t know what a…

Mary Lou Lubbers realized she made the right choice one month into her training at St. Elizabeth school of nursing ““ back in 1961. “From then on, I knew I had made the right decision,” Lubbers said. “It just felt right.” Growing up, she had watched her mother work as a nurse’s aide for the American Red Cross. Then, immediately after high school, she applied and got into St. Elizabeth Hospital’s nursing school and eventually became a nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington in 1967. Sometimes, she says, she can’t imagine it’s been 50 years. And, she’s not the…

Looking for the perfect addition to your upcoming barbecue or picnic? Or, maybe you just need a healthy snack for the kids this summer. Either way, these sweet potato nachos are the way to go. Click here for a downloadable version of the recipe. Ingredients: 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds 1 TBSP olive oil 1 TSP chili powder 1 TSP garlic powder 1 1/2 TSP paprika 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped 1/3 cup reduced-fat, shredded cheddar cheese 1 small tomato, chopped 1-2 jalapenos, sliced (optional) 1-2 green…