Littauer announces new Chief Nursing Officer Posted on March 25, 2015 by Dakota PikeLittauer is proud to welcome Stephanie Fishel, RN, NE-BC, BS BA, as the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, a position recently vacated by the retired Regina Mulligan. Stephanie comes to Littauer from St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany where she had worked as their operations manager for over five years. A registered nurse for 15 years, Stephanie has an additional degree in health promotion/disease prevention and has her nurse executive certification.“It is an honor to follow Ginger Mulligan, a respected nurse, manager and a valued Littauer employee for 43 years,” said Stephanie.“I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie to our Littauer family. Her integrity as a nurse and professionalism parallel Littauer’s values of superior patient care and satisfaction,” said Littauer President and CEO Laurence E. Kelly.“Quality patient care and supporting the health care providers who are committed to delivering superior care is my passion,” said Stephanie.Stephanie attended Temple University and completed her education at University of Connecticut. For four years she lived in Moscow, Idaho working at Gritman Medical Center. While at Gritman Medical, a critical access hospital in a rural area, she became a jack-of-all-trades. “I learned from nurse mentors in rural Idaho, from ICU to home care,” said Stephanie. “I left there a better nurse.”Stephanie returned to the east coast and while working in Albany she developed a passion for operational management and process improvement. “How do we create a culture of safety? With a professional, self-driven team who embraces creativity and understands that patient safety is a journey,” said Stephanie.After working in both small community hospital settings and large metropolitan hospitals, Stephanie is happy to be at Littauer. “I feel at home here, and I knew immediately Littauer was the right fit for me.”Stephanie’s mantra is: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.” You can plan on seeing more smiles with Stephanie Fishel leading the way.Photo – Stephanie Fishel, Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer at Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home
Nathan Littauer in the news: Plan ahead to reduce stress Posted on April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 by Dakota PikePublished in the Daily Gazette April 5, 2014Q & A: Plan ahead to reduce stress, health educator says Community health educator Wendy Chirieleison says one way to reduce stress is to stay away from computer screens. (Courtesy Healthlink Littauer)Relax — that’s one word of advice that community health educator Wendy Chirieleison can offer to reduce stress.Chirieleison will offer other advice to free people from personal pressure cookers on Tuesday, April 15, as she presents “50 Ways to Reduce Stress.” Two one-hour lectures, sponsored by HealthLink Littauer — Nathan Littauer’s Hospital’s wellness education and resource center — will be held at the Fulton County YWCA at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The YWCA is at 213 Harrison St. Extension, Johnstown.People interested in attending either of the lectures are asked to call HealthLink at 736-1120.Q: Can you tell that people in our community are under assorted stresses these days?A: I think you can see people are looking tired, looking a little bit frantic when they’re working and carrying out daily activities. People can be a little short-tempered at times . . . I think it’s a combination of family, not having enough time, high demands at work, not getting enough sleep, not getting enough exercise, not eating well, not getting the fruits and vegetables and water that we need to maintain a healthy balance.Q: How can people dampen their daily stresses?A: Here are some of the ways to help minimize or prevent stress — one would be improving time management, making a schedule and sticking to it. Getting ready ahead of time, prepping things ahead of time and leaving yourself enough time to arrive early. So leave a little earlier for appointments. When you don’t plan for enough time, people start rushing — especially in the car, when you may not have planned to be behind a slow-moving vehicle. Your blood pressure goes up, you need to get to your appointment on time and you didn’t factor in this travel time.Q: How can people reduce their stress in their workplaces?A: Technology has placed an expectation on workers they will be available 24-7. If you’re working on a project, and your team has a question, they may feel they can text you or email you with questions when you’re home trying to have a relaxing evening with your family. Turn off, unplug your devices so you can connect with your family and have a clear division of work time and personal time.Q: How about some other ways to minimize stress at the office?A: Being organized is one great way to minimize stress at work. That means everything from organizing your work space to your schedule and really giving yourself either 30 minutes or 60 minutes to de-stress from what you were doing at work, have a healthy lunch, get in some exercise. I think people would really feel better if they did that. They would feel a lot more energized.Q: How can people on the job beat stress when so many of us have extra duties these days?A: It’s OK to say no. If you are being asked by the PTA to run an event but your plate is full, know that it’s OK to respectfully decline helping out . . . you can ask your supervisor to put that project on hold until you can have finished some of the other things you’re working on. It would give you some time to finish working before starting something new.I think supervisors also have to be mindful of realistic expectations, take into consideration how much time employees are spending working on projects and be a little bit more flexible with the demands they’re placing on their workers and their staffs.Q: How does healthy eating figure into stress?A: Unhealthy eating connects to stress because our bodies need nutrients in order to help us cope with the stress that we experience all day. So healthy eating would make sure you’ve gotten the proper servings of proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and avoid things that add to stress such as caffeine, excess sugar and alcohol.Q: How does exercise help chase stress?A: Exercise creates endorphins that make us feel happy, so that kind of balances our stress as well. If people were getting 30 minutes of activity every day, even if they divided that 30 minutes into two 15-minute increments or three 10-minute increments, they’d feel more energized and much less stressed.Q: How much sleep do we need to relieve stress?A: You need at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. That really helps maintain balance. If people have trouble sleeping at night, they might try putting their devices away early because the light from the screens really triggers the brain and doesn’t allow the brain to relax. You might think reading a tablet a half hour before you go to bed is helpful, but really, it isn’t. TV is another thing you would want to avoid in bed.Q: How does positive thinking figure into the de-stress equation?A: Sometimes we tend to be more negative in thinking about ourselves and what we have done. Replace those thoughts with something more positive. So if you made a mistake or, for example, you’re on a diet and you eat something you shouldn’t have eaten and didn’t want to eat. Tell yourself “Tomorrow starts another day . . . I’m not going to beat me up over this one mistake.” Recognize all the good efforts you have made.Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
Wellness Words February 2014 Posted on February 10, 2014 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Wendy Chirieleison, MS EdCommunity Health Educator Seven Simple Steps To A Healthier HeartAccording to the American Heart Association (AHA), four out of every ten Americans think that they have the ideal cardiovascular health. Are you one of them? By understanding the risk factors associated with heart disease and taking an honest look at your lifestyle choices, you can gain a more realistic picture of just what your cardiovascular health truly is. More importantly, if need be, you can take steps to get back on track!MANAGE YOUR BLOOD PRESSUREHigh blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is considered the “silent killer” because it has no symptoms, unless significant damage has already been done. It’s also the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. According to the AHA, one out of every three adults has high blood pressure, but about 20% of them do not know they have it. Only about half of those who know they have high blood pressure have it under control.What can you do about this? Know your numbers! Have your blood pressure checked. If it’s high, discuss lifestyle changes with your provider and take medication as prescribed if necessary. (Be sure to discuss any side effects with your provider…don’t just stop taking your medication!) Eat a healthy, balanced diet (easy on the salt / sodium) and exercise for 30 minutes each day.GET ACTIVEA recent survey by the AHA shows that less than two out of every ten people get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise every week. People who exercise have better health than those who do not. What can you do? After checking with your provider, start an exercise program that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes a day. Don’t have 30 minutes? Try breaking that into two 15 minute sessions or even three 10 minute sessions!So, what if you don’t like to exercise but you like to read? How about an audio book while you walk? Many libraries have a wide variety of audio e-books available. If you are more social, how about getting together with friends for a walk, or joining an exercise class together?CONTROL BLOOD SUGARAdults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than adults without diabetes. For those with diabetes, controlling blood sugar is key in reducing cardiovascular risk. The carbohydrates we eat are turned into glucose (a type of sugar) to help maintain energy. Simple carbohydrates, like white bread and sweets, elevate our blood sugar faster than other healthier foods. This causes the body to produce extra insulin to manage energy levels, but also encourages the growth of plaques in our arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.What can you do? Discuss your risk factors for diabetes with your provider and ask about a blood sugar test. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, work with your provider to manage it. A healthy diet, portion control and physical activity are key in controlling blood sugar.CONTROL CHOLESTEROL, EAT BETTER, LOSE WEIGHTEveryone has cholesterol, which is a waxy substance in the bloodstream and cells. Some cholesterol is important for good health, but too much can put you at risk for heart disease and stroke. Bad cholesterol, or LDL, slowly builds up along your artery walls. Over time, they combine with other materials in your bloodstream and form plaques, or thick substances that narrow the arteries making it harder for the blood to flow smoothly.How can you control cholesterol? About 25% of cholesterol comes from the food we eat, so making healthier food choices is important. Fish, lean meats, beans, whole grains, low fat dairy products, fruits, and veggies are all great choices you can incorporate into your diet. Start the tradition of ‘Meatless Mondays,’ or try making a large dinner salad once a week with homemade salad dressing, substituting half of the oil with no sugar added fruit juice, lemon or lime juice, or rice vinegar which has a sweet taste.Eating better will in turn, help you lose weight. According to the AHA, a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 is what you need for optimal cardiovascular health. BMI is a height to weight comparison that identifies your ideal body weight. You may be able to have your BMI tested at your doctor’s office, or at health screenings like those offered by HealthLink. You should also know how many calories you need to eat each day, and be sure to get enough activity.DON’T SMOKECigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease and is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. Even if you have been smoking all of your life, your body will begin to repair itself the moment you stop smoking.Talk with your doctor about ways to quit. Try calling the Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-697-8487 (nysmokefree.org) for advice, tips, and a free starter kit including a set of patches. You can also join the Smokefree Support Group that meets at NathanLittauerHospital or call HealthLink to speak with a cessation coach.After reading about the seven simple steps to a healthier heart, you probably recognize a recurring theme. Make better choices when it comes to food and get 30 minutes of exercise each day. Focusing on those two areas alone will help you take great strides towards improving your heart and overall health in 2014 and beyond!For more information, contact HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at www.nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
Wellness Words February 2013 Posted on February 15, 2013February 15, 2013 by Dakota Pike HealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Wendy Chirieleison, MS EdCommunity Health Educator Keep Your Heart Healthy By Maintaining Emotional Health & Well-Being!It is February, Heart Health Month, and we all know how important it is to keep our hearts healthy! We have learned different tips on keeping our blood pressure and cholesterol in check, making healthy food choices, and exercise strategies. Did you know that it is equally important to maintain good emotional health and well-being?What Does Research Tell Us?According to Cummings & Henry (1961), as people enter into late adulthood, a very typical and gradual withdrawal or disengagement from physical, social, and psychological activity occurs. People may show less interest in the world, become more reflective, and have fewer social interactions on a day-to-day basis (Quinnan 1997).Studies have been done to determine whether this disengagement has any negative effect on aging adults. While studies show that disengagement is a very normal part of aging, and sometimes a healthy occurrence, they also show that adults who remain active and involved were sometimes happier than those that had disengaged (Crosnoe & Elder 2002).What Does This Mean?Now, these findings do not suggest that you have to be busy every minute of the day. The “less is more” motto applies here, as less activity will bring yougreater enjoyment because you can focus more of your time on the activities that really matter to you.What Can We Do?According to Hutchinson & Wexler (2007), participating in the same type of activities and interests you had when you were middle-aged will help you age successfully, maintain a sense of well-being and self-esteem, and keep you satisfied with life.Consider the significance of others, such as our friends and family. Social support is the comfort that comes from people who care about us. According to Antonucci (1990), this support plays a critical role in maintaining happiness and successful aging.We can receive social support from a number of different sources including:Friends and acquaintances – who can offer a sympathetic ear, be a sounding board for issues or concerns, and provide agreatdegree of understanding to people experiencing problems, like the loss of a spouse.Family members – like siblings, who can provide an unusual amount of emotional support as they share old, pleasant memories from childhood to the present time. Also, children can provide agreatdeal of comfort and security by helping their aging parent to understand resources that are available to them, discussing important family matters, and to help care for their parents.How Do We Do This?Here is a list of things that you can do towards improving your emotional health and well-being, according to Diana Rodriguez (EveryDayHealth.com):Get up early and drink a nice hot cup of coffee or tea while enjoying the sun, birds, and other things going on outdoors.Take a walk every day, even if it is a short one.Schedule regular social events with friends and family.Find time to be alone with your spouse.Adopt a pet.Treat your senses by lighting candles, putting fresh cut flowers around the house, or getting a massage.Foster a new hobby like gardening, knitting, sewing, or bowling.For more information, contact HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at www.nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
Wellness Words February 2012 Posted on February 17, 2012August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Ryan Wille, B.S.Community Health Educator THE SIMPLE 7 HEART HEALTH FACTORSHeart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. The best tool in fighting heart disease is prevention, and the American Heart Association has provided The Simple 7 Heart Health Factors to help guide individuals to a healthier heart lifestyle.1. GET ACTIVEThe AHA suggests at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, such as walking, jogging or swimming. Strength and stretching exercise are best for overall stamina and flexibility. The simplest, positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. It’s enjoyable, free, easy, social and great exercise.2. CONTROL CHOLESTEROLIt’s important for all people to know their cholesterol level. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dl or higher puts you in a higher-risk category. To keep your cholesterol under control, the AHA recommends you schedule a screening, eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat and free of trans fat, maintain a healthy weight, and stay physically active.3. EAT BETTEREating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and blood pressure. Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber that can help lower your blood cholesterol and help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight. Eat fish at least twice a week. Eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease. Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without saturated and trans fat. Select fat-free, 1% fat or low-fat dairy products.4. MANAGE BLOOD PRESSUREHigh blood pressure, or hypertension, is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. A normal blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg systolic and less than 80mm Hg diastolic. Eating a heart-healthy diet, enjoying regular activity, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco smoke will all help manage your blood pressure.5. LOSE WEIGHT145 million Americans are overweight or obese (BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 and higher). Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease. You can reduce this risk by maintaining a healthy weight through fitness and a good nutrition plan. It is crucial to understand your recommended calorie intake and the amount of calories you consume verses the calories you’re brining off with different levels of physical activity.6. REDUCE BLOOD SUGARAdults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than adults without diabetes. Healthy eating habits, weight control, exercise and medication can help keep it in check. It is important to work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your diabetes.7. STOP SMOKINGBy itself, smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease. When it acts with the other factors, it greatly increases your risk from those factors. Smoking decreases your tolerance for physical activity and increases the tendency for blood to clot. It decreases HDL (good) cholesterol. Smoking also creates a higher risk for peripheral artery disease and aortic aneurysm. It increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery.For more information, contact your health care provider, American Heart Association at 800-242-8721 (www.americanheart.org) or HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at www.nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
