Practically what that means is as the percent immunized is going up, we’ll start opening things up more and more. And if the numbers start to rise we’ll know that we have to wait a little bit until we get some more people immunized before we can open up to that degree. And so it’s going to be a little bit of trial and error as we go through this spring into summer.
“I really believe that there are people walking the streets of Gettysburg today who are alive, because of that expertise provided from that eCARE source,” said Fr. Kopel. “To have that available to us is a great blessing. To have that available to us is a great blessing from the perspective of not only patient but as a pastor, it’s a really wonderful tool.”
“It serves not only this county but the adjacent counties. The trade area is probably 40 to 45 miles. This a 50-year pay-it-forward project. It will definitely save lives in the future,” said Smith.
Know what your baseline is. Know what’s consistent for you. Know what your typical numbers are. Know what your normals are and if something’s abnormal, particularly if you’re not feeling normal, that’s when you should see your doctor.
“I ended up in the hospital and then he came in and admitted himself. And the doctor come back in and he said he definitely has COVID-19. He said, we’re going to keep him overnight so you will keep you both,” said Netta.
“And target more than one thing with one treatment. And that’s often why we take a pretty complete history with the patient so that we can kind of tailor their treatments specific to their needs,” said Dr. Flickema.
I think the biggest problem is right away, everyone’s really motivated, maybe a little bit too motivated to cut out too much. So we want to pull back on foods that are not necessary, but not so much that you’re in a starvation level. That’s unsustainable. And that actually detracts from your health, in the long term.
“I looked up and everybody had tears in their eyes and I said what’s... why is everybody so sad, you know I made it okay. And they said, well we just shocked you back to life,” said Thompson.
“And with COVID once again, the studies have not been done to see how well it prevented you from ever getting COVID. It just looked at whether or not patients became symptomatic and then if they develop symptoms and they were tested for COVID,”
The Arts and Healing program at Avera is a welcome distraction from the IV drip. Darwin Wolf is one of the artists involved with the program. Today he’s showing Ashley and her husband Zach something new. He hands them modeling clay and shows them how to make petals that come together to make a rosebud.
“It’s designed for anyone who would like to become more active. It helps teach them stretching, strengthening, aerobic, and balance activities and then incorporates them into one’s daily life,” said Hildebrandt.
“But I believe immunizations are very important, and getting our at-risk people right now immunized and helping them. And in the long run, helping to control the pandemic by getting people immunized and developing some herd immunity,” said Heiling.
The biggest thing that we’re watching right now is the variants and the surges. I feel like we’re in a little bit of a race night now to get as many people vaccinated before numbers start to rise back up again as far as when that surge starts kind of coming back around our direction.
Oxygen levels are especially important during pregnancy. With a growing baby, it can already be hard to breathe. A complication of coronavirus could make it worse.
“So it doesn’t mean that the people who did not get any symptoms, did not get the immune response. We all react differently to these vaccines,” said Dr. Nazir.
And then we are very excited to be offering it to our 1D group, which is our patients that are the highest risk, which would be those that are 80 years and older...those with high-risk conditions such as cancer, kidney dialysis, also transplant patients.
After hearing about the new 1D tier opening up for South Dakotans to receive the vaccine, their phone rang. Their vaccination appointment was scheduled, and when they arrived, they didn’t even have to wait.
Extensive tests for heart and vascular health can often cost thousands of dollars. At North Central Heart Institute at Avera Heart Hospital, the screening is only $75.00.
That’s probably gonna be 50,000 individuals in that group, and so right now the state gets about 11,000 doses a week and so it’ll take quite a few weeks to get through that big of a group.
“I just became a nurse because I want to help people and right now. COVID is the big thing going on in the country, so it’s just knowing that you’re doing what you want to do and it’s just helping people that need help,” said Fell.
“I was in the magic window they like to say. It could have been a very very bad life-changing event. And yet, I was lucky enough to say it was not much life-changing, but it let me think about life, and what’s really important,” said Borszich.
“When you get infected with a virus, your body creates antibodies to help fight off the virus. And it takes a while for that process to happen. What we do with monoclonal antibodies is we’re providing those antibodies to the patient. So they have them to neutralize the virus sooner than what their immune system would be able to do otherwise,” said Dr. Thury.
"We’ll be moving more into like what’s called the 1-B and 1-C phase, so that will include nursing home residents will be prioritized. And then following that, we’ll be doing a lot of our frontline workers."
Even though it’s heartbreaking and even though it is so hard. You can balance those with the overwhelming joy, you know, watching somebody come into the world and watching somebody get better and leaving.” Lindee Miller, ICU Nurse Avera St. Mary’s-Pierre
“They will receive a tablet, blood pressure cuff, a scale, and a pulse oximeter. And then when they check their vitals, it will automatically flow over into the programs that nurses can monitor,” said Purdy. The connection is much more than watching their symptoms, it’s an emotional lifeline.
if you were exposed to COVID again you may not have an active infection yourself but you still may serve as a carrier to give the virus to someone else who has not yet been exposed, and who may be high-risk if they do receive that.
"This is really going to help us turn around these results a little bit quicker and try to get those results out faster so patients can start their quarantine, get back to work, send kids back to daycare, to kind of get back to their routines and their lives,” said Felderman.
When choosing health insurance, Lewis suggests finding out what the plans include for health screenings, deductibles, co-pay amounts, prescription coverage and if there are federal marketplace dollars you may qualify for.
: I think it’s okay to acknowledge that you’re sad that some of your holiday traditions aren’t being met this year, but it’s kind of trying to take a step back after you’ve done that and think about the special ways that you can still enjoy the holiday and really just trying to make the most of it.
“You know, we’re just glad that we can provide that here rather than having to have everyone have to go to Sioux Falls since they’ve been so full and their hospitals are really struggling to in that capacity,” said Dr. Nieuwenhuis.
Avera Medical Group VP of Clinical Quality Dr. David Basel has been following the development of coronavirus vaccines and is preparing for their arrival at Avera hospitals and clinics across the region. He has information that may answer many of the questions you have.
As you watch Barb Knudtson put on her PPE, you may think she’s about to give medicine to a patient or help with a procedure. Actually, Knudtson is a part of a very valuable team, especially during the pandemic. She’s a custodian at Avera McKennan Hospital at takes her job very seriously.
Having therapy close to home, prevents a long drive, which could cause problems. “As swelling does increase in certain bodies when you’re stuck in a certain position so just the fact that it’s right local, only makes it better for the patient,” said Blom.
"To me, you're a nurse really needs an opportunity to lift up the profession to really help get out the word of the incredible profession that nursing is," said Popkes.
Yeah, so I definitely you’ll probably have to think outside of the box a little bit this year. You could do some virtual options. Maybe host a virtual Thanksgiving. Maybe everyone schedules a time to get on to the zoom and play a board game or do a virtual game together, have the kids make Thanksgiving crafts. Talk about things we’re grateful for this year.
“The Navigation Center is a 24/7 service. It’s staffed with social workers nurses and administrative assistants, so it’s mostly used by our cancer patients who call in and family members can call in too,” said Mitchell.
“It’s very common, as we get older, to lose some of the normal function meaning having accidents or having more urgency or having to go more frequently,” said Dr. Barker.
Our sister hospitals are doing a wonderful job of keeping patients, away from Avera McKennan, and doing their best to offload the tertiary care center that we are, and they are doing that with the best-qualified people that they have.
“You don’t feel anything and when you leave here there’s no pain, got up, and walked out of here and went home and everything’s altogether different than what it was before,” said Axom.
“The prairie center was really to be a beacon of hope. One of our crown jewels of this building is that we had so much patient input into the building,” said Gaster.
Just like I would treat any other part of the body, I’m looking at what’s the muscle function with the skeletal alignment. What’s going on with the nerves and things like that.
We do the procedure and you don’t have to wear the compression therapy. We prevent the development of new varicose veins, skin changes, getting rid of the varicose veins, the cosmetic appeal, preventing the wounds, those types of things.
While some asses the pandemic by available hospital beds, the medical community reveals the true need. Caring for a COVID patients requires a supply of respirators and enough staff to care for the COVID-19 patient. Maintaining enough equipment and staffing levels is a concern.
