Healthnetwork Pulse - January 2009

January 2009

Healthnetwork Foundation wishes you a happy and healthy 2009! 

 Headlines:

2008 Service Excellence Awards

2008 Annual Appeal

Healthnetwork Welcomes Medical Director 

Health Information Search

New Alliances

Every Inch You Pinch Is Affecting Your Heart

Another Monday- Another Resolution to Quit Smoking 

New Advances in Neurology

Member Experience

Congratulations to the ten physicians who received a research grant through Healthnetwork Foundation’s 2008 Service Excellence Awards.  A donation of $10,000 was presented to each doctor's respective research initiative for their support of our mission and their outstanding ability to offer compassionate care to our members.  The final physicians to be honored include: 

For a complete list of recipients of the 2008 Service Excellence Awards Click Here 

If you would like to discuss how the philanthropic goals of Healthnetwork might parallel your own charitable interests please contact Adam Kaufman at adam@healthnetworkfoundation.org

Thank you to everyone who generously donated to Healthnetwork Foundation during our 2008 Annual Appeal.  Working together, we can enhance our powerful vision, advance medical research and make an even more profound impact on our members and their families in 2009. 

 If you would like to make a donation, please click here.

Susan Locke, M.D. recently joined our staff as Medical Director.  Dr. Locke is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry.  Her full biography is included here. As the Medical Director, Dr. Locke is instrumental in guiding Healthnetwork with

          *  medical referrals,

          *  compilation of medical information and 

          *  interactions with physicians at our hospitals.

We are posting topics researched by Dr. Locke on our website. For her first piece, Dr. Locke highlights the gender differences in reactions to stress. [Read More]

Healthnetwork is often used for a physician or hospital referral, but did you know Healthnetwork can also provide information about a diagnosis?   When you or a loved one face a complex or rare diagnosis and you desire more information, call Healthnetwork.  Together with our strategic partner, Cleveland Clinic, a Healthnetwork GOLD hospital, we will compile relevant sources of information to help answer questions.

If you would like a health information search performed, please call us at 440 893-0830 or email us at help@healthnetworkfoundation.org

With your health as our primary concern,  Healthnetwork is pleased to announce several new and renewed alliances with top hospitals:

Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN:  At its core, Mayo Clinic has always practiced medicine based on one overriding value: the needs of the patient come first. As a collaborative team, Mayo Clinic medical specialists work together to diagnose each patient and recommend courses of treatment.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh PA:  The geriatric department within the hospital is well known for its excellence; in fact, they lead the nation in NIH funding for geriatric research. The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Program (CGAP), led by geriatric specialist, Robert M. Palmer, M.D., provides an ideal evaluation for individuals experiencing age-related physical, social, cognitive, and behavioral changes.

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York NY: In its 2008 "America's Best Hospitals" survey, U.S. News & World Report  named Hospital for Special Surgery #1 hospital for orthopedics.

 For more information or an appointment at these centers of excellence, call us at 440 893-0830 or email us at help@healthnetworkfoundation.org.

Heart disease accounted for 1 in 3 U.S. deaths in 2006, the last year data is available from the American Heart Association.  So, what are you doing to protect your heart?  The good news is “Medical therapy across the board has gotten better,” said Steven Nissen, M.D., head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, a Healthnetwork GOLD hospital.  He attributes half of this to lifestyle changes, stating that small changes can make a big difference.  [Read More]

A recent study measured, among other factors, the influence of being overweight and limited physical activity on the development of heart failure.  Gerald Fletcher, M.D., a preventive cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic Florida, a Healthnetwork GOLD hospital, says  "Not being obese but being overweight is definitely a risk factor for heart failure."  Think about the effects of an inch here and an inch there...they could be having a large impact.     

For more information about heart health or to schedule an appointment with a heart center of excellence, call us at

440 893-0830 or email us at help@healthnetworkfoundation.org.

Repetition may be the key to quit smoking.  "Using each Monday to reaffirm their goal of quitting is a sensible way to stay on track," says Frances Stillman, who co-directs the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health [Read More].  However, most people require more than a resolution to quit. A new study at Duke University Medical Center, a Healthnetwork Alliance hospital, explains why smoking becomes an automatic response- and why, if unaided, you may be resolving to quit every Monday for many years. [Read More]

To stay on track with all your New Year's health resolutions, schedule an  executive physical by calling

440 893-0830 or email us at help@healthnetworkfoundation.org.

Approximately every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke. It is one of the leading causes of disability and the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a Healthnetwork GOLD hospital and recipient of the Primary Stroke Center Certification, features one of the largest and most comprehensive stroke treatment programs in southern California, blending the expertise of nationally recognized clinicians with the latest in treatment technologies.  [Read More]  

An innovative hypothermia treatment is part of a groundbreaking neuro-intensive care nursery that opened recently at UCSF Children's Hospital, a Healthnetwork GOLD hospital.  It offers specialized treatment for infants who show indications of brain damage at birth.   The neuro-intensive care nursery is the only one of its kind combining such components as research, neuroradiology, infant care and therapy. [Read More]  

For more information or to schedule an appointment at a neurology center or  pediatric center of excellence, call us at
440 893-0830 or email us at help@healthnetworkfoundation.org.

 
"Healthnetwork Foundation changed the lives of so many people who are close to me.  In fact, two of my associates are alive today because of Healthnetwork. I believe in the foundation and support it as a GOLD donor because their services have provided the people I care about with superior medical options...  Thank you, Healthnetwork, for consistently providing me with the best doctors, the best hospitals and the best service each time I call.” 

Ralph Guild, New York

Healthnetwork GOLD Supporter

If you have suggestions for future topics, comments, questions or need medical assistance, please drop us an email or give us a call and we will do everything we can to assist you.  Also, please let us know if you are unable to open any of the links above and we will send you a copy of the referenced material.

We look forward to hearing from you:  440 893-0830 or rachel@healthnetworkfoundation.org