CentraState - Healthy Directions

John T. Gribbin, FACHE President and CEO President's Message… Healthy Directions is produced by CentraState Healthcare System, Freehold, New Jersey. Winter 2016 Editorial Advisors Joseph R. Iantosca Chair, Board of Trustees John T. Gribbin, FACHE President and CEO Thomas W. Scott, FACHE, FABC Senior Vice President and COO Jack H. Dworkin, MD, FACC Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Linda W. Geisler, RN, MNEd, NEA-BC, FACHE Vice President, Patient Care Services Kim A. Kelly, RN, MS, NEA-BC, FACHE Vice President, Clinical Services Rich Mackesy Vice President, Strategic Planning & Business Development Abbey M. Luterick Director, Public Relations and Communications Please note that physicians on staff are private practitioners and not employed by CentraState. We hope you enjoy this issue of Healthy Directions. Comments about the publication can be directed to the Public Relations and Marketing Department, CentraState Healthcare System, 901 West Main Street, Freehold, NJ, 07728. (732) 294-7080. Healthy Directions is published by CentraState Healthcare System to provide general health information. It is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a health care provider. Editor–CentraState Brian Johnson Writers Susan Bloom Stephanie Duncan Chris N. Johnson Jane DeTullio Keri Stephens Karen Lippai Photographers Peter Chollick Rich Schaub Kevin Birch Jeff Tureaud Designer Sherri Thornton On page 6 of this issue, you'll read the story of one of our employees, Lori Impastato, who underwent a routine test and was shocked to discover that she was at considerable risk for heart disease. With the help of The Women's Heart Program at CentraState, Lori was able to take the steps necessary to improve her heart health, chiefly by changing her eating habits with the guidance of one of our dietitians. Know your family history. Monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol. Give up smoking. CentraState prides itself in our many services for heart health, including our services at the Thomas J. Blanchet Cardiac Diagnostic Center at the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus, our cardiac rehabilitation program, and our cardiac catheterization lab. One of our newest cardiac services is the Gloria Saker Women's Heart Program located in the Star and Barry Tobias Ambulatory Campus. The program has been overwhelmingly successful and is truly making a difference in women who suffer from heart conditions. We also house a medically supervised Fitness & Wellness Center, dietitians to provide nutrition counseling, and primary care physicians to help you regain or maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle or improve your health. Through these programs and services, we hope to alleviate the dangers of heart disease and bring renewed awareness of heart health to our community. Fortunately, Lori was able to take control of her health and turn it around, and we hope she'll encourage many of you to do the same. Vinita Pitchumoni, MD, a board- certified pediatrician who works in CentraState's Emergency Department, recently went on a medical mission to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan at the Zaatari camp, one of the largest such camps in the world (mostly women and children), as well as several outreach clinics. She is part of a group called Women Physicians for Humanity, a group of like-minded physicians offering their services around the world—even at the risk of their own safety. They are teaming with the Syrian American Medical Society on this service project. Before she left, Dr. Pitchumoni collected medical relief supplies from many local doctors and offices, and brought them with her. This is not her first such trip. Last summer, Dr. Pitchumoni went to a remote village in Uganda to take care of sick children. "This was an incredibly moving experience for me, and it convinced me to make this a regular part of my life," she says. "While these medical missions are definitely about helping the disadvantaged, I strongly believe they also provide us with faith that compassion still exists. It draws together amazing groups of people who validate the existence of people who are suffering—through medical care, psychosocial support, food, clothing, and just as important, empathy." Dr. Pitchumoni adds, "These children have suffered and witnessed a tremendous amount in their short lives. Their happy childhoods have been stolen from them and replaced with a bleak present and future. I hope I can provide my friends and family with a picture of my eye-opening experiences with the Syrian refugee children through photos and compelling stories. We need to all demand action for these children. This is a tragedy that could have happened to us. We need to fight in the name of humanity and not religion for the children who are innocent in this battle." A Medical Mission to Jordan

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