News

Prostate Cancer Screening? It Depends

| Graceful Health

By Dr. Moss Linder, Grace Cottage Family Health

Sometimes, a doctor can give medical advice that fits everyone, things like stop smoking, get regular exercise, and eat a healthy diet. Other times, a medical issue can’t be decided with a one-size-fits-all approach. Prostate cancer screening recommendations are one of those topics.

The prostate is a gland in a man’s body that surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine flows. Prostate cancer is a disease that causes the gland to grow abnormally. Most prostate cancers have no symptoms at all, and the cancer grows so slowly that it does not cause any major problems. Some men may have urinary frequency or urgency or waking up at night to urinate.

Prostate cancer is the most common solid organ cancer in men and, behind lung cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death.

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Tomatoes Wanted!

| News

Attention gardeners: we need tomatoes! The “Ton of Tomatoes” project aims to bring local, nutritious food to area residents who are in need by collecting tomatoes during the growing season, […]

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Heading Out Into the Sun? Read This First!

| Graceful Health

By Natalie Harding, PA-C, Grace Cottage Family Health

We waited so long for summer, and now it’s time to get outside and go biking, hiking, get work done on the house or garden, or spend time on the beach. Maybe you earn your living working outdoors. Did you pack the sunscreen?

“Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun,” says Rudyard Kipling in his poem “Gunga Din.” There’s wisdom in that. The welcome, warm light from the summer sun carries a risk — UVA and UVB radiation. The risk is there all year, but in the summer we tend to be outdoors longer, have more skin exposed, and the days are longer, extending the risk. 

Ultimately, UVA and UVB can damage the skin and cause skin cancer. Here’s a mnemonic to help you remember the difference.

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How Can I Sleep Better?

| Graceful Health

Tips from the Medical Providers of Grace Cottage Family Health

Do you have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep throughout the night? If so, you are not alone. In Vermont, more than one-third of adults report that they get less than the recommended seven-plus hours of sleep per night.

If you are among that 30 percent, you might benefit from learning about sleep hygiene. No, that doesn’t mean brushing your teeth and washing your face at bedtime. The term “sleep hygiene” actually refers to various lifestyle habits and the environment in which you sleep.

No doubt, some of the principles of sleep hygiene are familiar to you, but it’s worthwhile to review them and to keep them in mind.

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What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home?

| Graceful Health

By Elaine Swift, Grace Cottage Family Health Practice Director

Sometimes the language used by government agencies obscures the goal. The term “Patient-Centered Medical Home” is like that. People ask me all the time, “What does it mean, and why is it important?” I’d like to explain some of the ways that being a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) helps Grace Cottage provide the best care for our patients.

First, it’s helpful to know that, while all of the various services offered at Grace Cottage are important, the PCMH designation applies specifically to primary care practices. It is Grace Cottage Family Health, the part of Grace Cottage where patients go for their regular checkups and other primary care needs, that has received the PCMH designation. In fact, Grace Cottage Family Health was recently awarded Level 3 PCMH recognition, the highest level possible.

What does that mean for our patients?

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Alcohol and Your Health

| Graceful Health

By Louise McDevitt, Nurse Practitioner, Grace Cottage Family Health
as originally appeared in the April 21 Brattleboro Reformer Graceful Health column

Let’s start by looking at some common beliefs about alcohol. How would you answer the following questions, true or false? A moderate amount of alcohol each day is good for your health. The United Nations has established a standard portion size for alcoholic drinks that is honored in most countries worldwide. Drinking may decrease the risk of heart attack and strokes. Drinking decreases a woman’s risk for getting breast cancer. Women who are pregnant should not drink. Wine is better for you than other alcoholic beverages. Your chances of having a car accident are doubled even if your blood alcohol limit is only half the legal limit.

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Grace Cottage Hospital Ranks in Top 20 Nationally

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NRHA Top 20 Seal

Grace Cottage Hospital has been named a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital (CAH) for “Best Practice – Patient Satisfaction.” The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has chosen Grace Cottage for this exclusive “Top 20” list out of all 1339 CAH facilities throughout the U.S. It is the only CAH in the Northeast to receive this designation.

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Full-time Mental Health Counselor Added To Grace Cottage Staff

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Eileen Arama, MSW LICSW

Grace Cottage Family Health welcomes Mental Health Counselor Eileen Arama to its team of 12 medical providers. Arama is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, offering counseling appointments for adults as well as children ages seven and up.

Trained at the Gallaudet University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C., Arama received her Masters of Social Work degree with Honors in May 2003. She has worked locally at Brattleboro’s Austine School for the Deaf, at Sunderland Elementary School, and at the Brattleboro Retreat, in addition to other positions in Vermont, Connecticut, and Israel.

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