News

“Spring into Health” 5K is set for May 13th

| News

Enjoy a morning of good, healthy fun in the great outdoors at the 8th Annual Grace Cottage Hospital “Spring into Health” 5K this Mother’s Day Weekend, on Saturday, May 13th. The family-friendly 5K starts at 8:30 am on the Townshend Common. The race will be timed for competitors, but is open to all, whether you run, walk, roll, or stroll. The course is 3.1 miles of mainly flat, paved road along Grafton Road (Route 35).

After the race, there will be awards, raffles, and general merriment. There is also a free Fun Run for kids 8 and under on the Common at 9:15. The event, held rain or shine, wraps up around 10:30.

Register online for an early bird rate of $12/adults, $5/kids at www.gracecottage.org/events.

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Careers in Nursing

| Graceful Health
Lisa May

By Lisa May, RN, Grace Cottage Clinical Nurse Educator

Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare team, and this is a career with many opportunities, both in terms of jobs available, and of the many specialties within the field.

As the population ages, our need for nurses is growing, but surprisingly, enrollment in nursing schools is down. I want to encourage those considering this field by providing helpful information and by sharing some of my own story.

Career opportunities for nurses exist in hospitals, clinics, schools, long-term care facilities, and in community health. Emergency, trauma, cardiac, pediatrics, mental health, and oncology—these are just a few of the healthcare areas that need nurses.

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Annual Online Auction is ON Feb. 1 – 28

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Need a massage? A trip to Mexico or South Africa? An evening at the theater, or some new artwork for your walls?

From Wednesday, February 1, until Tuesday, February 28, 8:00 pm, you can bid on these items and many more through the Grace Cottage’s annual Cabin Fever Auction.

An awesome array of more than 70 items has been donated by generous businesses and individuals, with all proceeds benefitting the Grace Cottage Patient Care Fund.

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Secret Life of the Clinical Lab

| Graceful Health

By Erin Lamson, Grace Cottage Lab Technician

Have you ever visited a lab for blood tests and wondered what happens to your specimen? If you have, you’re not alone. Lab testing happens behind closed doors for obvious safety reasons, leaving the clinical laboratory nearly invisible to the public eye. As a result, clinical lab professionals have one of the least understood roles in health care, even though a recent estimate suggests there are roughly 300,000 laboratory professionals in the United States.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) claim over 7 billion clinical lab tests are performed annually in the U.S. Tests range from relatively simple ones like finger-stick glucose tests, to highly complex ones requiring special expertise, such as molecular diagnostics. Most tests are considered moderately complex, including common tests like cholesterol levels. Regardless of complexity, test results provide helpful, sometimes critical information to healthcare providers and their patients.

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Grace Cottage adds safe room to its emergency department

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The Grace Cottage Hospital Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The staff sees approximately 3,000 patient visits each year. Mirroring statewide and national trends, at an increasing rate, patients with mental health or addiction issues seek help at the Emergency Department. These patients are at times a danger to themselves or to others.

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2017 Offers a Variety of Wellness Classes and Groups

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If you are one of the many who has pledged to take better care of yourself in the New Year, and you can get yourself to Townshend, then you are in luck. There are a variety of free to low-cost classes and programs available at the Grace Cottage Community Wellness Center. Perhaps there is one that is right for you or someone you care about.

CLASSES:

Yoga: Tuesdays, 4:30-6:00. Fridays, 3:30 – 5:00. $5/class. A gentle yet invigorating class that focuses on breath work and poses. Prior to first class, call 365-3649.

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Diabetes and the Holidays? Be Sure You Have a Plan

| Graceful Health

By Deborah Brown, Grace Cottage Diabetes Educator

It’s true that the holiday season presents extra challenges for diabetics and others with food restrictions, but it’s possible to enjoy the special foods you love and keep your sugar in balance, if you go into it with a plan.

Perhaps it was easier for some people in years past, when there were clear boundaries regarding “naughty” foods a diabetic shouldn’t eat. Now, healthy eating is all about making good choices. This is an important part of taking care of diabetes.

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Need Basic Resources? I Can Help!

| Graceful Health

By Jane Wheeler, Grace Cottage Patient Resource Advocate

It’s getting cold out there. This is the time of year when people stockpile wood, fill their oil or propane tanks, and put extra food in their cupboards and cellars. With winter coming on, everyone has resource challenges that need to be addressed.

Winter also brings on health challenges, as colds and flu go around, and slippery conditions make accidents more likely.

Peace of mind comes with having needed resources in place, and peace of mind is important to your health.

Are you prepared for winter? If you have any questions about how you’ll meet your health and household needs this winter, and you live nearby or are a Grace Cottage patient, I want to talk to you.

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At Grace Cottage, Good Food is Good Medicine

| Graceful Health
Staff With Local Produce

By Denise Choleva, CDM-CFPP, Grace Cottage Dietary Director

You hear the phrase a lot these days: “Food is medicine,” and it makes a lot of sense. We know there are plenty of foods that can make us sick because they have too much sugar, artificial ingredients, or fat. So the opposite has to be true too, that food can help make us well.

Healthy food in a healthcare setting makes good sense, for patients as well as for employees and community visitors. That’s why I signed the “Healthy Food in Healthcare” pledge in 2012, and that’s why I’ve been so committed to using the freshest, locally produced food here ever since.

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Giving Tuesday November 2016

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Giving Tuesday

On November 29, 2016, please join a community of friends and neighbors who are contributing to our new Emergency Department Safe Room — for the benefit of patients under extreme duress and the staff that serves them.

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