Health care
BY COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF
WilCo EMS promotes CPR training courses Williamson County Emergency Medical Services and Ascension Seton William- son are marking June—CPR Awareness Month—by touting the life-saving benefits of knowing CPR. “Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere,” Williamson County EMS Lt. Seth West said in a press release. “Every second counts, and what bystanders do in those first moments can determine the outcome.” The approach Carleen Merola, critical care nursing director at Ascension Seton Williamson, said when bystanders initiate CPR, EMS person- nel provide care en route to the hospital and a hospital catheterization lab intervenes, the chances of a patient surviving and recover- ing from cardiac arrest increase.
Burnout, high demand lead to long wait times Physician burnout, fewer medical residency slots and demand outpacing provider availability are leading to longer doctor appointment wait times in Central Texas, according to Austin-based Harbor Health Drs. Clay Johnston and Luci Leykum. The why Austin’s rapid growth has made the local health care system unable to keep up with demand, Johnston said, and fewer primary care physicians and specialists have led to longer wait times across the city. “The bottom line is that the finances that support those specialties just aren’t as strong,” Johnston said. Diving in deeper Part of physician burnout is driven economically, Johnston said, as some systems attempt to keep
St. David’s advances cell therapy for cancer For over a decade, St. David’s South Aus- tin Medical Center has offered the city’s only selection of cellular therapies for various blood cancers. Through the Sarah Cannon Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network, hundreds of patients have had access to different types of transplant treatments while being able to stay close to home. The gist St. David’s offerings have expanded since launching in 2014 with only one treat- ment type, Program Director Dr. Aravind Ramakrishnan said. Now, the South Austin facility does autologous and allogeneic transplants as well as CAR T-cell therapy, all of which involve harvesting cells, treating or modifying them, and transfusing them.
Diabetic people face health risks from heat With Texas heat and humidity, people with diabetes can struggle to cool down, facing a greater chance of experiencing heat-related illnesses, experts have found. How it works For a person without medical problems, the body adapts to heat through sweat production and blood vessels, said Dr. Natalie Williams, family medicine doctor at Austin Regional Clinic. Sweat, which contains salt and water from the body, comes up to the skin, gets evaporated and helps the body cool down. Blood vessels can expand or shrink to disperse heat throughout the body, such as bringing the heat up to the skin instead of keeping the heat internally. However, because people with diabetes have excess sugar in their blood, that can disrupt the body’s cool-down mechanisms, Williams said.
Williams said both diabetic and nondiabetic people can deal with high temperatures in a variety of ways, including:
Health care wait times
A 2022 study surveying over 1,000 offices across 15 major metropolitan areas found that average wait times were:
Working out in the morning
• 16.9 days for an orthopedic surgeon appointment • 20.6 days for a family medicine physician appointment
• 26.6 days for a cardiologist appointment • 31.4 days for an OB-GYN appointment
Avoiding sugary and caffeinated drinks
Checking the heat index
Wearing loose, light-color clothing
SOURCE: AMN HEALTHCARE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
revenue high by increasing the number of patients physicians see in a day. More physicians in the U.S. are also being employed by larger health care organizations instead of independent practices, Leykum said, which could give them less autonomy over their schedule. According to Leykum and Johnston, patients can help combat longer wait times by using telehealth and finding team-based clinics.
Ensuring access to shade or air conditioning
Why it matters These struggles with regulating body temperature and dehydration can lead to greater risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, she said.
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