Three Rivers Community Hospital Health Newsletter Winter 

INTHISISSUE
Thwarting a Heart Aack. . . . . . . . . 2
Digital Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What Is Cholesterol Anyway? . . . . 6
Know Your Heart Numbers. . . . . . . 7
The Family House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Eating Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
TRCH Emergency Department . . . 10
Know the Heart Aack
Warning Signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Community Health Education . . . . 12

TEAMWORKMAKESCHAMPIONSstory on page 3
 The Big Upset Stop a Heart Aack Before It Strikes

L
isten to your body. That’s Sharel LeMasters’s
mantra. When the Grants Pass resident felt
suspicious chest pains, she knew something
wasn’t right. On the advice of her primary care doctor,
Bruce Stowell, MD, she went to the Emergency
Department at Three Rivers Community Hospital
(TRCH), where Peter Rist, MD, a board certified
emergency physician, ran a series of tests and found…
nothing. But Sharel was convinced that she needed
further testing, and, thankfully, so was Dr. Rist.
“Nothing showed up in the EKG [electrocardiogram],
or in my blood work, or in my knee bends,” Sharel recalls,
running down the list of initial diagnostics commonly used
to detect heart trouble. “I kept insisting there was something
there, and thank heavens the doctor believed me.”

Cardiovascular Lab to the Rescue

Finally, a stress test unveiled a clue. “I couldn’t finish the
test. It put me right into pain,” Sharel says. Dr. Rist
and Dr. Stowell quickly referred her to the new TRCH
cardiovascular lab, where a specialized exam called
an angiogram showed that one of Sharel’s arteries was
Sharel LeMasters 95 percent blocked.

2 | To find out more about the TRCH Cardiovascular Lab, go to www.trch.org, keyword: cardiology

Champions
Sharel’s symptoms were very consistent with
coronary artery disease, and they were progressing
rapidly. A cardiologist with Southern Oregon
Cardiology at TRCH wasted no time scheduling
a stent procedure at Rogue Valley Medical Center.
The next day Sharel was recovering comfortably—
and grateful for having evaded bigger problems.
“Being able to care for patients
quickly, right here in Grants
Pass, is a major advantage and
can improve outcomes.”
—Brad Personious, MD
“If it hadn’t been for my doctors and the
cardiovascular lab, I would have had a major heart
attack,” Sharel says. “Thank heavens they have the
lab here in Grants Pass. As far as I am concerned,
that saved my life.”
Teamwork
Makes
Excellent Care Close to Home
Opened in June 2009, the state-of-the-art
cardiovascular lab at TRCH offers advanced heart
C ardiology Consultants and
the Heart Clinic, both based
in Medford, merged to become
care to patients in Grants Pass and the surrounding Southern Oregon Cardiology (SOC)
communities. Local residents can get the diagnostic on January 1, 2010. Together they
testing they need in a timely manner, which is will continue to provide the same
especially valuable to people who might physicians, giving the same high
otherwise delay care because they have difficulty
level of cardiac care that has made
traveling or scheduling time away from home
southern Oregon and northern
or work. “Being able to care for patients quickly,
California one of the highest-rated
right here in Grants Pass, is a major advantage and
can improve outcomes,” says Brad Personious, MD, areas in the country for high-quality
a board certified cardiologist with Southern heart care. If you have any questions
Oregon Cardiology. about your heart care or about
Southern Oregon Cardiology, please
Happy Ending call (541) 472-7800.
What’s next for Sharel LeMasters? You can find her
at Hong Kong Restaurant, busily waiting tables
with an extra spring in her step. “I feel wonderful,”
she says. “I have a lot more energy. I’m thankful
for all the great doctors we have here who wouldn’t
give up on me.”
| 3
What’s
New
in
TRCH
Imaging? An Inside View
I maging technology is rapidly changing,
and is on the leading edge. Several new
technologies are helping doctors care for
you with superhero insight.
• Stereotactic breast biopsy. Thanks to
generous community support through the
TRCH Foundation, women can now opt
for a new minimally invasive procedure for
testing breast lumps. Stereotactic breast
biopsy uses imaging technology to guide
the doctor’s instruments through a tiny
incision, leaving no lasting scars.
• Cardiovascular lab. TRCH now performs
advanced heart tests for detecting
blocked arteries and other cardiovascular
problems.
• Whole-body bone densitometer. Using
this new and improved machine for testing
bone health, doctors can now view the
skeleton from head to toe.
• Dual-head gamma camera. The latest
technology in nuclear medicine offers
clearer pictures of internal organs.
4 |
Digital imaging revolutionizes the way
W
e live in a digital world of cameras,
texting, Web-cams, and the
Internet. Information is at our
fingertips when and where we want it. The
same is true of modern medicine. With the new
picture archiving and communication system
(PACS) at Three Rivers Community Hospital
(TRCH), doctors can see and share images
of our bodies faster and more clearly than
ever before.
A Look Inside
Medical imaging is the science of looking inside
the body. X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), computerized axial tomography (CT)
scan, and ultrasound are all examples of imaging
technologies. In the past, pictures were captured
on film, developed in darkrooms, transported
by car or mail, and stored in file cabinets. With
the innovation of PACS, medical images are
taken and transmitted electronically. Doctors
at TRCH can consult with other doctors
throughout the region, without leaving their desks.
Fast and Focused
Consider the difference between an old
35-millimeter film camera and the snapshot tool
on your cell phone. Newer technology is quicker
and crisper and can be sent instantly to a friend’s
cell phone or e-mail address. Similarly, “Digital
imaging is timely, efficient, and more accurate,”
“Digital imaging is timely,
efficient, and more accurate.”
—Philip Rose, MD
says Philip Rose, MD, a board certified
radiologist at TRCH.
PACS enables doctors to manipulate images
to zero in on specific aspects of a patient’s health.
“Looking at a CT scan of a chest, I can change
it to feature lung tissue or ribs or bone or the
heart itself, just by using computer keystrokes,”
Dr. Rose explains.
doctors see our bodies

PACS in Action
Digital imaging has a great impact on
patient care. Dr. Rose describes one
case in which a patient was instructed
to wear a protective collar for a neck
injury but removed it too soon.
This caused the injury to destabilize,
landing the patient back in the
Emergency Department, where
Dr. Rose saw danger signs in the
CT scan. Thanks to PACS, he was
able to send the scan instantly to a
neurosurgeon in Medford, who was
convinced that the patient needed
immediate attention.

High-tech Healthcare
In our quest to deliver healthcare
more efficiently, “PACS is a huge step
forward,” says Dr. Rose. “Bringing
images to the doctors, rather than
bringing doctors to the images, moves
us up to the twenty-first century.” Philip Rose, MD

To find out more about TRCH Imaging, go to www.trch.org, keyword: imaging | 5

What Is Cholesterol Anyway? And why do I need to worry about it?
C
holesterol has become a
household buzzword, lumped
into the same lexicon as terms
like carbs and low-fat. Cereal boxes
claim that a bowl a day can lower it.
Television ads tell us their drug can
shrink it. But what is cholesterol
exactly? And why should you care?
“Cholesterol is the third most
powerful predictor of vascular disease,
after smoking and diabetes,” says
Brad Personius, MD, a board certified
cardiologist with Southern Oregon
Cardiology at Three Rivers Community
Hospital (TRCH). Left uncontrolled,
high cholesterol can lead to serious
complications such as heart disease,
heart attack, and stroke.
The Culprit Explained
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that
flows through the blood and is stored in
the body’s cells. It’s produced naturally
6 |
in the liver and is also found in some
foods. The body needs a small amount
of cholesterol to function properly.
It helps produce hormones, vitamin
D, and digestive acids. Americans,
however, consume way too much.
“Societies that follow a Western
lifestyle and eat the diet of success,
prosperity, and abundance have
increased cholesterol levels in their
blood,” says Dr. Personius, “and
they end up with a long list of
medical problems.”
Balancing Act
The body has both “good” and
“bad” cholesterol. Low-density
lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad” cholesterol)
can build up on the artery walls,
restricting the amount of blood
traveling to the heart. High-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is
considered “good” because it helps

Your
Heart
Numbers
get rid of LDL cholesterol.
The goal for a strong heart
is to limit LDL cholesterol while
maintaining an adequate amount of
HDL. The trouble is most kitchens
are overloaded with LDL sources
such as meat, dairy, fish, and fowl—
creature food.
“Foods grown in the garden or
orchard do not contain cholesterol
or saturated fat and should be the
predominant source of nutrition,” says
Dr. Personius. “A poor man’s garden
diet brings rich health. A rich American
diet brings poor health!”
Team Up with Your Doctor
You can keep cholesterol from taking
over your body. Start today by making
an appointment with your doctor to
test your levels. Even if you’re on track,
family history and the aging process can
affect your cholesterol down the road.
To learn more about cardiovascular health at TRCH, go to www.trch.org, keyword: cardiology rehabilitation
If your levels are less than stellar, work
together to map out a nutrition and
exercise plan tailored to your needs.
“Small, consistent changes in
lifestyle each day make a big difference,”
Dr. Personius says. Reducing your
cholesterol by 10 percent reduces
your risk of dying by 10 percent as
well. It’s worth the effort.
Brad Personius, MD
Know
W hen it comes to heart health, prevention is the best
medicine. Maintaining good cholesterol, blood sugar,
and blood pressure levels can help thwart a heart aack.
Aim for these numbers, measured in milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL):
Total cholesterol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than 160 mg/dL
(or less for people at risk of heart disease)
HDL (“good”) cholesterol . . . . Women: 50 mg/dL or higher
Men: 40 mg/dL or higher
Triglycerides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than 150 mg/dL
Fasting glucose (blood sugar) . . . . . . . . Less than 100 mg/dL
Blood pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than 120/80 mmHg
(millimeters of mercury)
Did You Know?
Compared with a total cholesterol level (TCL) of
200 mg/dL:
• A TCL of 250 mg/dL doubles your risk of having a heart
aack in midlife.
• A TCL of 300 mg/dL quadruples the risk.
Source: American Heart Association
| 7
Become
a
Part
of
Your
Community Where the Green Grass Grows
“I’m going to live where the green grass grows…
A sante is a community-
supported organization.
To support the work of Rogue
and plan our dreams where the peaceful river flows.”
—Tim McGraw
Valley Medical Center or Three

Rivers Community Hospital,
to honor someone, or to learn
about planned gis, contact
the Foundation in Medford at
(541) 789-5025, in Grants Pass
at (541) 472-7300, or online at
www.asante.org—click on
make a donation.
T
his spring The Family House in Grants Pass
will be in full bloom. The facility’s 2.5-acre
lawn recently caught the attention of the local
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS),
which was looking for a project in recognition of
Oregon’s one-hundred-fiftieth anniversary. The Family
House was in need of some green. It was a match
made in heaven.
More than 150 volunteers donated 600 hours
of labor to the landscaping effort, which included
25 maple trees, 250 shrubs, grass seed, and a
sprinkler system.
“The impact is fantastic,” says Sharon Young,
program manager for The Family House, and Francis
Cheney Family Place, in Medford. “At The Family
House, family members can escape the hospital
environment for a while and renew themselves before
returning to support their loved ones.”
Also included in the project are the Four
Way Community Foundation covered patio, the
Roe Motors GM family gazebo, beautiful stamped
concrete walkways built by LDS volunteers, and
a children’s play area donated by Krauss Craft, Inc.
Several local businesses also helped by providing
discounted materials.
Since it opened in April 2008, The Family House
has served as a sanctuary to more than 470 families
and counting. The building was made possible
through a collaborative fundraising effort between the
TRCH Foundation and the Grants Pass Association
of Realtors. To learn how you can help, call the
Foundation at (541) 472-7300.

8 | To make a gi, go to www.asante.org/give

Think Small and Bright for Eating Right
W
ant to eat smart for a healthy heart?
Take a tip from the fashion industry:
size and color are key.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Restaurants entice us with “supersized” value meals,
heaping plates, and all-you-can-eat deals. At home
it’s easy to scoop a second helping before giving
our bodies a chance to tell us that they’re full.
Eventually, the extra intake adds up—usually on
the hips and in the arteries.
“Americans today simply eat too much,”
says Cheryl Kirk, a dietitian with the Nutrition
Services team at Three Rivers Community Hospital.
“Average portion sizes have gradually increased to
the point where what many people consider normal
is actually twice the reasonable serving size.”
To keep portions in check, follow these “handy”
guidelines:
• A single serving of lean meat or fish should fit in
the palm of your hand.
• One serving of fresh fruit should be the size of
your fist.
• Each serving of potatoes, rice, or pasta should be
about one cupped hand.
And here’s a good rule of thumb: your plate
should contain at least twice as many plants as
animals. “Meat and dairy are good sources of vital
nutrients, but they also contain saturated fat and
cholesterol that should be eaten in moderation,”
Cheryl says.
Eat a Rainbow
Fill your plate with colorful foods (and we’re not
talking red meat). Generally, the brighter a fruit or
vegetable, the more nutrients and antioxidants it
contains. Aim for several cups (four to seven) per
day of leafy greens, fresh fruit, and raw or steamed
vegetables.
Finally, don’t forget to munch on whole grains,
nuts, and beans. “Just remember the rainbow trick,”
Cheryl says. “Fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and
legumes are packed with nutrients that help keep
our minds and bodies in optimal condition.”
For healthy recipes go to www.trch.org, keyword: recipes | 9
The Right Stuff
I
n emergency situations the right doctors
can make all the difference. Three Rivers
Community Hospital (TRCH) has a
full staff of physicians who are specially
trained and board certified in emergency
medicine. That means you get the same
high level of emergency care at TRCH as
10 | To read more about the TRCH Emergency Department physicians, go to www.trch.org, keywords: TRCH emergency
TRCH emergency physicians and staff have the training and the
you would in urban centers anywhere in
the country.
“Our physicians have formal residency
training and expertise in all emergencies for all
age brackets, from infant through centurion,”
says Dale Albright, DO, a board certified
emergency physician and the medical director
of emergency and trauma services at TRCH.
“Grants Pass residents can feel confident
knowing that when critical care is needed,
our physicians are able and ready to respond.”
Knowledge and Technology
TRCH is a haven for anxious parents, says
Albright. The emergency physicians are skilled
in the “scary things,” including diagnosing
and treating meningitis and child trauma and
performing specialized procedures such as
spinal taps on infants. And look no farther
than your local hospital for the latest diagnostic
procedures, including emergency ultrasound
for trauma and cardiac arrest.
“We have the specialty training and
equipment to do twenty-first-century
emergency care like the best emergency centers
in the nation,” says Dr. Albright.
Great Care Right Now
ED Express, a new approach for faster care, is
reducing wait times at TRCH. When you come

the
Heart
Attack
technology to face any case with world-class care.
Signs
to the ED, a specially trained triage nurse
will quickly assess your situation. If your medical
needs are of a less emergent nature, she may
admit you to ED Express, a six-bed extension of the
ED where a physician assistant or nurse practioner
can see you in a private exam room right away.
There is also space in the room for family or loved
ones. If you need follow-up care and do not have
a regular doctor, you can make an appointment
with ED Express.
“With ED Express, we are averaging just
100 minutes from the time a patient gets here to
the time he walks out the door,” Dr. Albright says.
The goal is 90 minutes. Before ED Express, average
wait times were nearly three hours. “And across the
United States it’s not unusual to wait six to eight
hours for emergency room care, even up to
16 hours at some hospitals,” Albright adds.
Win Howard, TRCH CEO, says that for
many the ED is the front door of the hospital.
“We recognized that surges in the ED could cause
long wait times. The community needed a more
responsive ED, so we created ED Express.”
Know
Warning
About 36,000 patients visit the TRCH ED
each year. “That’s nearly as many patients as the T op-notch physicians in the ED
can save you during a heart
aack, but every second counts.
Emergency Department sees at Rogue Valley
Medical Center, our sister hospital,” Dr. Albright The sooner you call 9-1-1, the beer
your chances of survival.
says. ED Express has increased the number of
ED beds by more than one-third, making it close
Know the warning signs:
to the size of RVMC.
For more information about TRCH ED • Pain or discomfort in the chest,
upper back, jaw, neck, arms, or
services and physicians, visit www.trch.org.
stomach
Also accompanied by one or more
of the following:
• Deep heartburn/indigestion–like
pain
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sudden abnormal sweating
• Cold or clammy skin
| 11
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Health Education Series USPOSTAGE

PAID
PERMITNO

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GRANTSPASSOR  -
Come. Learn. Enjoy.
Discover healthy living at our ongoing
Community Health Education series.
For a monthly calendar, visit our Web site:
www.trch.org/classes-events

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contact Asante Communications and Marketing at
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specific conditions, consult your physician.

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