According to experts at Bradley Hospital, it’s common for children to feel anxious about the unknown and they will look to their parents to provide support and comfort. “Children follow their parents’ cues, so if mom or dad seem stressed or are constantly talking about how worried they are, a child will pick up on that. But if parents cope well, their child will also cope better,” says Henry T. Sachs, MD, medical director at Bradley Hospital.

The key to helping children manage their anxiety is to address and acknowledge their fears without causing alarm or panic. “Reassure your child that everyone in the family is fine and that you will all work together to stay healthy. Being calm and confident will do wonders in helping a child feel safe and secure,” says Sachs.

He suggests parents proactively ask their children what they have heard about H1N1, which will indicate whether there are any rumors or misinformation that need to be addressed. Information and knowledge can help children feel a sense of control, so parents should also be prepared to provide some simple, age-appropriate facts about H1N1.

“Younger children will need equal amounts of fact and reassurance, but older kids and teens will likely have more specific questions or may need help separating fact from fiction,” Sachs says. “Although we want to shelter our children, it’s important to be honest and accurate about the situation.”

Sachs points out that these conversations also provide a good opportunity to remind children that good hygiene – particularly frequent hand-washing and covering coughs or sneezes – is the best way to stay healthy and avoid spreading disease, including H1N1.

Other ways parents can help ease their child’s H1N1 anxiety and help them stay healthy include:

• Make sure you are up to the date on the latest information on H1N1, including symptoms, vaccinations and how the disease spreads. The RI Department of Health website, http://www.health.ri.gov/, and www.flu.gov are good resources.
• Allow your children to express their feelings and let them know it is okay to be afraid or upset. Keep in mind that when children are uncertain about situations and feel frightened, they may need even more affection and attention.
• Even if the family’s normal routine is disrupted due to school or work closures, try and keep activities as consistent and normal as possible. Children are most comfortable when they can stick with their routines.
• Encourage healthy behaviors – such as eating well, getting a good night’s sleep, and playing outside – that can help children build a strong immune system.
• Remind your children not to share their food or drinks with others.
• Try to limit your child’s exposure to media coverage about the H1N1 virus.
• If your children are being vaccinated, remind them why this is important and how the vaccine will help keep them safe and healthy.
• Keep your children home when they are sick. They should remain out of school until they are free of fever for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medication.

NOTE: Some information provided by the National Association of School Psychologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sleep disorders are very common. Often a patient seeks a physician’s help because the patient is very tired during the day or the patient’s spouse complains of constant snoring. Those symptoms and more might trigger a need for a sleep study, and patients who suffer from symptoms should contact their primary care physicians to arrange an evaluation. For more information about the Sleep Disorders Center, call Newport Hospital at 845-1616.

Hospital infection control specialist Gail Jackson, RN, BSN, CIC, is the presenter and will also answer questions about how to prevent the H1N1 flu, what to do if you have symptoms, and how to decide if you need to see a doctor. Learn how to keep yourself and your family healthy throughout the flu season and get the latest information about the H1N1 flu vaccine.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Newport Hospital education department at 845-1592.

If you live in Rhode Island, are 40 years old or older, and do not have health insurance that covers a screening mammogram, please call 845-1592 to schedule a free breast exam and screening mammogram. You will have a choice of location, either Newport Hospital or the hospital’s new Portsmouth Imaging Center, and the hospital will provide transportation and interpreter services for those who require them. Please call by Friday, March 13.

Breast cancer strikes one out of eight women, and early detection is essential. Newport Hospital uses digital mammography, which was shown in a 2005 study to detect 28% more breast cancers in women under the age of 50 than conventional mammography does.

Effective today, Monday, September 21, 2009, children younger than 18 and anyone who has influenza-like illness symptoms (fever plus cough or fever plus sore throat) may not visit patients in any of the four hospitals.

“We recognize that it may cause a hardship for patients and their families,” said Mary Reich Cooper, MD, JD, Lifespan senior vice president and chief quality officer, “and we ask for their patience and understanding. We would be remiss if we did not take steps that we believe will help minimize as much as possible the spread of both the seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu viruses.”

Cooper noted that despite the restrictions, exceptions may be made under special circumstances. Each hospital will determine how those exceptions will be made. “Ultimately,” Cooper said, “we will continue to balance the needs of the patients, and the important role that family and friends play in a patient’s recovery, with our obligation to provide the best possible care to our patients.”

These restrictions may change as the season progresses and more information becomes available.

A completed application must be received by October 15.

Read the flyer.
Click here for the guidelines and application.

For more information, contact Tosca Carpenter at 401-845-1310 or tcarpenter@lifespan.org.

“The benefits of a combined health care system are even more compelling today, given the significant change in the economic environment since we first announced our intent to affiliate,” said George A. Vecchione, president and CEO of Lifespan. “In fact, our ability to continue to offer high quality, cost-effective care, provide and enhance good jobs and maintain a stable health system is more important than ever to help Rhode Island’s economy move into recovery and growth.”

More about the affiliation:

• Read the executive summary of the affiliation application (PDF)
• Learn more about its benefits
• Ask a question online

“Rhode Islanders want and deserve high quality care, which will only remain in the state if we are able to compete with hospitals in Boston that have expanded their reach into Rhode Island,” said John J. Hynes, Esq., president and CEO of Care New England. “Our first commitment is to ensure that the affiliation moves forward in a way that improves health care in our state so that patients stay in Rhode Island for care, and that enhances our ability to continue to attract federal research dollars into Rhode Island in an even more competitive environment.”

If approved, an affiliation will also place Lifespan, Care New England, and their member hospitals in a better position to withstand the challenging financial environment and anticipated additional changes with health care reform. A stronger financial footing through greater economies of scale and efficiency will allow member hospitals to focus anew on their missions, including continuing to invest in their communities to improve health status and health care access.

Commenting on the importance of the affiliation, Edward J. Wing, MD, dean of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, said, “Lifespan and Care New England hospitals are important partners with Brown in fulfilling our academic and research missions. The coming together of these two systems will go a long way to enhance research activities and develop academic programs in our state.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has twice successfully cleared the federal regulatory requirements regarding the Lifespan and Care New England affiliation. The FTC’s authority is to look at whether mergers violate federal anti-trust standards. If the FTC believes that a merger may substantially lessen competition in a given marketplace, it can block the merger while it pursues a deeper investigation. In 2007 and in 2008, the parties filed for pre-merger clearance, and each time the affiliation was cleared following an intensive investigation that included analysis of competitive data.

The application to affiliate contains nearly 110,000 pages. The next step in the Hospital Conversions Act application process is for the Attorney General and Department of Health to review the application during the next 30 calendar days to determine if it is complete. If there are questions, Lifespan and Care New England have 30 business days to respond. The two state offices then have 10 business days to determine if the application is complete. If accepted, the Attorney General has up to 30 additional business days to rule on any confidentiality issues. Within 180 days, the state will hold public hearings and make a determination on the affiliation.

“We welcome the opportunity to discuss the benefits of this affiliation with the public and to work with state regulators and elected officials to complete this process,” said Vecchione and Hynes.

About Lifespan
Lifespan, a not-for-profit organization, is Rhode Island’s largest health care system. Formed in 1994, it includes Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; Bradley Hospital and Newport Hospital. Lifespan (www.lifespan.org) is the state’s largest private employer, with more than 11,800 employees, and is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Lifespan hospitals are among the top recipients in the country of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The hospitals received nearly $74 million in total research funding in fiscal 2008. All Lifespan-affiliated hospitals are charitable organizations that depend on support from the community to provide programs and services.

About Care New England
Care New England, located in Providence, was founded in 1996 by Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital. Care New England is a not-for-profit health care system that offers a continuum of quality care. Our system includes two teaching hospitals affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler and Women & Infants; a community hospital, Kent; a visiting nurse and home care/hospice agency, Care New England Home Health; and one Care New England Wellness Center. Care New England has 6,612 employees, 1,573 physicians, 613 licensed beds and 162 infant bassinets (FY08). For more information about Care New England, please visit www.carenewengland.org.

The credentialing center uses stringent criteria to thoroughly evaluate all areas of patient care, including best practices in nursing, management philosophy, national standards for quality, nurse leadership and education, and professional models of care. A rigorous evaluation includes an on-site visit, which for Newport Hospital took place on March 11 and 12, 2009.

Vice president for patient care and chief nursing officer Cathy Duquette says the Magnet commission chair, Gail Wolf, told her the decision was unanimous and that the group was very impressed with Newport Hospital’s nurses. “Not many hospitals can do what you do,” Wolf told Duquette.

In an email to Newport Hospital staff, Duquette said that the nursing division is supported by all hospital departments, so each employee is a factor in the Magnet decision. Magnet hospitals demonstrate better medical outcomes, faster recovery times and higher patient satisfaction than other hospitals.

Newport Hospital is the only hospital in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to hold both the Magnet and the Baby Friendly designation.

Newport is one of only 2 percent of hospitals nationwide that have earned Magnet redesignation. It is the only hospital in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that holds both Magnet and Baby Friendly designations.