2002 Lead Stories
December 2002
Care for the Caregiver
The task of providing care to someone with a chronic illness or disability is a lonely one. How can a caregiver, usually a husband or wife caring for a spouse, or adult child caring for a parent, feel emotionally supported through a part of their lives that can go on for years?
November 2002
When is your illness an emergency?
To go to the Emergency Department or not is often a question we have when we’re feeling unwell at home. Hospital Emergency Departments across Niagara are extremely busy this time of year and there may be a wait of several hours for patients who do not have a life-threatening condition.
October 2002
Getting Connected - Hospital ID Cards No Longer Required
Soon, the days of a hospital card for each Niagara hospital will be gone in the Niagara Health System, as we standardize our computer information systems across all seven locations.
Mid-September 2002
Making the grade!
Receiving a Three Year Accreditation Award with Report from the national CCHSA is considered a gold star for hospitals across the country. As the newest amalgamated hospital organization in Ontario, the NHS is justifiably proud.
September 2002
Looking for a better way to manage pain?
Imagine having so much chronic pain that a simple task like opening a dishwasher is excruciating. That is just one of the daily activities that was out of bounds for St. Catharines resident Donna Stuart, age 60. Fibromyalgia, a difficult condition to diagnose because it manifests differently in patients, is the culprit.
August 2002
ONTraC for Healthy Surgery
If projections are correct, there will be a crisis in this country, as the need for available blood increases by 8% and the amount of blood donated decreases. Before the crisis hits, hospitals like the NHS are implementing the Ontario Nurse Transfusion Co-ordinator (ONTraC) program.
July 2002
NHS Puts Out the Welcome Mat
It is a struggle that is going on across North America, but in Niagara, the hard work of the Niagara Health System's physician recruiter is paying off. By July, eight new specialists will have arrived in Niagara to hang up their shingle.
June 2002
Breaking away from the ordinary
When 52-year-old Catherine Bodnar fell in her kitchen in April, she didn't think she had broken anything. Although it hurt her to walk, she continued to go to her job as a legal secretary. After two days, the Niagara Falls resident was still in a fair bit of pain, and thought she may need an x-ray.
May 2002
Making Way for Niagara Regional Cancer Centre
It was a celebration of the past and a salute to the future as officials and guests gathered recently to acknowledge the decommissioning of the former Mack School of Nursing buildings to pave the way for the future home of Niagara Regional Cancer Centre.
April 2002
Eating Disorders – Confounding our Biology
When the New Port Centre at Port Colborne General Site opened its doors last June to launch the Niagara Eating Disorders Outpatient Program, it was soon evident that Niagara has long been in need of a co-ordinated program to help those with eating disorders.
March 2002
New Stroke Prevention Clinic for Niagara
To help combat the increasing number of strokes experienced by people across the Region, the Niagara Health System (NHS) has opened a Stroke Prevention Clinic, the first of its kind in the peninsula. In February, the Allied Health Centre, became home to the region's first formalized Stroke Prevention Clinic.
February 2002
New procedure for kidney removal
Over the past several years, a new type of surgery has begun to replace conventional surgery in Niagara. This new minimally invasive surgery, called laparoscopy, is drastically changing the way surgery is performed, as well as decreasing recovery time and reducing post-surgical complications for patients.
January 2002
Nursing initiative reduces preventable elderly admissions
An innovative pilot project designed to reduce preventable elderly admissions to hospital has been so successful it will become a permanent fixture for the NHS and may be expanded to include more Long Term Care (LTC) facilities in the region.