Drug Take Back Day, Annual CHaD HERO raises $700,000: Seacoast health news
Crush the Crisis Prescription Drug Take Back Day
PORTSMOUTH and ROCHESTER — Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Frisbie Memorial Hospital will host its annual Crush the Crisis prescription drug take back day on Saturday, Oct. 28, to help raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. The event, which coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications that may be left over from previous procedures or other medical visits.
Law enforcement officers from the Portsmouth and Rochester police departments will be collecting tablets, capsules and patches of Hydrocodone (Norco, Lortab, Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), Tramadol (Ultram), Codeine, Fentanyl (Duragesic), Morphine, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and Oxymorphone (Opana). Ointments, lotions, drops, liquid medication in leak-proof containers, vape cartridges without batteries and pet medication also will be accepted. Any medications will be accepted; however, needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted.
Crush the Crisis prescription drug take back events will take place:
Portsmouth Regional Hospital, 333 Borthwick Ave., Portsmouth, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 28
Rochester Police Department, 23 Wakefield St., Rochester, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 28
For more information, visit hcahealthcare.com/crushthecrisis or call toll-free number at 833-582-1970.
Annual CHaD HERO raises more than $700,000 for critical child and family support services for New Hampshire’s only children’s hospital
LEBANON – A record-breaking 3,100 participants, sponsors and donors descended on the Dartmouth Green in Hanover on Sunday, Oct. 15, for the 18th annual CHaD HERO. This community event provides funding for critical child and family support services at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD) and throughout the Dartmouth Health Children’s system.
“Being a hospital and healthcare system in New England means being of the community and for the community, today is absolutely one of the best examples of this,” Joanne M. Conroy, MD, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health shared during the opening ceremony. “By running, walking and volunteering with us, our community shows us the support for the role we play and for the critical care we provide to children and families across our region.”
Since its inception, the CHaD HERO has raised almost $10 million to support children and families at Dartmouth Health Children’s who receive expert, compassionate care and benefit from the latest discoveries in child health research.
Fundraising efforts are ongoing, for more information visit: CHaDHERO.org.
HCA New England Healthcare Hospitals participate in clinical trial to prevent ICU infections
PORTSMOUTH — Two HCA New England Healthcare hospitals collaborated on a nationwide clinical trial focused on the best strategies to prevent life-threatening healthcare-associated intensive care unit infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and the University of California, Irvine, co-led the study along with HCA Healthcare, which involved more than 800,000 ICU patients in 137 HCA Healthcare hospitals. They discovered that a nasal antibiotic ointment, mupirocin, outperformed an antiseptic solution at preventing Staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill patients.
This study built upon an earlier study among these research partners, which demonstrated that daily bathing with antiseptic chlorhexidine soap plus nasal mupirocin for all ICU patients prevented many bloodstream and other serious infections. This strategy is called “decolonization” because it reduces the amount of bacteria on the body in order to reduce infection risk. Today, as a result of the previous study, the majority of ICUs bathe patients with chlorhexidine; however, only one-third of hospital ICUs provide nasal mupirocin to all patients, largely due to fears of fueling antibiotic resistance. Because of a concern that disease-causing bacteria might become resistant to mupirocin, the investigators compared mupirocin to an alternative nasal antiseptic product, known as povidone-iodine or iodophor.
The 2 HCA New England Healthcare hospitals that participated in the trial are Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Parkland Medical Center.
The Mupirocin-Iodophor Swap Out Trial adds to a growing set of evidence that reducing the amount of bacteria on the skin and in the nose through decolonization can protect patients from infection during high-risk moments. This same scientific group not only conducted the REDUCE MRSA Trial, but also the ABATE Infection Trial, which showed that decolonization of hospitalized patients with medical devices outside of the ICU reduces both bloodstream infections and antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Dartmouth Cancer Center’s oncology program earns national recognition
LEBANON — Becker's Hospital Review has featured Dartmouth Cancer Center in their list of 100 hospitals and health systems with oncology programs that are accelerating innovation, discovery and greater access to care.
The hospitals and health systems included on the list are the premier providers of cancer care across the nation. Dartmouth Cancer Center, with 14 locations around New Hampshire and Vermont, is one of only 56 National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. The list features oncology programs that provide novel treatments, conduct cutting-edge research, hold clinical trials and uphold safety designations to improve patient outcomes.
“Receiving national recognition from Becker’s for the outstanding patient-centered oncology care provided by the Dartmouth Cancer Center is a wonderful affirmation of the amazing and compassionate work our providers and caregivers give each and every day,” said Frank B. Panzarella, MHSA, vice president of oncology services at the Dartmouth Cancer Center. “Our dedication to patients, the rural communities we serve and the pursuit of new cancer therapies through our innovative research is integral to the way we deliver care. Our services are on an equal plane with our peer NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers in urban areas but delivered with the empathetic touch connected with a small town. Achieving designation as a Becker’s Top 100 oncology program is a great reminder that cutting-edge cancer care is right here where you need it, woven into the fabric of our New Hampshire and Vermont communities.”
The full list, presented in alphabetical order, features individual profiles of all hospitals and health systems on the list, and can be read here.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Drug Take Back Day, Annual CHaD HERO raises $700,000: Seacoast health news
