Health

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By Ailing Chen, MD
Pediatrics, Caughman Health Center

Drowning is a serious and preventable cause of death in children during the summer. As a parent, caregiver or healthcare provider, it is important to take steps to prevent drowning – which include the following: 

Supervision
Children should never be left alone near water. Always supervise them when they are in or around water, even if they know how to swim. This includes swimming pools, lakes and oceans.

Always designate a responsible adult to supervise children when they are in or around water. Also, avoid distractions such as phone calls, text messages or reading while supervising children in or around water.

Learn CPR
Parents, caregivers and healthcare providers should learn CPR in case of an emergency. Knowing CPR can help save a child’s life in the event of a drowning or other water-related accident.

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Allen County Public Health issued this reminder: 

ASK Day is June 21, but gun safety matters every day. Before dropping your child off at a friend’s house, ask about firearm storage in the home.

To learn more about how to start a conversation with parents about guns in their homes, visit: https://app.box.com/s/57fe6nvwjxr5ddp5fqxlabdy4u0gw328

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By Karen Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

In 1968, Harry Nilsson released the album Aerial Bullet with a track titled One.  In the lyrics, he wrote “one is the loneliest number you’ll ever do.”  Harry Nilsson indicated he got the inspiration when he called a friend and got the busy signal going beep, beep, beep. Remember the days when you got a busy signal with no answering machines or voicemail available?

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By Megan Verhoff, PA-C
Pain Management, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Do you want to reduce chronic pain and improve your quality of life? Physical activity has proven to be one of the best ways to achieve that goal. In June 2023, Medscape Medical News reported adults who consistently engage in moderate physical activity experienced the highest pain tolerances, while even light exercise demonstrated significant improvements in pain levels.

Physical activity has been shown to enhance mood, reduce stress, improve sleep, maintain a healthy weight and reduce cardiovascular disease. According to the University of Cambridge, parents who are physically active have children who adopt physically active lifestyles that remain throughout their lifespan.

If physical activity and exercise are helpful, what works best? Thankfully, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each person can decide what works best for them; however, there are some nice guidelines available. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week and muscle strengthening activities two days a week for adults. For kids, 60 minutes or more of moderate activity daily.

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By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

In 1975, Michael Martin Murphey released the song Wildfire after recording at the Ray Stevens Sound Lab in Nashville, Tennessee. Murphey wrote the song about a horse named Wildfire when he was a junior at UCLA based on a dream he had the night before. In an interview about the song, he believed the inspiration came from a story his grandfather would tell him about a Native American legend of a ghost horse. The song hit number one on the US Billboard Top 100 Easy Listening songs.  

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By Hilary McKelvey, RN, Care Navigator

The role of a care navigator is to assist you, the patient, in the management of your health. Care navigators are registered nurses located in area primary care offices that work closely with your primary care physician or provider to ensure you have the resources available to take control of your health. Care navigators focus on chronic disease management and coordinating transitions of care.

What, specifically, can a care navigator do for you? Care navigators are equipped to help you in many different aspects in regard to the continuation of your care. Several common ways care navigators assist their patients, and community, are listed as follows.

Follow-up care
Care navigators will follow up with you after an admission at a hospital to coordinate care and ensure you understand discharge instructions and medications.

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