Special Occasions

Dr. Thomas Stossel, Senior Physician, Hematology Division and American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School, started Options for Children, a non-profit organization that provides dental prevention and other medical services to children in Mochila, a remote village in Zambia.

Dr. Stossel with children from the village Mochila in Zambia.

Twice a year, volunteers from the organization travel to Mochila to provide services.  Dr. Stossel is also collaborating with doctors from the Hematology Department of University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia to develop a program to tackle the highly-prevalent sickle cell disease.  More information on the program can be found here.

Both the village and the hospital are deprived of useful medical equipment.  Havel’s is pleased to donate necessary bone marrow needles to Options for Children for use in the program.

For more information on Options for Children, visit http://optionsforchildren.org.

Havel’s Inc. would like to congratulate Dr. Paul Barash for receiving the SCA distinguished service award.

Congratulations Dr. Barash!

Surgery on Sunday is a non-profit program in Lexington, Kentucky that provides outpatient surgical services to people without insurance and those who do not qualify for government aid.

According to their website, the organization is a partner of United Way and receives funding from private donors. 

Patients must have a primary doctor to receive a referral before they can receive surgery through the program.  Surgery on Sunday can help them find a primary care doctor if necessary.

Doctors and nurses volunteer their time and expertise to the service.

Men’s Health Month is celebrated every June with a country-wide calendar of activities ranging from screenings to health fairs and educational programs. 

The purpose of Men’s Health Month is to raise awareness of preventable conditions and foster the movement toward wellness in men and boys.  This month, make appointments for screenings and tests you’ve been putting off.  Or, make a renewed commitment to fitness and better eating habits. 

There are several activities and programs supporting Men’s Health Month.  Go to www.menshealthmonth.org for more information.

Although the month is almost over, we’d like to go ahead and recognize the existence of National Stroke Awareness Month.  Sponsored by the National Stroke Association, National Stroke Awareness Month is an excellent time to make sure that patients are aware that stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. 

Most people don’t know the risk factors.  And, according to an article from HealthDay News, most people don’t know the symptoms and wouldn’t know to call 911 if they were having a stroke. 

Three typical symptoms of a stroke include:

1.  Sudden slurred speech.

2.  Sudden numbness on one side of the body.

3.  Sudden blurry vision.

According to the HealthDay News article “Too Many Wouldn’t Call 911 If Stroke Hit,” the fastest way to dissolve a stroke-causing blood clot is with an injection of a clot-dissolving drug, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and that must be done within 4.5 hours. 

Learn more about the risk factors at the National Stroke Association website.
Learn more about symptoms and calling for help from HealthDay News.

March 30th is National Doctor’s Day.

Starting in 1933, National Doctor’s Day is a day in which we can honor the work of doctor’s across the United States. DoctorsDay.org states, “It is a day to celebrate the contribution of physicians who serve our country by caring for its’ citizens.”

For more information, click here.

Or, go to www.doctorsday.org.

Recognize the Nurse Anesthetists in your facility this January 24th through 30th by taking some time to learn more about the profession. Started in 2000, CRNAs across the country promote the week with posters and billboards to build awareness of the profession.

November is National Healthy Skin Month. Every year, the American Academy of Dermatology asks dermatologists to share tips and information.

One informative article covers the myths about Vitamin D and sun exposure. Apparently, the risk of exposing your skin to deadly ultraviolet rays outweights the benefits of soaking in Vitamin D through sun exposure. There are plenty of vitamin supplements on the market now that make Vitamin D easily accessible without the risk of skin cancer.

To read more, click here.

October 15th is recognized by 70 countries worldwide as Global Handwashing Day. The purpose of Global Handwashing Day is to improve handwashing practices, particularly in children. Every year, a million people die of diarrheal disease and respiratory illness. Both diseases can easily be avoided by simply washing your hands with soap and water. The soap is particularly important. Water alone does not kill germs. Soap is the germ killer.

To read more about Global Handwashing Day and a study that found that more people wash their hands when “shamed” into it, click here.

To go to the Global Handwashing Day official site, click here.