Health-care providers and researchers with the University of Louisville are available to discuss any of the following health topics this week. Click on the headline or scroll down for more information:
- UofL HOSPITAL PROVIDES FREE PRENATAL, INFANT CARE CLASSES IN 2019
- AVOID SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING INJURIES: KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND USE SAFETY EQUIPMENT
- AHA! MOMENTS EVENT FOCUSES ON CULTURE, CREATIVITY AND HEALTH, JAN. 25
- THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PALLIATIVE TREATMENT AND PALLIATIVE CARE
UofL HOSPITAL PROVIDES FREE PRENATAL, INFANT CARE CLASSES IN 2019
The Center for Women & Infants at University of Louisville Hospital will offer free prenatal and newborn care classes to the public throughout 2019 to help families prepare for their new arrival.
Topics covered in the classes include a woman’s body changes during pregnancy, signs of true labor, comfort techniques, medical procedures, vaginal and cesarean delivery, kangaroo care, postpartum care, infant nutrition and breastfeeding.
Register online for either a series of five weekly classes or one blitz class, which covers all topics during a daylong weekend session. Attendance during the second trimester or after the 20th week of pregnancy is recommended.
The last class of each series will be open to grandparents and will focus on the latest infant care recommendations. The third class of the series is dedicated to breastfeeding and is open to those needing a refresher.
Classes are held in the Glass Room, located in the basement of the Ambulatory Care Building, 550 S. Jackson St., across from UofL Hospital. Parking is free in the hospital’s garage. Please bring parking ticket to class for validation.
For more information, call the Center for Women & Infants, 502-562-3094.
UofL Hospital Prenatal Class Schedule
Series 2: Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., April 16-May 14
Series 3: Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., Sept. 10-Oct. 8
Blitz Classes are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 16, July 20 and Nov. 9
AVOID SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING INJURIES: KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND USE SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Skiing and snowboarding trips are something many people enjoy during the winter months. For most, however, it’s not a year-round hobby, so people may overestimate their abilities and end up with a fun-ending injury.
Lonnie Douglas, M.D., is chief of Sports Medicine and an orthopedic surgeon with University of Louisville Physicians, and assistant professor at the UofL School of Medicine. A former football player and athlete himself, he specializes in sports injuries. He says it’s not uncommon for weekend warriors to end up in the emergency room after a fall on the slopes. That doesn’t mean it can’t be safe, however, and there are ways to minimize your risk.
Douglas said the biggest factor is to be realistic about your abilities, and not get overconfident.
“People try to ski above their level. They get brave on the bunny slopes, then they think they can head for the Black Diamond. It might seem like common sense, but don’t ski above your level of comfort, and wear proper safety equipment, such as a helmet, gloves and goggles,” Douglas said. “Always the helmet.”
A broken wrist or twisted knee can most likely be fixed, but a brain injury is much more serious.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says taking lessons is especially important for new skiers, and learning how to fall correctly can reduce the risk of injury.
AHA! MOMENTS EVENT FOCUSES ON CULTURE, CREATIVITY AND HEALTH, JAN. 25
The Year of Arts, HeALIng, & Action! (AHA!) culminates with the AHA! Moments event on Jan. 25 and the launch of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences’ Center for Creative Placehealing. AHA! brings together corporate leaders, organizations and communities to explore how arts and culture can positively impact health. The evening will feature artistic performances along with short talks on environmental health. The event begins with a brief reception at 6 p.m., followed by speakers at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Kosair Charities Clinical Translational Research Building, 505 S. Hancock, St., Louisville, Ky., 40202. More information is available online.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PALLIATIVE TREATMENT AND PALLIATIVE CARE
University of Louisville’s Kelly McMasters, M.D., Ph.D., compared “care” with “treatment” in a keynote address at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco earlier this month.
“Our duty to our patients is to care for them, not just for their disease, but for who they are,” McMasters said in the speech. “Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense to put the patient through treatments and tests that in the end, won’t affect whether they live or die. They are often better served by living free of pain and suffering, happily in the company of those they love, doing the things that make life worth living.”
McMasters is the Ben A. Reid Sr., M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the UofL School of Medicine. He also serves as director of the Multidisciplinary Melanoma Clinic and is associate director of the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center. McMasters specializes in melanoma, breast cancer, sarcoma, hepatobiliary tumors and pancreatic and gastric cancers. At the Brown Cancer Center, he works to identify the most effective combination of treatment including surgery, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiation therapy for patients with all stages of melanoma.
McMasters wrote more on the difference between cancer treatment and patient care in the Annals of Surgical Oncology.
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