Prince William Courage Gets Pink with Sentara!

Prince William Courage soccer players have gone pink this month! In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the players donned pink sweatbands provided by Sentara Potomac Hospital.

Sentara Potomac Hospital Sports Medicine and NoVa Orthopedic and Spine Care teamed up with Prince William Soccer, Inc. in 2010 to provide sports medicine services to Courage athletes.

Check out PWSI's website for more pictures!

Have you had your mammogram? Self referral is now available at Sentara Potomac Hospital. Make your appointment online today!

Sentara Home Care Recognized for Quality

Sentara Home Care Services received a ‘Gold Award’ designation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its participation in the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign.

Sentara Home Care was already using many of the best practices recommended to reduce hospital readmissions and emergency room visits, such as using telehealth technology to monitor vital signs and early identification of ambulatory needs to reduce falls and injuries.

Sentara Home Care is now in Northern Virginia. Whether you need nursing care, rehabilitative services, medical equipment or respiratory services, our central intake specialists are trained to assist you.

Home healthcare services can be requested by a patient, physician, friend, or family member. A physician may prescribe home care for a patient as follow-up care after surgery or a major illness. Patients can be eligible for home care services regardless of prior hospitalization.

Our financial counselors can help determine insurance reimbursement and file the necessary paperwork. We accept most major insurances including Medicare and Medicaid and are accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP).

The Woodbridge Sentara Home Care office is located at 3985 Prince William Parkway, Suite 204, and can be reached at 571-659-0687.

Patient Gets Big Surprise at Sentara Heart and Vascular Center

Charlie Beahm is a tough guy. He’s not one to go to the doctor or complain about aches and pains. After being retired for 10 years his sister urged him to get a physical because he wasn’t feeling well and hadn’t gone to the doctor for many years.

“After my physical, one thing led to another and I ended up in a cardiologist’s office. He had me get a cardiac catheterization at Sentara Potomac Hospital,” says Charlie, a Lorton resident. “They found out during the test that at some point in the past I had actually had a heart attack and didn’t even know it.”

During his procedure at the Sentara Heart and Vascular Center at Potomac Hospital it was discovered that indeed, Charlie did have a heart attack in the past.

“During his cardiac catheterization procedure, we saw that his arteries were blocked and there was evidence of a past heart attack,” explains Dr. Khalid Abousy, a cardiologist with Virginia Cardiovascular Care. “Because of this finding, in addition to his family history of heart disease, we placed him on the proper medications to decrease his risk of having another heart attack or stroke.”

Charlie’s symptoms were very vague and sporadic. He didn’t experience chest pain or the other more common symptoms of heart attack. He just wasn’t feeling very well.

“Even though I’m retired I do a lot of physical work,” says Charlie. “I don’t live a sedentary lifestyle and I usually feel pretty good, so I didn’t have any idea that I may have had heart problems.”

According to Dr. Abousy, Charlie’s inaction is pretty common.

“Many people write off aches and pains as ‘just part of getting older’,” says Dr. Abousy. “But it’s very important to have regular checkups and to pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you. In Charlie’s case, there is a significant family history of heart disease, which is a very important indicator. A family history increases your risk even if you have no other symptoms or risk factors.”

Even though he received a big surprise during his visit, Charlie is glad that he came in for the procedure.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like hospitals, but I had a really good experience here.” says Charlie. “The staff in the heart center treated me very well and they were very nice.”

Do you know your heart health numbers?
Find out at our upcoming Pocket EKG Screenings, which includes:
• Complete 12-lead EKG Reading (includes atrial fibrillation screening)
• Cholesterol Test
• Blood Pressure Check and
• A Heart Risk Evaluation
After the screening, participants are sent a pocket-sized card with an image of your baseline EKG on one side and essential emergency information and cardiac history on the other.

Upcoming Screenings:
Saturday, November 5, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 10, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Screenings are by appointment only, are held in the Sentara Heart and Vascular Center at Potomac Hospital and cost $20. Appointments last about 30 minutes. To schedule your screening, call 703-221-2500.

For more information about the Sentara Heart and Vascular Center visit PotomacHospital.com. If you need help finding a doctor call Sentara Potomac’s Health Connection at 703-221-2500.

Cardiac Rehab Patient Featured on Arlington Show

Cardiac Rehab patient, Don Greene (right), is being featured on an Arlington Governement Access televsion show about his recovery from heart bypass surgery.

Don is a longtime Dale City resident who had triple bypass surgery in February and was then referred to Sentara Potomac Hospital for Cardiac Rehab, which he attends three times a week.

“The atmosphere in Cardiac Rehab is great,” says Don. “The nurses are wonderful and they make this place special. I feel rejuvenated when I leave and I appreciate all of the guidance and care they give.”

Don celebrated his 79th birthday but he shows no signs of slowing down. He still works full time as the Fitness Center manager at Vornado (Courthouse Plaza) in Arlington and is also a member of the National Senior Olympic Games basketball team!

Watch Don's Story on You Tube.

Remembrance Ceremony on Oct. 16

Commemorating infant and pregnancy loss

In honor of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Sentara Potomac Hospital is holding a Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, October 16, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Worship Room.

Please join us for speakers, poetry read by parents, music, commemoration and refreshments. Everyone who has experienced an infant and pregnancy loss, regardless of when or how the loss occurred, is invited to attend. It is our hope that the Remembrance Ceremony brings comfort to grieving parents, family members and others in our community.

Registration is not required. For more information, please call Chaplain Carol Wille at (703) 583-3003.

Potomac Health Foundation Awards Three Grants to Sentara Potomac Hospital

The Potomac Health Foundation has awarded three separate grants for projects at Sentara Potomac Hospital.

A $215,000 grant was awarded to the Sentara Family Health Connection Mobile Clinics to cover operational expenses, salaries, and renovations to the oldest of the mobile clinic’s two vans.

The Potomac Health Foundation awarded a second grant of $85,000 to fund the new “Every Baby, Every Time,” program which will be operated out of the mobile clinics. Every Baby, Every Time is a prenatal education and care program that will include pregnancy tests, general prenatal care and finding a prenatal/delivery provider for women in the community.

Each year, many women use the Sentara Potomac emergency room exclusively for prenatal care or to deliver their babies. The Every Baby, Every Time program will increase awareness of the importance of early prenatal care, including nutrition, exercise and managing gestational diabetes.

“Every Baby Every Time will really help us educate women in our community about the importance of early prenatal care,” says Evelyn Marr, R.N., Director of the Sentara Family Health Connection Mobile Clinics (pictured with the mobile clinic staff). “Our nurse practitioners and outreach workers will be able to perform pregnancy tests and give women resources for follow-up prenatal care and delivery. We’re so excited to add this component to our breadth of services.”

The third grant of $725,000 will fund a new mobile digital Mammography Van for Northern Virginia. In the Prince William County area there is a lack of early detection and treatment of breast cancer, particularly for low income women, leading to a high rate of deaths from breast cancer. Data indicate that the cancers are detected at a late, more serious stage, which signifies the need for improved early detection and treatment.

This program will improve access to mammography screening services for low income and uninsured women and will link patients with necessary follow up diagnosis and treatment services. An additional benefit will be the use of the Mammography Van’s exam room for a variety of women’s health issues, including well women exams and health education and counseling.

“The mammography mobile unit is a 40-foot coach that will have full digital mammography with computer aided detection,” says Marty Ward, director of Radiology and Imaging Services at Sentara Potomac Hospital. “We will partner with the Family Health Connection to serve those with little or no insurance and we’ll also partner with communities, organizations, and houses of worship to make access even more convenient for Northern Virginia residents.”

Sentara Potomac Hospital’s Mammography Van is scheduled to begin service in the spring of 2012. Please contact Marty Ward at 703-670-1866 if you are interested in having the Mobile Mammography Van visit your organization.

About the Potomac Health Foundation:
Potomac Health Foundation is one of the newest private health foundations in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was established in December 2009 as a result of the merger between Potomac Hospital Corporation of Woodbridge, Virginia and Sentara Healthcare, also a Virginia not-for-profit corporation. Potomac Health Foundation serves the communities in eastern Prince William County, Virginia and adjacent communities in southeast Fairfax and north Stafford Counties. Potomac Health Foundation is a grant-making organization that focuses solely on health issues. It does not provide health services directly to consumers, but it does offer financial support to public and private organizations that do. The foundation seeks to improve critical aspects of human health - physical, emotional, oral, and nutritional - through clinical care, prevention and advocacy services.

About Sentara Family Health Connection Mobile Clinics:
Sentara Family Health Connection Mobile Clinics are two custom Ford vans that provide primary care to residents of Prince William County. On the road since 1996, the mobile clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners from Sentara Potomac Hospital who provide physical examinations, vision and hearing screenings, blood pressure checks, immunizations, basic medical care and health information. The two mobile clinics serve the neediest of our community, visiting sites including A.C.T.S. Homeless Shelter, the Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad, Dumfries United Methodist Church, the Community Services Board, the Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Shelter, St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Kilby Elementary School and Holy Family Catholic Church. Appointments may be made by calling 703-338-6678.