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YRMC Offers Freedom from Fractures Free Bone Health Presentation

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According to the nonprofit organization American Bone Health, 52 million Americans are affected by osteoporosis and low bone density. By age 50, the lifetime risk of fracture is 50 percent in women and 25 percent in men.

 

While these statistics can be alarming, there are several ways you can reduce your risk of bone fractures.

 

“There are many factors that contribute to poor bone health,” says Kathleen Cody, Executive Director of American Bone Health, “We want people to know the steps to take to have strong bones for a long and independent life.”

 

Yavapai Regional Medical Center is offering a Freedom from Fractures presentation on Wednesday, May 2nd as a free service to the members of our community. If you are over 45, this simple screening from American Bone Health can give you valuable information about your bone health. In addition, you’ll receive helpful tips and resources to help keep your bones healthy.

 

Healthy bones are an integral part of living an independent, active lifestyle, particularly as we get older. Understanding what might cause weak bones is the first step to preventing bone loss and keeping your bones strong.

 

Join us on May 2nd from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at YRMC Wellness Center, Community Education Room, 930 Division Street in Prescott for this informative presentation. Registration is required and seats are limited. Reserve your spot by calling (928) 771-5794.

Celebrate Life Health Expo Changing Up Activities, Location

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Mark your calendars for a weekend of fitness, food and fun on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3, courtesy of Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in partnership with the Northern Arizona Suns and the Prescott Valley Event Center.

“We were delighted when the Prescott Valley Event Center approached us about holding YRMC’s Celebrate Life Health Expo 2018 – our community’s premier health festival – at the event center,” said Ken Boush, YRMC director of marketing and communications. “It was an easy choice because of our strong relationship with the folks at the Prescott Valley Event Center and the Northern Arizona Suns. It’s good for the community, too, since 2018 is YRMC’s 75th anniversary.”

Join people from throughout the community:

7 p.m., Friday, March 2

Cheer for the Northern Arizona Suns as they take on the Memphis Hustle at the Prescott Valley Event Center. The NAZ Suns will salute YRMC for its 75 years of service during the game, which is designated as YRMC 75th Anniversary Night. The Boys and Girls Club of Central Arizona (bgccaz.org) – the game’s designated local non-profit organization – also will be featured the same evening. Purchase game tickets at northernarizona.gleague.nba.com/schedule.

 

9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, March 3

Explore these Celebrate Life Health Expo “neighborhoods” for fun activities, healthy living tips and tasty (and healthy) snacks.

  • Kids and families
  • Heart health
  • Healthy living and wellness
  • Nutrition
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Community resources

Nearly 70 organizations will participate in the free Celebrate Life Health Expo 2018.

Watch the NAZ Suns Scrimmage; Help Your Community

On March 3, Expo guests will also get an inside look at professional basketball as the Northern Arizona Suns scrimmage at 11 a.m., during Celebrate Life Health Expo 2018.

“This year, we’re asking Expo guests to bring items to help out local non-profits doing great work in the community: Prescott Area Shelter Services (PASS), Prescott Valley Food Bank and Prescott Community Cupboard,” Boush said. “PASS is in need of household items and toiletries while the food banks need non-perishable food items.”

Below is a list of items you can choose from to bring to the Expo. It’s a good opportunity to help your neighbors in need:

Household Supply Drive for PASS

  • Trash bags
  • Toilet paper
  • Paper towels
  • Coffee
  • Laundry detergent
  • Dishwasher detergent
  • Cleaning supplies

Food Drive for Prescott Valley Food Bank and Prescott Community Cupboard

  • Canned meats, beans, nut butters
  • Canned fruit 100 percent juice and unsweetened, dried fruit
  • Canned vegetables, low sodium/no salt
  • Boxed/flaked potatoes (no additives)
  • Soups, stews
  • Canned or boxed pastas and sauces
  • Cereal cold/hot
  • Shelf stable milk or rice milk, nut milks

Look for more information about YRMC’s Celebrate Life Health Expo 2018 at YRMC HealthConnect (yrmchealthconnect.org) or call 928-771-5738. QCBN

 

By Bridget O’Gara

YRMC Celebrates 75 Years on March 1, 2018

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On March 1, 1943, Prescott Community Hospital – now Yavapai Regional Medical

Center (YRMC) – opened its doors to care for patients. By 9:00 p.m. on that date, Florence

Yount, MD, had delivered the first baby born at the new hospital.

“This marked the official launch of a 75-year relationship between YRMC and the

community,” said John Amos, President and CEO of YRMC. “From the beginning, the

people of this community understood the importance of creating a healthcare delivery system

to meet their unique needs. They believed firmly that lots of good would result from

neighbors caring for neighbors.”

 

A History of Community Support

 

That belief was clear as many community members pitched in to ensure Prescott

Community Hospital – converted from Jefferson Elementary School on Marina Street – was equipped and ready to care for patients.

Longtime Prescott resident and community leader Elisabeth Ruffner was involved in

efforts to establish the hospital as a nonprofit provider, available to all people in the community.

 

Ruffner recalls that Jefferson Elementary School was purchased for $1,000. A group of

community members, including Ruffner, wrote the cornerstone document – Prescott Community Hospital Association Inc., a Non-Profit Corporation in the State of Arizona – that designated the hospital as a community-based, not-for-profit provider.

These same people and many others in the community were involved in ensuring the hospital was equipped and ready to provide care.

“We furnished the school cafeteria as an operating room,” Ruffner said. “Dr. Yount traveled the region looking for beds, stoves, tables – any kind of hospital equipment she could buy. Physicians’ wives went door-to-door for donations. All of the businesses stepped up so we could open a hospital in that abandoned school building.”

 

A Milestone Vote

 

Fast forward several decades and the community was again at a crossroads that concerned healthcare. In 1960, the community voted to establish the Central Yavapai Hospital District. This was followed in 1962 by a vote to build a new hospital that would replace Prescott Community Hospital. Ruffner remembers the excitement surrounding the vote and the community conversations about it.

 

“I believe it was the first time, at least in Arizona, of a non-profit local association taking over a government hospital,” said Ruffner. “We provided a clinic for the county and then with a Hill- Burton Grant from the federal government, we built the wing to the south, which is now Yavapai Regional Medical Center.”

An article in the Prescott Evening Courier characterized the vote as part of a larger effort that would allow the community to “…attract new industry and other economic assets, including a college and tourists, so that local residents will benefit from more job opportunities and a higher standard of living …”

 

In 1964, the hospital relocated to its current location on Willow Creek Road and changed its name to Yavapai Community Hospital. The hospital underwent another name change in 1984, becoming Yavapai Regional Medical Center. This change reflected the scope of its advanced medical services and growing service area.

 

YRMC Heads East to Prescott Valley

 

The rapid growth of Prescott Valley helped spur another important milestone for the

community: the opening of YRMC East in 2006.

 

“People were waiting for YRMC to open. They wanted it here. They needed the medical

services,” said Prescott Valley Mayor Harvey Skoog, who had long advocated for the hospital. “We had the opening of the hospital and here I thought it would just be a hospital, but we have all these other services, like the BreastCare Center and Imaging Services. Today we have 45,000 people and this is just a phenomenal part of our growth.”

 

YRMC’s Journey: Moving Forward, Maintaining Original Values

 

For Robbie Nicol, MBA, CFRE, Executive Director of Community Outreach and

Philanthropy at YRMC, the organization’s journey illustrates the community’s commitment to locally operated healthcare as well as its support for advanced facilities and services. “This is part of the DNA of our community,” she said. “I think about how the community coalesced to equip the cafeteria turned operating room at the first hospital on Marina Street. Then I think about the support YRMC received for its hybrid surgical suite at YRMC West. Both were possible because the people we serve believe in community-based healthcare and support state-of-the art services.”

 

In 2018, YRMC accomplishes this through a vast network of healthcare services throughout the community. In addition to YRMC West and YRMC East, the community has access to excellent healthcare through a total of 24 primary and specialty YRMC Physician Care Clinics in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Bagdad.

 

“YRMC also cares for people with chronic and specialized needs,” Nicol said. “The Breast Care Center at YRMC and the James Family Heart Center at YRMC are examples of lifesaving, specialty services.”

 

Help Tell the Story of Healthcare in Our Community

 

YRMC’s 75th anniversary celebration theme “Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow” highlights

the meaning of community-based, not-for-profit healthcare. YRMC is giving people the

opportunity to join this conversation by sharing anecdotes from their lives that involve the hospital.

 

Video interviews, stories and images are being gathered for the YRMC Memory Catcher

project. Visit YRMC HealthConnect (yrmchealthconnect.org/memory-catcher) to explore

YRMC’s history as told by the community. The Memory Catcher project features familiar people, including for example:

 Jean Phillips, Community Volunteer

 Elisabeth Ruffner, Community Volunteer

 The Olsen and Sischka Family, Business and Community Leaders

 Harvey Skoog, Mayor of Prescott Valley

 JC Trujillo, General Manager of Prescott Frontier Days and Bareback

World Championship Rider

 

“Memory Catcher visitors also will meet folks who have grown up in the community or are new to the area. They have wonderful, interesting and amusing stories to share,” said Ken Boush, Director of Marketing and Communications at YRMC. “All of these anecdotes create a tapestry that tell the story of YRMC and its 75-year relationship with the community. We’re encouraging people throughout our community to share their stories.”

 

Find YRMC online at yrmc.org and yrmchealthconnect.org. Follow YRMC on social

media at

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/yrmcquadcities

 

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/YavapaiRegionalMedicalCenter

 

www.facebook.com/PonderosaPediatrics

 

www.facebook.com/YRMCyourhealthykitchen

 

YouTube:

 

 www.youtube.com/channel/UCZGC2lYqCa4FaM8EWhuK9_g

YRMC 75th Anniversary: Celebrating Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

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In 2018, Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) celebrates a 75-year partnership with the people of Yavapai County.

“This is a significant anniversary for YRMC and our community,” said YRMC President and CEO John Amos. “We are a community-based health care provider thanks to people who understood the value of local health care many decades ago. YRMC continues to serve, innovate and thrive because that commitment continues today.”

YRMC is celebrating this milestone anniversary in the way many families commemorate significant events – by sharing stories.

“I talk to people all of the time who tell stories that involve YRMC,” said YRMC Community Outreach and Philanthropy Executive Director Robbie Nicol, MBA, CFRE. “For the 75th anniversary celebration, we’ve created a way for them to share those memories with the community.”

YRMC’s Memory Catcher Project connects you to people from throughout our community to share memories that involve YRMC and Western Yavapai County. Here’s how it works:

  • Visit YRMC’s Memory Catcher Project (yrmchealthconnect.org/memory-catcher).
  • Complete the fields – name, email and phone number – so we can contact you after you’ve submitted a memory.
  • Give us the highlights of your memory in 200 words or less in the field marked “Share Your Memory.” (Perfect writing isn’t required.)
  • Click “Submit Memory” when all of the fields are complete.
  • Look for an autoreply in your email box that confirms we received your memory.

If your memory is selected from the up to 75 we’re gathering for 2018, we’ll contact you to learn more so we can create a Memory Catcher story for YRMC HealthConnect (yrmchealthconnect.org). You’ll have the opportunity to provide photos that will be scanned and returned to you. And, if you’re interested, we may even schedule a short video to record your memory for YRMC HealthConnect.

Want to read a Memory Catcher story? It’s from a Prescott writer who was born at YRMC – then called Prescott Community Hospital – in 1943. He discovered the receipt from his delivery at the hospital in the attic of his mother’s home. He shares his memory at YRMC’s Memory Catcher Project (yrmchealthconnect.org/memory-catcher).

“We hope lots of people will help celebrate the 75th anniversary of their community’s health care provider,” said Nicol. “Families always have lots of stories to share!” QCBN

 

 

By Bridget O’Gara

A Power Hitter Heals with an Assist from YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Services

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Legend has it the first Louisville Slugger was built by teenager Bud Hillerich in his father’s woodworking shop to help a major league baseball player who was in a hitting slump.

More than a century later, another innovator – engineer Martin Martinez – added to the bat’s folklore by applying computerized simulation to build a better baseball bat through his company’s Impact Sports Division.

“I have a need to build things,” said Martinez, president and founder of Engineering Science Analysis Corporation (ESA) in Tempe. “Engineers have a tendency to talk themselves out of doing things. There’s always lots that can go wrong. You need to analyze, test and move forward.”

In addition to the Louisville Slugger, Martinez and the ESA team worked on golf clubs to enlarge the “sweet spot” and perhaps improve many a golfer’s swing. ESA also was hired by the Department of Homeland Security to develop the Safe Quick Undercarriage Immobilization Device (SQUID). Used by numerous law enforcement agencies, SQUID helps prevent or halt dangerous high-speed car chases by spreading tentacles of fabric straps over the street. The straps tighten around a speeding car’s undercarriage and bring it to an immediate stop.

 

Attitude is All

Innovative thinking, hard work and a positive attitude have factored into Martinez’s success. All of these no doubt played a role in his recovery from a complicated ankle fracture that happened while Martinez was renovating his family’s Prescott home. Martinez – who divides his time between Prescott and Tempe – needed two surgeries on the ankle. He selected Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s (YRMC’s) Physical Rehabilitation Services for the important physical therapy that would ultimately get him back on his feet.

“YRMC Physical Rehabilitation was the right pick,” Martinez said. “My therapists always explained why we were doing certain therapies. They also gave me targets. That’s important to me. You need to measure progress to monitor how you’re doing.”

 

YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Offers More Services

Goal setting is key to the individualized patient care plans created by the Physical Rehabilitation team. Located at both the YRMC Wellness Center in Prescott and the YRMC Del E. Webb Outpatient Center in Prescott Valley, Physical Rehabilitation Services is the only area provider that offers a comprehensive menu of services under one roof. Those services include:

  • Neurological Rehabilitation
  • Occupational Medicine
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Orthopedic Rehabilitation
  • Physical Therapy
  • Speech Therapy
  • Women’s Services

“Physical Rehabilitation programs associated with medical centers like YRMC care for people with injuries and illnesses at all levels,” said Rich Tenney, PT, DPT, PRC, senior therapist at YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Services. “Our patients benefit because we can call on experts from throughout YRMC to help them.”

The first phase of Martinez’s therapy plan focused on expanding range of motion. During therapy, Physical Therapy Assistant Deb Cashen noticed Martinez was retaining fluid in his ankle, a problem some people experience after surgery.

YRMC Occupational Therapist Donna Hannah, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, who is certified in lymphedema care, was called in for a consultation. She recommended special ankle wraps that reduced Martinez’s swelling in approximately three weeks.

Soon Martinez was undergoing physical therapy two times a week for up to 45 minutes a session. This individualized attention may have given Martinez the knowledge and confidence to pursue exercise independently between therapy sessions. He even built a rocker board, like the one used during his therapy sessions, to work on balance and strength.

 

AlterG: A Game Changer

Martinez’s therapy plan also included the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, originally developed by NASA so astronauts could experience weightlessness before space travel. YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Services has the area’s only AlterG Treadmill.

“Martin benefitted from the AlterG,” said Tenney. “The equipment took away any weight-bearing pain so he could exercise in comfort and gain strength.”

Today, Martinez and wife, Kathy, continue to renovate their Prescott home. Martinez recently installed flagstone in the house and is adding “the gingerbread stuff” to warm up the home’s exterior.

Martinez still churns with ideas and energy, just as he did when he updated the Louisville Slugger. And the recovery from his injury? That’s a homerun with the help of YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Services.

By Bridget O’Gara

Visit YRMC Physical Rehabilitation Services online (yrmc.org/services/physical-rehabilitation-services/services) or contact us at either location:

YRMC Wellness Center 930 Division Street Prescott, Arizona 86301 928-771-5131 YRMC Del E. Webb Outpatient Center 3262 North Windsong Drive Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314

928-759-594

Photo caption:

Martin Martinez and his wife, Kathy, at their Prescott home, which they’re in the process of renovating.

Courtesy photo

Yavapai Healthy Schools: Ensuring Our Children are Healthy and Safe

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 Health and safety is a basic human need, at any age. This is why Yavapai Healthy Schools (YHS) is making sure this goal is met in Yavapai County schools.

In 2015, a coalition of 15 organizations was established to ensure schools have the opportunity to improve our children’s health. And, YHS was born.

“The initial goal [of the coalition] was to recognize schools that promote health education,” said Yavapai County Community Health Services Community Health Education Section Manager Carol Lewis.

A menu of programs and activities was created at that time, which included, for example: nutrition, physical activity, substance abuse prevention, wellness and sexual health. Yavapai County Community Health Services (YCCHS) and North Star Youth Partnership are two members of the coalition. Their areas of focus include the following:

  • YCCHS – Focuses on programs related to tobacco/drug prevention, specialized nutrition, physical activity, hygiene, body art and friendship/bullying.
  • North Star Youth Partnership – Works on leadership and mentoring programs including Go Girl Go!, which is designed to educate girls and promote physically active to prevent risky behaviors.

“Health educators struggle acquiring the time commitment to provide health education topics during the school day,” said Lewis.

For convenience, a website was created so teachers could go to just one resource to choose the exact topics they want to teach to their particular students at their specific school.

“Rather than 10 different programs trying to talk to administration,” Lewis said, “we created one website to promote all programs.”

It was determined that most of the schools had some kind of wellness education program in place, but they were not able to measure their effectiveness. YHS helps schools do this. Many of the schools still want resources to help with certain topics, such as bullying. Schools were also interested in starting up school gardens. YHS has education on these and many other health topics.

If a school wants to be part of this program, it is very simple. The YHS website lists all of the available services. There is a short application to complete. Schools that meet certain criteria can earn a Healthy Schools award and are recognized via YHS and the media. They are also eligible for a monetary award and receive a banner for their school as well.

“I would like people to know the importance of promoting schools that make health and safety a priority. We will see schools recognized for being an ‘A’ school for academics but we want people to recognize schools that make health a priority,” said Lewis.

Parents should also know about this program so they can encourage the schools their children attend to join. There is a section on the YHS website for parents to research the program.

“People need to know the connection between health and academics,” Lewis said. “If a school promotes health, they are most likely to show an increase in academics.”

For more information, contact Carol Lewis by email (carol.lewis@yavapai.us) or phone (928-442-5572). QCBN

 

By Kristen Dicker

YRMC BreastCare Center Program Building Health and Awareness

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Women reading a radiologist’s report of their recent screening mammography may learn for the first time they have “dense breast tissue.”

At The BreastCare Center at Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC), YRMC Imaging Services and Prescott Medical Imaging, they’ll also learn their lifetime risk for breast cancer.

Arizona and more than half of states nationwide have passed breast density notification laws intended to inform women who have undergone mammography about their breast density. Unlike most imaging centers, however, YRMC also is arming women and their doctors with an assessment of the woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. The goal is to increase understanding of breast density and provide women and their physicians information to act on.

“Breast density information is more valuable when it’s combined with an assessment of the woman’s lifetime risk for breast cancer,” said Kathi Hoffer, YRMC’s Imaging Services operations manager at the BreastCare Center. “With this information, a woman and her physician can develop a plan that may include additional screening, such as breast MRI or ultrasound.”

 

Learn About Breast Density

What is breast density? It’s a way to describe the composition of a woman’s breasts. It compares the area of breast and connective tissue – as seen on a mammogram – to the area of fat. Breast and connective tissue are denser than fat so high breast density means there is more breast and connective tissue as compared to fat. Low breast density means there is a greater amount of fat as compared to breast and connective tissue.

“Everyone is born with a breast pattern, just like a fingerprint,” said Hoffer. “Some people have a dense breast pattern and some do not.”

A dense breast pattern is normal. In fact, approximately 40 percent of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts. On a mammogram, dense breast tissue appears white as do breast masses or tumors. This means dense tissue can sometimes mask tumors. Additionally, for reasons researchers are still studying, women who have dense breast tissue have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer compared to women with less dense breast tissue.

“There’s lots of confusion about breast density,” Hoffer said. “Many people think they have dense breasts and in reality they do not. Others are not aware that they do have dense breasts.”

 

Your YRMC Mammography Report

YRMC’s mammography reports create a complete picture of their respective lifetime risk for breast cancer. The assessment takes into account:

  • Age
  • Breast density
  • Ethnicity
  • Family history
  • Genetics (BRCA1 or BRCA2)
  • Onset of menstruation and menopause
  • Previous breast biopsy or breast cancer
  • Pregnancy history

Women with dense breasts are encouraged to speak to their physicians to develop a plan to monitor their breast health. Some women with dense breasts also undergo breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and/or ultrasound. It’s also recommended that future mammograms be done as 3-D or breast tomosynthesis.

The first step is to get regular digital mammography screening. Women who can’t afford to undergo regular screening may be eligible for mammography screening through the YRMC Community BreastCare Fund. To learn more about the fund, contact 928-442-8900. QCBN

By Bridget O’Gara

For more information about breast screening, contact:

  • The BreastCare Center at YRMC: 928-442-8900
  • Imaging Services at YRMC West: 928-442-8900
  • Prescott Medical Imaging: 928-771-7577

Image (YRMC Share the Care) and Cutline:

Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) created Share the Care as a community-wide program to support good breast health practices and to increase access to breast care.

TAVR Turns Nine Months Old

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Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s (YRMC’s) Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program has been up and running since November 2016, and is making a positive difference for local patients. Initially, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the program for high risk patients.

“These were patients in their upper 80s with multiple medical comorbidities, like severe renal failure, previous open heart surgeries and at very high risk,” said Jose Torres, M.D., Cardiothoracic Surgeon, The James Family Heart Center at YRMC.

TAVR Open to More People

The FDA has now approved TAVR for patients who are at moderate risk.

“These are patients in their late 70s and early 80s,” said Dr. Torres. “They have some comorbidities – early kidney dysfunction, some heart failure or some past open heart surgeries.”

Although everyone wants to have a less invasive procedure these days, the minimally invasive TAVR procedure is not intended for younger patients.

“The younger, lower risk patients usually need a mechanical valve, which may require a sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass,” Torres said. “At this time, the life expectancy of transcatheter valves is not comparable to mechanical valves in younger, healthier patients.”

TAVR: Heal at Home

TAVR is helping keep local residents home instead of going to Phoenix, which is a good thing for patients and their families.

“Prior to starting up our valve clinic, we were sending out about 20 patients a year to Phoenix to get the transcatheter valves. So, it is definitely a good procedure to have in the community,” explained Torres. “We do have an older community. A lot of patients are a little bit sicker and their health isn’t as great as it used to be. Driving to Phoenix is just a big hassle for them.”

Local Dewey resident and recent TAVR patient Linda Thompson likes that she can have her health care closer to home.

“I would not have gone to Phoenix if they didn’t have TAVR up here; it’s just too hard on my family and once you have trust in your doctors up here, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else,” she said.

TAVR Changed Thompson’s Life

Thompson had open heart surgery two years ago and developed valvular stenosis after it. She was on oxygen and could barely walk up a flight of stairs or participate in activities she enjoyed, such as playing Bunco with her friends and working in her garden.

Because of her complications, Thompson was not a good candidate for a repeat open heart surgery – it was too risky for her health. However, after TAVR, Thompson said, “The doctors were very confident and very caring and told me there was hardly any risk with it. I had no pain from it at all. Right after it, I felt like a healthy person again.”

Torres said, “The YRMC administration and cardiovascular physicians are very focused on developing a service line to help the community, whether it is from coronary artery disease, aortic valve disease, or mitral valve disease, so we are pushing ourselves and the institution to be on the forefront of structural heart disease.” QCBN

By Kristen Dicker

 

Introducing YRMC’s HealthConnect for Community Outreach

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 Cadu Medina may well be the new, friendlier face of marketing. After four years in the San Francisco office of Young & Rubicam – a global advertising agency – Medina and his family relocated to Prescott, where his wife had spent her childhood. Here, the 40-something Medina launched craf2m (cadumedina.com), a marketing strategy and coaching firm.

“Becoming a marketing coach changed everything for me – in business and in every other way,” Medina said. “To reframe an expression, ‘It’s not just business. It’s personal.’”

This was the kind of experience and passion Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) wanted to assist with the development of its new blog, YRMC HealthConnect (yrmchealthconnect.org). The blog – recently redesigned by a multi-disciplinary team, including craf2m – has a new look and more mobile friendly features. It’s also connecting people throughout the community to YRMC in more significant ways.

What does a blog like YRMC HealthConnect offer that other forms of community outreach channels do not? According to Medina, it’s the opportunity to engage with readers through stories. “Content marketing,” as it’s called, is effective because it allows organizations to develop more personal, deeper and meaningful relationships with their customers.

“The marketing industry walked away from this for a while,” Medina said. “Marketers were talking at their customers rather than talking with them. Content marketing has changed this. We listen to our customers, refine our message to give customers what they want, and ultimately provide them a better product or service. What impressed me about YRMC is that their team gets this. That’s why I was so excited to be part of this project.”

The YRMC content marketing strategy gives readers the opportunity to subscribe to YRMC HealthConnect and receive new content directly on their smart phones or tablets. In fact, 60 percent of blog content is viewed on mobile devices.

From YRMC HealthConnect, readers also can connect to YRMC’s vast social media network, including:

  • com/YavapaiRegionalMedicalCenter
  • com/YRMCYourHealthyKitchen
  • com/PonderosaPediatrics
  • com/MyHealthMascot (Wellby Yavabear)
  • YRMC’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/channel/UCZGC2lYqCa4FaM8EWhuK9_g)
  • com/yrmcquadcities

“We knew the content marketing approach would be very compatible with YRMC’s relationship with our community,” said Ken Boush, YRMC’s director of marketing and communications. “Because of that, YRMC HealthConnect has quickly become a destination for many people in our community. We deliver up-to-date, rich content on the blog. There are interesting patient profiles and features on new, innovative YRMC services. Lots of readers explore YRMC’s popular nutrition program, Your Healthy Kitchen, on HealthConnect. Our readers also learn about new doctors in the community and check out our calendar of health care presentations from top medical experts. And let’s face it, it’s just lots of fun.”

The community agrees. In May, page views on YRMC HealthConnect shot up 129 percent from April. And what stories were people reading on YRMC HealthConnect? The most popular were:

  • Valvular Heart Disease: A Quiet and Dangerous Disorder

 

  • Heart Pillow Encourages Heart-to-Heart Conversations
  • What’s Cooking? Good Food and Good Health in Your Healthy Kitchen!

 

  • NAZ Suns Go Pink for The BreastCare Center at YRMC

 

  • Randy Meyers Embraces a Heart-Healthy Journey

Check out YRMC HealthConnect (yrmchealthconnect.org) and subscribe so you can join the conversation and stay connected to YRMC. QCBN

 

By Bridget O’Gara

YRMC Laboratory, Mayo Medical Lab Launching Collaboration

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Yavapai County residents who need specialized and rare blood tests can receive them close to home, thanks to a relationship Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) has established with Mayo Medical Labs.

“Mayo approached YRMC about serving as our exclusive ‘reference lab,’” explained Stephanie Fricke, MT, ASCP, director, YRMC Laboratory Services. “We agreed to work with them because they share a dedication to high quality lab services.”

Large hospitals and community hospitals work with reference labs in order to efficiently serve people who need what pathologists call “esoteric” lab tests. For example, if a physician requests a blood test to help diagnose a rare thyroid disorder, the reference lab is tapped to conduct the test.

“A reference lab like Mayo Medical Labs is designed to conduct large volumes of these kinds of specialized tests,” Fricke said.

Residents who need these tests have their blood taken at one of YRMC’s three community-based draw stations or at YRMC East in Prescott Valley or YRMC West in Prescott. The blood is transported the same day to Mayo Medical Labs in Rochester, Minnesota. By 7 a.m. the following day, the Mayo lab team is processing the specimen and beginning the exam. In 24 to 48 hours, the patient’s physician receives the test results.

“The results are delivered to the physician using YRMC’s electronic medical record system,” said Fricke. “It’s high-tech medicine.”

And high-touch medicine, too, as YRMC physicians can reach out to the Mayo Medical Labs team if they have questions about test results. In fact, Fricke noted the Mayo and YRMC lab teams both share a patient-centered philosophy.

“The YRMC Lab team understands the people behind the tests are family members, neighbors and friends,” Fricke said. “This drives us to produce high-quality results and provide excellent customer service.”

Blood tests provide physicians approximately 75 percent of the information they need to make a diagnosis for a patient. With this need for information, YRMC’s Laboratory Services team is extremely busy. The team processes approximately 257,000 inpatient studies and 413,000 outpatient studies each year.

Area residents have multiple options for testing available with these three community draw stations as well as laboratories at YRMC East and YRMC West:

Community-Based Draw Stations

YRMC Outpatient Services Building

7700 East Florentine Road, Building B, Suite 201

Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314

928-759-5800

YRMC PhysicianCare Internal Medicine

3120 Clearwater Drive

Prescott, Arizona 86305

928-445-0690

YRMC Patient Service Center

1050 Gail Gardner Way, Suite 200

Prescott, Arizona 86305

928-717-5234

Hospital-Based Laboratories

YRMC East Laboratory Services

7700 East Florentine Road

Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314

928-442-8770

 

YRMC West Laboratory Services

1003 Willow Creek Road

Prescott, Arizona 86301

928-771-5770

To learn more about YRMC Laboratory Services, visit us online at yrmc.org or ask your health care provider. QCBN

By Bridget O’Gara