February is National Heart Month and Regional Hospital will have many ways to raise awareness about Heart Health. The hospital is offering several options for employees to get involved this month.
The hospital has Red Dress pins and Learn & Live bracelets available in the Gift Shop. All proceeds benefit the American Heart Association.
Blue Jean Fridays in February support the American Heart Association. It is only $5 to wear jeans and support a great cause at the same time.
On National Wear Red Day — this Friday — millions of people will choose to wear red and speak up against heart disease.
It gives women and men everywhere a way to show their dedication and support of the cause, and empowers them to take action for their health. Please join us and wear Red on Friday. Also, on Friday, in the cafeteria of the hospital during breakfast and lunch hours, employees can learn ways to keep your heart healthy.
In other hospital news:
Terre Haute Regional is now offering a mobile PET/CT service every Monday in Outpatient Services.
Positron Emission Tomography and Computerized Tomography are both standard imaging tools that allow physicians to pinpoint the location of certain abnormalities within the body. PET/CT can be utilized for detecting cancer in the body or abnormalities such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in the brain. The highly sensitive PET scan detects the metabolic signal of actively growing cells in the body and the CT scan provides a detailed picture of the internal anatomy. The benefits of having a combined PET/CT scan are earlier diagnosis, accurate staging, and localization of abnormalities for more precise treatment and monitoring.
“The combination PET/CT scan is an incredibly helpful tool for locating regions of cancer involvement as the cancer cells take up higher concentrations of the radioactive glucose molecules which highlight on the PET scan. The CT scan component helps delineate the exact anatomical locations of these cancer areas much better than a PET scan alone. As a radiation oncologist, I can map out the targets for radiation therapy with greater precision and thoroughness this way. Followup PET/CT scans can help determine the results of cancer therapy, especially when determining whether a residual thickening on a CT scan is persistent cancer (which takes up the radioactive glucose molecules) or just scar tissue (which does not take up these molecules),” said Dr. Thomas Schmitz, of the hospital’s cancer treatment center
Regional Hospital is the only provider in the area offering this specialized service. Northwest Radiologists, who have specialized training in PET/CTs, will be reading the PET/CT studies.
