As millions of Americans begin choosing a health plan for the first time under the Affordable Care Act, the new Healthgrades American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2014: Report to the Nation released today reveals how hospital selection can dramatically impact a patient’s health. The report demonstrates that individuals are far more likely to die or suffer complications at hospitals receiving the lowest Healthgrades rating. In fact, each year an estimated 234,252 lives could potentially be saved and 157,418 complications could be avoided if all hospitals performed similarly to the highest rated hospitals.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63942-healthgrades-american-hospital-quality-outcomes-2014-report-to-the-nation
Over 80% of Americans want to spend their last days at home, with friends and family. Yet, despite these desires, 75% of Americans will spend their last days in a hospital room. Many people will spend hours each day getting painful and often useless treatments and tests, and be asked to take dozens of debilitating drugs. For many, the cure is worse than the disease. This often has negative and lasting effects on family and friends who are often left with feelings of guilt and regret for years to come.
Hospice Support Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting end of life care at home rather than in a hospital so patients can spend their last days in dignity and peace, pain-free in familiar, comfortable surroundings with friends and family.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7785451-hospice-support-fund-end-of-life-care-psa/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is naming the institution’s principal research tower after Donald Pinkel, M.D., whose legacy of driving progress toward advancing cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases continues at the institution today.
When St. Jude was established 55 years ago, Pinkel, the hospital’s first medical director, committed to finding cures for childhood cancer, leading to groundbreaking treatments that saved countless children’s lives. Many of these cancers were deemed incurable prior to Pinkel’s research, but his distinct approach to eradicating diseases established a model for how cancers could be treated.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924752-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital-donald-pinkel-tower/
The most detailed analysis yet of the role germline mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition play in the development of childhood cancer suggests that comprehensive genomic screening may be warranted on all pediatric cancer patients, not just those with a family history of cancer. The study from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project appears in the November 19 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Ultimately, researchers anticipate that systematic monitoring of patients and family members who have germline mutations in cancer predisposition genes will allow the detection of cancers at their earliest and most curable stage, thereby improving the outcomes for these children and family members.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7692851-st-jude-hospital-genome-project/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® officials and guests today marked the opening of the St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children with cancer.
Patients are now being treated at the center using precisely delivered, high-energy particles called protons to kill or shrink tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue and organs. For patients with brain tumors and certain other cancers, research suggests proton beam therapy may be more effective than conventional radiation at preventing the growth and spread of tumors while reducing the risk of treatment-related side effects.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7713451-st-jude-proton-therapy-opening/
This year, parents of nearly 16,000 children in the U.S. will hear the words: “Your child has cancer.” One in five of those children won’t survive. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and as a leader in the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will focus on raising awareness and funds for this very important issue.
Despite significant progress made by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20 to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened in 1962, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children over the age of 1. Each year about 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 60 percent of these kids don’t have access to modern treatment. For those who win their battles against childhood cancer, victory often comes at a cost as survivors face a much higher risk of experiencing unique long-term health effects later in life.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7390851-st-jude-hospital-childhood-cancer-awareness/
