February is National Heart Month!

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*Article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Heart Disease: It Can Happen at Any Age

Heart disease doesn’t happen just to older adults. It is happening to younger adults more and more often. This is partly because the conditions that lead to heart disease are happening at younger ages. February is Heart Month, the perfect time to learn about your risk for heart disease and the steps you need to take now to help your heart.

Conditions/Behaviors that put people at risk of Heart Disease:

  • High blood pressure. Millions of Americans of all ages have high blood pressure, including millions of people in their 40s and 50s. About half of people with high blood pressure don’t have it under control. Having uncontrolled high blood pressure is one of the biggest risks for heart disease and other harmful conditions, such as stroke.
  • High blood cholesterol. High cholesterol can increase the risk for heart disease. Having diabetes and obesity, smoking, eating unhealthy foods, and not getting enough physical activity can all contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels.
  • Smoking. More than 37 million U.S. adults are current smokers, and thousands of young people start smoking each day. Smoking damages the blood vessels and can cause heart disease.
  • Obesity. Carrying extra weight puts stress on the heart. More than 1 in 3 Americans—and nearly 1 in 6 children ages 2 to 19—has obesity.
  • Diabetes. Diabetes causes sugar to build up in the blood. This can damage blood vessels and nerves that help control the heart muscle. Nearly 1 in 10 people in the United States has diabetes.
  • Physical inactivity. Staying physically active helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Only 1 in 5 adults meets the physical activity guidelines of getting 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity.
  • Unhealthy eating patterns. Most Americans, including children, eat too much sodium (salt), which increases blood pressure. Replacing foods high in sodium with fresh fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure. But only 1 in 10 adults is getting enough fruits and vegetables each day. Diet high in trans-fat, saturated fat, and added sugar increases the risk factor for heart disease.

If you are concerned that you or a loved ones may be at risk of heart disease, schedule an appointment with one of our Clinic providers today. St. Maries Family Medicine: 208-245-2591

 *Full article can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/index.html

BCH Supports Local Athletics!

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BCH Employees participate in School Events to raise community support for St. Maries Lumberjack Pride! This year, for their homecoming week, BCH staff dressed up in the class colors each day to show support! Our staff also participate in the school’s food drive each year in efforts to fill the local food banks!

Each Spring, BCH provides Free Sports Physicals for middle school and high school students participating in athletics.

BCH is a proud supporter of our hometown Lumberjacks. Go Jacks!!

BCH will host our annual Fright Night on Friday, October 25th, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

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This is a FREE Event for the community, sponsored by the Employees of BCH.

Please have your children dress up and come to enjoy a fun night of games, prizes, and candy!

FREE Hotdogs, chips, and water will be available in the Blue Spruce Café for the Kids.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from BCH!!!

Congrats to BCH’s Employee and Provider of the Year!

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Each year during the hospital’s National Hospital Week Celebration, BCH staff votes for Provider and Employee of the Year!

This year, the staff who took the titles are Val Sanchez, Certified Pharmacy Tech, and Dr. Cooper Wester, MD.

Val was nominated for going above and beyond, exemplifying the mission, vision, and values of BCH. She is noted as being kind and courteous, and always there to help any department in need. She is self-motivated and is always looking at way to improve her department, as well as the hospital as a whole. Val has a very positive attitude and is always smiling. She is well deserving of this award!

Dr. Cooper Wester is an ER/Inpatient Physician at BCH who also goes above in beyond to help in any way he can. Dr. Wester is fantastic to his patients and is also a joy to work with. He takes great care of his support staff and is always the first one to volunteer to cover an open shift. He has stepped up to help in recruitment efforts as well as the local ambulance services. BCH is very lucky to have Dr. Wester as a part of our Medical Staff.

The employee and provider of the year receive special recognition for this award, and they also receive prime parking in the hospital’s parking lot for an entire year.

BCH feels very fortune that these staff members choose to be a part of our team, and we congratulate them on this award!

Community Health Fair

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Rebekah Myers, FNP to join Benewah Community Hospital’s Medical Staff

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BCH is excited to announce that Family Nurse Practitioner, Rebekah Myers, will be joining our team as a Family Nurse Practitioner March 2019!

Rebekah received her FNP Graduate degree from Gonzaga University in 2018. Prior to pursuing her FNP Degree, Rebekah has been a Registered Nurse for 15 years, working in all areas of care (Med.Surg, ER, Surgical Services, etc).

Rebekah grew up in St. Maries and is so excited to give back and serve patients in the community that she loves!

Please join us in welcoming Rebekah to our team!

To schedule an appointment with FNP Rebekah Myers, please call our St. Maries Family Medicine Clinic at: 208-245-2591.

BCH Raises 2,523.2 Pounds of Food for Local Food Banks

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BCH is proud to announce that we raised 2,523.2 pounds of food to be donated to the St. Maries and Upriver Food Banks! Our Staff, Medical Staff, and Board Members really stepped up to give back to our community!

Every year, St. Maries High School has a rivalry event with Kellogg High School, “Brawl for the Ball.” As a part of this event, the communities have a food drive competition to see who can raise the most food for their community’s food bank. BCH was asked to participate this year and challenged Valley Vista Care Center to see who could raise the most food for the food bank. BCH beat Valley Vista in this challenge raising 2,523.2 pounds of food. BCH thanks Valley Vista for accepting our challenge and for raising over 2,000 pounds of food as well!

Once again, our community proves to be amazing! St. Maries High School reported that our community raised over 20,000 pounds of food for the local food banks! Unfortunately, St. Maries did lose this competition to Kellogg, as they raised over 22,000 pounds for their food bank. Two communities gained an amazing benefit from this rivalry event!

BCH supports our Community and our Schools. GO LUMBERJACKS!

Liz Sellers takes helm at Benewah Community

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With nearly two decades of hospital administration experience, Liz Sellers took the helm of Benewah Community Hospital this week.

Ms. Sellers has held multiple administrative positions, including Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Operating Officer in addition to serving as interim CEO for a collective five years. Her transition into the management position of BCH was a natural one – much like the move from her long-time Colorado home to St. Maries.

“My husband and I got to come up and visit the area, and we love St. Maries,” she said. “It is comparable to where I’m from. We love the outdoors and activities like riding motorcycles, hiking and running.”

Ms. Sellers has a master’s degrees in Nursing and Health Administration and is excited about overseeing the St. Maries hospital. A bulk of her career was spent at Southwest Health Systems in Cortez, Colorado where she worked three decades and served as CCO, CNO and was a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Ms. Sellers said the most pressing issue that she sees at Benewah Community Hospital is the community utilizing the facility’s services. She plans to engage the public directly with forums where she hopes those interested can attend and provide feedback to the hospital.

“We want to keep people here,” she said. “I want to hear from the community how we can serve it better.”

-St. Maries Gazette Record

Retirement Party – Dr. Rick Thurston, MD

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Join Benewah Community Hospital for a Retirement Party

Honoring Dr. Rick Thurston, MD

When: Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Time: 4pm to 6pm

Where: BCH Main Lobby (College Ave Entrance)

*Light snacks, refreshments, and desserts will be served.

Our Hours Are Changing – Memorial Day Weekend

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Our Hours Are Changing – Memorial Day Weekend

Patient Financial Services St. Maries Family Medicine & Specialty Clinic

CLOSED Monday, May 28, 2018

**Will return to normal business hours the following Tuesday, May 29, 2018

 

Remember: For Medical Emergencies please DO NOT wait for care! Call 911 immediately or visit Benewah Community Hospital Emergency Department Open 24/7