Sharing and encouragement.
Seated (from left) are Annotto Bay Hospital sta members
Melissa Lee, RN; Roselean Phillips, RN; OB-GYN Danielle Robinson; and anesthesiologist Cho Cho Soe.
Standing (from left) are Aspen Surgery Center representatives LaurenceWeekes, MD, and Jeanine
Maurer, RN; and Annotto Bay Hospital general surgeon Tun Tun Oo.
For a team of medical professionals from
a small hospital on the northeast coast of
Jamaica, a visit to the Aspen Surgery Center
in the late fall of 2011 was a source of
education and inspiration.
For Simi Valley Hospital and Aspen
Surgery Center surgeon Laurence Weekes,
MD, the visit was part of his ongoing
commitment to the health of the residents
of the Caribbean island nation nearly
3,000
miles from Simi Valley.
The team from Jamaica’s 119-bed
Annotto Bay Hospital included two
surgeons, one anesthesiologist
and two nurses. They watched as
Dr. Weekes performed two laparoscopic
cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal)
procedures, and they also observed
pre-operative and recovery procedures
at the center. In addition, they toured
the hospital and learned about the
mammography equipment in the Nancy
Reagan Breast Center.
After spearheading the e ort to open
the rst-ever laparoscopic surgery center at
Annotto Bay Hospital in 2003, Dr. Weekes
has worked tirelessly to educate medical
professionals in the intricacies of laparoscopic
procedures. Every year, he and a medical
Jamaican medical
team visits Aspen
Surgery Center
team visit Jamaica to perform surgeries and
work with local medical professionals to
teach them and encourage them in their
work. The group also brings donatedmedical
equipment with them to give to the hospital.
Dr. Weekes’ e orts in Jamaica and
the local visits from the Jamaican
medical professionals have been aided
by the Jamaica Awareness Association
Southern California’s warm climate draws
visitors from around the world and makes
this a wonderful place to live year-round.
But, as is often the case, too much of a
good thing can be a problem. As summer
rolls around, it’s time to take steps to
prevent heat-related illnesses, which can
range from annoying to life-threatening.
“
While we usually think of heat
illnesses in terms of people who work or
exercise outdoors, they can also occur
in people who work indoors in hot and
humid environments, such as laundries,
bakeries or factories,” said Alfred Yu, MD,
medical director of Simi Valley Hospital’s
Emergency Department.
Know the signs.
Heat stroke is the
most serious heat illness, Dr. Yu said. It
occurs when the body can’t control its
temperature, which can rise to critical
levels in just 10 to 15 minutes. Symptoms
include a high body temperature,
confusion, a throbbing headache and
slurred speech. A person may sweat
profusely or stop sweating while the skin
turns dry and hot.
“
If someone is su ering from heat stroke,
move him or her to a cool area and call for
medical help,”Dr. Yu advised.“Put a cold, wet
cloth or ice over his or her body, or soak the
person’s clothing with cold water.”
Heat exhaustion is another serious
condition, caused by the body’s loss of
water and salt. Symptoms include a rapid
heartbeat, heavy sweating and weakness.
The person may become dizzy, vomit or
faint.
“
Take a victim of heat exhaustion
to a shady area to rest and o er water,”
Dr. Yu said. “Apply cold cloths to the body,
and accompany the person to a clinic or
emergency department for treatment.”
While not normally life-threatening,
heat cramps cause pain or spasms in the
abdomen, arms or legs. Someone with
heat cramps should sit in a cool place and
drink water or juice. If cramps don’t subside
within an hour, seek medical care, Dr. Yu
advised.
Lowest on the heat threat scale is heat
rash, or prickly heat, which is caused by
sweating. Prickly or itchy clusters of red
blisters usually disappear after the person
cools down. Applying powder can ease
discomfort, but avoid moistening the area
with ointment or cream, Dr. Yu said. These
will only make the irritation worse.
Take steps to beat heat-related illnesses
of California (JAAC). On its website, the
group says its vision is “to have the local
Jamaican community work alongside the
Los Angeles community at large, in an
e ort to aid the less fortunate, and also
to have a better understanding of each
other’s culture.” Two members of the JAAC
visited Aspen Surgery Center along with
the Jamaican medical team.
your health
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