Kids, Parents and Drugs

What do you do if your child asks you a direct question like “have you ever used drugs?” and your truthful answer is “yes”? Pediatrician Dr. Perri Klass recently addressed this issue. Honesty is important for our children even if we still want to prevent them from taking their own risks. As a pediatric resident, Klass was asked this question herself so knows it is likely to arise. One way of dealing with this is that we know much more about substance abuse now than we did then. So we can explain that we had no way of knowing what the damage would be back then. Things are different now, for our children. For example, today, scientists understand way more about the neurobiology of the brain of a teenager and the impact of drug and alcohol abuse this has on it. We now know that it is not until 20 that the brain ceases development so such experiments at 16 for example, could be extremely detrimental. The best way to stay healthy is to maintain health through preventive measures. In addition, one never knows what they are going to be negatively affected by before trying it so the education we should be giving to our children is that the risk is just too high.

Advances in US Health Care Reform and New York-Presbyterian Hospital

There have been some tremendous advances in America’s health care reform which have led to the country’s 70 million children receiving coverage to meet their specific needs. Timely access is what will often save lives. This has resulted in “two patients from NewYork-Presbyterian/Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health and NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and their families went to Washington, D.C., to discuss their personal health care stories with lawmakers who are carefully monitoring how health reform implementation rolls out.” These families are Castro and McKiever (along with 30 other families from America). The obstacles that still remain include: inadequate amount of pediatric doctors; insufficient reimbursement from Medicaid for pediatric care; lack of consistency for quality measures and incentives across states; threat of more state-level Medicaid cuts.

Beware of Outdoor Accidents This Summer

The sun is shining, your kids are desperate to go out and you love sitting outdoors. But you should be aware that there are many little mishaps that could potentially ruin your carefree summer activity. While there is no doubt (and studies have proven this) that kids do better in the classroom when they’ve had time outdoors, one should always remember to take special care when kids are outdoors. Ensure that you take a few tips into consideration as a preventive measure of going to the ER. Let your kids have a great summer, but make sure they do it safely and if something does happen untoward, be in the know about the best and fastest way to react. If necessary, don’t hesitate, just go straight to the ER.

Josyann Abisaab and the American University of Beirut

Josyann Abisaab studied at the American University of Beirut, from where she graduated with a BS (Distinction) in 1984. Recent news from the university is that Dr. Fuad N. Ziyadeh (chair of the Department of Internal Medicine) was appointed a member of the International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM) Oversight Committee. For the university this appointment means that it is now part of “an international assessment of medical students.” For Ziyadeh, this is quite an honor since he is the only individual on this committee selected from outside North America and Europe. And for the university it’s great, as, according to AUB Faculty of Medicine’s Dean, Dr. Mohamed H. Sayegh, Raja N. Khuri, it “makes AUB a key player in international medical education.”

Staying Motivated for Morning Workouts

It's never easy to get out of bed in the morning, but it's often even harder if you plan to exercise first thing in the morning. This blog offers some great tips for staying motivated with your morning workout and keeping yourself to your routine.

Reduction of ER Visits at NY Presbyterian Hospital

A report in May 2010 showed that there has been a significant reduction in emergency room visits and hospitalizations – up to 50 percent – at the NY Presbyterian Hospital. Much effort has been undertaken to achieve this result, with a partnership forming between the Ambulatory Care Network at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Washington Heights/Inwood community, to form the Washington-Heights Inwood Network (aptly known as WIN) for Asthma program. This spells good news for all those associated with the hospital, especially those working in the ER department like Josyann Abisaab, Assistant Attending Physician.

“The program began in May 2006 to improve outcomes for children with poorly controlled asthma by providing culturally relevant asthma education. To date, Community Health Workers have enrolled 400 families. Families who completed the one-year program reported a greater than 50 percent drop in emergency room visits, a greater than 50 percent drop in hospitalization and a 30 percent drop in school absenteeism. Caregivers also reported that they were significantly more confident in caring and controlling their child's asthma after participating in the program.” For more information on this venture, visit: http://nyp.org/news/hospital/win-asthma-program.html

Josyann Abisaab and New York Hospital

The New York-Presbyterian Hospital where Josyann Abisaab serves as an ER doctor, was named to the America’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll. This is not the first time the hospital has been honored in this way. The hospital last year boasted “strong scores in many specialty rankings.” The hospital houses 2,192 beds and in 2007 undertook 10,4924 surgeries.

Josyann Abisaab and New York ER

Josyann Abisaab, a doctor at the hospital’s ER, can take pride in how well the new York-Presbyterian serves its public. For example, in 2007 her department dealt with a staggering 24,0331visits, suggesting it has the resources to take care of a tremendous amount of work. As well, it serves as a teaching hospital and accredited by the CARF and Joint Commission. So of course no one ever wants to have to go to a hospital, but if a visit has to be made, the New York Presbyterian Hospital certainly has a pretty good reputation.