Page 13 - Mecklenburg_Medicine_January-2016

At the Hospitals
n Drug that Counteracts Opioid-
Related Overdoses Is Now
Available at Walgreens
Naloxone is a drug that reverses the
effects of an opioid overdose. Until recently,
Naloxone has been hard to get in Mecklenburg
County, but now the Walgreens at 8538
N. Tryon St. in Charlotte will carry the
medication over the counter.
This new offering is available thanks to the
partnership between Walgreens and Carolinas
HealthCare System. Working together, they’ve
set up this first-in-the-state Naloxone program
to provide an effective resource for opioid users. the AAFP Degree of Fellow, an earned degree
North Carolina has been one of the early
adopters of Naloxone use as a harm-reduction
tactic in the South. According to an article in
N.C. Health News, “At least 792 people in
North Carolina unintentionally overdosed from
opioids in 2012, a number that has decreased
since a peak death toll of 836 in 2008. Naloxone
advocates say distribution of the medication
has played a part in that decrease, along with
efforts to educate doctors on better prescription
habits for opiates and efforts to educate people
in the community about naloxone.”
n Maureen Murphy Named 2016
Family Physician of the Year
The American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP) has given its highest
honor to a family physician whose journey
into medicine was anything but typical.
Maureen E. Murphy, MD, of Cabarrus Family
Medicine, began her career in journalism and
public relations, but was named the AAFP’s
national 2016 Family Physician of the Year.
The award honors one outstanding
American family physician who
provides patients with compassionate,
comprehensive care, and serves as a role
model in his or her community and to other
health professionals. She accepted the
award during the AAFP’s annual meeting,
the Family Medicine Experience.
Murphy began her career as a television
reporter in Joplin, Mo., in the early 1970s, and
later became a public relations professional
in the Kansas City area. She re-enrolled in
college to complete the necessary science
courses, took the Medical College Admission
Test and was accepted at the University
of Kansas School of Medicine. Determined
to become a family physician, Murphy
graduated in 1985 with her medical degree
and an award for Outstanding Student in
Family Practice.
It was her acceptance into the
Duke University Family Medicine
Residency Program that brought her
to North Carolina, where she has
remained since completing residency
in 1988. Murphy is board-certified by the
American Board of Family Medicine and has
awarded to family physicians for distinguished center, has about 15,000 trauma admissions
service and continuing medical education.
n Carolinas HealthCare System
Recognized Among Most Connected
Hospitals in the Nation
Carolinas HealthCare System has received
recognition for two hospitals, Carolinas
Medical Center and Carolinas HealthCare
System Lincoln, by U.S. News and World
Report as being among a leading group of
hospitals and healthcare systems recognized
for excellence in the quality of care they
provide being driven by the innovative use
of technology.
The System recently unveiled OpenNotes
on its patient portal, MyCarolinas. Patients
can view their doctor’s notes and radiology
reports online. Another benefit keeping
patients connected is the MyCarolinas
Tracker app. Patients can store and track all
their data from FitBit or Runkeeper on the
app and on a dashboard on MyCarolinas.
In addition to the recognition from U.S.
News & World Report, nine Carolinas
HealthCare System hospitals and 230
practices have achieved HIMSS Stage 7 this
year, the highest level of electronic medical
record adoption.
n Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon Helps
RESTORE Central America
Joseph R. Hsu, MD, orthopedic trauma
surgeon at Carolinas Medical Center,
is helping bring hospitals in Central
America sustainable surgical capabilities
through the organization, RESTORE
Mecklenburg Medicine • January 2016 | 13
(Reconstructive Surgery and Transmission
of Operative Resources). Dr. Hsu founded
and is director of RESTORE, which aims
to enhance the resource-limited Central
American hospital in Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, through a combination of
education and volunteer efforts.
RESTORE began in 2011 as part of
philanthropic “medical readiness missions”
that were carried out by the United States
Army at Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa.
Hsu’s inspiration for developing RESTORE
stemmed from his experiences in helping
injured civilians during his deployments to
Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006, and from
mission trips to Hospital Escuela. Hospital
Escuela, a community hospital and trauma
each year.
Over the past three years, with support
from Carolinas HealthCare System’s
International Medical Outreach Program,
RESTORE has evolved to include a focus
on limb reconstruction work, which is
one of Hsu’s areas of surgical expertise.
He received training for reconstruction
techniques in Italy and Russia, using the
“Ilizarov method” of bone regeneration to
lengthen or reshape bone and soft tissue. For
more information about RESTORE, visit
http://heineman.org/restore-central-america/.
Charlotte AHEC Course Offerings
Charlotte AHEC is part of the N.C. Area Health Education Centers
(AHEC) Program and Carolinas HealthCare System.
UPCOMING
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
1/16 Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement Course
for Physicians
2/6 Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute Cardiovascular
Symposium 2016
2/19-20 Utilization of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and
Gynecology 2016
Online DOT Medical Examiners Course
Online Social Media: Risks & Benefits for Physicians
Online Prevention and Management of Concussion/Mild
Traumatic Brain Injury
Online Motor Vehicle Crash Victims
For more information or to register for these courses,
call 704-512-6523 or visit www.charlotteahec.org.