News from Lifespan

Rhode Island Hospital Conducting Four Clinical Trials to Determine Best Treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Conducting the first treatment study of body dysmorphic disorder in children and adolescents

Martin Miner, M.D., Receives 2012 Men’s Health Award From Massachusetts Medical Society

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Martin M. Miner, M.D., co-director of the Men’s Health Center at The Miriam Hospital, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Men’s Health Award from the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Are Women With a History of Violent Experiences More Likely to Have Risky Sex?

Tue, 8 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Miriam Hospital study offers new insight on known link between exposure to violence and sexual risk-taking

The Miriam Hospital’s “Wine & Dine” Raises More Than $462,000

Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Hospital fundraiser featured live auction, champion chefs challenge, and panel of celebrity judges including chefs from Food Network and Cooking Channel

Rhode Island Hospital Performs Its First Non-Surgical Heart Valve Replacement For Patients With Diseased Heart Valves

Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, TAVR replaces a narrowed or diseased aortic heart valve non-surgically through a catheter that is inserted through the thigh.

Newport Hospital Announces Adult Partial Hospitalization Program

Fri, 4 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Newport Hospital is now offering a new behavioral health outpatient program, the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program, for adults who need structured support to handle their life circumstances but do not need hospitalization.

Following a medical and psychological assessment, each patient has a structured treatment environment on the Newport Hospital campus during the day but returns to his or her home at night and on weekends. Each patient has an individualized treatment plan, from three days to two weeks in duration, depending on that patient’s needs.

Led by a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a social worker, the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program is covered by most health insurance plans. For more information, call 845-1910.

Newport Hospital was founded in 1873 and is Newport County’s only acute care hospital. Located on Powel Avenue in Newport, it is a community hospital with a broad spectrum of health services, including an emergency department, an award-winning birthing center, a behavioral health unit, surgical services, a renowned rehabilitation division, and a full array of outpatient services. Since 2004, Newport Hospital has been designated a Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing care. The hospital became a partner in the Lifespan health system in 1997.

Lifespan and Gateway Healthcare Sign Intent to Affiliate Agreement

Thu, 3 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Agreement will strengthen and expand behavioral health services in Rhode Island

In a move designed to enhance behavioral health care coordination and patient access, Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health care system and Gateway Healthcare, the largest community behavioral health care organization in Rhode Island, have signed a letter of intent to affiliate. The affiliation is intended to help make behavioral health care services more accessible, affordable and financially sustainable in this evolving health care marketplace.

Under the proposed affiliation agreement, Gateway Healthcare will become part of Lifespan, which includes Rhode Island Hospital and its pediatric division Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital and Bradley Hospital, the nation’s first psychiatric hospital for children. Gateway Healthcare, which provides integrated treatment and prevention through residential, outpatient and community-based programs that reach more than 15,000 residents annually in 42 locations, will fall under the Lifespan umbrella.

“This is an exciting affiliation for Lifespan and one that builds on our commitment to a new model of health care that provides patients with new ways to access the care they need. This is essential as health care delivery continues to shift outside the traditional hospital setting,” said George Vecchione, Lifespan’s president and CEO. “Gateway Healthcare is well known in the region for providing top-notch care to the vast populations it serves and is a strong advocate for those needing mental health and substance abuse services. We look forward to completing a due diligence process so we can work together to provide even better care to the people of our region.”

According to Richard Leclerc, Gateway’s president, the affiliation with Lifespan will help Gateway maintain its critical role in an increasingly integrated health care delivery system. “By partnering with a system such as Lifespan, Gateway will be positioned for a pivotal role in the care models emerging from national and state health reform,” he said. “These models call for full integration of mental health and substance abuse treatment with primary medical services. Lifespan has the full breadth of services and support to make this a reality.” Leclerc added, “Ultimately, we will be better positioned to fulfill our mission of providing assistance and care to individuals of all ages with behavioral and substance abuse issues throughout Rhode Island.”

This affiliation represents a logical step at a time of limited public resources for behavioral health services and increased calls for interdisciplinary care in which individuals can have all their needs from one system of providers sharing their clinical expertise. Gateway already has gained significant experience through integrated care projects in a variety of health settings, including hospitals, community health centers and private-practice settings.

In addition, Gateway has a demonstrated track record of successful affiliations with other health and human-services organizations in Rhode Island, partnerships that have benefited the patients and families that these providers serve. Among the entities that have become part of Gateway in recent years are Capital City Community Centers, Caritas, Inc., FRIENDS WAY, The Autism Project, New Hope for Families and South Shore Center.

The affiliation with Lifespan will position Gateway to assume a more prominent role in providing behavioral health services in a coordinated fashion that will benefit patients and improve the affordability at a time of increasing health care costs.

More about Lifespan

About Gateway Healthcare
Established in 1995, Gateway Healthcare is Rhode Island’s largest provider of community behavioral healthcare, offering integrated treatment and prevention through residential, outpatient and community-based programs. With its staff of over 700, Gateway’s tenure in the Rhode Island community boasts an annual clientele of over 15,000 unduplicated men, women and children, providing a comprehensive continuum of services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our network of affiliates includes The Autism Project, Capital City Community Centers, Caritas, Inc., FRIENDS WAY, Lighthouse for Youth, New Hope for Families and South Shore Center. Gateway (www.gatewayhealth.org) proudly stands alongside its affiliates in a mutual effort to address creative solutions for community care. This impressive continuum places Gateway at the forefront in assisting individuals in the community in a myriad of ways.

Lifespan to Contribute $2.4M to City of Providence Over Three Years

Tue, 1 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Hospital system is first health care institution to make voluntary payment

Mayor Angel Taveras and Lifespan announced today that the City of Providence and the health care provider have reached an agreement that will have Lifespan contribute $800,000 annually for the next three years in a voluntary agreement. Mayor Taveras heralded the agreement as a groundbreaking partnership that helps Providence immediately. Lifespan, Providence’s largest employer, is the first hospital system to make a voluntary contribution to the city.

“The agreement we have reached with Lifespan is a groundbreaking partnership that helps Providence take another step forward to strengthen our fiscal ground. This agreement is the first between the city and any hospital, and I hope it inspires the other hospitals who rely on a strong Providence to be a part of the solution that positions our capital city for the future,” said Mayor Taveras. “Lifespan has long been a responsible community partner and a leader in the effort to make Providence a healthier city – especially for our most vulnerable neighbors.”

The agreement between Lifespan and Providence is completely voluntary. The hospital system will contribute $2.4 million in the next three years. Citing the three-year period for the agreement, both the Mayor and officials from Lifespan pointed to the uncertainty of the rapidly changing health care environment.

"We recognize that these continue to be challenging times for the city and we understand a strong Providence is central to the health of the entire state." said Scott Laurans, chairman of the Lifespan board of directors. “This is an important time to stand together and we are pleased to work with Mayor Taveras and other city officials to assist in the economic recovery of the capital city. As both the largest health care provider and employer in the state, we have worked diligently to be an economic engine for Rhode Island. Our action today further demonstrates our commitment to help ensure a strong and vital Providence.”

Lifespan is a vital community partner in Providence. The network provides charity care for individuals at or below twice the federal poverty level and offers a sliding scale for individuals up to four times the poverty level. In all, Lifespan spent more than $100 million last year on uncompensated care, which has increased dramatically over the past several years.

In addition, the Lifespan system supports the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence’s Street Workers program by donating the cost of the street workers’ health care premiums – a $150,000 investment each year. The system has also committed $5 million over 10 years as an anchor tenant in the Prairie Avenue Revitalization Initiative. Also, over the past two years Lifespan has moved more than 300 employees to buildings off Allens Avenue, helping to revitalize an underserved area of Providence and contributing important tax dollars to the City of Providence.

Lifespan is an economic driver in Providence. The system is an anchor of the city’s Knowledge District and is a leading source of outside investment for Rhode Island. In 2011, the system received $80 million in out-of-state research funding and employees over 800 researchers and investigators. In addition, Lifespan contributed $65 million to the academic mission and $15 million in additional research funding.

Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center (BHCRC) Launches Specialized Website Focused on Key Children’s Mental Health Research Initiatives

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Universal Video Player (size=medium, align=right, vidPageID=VID000313, background=none, descriptionsEnabled=true, moreVideos=true, captionsEnabled=false, autoStart=false, downloadable=false)Through a new website, the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center (BHCRC) is making it easy to learn about the latest children’s mental health research being conducted by the center’s experts. The site, www.bradleyhasbroresearch.org, focuses on the significant research being conducted by the 20 researchers who are focusing on areas such as autism genetics, bipolar disorder, sleep, anxiety, and early childhood mental health and intervention.

“The researchers and experts at the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center possess a wealth of knowledge when it comes to pioneering research in the realm of children’s mental health,” said Gregory K. Fritz, M.D., director of the BHCRC. “With this new website we are providing a centralized repository of information about our researchers, clinical trials, expert video interviews, news and patient stories. We want to make it easy for people to find the information they need about our research and our team.”

The Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center (BHCRC) is a collaborative group of leading researchers from Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, studying a variety of child development and children’s mental health disorders, including sleep patterns, infant development, the neurobiology of bipolar disorder, genetics of autism, adolescent obesity, OCD, HIV prevention and the psychophysiology of asthma. In 2011, BHCRC investigators had grants totaling more than $9 million. Currently there are more than 60 active research projects being conducted out of the BHCRC.

Key research currently being conducted at the BHCRC includes the work of:

Larry Brown, MD, who is exploring AIDS prevention and safer sex programs for adolescents with psychiatric disorders
Mary Carskadon, PhD, whose research is focused on circadian rhythms in adolescents as a function of puberty and their role in daytime sleepiness patterns
Daniel Dickstein MD, who leads the Pedi-MIND research program, which uses brain imaging techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and behavioral measures to identify biological markers of psychiatric illness, including bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Such markers could help physicians make more accurate diagnoses.

New Construction At The Miriam Hospital Will Renovate And Improve Emergency Department, Cardiac Catheterization Unit

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Community-sensitive project will enhance emergency, cardiac care.

Rhode Island Hospital Researcher: Broadening Bipolar Disorder Criteria is a Bad Idea

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Possible changes in DSM-5 could do more harm than good for patients.

Will Women Use Microbicides to Protect Themselves Against HIV?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Miriam Hospital researchers examine impact of user experience with topical vaginal gels

Curbing College Binge Drinking: What Role Do “Alcohol Expectancies” Play?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Miriam Hospital researchers study impact of social experiments that challenge college students’ beliefs about alcohol

The “D” Word: Should “Diet” Be A Forbidden Word When It Comes To Kids?

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent national obesity trend research has found that approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged two to 19 years old are obese, which is roughly 17 percent of the country’s youth. Based on this research, the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center is offering tips on how parents can help their children who are overweight.

“This alarming obesity trend among children was placed in the national spotlight recently, when a writer for Vogue magazine detailed the year-long diet she placed her 7-year-old daughter on after being told her child was obese,” said Elissa Jelalian, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center. Dr. Jelalian’s current research involves the establishment of a registry to document the accomplishments of successful teen weight losers and conducting an intervention for teens who struggle with depression and weight concerns.

“Many parents are now debating whether diets are appropriate for children, and whether the word ‘diet’ should even be used when referring to children’s eating habits,” said Jelalian. “Addressing weight concerns in a child can be quite challenging for many parents, but it can be done without the stigma of placing your child on a ‘diet,’ a term that can negatively impact children.”

“As parents, we have our own histories with weight and our own more or less complicated relationships with food and eating,” says Jelalian. “It is important to recognize and work with these in order to effectively help our children. Often times, weight management is not a one-time diet attempt, but rather an ongoing effort throughout adulthood.”

Whatever effort is made, it is most important to accept a child for who she or he is regardless of weight. While this seems simple, it can be difficult. “We live in a society that clearly values certain weight ideals, and these biases are apparent from a very young age -- as early as five,” says Jelalian. “In this context, it’s easy to unintentionally provide messages about the values associated with achieving a particular weight. For example, a parent who makes an offhand comment about how a particular pair of pants makes her ‘look fat’ is inadvertently sending a message about what she values.”

Jelalian adds that there are circumstances in which a decrease in body mass index (BMI) may be recommended for children even younger than seven years old. However, because children are continuing to grow, individual recommendations need to take into account both a child's height and weight, as he or she may enter a healthy weight category by simply maintaining the same weight and eventually growing taller.

If a child’s BMI does indicate the need for some weight loss, efforts should always be made in connection with a health care professional or program, and must be a family effort. “A successful weight loss endeavor for children focuses on making changes at a family level, setting up the home environment to maximize the likelihood of making healthy choices, and trying to engage children’s extended social networks in providing support rather than targeting a child,” says Jelalian.

Dr. Jelalian offers the following advice for parents:

Always consult a health care professional before starting a weight management regimen with your child.
Don’t tell your child that you are placing him or her on a “diet.” Children learn by example. Start by serving healthier foods in appropriate portions, encouraging physical activity, and promoting a healthier lifestyle overall, and they will catch on.
Don’t make it a one-time effort to lose weight, but rather an ongoing lifestyle change that can last into adulthood.
Never single out a child alone for weight management. The entire family needs to commit to eating right and attaining a healthy lifestyle together.
Don’t focus on “bad foods” that your child should avoid. Keep things positive and encourage them to eat the right amount of “good foods.” And don’t keep “junk food” in the house.
While limiting high calorie and low nutrient dense foods is key, it is ok to occasionally include these foods. Consider the “We Can!” program from NHLBI (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/index.htm), that categorizes foods as “GO”, “SLOW”, and “WHOA.”
Praise your child for the things he or she does that are healthy, rather than focusing on negative activities, or things that will make them “fat.”
No matter what your child weighs, try to accept him or her for the beautiful and special child that he or she is – and make sure your children know you love them no matter what they look like.

If you need help talking to your child about healthy weight management, call The Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center at 401-793-8993.

Community Donates $611,312 to Eighth Annual Hasbro Children’s Hospital Radiothon

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

More than 40 children with a wide range of medical issues took to the airwaves to share their stories in support of the eighth annual radiothon to benefit Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The community once again generously responded by donating $611,312 to support the vital pediatric care, family programs and leading-edge research at the hospital that serves the surrounding area.

“I am enormously grateful to all the individuals, families and businesses that have supported this amazing event,” said Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Rhode Island Hospital. “Year after year, their generosity reaffirms in the most powerful of ways just how crucial Hasbro Children’s Hospital is to the health and well-being of all the communities we serve.”

The annual radiothon broadcast is a partnership of Providence Cumulus radio stations, Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The two-day event, April 12 and 13, was broadcast live from Hasbro Children’s Hospital for a total of 24 hours. Since the radiothon began in 2005, more than $5 million has been raised. It has been put toward the latest technologies and programs to treat children in the region and to fund research at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The first year of the radiothon set a record as the most successful first-time radiothon for children in North America.

Over the course of the event, broadcast on Cumulus radio stations 92 PRO FM, LITE ROCK 105, NEWS TALK 630 WPRO & 99.7 FM, and FUN 107, young patients and their families told their personal stories of medical triumph, along with their physicians, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, teachers and hospital administrators. Children from cities throughout the region who are, or have been, patients of Hasbro Children’s Hospital shared stories with listeners regarding specialties such as surgery, oncology and neurology.

Robert B. Klein, M.D., pediatrician-in-chief of Hasbro Children’s Hospital, said, “This radiothon would not be possible without our valued partners, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Cumulus radio stations. We are grateful for what their support helps us to make possible.”

Thomas F. Tracy, Jr., M.D., pediatric surgeon-in-chief of Hasbro Children’s Hospital, added, “The generosity of all our supporters allows us to better serve the children and families of our community who are often at their most vulnerable when they come through our doors.”

Barbara Haynes, market manager of Cumulus radio stations said, “Every year the staff of 92 PRO FM, LITE ROCK 105, NEWS TALK 630 WPRO & 99.7 FM, and FUN 107 enthusiastically donate their time and talent to bring this important two-day broadcast to our audience. We are proud to engage the community in a celebration of Hasbro Children’s Hospital. And we are grateful to the fabulous customers of Cumulus who help make the Radiothon such a success—not only through their gifts but through their generosity of spirit.”

During the radiothon, listeners were invited to visit the station websites and social media pages for live blogging, real-time photos, meeting the patients and an opportunity to donate. The event also included visits from players from the New England Patriots, Providence Bruins and New England Revolution.

Photos from the Radiothon for publishing may be found at the following link:
http://www.hasbrochildrenshospital.org/giving/radiothon

Donations are still being accepted through the hospital’s website at: http://www.hasbrochildrenshospital.org/giving/radiothon