Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital continues to provide excellent care in ice storm

Dec. 22, 2013 - 5:30 p.m.

Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital campus' regular power remains on.    Services remain open.


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Dec. 22, 2013 

Community update - 9:45 a.m.  

Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital campus staff and physicians have responded excellently during the ice storm the area has experienced this weekend. 

Babies were born and patients cared for as usual while the hospital was on back-up generator power overnight Saturday-Sunday. 

Regular power is back on this morning (Dec.22), with the back-up generator ready to re-engage if required. 

Rouge Valley Health System President and CEO Rik Ganderton said senior management is proud of the hospital's ongoing response in this extreme weather situation.
Rouge Valley Centenary's power remains on as normal and has not been impacted. 

The hospital will continue to provide updates on its blog, website and social media.

News media may call David Brazeau at 647-294-8885, or at dbrazeau@rougevalley.ca. 

David Brazeau

Director

Public Affairs, Community Relations and Telecommunications 

Rouge Valley Health System

647-294-8885

dbrazeau@rougevalley.ca   

www.rougevalley.ca       

Facebook/Twitter/Blogspot/Flickr/YouTube 

The best at what we do.  

CHEER up this holiday season

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By Lindsay Drysdale
Healthy Workplace Engagement Coordinator
Rouge Valley Health System

The holidays seem to sneak up on us and suddenly you’re stressing to get things done while trying to keep some semblance of balance.  It’s easy to get burned out this time of year, but with a little planning, stress can be managed.  To help you master the holiday madness, remember to CHEER up! Here are some tips on how to keep your sanity this holiday season:

1.     Create a budget. When it’s time to get your holiday shopping done, start with making a budget. Know exactly how much you plan to spend and stick to it. Create a shopping list in advance so you can avoid impulse purchases, and consider placing your shopping money and list in an envelope (tucked somewhere safe, of course) so you can keep track of your spending.

2.     (Ask for) Help. You’re only one person – you can’t expect to do everything yourself! Write a list of tasks and chores that need to be completed and divide them among your family.  Hosting a get-together? Make it a potluck!  Asking each guest to bring a dish gives you less to worry about and also eases the strain on your wallet. 

3.     Eat healthy.  It’s okay to indulge, but sometimes we use the holidays as an excuse to overdo it.  Eating in moderation is important, so have a healthy snack before you leave the house to avoid temptation later. And if you go out to eat, opt for a salad over fries, and skip dessert. When grabbing a treat, pick something with nuts for protein, or dark chocolate for antioxidants. Between all the sweets and carbohydrates, try snacking on some “super foods” like berries, rooibos or green tea, tomatoes, etc. to give your immune system the extra boost to help fend off stress and illness.

4.     Exercise. You can still make time to be active despite the cold weather and holiday madness! Grab a buddy and go for walk, take the kids skating, or try climbing the stairs twice when going between floors at work. Active living doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym; activity can be in 10-minute gaps throughout the day and planning your time in advance will help you stick to your goals. It’s also a great way to relieve stress!

5.     Relax.  Whether it’s reading a book, exercising, baking or watching a movie, do something every day that is just for you.  If you’re feeling burned out, reach out to your family or friends and ask for their support.  Their help will make it easier for you to find a few minutes to breathe. Taking time for yourself will relieve stress and keep your mental fitness in check.

The holidays: A time of joy, or a time of fear (of gaining weight)?

By Jennifer Lane, registered dietitian, Rouge Valley Health System

The holiday season is a time for enjoying the company of friends and family, and sharing food and drink aplenty.  But for some, this also means a fear of gaining weight.  Here are a few tips on how to survive the holiday season, without the risk of increasing a dress or pant size.

1. Never go to an event hungry.  A healthy snack of veggies and hummus or fruit and yogurt will prevent you from overindulging on the higher calorie treats that are sure to be on the menu.

2. Don’t drink all your extra calories.  The specialty cocktails and liqueurs are the ones that have the most calories.  If you choose to consume alcohol, have a mixed drink of hard liquor, like vodka and diet soda, or club soda with lemon or lime, and go easy.

3. Be selective.  Having a few appetizers can deliver as many calories as an entire meal.  Choose appetizers that are not heavily loaded with fat, like the ones made with brie cheese or pastry. Try choosing veggie spring rolls or appetizers wrapped in lettuce as an alternative.

4.  Plan ahead.  If you know you will be eating more than usual in the evening, choose low-calorie, high-fibre foods for breakfast, lunch and snacks. For example, have steel-cut oats for breakfast, and a large salad with chickpeas for lunch, plus fruit and a low fat yogurt for a snack.  Go to www.myfitnesspal.com to sign up for a free program that helps you plan your daily calorie goals.

5. Be active.  If you plan to overindulge, try to fit in one or two extra workouts for the week. This will combat the extra calories consumed. A 30-minute jog can burn up to a whopping 350 calories!

Whatever you plan for this holiday season, choosing healthy meals while remaining active can help to make your holiday season even brighter, and keep the worry of gaining extra pounds at bay.

Prostate cancer screening: The debate continues

By Dr. Zachary Klinghoffer, Urologist, Rouge Valley Health System

Early detection of prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test has remained a controversial topic for several years. The PSA test is often used as a tool to help detect prostate cancer before men develop symptoms, and before the disease has a chance to spread beyond the prostate.

Most groups agree that the decision to screen for prostate cancer with the PSA test should be the result of a detailed discussion between a man, his physician, and any others who may help the decision-making process, such as a spouse, family member or friend. Various decision aid tools are available to help with this process.

The test cannot provide a definite answer as to whether or not a man has prostate cancer.  In general, the higher the number on the PSA test, the higher the chances of having prostate cancer. However, many men with high numbers do not have prostate cancer (this is called a false positive test), while others with low numbers actually do have prostate cancer (this is called a false negative test).

Several large studies released within the past five years have suggested that using the PSA test to screen for prostate cancer can reduce the number of men who die from this disease. However, these benefits do not come without risks. These same studies suggest that, in order to save one man’s life, a very large number would have to be screened.

Furthermore, some men would be diagnosed with, and potentially treated for, less harmful forms of prostate cancer that may never have had any effect on their lifespans. Numerous medical associations in the U.S. and Canada, such as the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and the Canadian Urological Association, have taken the results of these studies and interpreted them in different ways.

While some take a “men should be screened” or a “men should not be screened” approach, most recognize that the issue is far too complicated to be reduced to a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

As long as a man has been provided with the appropriate information and resources he needs to make a well-informed decision, as well as the time and opportunity to ask questions of his physician, the choice he makes about PSA screening will always be the right one. 

Rouge Valley gets an 'A' in national CBC rating

By Rik Ganderton, President and CEO, RVHS  

The CBC's the fifth estate issued its splash on its hospital survey yesterday. While we have questions about the survey's analytical validity, the old adage of “there is no such thing as bad publicity” comes to mind and in this case the publicity we are receiving is great! 

The CBC's the fifth estate crunched its numbers from the Canadian Hospital Reporting Project by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The result — both of our Rouge Valley hospital campuses got an "A" ranking! 

We have accepted, made use of and “taken it on the chin” from many reports and studies in the past. Many have been positive, some critical and even harsh on us during the past several years, particularly when we started our efforts of constant improvement and patient focus. So it is great to read and see stuff on TV that the gives all of the staff, physicians and volunteers of Rouge Valley such well-earned accolades this week! 

Our Board of Directors, Chief of Staff Dr. Naresh Mohan and I have thanked and recognized our doctors, staff and volunteers for this remarkable achievement. It is a reflection of their focused efforts to provide the best patient experience every day. Dr. Mohan was interviewed by the CBC Wednesday (April 10). We have received very positive news coverage. More of his interview may run on the fifth estate Friday at 9 p.m. 

But we will not rest on our laurels. We are on a journey of continuous improvement to be the best – a journey that still has a way to go. We have much exciting and challenging work ahead of us to reach our goal of defect-free healthcare. 

Constant improvement is our daily mantra here! 

PS - 

Here are some relevant links about this national news story. 

• CBC news article - http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ratemyhospital/story/2013/04/08/hospitals-rankings-story.html  
• The fifth estate ratings of each Rouge Valley hospital campus -- 
• RVAP - http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/features/ratemyhospital/profiles/rouge-valley-ajax-and-pickering-rouge-valley-health-system/  
• RVC - http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/features/ratemyhospital/profiles/rouge-valley-centenary-rouge-valley-health-system/