“The fear of regularly-scheduled health screenings in the time of this pandemic is making a huge impact on early diagnosis, when it is easier to treat cancer,” said Nikki Hyatt, ECU Health Cancer Care outreach coordinator.
Dr. Emmanuel Zervos, surgical oncologist for ECU Brody School of Medicine and Vidant, and executive director of ECU Health Cancer Care, echoed those sentiments, noting that early detection leads to improved outcomes.
“Monitoring patients at risk for certain cancers or who meet recommended age criteria is the key to the early detection. Cancer screening is the best way to detect cancer before symptoms arise,” Dr. Zervos said. “The easiest cancer to treat is the one that never happens. The later we diagnose a cancer, the more limited and less effective treatment options become.”
Screening is recommended as early as age 30 for some cancers, especially in higher risk patients as part of their regular health routine. The American Cancer Society is now recommending PSA testing beginning as early as age 40 for high risk patients like African-American males with strong family histories of prostate cancer.
For breast cancer, mammography screening should begin at age 40 for normal risk patients and 30 for patients with known genetic mutations or syndromes or a history of radiation treatment to their chest between the ages of 10 and 30.
Dr. Zervos shared that anytime you are experiencing symptoms before the recommended age of screening, you should consult your primary care physician. Certain risk factors including race, family history, smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol all factor in to the need to initiate cancer screenings.
For those concerned about their risk for cancer, the Vidant Cancer Prevention Clinic is open and offers information about cancer prevention as well as treatment resources. For more information about the programs and resources at ECU Health Cancer Care, please call 816-RISK (7475).
From February to April, routine cancer screenings dropped 90 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but cancer is not going away. Read more »
Typically, these conversations and meetings would come at various ECU Health Cancer Care events but since the onset of COVID-19, in-person group gatherings have been put on hold.
Dale Naylor, a breast cancer survivor, said after the last meeting at ECU Health Medical Center in early March, she made it about a month before she had to get out and see what she calls “her family” in the survivorship group. The group has set up in front of FreshVibes once a week since early April to get together and enjoy each other’s company while practicing social distancing.
“It started with two pickup trucks, we were sitting on the tailgates,” Naylor said. “The next week when we came, we sat out in a parking space and put some chairs out and we’ve been doing it ever since the first week of April.”
The group has been finding some sense of normalcy in these get-togethers and sharing in each other’s journey is helping everyone through a challenging time.
Naylor said the best part about the group is how close they have become and their openness and honesty with one another.
“It’s wonderful because not only have we experienced similar journeys, but we’ve grown into a very cohesive group. It’s like missing part of your family,” Naylor said. “This has pretty much helped all of us stay sane, so to speak.”
Along with these weekly informal meet ups, the group has been meeting with Jenny Higgins, a psychosocial support and survivorship coordinator with Vidant Health, via video conferences for different classes each week.
“Right now, we’re doing everything via (video calls), we do knitting together, journaling, art class and now we’re doing yoga. It’s good to have some kind of normalcy,” said Charlotte Forjoe, a breast cancer survivor.
Forjoe said she received her care at Vidant and the patient-centered approach, from the attitude of valet service to the personal touch of the doctors, made all the difference. The services available through the survivorship program have been crucial for Forjoe.
“These classes that are free to us, it was a way for us to come together and we all had a common bond – and that was cancer,” Forjoe said. “Family is great, but people who have experienced it and that you can talk to and be open with, without judgement, that’s what you need sometimes.
“Even though I had family, I kind of gravitated more toward this group. They became my extended family and the family that I needed at that time to help me emotionally through it,” Forjoe said.
Like Naylor, Forjoe said the group has become an extension of her family and having the extra support system in place has helped her through her cancer journey.
She said she even makes a point to seek out patients at Vidant and in the community to tell them about the program and let them know of upcoming events.
“I’m that much of a believer in what Vidant offers and what they give to you as you’re going through that process,” Forjoe said.
For Forjoe, the survivorship group is about much more than surviving after a cancer diagnosis. She sees herself, and the other members of the survivorship group, taking advantage of a new outlook on life, and truly thriving.
“I’m a thriver. I’m going to live life,” Forjoe said. “To me, just surviving means you’re going through life, but I’m thriving, I’m going, and I’m not going to let cancer stop me or beat me. So I’m thriving – and we all are.”
“I enjoy being outside, a lot,” said Paul Johnson, a transport RN with Vidant EastCare.
It’s one the perks for Johnson.
“I am not found of heights, I don’t like flying but it was worth it,” Johnson said.
The Bertie County native is no stranger to doing what it takes to get the job done.
“It looks pretty ridiculous, the moustache does,” Johnson said, “but that’s kind of what I’m going for, too. A little bit of fun.”
A little bit of fun – and a look that’s a lot different these days.
“Full beard – I tried to keep it somewhat trimmed but maybe not much – it was pretty scraggly,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed it. I quit shaving the day I got out of the Army and didn’t have to shave any more.”
That was 11 years ago – until COVID-19 and the need for all health care workers to wear a mask and other protective equipment.
“Saw the cases pick up in the state, certainly across the country and it was like, ‘Well, if I haven’t transported one of these patients it’s just going to be a matter of time,’” Johnson said.
So the beard had to go, to help ensure the proper fit of the masks necessary to help keep Paul, his colleagues and the patients they transport safe.
“The N-95 seals around the perimeter, the bridge of your nose and around here,” Johnson said.
Going facial hair free for ENC was easier said than done for communications specialist Jack Moye.
“You trim it, and you make sure it looks just right and you pet it – but yeah, it’s hard,” Moye said. “When you’re looking in the mirror and you’re about to make that first cut, it’s very difficult to do.”
Luckily Paul and Jack are in good company. EMTs, pilots, paramedics, at least one person in every EastCare role has done the same. It’s a show of solidarity and a commitment to one another and the patients Vidant serves.
“If we start getting sick, there’s not going to be anybody to bring these patients into the hospital,” Johnson said. “If nurses in the hospital start getting sick, there’s not going to be anybody to take care of those patients – we need to at least stay healthy as long as we can.”
The team mentioned they appreciate all of the community support being shown to health care workers on the front lines. As they go facial hair free for ENC, they encourage everyone to do their part, by social distancing and staying home to stop the spread.
Vidant EastCare travels more than 900,000 miles a year – and handles more than 10,000 patient transports by air and ground combined.
“The virus is still present in our community and it is spreading, at a faster rate than before,” Brian Floyd, president of ECU Health Medical Center said.
Which is why staying ahead of increasing cases of COVID-19 is so important.
“At the outset of our awareness of COVID-19, the teams at Vidant Health came together and said, ‘what will be necessary to prevent its spread in the East?’ And one of the key objectives would be to find it, find it fast and know where it is so we can minimize it,” Floyd said.
Enter rapid testing and the ability to screen for COVID-19 across the region.
“We have a large-scale testing capability, so if there is a concern we want our public to seek out testing so that we can help make sure that we find, and minimize the spread of this virus in our region,” Floyd said.
Because the faster it’s found, the faster it can be dealt with.
“That’s what Vidant has been building,” Floyd said. “Thousands of tests can be done a day and returned within 24 hours because of the investments we made in building up this capability very early in the COVID-19 battle.”
In addition to rapid testing, Vidant is the only health system to partner with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on their community testing initiative.
Having testing centers in place across the East is an important part of facing the pandemic heat-on. But it’s not a battle that can be won by hospitals and health systems alone.
“So it’s really important that we wash our hands frequently, we socially distance, and that we wear masks when around other people to help prevent the spread,” Floyd said.
As temperatures climb in late summer, it is critical to take precautions to keep everyone safe. Read more »
Susan Houston, lifestyle nurse specialist at Vidant, joined WITN for Healthy Habits segment Tuesday morning to discuss prevention of Type 2 diabetes and an upcoming Diabetes Prevention Program. She said it comes down to small changes we can makes each day, an improved diet and more exercise.
“The main two things would be moving a little bit more, 150 minutes per week is the bare minimum that we should be aiming for to help prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes,” Houston said. “Paying attention to the foods and drinks that we choose, because it’s all about choice, trying to limit carbohydrates. If there’s one thing with drinks you could avoid, it’s drinks that are heavy in the carbs and calories.”
Houston said another piece to avoiding Type 2 diabetes is taking care of your emotional well-being. During COVID-19, we know that anxiety and other mental health challenges can be exacerbated. These can affect how our bodies deal with sugar. Keeping tabs on your mental health is important in so many ways, including your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Another important health habit is getting enough good sleep, Houston said.
“If we don’t have good sleep hygiene, that also can impact our internal stuff,” Houston said. “The stuff we don’t see is the stuff that’s really sneaky for Type 2 diabetes.”
Vidant Health is offering a free year-long Diabetes Prevention Program, and it is all about lifestyle changes each of us can make to help prevent Type 2 diabetes. The virtual program begins on August 27 and September 10 and is open to eligible participants who are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
If you answer yes to five or more of the below questions, you are eligible for the free program:
- Are you over 40?
- Are you male?
- Are you a female with gestational diabetes?
- Do you have a parent with diabetes?
- Do you have high blood pressure?
- Are you physically inactive?
- Are you overweight?
If you are interested in the program, please call 252-847-5590 to be connected with a wellness navigator or visit TINY.CC/VIDANTDPP for more information and to inquire about the program.
Our capacity to test, not only for COVID, but other viruses such as the flu, is instrumental in keeping our communities safe, improving our economy and mitigating the risks we face as we plan for the future. Having the capacity to broadly and frequently test protects those we love.
To build a community response, we needed to know how prevalent the virus was in the region and to achieve this we had to increase testing capacities. We collaborated with East Carolina University, Thermo Fisher Scientific, GenMark Diagnostics, The Blood Connection, the Mayo Clinic and others to help build accurate, dependable testing tools needed to care for the 1.4 million people in our region.
Testing for COVID-19 comes in different shapes and sizes. A local company, Thermo Fisher was instrumental in helping us build the backbone of our large-scale testing capacity at nearly 5,000 tests a day. With their technology, we are able to test a large number of patients and get those that tested positive the care they needed. This ability is one reason Vidant was selected by the state of North Carolina to help with testing in historically underserved communities.
Chronic conditions did not disappear when COVID-19 arrived. Health events like strokes, heart attacks, diabetic episodes were still affecting those we love. GenMark Diagnostics, a company that develops state-of-the-art testing systems, helped us implement molecular testing capabilities for all Vidant hospitals. This helps quickly test those needing emergency care. In the fall, it will just as quickly help us identify patients that have potentially serious respiratory pathogens such as the flu, RSV, pneumonia, or COVID-19 with a single test.
COVID-19 serological antibody testing is a phrase we will all hear more about moving forward. This testing helps identify people who have had the virus in the past by looking for antibodies, which are left behind once a patient recovers. These antibodies are important in helping the health care community learn more about the virus and create vaccines and treatments, which will make a global difference.
Our partners at The Blood Connection, the primary supplier of blood products for Vidant, also offers serological testing and accepts blood donations to help gather these antibodies and provide them to our lab. At Vidant, we collaborated with ECU and The Mayo Clinic in Clinical Trials to analyze these antibodies and put this knowledge to use.
Testing is the foundation of our community response. Our ability to test is already helping us protect organizations and local businesses as they implement their strategies for safe openings. This in turn will help support our economy. The amazing collaboration between Vidant and all of our partners provides us with dependable testing we need to make a difference in the region we proudly serve.
Michael Waldrum, MD, is chief executive officer of Vidant Health.
Read more in The Daily Reflector
As COVID-19 cases continue to escalate across the country it has become painfully obvious that our loved ones with chronic conditions, especially in older populations, are particularly vulnerable to this virus. Cases continue to increase in the state, in our region and here in our local community. The risk is the highest it has ever been and the virus is spreading. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we must continue to prioritize and protect the most vulnerable among us.
Wearing a mask in public is an important step in helping control the spread of COVID-19 and protecting our loved ones. We have all worked together in recent weeks to keep the curve flat by practicing social distancing, washing hands and avoiding large crowds. Now that our economy is reopening and we are seeing an increase in spread, we must continue to practice these safety measures and make them a priority. Masks are especially important when social distancing is not possible, when entering or exiting businesses and for employees who interact with customers. Masking allows us to open local businesses safely.
Masking and screening also has allowed Vidant to safely accommodate one healthy adult visitor in certain areas within hospitals and clinics for patients requiring support. Our expanded visitor restriction exceptions, which went into effect Friday at VMC and go into effet Tuesday at all other Vidant hospitals and clinics, are a result of our ability create a safe environment. We require masking for everyone in Vidant facilities and it has proven to be effective in preventing transmission.
Limiting visitation is one example of how this virus has upended our lives. It has been a very difficult and emotional concern and our ability to expand restrictions exceptions is directly linked to the ability to keep the spread from escalating.
These are unprecedented times and eastern North Carolina is resilient. Our success at keeping COVID-19 from spreading is dependent on our commitment to continue working together and taking simple steps to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the communities we care about.
Thank you for continuing to stand up for eastern North Carolina.
Brian Floyd, RN, MBA, is president of ECU Health Medical Center. Learn how to make a cloth mask, how to take care of if and wear it properly at vidanthealth.com/covidresources. For information on visitor restrictions, visit vidanthealth.com/alerts.
Susan Carson and the Environmental Services team she supports take pride in the important roles they play at ECU Health Medical Center
“We make sure that it’s safe and clean environment for our patients and our families to come and rest and get better,” said Carson, manager of Environmental Services at ECU Health Medical Center.
And never has what they do been more important.
“They are in the bottom of the trenches every day, having to come in here and do what it takes to keep this whole facility safe,” Carson said.
COVID-19 has required all hospitals and health systems to rethink just about everything – including how they keep facilities clean.
“It’s a hospital but it’s also a hospital that has never encountered this type of disease before,” Carson said. “Therefore, what we used to use yesterday is not effective in today. So we have to go and reach higher, do more, do it better.”
“That is their specialty, that’s what they do,” said Dr. Julie Kennedy Oehlert, Chief Experience Officer at Vidant Health, “And I also think their extra attention to high-touch surfaces, things you don’t think about that people touch, because remember the virus can live on surfaces like the elevator buttons, like door handles and all of that extra special attention is what keeps us all really safe.”
Vidant has taken a number of precautions to keep everyone who comes through their doors safe – this includes universal screening and masking, to protect against this airborne virus; visitor restrictions and keeping COVID-19 patients separate from everyone else; and investing in disposable cleaning tools and new technology.
“We did add Solaris machines, which are UV cleaning machines for our ORs and COVID rooms, after our COVID-positive patients leave and go home, because that’s what we want them to do,” Dr. Oehlert said.
And while these behind-the-scenes teams focus on keeping the environment safe – they never lose sight of the human side of health care.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is, tomorrow is not promised,” Carson said. “Make the best of each day, and do what you can do to make someone’s day brighter.”