Fathers.
Brothers.
Uncles.
Husbands.
Grandfathers.
Stepfathers.
Cousins.
Boyfriends.
Mentors.
Best Friends.
Sons.

There are many roles men play in our lives. Chances are you have at least one of them in yours. But talking about health issues with him (no matter who you are) may present a challenge.

According to a 2019 study by the Cleveland Clinic, you aren’t alone. As AARP’s Healthy Living reported, 50 percent of men in the Baby Boomer generation “won’t discuss health with their male friends because they ‘don’t feel it’s any of their business,’” and a quarter of them don’t talk about  private topics with anyone. Younger generations are a bit more forthcoming, but nearly half of Millennials and 56 percent of Gen Xers surveyed indicated they lacked more than one person with whom they could talk about their health.

Since positive conversation about health matters can be an important part of men’s overall well-being, during Men’s Health Month, we want to provide you with advice about how to do it well.

Arm Them With Information

Young women may be encouraged to have annual visits with a primary doctor or OBGYN starting in their puberty years, but it’s not always so with men. This could mean there are simply things men don’t know about their own health maintenance.

Empowering Intel

• Adults as young as 20 should begin getting lipid panel testing to monitor their cholesterol levels, and continue getting tested every four to six years.
• Men ages 18 to 39 should have their blood pressure checked every two years, switching to yearly checks if it reaches a certain threshold.
• Diabetes screening should happen for adults 40 – 70 years old every three years, but sooner and more frequently if they are overweight.
• Men without a family history of colon cancer or polyps should be screened for colorectal cancer every five to ten years between the ages of 50 to 75.
• Second to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. Fortunately, with early diagnosis from a prostate cancer screening, the 5-year survival rate of prostate cancer is nearly 100%.
• If caught early enough, testicular cancer is almost always curable with proper treatment. And a self-exam is how most cases are detected early.  

Keep It Positive and Encouraging

Fear, discomfort, embarrassment, and uncertainty may be part of why a man won’t visit the doctor. Keeping your conversations positive, caring, and judgment-free will help.

Remind him, as Glenn Good (an expert on masculinity and the psychology of men at the University of Florida) told Huffpost in 2016, that “A truly strong, healthy person embraces routine health care, health consultation and daily healthy habits to truly protect his body, not just his own self-image.”

Help him remember too that good friends (and relatives, and partners) only want to support him in what’s best for his longevity — whether he’s struggling physically or mentally.

Show Him He’s Not Alone

Healthiness loves company, so become his partner in total wellness. Appointment-making, transport, and follow-ups can be a part of everyone’s household upkeep — including his.

And whether you’re a concerned woman or man in his life, you can lead by your own example, or set up a friendly competition around health goals for the year.

Whatever check-ups, tests, or answers to questions are needed, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes is here to provide high-quality care. We offer a wide range of services, including Radiology, Surgical, Family Practice, and Acute Care, and look forward to caring for him (and you).

Learn more about LifeBrite

Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher, operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, and Lifebrite Laboratories. To learn more about our services and facilities, visit our website or call 229-723-4241.

You probably don’t need experts like those at the Mayo Clinic, the CDC, or even Time magazine to tell you the many benefits of regular exercise:

• Helps maintain a healthy body weight
• Strengthens muscles and bones
• Staves off some chronic diseases
• Elevates mood and helps reduce stress
• Can even be fun and serve as a way to connect with others

Likely, you can rattle some of them off in your sleep. But getting started with an exercise program — regardless of your age or fitness level — can feel like an uphill climb (literally). Long-term exercise regimens take time, determination, and discipline to establish.

At LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, we aren’t simply your healthcare providers. We are community neighbors who understand these challenges, and we want to help you get started.

Know Your Starting Point

Talk with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program to identify any potential hazards or concerns, such as instability or dizziness, high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle weakness, or other conditions that may determine what exercise is best (or potentially injurious) for you. Your health provider can also be a great resource for information or support. 

Experts at the Mayo Clinic also recommend assessing your general fitness level beforehand. Record things such as how long it takes for you to walk a mile, pulse rate before and immediately after walking that mile, and how far you can stretch forward while seated with your legs in front of you. Tracking these early may help you see progress as you go!

Choose Something You Like

If you don’t have fun doing something, very likely you’ll face challenges keeping it up. Fortunately, with exercise, there are many options. “Start with one you’re initially drawn to,” suggest Alexa Tucker and Christa Sgobba, C.P.T. in Self magazine, “whether it’s barre, boxing, Pilates, dance cardio, yoga, a strength class . . . keep trying new ones from there until you find what you enjoy.”

Ask friends and family members for recommendations, or follow a few of your favorite celebrities to learn what they’ve been successful doing. The more you’re willing to experiment, the more likely you’ll hit on something that gets you bouncing around in more than one way.

Focus on Small Achievements, and Then Build

Not even the most advanced athlete or fitness influencer began exercising at their current level of performance. In order to prevent burnout, injury, or being disheartened by not reaching unattainable goals, start small.

Current recommendations for most adults are to exercise moderately for 150 minutes per week. (That’s five 30-minute sessions weekly.) You can also break exercise into 10– or 15–minute intervals, if that helps build movement into your schedule (and your current endurance level). Finding a way to make exercise a regular habit that becomes more automatic than anguish is most important at the early stages.

Ideally, you’ll build up to doing something physically stimulating every day, but each step that moves you further from couch potato status is to be celebrated.

Practice Grace

“People who have greater levels of self-compassion tend to be more motivated, less lazy, and more successful over time,” writes Susan David — psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, cofounder and codirector of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, and CEO of Evidence Based Psychology.

Beginning anything new is challenging, so focus on what you are doing, instead of what you aren’t. Record your progress and celebrate those victories. Keeping up a positive attitude about your achievements will be good for your mind — and your body!

Learn More About LifeBrite

Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher, operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, and Lifebrite Laboratories. To learn more about our services and facilities, visit our website or call 229-723-4241.

LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes was recently named a “Member of the Quarter” by King Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, our very own Pam Tillman was recognized as a “Healthcare Hero” by the North Carolina Healthcare Association. We are very proud of our team for serving the local community through such an important time and in such an impactful way. Now more than ever, we are grateful for the dedicated healthcare professionals on our team who serve the people of Stokes County.

            Our administration worked diligently with the County Health Department, the CDC, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and a broad range of additional organizations to help other healthcare and nursing facilities stay up to date regarding COVID-19 procedures and guidelines. At LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, our goal is to provide quality healthcare in the safest environment possible.

            A driving force behind the success of these efforts is Stokes’ administrator, Pam Tillman, who was also recently awarded Employee of the Year. “She has ensured our team has exactly what is needed at all times, especially assuring we have Personal Protective Equipment,” says Tillman’s staff. Tillman has also led the charge on our hospital’s vaccination efforts, vaccinating 6,000 members of our small community. As a Registered Nurse, her efforts to make our hospital run smoothly in the midst of the pandemic have even included working shifts when staff is unavailable. We’re grateful to have her, and the honor of Healthcare Hero is well deserved!

            LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes continues to provide the key healthcare services needed in our community and is still offering vaccinations to those who need them. To register for your vaccination, call our staff at (336) 593-2831 and schedule an appointment.

Learn more about Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher. LifeBrite Hospital Group operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, and Lifebrite Laboratories.

After a long winter of pandemic isolating and extreme weather in some states, the arrival of spring’s warmer temperatures and longer hours of daylight make it easier and more pleasant to spend time outside.

So how do you know if your new congestion, sneezes, cough, or fatigue are simply signs of seasonal allergies, or symptoms of COVID?

Key Symptoms: Commonalities and Differences

The CDC has provided many reliable references throughout the pandemic, including this September 2020 infographic pointing out the overlap in symptoms between COVID-19 and seasonal allergies which include:

• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Cough
• Sore throat

The Mayo Clinic’s March 2021 post concurred, and both sources agree the following symptoms are far more common with COVID-19, and not with allergies:

• Fever and chills
• Loss of taste or smell
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

When trying to determine whether you’re experiencing allergies or COVID, you may need to look no further than your eyes. Both the CDC and The Mayo Clinic indicate that itchy nose, eyes, mouth, and inner ear are associated with seasonal allergies, but not with COVID-19. The American Academy of Ophthalmology agrees:
“Coronavirus symptoms generally do not cause those uncomfortable itchy, watery eyes.”

Timing Your Testing

At LifeBrite Stokes, we care about your entire well-being. If you’re experiencing any extreme symptoms, such as significant difficulty breathing or serious chest pains, do not hesitate to call 911.

Your healthcare provider will also want to address any persistent symptoms that match those of COVID-19, so call them for a consultation as quickly as possible. If you take a test independently, let them know as well, so that they can be aware of and monitor your results.

If you learn you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, testing within 5-7 days of that exposure is also recommended, regardless of your symptoms.

Staying Protected

There are several things you can continue to do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 (as well as flu, the common cold, and other viruses). Though they may be familiar, the CDC still recommended these actions as recently as March 2021: 

• Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you. Call us at (336) 598-2831 to schedule yours.
• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
• Stay six feet apart from others who don’t live with you.
• Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.

Believe it or not, the face mask that protects you from COVID-19 may very well reduce your allergy symptoms, as well. A November 2020 study published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and covered in depth by VeryWell Health determined that for some people, wearing a face mask reduces symptoms of allergic rhinitis, or seasonal allergies. 

Remember to wash your mask regularly, especially if you have allergies, as small pollen particles may still cling to it.

We at LifeBrite Stokes are your community health partner in all seasons and through all symptoms. To learn more about our services and facilities, please visit the LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes website. You can also learn more about Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher. LifeBrite Hospital Group operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, and Lifebrite Laboratories.

Your kidneys are wellness powerhouses that work day and night to keep your body healthy.

Constantly filtering and cleansing your blood, your kidneys eliminate waste and excess fluid from your body in the form of urine. While the process sounds simple, it actually involves many intricate steps.

Kidneys regulate salt, potassium, and acid in your body. They also produce hormones which influence how other systems in your body work. For example, kidneys release hormones that control blood pressure and red blood cell production.

Well-functioning kidneys keep your whole body healthier. Unfortunately, these amazing organs are also prone to diseases, which are often caused by other health issues. Diabetes is the number-one cause of chronic kidney disease, though high blood pressure, congenital disorders, and other chronic conditions can also be contributing factors.

In honor of National Kidney Month this March, here are some simple lifestyle changes you can make to promote your kidney health.

1. Control Diabetes

Diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body. When this happens, kidneys struggle to filter your blood properly.

Poorly controlled diabetes leads to more blood vessel damage, and more kidney problems. When you manage your diabetes well, you can minimize this damage and preserve the ability of your kidneys to keep you healthy.

If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you can protect your kidney health by controlling your blood sugar levels with daily monitoring and adhering to the diet your doctor recommends.

2. Monitor Blood Pressure

Like diabetes, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels, impeding the kidneys’ ability to filter your blood effectively. This creates a domino effect in which excess fluid builds up in the body, further spiking blood pressure and damaging more blood vessels.

Many practitioners will diagnose patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) if their levels are 130/80 mmHg or higher. If you’re at risk for hypertension or have already been diagnosed, you may be advised to monitor your levels at home. This helps you and your practitioner work together to keep your blood pressure within a healthy range.

Lifestyle changes your doctor recommends to control blood pressure may include losing weight or maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) through regular exercise and a nutritious diet. Quitting or avoiding smoking and limiting your alcohol intake are also important ways to maintain your blood pressure.

If you think stress could be contributing to your elevated blood pressure levels, practices such as journaling or meditation may help.

Some people need medications to control their blood pressure. Your doctor can advise you on whether medications are necessary for you.

3. Maintain a Healthy Diet

An unhealthy diet is the most significant risk factor for death and disability caused by chronic kidney disease. Certain foods can put added stress on the kidneys, while others can boost their performance.

Many specialists recommend the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet to promote kidney health. This approach lowers the risk of heart disease and is a treatment for both hypertension and kidney disease (though it should not be used for patients on dialysis). It prioritizes nutrient-dense foods, such as fish, poultry, beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, while restricting processed foods due to their high sodium and sugar contents.

The healthcare practitioners at LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes are committed to providing comprehensive care to help you manage chronic conditions and lower your risk of kidney disease. To make an appointment with one of our providers, call (336) 593-2831 or learn more about our services online.

For the past year, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Throughout the pandemic, citizens of Stokes who become infected with the virus have turned to the hospital for treatment or, when necessary, stabilization before transfer to Winston-Salem. The hospital’s staff has also been at the forefront of community education and prevention efforts, all while continuing to offer a full range of emergency, acute, chronic, therapeutic, and preventative care.

LifeBrite’s response to this public health crisis has all been under the leadership of Pam Tillman, administrator of the hospital.

A Team Committed to Protecting the People of Stokes

“I am nothing without the tremendous team here,” says Tillman. “I feel very blessed to have them, and they definitely deserve the credit for the good that’s been done here this year.”

She recalls a meeting she held with her managers, back in March 2020, when she could see that hard times were ahead. She told them, “There’s so much we don’t know, but we’re not going to come through this unscathed.” Tillman knew that COVID would likely impact her team directly and personally, and she gave them an opportunity to resign if the challenge ahead was too much to bear.

None of her managers left. Everyone committed themselves to doing whatever it took to protect the people of Stokes through whatever this public health emergency might bring.

A Calling to Help and to Heal

“If you do what you love,” says Tillman, “it doesn’t feel like work.”

From an early age, Tillman knew she liked to help people. When she was in the 6th grade, her grandfather became very ill, and Tillman helped her family care for him. “He said I would be a good nurse,” she says.

The idea stuck with her, and, after graduating from high school, Tillman went to college for nursing then started her career. More than two decades later, there’s still nothing she enjoys more.

“There’s just something about a patient who you’ve just helped looking you in the eye,” says Tillman, “and knowing you’re getting that sincere ‘thank you’… there’s just nothing else to compare to that.”

While her position today includes leading her staff, coordinating with the Stokes County Health Department, and managing compliance requirements, she still stays directly involved in patient care.

“I can be out in any of the units at any time,” she says, “helping troubleshoot patient care issues in the hospital or the nursing home, jumping in to help an ER patient, or getting an IV stick that nobody else can get started.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with the hospital’s resources stretched to the limit, she has frequently stepped in to cover nursing shifts. She happened to be working a third shift in the ER when the hospital admitted its very first COVID case, and she was the nurse assigned to that patient. “God meant for me to be there that night,” she says, “whether I wanted to be or not.”

It has all made for some very long days, but Tillman and her team are driven by a mission to protect their patients and their community.

The Critical Role of Rural Hospitals

Tillman is passionate about the importance of rural hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes giving ready access to quality care.

“At the rural hospital level, I want to use my whole skillset to make sure the hospital is running as efficiently as it can. And, for each individual patient who’s presented to us for care, I want to make sure we’re doing the best we can by them.”

For the people of Stokes, Winston-Salem is an hour’s drive away. “But for some of our elderly folks who have more medical problems, for them to get into a car and navigate the curvy roads to Winston, then navigate the parking deck and a big hospital… it’s almost overwhelming,” Tillman says. “You find that they choose to not get care rather than to navigate that system. So to be able to drive up to a door, to come in and know the people taking care of them, especially for their basic care, is very important.”

For emergency care, where minutes can mean the difference between life and death, local access to care is essential. And even for patients who end up needing transfer to Winston-Salem, LifeBrite’s ER provides life-saving stabilization prior to transport.

“One of the folks who we vaccinated not long ago said, ‘I just want to thank you all for being here because my wife wouldn’t be here if y’all hadn’t been,’” says Tillman. The man’s wife had had a severe reaction to a bee sting, and LifeBrite’s ER had saved her life.

“Other folks say, ‘You all got us stabilized here. We had to go on to the big hospital, but they said we would probably have died if you hadn’t been here.’”

Stepping Up to Provide Vaccines and Hope

For Tillman, the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has made LifeBrite even more crucial to the Stokes community.

Back in the fall of 2020, when officials from the North Carolina state government were planning for the distribution of vaccines, Tillman made sure LifeBrite was first on the list. It began with LifeBrite’s nursing home medical director and pharmacist securing it for the Stokes County Nursing Home. Soon after, the state was asking LifeBrite’s family medicine clinics in Danbury and Pine Hall to serve as vaccine sites for their communities.

Tillman responded by asking if, in addition to the clinics, LifeBrite Community Hospital could become a vaccine site as well.

“Everybody felt like we should,” she says, “so we stepped up for the fight, and it’s about trampled us down, but it really has been fulfilling.”

Across LifeBrite’s facilities in Stokes, several thousand of Stokes’ 47,000 citizens have already been vaccinated, sometimes more than one thousand in a day.

Tragically, as Tillman had predicted, the crisis recently became very personal for her team. One of her staff members lost her husband to COVID-19.

“We wished we could have saved her husband,” says Tillman. “We were dealt a blow by COVID, but it felt good at least to know we were doing something by getting the vaccine into arms.”

The Healing Power of Nature

Tillman hasn’t taken any time off since the pandemic began, though she still escapes to her back yard to garden on the old family farm she and her family still live on.

When the crisis is over, she looks forward to traveling again in her camper to visit National Parks. “We have a beautiful country,” she says.

She also wants to spend more time at the beach. “There’s something special to me about being able to walk on the beach and see the ocean out there,” she says, “and know there’s a whole lot bigger picture than just us.”

For Tillman and her dedicated team, the days are long and hard, but they know it’s all in the service of a bigger picture: their community’s health.

---

Learn more about LifeBrite Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher. LifeBrite Hospital Group operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early, LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes, and Lifebrite Laboratories. To learn more about what LifeBrite Hospital Group is doing to make healthcare better, visit our homepage.

COVID-19 Update 3/30/20

Today’s update comes from Dr. Downey with LifeBrite Pediatric Clinic.

Recent information released from the North Carolina Immunization Registry, with backing from the CDC, stressed the importance of newborn and well-child care including vaccination of infants and young children through 24 months of age, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Newborn care and routine childhood vaccinations are considered essential.

COVID-19 UPDATE 3/23/20
Restrictions in place until further notice:

NO visitors are permitted on acute care (hospital) or in the nursing home. We may only allow visitors for compassionate care reasons, such as end of life situations. This will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Anyone with an appointment in any of the family medical clinics, outpatient departments (PT/OT, Radiology, Laboratory, etc.), and the ER are limited to one accompanying support person.

The hospital cafeteria is closed to all outside visitors.

LifeBrite Family Medical of Danbury and Pine Hall as well as LifeBrite Pediatrics are offering a “virtual visit” option to established patients only for follow up visits. You must not be experiencing any new onset symptoms. Please call the clinic directly for scheduling.
LifeBrite Family Medical Danbury: 336-593-8281
LifeBrite Family Medical Pine Hall: 336-427-3076
LifeBrite Pediatrics: 336-593-5354

We appreciate your cooperation with all of the above guidelines. We remain in close contact with the Stokes County Health Department, Stokes County Board of Health, and Stokes County EMS and will continue to implement any guidance from CMS and CDC.
Stay safe and healthy!

COVID-19 3/17/20

We understand that you may be concerned about COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Hospital Administration and the Management Team at LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes and Stokes County Nursing Home would like to reassure you that we are actively monitoring the situation very closely. It is our goal to protect the health and safety of our patients and residents, their families, visitors, and staff during this time.

We are in close contact with the Stokes County Health Department as well as Stokes County EMS. As of today, Monday, March 16th, we have implemented the following restrictions following the guidance of the CDC and our federal and state government:

Stokes County Nursing Home – no visitors or volunteers will be permitted. Visitors may be allowed on a case-by-case basis for compassionate care reasons, such as end of life situations.

LifeBrite Community Hospital – visitation is restricted to immediate family only for acute care and swing patients.

Family Medical Clinics (Danbury and Pine Hall)/Pediatric Clinic/ER – only one person may accompany the patient into the clinic or ER for support purposes.

Cafeteria – closed to outside visitors.

These restrictions will remain in place until further notice with any updates posted on our Facebook page as well as on our website at www.lifebritestokes.com.

We strive to keep all of our facilities as clean as possible. During this time, we have increased our cleaning efforts especially with all common areas, doors, handrails, wheelchairs, etc.

Reminders: If you are sick or not feeling well, keep your distance from others! Contact your family doctor if you develop a cough, fever, or sore throat for instructions on obtaining a proper screening. As always, wash your hands and wash your hands often!

If you require additional information regarding COVID-19 we encourage you to visit www.cdc.gov and follow the CDC’s guidance on combating this virus.

Each January, millions of Americans ring in the New Year with a list of resolutions to focus on for better health. Whether we resolve to get better sleep, exercise more or simply eat better, resolutions have an 80% failure rate.

Although resolutions can be pushed aside, February offers everyone an opportunity to stay engaged in healthy activities. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Since 1964, February has been designated as American Heart Month as a reminder to focus on heart health.

Leading causes of heart disease

The CDC lists high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking as key risk factors for heart disease. The federal agency also lists other contributing factors such as lack of exercise, obesity, and diabetes. In fact, heart disease kills more people with diabetes than any other condition.

The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests seven ways to stay ahead of heart disease. Life’s Simple 7, as the guidelines are known, lists basics such as exercise, maintaining a proper weight, and a good diet as key components to heart health. The AHA also advises everyone to avoid tobacco use and to learn about high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Heart health takes effort but the best way to stay focused on a healthy lifestyle begins with scheduling your regular checkup. Your primary care doctors can screen for early warning signs of disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes symptoms.

Don’t be a statistic. See your doctor, and fulfill your New Year’s resolutions

In the United States, cardiovascular disease kills one person every 37 seconds. A simple health screening can be the critical first step toward a longer, healthier life. 

If you made a resolution to be healthier this year, focusing on heart health and getting a checkup with your physician is a lifestyle change that could keep you from becoming just another statistic.

With six locations in Stokes County, LifeBrite offers healthcare services to meet a variety of needs within our community. LifeBrite currently operates three primary care facilities for family health including family medical clinics in Danbury and Pine Hall and LifeBrite Pediatric Clinic of Danbury.