The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 35 COVID patients today, up from 34 Wednesday. Other significant numbers:
- 23 with the active virus today, 25 Wednesday
- 2 in ICU, 2 Wednesday
- 0 on ventilators, 1 Wednesday
- 12 hospitalized but out of acute infection phase, 9 Wednesday
Key points from today’s guests:
Dr. Greg Nawalanic, clinical psychologist, clinical director of Inpatient Services Strawberry Hill Campus, The University of Kansas Health System
- National suicide hotline number, 988, begins operation tomorrow
- Those having any kind of mental health crisis will be automatically routed to a trained clinical professional instead of just a referral service
- Calling or texting will work
- Pandemic has seen huge spike in calls to suicide hotlines and the need for mental help services
- He says, “Suicidal thoughts are not a personal shortcoming, but a chemical imbalance combined with situational pressures.”
Dr. Ronald Chen, chair, Department of Radiation Oncology
- Proton therapy has reached the two month mark at The University of Kansas Cancer Center with several milestones
- Therapy can be used even on non-cancerous tumors
- It is a tissue-sparing type of radiation treatment
- Can be used for all sorts of cancers, from prostate to breast to head and neck cancers and brain tumors
- Having this leading-edge technology allows patients throughout the Midwest to avoid traveling hundreds of miles to receive this life-saving treatment
Darrin Kistler, Senior Director Radiation Services, The University of Kansas Cancer Center
- When he walked into the room of the very first patient, a child, it validated everything they’ve been doing for the past five years to bring proton therapy to the area
- While the machine is new to the area, the technology is not new to the team, who have all been recruited for their proton therapy expertise
- Have now treated 300 patients, 40% under the age of 25
Sara Soliman, proton nurse navigator
- The nurse navigator program in proton therapy means one point of contact for patients with all of the available services
- She enjoys helping patients who are scared at a new diagnosis and gets satisfaction from helping ease their fears
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System
- COVID heat map of country shows much more orange across the country with several red hotspots, including Johnson and Wyandotte and Jackson Counties
- Masking when indoors or in outdoor groups is the best course of action for the summer
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- Despite the increasing number of COVID cases, the rules in infection prevention follow you wherever you go.
Monday, July 18 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Children under age 5 have been able to get the COVID-19 vaccine for one month. But are they getting it? We’ll look at the vaccination rates and why it's so important to start protecting our kids as we head into the fall.
ATTENTION: media procedure for joining:
Zoom link: https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone Zoom link: 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628
TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI
Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital
YouTube.com/kuhospital
Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
