AIM-HI

Site Visit to Port Royal, SC (BJHCHS)

Site Visit to Baton Rouge

Pictures from Angie's Site Visits - Maine and NY

 

 

Angie's AIM-HI Site Visit - SUNY

On 6/11/09, Angie visited Family Medicine Practice-SUNY-Syracuse in Syracuse, NY.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to explore the city as much as I would have liked due to a big storm.  Dr. Epling and Christine have really worked hard to make AIM-HI successful in their practice.  The staff here have really embraced the ideas behind AIM-HI and started a weekly healthy potluck, called Healthy Hump Day.  It was clear that everyone was really excited about it and I was able to enjoy some delicious foods with them!  Thanks for lunch!  Many of the staff are also working on making other personal changes like eating more fruits and veggies or forming walking groups during lunch or after work.  Way to go-keep up the good work!

Brian's AIM-HI Site Visit - Riverview Clinic - Irvine, KY

On Monday June 29 I spent the day at Riverview Clinic in Irvine, KY. Dr. Patterson, Sharla, and Connie were friendly hosts and the weather was gorgeous! A couple of interesting tidbits: 1) Dr. Patterson is preparing to teach a yoga class and 2) this practice is located in a building that is almost 100 years old! Thank you for your hospitality and participation in AIM-HI!

 

 

 

Pictures - Ohio Site Visit

 

 

 

 

Brian's Site Visit to OSU

Brian Manning recently visited The Ohio State University (OSU) Family Practice at Worthington on June 17. Drs. Mostov, Nanda, and Neumann along with Steve Auciello were wonderful hosts. Congratulations to Steve who recently graduated this month from OSU and will enroll in the MPH program this Fall! This site showed great commitment to the AIM-HI project in the midst of transitioning to an EMR and a stringent IRB. The study team appreciates your contribution!

Angie's Site Visit to Scarborough Family Clinic in Maine

Angie Lanigan visited Scarborough Family Medicine in Scarborough, ME (near Portland, ME) on 6/10/09. I would like to thank the staff and clinicians there for being wonderful hosts! They’ve worked hard to make AIM-HI a very successful project. They are also integrating a program called 5210 for all their pediatric patients. This program encourages kids to eat 5 fruits and veggies, 2 hours or less of recreation screen time (tv), 1 hour of physical activity, and 0 sweetened drinks per day. They use the 5210 tools to discuss fitness and healthy lifestyles with parents and kids during office visits. Here is a website I found if you’d like more information about the program: http://www.mmc.org/mmc_body.cfm?id=3614.

Unfortunately, it was rainy and chilly when I got to Portland, so I didn’t explore the Old Port area as much as I would have liked! I did get out and walk around though, but I don’t know if I made it to 10,000 steps. I also got the chance to see the Portland Head Lamp, a beautiful lighthouse that I was told is one of the most photographed in the United States.

While in Maine, I did something that I haven’t done in a long time, I tried a new food! I ate a lobster roll (see my picture-ignore the French fries, they were my backup plan)! My previous experience with lobster has always been limited to a nibble and then the thought of, “Eww, I don’t like it.” Since I was in Maine, I couldn’t have forgiven myself if I didn’t try lobster. I decided to just go for it,-and I LIKED IT! In the quest to eat healthy, I’ve found it’s important to try new foods. There are many foods I hated as a kid that are now some of my favorites. If I wouldn’t have given asparagus or green beans another chance, I would have never discovered how delicious they are!

One important thing that I’ve learned about trying new foods is that one bite won’t do it justice. Make a commitment to taking at least several bites (this is very hard sometimes). I’ll admit that I’m not an adventurous eater, but I’m trying. Eating the lobster roll inspired me to try raw kale yesterday at the farmer’s market. It’s not something that I would normally have purchased at the grocery store, but I started talking to the farmer and he told me how to prepare it. Then, he asked, “Would you like to try it?” I thought, “Why not?” and took a bite and it wasn’t bad. So, I’m going to try it again and I think that is the key to liking new foods, you’ve got to eat it more than once. Summer is a great time to try new fruits and vegetables, so go out and buy something new the next time you’re at the grocery store or market!

AIM-HI Patient Success Story - Swinomish Health Clinic

From a patient at Swinomish Health Clinic:

05-27-09

 Dr. Clure -

 

My testimonial for AIM-HI: I fell very grateful for this program. I set out at first to help me with my weight and anything else I could do to be in a good health. How this program has help me is I had some heart palpitation and did not tell any provider of this situation, I felt maybe they wouldn’t believe me.

 

It so happened one day KO our nurse had me do an steps one day and my heart had the palpitation that day, I did not mention it to her but she picked up on it when she checked my pulse from there she reported to the doctor and she had scheduled me to do a extreme step the following week and put me on a EKG machine to get a reading.

 

 From there, well, I was scheduled to see a Cardio Specialist in Bellingham, so I did just for ruling-out to eliminate or correct what ever was going on with me. All tests came out ok, nothing major was wrong with my heart.  That doctor wanted me to get some further testing done to see about sleep apnea so I did and found out that I had a severe sleep apnea and now getting that taken care of.

 

I really appreciate this program for my life, who knows, I may have just gone to sleep and never woke up? So I am grateful for having to been able to participate in the program, it saved my life. I really believe this in my heart. I had no idea that I had this

 

Site Visit to Swinomish Health Clinic - LaConner, WA

On May 7^th, Jim Galliher and Angie Lanigan visited the Swinomish Indian Health Clinic in La Conner, WA.  This clinic is a state of the art facility and overlooks the water (see photo).  Although the clinic wasn’t too busy when we first arrived, they’ve recently switched to having walk-in hours in the morning and many staff mentioned that it was the start of fishing season so the community was getting out on the water. 

Dr. Clure and Kathleen (KO) are really a testament to the AIM-HI program.  Both Jim and Angie were impressed with how patient-centered their approach is and how it has made a big difference in the health of their patients.  They have several amazing success stories of patients who participated in the study, some have lost between 35 and 100 lbs!  They were even able to discover a serious health condition that was later successfully treated in a patient, just because of the patient’s participation in the research study.  

It was very clear that all the staff members at the clinic care very much about the health and well-being of their patients.  They really go the extra mile at Swinomish! 

On another note, both Jim and Angie enjoyed visiting the area!  The Pacific Northwest is stunningly beautiful (even with the rain)! La Conner is located in the Skagit Valley, a farming community to striking to put into words. Unfortunately, we missed the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival by one week! Most of what was left in the fields was just foilage. Dr. Clure said that they chop off the tulip heads - too bad we didn't ask why!

After we left La Conner, Angie headed to Seattle for some sightseeing at the Pike Place Market.   There is so much to take in at the market, it is a one-of-a-kind experience. Luckily, she went to the market before eating lunch, because it's a great place to get delicious food!  Angie had the best macaroni and cheese she’d ever had (see picture)!  It’s important to remember that all foods fit into a healthy diet, the key is to have them in moderation.   See the beautiful, fresh produce available at the market!