SALA DE PRENSA DE RENOWN

(Pictured Above: Dr. Frieda Hulka, Pediatric Trauma Program Medical Director at Renown Children’s Hospital, helps announce pediatric trauma verification on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024) Renown Health, a locally governed, not-for-profit academic healthcare network serving northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California and the teaching hospital for the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, has been verified as the first level-2 pediatric trauma center in northern Nevada by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This recognition is a historic first for children’s healthcare in northern Nevada. Renown Regional Medical Center is the region’s only Level II Trauma Center (adult) and one of the largest hospitals in the United States, with 826 licensed beds, providing care to approximately one million patients across 17 counties, across 100,000 square miles between Sacramento and Salt Lake City. Serving urban, suburban, and rural communities, Renown Health is one of the region’s only providers of neonatal care with both a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and the largest newborn intensive care unit (NICU) in the area. RENOWN ONLY ONE OF TWO IN NV; ONE OF 153 IN THE US The pediatric trauma verification by the ACS recognizes that the Renown team offers immediate, around-the-clock, emergency treatment for pediatric trauma patients. Renown is one of only two health systems to receive the designation of a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Nevada by the ACS; and the first in northern Nevada to earn this national distinction. To achieve verification, the hospital must meet rigorous standards for comprehensive care, staffing, facilities, research, and educational contributions. Nationwide, only 153 hospitals are pediatric trauma centers. The new status considers trauma treatment capabilities of Renown’s pediatric emergency department as well as the ability of Renown Children's Hospital to offer such services as pediatric surgery, pediatric intensive care unit stays and pediatric physical and occupational therapy to children recovering from traumatic injuries. EXTENSIVE ON-SITE REVIEW “This new achievement was granted after an extensive on-site review conducted by an expert team from the American College of Surgeons; a group dedicated to improving the care of surgical patients and safeguarding standards of care in a safe, optimal and ethical practice environment,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Renown Health. “We are proud that Renown Regional Medical Center has earned the designation of being the only ACS verified Level 2 Trauma Center for adults in the region since 1984. This verification process, renewed every three years, was completed in late December 2023 alongside the new verification for Renown Children’s Hospital. Now with UNR Med, we celebrate serving our community with a robust Level 2 Pediatric Trauma Center; and have grown to become a nationally recognized children’s hospital with a robust academic department of pediatrics.” “The team at Renown Children’s Hospital consistently provides outstanding pediatric trauma care, and we are thrilled that the American College of Surgeons has awarded us with this official distinction,” said Dr. Frieda Hulka, Pediatric Trauma Program Medical Director at Renown Children’s Hospital. “This is particularly significant for families in northern Nevada, where trauma remains the leading cause of death in infants and children. Some nationwide studies show that children treated at pediatric trauma centers have a lower mortality risk compared to children treated at other facilities.” This year marked the first time the emergency department's pediatric capabilities were evaluated separately. To be a designated Level II Trauma Center, a hospital must have 24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons and multiple specialties, such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine. In addition, the hospital must provide trauma prevention and ongoing education for its teams and incorporate a comprehensive quality assessment program. The emergency department did not meet the minimum volume of 200 pediatric trauma patients per year to qualify for the level-1 pediatric designation, but the Renown team anticipates with growing community support, combined with UNR Med’s research and residency programs, that they will pass this threshold in the future. “More than 100,000 children between the ages of zero and 17 live in Washoe County, and that number continues to grow,” said Nicholas Mannering, Trauma Program Manager at Renown Health. “Caring for our community’s children is a responsibility we take extremely seriously, and we are so grateful to our patients and the families for trusting us with their care.” “Both the pediatric and adult trauma verification honor the many pioneering trauma physicians, surgeons and clinical and support teams who have built a stellar reputation over the last 160 years for Renown; and align with our strategic vision for providing comprehensive and best-in-class healthcare for the people of northern Nevada for the next 160 years,” said Chris Nicholas, CEO of Renown Regional Medical Center. “These designations celebrate our team’s commitment to maintaining and exceeding the highest standards of care for our patients.” GRATEFUL DONORS INVEST IN NORTHERN NEVADA’S CHILDREN In 2016, The William N. Pennington Foundation recognized the need for enhanced care and expertise for pediatrics and donated $7.5 million to Renown Children’s Hospital to establish the William N. Pennington Fund for Advanced Pediatric Care. “Through these gifts,” adds Kristina Deeter, MD, MBA, FAAP, Chair of Pediatrics (UNR Med) and Physician-in-Chief, Renown Children’s Hospital, “100,000 area children now have access to more than 30 pediatricians, including general pediatricians and specializing specialists in oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology, emergency medicine, urology and many other subspecialties previously lacking in the community, as well as a pediatric emergency room, pediatric ICU and a dedicated pediatric floor at Renown Children’s Hospital. Prior to 2016, a significant percentage of pediatric patients requiring critical and specialty care had to be transferred outside of our region to receive the specialty care they needed. Now, thanks to donor support, Renown estimates that 97% of all pediatric patients and their families can receive both general and specialty pediatric care locally. The next nearest children’s hospital in the state is 7 hours or 438 miles away in Las Vegas.” In 2022, the hospital treated 82,544 patients, performed 26,388 inpatient and same-day surgeries, gave care to 37,380 children through its pediatric providers, and delivered 3,792 babies. In June 2023, Renown Regional Medical Center expanded its pediatric critical care services to the region with a New Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals to give special care for women and babies. Renown also has a Neonatal Transport Team which brings infants with serious illnesses, injuries, or complications from outlying communities to the comfort of Renown's NICU. In July 2023, The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) and Renown Health welcomed members of the first resident class of the new UNR Med Pediatric Residency Program. Renown Health is a 501 c3 not for profit organization. Donations to the Children’s Hospital are needed and accepted here.   About Renown Health Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit academic healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. Renown Regional Medical Center is the teaching hospital for the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center for both adults and children, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health.

Leer más About American College of Surgeons Awards Level II Pediatric Trauma Designation to Renown Children's Hospital

El Índice de calidad del aire de fase 2 y los alarmantes estudios de investigación del DRI, Renown Health y el Distrito de Salud del Condado de Washoe conducen a un aviso de salud pública; se debe buscar atención médica si es necesario. Para las personas que padecen asma, el humo de los incendios forestales es más peligroso que cualquier otro tipo de contaminación atmosférica, según un estudio del Desert Research Institute (DRI), el Renown Institute for Health Innovation (Renown IHI) y el Distrito de Salud del Condado de Washoe (WCHD). El estudio publicado en la revista Environmental Health examinó las asociaciones entre las partículas en el aire (particulate matter, PM) procedentes de fuentes como los incendios forestales, el transporte y la industria, y las visitas médicas por asma en los departamentos de emergencia y centros de Urgent Care de Renown Health en Reno, Nevada, durante el período de seis años comprendido entre 2013 y 2018. In places like Reno, where wildfire events occur regularly during parts of the year and are expected to become more frequent in the future, an accurate understanding of the impacts of wildfire smoke on population health is critical. We have an exceptional process in place through our urgent care sites, Renown Medical Group offices and hospital emergency departments to screen, diagnose and treat members of our community who come to us for care related to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and other upper respiratory diseases that may be exacerbated by wildfire smoke. At the same time, we continue to develop and refine, in real-time, the data that supports our predictive analytic models. We are using every tool and resource-including scientific data and clinical reporting, to ensure that we are meeting both the health and healthcare needs of the people we serve. En el estudio, los investigadores descubrieron que la calidad del aire en el área de Reno se vio afectada por el humo de los incendios forestales en un total de 188 días durante el periodo del estudio. En total, se produjeron 18,836 visitas a la sala de emergencias y atención de urgencia relacionadas con el asma durante el mismo período de cinco años, lo que indica que es importante comprender la influencia del humo de un incendio forestal y otros tipos de contaminación atmosférica en esta afección médica. La Air Quality Management Division (AQMD) del Distrito de Salud del condado de Washoe ha emitido una advertencia de contaminación del aire de fase 2 debido al humo de los incendios en el área. La calidad del aire en el área de Reno-Sparks ahora es “muy poco saludable” y tiene un Índice de calidad del aire de 247. La advertencia de fase 2 significa que todos los residentes deben permanecer en sus residencias y reducir los niveles de actividad debido a la susceptibilidad de mayores riesgos para la salud. To see current air quality in Reno-Sparks, click here. Brion Hill, MD who practices at the Renown Urgent Care - Los Altos location warns, “This is an important health advisory, exposure to elevated PM2.5 (fine particulate matter in smoke) concentrations can result in eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, impaired lung function and chest pain. Everyone should take precautions when the air quality is unhealthy. Air pollution can aggravate heart and cardiovascular disease as well as lung diseases like asthma and COPD. When the air quality is unhealthy, people with these conditions may experience symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or fatigue. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, use your inhalers as directed and contact your health care provider,” says Dr. Hill. “Si no tiene un proveedor de atención médica, tenemos 11 consultorios de Renown Urgent Care convenientemente ubicados con proveedores listos para atenderlo los 7 días de la semana”. Dr. Joseph Grzymski, a research professor at Desert Research Institute, a corresponding author on the study and Chief Scientific Officer, Renown Health, says, “This air is very bad for your health. Given today’s Air Quality Index in Reno, being outside and breathing this air for a day equals about smoking half a package of cigarettes.” Información adicional: The full text of the article “Particulate matter and emergency visits for asthma: a time-series study of their association in the presence and absence of wildfire smoke in Reno, Nevada, 2013–2018” (Partículas en el aire y visitas de emergencia por asma: un estudio de series temporales de su asociación en presencia y ausencia de humo de incendios forestales en Reno, Nevada, entre  y ) está disponible en Environmental Health: https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-020-00646-2 Para obtener más información sobre el Renown Institute for Health Innovation, visite: https://www.dri.edu/renown-ihi/ Renown Urgent Care brinda tratamiento para una amplia gama de lesiones leves, enfermedades e inquietudes médicas que son urgentes, pero no suponen un riesgo para la vida y que requieren atención médica en el mismo día. También le evita los tiempos de espera prolongados y los altos precios de la sala de emergencias en los 13 centros convenientes, incluidas Reno, Sparks, Carson City, USA Parkway, Fallon y Fernley. You can walk-in or book ahead online. The Washoe County Health District offers online health information on its Be Smoke Smart website, including fire information, daily air quality information, fire and smoke maps and how to protect yourself.     About the Desert Research Institute The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied interdisciplinary research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, DRI faculty, students, and staff have developed scientific knowledge and innovative technologies in research projects around the globe. Desde 1959, la investigación del DRI ha profundizado el conocimiento científico, ha apoyado la diversificación de la economía de Nevada, ha proporcionado oportunidades educativas científicas y ha informado a legisladores, líderes empresariales y miembros de la comunidad. With campuses in Reno and Las Vegas, DRI serves as the non-profit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Para obtener más información, visite www.dri.edu. Acerca de Renown Health Renown Health es una red de atención médica integrada de administración local y sin fines de lucro que brinda servicios al norte de Nevada, Lake Tahoe y el noreste de California. Renown es uno de los mayores empleadores privados de la región y cuenta con una fuerza laboral de más de 7,000. It comprises three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest and only locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown tiene una larga trayectoria y un compromiso de larga data con la mejora de la atención y la salud de nuestra comunidad. Visite renown.org para obtener más información.

Leer más About El humo de los incendios forestales es más peligroso que cualquier otro tipo de contaminación atmosférica para las personas con asma

El equipo de Renown Urgent Care lo prepara para mantenerse a salvo esta temporada y está disponible los siete días de la semana en 11 ubicaciones del norte de Nevada. Millones de personas en todo el oeste viven en zonas donde la contaminación atmosférica puede causar graves problemas de salud. Local air quality can affect our daily lives. Like the weather, it can change from day to day. The Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Plumas County, to notify the public of the possibility of poor air quality conditions resulting from the Beckwourth Complex Fire in addition to other wildfires in northern California. In addition, there is the potential for wind shifts to carry smoke to other parts of Plumas County from the Beckwourth and several other regional wildfires.  Air quality is expected to vary greatly depending on fire behavior and weather conditions, with smoke settling in low areas at night and in the early mornings as long as these fires are active. The advisory mentions, “Exposure to elevated PM2.5 (fine particulate matter in smoke) concentrations can result in eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, impaired lung function and chest pain, especially among sensitive individuals such as the elderly, children, people with asthma, people with heart or lung conditions, pregnant women and anyone who is exercising or working hard outdoors.” Kouros Farro, MD, a physician with Renown Urgent Care advises that there are people who are more likely to be affected when fine particle pollution reaches an unhealthy level. People who have asthma or other breathing conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). People who have heart disease or high blood pressure. Children and older adults. People of all ages who are doing extended or heavy, physical activity like playing sports or working outdoors. “Everyone should take precautions when the air quality is unhealthy. Air pollution can aggravate heart and cardiovascular disease as well as lung diseases like asthma and COPD. When the air quality is unhealthy, people with these conditions may experience symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, or fatigue. Si experimenta alguno de estos síntomas, use sus inhaladores según las indicaciones y comuníquese con su proveedor de atención médica”, recomienda el Dr. Farro, que está certificado por el consejo en medicina familiar y ejerce en Renown Urgent Care en 975 Ryland St, Reno. “If you do not have a health care provider, know we have a Renown Urgent Care office on almost every corner, with providers ready to see you.” Dr. Farro advises the following: Take it easy and listen to your body. Limit, change, or postpone your physical activity level. If possible, stay away from local sources of air pollution like busy roads and wood fires. If you have asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD make sure you have your relief/rescue inhaler with you. People with asthma should review and follow guidance in their written asthma action plan. Make an appointment to see your health provider to be sure you have an asthma action plan. “Even just one hour of smoke exposure can affect our lungs and hearts, and these consequences can reach people far beyond the direct area endangered by the fire. Children, older adults, pregnant women, people with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, communities of color, economically disadvantaged communities, and people with preexisting chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, and obesity are all especially vulnerable to the air pollution that wildfires cause," says Dr. David Lemak, Division Chief of Urgent Care at Renown. Renown Urgent Care brinda tratamiento para una amplia gama de lesiones, enfermedades e inquietudes médicas leves que son urgentes, pero no suponen un riesgo para la vida y que requieren atención médica en el mismo día. También le evita los tiempos de espera prolongados y los altos precios de la sala de emergencias en los 11 centros convenientes, incluidos Reno, Sparks, Carson City, USA Parkway, Fallon y Fernley. You can walk-in or book ahead online. You can get the latest fire and smoke information at the Washoe County Health District’s Be Smoke Smart webpage.  It includes information about air pollution levels and how to protect yourself from the smoke. An on-line subscription page allows you to sign up for EnviroFlash, notifying you about air quality.     Acerca de Renown Health Renown Health es una red de atención médica integrada de administración local y sin fines de lucro que brinda servicios al norte de Nevada, Lake Tahoe y el noreste de California. Renown es uno de los mayores empleadores privados de la región y cuenta con una fuerza laboral de más de 7,000. It comprises three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest and only locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown has a long tradition and commitment to continually improve the care and the health of our community. Visite renown.org para obtener más información.

Leer más About Donde hay humo, puede haber más dolores de cabeza, náuseas y tos