Newsletters

September 2020

CHAPALA MED’S Monthly Health Newsletter 
September 2020 Health Newsletter 

Greetings to our patients and readers of Chapala Med’s Health Newsletter. I write this email to you 7 months into  the pandemic and  some difficult and uncertain times for our community. I have been publishing this newsletter with the goal sharing  the most reliable and credible information that can and will affect the community that I provide care for.  During these uncertain times of the worldwide pandemic, I have noted that there have been multiple groups and pages on social media as well as the local web forums which “SHARE” information that just causes more confusion and stirs fear and even anger in the community.  In my office I have had many interesting discussions with patients regarding the COVID19 VIRUS and just how many cases I know about in the community or how many I have seen.  Since it has been apparent that the information regarding the epidemiology, treatments and vaccines for the virus I am refraining from publishing much information about it.  The information may be outdated in a week or even tomorrow. I will only recommend that we continue to wear face masks when in public spaces, practice social distancing of 6 feet and continuously wash our hands. I am also including a video by Dr. Zubin Damania who explains how it may all end based on solid medical science. Please view his video.

 

The second most common question I get asked in my office is when  the new Ribera Medical Center hospital will be opening and if it will be a fully functional hospital with all the “bells and whistles” that a large hospital in Guadalajara has or even that of one from the U.S. or Canada. I have some great news to announce regarding the opening of this new premier hospital in this newsletter. I am including a few photos of the hospital from my last visit.  

 

I am also really excited to share the great news regarding the growth and evolution of the Chapala Med medical team.  We are formalizing our partnership with LIFE Oncology group. This group along with other doctors who excel in their respective fields have now committed to providing care to the community at Chapala Med and at the Ribera Medical Center in the near future.  Please watch the videos as we introduce some of the doctors who are now coming to Chapala Med and providing care for out patients. 

 

I would also like to remind the community that CHAPALA MED will not only remain open as a PRIMARY CARE practice but we also now have a second office in the south of Guadalajara at Puerta de Hierro Sur hospital. I will continue to  be the primary care provider and will continue to oversee and coordinate the care at CHAPALA MED.
 
September is  Suicide Prevention, Alzheimer’s and Healthy Aging® Month and the time to get started on better health practices. Think it’s too late to “re-invent” yourself?   Think again. According to Carolyn Worthington, editor-in-chief of Healthy Aging® Magazine and executive director of Healthy Aging®, it’s never too late to find a new career, a new sport, passion or hobby. And, now is the time to travel more than ever.  Also be familiar with the red flags for suicide especially for out EXPAT community. We have excellent mental health providers who can help you through these difficult times.
 
This month is also National Cholesterol Education Month in the U.S. so I’m including an article about one of the benefits of STATIN therapy in patients with recurrent risk of strokes. I like to share information that is of particular interest and affects the EXPAT populations of the Lake Chapala area as well as the Guadalajara metropolitan area. If you find that this newsletter and the information contained herein may benefit a friend or loved one then please feel free to forward it or share it with that special person.
 
And as always, In closing I’d like to remind our readers of our (Chapala Med & Ribera Medical Center’s) MISSION STATEMENT so that you are all aware of what we are striving to accomplish everyday and hold us to this mission. 

FULL ARTICLE – September is Healthy Aging Month

Cardiovascular Screenings reduce mortality in older men
Screening with your PRIMARY CARE doctor and CLINICAL CARDIOLOGIST can reduced misdiagnosis and being misguided to “EMERGENCY” and “UNNECESSARY” surgeries or hospitalizations. 

Five-year mortality rates were reduced by 7% among older men who were screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and hypertension, compared with those who did not get screened, according to a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting and published in The Lancet. The reduced mortality was linked to higher rates of elective aneurysm repairs and greater use of antithrombotic and lipid-lowering therapies among those who received the screenings.

AI offers early warnings of developing Alzheimer’s disease
A newly developed artificial-intelligence program can detect early dementia signs in brain scans and appears to be able to predict whether someone might develop Alzheimer’s disease 24 months in advance, something that could help when choosing clinical trial patients, researchers say. The AI program correctly predicted which patients would develop Alzheimer’s 84% of the time, per findings published in Neurobiology of Aging. 
A BOOK REVIEW – A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss. 
�� Nancy L. Mace, MA, and Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH
Sometimes research findings can be confusing. How much alcohol intake can increase or decrease your risk of developing AD ?
Recurrent Stroke Risk Increased Without Statin Use

HealthDay News – Discontinuing statin therapy 3 to 6 months after an initial ischemic stroke is tied to higher risk of a recurrent stroke, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association

STATIN and STROKE ARTICLE

Vaccination season is here! 
Come into our office and sign up for your FLU vaccine arriving mid-late October. 

The Flu Vaccine and Risk For Pneumonia

 

Flu season is here. I’ve already seen a good number of cases in the past couple of weeks in my office. One of these patients did progress to acquire severe pneumonia that required hospitalization for care Most people don’t know but contracting the Influenza A/B virus is a major risk factor for contracting community acquired pneumonia(CAP).

Vaccinations for influenza cut the risk for hospitalization for pneumonia approximately in half, according to a prospective case control study published online October 5 in JAMA.

Flu Vaccine & COVID19 risk

I recommend that ALL of my patients and my staff get the INFLUENZA vaccine, espacially during this pandemic season. Getting the FLU can lower your immune response to COVID19 and thus place your life at risk. Here is an article reiterating the importance of getting the 2020 Influenza vaccine 

FLU Vaccination and COVID risk article – Click here

Chapala Med’s Sept. 2020 COVID info.  
There have been more and more cases that have been confirmed @ Chapala Lakeside despite the return to “normality”. I see very little social distancing and many people who opt not to wear face masks while i the hospitals I continue to see the wards in Guadalajara Hospitals full and have had some of my patients pass from COVID19. I have little doubt that a “SECOND WAVE” will be coming as it is starting to be noted in the UK and Northern Europe.  The hope of a vaccine is on the horizon along with other treatments. Let’s be mindful and take care of ourselves. I implore you to continue to wear facemasks, wash your hands frequently and maintain social distancing whenever possible. 
A Way Out? | A Doctor Explains How This Might End

Dr. Zubin Damania explains based on scientific facts and history how this pandemic may all end. I encourage you to watch his video. 

A WAY OUT ? How it may all end. – CLICK HERE

Suicide Awareness Month 
SEPTEMBER IS #Suicide PREVENTION #AwarenessMonth
If you need help, call us 333.950.9414
CANCER CARE at CHAPALA MED 2020
Chapala Med has formalized it’s partnership with LIFE Oncology Group from Guadalajara. Click below and see our meet some of the doctors in the group who will be responsible for the Oncology care here at Lakeside in the future. 
Dr. Santiago Hernandez Announces Oncology Partnership – CLICK HERE 
Click Here

Click Here 

 

Is Cannabis as Safe as You Think?

Is marijuana as safe as the public thinks? Is it safer than alcohol or tobacco? As more states expand their marijuana programs for both medical and recreational purposes, more data show that the use of marijuana may not be so benign. As our country continues with its unrest, many headline stories are proving to have a common denominator: marijuana.

Cannabis Safety Article – Click Here

The future of medical care in the Chapla Lakeside, Chapala Med

& Ribera Medical Center Hospital

 

Back in  June 2017 I Published a photo of myself in front of the plot of land which the RIBERA MEDICAL CENTER now stands in its final stages of completion. Although there have been a few small setbacks the project is near its completion.  At this stage we are hiring our nursing staff, administrative  as well as operational support staff.  My role at this time point in time is overseeing the hospital’s credentialization as well as invitation god the medical community here in the Lakeside are as well as physicians from the Guadalajara metropolitan area.  The response was robust and the interest which a few months ago is now was only mild. The peak in interest from the medical community was in large part due to the tours of the hospital facilities. All of the doctors who toured the hospital can now appreciate that this hospital will be able to handle most emergency and surgical cases.  In the future we envision being able to do transplant surgeries and make this a Mecca for Medical Tourism.  Our hospital will be attracting a great variety of specialists to the area and the need will be almost non-existent to go to Guadalajara for any type of consultation or care. 

 

I have noted that in the last few months as word of our hospital and the recently  built San Antonio Hospital  will be operating, a good number of doctors have been coming to Lakeside to provide services at least once per month at different medical groups in the area. I have also noted that there will be some medical groups that will be aligning themselves with San Antonio hospital for the majority of their operations as well as moving their base of operations to their medical plaza. QC (quality care) doctors have been approaching doctors from the Chapala Med network to join their group of 40+ specialists but first “investing” or buying into the group prior to seeing their first patient. The latest doctor from Chapala Med they have approached has been Dr. Sergio Mendoza, our neurologist. I personally sought out and vetted Dr. Mendoza based on the strength of his CV, expertise and fluency of the English language (in that order). The criteria of Chapala Med and the RMC hospital will focus on maintaining the level of excellence that we are now recognized for.  We will not be asking any doctors to BUY INTO or INVEST in our hospital or practice simply to gain access to our patient base. I don’t believe this is a fair and ethical manner to attract doctors to our team.  But we must be mindful that each practice or group has their own way of working and should keep that in mind when selecting your next healthcare provider. Things are done differently here in Mexico vs. the U.S. and Canada, one must remember. 

 

By year’s end the RMC hospital will have brand new fully functional MRI, CT SCAN, Mammography, Blood Bank, Chemotherapy infusion lab, 3 surgical suites and a Cardiac Cath lab, labor and delivery room as well as an ICU, NICU and 14 hospital rooms. The doctors physically at the hospital are those who have completed their residency(specialty) in Emergency Medicine and will have surgeons locally on call 24/7 for any major emergency that requires immediate surgery.  Their response time will be no more than 20 minutes to evaluate a patient whom may be an emergency surgical case. 

The INAUGURATION/RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY is scheduled for Oct. 2nd, 2020 but we will open to provide care at a later date in October.  STAY TUNED for more details on the event with all the SOCIAL DISTANCING measures in place. 

The hospital will have physicians on staff but as an OPEN hospital we will allow physicians with their licenses and credentials in order to provide care to their patients in our hospital. I will oversee and make sure that they do indeed do only what they have been trained and certified to do. For example, we will not allow an interventional cardiologist to place a stent in a patient’s CAROTID ARTERY. That is only a procedure that can and should be done by a neurosurgeon with training in vascular surgery. These measures will decrease the number of medical errors and prevent unnecessary procedures  from being done at our hospital thereby maintaining the quality and integrity of the hospital. 

 

The landscape of healthcare has changed drastically since I arrived in Nov. 2012. I remember starting with a small office in Chapala at  the Hidalgo 293 building. I did not imaging then that in a few short 8 years, I would be practicing at the location where I am located now much less tapped to be the medical director of THE PREMIER hospital @Chapala Lakeside community.  I feel blessed to live and practice in such a wonderful place and am grateful for the privilege to provide care to all of you who I count as patients and those who count me as a friend. 
 
Thank you and I hope to continue the community with not only quality care but EXCELLENCE in care at Chapala Med and at the Ribera Medical Center. 

 

Chapala Med |  | (331)950-9414|
Chapalamed.com

 

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