In a busy emergency department, the triage process
makes sense: care for patients in the most critical
condition first. But if you have a non-life-threatening
emergency, you might wait a while.
Fortunately, a new service at Methodist Dallas
Medical Center changes the way you receive
emergency care. You just visi
nd choose
from a list of available times to be seen by a medical
professional. You can rest comfortably at home, and
the qualified emergency staff at Methodist Dallas
will be prepared to treat you when you arrive at your
scheduled time.
Erika Pelletier was having health issues late one after-
noon and scheduled an appointment a
“Soon after, a nurse called to be sure I didn’t need
immediate care based on my symptoms,” Erika says. “I
arrived at my selected time and was taken right back.
The staff ran tests, ruled out serious possibilities, and
arranged for medication. It was fast, convenient, and
great care!”
.
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
•
❁
Fall 2014
5
Rumor has it
Q:
Can the flu shot give
you the flu?
A:
The flu vaccine will not
give you the flu, says Perry
Beckstrom, DO, family medicine
physician on staff at Methodist
Family Health Center – Timber
Creek. “The shot is made with
inactive flu viruses, and the nasal
spray is made with severely
weakened viruses. Both of these
are absolutely safe.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends a yearly vaccination as the first and most
important step in protecting against flu viruses, as well as
other healthy practices, such as frequent hand-washing.
“Look at it this way,” Dr. Beckstrom says. “We wouldn’t
think of using our computers without virus protection.
Should we do any less for our bodies?”
Backpack
overload?
One thing you don’t want a child carrying in a backpack is too
much weight.
Backpacks that are too heavy or worn improperly can injure
muscles and joints and cause back, neck, and shoulder pain.
Your children may have overloaded backpacks if they:
w
w
Struggle to put the backpack on or take it off
w
w
Change posture while wearing the backpack
w
w
Have red marks on their shoulders
w
w
Feel tingling or numbness in their arms or legs.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
