Meet Coryell Health Nursing Leadership!

As an organization, we continue to grow, have new positions open, and new faces to welcome to Coryell. With these changes in mind, we wanted to share glimpse of some of our nursing leadership team. These nurses from across our campus not only manage their own nursing teams, but they are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and give assistance to patients or fellow staff members. Leading by example while working side by side with their amazing nurse teams they continue to be on the front lines during COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to all our Coryell Health nurses and care teams. Because of you, we live in a happier, healthier world.

#TeamCoryellHealth

It’s Never too Late for a Child’s Back-to-School Checkup

Whether your child is entering preschool, kindergarten or heading off to high school, the beginning of the school year is a good time to schedule your child’s annual physical.

“For a lot of families, the yearly physical is the only time they come into our office because their children are generally healthy otherwise,” said Diedra Wuenschel, DO, Coryell Health Medical Clinic Director and Chief of Medical Staff. “However, a back-to-school visit is very important. We include a head-to-toe physical exam, review a patient’s health history, and discuss any concerns about diet, exercise, sleep or school performance.”

The exam begins with checking a patient’s vital signs, height and weight, progress on the growth chart, and hearing and vision tests. Practitioners will also discuss immunization schedules with parents. If vaccines are warranted, they are administered after the exam.

“A sports physical can count as the yearly physical,” she said. “We check all the muscle groups and make sure the kids are fit to play sports, and we sign any necessary sports clearance forms,” adds Dr. Wuenschel.

Regardless of the age of the child, preventative care is essential to getting a healthy start to the school year and beyond.

“We encourage all parents to make that yearly well child appointment as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics,” Dr. Wuenschel said. “Even if your children are currently healthy, it’s important to maintain their health. A regular checkup at the start of the school year is an excellent start.”

To schedule an appointment or find out more, please call Coryell Health Medical Clinic at (254) 865-2166.

Beat the Heat in PPE

Coryell Health COVID-19 Screening Team were pleasantly surprised when a Leaird’s Furniture truck arrived carrying a new Port-a-Cool evaportating water cooler to help them beat the heat while keeping us all safe. We would like to extend a big thank you to the sponsors of the Port-a-Cool: First National Bank of Evant & Gatesville, The Gatesville Lion’s Club and Leaird’s Furniture!

Sharing Your Immunity… Giving Hope

Plasma collected from individuals like you that have recently recovered from COVID-19, can provide hope to a currently ill COVID-19 patient. Even though it is still experimental, convalescent plasma has been approved for emergency use in the management of COVID-19. Coryell Health has partnered with Carter Bloodcare because they are the only blood company that keeps all donations local. When you give blood, you are literally saving your friends and neighbors lives with your donation.

Requirements for convalescent plasma donors:

  • Have had a positive test result for COVID19 or antibodies
  • No symptoms for 90 days
  • Meet regular blood donation guidelines

Are you ready to save lives? You can give plasma every 14 days.

Visit the Carter BloodCare website to check eligibility and register at www.carterbloodcare.org.

#Give4Life

Back to School, Back to the Doctor

In addition to monitoring heart and blood pressure and testing for diabetes, physicians use this annual visit to discuss diet, exercise options, provide pediatric vision screenings, and testing for cholesterol and anemia.
It’s also a good chance to address important questions or concerns you have as a parent, especially with teenagers, including adolescent issues of substance use such as drinking, smoking, drugs, sexual activity, and depression.

The sports physical is an opportunity to address exercise-specific issues, including injuries, nutrition, training and exercise programs, and even attitudes toward sports participation in the course of the exam.
Your physician can also advise your child if he or she is already involved in an exercise and training program. Overuse and overtraining injuries continue to be huge problems among young people.
If you are struggling with things like making ends meet, navigating special education services at school, finding local extracurriculars or general community support, or frankly a referral for your own care―talk with your physician.
Parenting is hard work; this is even more reason to set aside one day a year for you and your child to have your wellness visits. If you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our medical providers, please call (254) 865-2166.

Dr. Hurley & Coryell Add Pain Management to Waco Clinic

Coryell Health expands Pain Management services to Waco, TX. Pain management specialist, Richard Hurley, MD, is overseeing Mrs. Sherri Davidson, at the medical clinic’s location on Franklin Avenue. As a team, they bring a combined forty years of experience diagnosing and treating different causes of pain.

“Mrs. Davidson’s training as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner will continue to serve her well, providing our patients with comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based assessment and treatment of pain,” says Dr. Hurley. “Our Rapid Appointment Program allows patients to be seen much faster, next day or even same day, in some cases. We have so many patients making the drive over from Waco, but now they can see Mrs. Davidson quickly and conveniently.”

A native of Central Texas, Mrs. Davidson, attended McLennan Community College where she completed her associate nursing degree. She received her bachelor and master of science degrees in nursing from University of Texas at Arlington.  In addition to having experience in ICU and hospitalist coverage, she has ten years of pain management experience.

Mrs. Davidson is now practicing at Coryell Health Medical Clinic – Waco and accepting new patients. Please call (254) 865-2166 for appointments and ask about our Rapid Appointment Program.

How a Paramedic Responded When His Daughter Was Bit by a Rattlesnake

Central Texas is prime breeding ground for rattlesnakes and summer is the height of snake bite season. Getting bit by a venomous snake can be very scary, and can lead people to react in exactly the wrong way.

How should a person respond to a snake bite? Read how Emma Lee Burks was bit by a snake when she was only seven-years-old while playing hide and seek with her brother and cousins.

Emma Lee Burks’ Story, as told by her mother and father.

On September 1, 2018, Emma climbed in a small tree in the backyard. When she came down from the tree, she landed too close to a snake and was bitten twice on the instep of her right foot. She immediately found her dad and told him she had been bitten by a snake.  Emma’s father, Jeffrey Burks, trained paramedic, drew two circles around the fang marks on her foot and wrote the time. Burks’ medical training kicked in, “This is so the medical professionals could document the swelling. I knew she needed to get to the closest ER with CroFab antivenin, as fast as possible,” recalls Jeffrey Burks, Emma’s dad and paramedic, “Time is your enemy in a venomous snake bite situation and the faster she received appropriate medical treatment, the better off she would be.” Emma was not sure of the type of snake that bit her. The Coryell Health ER staff drew blood to check her platelets and other blood clotting factors.

“Blood work showed Emma’s platelets were low which can be concerning for a possible venomous snake bite,” recalls Burks. “Coryell Health Emergency Department Doctor and nurses started her on CroFab antivenin and only then did they arrange her transport to a children’s hospital for further treatment.

It is important to know the closest hospital in your area that carries CroFab. As a paramedic, I was aware that CroFab could treat rattlesnake, cottonmouth and copperhead bites, so you don’t have to know for certain which one it was, although we believed it was a rattlesnake that bit Emma.” Due to the quick thinking of her dad and the Coryell ER staff, only an hour lapsed from the time Emma Lee was bitten until she received her first dose of CroFab.

After a full recovery and two years later you would never know she was bitten. Emma’s mother recalls that upon return from the hospital, Emma immediately ran outside barefoot. “I believe Emma watches more than before, but we don’t want to live in fear.  We know what to do and thankfully, she has no scars – just her story!”

What Should You Do if You or Someone Else is Bitten by a Snake

While snakes typically try to avoid humans and only bite when they feel threatened, nearly three million people worldwide are poisoned every year after experiencing a venomous bite. Only a fraction of these bites are fatal, but toxins in snake venom can trigger serious medical emergencies that occur within hours; they can cause organ failure, uncontrollable bleeding, severe tissue destruction and paralysis that may restrict breathing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“With some types of snakes, like rattlesnakes, redness and pain at the bite site develop within minutes, while with other venomous snakes, such as copperheads, the symptoms may take longer to appear. Don’t wait to see what kind of bite you may have, call 911 so EMS can take you to closest appropriate Emergency Room,” says Daniel Lay, Coryell Health EMS, EMT-P Deputy Chief.

“Before the patient reaches a medical facility, the wound should be kept clean and the affected limb should be elevated to reduce the effects of the venom. If the victim or a bystander has a fitness tracker, they can use it to monitor heart rate,” adds Lay. “If you’ve been bitten by a snake and you’re transported by EMS after a call to 911, the responders will be sure to take you to a hospital that has antivenin. If you’re driving yourself, that’s another variable in the equation of ‘did you drive to a place that doesn’t stock the anti-venom’, and that would be time and tissue lost.”

After being bitten, remaining calm and still can also help to slow the venom’s spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

What NOT to Do if You or Someone Else is Bitten by a Snake “Despite what movie and TV Westerns would have you believe, victims of snake bite shouldn’t try to suck out the venom from the bite site or release it by cutting themselves,” stresses Lay. “After a bite, venom floods the body’s tissues and is impossible to remove through suction. Cutting is equally useless for venom extraction and can result in serious injury,” he adds.

“You shouldn’t ice the bite, use steroids or consume alcohol, and do not apply a tourniquet, if bitten by a native North American snake. It is a less is more- until you get medical care- type of situation. There’s a lot of things people do that aren’t going to help a snakebite, and could potentially make it much worse.”

Resources and Contributions

Special thank you to Emma’s parents, Marlena Tippit and Jeffrey Burks, for sharing her story so others will know how to respond in a similar situation.

Locate a CoFab hospital near you

Prevent or Respond to Snake Bite|Natural Disasters … – CDC

Your Child’s Health Shouldn’t Wait

This pandemic has put many things on hold, but your child’s health doesn’t have to be one of them. It is critical for you and your family to keep up your wellness checks and immunizations.

Currently you can see a physician in-office or have a virtual visit with Coryell Health Telehealth.

Our children of today are tomorrow’s future. Let’s join together to get them there safely.

Call (254) 865-2166 to schedule an appointment. Follow the latest updates here https://coryellhealth.org/press-releases/about-us/news/press-releases

Coryell Health Adds Pain Management to Waco Clinic

Coryell Health expands Pain Management services to Waco, TX. Pain management specialist, Richard Hurley, MD, is overseeing Mrs. Sherri Davidson, at the medical clinic’s location on Franklin Avenue.

As a team, they bring a combined forty years of experience diagnosing and treating different causes of pain.

“Mrs. Davidson’s training as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner will continue to serve her well, providing our patients with comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based assessment and treatment of pain,” says Dr. Hurley. “We have so many patients making the drive over from Waco, but now they can see Mrs. Davidson quickly and conveniently.”

A native of Central Texas, Mrs. Davidson, attended McLennan Community College where she completed her associate nursing degree. She received her bachelor and master of science degrees in nursing from University of Texas at Arlington.  In addition to having experience in ICU and hospitalist coverage, she has ten years of pain management experience.

Staying active with her husband, three children, and three grandchildren is a priority for Mrs. Davidson. She enjoys biking, hiking, running, reading, checking off her bucket list, and spending time with family and friends. She has served on several local community boards, as well as professional boards at the state and local level.

Mrs. Davidson is now practicing at Coryell Health Medical Clinic – Waco and accepting new patients. Please call (254) 865-2166 for appointments and ask about our Rapid Appointment Program.

Mask Make a Difference

Your mask isn’t about you — it’s about everyone else. Whether your mask is paper, cotton or professional-grade, it reduces the spread of the virus. Wear your mask. Protect your community. #HelpKeepTexasOpen #TeamCoryellHealth

Coryell Health COVID-19 Testing Hours Update

Coryell Health would like remind our community of our COVID-19 testing hours:

Monday – Friday  ǀ  8:00 am – 5:00 pm

After hours testing would be by appointment only for symptomatic patients.

Patients who need routine medical care or are having non-COVID-19 related issues can still be seen by our Quick Care Walk-In Clinic.

Important reminders:

  1. Individuals who were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID and are asymptomatic should wait minimum of 5 days until testing or test when symptoms develop.
  2. If an individual tested positive at another facility, that person will need to do follow-up testing at that facility or provide our medical clinic with physician orders for testing.
  3. When testing positive for COVID at Coryell Health, we contact patients and set up telehealth appointments to help guide the patient and family out of quarantine using a test based strategy.

 

Resources

Coronavirus Online Screening Tool https://coryellhealth.org/covid-19-screening

Coryell Health Medical Clinic/ Quick Care Walk-In Clinic/ Telehealth (254) 865-2166

Coryell Health COVID-19 Website https://coryellhealth.org/covid

Your Well-Woman Check-up is More Important Than Ever

Your Well-Woman Check-up is More Important Than Ever

As a female, keeping up with routine medical exams is crucial. During these well-woman appointments, you’ll develop a better understanding of your body and health, allowing you to make knowledgeable decisions about your lifestyle. Below are a few benefits of these routine appointments so that you can schedule an exam at your local medical clinic with peace of mind.

3 Reasons to Not Miss Your Well-Woman Exam

1. Talk With Your Physician

Appointments consist of more than pelvic or breast exams. They also allow you to have an open conversation with a doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding your health or body. You can also discuss any recent changes in your health or habits to inform the physician if they should change any treatments or update your medical history. This ensures you can make informed decisions about contraceptive options and family planning. “Your doctor can better assess your symptoms if he or she is already well-acquainted with your overall health,” says Dr. Diedra Wuenschel, Coryell Health Medical Clinic Director. “The more familiar your doctor is with your health, the easier it is to notice a symptom that sounds unusually strange for you or identify when an abnormal lab result is more than just an anomaly.”

2. Allow for Early Detection

When you visit your primary care practitioner for exams regularly, you can detect women’s health issues early. For example, regular pelvic exams could make your doctor aware of developing pelvic support issues or sexually transmitted infections. During a Pap smear, they’ll also look for early warning signs of ovarian and cervical cancers. When a physician finds these problems early, they can begin treatment and give you the best chance to stay healthy.

3. Maintain Your Medical Regimen

For many women, taking prescription medication is a normal part of their health care routine. This might include medicines for birth control, cholesterol, or sexually transmitted diseases. However, the only way to access these supplies is to get prescriptions from a doctor. You may also need to change treatments if your current ones cause unexpected side effects. Since most physicians won’t provide or update medications without routine appointments, visit them regularly.

“I know going to your doctor’s office might make you nervous right now, but we’re taking every precaution needed to keep you safe,” adds Dr. Wuenschel. “Staying safe from COVID-19 is a priority right now, but so is your overall health.

If you need to schedule a women’s wellness exam, visit Coryell Health in Gatesville, TX. Whether you have trouble with arthritis, diabetes, or weight loss, our qualified team can help. Visit us online for more information about our primary care services. Call (254) 865-2166 to schedule an appointment.