Taking a lead role in heart failure

Sara Paul, DNP, FNP-C, has a passion for helping heart failure patients improve their quality of life, and that passion has led to a leadership role in the field both here at home and all over the world. Here, she oversees the Heart Function Clinic and the Heart Failure Support Group as part of her duties with Catawba Valley Cardiology. But she has also traveled the world on behalf of the American ...

Kellie Kirby: I wanted to live life

In 2013, Kellie Kirby was a wife, a mother of two, and had a job she had always enjoyed. But a somewhat rare condition took away the quality of her life, leaving her with a very limited amount of enjoyment in any part of her life. The little things, like playing with her children, or spending time outdoors with her family, caused her a lot of discomfort and extreme fatigue. She was diagnosed with ...

New Year? Healthier You!

The New Year often presents a feeling of a clean slate and a fresh start to achieve some long-overdue goals. If your aim is to achieve better health, that’s great! We’ve pulled together some tips from our wellness experts to help you get there. Choose Good Nutrition Ring in the new year by establishing healthier eating habits! “Making healthier food choices promotes health and ...

Corporate Wellness: A Healthy Start to the New Year

Our thoughts tend to shift to ideas of how to achieve improved health as we begin to take on a new year. As employers, it is a time to consider the opportunities available to help make a positive impact on our workforce. Employers have a great opportunity through wellness services and programs to create a positive culture of health in the workplace. What’s one simple way you can achieve ...

CVHS Receives an 'A' for Patient Safety in Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group ’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes CVMC’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and ...

American Heart Association Recognizes Catawba Valley Health System for Workplace Health Achievement

(HICKORY - October 2018) – The results of the American Heart Association 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index have been announced and Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) achieved Silver level recognition for taking significant steps to build a culture of health in the workplace. CVHS was the highest-performing organization in the county, along with the YMCA of Catawba Valley. The American ...

My Story - Musical Director Gives Staff Performance Rave Reviews

John Coffey knows a good performance when he experiences it. As a musical director, he’s worked on countless theater performances in multiple countries with casts and musicians to create the best audience experience possible. Recently, Coffey found himself in the role of patient at Catawba Valley Medical Center, and says the performance of the physicians and staff could not have been better. ...

Managing Diabetes During Holidays

If you have diabetes, the winter months can be extra challenging. It’s this time of year that seems to be the season for family gatherings, holiday parties and comfort foods, which provide ample opportunities to stray from a healthy diet and exercise regimen. But have no fear; there are ways you can celebrate the holidays without diabetes spoiling your cheer. The American Diabetes ...

4 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

Let’s face it, not all holidays are filled with fun and excitement. With so much to do, attend and plan, the holiday season causes many people to feel overwhelmed, anxious and stressed starting as early as mid-November. If the pending holiday season has you feeling a little overwhelmed, don’t worry. Here are four ways you can lower your seasonal sorrows and get back your holiday cheer: ...

Men's Guide to Health Screenings

As we age, we become more vulnerable to certain health issues, many of which go undetected until they start producing symptoms. That's why it's important to have routine screenings. Routine Screenings are performed before symptoms appear, and designed to catch diseases early - when they're more easily treated. Below you'll find screening recommendations based on your age group to ...

Health Screenings Guide for Women at Every Age

We monitor a lot of things in our lives, from our spending habits to the next time our car needs an oil change. It seems obvious that we should monitor our health in the same way. Yet, health screenings are frequently put on the back burner for a number of reasons. One of the most common reasons is the confusion as to which tests are necessary at each age. Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) is ...

Regenerative Medicine for Joint Pain

If you’ve suffered from joint pain, you know that traditional treatments like rest, ice and anti-inflammatory medications often provide insufficient pain relief and do little to heal the underlying injury. However, there are now treatments available through a growing area of medicine called regenerative medicine that help enhance the body’s ability to heal and rebuild itself. What is ...

A Backpack Guide for Parents

Backpacks are one of the must-have back-to-school items for kids. But, could they be doing more harm than good? Carrying too much weight in a backpack or wearing it incorrectly can place added strain and cause unnecessary pain to your child’s body. The good news is that as parents, you can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the correct way to avoid health problems. How can ...

WELLBUSINESS DESIGNEES ANNOUNCED

Pictured here are representatives from 25 local employers who were recognized by the 2018 WellBusiness program for their efforts to promote and support employee wellness. HICKORY, NC – June 22, 2018 – The WellBusiness Advisory Council announced 25 recipients of WellBusiness recognition during an awards luncheon held at Catawba Country Club on June 21. Now in its fourth year, the ...

Treating a Patient, Treating a Family

Like so many adults with aging parents, Joanna helps take care of her elderly mother and stepfather. She pays bills, takes them to doctors appointments, and helps them out around the house. “My parents still get along really well on their own,” Joanna says. “When they do need help, I try to be there.” But Joanna wasn’t there when her stepfather’s left arm ...

Introducing Our New Brand Name: Catawba Valley Health System

The one constant in healthcare is that it is always changing. This is as true at Catawba Valley Medical Center as anywhere else in the industry, and I am pleased to announce that we are preparing to undergo another change – our brand name. The hospital began as Catawba Memorial Hospital. The name fit our hospital well, as we were primarily an acute care facility serving Catawba County with ...

Prepare Yourself: How CPR Training Saves Lives

When cardiac arrest strikes, every second is crucial. Each minute CPR is not performed, the likelihood of brain damage increases significantly. In as little as 10 minutes without CPR, brain damage is expected in a victim of cardiac arrest, yet only 32% of cardiac arrest victims will receive CPR from a bystander. The root of this troubling statistic? A lack of emergency training. During a cardiac ...

3 Great Reasons to Attend the BIG Latch On

What is the Big Latch On? The Big Latch On is a global event designed to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding by inviting nursing mothers to come together at registered locations around the world to nurse their children at the same time. The ultimate goal? To make breastfeeding a normal part of everyday life and educate others on the numerous benefits that breastfeeding brings. How ...

My Story: Sweet (Sinus) Relief for a Emilie and Her Mother

After years of battling severe sinus infections, 11-year-old Emilie Sweet has finally found relief… and so has her mother. “It’s made a huge difference for her and for me,” Misty Sweet said. “I just felt helpless. To be able to do something that is helping her, that is a huge relief.” Emilie suffers from severe seasonal allergies that, in years past, have ...

9 Reasons to Try Group Exercise

Looking for a new way to work out? Here are 9 reasons to give group exercise classes a try: They’re Time Efficient: With a set amount of time allotted for each class, there’s no need to watch the clock. You can more easily fit your daily exercise in your schedule knowing that there is a specific time the class will start and end Help Establish a Routine: Having a routine can help you ...

The Warning Signs of Alzheimer's

Known as the most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease is associated with problems of severe memory loss, thinking, and behavior that interfere with a person’s everyday life. Alzheimer’s is the 6 th leading cause of death in the United States. It is a progressive disease that, as of now, has no cure. According to 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, North ...

Shopping Health. Made Simple. Grocery Store Tours

Navigating the grocery store to find healthy options can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be, with help of Renee Greene, RD, LDN, Wellness Dietitian at CVHS’s Health First Center. In her newest program, Shopping Healthy. Made Simple. Grocery Store Tours, Renee aims to help make grocery shopping less intimidating by taking you through a personalized tour of the grocery store. The ...

How Catawba Valley Health System covers your medical needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Often patients in our community find themselves in need of care after hours, and as the community’s largest healthcare provider, Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) offers multiple ways to find that care through our primary care providers with Catawba Valley Medical Group (CVMG), their Urgent Care Centers, and of course the Emergency Department at Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC). But ...

The 3 "Other" Roles of an Oncology Nurse

May is Oncology Nursing Month, making it the perfect time to highlight the caregivers who help people navigate one of the most challenging times of their lives - a cancer diagnosis. Oncology nurses are healthcare professionals who are specially trained to administer chemotherapy and radiation treatments. They are also responsible for monitoring cancer patients’ vital signs and overall ...

Local Hospitals Identify Phone Scam

Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) and Frye Regional Medical Center (FRMC) have been made aware and want to advise local residents about a phone scam in our area involving callers posing as representatives from the hospital. This is a case of Caller ID “spoofing,” a high-tech manipulation of the Caller ID feature that allows the scammer to disguise their true identity by making the ...