Health First Center offers free classes for veterans and their family members

HICKORY, NC – July 15, 2013 – The Health First Center at Valley Hills Mall welcomes all veterans and their family members to three free Wednesday health-centered courses. The series is presented by rural health nurse educators from the Department of Veterans Affairs and begins this Wednesday, July 17 and continues Wednesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 31 at 1 p.m. Registration is ...

Safe Kids Catawba County plans July 11 Child Passenger Safety Diversion Program

Attending child safety seat violators have opportunity for ticket dismissal HICKORY, NC – July 5, 2013 – Safe Kids Catawba County and the Office of the District Attorney for Catawba County will hold a Child Passenger Safety Diversion Program kickoff event, Thursday, July 11 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The child safety seat check will be held in the lower level of the parking deck near ...

Catawba Valley Medical Group announces new Mountain View practice

HICKORY, NC – July 2, 2013 – Catawba Valley Medical Group has announced the July 15, 2013 opening of Catawba Valley Family Medicine (CVFM) – Mountain View, the organization’s 10th family practice. The facility is located at 2712 South NC 127 Highway in Hickory, and will serve as the practice for Christopher Witke, M.D., who is transferring from CVFM – Viewmont. ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center relocates Outpatient Registration July 1

HICKORY, NC – June 24, 2013 – Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) will relocate registration for all outpatient procedures from the main lobby to the Day Surgery area, effective July 1, 2013. Day Surgery is located on the west side of CVMC, and patients can access the entrance by following campus signs. Click here. Registration hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. For ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center Recognizes June 2013 CARE Employee

HICKORY, NC – June 19, 2013 – Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) recognized Donna Yates, RN, Oncology, as the June 2013 CARE Employee. Following are remarks offered in nominating Donna: “She is a very professional nurse. She was always checking on me and asking if she could help me or get me anything. She makes me smile when I feel down. She takes the time to explain any ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center receives national award for providing safe, efficient and effective care

HICKORY, NC – June 14, 2013 – Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) has been nationally recognized for reducing harm, mortality, readmissions and costs, while improving the patient experience and delivering evidence-based care. CVMC is one of five hospitals to receive the QUEST® Award for High-Value Healthcare from Premier, a hospital-owned performance improvement alliance of 2,800 ...

Catawba Valley Cardiology hires Sara Paul, heart failure specialist

In her role, Paul will be meeting with patients to provide proper lifestyle counseling while working to ensure each heart failure patient is thoroughly treated with appropriate medications. Paul will initiate innovative approaches like group medical appointments to give patients the opportunity to meet with dieticians and pharmacists in a group setting with others suffering from heart failure. ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center Recognizes May 2013 CARE Employee

About Catawba Valley Medical Center Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center named certified Primary Stroke Center

According to The Joint Commission, “The Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care. Programs applying for advanced certification must meet the requirements for Disease-Specific Care Certification plus additional, clinically specific requirements and expectations.” “This ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center earns the Women's Choice Award for Excellence in Orthopedics

“It is a distinct honor for Catawba Valley Medical Center to receive its third Women’s Choice Award and to be designated one of America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in Orthopedics for 2013,” said J. Anthony Rose, President and CEO of CVMC.Women make 90 percent of health care decisions for themselves and their families, according to a study published by the ...

SIR - Senior Information Resources

SIR is the Unifour’s newest educational resource for seniors, families and caregivers. SIR began organizing less than two years ago with a handful of people and a dream to make it easier for seniors to find the services they need. Now, it has grown into a 100 plus organization, with members from businesses, agencies, organizations, profits and nonprofits, with a mission to enhance the needs ...

Brain Matters

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and the main reason for adult disability in the United States. According to the National Stroke Association, approximately 795,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Within the first year, five to 14 percent of stroke survivors will have a second stroke. On average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds and someone dies, as a result, every ...

CVMC cares about Paris

Colleen’s sister, who was also in town, was complaining of a headache and her father, Paris Fortner, got up to retrieve some headache medicine. That was when the sisters noticed their dad staggering down the hallway. “He made it back with the medication and tried to say something but it was unintelligible,” Colleen remembered. “He told us that his leg was numb and after 30 ...

Oh My Aching Neck!

According to Duke University School of Medicine researchers, neck pain is a very common complaint impacting 30 to 50 percent of adults in any given year. Chronic neck pain is not a specific disease but a symptom that may occur as a result of a variety of different processes. Even with a thorough medical examination, the exact cause of neck pain is rarely revealed. Neck pain could be the result of ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center Recognizes April 2013 CARE Employee

About Catawba Valley Medical Center Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive ...

Catawba Valley Medical Center holds Senior Resource Fair May 1

According to the Administration on Aging, Older Americans Month has been designated to “appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older adults and their contributions to communities.” Unleash the Power of Age is the 2013 theme, geared toward helping “older Americans stay positive, active and looking forward.” For more information, please contact Carol ...

Safe Kids Catawba County Announces May 18 is Safe Kids Day: A Day to Celebrate Children and Save Lives

Injuries are the number one killer of kids in the United States, and 9,000 families lose a child every year to a preventable injury. That’s one family every hour. When a child dies or is seriously injured, the lives of families and entire communities are changed forever. But, the majority of these injuries are completely preventable. In partnership with Children’s Tylenol and through ...

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel supplies the fingers with the ability to flex and feel. When CTS occurs, it usually comes on slowly overtime, though occasionally direct trauma or force can cause it quickly. Much more women than men have CTS; the reason for this is unclear. CTS occurs due to an increase in fluid pressure, enlargement of the flexor tendons, small space of the tunnel and scarring in the tunnel. ...

Your Brain Needs You!

You have heard the phrase, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” It’s 100 percent accurate when we are talking about our brains. We take advantage of our brain’s amazing powers of memory and cognition until we start to lose them, but there are simple things we can do to keep our minds healthy. Scientists researching Alzheimer’s disease have determined six steps ...

Western medicine for the Hmong

Jacques Txuj Ci Moua, M.D., is a Catawba Valley Family Medicine (CVFM) physician practicing at the CVFM-Northeast Hickory office. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and earned his M.D. from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, where he was a recipient of the Board of Governors Medical Scholarship. Dr. Moua is a family physician treating a wide variety of ...

Protecting Children from Child Abuse

In 2010, about 3.3 million reports were made to child protective services regarding the safety and well-being of approximately 5.9 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Of these reports, 1,560 children died due to child abuse or neglect. When a child does not receive the love, nurturing or basic necessities they need to prosper; the lifelong effects can ...

Why we wanted to be one of the first...

Anna Wallace of Conover has a large family. She has given birth to five children in three different hospitals, and those experiences have helped her and her husband Jeremy set a standard for what they expect from a birthing center. When they found out the anticipated birth date of their fifth child happened to coincide with the opening of the new Center for Women & Children at Catawba Valley ...

Healing Through Humor

Have you ever noticed how relaxed and good you feel after laughing at a funny movie, television program, or humorous event? It seems generally accepted that our bodies respond in a positive way to a hearty laugh. Studies from the Department of Clinical Immunology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine have shown decreases in serum cortisol levels during a good laugh, which results in a ...

Healthy Eating as You Age

Keep your grains “whole grains.” Use brown or wild rice, whole grain or multigrain pasta, whole grain bread and crackers, and high fiber cereals as part of your daily routine. Whole grains contain complex carbohydrates and fiber, which provide a sense fullness and satisfaction with meals. Foods high in simple sugar (white sugar, high fructose corn syrup) provide little nutritional ...

An Extra Special Letter to Santa

Julie Stallings had a normal pregnancy and December 13, 2011 was just a normal day, or so she thought. With the holidays approaching, she was getting ready to spend time with family, wrapping up projects at work and the thought of delivery hadn’t crossed her mind. Suddenly, she began to experience stomach pains and, with the help of Laura Faruque, MD, from A Woman’s View, little ...