The 2019–2020 flu season has begun, and Vanessa Pratomo, MD, Family Practice Physician, Montefiore Medical Group, has great advice on how to build layers of protection for yourself, your loved ones and your entire community:

1. Get your flu shot! It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to help your body build up immunity to the flu viruses you’re likely to encounter as you go about your daily life, so don’t delay. Get that vaccine as soon as possible.
2. Get your children vaccinated and encourage the rest of your family to do the same. Nearly everyone more than 6 months old should be vaccinated, especially if they have chronic health conditions like asthma, heart disease or diabetes. Women who are pregnant will provide some protection for the baby during its first few months of life by getting a flu shot now.
3. Rev up those good hygiene habits during flu season. Hand washing is crucial, but if you can’t wash, use hand sanitizer to protect yourself. Avoid touching eyes, mouth and nose, and try to keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing.
4. Use the power of lifestyle to bolster your immune system. Lots of sleep, a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water will help you fight off the flu and other respiratory viruses.

Montefiore associates can take advantage of the annual MY SHOT COUNTS campaign to get a flu shot at work. Check the intranet’s FLU HQ page for complete information.

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Montefiore,s innovative Lung Cancer Screening Program has resulted in more than 2,200 patient screenings, with 55 cancers detected over the past seven years, of which about half were more treatable Stage 1 and 2 cancers. When lung cancer is detected and treated early, the five-year survival rate can be as high as 90 percent, but three-quarters of patients are not diagnosed until the disease has spread, reducing their chance of survival to only about 5 percent.

The Lung Cancer Screening Program focuses on smokers and former smokers, age 55 to 74, with a history of at least 30 pack-years of smoking. Created by Montefiore physicians working across multiple disciplines, the program works with patients to identify those at high-risk and provides automated enrollment forms and follow-up reminders to be screened for lung cancer, as well as streamlining the process for referring physicians.

Discover more at www.montefiore.org/radiology-services-cardiothoracic-imaging 

The Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care is participating in a national study of AccuCinch, a new device to treat an enlarged left ventricle, a condition that affects about half of all heart failure patients. Researchers implant the circular AccuCinch device inside the ventricle using a catheter, then slowly cinch it to reduce the enlargement of the ventricle. AccuCinch supports and strengthens the heart wall, thereby improving heart size and function, and has been shown to slow or halt the progression of heart failure. Ulrich P. Jorde, MD, Section Head, Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Montefiore, and Azeem Latib, MD, Medical Director, Structural Heart Interventions, Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care, are leading the investigations and have successfully completed cases for two different indications.

For more information, please call 718-920-2626.