Search
-
Perfect Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Puppy Treats
This holiday season, sprinkle some extra joy for your favorite furry pals by whipping up these easy, AKC-approved dog treats. With simple ingredients and quick baking times, they're the perfect last-minute surprise to show your pet some love. Turn it into a delightful gift by snagging some adorable, budget-friendly canisters (easily found at dollar or thrift stores) and fill them to the brim with these homemade goodies. It's a merry, tail-wagging gift that's sure to make this season the most pet-friendly one yet! đđŸđȘ
Read More About Perfect Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Puppy Treats
-
Meet Raven: A Renown Therapy Dog
If youâve ever spent time at Renown, you may have noticed there are some four-legged volunteers roaming the halls greeting patients, visitors, and staff. Since 1997, Renown has been fortunate enough to have its very own therapy dog program. As of today, there are 43 dogs in the program, and each of them have gone through countless hours of training to offer healing, comfort and support to those seeking treatment within our health system. Each of these therapy dogs have their own special personalities, but they all share the same mission: to make a paws-itive impact on everyone they meet. One therapy dog that has touched many lives at Renown is Raven, a five-year old Belgian Malinois mix. Raven's Story In March of 2019, Reno residents Richard and Vickie Lange rescued Raven from an animal shelter in Portola, California. When the Langes made Raven part of their family, they immediately started her in obedience training. After seeing her do so well, they thought of an idea that would not only help Raven reach her full potential but also allow them to give back to others â they decided to train Raven to be a therapy dog.
-
Getting to Know Renown's Canine Companions
A slobbery kiss, a wagging tail, a judgement-free smile. There are few things better than the love and attention of a canine companion. At Renown Health, we have a loyal and playful group of pet therapy teams. This volunteer program uses animal-assisted interactions (AAI) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to provide comfort, reduce boredom, increase social interactions, improve mood, boost general well-being and â perhaps most importantly â bring smiles to our patientsâ faces. Benefits of AAT & AAI: Lowers blood pressure and heart rate by relieving anxiety Helps in pain management Eases feelings of depression, loneliness, boredom and isolation Stimulates communication Encourages physical activity For more information about the program, a complete list of our teams or to get involved, click here. Meet Keno and Linda Linda, Kenoâs human, has volunteered as one-half of a therapy dog team for more than 14 years. Keno is her third Newfoundland, and he is a sweet and cuddly 2-year-old pup, who, according to Linds, thinks is a lap dog. âMy mother was in assisted living for almost 10 years, and I saw what an impact a therapy dog can have,â Linda said. When she moved to Reno from Portland six years ago, she immediately contacted Renown. A Memory the Stands Out: A patient in the ICU was not responsive because of oxygen deprivation due to almost drowning. Linda and Keno went into the patientâs room at his physical therapistâs request, and the therapist asked the patient to reach out and pet the dog. After the third request, he moved his hand toward the dog, and his mother burst into tears. It was the first time the patient had moved since his accident. Linda and Keno went back several days in a row, and soon the patient was talking, sitting up and eating on his own. Â Meet Madi and Clark Madi, Clarkâs human, is an employee at Renown, and Clark made it a family affair by joining the team in Sept. 2021. Clark is a unique pup with an amazing demeanor who adores everyone as much as they adore him. He is a hardworking Goldendoodle who loves to be a goofball at home when heâs off the clock. Why They Became a Therapy Dog Team: Madi was inspired to get Clark trained as a therapy dog because, as an employee at Renown, she was always so happy to see dogs walking around, and she knew that I wanted to provide that same relief to others. Her favorite thing about being a Renown volunteer is the joy it spreads to those working and the patients they are caring for. Â Meet Richard and Raven Raven is a four old Belgian Malinois who has been working as a therapy dog for two and a half years. She is calm, friendly and loves having her tummy rubbed. âThe therapy dog teams are just one little part of Fighting the Good Fight,â Ravenâs human Richard said. A Memory that Stands Out: Raven and Richard were assigned to the Sierra oncology ward one shift and visited a woman who had a picture of her dog displayed next to her bed. Raven immediately went to the bedside and the patient started petting her. As she spent more time petting Raven, Richard could see the stress disappearing from her face. He later learned that it was the patientâs first chemotherapy infusion, and Raven gave her the peace and the strength she needed to face the chemotherapy head-on. Â Meet Savannah and Hallie Hallie and Savannahâs journey as a therapy dog team began in 2017 at the Morgan Stanley Childrenâs Hospital in New York and has also taken them to San Francisco General Hospital and Stanford Hospital. The duo moved to Reno in 2020 and immediately joined the Renown Pet Therapy Program. A friend, energetic and cuddly American Cocker Spaniel, Hallie especially loves spending time with the young children at the hospital. A Memory That Stands Out: Savannah remembers one visit to a patient in the Childrenâs Emergency Room who was struggling with suicidal thoughts. Having struggled with mental health herself, Savannah felt a deep connection to the patient and a need to help. She recalls placing Hallie on the patientâs bed a seeing a âvery small hint of a smile.â Savannah later learned that the Renown nurses hadnât seen the patient smile in days. It was that moment that made Savannah realize what a profound impact Hallie can have on patients. Â Meet Chivas and Donna Chivas was a McNab/Border Collie mix who volunteered at Renown with her human Donna for two years. With help from Donna, Chivas was a master at reading situations in the hospital and reacting accordingly. For example, if a patient was afraid of dogs, she would sit with her back to the person so she didnât come off as threatening. Contrarily, she would lie down on the floor when playing with young children to let them pet her on their level. Why They Became a Pet Therapy Team: This dynamic duo started out as a member of a local pet therapy group. During the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, they participated in outdoor pet therapy parades for various hospitals in the area. Donna and Chivas met Renown Volunteer Coordinator Wendy Peuket at one of the parades and she inspired Donna to pursue becoming a registered therapy dog team for Renown's Therapy Dog Program. Chivas sadly passed away unexpectedly in early December 2021, and the world is a whole lot dimmer place without Chivasâ light shining brightly.
-
Renown Health Food Pantry Nourishes Patients in Need
Unfortunately, many in our community go to bed hungry. Thanks to the support of the Food Bank of Northern NevadaâŻand other local partners, Renownâs food pantry is helping meet the food needs of homeless and low-income individuals in our community. Patients who qualify for the âFood is Medicine Prescriptionâ can receive a bag of food for themselves and each member of their immediate family every week through a free assistance program. This project started last year when Renown began giving food support to hospital and emergency room patients who expressed the need. Food is also given out at the Healthcare Center, which provides affordable access to care for anyone in our community. Those who receive care at the Healthcare Center are also eligible for food assistance. Working Alongside the Community After receiving food deliveries from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Renownâs community health team collects an assortment of fresh produce, donated from local grocery stores and other community organizations. Then they put together one bag for each family filled with healthy foods, such as: Whole grain cereals Shelf stable milk Kid-friendly snacks (granola bars, popcorn, graham crackers Proteins (low-salt soups, stews, peanut butter) Seasonal produce Food is Medicine Prescriptions Continue Amidst the Pandemic Throughout the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Renownâs community health workers have been working remotely. They continue to reach out to patients who need groceries from the Food is Medicine Prescription program. With this in mind, the food pantry staff is currently coordinating outpatient deliveries to those with a Food is Medicine Prescription. At present, Renown is working to get more refrigeration, shelving and staffing to expand the service to more Renown Medical Group patients in need of food.
Read More About Renown Health Food Pantry Nourishes Patients in Need
-
Generic Drugs â What You Need to Know About Them
Without a doubt, taking medications can not only be expensive, but also confusing. In the United States, generic prescriptions are widely used, with 9 out of 10 people choosing them over a name brand. Pharmacists are a great resource to help us understand the benefits and side effects of any medication. We asked Adam Porath, PharmD, Vice President of Pharmacy at Renown Health, to answer some common questions about generic drugs. What is a generic drug? A generic drug has the same active ingredients of brand-name drugs. Brand-name drugs have a patent (special license) protecting them from competition to help the drug company recover research and development costs. When the patent expires other manufacturers are able to seek approval for a generic drug. However, the color, shape and inactive elements may be different. Per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), a generic medicine works in the same way and provides the same clinical benefit as its brand-name version. Why do they cost less? Generic drug makers do not have the expense of costly development, research, animal and human clinical trials, marketing and advertising. This savings is passed on to the public. Also after a patent expires, several companies will compete on a generic version of a drug, further driving down prices.
Read More About Generic Drugs â What You Need to Know About Them
-
Use Caution: Mixing Over-the-Counter Medications Can Be Harmful
When youâre too sick to go to work but not sick enough for a doctorâs visit, over-the-counter medicines are a welcome relief to help alleviate that fever, runny nose or allergies. But because those medicines arenât signed off on or managed by your doctor and pharmacist, you must be especially mindful of what you put into your body. Whenever you pop a pill, you want to ensure youâre taking the correct dosage, waiting the right amount of time before taking another dose and not mixing certain medicines. Too Much Tylenol/Acetaminophen Tylenol â or acetaminophen â is a popular pain reliever for many, but too much can be bad for your liver. âOur bodies have a finite ability to metabolize Tylenol,â says Andy Wright, clinical pharmacist at Renown Rehabilitation Hospital. âWhen too much builds up in the liver, it becomes toxic. In patients with medical conditions like cirrhosis of the liver or hepatitis, this could be disastrous.â Remember, acetaminophen is in more than just Tylenol and generic pain relievers. You may also see acetaminophen in flu, cold and cough medicines, like Nyquil, and some prescription medications including Norco and Percocet. Keep a list of the medications you take, and limit daily acetaminophen use to 3,000 mg per day. When youâre scanning medicine bottle contents, remember acetaminophen is also referred to as APAP, AC, acetam or paracetamol. Mixing Painkillers When youâre dealing with pain and not getting any relief, taking a different medication may seem like the easy solution. Maybe you take some Aleve â a form of naproxen â for a headache, but it isnât working, so you switch to Motrin, an over-the-counter form of ibuprofen. Not a smart idea. Ibuprofen and naproxen along with aspirin are known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Because these medicines work in similar ways, they should never be combined or used in larger doses or more frequently than directed. Otherwise your risk of side effects can increase, which range from mild nausea to severe gastrointestinal bleeding. Itâs also important to consider your family history when taking NSAIDs because, ârecent studies have shown NSAIDs may have greater cardiovascular risks for people taking blood thinners or those with hypertension,â explains Andy. âA good example is ibuprofen: It has a relatively low gastrointestinal bleed risk while it has a moderate to high cardiovascular risk. The opposite is true for naproxen.â Rather than experimenting with multiple medicines, figure out which drug works best for you. You may find muscle soreness improves with aspirin, whereas when a headache hits, naproxen is best. Keep in mind that these medications arenât always best for everyone in the family. âAspirin in children and teens is not recommended unless under the supervision of a doctor,â Andy says. And pregnant and lactating women should generally avoid NSAIDS due to risk of birth defects and bleeding. âIn both of these cases, acetaminophen or Tylenol are preferred but only if approved by an OB/GYN.â Fighting Allergies Over-the-counter antihistamines like Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra have made fighting itchy eyes and runny noses a little easier. But these daily medicines â when taken inappropriately or in the wrong combinations â can also have an adverse effect. Similar to acetaminophen, you need to watch for antihistamines in other products. Sleep aids â like Tylenol PM and Unisom â commonly use an antihistamine known as diphenhydramine, which may increase your risk of overdose. âCombining antihistamines, or overdosing, can cause many adverse effects including dry mouth, blurred vision â even arrhythmias,â Andy says. âOnly take these medications on their own.â If youâre still struggling with symptoms, you can talk to your doctor about adding an over-the-counter nasal steroid. Andy confirms the importance of closely following the directions listed on antihistamine (and all medicine) bottles. He has seen extended release nasal decongestants cause significant arrhythmias requiring medical care after a patient took the medicine with warm fluids. âThe decongestant in question is designed to slowly release, but it can dissolve suddenly in the presence of warm liquids like coffee,â Andy explains. âThis can cause the pill to deliver 12 to 24 hours of medication all at once.â Taking an Antidiarrheal with Calcium Calcium supplements and antidiarrheal medicines are another harmful combination. Calcium firms up your stool, but if taken with an antidiarrheal, can cause severe constipation. If you need to take an antidiarrheal, take a break from your calcium for a few days until youâre back to normal. Another consideration when taking calcium supplements or calcium-based antacids is gas. âIâve had several patients report cases of excessive gas using Tums or calcium carbonate-based supplements.â Andy suggests instead âtrying Maalox or Mylanta for indigestion and Citracal as a supplement.â Talk with Your Doctor or Pharmacist About Your Medications If over-the-counter drugs arenât providing the relief you need, itâs time to see your doctor. And remember, for your safety it is important to keep your doctor and pharmacist up-to-date with any medications â prescribed or over-the-counter â that you are taking.
Read More About Use Caution: Mixing Over-the-Counter Medications Can Be Harmful