Healthcare

In January, Swedish Medical Center announced its search for the "oldest baby" born at Swedish in celebration of its 100th anniversary. On March 8, Ballard resident Virginia McCutchon, 96, took the prize.

McCutchon was born at Swedish on May 27, 1914 and grew up in the Ballard/Greenwood area, attending Ballard High School. She then designed and built her own home in the neighborhood.

At age 3, McCutchon was diagnosed with polio and suffered paralyzation in her legs. Today, she is one of the oldest polio survivors in the country.

McCutchon has a passion for art and returned to school late in life, graduating at age 60 from the University of Washington as a Lambda Rho Art Honorary student.

Her other passion is Seattle and its natural beauty. Her favorite sights are the water of Puget Sound and Hood Canal, the snow-covered Olympic Mountains and the grandeur of Mount Rainier.

McCutchon passed her love of Seattle on to her family. Her two children, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren live in the city.

As the oldest person born at Swedish, McCutchon will receive a prize package from Hotel 1000.

While the federal government has spent months proposing, discussing and debating healthcare reform, there is one group of Ballardites who have been getting free, safe, confidential primary care, regardless of insurance, for eight years.

The Teen Health Center at Ballard High School, started in partnership with Swedish Medical Center in 2002 as part of a citywide program, acts as a primary care clinic for students.

"It's more like a doctor's office than a school nurse," said Sara Rigel, manager of Patient/Family Education and Community Health at Swedish.

By providing services at no cost to students, some of whom have no insurance or are under-insured, the benefits of the Teen Health Center are huge, Rigel said.

"It's an opportunity to contribute to the greater well-being of our youth and community," she said.

The center is jointly funded by Swedish Medical Center and King County Public Health trough the Family and Education Levy.

In addition to sports physicals and vaccinations, the center provides mental health counseling and sexual health and family planning care.

“How can you know what is right for the world? By knowing what is right for your own life.” – Tao Teh Ching

If you or a loved one experience feelings of depression for short or long periods of time, you are familiar with its oppressively heavy cloak.

Studies show that 9.5 percent of Americans 18 and older are diagnosed with depression and 27 million are prescribed medication for their symptoms.
These medications for depression are, by design, short-term remedies which mask – not cure – symptoms, create dependency, withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, new illnesses and have an 80 percent relapse rate.

Add to this the fact that depression often goes undiagnosed in a culture where a state of discontent is often the accepted norm, and we start to see that it is time to look at other ways to understand and treat depression.

As a practitioner who sees clients with symptoms of depression, it would not be my wish to take the medications away.
However, I see them as a crutch, and we don’t want to walk with a crutch for the rest of our lives. What we want is for our broken parts to be mended so we can stand on our own two feet.

By Sarah Gardner

“How can you know what is right for the world?
By knowing what is right for your own life.” – Tao Teh Ching

If you or a loved one experience feelings of depression for short or long periods of time, you are familiar with its oppressively heavy cloak.

Studies show that 9.5 percent of Americans 18 and older are diagnosed with depression and 27 million are prescribed medication for their symptoms.

These medications for depression are, by design, short-term remedies which mask – not cure – symptoms, create dependency, withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, new illnesses and have an 80 percent relapse rate.

Add to this the fact that depression often goes undiagnosed in a culture where a state of discontent is often the accepted norm, and we start to see that it is time to look at other ways to understand and treat depression.

As a practitioner who sees clients with symptoms of depression, it would not be my wish to take the medications away.

The CEO of Ballard's A Helping Hand, which provides personalized care management for seniors, has been donating his time and expertise pro bono to cases that would otherwise be neglected.

Several weeks ago, Steven Jungk gave 40 to 50 hours of his time, normally charged at a rate of $100 an hour, to a case which involved an elderly woman living alone with multiple sclerosis and a 2007 hip replacement.

The woman, who Jungk said is fiercely independent and initially resisted hospitalization, was wheelchair bound and had exhausted her family support system.

A Helping Hand was notified of the woman’s case and stepped in to offer support free of charge.

She was eventually admitted to Swedish Hospital then discharged to a skilled nursing facility.

A Helping Hand is continuing to assist her with developing a power of attorney, a living will and an application for Medicaid.

Jungk said the advantage of working with A Helping Hand was the woman’s ability to truly collaborate in choosing her course of care, rather than being involuntarily admitted to a hospital, a course of action he said would have gone poorly.

She’s not a medical doctor-she doesn’t even work in the field but 28-year-old “Jenny” from West Seattle can tell you the signs and symptoms of countless cancers, disorders, rashes, and deadly infections.

She is obsessed with researching her endless and rotating list of medical anxieties.

"My symptoms change from day to day and might stick around for awhile, like now I have: a nagging cough (cancer, emphysema), pain in my hands and arms (arthritis, carpal tunnel), shooting pain in my left breast that comes and goes (breast cancer), tooth ache (root canal, major infection, heart problems). I sort of could go on and on here” Jenny states.

It prevents her from enjoying basic aspects of everyday life, like cooking a simple meal, because she’s constantly distracted by her worries. “I want to join a yoga class, but I stop myself because think my life has to be in better order before I start something new.”

She says her distrust in mental health professionals holds her back from getting formally diagnosed as a hypochondriac.

Construction workers hoisted the last roof beam of Swedish Ballard’s new outpatient and emergency care building into place at 11 a.m. on Jan. 11.

Erection of the building began in mid-December and is slated to be finished by fall 2010.

The new five-story building will house an emergency healthcare department on the first floor; medical imaging for x-rays, sonograms and MRIs on the second floor; primary care facilities on the third floor; and specialty physicians’ office space on the fourth floor.

The new building is part of a larger renovation plan for Swedish Ballard. The hospital was having difficulty recruiting new specialists, and the building is part of the effort to attract new hires and demonstrate to the community that Ballard Swedish is a permanent part of the neighborhood, said Rayburn Lewis, M.D., executive director of Swedish’s Ballard campus.

So far, Ballard Swedish has hired a new ear, nose and throat team, as well as new obstetrician/gynecologists, midwives, urologists and general surgeons.

Lewis said the new hospital building is exciting for both the hospital and the community.

Swedish Medical Center is looking for anyone born at Swedish 100 years ago as they could be the "oldest baby" born at the hospital.

Since opening its doors in 1910, approximately 200,000 babies have been born at Swedish Medical Center. Last year alone, there were more than 7,400 born at Swedish’s Ballard and First Hill campuses.

On Jan. 6, in honor of its 100-year-old baby-birthing crown, Swedish launched its search for the oldest living person born at any birthing center now part of Swedish Health Services, including Swedish Hospital (Swedish First Hill, Swedish Ballard and Swedish Cherry Hill), Doctors Hospital, Seattle General Hospital, Ballard General Hospital and Providence Seattle Medical Center.

As the medical center gears up to celebrate its 100th anniversary, it is Swedish’s hope that the “oldest baby” will be the hospital’s “spokes-baby” for the year. Swedish’s spokes-baby will be featured in a full online profile as well as a Web video.

In celebration of its own 100-year birthday, Swedish will honor Swedish-born babies of all ages by encouraging involvement in its I’m a Swedish Baby campaign.