Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Summer 2020

#PeopleofBRH Lindy Jones, MD, Medical Director, Emergency Department Lindy Jones, MD, is the medical director for the Emergency Department at Bartlett Regional Hospital. For the past three years, Dr. Jones has crafted a mahogany-maple rocker boat for the first baby of the year to be born at Bartlett; he delivered babies for years at Bartlett Beginnings before joining the Emergency Department. “I owe my life to this community. I raised my family here. I have all my dear friends here. This is an important place to me. “The community is very serious about doing what’s right for Juneau. My hope is that the dedication and commitment to do so continues. It’s very important if we are going to mitigate the impacts of this on our community and flatten the curve. We can take care of people if they’re ill, but we can’t let our health care system get overwhelmed.” #PeopleofBRH Mimi Benjamin, MD, Hospitalist Medical Director Mimi Benjamin, MD, has worked as a physician for over 30 years, the last 10 years in Juneau. She is the medical director and creator of the Bartlett Regional Hospital Hospitalist program, which started in 2017. Hospitalists are doctors who specialize in taking care of people in the hospital. She is currently also working on the incident command team for COVID-19. “I am an optimist. Several positive things have come out of this. We are learning like crazy, and we’re learning really important lessons because we have to, and we have to do it fast. I’ve seen projects that would take a year take a week. Restructuring the building, putting up walls, making negative pressure rooms—everything has gone so fast, but it hasn’t been done in a haphazard way. It’s been done in an evidence-based way. So we’ve learned how to communicate better, we’ve learned how to work harder and more efficiently. “Thank you, Juneau, for social distancing and mask wearing. It’s clearly working. Thank you to all the nurses and doctors and to all of the people cleaning the rooms and making our food. I mean—it’s like the Academy Awards, so many people to thank. The administration of the hospital have been nothing but positive every single day. We’ll get through COVID-19. Then we’ll be prepared in case something like this ever happens again, which it might. And we’ll be smarter, and we’ll be in a better place.” YOUR GUIDES TO GOOD EATING To consult with a Bartlett dietitian, ask your health care provider for a referral. Need a provider? Visit www.bartletthospital.org . 10. ASPEN. (2020). Nutrition and hydration: quick facts for COVID-19 patients. https://www.nutritioncare. org/uploadedFiles/Documents/ Guidelines_and_Clinical_Resources/ COVID19/COVID19%20Patient_ Nutrition%20Quick%20Facts.pdf Zinc and selenium are important to immune health. Where to find them: Good dietary sources of zinc include whole grains and fortified foods 8 and selenium-rich foods include Brazil nuts, seafood and eggs 9 . What about supplements? Be cautious about supplements. It’s possible to consume too much of some nutrients, and supplements may contain many times the amount one would typically find in food sources. Let your medical providers know of any dietary supplements you plan to take. Nutrition for healing If you do become ill, nutrition supports your immune system, prevents catabolism, allows for the synthesis of new tissues, and reduces oxidative stress and inflammation 3,10 . If your appetite is diminished, a high-calorie, high-protein diet broken into small, frequent meals or snacks can help 10 . Hydration is equally important: Try 2 to 4 ounces of water or clear liquids every 15 minutes 10 . SHARING THANKS www.bartletthospital.org 13