MTR Blog

About 90% of Americans consume more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.  Too much sodium increases an individual’s risk for high blood pressure which often leads to heart disease and stroke.  Americans eat on average about 3,300 mg of sodium a day.  The U.S. Dietary Guidlines (www.dietaryguidelines.gov) recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day, and about 6 in 10 adults should further limit sodium to 1,500 mg a day.  Those people who should limit sodium to 1,500 mg a day are: people who are 51 years or older, African Americans, people with high blood pressure, people with diabetes, and people with chronic kidney disease.  Foods that should be avoided with high sodium content come from the following: breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured deli meats, pizza, processed poultry, soups, sandwiches (i.e cheeseburgers), cheese, pasta dishes, salad dressings, sauces (i.e alfredo), and snacks such as chips, pretzels, and popcorn.  Reducing sodium is a major part of a national initiative by the federal government (http://millionhearts.hhs.gov)  to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.

MTR Health was proud to recently participate in two fundraising events in February and March.  The first one was the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer (www.buckeyecruise.com) that benefited The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (www.cancer.osu.edu).  The event raised more than 550k for breast cancer research for the Stephanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.  The second fundraiser, Miracles of Magic,  on March 9 was for A Kid Again (www.akidagain.org) and generated more than 175k.   The money raised will enhance the lives of kids with life threatening illnesses.

According to the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov), Sepsis, a disease caused by a bacterial infection, kills more than 375,000 Americans each year which is more than the number of deaths from prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined.  The number of cases is up 153% from 1993-2009.  Medicare covers 58% of Sepsis cases.  Sepsis accounted for the single most expensive reason for Americans being hospitalized in 2009.  Government data reported that treatments for sepsis totaled $15.4 billion and resulted in 1.7 million hospital stays. 

Sepsis can occur from a wide varity of afflictions including the flu, a urinary tract infection or pneumonia.   In 10% of cases, doctors can determine the type of infection that led to sepsis.   The symptoms for sepsis include fever, chills, disorientation and rapid breathing and an accelerated heart rate.  Treatment of antibiotics must begin immediately for patients with suspected sepsis.  Sepsis is fast spreading and will cause organs to shut down even if antibiotics are administered.    Diagnosing sepsis early like other life threatening diseases provides the greatest likelihood of survival.

A Kid Again (www.akidagain.org) is an organization that enriches the lives of children with life threatening illnesses by providing them and their families with fun-filled group activities and destination events.  MTR Health was a Silver Table Sponsor on November 5 that helped raise 300k at the 2011 A Kid Again Gala.

MTR was one of 4,000 participants in the 1st Annual Walk/Run for the Stephanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research (www.stepupforstephanie.org) at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (www.cancer.osu.edu).  Stephanie Spielman lost her life to breast cancer in 2009 after a courageous 12 year battle.  All the proceeds from the Walk will go 100% to breast cancer research.  Since 1999, the Stephanie Spielman Fund has raised more than 8.5m for breast cancer research.