SOUTHEAST TEXAS FALL 2017

ITAL SIGNS

BREAKTHROUGH
TREATMENT FOR
MIGRAINES

INSIDE:
• ACADIAN AMBULANCE OPENS AIRBASE IN SILSBEE WINNER
FIRST
PLACE
• FIGHTING BACK AGAINST OPIOID ABUSE 2015 - 2016 ANSON JONES
2 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

Blocking out the pain
New procedure at Baptist Hospital may be answer for patients suffering from migraines
A new procedure at Baptist Hospi-
tal in Beaumont may be the answer for
people suffering from migraine head-
aches. While the nerve block procedure
is not a cure for headaches, it has been
quite successful for many Southeast
Texas patients since it was introduced
at the hospital in September of last
year, said Dr. Robert Morrison, an in-
terventional radiologist at Baptist.
The Sphenopalatine Ganglion
(SPG) block is a procedure to stop pain
transmission through anesthesia to the
nerve. An anesthetic agent is adminis-
tered to the collection of nerves in the
ganglion through the least invasive way
to access the SPG — through the nose.
“The sphenopalatine ganglion is
a group of nerve cells that live at the
skull base right behind the nose,” Mor-
rison explained. “It’s a cluster of nerves
that does a lot of things, but one of
the things that it has shown to be is a
contributor to chronic migraine head-
aches. … The nerves in the sphenopala-
tine ganglion are always excited, and it’s
very easy for them to get flipped over
in this kind of hyper-excited state and
trigger a migraine headache.”
Morrison said that historically, SPG
block was accomplished with a long
needle through the face. The Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) also
approved BOTOX to treat migraine
headaches in 2010. Both methods in-
volve needles, however, which obvious-
ly can cause discomfort for the patient.
“It’s been shown that this area (be-
hind the nose) is a source of migraine
headaches, but it’s been an area that has
Dr. Robert Morrison
Photos by Kevin King
been tricky to get to,” Morrison said.
“There’s some new equipment that has
entered the marketplace that allows
us to just put a thin, rubber catheter
up your nose and, due to where this
sphenopalatine ganglion lives, we can
(administer) some lidocaine numbing
medicine basically through the nose
with this special catheter.”
Morrison uses fluoroscopy for im-
aging guidance during the procedure.
Fluoroscopy allows the visualization of
real-time imaging to direct the catheter
into the SPG.
“That allows us to then anesthetize
the nerve bundle,” Morrison said. “We
can do it quickly, safely and effectively
SEE SPG BLOCK PAGE 4
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 3
 SPG BLOCK • FROM PAGE 3

without having to put a needle in the pa-

tient’s skin.”
The procedure only takes about 10-
15 minutes, he said. The patient is awake
during the process.
“There’s very little risk,” Morrison add-
ed. “Mostly just a transient alteration in
the sense of taste or a kind of numbness
feeling in the back of their throat. That’s
pretty much it.”
Clint Vannoy, clinical coordinator for
the EMS Program at Lamar Institute of
Technology, recently had the procedure
performed. Vannoy, 43, said he has suf-
fered from migraines since a diving acci-
dent when he was 5 years old.
“I cracked my skull open,” said Van-
noy, a Woodville native who now resides
in Beaumont. “That triggered the begin-
ning of it. I remember waking up crying
and hurting and my parents didn’t really
know what was going on. It was just se-
vere pain. I didn’t get really get a diagnosis
until I was 20 probably. … Since the ac-
cident, I’ve gotten really bad migraines.”
Vannoy said he averaged 8 migraines a
month before the SPG block procedure.
“They last somewhere between 2-3
days a piece,” he said. “There are probably
Clint Vannoy, clinical coordinator for the EMS Program at Lamar Institute of Technology, recently
had the SPG block performed for his migraines. Vannoy says it’s the first time in 35 years that he
has gone this long without one.
During the SPG Block procedure, a thin, rubber catheter is placed up the patient’s nose and lidocaine
numbing medicine is administered to the sphenopalatine ganglion to stop pain transmission.
about 15-16 days out of a month that I’ve
got a migraine.”
Vannoy tried everything, from taking
pain medication to blood pressure pills to
seizure medications.
Illustration courtesy of SphenoCath
“I go to a neurologist in Houston that
has tried every gamut of medications pos-
sible,” he said. “I have never found any-
thing that works, and everything I’ve tried
has crazy side effects.”
Vannoy said he even went as far as
Thailand and Japan to try to find an East-
ern medicine approach to the problem,
but nothing worked.
The idea of having needles pushed into
his face wasn’t appealing to Vannoy either,
but when he heard about the SPG block
procedure, he decided to give it a try.
Following his SPG block procedure
in June, Vannoy expressed to Vital Signs
during our July 10 interview that he has
“not had a migraine since.”
“This is the first time in 35 years that
I’ve went this long without one,” he said.
Vannoy said he is no longer regularly ab-
sent from work or has to spend time in iso-
lation, hoping his migraines will go away.
“It’s one of those things where you are
in the fetal position on a couch in a dark
room as cold as you can get it just trying
to block out all the light and sound,” Van-
noy said. “Even when they go away, there’s
still another day or two of what I call con-
cussion days, which is the remnants of it
where you feel like you got hit in the head
with a baseball bat.”
Vannoy underwent the SPG block
SEE SPG BLOCK PAGE 6

4 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 5
 SPG BLOCK • FROM PAGE 4

procedure during his lunch break and re-

turned to work immediately after with no
complications. He said it was an in-and-
out procedure.
Since it is not a permanent cure for mi-
graines, how long will it last?
“It doesn’t get rid of the migraine head-
ache forever, but what it’s designed to do
is it basically resets the neurochemical im-
balance in the sphenopalatine ganglion,”
Morrison said. “Basically by anesthetiz-
ing them with the lidocaine, we’re just
resetting the system so that we’re ratchet-
ing them back down to a more baseline,
normal level. So it takes them longer and
longer to get back to that excitable state.
Everyone is different, but typically a lot of
Dr. Morrison uses the SphenoCath, a soft, flexible, spaghetti-sized catheter, to deliver medication
patients will experience significant relief in
their migraine headaches for 3-4 months, without the use of a needle inside the nasal passageway. The device has a directional arrow for
and then they can come back in and have proper orientation within the nostril and can, optionally, include a tungsten tip and barium
a repeat SPG block done at that time.” impregnated sheath for high visibility under fluoroscopic imaging.
It’s kind of like a maintenance program
that helps prolong a patient’s symptom-
free state, Morrison said.
Rebecca Venable, a 61-year-old Orange
native now residing in Beaumont, has suf-
fered from migraines for almost 30 years.
She started having them after her hyster-
ectomy.
“The first time I had one, I thought I
was having an aneurism. That’s how bad
it felt,” she said. “I have sensitivity to light
and sound. I have to get in a cold, dark
room and put an icepack on my neck and
an icepack on my forehead.”
Venable said the reoccurrences vary.
“I’ve gone months without having one
and then have had 10 in one month,” she
said. “There’s no reason or rhyme to it. It
gets disappointing when you make plans
and you have to cancel them. It depresses
me. … You can’t be around anybody be-
cause you’ve got to have quiet. I can’t be
around my grandchildren.”
Venable, who has tried tryptamine-
based drugs to treat her migraines, de-
cided to try the SPG block procedure
Tuesday, July 11. Vital Signs observed the

SEE SPG BLOCK PAGE 7

Dr. Robert Morrison performs the SPG block

procedure on Rebecca Venable on Tuesday,
July 11, at Baptist Hospital with radiologic
technologist Bret Ogden assisting. The
procedure only takes between 10-15 minutes,
and the patient is awake during the process.

6 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

 SPG BLOCK • FROM PAGE 6
procedure, which seemed to be quick and
painless for Venable, who even said, “It
was nothing.”
Venable, who had a migraine when she
showed up to the hospital, said her headache
was immediately gone, and she no longer
felt depressed. After following up with Ven-
able a week later, we discovered that she was
still migraine free and felt great.
“I haven’t had a headache all week and
have not taken anything,” she said.
According to the article “Impact of mi-
graine headache in the United States” by
Jennifer H. Lofland, the project director
and associate professor for the Depart-
ment of Health Policy at Thomas Jeffer-
son University in Philadelphia, the direct
Dr. Morrison uses fluoroscopy for imaging guidance during an SPG block procedure on Rebecca Venable at Baptist Hospital.
treatment costs associated with migraines
have been estimated at approximately
$1 billion per year in the United States.
However, the total economic impact of
migraines is far greater. Migraine head-
aches costs U.S. employers approximately
$13 billion per year as a result of missed
work days or reduced productivity on the
job, according to the article.
Migraine headaches affect approxi-
mately 9 percent of the U.S. population,
Lofland writes, and it is approximately
3 times more common among women
than among men, and also more common
among whites than other racial groups.
Although Morrison, who said Baptist
is the first and currently the only hospital
in Southeast Texas to offer the SPG block,
he said while he couldn’t share a specific
success rate for the procedure, he did say
most have found it to be helpful.
“I’m not saying this will be 100 percent
successful for everybody, but it sure does
seem to be successful for most people,” he
said.
Morrison said candidates can be re-
ferred by their primary care physician or
neurologist or can even be self-referred
if they know they have chronic migraine
headaches. He said that it is safe for chil-
dren suffering from migraines as well.
“We’d be happy to see them in our clin-
ic and evaluate them and see if they’re an
appropriate fit for this procedure,” he said.
For more information or to schedule
an appointment, call (409) 212-5825.
— Kevin King
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 7
Red Cross
volunteers bring
relief to their
neighbors during
emergencies
Volunteers are the driving force behind
the American Red Cross’s mission to re-
lieve suffering in the face of emergencies,
especially here in Southeast Texas.
“Without volunteers, we couldn’t do
our mission,” said Tammy Droste, vol-
unteer services specialist for the Ameri-
can Red Cross of Southeast and Deep
East Texas. This chapter of the Red Cross
serves 11 counties — Angelina, Hardin,
Jasper, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, Newton,
Orange, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby
and Tyler — with programs including di-
saster relief, CPR training and assistance
to military personnel, veterans and their
families.
With a staff of four full-time people
and one part-time worker, the approxi-
mately 300 volunteers in this region are
essential in responding to disasters includ-
ing fires, hurricanes, floods, and other
natural and man-made disasters, Droste
said. Red Cross Disaster Action Team
(DAT) volunteers respond to home fires
every 18 minutes.
In March 2016 when the Sabine River
flooded and displaced thousands in New-
ton County, Orange County and sur- Natalie Warren, disaster program manager for the American Red Cross Beaumont office, and
rounding areas, Red Cross volunteers lo- Tammy Droste, volunteer services specialist for the American Red Cross of Southeast and Deep East
cally and from as far away as Hawaii and Texas
Colorado joined together to support the
relief efforts, including staffing, logistics, those individuals, and to be able to emo- the first sergeant or commander of that in-
shelters, feeding, preparing and deliver- tionally connect with them. All our vol- dividual, to get them home or to get them
ing emergency supplies, and assessing the unteers are compassionate,” said Warren. a message,” said Warren.
damage. Additionally, through the Service to the Becoming a Red Cross volunteer starts
“All of that takes a team of volunteers. Armed Forces program, this area’s volun- with creating a profile online at www.red-
Everyone comes together; they come to- teers help service members return home to cross.org/local/texas/gulf-coast/volunteer
gether in a time of need,” said Natalie see their families in a time of emergency. and includes an interview to match in-
Warren, disaster program manager in the The Red Cross also supports a wide vari- terests with needs. A background check is
Beaumont office. For large and small di- ety of services available to both military also completed. Volunteer opportunities
sasters, the Red Cross volunteers meet the members and their dependents, for both include disaster relief, volunteer recruit-
immediate needs of victims: shelter, food, emergency and non-emergency situations. ment, staffing fairs and events, nurses,
bedding, clothing and sometimes essential “On the military side, if we have a fam- mental health workers, social services, and
medications and medical equipment. All ily here that has been affected by a loss, spiritual care workers.
disaster assistance is free. and they have a military service member Read about local American Red Cross
“Disaster volunteers go out and re- that is stationed somewhere else, they call volunteers throughout this issue.
spond in the middle of the night to assist us. We have a number that we give them.
families that have just lost everything. It That family can call that number and they — Photos and text for volunteer profiles
takes a special person to be able to assist will contact who they need to, whether it’s by Karen Stubblefield
8 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Christus Southeast Texas
names 2017 Nurses of the Year
C hristus Southeast Texas Health System named three nurses
from their respective hospitals in Jasper, Port Arthur and
Beaumont as nurses of the year for their service, compassion
and dedication to the nursing profession.
Rachel Boyette, RN with Christus Southeast Texas Jasper
Memorial Hospital, Sunshine Murphy, RN with Christus
Southeast Texas St. Mary and Ria Odom, RN with Christus
Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth were nominated by peers and se-
lected by a Divisional Professional Staff Nurse Council based
on education, certifications, accomplishment and patient sat-
isfaction. Thirteen nurses have received the nurse of the year
honor since the program’s inception in 2004.
“With close to 900 dedicated and talented nurses serving
patients at Christus Southeast Texas Health System, the selec-
tion of the nurse of the year is one of the most difficult de-
cisions,” said Christus Southeast Texas Chief Nursing Officer
Paul Guidroz. “I extend my sincere gratitude to Rachel, Sun-
shine and Ria for their outstanding contributions to nursing
excellence, and for playing a vital role in our mission to extend
the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”
Boyette works in the labor and delivery unit at Christus Jas-
per Memorial Hospital. She has practiced nursing at Christus
since 2012. Boyette is a childbirth educator, certified breast-
feeding counselor, and assisted the department in obtaining
Baby-Friendly status.
Murphy works in the catheterization laboratory at Chris-
tus St. Mary in Port Arthur. She began her career at Christus
in 2006 on the orthopedic unit. Murphy is recognized for her
work ethic and caring disposition.
Odom works as a surgery nurse in the Christus Outpatient
Pavilion day surgery department at Christus St. Elizabeth.
Odom is a 26-year veteran Christus associate, caring for surgi-
cal patients her entire career. She is recognized for her positive
and willing attitude, her friendliness and compassionate care
for her patients, and her skill and knowledge as a nurse and Rachel Boyette, RN with Christus Southeast Texas Jasper Memorial
instructor. Hospital

Ria Odom, RN with Christus Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth Sunshine Murphy, RN with Christus Southeast Texas St. Mary
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 9
 Now saving lives
on land and in the air
Acadian Ambulance opens air medical transport base in Silsbee
A cadian Ambulance is now saving
lives by way of land and air. The
ambulance service headquartered in
Lafayette, Louisiana, now employs an
air medical transport team, manning a
Eurocopter EC135 helicopter based in
Silsbee. Air Med Station – Silsbee is at
2580 Nerren Lane.
Air Med Services also has bases of
operation in Baton Rouge, Lafayette,
Alexandria, Houma, Lake Charles and
New Orleans. Whether inland, offshore
or in-hospital, Air Med Services first-
response range stretches 150 miles.
10 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
The Air Med Station – Silsbee team,
which consists of a pilot, paramedic
and flight nurse, responds to medi-
cal emergencies in 10 Texas counties.
The team employs the paramedics
and nurses, and the pilot is a contract
worker.
“In helicopter operations, we own
the aircraft, we employ the paramedics
and we contract Metro Aviation out of
Shreveport and they supply the pilots,
mechanics, all the repair services, and
all of the aircraft configuration and
maintenance and everything that goes

Marc Creswell, Air Med operations manager at Acadian’s Air Med Station – Silsbee; Flight Paramedic
Krystal Cole; Flight Nurse Ana Platero and Flight Paramedic Benjamin McKee
along with that including pilot training,
FAA checkrides — they do everything,”
said Marc Creswell, Air Med operations
manager at Acadian Air Med Station –
Silsbee. “They are a very large operator,
and their expenses are scaled back because
they already have a lot of that infrastruc-
Photos by Kevin King
ture in place. … We’ve been with Metro
since 2000, and we currently have about
32 of those pilots and about 28 mechanics
that work for us.”
Creswell said the Silsbee team has re-
sponded to more than 80 requests for
emergency service since they began opera-
tions May 1.
“We’re averaging somewhere in the
neighborhood of 15 calls a week,” he said.
Although each team consists of three
people, the Air Med Station – Silsbee
team employs three full-time flight para-
medics, three RNs and three reserve para-
medics (PRN).
Working on air medical transport heli-
copters is a “dream job” for many nurses
and medics but isn’t an easy one to land.
“We don’t advertise often,” Creswell
said. “A lot of the staff in Louisiana —
there’s 15-20 years that they’ve been on
the aircraft. It’s very stagnant over there,
which is good. You’ve got a lot of people
trying to get on. … You’ve got about
1,900 paramedics trying to get in one or
two spots a year. So we’ve got a good selec-
tion to pick from, but it’s not very often
that we pick.”
What does it take to get on the Air
Med team?
“We’re looking for at least 3-5 years as a
paramedic and/or a nurse,” Creswell said.
“We’re looking for some critical care ex-
perience. We’re looking for some advance
certifications — CCEMTP (Critical Care
Emergency Medical Transport Program),
SEE ACADIAN • PAGE 12
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 11
 ACADIAN FROM • PAGE 11
certified flight nurse — CEN (Certified
Emergency Nurse) and TNCC (Trauma
Nursing Core Course). … No doubt we
would definitely look for people with
flight experience but trying to find peo-
ple in the general area that have previous
flight experience is not very easy.”
Medical team members work in 24-
hour shifts and are off 48-hours after their
shift. Pilots work 12-hour shifts.
Vital Signs had an opportunity to speak
to Flight Paramedic Benjamin McKee, 30,
of Beaumont; Flight Nurse Ana Platero, 30,
of Nederland and Flight Paramedic Krystal
Cole, 24, of Beaumont about their jobs with
the Air Med Station – Silsbee team.
Platero, who was an ER nurse prior to
working on the team, said adjusting to the
helicopter has come with a steep learning
curve.
“They have everything that you would
pretty much need in an emergency room
in this tiny space,” she said. “It’s nice be-
cause you have everything within hand’s
reach, but you have to know your air-
craft. You have to get in there every day
and look at your stuff; that way you know
where everything that you need is located.
… Every day when we get to work, we
check our helicopter and make sure we
have everything because you don’t want to
get up there and not have what you need.”
McKee was a paramedic on an Acadian
Acadian’s Eurocopter EC135 helicopter at Air Med Station – Silsbee
12 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Ambulance crew before he became part of
the Air Med Station – Silsbee team.
“When they told me the Air Med heli-
copter was coming to Silsbee, I decided to
give it a shot and see how it went,” McKee
said. “I thought it would be good experi-
ence and a good learning opportunity. …
One of my neighbors, back in the day, had
a Cessna that he’d take us up in, so I knew
I would enjoy the helicopter.
“Flying in a helicopter is completely
different than an ambulance. … The he-
licopter is a lot more noisy and there are a
lot more distractions to your patient care,
so you really have to stay focused on your
primary role. You also have to be cogni-
zant of working around the aircraft and
the dangers that it can present. You have
to learn how to interact with the pilot and
with the public. It’s a whole different role
than being a paramedic on the streets.
It’s a whole different world that you step
into.”
McKee said working with his flight
nurse team members allows him to be-
come a better paramedic.
“As a critical care paramedic, you’re at
the top of your game, but your game only
goes so far. Working with a nurse, I have
someone I can bounce ideas off of that has
a lot more formal education background
than I do and knows a lot more about
anatomy, physiology and the drugs.”
McKee participated in the Hurricane
Charlie Readiness Exercise in June on
behalf of Acadian. First responders across
the area performed drills to perfect evacu-
ation efforts and disseminate information
to ready local residents for a quick exit if
evacuation becomes mandatory during
hurricane season.
Cole, who started out as a paramedic
on an ambulance, said she wanted to be a
firefighter when she was in EMT school.
But when an air medical transport team
visited her school, she fell in love with the
idea of working on a helicopter.
“I really didn’t want anything to do
with an ambulance, but when I saw the
helicopter I thought it was the coolest
thing,” she said. “Since the beginning, it’s
always been a dream for me.”
And after serving her time on an ambu-
lance, her dream became a reality.
Cole had an opportunity to show off
the EC135 at the Orange County Cops
N Kids Picnic at Claiborne West Park in
Vidor on June 10.
“It was one of the largest PR events
we’ve done since we’ve been in service,”
she said. “It really makes the kids’ day.
… For the kids that are excited about the
helicopter, it’s great to teach them that
there are also dangers with it, and for the
kids that are shy, it’s nice to be able to
tell them that we’re here to help them.
You shouldn’t be afraid of us. It was really
awesome to be a part of that and mold
their experience.”
— Kevin King
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77713
TX
409.866.7170
77713
409.866.7170
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409.866.7170
ProvidenceOnMajor@ITEXmgt.com
ProvidenceOnMajor@ITEXmgt.com
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 Chief Nursing Officer at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas Karen Tomsu welcomes guests to the grand opening for the Behavioral Health
Center’s new art therapy room Wednesday, June 7. Photos by Kevin King

Baptist Behavioral Health Center

unveils rooms for art and music therapy
B aptist Hospitals of South-
east Texas unveiled newly
remodeled art, music and ex-
ercise rooms during an open
house celebration at its Be-
havioral Health Center on
Wednesday, June 7.
“This is a wonderful tool
that we didn’t have before.
Now, we’ve got all of these op-
tions to help people with their
recovery,” said Sally Broussard,
administrative director for the
Behavioral Health Center.
The rooms were funded The music therapy room offers a collection of records and a record “(The Mamie McFaddin
through a $25,000 grant from player for patients to enjoy.
the Mamie McFaddin Ward
Heritage Foundation, admin-
istered by the Wealth and Asset Man-
agement Department of Capital One
Bank. Funds were granted to reopen
rooms for art and music therapy and
exercise to help speed patients’ recov-
ery.
“The Baptist Hospital Foundation
applied for a grant to the Mamie Mc-
Faddin Ward Heritage Foundation
through our annual grant process. (The
foundation) did a thorough review and
decided that this was a worthwhile
project,” said Jean Moncla, VP and
trust officer for the Wealth and As-
set Management arm of Capital One
Commercial Banking. Capital One is
a trustee on the foundation
board along with McFaddin
family members and com-
munity leaders.
“We’re reopening thera-
py rooms that haven’t been
used in years,” said Kim
Moncla, executive director
of the Baptist Hospitals of
Southeast Texas Founda-
tion. Moncla added that
donations are being sought
from the community for
further improvements.
Ward Heritage Foundation)
gift was for the art room,
but we stretched their gift to
remodel a music and exercise room, as
well. … Everything is open and ready
for patient use, so I think it’s going
to be very nice. We have other rooms
that we need to redo, but this is a good
start.”
In addition to the newly remod-
eled rooms, in April, Lamar University

14 Vital Signs – Fall 2017


Patients can use several elliptical training machines in the workout room.
students painted the gazebo and fence
outside and did landscaping during the
school’s “Big Event” day of community
service when students give back to the
community.
“Helping people is something I’ve al-
ways tried to do, and this seemed like
the perfect opportunity,” said LU sopho-
more Nicholas DeVillier, who volun-
teered about four hours of his time for
the effort at the Behavioral Health Cen-
ter. About 250 students volunteered for
causes around the city, including Baptist’s
remodel, said Brandie Van Zanden, asso-
ciate director of Student Involvement and
Programming for Lamar.
The music room has a collection of
records and a record player, a piano, and
a karaoke machine for patients to enjoy.
The workout room offers several ellipti-
cal training machines for patients to use
to exercise. All the televisions and the In-
ternet connection were bought with the
grant as well, Broussard said.
“We have activity therapists as part of
our treatment team and they bring people
down here. We’re trying to work on their
mind and their body,” she said, adding
that the facility treats patients ranging
from teen to geriatric. “We bring them
down in different groups and do whatever
they can do.”
Nearly one-fourth of all adult stays in
U.S. community hospitals involve de-
pressive, bipolar, schizophrenia and other
mental health disorders or substance use-
related disorders, according to the Ameri-
can Psychological Association. The Be-
havioral Health Center averages over 200
admissions a month, Broussard said.
“These are people who have psychiatric
crisis, so it could be anything from schizo-
phrenia to people who are suicidal. We also
have kids who are placed here by Child
Protective Services. These are kids who are
abused, and certain situations have given
them behavioral problems. We’ve got peo-
ple who are here for addiction detox and
patients who have Alzheimer’s and de-
mentia. We treat a whole range of mental
health diagnoses,” she said.
Each patient has an individualized
treatment plan, and these therapies can
make a real difference for many.
“We’ve got group therapy and indi-
vidual therapy, but there are some people
Lamar University students paint the gazebo and fence outside the Baptist Behavioral Health
Center and landscape during the school’s ‘Big Event’ day of community service.
who have been traumatized and they can’t
really talk about things, but with art or
music, it helps express what their feel-
ings are and what they are experiencing
in a much less threatening way than in a
group therapy session where you’ve got to
talk about your feelings and name them,”
Broussard said. “People will often reveal
feelings and experiences through art, like
through painting or drawing a picture,
that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to
talk about. Art is just another tool that
helps them see where they are and what
they need to do to improve their recovery.
This can include painting, drawing, crafts,
sewing, etc.”
Dr. Mark Valverde, a Beaumont psy-
chiatrist who treats patients at the Be-
havioral Health Center, said the therapy
sessions will help patients interrupt their
everyday routine with different activities.
“This is a break,” Valverde said. “There’s
a task that’s accomplished in each setting
— manual dexterity and strengthening
the imagination through music therapy.
There’s a purpose behind it, but these are
activities they can enjoy. It’s an important
re-addition — because at one point this
hospital had this.”
Baptist is the area’s largest inpatient Be-
havioral Health Center in the region, serv-
ing patients from throughout an eight-
county service area.
“I think there’s a pretty acute need in
our community for mental health services,
and Baptist has really stepped up to provide
those services,” said Jean Moncla. “Allow-
ing the patients to have access to therapeu-
tic art and crafts and exercise and outdoors
can only enhance their experience and
hopefully helps them heal better.”
— Kevin King
Courtesy photo
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 15
 Spindletop Center provides
Mental Health First Aid training
for law enforcement
Spindletop Center provided Mental
Health First Aid training for Jefferson
County Sheriff’s Office, Beaumont Police
Department, and Lumberton Police De-
partment officers on Wednesday, May 24
at the BPD training room.
Approximately 24 police officers par-
ticipated in the training, part of an on-go-
ing effort to bridge the gap between men-
tal health providers and law enforcement
and concentrate the expertise of both to
best treat individuals with mental health
problems.
The course teaches the skills, resources,
and knowledge to help connect an indi-
vidual in crisis with appropriate profes-
sional, peer, and self-help care. Partici-
pants learn the unique risk factors and
warning signs of mental health problems,
build understanding of the importance of
early intervention, and teach individuals
how to help someone who is in crisis or Amber Woods, Spindletop Center director of Crisis Services, shares anxiety disorder statistics with
experiencing a mental health challenge. police officers on Wednesday, May 24 at the BPD training room during Mental Health First Aid
First responders go through an 8-hour training. Photos by Kevin King
training program that teaches them a five-
step action plan to assess a situation, se- to better address the situation.” start seeing (mental health crises) hap-
lect and implement appropriate interven- Woods said Spindletop received a grant pen, what do you do and how do you go
tions, and secure appropriate care for an from an 1115 Medicaid Demonstration about (handling) it as a first responder?”
individual experiencing a mental health or Waiver to provide the training. Woods added. “How do you get them the
substance use problem. “It was a grant to help prevent jail ad- best help? … Instead of restraining them,
The training was part of a partnership, missions and readmissions for people who because this is what’s going on, sometimes
called ASAP (Assistance, Stabili- don’t need to be going there be- (you) can address this better by listening
zation and Prevention), formed cause of mental illness,” she said. and by talking to this person calmly and
to address the needs of local Jefferson County Sheriff’s trying to be assuring.”
communities, as law enforce- Office Mental Health Deputy Mental health challenges – such as de-
ment officers are increasingly Thomas Smith, one of three pression, anxiety, psychosis and substance
the first responders to people in mental health deputies em- use – are shockingly common in the Unit-
a psychiatric crisis, said Amber ployed through the ASAP part- ed States.
Woods, Spindletop Center di- nership, lead the May 24 train- In fact, according to the National Al-
rector of Crisis Services. ing. liance on Mental Health (NAMI), more
“It’s a program where we have “Mental Health First Aid for than one in five American adults will have
a qualified mental health pro- Public Safety provides officers a mental health problem in any given year
vider, a person who is trained in with more response options to — 43.8 million, or 18.5 percent.
identifying a crisis and providing interven- help them de-escalate incidents and bet- According to NAMI, in a mental health
tion to help stabilize it, and get the person ter understand mental illness so they can crisis, people are more likely to encounter
the help they need,” Woods said. “They respond to mental health related calls ap- police than get medical help. As a result,
pair up with mental help deputies. We have propriately without compromising safety,” 2 million people with mental illness are
someone from the mental health side and Smith said. booked into jails each year. Nearly 15
law enforcement side working side by side “It was really to teach them, when you percent of men and 30 percent of women
16 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Mental Health Deputy Thomas Smith
speaks to law enforcement about how to identify the signs and
symptoms of anxiety. Smith is one of three mental health deputies
employed through a partnership between Spindletop Center and JCSO.
booked into jails have a seri-
ous mental health condition,
according to NAMI statistics.
Even more disturbingly,
one-fourth of those killed in
officer-involved shootings
were experiencing an emo-
tional crisis, according to a
2015 Washington Post study.
The Treatment Advocacy
Center found that persons
with severe mental illnesses
are 16 times more likely to be
killed by police than other ci-
vilians. In addition, the U.S.
Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administra-
tion (SAMSHA) reported that
63-76 percent of incarcerated
adults and 50-70 percent of
juveniles “met the criteria for
a mental health disorder.”
To address the problem,
the National Council for
Behavioral Health certifies
individuals throughout the
nation, including Spindletop
Center in Beaumont, to pro-
vide Mental Health First Aid
courses to prepare their com-
munities with the knowledge
and skills to help individuals
who are developing a mental
health problem or experienc-
ing a mental health crisis.
The local training is a com-
bined effort between Spindle-
top and law enforcement,
Woods said.
“It’s not just a testament
when home
is where you want to be
services provided
• Skilled Nursing Care
• Diabetic Care/Management
• Cardiac Care/Management
• Respiratory Care/Management
to Spindletop … it’s (police)
understanding there’s an is- • Wound Care
sue here that we don’t know • Tracheostomy Care
how to address necessarily, so • PT/INRatio Monitor
let’s work together,” Woods • IV Therapy
said. • Physical Therapy
“Because of the lack of pro-
grams in place, we’re dealing • Occupational Therapy
with them on the street level, • Speech Therapy
and it’s not going to get any • Medical Social Worker
better as far as the amount, • Home Health Aides
especially with the number • Education
of veterans having issues,”
said Beaumont Police Chief
Jimmy Singletary. “I felt like Services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week
we needed to join … with (RN on call 24 hours per day)
Spindletop and learn how to
handle folks that are battling
mental health issues.”
“There are so many issues
out there that need to be ad-
dressed,” Singletary contin-
ued. “We’ve gone through
this training before, but we
thought we needed an update
and it was very beneficial. …
We’re going to follow up on
it and have some additional
training classes down the
road. .. I’m very proud of the
initiative that Spindletop has
taken to get out there and
partner with law enforcement
to try to address these issues.”
For more information
about Mental Health First
Aid, visit www.mentalhealth- 3180 College St., 3rd Floor
firstaid.org/cs/ Beaumont, tX 77701
P: 409.835.2828 F: 409.835.2129
— Kevin King
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 17
Nelson Juno and
Carmen Cooper-Crenshaw
American Red Cross volunteers
As a 24-year veteran of the United
States Air Force and U.S. Navy, Beaumont
resident Nelson Juno continues on with
his life of service, but this time he’s serv-
ing his fellow military veterans through
the American Red Cross of Southeast and
Deep East Texas.
To that end, he spends his Wednesdays
and Thursdays volunteering for the Red
Cross Service to the Armed Forces pro-
gram by helping veterans who qualify get
into the VA health system. The process to
become eligible for VA medical services is
complicated and paperwork intensive.
After his time in the Air Force
during Vietnam, and his later
service in the Navy aboard
a nuclear submarine, Juno
sought and got the help he
needed through the VA for
his medical problems, in- Nelson Juno and Carmen Cooper-Crenshaw
cluding post-traumatic stress Courtesy photo
disorder (PTSD). His military distributed to veterans, an- phone and finding out what their interests
experience and his first-hand other Red Cross initiative. His are. I help them learn about Red Cross
knowledge of accessing the VA volunteer work at the Beaumont volunteer responsibilities,” she said. “We
health system has enabled him to ef- Red Cross began in 2008 when he want to be able to have enough local vol-
fectively serve other veterans in need. He assisted seniors with their power bills. unteers so that when a disaster strikes, we
has helped four to five veterans every two In addition, he drives veterans to their can handle the sheltering, the feeding, and
months with their VA eligibility. VA medical appointments in Houston ev- the recovery by ourselves.”
“I meet a lot of veterans who got lost ery Friday, as well as volunteers two days a In her second job as a Disaster Action
in the system. Through the Red Cross, week at Some Other Place, an ecumenical Team volunteer in the Port Arthur area,
we help make an impact on their lives, by emergency needs service in Beaumont. Carmen responds to house fires, assisting
helping them get into the VA system to families with lodging, funds and food in
qualify and get care,” said Juno, a father of Carmen Cooper-Crenshaw their time of crisis.
three and grandfather of two. For Carmen Cooper-Crenshaw, volun- “When I went on my first fire call, it
Juno was part of the Red Cross team teering with the American Red Cross of was scary at first. The roads were dark. The
that organized and hosted the successful Southeast and Deep East Texas is a fulfill- house was dark. They were without power.
Golden Triangle Stand Down event in ing way to make a difference in the lives of I was nervous,” Carmen said, adding that
Port Arthur in June, when over 200 veter- her neighbors. She serves in two roles for she overcame her fears to reach out and
ans attending benefited from free services the Red Cross. help others. “They were in need, and we
including clothing, shelter and housing As a volunteer lead in the Red Cross assisted the family. You see someone who
information, information for the disabled, office, Carmen works each week to bring has lost so much, doesn’t have insurance,
health screenings, legal services, free duffle in new volunteers. She reaches out to pro- doesn’t have any funds. We help them
bags, substance abuse treatment infor- spective volunteers, talks with them about right away and follow up with them to see
mation, HIV/AIDS information, SNAP job responsibilities, and helps to match how they are coming along.”
(food stamps) information, help with their interests with Red Cross needs. She and her husband, Roy Pierce, live
DD214 forms, services for women veter- “We are always looking for prospective in Port Arthur. She has two daughters and
ans, and haircuts. volunteers to come on board,” she said. one granddaughter. She also volunteers
Since late 2016, Juno also helped to put Carmen calls the work very rewarding. with Court Appointed Special Advocates
together and distribute 620 Totes of Hope “It’s a way to get to know people when of Southeast Texas and (CASA) and Habi-
that are filled with personal care items and you are speaking with people on the tat for Humanity of Jefferson County.
18 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 19
 Baptist Hospital
installs new PET/CT unit

A powerful new diagnostic imaging

tool at Baptist Hospital in Beau-
mont combines the strengths of two
body and collects in cells with increased
metabolism.
All cells use glucose; however, diseased
at any of the hospitals in the area.
“(Baptist’s) is in-house and running
24/7,” Hymel said. “The real advantage
well-established imaging sys- cells, such as cancerous cells, that that gives is because they can do that
tems into one to more ac- use it faster than healthy cells. test five days a week basically, then you
curately diagnose and locate The PET/CT scanner pro- can get scheduled in much more quickly,
cancers. duces images of the diseased generally speaking, than most of the oth-
A new PET/CT unit was tissues that have absorbed the er places where you’ve got to wait for that
installed at Baptist Hospital glucose tracer. The CT com- one day a week for the unit to show up.”
in March 2017, and the first ponent of the scan better vi- PET/CT imaging can be used to
patient was scanned April 5. sualizes and localizes organs detect many forms of cancer including
Since then, 142 patients have to identify cancerous cells. lung, colorectal, melanoma, ovarian,
been scanned, according to “This is much improved lymphoma and recurrent brain cancer.
Dr. Ernest Hymel of the Can- compared to previous scan It can also be used to assess heart dis-
cer Center of Southeast Texas. times of one hour, plus the ease and neurological disorders such as
The Cancer Center of South- injection time,” Hymel said. Alzheimer’s disease and some forms of
east Texas, Baptist Hospitals Hymel Hymel said other PET/ epilepsy.
of Southeast Texas and Altus CT units like Baptist’s GE
Cancer Center are part of the recently Discovery MI DR are only available — Kevin King
formed Baptist Hospitals of Southeast on a part-time basis and are shipped in
Texas Regional Cancer Network. temporarily from out of town on
“PET/CT is a technology that com- trailers once a week for
bines CT scans with PET imaging,” tests, rather than
Hymel said. “PET imaging tells us about permanently
activity in the body. Activity can be lots stationed
of things, but in this case what we’re
looking for is activity associated with
cancer. By combining those two, we get
a lot of detailed information about where
cancer is located inside somebody’s body.
I think what’s new and unique about the
device at Baptist is that it’s the only dedi-
cated unit here in Southeast Texas.”
The scan takes only 12-15 minutes
after the injection process, according to
Hymel. PET/CT scanning begins ap-
proximately 45 minutes after the injec-
tion.
The PET/CT scan procedure
involves the injection of a
glucose tracer, which
journeys through the

A new PET/CT unit was installed

at Baptist Hospital in March
2017. The GE Discovery MI DR
combines the strengths of
two well-established imaging
systems into one to more
accurately diagnose and locate
cancers. Photo by Kevin King
20
20 Vital
Vital Signs
Signs –– Fall
Fall 2017
2017
 Plan ahead when winds
and water threaten
Hurricane readiness key for those with medical concerns
H urricane season means ex-
tra planning and prepara-
tion for everyone, but especially
for people with chronic health
problems or disabilities and their
families.
“You have to be prepared for a
hurricane, and you have to have
a plan. Having a plan reduces
stress and prevents forgetting any
critical items. You want
to have that plan and be
committed to prepara-
tion,” said Vicki Tarnow,
RN, Trauma Program co-
ordinator for The Medi-
cal Center of Southeast
Texas. “When we have
an emergency, we tend to
have heightened anxiety
and we tend to forget.” Huff
During the days after
Hurricane Ike hit the Southeast
Texas coast in September 2008, “a
lot of people had their eyes opened.
A lot of patients were running out
of medications. They weren’t pre-
pared,” Tarnow recalled.
When it comes to chronic con-
ditions such as congestive heart
failure, diabetes, chronic obstruc-
tive pulmonary disease (COPD)
and hypertension, the dependen-
cy on medicines, treatments and
assistance could present major
problems if the needed supplies,
medicines or information are left
behind.
Christus Southeast Texas
Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Huff
emphasized preparation.
“The biggest thing is the plan-
ning ahead of time,” she said.
“Definitely have a plan. What are
you going to do? Can you stay
at home? If you need a nebulizer
for breathing treatments, and the
electricity is out, you can’t take the
treatment. Do you have enough
medicine to last you at least two
weeks, if not more? All of those
things need to be in consideration
when you are making your plan.”
The Atlantic hurricane season
runs through Nov. 30, and for
2017, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration pre-
dicts a 70 percent likelihood of
11 to 17 named storms (winds
of 39 mph or higher), of which
five to nine could become hurri-
canes (winds of 74 mph
or higher), including two
to four major hurricanes
(Category 3, 4 or 5; winds
of 111 mph or higher).
An average season pro-
duces 12 named storms
of which six become hur-
ricanes, including three
major hurricanes.
With hurricane sea-
son now underway, Greg
Fountain, Jefferson County Of-
fice of Emergency Management
coordinator, worries that time
has passed and memories of the
devastation from past hurricanes
have been dimmed or been for-
gotten altogether.
“We have become a
complacent society. It’s
now been 12 years since
Rita and nine since Ike,”
he said.
It’s too late to create
the plan when the storm
is already building in the
Gulf.
“If your house was on Fountain
fire, you wouldn’t wait for
the firefighter to arrive and tell
you to leave your house,” Foun-
tain said. “You would evacuate.
Why would you wait until the
storm was upon us to get yourself
ready?”
Federal and local emergency
officials recommend everyone
prepare a disaster supply kit,
make a plan and stay informed.
However, with special health
Vicki Tarnow, trauma program coordinator
for The Medical Center of Southeast Texas,
says having a hurricane plan reduces stress
and prevents those with medical issues from
forgetting critical items during evacuation.
Photo by Karen Stubblefield
concerns, the experts recommend
a longer list of items to include in
the plan. Check out these online
resources for extensive checklists
and guidance: www.ready.gov/in-
dividuals-access-functional-needs
and www.redcross.org.
In addition, follow
these tips to make a medi-
cal plan including medi-
cations and medical sup-
plies:
• Make printed copies
and maintain electronic
versions, including a por-
table thumb drive con-
taining:
• A list of phone num-
bers for your doctors, pharmacy,
service providers and medical fa-
cilities.
• Medical prescriptions. Ask
your local pharmacy or doctor
to provide a list of your prescrip-
tion medicines and medically pre-
scribed devices.
• Doctors’ orders for durable
SEE HURRICANE • PAGE 22
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 21
 HURRICANE • FROM PAGE 21
medical equipment, consumable medi-
cal supplies and assistive devices that you
use. Include the style and serial numbers
of the support devices you use and where
you purchased them.
• Medical insurance cards, Medicare or
Medicaid card, a list of your allergies, and
your health history. The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services online
tool helps people locate and access their
electronic health records from a variety of
sources: http://healthit.gov/bluebutton
• A copy of your advance healthcare
directives.
• If you own a medical alert tag or
bracelet, wear it. Keep medical alert tags
or bracelets or written descriptions of your Greg Fountain, Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management coordinator, speaks about hurricane preparedness at
the Golden Triangle Business Roundtable meeting Tuesday, June 20. Photo by Karen Stubblefield
disability and support needs in case you
are unable to describe the situation in an you may be able to use to decrease the im- • If you receive in-home assistance or
emergency. pact of irritants as much as possible. personal assistance services and Meals on
• Stock extra over-the-counter and • If you work with a medical provider Wheels, work with your provider agency
prescription medicine, oxygen, insulin, or organization to receive life sustaining in advance of an emergency and develop a
catheters, feeding tubes, cannulas, tubing, medical treatment such as dialysis, oxy- backup plan for continued care.
trach tubes, wipes, pads, undergarments, gen or cancer treatment, work with the • Ask how you can continue to receive
ostomy supplies, leg bags, adhesive and provider in advance of an emergency to services from providers such as disability,
other medical supplies you use. identify alternative locations where you mental and behavioral health and social
• If you have allergies or chemical or en- could continue to receive treatment if you service providers, or medical and life alert
vironmental sensitivities, be sure to include are unable to go to your regular medical services.
cleaning, filtering and personal items that provider. • If you are hearing impaired, pack extra

The Texas State Guard , Air National Guard, Texas Air Guard, Oklahoma Air Guard and other entities participate in the Hurricane Charlie preparedness exercise June 6. Photo by
Sharon Brooks
22 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
hearing aid batteries and pen and paper
to communicate if needed. Make sure
your weather radio has text display and
flashing alerts.
• If you are on a specialized diet,
such as a low-sodium or diabetic diet,
have non-perishable foods on hand
that you can eat.
• If evacuation is necessary, deter-
mine ahead of time who will assist you.
If you have no way to evacuate with the
assistance of family or friends, Texas
Military personnel participate in the Hurricane Charlie preparedness exercise June 6 at the Jack Brooks Regional
Airport in Beaumont.
offers residents with disabilities the
option to register through the State of
Texas Emergency Assistance Registry
(STEAR). This free registry helps lo-
cal emergency planners and respond-
ers with additional information on the
needs of their communities. Register
today online at www.dps.texas.gov/
dem/stear/public.htm or by calling
2-1-1.
– Karen Stubblefield
Photos by Sharon Brooks
Get Hurricane
Ready
T he Federal Emergen-
cy Management
Agency (FEMA),
www.ready.gov,
the American Red
Cross and local
emergency manage-
ment officials rec-
ommend every-
one in a hurricane zone tackle these three
steps:
1. Prepare a kit:
• Put together a disaster supply kit, in-
cluding a flashlight, batteries, cash, first
aid supplies, non-perishable food, water
and copies of your critical information if
you need to evacuate
2. Make a plan:
• Know where to go. If you are ordered
to evacuate, know the local hurricane
evacuation route(s) to take and have a
plan for where you can stay.
• If you are not in an area that is ad-
vised to evacuate and you decide to stay in
your home, plan for adequate supplies in
case you lose power and water for several
days and you are not able to leave due to
flooding or blocked roads.
• Make a family emergency communi-
cation plan. Your family may not be to-
gether when disaster strikes, so plan how
you will contact one another.
3. Be informed:
• Today’s technology enables everyone
to have immediate access to emergency
information using their smartphones.
“You’ve got it at your fingertips. Look at
everything available. The faster we can get
the word out, the more informed people
can be,” said Greg Fountain, Jefferson
County Office of Emergency Manage-
ment Coordinator.
• Hear alerts by calling Southeast Texas
Alert Network at 877-THE-STAN (843-
7826).
• Check these sites regularly during
hurricane season:
www.facebook.com/JeffersonCoTxO-
EM
www.co.jefferson.tx.us/em.htm
www.facebook.com/NWSLakeCharles
www.weather.gov/lch/
www.beaumontweather.com
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 23
 Sam I am
W hen 2-year-old Samuel Hedrick
of Groves began attending speech
therapy for language delay, he wasn’t able
to communicate with his mother.
Delayed speech or language develop-
ment is the most common developmen-
tal problem. It affects 5 to 10 percent of
preschool kids, according to the Univer-
sity of Michigan Health System.
“He really couldn’t
say anything.
He couldn’t
even say
momma
before
24 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Groves toddler learns to speak
at new Mid-County outpatient clinic
this,” said Sam’s mother Serena. “He
was getting really frustrated because he
couldn’t tell us what he wanted or articu-
late at all what he was feeling.”
Taylor Miguez, Sam’s speech patholo-
gist at Christus Southeast Texas Outpa-
tient Center Mid County , said when he
first began attending speech therapy, Sam
only had about five words in his vocabu-
lary. Sam sees Miguez twice a week for
30-minute sessions and will be treated
for at least a year.
“At age 2, you want to see at least
50 words, usually 50-150,” Miguez
said. Sam only knew maybe two
words when he started therapy, his
mother said.
Miguez uses
direct modeling, a technique where she
demonstrates or models the correct pro-
nunciation of a word within a natural
conversation or activity such as putting
a farm animals puzzle together or playing
with shape-sorter toys, which work on
shapes, colors, and location.
“What I want him to do, I’m going
to do,” she said. “So you’re basically pro-
viding him with that stimulation in the
environment of what you want him to
produce.
“So basically, whatever he’s doing, just
tell him what he’s doing. Label that ob-
ject. He may not know what that object
is.”
Sam is progressing well, Miguez said.
When he tested prior to treatment, his
receptive language was less than 1 year
old.
Receptive language means the abil-
ity to understand information and
involves understanding the words,
sentences and meaning of what oth-
ers say.
Sam is also learning his animals.
“Most kids that are 2 know your ba-
sic animals: cow, horse, chicken,” Miguez
said. “He didn’t know any of that. … Be-
fore I would ask him to pick up the pig
from the puzzle, and he would pick up
whatever he laid his eyes on first.
“Now he sits, attends and waits for my
request and then will usually go through
the whole puzzle of animals,” she said.
Recently Sam said the word “duck”
for the first time.
When Sam began working with speech pathologist
Taylor Miguez, he didn’t know any of the animals
in the farmyard puzzle. Now, he can work
through the whole puzzle, Miguez says.
Photos by Kevin King
 “His mom sent me a video,” Miguez said. “She was so excited.”
One word Sam shared with his mother touched her more than
all the others he has learned combined, however.
“What really made me cry was when he walked in the room
and said ‘Hi, Momma,’ for the first time,” Serena said. “Since he’s
been seeing Taylor, he’s really taken off.”
The next steps for Sam, who now knows around 10 words, are
to not only be able to identify objects but to also understand what
they are and request them, Miguez said.
Angela Harrington, lead speech pathologist at Christus South-
east Texas Outpatient Center Mid County, said the center pro-
vides a much-needed service in the area.
“We have not really had a big presence for speech pathology
in Mid-County until now, as far as a true, full-time presence.
… This is kind of a first of its kind,” Harrington said. “People
were going to Beaumont or were just not getting the services they
needed, so this is a big deal for us to offer these services to all
ages.”
Harrington said the Christus Southeast Texas Outpatient
Center Mid County Speech Pathology clinic averages around
20 patients a week and began offering speech services in May.
In addition to speech delay services like Sam is receiving, the
clinic offers speech therapy for patients with autism, stroke, head
injury and Parkinson’s. The clinic also offers VitalStim Therapy,
neuromuscular electrical stimulation, for patients suffering with
difficulty swallowing or dysphagia, and is skilled in helping adults
following total Laryngectomy and Tracheoesophageal Puncture
(TEP) procedures.
For more information, call (409) 899-8268.
Two-year-old Samuel Hedrick of Groves works with a shape-sorter toy at the Christus
Southeast Texas – Mid County Outpatient Center during a speech therapy session. — Kevin King

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 25

New law will
shape future
of telemedicine
in Texas
Texas physicians and telehealth pro-
viders are now playing by the same rules
when treating patients by phone, com-
puter and other new technologies — the
same as when physicians see patients face-
to-face in a traditional doctor’s office visit.
Senate Bill 1107, passed this session by
the Texas Legislature and signed into law
by Gov. Greg Abbott in late May, clarifies
the framework to evaluate, diagnose and
treat patients remotely via telecommuni-
cation technology. Telemedicine can be
a helpful tool for physicians to see some
patients who cannot travel hundreds of
miles — or even one mile
— to the doctor’s office.
Imagine “seeing” your
physician via your com-
puter or smartphone.
“As we know, the ac-
cess for care continues
to be a huge struggle for
patients. This is going to
allow patients to have ac-
cess that they’ve never had
before,” said Ray Callas,
an anesthesiologist, TMA
Board trustee and imme-
diate past-chair of TMA’s
Council on Legislation.
“Telemedicine is just in- Dr. Ray Callas, a TMA Board trustee and home via telemedicine
creasing the platform. Just immediate past-chair of TMA’s Council on technology.”
like a face-to-face visit, it Legislation
allows patients to access
physicians without having to travel to a
doctor’s office.”
The bill would allow practitioners to
interact with patients through a real-time
audiovisual interaction, or through an
asynchronous “store and forward” process
that includes clinically relevant diagnostic
imagery as well as the patient’s relevant
medical history, laboratory results and
prescriptive history.
“Going to the emergency room, you’re
going to have a $1,500 co-pay,” Callas
said. With the passing of this legislation,
“everyone is going to benefit because you
26 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
are going to have some patients that don’t
have to get up … and go to the emergen-
cy room. They are going to be able to do
it in the comfort of their own home.” If
the physician “can make
a diagnosis and treat via
telecommunications video
conference, then that’s
great, but if not, then
they’re going to have to be
referred to an urgent care
or to a primary care or an
ER. … As technology ad-
vances, patients will have
more access to physicians,
resulting in fewer ER vis-
its for minor ailments, and
more patients, especially
in rural areas, will have
access to primary care at
The medium used,
whether it’s an app on
your smartphone or an actual telemedi-
cine kiosk that you walk into, must be
HIPAA compliant and must have safe-
guards against the leakage of patients’
medical records. The need for a medium
to deliver patient care via telemedicine
could definitely be an economic boost to
the IT industry, Callas said.
With the use of telemedicine technol-
ogy, fewer children will be absent from
school because they may be able to be
treated by a physician via telemedicine
in the school nurse’s office, Callas added.
Likewise, employees may be able to be
Photo courtesy of the American Medical Association
treated at their employer’s office and not
need to leave work.
The bill-signing by the governor ends
months of debate in the Texas legislature
and caps more than a year’s worth of col-
laborative input by the Texas Medical
Association (TMA), the Texas e-Health
Alliance (TEHA), the Texas Academy of
Family Physicians (TAFP) and numerous
telemedicine stakeholders.
Callas pointed out that the bill includes
legislation that requires physicians utiliz-
ing telemedicine to treat and diagnose pa-
tients to be licensed in the state of Texas.
If policyholders’ insurance covers this
type of care, more physicians might be
able to offer it to those patients. In fact,
the law also requires health plans to post
telemedicine payment policies — minus
their contracted rates they will pay for this
service — to their websites to inform phy-
sicians.
The months of negotiation by TMA,
TEHA, and TAFP to expand the use of
technology in Texas medicine resulted in
the core language of SB 1107, including:
• The standard of care for a telemedi-
cine visit is the same as a patient/ physi-
cian in-person visit;
• The definition of a true patient-physi-
cian relationship to conduct telemedicine;
• A physician must be able to access —
and must use — clinically-relevant data in
rendering a diagnosis in accordance with
the standard of care; and
• Health plans must cover telemedicine
SEE TELEMEDICINE • PAGE 34
About time
Innovative prescription bottle cap helps
patients monitor drug use
CVS is now selling a device
that may help fight opioid
abuse as well as aid other
customers in keeping up
with their medication
schedule. According to
the manager of the Col-
lege Street location in
Beaumont, in May, the
CVS store began offering
TimerCaps, which incorporate
an LCD timer that tells a patient
how long it has been since they last
took their medication.
The device, which is built into a pill bottle cap,
counts the hours and minutes since a medication was
last taken like a stopwatch. Every time a patient opens
and closes the cap to take their medication, the timer automatically resets
itself and begins counting anew.
The package CVS sells includes a large cap and two standard sized caps
for $10.29. It is also available at Rite Aid. According to the package, there
are no buttons to press or alarms to program. The caps can be especially
helpful for those who are monitoring meds for pets or parents, and espe-
cially when the patient needs to take several prescriptions.
Larry Twersky, CEO of TimerCap, the California manufacturer of the
product, told Vital Signs he hopes his product will help fight opioid abuse.
Twersky, who mentioned his late mother’s addiction to opioids as an in-
spiration, said he wants to make caps like TimerCap and other tools man-
datory with all opiate prescriptions. Twersky visited the Food and Drug
Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in May to discuss the
idea with the agencies’ leaders.
“They discussed that it was not even on their radar, but that packag-
ing was an issue,” Twersky said. “Today, opioids are packaged in a child
resistant cap, which was created in 1970 to keep children 5 and under out.
It was never intended to manage the issue for the 6-26 year olds having
prevention issues.”
SEE TIMER CAP • PAGE 28

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 27

 TIMER CAP • FROM PAGE 27

How can the TimerCap help fight

opioid addiction?
“If you’re taking a medication like a pain-
killer, which you’re supposed to take every
four hours, it’s going to count up to every
four hours so you know to take it, and tak-
ing it any shorter than that could maybe
lead to an addiction,” Twersky said. “If
you’re taking a chronic med once a day and
you forget whether you took it because your
travel schedule changed or something, you
have the ability to look at it and see whether
you took it in the past 24 hours.”
Although Twersky said while he is un-
sure whether the FDA will require devices
such as TimerCap’s on opioid bottles,
more attention brought to the subject
may pressure the agency to make some
much-needed changes.
“We know that certain doctors are
overprescribing certain opioids,” he said.
“We know that there are opioid naïve pa-
tients, and they are not being vigilant in The CVS College Street location in Beaumont began selling TimerCaps in May. The device incorporates a built-in LCD timer
protecting them.” that tells a patient how long it has been since they last took their medication. Photo courtesy of TimerCap
In addition to the device helping pa-
tients monitor their own usage, the Ti- 3. Manage drugs in their original Cap product to help patients monitor their
merCap can also help them tell if some- container. use of opioids, Troyen A. Brennan, M.D.,
one has been using their medications. executive vice president and chief medical
“The timer restarts if somebody has He also suggests three points for officer of CVS Health, said the company is
been in your medication,” Twersky said. family and household safety when working to halt the prescription drug abuse
“You definitely can see the last time some- epidemic through advocacy and action at
opioids are in the home: the local, state and national level.
body has been in it to the exact minute.”
Although the device helps patients 1. Detect unwanted openings with “As the largest U.S. pharmacy company
monitor their usage, it doesn’t lock them a device like TimerCap. and as an employer of 26,000 pharmacists
out of the bottle, Twersky points out. 2. Deter theft of medication. and nurse practitioners, CVS Health is
“They just inform as a initial level of uniquely positioned to play a role in help-
3. Always dispose safely of ing to end the prescription drug epidemic,”
safety for the patient and family,” he said. unneeded medication.
“Most medication, by the design of the In addition to selling Twersky’s Timer-
pharmacy, is to dispense pills free form in a SEE TIMER CAP • PAGE 29
bottle and (locking) would overly compli-
cate the process. To lock a bottle, it would
need to have a pill restrictor, so only one “Prescription drug abuse in this country may
pill at a time could be dispensed, but there
would be a problem if the prescription said be an epidemic, but it doesn’t have to be.
take one or two at a time. It would need to Government measures on the local, state and
know what the duration in between would
be for locking. It would need to be pro- federal levels may begin to help put an end
gramed and set up and training would be to this crisis. And the private sector can also
needed by the pharmacist and patient.” do its part. With the help of policymakers and
Twersky suggests three points of regulators, we’re committed to advancing
safety to help patients prevent legislation, promoting technology and
opioid abuse: creating safer communities.”
1. Use a device like TimerCap to
measure usage to avoid accidental — Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., executive vice president
overdose. and chief medical officer of CVS Health
2. Monitor use to avoid DUI fatalities.

28 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

Fighting back
against drug abuse
State, local entities, healthcare providers
hold town hall meeting to discuss opioid addiction
The Prevention Resource
Center of the Alcohol & Drug
Abuse Council (ADAC) and
the Texas Health and Human
Service Commission (HHSC)
conducted a Town Hall meet-
ing on prescription drug mis-
use Wednesday, July 19, at the
MCM Eleganté Hotel in Beau-
mont.
A panel of experts on the sub-
ject of drug abuse included Dr.
Mark Valverde, medical director
of the Baptist Behavioral Health
Center; Craig Hamby, owner
of King’s Pharmacy; Judge Ter-
rence Holmes, Criminal Coun-
ty Court at Law No. 2; Kasey
Strey, SPF-Rx project director at
HHSC; Patricia Velasco, direc-
tor of outpatient services and
licensed peer recovery coach at
the Spindletop Center in Beau-
mont; and Alcenia Gilmore,
supervisor at Jefferson County
Adult Probation.
The panel discussed how
prescription drug misuse has
become a large public health is-
sue in Texas and across the na-
tion and fielded questions from
more than 90 attendees. The
Beaumont event was free and
open to the public.
According to the HHSC,
one out of five Texas high
school students have taken pre-
scription drugs without a doc-
tor’s prescription at least once.
In 2015, Texas had the sec-
A panel of experts included Craig Hamby, owner of King’s Pharmacy; Dr. Mark Valverde,
medical director of the Baptist Behavioral Health Center; Judge Terrence Holmes,
Criminal County Court at Law No. 2; Patricia Velasco, director of outpatient services at the
Spindletop Center in Beaumont; Alcenia Gilmore, supervisor at Jefferson County Adult
Probation; and Kasey Strey, SPF-Rx project director at HHSC. Photos by Kevin King
ond highest total healthcare oids in continuing to seek them
cost from opioid misuse in the is avoiding withdrawal symp-
nation at $1.96 billion, and toms.
Texas is home to four of the top “There really is no high af-
25 cities in the U.S. for opioid ter the initial addiction,” he
misuse with Texarkana at 10th, said. Addicts are then, at that
Amarillo at 13th, Odessa at point, just trying to prevent the
15th, and Longview at 17th. withdrawal stage, which usu-
According to Dr. Valverde, ally only lasts about 72 hours,
the main objective of someone
SEE ABUSE • PAGE 30
who is already addicted to opi-

TIMER CAP • FROM PAGE 28
Brennan writes on the CVS website. “The
size of our customer base, combined with
our national computer network, make us
ideal partners in efforts to reduce prescrip-
tion drug abuse.”
CVS Health has also been able to iden-
tify physicians and prescribers who have
exhibited extreme patterns of prescribing
“high risk drugs,” the company reports.
“By studying their volume and share of
prescriptions for high-risk drugs
versus other providers in the same
specialty and geographic region,
as well as the ages of patients and
their payment methods, the pro-
gram identified 42 outlying pre-
scribers. Those prescribes were
then asked to provide additional
information about their prescrib-
ing habits. Of these, only six iden-
tified legitimate reasons for their Twersky
unusual prescribing practices,”
Brennan said. CVS Health suspended con-
trolled substance dispensing through CVS
Pharmacy stores and mail service pharma-
cies for prescriptions written by the other
36 providers.
The company is also working at the
federal and state level to implement policy
changes to curb prescription drug abuse.
CVS’s recommendations include:
• Mandatory utilization of Prescrip-
tion Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
data at the point of prescribing would re-
quire prescribers to review the patient’s
pharmacy prescription history, showing
the prescriber whether the patient is doc-
tor shopping (utilizing more than
one prescriber to obtain controlled
substance prescriptions). Based on
these insights, the prescriber can
discuss the issue with the patient
and halt inappropriate use. Forty-
nine states have operational PD-
MPs.
• PDMP data pushed directly
to the prescriber’s e-prescribing
device would make the prescrip-
tion-writing process more efficient and
accurate at the doctor’s office. Prescribers
instantly have the patient history before
deciding whether the medication is for a
legitimate medical purpose.
• PDMP interoperability across state
lines would allow prescribers full visibility
into patient prescription fill patterns and
reduce or eliminate doctor and pharmacy
shopping that occurs across state lines. PD-
MPs can currently share data across state
lines in 22 of the 49 programs.
• E-prescribing for controlled substanc-
es is a tactic that has proven to be effective
in reducing drug diversion and fraud.
• Daily PDMP data submission from
pharmacies to the state database will ensure
that each database is accurate and encourage
use by reducing lag time between updates.
“Prescription drug abuse in this country
may be an epidemic, but it doesn’t have to
be,” Brennan said. “Government measures,
on the local, state and federal levels, may
begin to help put an end to this crisis. And
the private sector can also do its part. With
the help of policymakers and regulators,
we’re committed to advancing legislation,
promoting technology and creating safer
communities.”
— Kevin King

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 29

 ABUSE • FROM PAGE 29
and can be very painful but not fatal, Valverde said. “No one ever
dies from withdrawing from opiates. … We have to reeducate the
medical professional altogether and reframe the pain idea. Pain
has a positive purpose. It is the body’s way of telling us something
is wrong.”
As a pharmacist, Hamby said his role in pre-
venting opioid abuse has become the role of the
regulator.
“Is this a legitimate prescription? Should
this person receive this medication?” Those are
questions Hamby asks himself when filling a
prescription, he said. “It’s uncomfortable be-
cause as a healthcare professional, I’m part of a
team, and you look to the team for legitimacy.
So we’re constantly in this role of looking at the Hamby
individual and assessing whether we have a le-
gitimate pain patient. Should I dispense this medication? And the
PMP is one of the tools that we look at more and more to deter-
mine that.”
The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is a state-
run program that catalogs every prescription filled at a pharmacy
and helps decrease the amount and frequency of opioid prescrib-
ing. There are only about one-third of prescribers currently signed
up to use the PMP, Strey said.
“The other thing I look at is who is the patient,” Hamby said.
“Do I know them? Do I know the family? Are they local to me?
What’s the distance that they’re traveling?”
Hamby said he remains cognizant of the problem of Southeast
Texans going to Houston seeking prescriptions from pill mills.
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30 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
“It is our role as pharmacists to try and stop that,” he said. “In
some cases we did, and in others we failed because you can only
really do so much as far as assessing what’s good and what’s bad.”
Judge Holmes said he has started a program in his Jefferson
County court called the Community Safety Initiative to combat
opioid abuse.
“In that program, we provide drug treatment, mental health
treatment, counseling for children of family violence, job training
and job placement,” he said.
Defendants at their arraignments are drug tested whether they
choose to hire an attorney or take a court-appointed one. Many
think that if they hire their own attorney, they are avoiding drug
tests, Holmes said.
“Most test positive and, as a condition of their bond, the court
has a right to revoke the bond because they cannot test positive or
refuse a drug or alcohol test,” he said. “At that point, I give them
the option whether they want to go to jail or enter a treatment
program. Most opt to go into the program.”
Holmes said the county partners with the Spindletop Center
for these services. Defendants are assessed and are given a treat-
ment plan by Spindletop.
“If they get into the program, we will not
revoke the bond. We’ll put them out on what’s
called a PR bond,” Holmes said
Personal recognizance (PR) bonds are grant-
ed when defendants have significant ties to the
community and are low flight risk.
“Once the person is in the program, they
can either do outpatient treatment or in-patient
treatment.” Holmes said. “Once they success-
fully complete the program, the case is dis- Valverde
missed. This is prior to them getting probation
or jail time.”
Strey spoke about what the state is doing to fight the prob-
lem. She said the SPF-Rx, a five-year Substance Abuse and Men-
tal Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) grant, is designed
to raise awareness about the dangers of sharing medications, and
work with pharmaceutical and medical communities on the risks
of overprescribing to young adults.
“The program I work for is a primary prevention program and
also the grant … and all the activities are also funded for prima-
ry prevention activities,” Strey said. Primary prevention involves
helping at-risk individuals avoid the development of addictive
behaviors. “We’re in our first year (of the grant) and … part of
the first year is creating this strategic plan for the prevention drug
misuse, which is really rolling out some awareness raising to com-
munities but also to providers.”
SPF-Rx project strategies thus far include: enhancing the tool-
kit for prevention specialists when they go out into the commu-
nity and training for prescribers on the PMP.
Other strategies of SPF-Rx include education for health provid-
ers to empower patients to accept alternative pain management,
increasing the number of prescription drug take-back events and
implementing the use of individual medication disposal pouches.
Each pouch inactivates the active ingredients of a medication,
making it safe to dispose of in the trash since the active ingredients
do not get into the water supply and cannot be extracted. One
pouch can inactivate 10-15 pills for safe disposal in the household
garbage, according to Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, which offers
a complimentary box of six on its website.
Putting medication in a box or medicine cabinet that locks is
another strategy that Strey suggests.
 SOUTHEAST TEXAS

ITAL SIGNS
A publication of The Examiner Corp.

Publisher: Don J. Dodd

Editor: Kevin King
Copy Editor: Joshua Cobb
Advertising Director: Kristi Dodd
Creative Director: Adam Balla
Contributors: Chad Cooper,
Karen Stubblefield, Jennifer Jackson,
Sharon Brooks, Jennifer Johnson
Cover Photo: Kevin King

Any erroneous reflection upon the character,

Kasey Strey, SPF-Rx project director at Texas Health and Human Service Commission, speaks at the ADAC Town Hall standing or reputation of any person, firm, or
meeting Wednesday, July 19, at the MCM Eleganté Hotel in Beaumont. More than 90 people attended. corporation which may occur in Vital Signs will
be gladly corrected upon being brought to the
Dr. Valverde said that instead of physi- fracture and chronic pain. But I think there attention of the editor.
cians trying to help alleviate their patients’ needs to be more emphasis on pain manage- Published by The Examiner Corporation
pain, they need to start helping them learn ment than an alleviation of pain altogether 795 Willow Beaumont, TX 77701 409-832-1400.
to manage it. because that’s not a realistic goal.” Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
As physicians, “We need to broaden the For more information about drug mis-
point of focus and look at it as part of an use and how to prevent it, contact the Al- WINNER 2017 WINNER
illness,” Valverde said. “We need to say we cohol and Drug Abuse Council of Deep Overall FIRST
would like to help you with managing the East Texas at (409) 600-2427. Excellence
PRESS CLUB PLACE
pain of that illness just as you would do with OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS
2015 - 2016 ANSON JONES
diabetes and diabetic neuropathy or lumbar — Kevin King

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 31

Calder Woods resident Zelda Held feeds Dr. Hank popcorn during a pet therapy visit Friday, July 21.
DR. HANK
Pet therapy team brings joy to lives of Calder Woods residents
W hen David Hornack rescued his
Labrador retriever, Dr. Hank, he
immediately knew this was no ordinary
dog.
Hornack and one of his other dogs
were finishing their walk in Wuthering
Heights Park in Beaumont when Hank
started following them.
“He was just so calm and gentle. He
just attached himself to me like that. …
I immediately thought, ‘Where’s your
owner,’” Hornack said. “I thought he
might just be off his leash because he
was calm and just followed us.”
This wasn’t the case, however, as
Hank had no owner or tags and actu-
ally had electrodes from a shock collar
buried in his neck.
“Whether someone dropped him off
at the park or he said, ‘I’m outta here.
I’m going to find a new place to live,’”
Hornack said he wasn’t sure, but he ad-
32 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Photos by Kevin King
opted Hank, bringing the total number
of rescue dogs he currently owns to five.
Hornack said finding Hank was ser-
endipitous because he had been doing
research on pet therapy after his mother
passed away from dementia and was in
an assisted living facility in Dallas.
“She had a Labrador … and when I
would go visit her I would take her Lab,
(Molly), to visit with her, and you could
always see how it would brighten her
day. Her friends would always get a thrill
out of seeing Molly come and visit.”
It was at that moment that Hornack
had an epiphany that if he could find
the right dog, the two should become a
certified animal therapy team and bring
joy to senior citizens’ lives.
“I promised her and promised my-
self that when I retired, this was how Because the residents gain so much from these visits, Calder
I was going to do my volunteer work,” Woods recently awarded Hank the top honor as the senior living
he said. community’s Volunteer of the Year. Courtesy photo
Calder Woods resident Pat Loidold and David Hornack, Hank’s owner, show Hank some affection during a visit.

Four years after finding Hank, who ex- chickens were used in therapies with men- has found there to be benefits from animal
hibited all of the behaviors needed to be a tally ill patients learning self-control.” therapy.
good therapy dog, both have since received Researching animal effects on human “People build up stress,” particularly
the extensive training required and regu- health and well being began during the late those who live in assisted-living facilities, he
larly visit Calder Woods Retirement Com- 1970s, according to Morrison’s article. In said. “Many in their previous lives had pets
munity residents each Friday. 1977, a research team from the University and miss their pets. (Hank) absorbs that
“Everyone loves when Hank comes of Pennsylvania, headed by psychiatrist Dr. stress and brings them joy,” Hornack said.
to visit us,” said David Long, director of Dean Katcher and Because the resi-
marketing at Calder Woods. “The residents his assistant Erika dents gain so much
look forward to his visits as he creates joy Friedmann, looked from these visits,
and happiness and never fails to leave ev- at the influence of Calder Woods re-
eryone with a smile on their face. He has pets on patients’ cently awarded
an incredibly calming influence and seems blood pressure. They Hank the top honor
to know just what each person needs. Some found that partici- as the senior living
might call him a ‘people whisperer.’ These pants who interacted community’s Volun-
visits are particularly meaningful for resi- with pets, compared teer of the Year.
dents and team members who are going to those interacting “Seeing our resi-
through a challenging time.” with people, includ- dents interact with
Animal therapy is not a new practice in ing family members, Hank each week
the improvement of health. had lower blood Calder Woods resident Pat Loidold feeds Dr. Hank during a is truly something
“Animals and humans have existed in pressures. Addition- visit to the retirement community. amazing,” said Ben
therapeutic relationships with each other al research revealed Mazzara, executive
for more than 12,000 years,” writes Michele that patients who had suffered “severe” director at Calder Woods. “When Hank
L. Morrison, a certified Hospice Nurse myocardial infarctions had improved one- comes to visit, he leaves all of us feeling
Practitioner in her article, “Health Benefits year mortality rates if they had pets waiting happy and comforted by his presence.
of Animal-Assisted Interventions.” “One at home, compared to those patients with As a pet-friendly community, we under-
of the earliest cited findings is the skeletal only family waiting at home or going home stand the importance of the relationship
remains, found in northern Israel, of a hu- alone. between animals and humans and want
man holding a puppy. In Gheel, Belgium, Besides witnessing the impact during all of our residents to experience the joy
in the ninth century, animals were used in his visits to Calder Woods and other retire- that comes from interacting with or being
treatment plans with handicapped persons. ment communities and hospice facilities around animals.”
… In 1790 in York, England, rabbits and in the area, in his own research, Hornack — Kevin King

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 33

 Beaumont physician
re-elected to TMA
leadership position
Garrett K. Peel, MD, a Beaumont
general surgeon in practice for eight
years, was re-elected to the Texas Medi-
cal Association’s (TMA’s) Council on
Science and Public Health. TMA held
elections and appointments in conjunc-
tion with its TexMed conference and Dr. Garrett K. Peel
expo, held this year in Houston. Peel
will begin his term of service at TMA’s Fall Conference in Sep-
tember.
TMA physicians and medical students are appointed or elect-
ed to one of TMA’s 25 boards, councils and committees. They
are responsible for studying health care-related issues and mak-
ing recommendations on important health care policy affecting
Texas patients and their physicians.
The Council on Science and Public Health develops TMA
policy on critical public health and medical science issues, ad-
vances TMA’s leadership in medical science and public health
advocacy, and provides physicians timely public health and sci-
entific information on current topics.
Dr. Peel is a member of the Jefferson County Medical Society.

TELEMEDICINE• FROM PAGE 26 No,” said Callas, “but it is the

as a means of providing ser-
vices to their insureds when a
contracted physician performs
the care.
“We are now seeing oppor-
tunities to access physicians
and providers from anywhere
at anytime for most any rea-
son, thanks to technology. But
technology by itself is not the
solution to our healthcare chal-
lenges,” said Austin-based tele-
medicine internist and psychia-
trist Thomas Kim, MD, who
testified for TMA in support of
the bill, and helped craft its lan-
guage. “At the end of the day,
telemedicine care is medical
care and should be held to the
same standards and guidelines.”
The bottom line, doctors
say, is telemedicine is a means
of providing care to a patient;
it is not a service in and of
itself. It is a tool in the physi-
cian’s toolbox.
The new law is expected to
expand the use of technology
in health care.
“Is this the end all, be all?
34 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
start of something that will al-
low patients to get the best care,
and for physicians to be the cap-
tain of the ship to delegate and
supervise the care of all Texans.”
“If done properly, I believe
telemedicine holds remarkable
promise for expanding access
to primary and specialty care in
Texas, particularly in the rural
communities of our state that
lack a sufficient provider base,”
added Sen. Charles Schwert-
ner, the author of SB1107.
Some of the law’s elements
took effect when the governor
signed it, while the insurance
related provisions go into ef-
fect Jan. 1, 2018.
“We’re currently talking to
Blue Cross, AETNA, Cigna,
and UnitedHealthcare — all
the big companies — and what
we’re doing is trying to come
up with payment mechanisms
that are appropriate for not
only physicians and healthcare
providers to be paid appropri-
ately but also not to gouge the
patient,” Callas said.
– Kevin King
 dedicated to keeping both local physicians and the local
communities aware of important health care issues

BENEFITS

FAMILY OF MEDICINE

Join with your colleagues to serve patients

locally, with support from the Texas Medical
Association and your colleagues across the
state.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Turn grassroots advocacy for your patients

into legislative success, backed by the
united voice of TMA’s 50,000 members.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/CME

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communication, and other areas. We offer
more than 100 on-demand courses.

TOOLS AND SERVICES

CONTACT US
Find resources for your practice to help with
HIPAA compliance, contract negotiation, (409) 924-0499
human resources, fair payment, and much hillaryshanning@jeffersoncms.org
more. WWW.JEFFERSONCMS.ORG
Vital Signs – Fall 2017 35
 Men’s Health
Gift of Life initiative provides screenings for nearly 500

M ore than 200 volunteers took part

in Gift of Life’s regional men’s
health screening events in Beaumont, Port
Arthur and Orange held during Men’s
Health Month in June. The screenings
are much more than just prostate checks
alone, encompassing a full panel of addi-
tional medical tests including cholesterol,
glucose and blood pressure checks, and
HIV and Hepatitis C screenings.
“For nearly 20 years, the Gift of Life
Men’s Health Program has made available
prostate cancer screenings for Southeast
Texas men who cannot afford insurance
or their high deductibles,” said Norma
Sampson, executive director of the Gift of
Life. “With the program’s successful diag-
nosis and treatment of prostate cancer for
medically vulnerable men, the Gift of Life
expanded the men’s healthcare initiatives
to include screenings for other prevalent
life-threatening diseases at its regional Gift of Life client getting checked Courtesy photos
health and wellness screening events.”
This year’s events saw the successful personalized care to ensure that each pa- east Texans who confront barriers to care
screenings of nearly 500 men with help tient received an explanation of their test that often exacerbate latent diagnosis and
from partners Baptist Regional Cancer outcomes and suggested plans of healthy treatment of life-threatening diseases.”
Network, city of Beaumont and Port Ar- behavior and actions. The Southeast Texas Food Bank pro-
thur health departments, the Emergency “You don’t go to screenings generally vided food for the event for the under-
Room Nurses Association, Gulf Coast where you get the reports back on almost served.
Health Centers, La Costa Dental, Lamar all of the labs that are being done (the “We see so many men who are home-
State College and Lamar University fac- same day),” Sampson said. “We had five less, hopeless and despairing, and that’s
ulty and staff, Legacy Community Health physicians in Port Arthur — oncologists why we partnered with the Southeast Tex-
Services, Philippine Nurses Association, and urologists who donated their day to as Food Bank, which gave us 160 boxes of
Samaritan Counseling Services, Southeast be there as long as the men needed to go food that each would feed several meals,”
Texas Nurse Practitioners Association, over their reports and explain everything Sampson said. “We also had our food
Spindletop Center, Triangle Area Network, to them. … And then we had on-site, the there. We started buying extra of every-
University of Texas Medical Branch, UT federally qualified clinics that are there to thing because there were a lot of people
Physicians, Winners for Life and many make and schedule follow-up appoint- that … had lost their jobs and didn’t have
other individuals and organizations. ments.” money for food.”
“The program’s comprehensive educa- Gift of Life collaborative partners also At next year’s screenings, Gift of Life
tional and medical services establish an included representatives from the city of plans to partner with Texas Workforce So-
unparalleled deliverance platform for … Beaumont (Civic Center), West Orange- lutions to try to help attending men who
Southeast Texas men, many of whom are Stark High School and Lamar State Col- are unemployed find work, Sampson said.
at risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes lege Port Arthur (Carl A. Parker Multi- The event in Port Arthur even saw a
and other chronic illnesses that are of- purpose Center), as well as Jason’s Deli. visit from Joe Washington Jr., former NFL
ten undiagnosed until a latent stage with “We are exceedingly grateful to our running back and Super Bowl champion
poorer prognosis,” Sampson said. alliance members,” said Gift of Life Pro- with the Washington Redskins. The Port
Volunteer physicians included Drs. So- gram Services Manager Christina Morris. Arthur native visited Gift of Life’s Men’s
hail Akbani, Danny Chow, John Fowler, “Our comprehensive scope of services at Health Month Screening in Port Arthur
Ernest Hymel, Gwendolyn Lavalais, Apryl the screening events are made possible on June 24.
S. Mensah, Tahir Naqvi, Michael Nash, because of the volunteers’ compassion- “We had invited him to come to
Harry J. Smith and Moses E. Wilcox Sr. ate commitment to give back and extend
Physicians offered consultations with skillful and much-needed help to South- SEE GIFT OF LIFE • PAGE 38

36 Vital Signs – Fall 2017

Kevin Tabor
American Red Cross volunteer
Kevin Tabor of Vidor became acquainted
with the American Red Cross of Southeast and
Deep East Texas by taking the CPR and
first aid class. He decided to get more
involved after talking with Natalie
Warren, disaster program manager in
the Beaumont office, about the servic-
es of the local Red Cross chapter.
“I heard the mission statement and
I wanted to be in the midst of that. It
spoke to me. I was interested in becoming a
disaster responder,” Tabor explained. “I want-
ed to be the one that gave the helping hand to
help people through the process.”
As a member of the Red Cross Disaster Ac-
tion Team (DAT) since April 2015, Tabor has
responded to several local disasters and many
house fires.
He described one fire that stands out in his
memory. He was called out at 2 early one morn-
ing. When he arrived, the house was still on fire.
The firefighters were working to secure the home
and keep everyone safe.
“I saw a man standing alone with tears roll-
ing down his face. Everything he had had been
taken from him. I was really feeling for
him. I had never seen someone in
that much despair. He saw that I
was there to help, and he was so
relieved that someone was there
to help him through. He didn’t
have anyone to turn to — he had
no family in the area. I was there be-
ing that neighbor,” said Tabor.
Tabor, who works full-time for a se-
curity company, said being a Red Cross
volunteer has made a difference in his life.
“I wish more people knew what the
Red Cross does to reach out and help,
to be there no matter who you are. We
are there to help,” said Tabor. “It opens
your eyes to seeing your neighbors. As
a result of being a Red Cross volunteer,
I am a lot more compassionate and sympa-
thetic to people. It has made me live my life
differently.”

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Vital Signs – Fall 2017 37
Linda and Steve Buser
American Red Cross volunteers
When they saw the news about the Sabine River flooding last
March, Beaumont residents Linda and Steve Buser wanted to join
in the recovery effort. They walked into the office of the American
Red Cross of Southeast and Deep East Texas, where they were
greeted readily. It took about 10 minutes for the Busers to get
oriented, and then they were put directly to work helping people
recover from the flood devastation around Deweyville and greater
Newton County.
Soon after, they became part of the Red Cross Disaster Action
Team (DAT) and have been deployed during five hurricane and
flood disasters in Houston, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Savan-
nah, Georgia. As part of DAT, the Busers promise to be available
for two weeks at a time to travel to an area in the midst of disaster.
Locally, they respond to fires about twice a week, documenting
the fire and helping the victims with temporary housing and as-
sistance. They bring blankets, comfort kits and even stuffed toys
for the children. Steve and Linda Buser
“Whatever they need, we try to comfort them. You’ll be stand-
ing out in their front yard with them, and everything they’ve ever velopment executive. Linda worked in banking before retiring.
worked for is gone. They just don’t know where to go, but Red Serving others in need was a natural next step for them.
Cross steps in to get you through that initial phase,” Linda Buser Linda echoed his comments: “When he retired, I stepped
said. “It’s very heart-warming. I cry. But it’s such a great feeling down from my job. We really feel like we are blessed at our age
to know because Red Cross is there, they’ve got some immediate to be able step down, so we have to give back. It’s something we
assistance.” have to do. We both have that passion. We never leave without
The Busers also attend fairs and festivals to promote the Red the other; it’s a team. We feel like we’ve been blessed, and while
Cross and build trust among residents. Last month, they helped we have our health, we want to bless other people.”
staff the Red Cross booth at the Bassmaster fishing tournament They also stay busy volunteering at their church, North End
in Orange and participated in the Viva Fest in Beaumont as Red Baptist, where Linda answers the phones, Steve plays in the band,
Cross volunteers. and they both support the church’s bake sales and missions. They
“We just feel like it’s our calling. God has asked us to get out also joyfully spend time with their three grown children and eight
there and help people,” said Steve, who is a former economic de- grandchildren, who live in Beaumont, Dallas and Indiana.

GIFT OF LIFE • FROM PAGE 36

Champagne & Ribs but he wasn’t able to

make it. When he heard about the (Men’s
Health) program and read about it … he
said he’d really like to come in and be a
part of it,” Sampson said. “He came in
and he was incredible. … He went by and
visited some of the people in Port Arthur
and encouraged the men to come. He
was there (at the event) taking pictures
and greeting and encouraging them and
shaking their hands. … It wasn’t about
him coming back as a superstar. He was a
superstar in the sense that he has such an
enormous heart.”
Community block grants, augmented
by the support of local businesses and in- Port Arthur physician volunteers are Drs. Moses E. Wilcox Sr., Harry J. Smith, Gwendolyn Lavalais, Ernest Hymel and John
dividuals, along with funds generated by Fowler.
the program’s annual event, Champagne initiatives. giftoflifebmt.org or call (409) 833-3663.
& Ribs, support the organization’s region- For more information about the Gift
al men’s health and preventative education of Life and its breadth of services, visit – Kevin King
38 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
 WHAT:
Christus Live Well
Women’s Conference Michelle Durso, Candace Vega and Debbie Durso

WHERE:
Ford Park, Beaumont

WHEN:
Thursday, May 11

Photos by Kevin King

Gloria Alexander and Michelle Joseph

Tamara Milam, Dee Hill, Robin Wilkins, Tara Bloodsworth, Alexie Cheshire and Macie
Humble

Dawn Fournier
Brandi Spence, Tru Spence and Melody Spence and Melissa Mizer

Amanda Laman and Nedra Ledet Cindy Watson and Rhonda Reppond Bea Sibille and Stacy Prioux

Debbie Henagan and Jennifer Brocato Emily Lopez and Toni Nugent Chris Henry and Eddie Howard

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 39

 Beauty technology
Beaumont med spa offers the latest in med spa treatments
T he latest technology in medi-
cal spa treatments is now
available in Beaumont.
Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames,
Greater Beaumont Chamber
of Commerce representatives
and staff and doctors from Re-
vivify Medical Spa celebrated
the opening of Drs. Lubna
Elahi and Afia Naqvi’s new
business at 3302 McFaddin
Ave., Ste. 2 in Beaumont on
Friday, June 30.
“On behalf of all the citizens
of Beaumont, I would like to
thank you for investing in our
community,” said Ames.
The med spa offers several
services including the PDO
Thread Face Lift, radiofre-
quency treatment to dissolve
fat, tattoo removal, ultrasound
treatment for skin tightening
and fat reduction and the O
Shot, a non-surgical treatment
which pledges to increase sex-
ual arousal in women.
“In a 90-mile radius, we are
the only ones in this area us-
ing this technology,” said Dr.
Naqvi, a board certified Inter-
nal Medicine physician, which
says she has extensive experi-
ence in Aesthetic Medicine.
Dr. Afia Naqvi talks about Revivify’s BTL Vanquish ME machine
“We have people coming from during an open house for the medical spa on June 30. The size in the industry, this next
Houston because our prices machine uses radiofrequency to dissolve fat. Photos by Kevin King generation fat reducing de-
are much cheaper.”
The PDO Thread Face Lift
gives natural results and is heralded
as the best non-invasive answer to
loose and sagging skin, said Naqvi.
Touted as the “Lunch Time
Face Lift,” actual patients have
had the procedures on their lunch
hour, returning to work looking
years younger – naturally, she said.
An article in the US National
40 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
Library of Medicine National In-
stitutes of Health Database, “Out-
comes in Thread Lift for Facial
Rejuvenation,” explains the effec-
tiveness of the procedure.
“The recent introduction of ab-
sorbable barbed sutures producing
a lifting action for this type of aging
can be a good alternative to more
invasive procedures,” the 2014
article reads. “The plugs present
on the surface of the wires allow
the combination with other non-
surgical rejuvenation procedures,
such as botulinum toxin, which
has a six-month temporary effect,
or substances with a transient and
volumizing filler effect. … The
spines along the course of the
wire act as a hook to lift and
support one area of the face
whilst relaxed. The plugs open
like an umbrella to form a sup-
port structure that lifts the sag-
ging skin. It is a soft approach
that allows a safe reduction of
the signs of aging.”
Radiofrequency treatment
to dissolve fat utilizes the
BTL Vanquish ME machine.
The technology, introduced
by BTL Aesthetics in 2015,
is designed to treat the whole
abdomen from flank to flank
during one session.
BTL Vanquish ME employs
a first-of-its-kind technology
using a contactless panel array
that creates a high-frequency
Selective RF energy field that
treats broad areas of the mid-
section — a sharp contrast to
other systems, which focus
only on smaller, localized fat
deposits, according to a release
by BTL Aesthetics.
“With the largest spot
vice provides natural-looking
results across the entire ab-
dominal and core area in four to
six short treatment sessions,” the
release states.
According to BTL, patients
report that the Vanquish ME
procedure is extremely comfort-
able, akin to a relaxing feeling of
warmth like a hot stone massage.
No anesthesia, medication or
downtime is required for treatment
and it is ideal for patients 21 years
and older who are up to about 20-plus
pounds overweight and desire aesthetic
body shaping without the cost and re-
covery of surgery. The device improves
problem areas where diet and exercise
have plateaued. Other than increased
hydration before, during and for two
days after treatment, no advance or
post preparation is necessary, accord-
ing to BTL.
Revivify Spa utilizes the Quanta
EVO MDK machine for tattoo re-
moval, among other uses.
According to statistics cited on
Quanta’s website, 45 million people in
the U.S. have at least one tattoo, and a
reported 9 million of them would like
to have a tattoo removed.
Revenue for laser tattoo removal
treatments surged 440 percent to an es-
timated $75.5 million from 2004-2014,
and the tattoo removal industry contin-
ues rapid growth and is expected to hit
$83.2 million by 2018, Quanta states.
The EVO MDK Series by Quanta
combines the active Q-switched lasers
from the company’s Q-Plus Series and
the pulsed lasers from its Light Series
into one machine that works on all Dr. Lubna Elahi talks about the INFINI machine, which utilizes radiofrequency technology to address sagging
skin types to perform a vast array of skin, wrinkles and changes in skin texture.
procedures.
In 2008, Quanta introduced the and lack of sensation. sclerotherapy and aesthetic medicine
Q-Plus C laser, the first Q-switched Other services at Revivify include since 2005. As the former medical di-
tattoo removal laser to feature a 694 treatments for acne scarring and BO- rector of Diabetes Center Community
nanometer true ruby laser capable of TOX. Hospital in Anderson, Indiana, she
treating difficult blue and green inks, In 1994, Dr. Elahi started her career also has expertise in diabetes manage-
in the same machine with wavelengths as a board certified family physician in ment, weight loss and disease preven-
for black, brown, orange, yellow and New York and is currently board cer- tion through nutrition.
red inks. tified in Aesthetic medicine. She got “It is my mission to enhance both
The medical spa’s Infini machine extensive training in 2015 with the internal and external beauty and make
utilizes radiofrequency technology American Academy of Aesthetic Medi- people feel good about themselves,”
to address sagging skin, wrinkles and cine and has expertise and experience she said.
changes in skin texture. The machine in all aspects of aesthetic modalities After a free consultation, Dr. Elahi
uses a 3-dimensional approach of de- and state-of-the-art skin care treat- and Dr. Naqvi, provide each patient
livering RF energy to create tissue ments. She feels it’s important to help with an optimum formula to help
volumization. her clients in all aspects of their lives, everyone release their hidden beauty,
According to an Elite Daily article, whether it’s health or beauty. known as “The Revivify Loop.”
the O-shot is supposed to work by isolat- “While I was treating their illnesses, For more information, visit Revivify-
ing plasma-rich platelets (PRP) from the I couldn’t help notice their skin and MedicalSpa.com or call (409) 347-7976.
blood, then injecting them back into the beauty needs,” she said. “No more trips to Houston. No
body, where the growth hormones with- This is what led her to the field of more surgeries. No more downtime,”
in set to work rejuvenating the vagina, aesthetic medicine, she said. Naqvi said.
treating incontinence, looseness, dryness Dr. Naqvi has been certified in — Kevin King

Vital Signs – Fall 2017 41

CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
AUGUST
Friday, Aug. 11
Arc of Greater Beaumont Art Camp
The Arc Multi-Purpose Building, 4330
Westridge Ln., Beaumont
9:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 5-12
1:30-3:30 p.m. for ages 13-16
Register at arcofbmt.formstack.com/
forms/thearconedaycamps
Saturday, Aug. 12
Altus Emergency Centers
Tools 4 School Festival
Altus Emergency Center, Lumberton
9 a.m. – noon
Contact Bradley Jackson at bdjackson@ or dmaher@setxfoodbank.org
altusemergency.com
Sunday, Aug. 13
Arc of Greater Beaumont
Family Fun Day – Back to School
Bash
The Arc Multi-Purpose Building, 4330
Westridge Lane, Beaumont
2-4 p.m.
Call (409) 838-9012
SEPTEMBER
Saturday, Sept. 2
Children’s Miracle Network United Way of Beaumont & North
Lamar University Dance Marathon Jefferson County
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
42 Vital Signs – Fall 2017
McDonald Gym at Lamar University
5:15-10:30 p.m.
Contact Cade Johnson at (409) 679-
6453 or cajohnson232@gmail.com
Saturday, Sept. 16
Reaud Guest House
An Edible Evening
Reaud Guest House, Beaumont 6-9 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Call at (409) 212-6500.
Friday, Sept. 22
Southeast Texas Food Bank
Sixth Annual “Will Golf for Food”
Tournament
Bayou Din Golf Club, Beaumont
8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Contact Dan Maher at (409) 839-8777
Saturday, Sept. 23
Children’s Miracle Network
and Christus Southeast Texas
Foundation
Shootin’ For a Miracle seventh
annual Clay Shoot
1 in 100 Gun Club,
1228 FM 421, Lumberton
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Contact Melissa Conley at (409)
236-7598 or Melissa.conley@
christushealth.org
Thursday, Sept. 28
Beaumont Buddy Walk
United Way Hometown Huddle: Saturday, Oct. 17
“Celebrity Chef Chili Cook-Off”
American Cancer Society
Event Centre, Downtown Beaumont
Making Strides Against Breast
Cancer
Contact John Rollins at (409) 835-4575
Lamar University
or jrollins@uwbmt.org
Call (409) 924-0576 or email
Saturday, Sept. 30 BeaumontTXStrides@cancer.org
Alzheimer’s Association
Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Friday, Oct. 20
The Medical Center of Southeast Texas Harbor Foundation
Victory Campus, Beaumont Eighth annual Dinner for Life Gala
Event Centre, Beaumont
Registration at 7 a.m.
6 p.m.
Ceremony at 8 a.m.
Contact (409) 981-1888 or visit
Walk at 8:30 a.m.
Contact Lindsey Ramey at (409) 833- harborfoundation.com
1613 or alztexwalk@alz.org
Saturday, Oct. 28
OCTOBER Arc of Greater Beaumont
Beaumont Buddy Walk
Beaumont Event Centre Great Lawn
Saturday, Oct. 7 10 a.m.
Call (409) 838-9012
Julie Rogers “Gift of Life” Program
Seventh annual Julie Richardson
NOVEMBER
Procter 5K Ribbon Run Color Rush
Starts at Beaumont Civic Center
Friday, Nov. 3
On-site registration begins at 6 a.m.,
run starts at 8 a.m. Baptist Hospitals of Southeast
Texas Foundation
Visit golribbonrun.org to register or
call (409) 833-3663 Couture for a Cause
MCM Eleganté Hotel Grand Ballroom
Monday, Oct. 16 6-10 p.m.
Children’s Miracle Network Contact Olivia Kay at (409) 212-6113
and Christus Southeast Texas or Olivia.Kay@bhset.net
Foundation
Swinging For a Miracle sixth Saturday, Nov. 4
annual golf tournament Muscular Dystrophy Association
Beaumont Country Club, 5355 Pine St. MDA Muscle Walk
6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lake Charles Civic Center
Contact Melissa Conley at (409) 10 a.m.
236-7598 or Melissa.conley@ Contact Mickey Edmond at (337) 234-
christushealth.org 0088 or medmond@mdausa.org
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