CPMC Foundation departmental grant program brings in more equipment
Submitted by CPMC
Think about how you eat. You first have to get the food or drink to your mouth. You may use a fork, spoon, straw, or your hands. You have to open your mouth and take the food in. You close your lips to keep the food in your mouth. You then chew the food or move the liquid to get ready to swallow. It really is quite a process.
We all have problems swallowing sometimes. We may have trouble chewing a tough piece of meat. We may gag on food or have to swallow hard to get it down. And we have all had a drink “go down the wrong way,” making us cough and choke. A person with a swallowing disorder will have trouble like this all the time. A swallowing disorder is also called dysphagia (dis-FAY-juh).
Dysphagia is a medical disorder that can impact as many as 15 million Americans, with approximately one million people annually receiving a new diagnosis of the condition. The problem can arise anywhere from the mouth to the stomach. Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS) is a test that physicians and speech-language pathologists may request in order for them to look at the parts of the swallowing mechanism in the human body.
Thanks to the Cabinet Peaks Foundation and their Departmental Grant Program, the Rehab Services at CPMC will soon have a new piece of equipment to help in the diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders. In June, the Foundation Board agreed to purchase a Medicapture Medical Video Recorder.
The Medicapture Recorder is used to record and save a continuous video of MBSS. The Medicapture captures video that can be reviewed multiple times, start and stop when needed, and will increase the accuracy of the interpretation of the study, thereby improving the accuracy of the results. Medicapture will also allow this digitized assessment to be shared with other facilities, improving continuity of care for the patients at CPMC.
“The ability to review MBSS after completion will increase our accuracy of diagnosis and plan of care,” stated Victoria Hinther, CPMC Speech Therapist. “It has the potential to reduce the amount of time a patient spends in treatment, decrease the time they are required to be on a modified diet texture, and improve the appropriateness of diet texture modifications. The recorder will also allow us to review the video with the patient, and educate them and their families regarding their impairment.”
Lori Benson, Rehab Manager, is grateful to the Foundation for their support. “Thank you to the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Foundation for giving back to our facility needs. Your generosity allows us to provide the best care for our patients in a rural community when otherwise we would not have the opportunity or ability to obtain such equipment in a timely manner.”
Kate Stephens, Executive Director of the Cabinet Peaks Foundation added, “This is the latest in a long line of minor pieces of medical equipment the foundation has purchased for the medical center through our Departmental Grant Program. We absolutely love that we are able to help more patients receive quality care, and more employees provide compassionate care, on a smaller scale by purchasing minor equipment through this program, as well as on a large scale through big campaigns such as our 3D Mammography campaign.”
If you have any questions about the Foundation, or how you can contribute to this cause, or other Foundation campaigns, please contact Kate Stephens at kstep@cabinetpeaks.org or 283-7140.