LEWISGALE

November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and LewisGale Hospital is showing off a new robot capable of detecting it earlier than ever.

LewisGale is now the latest to get in line with a vaccine mandate.

LewisGale Dr. Kevin Walsh has died suddenly.

It’s time to start collecting unused prescription drugs you have at home because this weekend is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

This week is dedicated to health care workers on the frontlines.

LewisGale Medical Center in Salem is the first hospital in Virginia to use new artificial intelligence to help diagnose and treat lung cancer.

Expanded emergency care is coming to the Roanoke Valley.

LewisGale is making a big move for cancer treatment in Pulaski and Salem.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – We’ve been wearing masks for nearly a year. Bowman said even though masks cover the majority of the face, people still want to put their best face forward. Another common complaint about wearing masks Dr. There are also nasal dilators, breathe right strips and nasal sprays you can get online or over the counter to help open your nostrils. Bowman recommended nasal sprays like Flonase, Nasacort, Nasonex, antihistamines Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, also known as colon cancer or rectal cancer depending on where it starts. According to Dr. Brian Van Der Linden, a gastroenterologist at LewisGale Physicians, colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the U.S. Take a look at this list of risk factors:Risk factors for colon cancer (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.) Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman died at 43 of colon cancer in 2020. “They’re having a diagnosis of colon cancer at a later stage and they’re dying from colon cancer at a higher rate because of that and so it’s very important for us to make sure all people are getting screened,” Van Der Linden said.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Salvation Army of Roanoke and LewisGale Family and Community Medicine residency program have a new partnership and their first project is a free community health fair. The fair is Saturday, Feb. 27 noon to 2 p.m. in the Salvation Army’s gym located at 724 Dale Avenue SE. Once inside, there will be a variety of socially distanced stations with residents from LewisGale psychiatric, family medicine and internal medicine departments. During a time where stress and anxiety are at an all-time high, Price-Clarke felt it was critical the event included mental health too. We want to make sure that they’re given the proper information to take care of their physical and mental health and mental health right now is something we really do need to focus on,” said Price-Clarke.

In most circumstances, a slow emergency room would be considered a good thing — but LewisGale Medical Center’s director of emergency services is concerned. Michael Henson, emergency services director at LewisGale Medical Center, said that when comparing the daily number of patients going to the ER before the pandemic to now, the hospital has seen a 30% drop. COVID -19 patients are separated from the rest of the patients, screenings are done at entrances, staff members wear masks and face shields and patients are only allowed one visitor. Henson did mention more people were going to the LewisGale free-standing emergency room near Tanglewood than the hospital in Salem. LewisGale Medical Center isn’t the only local hospital that saw a decline.

“It started a whole new phase in medicine which was investigative; able to create vaccines, able to address cancer, able to study cancer. They used her cells in different areas, even in space, even in the atomic bomb to see the effect of the cells,” Quiroz said. The Lacks family found out nearly 25 years later. Dr. Quiroz says the industry has learned from it and that Lark’s title of “Mother of Modern Medicine” is not just because of her cells. AdSome, like Dr. Reed, believe not enough is being done to address the unjust done to Lacks and her family.

ROANOKE, Va. – The coronavirus vaccine has officially made it to some hospitals in Southwest Virginia. Nearly 3,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are now stored in ultra-cold freezers at Lynchburg General Hospital, ready to be administered. The first shots are expected to start Wednesday at Centra, Carilion and LewisGale, prioritizing health care workers in closest contact with COVID-19 patients. It’s a decent start,” Lewis said. The health department said that by the end of the month, Virginia should have enough doses to reach all health care workers and long-term care facility residents who make up the first priority group.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Health officials in the Southwest Region, including Carilion, Centra, LewisGale, and Sovah, report 280 patients are hospitalized with the coronavirus, 61 are in the ICU and 30 are on ventilators. At Centra Health, officials are unsure when they’ll get the vaccine or how. “They do likely have some amount of immunity to it, unclear of how much and for how long. We still don’t still know is that enough immunity to protect them for a good enough while that we’d say, ‘well, let’s not vaccine,” said Dr. Christopher Lewis of Centra Health. Centra officials say they’re not going to mandate it for caregivers but strongly encourage it.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY Va – Health officials in the New River Valley are gearing up for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. New River Health Director Dr. Noelle Bissell said that while they still don’t know when they will get their first shipment of the vaccine, it will likely be a limited amount. Ralph Northam lays out state’s three-phased coronavirus vaccine distribution plan]She also said that both major health systems in the New River Valley have the proper equipment to store it once it is available. They have vaccine plans in place to be able to inoculate their staff and they have done their own prioritization,” explained Bissell. Bissell also wants to warn the community that once the COVID-19 vaccine is taken, there will likely be side effects.

SALEM, Va. – Wednesday marked the eighth Food for Frontline delivery and appropriately it went to the OR staff at Lewis Gale Medical Center. Wednesday is National Nurse Appreciation Day and they’re grateful to get food while one local business is thankful to make it. This order from the Food for Frontline initiative is going a long way for this small business. The complimentary meal is showing up at the perfect time - on a national day thanking our nurses. They are the heart of our institutions, the heart of Lewis Gale in what we do every day and for our patients and community here,” Lee said.

ALLEGHANY COUTNY, Va. – LewisGale Hospital Alleghany is temporarily suspending its ICU services amid the COVID-19 outbreak. In an email that LewisGale shared with its community partners in the Alleghany Highlands on Friday, hospital leaders cite “consolidation and conservation of resources” as a strategy they’re using to combat the health care crisis. The move allows LewisGale to shift employees and personal protective equipment (PPE) to other facilities, according to the letter. All other services at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany will stay open. Hospital leaders did not say when the ICU will reopen.

SALEM, Va. – LewisGale is making a major change as its ecosystem is drastically changing due to the coronavirus. Because of restrictions related to the coronavirus, hospitals across the country are seeing a decrease in surgeries and outpatient volume. In response to that, HCA Healthcare, LewisGale’s parent company, has announced a new pandemic pay continuation policy. LewisGale will attempt to redeploy staff with reduced hours who work in clinical positions or support areas so they can keep working. This will effect all LewisGale Regional Heath System facilities, which include: LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, LewisGale Hospital Pulaski and LewisGale Medical Center.

SALEM, Va. – All staff and healthcare providers within the LewisGale Regional Health System will now be required to wear masks. Originally, masks were only required for anyone who came in contact with a suspected or confirmed positive case of coronavirus. Officials with LewisGale say they are confident that they will have enough masks and gloves for all staff members and healthcare providers to use throughout this health crisis. Masks will also be optional for staff in non-patient care areas who maintain a social distance of at least six feet. While officials say there is enough personal protective equipment (PPE) within the LewisGale health system, they will take steps to conserve PPE, including reusing PPE when appropriate.

ROANOKE, Va. – Seasonal influenza precautions were in place as of Monday at Sovah Health’s Danville and Martinsville campuses. If you are visiting the campuses, the hospital recommends the following:Please limit the number of visitors to three (3) per patient, unless otherwise specified. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital also announced restrictions on visitation during flu season. Monday afternoon, flu recommendations were being finalized for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson. According to the Virginia Department of Health, as of Dec. 28, the flu was widespread in Virginia.

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. - Roanoke County leaders approved a rezoning request for a new freestanding LewisGale emergency room in the Bonsack area. County leaders wanted the hospital and the neighbors to find some common ground, which they think happened, but not everyone was pleased. But board Chairman Phil North made it clear development is coming to the area either way. But the development is coming, and the supervisors said they felt this was a good use of the land. County leaders say the regional artery needs help from the state, and regional leaders need to step up and band together to ask for it.

ROANOKE, Va. - There's now a new life-changing way to treat acid reflux and prevent heartburn in our region. Doctors at LewisGale are the first providers in Southwest Virginia to perform a surgical procedure. It requires surgeons to install a magnetic flexible ring around the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) or muscular valve between the esophagus and stomach. "I would periodically have cases where eating particularly something like meat and bread together that there would be a blockage and made it hard to breathe. The device is permanent and is designed to last forever.

The Roanoke County Planning Commission recommended approval for a rezoning to build a new LewisGale free standing emergency room in the Bonsack area despite objections from neighbors who've fought development in the past and welcome the facility, just somewhere else. That led to neighbors feeling deja vu in many of the comments they made to the planning commission, just like when they fought the Chick-fil-A that was approved five years ago, also at the entrance to their neighborhood. But even with that in mind, many of the neighbors walked out feeling steam rolled by the countty. The area unsuccessfully fought the Chick-fil-A opening five years ago and the restaurant was mentioned in nearly every comment. The planning commission highlighted the fact that the corridor is designated as transitional, and it has been in the plan for nearly two decades to put the land to better use.

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. - A Roanoke County neighborhood that was a hotbed of controversy five years ago is feeling some deja vu. The opinions varied depending on how close the neighbors lived to the entrance of the neighborhood where the development is. The hospital is asking the county to rezone from residential to commercial, and tear down the existing house on the property. Mike Grome and his wife were against the Chick-fil-A development back then, and they said it has caused them problems since it opened. Those that live closest to the intersection said they're concerned about the idea of more cars at the doorsteps.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. - Amber Nicely and Lindsay Cartwright are celebrating one week with their new baby boy. "He's been doing fantastic," Nicely said. "He's healthy, Amber's healthy, so I have no real complaints," Cartwright said. They pulled off into a gravel parking lot on the side of route 220 in Botetourt County. "Yeah, he had a sense of urgency but I think he just wanted to come hang out," Nicely said.