New Clinical Affiliation with BIDMC Brings Enhanced Programs to

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New Sleep
Center
Now Open!
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Smoking
Quiz
7
Control
Diabetes
for Heart Health
about your health
so good. so caring. so close.
New Clinical Affiliation with
BIDMC Brings Enhanced
Programs to the Community
Lawrence General Hospital (LGH) is proud to announce its formal
affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). The
Lawrence General Hospital board of trustees has voted to build
on an already-successful partnership with the Harvardaffiliated teaching hospital. This new affiliation will enhance
clinical programs in the Greater Merrimack Valley and
increase local access to all of BIDMC’s specialties.
But that’s not all. The Choice Plus Network, LGH’s
independent physician association, has voted to formalize
its own collaborative relationship with the Beth Israel
Deaconess Physician Organization (BIDPO) for physician
network integration and contracting. This will enhance
clinical affiliations and increase patient access to
top-quality care in northeastern Massachusetts.

Turn to page 4
to learn more about these exciting new
partnerships, and what they mean for
you and your family.
winter 2011 • www.lawrencegeneral.org
D
on’t Ignore the Snore!
Snoring can be a symptom of Obstructive
Sleep Apnea (OSA)
LAWRENCE
GENERAL’s NEW SLEEP
CENTEr IS NOW OPEN!
800-432-8808

This very common sleep disorder can have serious medical
consequences such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
stroke, and diabetes. It is estimated that 50 to 70 million
Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder that may
adversely affect their health, their quality of life, and even
longevity. Proper diagnosis and effective treatment can
contribute significantly to optimal management of one’s
health. The medical team headed by Dr. Noah Siegel, M.D., and
Dr. Glenn Newsome, M.D., M.P.H., FCCP, at Lawrence General
Hospital’s new Sleep Center are working together to
Noah Siegel, M.D. and
Glenn Newsome, M.D., M.P.H., FCCP
effectively diagnose and treat patients with sleep disorders.
The Sleep Center offers a full range of diagnostic capabilities
and the expertise to test for all types of sleep disorders.
Although sleep disorders are common, it is estimated that
nearly 85 percent remain undiagnosed. Risk factors include:
» More common in males
» Obesity (BMI more than 30)
» Diagnosis of high blood pressure
» Large neck: more than 17 inches in men and more than
16 inches in women
» Family history
» Upper airway or facial abnormalities
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also associated with important
and sometimes potentially life-threatening medical conditions,
including:
» Diabetes
» Depression
» Hypertension
» Cognitive impairment
Above: Dianne J. Anderson,
» Gastroesophageal reflux
President and CEO, in the
» Stroke
new Sleep Center
» Obesity
Below Right: our trained
» Heart disease
sleep technologists
What to Expect During Your Sleep Study at Lawrence general
If you are referred to Lawrence General Hospital for a sleep study,
you will stay in a private room with a full-sized bed. The room
includes a comfortable bed and satellite TV. Snacks and a light
breakfast will be available during your stay. Sensors will be
applied to your head, face, chest, and legs. Throughout the night
you will be monitored by a trained sleep technologist. The
technologist is responsible for making your stay comfortable
and safe while obtaining a high-quality sleep recording. Sleep
studies are not painful and no medication is administered. The
test will end and you will be able to leave between 6 and 7
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www.lawrencegeneral.org
a.m. The results of
your study will be
sent to your doctor.
Your doctor will
contact you to
discuss diagnosis
and treatment. If there are any high-risk problems discovered,
you will be informed immediately
If you have questions, please call 800-432-8808.
Lawrence General
Welcomes New
Team Member
With great excitement, Lawrence General Hospital welcomes
Daniel M. Concaugh as the new Vice President of Network and
Business Development. Concaugh has more than 20 years experience
in the health care industry. In addition to holding leadership roles at
several health plans, he also spent three years as an independent
consultant for health care providers and insurers. He brings with him
an extensive knowledge of health care that will help continue the
success of Lawrence General.
“Lawrence General Hospital is a strong, well-positioned hospital
dedicated to improving the health care for our region. In order to
maintain and grow the great momentum we’re experiencing, it’s
important for us to leverage the network of partners and resources
within the health care industry who are dedicated to this same
mission,” Concaugh says.
Concaugh has also been active in developing and maintaining
budgets and business processes. He has a proven history of lowering
costs while maintaining a dedication to providing the best possible
health care. He hopes to bring this same attitude to Lawrence
General.
“Via my business and operations management experience, I look
forward to strengthening the network of care available to our region
by making available a broader base of services reinforced with
top-notch clinicians who are experts in their fields.”
Daniel Concaugh is dedicated to
strengthening the health care
available to the community, and his
involvement in the community
doesn’t stop when the business day is
done. He also serves on the board of
directors for the YMCA of Central
Massachusetts and the nonprofit
Healthcare Administrative Solutions.
about your health 3
“With our exciting partnership with Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of
Harvard Medical School, we will bring the best that
Boston has to offer to the Merrimack Valley.”
Dianne J. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Lawrence General Hospital
When You Come to
Lawrence General, You Are
in Very Good Company
The Lawrence General Hospital (LGH) Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center (BIDMC) affiliation will allow LGH to remain an
independent nonprofit hospital while offering patients more
local specialty services, decreasing the need to travel to Boston.
In addition, coordination of care will be improved through an
integrated electronic medical record system.
BIDMC, a patient care, teaching, and research affiliate of
Harvard Medical School, consistently ranks among the top four
in National Institutes of Health funding among independent
hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin
Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/
Harvard Cancer Center.
“This joint initiative between an already strong community
hospital and a world-renowned teaching hospital assures that
quality clinical programs will be available locally without patients
needing to travel into Boston,” says Richard J. Santagati,
Chairman of the Lawrence General Hospital Board of Trustees.
The hospitals will eventually operate several joint clinical
programs using resources from both institutions to bring new
and expanded high-quality services to Lawrence, Andover, North
Andover, Haverhill, Methuen, Salem, N.H., and other surrounding
towns. These programs will tap into the expertise of doctors
from Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at BIDMC as
well as the highly qualified LGH physicians.
“Over time, we look to expand the collaborations between
Lawrence General physicians and their Boston colleagues,
including an increased ability for physicians to exchange
electronic medical information important to patients’ care,” says
Stanley Lewis, M.D., BIDMC’s senior vice president of network
integration. “The ability to exchange records among different
electronic medical record systems facilitates the coordination
of health care delivery to patients.”
“We are delighted to be charting a course that will bring the
expertise and services of a major teaching hospital to our
immediate community,” Santagati adds.
Access to Complex Care
Lawrence General Hospital’s relationship with Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center began in 2009, when the two hospitals introduced a
joint affiliation for cardiac care via BIDMC’s CardioVascular Institute.
Interventional cardiologists from LGH joined forces with their BIDMC
peers to significantly improve cardiac catheterization and emergency
angioplasty services in the Merrimack Valley.
“Greater integration with BIDMC means that Lawrence General
patients will have good access to more complex care when
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necessary,” says Stuart Rosenberg, M.D.,
president and CEO of Harvard Medical
Faculty Physicians and the Beth Israel
Deaconess Physician Organization.
“More efficient integration also allows us
to reduce duplicative treatments and
testing, and it enables the patient to return
to the community for care as quickly as possible.”
A Grateful Patient
Gives Back
For Gene Doran of Andover, MA,
Lawrence General Hospital is more than
a hospital. It is the place that saved his
life. So this year, Doran wanted to do
something special for the dedicated
caregivers of Lawrence General Hospital.
He decided to kick off the 2010–2011
Annual Fund at Lawrence General with
an extremely generous matching
challenge. Doran will match every gift,
dollar for dollar, up to $25,000, for
this year’s campaign. The “Double
Your Dollars with Doran Challenge” is
Lawrence General’s first-ever annual
fund challenge.
Doran says, “I thank Lawrence General
and their amazingly talented staff for
allowing me the opportunity to live such
a blessed life. I have such a high regard
for this remarkable institution and the
people who provide care. Over the years
I’ve relied on Lawrence General to save
my life, pull me out of a coma, battle
pneumonia, and numerous other
medical emergencies. Lawrence General
Hospital is more than my hospital. It’s
the hospital my family and our
community depends on for continued
good health, and that’s why I’m offering
this Annual Fund challenge to the
region. The more you give to Lawrence
General, the more I’ll give.”
Gifts to the Annual Fund at Lawrence
General Hospital help fund the hospital’s
important ongoing needs. They also
support new programs and services.
This includes Lawrence General’s
affiliations with Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center and Floating Hospital for
Children at Tufts Medical Center, which
will help Lawrence General combine the
comforts of home with the additional
expertise and specialties of these
hospitals in Boston. Lawrence General
will also be able to create entirely new
programs for the community such as the
new Sleep Center, Minimally Invasive
Practice Gratitude
Noticing and being grateful for
positive things in your life can
boost your mood and help
dispel negative thinking. To
increase your gratitude, keep a
journal in which you note large
and small events that bring you
joy or make you smile. Write a
letter of gratitude to someone
who’s been kind to you or a
positive influence in your life.
Deliver it in person if you can.
Mr. Eugene Doran, grateful
patient, Andover, MA
Thoracic Surgery (MITS) Clinic, and
Diabetes Education Center.
Lawrence General Hospital is looking
forward to these positive changes and
is grateful for Doran’s challenge. “Gene’s
passion for life, for his family, and for
Lawrence General is truly inspirational,
and we are so thankful to Gene for
kicking off this critical fundraising year
with such an exciting challenge to the
community,” says Nicholas S. Zaharias,
Vice President of Philanthropy and
Marketing at Lawrence General
Hospital. “Our new clinical affiliations
with Floating Hospital for Children
and with Beth Israel Deaconess are
exciting indeed, but they do come
with significant costs, which are funded
via this annual campaign. Thanks to
Gene, hundreds of gifts will be spurred
on by this incredibly grateful and
caring Lawrence General patient,
and everyone in our community will
benefit in the end with a stronger
hospital.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
about the annual fund or the new
challenge, call 978-946-8099.
about your health 5
Quiz:
Celebrating a SmokeFree year at lawrence
General
Your Body Thanks You
for Not Smoking
Smoking kills more than 400,000 Americans every year. Not all will die of lung cancer.
How much do you know about the other dangers of lighting up—and the benefits of
kicking the habit?
There are many compelling reasons to quit smoking. Test your smoke-free smarts with
this true-false quiz.
lowers heart risks.
your weight down, it also
1. Because puffing keeps
True  False
 mach—and children.
r eyes, bones, bladder, sto
2. Smoking can affect you
True  False
 in America.
to the number one killer
3. Cigarettes contribute
True  False
 other diseases.
uce their risk for cancer or
4. Smokers can never red
True  False
 Answers
1. False. It’s true that some smokers weigh less than nonsmokers. But smokers tend to
pack fat in their bellies. This raises the risk for diabetes and heart disease.
2. True. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body. It contributes to osteoporosis
and hip fractures, heartburn and ulcers, cancers such as bladder cancer, and blinding
eye diseases. It also can decrease your fertility and boost your babies’ risk for stillbirth
and sudden death.
3. True. Beyond belly fat, tobacco is linked to many other risk factors for America’s
deadliest illness—heart disease. For instance, smoking increases blood pressure and
decreases HDL, or “good,” cholesterol levels. Smokers are two to four times as likely to
develop coronary heart disease. And they have double the stroke risk.
4. False. For women, most of smoking’s health risks—including cancer and lung
disease—are erased within 20 years of quitting. Anyone who kicks butts before age
50 halves his or her risk of dying of any cause during the following 15 years.
6
www.lawrencegeneral.org
In a move to promote a healthy
lifestyle for its staff, patients, and
visitors, Lawrence General Hospital
celebrates its first full year as a
smoke-and-tobacco-free campus. “This step serves to further Lawrence
General Hospital’s mission to improve
the health of the Merrimack Valley,”
says Dianne J. Anderson, President
and CEO. “We’ve not simply prohibited the use of tobacco products;
we’ve empowered those affected by
the new policy. We’ve made available
a robust set of tools to help them quit
and better their overall health.”

READY TO START?
Smoking Cessation Services at LGH
Pam Fallon, ANP-BC, Adult Nurse
Practitioner, Work Health, Lawrence
General Hospital, 978-683-4000,
extension 2343, Tuesdays and Fridays
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
New Hall of Fame
Recognizes Ex-Smokers
One year after becoming a tobacco
free campus, Lawrence General
partnered with two other community
groups to create the Ex-Smoker’s Hall
of Fame Program. During a reception
in November, eleven ex-smokers
shared their quitting stories and were
welcomed into the Hall of Fame. The
program hopes to inspire more people
to quit smoking and then share their
stories with others. If you are a former
smoker and would like to be a part of
the Ex-Smokers’ Hall of Fame, contact
Diane Knight at 978-722-2864 or
[email protected].
Know Your ABCs:
They’ll help you control diabetes for a healthy heart
It’s not a sweet deal, diabetes. Having high blood sugar
can lead to an assortment of health problems affecting your
eyes, nerves, mouth, and kidneys. But it’s the cardiovascular
effects of diabetes that can be particularly hard to swallow.
Studies have shown that people with diabetes have two to
four times the risk of developing cardiovascular disease,
compared with people without high blood sugar.
If you have high blood sugar, what you do now can help
prevent or slow the risk for diabetes-related complications
later in your life. It’s a piece of cake—just like the ABCs. Follow
these easy-to-remember “slices” of advice toward better
diabetes control.
Ace your A1c. If you have diabetes, a hemoglobin A1c test can
tell you how well you’ve managed your blood sugar during
the last three months. It’s smart to have an A1c test at least
twice a year. For most adults with diabetes, the goal is an A1c
of less than 7 percent.
Bring down blood pressure. There’s a reason your doctor
checks your blood pressure every time you’re in the office:
Blood pressure that’s too high makes your heart work
overtime and can lead to heart disease and stroke. You’ll want
to keep your blood pressure less than 130/80 mm Hg.
Cut your cholesterol. Controlling artery-clogging cholesterol
can reduce your potential complications from diabetes. The
most important cholesterol target is your low-density
lipoprotein, or LDL. Your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol should
be less than 100 mg/dl.
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
For our FREE brochure
Living Well with Diabetes, please call
Nancy Masys at 978-683-4000,
ext. 2426, or e-mail nancy.r.masys@
lawrencegeneral.org.
More Tips to Decrease Your Risks
What comes next? Beyond the ABCs, there are other steps you
can take to control your blood sugar—and minimize your risk
for cardiovascular complications.
» Drop excess pounds.
» Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes a day, most days of
the week.
» Fit in fiber-rich foods such as fruits, veggies, and whole
grains.
» Get in the habit of using your glucose meter. The newer,
more advanced models can download your test results to
your computer.
Education Is Your Best Defense
The Diabetes Education Center at Lawrence General
Hospital is staffed with a professionally trained medical
team including a registered nurse and a registered
dietitian. They collaborate with your physician to help
you control your diabetes through healthy eating,
exercise plans designed to fit your personal lifestyle
and needs, as well as assistance with management of
your medications and blood sugar levels. A multidisciplinary advisory committee oversees the program
and ensures you are receiving the highest quality
education. For more information, call Nancy Masys at
978-683-4000, extension 2426, or please e-mail
[email protected].
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about your health
7
about your health
Dianne J. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Lawrence General Hospital
1 General Street
PO Box 189
Lawrence, MA 01842-0389
978-683-4000
www.lawrencegeneral.org
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Lawrence
General Hospital
Nicholas S. Zaharias
Vice President, Philanthropy and Marketing
Andrea C. Eobstel
Marketing and Communications Specialist
About Your Health is published by Lawrence
General Hospital. The information is intended to
educate readers about subjects pertinent to their
health, not to substitute for consultation with a
personal physician. ©2010 Printed in the U.S.A.
Printed on Recyclable Paper
064M
Enhancements to Lawrence
General Hospital’s Pediatric Center
Please join us with your family
in February for a Winter Carnival
at Lawrence General Hospital,
watch your mail for a special
invite! The carnival celebrates the
arrival of the pediatric hospitalists
from Tufts joining our amazing
local team of clinicians, 24/7! This
fun-filled afternoon will include:
• Carnival games
• A bounce house
• Clown performances
• A visit from a local team mascot
• Healthy treats
Afterwards, you can take a tour
of the Pediatric Center and see the
new renovations underway.
Get Connected
with LGH Today
Our newly formed partnership with
Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts
Medical Center means that children from
our community who come to us for care
will be seen, not only by the dedicated
clinical experts from LGH, but also by
top-notch physicians from Floating
Hospital, in our Pediatrics Center.
In order to accommodate an expected
influx in patients and to make our young
patients and their families much more
comfortable during their stay, we are
performing extensive renovations and
enhancements to the unit. Renovations
include new patient beds, private rooms,
bathroom renovations, fold-down tables
for puzzles and games, as well as sleep
sofas and a refreshment center for families.
All this will be accented by custom
artwork painted by 8-year-old local High
Plain Elementary student, Sana Nadkarni.
Leading the team of pediatric
hospitalists will be Dan Charles Hale,
M.D., FAAP, from Tufts Floating Hospital
for Children. Currently, Dr. Hale serves as
the medical director at Central Maine
Medical Center’s Pediatric Hospitalist
Service and chairman of the Department
of Pediatrics there as well. Dr. Hale is also
a clinical
instructor at
Tufts University
School of
Medicine and at
the University of
Vermont College
of Medicine as
well as an
Dr. Dan Hale, M.D.,
associate clinical
FAAP
professor at the
University of New England College of
Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Hale is an
accomplished published researcher
whose work has taken him across the
country and abroad. He is the recipient of
many distinguished awards and honors
such as the National American Academy
of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award,
which he received in 2010. Dr. Hale has
authored and coauthored many
publications and has lectured at several
venues throughout the United States. We
look forward to the breadth and depth of
experience he brings to Lawrence
General and we welcome Dr. Hale and
the new team of pediatric hospitalists as
they partner with Lawrence General
Hospital this January.
so good. so caring. so close.