DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT: HIV Prevention for the Youth

Santolan High School

The Philippines is in the midst of a concentrated epidemic. The rise in new HIV cases is alarming!  The total new cases from January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016 alone was 7,756 or an average of 26 new cases per day1.  In June 2016, there were 841 new HIV antibody sero-positive individuals. This was 16% higher compared to the same period last year.  Most (96%) were male. The median age was 27 years old (age range:1 year-66 years). More than half belong to the 25-34 year age group while  226 (27%) were youth aged 15-24 years. Among the 15-24 age group, most (94%) were male. Ninety-nine percent (215) were infected through sexual contact (26 male-female sex, 118 male-male sex, 71 sex with both males & females) and 3 (1%) through needle sharing among IDU2. The report also noted that the age group with the biggest proportion of cases has become younger: from 2001 to 2005, it was 35-49 years; from 2006 to 2010, it was 25-34 years; and from 2011 to 2016, it was 20-29 years. Notably, the proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the 15-24 year age group increased from 25% in 2006-2010 to 28% in 2011-2016.

Thus the HIV/AIDS problem continues to rampage in our country, infecting mostly young males. It causes devastation among those whose lives are infected and affected. Despite the availability of HIV testing for earlier diagnosis and very effective antiretroviral drugs to suppress the disease, this epidemic continues.
Systematic reviews on interventions to prevent HIV in other countries have shown that school-based approaches were efficacious3,4,5,6,7 and cost-effective8 and were seen to produce the largest impact in changing HIV-related behaviors.
Thus interventions targeted to address lack of access to relevant health information among young individuals during the period of highest risk may provide potential solutions to the problem here in the Philippines.  Targeting youth while in school is a strategy with high feasibility potential of providing a feasible mechanism for the wide systematic implementation in the future.
In response, The Medical City, through its I-REACT Clinic and Support Group, in collaboration with the Pasig City Government- in the true spirit of Private Public Partnership, has launched the project entitled DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT.  This is a evidence-based from various researches9-17,  multi-strategy campaign to prevent HIV/AIDS among our youth. This campaign includes a school-based information caravan to over 12,000 Grade 10 students of Pasig City and will culminate in an interschool dance competition using black light theater with HIV Prevention as theme.

The most-awaited DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT event was held last January 28, 2017 at the Augusto Barcelon Auditorium of The Medical CIty where student teams from several schools of Pasig City that showcased their creative interpretative dance presentations of the theme: Preventing HIV/AIDS: Saving Lives through a Caring Community.

Proudly, they claim that this PPP initiative is the first of its kind for HIV prevention in youth here in the Philippines and hopes to create impact among our youth. Their future is our future!

The Medical City Receives International Certification for its Heart Attack Program

Premier health institution The Medical City (TMC) is the first hospital in the Philippines to receive a certification from Joint Commission International (JCI) for its Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) program. JCI, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for health care organizations, launched its Clinical Care Program Certification in 2002, the first international program of its kind to certify disease management programs. To earn this distinction, a clinical care program such as the AMI undergoes an extensive on-site evaluation by a JCI reviewer. The JCI Clinical Care Program Certification is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation program that can support healthcare providers in improving the safety and quality of their services.

“It is with great pleasure that I inform you of the decision to grant certification to The Medical City Acute Myocardial Infarction Program. Congratulations to you, and all the other leaders and staff of The Medical City AMI Program in achieving this recognition of your commitment to provide quality care on an ongoing basis,” said Paul Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, CPHQ, FACHE, Vice President, Accreditation, Standards, and Measurement, Joint Commission International.

TMC also earned its fourth JCI’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation following a rigorous on-site survey on September 14 to 18, 2015. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

TMC was first accredited by JCI, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for health care organizations, in 2006 and again in 2009 and 2012.

The JCI certification granted for TMC’s AMI program allows the health institution to highlight its exceptional clinical care program that provides patients with the highest quality of care based on the most recent medical evidence from Clinical Practice Guidelines from both local and international scientific societies involved in the care of cardiac patients.

AMI is the medical term for heart attack. The TMC Cardiovascular Center has an AMI program which targets a 90 minute or less Door-to-Balloon time. This means that a heart attack patient who walks through the doors of the hospital’s Emergency Department should have the blocked coronary artery opened in the Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) within 90 minutes.

TMC’s expanded Cath Lab capacity and experienced and highly competent interventional cardiologists and support staff who are trained to handle such complex cases, ensure the successful implementation of the AMI program giving patients the best possible and the most timely cardiac care.

Every facet of care for the hospital’s heart attack patients was surveyed. The review looked at the Cardiovascular Center’s Rapid Response program for heart attack patients in the ER, the measures and improvements made over the past years to facilitate the quick and effective management of these patients, and the programs instituted to make sure they get optimal medical care.

The JCI surveyor also reviewed the actual outcomes of heart attack patients with respect to survival and quality of life to make sure these are within accepted international standards.

“A Heart Attack is a true emergency. Survival depends a lot on the best care, including timely intervention in the catheterization laboratory to open up an occluded coronary artery, and optimal medical care, nutritional advice, and cardiac rehabilitation,” said Dr. Gregorio Martinez, Jr., Head of the Cardiac and Vascular Catheterization Laboratory and the Cardiovascular Center.

“We at the The Medical City Cardiovascular Center are proud to be the first institution in the country to have an Acute Myocardial Infarction Program certified by the JCI,” added Dr. Martinez. Dr. Paolo Prado, AMI program director, says recovery from heart attack is also an integral part of the program.

During the patient’s recovery period, he will receive help and support from a range of health care professionals, which may include nurses, physiotherapists, nutritionists, pharmacists, and cardiac rehab specialists.“Patients who have had a heart attack should be referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program,” adds Dr. Prado.

Cardiac rehabilitation or cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that helps patients recover from heart attack as well as improves the health and well-being of people who have heart problems. A rehab program usually includes exercise training, education on heart-healthy living, and counseling aimed at reducing stress and living a healthy lifestyle.

To know more about the AMI program or related services of The Medical City Cardiovascular Center, please call 988100 or 9887000 ext. 6314.

**This is Press Release

Breastfeeding and Work: Let's Make it Work!

The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), in cooperation with The Medical City, is proudly hosts to the 1st International Breastfeeding Conference and 3rd Breastfeeding Congress, to be held on August 3 and 4, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria in Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City. The theme for this year’s conference is “Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s Make It Work!”

The event will feature both international and local world-class breastfeeding experts. The international speakers will come from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding and human lactation.

They include Dr. Arthur Eidelman, neonatologist and past president of ABM; Dr. Jennifer Thomas, pediatrician and a public health expert who recently co-authored her first book, Dr. Jen’s Guide to Breastfeeding; Dr. Miriam Labbok, a senior advisor for UNICEF HQ on Infant and Young Child Feeding and the Chief of Nutrition and Maternal Health at USAID; and Dr. Julie Smith, an economist who is currently working on her research on the economics of breastmilk.              

PPS also invited speakers from the Philippines who will share their expertise and experiences on breastfeeding. Dr. Ryan Capitulo, a distinguished obstetrician, will present the joint position statement of PPS and the Philippine Obstetric and Gynecologic Society on breastfeeding. Dr. Ma. Naval Rivas, a paediatrician, will discuss how to achieve a breastfeeding friendly physician’s office. Dr. Sharon Gianan-Cruz, a respected obstetrician, will speak on the role of fathers in breastfeeding and how fathers can become the tool for a successful breastfeeding experience.

On the other hand, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima will share his experience as a father of a breastfeeding child.  Fellow paediatricians, Dr. Blesilda Concepcion from The Medical City and Dr. Estrella Jusi from Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, will share how their respective hospitals responded to the call to action on how to become one of the first private and public PPS accredited Mother-Baby Friendly Hospitals in the country.

Another highlight of the Breastfeeding Conference is the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) / UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiatives.   These Initiatives include Mother-Baby Friendly  Hospital  Initiative (MBFHI), Baby Friendly Workplace Initiative, and for hospitals already with full MBFHI accreditation:  Neo Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and Baby Friendly Community Initiative.  Representatives from different PPS accredited hospitals, supporting organizations and lead partners will be invited to discuss their experiences and together come up with improvements in the local setting through collaboration and networking. This will be a continuing event in the future Breastfeeding Congresses for the next five years.

The Breastfeeding Congress will also feature the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) workshop and the Wellstart Breastfeeding workshop. KMC is a method of care of preterm and low birth weight infants which involves infants being carried, usually by the mother with skin to skin contact.  The KMC workshop is intended for health professionals responsible for the care of these infants. The Wellstart Breastfeeding workshop on the other hand aims to equip educators of the Wellstart Breastfeeding curriculum from PPS accredited hospitals, with the basic skills needed in the training of students and residents regarding breastfeeding.

New World-class Surgical Training Center Opened in The Medical City

Premier health institution The Medical City (TMC) officially opens today its state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary training center that will provide surgical expertise and the ideal environment for skills acquisition for healthcare professionals.

The Center for Advanced Skills, Simulation and Training Innovation or CASSTI welcomes practicing clinicians, fellows and residents from TMC as well as from other training institutions,

Operating Room (OR) nurses and technicians, and medical students. Consultants or physicians who desire to strengthen and refine their clinical and surgical skills are likewise welcome to enroll in CASSTI’s courses. CASSTI is a collaborative initiative among TMC and key industry stakeholders who will be involved on a per course basis. The Center is headed by

Dr. Deogracias Alberto G. Reyes,

TMC surgeon and associate professor at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Reyes is supported by course directors composed of specialists from the Departments of General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Breast Surgery, Gynecology, Head and Neck Surgery, Orthopedics, Airway Management, Intensive Care, and Stoma Care.“CASSTI is changing surgical learning by allowing trainees to learn in a controlled and safe environment. This offers physicians and trainees the ability to assess and achieve proficiency through simulation and an ideal learning environment that is pace appropriate and structured with expert supervision,” says TMC President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon.

The CASSTI infrastructure is comprised of experts backed by technology that embody the present and future of surgical and medical learning. The center’s advisory committee is composed of six directors of various TMC medical departments and international experts led by Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, a world-wide authority on minimal access surgery. Prof. Cuschieri is a professor of surgery at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Institute for Medical Science and Technology (IMSaT), Universities of Dundee and St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.

“CASSTI was brought about by the need to effect a change in medical and surgical training. The traditional Halsteadian mindset of ‘see one, do one, teach one’ is not ideal as it does not give the trainee the opportunity to achieve mastery before patient contact,” adds Dr. Reyes. The center was envisioned to address this need for change along with issues of patient safety and quality healthcare and to provide clinical and surgical skills responsive to world developments and standards of care. While minimal access surgery has become a requisite in general residency training locally, there is a gap that needs to be filled when it comes to this kind of training. In the global scene, simulation training has been integrated into general surgery training programs using inanimate models, animal phantom models, and virtual reality. The main feature of CASSTI is simulation training.

Given its track record in minimally-invasive procedures such as robot-assisted and laparoscopic surgeries, TMC is in the position to uplift the level of medical care through CASSTI. According to Dr. Reyes, surgical simulation is a mode of training which is promising and may be effective. Technical errors in the simulated environment do not have clinical consequences and do not involve morbidity or mortality. CASSTI trainings are carried out in a controlled and safe environment. A procedure can be deconstructed into its critical steps for more structured and purposeful learning. The center’s simulation environment guarantees minimization of error thus achieving a greater level of patient safety. Plus, the ability to repeat and train in the skills laboratory makes training pace appropriate, responsive to the individual’s learning aptitudes and schedule limitations. CASSTI’s facilities include endoscopic stations, virtual reality room, simulation room, teleconference capability for live surgery transmission to ASSTI and remote locations, animal laboratory, lecture rooms, video editing stations and a research room. The center makes use of equipment for simulation which includes alternative inanimate simulator box, inanimate simulator box, and virtual reality simulator.

CASSTI offers short courses that run from two to five days and post-graduate certificate courses that will run from one to three months. Plans to offer a certificate course and a Master’s Degree in Minimal Access Surgery are underway. CASSTI is located at the lower ground of The Medical City in Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.

For the list of courses and other inquiries, you may call 988-1000 or 988-7000 ext. 6801.

About The Medical City

The Medical City is a tertiary care hospital with over 40 years of experience in hospital operation and administration. Its world-class health care complex serves some 40,000 in patients and 400,000 out-patients annually. TMC has a medical staff of over 1,000 physicians who are established experts in their various fields of specialization. This core of professionals is complemented by a 2,200-strong human resource complement, engaged in allied medical, administrative and support services. TMC is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for international health care organizations.

The Medical City is located along Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City. For more information about The Medical City and its services, call (+632) 988-1000 or (+632) 988-7000 or email at mail@themedicalcity.com, or visit www.themedicalcity.com.