Before its new name and a move across the highway, Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital started as a tuberculosis treatment center in 1905. By the 1970s Lutheran built a six-floor tower that welcomed more patients to the hospital. Dr. Gary Hahn in 1974 and Dr. Charlie Lesage in 1971 were the first cardiologists at Lutheran. By
As summer approaches, here are some critical steps you can take to reduce your and your loved one’s risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and while it is the least common, it is estimated that melanoma will affect 1 in 27 men and 1
May is Stroke Awareness Month which gives us the opportunity to share an important message: Most strokes are preventable. And yet, 1 in 20 adult deaths are due to strokes. It’s the fifth leading cause of death in the US and a leading cause of long-term disability. Stroke is the term we use when a
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often associated with hyperactive children, but many adults—especially women—go undiagnosed for years. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder believed to result from a deficiency in the neurotransmitter dopamine. It affects things like memory, attention, focus, mood and learning. ADHD brains constantly seek experiences that spark dopamine release – like taking risks
April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Studies show that every six minutes, someone will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Exercise is the only thing that has been proven to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease, so early diagnosis and an effective exercise regime could make a big difference in the future course of the
Recent advancements in technology have helped patients receive less invasive treatments for serious heart conditions that in the past could only be treated with open heart surgery. Now, another one of those advancements is available at Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital. Intermountain Health cardiovascular surgeons offer a catheter-based procedure to reduce the risk of stroke in
At Mountain Vista, we take great pride in celebrating the dedication and hard work of our team. 2025 marks a year filled with significant milestones, and we’re excited to honor four exceptional employees who have reached impressive anniversaries in their careers. These individuals have played key roles in shaping the warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes
As people around the world increasingly aspire to live longer, healthier lives, the pursuit of reaching the age of 100 has become a topic of fascination. While genetics undoubtedly play a role in longevity, lifestyle choices—particularly nutrition—are pivotal in determining how long and how well we live. Research suggests that a well-balanced diet rich in
In 1985, Pete Townshend sang “Give Blood” with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame on lead guitar. Without searching for his deeper meaning in the lyrics, let’s take the words at face value. Why give blood, you ask? Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood for surgeries, cancer treatments, accidents, and chronic illnesses.
Whether you call it gastroenteritis, the 24-hour flu or Montezuma’s Revenge, food poisoning can be miserable, ruin a perfectly nice weekend, and in some cases, land you in the hospital. Forty-eight million people suffer from a food-borne illness in the U.S. each year. Of these, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die according to the
There was a time when peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a lunchbox staple for many a parent. As we learned more about food allergies and the risks they pose to children, lunchbox menus and lunchroom patterns have changed. This was all for a good reason. Peanuts are the most common childhood food allergy associated
It is October – time for apple cider, pumpkin spice, cooler air, and . . . breast cancer awareness month. You may have heard that breast cancer affects one in eight women, but many people are not aware that most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no significant family history. As I tell my patients,
Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the Beatles lyrics, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four”? For some of us, 64 seemed like several lifetimes away when we first sang along to this hit, and now many of us are there or even beyond this milestone. Truth is, although
As parents we all have worries when sending our children out into the world and school is no exception. August is back to school month in Colorado so let us look at injury prevention in our K-12 students. Kids will be kids and unintentional injuries or more commonly, accidents, are the main cause of injury
A long-time reader wrote in asking about “the forgotten organ: the spleen.” Maybe he was motivated by the common references found on social media about this elusive organ or the lack of telethons in its support. Forgotten by some, the spleen is in the forefront of a trauma surgeon’s mind when a patient arrives at
OK gentlemen…. By now you have switched out those winter tires on the cars and changed the oil in the lawn mower. But let’s not forget your personal tune up. June is National Men’s Health Month. It is a time to focus on your health, and to make that long overdue appointment to see the
Skin cancer is a prevalent and potentially life-threatening condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide. However, through community-focused efforts, we can raise awareness, promote early detection, and implement preventive measures to combat skin cancer effectively. In many instances, if detected early, cure rates for skin cancer are often high. Understanding Skin Cancer Skin cancer occurs
Andrea Burch, MS, RN, NEA-BC, has been named president of Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge. She has been serving as Lutheran’s interim president since February when Scott Peek transitioned to the president at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. He is also Intermountain Health’s Front Range Market president. Burch will continue to support Lutheran’s integration
Stressful situations in life are often unavoidable. It is common to feel stressed at times. Three out of four adults experience stress-related health effects. Stress is a physical response to challenging circumstances in your world, and can result in physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms. Stress is different from anxiety, which is a psychological reaction characterized
An apple a day, well, you know the rest. March is National Nutrition Month and National Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Month. It seems like an opportune time to focus on the foods we eat that may protect us from CRC or may contribute to it. Cases of CRC have been steadily declining since the mid-1980s in
February is American Heart Month and leads with the first Friday as National Wear Red Day. Perhaps surprisingly, the shortest month in the calendar is devoted to heart disease, the leading cause of death in Americans. Regardless, it is a time to raise awareness and remind us that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely preventable. CVD
Happy 2024! January is that time of year to look back and take stock of our accomplishments in the prior year. A time to look forward and plan our upcoming goals. The most popular New Year’s resolutions are health related. With obesity rates near 42% in the U.S. and reaching 25% in Colorado, according to
If you are a person who maintains a healthy body weight, exercises aerobically for at least 150 minutes (about 2 and a half hours) a week, eats a healthy diet consisting of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, low in saturated fats and devoid of refined carbs and sugar, and if you are a
Although lung cancer is responsible for most cancer deaths within the U.S., early detection significantly improves the chances of survival. The likelihood of surviving lung cancer is based on the clinical stage at diagnosis. The stages are I-IV, with stage IV lung cancer having the lowest five-year survival rate. Fortunately, there are ways to detect
