Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group eNews

Helping you get ready for flu season

New information about the flu — both seasonal flu and H1N1 (Swine) flu — is posted every day on our special website, www.southcoast.org/flu/.

We have added two important links to FLU.gov to help you identify myths and facts and to take a self-evaluation tool to determine whether you might have the flu.

Subscribe to our RSS feed to make sure you get all the latest flu information.

www.southcoast.org/flu/

Sen. Bill Bradley addresses health care reform

Former Sen. Bill Bradley called for health care reform that focused on the "health of the patient" and a new system that offers "total transparency" for quality and cost at the Southcoast Hospitals Group physician annual meeting.

"I think we have the best health care in the world, but we do not have the best health care system," said Bradley, addressing more than 170 Southcoast Hospitals Group physicians in Swansea on October 8.

"The health of the patient has to be the central goal of the entire system and incentives [for hospitals, physicians, insurers and medical device manufacturers] have to be aligned to achieve that objective," he said.

"We need to be clear: There are no partial answers. The goal is to improve the overall health of all people, to keep our technological edge, to cover the unexpected [health incident] and to allow people to die in dignity."

Bradley, who is now a managing partner at Allen & Co. in New York and hosts a radio show on Sirius XM Radio, was invited to speak through Rev. Dr. Robert Lawrence, Pastor Emeritus of the First Congregational Church of Fall River and a longtime supporter of Southcoast and Charlton Memorial Hospital.

Bradley's vision for health care reform included national health goals for all hospitals, physicians, insurers and the government, including reducing infant mortality, addressing diseases such as diabetes and having "total transparency" of the system.

Read more from comments from Sen. Bradley on our website.

www.southcoast.org/news/

Give blood ~ get chocolate!

The Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke's Hospital and Dorothy Cox Chocolates are teaming up this October on a sweet incentive.

Anyone who donates blood at a Southcoast sponsored blood drive during the month will receive a free half-pound of Dorothy Cox chocolate covered cranberries.

Anyone who donates blood at a Southcoast location during the month of October will receive a certificate for a free half-pound of Dorothy Cox chocolate-covered cranberries — you can choose from milk-, dark- or yogurt-covered. The certificate is redeemable at Dorothy Cox Chocolates at 115 Huttleston Ave. in Fairhaven.

www.southcoast.org/bloodbank/

Free skin cancer screenings

Get your skin checked by a dermatologist and know the signs of skin cancer. Southcoast Hospitals Group is offering free skin cancer screenings on Wednesday, October 28, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care at 480 Hawthorn Street in North Dartmouth.

Dermatologists who specialize in the treatment of skin disease and disorders will conduct the screenings and provide information on skin cancer prevention and services for cancer patients. Space is limited and pre-registration for the screening is required. To register please call the Southcoast Center for Cancer Care at 1-774-206-4000.