By Korri Kezar
Special to the Pflag

Treatments for heart attacks, broken bones and concussions are all in a day’s work for First Care Emergency Room, which will open doors to a new facility in the Pflugerville area May 18.

First Choice ER currently operates 14 locations (including the new Pflugerville facility) in the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin areas. Receiving a private equity investment last year has allowed the company to expand even further around Texas’ metropolitan areas.

“We are in an expansion phase right now, and expect to open many more facilities in the coming months and years,” said Jason Worley, FCER’s chief development officer and CIO.

With expansion at the forefront, Worley said First Choice built its newest location at 15100 FM 1825 because of swelling populations in Austin and its suburbs.

“Pflugerville is one of several north Austin suburbs that we feel will benefit from more convenient access to emergency medicine,” he said. “We have a variety of demographic and competitive analysis we perform to identify the most opportune locations, and Pflugerville was high on that list.”

The facility will be staffed with 30 board-certified emergency physicians, emergency-trained nurses, radiologists and front desk staff, bringing additional medical jobs to the area. The space is approximately 6,500 square feet and includes seven treatment rooms, as well as an onsite lab, full digital imaging CT scanner, X-ray machines and ultrasound to treat a variety of emergency ailments.

And FCER was built for exactly that purpose – to aid in emergencies. Worley said the facility will be a clean, friendly place for patients, but shouldn’t be used for regular or clinical care.

“We are a full-service emergency room, so we treat the same conditions that a hospital-based ER would treat. We are not an urgent-care, primary-care provider or what is often called a ‘doc-in-the-box,’” Worley said. “An easy way to understand our services is, if you are injured or ill, and your instinct is to go immediately to a hospital ER, you can come to First Choice ER instead, be seen much more quickly, and in a friendly, clean and calm environment.”

That environment is what makes FCER different from other hospitals. If someone needs immediate help without the aggravation of lines and inattentive staff, they can count on getting equal care in a better atmosphere at FCER, Worley said.

“First Choice ER can treat all patients that come through our doors. Unlike traditional hospital-based ERs, it is unusual for there to be a significant wait to be seen by a physician. We add staff and other resources as needed so we can accommodate very high levels of patients in our facilities, while still maintaining the best customer service in the industry,” he added.

The Pflugerville area continues a trend of increasing health care options for patients with the addition of First Choice ER. In December, St. David’s Emergency Center began treating patients with medical emergencies in and around the city of Pflugerville. It’s located in the Stone Hill Town Center at the southwest corner of Texas 130 and Texas 45.

FCER will open for its first day of business at 8 a.m. May 18 and be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“First Choice ER will provide Pflugerville and other nearby residents with alternatives for getting immediate care for emergency conditions. Being located convenient to the community can be important, especially if you are many miles from the closest hospital ER, and have to deal with traffic. Speed of access has proven to be a life-saver at many of our other facilities,” Worley said. “Our goal is to bring a better alternative for emergency medical services to Pflugerville and surrounding communities.”

For more information on the company and its local facility, visit fcer.com.

Trainer Fred Extra Tip of the Week:

The next time you head to the gym to lift weights or go to the pool to swim laps, make sure your body is fueled up with the complex carbs, protein and fiber it needs for energy and stamina. And after your workout, replenish the lost energy.
Do not feed your fat by consuming a pre- or post-workout containing:

• Simple carbohydrates
• Sugar
• Large amounts of fat

By Fred Sassani
Special to the Pflag

What you eat before and after exercise has a huge impact on your results.

Think about that. You could be doing intense workouts, pushing yourself hard in the gym, but then eating all the wrong foods, keeping your body looking the same.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to put in all that effort in the gym, I certainly don’t want my results hijacked by poor nutrition.
Transforming your body comes down to two simple parts: 1. consistent, challenging exercise and 2. balanced, proper nutrition.
When you skip on the balanced, proper nutrition, you cheat yourself out of the sculpted physique that you should have.
The food you eat prior to and following exercise plays a key role in the overall success of your workout. What you eat and when you eat can either help you burn more calories and build more muscle or it can hinder your weight-loss and muscle-mass goals.
Here’s how it works. Your body gets energy from the carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose, and unused glucose is then converted to glycogen, which is stored in your liver and muscles.
During intense exercise, your body uses up this stored energy. Not having a store of energy, your body can’t function at its potential.
Healthy pre- and post-workout foods provide your body with the glycogen needed to fuel your muscles during aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Pre-workout fuel

Many people find that exercising first thing in the morning works best for their schedule. For some, this means heading to the gym on an empty stomach. Unfortunately, when you exercise with your body’s “gas tank” on empty, your body will start to take the amino acids from your muscles and convert them to the glucose you need for energy.
Therefore, instead of burning fat, you may actually break down your muscle!
This is the opposite of what you want to do.
In order to burn fat, you need to fuel up with something nutritious an hour to an hour and a half before working out. This gives your body enough time to digest the food and make the energy available for exercising.
Good examples of healthy pre-workout meals or snacks to give your body the energy it needs to exercise include two- to three-ounce turkey breast with small sweet potato, poached egg with brown rice or oatmeal and grapefruit, or a lean turkey burger.
Don’t have time to eat a meal before exercising? You still need to eat something. A quick way to give your body immediate energy is to eat a simple carbohydrate such as a protein drink or shake 15 to 30 minutes prior to working out. And avoid heavy meals before exercising, as these large meals may slow you down and make you feel sluggish during your routine.
The combination of food to eat before a workout should contain complex and simple carbohydrates, fiber, and low-fat protein to give you energy, keep you feeling full and help regulate a normal blood sugar level.

Try to make sure each pre-workout meal or snack contains this combination of nutrients. Not having the right amount of carbs for energy will hinder your ability to burn calories, build muscle and exercise to your full potential.

Replenish post-workout

The goal of post-workout nutrition is to help muscles rebuild and strengthen following the stress and loss of glycogen they experience during exercise. To replenish energy stores, your muscles need protein and carbohydrates within a half-hour to an hour-and-a-half following exercise.
Examples of a post-workout snacks and meals include a four- to six-ounce turkey breast and brown rice, a green salad with grilled chicken, or a smoothie with fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt.

Fred Sassani is founder of Bodies By Design Personal Training Services, nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist in Pflugerville. For comments or questions you can reach Fred at getfit@trainerfred.com or visit his website at trainerfred.com

When you eat at home, you know what you’re getting. Head to a restaurant, and it’s another story.
The ingredients, method of preparation and portion size can easily add excess calories to your diet.
Restaurant menus have so many choices and are often full of unfamiliar terms. Is a food fried or baked? Does it come with a sauce or dressing? If you’re not careful, you won’t know answers to these questions and more until you ask them.
Before heading out to dinner tonight, here are some tips to enjoy a healthy meal.

So many options
When considering what to choose from dozens of options, you can easily become overwhelmed. Just as easy is to be tempted by the unhealthy choices. Thankfully, most restaurants these days include healthy options on their menus and label them accordingly.

For your main course, choose chicken, turkey, ham or fish over beef. If it comes with a sauce, avoid creamy or cheesy sauces and go with a tomato or vegetable sauce.

Additionally, try to include a salad, fruit or steamed vegetable, and go sparingly on dressings, cheese, salt and butter. Instead of chips, fries, or fried rice choose boiled rice or potatoes.
Need some extra seasoning? Leave the salt and butter alone. Instead, reach for some fresh herbs or lemon. And if the meal comes with bread, choose a whole-grain option and go with a sherbet, sorbet or fresh fruit if you can’t say no to dessert.

Food preparation
Menus are often vague when it comes to the way the food is prepared. If you’re not sure or the menu doesn’t say how the food is prepared, be sure to ask.

Remember – restaurant foods are full of fats, as fats help keep the food moist and yummy.
To play it safe and to avoid excess fat, choose foods that are grilled, boiled, steamed, stir-fried or poached instead of fried, baked or battered. Also, take control of your food destiny by asking that your meal be prepared with olive oil instead of butter or other fats.

When your salad arrives, opt for oil and vinegar rather than dressing. Or have your dressing on the side so you can limit the amount you use.
Terms to watch for include “lightly breaded,” “wrap,” “baked” and “vinaigrette.” These may all sound healthy but may are deceiving.
Foods that are lightly breaded are often deep-fried. A wrap may sound like a good option, but two slices of bread may have fewer calories than a 10-inch tortilla. Baked sounds better than fried, but it could possibly mean the food is baked deep-dish style and contains high-fat, creamy ingredients. While baked salmon is a good choice, baked lasagna is high in fat. And though vinaigrette dressing sounds healthier than a cream-based dressing, it is mostly oil, so order it on the side.

Portion control
Not only do portions keep getting bigger, so do the plates that hold them! With so much food sitting in front of you, it is sometimes hard to resist the temptation to eat it all – especially when you paid so much for it.
To avoid the temptation to eat unhealthily large portions, split or share the entree, then choose a soup, salad or extra side. If you know you’ll get too much food, go ahead and ask for a to-go box when you order. That way you can divide the food as soon as you get it, so you won’t have to stare at the extra food as you eat.

Know what to look for
Knowing what to look for on a menu and what to avoid will help you choose healthier, low-fat options. If you find that your diet is lacking fruits, vegetables or whole grains when you eat out, make up for it when you eat your other meals at home.
Remember that healthy eating is only half of the battle when it comes to losing weight. Get started today on a fitness program designed to get you real results with no regrets.

Fred Sassani is founder of Bodies By Design Personal Training Services, a nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist in Pflugerville. For comments or questions you can reach Fred at getfit@trainerfred.com or visit his website at trainerfred.com.

• Allergies
• Upper respiratory infection

Illnesses on the decline:

• Flu
• Bronchitis

Illnesses on the rise:

• Strep throat
• Sinus infection
• Allergies

Local doctor takes look at health reform

By Anthony Russo, M.D.
Special to the Pflag

Let’s look at a fictitious car comparison to better understand health reform that has been in the news lately. The column below, a satire, aims to show how the health insurance industry could be jeopardized if the individual mandate is thrown out by the Supreme Court.

(Note: Medical care for the sick and wounded is very different and we should always provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.)

———————————————————————————————————————————–

We have troubles, right here in River City: cars are wrecked daily and 14 percent of people do not have collision insurance. If we mandate that everyone must have this insurance, then our problem is solved. But some people have a car that was wrecked before they took out insurance and need help getting insurance. OK, we will mandate that every insurance company must accept even cars that are known to need repairs.

Let’s say insurance costs $500 per year but the penalty for not having the mandated policy is $100 per year. Why pay for insurance if you are given the right to be accepted for insurance, when and if you ever need car repairs? Insurance companies will have fewer customers and more payouts for repair. They raise rates and find that even more people get off of it. Even those who buy the high-priced insurance when they have a wreck just cancel the policy after repairs. New standards for a policy state that you cannot get a high deductible and it must include check-ups, including oil changes.

How is this fictitious Car Act similar to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( ACA or commonly called Obamacare) ?

• no one is denied insurance based on pre-existing conditions.
• penalty for not taking out the mandated individual health insurance policy is only a few hundred dollars a year. Many will just pay the small penalty and take out a policy when and if it is needed.
• The penalty for an individual making $20,000 is about $500 per year; and only half of this the first years. Who can get health insurance for $40 per month?
• The penalty for a family is about $2,000 per year, so for a family of five it is $33 per person per month.
• The penalty for an employer with over 50 fulltime employees is $2,000 per year or $166 per person per month – cheaper than providing insurance for your staff.
• policies have standardized premiums and coverage, and less options for trying to save money but choosing a plan with a higher deductible that limits coverage for something like maternity. “Essentials” that must be included in a package of benefits: ambulatory and emergency services; hospitalization; maternity/pediatric; mental health/substance abuse ; prescriptions; rehab; lab; preventive services including oral and vision care.
• all preventive services are covered with no copay or deductibles
• no million-dollar limits to what insurance must cover.
• local communities will address: health disparities, reduction of chronic disease, promotion of healthy living, posting calorie counts at chain restaurants.

If the Supreme Court rules that the individual mandate is illegal, then under ACA there would be 8 to 23 million fewer people insured. Estimates for increases in premiums range from nine to 27 percent. For many who are barely able to pay for insurance, this increase will cause people to lose insurance coverage.

The theory goes like this: without a mandate, we do not get the young and healthy to pay into the insurance system. Mostly the sick sign up because they need insurance to pay for ongoing problems. Insurance premiums would rise steeply and eventually even the sick can’t afford it. The insurance industry goes into a “death spiral,” paying out for sick customers, increasing premiums and getting fewer customers to buy insurance. Eventually the insurers will bust.

———————————————————————————————————————————–

What are these troubles in River City and how many will have the potential for getting insurance? This presumes that the insurance industry survives. Of the 320 million people living in the U.S., about 90 million are excluded from the mandate due to already being covered by programs like Medicare and being in poverty.

This leaves 180 million people subject to the mandate of having to get their own insurance policy. Only 14 percent of these people (18 million) do not already have insurance, presuming the insured do not drop coverage. Now, 11 million of these can get a federal subsidy to get insurance. So the mandate really only affects 7 million people in the U.S. This is 2 percent of the population.

Joel Cantor, Rutgers professor, states: “You would be irrational to buy health insurance until you are sick and the insurance industry simply can’t exist with that model.”

John Sheils of the Lewin Group: “The problem with eliminating the mandate is that it will create a situation in which people aren’t taking much of a risk by going without health insurance.”

Or let’s leave it on a more cheery note (if you see this as cheery and realistic): Susan Dentzer, an analyst for the PBS NewsHour: “ … is the individual mandate really the “linchpin” ?.. Probably not … [but] …Clearly, the market – and many millions of people – would be worse off … it’s not at all clear that the Affordable Care Act could be amended … But with two-thirds of Americans opposed to the mandate … it’s a good time to start talking about alternatives.”

Dr. Anthony Russo has been a primary care physician in Pflugerville since 1988. Visit his internet site for more health information and comment anonymously: PvilleHealth .Blogspot .com

Work- and school-related injuries seen often

By Korri Kezar
Special to the Pflag

An emergency care facility built opened in December has started seeing between 25 and 26 patients per week as visits and treatments continue to increase each month.

Pflugerville’s St. David’s Emergency Center opened its doors in December 2011 after six months of construction. In its four months of operation so far, patient flow has increased from 20 treated per week to close to 30.

“The thing that seems to be most common are children with respiratory illnesses and fever. And we have a lot of work-related injuries and school-related injuries,” said Dr. Vard Curtis, the center’s medical director.

The facility includes 20 beds, and state-of-the-art equipment, including a 16-slice Computed Tomography scanner.

“We have an X-ray machine, most medications, a CT, a small pharmacy, sports-certified emergency doctors and nurses trained in emergency care,” Curtis said.

Staff members treat emergency needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At any time during the day, two to three nurses, one physician, one lab technician, one radiation technician and one registrar are on duty.

“It’s an emergency department, so basically anything that’s urgent or emergent is what we specialize in,” Curtis said. “Anything that’s life-threatening or limb-threatening.”

Curtis said having an emergency care center in Pflugerville has been beneficial to area residents. In addition to receiving positive feedback about the center’s quality of care, the center’s proximity to some of Austin’s most populated suburbs has benefitted local residents who need fast treatment.

“We’ve got a lot of feedback. Just about everyone comes is very happy we’re there because we’re so much closer than having to drive to another hospital,” Curtis said. “They don’t have to spend time stuck in traffic when they’re feeling very sick. Proximity is a big deal.”

The center’s newness has also kept wait times low for patients in the waiting room.

“Because we’re pretty new, wait times have been low, if at all,” Curtis said.

The only obstacles Curtis and his staff have faced at the hospital are visits for non-emergency needs. Being a smaller facility with a smaller staff, the center is not able to take care of chronic or short-term illnesses. Even if a non-emergency patient is treated, they will incur a large bill for visiting an emergency center.

“Some people have walked out of here not very happy because of that,” Curtis said. “We’re here for someone who’s in acute pain, who has an acute illness.”

• Flu

Illnesses on the decline:

• Ear infection
• Strep throat
• Sinus infection

Illnesses on the rise:

• Flu

To register, visit CancerStudy.sw.org or call 1-888-604-5888.

Enrollment will take place April 4-7 at Scott & White-Round Rock.

Students who participate in athletics, cheerleading, marching band, drill team or other strenuous sports are encouraged to get their heart screened for possible deadly genetic heart conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The Championship Hearts screening includes a 12-lead electrocardiogram (and a limited two-dimensional echocardiogram (picture of the heart) to detect hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic heart condition that usually doesn’t impair physical activity, but it is a set up for a potentially fatal rhythm problem that could happen right on the playing field,” Dr. George Rodgers, president of Championship Hearts Foundation and cardiologist with Seton Heart Institute, said in a written statement. “HCM is very difficult to pick up during a physical examination, but is very easily detected with an echocardiogram.”

Parents are welcome and encouraged to accompany their student during the tests. Pre-registration is required for this event and can be completed online at championshipheartsfoundation.org or by calling 340-7320 or (888) 884-6945.

Check-in for the event will take place in the main hospital lobby from 7:45 a.m. to noon. Free parking will be available in the main parking lot.

You’re working out and eating well, but just can’t seem to lose weight. Could a slow metabolism be keeping you from your weight-loss goals? It just might.
What is your metabolism and what relationship does it have to weight gain? Can you speed up your metabolism to help your body burn more calories? Hang on tight, ‘cause you’re heading for a crash course in metabolism!

What is metabolism?
The calories in your food or beverages combine with oxygen and create the energy necessary for your body to function. Metabolism is the complex, biochemical process in which your body takes what you eat and drink and converts it into energy. Your metabolism is constantly at work, even during rest and sleep, when your body needs energy to breath, circulate blood, adjust hormones, repair cells, and grow new cells.
Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories it takes for your body to perform its basic functions. It affects how much energy your body needs to do its job and helps determine the number of calories you’ll burn each day. Many factors play a role in your basal metabolic rate.
The first is your body composition and size. Larger people and those with more muscle mass burn more calories even while resting. This means overweight people usually have a faster metabolic rate than their thinner peers.
The second factor affecting your metabolic rate is your sex. Men generally have more muscle and less fat and therefore burn more calories, giving them the advantage when it comes to metabolic rate.
Third, your metabolic rate changes with age. The older you are, the less muscle you’re likely to have. As a result, you burn calories slower.
Besides your basal metabolic rate, the amount of physical activity you get and the way your body digests and processes food determines how many calories you burn. While many factors go into your metabolism, the biggest variable is physical activity. However, exercise also makes the most difference in the number of calories you burn, so amp up your exercise and watch your metabolism rise as well.

Slow metabolism equals weight gain?
Contrary to popular belief, a slow metabolism rarely causes excess weight gain. While it would be easy to blame your weight on a slow metabolism, the most likely culprit behind those extra pounds is the amount of calories you consume versus the amount of calories you expend in physical activity. When you eat more calories than you expend, your body stores that away as fat.
Your metabolism is a natural process, and your body balances your metabolism to meet your individual energy needs. This is made clear when folks jump into a starvation diet. When you don’t eat, your body slows down the metabolizing processes to conserve calories and energy to survive.
You don’t have much control over your metabolism, but you can control the number of calories you burn during exercise. The more activity you perform, the more calories you burn.
You may think a thin person has a faster metabolism, but they’re usually just more active.
Having a slow metabolism is rare, and it usually doesn’t cause obesity. Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome may slow metabolism and lead to weight gain. But for the most part, the factors that contribute to weight gain include consuming too many calories, genetics, family history, unhealthy habits such as too little sleep or not eating breakfast, and certain medications.

Fred Sassani is founder of Bodies By Design Personal Training Services, a nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist in Pflugerville. For comments or questions you can reach Fred at getfit@trainerfred.com or visit his new website at trainerfred.com.