Bill Beasley Nearly Died While Getting Fit

Following a 20-minute warmup on the treadmill and one set of sit-ups, Beasley's heart stopped. The 48-year-old fitness buff collapsed from a major heart attack in front of stunned club members, including his wife and daughter.

He was in the right place at the right time. His health club, Ontario Racquet Club (ORC) in Mississauga, had a defibrillator on hand.

"When they hooked me up I had flat-lined -- they had to shock me. For seven to eight minutes I was basically dead," says Beasley, who's already back to walking and light jogging after the harrowing incident on April 1.

Fit as a fiddle from regular cardio and weight workouts, tennis, squash and hockey for the past three decades, doctors discovered a 90% blockage in his left artery and put in a stent.

"The plumbing's been fixed and now I have to work my heart into shape," he says. The only downside -- no more hockey, maybe ever.

Exercise does not guarantee a life without setbacks, says fitness expert Barrie Shepley, and "with few exceptions, I don't believe exercise causes health setbacks."

So we're not better off on the couch! "Fitness doesn't always guarantee longevity, but it generally does provide quality of life," says Shepley.

According to Shepley, a former Olympic coach and owner of Personal Best Health and Performance, "younger people, usually men in their 40s and 50s, who die during exercise, usually die from one of two reasons: Either the person was totally inactive for many years (decades) then gets caught up in a men's hockey tournament, 10 km run or basketball pickup game, and then goes too hard and over-extends himself.

"Or, if they have been exercising and they die during exercise, in all likelihood they have extremely bad genetics and likely would have died earlier," he says, adding that he rarely hears about women aged 40 or 50 dying during exercise. "They seem to have the hormonal support until menopause, at which point the number of deaths from heart attacks are roughly the same as men."

Beasley is counting his blessings: "Holy cow, am I lucky. I could have been out running and had no one with me. I probably wouldn't be here," says Beasley, who was given CPR by qualified club members and staff while the defibrillator was retrieved.

Adds Jeff McCarrol, general manager of ORC, "Bill was definitely in the right place ... All our fitness, tennis and key staff are certified yearly in EMS procedures. Over the years, we have had eight cardiac arrests at the club and, thankfully, we have been very fortunate to have saved seven of eight."

McCarrol purchased the defibrillator when one member had back-to-back cardiac arrests within a year. Exercise is not dangerous, emphasizes McCarrol: "It plays a significant role in the prevention and treatment for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, osteoporosis, cancer, quality of life and many more."

He encourages regular exercise, and regular family physician checkups if there are any medical hereditary factors.

Meanwhile, Beasley plans to raise awareness and funds for defibrillator placement in public places. He also strongly advocates getting stress tests. He never made it to his; it had been scheduled a mere 10 days after his heart attack.

Mental Health Dept To Send Psychiatrists To China

The Deputy Director-General of the Department of Mental Health, Md. Wachira Phengchan, says his department and Sichuan province in China, which was hit by a major earthquake five days ago, have agreed on mental health cooperation. Psychiatrists from the department will travel to provide treatment for people affected by the catastrophe in Sichuan.

Md. Wachira says he has sent a letter of condolence to China and suggested guidelines on mental rehabilitation for the affected people.

The death toll in China is estimated at more than 50,000. Most of the victims are students and teachers.

Md. Wachira says the earthquake has caused great mental impact similar to the 2004 tsunami as the two disasters occurred unexpectedly. During the first two weeks, the affected people may be in shock and grieve over the death of their loved ones. He adds that these people need to have a close mental assessment and urgent assistance Health Insurance.

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Sitting at her home computer in the evening after work, she spent 10 minutes on a secure Web site answering the same kind of questions Dienst would have asked her during an office visit.

The next morning, she not only had heard back from her doctor, Travel Health Insurance she had the prescription antibiotic and cough medicine that he had called in to her nearby pharmacy.

The cost to her for the online consultation: zero. Her insurance company, Cigna, paid Dienst $35 for the virtual office visit, and under her health plan Steinert had no co-pay (compared with a $20 co-pay for an office visit).

"I'm not into computers," said Steinert, 57. "But this was easy. It's a good idea."

It's a good idea for doctors, too, said Dienst, who is among the first physicians in Central Florida to conduct online, reimbursed consultations with patients.

With three major health-insurance plans now reimbursing physicians for online consultations, Dienst expects he'll soon have plenty of company.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida has reimbursed a limited number of online visits for nearly four years, with roughly 1,000 doctors now capable of offering the service. But it's been slow to catch on, with Blue Cross officials estimating the total number of monthly online visits statewide at about 50, with fewer than a dozen being submitted for reimbursement.

"We might have gotten in too early," acknowledged Lynn Monson, the company's director of health-information technology. "But, by gum, we're ready for tomorrow. We see this taking off."

One reason for Monson's optimism is that two other major health insurers, Cigna and Aetna, announced in December they would go national with reimbursements for virtual house calls made through the RelayHealth network.

RelayHealth, the same online health-care communication service used by Blue Cross, Travel Health Insurance was founded in 1999 and acquired in 2006 by the health-care information-technology giant McKesson Corp.

Dienst, whose office has been a RelayHealth pilot site for more than a year, said that more than 300 of his patients have signed up to use it. He estimated he was conducting at least 10 online consultations a week, with patients typically getting a response from their queries within an hour or two on weekdays.

He is quick to point out that the Web visits are only for non-urgent medical problems and only for patients he already knows. "Mostly what we get are sore throats, ear aches, sinuses acting up," Dienst said. "Everybody who uses it I've seen at least once, probably more."

He typically receives $25 to $30 for an online consultation, with patient co-pays ranging from 0 to $10. Careful patient selection is critical. "There are definitely patients I would not treat through this," said Dienst, because not all patients are trustworthy and some don't understand the limitations of a consultation that is not face-to-face.

David Gunsteens of Parrish Medical Center, whose responsibilities include recruiting and retaining physicians in northern Brevard County, said more than a dozen primary-care physician offices in his area would have the capability to offer online consultations by the end of this year.

He predicted a significant upswing during the next year or two in the number of primary-care physicians offering online consultations, Travel Health Insurance and within a few years "the vast majority of family-practice physicians" will be offering it.

Patients already are starting to demand it, he noted, and as physician offices increasingly adopt electronic medical-record systems, doctors will be able to meet the demand.

Ky. Health Insurance Program Receives Grant For Medicare

Kentucky’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) has been awarded additional funding by the federal government to help Medicare beneficiaries in Kentucky get more information about health care choices.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today it will give $702,460 to Kentucky’s SHIP program as part of the nearly $36 million being distributed to SHIPs during the most recent round of funding Health And Beauty. Overall, CMS will provide more than $50 million to SHIPs across the United States in 2008.

CMS expects the SHIPs to use the increased 2008 funding to conduct targeted, community-based outreach to an increasing number of beneficiaries who may be unable to access other sources of information.

"This round of funding will allow us to further SHIP’s mission, as well as that of the Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL)," said DAIL Commissioner Deborah Anderson. "We are committed to helping Kentucky’s Medicare recipients understand their health benefits and consumer rights."

Kentucky SHIP provides information, counseling and assistance to seniors and disabled individuals, their family members and caregivers. Local counselors provide this free service.
Kentucky SHIP:

– Educates seniors on health insurance coverage, benefits and consumer rights.
– Provides assistance and education on a one-on-one basis or through educational forums.
– Protects consumers against fraud or misdirected collections.
– Empowers consumers to make informed health insurance choices.

"We are excited to receive this funding and are looking forward to working with the Medicare beneficiaries in Kentucky," said Tina Babbs, director of SHIP. "With this funding we will be able to reach people who qualify for – and desperately need – extra help."

SHIPs will continue their outreach and assistance to current and newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers, Health And Beauty as well as reaching out to beneficiaries with limited incomes who may be eligible for the extra help.

Girl Scouts Of San Gorgonio Council Present Women Of Distinction Awards

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council (GSSGC) named Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, chief administrative liaison to the Superintendent in the Riverside County Office of Education, as the top female leader in San Bernardino and Riverside in the health and fitness industry.

With a long history of work and advocacy in education, Ofelia Valdez-Yeager of Riverside represents a commitment to the impact of increased knowledge and cultural sensitivity on issues of health and health education. Ofelia currently serves as Chair of the Latina Women's Health Forum,amily Health Insurance a grassroots organization founded in 1998 to educate women in the Riverside area on various diseases affecting the Latina community. The Forum holds frequent educational conferences throughout Riverside County for lower income, Spanish-speaking girls and women on a variety of issues such as menopause, obesity and sexually transmitted diseases.

Ofelia was in the first group of EOP students to enter UC Riverside where she completed her BA and teaching credential. She went on to act as instructor and counselor in schools and programs throughout the region focusing on bilingual education. Her committee and volunteer work includes organizations such as Little League, Head Start, YWCA, Junior League and United Way to name only a few. She was elected to the Riverside Unified District Board of Trustees in 1992, making her the first Latina elected to the local school board.amily Health Insurance Ofelia currently works as the Chief Administrative Liaison for the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools.

"Ofelia is recognized for making outstanding achievements in her professional and personal lives that embody the Girl Scout ideal of courage, confidence and character," said Jessica Lawrence, the Girl Scouts chief executive officer. "Girl Scouts is the world's preeminent organization for girls and women. With nearly 100 years of experience, Girl Scouting has a long established history of leading the industry in terms of leadership development. With that kind of record behind us, we are confident in our selection of Ofelia as the top female leader in achievements in the health and fitness industry in the two-county area."

The Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon is scheduled for April 16, 2008 at the Riverside Marriott, 3400 Market Street in Riverside, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Event hostesses are Patti Cotton Pettis, executive director for Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Foundation and a member of the GSSGC board of directors, and Gail Guge, CBA, APR, managing director for Wilkin Guge Marketing and recently named Business Woman of the Year. For more information, please contact the GSSGC at (800) 400-4475 or online at www.gssgc.org.

The Women of Distinction program is a strong symbol of Girl Scouts' commitment to the leadership development of girls in the community. amily Health Insurance All the honorees have made a significant impact to their community by demonstrating the ideals of Girl Scouting. They serve as important role models in helping girls develop into successful and confident young women.

The Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon is sponsored by America's Best Cookies (ABC), Security Bank, Marketwire and Burgess Moving & Storage and is open to the public. Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds support programs for local girls to help them develop to their fullest potential and become competent, resourceful women. For more information, call (800) 400-4475 or visit www.gssgc.org.