Editors note: the following post was originally published on Dr. Marc Katz’s HavHrt blog. You can find the original post here. Dr. Katz is a cardiac surgeon and Chief Medical Officer for the Bon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute. To learn more about the Bon Secours HVI or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Katz, call 804-359-WELL The news is awash with reports that former Vice President Dick Cheney had a “heart pump” implanted last week as treatment for his congestive heart failure. Although the details are not available, multiple reports consistently state that he has had...

“Out of the top six causes of death… four are preventable by dietary changes.” – Dr. Marc Katz In this video, Dr. Marc Katz, Cardiac Surgeon and Chief Medical Officer for the Bon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute, talks about his decision to adopt a no fat, vegan lifestyle. Cardiovascular diseases kill more people each year, worldwide, than all other illnesses combined. More than half of those deaths are preventable by dietary changes alone. Blockages occur over time, as poor diet causes fatty deposits to develop in the arteries. When those blockages, in arteries that...

E-mail has become a preferred method for communication for most of us. In order to maintain the confidentiality of private information and ensure compliance with privacy regulations Bon Secours Health System is implementing a new e-mail encryption service. The service will improve our ability to protect personal information of our patients, physicians, employees, and others from undesirable external parties on the Internet. Bon Secours has always made privacy a hallmark of our electronic systems. Traditionally, any sensitive data had to be manually encrypted before it was emailed. Beginning Tuesday,...

Dr. Dan Danila, a hospitalist at Bon Secours St. Mary’s hospital, offers advice for recognizing signs of heat related illness and how to avoid them.  According to Dr. Danila warning signs of heat exposure include: leg cramps muscle spasms fever fatigue losing consciousness Dr. Danila recommends beating the heat by drinking lots of water – at least 1 gallon and up to 2 gallons a day. He also advices avoiding the mid-day sun from noon until three pm, taking a multi vitamin supplement, seeking shelter and shade and checking on elderly neighbors. If you feel ill or suspect you may...

Editor’s note: the following post is re-published in its entirety from Dr. Marc Katz’s Have Heart blog. Dr. Katz is the Chief Medical Officer for the Bon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute. You can also find Dr. Katz on Twitter. Celebrities deserve the same rights to privacy, with respect to their medical conditions, as everyone else. However, when they chose to go public with details about their health, it can raise the public awareness of medical conditions and aid in education. Such was the case this week with Barbara Walters revelation that she has aortic stenosis and was scheduled...

In June 2010, Bon Secours Richmond, in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University as well as Richmond City and Henrico County schools celebrated an amazing achievement: The first graduation of the class of Project SEARCH. Project SEARCH was established to connect area employers to students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Students worked closely with Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital staff in areas like sterile supply, environmental services and linnen services to learn job skills. In turn, they brought smiles to faces and warmth to hearts around the organization. In the words...

In June 2010, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital discharged our first patient implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD. The device, dubbed a bionic heart, helps a failing heart pump blood throughout the body. Mr. Wesley Farnsworth’s treatment team included Bon Secours Advanced Heart Failure Center Director Gary Zeevi, MD. Marc Katz, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Heart & Vascular Institute, performed the surgery, implanting the HeartMate II into a 53-year-old patient from Virginia. Dr. Katz has preformed over 50 LVAD implantations, although this was the first for...

The East End Vision project, a “charrette” for Richmond’s Church Hill and East End neighborhoods is well underway. The week long project, which is a joint venture with the City of Richmond, brings together community leaders, area residents, civic leaders, business owners and area businesses to plan the future of the community. The East End Vision blog, an offshoot of this site, is following the process. You can read more here. Below: Sister Anne Marie Mack, CBS, reflects on the charrette process and shares why it is important for Bon Secours and Richmond Community Hospital.

Compassionate care and healing does not come from doctors and nurses alone. When a patient is in the hospital, compassionate care is the responsibility of every team member. Recently, one St. Francis patient found himself separated from his wife during a critical time. Our patient shared the letter below with heartfelt gratitude to the entire team at St. Francis and a special thanks to Stephen Simmons. Mr. Simmons works on our nutritional services team is an an example of our mission to bring compassionate care to the Richmond community. I was [recently a patient] at St Francis Medical Center....

Editor’s Note: The following message was shared in an email to employees from Bon Secours Virginia CEO Peter Bernard and Senior Vice President of Sponsorship Sister Anne Marie Mack. We are proud to share their note here with our GoodSharing readers and will look forward to sharing your feedback with Mr. Bernard and Sr. Anne Marie. Dear Bon Secours Ladies and Gentleman, Yesterday morning, over thirty of our co-workers sat proudly at a breakfast awards ceremony and listened as Bon Secours Richmond was named this area’s 2010 Employer of Choice! The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and...

In less than 4 weeks my son, Joshua, and I – along with a team of doctors and nurses – will be traveling to Haiti to help in a medical mission clinic run by the Church of God in Christ. We will be seeing nearly 400 patients a day. After 27 years away from the medical field, I feel so inadequate, but I also feel so much compassion for our desperately needy brothers and sisters in Haiti. We leave April 11 for Haiti, the 147th of 177 poorest nations in the world and the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. Over 1.3 million people are living in make-shift tents for housing, approximately...

What would you do if you had cancer? Where would you turn to first? Would you go on the internet to find out more information on your condition? According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, e-patients with a chronic illness use online health resources to manage their illness, look up pertinent information before and after a doctor visit, as well as communicate with other patients in online support groups. Jenn Michelle Pedini, former Disney performer and marketing professional and now mother of one, turned to the internet for answers after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma...