Amar Patel is manager of the WakeMed Medical Simulation Center.
Yesterday WakeMed Simulation Center staff and Air Mobile crew hosted a drill in Sampson County where EMS responders practiced diagnosing a STEMI (heart attack) and calling for air support. 
The purpose of the drill is to ensure that first responders in Sampson County can diagnose a STEMI quickly and are able to [...]

The Cary News included a story yesterday quoting me and profiling two Holly Springs residents on their desire to have a hospital built in their town.  Every community wants a hospital for convenience, choice, access, and yes, competition throughout the region.  But it is not feasible for every community in an urban county like Wake [...]

February is Heart Month, and in our most recent issue of Heart to Heart we included interviews with a few of our cardiologists about how they stay heart healthy.  
Michael Zellinger, MD, FACC 
Wake Heart & Vascular Associates 
Heart to Heart: What’s the best heart-healthy advice? 
Dr. Zellinger: I think the most important heart healthy advice is to stop [...]

Laura Aiken is a community health specialist with WakeMed and the director for Advocates for Health in Action, a group of over 50 organizations working together to shape a community where healthful eating and physical activity is the way of life in Wake County.
Upon hearing Michelle Obama announce her new initiative to reverse the obesity epidemic [...]

Tomorrow marks the first of three free events we are hosting at our facilities throughout the county over the next few weeks.  These free comprehensive events will cover the basics of chest pain, from the warning signs and early diagnosis and treatment to activation of the 9-1-1 emergency system.
In addition, all participants will be led [...]

Today the State Auditor released an audit of the Department of Correction’s prisoner medical costs.  WakeMed is a primary provider of hospital care for Central and Women’s Prisons due to close proximity, and the audit indicates that WakeMed’s reimbursement for these patients is significantly higher than Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement.  As a result of the audit, WakeMed received numerous [...]

The last of our five Twitter Chats on fitness and wellness is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, February 10) at noon.  So far, we’ve heard from a dietitian, an exercise specialist, a family health educator, and a physician.
We’re ending this series with psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Childers. He plans to share strategies on how to stay on track for [...]

Today is National Go Red Day. 
National Go Red Day is celebrated annually to help raise awareness about the No. 1 killer of women – heart disease. By wearing red on Go Red Day you are fighting to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
In honor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red Day for Women, WakeMed [...]

Are you an overweight parent who doesn’t want your child to follow in your footsteps? Are you concerned that bad dietary and exercise habits may already be ingrained in your child’s routine?  If so, then tomorrow’s Twitter Chat is for you.  The fourth in a series, we’ll be tweeting for Marjorie Wilson, an education specialist with Children’s Diabetes [...]

The National Weather Service has issued a “WINTER STORM WARNING” for our area, beginning this afternoon continuing into Sunday morning.  Forecasts are calling for winter precipitation, including the potential for freezing rain, ice and/or snow, and the forecast says Wake County could see 8 to 12 inches of snow. (See details on www.wral.com.) WakeMed employees [...]