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Enhancing Lives at The Vernon Clinic: Discover Our Tailored Approach to Chronic Care Management

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:43:41 GMT

Chronic illnesses require ongoing attention and a tailored approach to management. At Vernon Clinic , we provide comprehensive Chronic Care Management (CCM) services designed to improve the quality of life for our patients. Our team of healthcare professionals is committed to helping you navigate your health challenges through personalized care plans and innovative therapies.

What is Chronic Care Management?

Chronic Care Management involves the coordination of healthcare for individuals with multiple or significant health conditions. This service is crucial for maintaining overall health and preventing complications. At Vernon Clinic ,, our CCM program includes regular assessments, medication management, lifestyle adjustments, and proactive treatment plans.

Services Offered for Chronic Care Management

Personalized Health Assessments

Understanding the unique needs of our patients is the first step in our CCM. Our detailed health assessments help us craft personalized care plans that address specific health conditions and goals.

Medication Management

Proper medication management can be a cornerstone of effective chronic disease management. Our healthcare providers ensure that medications are optimized to improve your health outcomes without unnecessary side effects.

Lifestyle Modification Support

At Vernon Clinic, we believe in the power of lifestyle changes to improve chronic conditions. Our team offers guidance on diet, exercise, and stress management to help mitigate the impacts of chronic diseases.

The Role of Vitamins in Chronic Disease Management

While medications play a critical role in managing chronic illnesses, they often focus on alleviating symptoms rather than addressing underlying problems. Moreover, the use of pharmaceuticals can sometimes lead to additional health issues over time. To complement our approach to Chronic Care Management, we emphasize the importance of vitamins and minerals in our care plans. These essential nutrients can help repair and rejuvenate the body from within.

Vitamins and minerals work by supporting the body’s natural healing processes, which can be compromised in individuals with chronic conditions. Over time, consistent supplementation can help restore bodily functions and contribute to long-term health improvements. However, it's crucial to understand that these benefits can diminish if supplementation is discontinued, as the body might revert to its prior state due to its impaired ability to heal independently. At Vernon Clinic, we integrate nutritional support into our care plans, ensuring that our patients receive a holistic approach to their health that goes beyond conventional medication.

Regular Follow-ups and Monitoring

Consistent monitoring is vital in managing chronic conditions. Our healthcare team regularly checks in on your progress and adjusts treatments as necessary to ensure the best outcomes.

Access to Specialized Therapies

We offer a range of therapies, including IV therapy and bio-identical hormone replacemen t, with our partnering clinic Hillcrest Wellness Center which can be integral to managing certain chronic conditions and enhancing your overall well-being.

The Importance of a Multi-Disciplinary Approach

Our multi-disciplinary team at Vernon Clinic , includes doctors, nurses, dieticians, and therapists who work together to provide a holistic approach to your chronic care. This collaboration ensures that all aspects of your health are considered in your treatment plan.

How Chronic Care Management Improves Lives

Effective chronic care management has been shown to improve the quality of life, reduce hospital admissions, and lower overall healthcare costs. At Vernon Clinic, our goal is to empower you with the tools and support needed to manage your chronic conditions successfully.

Conclusion

Managing chronic conditions can be challenging, but with Vernon Clinic’s Chronic Care Management services, you don’t have to face it alone. Contact us today to learn more about how our personalized care plans can help you lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.

My Passion For Treating Diabetes

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 20:30:43 GMT

In the eighteen years that my beloved father, who insisted that I become a physician, lived with Type 2 diabetes. I gained valuable insight to the anxiety and despair that often accompanies this disease. I finally gave in to his desire to go home after he again re-countered the futility of all the treatment regimen to give him a decent quality of life. In his own words he told me “I am, at this point, content with the life I have lived, and I do not wish to be a burden any longer to you nor your young children who need you as you are in Medical residency”.

Frankly, my beloved father’s plate was full at that time dealing with three times a week hemodialysis session come rain or shine, terrible New York snow and blizzard conditions, insulin injections three to four times a day and four to six blood sugar pricks a day. His blindness, caused by diabetes, kept him from being able to enjoy reading books and newspapers. His hearing loss made it impossible for him to listen and enjoy his favorite television station, CNN. Dementia rendered him lucid some days and other days incapable of recognizing his beloved family. After returning home to Nigeria, Dad transitioned to the world beyond, bequeathing to me his love for mankind, a passion for treating diabetes, and the desire to help reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with Type 2 diabetes.

With the advent of weight loss surgery, I began to encourage my patients into this arena but one week, I noted two different patients of mine who progressed into diabetes after having the weight loss surgical procedure. In search of answers, I traveled to Arizona to a medical conference and learned that weight loss may reverse diabetes but weight gain after weight loss surgery will reproduce the same disease. So, I mused, if weight loss surgery can help reverse diabetes, what can happen if we encourage our patients to lose weight?

With the stress of starting a new medical practice, moving to a new city and being the mother of four children, I lost my ability to exercise which had always worked for my weight loss in the past. In July 2016, a quick trip to the emergency room revealed that my blood sugar was over 140 after drinking cranberry juice. I became alarmed. I did not wish to have Type 2 diabetes nor the complications my father had encountered.

In August 2016, I finally added weight loss into my medical practice with myself as a patient. During my nine-month journey, I lost a total of about sixty pounds and I weighed in the clinic weekly. I also kept a log of my food intake; water intake and I supplemented my diet with vitamins and minerals. During this journey, I received my answer to the prayers for diabetic cure twelve years prior. I observed that with my weight loss, my blood sugars were again in normal range with fasting blood sugars less than 86 and my A1C level, which is a three-month average of blood sugar, was less than 5.4 (Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when the A1C level is over 6.5). Furthermore, I witnessed a client go from three diabetic medications to no medications at all. That same year, I met a gentleman with type 1 diabetes who had hardly any diabetic complications while being a diabetic for over fifty years. He confirmed that his excellent A1C results of less than 5.6, while on insulin, was as a result of following a very strict diet where he consumed less than 30 grams of carbohydrate in his diet daily.

My understanding, to date, is that Type 2 diabetes is no longer the chronic, progressive disease we taught medical students, doctors and, of course, our patients. I continue to see on a daily basis that when people make the right food choices, they can reverse Type 2 diabetes or even take less medications.

Pictures from Our 1st Walk with a Doc Event

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 22:19:43 GMT

Thanks to everyone that participated in the 1st Walk with a Doc Texas Event. Try to make walking something you do often for good health!

Vernon Clinic to Host 1st Walk with a Doc Texas Event

Mon, 28 May 2018 23:55:19 GMT

WHAT: Vernon residents of all ages are encouraged to lace up their walking shoes and join Adanna J. Amechi-Obigwe, MD, of Vernon Clinic and Dr. Robert Borchardt for Vernon’s first Walk With a Doc (WWAD) Texas event.

WHEN: Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 9:00 am

WHERE: Wilbarger General Hospital Fitness Trail, located at 920 Hillcrest Drive, Vernon, TX 76384

WHO: Adanna J. Amechi-Obigwe of Vernon Clinic and Dr. Robert Borchardt, and any community members interested in participating

WHY: Walking is the single best simple thing people can do to live a long, high-quality life. WWAD makes it easy by providing the time, place, motivation (a brief health information talk), and fellow participants for a fun walking experience.

The Walk With a Doc concept is simple: Physicians organize walks in their communities and invite their patients, their patients’ families, and community members to join them. Walkers will enjoy a refreshing and rejuvenating walk with Dr. Amechi and other health care professionals, who will provide support to participants and answer questions during the walk. Walk With a Doc is overseen by a national nonprofit organization to get people active and healthy, and is backed by the Texas Medical Association (TMA) in Texas.

This is a FREE program, and preregistration is not required. Information about future walks will be announced on the Vernon Walk With a Doc website.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 50,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans. TMA Foundation, TMA’s philanthropic arm, raises funds to support the public health and science priority initiatives of TMA and the family of medicine, including Walk With a Doc Texas. To learn more, visit the TMA website.

Walk With a Doc is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle to improve the health and well-being of the country. Walk With a Doc was started in 2005 by David Sabgir, MD, a board-certified cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio, who practices with the Mount Carmel Health System. To learn more, go to the Walk With a Doc website .

Contacts:
On the day of the event: Vernon Clinic Office 940-552-2530

TMA contacts:
Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear@texmed.org
Marcus Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper@texmed.org

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