Perry Shumway

Madisonhealth Blog

Nathan Ogden Helps at Madison

July 28th, 2017

Nathan Comes to Share His Inspiring Story on August 9th. Nathan Ogden knew his life to be near perfect with two young children, a wonderful wife of four years, and a successful career. Then at 26 years old, life presented a drastic challenge three days before Christmas in 2001. Searching for adventure on a snow-capped mountain would soon have Nathan trading in his skis for a wheelchair. Coming off a ski jump wrong he was instantly paralyzed and diagnosed as a quadriplegic, not able to swallow or even breathe on his own. There was too much to live for so he battled through setbacks and obstacles with intense therapy. Nathan returned to work full time, was able to drive again, and embraced his new life from a seated position with the motto of “We Believe”. He was getting much stronger and knew he would walk again. Just over a year...

A Healthy You

New Madison Hospitalist, Jack Clark MD

July 21st, 2017

Jack Clark, MD – New Madison Memorial Hospitalist

Madison Memorial Hospital is excited to welcome Jack Clark, MD, to the Rexburg Community and to the Hospital Medical Staff. Dr. Clark is an Internal Medicine physician who has joined us this week. He will be working full time as Madison Memorial Hospital’s Hospitalist. Dr. Clark attended medical school at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He completed his residency program in Internal Medicine at Penn State University Hershey Medical Center in Hershey Pennsylvania. We look forward to having Dr. Jack Clark as part of the Medical Staff.

Join us in giving Dr. Clark a warm welcome when you see him.

A Healthy You

Improving your Digestive System

July 17th, 2017

One of the most common initial problems and complaints treated here at Madison Memorial Hospital is abdominal pain. This can come from a number of problems associated with the body’s digestive system and often times can be solved through drinking water and going on a walk. What is digestion? Everyone who eats food somehow needs to digest it. When there are problems with digestion, various side effects can come about. The process of digestion refers to how the food you eat becomes nutrients for your body. Digestion then uses these nutrients to help your body with energy, growth, and cell repair, according to WebMD. What are common digestive tract problems? There are several problems that can occur to the digestive tracts. Some of these problems include constipation, diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome (I.B.S.), and inflammatory bowel disease (I.B.D). Inflammatory bowel disease is when part or all of the...

A Healthy You Wellness Events

Top 5 Ways to Prepare for the Total Solar Eclipse

July 17th, 2017

Are You Ready for the Solar Eclipse? Here are the top five things you need to do to prepare for the solar eclipse which will be visible in Rexburg this August. 1. Get Eclipse Glasses Looking at the sun for a long period of time can damage your eyes. When you view the eclipse, you will need eclipse glasses. Eclipse glasses should have a filter to look through. If the glasses aren’t labeled ISO, they won’t protect your eyes the way they should, according to Space.com. Places to find eclipse glasses include solarglasses2017.com, BYU-Idaho bookstore, and other grocery stores. 2. Find a Good Location Free areas you can view the eclipse are Porter Park, Evergreen Park, Madison Middle School, Riverside Park, Madison Junior High, Nature Park, and Smith Park, according to Rexburg Online. 3. Remember the Date and Time The eclipse will happen August 21, at 11:33 AM. Here in Rexburg, it...

A Healthy You

Rise Above Altitude Sickness

July 14th, 2017

Avoid Altitude Sickness this Summer through Education and Prevention Summer is the time for going outdoors, sun-sational mountain memories, and starry night skies. With the upcoming eclipse at the end of August, many travelers from all over the world will be visiting Idaho with an opportunity to experience the high elevation. Whether you are traveling far or enjoying your summer from home, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of altitude sickness and what can be done in prevention. What is altitude sickness? Altitude sickness or mountain sickness is caused due to the body struggling to adjust to receiving less oxygen pressure from a high elevation. Altitude sickness has over 200,000 cases in the United States each year. What are common symptoms of altitude sickness? Altitude sickness does not typically become noticeable in people until multiple hours at a higher elevation. Often times altitude sickness is compared to having a hangover....

Wellness Events

Madison Receives ‘Best Theme’ Award for 4th of July Float

July 6th, 2017

Celebrating Independence Day as a Community

On Tuesday morning, the streets of Rexburg were lined with families and friends in celebration of America and Rexburg’s 88th annual Independence Day parade. Madison Memorial Hospital’s 4th of July float glistened with shimmering stars, waves of red, white, and blue, and a giant bald eagle. The bald eagle was selected as a symbol for the nation in 1782 and is a fitting symbol for Madison Memorial as it represents the strength and long life the hospital strives to provide for community members. In the parade, Madison’s float was awarded “Best Theme.” Over 90 floats participated in the parade, each celebrating the community and country in their own way. Following the parade, Rexburg’s Celebration in the Park provided many festivities for community members at Porter Park. Madison Memorial Hospital appreciates being part of such a patriotic and united community.

Wellness Events

4th of July Festivities in Rexburg

July 2nd, 2017

Rexburg on the 4th of July

I hope you are able to enjoy your holiday week and can attend some of the festivities here in our community. I have listed the various activities below for you.

Main Street Mile
Wed, July 4th
9:00am Registration Starts, 9:45am Race Starts

Flag Raising
Wed, July 4th – 9:30am
Madison County Courthouse – Centennial Park

Independence Day Parade
Wed, July 4th
10:00 am Main Street

Day in Porter Park
Wed, July 4th
9:00am – 2:00pm
Booths, food, and games

A Healthy You

Rexburg Rocks

June 20th, 2017

Have you seen colorful rocks around random Rexburg locations?

Rexburg Rocks is a trend to help motivate people to explore the city and enjoy visiting places. A variety of rocks are hidden all over Rexburg for your pleasure. Even Madison Memorial Hospital has a few rocks hidden outside of its hospital.

Anyone can join in the fun and go searching for Rexburg rocks. It’s a particularly fun activity for children to go on a hunt and even make their own colorful rocks to hide around Rexburg locations. Just be sure to avoid placing them in dangerous locations (such as in the grass where a lawnmower may hit it).

Rocks can usually be found near pathways where they could easily be seen such as flower beds.

You can look at the facebook page dedicated to #RexburgRocks titled “Rexburg Rocks!” to see or post a picture of your own Rexburg rocks.

A Healthy You

STOP Bullying!

June 14th, 2017

Support a Healthy Environment for All 75% of employees experience or witness bullying at work. Bullying happens everywhere… on phones, in homes, at work, and at schools. Bullying is health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons by one or more perpetrators. Understand more why bullying is bad, where bullying occurs, and most importantly how you can stop bullying. A Toxic Environment Bullying creates a toxic environment where healthy behavior is discouraged. Those who get bullied often feel anxious, dreading to go to work, school, or even home because of the potential threat of random attacks from someone they know, whether it is hurtful words, loud yelling, inappropriate pranks, or physical aggression. We all can become bullies if we don’t watch ourselves. Ask yourself, “Is my treatment toward this person helping them or harming them?” A bully enjoys tormenting others. Do you? If so, recognize that this is not okay. Stop. Everyone...

Wellness Events

The Power Behind Relay for Life

June 5th, 2017

Cancer Never Rests, Neither Will We at Relay for Life Cancer. It’s a word that we often see in medical pamphlets and often hear in whispers. We know it’s a disease that’s not to be messed with, but we’re always glad when it hasn’t messed with us. How would we act, however, if we knew the National Cancer Institute’s conservative statistic that approximately 38.5% of individuals will develop a form of cancer in their lifetime? Cancer doesn’t care who you are, it will affect you and those around you, and at one point or another, it will affect us all. One individual who has experienced the effects of cancer in her life is Lisa Marie, and she’s not too different from any one of us. She’s from Idaho, works in the community, is a mother of three and loves to garden and read. The difference is that two of her...

A Healthy You Employee Relations

Madison Memorial Hospital Earns Award of Excellence

May 30th, 2017

Madison Memorial Hospital Earns 2017 Qualis Health Quality Award Madison Memorial Hospital earned the Award of Excellence from Qualis Health for the hospital’s “Quality-Driven Medication Reconciliation” program. “Medication safety is crucial during times of care transition,” said Mikel Barr, RN, Director of Quality at Madison Memorial. “But when a patient is admitted to the hospital, it is not uncommon for their primary care physician to be uninvolved with their care. In cases like these a patient may experience interruptions in medications for chronic conditions, variations in the dosage of those medications, or even be prescribed new medications. These changes can result in flare-ups of the chronic condition, may affect the patient’s ability to recover from the acute condition for which they were hospitalized, or cause dangerous drug interactions.” To address this disconnect, Madison Memorial Hospital piloted an innovative medication reconciliation program, with the aim of improving patient safety by preventing adverse drug...