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In this issue: Warm wishes from our Healing Pups, the Health Equity Accelerator celebrates one year, British royalty visits our Curbside Care Mobile Unit, tips for staying healthy this winter, BMC Voices features the story of Claire who is recovering from long COVID, and upcoming events and awareness days.
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Your BMC - Care | Connection | Community

December 2022

Issue #8

Boston Medical Center Logo
Welcome to Your BMC

Hello, and welcome to Your BMC.


You are an important part of our community, and we are here to help you be your healthiest self. This newsletter features important information about services and programs, tips for healthy living, stories from around BMC, and more.

Photos of three dogs in holiday attire.

Happy holidays from all of us at BMC, with a little extra joy brought to you by a few of our Healing Pups.

Featuring (left to right): Fenway, Nellie, & Memphis

At BMC, we value each and every one of our patients and are committed to honoring all of our ethnic, religious, and cultural differences. Our incredible Interpreter Services team (one of the most extensive in New England) is always ready to help break language barriers and created a multicultural playlist for their team holiday celebration. Listen here on Spotify!

Photo of BMC's Rooftop Farm where a worker harvesting some leafy green vegetables.
How
hospitals can help fight climate change

In November 2021, BMC launched the Health Equity Accelerator, an effort to transform our health system and ensure that people of all different races and ethnicities get the care they need. Through the Accelerator, we are dedicated to addressing systemic racism in ways that we hope can impact health systems across the country.

We are so proud of the work being done by teams across BMC to advance health equity, and we are committed to continuing this hard work in partnership with our community.

“We really can't do this work alone. For it to succeed, we need all of you. It will take every one of us to truly achieve health equity.” - Elena Mendez-Escobar, PhD, MBAa

MA Leads in
Healthcare and Women Leaders are Key to that Success

Our Curbside Care for Moms and Babies mobile unit was in the spotlight during this month’s visit from British royalty! Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with BMC's Dr. Thea James, stopped by TD Garden to check out the vehicle at a Celtics game. 

Developed in partnership with the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, this unit will provide comprehensive care to local mothers and infants in the first six weeks of baby’s life, right at their doorstep.

Graphic illustration of female
silhouette with female empowerment words and icons on her shirt.

The “fourth trimester,” as it is sometimes called, is an important time for both mom and baby to receive a full range of physical and mental healthcare. The program was launched after the success of a similar program during the beginning of the pandemic, where a nurse practitioner and midwife visited COVID-positive new moms and their babies at home.

Photo of BMC Certified Nursing Assistant, Nate, who is also a patient at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.
Honoring Transgender Awareness Week

Claire became sick after traveling in March 2020. “I had a lot of trouble breathing, and would get winded just talking,” she says. For her breathing, fatigue, and pain symptoms, Claire sought medical advice from specialists at another Boston hospital. “They were doing lots of tests, but everything came back normal. And I was still having symptoms. I was really frustrated,” she says. 

She was finally referred to speech-language pathologist Hadas Golan at BMC. “I was told Hadas was the best person for this, and she could help me get my breathing under control.”

In January 2022, a few weeks after joining ReCOVer, the long covid clinic at BMC, she started noticing improvements. She was so excited, she wanted to jump right back into her pre-COVID exercise routine. “Hadas had to remind me to be patient,” she says. That patience has since paid off. “I was able to do a pretty challenging hike in the White Mountains. That was a huge achievement for me."

What to know about RSV, COVID, and the Flu

Cases of RSV, COVID, and flu are continuing to rise this season, and younger children, older adults, and people with heart and lung disease are most vulnerable when it comes to respiratory viruses.

Frequent hand washing, mask wearing, keeping windows open when possible, social distancing, and keeping gatherings small, along with getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines, can all help reduce your risk for many viruses. Not sure if you have RSV or the flu? Our Pediatrics department can help you learn more about the difference and when it might be time to call your child’s pediatrician.

Young child with thermometer in mouth
and caregiver hand on forehead
Free Events at BMC

This month, BMC was proud to honor and commemorate the following:

World AIDS Day (12/1)
Learn more about what this day means to our STD Clinic team.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (12/3)
Read our message of awareness and empowerment. 

Crohn's & Colitis Awareness Week (12/1 - 12/7)
Listen to Dr. Allen Moss talk about updates in the model of care for Crohn's & Colitis symptoms.

National Influenza Vaccinations Week (12/5 - 12/11)
Learn more about the flu shot and how to schedule your vaccine at BMC.

FEB 12 

Winter Walk 2023 - Boston
When: Sunday, February 12, 2023
Where: Copley Square, Boston

Join Team BMC in the Winter Walk, an annual event centered on the mission that ending homelessness is within our reach. Team BMC participates in the two-mile walk through Boston in support of Boston Medical Center’s commitment to health equity, which includes addressing homelessness. You can register to walk with us or make a donation here.

Icon logo for My Chart - features a red folder with a white heart

Reminder: You can send your doctor non-urgent medical questions through MyChart. Create your account or sign in today! 



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