Welcome to the First Edition of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Newsletter!

The staff at the Cancer and Blood Disorders (CBD) Clinic at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota have long wanted a direct way to reach families about topics that may impact the care of our patients. We hope this new newsletter will start to fill that gap. In our first "edition" we will tell you about the concerns about the new "swine flu" and some changes regarding scheduling MRI's and CT scans. We anticipate that we will be able to use this means of communicating to let you know about upcoming events, changes occurring in the clinic or in the hospital, new staff--maybe even healthy recipes! Please let us know things you'd like to see. You are receiving this newsletter because we have your email; please tell any others who would like to receive this to give us their email address. Cyndi Ford (cynthia.ford@childrensmn.org) is our editor-in-chief, so let her know if there are stories you'd like to see (or pass along email addresses).

Enjoy the Minnesota State Fair this year!

In general, we encourage our families to enjoy all the great, fun things to do at the fair.  Being outdoors in the Minnesota sunshine is good for everyone (wear sunscreen).  Masks aren't necessary when you're at the fair, even for those who are immunosuppressed. Patients currently on chemotherapy should avoid ALL barns, because hay can have fungus on it. This year, we are suggesting that all patients AVOID THE PIG BARNS AND THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH CENTER.

There is a new strain of influenza, which is spread by pigs to humans, although no cases of human-to-human transmission yet. To be on the safe side, we are being extra cautious. For those who aren't immunosuppressed, follow these suggestions posted on our Kids' Health Blog:

• Wash 'em proud!  Clean hands are still the No. 1 way to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands after exposure to animals or animal barns and before touching your eyes, nose or mouth in any way.
• If you do go to the pig barns, don't kiss the animals.  We agree - they're cute - but don't smooch them (in fact, looking at the pigs from 6 feet away or more is safest).
• Wash bottles and pacifiers in hot soapy water after they've been in an animal exhibit area.
• Oh, and, pork chops on a stick do not cause influenza!

Read the full article >

New Process for Radiology Procedures

We will be changing our scan review process to be able to get full input from the radiologists--the folks in charge of reading the MRI's, CT scans, bone scans, etc.  For those patients requiring periodic radiology studies, we will now be scheduling these differently. We will schedule all scans first, and then schedule the oncology clinic appointment two hours after the last scan is complete -- or, if you would like, on a different day. This allows time for the radiologist to more thoroughly read the scans without pressure from the oncology staff. This will also allow the oncology staff to share more complete results with families at the time of the scan review. We realize this adds time to your stay at Childrens but we want you to have the right information at the right time!

Chemotherapy Admissions

We schedule direct admits to the 7th floor so that we have staff and a room available for you when you arrive. While everything doesn't always go as planned our ultimate goal is for you to have a good experience. During the winter months (Nov-March) - when we are at our busiest- it may be necessary to schedule admissions for later in the day. We will try to accommodate all requests as best we can and we appreciate your patience as we work through this upcoming busy season.

Welcome New Staff