Produced by the Office of Communications // September 6, 2012

UT Physicians opens new location in Cinco Ranch

UT Physicians, the medical practice of the Medical School, will open its newest health center Sept. 10 at 23923 Cinco Ranch Blvd.

UT Physicians at Cinco Ranch offers primary and specialty care and is accepting appointments for children, adolescents, and adults.

“Our primary and specialty care doctors provide unparalleled care for patients of all ages in a convenient location right in their neighborhood. We are proud to be a part of the community, and we hope many area residents will decide to make UT Physicians at Cinco Ranch their health care home,” said Andrew Casas, chief operating officer of UT Physicians.

The two-story, 11,000-square-foot clinic represents UT Physicians’ continued commitment to provide the most comprehensive, high-quality, and personalized medical care in the community.

“We are very pleased to announce this expansion to serve our neighbors in the Cinco Ranch and Katy area,” said Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo. “Our goals are to bring the medical expertise of the UTHealth Medical School to our neighboring Houston communities and to work closely with the local physicians to provide continuity of the best patient care.”

UT Physicians at Cinco Ranch will manage health care needs for people of all ages—from infants to the elderly, providing a range of services from routine wellness exams and care for common illnesses to highly-specialized treatments for complex medical conditions.

The clinic is connected with the entire UT Physicians practice to offer patients a quick turnaround when referred by their primary care doctor to a specialist. The health center also utilizes a secure Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system to ensure that each doctor has access to a patient’s complete history, increasing patient safety and preventing duplication of diagnostic tests.

“I’m excited that we are able to offer a convenient, one-stop health care shop for residents in the Cinco Ranch area,” said Cinco Ranch resident Dr. Cory Bui, an assistant professor of internal medicine who is fellowship-trained in geriatrics. “To be able to serve patients in the community where I live is quite an honor.”

UT Physicians, one of Houston’s largest physician practices, also offers community-based medical care at its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at health centers throughout the Houston area, including Bellaire, Clear Lake/Pasadena at Bayshore Family Practice Center, and in Missouri City at Sienna Village. The team of internationally recognized medical experts includes more than 900 doctors certified in 80 medical specialties.

For more information, visit www.UTPhysicians.com or call 888-488-3627. UT Physicians at Cinco Ranch also is on Facebook.

— Meredith Raine, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Dr. Bradley: West Nile 101

Dr. Richard Bradley, chief of the Division of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, answers questions about the outbreak of West Nile Virus. Thus far in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,000 cases of West Nile virus, and Texas health officials have declared a public health emergency. It is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected bird and subsequently bites a human.

Q: How do I know if I have the West Nile virus?

A: Most people who become infected with West Nile virus don’t have major symptoms and may only have a temporary fever. About one person out of every 150 who are infected develop a severe disease called West Nile encephalitis, or West Nile meningitis. This is an inflammation of the brain, or the covering of the brain. These symptoms include headache, high fever, stiff neck, mental confusion, muscle weakness, convulsions, and coma. The symptoms may last several weeks and nerve damage may be permanent.

Q: Who is at the greatest risk for getting West Nile virus?

A: Everyone can be at risk, but the greatest risk is in those who are over age 50, and particularly in those who have received a solid organ transplant, such as a kidney, lung, or heart transplant.

Q: How is West Nile treated?

A: West Nile is a virus—there is no treatment. Doctors can treat the symptoms, but West Nile can’t be cured. So, the most important thing is to prevent infection.

Q: How can I prevent West Nile virus?

A: Here are some suggestions.

• Prevention includes mosquito control programs and personal protection measures to reduce the likelihood of being bitten by infected mosquitoes.
• Community spraying programs are also important. The chemicals used to do aerial spraying do not pose any threat to your health.
• When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient. Look for a repellant with at least 20 percent DEET. This should give you protection for at least five hours.
• DEET is safe for children 2 months of age and older. If you have to take children under 2 months of age outdoors, a light coating of baby oil on their exposed skin may be helpful.
• Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in very shallow standing water. To reduce the risk from diseases caused by mosquitoes, drain standing water and check around your home every week for water in buckets, cans, pool covers, stored tires, and flower pots.
• Clean pet water bowls, bird baths, and water fountains weekly.
• Make certain that your rain gutters aren’t clogged and make sure wells or stored water are covered.
• Mosquito-control items that are designed to protect an area, such as sprays, candles, or machines, should only be considered supplemental to products used on your skin.

— Jade Waddy, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Topics in Translational Research seminar series starts Sept. 10

The 2012 Topics in Translational Research seminar series will occur Mondays at noon Sept. 10 through Nov. 19, usually in MSB B.100.

The purpose of this seminar series is to provide information about research at the basic science clinical interface, with the goal of familiarizing the attendees with both procedural aspects (such as the patenting and technology transfer process) and specific examples to provide insight into how to create, plan, and carry out a translational research project.

Co-directors are Dr. Steven Norris, holder of the Robert Greer Professorship in the Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Dianna Milewicz, holder of the President George Bush Chair In Cardiovascular Medicine. Milewicz will give the first talk on her studies on vascular diseases and their relationship to mutations in the smooth muscle alpha-actin gene, ACTA2.

Anyone is welcome to attend. The seminar series is available for course credit for graduate students and blue book credit for UTHealth medical students.

Please see the schedule.

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Inaugural Houston Hydrocephalus Association WALK set for Sept. 29

The Mischer Neuroscience Institute, Children's Memorial Hermann, and the Student Interest Group in Neurology and Psychiatry are sponsoring a team for the Inaugural Houston Hydrocephalus Association WALK in The Woodlands Sept. 29.

Registration is free, and a T-shirt will be provided for all MNI/CMH team members. This is a family-friendly event with free food and games following the walk, so please plan to bring your family and join us in walking to raise money for research toward a better treatment and in support of all those families affected by this life-long condition. Register here and contact Jamie Wright for more information.

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Sign of the times

 

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