On February 9, Acadiana's regional EMS Council had it's latest meeting, representing local ambulance services, Emergency Departments, and disaster coordinators. First we congratulated ourselves on providing tourniquet training to…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. April Weliever, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. In the past weeks Dr. Hamilton reviewed Christmas safety issues. Christmas must be pretty…
When I was growing up, my Christmases were chronically overbooked. Mom was a violin teacher, and since I played too, I got roped into every pageant, every church program mom could sign us up for. It paid some bills for our…
The Louisiana Health Department has made child drowning prevention a priority for 2017, since our state has the second highest rate in the nation. Though I always cared deeply about this, it' now more important for me since I…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Claire Ronkartz, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. It's a classic medical board question: "A two-year old visiting her grandparents' is found…
I think hospitals are cool. When I was a kid and went to visit someone, I was impressed by the big, maze-like structures, mysterious things going on inside. The halls were full of strange smells, odd noises, futuristic equipment…
There's only about 4 weeks left of summer vacation here in Louisiana. Summer's been terrific, but now family vacation and your kid's camps are done. You've made some good memories, but now the kids are bored and have reverted to…
My college required students to take four blocks of Physical Education, much like high school, except we chose the sports. We also had to pass a swim test to graduate. My roommate Brian, who'd never learned to swim, had to use…
In 2008, New York City mom Lenore Skenazy was shopping with her 9 year-old son. They rode the subway, and that day he begged her to let him ride home alone. Ms. Skenazy decided it was time for some independence and let him. He …
It's tough to care for friends. My friend Jennifer had delivered her third baby. My patient was baby Julia, who had a rough start, needing oxygen for the first days of life. Jennifer was exhausted from labor, delivery, and…