Compass Health Connection

11/02/2015

09/02/2015

New players in addictions treatment means it’s only going to get more complex. We have to make sure patients can and do get effective long-term follow-up measures and have access to comprehensive continuing services.

08/19/2015

Community Open House! Compass Behavioral Health would like to invite the community to Compass Health Connection’s Open House, on Wednesday August 26th from 4:30 to 6:30pm. We are located at 531 Campusview Street in Garden City. Compass Health Connection is a “health home” environment that was developed as a KanCare Health Home in August of 2014. Compass Health Connection provides coordination of physical and behavioral health care for people with chronic conditions.
Recently we have completed a renovation to the Compass Health Connection Department and added additional exam rooms and office space. This space will offer extra room for patient care. In addition to that Sunflower Health Foundation has provided us with funds to transform our connecting central courtyard space into an outdoor exercise area, children’s play area, gardening area and relaxation spot.
At Compass Health Connection we focus on the whole person and assist individuals to manage their health conditions while achieving overall wellness. It is a holistic approach to care for both physical and behavioral concerns. Among our superior staff are Laurel Lahita, Psychiatric APRN and Mary Anne Cook, Family Medicine APRN, we offer accomplished providers with many years of experience and expertise.
Please join us as we celebrate our expanded department and share with the community our unique view of Whole-Person Wellness!

03/13/2015

02/17/2015

Coping with life's pressures

Heart disease has many other mind-body connections that you should consider. Prolonged stress due to the pressures at home, on the job, or from other sources can contribute to abnormally high blood pressure and circulation problems. As with many other diseases, the effects vary from person to person. Some people use stress as a motivator while others may "snap" at the slightest issue.

How you handle stress also influences how your cardiovascular system responds. Studies have shown that if stress makes you angry or irritable, you're more likely to have heart disease or a heart attack. In fact, the way you respond to stress may be a greater risk factor for heart problems than smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

A downward spiral

Then there's depression, the persistent feeling of sadness and despair that can isolate you from the rest of the world. In its severest form, clinical depression, this condition can not only increase the risk of heart disease but also worsen an existing condition.

Research shows that while approximately 20 percent of us experience an episode of depression in our lifetimes, the figure climbs to 50 percent among people with heart disease. Long-term studies reveal that men and women diagnosed with clinical depression are more than twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease or suffer a heart attack. In addition, heart patients are three times as likely to be depressed at any given time than the population as a whole.

And happy people have healthier levels of fibrinogen and cortisol in their blood, making them less vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and other ailments.

Left untreated, depression can put you at substantially greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. In fact, clinically depressed people are twice as more likely to suffer a heart attack as long as 10 years after the initial depressive episode.

The struggle to rebound

Depression can also complicate the aftermath of a heart attack, stroke, or invasive procedure such as open-heart surgery. The immediate shock of coming so close to death is compounded by the prospect of a long recuperation, as well as the fear that another, potentially more serious event could occur without warning.

The result is often feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and diminished self-esteem. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), up to 65 percent of coronary heart disease patients with a history of heart attack experience various forms of depression. Though such emotions are not unusual, they should be addressed as quickly as possible. Major depression can complicate the recovery process and actually worsen your condition. Prolonged depression in patients with cardiovascular disease has been shown to contribute to subsequent heart attacks and strokes.

What you can do

Although heart disease is a serious condition that requires constant monitoring, there are many things you can do to reduce your risk for cardiovascular problems and live a full, active life, even if you should suffer a heart attack.

Talk to your doctor. No two people are alike, and some treatment or risk reduction strategies may be inappropriate or even harmful if you attempt to do too much too quickly.


Avoid trying to fix every problem at once, if possible. Focus instead on changing one existing habit (e.g., eating habits, inactive lifestyle). Set a reasonable initial goal and work toward meeting it.


Don't ignore the symptoms of depression. Feelings of sadness or emptiness, loss of interest in ordinary or pleasurable activities, reduced energy, and eating and sleep disorders are just a few of depression's many warning signs. If they persist for more than two weeks, discuss these issues with your heart doctor. It may be that a psychologist working in collaboration with your physician would be beneficial.


Identify the sources of stress in your life and look for ways to reduce and manage them. Seeing a professional like a psychologist to learn to manage stress is helpful not only for preventing heart disease, but also for speeding recovery from heart attacks when used along with structured exercise programs and other intensive lifestyle changes.


Enlist the support of friends, family, and work associates. Talk with them about your condition and what they can do to help. Social support is particularly critical for overcoming feelings of depression and isolation during recovery from a heart attack.


If you feel overwhelmed by the challenge of managing the behaviors associated with heart disease, consult a qualified psychologist. He or she can help develop personal strategies for setting and achieving reasonable health improvement goals, as well as building on these successes to accomplish other more ambitious objectives. A psychologist can also help clarify the diagnosis of depression and work with the physician to devise a suitable treatment program.


The American Psychological Association gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Sara Weiss, PhD, and Nancy Molitor, PhD.

02/02/2015

February Is Heart Health Month... get the facts about heart disease

Heart Disease Facts
•Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.1
•About 600,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.1
•Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 people annually.1
•In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds. Each minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event.2
•Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial/ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders and American Indians or Alaska Natives, heart disease is second only to cancer.3
•Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year.4 This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Risk Factors

High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking are key heart disease risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors.5

Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:
•Diabetes
•Overweight and obesity
•Poor diet
•Physical inactivity
•Excessive alcohol use

01/23/2015

“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected” Brian Tracy

01/02/2015

People around the world wipe their slates clean as the new year begins Jan. 1, 2015, and, as part of that process, many will also make resolutions to improve themselves in 2014. However, some residents of Garden City are not wholly sold on the idea of linking goals to New Year’s.
Lisa Southern, Director, Compass Behavioral Health, is among them.
“I see, time after time, that people do not follow through with the resolutions they make,” she said. “I believe more in people making a lifestyle change instead of trying to make it more of a New Year’s resolution.”
Southern said there is certain hype around the New Year’s resolution.
“They are doing it because this thing called the New Year’s resolution exists, not because they are ready to make the change and are ready to commit to the change,” she said.
Because that readiness and commitment are not present in the first place, Southern continued, they do not follow through with it and then they end up feeling bad or not making the long-term change they could have if they considered a lifestyle change, not a New Year’s resolution.
“You can make a lifestyle change any time of the year, not necessarily Jan. 1,” she added.
Southern believes people are not as likely to follow through on resolutions they are not mentally prepared to actually change.
“For instance, people get hooked on a fat diet and call it a resolution. Then when they lose the weight and they haven’t made other changes in their life, like reducing their stress or developing healthy eating, they stop the fat diet and the weight just comes back on.”
Making New Year’s resolutions is a personal choice, Southern said. If people choose to make them, they should explore their motives and understand why they are choosing to make that particular change.
Sarah Tighe, a fitness instructor at the Garden City Recreation Commission, is also among those who don’t set goals tied to the beginning of the year. She has goals, of course, but leaves herself free to set them any time of the year.
Tighe said if she has something to work towards all the time, then she does not have to feel so much pressure towards the beginning of the year.
“Usually at the beginning of the year, there are a lot of New Year’s resolutioners who come in and want to set goals, whether to lose weight or to be healthier, stress management, work on their cholesterol or blood pressure,” Tighe said, adding that exercise is a great way to do that, not only for the physical fitness part but also to manage stress.
“Being able to meet with those people and helping them meet those goals is always awesome,” she added.
Tighe’s sets short term goals…like finishing a race.
“The nice thing about races is just completing them,” she said. “That is the same as hitting my goal.”
GCRC Superintendent, John Washington doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions either, but does set goals throughout the year. He keeps them simple. Remembering to hold the door open for an elderly person, smiling at a child or calling his father more often than once a month, for example.
“I just pick those things I know I can actually accomplish,” he said. “Most people think of bigger things but I can get 20 of mine done, and you are still working on No. 1. I keep them small.”
According to the Marist Poll, 44 percent of Americans are “very likely or somewhat likely to make a New Year’s resolution” for 2015. Similar to last year, younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to resolve to change.
The poll reported that 56 percent of those younger than 45, compared with 33 percent of those 45 and older, plan to make a change to their lifestyle.
“Similar proportions of men, 43 percent, and women, 44 percent, are, at least, somewhat likely to make a resolution,” it asserted.
The poll went on to reveal that weight loss is the top resolution this year, cited by 13 percent of Americans who vowed to make a change in 2015. Exercising more follows with 10 percent, while 9 percent want to be a better person and 8 percent mentioned improving their health.
Smoking cessation, spending less and saving more money, and eating healthier rounds had 7 percent each, rounding out the top-tier in the complete list of 2015 New Year’s resolutions.
The top resolutions for 2014 were spending less and saving more, being a better person, and exercising more, each with 12 percent. Weight loss came in fourth with 11 percent, while health improvements, eating healthier, and smoking cessation each received 8 percent among those likely to make a resolution in 2014.
Nationally, among adults who reported making a 2014 resolution, 59 percent kept their resolution for, at least, part of the year, while 41 percent said they did not. This is a change from the previous year. Among those who made a resolution for 2013, 72 percent kept their word.
People around the world wipe their slates clean as the new year begins Jan. 1, 2015, and, as part of that process, many will also make resolutions to improve themselves in 2014. However, some residents of Garden City are not wholly sold on the idea of linking goals to New Year’s.
Lisa Southern, Director, Compass Behavioral Health, is among them.
“I see, time after time, that people do not follow through with the resolutions they make,” she said. “I believe more in people making a lifestyle change instead of trying to make it more of a New Year’s resolution.”
Southern said there is certain hype around the New Year’s resolution.
“They are doing it because this thing called the New Year’s resolution exists, not because they are ready to make the change and are ready to commit to the change,” she said.
Because that readiness and commitment are not present in the first place, Southern continued, they do not follow through with it and then they end up feeling bad or not making the long-term change they could have if they considered a lifestyle change, not a New Year’s resolution.
“You can make a lifestyle change any time of the year, not necessarily Jan. 1,” she added.
Southern believes people are not as likely to follow through on resolutions they are not mentally prepared to actually change.
“For instance, people get hooked on a fat diet and call it a resolution. Then when they lose the weight and they haven’t made other changes in their life, like reducing their stress or developing healthy eating, they stop the fat diet and the weight just comes back on.”
Making New Year’s resolutions is a personal choice, Southern said. If people choose to make them, they should explore their motives and understand why they are choosing to make that particular change.
Sarah Tighe, a fitness instructor at the Garden City Recreation Commission, is also among those who don’t set goals tied to the beginning of the year. She has goals, of course, but leaves herself free to set them any time of the year.
Tighe said if she has something to work towards all the time, then she does not have to feel so much pressure towards the beginning of the year.
“Usually at the beginning of the year, there are a lot of New Year’s resolutioners who come in and want to set goals, whether to lose weight or to be healthier, stress management, work on their cholesterol or blood pressure,” Tighe said, adding that exercise is a great way to do that, not only for the physical fitness part but also to manage stress.
“Being able to meet with those people and helping them meet those goals is always awesome,” she added.
Tighe’s sets short term goals…like finishing a race.
“The nice thing about races is just completing them,” she said. “That is the same as hitting my goal.”
GCRC Superintendent, John Washington doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions either, but does set goals throughout the year. He keeps them simple. Remembering to hold the door open for an elderly person, smiling at a child or calling his father more often than once a month, for example.
“I just pick those things I know I can actually accomplish,” he said. “Most people think of bigger things but I can get 20 of mine done, and you are still working on No. 1. I keep them small.”
According to the Marist Poll, 44 percent of Americans are “very likely or somewhat likely to make a New Year’s resolution” for 2015. Similar to last year, younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to resolve to change.
The poll reported that 56 percent of those younger than 45, compared with 33 percent of those 45 and older, plan to make a change to their lifestyle.
“Similar proportions of men, 43 percent, and women, 44 percent, are, at least, somewhat likely to make a resolution,” it asserted.
The poll went on to reveal that weight loss is the top resolution this year, cited by 13 percent of Americans who vowed to make a change in 2015. Exercising more follows with 10 percent, while 9 percent want to be a better person and 8 percent mentioned improving their health.
Smoking cessation, spending less and saving more money, and eating healthier rounds had 7 percent each, rounding out the top-tier in the complete list of 2015 New Year’s resolutions.
The top resolutions for 2014 were spending less and saving more, being a better person, and exercising more, each with 12 percent. Weight loss came in fourth with 11 percent, while health improvements, eating healthier, and smoking cessation each received 8 percent among those likely to make a resolution in 2014.
Nationally, among adults who reported making a 2014 resolution, 59 percent kept their resolution for, at least, part of the year, while 41 percent said they did not. This is a change from the previous year. Among those who made a resolution for 2013, 72 percent kept their word.

01/02/2015

Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
•Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
•Cough
•Sore throat
•Runny or stuffy nose
•Muscle or body aches
•Headaches
•Fatigue (tiredness)
•Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

* It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

Flu Complications

Most people who get influenza will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu, some of which can be life-threatening and result in death.

Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus and ear infections are examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may experience worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.

People at High Risk from Flu

Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems related to the flu can happen at any age, but some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women, and young children.

12/31/2014

What do you wish for your family in 2015? Less yelling? More time together? A chaos-free home? Dr. Phil shares eight resolutions that every family should consider making.

1. Take inventory and prioritize.
If you want to turn chaos into harmony and rhythm in your household, you have to be willing to challenge everything. Nothing is sacred. You may have to change your lifestyle, rearrange your schedule or drop some of your commitments in order to fully benefit your family. Are your children involved in too many activities? Are you so busy you never have time alone with your spouse? Ask yourself what's really important to you and your family.

2. Recognize what you're doing to contribute to the problem.
You may be very loving and well-intended, but you could be making critical mistakes. Are you a control freak? Do you never say no even when you're overscheduled? Do you ever have time to sit and enjoy your children? Think about what changes could start with you.

3. Learn to delegate.
Oftentimes, mothers take it all on themselves when their children are old enough to lend a helping hand. You can't do everything. Divide up the labor and responsibilities so you're not so worn out all the time. Give your kids specific tasks that they can each be responsible for. Your kids will appreciate it. It'll make them feel helpful, and you'll have more to give them in return.

4. Eat meals together as a family.
If everyone has a different schedule and you don't ever gather together for a family meal, you are missing an important part of a cohesive family. Make a commitment to sit down for a family meal as often as you can. Everyone needs to get around the dinner table and talk about the day. Turn the TV and phones off, and turn the chaos down. You can enjoy this time together, laughing and talking.

5. Create family rituals.
Plan something fun for everyone to look forward to, like game night once a week. It can be a time to de-stress, decompress, relax and have fun together without the TV on or the phone ringing. Do your children like to bake? You could have a weekly baking night. Find special things to do every holiday or birthday. Your kids may roll their eyes, but they'll be grateful for the time together.

6. Schedule family meetings.
Taking just a short amount of time to gather and calmly talk about the week, what's coming, what's expected, and to ask questions can really bond a family. It's also a good time to organize the schedule, work out family problems and allow everyone to be heard.

7. Make each child feel special.
Make a commitment to have "dates" with each of your kids. Find one thing you can do that's unique to each child that you don't do with the other kids. While family time is critical, the time you spend with each child individually is also vital to who they become as adults.

8. Nurture your relationship with your spouse.
One of the most important things you can do for your children is to take care of the relationship between their mom and dad. Don't stop being friends and lovers because you've become parents. Schedule in date night for just the two of you regularly in the new year. Remember why you fell in love in the first place.