THE PRESCRITION

JANUARY 2015

VOLUME 39 ISSUE 1

January 2015

THE PRESCRIPTION
VOLUME 39

ISSUE 1
Table of Contents

Presidents Message
I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday season with your
family and friends. I would also like to thank everyone for having me
as your president for the 2015 year, I look forward to working with
each one of you and I know that we will have a successful year
ahead of us.
Our January meeting is going to be very busy. We will need to
elect our Delegates and Alternates to represent our Albemarle
Chapter at the State Conventions. We also need to set up our
committees and we need to finalize details for the Winter Seminar
that we will be hosting. I hope that everyone will be able to attend
the meeting.
I'll see you there!
Deborah Lareva, CMA AAMA
Albemarle Area President of 2015

Page 1- Presidents Message

and Next Meetings
Information
Page 2-3 Community
Acquired Pneumonia
Page 4-5 Previous Meetings
Minutes

Next Meeting Information

Place:
Owens Center Room 117
Date:
January 8, 2015
Time:
7:00 PM
Speaker:
Ashley Stoop, BA-JOMC, MPH,
Certificate in Non-Profit
Management
Topic:
Public Health Working in Your
Community
Door Prize Volunteer:

If you know of a member that

needs to be remembered, please
inform our chaplain;
Mary Cullipher, CMA (AAMA)
mgcullipher@embarqmail.com

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THE PRESCRITION

JANUARY 2015

VOLUME 39 ISSUE 1

Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a breathing (respiratory) condition in which there is an
infection of the lung. Pneumonia is a common illness that affects millions
of people each year in the United States. Germs called bacteria, viruses,
and fungi may cause pneumonia. In adults, bacteria are the most
common cause of pneumonia.
Ways you can get pneumonia include:
Bacteria and viruses living in your nose, sinuses, or mouth may spread to
your lungs.
You may breathe some of these germs directly into your lungs.
You breathe in (inhale) food, liquids, vomit, or fluids from the mouth into
your lungs (aspiration pneumonia).
Pneumonia can be caused by many types of germs.
The most common type of bacterium is Streptococcus pneumoniae
(pneumococcus).
Atypical pneumonia, often called walking pneumonia, is caused by
other bacteria.
The bacterium called Pneumocystis jiroveci can cause pneumonia in
people whose immune system is not working well.
Viruses, such as the flu virus, are also a common cause of pneumonia.
Risk factors that increase your chance of getting pneumonia include:
Chronic lung disease (COPD, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis)
Cigarette smoking
Dementia, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, or other brain disorders
Immune system problem (during cancer treatment, or due to HIV/AIDS,
organ transplant, or other diseases)
Other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, liver cirrhosis, or diabetes
mellitus
Recent surgery or trauma
Surgery to treat cancer of the mouth, throat, or neck
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of pneumonia are:

I promise you nothing is as

chaotic as it seems. Nothing is
worth diminishing your health.
Nothing is worth poisoning
yourself into stress, anxiety,
and fear.
Steve Maraboli

Our duty is wakefulness, the

fundamental condition of life
itself. The unseen, the
unheard, the untouchable is
what weaves the fabric of
our see-able universe
together.
Robin Craig Clark

Each patient carries his own

doctor inside him.
Norman Cousins

Cough (with some pneumonias you may cough up greenish or yellow

mucus, or even bloody mucus)
Fever, which may be mild or high
Shaking chills
Shortness of breath (may only occur when you climb stairs or exert
yourself)

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THE PRESCRITION

JANUARY 2015

VOLUME 39 ISSUE 1

Other symptoms include:

Confusion, especially in older people
Excess sweating and clammy skin
Headache
Loss of appetite, low energy, and fatigue
MalaisE
Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe
deeply or cough
White nail syndrome
Exams and Tests

And now we welcome the

new year, full of things that
have never been
Rainer Maria Rilke

The health care provider will listen for crackles or abnormal breath
sounds when listening to your chest with a stethoscope. Tapping on
your chest wall (percussion) helps the health care provider listen
and feel for abnormal sounds in your chest.
The health care provider will likely order a chest x-ray if pneumonia
is suspected.
Other tests that may be ordered include:

For last year's words belong

to last year's language
And next year's words await
another voice.
And to make an end is to
make a beginning."
T.S. Eliot

A further sign of health is that

we don't become undone by
fear and trembling, but we
take it as a message that it's
time to stop struggling and
look directly at what's
threatening us.
Pema Chdrn

Arterial blood gases to see if enough oxygen is getting into your

blood from the lungs
Blood and sputum cultures to look for the germ that may be
causing the pneumonia
CBC to check white blood cell count
CT scan of the chest
Bronchoscopy--a flexible tube with a lighted camera on the end
passed down to your lungs
Thoracentesis--removing fluid from the space between the
outside lining of the lungs and the chest wall
Pleural fluid culture if there is fluid in the space around the lungs
Treatment
Your doctor must first decide whether you need to be in the
hospital. If you are treated in the hospital, you will receive:
Fluids and antibiotics through your veins
Oxygen therapy
Breathing treatments (possibly)
It is important that you are started on antibiotics very soon after you
are admitted. If you have viral pneumonia, you will not receive
antibiotics. This is because antibiotics do not kill viruses. You will
receive other medicines, especially if you have the flu.

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THE PRESCRITION

JANUARY 2015

VOLUME 39 ISSUE 1

MEETING MINUTES
December 2014
The Albemarle Area Medical Assistants December meeting was held on December 4 at the College of the
Albemarle Owens Center in Room OC117. The meeting was called to order by President Sharon Godfrey at 7:04
PM.
Chapter Chaplain Mary Cullipher, CMA (AAMA) gave the invocation.
Parliamentarian Grace Overton, LPN, CMA-C (AAMA) declared there was a quorum.
Cindy Hall introduced the speaker, Alethia Keaton. Ms. Keaton spoke on Medicare Requirements for Face-toFace Home Visits.
A motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes was made by Alethia Keaton and was seconded by Stella
Gallop. Motion was carried. Minutes were filed as presented with no corrections.
The Treasurers Report for December was presented by Treasurer Shavonna Boone, CMA (AAMA). The net worth
was reported at $4,633.59.
Appointed Officer Reports:
Chaplain [Mary Cullipher, CMA (AAMA)]: Debbie Anderson's mother-in-law passed away, and a card was sent
to her. Stephanie Loftus' father passed away this morning.
Parliamentarian [Grace Overton, LPN, CMA-C (AAMA)]: No report.
Committee Reports:
Budget and Finance [Shavonna Boone, CMA (AAMA)]: No report.
Bylaws [Stella Gallop, CMA-AC (AAMA)]: No report.
Education and Certification [Cindy Hall, CMA (AAMA), CPC]: Nothing concrete at the moment.
Health Careers [Amber Meads, CMA (AAMA)]: Absent. Reported via Rebecca that 4 scholarship applications
were received and a decision will be made in January.
Historian [Debbie Jones, CMA (AAMA)]: Absent, no report.
Hospitality [Debbie Anderson, LPN, CMA (AAMA)]: Absent, no report.
Membership [Rebecca Walker, CMA (AAMA), CPC, BS]: Membership applications have been passed out to
the current class of students.
Newsletter [Sara VanHorn, CMA (AAMA)]: No report.
Nominating Committee [Alethia Keaton]: No report.
Publicity [Betty Lilly, CMA (AAMA)]: The notice was not in the paper, but the article for Tempo was submitted.

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THE PRESCRITION

JANUARY 2015

VOLUME 39 ISSUE 1

MEETING MINUTES
December 2014
Ways and Means [Stella Gallop, CMA-AC (AAMA)]: We are working on the Winter Seminar. The CEUs for the
Winter Seminar (5 CEUs) have been approved.
Unfinished Business:
2015 Winter Seminar: Rough draft of the seminar program is prepared. Mary will be providing an update on the
snacks for the breaks at the January meeting. Alethia has 2 confirmed vendors, and has a few other "asks" out.
The possibility of doing door prizes for the Winter Seminar was discussed. Everyone was requested to bring 1 item
for a basket.
New Business:
Meeting Date Change: Due to the first Thursday of January being a holiday, January 1, Stella Gallop motioned
to move the date to January 8. Seconded by Betty Lilly. Motion carried.
Rebecca Walker made a motion that we donate $200 to Albemarle Hopeline in the spirit of the season. Cindy
Hall seconded. Motion carried.
Sharon Godfrey gave a heartfelt thank you for the Chapter's support in her year as President, and wished the
incoming officers well.
Rebecca Walker and Stella Gallop performed the Installation Ceremony for the 2015 Officers.
The President's theme for 2015 will be Gems. The following officers were elected:
President: Deborah Lareva, CMA (AAMA)
President-Elect: Cindy Hall, CMA (AAMA), CPC
Vice President: Sara VanHorn, CMA (AAMA)
Secretary: Amanda Everett, CMA (AAMA)
Treasurer: Stephanie Reppy, CMA (AAMA)
Deborah Lareva addressed the Chapter and thanked everyone for their support and confidence in her for the
coming year.
Door Prize was won by Alethia Keaton.
Motion was made to close the meeting by Stella Gallop and was seconded by Alethia Keaton.
Motion was carried and meeting was adjourned at 8:18 PM with the reading of the Medical Assistants Creed.

Submitted by: Amanda Everett, CMA (AAMA)

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