Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

A study of more than 83,000 questionnaires by women ages 50-79, found more than 25% developed irregular heart rhythms, known as atrial fibrillation, which may increase their risk for stroke and heart failure. After menopause an estimated 1 in 4 women may develop irregular heart rhythms -- known as atrial fibrillation -- in their lifetime, with stressful life events and insomnia being major contributing factors, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. Atrial fibrillation may lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure or other cardiovascular complications. It primarily affects older adults, and more than 12 million people in the U.S. are expected to develop atrial fibrillation by 2030, according to the American Heart Association. "In my general cardiology practice, I see many postmenopausal women with picture perfect physical health who struggle with poor sleep and negative psychological emotional feelings or experience, which we now know may put them at risk for developing atrial fibrillation," said lead study author Susan X. Zhao, M.D., a cardiologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California. "I strongly believe that in addition to age, genetic and other heart-health related risk factors, psychosocial factors are the missing piece to the puzzle of the genesis of atrial fibrillation." Researchers reviewed data from more than 83,000 questionnaires by women ages 50-79 from the Women's Health Initiative, a major U.S. study. Participants were asked a series of questions in key categories: stressful life events, their sense of optimism, social support and insomnia. Questions about stressful life events addressed topics such as loss of a loved one; illness; divorce; financial pressure; and domestic, verbal, physical or sexual abuse. Questions about sleeping habits focused on if participants had trouble falling asleep, wake up several times during the night and overall sleep quality, for example. Questions about participants' outlook on life and social supports addressed having friends to talk with during and about difficult or stressful situations; a sense of optimism such as believing good things are on the horizon; and having help with daily chores. During approximately a decade of follow-up, the study found: "The heart and brain connection has been long established in many conditions," Zhao said. "Atrial fibrillation is a disease of the electrical conduction system and is prone to hormonal changes stemming from stress and poor sleep. These common pathways likely underpin the association between stress and insomnia with atrial fibrillation." Researchers noted that stressful life events, poor sleep and feelings, such as depression, anxiety or feeling overwhelmed by one's circumstances, are often interrelated. It's difficult to know whether these factors accumulate gradually over the years to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation as women age. Chronic stress has not been consistently associated with atrial fibrillation, and the researchers note that a limitation of their study is that it relied on patient questionnaires utilized at the start of the study. Stressful life events, however, though significant and traumatic, may not be long lasting, Zhao notes. Further research is needed to confirm these associations and evaluate whether customized stress-relieving interventions may modify atrial fibrillation risk. Study details and background:

On Monday, Santa Clara Valley Healthcare in California began notifying 43,000 patients about their eligibility for billing corrections and refunds. The health system includes a network of primary and specialty clinics as well as three acute care hospitals — one of which, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, is the largest public hospital in California. The system’s new patient outreach effort is a result of a lawsuit filed against Santa Clara County in 2019 and settled in June. The suit had to with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s alleged failure to inform patients about its programs for charity care — which refers to free or discounted care provided to low-income patients who do not qualify for third party payer programs like Medicaid or Medicare. Three former patients of the hospital filed the complaint, charging that the county did not tell them about the hospital’s charity care policies during their hospitalization or after their discharge. This led them to be sent to collections for bills ranging from $8,000 to $35,000 between 2013 and 2017, the lawsuit said. At the time of her hospitalization, one of the plaintiffs was an uninsured single mother of two. Another was uninsured and primarily Spanish-speaking, and the third patient was homeless. As part of its settlement for the lawsuit, Santa Clara County will send notices to patients whose bills were sent to collections between October 28, 2018, and December 31, 2021 informing them that their bills can be re-reviewed for full discounts, partial discounts or refund eligibility. Patients who receive this letter will have 65 days to return a form confirming their interest in applying for a bill correction. After that, they will have an additional 150 days to complete their application, which involves submitting documents and verifying personal information. By settling the lawsuit, Santa Clara County also vowed to establish better policies at its hospitals to ensure patients are aware of its charity care programs and how to apply for discounted care, the county said in a statement. To begin enacting this change, the county will start sending out informational notices to all its patients who may be eligible for charity care. Going forward, the notices will be given to patients during their hospitalization or mailed within a few days of their discharge. The informational sheets, which will be available in eight languages, will educate patients about how they can qualify for free or discounted care. Additionally, the notices will inform patients that the county can help them with payment assistance form and applications for state-sponsored health insurance, such as Medi-Cal. The notices will also tell patients that they can apply for financial assistance at any time in the collections process. “These newly implemented outreach efforts, combined with our current programs, multilingual approaches, and recent state-initiated efforts, will allow us to better serve those most in need,” Paul Lorenz, CEO of Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, said in a statement. California requires all of its acute care hospitals to provide charity care. In 2020, Santa Clara County’s board approved a program that provides free care to hospital patients whose annual household income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty line, as well as significantly discounted payments for those whose income is between 401% and 650% of the poverty line.

Nonprofit Foundation "By Stroke Survivors for Stroke Survivors" Wins Gold Medal for Website Publishing, and Silver Medal for Self-Help Booklet Series for Stroke Survivors SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Champion the Challenges, a nonprofit foundation committed to Inspiring Stroke Survivors, has been awarded a Gold Medal for Website Publishing and a Silver Medal for a Nonfiction Book Series by the IPPY Awards, the country's leading awards program for the recognition of independent publishers. "Champion the Challenges is extremely proud to earn these 2023 IPPY Medals for Website Publishing and Nonfiction Book Series, as these awards reflect the best in independent publishing each year," said Deb Shaw, Co-Founder and President of Champion the Challenges. "We have worked hard to share our booklets and Stroke Survivor stories for free with more stroke trauma units at area hospitals including Good Samaritan, Stanford Medicine Health Care, El Camino Health, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Regional Medical Center, and O'Connor Hospital, so this recognition for quality independent publishing will help us drive greater awareness and demand for these booklets and services." Champion the Challenges has published 13 self-help booklets for stroke survivors and their families, which are available in hard copies and e-book format on the Foundation's award-winning website. They distribute the booklets for free to area therapists, nurses, and families to share with stroke survivors. The booklet series includes such popular titles as, "Exercise Your Recall," "A Happier You," and "Words of Inspiration," and many more Quick Read Booklets TM to help stroke survivors facilitate their own self-improvement efforts. The booklets are also available in audio versions directly from the website, read by Deb Shaw, a three-time stroke survivor herself. The Independent Publisher Book Awards were conceived in 1996 as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry. The awards are open to independent authors and publishers worldwide who produce books intended for an English-speaking audience. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles published each year. The IPPY Awards reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. Independent spirit and expertise come from publishers of all sizes and budgets and books are judged with that in mind. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to winners in national subject categories, regional categories, and e-book categories. The IPPY Awards annual contest is organized by Jenkins Group Inc., a publishing services firm based in Traverse City, Michigan. For more information about the 2023 IPPY Award medalists, please visit: For Media Inquiries: Lumina Communications for championthechallenges.org [email protected] SOURCE Champion the Challenges