A. Staphylococcus Aureus (Staph) is a bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. Methicillin-resistant Staph Aureus or MRSA is a type of Staph that is resistant to some of the antibiotics frequently used to treat infections. Sometimes Staph causes skin infections in healthy people which present as a pimple or boil. These areas appear red, swollen, may be painful and may be draining.

Michele Messam, CIC, Wooster Community Hospital Infection Preventionist, has been awarded Certification in Infection Control (CIC) by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC).

Certification is obtained by passing an examination which measures knowledge mastery of infection prevention, infection control and epidemiology. Certified CIC professionals must maintain their certification through repeat examinations every five years.

Q:  My doctor said I should quit smoking before he performs my surgery. Why is this so important?

The National Cancer institute reports that 1.2 million new cases of invasive cancer will be diagnosed this year.  Half of these patients will receive radiation therapy as part of their management; however, 5% will develop late effects of radiation.

Incontinence or the involuntary loss of urine is a common problem in both men and women.  There are several types of incontinence, namely: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, total incontinence, and overflow incontinence.  It is essential to establish the type of incontinence, as treatment is different for each type.

Stress Incontinence: