When Roman Reznik, M.D., talks about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), he stresses two major points for the public to consider.

Dr. Reznik, who sees patients at St. Rose Health Center, took the opportunity to share a bit of advice during November, which is COPD Awareness Month.

He is based at Hays Medical Center but cares for patients at St. Rose once a month; his nurse practitioner also visits St. Rose monthly. They are here on different days.

“The take-away message about COPD has two key points,” Dr. Reznik said. “First, smokers are at high risk for COPD. And second, if you think you may have COPD, make an appointment with your primary-care physician who can refer you to a pulmonologist if necessary.

“Sometimes people assume a breathing problem is COPD, which it might be. However,” he noted, “it could be something different. It could be asthma, heart-related or a variety of other things.”

COPD symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and/or sputum production.

The disease can lead to difficulty walking short distances and an inability to perform other activities of daily living such as climbing stairs.

In addition to smokers, other at-risk populations include welders; older farmers who drove tractors without cabs; and industrial workers that use certain chemicals on the job.

Pulmonologists rely on breathing tests and x-rays to determine if the problem really is COPD or something else.

“These are the basic diagnostic tools that help us decide what action to take,” Dr. Reznik said. “The tests are performed right here at St. Rose. This is great for local and area patients because they don’t have far to travel.”

In most cases, COPD is treated with medications that could involve inhalers or nebulizers.

Dr. Reznik suggested that those who have COPD, or are at risk, should consider the flu vaccine and pneumonia shot.

“These folks have a higher risk of developing infections,” he explained. “Bad lungs tend to do poorly with infections.”

COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States; it kills more than 120,000 people annually.

“We will see even more of this in the next 10 to 15 years,” Dr. Reznik said. “This is because of heavy smoking in the 1980s and 90s. It takes time to develop COPD.”

About one-fourth of Dr. Reznik’s patients have COPD. Others have conditions such as lung cancer, asthma, shortness of breath or a persistent cough.

St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, Imaging, Cardiac Rehab, Physical Therapy, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.

The new member of the St. Rose Family Medicine team brings with her to the position more than seven years of experience in a variety of health-care settings.

Haley Gleason, advanced practice registered nurse, recently arrived at St. Rose where she sees patients of all ages; she is accepting new patients.

“I care for and treat many acute conditions such as the common cold, sore throat and the flu,” Gleason said. “But I also see patients who need chronic-disease management. This includes those who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and diabetes.”

In addition, Gleason provides women’s health services such as pap tests and breast exams. She also treats minor injuries, some dermatology patients and those who need wound care.

Gleason noted she has been impressed with the services, personnel and the facility itself at St. Rose.

“This building is beautiful,” she commented. “It is awesome that all the different resources and services are right here under one roof.”

In addition to St. Rose Family Medicine, these services include MRIs and CAT scans in the Imaging Department, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, Physical Therapy, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and the St. Rose/HaysMed Specialty Clinic.

“And to top it off,” Gleason said, “the people here have been extremely friendly. I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming atmosphere – from the front desk to housekeeping to the nurses and everyone else.”

Gleason began her career at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita where she cared for patients in the hospitalist unit and neonatal intensive care. She also was a traveling nurse serving in Knoxville, Tenn., Los Angeles and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

Most recently, Gleason worked in the Orthopedic Institute at Hays Medical Center.

Gleason earned her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing at Fort Hays State University in 2009, and her master’s of science in nursing at the University of Cincinnati this year.

She is board certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and licensed by the Kansas State Board of Nursing.

Gleason and her husband, Sean, live in Great Bend. Her parents are Steve and Deb Webster; Stephanie is her sister.

St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, Imaging, Cardiac Rehab, Physical Therapy, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.

Those who have been diagnosed with heart failure may benefit from a four-session support group at St. Rose Health Center.

The free weekly sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon beginning Nov. 22 at St. Rose; use the south entrance. The other dates are Nov. 29, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12; the time and location are the same.

Kristin Steele and Melanie Krier, both St. Rose registered nurses, will lead the discussions.

“We understand heart patients have many questions after their cardiac event,” said Steele, who cares for patients in St. Rose’s Cardiac Rehab Department. “They receive tons of new information when released from the hospital, and inevitably, questions arise. We want to provide answers.”

Heart failure is diagnosed when the heart is not pumping well enough to keep up with the body’s demands. Steele said medical science has made many strides in the treatment of the disease.

Proper follow-up care is crucial to recovery, Steele noted, adding the support-group setting will provide guidance to patients and caregivers.

“Seventy percent of re-admissions to a hospital are preventable,” she commented. “This is because it is easy to overlook specific information about medications, blood-pressure control and lifestyle changes.

“When people are overwhelmed with information, they don’t immediately know the right questions to ask,” she explained. “But when they are feeling a little better and have time to review recovery guidelines, they realize they need advice.”

Support-group participants will learn from one another and realize they are not alone, Steele said.

“In this kind of give-and-take setting, we anticipate patients can more easily retain the information,” Steele noted. “It is much better than reading several pieces of paper with a lot of instructions.

“With proper medications, a heart-healthy diet and exercise, people are living longer with a good quality of life,” she added. “We notice patients feel empowered when they realize they are in control of their recovery.”

St. Rose is a member of the Kansas Heart Stroke Collaborative, which supplied the funding for the nurses’ training as support-group facilitators. St. Rose, Hays Medical Center and the University of Kansas Hospital are partners with other Kansas facilities in the collaborative. The goal is to improve outcomes for heart and stroke patients.

St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, Imaging, Cardiac Rehab, Physical Therapy, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.