Ask the Doctor- Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke!

Check out Dr. Josh Meier on KTVN’s Ask the Doctor – Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke!

 

 

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Having a smoke detector in place is a simple, hugely effective strategy to prevent yourself from harm: Your risk of dying in a fire in your home falls by 55 percent when there’s a working smoke alarm present, per the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

And for many people, the attention-grabbing blare of a fire alarm is all you need. If you have impaired hearing, though, the din of these life-saving devices may not be an effective alert to the presence of smoke, fire or carbon monoxide.

Alarms with flashing lights, as well as special vibrating alarms designed to wake someone who’s sleeping, are available for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment.

Here’s what you need to know to ensure you have an alarm that provides you with the alert you need.

Why it matters

“Today more than ever, it’s important for residents to have the earliest possible notification of an emergency,” says Sharon Cooksey, a fire safety educator at Kidde, an alarm manufacturer.

That’s because escape time is lower now than previously needed—just two to three minutes—due to more fast-burning synthetic materials in homes, she says.

“This makes a quick evacuation a top priority,” Cooksey notes.

People at the highest risk of being harmed or dying in a fire include children, people who are under the influence of drugs/alcohol, and people with hearing loss, statistics show.

Choose a smoke alarm that’s suitable for your hearing loss

If you have high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss due to either age or noise exposure, an ordinary alarm may not give you the alert you need, says audiologist Rich Panelli of Nevada ENT.

“The risk of a normal alarm is that some produce only a high-frequency sound, and some do not produce an alarm loud enough for [people with] a severe to profound hearing loss to pick up,” Panelli says.

This is particularly significant at night, when people are likely to remove their hearing aids.

“NFPA advises that older adults or other people who are hard of hearing (those with mild to severe hearing loss) can use a device that emits a mixed, low-pitched sound,” Cooksey says.

Smoke alarms when you’re hard of hearing: Options

There are a few different options available, including:

• Strobe lights: Instead of relying simply on sound, the flash from strobe alarms gives a visual cue about dangers. If you’re counting on a strobe alarm for nighttime, when you might be asleep, look for one that has an intensity high enough to wake someone up, advises the NFPA. And be aware that older adults may be less responsive to strobe alarms, Cooksey points out.
• Vibration: Sleeping is a particularly high-risk time when it comes to fires. Fires during sleeping hours, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. account for 47 percent of fatal fires in residences, according to FEMA. Alarms that make the pillow or bed vibrate (often referred to as “bed shakers”) help wake people up.
• Interconnected alarms: “Alarms that cater to someone with severe to profound hearing lossinclude a combination of alerting devices, usually in one system,” Panelli says. With this system, when one alarm goes off, all of them do—the bed shakes, lights flash, sounds blare, and so on.

Whichever alarm system you select, make sure everyone in the house knows what signal (whether it’s light, sound, vibration, or a combo) to expect, Cooksey recommends.

What to look for in alarms for people with hearing loss

It can be helpful to connect with your hearing specialist to ask what type of alarm they believe is best-suited for your particular type of hearing loss. “When considering alerting systems, it is important to remember every patient is unique,” Panelli says.

Here’s what else to keep in mind when it comes to fire alarms:

• You need more than one. If you have several floors, you’ll need an alarm in each level (except for the attic), Cooksey says. Make sure to have one in every bedroom, she says.
• You’ll need to test them regularly. That way, you’ll know the alarm is working. Cooksey recommends a weekly test.
• Make sure the alarm is reputable. “Always look for alarms that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory, such as UL,” Cooksey recommends. You’ll find alarms that meet the UL standards for people who are deaf or hard of hearing from BRK Electronics, Gentex Corporation, Kidde Fire Safety, and Menards, Inc., notes the NFPA.

Note: This guidance is for households. People who own businesses like hotels must follow ADA laws.

CO detectors for people with hearing loss

Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a colorless, odorless gas produced from fossil-burning fuels used in furnaces, boilers, water heaters and fireplaces. Depending upon where you live, state or city laws may require you to have a working CO detector installed in your home. Even if they don’t, it’s a good idea to have one. Experts recommend installing a CO detector at least 15 feet from the entrance of each bedroom as well as one on every level of your home.

Much like smoke alarms for individuals with hearing loss, carbon monoxide detectors are available with strobe lights and vibrating devices. NFPA codes also apply to these devices, which means these appliances must emit a loud, low-frequency signal.

For more information, see the NFPA’s page on fire safety and hearing loss.

See full article here.

Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates announced April 19 that Reno Tahoe Sinus Center founder Dr. Josh Meier has been named a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Dr. Meier was among 1,993 surgeons from around the world to be initiated into the American College of Surgeons (ACS), according to a press release. Dr. Meier brings a highly specialized approach to the area, as he most-senior-fellowship trained rhinologist in Northern Nevada and Northeastern California. Dr. Meier is also the only Fellow of the American Rhinologic Society (FARS) in Nevada.

Dr. Meier is a Northern Nevada native who relocated with his family to practice medicine in his home state. He graduated from medical school from the University of Southern California at the top of his class.

Dr. Meier completed his residency training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the Harvard Combined Program in Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. He then completed a rhinology fellowship (endoscopic sinus and anterior skull base surgery) at Harvard Medical School and MEEI. In 2017, Dr. Meier founded Reno Tahoe Sinus Center.

The ACS is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery.

Its achievements have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

An applicant for Fellowship must be a graduate from an approved medical school; must have completed advanced training in one of the 14 surgical specialties recognized by the College; must possess certification by an American surgical specialty board or appropriate certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; and must have been in practice for at least one year.

Prior to admission into Fellowship, the surgeon must further demonstrate ethical fitness and professional proficiency, and his or her acceptance as a Fellow of the College must be approved by three-fourths of its Board of Regents.

Read More: https://www.nnbw.com/news/2021/apr/29/people-dr-josh-meier-named-fellow-american-college/

Dr. Josh Meier reflected on the healthcare industry and lesson learned from the pandemic.

In February 2020, we shook hands and hugged without hesitation. We packed into convention centers, meeting rooms, restaurants and concert halls — networking, talking, laughing and dancing less than six feet apart.

Then it all went away. In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic shut down Nevada and the entire nation, we started bumping elbows instead of shaking hands. We connected via Zoom rather than network in person. We relied on breweries and distilleries for hand sanitizer. We snapped up toilet paper and pasta at breakneck pace. We wore masks when we shopped.

All the while, the business community here was impacted in countless ways, big and small. Some shut down completely, others struggled to reopen, and many more found innovative ways to shift their business model to survive — and some even thrived due to a pandemic-related rise in demand.

One year later, the NNBW fielded responses from more than 20 business owners and executives in Northern Nevada — bars, banks, contractors, developers, Realtors, healthcare providers and more — to find out the biggest lessons they have learned since March 2020, and the biggest differences in how their industry now conducts business.

“There were many lessons learned last year. Our practice needed to adapt quickly and efficiently while meeting the new regulations and safety protocols. The biggest change our office made was implementing telehealth capabilities within four days to continue to provide care to our patients. Our practice didn’t offer telehealth options prior to the COVID pandemic, but we quickly realized we needed to adapt to give our patients a safer option to receive care. As with many other lessons from this pandemic, we don’t see our telehealth capabilities being discontinued.”

Read the full feature here One Year Later: Northern Nevada businesses reflect on industry shifts, lessons learned due to the pandemic. 

In compliance with Governor Sisolak’s COVID-19 guidelines, we are taking the following steps in the interest of the safety of our patients, staff, and physicians for onsite appointments. We appreciate your understanding as we work to provide the highest standard of care in the safest environment possible. Our staff is available immediately to take appointments for either in-office or telehealth visits.

• All patients will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of appointment booking, and also on both the day prior to, and the day of the visit. This screening will include a temperature check at the time of entry.
• The number of patients in the building at one time will be limited and extensive decontamination efforts in exam areas will be taken after each visit.
• All staff will wear masks at all times and we ask that patients do the same when visiting our office.
• If any patient has had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 in the 3 weeks preceding the visit, we will ask that they arrange for a telemedicine visit or see their PCP.
• We ask that those accompanying patients to our office be limited to one in the case of minors or those who need assistance only. Otherwise, we ask that only the patient themselves enter our building.

Dr. Josh Meier was featured on KTVN’s Ask The Doctor segment to discuss the loss of smell. Watch more below!

KTVN Channel 2 – Reno Tahoe Sparks News, Weather, Video

 

Dr. Josh Meier was featured on KTVN’s Ask The Doctor segment. Watch more below!

 

KTVN Channel 2 – Reno Tahoe Sparks News, Weather, Video

We are honored to be a top 10 finalist in the Hospital & Healthcare category of the Best in Business awards by the Northern Nevada Business Weekly! Thank you to our community for your support and acknowledgment.

 

Featured in the Northern Nevada Business Weekly – Keely Chevallier joins Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates. Read the full announcement below!

RENO, Nev. — Nevada ENT and Hearing Associates announced Aug. 3 that Dr. Keely Chevallier joined the Reno-based practice.

According to an Aug. 3 press release, Dr. Chevallier, a Nevada native, comes from David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, where she served as an Active Duty Air Force officer for four years, most recently as the Officer in Charge of the combined ENT, Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Clinic, and the Surgical Champion for the Hospital’s Informatics Steering Committee.

She served a tour in Afghanistan in 2018 as the only NATO forces ENT in the country. During this time, she took care of patients including U.S. Service Members, NATO forces and Afghan troops, providing care for traumatic injuries, respiratory failure and all diseases of the ears, nose, and throat.

Dr. Chevallier received a Bachelor of Arts in integrative biology from University of California, Berkeley. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Colorado, School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado and completed her residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dr. Chevallier has been a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society since 2009 and has been board certified with the American Board of Otolaryngology since 2017.