Living with urinary incontinence or uncomfortable vaginal pressure is common in women, but it doesn’t have to be tolerated or derail your life.

Join us for a discussion with Joseph Semien, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN with Memorial Medical Group. He will be live and on call to answer any questions you may have about pelvic floor dysfunction and options for treatment.

Click HERE to attend this Live & On Call!

Fall Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
1 (14 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, “no-chicken” broth (see Note) or vegetable broth
½ cup half-and-half (Optional)
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

- Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Stir in canned tomatoes (with juice). Add broth; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in half-and-half (if using), salt and pepper.

Total time:  35 min
Recipe yields: 8 servings

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 79
Total fat: 4.3 g
Saturated fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 3.8 mg
Sodium: 357.4 mg
Carbohydrates: 8.4 g
Fiber: 2.6 g
Sugar: 3.8 g
Protein: 3.8 g
View full recipe and nutrition facts, HERE.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

What should I do if I suspect someone is experiencing a crisis or is hurting?

If you believe someone needs help, we encourage you to follow the ACE (Ask, Care, Escort) suicide prevention model, with these easy-to-remember steps:

Ask – Ask, “Are you thinking of killing yourself?” Although it may feel awkward, research shows that people having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks them in a caring way.

Care – Show you care. The context of caring makes it a lot easier to ask the hard questions about suicide. By actively listening and engaging, without judgment, you are showing that you care – this might just be enough to help the person feel relief and that they are not alone.

Escort – When someone acknowledges that they are feeling suicidal or hopeless, care enough to connect them to the nearest helping resource. Do not leave them alone! If possible, separate them from methods of harm.

Click HERE to read more on suicide prevention on LCMH website.

Updated COVID Vaccine Clinic Hours

The community COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is back open from the hours of 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital on Oak Park Blvd.

The most updated vaccine boosters include components of the original virus strain and the Omicron variant. This is called a "bivalent COVID-19 vaccine" and is designed to give you broad protection against COVID-19, including better protection against the Omicron variant.

Remember: COVID-19 vaccines can help protect against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

Visit www.lcmh.com/covid19 for more updates.