Lake Country Weekend Post

2 • LAKE COUNTRY POST • MARCH 26, 2016 GMTODAY.COM HEALTH Rogers names new director of adolescent residential program By Eric Oliver Enterprise Staff OCONOMOWOC — The FOCUS adolescent mood disorders program at Rogers Memorial Hospital has a new director who is hoping to continue the trend of helping as many patients as possible. Dr. Peggy Scallon was recently appointed medical director of the program. Her primary role is to pro- vide medical oversight of services offered and ensure that quality and effective care are at its forefront. "I'm thrilled to join the Rogers team because of Rogers' outstanding reputa- tion for providing excellent patient care," Scallon said. "The Rogers professionals are innovative medical leaders, who are known as teachers and advocates in the field — I couldn't be more proud to contribute to the Rogers mission." Scallon said Rogers is at the forefront of the indus- try when it comes to the medical staff, facilities and philosophy toward care. "I just couldn't refuse," Scallon said. "It seems like such an exciting place to work. " Scallon has more than 20 years of psychiatric experi- ence, primarily in child and adolescent treatment. She was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin- Madison and ear ned her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She then completed her residency in general psychiatry at the University of Colorado Hospital and completed a residency in child psychia- try at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. Before accepting the position at Rogers she was the director of residen- cy training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Scallon's career and her passion for pediatric psy- chiatric medicine almost never happened. When she was first in medical school, she was going to focus on pediatric medicine. Then a rotation in psychiatry changed her career choice permanently. "I just loved it," Scallon said. "I loved hearing their stories, developing relation- ships with patients and having the ability to spend more time really under- standing the suffering they were experiencing." Scallon said she is going to continue leading the pro- gram down the successful path it already follows. She wants to help ensure every patient in the program sees positive growth and improved mental health. "I hope to create a thera- peutic space for kids to recover and thrive," Scallon said. To create those spaces, Scallon and the FOCUS pro- gram structure care around therapeutic experiences and activities. The team at Rogers is creating treat- ment plans that incorpo- rate what kids love and builds on them to help them stay mentally healthy. "It's showing kids how to activate and how to shut off screen time and connect with peers," Scallon said. "(It's about them) being social and feeling produc- tive." For Scallon the job boils down to ensuring young people and their families will have long, beneficial and successful lives all cen- tered around positive men- tal health. Scallon has also received many awards and acknowl- edgements for her dedica- tion to mental health advo- cacy, including a "Top Doc" award from Madison Magazine, according to a release. Knowing the importance of raising awareness and collaborating with others in the field, she has lec- tured in multiple local, national and international locations for professional and public audiences. The state of mental health Scallon said the public's perception of mental health has been changing gradually over the past few decades. Mental health is quickly becoming a corner- stone in medicine. "I that there is a trend towards an increased inter- est in wellness, health and happy psychology," Scallon said. "People are under- standing that learning how to be happy is an important element of general well- ness." The stigma surrounding mental health has decreased and the field enters a time where open- ness, knowledge and infor- mation are key, Scallon said. "It's about what really helps people to be happy and healthy," Scallon said. Peggy Scallon brings love of helping adolescents to her new role Submitted photo Roger's new director of the FOCUS program Dr. Peggy Scallon. Fighting cancer with friendship By Lauren Anderson Enterprise Staff WAUKESHA — Jacqueline Perez, an outgo- ing teenager with a laugh to match, is the kind of student whose absence is noticeable. That was the case on the second day of class at Butler Middle School in the fall of 2014. Elizabeth Gould, Perez's teacher for a second year, noted her missing from class, which she found odd for the beginning of school year. The next day, whispers spread throughout Perez's close-knit dual language classroom. She was sick. She had can- cer. Preparing for a battle A month earlier, Perez had begun feeling that some- thing was off — dizziness, night sweats, chills, fatigue, fevers. When Perez went into the hospital on the sec- ond day of seventh grade, doctors initially suspected she was anemic, but after several hours of waiting, the results returned much more severe. "When my pediatrician came back, she came with an interpreter — and that's when I knew something was going to be bad — because they would have to interpret to my mom," Perez said. ".... As soon as she said it's can- cer, it felt like my heart dropped to my stomach." The following day, Gould and her co-teacher Gerardo Lemus stood in a small office room — too stunned to sit down — with Perez's father, who explained his 12- year-old girl had been diag- nosed with acute lym- phoblastic leukemia. Gould was nearly "brought to her knees" as she thought about her time with Perez and what the future would bring. "She was truly preparing for a long journey and a tough battle," Gould said. A completely new life Meanwhile, Perez geared up for her fight. She cried upon hearing the news, but after 10 minutes had a real- ization. "Why would I still cry when crying wasn't going to take anything away?" Perez said. "Being sad was going to make it worse. Showing that you're sad is what your cancer is feeding off of — that's how I think of it, so I can stay strong." Perez recalls her pediatri- cian sending her off with a hug and a gentle warning that her life was going to be entirely different from then on. "And she was completely right — my life has changed so much," Perez said. Chemotherapy began the next day. Within eight days, she had shaved her head, wanting to lose her hair all at once rather than progres- sively over time. That first year, she spent more time in the hospital than outside it. Friends and family mem- bers — some flying in from as far as Mexico — visited her continually, a source of strength for Perez through- out her treatment. "Everyone in the hospital knew me because my room was always full," Perez said. "Every single day I had so many visitors." Back in her class, Gould and Lemus stayed in touch as they could, using Facetime to include her in classroom lessons and activ- ities on her good days. Students sent her letters, small gifts and virtual cards on her birthday and special occasions. Still, it was a long year without Perez, Gould said. Back to school and bonding over cancer Perez, still receiving chemotherapy treatments, returned to Butler full time this school year. It's around that time that the school learned of anoth- er community member's medical battle. Library Media Specialist Margaret Ottenad had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Once Perez learned of Ottenad's condition, the two bonded over their shared experience. "It felt good to know that someone can actually relate," Perez said, "To know that I'm not alone in it, even at school, and she's not either. We can talk about pain — no one really under- stands the pain of losing hair unless you've gone through it too. It's nice to have someone to talk about it with." The topic of hair has been a particular point of connec- tion for the two. Perez has maintained a brave stance throughout her battle, tak- ing the loss of her hair in stride. "People told me that the worst part of cancer is los- ing your hair," she said, "but I think that's not right at all. That's the easiest thing about having cancer." But after multiple times of having her hair grow back, only to lose it again, Perez eventually got discouraged. One day she discovered her pixie cut-length hair had fallen out in the hat she was wearing. "I don't know why but that was the only time I broke down," she said. "Because I was getting so excited that my hair was coming back and it was really sad for me." Ottenad, whom students call Mrs. O, readily gave Perez her wig to try on that day. And within a few weeks, Ottenad ensured Perez was fitted for her own hair and drove her to hair appoint- ments. These days, Perez consid- ers the wig an accessory — wearing it some days and, forgoing it others for a scarf or headband. "I just like showing that I like how I am, with or with- out hair," she said. But Mrs. O's gesture has not gone unappreciated. "It's nice to see the Butler staff, that they care for me," she said. "It's like a family at school." Email: landerson@conleynet.com Butler Middle School community rallies around student with leukemia Charles Auer/Enterprise Staff Jacqueline Perez checks out Butler Middle School Library Media Specialist Margaret Ottenad's freshly-trimmed wig. Ottenad and Perez are both undergoing treatment for cancer. ProHealth offers international travel treatment options at Watertown facility WATERTOWN — ProHealth Care has expand- ed its international travel medicine services to its clinic at 109 Air Park Drive in Watertown. The international travel medicine services are designed for people travel- ing for service, business, pleasure or study. "We're finding that more people are requesting inter- national travel health care recommendations, vaccines and destination-specific information to reduce the risk of experiencing a health concern when they are away from home," said Laura Radke, who special- izes in treating infectious diseases and oversees inter- national travel medicine services. "It's best for peo- ple to include advance health care consultation in their overall travel plans. Obtaining services at least six weeks before a trip allows for needed immu- nizations and a personal- ized plan." On average, up to half of all people will experience some type of health prob- lem when traveling. Even healthy individuals can be affected by changes in altitude, humidity, tem- perature, water quality and sanitary conditions. Chronic conditions and pregnancy can pose compli- cations, as well, according to a release. The services involve a two-part process that takes approximately 45 to 60 min- utes to complete. Included in the services are: ■ An assessment of cur- rent health (medical condi- tions, allergies, immuniza- tion history) ■ An assessment of health risks associated with trip destination, dura- tion and itinerary ■ Essential health care advice (preventing and treating traveler's diarrhea and other illnesses, person- al safety, travel insurance, etc.) ■ Options for vaccination and boosters, including hepatitis A & B, yellow fever, typhoid, rabies and Japanese encephalitis ■ Necessary written materials for international travel — CDC/WHO travel infor mation, customized Travax packet, vaccine infor mation sheets and other applicable resources. Consultation appoint- ments should be scheduled at least six weeks prior to departure to allow for immunizations, if needed. To schedule an appoint- ment, call 262-928-5900. ProHealth also provides the services at 20611 Watertown Road in Waukesha. — Enterprise Staff Alzheimer's support group to hold April meeting, all welcome OCONOMOWOC — The Alzheimer's Association of Southeaster n Wisconsin sponsors caregiver support groups open to anyone car- ing for someone with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other for m of memory loss. St. Jerome Catholic Church, 995 S. Silver Lake St., is host to a caregiver support group on the first Wednesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Jennifer Harders, Alzheimer's Association Community Outreach coordinator for Waukesha County, will be a guest at the Caregiver Support Group on Wednesday, April 6. She will be available to address the concerns and questions of those attend- ing. Facilitators are Diane Becker, 262-354-4442 and Brenda Stieber, 262-569- 9027. Study: Waukesha among healthiest counties MADISON — The sev- enth annual County Health Rankings, were released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. According to the press release, Waukesha County ranked 6 out of 72 counties for health outcomes and second for health factors. The data allows each state to see how its counties com- pare on more than 30 factors that influence health includ- ing education, housing, jobs, smoking, access to healthy food, and more. According to the 2016 Rankings release, the five healthiest counties in Wisconsin, starting with most healthy, are Ozaukee, Calumet, St. Croix, Pierce, and Pepin. The five counties in the poorest health, start- ing with least healthy, are Menominee, Milwaukee, Washburn, Forest, and Sawyer. Waukesha County ranks in the top 10 percent for health outcomes and health factors. It ranks in the top quarter of Wisconsin coun- ties for health behaviors, clinical care, and social and economic factors. The release said for the past three years, Waukesha County has implemented its Community Health Improvement Plan in part- nership with Waukesha County service providers. This collaboration is aimed at identifying the primary health priorities and imple- menting strategies to address those areas. The top three issues identified and addressed are access to health care, mental health, and alcohol and other drug abuse. The Rankings are avail- able at www.county- healthrankings.org.

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