Health Briefs

MountainView Hospital has launched a robotic surgery program that includes the advanced technology of a da Vinci Si HD Surgical System, the first of its kind in Nevada.

MountainView said in a statement that robotically assisted surgery is a minimally invasive approach that can be used to treat a number of medical conditions, including prostate, colon, throat and gynecologic cancer. MountainView Hospital, a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, is also the first hospital in Southern Nevada to offer robotically assisted surgical weight loss.

“The many benefits of robotic surgery, coupled with our expert team of physicians and staff, will help us to provide the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Will Wagnon, CEO of MountainView Hospital. “This program is further proof of MountainView’s commitment to offering our community the latest advancements in minimally invasive surgery.”

More information about the program is available at www.MountainView-Hospital.com.

Sunrise Hospital ranked No. 1 for a second consecutive year

Sunrise Hospital has been ranked the top hospital in Las Vegas in U.S. News Media & World Report’s 2011-2012 Best Hospitals, the second consecutive year it has been recognized in this category.

“We are thrilled to be recognized,” Sylvia Young, President and CEO for Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, said in a statement. “This honor is attributed to the commitment the physicians, staff and volunteers at Sunrise have to provide the highest quality care and service to our community.”

Home Bound Healthcare offering in-home flu shots

Home Bound Healthcare of Las Vegas said in a statement it is offering flu and pneumonia vaccines to people in their homes.

The Center for Disease Control recommends getting the vaccine as soon as it becomes available in the community, because it takes the body about two weeks to build up immunity. The immunity will last throughout the flu season.

Anyone over the age of 65, or under the age of 65 with a disability that makes it difficult for them to leave home, is eligible to receive the flu shot at home.

Home Bound Healthcare is offering the service at no cost for those with Medicare. The cost of the vaccine for those without Medicare coverage will be $25.

“The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year,” said Brian Weinstein, APN, NP-C, RN, MS, the chief nurse practitioner for Home Bound Healthcare.

This is the second year Home Bound Healthcare has provided flu shots at home. Home Bound will also provide the vaccine in its office at 1350 S. Jones Blvd., Suite 240.

For more information about the flu shots, call 433-0800.

SALT LAKE CITY

Increase in Utah tobacco tax brings drop in cigarette sales

Tobacco sales in Utah have dropped 15 percent since a $1 increase in the tobacco tax took effect last year.

Lawmakers and anti-smoking advocates cited the figures as an encouraging sign that many people have stopped smoking, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The tobacco industry countered that lower sales don’t necessarily mean people are quitting. Instead, it could mean they are simply buying their tobacco elsewhere, said David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA.

“Depending on how you want to look at the data, clearly there’s been a move there downwards,” Sutton said. “We suspect what it is, as it is in most states, is cross-border sales.”

The figures showed that nearly 10 million fewer packs were sold since the tax increase went into effect on July 1, 2010, compared to past totals.

During the same time period, there was a 20 percent increase in tobacco sales in Evanston, Wyo., which is just north of the Utah border and levies a tax that is more than a dollar lower than Utah.

That equals more than 400,000 packs sold in the city this year at a time when sales statewide are flat.

Anti-smoking forces said the drop in Utah cigarette sales translates to as many as 19,000 pack-a-day smokers either quitting or smoking just a pack or two each week.