This is a specific focus of a weekly MBJ edition.

Without leaving the state, longer and a better quality of life are now possible for Mississippians needing kidney and liver transplants. The dedicated transplant teams at the University of Mississippi Medical Center are making that happen. No other health-care facilities in Mississippi transplant organs. In 2012, a record 103 kidney transplants were done at UMMC, [...] [...]
Over recent years information has been forthcoming about plant-based proteins. Maybe you have heard the term but have no idea what that means or the affects. Perhaps you know about them and have tried these types of foods. In either case let’s explore what they are and how important they can be. First of all, [...] [...]

The number of West Nile virus cases in the nation was the largest ever seen in 2012, which makes it particularly important for businesses to be alert to taking precautions to protect employees and customers from bites from mosquitoes that can transmit the virus that can lead to debilitating illness and even death. “Last year [...] [...]
The number of nurse practitioners is increasing in Mississippi. Their role in health care is also increasing as these highly trained nursing professionals are specializing and giving patients a higher level of care. According to Gayle Harrell, president of the Mississippi Nurses Association, there are 3,300 advanced practicing nurses and approximately 2,800 to 2,900 of [...] [...]

Mississippi is once again at the forefront of cardiovascular medicine with the significant milestone of the country’s first drug eluting bioabsorbable vascular scaffold placed in the heart artery of a patient at the North Mississippi Medical Center Heart Institute in late December 2012. The device for opening blocked arteries to restore blood flow to the [...] [...]

Transporting critically ill or injured patients by helicopter from hospital to hospital or from the scene of an accident is commonplace in Mississippi’s urban centers and rural communities. Today about a dozen helicopters operate in Mississippi, flying heart transplant recipients, accident victims and premature babies to lifesaving care. The service is available throughout the state [...] [...]

How many times growing up did your mom tell you to eat your vegetables whether you liked them or not? Perhaps you had to clean your plate before you were excused from the table, too. Now that you are an adult you realize that your mom was trying to promote healthy eating. New information is [...] [...]

Officials in University of Mississippi Medical Center will again support legislation that establishes guidelines for how to treat concussions in youth sports and requires concussion education among coaches and officials. Three different bills that would have done that died in committee during the 2012 session. Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg, authored one of the bills. He [...] [...]

University of Mississippi Medical Center is taking advantage of a new use for an old piece of equipment to spark a campaign for young athletes to participate in a new concussion test. Using a Computerized Dynamic Posturography device, which resembles an empty refrigerator, doctors can get an idea of an athlete’s normal equilibrium and balance. [...] [...]

When Bill Meador began transforming his Hickory farm into a hunter’s paradise, he built one shooting house with a wheelchair ramp. He wanted to make sure guests with disabilities had a prime place to hunt. “There’s a heater in there, food plots nearby and you can look in three different directions,” he said. Of course, [...] [...]