Archives for Heidi Prescott-Wieneke

Beacon surgeon, Notre Dame engineer, collaborate on spinal fusion implant to help patients heal faster

After two decades of innovative, collaborative work by a Beacon Health System neurosurgeon and a Notre Dame engineer, patients suffering from chronic back pain will now have a promising new option in spinal surgery that leads to faster, more complete healing. Dr. Stephen Smith, who practices at Beacon Medical Group North...

Kailee’s Journey: A story of support, love and community at Beacon Children’s Hospital

Support often goes unnoticed until the moment it’s needed most. For Kailee Michalski, that moment arrived unexpectedly in late February, on a day filled with birthday cake and laughter. Her fifth birthday. And the day Kailee was diagnosed with leukemia. A day meant for celebration swiftly unfolded into a months-long journey of...

ND football fan reunites with Beacon cardiac nurse, his “guardian angel,” who saved his life

Like most survivors of sudden cardiac arrest, Mike Brown does not remember what happened when he lost consciousness last October at a University of Notre Dame football game in South Bend. His last memory that afternoon was taking his seat beside his daughter in Notre Dame Stadium and watching the team...

Heart surgery patients grateful for faster recovery with minimally invasive options

Open heart surgery is not always the answer, and major surgery is not always the only option for patients who require cardiac attention. Now more than ever before, the Beacon heart team cares for its patient’s hearts by specializing in minimally invasive surgeries that use smaller incisions, require less time in...

Beacon athletic trainer Lauren Burish selected for top national honors

Beacon Health certified athletic trainer Lauren Burish has been selected as the 2023 Athletic Trainer of the Year. The announcement was made Friday by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Burish currently serves as assistant athletic trainer at Indiana University South Bend. “Lauren is one of the most passionate, hard-working, intelligent and...

CHA ACO, LLC, improves care for Medicare patients, saves Medicare $4.3 million

CHA Accountable Care Organization (ACO), LLC, operated by Beacon Health System, improved care for nearly 12,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Indiana and southwest Michigan in 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. As part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, accountable care organizations that meet quality and cost goals...

What your Beacon doctor wants you to know about prediabetes to prevent health complications

The sooner you find out your blood sugars are higher than they should be, the more you are able to curb those levels and halt their progression into something much more serious. When gone unchecked, elevated blood sugars or glucose can develop into Type 2 diabetes and lead to heart...

Five years after heart-saving TAVR procedure, Beacon patient still lives life to fullest

What does your heart tell you? He’s got real heart. Her story comes from the heart. Though we know that the heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout our body, we can’t help but associate it with emotions. So when there’s a problem with our heart, it somehow seems to...

Is it allergies, a cold or COVID? Beacon doctor offers guidance if you’re not feeling well

If you’ve got a cough, runny nose, itchy eyes or sore throat right now, you’re not alone. And with COVID cases slowly ticking upward across the country, although nowhere near pandemic levels, many people are wondering if they should be worried. “There are so many things that can cause those symptoms,” said...