News

Mary Lou Brose never imagined having a CT scan of her back could be life-changing, but results from the test turned her world upside down.  A surgeon ordered the CT to get a closer look at what was happening with Mary Lou’s sciatic nerve, and what he found – a mass in her lung that turned out to be cancerous – brought the discussion about her back pain to an abrupt halt. “The surgeon noticed something in my lung,” Mary Lou said. “He said I was not going to have back surgery until this was taken car...

McLaren Health Care, with 13 hospitals and multiple care campuses throughout the state, has earned substantial improvement across its system following the release of the Fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, a national distinction that recognizes the hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from harm while providing safe, compassionate health care. Nearly all McLaren hospitals throughout Michigan improved their letter grades over their Spring 2024 Leapfrog release, including two earning ‘A’s ...

The McLaren Proton Therapy Center is pleased to welcome board-certified Radiation Oncologist Hani Al Halabi. He joins a comprehensive team of oncologists at McLaren Flint who work closely to offer patients their best chance at fighting cancer.  “I am a passionate physician, and I love what I do,” Dr. Al Halabi said. “I am an advocate for my patients and always strive to deliver the best care I can. To me that comes down to the quality of the treatment my patients will receive, and at McLaren I have...

Type 2 diabetes cases continue to rise, and heart disease is still the number one killer of both men and women. But what do they have to do with each other? “Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease,” said Dr. Hameem Changezi , an interventional cardiologist at McLaren Flint.  “Amongst the alterations that occur within the body, there are cholesterol abnormalities that develop resulting in high "bad" cholesterol as well as triglycerides, which cause cholesterol deposition in arteries and block...

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that nearly 235,000 Americans will learn they have lung cancer this year. Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among men and women. ACS estimates a staggering 125,000 patients will die from the disease in 2024. The problem is that this cancer is still mostly discovered at a later stage, often having spread to other parts of the body, like the brain or bones. But it could be diagnosed earlier. What millions of former and current smokers do not realize ...

Major advances in lung cancer detection are helping catch lung cancers at earlier stages, improving the odds of surviving the leading cause of cancer death. “It is so deadly because it spreads,” said Dr. John Kuhn , McLaren Flint cardiothoracic surgeon. “Lung cancer typically goes undetected until it is in a late stage because there are seldom signs of cancer early on when it is curable.” It starts with a simple scan. Computed tomography (CT) scans are not new.  During this computerized x-ray imagi...

Congratulations to Donna Bilodeau, RN, McLaren Flint’s October Outstanding Employee of the Month. Donna is a patient care services nursing informatics educator, who plays a huge role in facilitating our health record system, Cerner. Donna was an invaluable resource for our care team during a recent an unexpected, extended downtime of this critical I.T. system. "Donna’s leadership and sacrifices during our downtime were extraordinary,” said one nominator. “Donna’s level of expertise and devotion to her p...

Early detection is key for this leading cause of cancer-related death. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, with approximately 234,580 new cases expected just this year. Unfortunately, as lung cancer does not present with noticeable symptoms during its early stages, many patients are initially diagnosed once the disease has advanced. This leads to a five-year survival rate of 25 percent, making early detection crucial. During November and Lung Cancer Awareness Month, l...

If you need a hip or knee replacement, you have plenty of company. Surgeons replace nearly half a million hips and 800 thousand knees every year. “A joint replacement is simply a resurfacing of the boney ends of a joint with metal and plastic,” said McLaren Flint orthopedic surgeon Dr. Seann Willson . “The bone ends are contoured to accept the implants, which are then glued or pressed into the bone.” During a traditional knee replacement or arthroplasty, surgeons use a jig placed in a hole drilled down ...

Did you know that October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it is also Liver Cancer Awareness Month? Though pink is the prevalent color when spreading breast cancer awareness, emerald green signifies liver cancer . Worldwide, this disease is a leading cause of cancer deaths. Diagnoses of liver cancer have tripled, and death rates have doubled since 1980. The liver is one of the five organs that we cannot live without, aside from the brain, heart, kidney and lungs. So, it’s important to do w...