News

McLaren Port Huron, St. Clair County’s largest and busiest emergency department, have launched online scheduling for patients seeking non-life-threatening emergency care in the hospital’s ER. For patients looking to minimize their wait time in the ER, visiting mclaren.org/porthuron will let them view all available upcoming treatment times and register for a time that fits their schedule, allowing them to wait at home until their time arrives. “Online registration provides patients with a great option fo...

How can you determine if a family doctor is a good fit for you and your family. There are the standard, basic questions of ‘Are they accepting new patients?’ and ‘Do they take my insurance?’ But when choosing a new family or primary care doctor, what should you consider before deciding on him or her? What details about their practice matter? How does the doctor interact with patients? What questions will help you to really know and understand who the doctor is and how he or she can effectively manage yo...

How hospitals deliver emergency care has evolved over time; the experience you may have had a few years ago could be completely different than one today. Four common myths about the emergency department in this new world include: Myth 1: You are seen in the order you arrive or at an appointment time “Care in an emergency room is prioritized to our patients who are the sickest and in need of treatment immediately,” says Christopher Hunt, MD, Chief of Emergency Medicine at McLaren Port Huron. “During the ...

Whether it’s from everyday deadlines, financial struggles, or the COVID-19 pandemic, stress shows up often in life. And your body reacts to it: your heart rate increases, your blood vessels narrow—and over time, these little blows can add up and do damage to your health, particularly your heart. With chronic stress, you’re more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and poor sleep. Even other parts of your body – from your lungs to your gut – can take a hit. But while you ...

While low risk for heart disease, it’s not too early for young people to begin heart healthy habits. For the average twenty- or thirty-something, thoughts and concerns of heart disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and other chronic cardiovascular conditions might be far from their daily thoughts. While heart disease, in its many forms, are the leading cause of death among men and women worldwide, more than 80 percent of heart disease-related deaths occur after age 65. People don’t have...

For more than 70 years, heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting millions each year and putting countless others at risk. It is also unique in the fact that many forms of heart disease are preventable by taking up and sticking to a heart-healthy lifestyle that can lower the risk of developing a condition later in life. And efforts to lower that risk can never be started too late or too early — adopting that heart-healthy lifestyle has real and impactful benefits ...

Though men and women experience heart attacks very differently, risk factors remain the same. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, though the symptoms of these potentially deadly attacks can present starkly different between the two. The classic symptoms that people are generally aware of, mainly seen in men, include chest pain/discomfort and pain in the shoulders, neck, or jaw. For women, though, a heart attack may present as shortness of breath and n...

When should you go to the ER for the flu? With the 2024-2025 flu season being described as the “most intense” in 15 years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated there have been at least 24 million cases across the country. This has resulted in more than 310,000 hospitalizations and, tragically, 13,000 deaths. The widespread nature of this flu has caused many to seek care in their nearest emergency department, increasing the potential to overwhelm physicians and caregivers. In ...

At what point should a doctor evaluate headaches? Everyone gets headaches. They can range, perhaps starting as a dull pain before escalating to the squeezing, dizzying feeling, and start from a number of causes: a lack of/poor quality sleep, certain foods, alcohol consumption, stress, eye straining, dehydration/lack of food, among others. In many cases, a drugstore pain reliever or headache medicine will resolve the symptoms relatively quick. There does reach a point, though, that consistent headaches —...

McLaren Port Huron, part of statewide McLaren Health Care and the leading regional health care provider, has again expanded its Graduate Medical Education department with the additional of a Transitional Year program upon accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. A one-year program, residents in the Transitional Year will be provided with experience in a range of clinical specialties to aid a resident in committing to a clinical discipline or serving a prerequisite pri...