The Civil War’s Opening Salvos and a Delayed Telegram

Civil War
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Serving patients in the Henderson, Nevada, area, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter runs a private family practice. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter enjoys traveling in his free time and has a passion for Civil War history.

As reported in a recent issue of The Smithsonian, the outbreak of the Civil War was quite different from the way in which conflicts unfold in our real-time, media-connected era. South Carolina’s secession from the United States on April 10, 1861, kicked off a quick escalation of events, with Fort Sumter, a U.S. garrison in Charleston Harbor, coming under siege from the provisional Confederate army. Numbering 10,000, the rebel forces under General Pierre G.T. Beauregard demanded surrender of the fort from a garrison manned by only 68 U.S. soldiers.

U.S. Army Major Robert Anderson rebuffed this demand, and on April 12, the first shots were fired on the fort by 10-inch siege mortars. The garrison responded with shots of its own, but they were not capable of reaching the Confederate forces. Hauling up the white flag the following day amid heavy bombardment, Major Anderson evacuated the fort and fled north. It was only on April 18th, safely aboard the steamship Baltic, that the major was able to send a telegram to the U.S. Secretary of War describing what had occurred. Within hours, President Abraham Lincoln took action, calling Congress into session and ordering the mobilization of 75,000 volunteer troops.

Integrated Healthcare Principles Receive New Guidelines

American Medical Association
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Dr. Kevin Buckwalter is a physician in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the director of a local medical office for almost a decade. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter’s professional affiliations include membership in the American Medical Association (AMA), which released new guiding principles on integrated leadership in early June 2015.

Known as the Integrated Leadership for Hospitals and Health Systems: Principles for Success, the guiding principles help physicians and hospitals interested in creating integrated leadership structures at their facilities. Specifically, the principles offer aid to physicians and hospitals that lack the necessary resources and direction to implement the structures on their own. The AMA created the principles with assistance from the American Hospital Association (AHA) after two years of work.

New principles support team-oriented environments and stronger relationships among professionals by encouraging hospitals to include more physicians at various management levels, such as the boardroom and executive levels. Additionally, the guidelines emphasize the need for strong relationships between physicians and administrative personnel to promote quality joint decision making by medical professionals and health system managers. The guide’s new framework also outlines core elements and challenges for implementing integrated healthcare leadership.

Study Suggests Connection Between Healthcare Service Scope and Costs

American Board of Family Medicine
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A certified physician in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter has nearly 18 years of experience treating a variety of ailments in patients of all ages. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter is a member of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), which released the results of a new study on the correlation between comprehensive care and lower hospitalization numbers.

Despite comprehensive care being one of the five core virtues of primary care, its relationship with patient outcomes remains unclear. The study sought to shed light on the relationship by measuring the scope of care provided against healthcare costs for Medicare beneficiaries. Samples in the research pool consisted of approximately 31,000 direct patient care physicians from the American Medical Association Masterfile and oversampled physicians in smaller states to allow for more approximate state-level estimates.

According to the study results, family physicians who offered a broader range of services to patients reported lower costs and fewer patient hospitalizations. The study’s findings established a strong connection between comprehensive care and hospitalization numbers. Researchers determined comprehensive care to be an essential component of healthcare measures. However, it only included exploratory data and thus remained unable to provide a complete and full understanding of the correlation between comprehensiveness and hospitalization numbers. For instance, the study was unable to include the full spectrum of ailments, ages, and modalities encompassed by family medicine.

Researchers concluded that the study’s findings and limitations demonstrate the need for further exploration of the connection between comprehensiveness and care costs, quality, and access.

Healthcare and Safety Courses at the American Red Cross

A longtime family practitioner with many years of experience in the Las Vegas area, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter has served as the director of his local office for nine years. Aside from his medical practice, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter supports the efforts of the American Red Cross, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing health-related services across the United States. The American Red Cross offers a broad range of training and certification programs, particularly in healthcare and public safety.

Through its healthcare and public safety courses, the American Red Cross delivers the training necessary to improve patient outcomes. In addition to providing CPR training to emergency medical responders, the American Red Cross offers a certification course for Basic Life Support (BLS). Individuals can attend local classes and participate in hands-on training, learning from experienced instructors and receiving full certification at the end of the program. The American Red Cross also offers online classes that allow participants to work at their own pace.

Helping Kids Who Are Afraid to Visit the Doctor

Dr. Kevin Buckwalter practices as a physician in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area. In addition to offering health services to adults, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter also provides pediatric care, or health care for children.

It is very important that children see a doctor regularly for preventive care and regular checkups, as well as to address any sicknesses or health problems that may arise. However, getting a child to cooperate when it’s time for a doctor’s visit can be a challenge, particularly if the child is afraid of the doctor or sees going to the doctor as a negative experience. Fortunately, there are a number of things parents can do to make taking their children to the doctor more pleasant.

First of all, a parent should help the child know what to expect. For example, the parent might talk with the child and tell him or her what might happen during the visit. This can include discussing which tools the doctor will use, such as the stethoscope and tongue depressor, and how the doctor will use them. The parent should then answer the child’s questions and correct any misconceptions the child might have. In some cases, it might help a younger child to tag along on an older sibling’s visit to the doctor. Finally, the parent should convey the experience of going to the doctor in a positive light by explaining that the purpose of going to the doctor is to stay well and healthy. This way, the child will be less likely to view visits to the doctor as negative or scary events.

Signs of Appendicitis in Children

Dr. Kevin Buckwalter practices family medicine in Henderson, Nevada, where he regularly sees patients with common childhood illnesses. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter also has built extensive experience treating patients in a hospital setting.

Stomach aches are one of the most common everyday symptoms in children, and parents can find it difficult to tell when the pain signals something more serious than gas or constipation. Appendicitis stands out as a more serious cause of stomach pain, particularly as its symptoms can be vague in children. Adults typically present with a classic symptomatology that includes lower-right quadrant pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. However, physicians have found that these symptoms do not necessarily indicate appendicitis in children.

In conducting an in-depth study of pediatric appendicitis, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center found that a more reliable predictor is rebound tenderness in the lower-right abdomen. If a child has appendicitis, applying pressure to the lower belly and subsequently letting go will more than likely worsen the pain. In addition, appendicitis pain in children typically begins around the navel and travels to the lower right. Physicians recommend that parents in doubt seek medical attention.

Heart Health Tips for Older Adults

As a board-certified family physician practicing in the Henderson, Nevada, area, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter treats patients of all ages. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter draws on wide-ranging experience in treating and helping to prevent aging-related diseases.

Statistics show heart disease as the cause of death for 84 percent of individuals aged 65 and older. Heart disease risk increases as a patient ages, but there are actions one can take to reduce one’s risk. For example, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels make a patient more vulnerable to heart disease, so reducing these levels is key to mitigating risk. The same holds for patients with diabetes, whose proactive management of the condition makes them less at risk of heart attacks and other heart problems. Some patients require specialized medical interventions, such as angina treatment, depending on their medical histories.

Regardless of one’s individual medical risk, however, a number of lifestyle changes can make an older adult less likely to develop a heart condition. A diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, but high in fruit and vegetable content, can improve heart health. Regular physical activity also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure while aiding individuals in maintaining the healthy weight that physicians recommend as critical for avoiding heart disease. Experts also advise patients to avoid smoking and minimize emotional stress, both of which can add to one’s risk of developing a heart condition.

Common Causes of Childhood Stomachaches

Dr. Kevin Buckwalter, a family physician in Nevada, treats patients of all ages. Dr. Kevin Buckwalter sees a number of pediatric patients and regularly addresses their everyday health concerns.

A common childhood complaint, stomachaches often mystify parents because of their wide range of causes. Abdominal pain can come from a virus, constipation, or a chronic condition. One of the most common causes is gastroenteritis, commonly known as the stomach flu. This virus, not actually influenza, typically brings on vomiting and diarrhea as well as pain across the belly area. More serious conditions such as appendicitis also present with vomiting; this particular condition is frequently characterized by acute pain in the lower right abdomen and tenderness when the child jumps or is jostled.

General pain without vomiting may be a result of gas building up in the child’s digestive system. Constipation may cause similar symptoms; both conditions are typically not serious and are manageable at home. If a child presents with chronic generalized belly pain, however, he or she may be showing signs of irritable bowel syndrome or a food intolerance. Other potential causes include reflux, ulcers, or simple digestive sensitivity; only a qualified pediatrician can make a definitive diagnosis.

Kevin Buckwalter- Honoring African-American Heroes of the Civil War

A graduate of the University of Nevada at Reno, Kevin Buckwalter treats patients of all ages in Las Vegas. One of Kevin Buckwalter’s favorite pastimes is studying the Civil War and seeing how its impact can still be felt today.

On February 14, 2015, the City of Burke, Virginia, unveiled a memorial honoring African-American soldiers of the Civil War. This marker is located at Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, a place of historical significance. The Department, originally known as Burke’s Station, was located on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad when originally constructed in 1851.

During the War, it became an important transportation center that provided the Union army with timber for stockades, firewood, and railroad ties, along with numerous other products. At the height of the conflict, more than 1,000 cords of lumber moved from this station every month. Many of the teamsters responsible for transporting the wood to the station were escaped slaves, known as contrabands. Because Burke’s Station was outside of Union territory, these men were at regular risk of capture, enslavement, and even death for contributing to the federal cause.

One notable event occurred on October 28, 1863. Confederate troops seized contrabands, as well as their mules, and ordered that they bring them to Burke’s Station. One contraband escaped and warned the depot. At their approach, Union troops fired a warning shot, which scared the Confederates away. Moreover, they left the contrabands and the mules untouched.

Six Tips for Improving Tennis Performance

A diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine, Kevin Buckwalter, MD, provides care to patients at his eponymous Las Vegas practice. In his spare time, Dr. Kevin Buckwalter enjoys playing various sports, including badminton and tennis.

A sport requiring agility, strategy, and precision, tennis takes time to build endurance and skill necessary for winning a match. While the sport can be initially frustrating, integrating the following tips can greatly improve your performance.

1. Wait for a tennis ball to fall at waist-level before hitting. This gives you time to plant your feet to follow through with a stroke and apply the necessary force to send a ball to its intended location.

2. Skip with a jump rope around the court to work on coordination and footwork. This exercise prepares you to quickly react to an opponent’s serve and return shot.

3. Work on stamina by completing aerobic exercises or playing different sports frequently. Aerobic exercises keep you from losing energy following a few games.

4. Consistently use one pattern of play. Instead of mixing up shots for the sake of creativity, stick with strokes and shots you can effectively execute throughout a match.

5. Apply all weight to the back leg before swinging. Positioning the back leg behind the ball and shifting weight to that leg allows for easier weight transfer and a more precise shot.

6. Record one’s own matches during practice and competition. This gives you direct insight into how your body moves during a match to determine what you can adjust in subsequent matches.