February 'Conversations in Ethics' February 8, 2006 "Yes, I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends" Topic of Catawba Valley Medical Center's February 'Conversations in Ethics'

Catawba Valley Medical Center invites healthcare professionals and the community to attend the next 'Conversations in Ethics' to be held from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 in the Northwest AHEC Lecture Hall, Room 112. This monthly, no-charge meeting provides an opportunity for discussion of some of the most important issues facing the healthcare profession today. Topic for the February session is "Yes, I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends." Many prescription medications are prescribed to improve memory and extend attention span. Presently two main cognitive systems are being targeted for pharmacological enhancement: attention and memory. Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin and Aderall improve the attention of those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and can also enhance attention in healthy people. Although these medications are mainly prescribed for the treatment of ADHD, sales figures suggest that these medications are commonly used for enhancement. Campus surveys agree with this inference. Ritalin is currently widely used by college students, many of whom obtain it from friends or campus dealers as a recreational drug and study aid. This month's discussion will focus on the use of memory improvement medications by healthy people including the risks and side effects associated with their use; the possible need for regulation of enhancement drugs and the temptation to believe individuals may expect productivity improvement by simply taking a pill. A free lunch will be served to those who register no later than Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007 by calling Glenda Fowler at 828-326-3365. Completion of this activity provides 1.0 contact hours of continuing nursing education via CVMC, Department of Organizational Learning, an approved provider of continuing education by the NCNA, an accredited approver by the ANCC-COA. Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC, recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet facility, was recently named a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.