Today in Vancouver, Canada, two hockey stars from this year’s Winter Games — Martin Brodeur and Angela Ruggiero — took to the ice with legendary skate greats Scott Hamilton and Michelle Kwan in a ceremony to honor the army of medical staffers and volunteers who are keeping the athletes on full power at this year’s Olympics. During the event, in which the docs and their teams were saluted as “Better Health Heroes,” the four Olympic medalists shared their personal insights and stories about the importance of healthy living — both in their own lives and for the competitors at the Vancouver games. It’s all part of GE’s Year of Better Health, which earlier this week featured the first in a series of ongoing health surveys of both doctors and patients.
Ice scream: Iconic figure skater Scott Hamilton, who was a 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and is seen here signing autographs at the event, told the crowd: “My relationship with my doctors has saved my life in my two battles with cancer. I have a two-year-old and a six-year-old and I want to be around to see them grow up. Having that close relationship with your doctors is key and not just when you’re sick.” (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
February 18, 2010
Over the last week, we’ve highlighted healthcare technology innovations that are part of this year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. But long after the skiers and skaters have headed home, GE will still be in British Columbia — helping build the province’s largest private wind and run-of-river energy projects. GE Energy Financial Services and Plutonic Power Corporation just provided updates on the giant undertakings, which involve investments of nearly $900 million, at an event held at Vancouver’s Robson Square ice rink — which GE helped refurbish and has been renamed GE Plaza until the end of the Games. The Dokie Wind Project and the East Toba River and Montrose Creek Hydroelectric Project will help British Columbia meet its goal of electricity self-sufficiency by 2016 by generating 90 percent of its power from clean domestic energy sources.
February 16, 2010
It’s an unhealthy sign of the times — more people know how many vacation days they have left (47 percent) than how many calories they consumed yesterday (43 percent). And doctors aren’t surprised, as 77 percent of healthcare professionals say that one fourth or more of their patients omit facts or lie to them about their personal health. Those are just some of the results from the new GE Better Health Study conducted with Cleveland Clinic and Ochsner Health System. As the first in a series that will examine healthy living attitudes and behaviors, the study is part of GE’s healthymagination initiative, which seeks to provide better health for more people through technology and innovation. At the same time, because understanding massive amounts of health data can be daunting, GE is also working to make better sense of it by partnering with health economists and leading visualization designers. Below, in our seventh data visualization project, we’ve again turned to Ben Fry to help make some of the new survey data not only more accessible, but interactive.
February 12, 2010
For the first time in Olympic history, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games — which kick off today — will have ultrasound available at many Olympic venues for rapid diagnosis of injuries sustained on the ice or snow. In training rooms and tents rink-side or slope-side, GE’s laptop-sized LOGIQ e will be on hand to give doctors, coaches and athletes a much quicker understanding of injuries, helping to identify early signs of tendon and ligament damage as well as other health markers. Ultrasound scans taken on-site will be sent digitally to radiologists in the athlete’s villages for review immediately, increasing the likelihood of a faster return-to-play decision. As Eden Donatelli Green, a two-time Olympic speed skater from Canada, says in the video below: “When you’re competing at an Olympic level, you want to race the race. If they can tell you ‘you’re ok, go race,’ well, that would be worth its weight in gold.”
February 10, 2010
The athletes in Vancouver haven’t started their races yet, but this year’s Winter Olympics –- which kicks off on Friday –- has already scored a medical first. Doctors and clinics at the 2010 games will be using the most comprehensive information technology solution for healthcare support in Olympic Games history. GE technologies will be connecting staff at remote polyclinics and mobile medical units — which are positioned close to the ski runs and other venues that are often far from hospitals — in order to provide the most updated information in emergency situations.
