Children's Hospital of Illinois Names Interim President

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Illinois are pleased to announce that Mike Higgins has been appointed interim president of Children's Hospital effective Monday, June 20, 2011.

Higgins has worked as a network development specialist and professional staff electronic medical records trainer in the regional development department since arriving at OSF Saint Francis. In addition, Higgins is a 6 Sigma Green Belt and participates in several team projects.

Current Children's Hospital president Paul Kramer is retiring. Kramer has served in that capacity since 1997. "I want to express my appreciation to Paul Kramer who has taken Children's Hospital to a whole new level," said Keith Steffen, President and CEO of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

"A national executive search has been launched for his replacement. In the meantime, I have the utmost confidence that Mike will be able to provide a smooth transition in the Children's Hospital leadership."

Higgins earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and is currently working toward his Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in health care management. Prior to his tenure at OSF Saint Francis, he worked in the insurance industry focusing on business development.

Additionally, Higgins has dedicated himself to charitable and community organizations serving on numerous boards of directors. He is a member of the 40 Leaders Under 40 Class of 2008 and a graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. Mike and his wife, Tiffany, live in Washington with their three children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shelli Dankoff, Media Relations Specialist
(309) 655-3897

Client News: Tom Beeman announces return as LG Health CEO

Source: Lancaster General Health News Release

It has been nearly eight months since I assumed the role of deputy commander for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, National Naval Medical Center (NICoE) in Bethesda, MD. Leading this center and helping servicemen and women recover from complex traumatic brain injury have been both a humbling and rewarding experience.

Now, it is time to return home. I am pleased and eager to report that my Navy Reserve duty will end later this month and that I will rejoin Lancaster General Health as President & Chief Executive Officer, and President of Lancaster General Hospital, beginning Tuesday, July 5.

I would like to thank the Medical and Dental Staff for your unwavering dedication to delivering extraordinary care to our patients and their families. Your commitment to our Mission, to your colleagues and our community continues to provide a solid foundation for our high-quality and compassionate care.

I am grateful to our Board of Trustees, its chairman Alex Henderson, and members of our leadership team who guided our organization through what are increasingly challenging times in healthcare.

I want to thank Jan Bergen for skillfully serving as our health system’s CEO in my absence, keeping the health system moving forward and focused on carrying out our Mission and the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan. I am also appreciative of Marion McGowan’s leadership as the hospital’s President and system’s Chief Operating Officer, particularly the critical guidance she and Gary Davidson provided this past year that resulted in the recent successful e-Health Go Live. My thanks too to Susan Wynne, who assumed the responsibilities of Chief Mission Officer and ensured our distinctive commitment to the health and well-being of the communities continued without interruption.

In the upcoming months, I look forward to sharing some of the many clinical, operational and leadership insights I gained while leading the NICoE. The center combines the most advanced equipment and facilities with a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat brain injury and other psychological disorders. My time there provided invaluable knowledge from which LG Health can benefit.

I wish you well in the weeks ahead and look forward to seeing everyone next month.

Sincerely,
Thomas E. Beeman

Client News: Inova Kellar Center Honored to Recieve Funds from Cardinal Bank Charity Classic

Source: Inova Press Release

Cardinal Financial Chairman & CEO Bernard Clineburg, Inova Kellar Center Director Rick Leichtweis, Cardinal Charity Classic Honorary Chair and Dewberry Chairman Sidney O. Dewberry, Cardinal Bank's KC Cardinal and Cardinal Regional President Kevin Reynolds. (Photo: Mattox Photography)

Inova Kellar Center is honored to be a recipient of the Cardinal Bank Charity Classic. The annual fundraiser, held May 16 at the Country Club of Fairfax, raised more than $250,000, bringing the nine-year fundraising total to more than $2,285,000.

The funds raised from the 2011 tournament will be used to continue Cardinal’s partnership with Inova Kellar Center, while also supporting other community outreach programs and organizations through the Cardinal Bank Community Fund.

“Cardinal Bank and Inova Kellar Center are a classic example of the benefits that can be achieved through a public-private partnership that work together to improve the lives of children and their families in our community,” said Rick Leichtweis, PhD, Executive Director, Inova Kellar Center. “Because of Cardinal Bank’s on-going support, we have expanded our service capabilities to accommodate the growing demand in our community and to ensure services to those without the necessary resources.”

“The Cardinal Classic represents one of the many ways in which Cardinal Bank gives back to our communities,” said Kevin Reynolds, Regional President, Cardinal Bank. “Even during challenging economic times, this annual event continues to be strongly supported by our clients, business partners and community friends. We are truly making a tangible and positive impact in the lives of families served by Inova Kellar Center and the charitable organizations supported through the Cardinal Bank Community Fund."

More than 1,000 volunteers, donors and business partners participated in the annual event. Held at the Country Club of Fairfax, the tournament drew more than 250 golf and tennis players, including Honorary Chairman Sid Dewberry, Founder and Chairman of Dewberry, an award-winning professional services firm that provides architecture, engineering, and management and consulting services.

Inova Kellar Center is celebrating 20 years as a not-for-profit, comprehensive mental health/substance use disorder and Special Education School, treating children, adolescents and their families. The Center is recognized throughout the Commonwealth as the “provider of choice” and has improved the lives of thousands of children and families through its integrated system of evaluation, treatment and continuing care. The Kellar School, of Inova Kellar Center, is a fully licensed and accredited therapeutic day school offering structured, individualized educational programs to students in grades 3-12 with emotional, learning and/or behavioral issues that interfere with their ability to learn.

Client News: Mon General Earns National Recognition for Distinction in Knee and Hip Replacement

7Source: Mon General Press Release

Mon General has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement ® by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia. This distinction recognizes Mon General for demonstrating a commitment to providing quality care and better overall outcomes for knee and hip replacement procedures.

Blue Distinction® is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery or transplants.

To earn this designation, Mon General was evaluated based on an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to identify medical facilities that deliver better overall quality and medical outcomes for a specific area of specialty care, helping patients and doctors to make more informed hospital choices.

Mon General features one of the largest groups of orthopedic surgeons of any hospital in the State of West Virginia and currently performs approximately 3,600 orthopedic procedures annually, including knee and hip replacements. The number of orthopedic procedures performed at the hospital has increased 20 percent during the past five years.

With continued growth expected in orthopedic procedures as the area’s population ages, Mon General recently began constructing a new Orthopedic Surgery Center. The new center will feature four operating suites, an eight bed recovery area and a 12-bed holding area for pre- and post-operation care. The new center will include space to add two additional operating rooms in the future as volume expands. The new Orthopedic Center is expected to be complete by late November or early December.

“This Blue Distinction designation is a tribute to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, technicians and therapists who helped develop Mon General’s comprehensive programs in Knee and Hip Replacement,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “Their clinical expertise in this area of specialty care has resulted in better overall results for our patients.

“This national distinction also reinforces our decision to build a new Orthopedic Surgery Center to meet the area’s growing need for more modern operating rooms to treat complex orthopedic cases,” Duncan said. “We have one of the best orthopedic surgery teams in the state and soon will have one of the most modern Orthopedic Surgery Center’s in the region.”

“Our Blue Distinction program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate higher levels of performance in providing better specialty care for patients," said Fred Earley, President of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia. “Improving quality of care is integral to transforming the healthcare system. Facilities like Mon General are helping the North-Central West Virginia area achieve this by offering patients safe specialty care delivered by medical teams with expertise.”

Blue Distinction selection criteria cover a broad range of quality measures. By earning the designation, Mon General has demonstrated:

· An established program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures

· Appropriate experience of its care team

· Full facility accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-deemed national accreditation organization

· Adherence to evidence-based clinical care measures and guidelines

· A comprehensive quality management program

“Blue Distinction puts a high value on the consistent delivery of evidence-based care,” said Dr. Allan Korn, chief medical officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). “Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet objective quality criteria and deliver better overall outcomes in specialty patient care.”

Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement provide comprehensive inpatient knee and hip replacement services, including total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries.

To learn more about the Blue Distinction designation, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction

Client News: Oakwood wins Award of Excellence for Community Benefit Report

Source: Oakwood Press Release

Oakwood received top honors at the 17th Annual Communicator Awards – judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts for the submission of its 2010 Report to our Community report.

The 2010 Report to the Community received the Award of Excellence in the non-profit category for printed annual reports.

Connecting the Dots
Each year Oakwood's Community Benefit Department and Oakwood's Strategic Communications Department create a Report to Our Community, which helps connect community members with the services we provide and highlights the great things we do to put patients first.

About the Communicator Awards
The Communicator Awards is the leading international creative awards program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals. Founded by communication professionals over a decade ago, The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

The 2011 Communicator Awards received more than 6,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms and public relations firms.

Client News: Statewide System Planned in Kentucky

Source: ModernHealthcare.com

Three of Kentucky's largest healthcare providers have formally reached an agreement to form a single system.

The new health system will comprise six-hospital Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare, Louisville; seven-hospital St. Joseph Health System, Lexington; 329-bed University of Louisville Hospital; and the James Brown Cancer Center, Louisville, according to a joint news release.

“There is so much more we can accomplish together,” Bob Hewett, board member of St. Joseph Health System and future chairman of the new system's board, said in the release. “That will lead to improving the health not only of individual patients, but of entire communities.”

The partnership will allow for more efficient use of evidence-based medicine and health information technology, the systems say. In particular, telemedicine technology will allow member physicians to more effectively reach underserved areas.

Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, University of Louisville and Catholic Health Initiatives are sponsoring the deal, according to the release. St. Joseph Health System's hospitals are part of Denver-based CHI.

Under the terms of the deal, CHI will make an incremental capital infusion of $320 million to support the new system. The agreement is dependent on approval from the church and state regulators, a process that could take up to one year.

“We see a healthier future for the Commonwealth by combining our efforts to address the serious health challenges faced by the people of Kentucky,” Hewett said in the release.

Client News: WellSpan's “Barbers with a Heart” Targets High Blood Pressure Risks

Source: Around WellSpan Online


Ada Loughhead, M.D., Family Medicine resident, right, takes Kevin Winter’s blood pressure while explaining to Kevin and his father, Patrick, how the blood pressure machine works. The Winters, owners of World A Cuts Barber Shop and the Barber Institute, are one of seven York City barbershops participating in the “Barbers with a Heart” program.

 A man and his barber often know a lot about each other. They see each other regularly and talk for 20 to 30 minutes while the barber performs his task. During this time, they may discuss work, family, sports, vacations and even health issues

That’s one of the reasons, WellSpan partnered with the City of York to launch the “Barbers with a Heart” program, designed to educate African-American males about the risks of high blood pressure.

“We realize barbershops are cultural institutions,” said Bruce Bushwick, M.D., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and program director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. “They provide men with a place and an opportunity to talk about a variety of topics, including their health.”

Bushwick, who helped organize the program, said four of 10 African-American men have high blood pressure. And, two out of three of these are either not diagnosed or are undertreated.

As a result, African-American men are more likely to die or become disabled from complications of high blood pressure, including stroke, heart attack, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure.

As part of the “Barbers with a Heart” program, seven York City barbershops will screen men for high blood pressure, using blood pressure machines and cuffs supplied by the program.

Barbers receive training and education about how to take blood pressure and interpret the results. Men with high blood pressure who do not have a personal physician will be given a card to call JoAnn Henderson, a WellSpan community health worker, who will set up an appointment with a physician for them.

Blood pressure machines and cuffs, blood pressure pocket cards, referral coordinator cards, an initial research questionnaire and a survey collection box will be delivered to participating barbershops this month.

Isaac Mantilla of Beatty’s Barber Shop attended the “Barbers with a Heart” kick off last week. “I think it’s a great idea to reach out to our customers and help them stay healthy,” he said. “We get to know our customers fairly well. Some of them are like family.”

After receiving a demonstration on how to operate the blood pressure machine, he said, “It’s very easy to use and self-explanatory.”

Patrick and Kevin Winter of World A Cuts and the Barber Institute agreed that the program is a great idea. “We think it’ll be a nice way to help educate our customers about their health,” said Patrick. “The statistics about high blood pressure in African-American males are astounding.”

York City Mayor C. Kim Bracey added, “The program is a great way to address issues plaguing our community, particularly African-American males. “I believe it’ll be an effective way to reach folks who may not think it’s important to see a physician regularly.”

The blood pressure machines were purchased with a grant from the Emig Research Center. Customers will complete questionnaires to help determine whether the project is an effective way to achieve the education goals.

Barbershops will be able to keep the blood pressure machines even after the research period ends.

Client News: First Robot-Assisted Surgery Performed at T.J. Samson Community Hospital

Source: T.J. Sampson Community Hospital Press Release

Pictured is the surgical team that assisted Dr. Peterson.  Left to right:  Blenda Chapman, RN, Surgical Services Director; Kate Kiene, Surgical Tech; Jordan Matthews, Endoscopy Tech; Ashley Cope, Surgical Tech; Sara Wheeler, RN; Miranda Kerr, Surgical Tech; Beth Reid, RN, OR Coordinator; Derrick Scott, Surgical Tech; Bonnie Eubank, Anesthesia Tech; Cami Church, RN.

The first robot-assisted surgery was performed at T.J. Samson Community Hospital on Thursday, May 19^th.  Dr. Gilman Peterson performed 3 outpatient gall bladder procedures using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

The da Vinci da Vinci Surgical System is minimally invasive which will allow the patient to recover much quicker.

Dr. Peterson stated “the cases went well and the surgical team did a fantastic job.  This morning the team members were excited about utilizing the training they’ve received.”  Dr. Peterson went on to say that “with this technology, procedures can be accomplished better than in the past and that it’s a tremendous benefit to the patients.”

Dr. Peterson also spoke to his patients about being the first to use the new technology at T.J. Samson Community Hospital.  “They were excited and delighted to be the first patients.  I made sure they understood that the robot is a tool that the surgeon utilizes during the surgery and that he would be controlling the entire procedure.”

Blenda Chapman, RN, Director of Surgical Services said “the staff has done dry runs and they were ready to go.  It was just like any other day in the OR for them.”

Two surgical teams at T.J. Samson were trained in the utilization of the daVinci robot.  A team consists of 4 technicians and 2 registered nurses.  The staff indicated that the procedure is similar to a laparoscopic procedure, with just more advance capabilities.

Bill Kindred, CEO stated “We believe that the new features of the da Vinci System will help us provide the best possible outcomes and is proof of our commitment to provide our community access to the latest advancements in minimally invasive surgery.”

The da Vinci Surgical System can be used for a multitude of inpatient and outpatient procedures including prostatectomy, hysterectomy and colorectal surgery just to name a few.

Client News: Mon General Hosptial Cardiac Surgery Program in Top 10 in Nation for Meeting Blood Product Use Benchmarks

Source: Mon Health System Press Release

Mon General Hospital’s cardiac surgery program is in the top 10 in the nation when it comes to meeting benchmarks for the use of blood products intra-operatively during surgery.

“Anytime you give a blood transfusion, there are risks involved,” said Jim Pitcher, Certified Clinical Cardiovascular Perfusionist at Mon General. “Therefore, you can decrease patient risk by not giving blood products. Mon General is well above the national average in minimizing the amount of blood needed per surgery for each of these patients.”

The clinical indicators were compiled by SpecialtyCare, the company which provides perfusionist services at Mon General. A cardiovascular perfusionist is a specialized health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass. The perfusionist uses a heart-lung machine to circulate blood and maintain the patient’s respiration so the cardiac surgeon can operate on a still, unbeating heart.

In compiling the data, SpecialtyCare looked at 16 benchmarks from approximately 130 heart hospitals in the United States, along with nine hospitals in Germany and a couple in Puerto Rico. Regionally, Mon General was compared to hospitals in Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona in Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, MD.

The benchmarks include the amount of fluid each patient received in the Operating Room, from normal anesthesia fluids to bypass fluids, including blood products, and glucose levels. The amount of each specific type of blood product used on patients in open heart surgery, along with the direct cost, was examined.

“From a patient’s perspective, the more important benchmarks pertain to the amount of blood products they would receive when they come into the Operating Room,” Pitcher said. “We’re in the top 10 as far as the percentage of patients who do not need red blood cells and other blood products.

No other hospitals in the region made the top 10 list.

“We try to keep everything very uniform here,” Pitcher said, explaining how Mon General reached the top 10. “Everybody gets the same training and follows the same protocols. It’s really a collaborative team effort between anesthesia and perfusion to make these indicators work for us. The surgeons provide us the support we need to get the job done. You have to have all the pieces together to make it work.”

Globally, hospitals are making efforts to reduce the use of blood products.

“Data is constantly being reviewed by different organizations,” Pitcher said. “Across the country, there is a big push to reduce the amount of blood products used in surgery because there is a great patient benefit from not giving blood products. The outcomes tend to be better then when you do not give blood products.”
This is why SpecialtyCare began benchmarking the blood product use trends a year ago, so institutions can see exactly where they are, he said.

“Our goal at Mon General initially was to make the top 10, but now our goal is to stay in the top 10.” Pitcher said. We’re not satisfied with being in the top 10, we want to make sure we stay in the top 10 and keep striving for better results with the help of our docs and everybody on the support staff here. It takes a team effort to make it work.

“To me, one of the most important things for a patient having surgery to ask is ‘am going to have to have blood during my surgery or after my surgery?’” Pitcher said. “That is one of the main concerns I’ve seen from patients across the years.

“You’d like to be able to tell everybody ‘no, you will not get that, but you can’t guarantee that to anyone,” he said. “But, we can certainly do everything we can not to give them blood products. Mon General’s numbers indicate that we are doing a good job with that.

“Decreasing the amount of blood products these patients are exposed to, that’s one of our main goals here as far as creating good patient care,” he said.

Client News: Botsford Health Care Announces New Chief Information Officer

Source: Botsford Health Care Press Release

Botsford Health Care and ACS, Inc., A Xerox Company, are pleased to announce that Brian L. McPherson has been appointed chief information officer, effective May 18. ACS provides Botsford's information technology (IT) services.

McPherson began his tenure at Botsford last year as program director for Botsford Health Care's electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation.

In his new role, McPherson is responsible for planning, coordinating and facilitating information services, and ensuring adherence to proper change management, testing, redundancy and constant communication of the potential impacts on the patient. He is also responsible for staying abreast of information technology’s clinical impacts by being closely aligned with key clinical leadership.

"Brian is an experienced health care IT executive," said Paul E. LaCasse, D.O., MPH, president and CEO, Botsford Health Care. "With his leadership skills and high standards of service, he will provide leadership to our CIT Department as the network continues its transformation of care. He has the right skill set to work with clinicians and information technology experts to help us with the integration of our EMR system implementation."

McPherson’s career experience includes employment as principal, director and senior health care account executive at various health care and IT organizations in the metropolitan Detroit area. He has also led several large-scale consulting initiatives for clients nationwide, including implementing EMRs, providing privacy and security audits and assessments, and leading the formation of health information exchanges (HIE). He received his bachelor of science degree in management information systems from Central Michigan University where he was named Academic All-Conference for football.

McPherson has served as an at-large board member of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and participates on several committees and groups that work toward health care interoperability at the state and national levels.

Botsford Hospital is a multi-specialty community hospital with 330 licensed beds located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The hospital was founded in 1965 with a vision of providing excellence and quality in the delivery of health care. Botsford Hospital each year cares for more than 17,000 inpatients and almost 60,000 emergency patients with a team of 2,400 employees, 400 volunteers and more than 600 physicians. A not-for-profit hospital, Botsford provided almost $27 million in community benefit during its 2008 fiscal year.

Client News: Norton Healthcare and UK HealthCare Advance Collaboration To Develop Focus on Stroke, Cancer and Obesity

Source: Norton Healthcare Press Release

UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare today announced plans to aggressively target Kentucky's most pressing health problems. Specifically, officials from both health systems announced plans to establish:

• A statewide stroke and advocacy collaboration
• A cancer program to share resources, research agendas and clinical trials
• An educational network to address obesity and weight management
• Expanded teaching programs designed to increase the number of medical professionals with an educational residency rotation for UK medical students in Norton Healthcare hospitals, and Norton Healthcare physicians to join UK’s faculty
• A transplant and specialty clinic in Louisville

“Since announcing the memorandum of agreement last November, we have worked to identify opportunities for collaboration to improve the access and quality of care for Kentuckians close to their homes while making sure that patients with the most complex medical issues receive the care they need without having to leave the state,” said Stephen A. Williams, president & CEO of Norton Healthcare.

“UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare share a vision and we have established concrete programs, which we are excited to share with our stakeholders and the UK and Norton Healthcare families, other providers across the commonwealth, and community at large.”

“UK HealthCare continues to strive to diversify our educational and research mission for our clinical faculty and students,” said Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Kentucky. “Our clinicians, researchers and students will all benefit from their access to Norton Healthcare’s excellent physicians and strong clinical operations. Ultimately the true winners are patients who will have increased access to high quality health care.”

Exemplifying the progress made in their collaboration, UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare will be extending their original agreement – a Memorandum of Agreement signed on Nov. 8, 2010 – as initiatives in stroke, cancer, transplant, obesity, OB, heart and other areas are formalized. These areas were initially targeted because they are specific health care challenges where Kentucky is among the nation's leaders in incidence of disease or illness.  

Stroke
Statistics provide evidence that the stroke crisis continues to challenge the state. Kentucky ranks 15th among the 50 states in deaths per 100,000 caused by stroke or related diseases. Much of that is due to lack of exercise, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and other factors.

As a result, UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare are creating a new education and consumer awareness collaboration that will partner with community hospitals to provide preventative education on healthy living and provide stroke screenings and training for emergency departments to be prepared for stroke patients. In addition, the collaboration will create Kentucky's first statewide stroke registry to track the improvement of care provided by community and regional hospitals in the partnership.

Cancer
The opportunity to transform the state’s health status is significant. Kentucky is in the top five for cancer incidence nationwide and leads the nation in lung cancer incidence.

Physicians, researchers and staff from the Norton Cancer Institute and the UK Markey Cancer Center will be collaborating to share resources, research and clinical trials which span across the entire continuum of care. Special emphasis is on prevention and early diagnosis and screening and statewide treatment pathways. Several Norton Cancer Institute physicians will join UK’s faculty as community-based faculty members.

Obesity and Weight ManagementSimilarly, Kentucky has among the nation's worst incidences of obesity and health problems associated with weight management. Kentucky's 2009 obesity rate was the fourth highest in the country, costing the state an estimated $1.3 billion in direct health costs annually. If current trends continue, that number is projected to skyrocket to $4 billion annually.

In response, Norton Healthcare will expand its medical weight management services and educational programs to Lexington, offering community education programs on exercise and healthy eating, among other educational offerings. Access to pre-and-post surgical obesity management services – such as behavioral counseling and support groups – also will be expanded in Lexington. At the same time, Norton Healthcare facilities will adopt UK HealthCare's protocols for diabetes at its hospitals. Also, Norton Healthcare patients will participate in clinical trials that expand the growing research program at UK's Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center.

Obstetrics
In an effort to address the physician shortage and to create a more diverse training program, Norton Healthcare is opening its hospitals to UK OB/GYN residents. A quarter of the state’s obstetricians have either stopped practicing or have left the Commonwealth since 2001, leaving as many as 71 of the state’s 120 counties without an obstetrician.

UK HealthCare will begin implementing a clinical rotation this summer at Norton Hospital, one of Norton Healthcare’s five hospitals, which initially will involve senior residents in obstetrics and eventually be expanded to include other residents in various stages of training. This partnership will provide expanded training opportunities for UK residents while creating a residency obstetrics and gynecology program in Louisville. As part of this program, several Norton Healthcare physicians will be named to UK’s faculty.

Transplant & Specialty Clinic
Many families are currently leaving Kentucky for advanced-specialty care. As a result, a new transplant clinic will provide comprehensive pre-and-post transplant care for patients. Scheduled to open in June, the clinic will be housed at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville and staffed by UK HealthCare transplant specialists in kidney, liver, heart and lung diseases. The advanced Heart Failure clinic will be coupled with a pulmonary hypertension clinic.

Access to the highest levels of care without leaving Kentucky
"No Kentuckian should have to worry about receiving the best of care, no matter how specialized or complex the illness or problem," Karpf said. "One of the exciting things about this partnership is that we are quickly and comprehensively exploring specific areas of collaboration where we can do the most good for patients across Kentucky."

"The UK and Norton Healthcare teams share a vision and a sense of responsibility to improve access to high-quality care for all Kentuckians," Williams said. "This partnership is specifically about how to make those goals a reality, whether it is helping local providers care for patients closest to their homes or whether it’s ensuring their access to tertiary or quaternary care without having to leave Kentucky. Through the UK/Norton Healthcare relationship, we want to bring clear and measurable value to health care providers and to patients across Kentucky.”

To read more, click here.

Client News: Botsford Cancer Center Takes Green Seriously

Source: Farmington Hills Patch
Written by: Joni Hubred-Golden

The George Riley Healing Garden, as an innovative aspect of the site design, earned the Botsford Cancer Center a point toward its Silver LEED certification.Credit Joni Hubred-Golden

The Botsford Cancer Center in Farmington Hills scored a silver rating in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, thanks to extraordinary environmental efforts in building and maintaining the 30,000-square-foot facility on Grand River.

During the past three years, those efforts have paid off, in energy and water usage far less than what would be expected with traditional construction.

The numbers are impressive: Stormwater runoff decreased by 25 percent; potable water use was reduced by 28.7 percent; energy use was reduced by 21.5 percent; and 797.36 tons of construction waste was diverted from landfills when the facility was built in 2008.

But the center is also scoring points on the human side, with satisfied patients and happy employees.

The first thing you notice when you walk through the door is how fresh the air seems. An air filtration system captures about 80 percent of dust particles as small as 1 micron (one-millionth of a meter).

Nicholle Mehr, who manages the center, said the building was constructed with products that have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including indoor adhesives and sealants, indoor paints and coatings and carpets. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, VOCs can cause "short- and long-term adverse health effects."

"I like working in this environment," Mehr said. "And our patients love the fact that it's a green facility. They like the fact they're not surrounded by chemicals."

David Ferguson, director of design and construction, said getting a medical building LEED certified was no easy task.

"Hospitals are under many, many regulations," he said, "and a lot of them are very strict. ... They're trying to work that out and have recently come out with LEED for health care buildings."

He said there are some LEED goals hospitals can't meet, such as requirements for air recirculation, "but in trade for that, you can do other things."

One innovative aspect of the hospital's design, which earned BCC a point toward LEED certification, is a healing garden located between the center and the historic Botsford Inn, once owned by Henry Ford. In 1999, Botsford Hospital purchased the inn property; a large barn on the site was moved to a home on 13 Mile Road in Farmington Hills to make way for the cancer center.

The inn had a rose garden, and stones from it were used in the walls for the new garden, hospital spokesperson Beth Montalvo said. The George F. Riley Healing Garden was built with a donation from the Riley Foundation.

Mehr said patients and family members often wander out to the healing garden, especially when a visit to the center has been particularly stressful.

"It's a very restful place," she said, adding that patients receiving chemotherapy can look down over the garden.

One aspect of LEED certification that directly affects patients is transportation. The BCC earned a point for having access to public transportation. Although SMART regional bus service wanted to establish a stop on the cancer center's campus, Ferguson said Botsford didn't want bus traffic coming through the parking lot.

Instead, the stop was placed in an acceleration lane on Grand River, from which patients have an easy walk to the center.

"These are all things you have to do," Ferguson said of the LEED process. "They force you to do the right thing."

While it has nothing to do with LEED certification, the center's holistic approach – from alternative therapies and yoga to nutrition counseling – is all part of a package that has Botsford Cancer Center patients more than satisfied with their experience.

A 2010 patient survey measured satisfaction with everything from the front desk personnel's helpfulness to wait time for treatments. All patients surveyed agreed they were satisfied with their care; more than 94 percent strongly agreed.

"We have never had a dissatisfied patient in 2½ years," Mehr said. "We are all patient advocates here. ... From a humanistic standpoint, that's our role, to make sure the patient is taken care of."

For more information about the Botsford Cancer Center, visit botsford.org/cancer_center/.

National CPR/AED Awareness Week is June 1-7, 2011

Source: American Red Cross

December of 2007, Congress declared the first week of June each year as National CPR/AED Awareness Week. June 1-7, 2008 will mark the first National CPR and AED Awareness Week with the goal of encourage states, cities and towns to establish organized programs that provide CPR and AED trainings and increase public access to AEDs. The American Red Cross has stepped up to the challenge and set an organizational goal of reaching 250,000 people nationwide during this one week with the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.

Through this outreach, we hope that we can raise the public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, suffered by more than 300,000 people each year and increase the chance of survival that can be achieved by having at least one person in each household trained in CPR and the use of an AED.

In less time than you think, American Red Cross training can give you the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.