Client News: Mon Health System and Mon General Announce Board Changes

The Boards of Directors of Monongalia Health System and Monongalia General Hospital recently elected new board chairmen and added several new members.

Glenn Adrian is the new Chairman of the Monongalia Health System Board of Directors and Sarah Minear is the new Chairman of the Mon General Hospital Board of Directors. Monongalia Health System is the parent company of Mon General Hospital, Mon HealthCare Equipment and Supplies, Monongalia EMS and The Village at Heritage Point.

New members include Bobbie Hawkins on the Monongalia Health System Board of Directors and Helen Blevins, Terry L. Shaffer and Natalie Stone on the Mon General Board of Directors. The new members’ first board meeting was held on Aug. 2.

“It’s a privilege to serve as Chairman of the Mon Health System Board of Directors,” Adrian said. “I’m looking forward to leading the Board as we embark upon the continual evolution of healthcare delivery in our community.

“For a strong community hospital like Mon General to remain viable, it needs to be led by a strong volunteer leadership board,” Adrian said. “Mon Health System and Mon General have been fortunate throughout the years to have had a commitment from community members to serve on its boards and that tradition continues with our newest members.”

Adrian has been a member of the Mon Health System Board of Directors since 2006. He also served on The Foundation of Mon General Hospital Board of Directors from 1990-2011.

“Mon General Hospital has a great Board of Directors and I'm honored to be the new chairman,” Minear said.

“The hospital has long enjoyed a strong reputation for providing quality healthcare to the region,” Minear said. “We have very progressive goals to keep Mon General on the cutting edge of quality healthcare and my role as chairman will be to keep our focus on those goals to bring them to fruition.”

Minear joined the Mon General Board of Directors in 2007. She previously served three terms in the West Virginia State Senate, having been elected in 1994, 1998 and 2002, representing the 14th Senatorial District. In addition, she has been active on numerous area boards.

The Monongalia Health System Board of Directors welcomed one new member:

Bobbie Hawkins has been the Business Development Manager at Alpha Associates, Inc. since 2004, a position created to further develop the marketing strategy of the firm. Alpha Associates is a local architectural and engineering firm.

Prior to becoming the Business Development Manager, Hawkins was the Marketing Coordinator at Alpha Associates. She was also a loan officer and assistant branch manager at Bartlett Farmers Bank.

Hawkins serves as the Vice Chair of Membership for the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Co-Chair of the Citizens Review Board for the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties and the Vice President of the Monongalia County 4-H Leaders Association. She is also involved with Leadership Monongalia, Leadership West Virginia, the Cheat Lake Sailors 4-H Club and is on the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Morgantown.

She received her Bachelors in Business Administration from Harding University and her Associates in Business from Ohio Valley College.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Mon Health System Board,” Hawkins said. “Morgantown and the surrounding areas are extremely blessed to have a comprehensive healthcare system to serve our healthcare needs. At a time in history when the healthcare industry is on unsteady ground, I will do my best to strengthen the Mon Health System through effective stewardship and service.”

The Mon General Board of Directors welcomed three new members:

Helen Blevins is the Manger of Clinical Occupational and Non-Occupational Healthcare at CONSOL Energy. She has extensive experience managing CONSOL’s substance abuse program and is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable authorities on the problem of substance abuse in the mining industry. Blevins has worked in the mining industry for over 31 years in various healthcare positions. She has a BS Degree in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and has also worked in clinical nursing at Mercy Hospital and Jefferson Hospital in Pittsburgh, as well as ALCOA.

Blevins has had frequent contact with Mon General, including physicians and the Emergency Department, through CONSOL workers utilizing the hospital for workers comp and short-term disability. In addition, she works with Mon General Community Wellness to offer annual health fairs for CONSOL employees and retirees.

“Mon General is an exceptional hospital,” Blevins said. “I have seen the care the hospital provides, not only to our (CONSOL) employees, but to our employees’ family members. Mon General is constantly working to meet the needs of the community. To me, that is so important.

“I’m very honored and happy to be part of the team of the Mon General Board of Directors,” she said. Blevins resides in Bridgeville, PA.

Terry L. Shaffer is a Morgantown native and a graduate of Morgantown High School. He received his BS degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University. He has been Market President at United Bank since 1996, and has worked as a commercial lender at Community Bank and Trust, was President of Mountaineer National Bank, was President of CB&T of Monongalia County and a commercial lender at Huntington National Bank. His community involvement includes Rotary and serving on the Mylan Park Board of Directors, the Mon General Hospital Finance Committee and the Morgantown Area Partnership Board of Directors.

“Being a native of and professional in Morgantown, I appreciate and want to help maintain the high quality of healthcare being provided by Mon General,” Shaffer said. “It is essential in finding and employing professionals in our market, as well as attracting new businesses to our community. I am joining the Mon General Board of Directors to aid in the continuation of quality service to this community, their patients and their employees.”

Natalie Stone is the Executive Director of the North Central Building and Construction Trades Council, an AFL-CIO affiliated organization representing more than 3,000 construction workers in the North Central and Eastern Panhandle regions of West Virginia. She is also a member of IBEW Local 596, a representative on the West Virginia State Building Trades Executive Board and has served on the auditing committee for the WV AFL-CIO at various conventions. She presently serves on the WV Attorney General’s Consumer Advocate Board and was recently selected to serve on the Mon General Auxiliary’s 2011 Ball of the Year Committee. Raised in Preston County, she now resides in Morgantown.

“My connection through the Building Trades and the 3,000 working families that I represent may enable me to better serve the community and the hospital with my service as a member of the Mon General Board,” Stone said. “My own family has experienced medical situations over the years and I have been impressed with the compassion shown to us by the hospital staff and administration.

“It’s an honor for me to now consider myself a member of the Mon General team and know that that same compassion will be shown to the families in North Central West Virginia,” she said. “I have had the opportunity to work closely with the leadership at Mon General and I feel confident in their ability to lead us in the healthcare challenges we face now, and in the future, and therefore I am extremely honored to be part of that team.”

The Monongalia Health System Board of Directors consists of Adrian, Chairman; Zack George, Ph.D., Vice Chairman; Mike DeProspero, Secretary/Treasurer; Susan Capelle, MD; Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan; Don Gallion; Hawkins; Alan Hess, MD; Patrick Martin, Immediate Past Chair; Robert Maust; Carol Rushford; George Snider, MD; Wade Stoughton, MD; and Ron Stovash. Billy Atkins and David Myerberg, MD, left the Board when their terms expired on June 30. There is one vacancy on the Board which will be filled at a later date.

The Mon General Board of Directors consists of Minear, Chairman; Roger King, MD, Vice Chairman; Sister Nancy White, Secretary/Treasurer and Immediate Past Chair; Adrian; Blevins; Duncan; Robin Garrett, DO, Mon General Chief of Medical Staff; Martin; Carol Rushford; Shaffer; Dr. Stoughton; and Stone. The new members replace Atkins, Joseph Kun and Mary Petropoulos whose terms expired on June 30.

Client News: Mon Health System Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

Linda Ollis, F.A.C.H.E., recently joined Mon Health System as Mon General Hospital’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Ollis started her career in healthcare as a physical therapist at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, PA. She later earned a Master’s Degree in hospital administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and is board certified in healthcare administration.

She brings to Mon General more than 32 years’ experience in senior hospital administrative roles. She has been a Vice President at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and Christus Health System in Shreveport, LA. Most recently, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, NE.

Ollis is filling the COO position which was vacated by Darryl Duncan when he became Mon Health System President and Chief Executive Officer in February. She began her new role on June 21.

“In recruiting Linda, we sought someone who would help us get better, embrace our culture and keep an open mind about how to address the challenges we will be facing going forward,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “I look forward to working with Linda to keep Mon General the hospital of choice for north central West Virginia. “

As COO, Ollis is responsible for the day-to-day management of the hospital. All hospital based services, including Patient Care, Medical Affairs and Quality and Information Systems report to her.

“While I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, I spent the majority of my adult life in other parts of the country, but have many ties with friends and family that kept me coming back for visits,” Ollis said. “Now I have the opportunity to blend the old and the new as I discover the beauty and attractions of Morgantown and West Virginia, as well as renew links with my nearby hometown.”

Ollis has been impressed with much of what she has experienced so far at Mon Health System.

“One of the most attractive attributes is the positive, innovative culture of Mon Health System,” she said. “Every employee that I’ve encountered in my short time here has spoken with pride of their commitment to providing the best care to our patients and families and their support for their co-workers. It’s clear that staff members feel like family and treat our patients as they would like to have their own family members treated.

“Staff place a priority on dignity and privacy for each individual that enters our facility,” she said. “Care and compassion are not just words to them, they live it every day. And our patients recognize that commitment as we can see from our patient satisfaction scores, among the highest in the state.

“There is also a strong sense of community here,” Ollis said. “The medical staff and leadership team are focused on the future, not only on expansion and growth, that includes the new Orthopedic Surgery Center and the Cancer Center, but also on constant improvement in patient care and quality outcomes. It’s why Mon Health System has received so many awards, such as the Blue Distinction Program (for orthopedics) and HealthGrades (patient safety) recognition. In the end, you succeed because of your people, and we have the best!”

Even though Mon Health System is well positioned for the future, there are a lot of changes coming in healthcare.

“The most challenging aspect of healthcare is that it’s in a constant state of change – technology, regulations and reimbursement,” she said. The changes aren’t going to stop, so it’s good that we have such superb teamwork and commitment in place. The real danger is complacency – especially when you’re doing well operationally and financially. We have to anticipate and embrace change and one of my roles will be to clarify and interpret, to make resources available.

Ollis noted that Mon General has been through quite a bit of construction in the past several years, and that construction is now underway for a new access road.

“It will be a joy to move into all the newly renovated space and welcome new care providers and patients,” she said. “We’ll have improved access with the new entrance to the hospital campus, which will increase our visibility, and wonderful new centers for orthopedics, cancer/infusion and endoscopy, as well as the cath lab renovations.”

Ollis and her husband of 28 years, John, are exited to be surrounded by the natural beauty of Morgantown and are looking forward to exploring the area and getting to know their neighbors.

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.