The Voice of OutreachA quarterly publication for the partners of HealthONE Outreach Services - Fall 2005 |
Several new educational programs are now offered in rural communities. The following are new CME talks available to your medical staff:
"Managing the Acute Stroke Patient", Mihaela Alexander, MD
The following is a list of new HealthONE physicians that will be providing clinics in rural areas. If you have a need for additional specialists, please contact us at 1-800-633-6824.
Kenneth Lee, MD-Pediatric Gastroenterology-Grand Junction, CO
A big thanks goes out to the following HealthONE physicians and allied health professionals for taking time out of their busy schedules to teach rural physicians and staff about new developments and technology in their field.
The Stroke Program/Stroke Alert system at The Medical Center of Aurora has identified a new medical director, neurologist Mihaela Alexander, M.D. Dr. Alexander helped to develop the program and as Medical Director, she will lead future Stroke Program development and be a resource for HealthONE’s Outreach partners. Dr. Alexander is available to rural community providers for neurology consultations and for continuing education presentations in “Management of the Acute Stroke Patient”.
The Stroke Alert program at the Medical Center of Aurora continues to exceed national benchmarks in many of the critical indicators that make a difference in the outcome of the acute stroke patient. Of all patients that present to an emergency room with an ischemic stroke who meet criteria to receive t-PA, approximately 50% actually receive t-PA. At The Medical Center of Aurora approximately 70% of patients who are appropriate for t-PA receive this brain-saving acute intervention.
The Medical Center of Aurora is also pleased to announce the arrival of another neurologist to our medical community, Dr. Mai Vu, who will practice with Dr. Alexander at Colorado Neurology Specialists.
On Friday, August 5th, The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA) underwent a survey of cardiovascular services by HCA-Cardiovascular Clinical Management Network (CCMN) representatives. HCA-CCMN has created a rigorous review process to determine hospitals with best-demonstrated practices in cardiovascular care. The HCA hospitals meeting the criteria will be awarded as either a Cardiovascular Center of Excellence or Hospital of Merit. The difference in award type is based upon the size of CV Programs and providing all cardiac services such as Open Heart Surgery, EP Services, Cardiac Interventions, Cardiac Imaging and Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation. TMCA is the only HealthONE facility being considered for CV Center of Excellence. Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center are under consideration for CV Hospital of Merit as well.
The survey consisted of an 8-member survey team of physicians, nurses and other clinicians from across the country. Sylvia Young, CEO, Dr. Nelson Prager, Medical Director, CV Services and Judy Lenane, Cardiovascular Service Line Director, kicked off the survey by providing an overview of CV Services. Lynn Tarkington from CCMN shared the results of the CV COE process and encouraged us to celebrate our success with the survey team. The remainder of the survey was touring the facility as well as meeting with key departments, reviewing documents and interviewing the staff and physicians. In addition, our partners from the Aurora Fire Department and Rural Metro Ambulance participated in all survey activities.
The results are exciting. After the first round, where we answered 1627 questions, TMCA was ranked #3 out of the 20 COE/HOM hospitals. The second round consisted of providing 570 proof-source documents. After the 2nd round, TMCA ranked #1. We will be notified in the end of September or first week of October, if we had succeeded in receiving the distinction of a Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. If TMCA attains the CV COE award, we will receive national recognition and $1 million to support cardiovascular programming. The formal announcement will come on October 26th at the national HCA-CCMN meeting.
Join the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI) for the 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Summit in Vail, Colorado on Friday, September 16, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. Learn the future trends of care related to treatment of stroke and cerebrovascular disease; identify the principals associated with an acute stroke treatment network; understand the importance of pre-hospital and emergency care in the treatment of stroke and identify the principles associated with diagnostic and endovascular treatment in stroke. For more information, please go to http://thecni.org/stroke/2005summit.htm.
The first system-wide HealthONE Women's Health Fair - taking place at 6 HealthONE hospitals in October - offers a variety of screenings and information important to women of all ages. Free or lost-cost screenings, free lectures and informational booths will cover topics ranging from prepregnancy health to postpartum depression, incontinence to menopause, hormone replacement therapy to cosmetic surgery.
While they will vary by hospital, FREE screenings may include such things as osteoporosis, body& balance, skin cancer, blood pressure, body mass index, and many others. Several sites also will host FREE seminars on topics ranging from "How to stay active and healthy" to sports fitness, women & stroke, having a healthy baby, and staying sexy as you age. Area retailers also will be at these sites with products, prizes and information.
The Medical Center of Aurora, which is conducting a Women's Health Fair at its North Campus for the third year, also will host Colorado First Lady Frances Owens to discuss Women & Heart Disease. In 2004, of the 308 women who took advantage of heart health screenings at the Medical Center of Aurora's fair, 66% were found to be hypertensive. "We feel this is important because women are often too busy in life to properly care for themselves," says Jennifer Alderfer, chief operating officer at the North Campus. HealthONE Women's Health Fair Schedule:
We want to make a difference and hope that you will encourage women in your rural community to join us. For information and to RSVP that you plan to attend one of the fair sites, please call HealthONE at 303-575-0055.
More than 60 participants learned about the latest approaches for treatment and prevention of stroke at the Springfield town hall meeting conducted by clinicians from the Colorado Neurological Institute (CNI). Roz Davis, a speech and language pathologist conducted the program along with Josette Pressler, licensed practical nurse, from CNI. The educational program pointed out that stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US and the leading cause of disability. According to Davis, "until lately, there was no intervention for stroke but that has changed. Just like a heart attack it is now critical that individuals experiencing a stroke dial 911."
Some rural hospitals have now adopted the stroke protocol used at The Medical Center of Aurora and Swedish Medical Center which uses t-PA, the clot-busting drug. If this drug is administered within three-hours of the first signs and symptoms of stroke, it has the potential for reducing the damage or even reversing the effects of a stroke. If you would like to have the CNI team come out to talk to your community, or a HealthONE hospital help you develop the stroke protocol, please contact Gary Secino at 303-584-6025 or toll free at 1-800-633-6824.
On June 28, 2005, Dr. David Arciniegas, Co-Medical Director for the Brain Injury Rehab Program at Spalding and Kim Frey, Research Assistant at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital presented West Nile Grand Rounds at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. In addition, the team spoke to the Mesa County Department of Health regarding research about West Nile Virus. A study is underway at Spalding to assess the current physical and mental status of patients who were diagnosed with West Nile Virus in 2003. Anyone interested in this topic or a CME presentation, please feel free to contact Rose Reinhardt at Spalding at 303 363-5107.
The Transplant Center at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center celebrated 20 years of transplant service and its 1,000th kidney transplant. Mimi Roberson, P/SL President and CEO and Alan Cooper, MD, Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant program on June 20 welcomed more than 150 kidney transplant recipients and living donors and their guests who joined in the festivities.
Tom Maes, P/SL's first kidney transplant recipient and Connie Reid, the 1,000th transplant recipient represent major milestones for the program's success and serve as living tributes to how donations change lives. "It gave me 20 years and great quality of life," said Maes. "Getting to see my grandchildren born was wonderful and this is a wonderful place to be associated with."
Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper also honored P/SL's program, the patients and staff, and encouraged rural area employers to join P/SL in the national Workplace Partnership for Life initiative, a collaboration of companies and employee groups of all sizes to provide information on organ donation to employees and customers.
Dennis Carter, MD, specializes in radiation oncology and has practiced at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center (RMCC) at Sky Ridge Medical Center since 2001. Dr.Carter graduated summa cum laude from Northwest Nazarene College in Idaho and received his medical doctorate from the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduation, he served as a nuclear research technician at Westinghouse Hanford Nuclear Site, and he completed his internship at Deaconess Medical Center.
While completing his residency in radiation oncology at Duke University, Dr. Carter served as chief resident. As a result of his research at Duke, Dr. Carter was runner up for the American Cancer Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology national basic science research award. He also received the Roentgen Fellow Research Award.
Before joining RMCC, Dr. Carter worked as a radiation oncologist at New York Oncology and as a consulting radiation oncologist at Albany Memorial and Samaritan Hospitals in New York.
Although Dr. Carter is active in clinical research as a primary investigator for several national cancer research studies, his primary focus is clinical practice. He has taken a special interest in the study of head and neck, lung and breast cancers.
Dr. Carter has a great respect for the strength of character that he observes in his patients each day. He considers cancer care a team effort, involving participation from physicians, support staff, family, friends and most importantly, the individual patient. he is interested in teaching physicians and medical staff in the rural areas, and has several CMEs scheduled for the future
Amber Ness, RD, will be conducting a monthly weight-loss clinic for Stanton County Hospital in Johnson, Kansas. Amber will begin by conducting one-on-one consultations to develop individual diet plans that fit personal lifestyles, and then will provide a group program where participants can learn the tools needed to successfully manage their weight.
Amber graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in dietetics. She then completed a general internship with Purdue University in 2003. Amber has worked in clinical, home healthcare and community-based setting both here and abroad.
If you are a Critical Access Hospital, the HealthONE Healthcare System now has critical access affiliations with several hospitals that allow those hospitals to benefit from the resources available at any of our seven medical centers. If you have an interest in our critical access affiliation program, please contact Gary Secino at 303-584-6025 or toll free at 1-800-633-6824.
Did you know that last month, the 63 HealthONE Outreach physicians and 34-allied health professionals treated more than 1,406 patients? And flew on more than 55 flights? Let’s thank all the physicians and allied health professionals who tirelessly serve our community needs.