System Hospital News: July 2019

Community Involvement, Awards, and a Teddy Bear Clinic

Atrium Medical Center

Hospital representatives were among the hundreds of people who attended Art from the Heart, an auction benefiting the Middletown Arts Center. As presenting sponsor, Premier Health and Atrium Medical Center were included in all promotional materials and signage for the June 1 fundraiser at Miami Valley Gaming in Monroe.

The annual Steps 4 HEALing Walk and Family Festival was held June 8 at Niederman Family Farm in Liberty Twp. The event benefits the HEAL (Help Endure A Loss) Program at Atrium. Press coverage prior to the event also promoted HEALing Together, a monthly support group at the hospital for families grieving the loss of a child.

Atrium’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee welcomed guest speaker Jerry Mallicoat on June 17 for a presentation in honor of Pride Month. Mallicoat, LGBTQ Health Initiatives director for Montgomery County, educated employees on the history of Pride Month. He also shared best practices with staff about pronoun usage and terms people should not use when referring to or engaging with patients who are part of the LGBTQ community.

The Maternal Health Clinic promoted its services as well as Atrium’s Natural Beginnings birthing center during a Community Baby Shower hosted by the Butler County Educational Service Center on June 22. From food, giveaways, and games to education and health resources, there was something for all of the more than 160 mothers and their guests who attended this inaugural event.

Atrium representatives interacted with hundreds of residents as part of Middletown’s Independence Day events. During the city’s Fourth of July parade and Broad Street Blast, employees handed out promotional items for Premier Health’s emergency and urgent care services, as well as information about the Atrium Foundation’s upcoming Highway to Help event.

In other community relations activities: Atrium’s Wound Care Center director discussed treatment of chronic wounds with AK Steel retirees at the group’s monthly meeting; Atrium nurses volunteered at the first aid booth during the second annual Middletown PRIDE; CareFlight Air and Mobile Services vehicles took part in a Touch-a-Truck event in Warren County’s Hamilton Twp.; and in partnership with Premier Health Community Benefits, Atrium donated fresh fruit to feed 160 youths for one week as part of a summer food program in Middletown.

Miami Valley Hospital

Premier Health has announced the promotion of Joann Ringer to president of the Miami Valley Hospital South Campus, effective immediately. Ringer has been chief operating officer at Miami Valley Hospital South since 2012, when it became a fully operational hospital. She joined Premier Health in 1992 and has served in progressively responsible roles since that time, leading expansion of Miami Valley Hospital South’s campus to include the Cancer Center, Maternity Center, and most recently, the Joint and Spine Center. Through the years under Ringer’s leadership, the team at Miami Valley Hospital South has earned exceptionally high patient experience ratings and become an integral part of the community.

Jhansi Koduri, MD, was honored as “Woman of the Year” at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year Gala. This honor goes to the man and woman who have raised the most funds during a 10-week campaign for the Dayton Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Funds raised support blood cancer research, as well as information, education, and support services for those affected by blood cancer. Dr. Jhansi Koduri is a medical oncologist and a certified physician with MD Anderson Cancer Network®.

Employees from Miami Valley Hospital North and across the system participated in the 2019 Vectren Dayton Air Show Parade, along with a Premier Health Mobile Intensive Care (MICU) vehicle. The week following, employees participated in the Huber Heights Annual Independence Day parade.

Miami Valley Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment. Miami Valley Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. The hospital also received the association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite/Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus award.

As an employee engagement initiative, Miami Valley Hospital North Chief Operating Officer Mary Garman has launched Moving with Mary and the Management Team at Miami Valley Hospital North. This event is an opportunity for employees to participate in a 20- to 30-minute walk during breaks, along with members of the management team. This ongoing event will take place on Fridays through the end of October. Employees who walk at least 10 times can earn Premier Healthy Living points.

CareFlight Air and Mobile Services, Stop the Bleed, the Injury Prevention Center, and Dietician Services all participated in “Delta Days,” a health and wellness event hosted by Delta Airlines at the Dayton International Airport. This event was primarily for Delta and airport employees, but also for passengers and visitors.

Premier Health/Miami Valley Hospital was the presenting sponsor of the ZIKS Family Pharmacy Community Family Celebration and Health Fair. Held in the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood, the community was able to enjoy music, food, children’s activities, physician speakers (including Peter Ekeh, MD) and complimentary health screenings. The Premier Health mobile mammography coach and a MICU unit were also on hand.

Upper Valley Medical Center

Upper Valley Medical Center won the Best Medical Facility category in the Miami Valley Today 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards. Winners are selected by Miami Valley Today/Miami Valley Sunday News readers throughout Miami County.   

The UVMC Center for Sports Medicine launched its 17th annual summer sports performance and injury reduction programs in June. The popular programs include Edge Camp and KneeFit for high school and collegiate level athletes, and Edge Camp Jr. for junior high athletes.

A Teddy Bear Clinic and Movie event was hosted by UVMC on June 9 at the historic Mayflower Arts Center in downtown Troy. The event for the community featured an afternoon of kid-friendly fun, including free teddy bear/doll “checkups,” face painting, balloon characters, games, giveaways, photos with Teddy the Premier Bear, and refreshments, followed by a special showing of the movie Paddington. More than 60 children and their families participated.

UVMC/Premier Health is title sponsor of the 2019 Sculptures on the Square Be Part of the Art initiative, which launched June 14 in downtown Troy. This new community-focused component of the Sculptures on the Square exhibit features guided tours and art-focused interactive special activities for families throughout the summer. Also included are displays by local artists and a “Strawberry Girl” sculpture, which won first place in the Be Part of the Art regional art competition.

UVMC hosted a group of outstanding local high school seniors for the Tipp City Chamber of Commerce’s first Teen Leadership Tipp City visit June 4. The program featured a hospital highlights tour, interactive rehab medicine session, and health care careers education along with Q&A. 

UVMC hosted the Troy Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Leadership Troy class for a health care overview visit June 19. The half-day program featured a hospital update and Q&A session with Tom Parker, president, and a technology update presented by Chief Medical Officer Scott Kanagy, DO, and urologist Robert Kohut, MD. The visit also included a hospital highlights tour. 

UVMC was headline sponsor and first aid provider for the 2019 Spectacular Summer Cruise-In and Concert held June 22 on the Miami Valley Centre campus in Piqua. The event, which featured musical performances and classic cars competitions, drew a crowd of more than 15,000 people throughout the day.    

A Premier Proud picnic for the entire UVMC family took place June 6. The event featured a complimentary meal, music, and activities in the hospital cafeteria and outdoor dining courtyard.

Back to the July 2019 issue of Premier Pulse