System Hospital News: January 2020

Atrium Medical Center

Atrium employees and volunteers collected 2,420 pounds of food during a three-week food drive led by the President’s Advisory Council. The donations benefited Shared Harvest Foodbank, which distributes collections to more than 90 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and similar nonprofits in Butler, Warren, Preble, Darke, and Miami counties. The donations from Atrium will equate to about 2,000 meals for families in need, according to Shared Harvest.

Keith Bricking, MD, hosted the annual Dinner with the President with approximately 100 in attendance to thank Atrium Medical Center Foundation donors, as well as showcase some of the areas where their donations had a strong impact in the past year. Sameep Kadakia, MD, was the evening’s keynote speaker, sharing the latest advances in head and neck reconstruction. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the Compton Center.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety awarded $50,000 in federal funding to Atrium’s Level III Trauma Center, which manages a traffic safety program in collaboration with community partners. The coalition, whose members include law enforcement, focuses on traffic safety awareness initiatives.

For parents who have lost a child, the holidays can be a time of painful memories and brief, but cherished moments. To help, Atrium’s Help Endure a Loss (HEAL) program invited families to its 21st annual Memory Tree Lighting, a seasonal remembrance for those who have experienced the death of a child. The evening included a brief service, personalized ornaments, and several opportunities to recognize and remember lost loved ones.

The Middletown Division of Fire and Local 336 donated $2,281 in proceeds to Atrium Medical Center Foundation to benefit Middletown-area breast cancer patients. The funds were raised this fall by sales of “Fighting for a Cure” breast cancer awareness T-shirts to hospital staff. Money donated to the Atrium Foundation will benefit women who can’t otherwise afford a mammogram.

Miami Valley Hospital Campuses

Members of the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation board of trustees met to review 2019 successes and look ahead to 2020. The meeting included several ceremonial check presentations from recent fundraising events. More than $72,500 in proceeds from Champions of Hope will go to fund integrative therapy programs, including specialized yoga, exercise, and therapeutic art designed specifically for oncology patients. Some $183,000 in funds raised at the hospital during the Premier Health Employee Giving Campaign (formerly known as the Mueller Society) assisted employees who were impacted by the Memorial Day tornadoes. The final check presentation represented $75,000 in proceeds from a new event, Emmett’s Place Family Night at the Boonshoft. Emmett’s Place is a quiet space away from clinical areas, in which families of NICU patients can spend time together.

Beth Larsen and Gregory Semon, DO, were featured on the City of Centerville web series “Centerville Spotlight” and taped at Miami Valley Hospital South. Mayor Brooks Compton interviewed both about Miami Valley Hospital South recently achieving the designation of a Level III Trauma Center.

Xenia High School’s Student Council provided “Baskets for Battle” to the oncology patients at Miami Valley Hospital South. The bags are designed with love and care to encourage patients during the difficult cancer treatment process. This initiative received media coverage from WDTN-TV.

The fourth quarter Trendsetter Award honorees were announced. This leadership recognition program honors employees who embody the hospital’s values and possess the ability to inspire people to reach great heights of performance and success through passion, purpose, listening, and meaning. Honorees included: Carman Burton, manager of Patient Access Services; Lt. Brad Goudy, manager of Campus Police; Susan Mahurin, manager of Patient Care Unit 2; and Sara Martin, ANM of Emergency and Trauma Center.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently awarded a bronze-level Beacon Award for Excellence to the Medical Surgical ICU at Miami Valley Hospital. The Beacon Award for Excellence, a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments, recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six healthy work environment standards.

Help Me Grow Brighter Futures recently hosted a graduation ceremony for more than 50 families who completed the Parent Home Visiting Program. Mothers and their families came to celebrate their accomplishment. The celebration included music, food, photos, and diplomas for both mom and baby.

In April, Miami Valley Hospital’s labor and delivery department was experiencing a “baby boom” with its nursing staff. Eleven nurses were pregnant, all expecting to deliver between May and October. The story went viral and nurses from across the country sent messages and baby care packages for the moms-to-be. On Dec. 5, all the nurses/new mothers reunited with their new babies for a holiday reunion. This story was picked up by all Dayton-area media, as well as by a media outlet in the United Kingdom that reports for stations across the country.

As part of Premier Health’s partnership with University of Dayton Athletics, a new UD physician introductory video was launched. The video highlights the seven Premier Health physicians who provide care for UD athletes: Mike Herbenick, MD; Jeffrey James, DO; Karen Shafer, MD; James Klosterman, MD; Michael Barrow, MD; Teresa Zryd, MD; and Joe Rubino, MD.

Upper Valley Medical Center

A retirement reception was hosted Dec. 13 in the UVMC cafeteria to honor Roger Goodenough, MD, general practitioner, who retired from practice in December. Dr. Goodenough, most recently with Upper Valley Family Medicine, began practicing in Troy in 1969. UVMC physicians, employees, retirees, and volunteers attended the retirement reception to express appreciation for his many years of dedicated service to UVMC and his patients.

Three members of the UVMC Board of Directors retired at the end of 2019 after long terms of service to UVMC and predecessor hospital boards. Daniel French, board member since 1975; Joel Walker, board member since 1983; and Art Disbrow, board member since 1984, were honored at the December board meeting.

UVMC Future Leaders teamed up in December with the Lincoln Community Center in Troy to host Darla’s Helping Hands Holiday Drive to benefit children in the center’s after-school program. UVMC employees donated food gift cards to more than 100 local children in need.

UVMC/Premier Health was the presenting sponsor for Edison State Community College’s Annual Holiday Evening Dec. 4. More than 400 community members attended this high-profile event, which is the major fundraiser for the Edison Foundation. UVMC’s sponsorship is part of the hospital’s long-standing partnership with the college.

UVMC’s annual Employee Recognition and Silver Anniversary Reception was hosted at the hospital on Dec. 11. Nita Niekamp, a staff nurse in the UVMC Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation department, was named UVMC Employee of the Year. Significant employment anniversaries were also celebrated at the reception for UVMC employees who have provided 25 to 45 years of service to our patients and their families.

Back to the January 2020 issue of Premier Pulse