System Hospital News July 2018

Atrium Medical Center

Join us for a free community picnic on Aug. 4 to learn about the latest hospital services and technology available through Atrium Medical Center. The picnic will take place from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday, Aug. 4, at the hospital’s Professional Building, 200 Medical Center Drive, in Middletown. The family-friendly event is being held in conjunction with the annual Highway to Help charity motorcycle ride. Activities for the community picnic will include a free grill-out lunch, cold treats, and snacks; the Highway to Help charity motorcycle ride departure and safety fair featuring CareFlight Air and Mobile Service’s mobile and air transportation vehicles; health screenings and health information; hospital tours; giveaways; and more. Atrium’s community partners, including MidPointe Library, Miami Regionals, Middletown Visitors Bureau, Families First, and Atrium Family YMCA will also have information and activities about their services.

To register for the three-hour Highway to Help charity motorcycle ride, contact Atrium Medical Center Foundation at (513) 974-5144 or by email. Registration is $25. Riders can also register the day of the event beginning at 10 a.m. at Atrium. Motorcycles will depart the hospital campus at noon. Proceeds from Highway to Help, which is organized by hospital employees, benefit Adopt-A-Family during the holidays. Last year, money raised at Highway to Help aided more than 60 local families and children.

Atrium Medical Center staff have accepted new leadership positions affecting the Emergency Trauma Center and nursing program. Mandi Alcorn has accepted the position of director of emergency services at Atrium beginning Aug. 5, replacing Tina Gregory. Tina has been promoted to associate chief nursing officer of Atrium. Mandi started her nursing career at Atrium’s emergency center in 2009. She was instrumental in the design and opening of the Mason Emergency Center, which she managed. During her time as manager at Mason, Mandi led the pursuit of opening the Senior Emergency Center at Atrium’s main campus. In 2017, Mandi became manager of emergency services at Miami Valley Hospital South. Tina began her career in the Emergency Center as a paramedic at Middletown Regional Hospital in 2003. She most recently served as director of emergency services, which included Atrium’s Middletown and Mason emergency centers. The Mason Emergency Center closed on July 7.

Miami Valley Hospital

On Thursday, July 19, Miami Valley Hospital North, formerly Good Samaritan North Health Center, hosted an open house for physicians that featured food, fun, and tours of the site’s new 82,000-square-foot addition. The facility now features 46 private rooms for short-stay inpatient and observation care (including four high-acuity beds) and offers advanced, integrated services ranging from non-operative medical treatment to inpatient surgical intervention. The site also has a dedicated facility for joint and spine care, and is slated to open a cardiac catheterization lab in early fall 2018.

Miami Valley Hospital North also hosted an open house for employees on Friday, July 20, and a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, July 21. The ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by an open house for the public that featured food, prizes, and tours of the new space.

The syndicated program “The Doctors” reached out to Miami Valley Hospital to highlight its Infant Cuddler Program. Having heard about the program from its launch, the producers requested to feature it on an upcoming segment focused on the opioid epidemic. Selected to be interviewed via Skype were Ellen Jordan, RN, from the NICU, and cuddler volunteer Floyd Chriswell. Stay tuned for the episode air date, as it has not yet been announced.

The Miami Valley Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program has been accredited for six years by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Accreditation shows commitment to providing the highest level of pharmacy care to patients. The six-year accreditation status – the highest level achievable by ASHP – indicates that the hospital met the rigorous standards of a nationally recognized third party.

The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) re-accredited the Wright State/Premier Health Comprehensive Epilepsy Center as a Level 3 epilepsy center for 2018 and 2019. Level 3 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide advanced medical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.

Through the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program, Miami Valley Hospital earned the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. To earn this award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods, and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight quality measures.

A reception was held in honor of two Miami Valley Hospital executives, Jolyn Angus, chief nursing officer, and Robert Morrison, MD, assistant chief medical officer, both of whom are leaving at the end of July. Hospital staff, volunteers, and board members came out to thank them for their service to Miami Valley Hospital and to wish them both well.

Upper Valley Medical Center

Upper Valley Medical Center participated in the June 5 unveiling of the Arbogast Performing Arts Center, a 1,200-seat auditorium to be built on the Troy Christian School campus in Troy. The unveiling launched a $5 million fundraising campaign, originating with a $2 million gift from Dave and Linda Arbogast, long-time community residents and school supporters, and a $1 million gift from UVMC via the UVMC Board of Directors’ community benefit fund. The facility’s auditorium will be named for Premier Health/Upper Valley Medical Center in perpetuity in honor of the hospital’s contribution and community investment. Plans are to complete the campaign by December, with a groundbreaking slated for the spring/summer of 2019. The campaign will be funded by private gifts and grants, with pledges completed over a three-year period. More information is available at arbogastpac.com.

UVMC’s SpringMeade Health Center hosted a ribbon-cutting and open house events for completion of an expansion that added 15 beds and enhanced treatment space for short-term rehab patients. The addition includes approximately 12,000 square feet of new construction on the north side of the facility to house private patient suites, a therapy gym, and common space with a private entrance on the facility’s north end.

UVMC in June celebrated achieving top score success for our ED2a goal for the month of May. ED2a is one of the CMS core measures that involves moving patients from the emergency department to inpatient units in a timely manner while following all safety/patient experience protocols. The established UVMC goal is 92 minutes from the time of decision to admit to ED departure, and we achieved 89 minutes for the month of May, earning a “green” top score rating – a first at UVMC and within our system.

Dr. Scott Kanagy, chief medical officer of Premier Health’s northern region, and Dr. Larry Holland on June 19 presented a program to the Piqua Rotary Club about robotic surgery and other advancements in services and technologies at UVMC. The group of 24 attendees asked many questions and expressed appreciation for the update, as well as an interest in other programs highlighting UVMC technology and services.

Retirement recognition receptions took place for Terry Fry, UVMC vice president and chief nursing officer, and Kathie Scarbrough, president and executive director of the UVMC Foundation, on June 22 and 28, respectively. Many UVMC employees, physicians, board members, volunteers and retirees turned out to express appreciation to Terry and Kathie for their decades of dedicated service to the hospital and foundation. 

Back to the July 2018 issue of Premier Pulse