System News: May 2024

Atrium Medical Center

Franklin Family Practice relocated to 909 E. Second St. on April 8, offering improved amenities and a larger space. Providers Daniel Biddinger, FNP; Kristin Renk, CNP; and Kelsi Rohr, PA-C, along with physical therapy and sports medicine services from Atrium, are accepting new patients at the new location.

A free community baby shower, organized by Atrium and Dr. Rhonda Washington of Hilltop OB/GYN, celebrated Black Maternal Health Week at the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center in Middletown. The event included essential baby care giveaways, prenatal care and postpartum wellness workshops, and information from local resources and support networks.

LifeCenter Organ Donor Network, Atrium's partner organ procurement organization, celebrated National Donate Life Month by engaging with employees, patients, and visitors. A liver transplant recipient shared gratitude for staff support, while students from Warren County Career Center's Student Organ Donation Advocates chapter helped register organ donors. The event featured LifeCenter’s green chair, symbolizing those awaiting life-saving transplants.

Miami Valley Hospital

Construction on the new Good Samaritan Chapel continues at Miami Valley Hospital North. In April, the Good Samarian Foundation-Dayton’s chapel committee met to review the latest construction developments. To date, more than $265,000 has been raised for this $1 million project. The new Good Samaritan Chapel is scheduled to open in late July.

Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, and the two other Premier Health Hospital Foundations hosted their annual board retreat at NCR Country Club on April 9. The retreat focused on the foundations’ system-wide capital campaign to support the acquisition of a new CareFlight aircraft, as well as initiatives that will support oncology, cardiology, women’s health, and bereavement care. Foundation board members heard from Premier Health executives and a fundraising consultant who offered education and training to support the campaign.

The four Premier Health Hospital foundations kicked off their annual two-week Employee Giving Campaign across the system on April 22. The campaign, “Giving is in the Air,” is the only employee fundraising campaign that directly benefits the health system’s employees, patients, and community initiatives. This year, the four foundations are supporting the purchase of a new CareFlight aircraft that will replace the oldest in our fleet. Additionally, the foundations will continue to offer employee catastrophic support to eligible staff who experience unexpected, emergent situations, as well as provide more than 200 scholarships to our employees and their loved ones.

Emergency and trauma center physicians came together to recognize exceptional staff members from Miami Valley Hospital, Miami Valley Hospital South, Miami Valley Hospital North, Austin Boulevard Emergency Center, and the Jamestown Emergency Center at the annual Jana Matthews Awards of Excellence.

After several years of hiatus, the Donate Life Celebration, in partnership with Life Connections of Ohio, returned to the Miami Valley Hospital campus. Two celebrations were held to recognize the lifesaving donations made in 2022 and 2023.

The 14th Annual University of Dayton Miami Valley Hospital Healthcare Symposium took place on April 13 at UD. This year’s theme was “AI in Healthcare.”  Several system leaders were presenters, and Dr. Joseph Allen received the “Physician Award.”  Sharon White served as the event moderator.

Upper Valley Medical Center

Ashley Heitbrink, stroke program managerfor UVMC, participated in local morning show interviews on Troy Power 107.1 and WPTW radio stationson April 29 to discuss important information for Stroke Awareness Month, which is in May.  

Dr. Lakmali Ranathunga, chief medical officer for UVMC, participated in sessions with representatives from Miami County Public Health and Kent State University related to the information requested for the upcoming Miami County Community Health Assessment.

UVMC volunteers were honored at the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held on April 15 at the hospital. The UVMC executive team served lunch to those in attendance,  including volunteers who work in the various hospital departments.

UVMC participated in the annual Edison State Community College Health Fair on April 13. UVMC advanced practice nurses provided blood pressure screenings, chronic disease counseling, oncology displays/information, and booths featuring general services handouts.

UVMC departments participated with interactive booths at the Miami County YMCA Healthy Kids Day held at the Troy Robinson Branch YMCA on Saturday, April 20. The annual community event features health and wellness education and activities for children and their families.

Congratulations to Priscilla Blevins, CNP with CNSI/NEUROne, for being UVMC's first APP Excellence in Action Award recipient.

Premier Physician Network

PPN welcomed several new team members at the April 17, 2024, PPN New Physician and APP Orientation!  Please say hello to: Stephanie Adams, NP, Upper Valley Family Medicine – Dorset; Nicole Wooddell, CNP, Premier Cardiovascular Institute – APP; Jennifer Seibert, PA-C, Premier Plastic Surgeons; Meagan Lovin, PA, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics of Centerville; Randall Ulangca, PA-C, Miami County Surgeons; Fatima Hassan, PA-C, Clinical Neuroscience Institute – MVH; Molly Rossi, CNP, New Lebanon Family Medicine; Denyelle Willis, APRN, UVMC & MVHN Hospitalist Team; Cesar Panganiban, CNP, Clinical Neuroscience Institute – MVH; and Carinne Crouse, CNP, Premier Health Urgent Care – Miamsburg – Virtual/Remote.  Please help us welcome our new team members.

PPN recently launched their new Senior Health Connect palliative care program for our Medicare Advantage patients. PPN’s primary care team received training for the Empatia Palliative Care Program. We will partner with an extended palliative care team of local Advanced Practice Providers, RNs, and social workers, led by Mazin Alhaj, MD, a palliative care physician medical director.  The Senior Health Connect palliative care program is available to patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it provides frequent home visits to help relieve patients from pain and other symptoms of their serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart failure, or COPD. Reach out to a PPN primary care provider for more information.

Alice Wang, MD, bariatric surgeon and obesity medicine specialist with Premier Weight Loss Solutions, recently served as a subject matter expert for a Premier Health Now blog post titled “Oprah Winfrey Shines Spotlight on Obesity Treatment Breakthroughs.” In the article, she discusses some of the stigmas surrounding the subject of weight loss. “I have asked my patients that if someone like Oprah, with all her resources, cannot lose weight on her own, how can the rest of us? When it comes to treating obesity, many people will need either medications or surgery in addition to lifestyle changes,” said Dr. Wang.    

Back to the May 2024 issue of Premier Pulse