System News: August 2021

Atrium Medical Center

Atrium Medical Center’s rehabilitation services rank among the top 50 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Atrium’s ranking at No. 43 is based on analysis of hospital performance, including care of patients recovering from events such as stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and severe burns. Atrium’s rehabilitation program was rated “excellent” in advanced technologies and patient services, and its scores in several categories were above the national average, including prevention of hospital readmissions during rehabilitation and discharging patients to home. Atrium manages nearly 900 patients each year in its rehabilitation program. Atrium also received a “high-performing” designation in three additional areas of care in the U.S. News & World Report rankings: heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure. 

Atrium’s 2021 volunteer initiative continues to reach out to the community. Most recently, employees organized a health care career panel for Middletown students in the R.I.S.E. program, which is organized through the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center and focuses on professional development for high school juniors and seniors. Andre Harris, MD, chief medical officer at Atrium, joined nurses from Atrium’s Level III Trauma Center to share information about clinical careers. Students also heard from representatives of several non-clinical departments, including IT, supply chain management, nutrition services, and marketing. Atrium’s goal is to volunteer 2,021 hours as a hospital this year in the communities we serve. For more information about how to get involved, visit the Volunteer Opportunities page on Inside Premier. 

Atrium has again been named a finalist in the Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit of the Year Awards. Atrium is nominated in the “Best Emergency Care” category. Atrium won this category in 2020. Voting began Aug. 14 at cincymagazine.com. 

Atrium providers and leaders continue to serve as subject matter experts for our community about health-related topics: 

• John Weske, MD, appeared on FOX19-TV (Cincinnati) to remind women of the importance of annual mammogram screenings and to promote Premier Health’s mobile mammography unit. 
• Jonathan Lazzara, MD, medical director of Atrium’s Behavioral Health Unit, appeared on WDTN-TV (Dayton) and offered perspective on mental health concerns and anxiety individuals may experience as more communities “return to normal.”  
• Andre Harris, MD, chief medical officer of Atrium, appeared on WHIO-TV (Dayton) to discuss the Delta variant’s rapid spread. 
• Jeanna Severt, director of human resources at Atrium, discussed current hiring challenges in health care with WLWT-TV (Cincinnati) and Spectrum News One (Cincinnati). The interviews also promoted a job fair at Atrium. 

The summer brought the return of community events that were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Atrium was a sponsor of the Middletown Blast Fourth of July concert and fireworks, Middletown Safety Town for kindergartners, and the Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival in Middletown. In addition, Atrium caregivers were invited to march as grand marshals in the Liberty Twp. Fourth of July parade. 

Miami Valley Hospital Campuses

Miami Valley Hospital ranked eighth among all Ohio hospitals in the latest annual rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, and again had the best performance among all hospitals in the Dayton region. The distinction includes Miami Valley Hospital North and Miami Valley Hospital South. The hospital received a “high-performing” designation in 12 additional areas of care: orthopedics; pulmonology and lung surgery; urology; heart failure; heart attack; colon cancer surgery; hip replacement; knee replacement; kidney failure; pneumonia; diabetes; and stroke.  

Premier Health was a sponsor of the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Airshow.  CareFlight Air & Mobile Services was the official medical provider for the event. Employees from Miami Valley Hospital, Miami Valley Hospital North, and System Support represented Premier Health by walking in the airshow parade on July 9. Mary Garman participated in the booth, recognizing the grand marshals for the parade.  

Miami Valley Hospital South held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Level II Cath Lab and ICU. Centerville elected officials and city leaders attended the event, including Centerville Mayor Brooks Compton who presented COO Marquita Turner with a proclamation in honor of the opening.  

A groundbreaking was held on July 29 to celebrate the addition of a Premier Health emergency department to the existing medical office building at 2400 Lakeview Drive. Once expanded, the site will offer the full capabilities of other Premier Health emergency departments and will be staffed by the same experienced team in place at all the health system’s emergency departments. The project will include 55 jobs; enhanced capability to keep patients who require a less than 24-hour length of stay for observation; and a community room similar to the free-standing emergency department at Austin Landing. The new emergency department, together with the existing Premier Health Urgent Care in Beavercreek, will be part of a coordinated spectrum of care available to Beavercreek residents without leaving town.  
  
The Miami Valley Hospital Foundation’s Valley Classic took place July 26 at NCR Country Club. The tournament was a sellout with more than 150 golfers, 45 sponsors and in-kind contributors, and dozens more raffle and auction donors. Proceeds from the tournament go to enhance diabetes education for inpatients and outpatients provided by certified diabetes educators at the Bull Family Diabetes Center. Educators completed 1,380 inpatient visits in 2020. In addition, the foundation helped fund outpatient diabetes education for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. Since its inception in 1990, the Valley Classic has raised more than $4 million for programs throughout Miami Valley Hospital.   

Two other foundation grant awards and a generous donation were received in July: the Iddings Family Foundation awarded $25,000 to the Promise to Hope program, which provides compassionate treatment for pregnant women with substance abuse disorders. Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton received a $15,000 award for Mothers Empowered, which offers a group approach to prenatal care for expectant mothers. The Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton also received a major gift from Dr. Soma and Veni Avva for the Michael Sawdey Samaritan Clinic for Women and Families serving homeless women and children.   

In partnership with ProMedica, Premier Health received a nearly $2 million grant from the Ohio Department of Health to treat emergency department patients struggling with substance abuse and connecting them with the help they need. Funding will be directed to the emergency departments at Atrium Medical Center, Miami Valley Hospital, and Miami Valley Hospital North through their respective hospital foundations. 

Upper Valley Medical Center

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) completed a Level III Trauma Center consultative review at Upper Valley Medical Center on July 13 with very positive results. ACS reviewers expressed that they were impressed with the performance improvement process surrounding trauma and recommended that UVMC proceed with applying for verification through ACS. They were also impressed with the system approach to trauma and the collaboration between the trauma program managers and trauma medical directors.  

A UVMC Foundation Inaugural Golf Classic was hosted June 28 at the Piqua Country Club. This successful fundraising event was filled and raised more than $21,000 to support the upgrade/renovation of UVMC’s Level II Special Care Nursery. In addition to members of the UVMC leadership team, pediatrician Paul Weber, MD, and his team attended. Dr. Weber spoke about the nursery project at the dinner that evening.  

Scott Kanagy, DO, MBA, chief medical officer at UVMC, was interviewed July 19 for the Troy WTJN 107.1 and Piqua WPTW 98.1 radio morning shows. His topic was skin cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.    

UVMC leaders attended a ribbon-cutting for the new Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County facility now open on the UVMC campus. The ribbon-cutting held July 22 was followed by an open house for health care staff on July 30 and community open house events on July 31 and Aug. 1.  

UVMC hosted a booth at the Piqua Farmers Market on July 1 in downtown Piqua. Tracy Schneider, diabetic educator; and Lisa Pitcairn, advance practice nurse, provided education specific to diabetes, nutrition, heart CT, and cardiac health as well as information about the services available at the Piqua Urgent Care at Outpatient Care Center North. In other community engagement/outreach, UVMC sponsored the 12th Annual Bob Mikolajewski Memorial 5K Run/Walk held July 10 at the Piqua High School stadium and the Edison State Community College Drive for Scholarships held July 30 at the Piqua Country Club. 

UVMC Public Safety was recognized with Department of the Quarter honors for the summer quarter. This recognition is designed to highlight outstanding quality service and educate fellow teams about the scope of work performed by the recipient department.  

Premier Physician Network 

CNSI offers the latest treatments for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA). The advancement of imaging technology and techniques has led to higher detection rates and less invasive treatment options for UIA. CNSI's neurointerventional team provides the latest in cerebral vascular imaging, surgical devices, and endovascular techniques to ensure better outcomes when repairing UIAs.  

PPN now offers patients an additional colon cancer screening option. Although colonoscopy is the best option when it comes to colon cancer screening, many patients avoid getting one. Patients looking for an alternative, less invasive test that can be performed at home may want to discuss a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) with their provider. It detects hidden blood in the stool, which can be an early sign of colon cancer. The launch of this important initiative was financially supported by Premier Health’s hospital foundations, which fully embrace our shared mission to improve the health of the communities we serve.

Premier Orthopedics provides skilled shoulder and elbow care. The specialists at Premier Orthopedics offer the skilled expertise to manage your patient’s shoulder and elbow issues from simple wear and tear to complex injury and diseases such as arthritis. We carefully evaluate the condition of the patient’s joint and range of motion to recommend a personalized care plan. In many cases, non-surgical therapies can help your patients achieve their goals.

Back to the August 2021 issue of Premier Pulse