System News: March 2022

Atrium Medical Center

Mouhamad Abdallah, MD, medical director of Atrium’s Chest Pain Center and cardiac catheterization lab, was interviewed by local media about heart health as part of American Heart Month. To raise awareness about heart disease, Atrium employees took part in National Wear Red Day, and the hospital’s exterior was illuminated in special red lighting.

Babies born at Atrium on “Twosday” – Feb. 22, 2022 – received a commemorative onesie in honor of the unique date. The special onesies from Premier Health were blue with stars across them and read “Born on Twosday 2.22.22.”

Atrium’s sports medicine and physical therapy office at Countryside YMCA in Lebanon was the site of a health expo during the annual Healthy Family Day event on Feb. 12. Countryside and Atrium partner on the event, which offers free fitness classes and a health fair for visitors. Those who passed through Atrium’s space at the venue received information about Atrium’s services, including cardiology, women’s health, and orthopedics.

Pizza restaurants in Warren County included a reminder to drive sober during their Super Bowl weekend deliveries. Warren County Safe Communities Coalition partnered with these local restaurants to have stickers promoting a don’t drink and drive message placed on pizza boxes. Atrium’s Level III Emergency Trauma Center outreach manager, who also coordinates Warren County Safe Communities efforts, handed out Uber gift cards to those who visited a booth set up at a Middletown lounge on Super Bowl Sunday.

In other community engagement activities, a Black History Month event at the Middletown community center featured free health screenings and vaccines from Premier Community Health. Atrium also was a sponsor of Countryside YMCA’s annual gala, which raises funds for outreach programs in Warren County.

Therapy animals from Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati began visiting Atrium care teams, offering emotional support and a way to destress from the demands of work. The therapy animals will visit Atrium twice each month. Jonathan Lazzara, DO, medical director of Atrium’s Behavioral Health Unit, will also join some of these visits to provide any support needed by staff. 

In other staff-focused activities, CCH Healthcare donated Marty’s Waffles and a hot chocolate bar for all Atrium caregivers and staff. A tailgate party with games and a special cafeteria menu gave Atrium staff the chance to show their Who Dey spirit before the Super Bowl.

Premier Health was recognized on the America’s Essential Hospitals website for Black History Month. Featured was the partnership between Premier Health and Gem City Medical Dental Pharmaceutical. The collaboration was highlighted through the lens of Andre Harris, MD, chief medical officer at Atrium Medical Center, representing Premier Health. 

Miami Valley Hospital Campuses

The Vandalia Chamber of Commerce held the 2021 Honors Award Dinner for chamber members. Premier Health was recognized as the Business of the Year.

Bengals sleep sacks and onesies were donated to babies born at Miami Valley Hospital South over the weekend of the Super Bowl. Photos were shared with media partners, ultimately running on all four TV stations and their websites.

To celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime palindrome date of 2/22/22, babies born on Feb. 22, including a set of twins, were given a special commemorative Premier Health onesie to mark the occasion. This was made possible by funding from the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation.

After nearly two months, the Ohio National Guard officially completed its mission at Miami Valley Hospital. Guard members were deployed to Miami Valley Hospital to provide support during the most recent COVID-19 surge. On Feb. 22, their last day, guard leadership presented a “Coin of Excellence” to the hospital. During their time onsite, guard members were assigned to support environmental services, food service, patient transport, and the Premier Health COVID-19 testing site across from Miami Valley Hospital.

Miami Valley Hospital, along with the Dayton Fire Department, recognized Kindred Hospital for outstanding bystander care during a recent cardiac arrest of a patient traveling home to Michigan. After experiencing chest pain on Interstate 75, the patient pulled into Kindred Hospital thinking it was an emergency room. The patient went into cardiac arrest in the parking lot. The staff started CPR, established an IV, administered Epi care, and even intubated the patient before Dayton Fire arrived on scene. Afterward, the patient was transferred to Miami Valley Hospital and ultimately was discharged, neurologically intact.

CareFlight helicopters are now equipped to carry whole blood for emergent transfusion – the first and only air service in Ohio to do so. Life-saving blood transfusions can now be provided on scene to severely injured trauma patients, potentially improving outcomes. This launch became a high-impact media story, with all four broadcast TV stations covering, as well as the Dayton Daily News and Miami Valley Today newspapers.

Sinclair Community College’s Culinary Arts program continued to donate hundreds of boxed lunches to the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation and Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton. These donated lunches were provided to nursing staff at Miami Valley Hospital, Miami Valley Hospital North, and Miami Valley Hospital South. The college’s culinary students also provided handwritten notes of appreciation for our frontline workers. More boxed lunch donations from Sinclair are scheduled for March.

On Valentine’s Day, the Dayton Convention and Visitors Bureau and Dayton Convention Center donated hundreds of Nothing Bundt Cakes to the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation. Frontline staff in COVID-19 units at the main campus were treated to red velvet and vanilla bundt cakes as a thank you for their hard work throughout the pandemic.

A Top Ten African American Male Awards luncheon hosted by Parity, Inc. honored Peter Ekeh, MD, medical director of Miami Valley Hospital's trauma program, and CJ Briggerman, Jr., athletic trainer and

program manager for the Injury Prevention Center at Miami Valley Hospital.

Upper Valley Medical Center

It was announced in February that Jigar Patel, MD, accepted the position of Medical Director for the UVMC Hospitalist Group. Dr. Patel is board certified in internal medicine and has been with the UVMC Hospitalist Group since 2016. He currently serves as the stroke medical director for UVMC and is a member of the UVMC Patient Experience Committee and past member of the UVMC Medical Executive Committee.

The city of Tipp City announced in February that the UVMC Parent Board donated $250,000 from its UVMC Community Benefit Fund toward the Tippecanoe Family Aquatic Center upgrades project set to take place this year. This project will encompass renovations and upgrades, including a new aquatic feature in the middle of the zero-entry pool that will be accessible for those with physical limitations.

As part of National Heart Month, UVMC/Premier Health partnered with the American Heart Association to host a Go Red for Women North event held virtually on Feb. 24. The program featured a UVMC clinical panel who shared information about the importance of proper diet, exercise/fitness, stress reduction, and health screenings to help women “know your numbers” in the prevention of heart disease. 

Also as part of Heart Month, the UVMC Maternity Department accepted 30 hand-made red hats for newborns from the Troy Hearts to Hats group on Feb. 10. A Hearts to Hats representative from First United Methodist Church in Troy joined the OB staff for a photo used in internal communications and the local media.

The Miami Valley Today’s Annual Progress Edition published on Feb. 24 featured a lengthy article and photos highlighting 2021 major accomplishments and new projects underway in 2022 at UVMC.

UVMC was a sponsor of the Troy Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner held Feb. 24 at the Arbogast Performing Arts Center. Members of hospital leadership and parent board represented UVMC at our sponsorship table. In other community activities, UVMC partnered with the Piqua Arts Council to sponsor the 2022 Poetry Out Loud West Central Ohio Regional Finals held Feb. 10 at Upper Valley Career Center in Piqua, and was the main sponsor of the Jazz and Soul Food Festival held Feb. 26 at Lincoln Community Center as part of Black History Month.

Premier Physician Network

So far in the first quarter of 2022, 22 new providers have joined the Premier Physician Network Team. Please welcome our new PPN physicians: Seema Azher, DO, joining Liberty Family Medicine; Michael Lee, MD, joining Gem City Surgeons-Miami Valley Hospital South; Charlotte Orr, MD, joining Premier Orthopedics-Miami Valley Hospital; Letitia Thompson-Hargrave, DO, joining Premier Family Care of Kettering; and Amanda Wright, DO, joining Premier Orthopedics-Miami Valley Hospital.

PPN is also pleased to announce several new APPs: Alyssa Beach, PA-C, joining Premier Weight Loss Solutions; Kayla Bostwick, CNP, joining Premier Health Family Care of Vandalia; Lauren Braswell, CNM, joining Lifestages Centers for Women; Patricia Brunett-Wolpert, ACNP, joining Premier Health Advanced Critical Care-Miami Valley Hospital South; Ashley Clevenger, PA-C, joining Clinical Neuroscience Institute-Miami Valley Hospital; Abigail Dougherty, PA, joining Beavercreek Family Medicine; Marian Duselis, CNP, joining Clinical Neuroscience Institute; Brooke Hertenstein, PA-C, joining Premier Cardiovascular Institute-Miami Valley Hospital North; Meta Howard, CNP, joining North Dayton Primary Care; Toni Johnson, CNP, joining Brookville Family Care; Brandy Mullett, CNP, joining Clinical Neuroscience Institute; Kelsie Rohr, PA-C, joining Springboro Family Medicine and Franklin Family Practice; Elise Stamper, ACNPC-AG, joining Comprehensive Burn and Wound Specialists; Taylor Stang, PA-C, joining Clinical Neuroscience Institute-Miami Valley Hospital; Ashley Thatcher, CNP, joining Premier ENT Associates; Vincent Ulizzi, PA-C, joining Premier Orthopedic Spine Center; and Jackilyn Wilson, ACNP, joining Premier Blood and Cancer Center.

Upcoming orthopedics and sports medicine webinars: If you, a patient, or someone you love struggles with musculoskeletal pain or are concerned about avoiding injury, there’s hope. Join us for a free virtual event focused on treatments to help move beyond pain and get back to enjoying life as quickly as possible. Our experienced specialists will discuss surgical and non-surgical ways to help with movement and lessen the harmful effects of arthritis and other conditions. Attendees will gain insight into new treatment options and learn practical tips for managing joint pain. Register and get more information at premierhealth.com/orthoevents. Past orthopedics and sports medicine webinars can be viewed at this link as well.

Joint Pain Webinar – Louis Okafor, MD, will discuss non-surgical and surgical treatment options, including robotic-arm assisted joint replacement for knee and hip pain on Tuesday, March 29, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Shoulder Pain Webinar – Matthew Dorweiler, MD, will discuss non-surgical and surgical treatment options for shoulder pain on Thursday, April 7, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Back to the March 2022 issue of Premier Pulse