System News: May 2021
Atrium Medical Center
Two physicians received awards honoring their work and career achievements in a ceremony April 12 at Atrium. Kevin Strait, MD, was the recipient of the Dr. Jerry Hammond Physician Excellence Award for Outstanding Patient Care, and Malcolm Steiner, MD, received the Dr. William D. Langworthy Physician Excellence Award for Outstanding Patient Care in a Specialty Field. The honorees were presented with commemorative posters acknowledging their awards and highlighting their achievements. Remarks were delivered by Keith Bricking, MD, president of Atrium, and Greg Siewny, MD, chair of the Physician Liaison Committee and chair of the Board of Trustees of the Atrium Medical Center Foundation.
Atrium and Premier Health employees and their family members volunteered for Earth Day in Middletown and picked up trash along city roadways next to the hospital. More than 50 Atrium volunteers filled nearly 60 bags with trash during the event.
Atrium sponsored and representatives attended the first ever virtual Annual Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton. During the meeting, the chamber introduced its next workforce initiative, Skills2Careers, a technological approach to solving talent pipeline challenges. The hospital continues to work closely with the chamber to meet its workforce needs.
Ed Bastien, manager of spiritual care at Atrium, was the featured speaker at the Middletown Faith Alliance 6th Annual Breakfast. Ed shared the efforts of Atrium caregivers during the pandemic to help patients communicate with family and see familiar smiling faces.
Richard L. Davis, II, MD, shared non-surgical and surgical treatment options for knee and hip pain during a free virtual event. Dr. Davis discussed the advantages of Atrium’s robotic-arm assisted joint replacement using ROSA® Knee. The technology allows surgeons to create a customized plan based on a patient’s unique anatomy for a more predictable, precise surgery.
Managing back and neck pain was the topic of a free virtual seminar that featured F. Tony Rastegar, MD. During the webinar, Dr. Rastegar discussed common causes of back and neck pain and gave insights into new treatment options, both operative and non-operative.
Miami Valley Hospital Campuses
Staff from the Miami Valley Hospital and Good Samaritan-Dayton foundations continued to coordinate and distribute meal deliveries from Sinclair Community College/Aramark. From mid-January to mid-April, their extraordinary donation totaled approximately 6,300 meals delivered across the three Miami Valley Hospital campuses.
Staff from both foundations were involved in processing applications for scholarships available to the children of employees for post-high school education. The scholarships are made possible by donations to the annual employee giving campaign.
All four Premier Health foundations have contributed funding for the Premier Health Families First Assistance Program, which will provide virtual live tutoring sessions and/or mobile internet hot spots with educational resources for K-12 students. The assistance is available to Premier Health employees’ children. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. If approved, tutoring sessions and internet hot spots will be provided for free to the employee, with the hospital foundations covering 100 percent of the costs.
The Good Samaritan-Dayton Foundation received two grant awards for the Mothers Empowered program, a $6,500 grant from the Mathile Family Foundation, and a $5,000 grant from Nordstrom Cares. Through Mothers Empowered, moms and babies have access to an innovative group program that provides prenatal care and parenting education.
Work continues on the 10-bed ICU build out at Miami Valley Hospital South. Six beds are scheduled to open July 28 with space created for future use of an additional four beds.
Major media attention regarding COVID-19 continues. An area of focus was the 100,000th vaccination administered at the University of Dayton Arena vaccine clinic on April 12. All three TV stations and the Dayton Daily News covered the event. The communications team also worked with the communications team at UD to host a media availability event for the launch of vaccinating its students.
April was Minority Health month and the partnership between Premier Health and Gem City Medical Dental Pharmaceutical Society was a major focus for the communications team. The partnership and a vaccine equity public service announcement received coverage from all three TV stations, the Dayton Weekly News, the Dayton Daily News, the Centerville Dispatch, Franklin Chronicle and Springboro Star Press newspapers. Digital PSA ads were distributed, and they have been picked up broadly across the region on social media platforms. General media efforts also focused on Minority Health Month with physicians. MiLinda Zabramba, MD, medical director for the Miami Valley Hospital North hospitalist group, was interviewed by Fox 45 in the Morning and WDTN-TV (Channel 2) about diabetes and was the subject matter expert for a Premier Health podcast titled “How African Americans Can Lower Their High Diabetes Risk.” Andre Harris, MD, chief medical officer, Atrium Medical Center, was interviewed by the Centerville Dispatch about the Gem City Medical Dental Pharmaceutical Society partnership.
Marquita Turner, chief operating officer, Miami Valley Hospital South, attended the Springboro City Council meeting on April 15. She had an opportunity to share her background and vision before the council and community members in attendance. She also gave a brief update on new services Miami Valley Hospital South offers.
Premier Health’s CareFlight Air and Mobile Services has once again launched its Drive Smart program at high schools across the Dayton region. For more than 20 years, CareFlight has offered Drive Smart, a nationally recognized mock crash program that gives high school students a real-life look at the consequences of poor choices before getting behind the wheel of a car. Twenty student actors were involved in the mock crash.
Upper Valley Medical Center
Scott Kanagy, DO, MBA, chief medical officer, Upper Valley Medical Center, and April Anderson, MD, medical director of the UVMC Emergency Department, were interviewed by Troy WTJN 107.1 and Piqua WPTW 98.1 radio stations on April 12 to provide information about the ED as well as a monthly health care update on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rafay Atiq, MD, was named Best Psychiatrist in the Dayton Magazine 2021 List of Best Doctors in the Dayton area in April. Winners were nominated and selected by Dayton Magazine readers. Dr. Atiq is medical director of Adult Psychiatry at the hospital and practices with Upper Valley Outpatient Behavioral Health on the UVMC campus.
The addition of Premier Health Spine providers at UVMC was announced in April. Daniel Quinones, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon, and Ian White, MD, neurosurgery spine surgeon, are now seeing patients in the UVMC Physician Office Building.
UVMC leaders attended the Troy State of the City Luncheon hosted by the Troy Chamber of Commerce on April 15 at Hobart Arena. In addition, UVMC President Kevin Harlan had community outreach meetings with Robin Oda, mayor of Troy, on April 4, and Tim Eggleston, city manager of Tipp City, on April 23. Participation in these meetings is intended to keep the channels of communication open between UVMC leadership, elected officials, and community leaders in Miami County.
UVMC leaders joined Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County leaders for a hard hats tour of the new Hospice House facility under construction on the UVMC campus. Administrative staff and home hospice providers are now operating in the building, and patient care wings are slated to open later this year.
A 12-week Delay the Disease™ wellness program for Parkinson’s disease patients was launched at UVMC in April. Delay the Disease™ is an evidence-based fitness program designed to empower those living with Parkinson’s disease by improving physical function and helping to delay symptom progression. Sessions are taught by physical therapists certified in the Delay the Disease™ program.
Premier Physician Network
Premier Health and Premier Physician Network’s (PPN) new WellnessWorks program will soon bring local employers more health care services and solutions. The WellnessWorks program is being led by team members from Premier Community Health, PPN, and Fidelity Health Care, along with additional resources from our partner SPC Health. The goal of this new program is to make Premier Health the provider of choice in our communities by linking our services and providers with local employers. The program features corporate health consultants who will be in our communities working with employers and serving as our brand ambassadors. This initiative also features a Patient Access Center, with care coordinators available 24 hours/day, seven days/week, to assist patients, providers, employers, employees, and payers. Click here to learn more about this exciting program.
Since January 2021, 15 new providers have joined the Premier Physician Network Team. Please welcome our new PPN physicians: Fares Alqara, MD, joining Premier OBGyn Laborists-MVH; Elizabeth Barrett, DO, joining Premier Health Primary Care Beavercreek; Selyne Samuel, MD, joining Premier Surgical Oncology; Jon Silk, DO, joining Premier Health Family Care Vandalia; and Ian White, MD, joining Clinical Neuroscience Institute-MVH. PPN is also pleased to announce several new APPs: Melissa Benham, CNP, joining Springboro Family Medicine; Jenni Bolton, CNP, joining Beavercreek Family Medicine; Eryn Bryant, CNP, joining Premier Cardiovascular Institute; Allison Camp, PA-C, with Premier Gastroenterology Specialists; Maxwell Couch, PA-C, joining Comprehensive Burn and Wound Specialists; Kenton Dickison, PA-C, joining Premier Cardiovascular Institute-Greenville; Sharon Fritz, PA, joining Premier ENT Associates-MVH; Megan Plummer, AG-ACNP, joining Premier Vascular Surgeons; Carrie Pohlman, CNP, joining Monroe Medical Center; and Desiree Vance, CNP, joining Family Physicians of Englewood.
Employees who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive 100 points toward their Premier Healthy Living wellness incentive. Click here for step-by-step instructions for submitting the form and uploading your vaccine card.
Back to the May 2021 issue of Premier Pulse
