System News: November 2022

Atrium Medical Center

Atrium Medical Center’s campus went pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Special signage and lighting brought awareness and encouraged women to schedule their annual mammograms. Representatives from Atrium’s Comprehensive Women’s Center conducted several media interviews and shared information about services at community events in Middletown, Franklin, Lebanon, Monroe, and Dayton. In addition, Atrium hosted the Pink Ribbon Girls’ pink fire truck, with employees and visitors signing the engine.

Atrium’s chaplain and social workers joined Andre Harris, MD, Atrium’s chief medical officer, to present a free workshop about advance directives at Otterbein Lebanon SeniorLife Community. Information about Ohio’s Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney was shared with residents.

Atrium Medical Center Foundation’s 24th Annual Estate & Tax Planning Seminar resumed in person at the Savannah Center in West Chester Twp. About 400 estate and tax planning professionals attended the all-day session. Attendees received their continuing education credits and visited sponsor booths as well as a Premier Health-sponsored health fair. This event allows the organization to demonstrate Atrium Medical Center Foundation’s stewardship and provide attendees a case for supporting the hospital, foundation, and Premier Health.

Atrium hosted Leadership Warren County’s Class of 2022 as part of the program’s “Social Capital and Diversity” day. Andre Harris, MD, chief medical officer at Atrium Medical Center, welcomed the class and provided an overview of hospital services and recent accolades. Adrian Taylor, Premier Health’s director of diversity, shared information about the system’s commitment to diversity.

Atrium helped local children and employees enjoy the Halloween holiday. Atrium’s Department of Public Safety handed out treats and coloring books at trunk-or-treat events in Franklin and Middletown. Atrium’s Family Birth Center hosted a trunk-or-treat for employees’ families. Atrium departments showed their creativity in pumpkin decorating contests, and leaders dressed in costume to hand out candy to employees.

Other community relations activities include: Atrium representatives attended Liberty Township’s annual business breakfast for an update on economic development efforts; Atrium representatives attended monthly events hosted by Middletown, Lebanon, and Franklin chambers of commerce; Atrium employees were guest readers to preschool students at Middletown Early Learning Center; and Community Blood Center returned in October for its monthly blood drive and collected donations to meet 100 percent of its goal.

Miami Valley Hospital Campuses

The Pink Ribbon Girls Pink Fire Truck visited each Premier Health hospital campus during the month of October in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Miami Valley Hospital South celebrated its 15th anniversary. Fun events were planned for employees. Community leaders and elected officials attended the employee recognition event. To commemorate the occasion, employees gathered in the main lobby to take a group photo.

Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing held its annual Alumni Banquet. Due to COVID-19, this event had been canceled for the past two years. This special event honored the classes of 1970, 1971, and 1972 for their 50th year reunions.

Miami Valley Hospital Foundation presented Champions of Hope on Oct. 11 at the Steam Plant in Dayton. This year’s event hosted more than 310 guests and raised funds for integrative therapies for oncology patients at Miami Valley Hospital South.  Dr. Tarek Sabagh received the medical professional award.

Miami Valley Hospital has received three Beacon Awards of Excellence – silver level from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Organization. Miami Valley Hospital is the only hospital in Southwest Ohio to receive this award. Congratulations to our Neuroscience Intensive Care, Medical Surgical Intensive Care, and Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Units.

The eighth annual Miami Valley Hospital Trauma Survivor’s Celebration was held on Oct. 4. This event celebrates trauma survivorship with accolades from family, friends, trauma staff physicians, and caregivers. Special recognition was given to Mary McCarthy, MD, founder of Miami Valley Hospital’s Level 1 Trauma Center, who retired in 2021.

Premier Health participated in the Real Men Wear Pink Campaign with a team goal of raising $30,000 for The American Cancer Society. Miami Valley Hospital was represented by Roberto Colon, MD, Robert Bowman, Bryan Ludwig, MD, and Bruce Moman. The team also included other leaders across the Premier Health system.

Marquita Turner, chief operating officer of Miami Valley Hospital South, served as chair of the 2022 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Premier Health was also a sponsor.

Jhansi Koduri, MD, from Premier Blood Cancer Center spoke at the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce WINGS luncheon. The annual luncheon benefits the Pink Ribbon Girls.

Premier Health was represented in the media for Breast Cancer Awareness by Thomas Heck, MD, on the importance of mammograms. Tracy Short, director of ambulatory imaging, also provided three interviews with the mobile mammography coach on National Mammogram Day. 

Miami Valley Hospital Foundation and Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton are raising funds for infusion bays at Miami Valley Hospital South and Miami Valley Hospital North. Each sponsorship of a bay is $6,500 and will provide patients with a comforting space during their treatment. The north campus will add 25 infusion bays, while the south campus will add 22 bays.

Miami Valley Hospital Foundation and Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton helped fund the QGenda On-Call System for the Miami Valley Hospital campuses. The new on-call system launched on Nov. 2, has view-only access to daily and monthly on-call schedules for employed, academic, and community-based providers. The QGenda On-Call System will include sorting options to easily search for providers and their specialties.

Miami Valley Hospital participated in a regional ChemPak disaster drill hosted by GDAHA with other area hospitals, law enforcement and EMS.

Upper Valley Medical Center

Upper Valley Medical Center received a top score in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety organization. Leapfrog awarded the hospital an “A” grade in its fall 2022 safety report. UVMC also received an “A” in spring 2022 and fall 2021. Leapfrog twice a year uses letter grades to rate hospitals’ performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors. Scores are determined using hospital safety criteria and a survey conducted by the Leapfrog Group. Grades and scores are reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as other data sources.

UVMC was awarded a three-year CARF Accreditation for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Program provided at the hospital. The award was based on an accreditation survey that was conducted in September. CARF Accreditation is an indication of dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served.

Diane Anderson, DO, joined Scott Kanagy, DO, Oct. 3 for Troy Community Radio WTJN and Piqua WPTW morning show interviews. They discussed Breast Cancer Awareness Month topics, and Dr. Kanagy gave an update on activity at the hospital.

The UVMC trauma team recognized four Troy firefighter medics with an Excellence in Trauma Care Award on Oct. 5. April Anderson, MD, emergency department medical director; Amanda McClure, UVMC emergency and surgery director of nursing; and Claire Wirrig, trauma program manager, presented the award in recognition of outstanding teamwork with the hospital trauma team and exceptional on-site care of a trauma patient related to a serious accident in July.

The Troy Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Leadership Troy class visited UVMC for a half-day session on health care Oct. 19. Presenters included Dr. Scott Kanagy, chief medical officer, UVMC; Duanna Osting, UVMC Foundation president; and Sarah Hackenbracht, Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association president, who provided a regional health care overview for the group.

Premier Health and UVMC were presenting sponsor for the Troy Main Street Paint the Town Pink celebration and Pink Ribbon Girls’ annual 5K Run/Walk held Oct. 7 in downtown Troy. Hundreds of community members participated in  family-friendly activities and entertainment in addition to the run/walk. UVMC also hosted the Pink Ribbons Girls Fire Truck on Oct. 20 to help promote breast cancer awareness and education.      

As part of UVMC’s partnership with Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County, the hospital was presenting sponsor of the Hospice Memory Walk held on the UVMC campus the morning of Oct. 29. The annual fundraiser was attended by more than 150 community members.

In other community activities, UVMC and Premier Health sponsored the Miami County YMCA Seniors Day Health Fair Oct. 19 at the YMCA Robinson Branch in Troy. The event had  health screenings and information booths, and was attended by approximately 300 senior citizens.

Premier Physician Network

Dayton.com and the Dayton Daily News annually host the Best of Dayton awards to celebrate the longtime favorites and new selections for dining, shopping, medicine, and living life in the region. This year, the contest had 179 categories and received hundreds of thousands of votes. Premier Weight Loss Solutions won in the Health & Medical category and received the most votes for the Best Medical Weight Loss Program! Congratulations to the PWLS Team  for this well-deserved community recognition. Premier Weight Loss Solutions is one of the Dayton region’s most experienced groups in weight loss solutions, earning quality recognition as an accredited Bariatric Center of Excellence. For more information, visit https://www.premierhealth.com/premier-weight-loss-solutions.

The Clinical Neurosciences Institute (CNSI) team recently performed its 100th focused ultrasound procedure at Miami Valley Hospital for patients living with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s Disease. Premier Health is the only health care system in Southwest Ohio to offer this advanced treatment using the Insightec Exablate Neuro platform. “This is a truly thrilling milestone for us to reach,” said Daniel Gaudin, MD, PhD, a neurosurgeon with the CNSI. “From when we started offering MR-guided incisionless brain surgery to now, we have seen the ways that this treatment has improved the lives of those who have received it – it is unbelievably impactful.” See how this technology helped a real-life patient.

In December 2022, the current cardiopulmonary patient rehab space at Miami Valley Hospital will be relocated to Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville to create the Dr. Mukul S. Chandra Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation Center. The facility will offer both preventive and rehabilitative cardiac and pulmonary programming. Donations to this project will support a larger workout area, additional pieces of exercise equipment, new technology, updated locker rooms, convenient access for patients with handicap accessibility, and ample parking. Gifts made to the Miami Valley Hospital Foundation will also allow for future expansion of the rehab program and education for our community. To support this new facility, or to learn more, visit www.mvhfoundation.org. The new center will honor Dr. Chandra’s legacy and the patients he loved. 

Back to the November 2022 issue of Premier Pulse