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Mona Lisa Blount received Mississippi State Hospital’s (MSH) HERO Award for August. Blount, a social worker at MSH’s Grenada Crisis Intervention Center, received the award for her response to a telephone call from a person threatening suicide.
A native of Batesville, Blount has been employed at MSH for one year.
Miss. State Hospital August Service Award recipients are: Curtesteen Torry of Ridgeland, 15 years; Margaret Webb of Brandon, 10 years; Dana Stanard of Brandon, five years; Linnie White of Jackson, 20 years; (second row, l-r) Elizabeth Howard of Pearl, 10 years; Dr. Theresa Kearns of Jackson, five years; Teresa Wilson of Crystal Springs, five years; Maria Craft of Magee, 15 years; Anderson Alexander of Whitfield, 10 years; (third row, l-r) Eddie Taylor of Pearl, 10 years; Willie Freeman of Canton, 25 years; Marvin Jenkins of Brandon, five years; Calvin Alexander of Mendenhall, 20 years; and Marty Sasser of Whitfield, five years.
Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) recently honored employees with August anniversary dates for their years of service to the hospital. Service awards are given to employees in the month of their date of hire, beginning with five years and every fifth year following. Employees receive a Certificate of Appreciation and a Service Award Pin. The program is sponsored by Friends of Mississippi State Hospital Inc.
Forrest General neurosurgeon David C. Lee, MD, owner of Southern Neurologic Spinal Institute, is the first physician in South Mississippi to perform Trans1 AxiaLIF, a minimally-invasive alternative to standard traditional spinal surgeries.
Forrest General Hospital is now offering a new lumbar fusion procedure to chronic low back pain sufferers. This minimally-invasive approach, called Trans1 AxiaLIF, allows most patients to be discharged from the hospital the day after surgery. This is a dramatic reduction in hospital length of stay, which can otherwise run three to four nights, followed by a one- to two-month recovery period before returning to work.
“This is one of the few procedures trained and viewed that showcase extraordinary promise because of the minimally-invasive approach and little tissue damage,” said Forrest General neurosurgeon David C. Lee, MD, owner of Southern Neurologic Spinal Institute. “I expect the patient outcome from this procedure to be phenomenal, and I’m honored to be the first in South Mississippi to offer my patients this type of treatment,” said Lee.
The Trans1 AxiaLIF system employs a novel approach to accessing the lowest portion of the lumbar spine through a percutaneous opening to reach the sacral bone. The technique is performed through a 2 cm skin incision, through which specially designed instrumentation is inserted to conduct the procedure. This minimally-invasive access enables surgeons to perform lumbar fusion without the major dissections of the surrounding spinal soft tissue structures associated with conventional fusion surgery. Operative time is under an hour, compared to three hours or more with conventional fusion surgery. Reduced surgical trauma, less blood loss and shorter operative time means that the patient will experience faster recovery.
“By offering this procedure, it enables us to give our patients a less invasive alternative to standard traditional spinal surgeries. FGH is constantly striving with us to provide top quality medical care to our community,” said Lee.
"Forrest General Hospital is excited to continue its participation in the commitment to reduce time spent in the hospital, risk of infection, less pain and faster recovery for patients,” said Dr. Bill Peters, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Forrest General.
Forrest General Hospital remains dedicated to staying on top of cutting edge technology to offer state-of-the-art medical treatment. Every year, 40 to 60 percent of American adults suffer from chronic back pain and more than one million spine surgery procedures are performed annually in the United States with medical costs to treat back pain approaching $24 billion per year. The Trans1 AxiaLIF procedure is estimated to be less costly than open surgeries. The main savings are in the dramatic decrease in operating room time, length of stay, less need for post-surgical pain medication and more rapid rehabilitation.
OSH nurse educators Tammy Lowe and Frank Bailey (clockwise from bottom left) use their new patient simulator, HAL, to teach advanced cardiac life support. Registered nurses Jerilyn Farmer, Shelly Wade, Jenny Summerlin and Donna Barnes watch as Stan Bailey trains with HAL.
New technology and the generosity of the Ocean Springs Hospital Auxiliary has made it possible for OSH nurses to test their skills on a mannequin who breathes, talks and also simulates lung and heart sounds. "HAL," a state-of-the-art mobile patient simulator was donated by the OSH Auxiliary to help train and educate nurses.
From a wireless computer tablet, health educators can make HAL breathe normally and suddenly quit breathing to test nurses' reaction skills. HAL's vital signs are monitored on a machine, and just like any other patient, clinicians can track his blood pressure and pulse.
"HAL has been very beneficial in helping us train new nurses and in continuing education classes with all of our nursing staff," said Frank Bailey, RN, clinical resource nurse, education, OSH. "Our Auxiliary was very generous with this donation, and ultimately, it helps us provide better quality care to our patients."
Not only can HAL be transported to different areas of the hospital for training, but nurses can also start IVs on HAL, intubate him and even perform a trachostomy. Educators are able to observe clinicians with HAL as sensors are tracking their actions. The changes in HAL's condition and care provided are time-stamped and logged for evaluation of each student. Therefore, nurses are able to learn more about their skills and improve them for better patient care.
"HAL's like having a real patient, because we can role-play real life scenarios and his state can change at any moment," adds Bailey.
From left, Forrest General Hospital Vice President Rob Stultz and Camp Director Phyllis White present a commemorative gift to the Raborn family – Gabby, Greg and Susan.
Forrest General Hospital’s Diabetes Camp at Twin Lakes, held annually in Florence, Miss., is the recent recipient of a $10,000 donation from some of its biggest fans. Greg and Susan Raborn from Smyrna, Tenn., have had an interest in the Diabetes Camp for many years. The Raborns began sending their daughter Gabby, who is now 17, to the camp 11 years ago.
“We started researching camps, and a friend highly recommended [Twin Lakes],” said Greg Raborn. “The next year we drove [Gabby] down to Florence. It’s been something that she has looked forward to every year since then. As far as we’re concerned, the Twin Lakes camp is as good as it gets.”
Twin Lakes Diabetes Camp has been in operation for 17 years, and has been under Forrest General’s management for the past three years. The camp is designed for children ages 7 to 17 who have been diagnosed with diabetes. The campers spend a week at a beautiful site in Florence participating in classic camp activities: swimming, canoeing, tennis, arts and crafts, and a ropes course, just to name a few. The campers also spend part of every day learning how to manage their diabetes, and enjoy spending time with other kids who are dealing with the same things in their day-to-day lives.
“The most positive effect it has had on her is the realization that she’s not alone in this, and that there are a lot of normal kids out there that live with the same things she lives with every day,” said Greg Raborn.
The Raborn family decided to make a donation to the camp, and much of that donation was used to facilitate this year’s camp session, held on July 23-28. The remainder of the donation will go toward next year’s session, and Camp Director Phyllis White is very glad to have a jump start on next year’s camp.
“Because [the camp] had meant so much to Gabby and to them, [the Raborns] wanted to help ensure in some small way that the camp could continue for other children with diabetes,” said Phyllis White, RN, MSN, CDE. White is a Diabetes Nurse Specialist and Program Coordinator for Forrest General Hospital’s Diabetes Care Center, as well as the Director of Forrest General’s Diabetes Camp at Twin Lakes. “It’s been amazing to see Gabby, as well as other children, change and grow from one year to the next year, not only in their physical appearance, but in the management of their diabetes,” said White.
The Raborns were surprised to receive a beautiful commemorative glass sculpture in appreciation at the camp’s closing ceremony, presented to them by Forrest General Vice President Rob Stultz. The Raborn family owns Raborn Excavating Company, based in their hometown of Smyrna. “We give all the glory to God and the company and its successes, and its giving us the ability to do things like this,” said Greg Raborn. “The fact of the matter is that money is no good unless you do something good with it.”
For more information on Forrest General’s Twin Lakes Diabetes Camp, including how to make a tax deductible donation, please call 601-288-1781 or e-mail pwhite@forrestgeneral.com.
Back row, from left, Mayor Carlo Martella, Dr. Ed Rigdon, Dr. James Jefferson, Dr. David Flemming, Dr. Gene Henderson, Dr. James Neill, Dr. Galen Poole and John Nikolic; front row, Stephanie Daniels, Cindy Dishongh, Rankin Medical Center chief executive officer, Ruthie Guyton, board chair and Margie Warren. Not pictured are Judy Fortenberry, Benny Hubbard and Dale Armour.
Rankin Medical Center recently announced that the individuals named to its Community Advisory Board. “We feel very privileged to have these individuals serve on our Community Advisory Board,” said Cindy L. Dishongh, chief executive officer for RMC. “Their commitment to the community is to be commended and the diversity of their interests will strengthen our board.”
Carlo Martella is the Mayor of Brandon, an elected position that he has held since July 7, 2005. Prior to becoming our city’s Mayor, he served on the Board of Supervisors for 10 years and as president the Rankin County Board of Supervisors twice before being sworn into Mayoral office. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Municipal League and has served on several other boards. He has been a leader for several organizations – having served as president of the Crossgates Chapter of the Jaycees, vice president for the Mississippi Jaycees and is a member of the Crossgates Exchange Club, the Brandon Historical Society and the Rankin County Historical Society.
Carlo Martella loves kids and highly values education. He has participated in the Boy Scouts of America as a Scout Master and Commissioner and is a member of the Friends of the Boy Scouts. He has served as a deacon at Brandon Baptist Church and actively participated in the fight against cancer through the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
He and his late wife, Cathy E. Barrett-Martella have three children - Jeff, Mitch and Michelle. He is also the proud grandfather of five grandchildren - Jacob, Michael, Zach, Ryan and Ragan.
Stephanie Daniels, a native of Marion, Louisiana, has resided in Brandon for over 20 years. She and her husband, Noel, are the parents of two girls, Amy Courtney and Allison Ott and the grandparents of three – Daniel, Caroline and Emory.
She has been a long-time supporter of Rankin Medical Center and has been involved with the Rankin Health Foundation since its early years, having served as a past president of the organization and a member of its Board.
Mrs. Daniels has been active in the community through other organizations such as the Center for Violence Prevention, the Brandon Garden Club, of which she served as president for two years; the American Heart Association through Art for Heart and is a member of Brandon Baptist Church, where she also teaches Sunday School.
Galen V. Poole, M.D., FACS, is a general surgeon in private practice at Rankin Surgical Specialists in Brandon, and has been affiliated with Rankin Medical Center since August 2005. He has been a board certified surgeon for over 25 years, including 16 years as a professor at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He is originally from Kentucky and finished medical school at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency in surgery at Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and a fellowship at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. He served his country through the United States Air Force and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. Dr. Poole is a member of various professional associations including the American College of Surgeons, the Mississippi State Medical Association, Society of Critical Care Medicine, the University of Mississippi Surgical Society and the Southeastern Surgical Congress.
Dr. Poole and his wife Carol reside in Brandon and are the parents of two children, Erin and Matthew.
Dr. James Neill has been at Rankin Medical Center since October 2005, specializing in pathology. He is board certified in family practice and pathology.
A native of Jackson, he attended the University of Mississippi and received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. Dr. Neill completed an internship and residency at Eugene Talmadge Memorial Hospital in Georgia in family practice. He also finished a residency in Pathology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and was an active staff member in the Pathologist Department of Anatomic Pathology at Beaumont Medical Center.
Dr. Neill is a member of many professional organizations such as the International Academy of Pathology, Society of Ultrastructural Pathology, American Society of Clinical Pathologists, and the College of American Pathologists.
He lives in Brandon with his wife Melinda, and has four children - Daniel, James, Duff and Meredith.
Other members of the hospital’s Advisory Board include: Dr. David Flemming, Mrs. Judy Fortenberry, Mrs. Ruthie Guyton, Dr. Gene Henderson Mr. Benny Hubbard, Dr. James Jefferson, Mr. John Nikolic, Dr. Ed Rigdon, Mrs. Margie Warren, Mrs. Cindy Dishongh, RMC Chief Executive Officer and Dale Armour, HMA Mississippi Division Senior Vice President and Divisional Chief Executive Officer.
Martha Dearman, Forrest General Healthcare Foundation Executive Director, Dave Bush, Vice-Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors, and Rob Stultz, Forrest General Hospital Vice President, accept the donation from nursing students Courtney Puckett, SN, and Marlena Bradley, SN.
The Forrest General Healthcare Foundation recently received an unexpected donation from a group of nursing students from the University of Southern Mississippi School of Nursing. The group of eight students spent their spring semester doing clinical work on Forrest General’s 2T, during the Foundation’s employee campaign. When one of the registered nurses on their floor showed them a presentation on the Foundation, they decided to get involved.
“We went to the different classes of our graduating class, and some of the semester after us that will graduate in December 2008, and we asked them to make donations, told them what it was going towards, and asked them to give us whatever they could,” said Courtney Puckett, SN. In an effort to raise additional money, they changed their strategy. “We bought Krispy Kreme donuts and fed them to our class and the faculty for breakfast for 50 cents each, and collected a good bit of money that way,” said Puckett. The students also had a stethoscope donated to them from a scrub supply store in Madison, which they raffled off at the Fall semester’s orientation in August.
“On behalf of the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation, we sincerely appreciate the student nurses from The University of Southern Mississippi for their donation today to the Foundation,” said Dave Bush, Vice-Chair of the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors. “It’s really gratifying to see these student nurses make a bona-fide commitment to see that the Foundation is successful and that our general medical community is enhanced for the present, as well as the future.”
For more information on the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation, call 601-288-4396.
Dr. Patricia Ainsworth of Brandon has been named chairperson for the Board of Mental Health. Dr. Ainsworth is a boardcertified psyc hiatrist, Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and Assistant Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
A Mississippi native, she received her undergraduate degree from MS State College for Women, her medical degree from the University of MS School of Medicine and her medical internship and psychiatric residency training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Dr. Ainsworth practiced psychiatry in Tupelo for five years before serving as Clinical Director of Mississippi State Hospital for eight years and later as Director of Residency Training for the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at UMMC.
She is a past president of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association, past chairperson of the Mississippi State Mental Health Planning Council, and the current psychiatrist representative appointed by former Governor Musgrove to the Mississippi Board of Mental Health. Dr. Ainsworth is the author of Understanding Depression, the co-author of Understanding Mental Retardation, and co-author of a Department of Mental Health training manual for the certification of master’s level mental health center therapists statewide. She currently practices psychiatry in Ridgeland with the Mississippi Neuropsychiatric Clinic.
“We are excited to have Dr. Ainsworth serve as chairperson for the Board of Mental Health,” said Ed LeGrand, DMH Executive Director. “Her expertise and experience is invaluable.”
