News Around the State

Hancock Medical Names CEO/Administrator

After a national executive search conducted by Quorum Health Resources (QHR), the Hancock Medical Center Board of Trustees named Robert A. Pascasio, FACHE, as the chief executive officer and administrator effective June 1, 2012. 

A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Mr. Pascasio comes to Hancock Medical Center from Anahuac, Texas, where he was CEO of Chambers County Public Hospital District (CCPHD). CCPHD owns and operates Bayside Community Hospital, Bayside Clinic and West Chambers Medical Center; Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), The Wellness Center at Bayside, and other ancillary operations. He has held that leadership position since 2001, directing the facility out of bankruptcy when he took over and leading it into solvency ever since. During his tenure at the Texas facility, he also ensured continuous operations through two hurricanes (Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008).

“We are pleased and excited to welcome Mr. Pascasio to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Hancock County,” said J. Larry Ladner, President of the Hancock Medical Center Board of Trustees. “His knowledge and experience will make a meaningful impact on health care in Hancock County and the Board is confident that we have secured a CEO who can step right in and lead our hospital to a bright future serving the health care needs of our local communities.”

Mr. Pascasio holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science in Health Care Administration, both from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He has been a practicing healthcare administrator for 17 years. In 2007, his alma mater honored him with an Outstanding Alumnus Award and in 2005 he received the Texas Hospital Association’s Pioneer Award for healthcare leadership. He is the author of numerous articles on rural health care administration and policy, as well as a frequent speaker on those topics. He and his wife, Vicki, are very community-oriented and they look forward to the opportunities available in Hancock County. For the past three years, Mr. Pascasio has chaired his local Chamber of Commerce in Anahuac. The couple has one daughter, Andrea.

“Vicki and I are truly excited about this opportunity, and are looking forward to making Hancock County our home,” said Mr. Pascasio. “We passed through here a few years ago on a driving trip, were impressed with the community; especially how friendly all the people were, and couldn’t be happier about the move. I am looking forward to being a part of what I know will be a bright and prosperous future for Hancock Medical Center and Hancock County.”

Quorum Health Resources (QHR), which provides management services to Hancock Medical Center, conducted a nation-wide search to identify candidates from which the Board selected Mr. Pascasio as the right fit to meet the needs of the hospital and community. QHR has provided consulting, management and education resources to not-for-profit hospitals and health systems for more than three decades and is the market leader in hospital management, with nearly 150 current multi-year clients across the U.S.

A not-for-profit, acute care hospital, Hancock Medical Center celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2010. The Hancock Medical network of services includes physician-staffed 24-hour emergency care and ambulatory care; labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum; specialty units for intensive care, medical, surgical and pediatric patients; outpatient surgery; physical therapy, cardiac rehab, occupational health services, laboratory, a sleep lab, diagnostic imaging services (in Bay St. Louis and Diamondhead), physician practices and family health clinics in Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead and the Port Bienville Industrial Park, and an urgent medical care facility in Diamondhead.

New medical nursing unit and addition opens at Hancock Medical Center

Hancock Medical celebrated a new 10,000-square foot Swing Building addition and a reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit on Thursday, Feb. 9, nearly one year after the hospital’s FEMA Restoration and Mitigation Project began in February 2011.

“It’s the first of many exciting days to come in Hancock County’s reconstructed state-of-the-art medical center,” said interim Administrator Joyce Hein. “These first completed areas of phase one will give everyone a vision of what the entire hospital will look like when all five phases of the project are complete.”

The new addition and the reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit were finished on schedule and conclude Phase I of the five phase reconstruction project scheduled to be completed in 2014. Roy Anderson Corp is the general contractor for the project.

J. Larry Ladner, President of the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees, praised the work in phase one and said he looks forward to future accomplishments.

“We have the best doctors and health care professionals of any community our size in the United States,” Ladner said. “And now our facilities are on their way to being second to none.”

All hospital services are available and will not be interrupted during the construction. Departments will take turns occupying the new space in the Swing Building addition as current areas on the first floor of the hospital are reconstructed.

In addition to the reconstructed Medical Nursing Unit and the new Swing Building addition, the North generator at the hospital was changed out and elevated. The hospital’s Chiller Plant was relocated and new air handlers were installed for the overall efficiency of the hospital heating, cooling and ventilation systems.

“Everyone is working really hard and deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the work completed in Phase I,” said Facility Services Director Hank Wheeler.

Wheeler said Phase II begins immediately and will last eight months. This second phase of the project will reconstruct many service areas of the hospital including the Emergency Room, the Imaging Department, the Intensive Care Unit and Obstetrics.

New hospital signage will be in place as departments move areas during reconstruction. The public can call 228-467-8600 if they have questions about service locations prior to a visit to Hancock Medical.

Interim Administrator introduced at Hancock Medical Center

Joyce Hein, MHHA, FACHE, with Quorum Health Resources (QHR), is in place as interim Administrator/CEO at Hancock Medical Center. She will lead the Hancock County hospital while a national search is conducted for a full-time person to fill the open position. Former Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE, left to become Administrator at Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon, FL, and began his new duties Jan. 1. Both Hancock Medical and Fishermen’s Community are managed by QHR.

An experienced executive leader who serves hospitals in an interim role for QHR, Hein comes to Hancock Medical from Duluth, Minnesota, and has over 20 years CEO-level experience leading community hospitals. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Human and Health Administration from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

Hein was selected by the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees to fill the role of Administrator/CEO while the search is conducted.

“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Hein to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Hancock County,” said Bobby Baxter, a 38-year-member of the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees. “Her leadership experience will benefit the hospital in this transition period.”

Hein’s hospital work in the South has included time at Lakewood Medical Center in Morgan City, Louisiana, and at Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville, Mississippi. Her interim assignments with QHR have taken her to Hawaii, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky and now Mississippi.

“I’m happy to be here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and I’m looking forward to working with the physicians and staff at Hancock Medical,” Hein said.

Hancock Medical begins its second year of a 42-month FEMA reconstruction project in 2012. Hospital services will not be interrupted as the entire first floor of the hospital is reconstructed one department at a time. In the coming months, the completion of a 10,000-square foot addition on the east side of the hospital will conclude phase I of the five-phase construction project slated for completion in 2014.

HMC administrator accepts new challenge

Hancock Medical Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE, has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer at Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon, Florida. Leftwich starts his new assignment on January 3, 2012. He is employed by Quorum Health Resources (QHR), which provides management services to both Hancock Medical Center and Fishermen's Hospital. The Hancock Medical Board of Trustees renewed the Hospital’s multi-year administrative services agreement with QHR at its December meeting.

QHR will place an interim administrator in the Hospital the first week of January, and has already initiated a nationwide search for a new permanent CEO. The Hancock Medical Board of Trustees, the Medical Staff and Hospital Department Managers will work closely with QHR to find the best candidate for the Hospital and community. Don Smithburg, vice president of QHR, noted, “QHR’s interim resources minimize disruption within the Hospital while allowing the Board time to choose a CEO that can best meet its needs, and fill the significant role Hal has played in the Hospital and in the community.”
 
Leftwich wraps up a 15-year commitment to Hancock Medical and its surrounding communities that saw the hospital make progressive strides, before being temporarily stopped in its tracks by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in American history.

Acting Board Chair Bobby Baxter, a 38-year member of the Board of Trustees and Board President J. Larry Ladner, who is recuperating from illness, both said Leftwich’s dedication to local health care and our community should be commended.

"Hal's commitment to Hancock Medical Center and our community cannot be overstated. On-site during and after the hurricane, he devoted countless hours to rebuild the hospital back into a strong community asset,” Baxter said.

Ladner added, “During his years of service, Hal has been personally involved in helping make our community better. His shoes will be hard to fill and he will be missed.”

Following the destructive hurricane in August 2005, the Hancock Medical team immediately rallied and regrouped under Leftwich’s leadership to ensure health care services were fully restored and back on track in Hancock County. In the months and years that followed, needed health care services were restored, clinics were opened throughout Hancock County as part of the hospital’s network of services, FEMA mitigation plans were approved, and a 42-month construction plan began and is nearing completion of Phase I. The five phase construction project by Roy Anderson Corp will result in a reconstructed Hancock Medical in 2014. No services will be interrupted during construction, thanks to the addition of a 10,000-square foot addition that will temporarily house hospital departments as all permanent department spaces on the first floor are rebuilt.
 
Leftwich won’t see the hospital construction project to completion, but he has been a major force from conception to Phase I construction, and he is confident that the team of dedicated health care professionals at Hancock Medical will maintain the high level of service the community has come to expect from the Hospital. 

“There are dedicated and talented physicians and health care professionals serving this community,” Leftwich said. “It’s been an honor to work with them as Hospital Administrator for the past 15 years.”

The hospital won’t be the only place where Leftwich is missed. He serves as treasurer for the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis, sings in the choir of the First United Methodist Church in Bay St. Louis, is chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Bay St. Louis, is on the Board for the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Board of Governors for the Mississippi Hospital Association, just to name a few of his extracurricular activities.

 

A Wall of Hurricane Memories Comes Down to Kickoff FEMA Reconstruction

Hancock Medical employee Ronnie McCord writes a Hurricane Katrina memory at the Wall-Breaking Ceremony.

A wall filled with Hurricane Katrina memories came down in a ceremony on Feb. 15 to kick off the multi-million dollar first floor reconstruction project at Hancock Medical in Bay St. Louis.

The Hancock Medical Board of Trustees hosted officials from FEMA, MEMA, Hancock County Board of Supervisors, City of Bay St. Louis, the Hancock County Development Commission, Quorum Health Resources, the Chamber of Commerce, and physicians and staff at Hancock Medical for this official kickoff of the FEMA reconstruction project that is nearly six-years in the making.

To symbolize leaving the past behind, physicians and staff at the hospital wrote their worst memories of the Hurricane Katrina experience on a wall and then tore down the wall with sledge hammers in lieu of a traditional groundbreaking.

“I’m proud to be from Hancock County,” said J. Larry Ladner, president of the Hancock Medical Board of Trustees. “We have as good a medical staff as any hospital our size in the United States. It’s a real honor to be part of this team.”

“It’s an exciting time for Hancock Medical and the communities we serve,” said Hancock Medical Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE. “The second floor of the hospital was renovated by our facility services staff and it looks fantastic. When this first-floor reconstruction project is complete, the hospital will be new again and better than ever as we continue to grow and expand our services.”

The first floor reconstruction will take place in five phases, one department at a time and it will be completed over a period of 3.5 years. Hospital services will not be interrupted. The estimated cost of the project is approximately $24.2 million. Roy Anderson Corp is the contractor for the job.

Hancock Medical has been owned by the County since 1960 and celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2010. It has clinics in Diamondhead, Kiln, Port Bienville Industrial Park and Pass Christian. In November 2010, the hospital opened an Imaging Center at its Shepherd Square Campus in Diamondhead.

 

Donation for Mammography Assistance in Hancock County

Alice Lawson (far right) and Suzette Carlson (far left) presented the Hancock Medical Foundation with a $4,000 donation to its Mammography Assistance Program. Left of Carlson is Mammography Tech Jennifer Baum, Foundation Board members Suzi Lee and Clarice Gustin, and hospital administrator Hal W. Leftwich.

The Breast Cancer Crusaders presented a $4,000 donation to the Hancock Medical Foundation recently for the Mammography Assistance Program at Hancock Medical Center. The donation was part of the proceeds from the group’s Pink Ribbon Classic Tennis Tournament in the fall of 2010 and was presented by Suzette Carlson and Alice Lawson. The group also made donations to Singing River Health System in Jackson County and the Memorial Hospital Foundation in Harrison County. 

The Mammography Assistance Program at Hancock Medical provides screening and diagnostic mammography tests for women in Hancock County who are uninsured and who do not qualify for public assistance. This service has impacted hundreds of local women.

The American Cancer Socieity reports that women diagnosed with breast cancer early, when the cancer is small and has not spread, have a high chance of survival. Getting a mammogram is the best thing a woman  can do to help find breast cancer early. 

Carlton, Powell named Professionals of the Year

The Mississippi Hospital Association’s Society for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations recently named a Junior and Senior Professional of the Year for 2010. Tom Carlton was presented with the Senior Pofessional of the Year Award and Laurie Powell was presented the Junior Professional of the Year Award during the society's annual meeting in November in Madison, Miss.

These awards are given each year to an outstanding professional in the field of health care marketing and public relations. It is based on accomplishments and years of experience in the field, focusing on professionalism, creativity, contributions to the organizations and communities they have served, as well as a continued dedication to learning and furthering the field of marketing and public relations.

Hal Leftwich (right), administrator of Hancock Medical Center, presents Tom Carlton (left) with the Senior Professional of the Year Award.

Carlton has been with HMC since December of 2006 as marketing/development director. He has over 13 years of health care marketing experience. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Bay St. Louis (where he was honored as the Rotarian of the Year in 2009), the Lions Club of Diamondhead (where he was named the Melvin Jones Fellow in 2010), and Leadership Hancock County. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri.

Laurie Powell (right) is presented with the Junior Professional of the Year Award by Amy Sharpe, cancer services coordinator for St. Dominic Hospital (left)

Powell serves as a marketing specialist for St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. She holds a B.A. in Communications and an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Mississippi State University.

She has also served as Jackson Chi Omega Alumni Panhellinic Representative (2008-10), Jackson Area Alumni Panhellinic Association Vice President (2009), a member of the Marketing Committee for WLBT Great Lengths Cancer Campaign (2010), and a member of the Marketing Committee for Drive to Inspire Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign (2008-10).

Hancock Medical Center readies for construction phase

As the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the hospital's 50th anniversary approaches, Hancock Medical Center is set to embark on a FEMA-approved renovation project totaling more than $24 million to bring the medical center in Bay St. Louis back better than ever. It’s been a challenging journey for the county-owned hospital celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2010, but like all epic journeys, hospital staff has learned to take progress one step at a time.

One big step happens Aug. 18, as the hospital begins advertising for bid work that will reconstruct the hospital’s entire first floor. The bid response period is six weeks and after a contractor is selected, work can begin soon thereafter.

Hospital services will not be interrupted by the construction, as the plan calls for renewing one area at a time. While a specific department is being worked on, a temporary location will be set up for that particular service and hospital employees won’t miss a beat.

“There is an excitement among our staff knowing that we’ve come so far,” said Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE. “The construction phase will take some time (approximately three years), but when all is complete, Hancock County will have a ‘brand new’ hospital.”

Practically all new equipment since 2005 makes Hancock Medical as technologically advanced as any hospital on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In the aftermath of Katrina, the dedicated work force that stayed home to clean, paint, drywall and reopen the hospital while tending to their own shattered homes learned and lived the word “perseverance.” By getting the hospital back in operation quickly, they helped unite a community just as they felt united by the community. Or as Leftwich likes to say, “Friends and neighbors taking care of friends and neighbors.”

The second floor of the hospital is currently being renovated as the hospital prepares for the FEMA project. New paint, new floors, and new furniture on second floor have given employees and patients a glimpse of things to come and words that come to mind include “new, fresh, colorful, comforting, hopeful and healing.”

With such high hopes for the immediate future, Chief Clinical Officer Angie Gambino now can laugh about the ensuing months following Hurricane Katrina’s vicious blow on Aug. 29, 2005, when construction work and interior design became part of the nursing job description.

“It was the rebuilding of our hospital that gave us all hope,” she said, “It helped bring back to life the common purpose and mission that we all share. To see parts of the hospital new again in recent weeks has given everyone a fresh outlook and a renewed spirit. Whether it be hurricanes, bad economies, or oil spills, we’re taking on all challenges and providing the best health care services for our community.”

Reflecting on the long and winding road to recovery and the sense of purpose felt by Hancock Medical employees, Gambino adds, “It’s a great time to be here at Hancock Medical serving the people of Hancock County.”

Breast cushion adds comfort to mammograms at HMC

A small comfortable MammoPad breast cushion makes a big difference in the overall mammography experience at Hancock Medical and the pad does not cost the patient extra money. MammoPads are part of the routine screening procedure at the hospital.

Not only does the pad increase comfort for patients, it also increases tissue acquisition and compression. 

“With the new advanced digital equipment and the comfort pads, mammograms are much more comfortable than they were in days past,” says mammography technologist Jennifer Baum. “This product is wonderful. It is a foam pad that serves as a cushion between a woman's breast and the mammography machine resulting in a warmer, softer, more comfortable mammogram. I’m so pleased that Hancock Medical is able to offer this to our patients.”

The softer mammogram relieves a lot of anxiety, says Baum, and she wants to spread the word to let women know how much better the experience has become. 

“It’s important to get the word out, especially to women who have avoided getting mammograms because of discomfort issues,” Baum said.

Medical experts recommend that women 40 and over receive annual mammograms.

Hancock Medical Foundation Donates Building to Hospital

 
Hancock Medical Trustees, Foundation Board Members and Hospital Staff at the reception to thank the Hancock Medical Foundation for its donation to the hospital.

The Hancock Medical Board of Trustees  joined with Hancock Medical staff to hold a celebration thanking the Hancock Medical Foundation Board for its recent purchase of a medical office building at 100 Hancock Square, adjacent to the hospital on the emergency room entrance side of the Hancock Medical campus.

The building, which currently houses the offices of the Bay Foot Clinic (Drs. Jeffrey and Tracy Benzing) and Hancock Medical Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine services, is one of two building purchases this year that the Foundation made and donated to the hospital. The other building is located at 202 Drinkwater Boulevard across the street from the hospital which has room for three medical practices.

“It’s very beneficial to patients and their doctors to have office space available in close proximity to the hospital,” said Hancock Medical Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE. “Building availability like this helps us position our medical community to better respond to future health care needs in Hancock County.”

The seven-member Board of Trustees which governs the county-owned hospital, held the reception to accept the building and thank Foundation Board members for their service and commitment to Hancock Medical.

The Foundation Board includes Jeff Avena (Hollywood Casino), John Baxter (Hancock Bank), Theresa Bourgeois (HMC Volunteers), Ellis Cuevas (Sea Coast Echo), Herbert Dubuisson Sr. (Coldwell Banker, Alfonso Realty), Clarice Gustin (Foundation Board President, Retired, Tourism), Myron Labat (Principal – Second Street Elementary), Ron Hyman (Ron Hyman & Associates), Jeanie Moran (Retired, Health Care) and Marilyn Sefton (Coast Electric).

The Hancock Medical Center Foundation was established in 1985 to secure private donations in support of the hospital’s mission to provide the best in health services and be the community’s health resource. Through the generosity of local businesses and individuals, Hancock Medical continues to expand community outreach efforts and upgrade facilities and equipment with Foundation funds.