News Around the State

Memorial Names Second Quarter 2011 STAR Recipients

 

Memorial has named the recipients of the Second Quarter 2011 Star awards—Memorial’s highest honor. STAR, Service, Teamwork, Attitude and Respect, recognizes outstanding customer service.
 
STAR recipients attended a special award ceremony where they received gift certificates donated by the Memorial Auxiliary and gold pins to wear on their employee badges. The recipients are as follows (back row L- R) Hope Beaver, Education, Memorial Behavioral Health; Mary Ann Cullinan, Clinical Support Services; Faye Ward, Security, Hospitality Services; (middle row L- R) Valerie Langford, Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging Services; Kathy Leflore, Chest Pain, Emergency Services; Beth Pennington, Cancer Registrar, Oncology Services; Greg Quigley, Construction, Engineering (seated L- R) April Stapleton, 2 A/B Obstetrics, Women and Children Services; Anthony Whitfield, Acute Adolescent, Memorial Behavioral Health; Stephanie Schmidt, Perioperative Services, Endoscopy/Urology.

Fairen Murrell named Spirit of Excellence winner at Garden Park

 

Every quarter, members of management and the Spirit of Excellence Committee at Garden Park Medical Center cast a vote for the one monthly Spirit of Excellence honoree they believe best exemplifies the Spirit of Excellence. That person is then named a Quarterly Spirit of Excellence All-Star.

The 2nd Quarter All-Star for 2011 is Fairen Murrell, Physical Therapy.  Fairen was honored for always going above and beyond to care for our patients, assisting any way she can from heating up food, to stripping beds, to getting supplies.  The words, “That’s not my job” are not in Fairen’s vocabulary.

Additionally, Fairen becomes the second Spirit of Excellence Hall of Fame nominee for 2011.  The Hall of Fame winner will be announced at an annual awards banquet next spring.  Congratulations, Fairen!

SRHS Cuts Ribbon on Gulfport Location

From Left: SRHS Director of Behavioral Health Services David Burkart, Gulfport Chamber of Commerce President Daphne David, Gulfport Ward 7 City Councilwoman Cara L. Pucheu, Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel, SRHS CEO Chris Anderson, SRHS COO of Programs Lynn Truelove and SRHS Vice-President of Communications Richard Lucas cut the ribbon on the Gulfport BHS office July 14.

Singing River Health System cut the ribbon recently on its new location in Gulfport for providing Behavioral Health Services.

“We’re fortunate with Singing River Health System to have seven physicians and nine therapists that work with our program,” said Lynn Truelove, chief operating officer for programs, SRHS. “We’re now in a position where we can provide services beyond just the hospital base. This is our newest effort here. We’d like to thank the local community for helping us and encouraging us to be a part of this.”

The Gulfport office is home to the BHS Structured Outpatient Program, which is a medically supervised program tailored to meet the individual needs of adult patients requiring intense behavioral health support, but who do not need the acute treatment of an inpatient psychiatric facility. It is a less costly, less restrictive and more flexible alternative to full hospitalization, but offers a more structured and intense treatment program than periodic outpatient therapy.

Services provided within the SOP include individual and family therapy, group psychotherapy, relationship therapy, psychological testing, medication management and more. The current medical director of the program is Dr. William Smith.

SRHS is also pleased to offer child and adolescent psychiatry at this location. Dr. Paul Trombley is a board certified pediatrician and fellowship trained in adult and child and adolescent psychiatry. He provides comprehensive medical-psychiatric services for children and adolescents at the Gulfport office.

Trombley can tailor treatment to a child’s specific needs, and work with families in a number of roles including: primary provider of child’s psychiatric treatment, consultant to primary care provider, medical psychiatric provider of child’s treatment in unison with therapist or counselor, second opinion consultation. Specific services provided include parent management training and family-based therapy and comprehensive medical - psychiatric assessments.

Memorial Hospital Vascular Laboratory Awarded Accreditation

Memorial Hospital Vascular Laboratory and the Memorial Vascular Laboratory at Acadian Plaza have attained recognition for their commitment to providing a high level of patient care and quality testing for the diagnosis of vascular disease. Memorial achieved accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL).

Memorial Vascular Laboratory is the only fully accredited vascular laboratory in the State of Mississippi in Extracranial Cerebrovascular Testing, Intracranial Cerebrovascular Testing, Peripheral Venous Testing, Peripheral Arterial Testing and Visceral Vascular Testing.

By participating in the accreditation process, Memorial Vascular Laboratory demonstrated a commitment to the performance of quality vascular testing and strives to meet nationally recognized standards. During the accreditation process, Memorial submitted documentation on every aspect of daily operations, ie., images, reports, protocols and quality assurance programs. This three year accreditation is granted only to those facilities that are found to be providing the highest quality patient care in compliance with the ICAVL Standards.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. One American dies every 32 seconds of cardiovascular disease and disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Identification of vascular diseases, such as carotid artery disease and deep vein thrombosis is possible through the use of non-invasive vascular testing techniques performed within our vascular laboratories.  Early detection of these conditions can significantly reduce the chance of a stroke.

The ICAVL is a non-profit organization established with the support of eleven medical societies including physicians, technologists and sonographers that represent medical specialties including: cardiology, neurology, radiology, vascular medicine, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, internal medicine and biology.

Garden Park Medical Center announces annual award winners

Garden Park Medical Center recently announced several annual award winners:

 

Betty Davis, an RN in the Emergency Room, was given the Frist Humanitarian Award. This award is given annually in recognition of the humanitarian spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas A. Frist, Sr., a founder of HCA. The award acknowledges one employee who best exhibits the spirit of caring and concern that is HCA’s hallmark by going beyond day-to-day responsibilities in their overall service to the community.

Betty travels annually to South America with the Christian Medical Mission to give healthcare to people in need. She gathers supplies and ships them to needy villages at her own expense. She has been a home to struggling families in need. 

 

Amos Fields was named the Volunteer of the Year. This is a special award because it is voted on by peer members of the Auxiliary. In his first year, Amos made quite a splash. Even if you don’t know him, you most certainly know who he is. He is the smiling face who always has a friendly word lighting up the hospital with positivity and happiness. He is the willing helper who is always offering to assist in any way he can.

 

Debra Rivers, director of quality, was named the Leader of the Year. The Leader of the Year recognizes the leader who has distinguished herself by making a special contribution through her leadership. This is a leader who has exemplified service behavior, serves as a role model and found ways to enhance Garden Park through her vision and commitment to our mission.

 

The Imaging Department was named the Team of the Year. This group has had more Spirit of Excellence winners than any other department...ever! This team has nearly 40 employees and still had 91% participation in the employee satisfaction survey with 93% overall satisfaction! Imaging has significantly achieved above the 85th percentile in inpatient and ED patient satisfaction, and, in addition, significantly reduced their patient wait time and improved patient throughput which has resulted in strong outpatient growth.  

 

The Spirit of Excellence Hall of Fame winner was Esther Lott, Med Tele RN. She was nominated for “Special Act for Patient.” A patient forgot one of his medications that the hospital pharmacy did not carry, and his wife was unable to drive at night to go home to retrieve it. Esther volunteered to drive the wife home after her shift to pick up the medication so that he would not miss a dose. She is the most senior member of Garden Park at the age of 72. Her fellow teammates describe her as “always calm, cool and collected, and a role model for us all.” 

Cancer Resource Center Opens at Memorial

(L-R) Robert Morris, American Cancer Society Mid-South Division; Marvin Smith, Memorial Board of Trustees, Vice-Chairman; Kathie G. Short, Memorial Board of Trustees, member; Kathy Santiago, American Cancer Society, Gulfport Executive Director and cancer survivor; Dr. John Kelly, American Cancer Society Mid-South Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board; Dr. Edwin Davidson, Memorial Medical Oncologist; Dorothy McDaniels, CRC Volunteer; and Earline Cuave, American Cancer Society, Health Initiatives Representative

Cancer survivors, local oncologists, and volunteers attended the Grand Opening of the recently completed American Cancer Society Cancer Resource Center (CRC) at Memorial on June 3.

The Grand Opening ceremony and ribbon cutting was held in conjunction with National Cancer Survivors Day, which was June 5. The Cancer Resource Center represents Memorial’s partnership with the American Cancer Society. The CRC provides wigs, supplies, and information to patients and their families. The CRC is staffed with trained American Cancer Society volunteers on Tuesday, noon to 3 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 3 p.m.; and is closed Monday and Friday.

 

Memorial Names 1st Quarter 2011 STAR Recipients

 

Memorial has named the recipients of the First Quarter 2011 Star awards—Memorial’s highest honor. STAR, Service, Teamwork, Attitude and Respect, recognizes outstanding customer service. STAR recipients are: (seated L to R): Glenn Lumpkin, Clinical Operations Administration, Courier Services; Jonathan Pennington, Materials Management, Distribution; Marion Hamilton, Cardiac Services, 3C/D Telemetry; (middle row L to R): Jennifer Bickel, Medical/Surgical Services, 5A/B Surgical; Howard Fortenberry, Behavioral Health, Acute Pre-Adolescent; Tina Sullivan, Behavioral Health, Social Services; Jim Cobler, Perioperative Services, Urology; (top row L to R): Thoa Oliver, Perioperative Services, Urology; Gary Ortiz, Hospitality Services, Security; Carol Gaughf, Cardiac Services, ICU.

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport Offers da Vinci Robotic Assisted Surgery

Memorial Medical Director of Robotic Surgery Dr. D. Champ Weeks, Urologic Surgeon

Surgeons at Memorial Hospital are using the most advanced surgical platform on the market to perform complex procedures with fewer complications and less recovery time. The first surgical case using the da Vinci® Si High Definition Robotic Assisted Specialty Surgery System was performed at Memorial on April 14, 2010. As of March 2011, surgeons at Memorial had completed well over 130 robotic assisted minimally invasive procedures. These cases have included the removal of the gall bladder, spleen, uterus, ovary, ovarian cyst, prostate, bladder and kidney, as well as kidney reconstruction. Benefits to the patient include less pain, smaller incisions, fewer complications, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery and less scarring.

Urologic Surgeon D. Champ Weeks, MD, FACS, serves as the Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at Memorial. With over 400 robotic surgeries performed, Dr. Weeks is one of the most experienced robotic surgeons in the Gulf Coast area. In March 2010, he joined Dr. Thad Carter, Dr. Craig Dawkins and Dr. Paige White at Coast Urology Center in Gulfport.

Dr. Weeks completed his surgical internship and urologic residency at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., after having received his medical degree from the Medical University of South
Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Biomechanics from Georgia State University.

Memorial Hospital has General Surgeons, Urologists, and OB/GYNs currently credentialed to perform robotic assisted surgery, including Dr. Kristine Carter, General Surgeon; Dr. Don Gaddy, Gynecologist; Dr. Shahira Hanna, Gynecologist; Dr. Mike McKay, Gynecologist; Dr. Joanna Trus, Gynecologist and Dr. D. Champ Weeks, Urologic Surgeon.

With the new technology, surgeons maneuver tiny surgical instruments guided by 3-D visualization with 10x magnification through incisions the size of a dime. The da Vinci’s four robotic arms and hands swivel 540 degrees, unlike the human wrist.

During a procedure, the surgeon makes a few small incisions to insert the robotic arms. One arm holds a high definition camera while the other three arms hold very small surgical instruments with dexterity,
precision, and range of motion far greater than that of the human hand. At a console a few feet from the patient, the surgeon performs the operation with the robotic device replicating the surgeon’s movements.

“This technology is yet another example that Memorial Hospital is committed to practice state-of-the-art medicine for the people of this community,” Weeks said. “We continuously strive toward raising the
bar on excellence in health care for the Gulf Coast.”

For more information on robotic assisted surgery at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, call 228-575-1527 or visit www.gulfportmemorial.com/davinci.

 

Memorial Names Fourth Quarter 2010 STAR Recipients

 

Memorial Hospital in Gulfport has named the recipients of the Fourth Quarter 2010 Star awards—Memorial’s highest honor. STAR (Service, Teamwork, Attitude and Respect) recognizes outstanding customer service. STAR recipients are: (back row L-R) Weezie Kennedy, Surgery; Cynthia Drouilhet, Internal Medicine Physicians; Olivia Rowe, 3C/D Telemetry; (middle row) Susie Mamaril, 2 A/B Obstetrics; Donna May, Memorial Behavioral Health; Dr. Abha Mishra, Neurology Physicians; Linda Lyon, Memorial Behavioral Health; (front row) Geraldine Farria, 4C/5C Medical; Sheryl Girard, 3B Oncology; and Anthony Sperance, Cardiac Observation.

Memorial Hospital Honors Auxiliary

Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Officers, 2011: Standing, left to right, Aurelia Hagin, Recording Secretary; Kaye Perrett, Corresponding Secretary; and Peter Psikogios, Vice President; seated, left to right, Linda Wosiewicz, Treasurer; Sandra Rhodes, President; and Rena Krol, Parliamentarian.

Memorial honored its Auxiliary with a luncheon and awards ceremony on January 25 at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Bay St. Louis. Diane Gallagher, Vice-President, Marketing and Planning, and Linda McCulloch, Volunteer Services Coordinator, presented the awards.

The following officers were installed for 2011: Sandra Rhodes, President;  Peter Psikogios, Vice President; Aurelia Hagin, Recording Secretary; Kaye Perrett, Corresponding Secretary; Linda Wosiewicz, Treasurer; and Rena Krol, Parliamentarian. 

Memorial Hospital volunteers lend valuable service in the Gift Shop, Surgery Information Desk, Second Floor ICU, Fifth Floor Tower ICU, Flower Delivery Service, Patient Escort Service, Emergency Department, Cardiac Catheterization Lab Information Desk, and Pet Therapy Partners. In 2010, the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary donated over $119,000 towards various Memorial projects.