News Around the State

Methodist Rehab therapist named 2012 Health Professional of the Year

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Alabama-Mississippi Chapter has selected Susan Geiger of Jackson as its 2012 Health Professional of the Year. 

“I was pleasantly surprised to receive this very unexpected honor,” said Geiger, a physical therapist at Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s Outpatient Therapy Clinic in Flowood. 

Geiger has served on the local community board of the National MS Society for almost five years and serves on the National MS Society Clinical Advisory Committee. This past year, she began an 8-week “Free from Falls” program for persons living with MS. She also volunteers numerous hours for chapter fundraising events such as Walk MS.

“The vision of the National MS Society is to have an efficient and high-quality health care system to serve those living with MS that is equitable, accessible and affordable,” said chapter president Jan Bell. “This award works towards the realization of this goal by inspiring health practitioners who are working diligently to be resourceful and innovative in meeting the existing challenges of providing quality health care to persons with multiple sclerosis in Mississippi.”

Geiger holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Mississippi State University, a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from The University of Mississippi School of Health-Related Professions and a Master of Business Administration from Millsaps College. At Methodist Rehab, Geiger serves as the manager of outpatient growth and development and maintains a clinical practice emphasizing balance and vestibular rehabilitation.

Amason and Yates graduate from DMH Focus program

Two Mississippi State Hospital employees recently graduated from Focus, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s (DMH) accelerated leadership development program.

Nurse Administrator Jackie Yates and Medical Staff Liaison Gene Amason graduated on May 17.

Mississippi State Nurse Executive Jackie Yates (left) is pictured with Department of Mental Health Executive Director Ed LeGrand receiving a certificate of commendation for completing Focus, the DMH accelerated leadership program.

Yates, who lives in Rankin County, has worked at the hospital for five years.

Mississippi State Hospital Medical Staff Liaison Gene Amason (left) is pictured with Department of Mental Health Executive Director Ed LeGrand receiving a certificate of commendation for completing Focus, the DMH accelerated leadership program.

Amason, a Flowood resident, has worked at the hospital for 10 years. The Focus program offers a unique opportunity for employees to hone their skills to greater and higher personal performance and self-awareness. The graduation program for the most recent class of Focus graduates was held on Friday, May 17 at Duncan Gray in Canton.

“Focus is one of the most exciting projects our agency has been involved with,” DMH Executive Director Ed LeGrand said. “This initiative is helping to strengthening our employees and build upon their talents. DMH’s mission is to support a better tomorrow today and this is one of our efforts to prepare the leaders of tomorrow.”

The goal is to help DMH employees reach maximum capacity and to develop “bench strength” for the agency. This experience challenges participates to grow to new heights in both ability and attitude.

OCH Admissions Supervisor Selected as Regional Delegate for National Organization

OCH Regional Medical Center’s Admissions Supervisor Steve Cochran has been selected as the delegate for the National Association of Healthcare Access Management’s (NAHAM) Southeast Region. This prestigious position includes attending conferences as the Southeast Region’s representative for NAHAM, increasing membership and keeping members up-to-date on upcoming events and conferences and new information in the field of patient access. 

Cochran has been employed at OCH since 2005 and is a former president of the Mississippi State Chapter of NAHAM. He has served as a guest speaker at many regional and national conferences, focusing on excellent customer service in healthcare. 

“It’s a huge honor to be chosen as a leader for this organization that helps to provide tools and resources to improve the process of patient access in today’s changing healthcare environment,” said Cochran. “This organization has been a large contributing factor in my growth and education as the OCH Admissions Supervisor, and I look forward to helping others learn more about providing high-quality service to patients,” he added.

Cochran assumed the position of Southeast Regional Delegate at the conclusion of the 39th Annual Conference and Exposition of NAHAM on May 18 in Atlanta, Georgia. The term of office is two years with a maximum of two terms of service.

National Hearing and Speech Month Sheds Light on Widespread Disorders

OCH Rehab Services Speech Language Pathologist works one-on-one with Lois Williams who came to OCH for outpatient speech therapy after her stroke. Williams said, "Working with Laurel was great! She helped me so much!"

It’s estimated that speech, hearing and language disorders affect 14 million Americans, and since 1927, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has celebrated National Better Hearing and Speech Month each May to raise public awareness about these widespread conditions.

Speech and language disorders can take many forms and can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement. An individual may be born with a speech or language disorder, or it may be caused by accidental injury or illness.

OCH Rehab Services’ Licensed Speech Language Pathologists Laurel Jones and Lori Windle provide identification, evaluation and rehabilitation for a variety of speech, language, fluency, voice, swallowing, and cognitive disorders.

"Fortunately, most people with speech and language problems can be helped," said Jones, SLP. "Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. People may not fully regain their capacity to speak and understand, but we can help them live more independently,” stated Jones.

Jones and Windle offer free hearing, speech-language and swallowing screens to identify if an evaluation by a speech language pathologist is warranted. If so, the patient’s physician will be contacted to request a referral order.

Speech therapy varies according to each patient’s specific condition, evaluation results, and personal goals. Treatment includes identifying the best techniques for interaction, voicing, or swallowing with the patient and implementing those strategies found to be most successful in managing the deficit at hand.

Screenings are available by appointment Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment or for more information about the OCH Speech Language Therapy Department, call (662) 615-3020.

OCH Respiratory Therapy Recognized for Quality Laboratory Services

The OCH Regional Medical Center Arterial Blood Gas Lab in respiratory therapy has received 100% approval rating from COLA, a national healthcare accreditation organization. This accreditation is given only to laboratories that apply rigid standards of quality in day-to-day operations, demonstrate continued accuracy in the performance of proficiency testing, and pass a rigorous on-site laboratory survey. The OCH ABG lab has earned COLA accreditation as a result of a long-term commitment to provide quality service to its patients.

The ABG lab test primarily measures the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity of the blood. This information is vital when caring for patients with critical illness or respiratory disease. As a result, the ABG is one of the most common tests performed on patients in intensive care units (ICUs).

“The team of respiratory therapists at OCH work and train hard, so it is nice to see these efforts providing such amazing outcomes,” said OCH Director of Respiratory Therapy Wes Andrews, RRT, CHEP. “With the technical support of our main lab and the information technology services here at OCH, we maintain three analyzers that are pre-staged throughout the facility to provide the quickest response times anywhere. Because of this, our physicians do not have to wait as long to get critical results and information, which results in excellent care for our patients,” he explained.
COLA is a nonprofit, physician-directed organization promoting quality and excellence in medicine and patient care through programs of voluntary education, achievement and accreditation.
COLA is approved by the federal government and sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.

Mississippians trained in Mental Health First Aid

Pictured are DMH Central Office employees who were trained in the adult version of MHFA (l to r) Jackie Chatmon of Hinds County; Dwayne Nelson of Madison County; Scott Sumrall of Rankin County; Mardi Allen of Rankin County; Natasha Griffin of Simpson County; Joe Maury of Rankin County; Aurora Baugh of Hinds County; Karen West of Madison County; Brent Hurley of Hinds County; Willis Garrison of Rankin County; and Andrew Day of Copiah County.

Pictured are DMH Central Office employees who were trained in the youth version of MHFA (l to r) Willis Garrison of Rankin County; Joe Maury of Rankin County; Jackie Chatmon of Hinds County; Mark Stovall of Rankin County; Scott Sumrall of Rankin County; Mardi Allen of Rankin County; Dwayne Nelson of Madison County; and Natasha Griffin of Simpson County.

In response to recent shooting tragedies in the United States, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has become a hot topic in Washington and Mississippi. In May, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health used British Petroleum grant monies to certify a cadre of trainers in both the adult and youth versions of MHFA.

These certified trainers will be available to provide education through workshops to community leaders such as pastors, teachers, and civic groups, along with families and friends interested in learning more about mental health issues.

“With knowledge, comes understanding,” said Mardi Allen, DMH Clinical Services Liaison. “Communities that have a better understanding of mental health issues are shown to have less stigma around mental illness. Hopefully with more community understanding, those who suffer from mental illness will receive assistance and support they need rather than eschewed by our schools, churches and the general public.”

Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness, substance use disorders and behavioral disorders. Mental Health First Aid is offered in the form of an interactive 12-hour course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who take the 12-hour course as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

Both versions of MHFA includes content on how important it is to provide assistance to individuals with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, self-injury, and substance use disorders. In addition, participants learn to recognize and handle crisis situations such as suicidal behaviors, acute stress reaction following trauma, panic attack, acute psychotic behavior, and drug overdose.

For information on how to schedule a Mental Health First Aid training, contact Scott Sumrall at the Mississippi Department of Mental Health at 601-359-1288.

Gilmore Regional Names New CEO

Gilmore Memorial Regional Medical Center recently announced that Allen Tyra has accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Gilmore in Amory, Mississippi. Tyra moves from his position as the CEO at Crossgates River Oaks Hospital in Brandon, MS where he has been since 2007. Tyra has been with Health Management since 2000 serving at several hospitals including Lehigh Memorial in Lehigh Acres, Florida, Natchez Community Hospital in Natchez, and Riley Hospital in Meridian.

Read more from WCBI.com here.

St. Dominic’s Inpatient Diabetes Program is Awarded Advanced Disease-Specific Care Certification

St. Dominic’s participated in The Joint Commission’s (TJC) disease -specific certification process that reviews an organization’s compliance to evidenced-based clinical practice guidelines and was awarded TJC’s advanced disease-specific care certification for its inpatient diabetes program.

“The certification process provides a framework for very dedicated clinicians to focus on a specific disease process and work toward delivering the best possible care for that condition,” said Karen Countiss, Director of Accreditation and Hospital Policy. “When you seek care at a facility that has received TJC disease-specific care certification, you can be assured that the most current research in the field will be used to guide the care you receive.”

By volunteering for this review, St. Dominic’s compliance with consensus-based national standards, use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and performance and improvement activity is measured.

Disease-specific programs that meet the guidelines of the TJC in all three compliance areas receive certification and carry the reputation of providing a higher standard of care. The TJC process is designed to help healthcare organizations continuously improve safety, patient care and treatment.

Disease-specific certifications were first offered in 2002, evaluating care, treatment and compliance with national standards. An organization can be certified for a period of two years.

Singing River Health System Heart Services Team One of Nation’s First to Implant Newest Device for Cardiac Pacing

A new type of BIOTRONIK cardiac defibrillator, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has been performed by the Heart Services team at Singing River Health System (SRHS), helping patients with heart rhythm care needs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

This procedure, one of the first implants in the country and the first in the state of Mississippi, was performed on Friday, March 22 at Ocean Springs Hospital by Hugo Quintana, MD, of the Southern Mississippi Heart Center.

Implantable cardiac devices (ICDs) are sophisticated electronic devices that are implanted to help prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation – a fast heart rhythm.

Known officially as BIOTRONIC Lumax 740 DX System, this newly available single-chamber ICD uses a single thin flexible wire, called a lead, to deliver an electrical pulse to the heart when the heart rate becomes dangerously fast and then returns the heart to its proper function. The innovative device can sense vital changes in heart rhythm in both the atrium and the ventricle of the heart through its single lead, offering an enhanced way of gaining important and useful atrial signal information without the risk of implanting multiple leads.

“Traditionally, we added an extra lead to enhance the discriminatory capabilities of the device and to avoid inappropriate shocks,” said Dr. Quintana. “Now, with this new device, that extra step is avoided and the procedure risk is then reduced.”

Traditional standard single-chamber ICDs come with limitations. The devices are designed only to sense changes in ventricular rhythm and are unable to sense atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), correctly. This can result in an increased risk of an inappropriate shock or a stroke if AF is not detected.

The DX System expands the diagnostic capabilities of a standard single-chamber ICD with a single lead, in addition to featuring sophisticated sensors that allow for atrial monitoring and enhanced arrhythmia diagnosis.

The DX System also integrates with BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring ® allowing physicians to remotely follow their DX patient’s clinical and device statuses daily, at anytime, anywhere in the world. The cellular-based system has demonstrated the ability to detect clinically relevant events, including silent, asymptomatic arrhythmias, and device related issues, allowing for earlier medical intervention. The diagnostic capabilities of the DX System combined with Home Monitoring ® makes this a simple, yet sophisticated system for cardiac rhythm management.

Cardiovascular Services of Central Mississippi expands to Flowood

Cardiovascular Services of Central Mississippi, presently located in the Medical Office Building on the campus of Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, has expanded its location and services to include a clinic and sophisticated vascular lab in Flowood to provide comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases effective June 11.

The team of board certified specialists is comprised of cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons Craig V. Adams, MD, FACS and Gerhard H. Mundinger, Jr., MD, LL.D, FACS and interventional cardiologist Abdul Bahro, MD, FACC, FSCAI.

“We are very excited to have Cardiovascular Services of Central Mississippi on the campus of River Oaks Hospital in Flowood,” said President and CEO of River Oaks Hospital Dwayne Blaylock. “River Oaks Hospital has a long standing reputation for excellence and that will continue as we expand our services to include these distinguished physicians who will provide comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases. Our team has nearly 60 years of combined expertise to assist patients through innovative and advanced vascular procedures.”

Cardiovascular Services of Central Mississippi treats conditions of the vascular system (arteries and veins) and performs diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as arteriograms and angioplasty, as well as surgical and endovascular treatments for vascular disease. The clinic specializes in minimally invasive techniques such as angioplasty and endovascular methods.

The clinic offers both minimally-invasive and open procedures to address a wide range of artery and vein disorders. It is always the goal to perform the most effective, least invasive procedure to address each specific medical issue.

The Flowood clinic is located at 1020 River Oaks Drive, Suite 480 and the Jackson clinic is located at 1860 Chadwick Drive, Suite 256. For more information, call (601) 376-1394.