Mock Move a Real Success

In preparation for the big move on December 14 to the new hospital, Physicians, Nurses, Administrators, and Staff participated in a Mock Move drill on Monday, November 16.

The drill actually began the evening before with sequencing of the mock patients in order to simulate what will happen in the early morning hours of December 14 before the actual move begins at 7 am.

“We have planned for the move for almost 18 months and with the Mock Move we had the ability to test our processes,” said Marsha King, Chief Nursing Officer, who is coordinating the patient move. “Our Move Teams did an awesome job. The purpose of the Mock Move was to identify what areas we need to review and continue to refine. All in all the Mock Move went great and we now have 3 weeks to tweak and improve our processes and flows for December 14.” 

  

WSBT's Kirk Mason was one of our "patient" during the Mock Move.

SJRMC Reminds Community to Follow CDC Guidelines for H1N1

Before Seeking Emergency Room Care ...

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center reminds the entire community that those with flu-like symptoms should stay home and avoid contact with others, except to get medical care from their primary healthcare provider.

That is one of the main messages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conveying on its website, www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu, and SJRMC asks the community to adhere to this, and other CDC guidelines, to alleviate its overcrowded Emergency Room, due to H1N1 Flu concerns.

The CDC and SJRMC recommend you should not go to the Emergency Room if you are only mildly ill.

"The Emergency Department should be utilized by the significantly ill,” said Dr, Steven Gable, SJRMC’s Vice President of Medical Quality Improvement. “If people are experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the symptoms are not severe, they should stay home, get plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. Coming to the ER in these situations would only spread the disease."

Those who go to Emergency Rooms and are not sick with the flu are at risk of catching it from those who do have it, according to the CDC’s website.

The CDC’s website provides a wide range of information regarding what to do if you get sick, as well as information for specific groups including schools, parents, pregnant women, and there is even an evaluation link www.flu.gov/evaluation, where users can evaluate their possible symptoms. The CDC can also be reached at 1-800-CDC-INFO.

SJRMC urges the entire community to consult primary healthcare providers or the CDC at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or at 1-800-CDC-INFO before immediately deciding to use Emergency Rooms. 

Cooking with Your Kids

Gwen D. Ehlers, RD, Clinical Dietitian, SJRMC

Cooking with Your Kids

Quick Tips from Gwen D. Ehlers, RD, Clinical Dietitian

How can you get yours kids to beg for bananas instead of brownies?  What could convince them to choose carrot sticks over candy bars?

• Eating healthy is a lifestyle, and needs to begin at an early age. Help your kids start by including them in the selection and preparation of food.
  
• Ask your little ones to pick out their favorite color fruit or vegetable at the store.
  
• Snack with dips that include peanut butter, light salad dressing, low fat yogurt or salsa. This will encourage young ones to expand their choices of fruits and vegetables.
  
• Cook with your kids! While you’re spending quality time together, they are learning new skills, whether it is mixing, measuring, or cutting.

Try these recipes with your child:

Wonderful Stuffed Potatoes

• 4 medium baking potatoes
• ¾ C low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
• ¼ C milk
• 1 TB soft margarine
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Prick potatoes with fork. Bake at 425° for 60 minutes or until fork is easily inserted. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out potato leaving ½” pulp inside. Mash pulp in large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients, except Parmesan cheese. Spoon mixture into shells and sprinkle top with 1/3 tsp Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 15-20 min until tops are golden brown.

Chicken & Veggie Wrap

• Flour tortillas
• 1 C diced cooked chicken
• ½ C chopped cucumber
• ½ C chopped red bell pepper
• ½ C chopped raw sugar snap peas
• ½ C chopped lettuce
• ½ C hummus

Combine chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, peas, and hummus in a bowl. Lay the wraps on the counter and cover each with a lettuce leaf. Divide the vegetable mixture among them and spread, leaving half-inch border around the edge. Roll up tight, tucking in the edges as you roll. Cut in half.

Feedback from the Community

At SJRMC, we receive so many letters of appreciation from our patients. In addition, we encourage our Associates to share their "Kudos," recognizing each other for displaying excellence and compassion in our work. Here are some recent Thank Yous and Kudos we have received...

Dawn Brammer, RN, Four North, South Bend Campus
Dawn is so in tune to our Diabetic patients. The patients love her energy and smile as she takes time to clearly educate the patients. Dawn goes beyond the call of duty and she consistently does it with a smile. I have asked Dawn to see patients that have been newly diagnosed and when the patients see me the next day they tell me how appreciative they are. Kudos Dawn!

Center for Spiritual Care, In God's Arms Program
We have written this letter to send a very special thank you. Our baby was one of the many babies remembered at the “In God’s Arms” Memorial Services held on April 26, 2009. Even through the rough time, what a delight it truly was to attend the service. It is such a blessing for wonderful people like yourselves and the staff of Palmer Funeral Home to make such a beautiful service like this happen! We are blessed to know there is such a beautiful and peaceful place we can go and reflect and rejoice the life of our precious child, as we truly believe life begins at conception, as we lead our way down the road of recovery. We have not only been blessed with such a wonderful and precious angel, but we have been blessed with God given people like all of yourselves! You all will always hold a very special place in our hearts! This has been such a true wonderful blessing to our lives and we are sure it will be a blessing to many more families. In loving memory of our child.

Denise Pitts, Pediatric Therapy
At the age of 20 months my son Ryan started Pediatric Physical Therapy here at SJRMC South Bend. He could not walk and was in the process of diagnosis. Within 2 weeks of PT with Denise Pitts my son was walking. She gave us the avenue to make it possible. He ended up with a diagnosis of mild Cerebral Palsy. He’s had PT at SJRMC for six year now and we have been fortunate to have Denise as our PT the entire time. Denise takes her patients and works with them in such a way that they are totally unaware of how hard they are working. Part of PT is showing me how to motivate him at home and get the exercise in. She rises to this challenge and helps me with new and fun ideas. She brings so much humor, genuine caring and creativity to her job. She has even shared toys of her own children to help motivate my son. We only see Denise once a month now. My son is 8 and still is excited on the day that he has PT. The work is very hard and it says a lot that he wants to come. He doesn't remember his life before PT and I think there are many kids that come to PT in that same situation. I feel so fortunate that SJRMC and Denise Pitts have been there to guide and help my son. Enough cannot be said for Denise and the entire Pediatric Therapy Department here at SJRMC.

Kate's Hope
Many of our Associates were part of Kate’s Hope, the group that recently walked in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s MS Walk in memory of former SJRMC Associate Kate Coleman. Kate’s Hope was by the far the Walk leader, raising more than $10,000 in support of the fight against MS.

ICU Wins Trinity Award for Prevention Excellence

Central Venous Catheter Related Blood Stream Infections.

Abbreviated to BSI, these infections occur in an estimated 250,000 cases in the US each year. In May 2004, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center observed an estimated 12.71% infection rate in patients with a Central Venous Catheter.

These infections are more than costly – they can be deadly. The estimated attributable mortality is 12 – 25% for each infection. This sobering statistic prompted SJRMC to do something.

That something was Keystone: ICU. The program aims to reduce BSIs, as well as ventilator-associated pneumonia, that occur in ICU patients. The ICU was provided with research and resources provided by the Michigan Health and Hospital Associate and the safety leaders at John Hopkins University.

But without the commitment of our SJRMC staff, this initiative would not have been so successful. So successful that an ICU patient has not developed a BSI since before February 2005 – almost 4 years ago.

BSIs at SJRMC Rates per 1000
May 2004 12.71%
January 2005 4%
February 2005 – January 20090%

“Staff buy in was essential to this initiative, said Marsha King, Chief Nursing Officer. “Our nursing staff was so enthusiastic about this project, and they remain enthusiastic today. They are saving lives with Keystone ICU.”

SJRMC Named Among the Nation’s Top Performance Improvement Leaders

Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today named Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend and Plymouth among the nation’s performance improvement leader hospitals, for the second consecutive year.

SJRMC and its Senior Leadership Team were recognized for being one of a hundred hospitals making the greatest progress in improving hospital-wide performance over five consecutive years (2002-2006). The 2007 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders have set national benchmarks for the rate and consistency of improvement in clinical outcomes, safety, hospital efficiency, and financial stability. SJRMC and its Medical Staff have made major strides in increasing the quality and efficiency of services locally.

Findings from the fifth edition of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study appears in the August 11, 2008, issue of Modern Healthcare Magazine.

“This recognition is significant validation that Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center continues to be committed to providing first-rate quality and faith-based care to the communities we serve at each of our acute-care hospitals in South Bend and Plymouth,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, President and CEO of SJRMC. “As we move forward, we continue to enhance the healthcare we provide so our patients, caregivers, and community at large benefit and recognize the value-added services of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.”

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study analyzed acute care hospitals nationwide using detailed empirical performance data from years 2002 through 2006, including publicly available Medicare MedPAR data, Medicare cost reports, and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outpatient data. 

SJRMC & Riley Hospital for Children Continue Partnership

Thanks to a long-term partnership between SJRMC and Riley Hospital for Children, the Michiana community has access to the most advanced pediatric specialty care.

Riley will coordinate with SJRMC and with physicians affiliated with both institutions to provide outpatient pediatric management, consultation, education, and telemedicine services.

This collaboration saves patients and their families the delay, inconvenience, stress and expense of travling to Indianapolis to meet with a pediatric specialist.

“We are excited about partnering with Saint Joseph’s to offer Riley outpatient pediatric specialty care in the Michiana communities,” said Dan Fink, Riley Chief Operating Officer. “Working together with multi-disciplinary teams allows us to treat a wider range of childhood diagnoses and build on improving the health of children and families in Michiana.”

Riley already contributes to SJRMC’s Pediatric Specialty Clinics, including cardiology, endocrinology and diabetology, gastroenterology, and rheumatology. Other elements of the partnership include new services to SJRMC’s Pediatric Specialty Clinics, such as neurology, with selected services potentially being offered through telemedicine technology. 

NICU Reunion Turns Into “Amazing Celebration”

They’ve grown into healthy children, each with their own unique story their families celebrate everyday. They all entered the world under uncertain circumstances, but thanks to a lot of love from those families and the care and compassion of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), daily celebrations are well worth it.

That’s why Saint Joseph’s NICU hosted a reunion for it’s graduates – the hundreds of babies and their families who spent some time there for a wide variety of reasons. The reunion was held in the Upper Deck at Coveleski Stadium on Sunday, October 26. NICU graduates and their families made up the crowd of over 100 who showed up to exchange stories and hugs while getting their fill of ballpark food and Halloween snacks.

Saint Joseph doctors and staff were just as thrilled to be reunited with so many families and patients from the past, many of whom were dressed in Halloween costumes.

“To be able to see all the success stories that we’ve experienced is the most rewarding thing this job has,” said Dr. Monty Dobson, SJRMC’s NICU Director. “There are some very difficult stories that were told here and this is the good ending that we are so glad we can share with everybody. This is fantastic – an amazing celebration!” 

Soldier Serving in Iraq Hears Birth of Firstborn

Obstetrics Technician Gail Harrison had transferred phone calls from the nurses station to patient rooms at SJRMC/South Bend’s Family Birthplace countless times.

“It’s so routine I could do it in my sleep,” Harrison said. “But this time I was so nervous. I just had my fingers crossed that this transfer would go through.”

That’s because she typically doesn't take calls from Iraq from a United States Soldier anxious to find out the status of his soon to be growing family. But a seamless transfer on the part of Harrison enabled Robert Wesley Garrett to hear everything he longed to know, getting a detailed account as his daughter entered the world while he was on the other side of it, thousands of miles away.

Around 8 am on February 12, Army Specialist Garrett began calling South Bend every ten minutes, as he knew his wife, Rita, could go into labor at any moment.

“The nurses kept coming in telling me there was a message on the phone from Iraq . . . your husband is on the phone from Iraq,” explained Rita. “As we were getting closer, I finally had to tell my Mom to tell him I can't talk – I’m trying to push this baby through.”

But the Family Birthplace Staff had an idea.

When Specialist Garrett called just after 10 am, Harrison made the all-important transfer into the labor room, where SJRMC’s Pam Dziadosz, RN, took the handoff.

“Your first baby is such a wonderful experience and to be overseas and miss that experience is heartbreaking,” Dziadosz said.

So Dziadosz laid the phone on the bed and described everything as it was happening.

“It was like she was doing a ballgame,” Rita laughed. “It’s crowning . . .okay, I can see the head . . .it’s a girl!”

Dziadosz even held the phone up to let Specialist Garrett here the baby’s heartbeat and to let him hear his daughter, 6 pound 15 ounce Savannah, cry for the first time.

In an interview over the phone, an emotional Specialist Garrett explained from Iraq, “When I first heard her cry, it really hit home to me that I had a daughter. It’s the greatest, it really is the greatest.”

For all involved at the Family Birthplace, this not-so-typical delivery was one they will cherish forever.

“I am always so grateful to help and take care of fellow service members and their families,” said Dr. Kelly McGuire of Saint Joseph OB/GYN Specialists, who served in the United States Marine Corps. “It was great that Specialist Garrett could be part of the delivery.” 

SJRMC Receives HealthGrades Awards

SJRMC received 2009 clinical excellence awards for orthopedic surgery, joint replacement surgery and spine surgery from HealthGrades, the healthcare ratings company. These awards SJRMC clinical outcomes in the top ten percent nationally for each recognized area of care.

In addition, SJRMC also received a 5-star rating for Treatment of Stroke.

“Quality patient care is our top priority,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC’s President and CEO. “Recognition from an objective, independent source such as HealthGrades validates the efforts our physicians, nurses, and staff deliver to the people of Michiana everyday.”

These findings were included in the eleventh annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.

While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.

Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers. 

Unscheduled Mammogram Turns Into A "Lifesaver"

Mobile Medical Unit

Shortly after SJRMC launched its Mobile Medical Unit in 2006, the hospital’s 40-foot-long clinic on wheels, Carla Bice figured she might as well do a little leading by example. 

The vehicle, which goes into neighborhoods throughout St. Joseph and Marshall Counties providing healthcare to those who may not have a means of getting to a doctor’s office, comes complete with mammography capabilities. On this particular day, it was parked at the Sister Maura Brannick, CSC, Health Center, one of SJRMC’s clinics, located on South Bend’s near Westside. Carla is the Health Center’s Director.

“The lady who was scheduled to have a mammogram cancelled at the last minute,” explained Carla. “So, I decided to go ahead and have one done myself. I didn’t want to see the scheduled time wasted, and I was overdue to have my mammogram anyway.”

Carla’s decision to take advantage of this mammogram by chance turned out to be one of the best choices she ever made.

“After the mammogram, they found something,” Carla said. “It was very small, but they did find something.”

That small “something” prompted the radiologist to recommend a biopsy. The biopsy revealed to Carla the very early stages of breast cancer.

Seven weeks of radiation treatment and today, two years later, Carla is cancer-free.

“I was very fortunate for two reasons,” Carla said patting, the hood of the Mobile Medical Unit. “One, the Mobile Medical Unit was here and two, that lady backed out of her mammogram appointment. This big rig is my lifesaver on wheels.”

Recently, SJRMC’s Mobile Medical Unit celebrated its second birthday.

“At Saint Joseph, we are constantly working to improve the health of our communities,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC’s President and CEO. “We welcome any opportunity to help those void of healthcare because they simply have no way of coming to us. I am proud to say that with the Mobile Medical Unit, we are coming to you.”

The state of the art Mobile Medical Unit houses a medical exam area and a digital mammography unit, plus an area for intake, information, and health education. The Mobile Medical Unit is also used in partnership with area cancer program’s, women’s health services, and community programs that welcome the vehicle to their area, and to provide corporate wellness programs on-site. And in just two years, the vehicle has traveled nearly 20,000 miles serving over 2,000 patients.

“The continued success of the Mobile Medical Unit is due to the incredible dedication of all of our Associates involved with it,” said Michelle Peters, SJRMC’s Director of Community Outreach Services. “It is really very rewarding to see the community have access to healthcare in a convenient, safe atmosphere and we look forward to the Mobile Medical Unit providing these unique services throughout the communities for years to come.”

Hospitals & City Partner to Build Medical Facility on West Side

In spring of 2009, SJRMC and Memorial Hospital will launch Bendix Family Physicians, a fully staffed physicians' office at 1010 N. Bendix Drive, under the auspices of the non-profit Community Health Partners of South Bend.

“The City of South Bend is pleased to join as a partner with Memorial Hospital and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in meeting a documented community need for better, more affordable health care on the west side,” said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke.

SJRMC has donated the property, located on the east side of Bendix between Bonds Avenue and Hartzer Street, to the City so the Board of Public Works can undertake needed renovations. When complete, the city will convey the facility to the Community Health Partners in exchange for a 10-year commitment for quality health-care services and community health education efforts at the site.

SJRMC conducted a Community Needs Assessment in 2007 and noted that the most pressing needs for west side residents were access to primary health care services in their immediate locale, affordability of that care, and having a permanent medical home in which established physicians would provide care on a regular basis. SJRMC approached Memorial Hospital of South Bend and the City of South Bend with its findings and invited both entities to join in an effort to address the health-related needs of the residents.

"Providing permanent medical homes within our patients' neighborhoods is part of our Mission and doing so for the west side residents is a direct response to their input," said Nancy Hellyer, SJRMC President & CEO. "Bendix Family Physicians will be a fine collaborative model offering medical care and health-related educational opportunities in one place."

The effort coincides with community wide planning already under way for the revitalization of the former LaSalle Square shopping area. Renovation of the medical office building will take place in 2008. The facility is expected to open in 2009.Community Health Partners will invest nearly $1.2 million to furnish and equip the facility as a full-service medical practice and a venue for community health information and programming, and underwrite ongoing operational costs. 

Aquatic Therapy Benefiting All Ages

Nine-year-old Marcus is a great little swimmer. But he’s not taking a dip just for fun. 

“I have a disease and swimming here helps me get stronger,” says Marcus.

Marcus has Duchenne, a form of Muscular Dystrophy that weakens the muscles. That’s why, once a week, Marcus comes to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center’s Aquatic Therapy, located at the hospital’s Four West Medical Facility in Mishawaka.

“Aquatic Therapy is a nice medium for him as we can have him do a lot of swimming activities, a lot of ball activities and jumping to really work on those legs,” said Nancy Rupe-Cressy, an Occupational Therapist with SJRMC’s Pediatric Rehabilitation who has been working with Marcus for over two years. “It takes a lot of weight off the body and gives him a lot more freedom of movement so someone like Marcus can do a lot of things in the water for longer periods.”

SJRMC has offered Aquatic Therapy for over 15 years, and while about 15 children per week are currently enjoying this maritime treatment, it is not just for kids.

“We have a lot of adults who are taking advantage of our Aquatic Therapy for a lot of different situations,” said Rupe-Cressy. “This is ideal for arthritis patients, post operation or post stroke patients who are working on regaining their strength. The buoyancy just allows you to do a lot more without as much stress on the body.”

As for Marcus, he used the therapy to recently appear on the annual Labor Day MDA Telethon as the region’s Goodwill Ambassador.

“That was fun,” Marcus said. “Almost as much fun as the water!”

Anyone interested in SJRMC’s Aquatic Therapy should call the facility directly at (574) 252-0333. SJRMC’s Four West Medical Facility is located at 420 West Fourth Street in Mishawaka. Aquatic Therapy is in Suite 200. 

SJRMC Receives Award for Heart Attack Treatment

In October 2009, SJRMC received Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s prestigious Meritorious Award for its efficiency in the treatment of patients with heart attack symptoms.

In 2004, SJRMC’s Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Team began meeting monthly to develop 913 CODE STEMI (ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) – the hospital’s activation system for heart attack emergencies. SJRMC implemented the system on January 1, 2006.

In 2007, 84 percent of SJRMC’s 76 STEMI patients were treated in less than 90 minutes - the amount of time the American College of Cardiology deems the national gold standard – with an average time of 73 minutes. For quarter four in 2007, 92 percent of SJRMC’s STEMI patients were treated in less than 90 minutes with an average time of 68 minutes.

“Our Cardiologists, Emergency Department Physicians, Nurses and Staff, Catheterization Lab Team, and the local EMS communities have committed and collaborated to significantly reduce the time it takes for patients to receive the necessary intervention from the time they are brought to us,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC CEO & President.

In November, 2006, a national study found that only one-third of hospitals provide emergency care to heart attack patients quickly enough to meet scientific guidelines for saving lives, standardized by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Studies show that reopening clogged arteries with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), inflating a tiny balloon at the site of the blockage, can increase a patient’s chance of surviving a heart attack by 60%, but only if it is done within 90 minutes of the patient’s arrival at the hospital. This is the door-to-PCI time gold standard.

The study, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, reported that only 35% of hospitals in the United States meet the 90-minute, or less, gold standard door-to-PCI time.

21 Years of Volunteering

Alice Crowley, Volunteer

In August 2009, Alice Crowley celebrated her 21st year as a Volunteer at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.

Asked how many miles she thinks her feet may have logged in those years of doing just about everything, from delivering documents for the Print Shop to delivering roses from the Flower Shop, Alice politely replies, “I really don’t know about that. I go back and forth a lot so it’s hard to say.”

Her trips throughout the hospital are a full-time, Monday through Friday gig. The last three years she has spent her weeks volunteering in the hospital’s Document Center.

“She’s here everyday, 8 to 4,” said Mean Lim, Supervisor of the Document Center. “It doesn't matter what the weather is like. She’s always here just like the Postal Service – here to deliver; rain, sleet, or snow.”

And in spite of volunteering a full week, Alice comes in three Saturdays each month from Noon to 3 to help with whatever needs to be done in the Flower Shop.

“Everybody knows her here,” said Kathy Dukes, Volunteer Manager of the Gift Shop. “She is so dedicated to this hospital and she really puts her heart and soul into everything that she does. It really does touch your heart to see her doing this and smiling all the while.”

For her efforts, Alice was recently honored at the 23rd Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon held at Windsor Park. Alice received the President’s Call to Service Lifetime Award for performing over 4,000 hours of volunteer service in her lifetime.

“This made me feel good,” Alice said of the award. “But it makes me feel even better knowing that I am helping other people however I can. I think I’ll do this for at least another 21 years.”

And 4,000 more hours...

Thank you, Alice!