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December 2010 Volume 3, Issue 11 New 5 Main Unit Designed To Enhance Care Associates celebrated the opening of the new 5 Main unit during a blessing and dedication ceremony held on November 17. Pictured from left are: Peggy Tyrcz, RN, charge nurse; Beverly Bray, RN; Vanessa Shea, nursing assistant; and Kendra Gardener, RN. In This Issue 2 • Imaging Services Project • MMA Students Shadow • Karen Mack Honored 3 •Mercy Begins With Me • Gifts for Thanksgiving • Physician Spotlight 4• People in the News • Associates in the Know Submit news items to: Melanie Griffis Public Relations Manager [email protected] M ercy Hospital of Buffalo recently opened a new 47-bed patient care unit in space formally occupied by the hospital’s skilled nursing facility. The new 5 Main Patient Care Unit is the largest in the hospital and features 45 private patient rooms, 28 telemetry channels, and a state-of-the-art nurse call system using cell phone technology. Staff and patients on the 7 McAuley East Unit successfully moved to the new unit on October 25. This smooth transition was attributed to the careful planning and collaboration of several departments, including Patient Care Services, Pharmacy, IT, Admis- sions/Patient Access; Registration; Facilities, and Clinical Engineering/ Biomed. As patients arrived in their new rooms on opening day, they were greeted with lunch and fresh flowers. “This flawless move took months of preparation,” said Kathleen Guarino, vice president of Patient Care Services. “I want to thank all of our associates who contributed their talents and worked tirelessly on this undertaking, especially the Unit Practice Council and our nurse manager, Maureen Allan, who led her team through this transition.” Continued on page 2 Page 1 5 Main Unit Opens, continued from page 1 The new nurse call system has been receiving rave reviews from patients, their families, and staff. “When patients activate their call light, an alert goes directly to their nurse’s cell phone,” explained Guarino. “This makes response time much faster while cutting down on noise throughout the unit.” “As we remodel and upgrade the rest of our patient care units, we will continue to take advantage of the latest technology available for patient care and communication,” said Guarino. In upcoming renovation plans, the former 7 McAuley East unit space will be incorporated into a new cardiovascular step-down unit on the 7th floor featuring modernized patient rooms, the majority of which will be private. v Karen Mack Honored With LOVE Award Work Underway on New MRI/CT Suite With a focus on enhancing the patient experience, Mercy Hospital has embarked on a multi-faceted plan to reconfigure Imaging Services on the main floor of the hospital to improve patient care and convenience. The plan involves the renovation of the former Emergency Department; enclosing an open courtyard within the hospital to create a new MRI/CT suite; and Workers are busy enclosing an open courtyard the construction of a new hybrid within the hospital for the new MRI/CT suite. imaging operating room (OR) and Work will also soon get underway interventional radiology room. on a hybrid imaging OR and new interventional radiology room. Construction work began on the The hybrid imaging OR will courtyard in November as steel include all the equipment and beams were brought in by crane to systems associated with a standard create the structure’s frame. When operating room plus equipment completed, Mercy will move its used for interventional cardiology, MRI service to this location and neurology and/or vascular will be one of the first hospitals procedures. in the nation to install the latest generation Siemens® MRI unit featuring cutting-edge technology. In December, the Ultrasound Department and radiology clerk’s office moved to vacated space next to Nuclear Medicine on the 2nd floor. The patient waiting room and front desk clerk’s office will move to renovated space formerly occupied by the Emergency Department in early 2011. “The hybrid OR is in growing demand at hospitals across the country as surgeons move to more minimally invasive procedures that require advanced imaging capabilities,” said Julie LaManna, senior director of Cardiovascular Services. The construction and renovation project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2011.v Students Shadow Mercy Associates Karen Mack, center, Health Information Management (HIM) chart analyst, received the 3rd Quarter L.O.V.E. Award. A member of the Spirit of Mercy Workgroup, she was recognized for her help with the associate picnic, especially her work on the raffle baskets to benefit the Helping Hands Fund. Mercy President and CEO C. J. Urlaub and Janice Stevens, manager of HIM, presented the award.v Mount Mercy Academy students recently shadowed associates to learn more about health care careers. A partnership with MMA and Bishop Timon High School, the program offers a 20% tuition discount for Catholic Health associates. Mercy volunteers were: (l.-r., back row) Jason Sewell, Tom Koerner, RRT, Ann McGillicuddy, Cheryl Raditic, PT, and Penny Tirpak, RN. v Page 2 Associates Make “Snuggly” Delivery Mercy Begins With Me. Within hours of birth on December 21, baby Connor Oberst received his first Christmas gift—a snuggly new teddy bear delivered by Mercy associates, James “Sully” Sullivan and Gary Wesolowski. For the sixth year in a row, Sullivan has delivered teddy bears at Christmas to Mercy pediatric patients and newborns. He started the tradition with the help of his daughter Stacy who works at Kay Jewelers in the McKinley Mall. “They had some extra teddy bears left over from a holiday promotion and Stacy suggested that they could be handed out to patients at the hospital,” said Sullivan, who worked as a maintenance mechanic at Mercy for 13 years before recently moving to the OLV campus. “The bears were so appreciated that the store has continued to donate them Gary Wesolowski, left, and James Sullivan deliver a teddy bear to new first-time parents, Jackie Milligan and Bob Oberst of Franklinville and their newborn baby Connor. through the years.” “I want to thank my daughter and Kay Jewelers for making this possible,” he added. “They usually give us over 50 bears to hand out.” Wesolowski, an electrician at Mercy, and his daughter, Kristine Wesolowski, who works in Environmental Services, also pitch in to distribute the fuzzy friends. “We enjoy delivering the bears to the children, new moms and their babies,” Sullivan added. “They really bring smiles to everybody.” v Over 50 Families Benefit From Thanksgiving Baskets Mercy associates came together once again to donate Thanksgiving baskets that benefited over 50 needy families. A Blessing of the Gifts was held in the chapel on November 18. In above photos, staff filled the altar area with the food donations. From left are: Ann Cusella, RN; Carl DePalma, PT; Judy Gallant; Barb Cook; and Mary Ann Ruggiero, NA. v Physician Spotlight John Bell-Thomson, MD Surgeons at the Catholic Health Heart Center are among the first in the nation to use a new device to reduce the risk of stroke in patients undergoing heart surgery. The “AtriClip” was recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use in surgery treating atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart beat rapidly and ineffectively. This condition makes the patient more susceptible to blood clot formation in the heart. Led by John Bell-Thomson, MD, chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mercy Hospital, the surgical team successfully implanted the device in a patient on June 28. Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic performed a similar procedure the same day. “The AtriClip device is another breakthrough in cardiac surgery,” said Dr. Bell-Thomson. “It’s a safe and effective therapy and, as always, we are committed to providing our patients with the latest advancements in technology to enhance safety and improve care.” Cardiothoracic surgeon Serrie Lico, MD, recently named a 2011 “Top Doc” by Castle Connelly, is also using the device. “Patients with AFib Serrie C. Lico, MD are more likely to form blood clots in the heart, which can detach and cause a stroke,” explains Dr. Lico. “The AtriClip excludes the part of the heart where clots form and prevents them from traveling to the brain.” v Mercy at Work In photos clockwise from bottom left: Mercy President and CEO C. J. Urlaub, dressed as a Mercyflight pilot, visits Kim Fronkowiak, RN, and Mary Lou Boinski, RN, on his annual Halloween rounds; Sandy Rammacher (Facilities) does some holiday shopping at the book sale; and Robert Hawks, Mercy Construction Projects Manager, leads Sisters Mary Ann Schimscheiner, Peggy Gorman and Sheila Marie Walsh on a tour of the Mercy Comprehensive Care Center (formerly the Mercy Health Center) featuring a newly constructed 21,000 square-foot addition. A Chance to Win Free Movie Tickets Associates are invited to complete the Associates In The Know puzzle for a chance to win a pair of free movie tickets. Just drop the completed puzzle in the designated box located outside the hospital cafeteria, or fax completed puzzles to Michelle Wahl at 828-3651, to enter the drawing. Name______________________ Phone_____________ ACROSS 2 Helping Hands Fund benefited from what recent raffle? 8 Which department spearheaded the coat drive? 9 The efforts of the Associate Council Wellness Workgroup will soon result in a new _____ 10 The Meditation Garden & the ________(2 words) are located in the interior courtyard of the Emergency Center DOWN 1 Mercy Nursing Facility is offering this multi-sensory stimulation room (2 words) 3 It is essential to use ________ abbreviations with documentation 4 In the spirit of compassion, each department adopted what for Christmas? (2 words) 5 Mercy Hospital Foundation recently raised over $50,000 through this event 6 Which department measures lung function, manages ventilators, and provides emergency care for patients with cardiopulmonary problems? 7 The Patrick P. Lee Foundation presented the Mercy Hospital Foundation with a $25,000 ______ for the Mercy Emergency Center Sweet Mercy! People In The News Catholic Health Primary Care Services is pleased to welcome Yelandra May-Daniels, MD, MBA, and Brenda Perez, MD, MBA, to the Chestnut Ridge Family Practice located at 6300 Powers Road in Orchard Park. A department of Mercy Hospital, Chestnut Ridge Family Practice specializes in primary care/family practice for families and individuals. Dr. May-Daniels has been a family practice physician for more than 19 years serving in a number of public and private medical institutions. Prior Dr. May-Daniels to joining Catholic Health, she served as a primary care physician at the Ohio Institute of Cardiac Health and served as the Athletic Department team physician for the University of Cincinnati. Board certified by the American Board of Family Practice, Dr. May-Daniels completed her family practice residency at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati. Dr. Perez received her medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and her MBA from SUNY Buffalo. Board Dr. Perez certified in Family Practice, she completed her residency in Family Practice at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, NY. Prior to joining Catholic Health, she worked for Unity Health at County Village Family Medicine in Rochester, NY. Fluent in Spanish, she also operated a solo bilingual medical practice for Lifetime Health in Rochester, NY. Dr. May-Daniels and Dr. Perez are currently accepting new patients. For more information, call Chestnut Ridge Family Practice at 667-3200.