50-year anniversary - Kaweah Delta Health Care District

HEALTH CA
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STRICT
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Established
E
KAWEAH
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KAWEAH DELTA HEALTH CARE DISTRICT
in 1963
50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
BRINGING MORE THAN MEDICINE TO LIFE
PAGES 4-7
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SPRING 2013 Issue
S P R I N G 2 013
KAWEAH DELTA:
IN THIS ISSUE
4
7
8
9
10
50 YEARS OF
BRINGING MORE
THAN MEDICINE
TO LIFE
KAWEAH DELTA
HEALTH CARE
DISTRICT THROUGH
THE YEARS
WELLNESS AT
THE WAISTLINE.
KAWEAH DELTA
CAN HELP
HEALTHY KIDS IN
FOUR STEPS
A LOOK AT
KAWEAH DELTA’S
NEW RESIDENCY
PROGRAM
12
KAWEAH DELTA
ADDS NEW ROBOTIC
GALLBLADDER
SURGERY
DRIVEN TO PROVIDE
EXCELLENT PATIENT CARE
A
t Kaweah Delta we are driven
to provide excellent care to our
patients. That drive is backed by
the dedication of our Board of Directors,
the expertise and diligence of the medical
staff and the commitment, caring and
competence of our nurses and staff.
When combined with essential facilities
and leading-edge technologies, Kaweah
Delta is able to provide excellent care to
you, our patient.
Kaweah Delta is a progressive and
dynamic organization. We are building
on a 50-year track record and here are
just a few of the new developments you
can expect to see in 2013.
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A CARDIOLOGIST
IS STANDING BY AT
KAWEAH DELTA
K AWE AH DELTA VISALIA EVENTS
MAR 14 / 6-7 pm
TLC’s Wellness Series
Hips: Healthy vs. Non-Healthy
Mar 23 / 6 pm
Golden Gala Celebration
Speaker: Ian Duncan, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgery
Kaweah Delta Health Care District
Celebrates 50 Years of Serving
the Community
The Lifestyle Center
Visalia Convention Center
5105 W. Cypress Ave. Info: 624-3400
______________________________
303 E. Acequia Ave.
Info: 624-2242
MAR 20 / 12-1 pm
Wellness & You
Colorectal Cancer
Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
4945 W. Cypress Ave.
Info: 624-2463
______________________________
Mar 21 & APR 18 / 6-7 pm
Nutrition & You
The Heart of the Matter.
Fats, Sodium, and DASH
(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
Diet Overview
Speaker: Alana Unger, registered dietitian
The Lifestyle Center
5105 W. Cypress Ave.
Info: 624-3400
Mar 26 / 7 am-4 pm
Mar 27 / 6 am-4 pm
Hospital Guild Orchid Sale
Kaweah Delta Medical
Center Lobby
400 W. Mineral King Ave.
Info: 624-2359
______________________________
APR 11 / 6-7 pm
TLC’s Wellness Series
Rehabilitation
Continuum of Care
Speaker: Sanjiv Kaul, D.O.,
Physical Medicine/Rehab
Apr 17 / 5:30-6:30 pm
Wellness & You
Home Safety/Care For Aging
Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
4945 W. Cypress Ave.
Info: 624-2463
______________________________
MaY 2 / 12-1 pm or 5:30-6:30 pm
By Lindsay Mann
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
KAWEAH DELTA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Zone 1: Jonathan “Jody” Graves
Women’s Health & Wellness
Menopause
Zone 2: Lynn Havard Mirviss
Speaker: Angela Duran,
physical therapist
Zone 3: John Hipskind, MD
Therapy Specialists
3362 S. Fairway St.
RSVP to attend: 625-2476
______________________________
May 15 / 12-1 pm
Wellness & You
Asthma
Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
4945 W. Cypress Ave.
Info: 624-2463
The Lifestyle Center
5105 W. Cypress Ave.
Info: 624-3400
Secretary/Treasurer
RN, Ed. D.
Zone 4: Carl Anderson
President
Zone 5: Teresa Ramos
THE
NEW! KaweahDelta.org
It’s redesigned and packed with health
information that matters. Click on
“Healthy Living Online” for health
videos, articles, recipes and tips of the day.
Visit “Screenings and Assessments,”
where just 5-minutes taking one of 16
health risk assessments could save your life.
• In April, our helipad will receive its
first flight. It will support our trauma
program, providing transportation
to and from Kaweah Delta for
critical care patients, newborns, and
others who may need rapid access
to a higher level of medical care. The
helipad will help us provide essential
care and save lives.
• In July, our Graduate Medical
Education program will define
Kaweah Delta as a teaching hospital
as we welcome medical doctors
starting their residencies in family
medicine and emergency medicine.
Next year we will add a Psychiatry
Residency Program. In following
years we will add General Surgery
and Transitional Year Residencies.
Our transitional program will
allow physicians, who will later
subspecialize, to spend a year doing
clinical rotations before moving on to
subspecialty training.
• A new medical office building will be
constructed on our West Campus to
support the practices of orthopedic
and vascular surgeons. It will also
house a wide range of therapy
services and a second Sequoia
Prompt Care.
• In addition to our rural health clinics
in Exeter, Lindsay, and Woodlake, we
will add clinics in Visalia and Dinuba.
Through these clinics we will focus
on educating patients in preventing
illness and in providing care on an
outpatient basis so that use of our
emergency department and hospital
will be less necessary. Many residents
of Tulare County do not fully
understand the power they have to
affect their health both physically and
mentally by the decisions they make.
Our rural health clinics will provide
care and educate patients to prevent
future health problems.
• A great deal of our work will be
invisible to the community. We will
continue to develop our electronic
medical record and to focus on
numerous clinical quality and patient
safety projects as part of our neverending effort to improve in every
aspect of our service to our patients.
With the continued leadership
of the Kaweah Delta Board, and the
support of the medical staff and our
hospital staff, we will continue to serve
this community with distinction as we
prepare for the next 50 years.
On the cover: Ed Largoza, R.N., daughter and father doctor duo Lori Ann Boken, M.D., and Ronald Marconi, M.D., and Brenda Isaac, R.N.
Read more about how these faces have served the community on page 6.
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V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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KAWEAH
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STRICT
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Established
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EALTH C
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in 1963
50 YEARS OF BRINGING MORE
THAN MEDICINE TO LIFE
T
What’s your fondest memory of Kaweah Delta?
Share it with us on our Facebook page!
Facebook.com/kaweahdelta
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oday, transforming health
care, improving medicine and
saving lives are commendable
accomplishments for a hospital. But
Kaweah Delta Health Care District has
been doing that since it was founded in
1963. Fifty years later, Kaweah Delta is a
581-bed testament to the transformative
power of medicine.
Kaweah Delta’s Health Care District
has come a long way in 50 years. Its
history is filled with days when electric
beds were considered state-of-the art,
when IV fluid was counted, drop for
drop for the correct rate because there
were no IV pumps. It’s a history of
$13.50-a-day room rates and visits with
nurses wearing white uniforms, white
caps and capes. It’s a history of firsts.
The District first opened the doors of
its new hospital in 1969, and welcomed
men to attend childbirths for the first
time in 1971. But most of all, Kaweah
Delta’s history is one of always growing
to serve the community.
The sounds of jackhammers,
welding torches and saw blades echoing
across the campus, are some of David
Rippee’s continuous memories of
working at Kaweah Delta. Rippee, a
facilities technician at Kaweah Delta
since 1969, said those are the sounds
of progress, the perennial harbinger of
happy days.
“We’ve only had one year that I can
recall where there was no construction,”
said Rippee, who has been with the
hospital longer than any other current
employee. “We’ve been growing ever
since I’ve been here.”
The district has grown along with
the community. People in the area have
come here for the birth of their babies,
for emergencies, for nights beside their
loved ones and for faster recoveries
after the district began providing stateof-the-art cardiac and robotic surgeries.
From a population of just over
15,000 in 1960, Visalia is now home
to more than 126,000 people. In 50
years, Kaweah Delta has transformed
itself from less than 100 beds in
1965 to the four-story, 237-bed
Kaweah Delta Hospital on Mineral
King Avenue in 1969 to a 581-bed
district, comprehensively serving
the community’s health care needs
with some of the most sophisticated
technology and medicine in the
Central Valley.
Ed Vollmer, the mayor of Visalia
during the ‘60s and ‘70s, bore witness
V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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Join Kaweah Delta Health Care District as it
celebrates 50 years of serving the community
during its “Golden Gala Celebration.”
March 23, 6 p.m.
Visalia Convention Center
DINNER CATERED BY: The Vintage Press
ENTERTAINMENT: Run 4 Cover
TICKETS: $50
INFO: Liz Pannell, 624-2242
WHEN:
VISALIA MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL 1937-1969
KAWEAH
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WHERE:
HEALTH CA
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Established
STRICT
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Current CEO Lindsay Mann would
like to think so, too, although his own
tenure is far from over. A 30-year
veteran of the hospital, Mann sees great
things in store for the next 50 years.
“Kaweah Delta will keep building on
past successes and continue investing
in the education and development
of the hospital staff, while attracting
new physicians to Visalia,” he said.
“We’ll assess the need to expand our
capacities—whether it’s technologically
or facilities—and we’ll develop in
lockstep with community needs.”
E
to much of that growth. Vollmer credits
a “strong partnership between the
community, hospital doctors, nurses,
staff, hospital leadership, the city council
and former City Manager Harry Tow
in overcoming the many challenges
of getting the new hospital off
the ground.”
“I’ve taken great pride in seeing the
hospital grow,” Vollmer said. “We’ve
enjoyed three administrators, three
‘top guys’ [Ernie Cassassa, Tom Johnson
and Lindsay Mann], and they were
all instrumental in the success of
the hospital.”
NOV. 29, 1967 GROUND BREAKING
in 1963
COVER STORIES
Ronald Marconi, M.D. Started at Kaweah Delta: 1979
“It’s unbelievable to think about what tests we were
able to do early on and what services are available now –
24-hour radiology coverage, a helipad, the evolution of a
cardiac program. It’s been great to have lived through those
changes in medicine. I’m also proud to have my daughter
[Dr. Lori Ann Boken] come back and practice in the
community where she grew up in.”
“Kaweah Delta is a great place to work and I am
especially happy with our Labor/Delivery and Postpartum
units. My sisters all had babies at different hospitals in
California and their OBs and nurses didn’t hold a candle
to ours. It is especially fun to practice with my dad
[Dr. Marconi] and run medical questions by him.”
Brenda Isaac, R.N. Started at Kaweah Delta: 1988
“I’ve always taken everything that happens here very
personally because this is my hospital. Because of my
upbringing—I grew up in a big Portuguese family where we
take care of and respect each other—it was natural for me
to want to take care of other people.”
Ed Largoza, R.N., M.S.N. Started at Kaweah Delta: 2005
“Kaweah Delta is like home to me. I was born here and
both my parents use to work here as anesthesiologists. As
a child, I can recall them receiving late night phone calls
and running off to Kaweah Delta to help patients. I’m
proud to continue their legacy of serving patients and our
community. As I attend international nursing conferences,
I’m always impressed of how well Kaweah Delta measures
up to prominent hospitals all around the world.”
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Established
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Lori Ann Boken, M.D. Started at Kaweah Delta: 2003
HEALTH CA
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KAWEAH
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1969 KAWEAH DELTA DISTRICT HOSPITAL
in 1963
(Left to right) Dr. Robert A. Havard Jr.,
Lynn Havard Mirviss, Dr. Rob Havard
F
or more than 50 years, and now three
generations, the name Havard has
been synonomous with Kaweah Delta.
It started in 1958, when Lynn and her
husband Robert Havard, a pediatrician,
moved to Visalia to raise their young boys.
Today, the Havards continue their legacy.
Lynn Havard Mirviss sits on the Kaweah
Delta Board of Directors, while son
Dr. Robert A. Havard Jr. serves as Medical
Director of Sequoia Regional Cancer
Center. Grandson Dr. Rob Havard serves
patients beside his father at Sequoia
Regional Cancer Center.
ERNEST CASASSA, FIRST CEO
KAWEAH DELTA HEALTH CARE DISTRICT THROUGH THE YEARS
1936 Visalia Municipal first opened with 36 beds.
1940 An $80,000 wing expansion brought capacity
to 46 beds.
1988 Twenty-fifth anniversary of hospital district
observed.
1990 Cancer Center opens.
2007 Kaweah Delta Dialysis unit opened.
Lynn Havard Mirviss Education Center opens.
1951 Open house held for $170,000 36-bed
maternity wing with two labor rooms.
1993 Eastern expansion completed.
2008 Hospital name changes to Kaweah Delta
Medical Center.
1959 X-Ray facility opens at 217 W. Willow St.
1994 Cypress Rehabilitation opened.
2009 Construction on Acequia Wing is completed.
1996 The Lifestyle Center opened.
2009 Kaweah Delta Lindsay Health Clinic opens.
1961 L.J. Williams chaired the first Kaweah
Delta Board of Directors, voters approve
establishment of hospital district.
1963 Visalia Municipal becomes Kaweah Delta
District Hospital.
1965 Order for 68 electric beds approved by
Directors at a cost of $442.91 each.
1967 Room rates increase $1 to $13.50 per day.
1968 The 400 W. Mineral King Ave. address began
being used.
1969 New Kaweah Delta District Hospital opens,
employs 900. First baby born in the new
hospital was Tamatha Blanchard on May 30.
1971 In October, men are allowed to attend
childbirths.
1979 Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation formed.
1987 The 43,000-square-foot western expansion
project is completed with 18-bed ICU.
1996 Cardiac Services program began in January.
1998 San Juan Health Center, now Kaweah Delta
Exeter Health Clinic, opens.
1999 Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital
opened.
Acute angioplasty program was instituted in
November.
2000 Kaweah Delta opens 32-bed Transition Care
Unit.
2003 Measure M passes ($51 million) to fund the
Acequia Expansion.
2004 Sequoia Regional Cancer Center and Sequoia
Imaging Center, now Kaweah Delta Imaging,
opened.
2005 Kaweah Delta District Hospital is the largest
hospital in the South San Joaquin Valley
and serves as the only regional care facility
between Fresno and Bakersfield.
2010 First da Vinci® robotic surgery performed at
Kaweah Delta.
2012 Kaweah Delta Woodlake Health Clinic opens.
2012 Kaweah Delta Wound Center brings first
hyperbaric chambers to Tulare County.
Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital
expands to 48-beds.
2013 Kaweah Delta celebrates 50 years as a district
hospital on March 23.
Upcoming Advances in 2013
Helipad construction complete and
operational.
Graduate Medical Education Residency
Programs starting in July.
Fourth and fifth rural health clinics set to
open in Dinuba and Visalia.
V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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HEALTHY KIDS IN FOUR STEPS
“Losing weight can lower
your risk of coronary artery
disease, hypertension,
high cholesterol, diabetes,
cancer and arthritis.”
By Alana Unger (below), Registered Dietician, The Lifestyle Center
– ROBERT ALLEN, M.D.
1
“Growing” healthy kids boils down
to the simple basics of healthy
eating and activity habits.
HEALTHY,
BALANCED MEALS
Use the “MyPlate” guide to put
balanced meals on your children’s
plates. Cover half of their plates
with fruits and vegetables. Cover
the other half of their plates with
whole grains (bread, cereal, rice, etc.)
and healthy protein (lean, skinless
meats/poultry, fish, beans/lentils,
and soy products).
EMPTY
2 LIMIT
CALORIES
Don’t bury healthy meals under
added fats (oil, butter, dressing,
etc.), junk foods and sugary drinks.
Give chips, cookies, soda, candy,
etc. in small portions and only on
occasion, not daily!
NOT HOW YOU LOOK, HOW YOU LIVE
3 STAY ACTIVE
WELLNESS AT THE WAISTLINE, KAWEAH DELTA CAN HELP
W
e’ve got a “big” problem, Tulare
County. Too many people in
the area are too heavy. The
obesity rates here are higher than almost
anywhere else in the state.
This isn’t just about how people
look—it’s about how long people live. The
risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes
and other life-threatening conditions are
significantly higher for obese people.
Even worse, someone who is 40 percent
or more overweight is twice as likely to
die prematurely than a person who is of
normal weight.
“Everybody knows someone who is
overweight or obese. It could be a friend,
a family member, or you,” said Cid Chavez,
a Registered Dietitian and member of
Kaweah Delta’s Wellness Team. “We have
to do something about obesity, and the
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best time to start is now.”
Let’s take a look at the causes of
obesity, what you can do everyday to stay
healthy, and how Kaweah Delta can help
you win the fight against obesity.
What’s Making Us Overweight?
It’s no secret. Eating too much plus
exercising too little equals weight gain.
But there’s more to the story. According
to Program Director of Family Medicine
Residency, Robert Allen, M.D., our fastpaced lifestyles play a big part.
“We sit behind desks more often,
we are stressed and hurried, so we look
for food that is quick and easy but not
necessarily of high quality,” Dr. Allen said.
“So we end up going for food that is fast
and cheap, but high in calories and low in
nutritional value.”
Simple Steps to a Healthier You
Chavez said it all comes down to
calories in versus calories out. “Most of us
are taking in far too many and burning far
too little,” she said.
Where to start? First, skip the crash diet
and opt for a long-term plan that you can
stick to, Chavez said. A simple and effective
way to track your calories is by writing
down everything you eat.
“Food diaries have proven to be one of
the most powerful tools to get people to
recognize what they eat, how much they
eat, and the frequency at which they eat,”
Chavez said.
Kaweah Delta is Here to Help
If you’re motivated to lose weight,
Kaweah Delta can help. At The Lifestyle
Center, expert nutritionists and personal
trainers are available to design customized
weight-loss and fitness plans for each member.
Kaweah Delta also offers weight
management and nutritional consultations
to patients within the cardiac rehabilitation
program and diabetes outpatient clinics.
Within the medical center, cafeteria items
are changing for the better. The Wellness Team,
a group of hospital employees, is working with
visitors and hospital staff to develop alternative
menu items as well as healthier recipes for
popular dishes.
The hope is that people will realize eating
healthy can still taste great, Chavez said.
“We need to look at ways to entice people
to live a healthier lifestyle and eat healthier to
control their weight,” she said. “We need to
teach people to look at food differently.”
Ready to get moving? Take the WeightAware
assessment at KaweahDelta.org. Just five
minutes online can save your life.
4
?
HAVE A QUESTION
FOR ALANA?
Call 624-3400.
Aim for an hour a day of heartpumping active play time with
after-school programs, sports,
workout and dance videos, etc.
Check out karate and jiu jitsu
classes, gymnastics, dance, etc.
LIMIT LAZY TIME
Don’t let kids sit around! Limit
screen time (TV, computer, phone,
etc.) to two hours or less daily.
Provide activities, hobbies, and
other busy-work. Daily chores
promote activity and responsibility.
Assign them to help prepare
healthy meals a couple nights
a week. Children will follow the
example that the family sets before
them—good or bad. Making these
habits part of the routine for the
entire family is critical. Eat healthy,
move healthy, live healthy! V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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Dr. Michael Burg (Emergency Medicine), Dr. Lori Winston (Emergency Medicine), and Dr. Robert Allen (Family Medicine) are ready for their residency programs in July.
“This program is going to
improve patient care,
decrease wait times, and
create more local doctors.”
– LORI WINSTON, M.D.
TAKING UP RESIDENTS
KAWEAH DELTA’S NEW RESIDENCY PROGRAM BRINGS THE DOCTORS OF TOMORROW TO VISALIA
W
ouldn’t it be nice to see the
doctor you want, when you
wanted? How about seeing
a specialist right here in town, instead of
driving to Fresno, or further?
Pipe dream, you say? Kaweah Delta is
making that reality.
This July, a group of top medical
doctors will begin the final phase of their
training at Kaweah Delta. They are the
first class of Kaweah Delta’s new Graduate
Medical Education (GME) Program.
When their training is complete, they
will be certified to practice medicine
anywhere they choose.
Hopefully, that’s right here in Visalia.
“This program is going to improve
patient care, decrease wait times, and
create more local doctors,” said Lori
Winston, M.D., Associate Director of the
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Emergency Medicine Residency Program.
The GME program will kick off this
summer with the Family Medicine and
Emergency Medicine Programs, followed
next year by a Psychiatry Residency
Program. In following years, there will be
General Surgery and Transitional Year
Residencies. Here’s a look at the programs
and how they will ultimately help to
provide better care for you and your family.
Emergency Medicine
Emergency medicine residents undergo
an intense training curriculum designed
to help them excel not just in emergency
rooms, but in any situation where a life
may hang in the balance.
While they will spend most of their
time seeing patients within Kaweah Delta’s
Emergency Department, they will also
receive training in intensive care, trauma,
surgery, internal medicine, and many other
disciplines. Emergency medicine residents
will also travel to Children’s Hospital
Central California to receive specialized
training in pediatric intensive care and
pediatric emergency care.
Emergency Medicine Residency
Program Director Michael Burg, M.D.,
believes the program will keep the doctors
in Visalia. “Upon graduation, these doctors
will be looking for jobs in this area,” he said.
“They’ll have a chance to experience what
the Central Valley has to offer and they’ll
want to stay connected to this part of the
world for the bulk of their practice.”
Family Medicine
The Family Medicine Residency
Program aims to fill an immediate and
urgent need in the community—the
shortage of family practice physicians.
Family medicine residents will receive
comprehensive training while practicing
alongside experienced physicians at
Kaweah Delta’s Family Medicine Center.
When residents complete their
training, they will have all the tools
they need to start a practice of their
own—hopefully right here in town said
Robert Allen, M.D., Director of the Family
Medicine Residency Program. “It’s quite
likely that over a couple of years they
could develop a very robust practice.”
a psychiatrist commonly have to travel
to Fresno or Bakersfield, tolerate long
waiting lists for appointments or simply
go without treatment. The Psychiatry
Residency Program will bring these muchneeded physicians here.
The Psychiatry Residency Program
is a great opportunity for the area, said
Barry Mills, M.D., Program Director. “The
program will help us alleviate the critical
shortage of mental healthcare providers
in the community as most residents
tend to practice in their local area upon
graduation,” Dr. Mills said.
Psychiatry
Mental healthcare providers are
few and far between in Tulare County.
Currently, local patients needing to see
Off to a Good Start
If graduate students had a concern
about coming to a new residency
program, they certainly haven’t shown it.
Both the family medicine and emergency
medicine residencies received hundreds of
applications.
According to Dr. Burg, they’ve seen
an enormous influx of incredibly talented
applicants who want to come and train
in Visalia. “We didn’t quite know what the
response would be, but many residency
candidates have expressed a strong
interest in coming here,” he said.
Kaweah Delta’s dedication to bringing
quality medical care and top physicians to
the Valley will continue to thrive through
the residency programs for years to come,
Dr. Burg said.
Want to know more?
Visit kdgme.org.
V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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G. Blaine Lake, M.D.
Abiy Meshesha, M.D.
Mark Wiseman, M.D.
Joseph Chidi, M.D.
John Morin, M.D.
Andrea Boone, M.D.
Tu-Hi Hong, M.D.
Marty Prah, M.D.
A SCAR-FREE REALITY
ROBOTI C GALLBL ADDE R SURGE RY TAKE S AWAY THE PAI N AND LE AVE S NOTH I NG I N IT S PL ACE
KAWEAH DELTA’S ROBOTICALLYTRAINED SURGEONS:
Gynecologic Surgery
Andrea Boone, M.D.
G. Blaine Lake, M.D.
John Morin, M.D.
Mark Wiseman, M.D.
Urologic Surgery
Joseph Chidi, M.D.
Tu-Hi Hong, M.D.
Marty Prah, M.D.
General Surgery
Abiy Meshesha, M.D.
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J
anelle Palacios just had her gallbladder
removed, but you’ll have to take her
word for it. “You can’t even tell,” says
the 24-year-old.
What you can see is Janelle enjoying her
life again. Notably, enjoying the spicy foods
that before her surgery left her in immense
pain and discomfort in her chest and back.
After three years of living with this pain, she
went to Kaweah Delta for
da Vinci® surgery—a surgery that could
take away her pain without leaving a visable
scar behind.
So, besides the gallstones her surgeon
gave her as a souvenir, there’s not much
else to see. Thanks to robotic-assisted
gallbladder removal surgery at
Kaweah Delta, she’s not only pain free, she’s
virtually scar-free.
Last year, Abiy Meshesha, M.D., began
performing gallbladder surgeries at Kaweah
Delta using da Vinci.® He is the only surgeon
performing both gallbladder and colon
surgery using da Vinci® in Central California.
He is also one of eight surgeons robotically
trained to perform gynecologic, urologic,
and general surgeries at Kaweah Delta.
Since 2010, Kaweah Delta has
performed nearly 400 procedures using
the robot. “The ever-expanding robotics
program is continuously evolving to
meet the needs of the community,” said
Wendy Heatherly, RN First Assistant and
Robotic Program Coordinator.
“We just did our first procedure
where two robotic surgeons from
different specialties worked together on
one patient,” Heatherly said. “It’s really
exciting to have this broad base of
trained specialists.”
With its high-definition 3D
monitors and flexible, pinpoint-accurate
instrumentation, the robot allows
Dr. Meshesha to remove the gallbladder
through an incision in the belly button
less than one-inch long. He is one of
two surgeons in the Central Valley
performing the procedure robotically.
Most importantly, the robotics
program is providing better outcomes
for surgical patients in Tulare County,
Dr. Meshesha said.
“Most people don’t
even know where
the incision was.”
– ABIY MESHESHA, M.D.
One incision means one very small
scar. “Patients tend to recover better
and it is cosmetically appealing,”
Meshesha said.
Janelle says the surgery was fast and
she recovered quickly.
“I’ve known a couple of people who
have had their gallbladder removed and
they had four incisions,” she said. “They
have scars. I don’t.”
For more information on robotic
gallbladder surgery, please visit
www.kaweahdealta.org/davinci.
V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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ALWAYS IN
IS IT A HEART ATTACK? A CARDIOLOGIST IS STANDING BY at KAWEAH DELTA.
Nallathamby Taya
Thayapran, M.D. Sukhvinder Bhajal, M.D.
Vinod Gupta, M.D.
Dennis Johnson, M.D.
Harry Lively, M.D.
Shashi Sharma, M.D.
THE DOCTOR IS
Aditya Verma, M.D.
Ashok Verma, M.D.
14
| K AW E A H
D E LTA
I
t comes on slowly. You feel pain, pressure or tightness in your chest
and it won’t go away. You’re suddenly short of breath. You begin
feeling lightheaded, nauseous.
These are the telltale signs of a heart attack. It’s time to get to
Kaweah Delta Medical Center … now.
Recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack early—and getting
treated immediately—are your best chances for survival. And, now
thanks to a program that makes sure an in-house cardiologist is never
far away, patients are getting treatment faster than most hospitals in
the nation.
“With this program, we’re getting patients the treatment they need
in 58 minutes—that’s well below the national standard of 90 minutes,”
said Robbie Geide, Director of Cardiovascular Services at Kaweah Delta.
Last year, Kaweah Delta began a program to provide emergency
cardiac care faster by staffing an in-house cardiologist. A cardiologist is a
specially trained heart doctor and through the program, that doctor is
always nearby and ready for an emergency.
A team of eight cardiologists makes it possible to provide this
immediate care for patients experiencing cardiac issues at Kaweah Delta.
The team splits the load by rotating through 12-hour shifts.
“Time is heart muscle. The more time that
goes by ... the more damage can occur.”
– HARRY LIVELY, M.D.
Beyond that, one of them is on call to provide around-the-clock
coverage. That team includes: Sukhvinder Bhajal, M.D., Vinod Gupta,
M.D., Dennis Johnson, M.D., Harry Lively, M.D., Shashi Sharma, M.D.,
Nallathamby Taya Thayapran, M.D., Aditya Verma, M.D., and Ashok
Verma, M.D.
The service is designed to get cardiac patients the specialty care
they need as soon as humanly possible, said Harry Lively, M.D, a Visalia
cardiologist and participant in the new program. Doing so can mean
the difference between life and death.
“Time is heart muscle,” Dr. Lively said. “The more time that goes by
the less favorable it is as far as the heart is concerned. More damage can
occur and the likelihood of complications increases.”
The goal of the new service is to get someone who is having a heart
attack the treatment they need by unblocking an artery or removing a
blood clot, within 60 minutes, Dr. Lively said.
“It makes patient care much more efficient,” he said. “We’re giving
definitive treatments quicker and as a result, patient outcomes are
better and hospital stays are shorter.”
The addition of the program further solidifies Kaweah Delta as
the region’s leader in cardiac care. The hospital’s cardiovascular center
is home to state-of-the-art amenities including a dedicated 20-bed
cardiovascular care unit, four cardiovascular cath labs, and one of the
only dedicated endovascular surgery suites between Los Angeles and
San Francisco.
“A lot of people don’t realize what Kaweah Delta can offer,” Dr. Lively
said. “There is a full breadth of cardiology and cardiac surgical services
and care right here in our community. We have extremely well-trained
physicians and support staff who make it all possible.” V I TA L S I G N S - S PR I N G 2 013
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