Carexpress Provides Critical Ride For Kids

A Publication for N MMC Employees
W
hat’s
Inside…
Pharmacy ........p. 2
E upora..............p. 2
E ndocrinology
Conference ......p. 3
A cclaim............p. 3
Service
Pins ..................p. 4
On-L ine
A pplication ......p. 4
Weigh
Down................p. 5
Volume 1 4 , N umber 2 1
O ctober 2 0 , 2 0 0 6
C arexpress Provides C ritical Ride For Kids
T
he newest addition to NMMC’s
ambulance fleet doesn’t look
like an ambulance at all.
In fact, it was designed that way.
Carexpress Medical Transport for
K ids is painted bright blue and sports
a fanciful train, complete with conductor and passengers of both the
child and animal type.
Instead of traditional emergency
transfers, Carexpress will transport
critically ill newborns from area hospitals to the Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit at the NMMC Women’s Hospital,
as well as critically ill newborns and
children from NMMC to L e B onheur
Children’s Medical Center in
Memphis and other specialty hospitals.
Stationed at the hospital’s
E mergency R esponse Center on South
Green Street, Carexpress is available
24 hours daily and staffed by highly
trained neonatal and pediatric transport teams. T he unit is taller and
longer than most emergency vehicles
with enough floor space to accommodate two incubators. T his capacity is
most helpful when transporting twins.
Carexpress looks like a fun ride, but
C ontinued on page 5
Quilt ................p. 6
Donation ..........p. 6
Oncology
Conference ......p. 7
Pediatrics..........p. 7
Scholarship ......p. 8
Students ..........p. 8
Women’s Hospital employees (from left) Glenn Huddleston, Melissa R orie, Michele B eachum and
Marina L ittle check out NMMC’s new Carexpress Medical Transport for K ids.
Page 2
Checkup
October 20, 2006
Express Appreciation To Your Favorite Pharmacist
MMC pharmacists will use
the occasion of National
Hospital and Health System
Pharmacy Week, Oct. 22-28, to
underscore the many new and vital
roles they now play in patient care.
The evolution has been especially
dramatic in recent years, as pharmacists have moved beyond compounding and dispensing medications to
become vital members of multidisciplinary patient-care teams.
“Pharmacy week is a great time to
raise awareness in the community and
health care setting about the role a
pharmacist plays,” said Jillian Foster,
Pharm.D., NMMC Pharmacy
Department. “We hold ourselves
accountable for providing valuable
and resourceful medication information to our patients and the public.
Pharmacists are accessible and willing to interact one-on-one with
patients in the hospital to ensure they
understand how to use their medications safely and effectively.
“NMMC’s pharmacists recognize
the need for continuous improvement,
and we also rely on teamwork to
accomplish goals; therefore, during
national pharmacy week, our activi-
N
Eupora Environmental
Staff Earns Recognition
The Environmental Services Staff
at NMMC-Eupora was recognized
for achieving oustanding performance in a Centers for Medicare
Services survey. Pictured with their
certificates are (front row, from
left) Ella Judenary, Jannie Ford,
Rena Robinson, Ida Roby and Ethel
Hardwick; (back row, from left)
Laurie Wells and Kaye Medders.
Not pictured are Patricia
Poindexter, Patricia Hill, Emma
Ashford, Annie Roby and Bobbie
Kennedy.
ties are focusing on leadership skills
and working as a team.”
During this week, the NMMC
Pharmacy Department is hosting a
program, “Leadership and Teamwork,”
at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the
NMMC Education Center Cora Fields
Auditorium. Mike Bianco, the
University of Mississippi head baseball coach, will speak on leadership
and teamwork, inspiring all participants to excel, never become complacent and to make the “great even better.” His presentation is open to all
NMMC employees.
Pharmacists are experts on the thousands of medications available today,
how each one works in the body, and
ways to use each one safely and effectively. Pharmacists who graduate today
receive six years of education focused
on medication therapy, and many pharmacists practicing in hospitals and
health care systems also complete
post-graduate residency programs.
They advise doctors and nurses on the
best medications, monitor every
patient’s medication therapy and provide quality checks to detect and prevent harmful drug interactions, reactions or mistakes.
✔
October 20, 2006
Checkup
Page 3
NMMC
Hosts
Endocrine
Conference
Tupelo endocrinologist Jay Dey, M.D. (left), and Alan Burshell, M.D., head of the endocrinology section at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, were among speakers at the 2006 Endocrinology
Conference Oct. 6 at NMMC. Approximately 75 area physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and other health care professionals attended the conference, which had a Mardi Gras
theme. Dr. Dey recently returned to Tupelo to practice after hurricanes destroyed his home and practice in New Orleans.
Acclaim Customer Service Reps Complete Training
Glenda Smith (from left), Acclaim manager, recently presented certificates to customer service representatives Lynn
Parker, Brenda Hendrix, Amanda McCaulla and Donna Ethridge upon their completion of “Achieving Service
Excellence.” Completing the seven self-study computer modules was a departmental goal, and they celebrated with
refreshments for the staff. Customer service representative Jennifer Sparks also completed the course. Acclaim is a
third party administrator that processes health, dental and vision insurance claims for NMMC and other companies.
Page 4
Checkup
October 20, 2006
Service Pins Awarded
he following employees recently received service pins in
recognition of service milestones.
T
✔
Five Years
NMHS
Patricia Johnson, Rosemary Marcele,
Torrie Robertson
NMMC
Teresa Ballard, Adrianne Brown,
Corey Dill, Tracy Grant, Ruby
Jackson, Yvette McElwain, Linda
Michael, Joan Montgomery, Arlillian
Smith, Edna Spencer
Family Medical Residency Center
Carnese Watkins
Home Health
Bobbie Barr, Patti Shempert
NMMC-Iuka
Mechelle Hanley, Sherry White
NMMC-Eupora
Rebecca Mitchell
Ten Years
NMHS
Naomi Crymble, Gayla McGreger,
Michael Stephens, Bridgette Wilson
NMMC
Bobbie Fields, Patricia Montgomery,
Lallie Wren
Home Health
Paul Huddleston, Claudia Kitchens,
Katy Wallace
NMMC-Hamilton
Patricia Moses
Fifteen Years
NMHS
Perry Morgan, Rhonda Potts
NMMC
Tammy Bullock, Lynn Lynch
Home Health
Melody Poole
Twenty Years
NMHS
Virginia Yoe
NMMC
Twila Chaffin, David Friloux, Jan
Lancaster, Lue Stephens-Collin
Women’s Hospital
Sammy Steele
Twenty-Five Years
NMMC
Joe Gilmore, Gary Miller, Teresa
Richardson
Thirty Years
NMMC
Brenda Stokes, Nellie Wright
Women’s Hospital
Betty Bradley
Thirty-Five Years
NMMC
Brenda McCully
On-Line Application Available To Job Seekers
MMC recently launched an
on-line application for the convenience of applicants.
Anyone with internet access may
complete an employment application
any time day or night at
www.nmhs.net. The on-line process
eliminates the need for applicants to
come to NMMC’s Employment
N
Services Department or community
hospital to fill out the application in
person. “We anticipate that it will
allow us to increase the quantity and
quality of applicants by making it easier to apply for employment consideration,” said Lisa Dyson, recruitment
and retention manager.
✔
October 20, 2006
Checkup
Page 5
West Point Launches Weigh Down Program
n 2004, close to 1,000 West Point
residents lost a combined two and
one-half tons during the 12-week
Weigh Down in West Point. In 2007,
the North Mississippi Medical CenterWest Point Wellness Center hopes 10
local families will be equally successful.
The Wellness Center is launching
the first-ever Family Weigh Down in
West Point with an essay contest for
area 13- and 14-year-olds. Students are
encouraged to compose a 250-word
paper explaining “Why I Want My
Family to be Healthy.” The child’s parent or guardian must also submit a
250-word essay with the same title.
Entrants should discuss their family’s current health status and how
being selected for Family Weigh Down
would help them improve their eating
and exercise habits. Information must
include the child’s name and age, parent’s name, address and phone number.
Entries must be received no later than
5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, at the
NMMC-West Point Wellness Center,
851 Medical Center Drive.
I
Carexpress
A panel of judges will select 10
local families to receive a free year’s
membership to the Wellness Center, as
well as other services to help facilitate
a lifelong change. Recipients must
commit to exercise at least five days
each week, two of which must be at
the Wellness Center. Personal training
sessions will be provided for each
family member, as well as individual
nutrition counseling with a registered
dietitian.
Pre- and post-fitness assessments
will be done for each family member,
as well as a complete lipid profile at
the beginning and end of the year.
Participants must also agree to attend
one monthly education session with
other families. Two sessions will be
offered each month for the sake of
convenience.
Families will be notified of acceptance by Dec. 15, and the program
runs Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2007. For more
information, call Tracy Stebbins at the
NMMC-West Point Wellness Center,
(662) 495-9355 or 1-800-THE DESK
(1-800-843-3375).
✔
Continued from page 1
its mission is quite serious. The unit
has its own self-contained power plant
that allows it to have alternative power
sources. The unit carries oxygen as
well as compressed air, which is mixed
with oxygen and administered by a respiratory therapist.
In addition to the driver, who must
be a registered Emergency Medical
Technician with Mississippi State EMS
driver certification, as many as four
others can ride comfortably in the unit
while attending to their patient.
Depending on the nature of the case,
these may include registered nurses
from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,
respiratory therapists and paramedics.
“Carexpress is the third medical
transport unit to be used by NMMC
since Women’s Hospital opened 20
years ago,” said Ellen Friloux, NMMC
administrator of Women’s and
Children’s Services. “However, the
other two units were purchased secondhand and refurbished. Carexpress is the
first unit we have designed from the
ground up specifically for this purpose.”
✔
Page 6
Checkup
October 20, 2006
Quilt Is
Dedicated
To Heart
Institute’s
Quarter
Century
Anniversary
Monica McCarley, RN, (left) of Cardiovascular Surgery helps Tammy Thompson (right) of Ambassador
Services look for the names of her mother-in-law and father on a quilt dedicated to heart patients at
North Mississippi Medical Center’s Heart Institute. Thompson’s relatives both had heart surgery at
NMMC in 1998. The quilt was commissioned for the 25th anniversary of NMMC’s heart program,
which began in January 1981. Each name represents a donation to the Heart Patient Assistance Fund
administered by the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi to provide medication, education and
other necessities for needy patients.
NMMC-Eupora
Donates Automated
External Defibrillator
To Eupora High
School
Todd Shettles (left), director of North Mississippi Medical Center-Eupora’s
Ambulance Service, and Marvin Weeks (right), ambulance service supervisor,
present an automated external defibrillator to Eupora High School Principal
James Mason. AEDs are devices that can be used by non-medical personnel to
rescue victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Selected school personnel will receive
AED training through the North Mississippi EMS Authority.
October 20, 2006
Checkup
Page 7
Oncology Conference Set For Nov. 10
MMC will host an “Issues
Surrounding Oncology” conference on Friday, Nov. 10.
Continuing education credit is available for physicians, nurses and other
health professionals.
Craig Nichols, M.D., an oncologist
with the Lance Armstrong Foundation,
will speak about testicular cancer. Dr.
Nichols treated Lance Armstrong for
testicular cancer in 1996 at Indiana
University Medical Center.
Herbert Spears Jr., M.D., state chairman of the Mississippi Cancer Liaison
Physicians for the American College of
Surgeons Commission on Cancer, will
speak about ACOS accreditation.
Other physician speakers will
address clinical trials, cancer surgery,
cancer prevention and detection, new
radiation treatments and leukemia.
The program is free to NMMC
employees and $35 for physicians and
N
non-employees. Sessions will be held in
NMMC’s North Education Center, 830
S. Gloster St. To register or for more
information, call (662) 377-3900.
✔
Pharm.D. Selected To
Head Infusion Services
MMC is pleased to announce
that Patti Hawkins, Pharm.D.,
has been named Ambulatory
Infusion Services director.
An NMMC employee since 1988,
Hawkins previously served as NMMC
Home Infusion Service coordinator
and assistant director of NMMC
Pharmacy, Managed Care and Infusion
Services.
Hawkins graduated from Nettleton
High School and received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacy
from the University of Mississippi.
N
✔
Books, Videos Donation Makes Pediatric Hospital Stay Better
Jamie Seale (far left) recently presented a cart
filled with more than 300 books and 100 videos to
representatives from North Mississippi Medical
Center’s pediatric unit (from left) Ellen Friloux,
Joan Hagood, Erika Penro, Cheryl Russell,
Carolyn Mathis and June Smith. Jamie and Scott
Seale undertook the project in memory of their
son, William, who died shortly after his first birthday from complications caused by congenital heart
defects. Dubbed for William’s nickname,
“Doodlebug,” the “Doodlebooks” project allows
children hospitalized on NMMC’s pediatric unit to
watch videos from the cart and to select one book
to keep. The Seales’ family and friends helped by
donating books, videos and DVDs in William’s
memory. Donations of items for the cart may be
given to the pediatric unit, and monetary donations may be made to the Health Care Foundation
earmarked for Doodlebooks.
Page 8
Checkup
October 20, 2006
Scholarships Awarded To West Point Grads
MMC-West Point has awarded
$1,000 college scholarships to
recent graduates Leah
Shackelford of West Point High School
and Bobby Bowen of Oak Hill
Academy.
Shackelford has volunteered at West
Point Eye Clinic and in the Health
Information Services Department of
NMMC-West Point. She served as president of the Health Occupations
Students of America local chapter and
was first chair and section leader for
the WPHS marching band. She is an
active member of First Baptist Church,
where she participated in the Youth
Choir, Praise Band and Orchestra, and
Bible Drill.
Shackelford aspires to be an ophthalmologist. She is currently studying
biology and pre-medicine at the
University of Mississippi in Oxford.
At Oak Hill Academy Bowen served
N
as president of the National Honor
Society and was a member of the
Spanish Club and Math and Science
Team. He served as vice president of
his junior class and played baseball
and soccer, as well as junior varsity
football. He volunteered for the Catch
a Dream Foundation and the
Mississippi Food Pantry.
Bowen aspires to be an orthopedic
surgeon. He is currently studying
chemical engineering at Clemson
University in South Carolina.
The scholarships are awarded
through the Health Care Foundation of
North Mississippi to graduating high
school seniors pursuing a health care
career. Applicants are judged on ACT
score, high school transcript, curriculum taken as it pertains to the chosen
field, extracurricular activities, letters
of recommendation and their personal
statements.
✔
Students
Learn From
Physician
Shadowing
Program
Participating in North Mississippi Medical Center’s recent Physician Shadowing Program were (front
row, from left) Edith Thomas, wife of the late Dr. P.K. Thomas Jr.; Rebecca Chick of Vicksburg, a student at Mississippi State University; Mendy Cooper of Belmont, Freed-Hardeman University; Hana
Mujahid of Starkville, MSU; (back row, from left) Rosalyn Campbell of NMMC Employment Services;
Kirk Monaghan of Tupelo, Mississippi College; Chris Kellum of Tupelo, Lipscomb University; Michael
O’Neal, Ocean Springs, MSU; and Anna Oberhofer, Ocean Springs, MSU. Students in the Physician
Shadowing Program must have completed their second year of college in pursuit of a medical career.
During the program, they spend time with family physicians, surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists and
emergency physicians. The Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi funds the program through the
P.K. Thomas Jr., M.D., Endowed Scholarship Fund.