Mercy honors breast cancer survivors during Breast Cancer

OCTOBER 18, 2013 | VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 42
Mercy honors breast cancer survivors
during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Working on Wellness
Walk with Bob today
Friday, Oct. 18 • 11:30 a.m.
East Tower entrance, Level B
Join new President Bob Ritz and other
members of Administration, along with
Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine
Hensley and State Representative
Ako Abdul Samad today as they lead
a special Mercy Mile walk as part of
Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative. Since
Gov. Terry Branstad launched the
initiative in 2011, Iowa has improved from
19th to ninth in the Gallup-Healthways
Well-Being Index.
Mercy Cancer Center in Clive hosted a “Build Day” for the new Mercy Community Healing Garden
on Saturday, Oct. 12. Dozens of volunteers participated in the event, building planter boxes, moving
dirt and planting flowers. The build day was made possible with generous financial support
from the Mercy Auxiliary.
To honor breast cancer survivors and show
support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
Mercy is engaged in a number of activities
during the month of October. Below is a
quick summary of what is planned for the
remainder of the month.
Community awareness campaign
Throughout the month of October, Mercy is
educating the community about breast
cancer awareness and promoting the unique
breast services provided by Katzmann
Breast Center. Community messages
include digital billboards, newspaper ads,
signage at Jordan Creek Mall, radio spots on
STAR 102.5 and LITE 104.1 FM, televisions
spots on WHO-TV (channel 13), and online
digital billboards and video messages on
WHOTV.com.
Be inspired, then run with Team
Above + Beyond
Mercy has also partnered with Above +
Beyond Cancer to offer cancer survivors and
Mercy staff an opportunity to be inspired by
stories of cancer survivorship and awareness
and participate in the IMT Des Moines
Marathon’s 5K race. All are invited to
join Above + Beyond Cancer at a special
inspirational event tonight, Friday, Oct. 18,
followed by a run on Oct. 20. For tickets,
registration, and a complete schedule of
events, visit: AboveAndBeyondCancer.org
or Ticketmaster.com, or call (515) 999-0045.
Cancer Survivor Wall dedication
Mercy will honor a number of survivors with
a new display outside of 8 South. Come help
us celebrate on Monday, Oct. 21, 5:30-7 p.m.
Walking is an easy way to fit in some
exercise during the day and helps
improve strength and physical fitness.
Walking also slows mental decline,
improves sleep, lowers blood pressure
and reduces risk of stroke. Employees
are encouraged to stop and take a break
to participate in this special Mercy Mile
walk and invest time in their well-being.
Announcements and news notes...
Rubin named vice presidentdivisional finance
Randy Rubin was recently
named vice presidentdivisional finance for
Catholic Health Initiatives’
(CHI) Iowa Division, which
includes Mercy Medical
Center – Des Moines.
Randy has been a part of
Randy Rubin
the Mercy Family since
1999 and has served as director of finance
since 2005. Randy brings more than 25 years
of experience in health care finance to his
new role.
The change in Randy’s title is part of the new
CHI divisional finance structure announced
in May, which is now being implemented in
all CHI markets. The new structure allows
the teams to serve the markets in a more
strategic, proactive manner. The new
structure also provides role consistency and
clarity at the national, divisional and local
levels, improving our ability to work as one
unified, tightly integrated finance
organization.
Internal medicine clinic coming to
West Des Moines soon
Mercy Clinics is proud to
announce the opening of a
new internal medicine clinic
in West Des Moines this
month. Mercy Westown
Internal Medicine Clinic
will be located at
5901 Westown Pkwy. The
Valerie Stratton,
6,000 square-foot facility
D.O.
has enough room to
accommodate up to five medical providers.
The internal medicine clinic will open with
Valerie Stratton, D.O., as the primary provider.
Dr. Stratton earned her medical degree from
the University of Osteopathic Medicine and
Health Sciences (now Des Moines University)
in 1997. She completed the family practice
residency program at the University of Iowa
– Iowa Lutheran Hospital campus in 1997
and the internal medicine residency program
at the University of Iowa – Iowa Methodist
Medical Center campus in July 2013.
Mercy Westown Internal Medicine Clinic will
be open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and same-day appointments will be available.
For more information, or to schedule an
appointment, call (515) 358-7750.
Mike Watters joins Mercy
administrative team
Mike Watters has joined
the Mercy Medical
Center–Des Moines
leadership team as vice
president of legal services
and senior counsel.
Mike received his
bachelor’s degree in history
from the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, Mich., and went on to receive his juris
doctor at Indiana University School of Law in
Bloomington, Ind. During his career, Mike
has served as a health care attorney in both
private practice and as in-house counsel. He
has served at various MBOs within Catholic
Health Initiatives for more than 14 years.
Mike Watters
Please join us in welcoming Mike to the
Mercy Family!
New physician joins Mercy North
Family Practice and Urgent care
Jean Paul, D.O., has joined
Mercy North Family
Practice and Urgent Care.
Dr. Paul earned her
medical degree at the
University of Osteopathic
Medicine and Health
Sciences (now Des Moines
Jean Paul, D.O.
University) in 1997 and
completed the Family
Medicine Residency Program at Midwestern
University/Arizona Graduate Medicine
Education Consortium in Tucson, Ariz., in
2000. Dr. Paul most recently worked as a
family physician at Sun Life Family Health
Center, Inc. in Maricopa, Ariz.
Things to know for the upcoming
Joint Commission visit
Do you know the answers to these three very
important questions?
Q:In a fire emergency, what does RACE mean?
A:Rescue, Announce, Contain and
Extinguish/Evacuate
Q:W hen using a fire extinguisher, what does
PASS stand for?
A:Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep
Q:W hy do I need to know what “RACE” and
“PASS” mean?
A:To respond well in a fire emergency.
Physician assistants
play important role in
health care arena
Physician assistants (PAs) play an
ever-increasing role in the changing world
of health care. More than 90,000 certified
PAs nationwide provide care each day to
those who need it. While their practice
can vary, PAs can examine, test, diagnose
and treat patients; prescribe medication;
and provide preventive care counseling
as part of the healthcare team. Laws
have been enacted in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia authorizing PAs
to practice and prescribe medicine.
They must graduate from an accredited
PA program and pass the national
certifying examination, administered by
the National Commission on Certification
of Physician Assistants. More than
6,000 individuals graduate from
accredited PA programs each year and
they are entering the medical workforce
at a faster rate than physicians, helping
to bridge the gap caused by the growing
physician shortage.
Mandatory flu shots
available until Nov. 15
All Mercy Family members are
reminded that mandatory flu shots are
being offered free of charge at various
times and locations on the Mercy
campuses. Check your “Mercy News
Briefs” email each Tuesday and
Thursday for the updated flu shot
schedule and get immunized today.
The Bulletin is published weekly for employees
and friends of Mercy Medical Center, 1111 6th Ave.,
Des Moines, Iowa 50314-2611.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Lisa Jones......................................... Editor
Mark Baldwin. . ............................ Contributor
Amy Bentz. . ................................ Contributor
Heidi Feltz.................................. Contributor
Allison Hay................................. Contributor
Gregg Lagan............................... Contributor
Matthew Meyer. . ......................... Contributor
Kaitlyn Summitt........................... Contributor
Sarah Todd.................................. Contributor
Laura Vanden Bosch......................... Director
Sara LeMosy. . .................... Graphic Designer
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Marketing or call 515-247-3050.