Original crew members reminisce as AirCare celebrates 15 years

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2 CENTERVOICE CEnTErVIEW | February 7, 2011 STUDENT STUDENT LOBBY LOBBY Future physical therapists gain experience advocating at Capitol by Matt Westerfield P hysical therapy student Ellen Clarke has a front-row view of state politics, literally. With a senator for a father, she has personally watched the political process unfold from the floor of the Senate chamber. And now, her classmates have gotten their own taste of politics after visiting the state Capitol to get a little practice in advocating on behalf of their future profession. On Jan. 27, the entire first- and second-year classes spent the morning in the Capitol rotunda participating in the Mississippi Physical Therapy Association’s Legislative Day 2011. Along with MPTA members, the students offered blood-pressure checks and balance and grip-strength tests to passing lawmakers, using the activities as a conversation-starter to answer questions and educate them on how physical therapists help people. Neva Greenwald, director of the PT program in the School of Health Related Professions, said the event was an effort to incorporate advocacy into academics, demonstrating the need for professional involvement alongside practice. “Advocacy upholds and promotes patients’ health-care rights,” Greenwald said. “Practitioners should support community health and policy initiatives that focus on the availability, safety and quality of care and the promotion of healthful environments.” Greenwald explained that because clinical practice in health care is governed by law, practitioners must be aware of public policy and how to contribute their expertise to questions about the improvement of health in the community. “The goal is to make sure the students are comfortable with being advocates and with contacting their legislators, because often practitioners are called upon to help legislators with health care-related issues,” she said. And step one is getting some face-time. After a morning of mingling and handshaking in the rotunda, students filed into the Senate gallery to watch lawmakers in action. Before the session was called to order, they received an official welcome by the chamber and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. “With my dad being in politics, I know that lawmakers can’t know about every issue in every health-care field,” said Clarke, a second-year student. “That’s why it’s important for us to be available and to reach out. “It’s good for us because it helps us be better members of our community.” Students, she said, are required to join the American Physical Therapy Association as student members, and later in the month will have the opportunity to attend a conference in New Orleans. February 7, 2011 Published by the Division of Public Affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Chancellor Editor: Photographer: University of Mississippi: Bruce Coleman Jay Ferchaud Dan Jones, M.D. Vice Chancellor for Staff Writers: Patrice Sawyer guilfoyle, Support Staff: lynn griffin, Peggy Wagner Health Affairs: James E. Keeton, M.D. Jen Hospodor, Jack Mazurak, Janis Quinn, Matt Westerfield To browse archives or read the most current CenterView, Chief Public Affairs and Lead Designer: visit the Public Affairs website Communications Officer: Tom Fortner Derrick Dyess http://publicaffairs.umc.edu — CenterView is printed by the UMMC Department of Printing — For more news and information of interest to the Medical Center family, visit Medical Center News online (http://info.umc.edu/) The awareness seems to be catching on. At the Capitol, well-versed students discussed current issues facing the profession, ranging from direct access to care and patient safety to Vision 20/20. “Vision 20/20 is a goal for physical therapy,” said Lisa Bryant, second-year PT student. “The APTA is pushing for all physical therapists to have the Doctor of Physical Therapy by 2020.” Bryant said after she graduates, she might like to relocate and see how different states handle physical therapy, although she and her husband probably won’t venture too far from their families. Senator Eugene “Buck” Clarke and his daughter Ellen Clarke, PT2. Matt Eubanks, PT1; Heather greer, PT1; and Michael Brown, PT1 look on. “And I would rather stay here to give back to the state that gave me this education,” she added. For many of the students, advocating for their health-care profession boils down to forging relationships with the policymakers. One of the people it’s good to know is Sen. Eugene “Buck” Clarke of Hollandale — Ellen Clarke’s father — who announced the students during session. Clarke, who serves on a number of committees, including the Public Health and Welfare Committee, said that the deadline was approaching for bills to come out of committee. Each year, there are a lot of interest groups anxious to see certain bills pass and certain bills die. He said having students at the Capitol “is a good way for UMMC to help us, because every agency competes for those dollars. “We have all these state agencies and all of this funding to manage, so it’s always good to put a face with a profession. For groups of students from publicly-funded universities to come and share what they do, it reinforces to us how important all these programs are.” Centerview, published every other week, is the internal publication of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state’s only academic health sciences center. Content features news of interest for and about Medical Center faculty, staff and students. Content may be reprinted with appropriate credit. Ideas for stories are welcome and may be submitted by e-mail to bcoleman@pubaffairs.umsmed.edu or delivered to: Division of Public affairs The University of Mississippi Medical Center 2500 north State Street Jackson, MS 39216-4505 (601) 984-1100
4 CENTERPIECE FACE The Taste of the U co-chair honored for providing world-class care for Mississippi’s children of PEDIATRICS by Patrice Sawyer Guilfoyle D r. Owen “Bev” Evans may have stepped down as chair of the Department of Pediatrics this month, but he’s stepping up to lend his time and talent in another way. He and his wife, Lynn, will serve as honorary chairs of the 2011 Taste of the U – the largest fundraiser of the UMMC Alliance, set for Saturday, Feb. 19. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Batson Community Outreach Program – a project chosen by the Evanses to educate children in the community – and an “appearance room” at the UMMC Cancer Institute where patients can try on wigs in a private environment. Another portion of the proceeds also will go into a building fund CENTERVIEW | February 7, 2011 Emily Young, M4, Dr. Bill Hanigan, Dr. Bev Evans, Jane Criddle, and Dr. Betsy Herrington. with patient Peter Nunnelee of Oakland, Ms. for a UMMC Hope House, a home-away-from-home for seriously ill outpatients undergoing treatment at the Medical Center. It’s the tradItIon of the UMMC Alliance, a volunteer support group for the medical center, to recognize individuals who have dedicated themselves to the institution, the community and the state at Taste of the U. Celeste Eason, Taste of the U co-chair, said Evans exemplifies that type of dedication. “As the second chair of pediatrics in the 55-year history of the Medical Center, it was quite easy to put his name, along with his wife, Lynn, forward as the 2011 honorary chairs,” Eason said. For the past 27 years, Evans has served on the faculty of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in both pediatrics and neurology. For 22 of those years, Evans led the Department of Pediatrics and served as medical director of the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, Mississippi’s only children’s hospital. His list of accomplishments during that time shows that he was a man with a mission: developing new pediatric programs, recruiting subspecialists and promoting multimillion-dollar building projects to provide comprehensive care for children in the state, including a surgical suite, the Eli Manning Children’s Clinics and the current pediatric emergency department construction. He led all those efforts while still seeing patients in the clinic. Evans’ motivation was a desire to provide Mississippi’s children with the best health care available right here at home. He graciously acknowledges the help of countless volunteers and donors, but he was often the face of Batson Hospital during this critical growth period. Borrowing from his artistic talents, Evans’ satisfaction comes from turning a vision into a reality. “I like to make things. To me, that was the most fun, to seize the opportunities to grow something for the state,” Evans said. “We don’t want our children to have to leave the state to get their care.” a 1973 graduate of Vanderbilt University Medical School, Evans completed an internship at Children’s Orthopedic Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle. He spent two years in the U.S. Naval Medical Corps and returned to Vanderbilt for postgraduate training in pediatrics and neurology. He joined UMMC in 1983, and five years later, he was appointed the second chair of the Department of Pediatrics, following Dr. Blair E. Batson, whom Evans calls a mentor and friend. “Dr. Batson taught me. He and I have a great relationship,” he said. With his appointment as chair, Evans requested that a new fundraising organization for the hospital be formed, Friends of Children’s Hospital. The organization has contributed more than $6.8 million to the hospital since its inception. Suzan Thames, one of the first members of the Friends Board, remembers when Evans asked her to help establish and to lead the fundraising group. She said she had no idea how ambitious his plans were for the hospital. “He just kept plugging and plugging and said we could do it. His whole spirit, his whole attitude was we could do it. He made me a believer,” she said. “He set the bar for us, and we intended to meet every aspiration.” through communIty Involvement and coalitions, the physical expansion of Batson Hospital began to take shape. Evans brought together the groups who wanted to help achieve the goal of a stand-alone children’s hospital —the Junior League of Jackson, the Ronald McDonald House, Candlelighters and the Children’s Miracle Network. The Junior League raised the funds to create the Mississippi Children’s Cancer Clinic in 1991. Around that time, Evans promoted the idea that floors needed to be added to the top of the cancer clinic. The five floors were completed in 1997 and became the Batson Hospital. Another two floors were added in 2004 for the pediatric surgery programs. With construction projects in the works, Evans began adding to the department’s faculty, hiring pediatric specialists and working with community pediatricians to build relationships. In 1989, the pediatrics department had 19 physicians; currently, 80 physicians work in the department. “We’re very fortunate to bring back the best and the brightest to take care of our children,” Evans said. One of the faculty members who joined the department during the growth was Dr. James Keeton, vice chancellor for health affairs at UMMC. He was a pediatric urologist under Evans. “For several years, I was Dr. Keeton’s boss,” Evans said with a smile. Keeton said he became very close to Evans, helping him build the pediatric surgery program and traveling with him around the state to visit community pediatricians. “Bev’s No. 1 accomplishment besides improving facilities, which he did, was to increase the number of general pediatricians in the state. He moved pediatric care up to an incredibly high level. That is a huge legacy,” Keeton said. evans adopted Batson’s motto of “children aren’t just small adults.” That guiding philosophy is behind the work of ensuring the hospital has modern, state-of-the art equipment and facilities tailored especially for children. Evans said his wife Lynn is his biggest supporter. “Without her, I would not have been able to do what I did,” he said. A writer and frequent columnist, Lynn Evans is a health-care activist and an outspoken advocate for the health needs of Mississippi’s children. She said her husband wanted the hospital to belong to the community and serve as a source of pride in the state. He also wanted a hospital that takes care of all children, no matter whom they are or where they live. “When he has a vision, not only can he see where he needs to go but he’s very good at planning how to get there,” Lynn Evans said. “When we first came here people didn’t realize the importance of getting specialty care for children. Now we have a community who knows where Children’s Hospital is and wants to support it. That was really his vision.” Lynn Evans said relinquishing his duties as chair won’t slow Evans down. He likes to build furniture, make wooden toys for their grandson and travel. “This is a man who is rarely still,” she said. evans, who has been painting since he was a child, regularly donates paintings for charity art auctions. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of these pieces benefit the charities. Evans drew the artwork featured on the Taste of the U shirts and he donated the original painting for auction at Taste. Creating something for others to enjoy has been Evans’ inspiration. Now, he said, it’s someone else’s turn to lead the Department of Pediatrics into the next phase of growth into academic and research programs. Evans is grateful for every donor and volunteer who made Batson Hospital what it is today. From the chicken dinners to the 5-mile walks, they all matter to him. “When you give of your time and efforts and money, you want to know it made a difference. What they did made a difference,” he said. Dr. Bev Evans and wife Lynn You’re Invited! The 2011 Taste of the U is scheduled from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center. UMMC employees prepare their best dishes for party-goers to sample and celebrity judges pick winners in various categories. This year’s judges are IHL Commissioner Hank Bounds, Chef Luis Bruno, Hinds County BancorpSouth President Tommy Darnell, Mayor Harvey Johnson, first-ever MasterChef winner Whitney Miller, and Chef Chan Patterson. Items will be up for bid in a silent auction and music will be provided by Hunter Gibson and the Gators. UMMC Alliance will be giving away window decals, selling Taste tickets, T-shirts and a $1 chance for on-campus parking or free parking for a year. Alliance members will have items for sale at tables located in the breezeway between the old and new hospital and next to the ATMs at the entrance to McDonald’s from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 11 and 18. Taste tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for students and $5 for children under the age of 12. Reserve tickets now by calling 5-1133. February 7, 2011 | CENTERVIEW 5 CENTERPIECE
Page 1: THE UnIvErSITy oF MISSISSIPPI MEDIC
Page 5 and 6: ConTInUED FroM FronT PagE Ò After

Original crew members reminisce as AirCare celebrates 15 years

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?