New 5 Main Unit Designed To Enhance Care - Catholic Health System

December 2010Volume 3, Issue 11New 5 Main Unit Designed To Enhance CareAssociates 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 Issue2 • Imaging Services Project• MMA Students Shadow• Karen Mack Honored3 • Mercy Begins With Me• Gifts for Thanksgiving• Physician Spotlight4 • People in the News• Associates in the KnowSubmit news items to:Melanie GriffisPublic Relations Managermgriffis@chsbuffalo.orgMercy Hospital of Buffalo recentlyopened a new 47-bedpatient care unit in spaceformally occupied by the hospital’sskilled nursing facility. The new 5Main Patient Care Unit is the largestin the hospital and features 45 privatepatient rooms, 28 telemetry channels,and a state-of-the-art nurse call systemusing cell phone technology.Staff and patients on the 7 McAuleyEast Unit successfully moved to thenew unit on October 25. This smoothtransition was attributed to the carefulplanning and collaboration of severaldepartments, including PatientCare Services, Pharmacy, IT, Admis-sions/Patient Access; Registration;Facilities, and Clinical Engineering/Biomed. As patients arrived in theirnew rooms on opening day, theywere greeted with lunch and freshflowers.“This flawless move took months ofpreparation,” said Kathleen Guarino,vice president of Patient CareServices. “I want to thank all of ourassociates who contributed theirtalents and worked tirelessly on thisundertaking, especially the Unit PracticeCouncil and our nurse manager,Maureen Allan, who led her teamthrough this transition.”Continued on page 2Page 1

5 Main Unit Opens,continued from page 1The new nurse call system has beenreceiving rave reviews from patients,their families, and staff. “Whenpatients activate their call light, analert goes directly to their nurse’s cellphone,” explained Guarino. “Thismakes response time much fasterwhile cutting down on noise throughoutthe unit.”“As we remodel and upgrade the restof our patient care units, we will continueto take advantage of the latesttechnology available for patient careand communication,” said Guarino.In upcoming renovation plans, theformer 7 McAuley East unit spacewill be incorporated into a newcardiovascular step-down unit onthe 7th floor featuring modernizedpatient rooms, the majority of whichwill be private. vKaren Mack HonoredWith LOVE AwardWork Underway on New MRI/CT SuiteWith a focus on enhancingthe patient experience, MercyHospital has embarked on amulti-faceted plan to reconfigureImaging Services on the mainfloor of the hospital to improvepatient care and convenience.The plan involves the renovationof the former EmergencyDepartment; enclosing an opencourtyard within the hospital tocreate a new MRI/CT suite; andthe construction of a new hybridimaging operating room (OR) andinterventional radiology room.Construction work began on thecourtyard in November as steelbeams were brought in by crane tocreate the structure’s frame. Whencompleted, Mercy will move itsMRI service to this location andwill be one of the first hospitalsin the nation to install the latestgeneration Siemens® MRI unitfeaturing cutting-edge technology.In December, the UltrasoundDepartment and radiology clerk’soffice moved to vacated space nextto Nuclear Medicine on the 2ndfloor. The patient waiting roomand front desk clerk’s office willmove to renovated space formerlyoccupied by the EmergencyDepartment in early 2011.Workers are busy enclosing an open courtyardwithin the hospital for the new MRI/CT suite.Work will also soon get underwayon a hybrid imaging OR and newinterventional radiology room.The hybrid imaging OR willinclude all the equipment andsystems associated with a standardoperating room plus equipmentused for interventional cardiology,neurology and/or vascularprocedures.“The hybrid OR is in growingdemand at hospitals across thecountry as surgeons move to moreminimally invasive proceduresthat require advanced imagingcapabilities,” said Julie LaManna,senior director of CardiovascularServices.The construction and renovationproject is expected to be completedin the spring of 2011.vStudents Shadow Mercy AssociatesKaren Mack, center, Health InformationManagement (HIM) chart analyst, receivedthe 3 rd Quarter L.O.V.E. Award. A member ofthe Spirit of Mercy Workgroup, she was recognizedfor her help with the associate picnic,especially her work on the raffle baskets to benefitthe Helping Hands Fund. Mercy Presidentand CEO C. J. Urlaub and Janice Stevens,manager of HIM, presented the award.vMount Mercy Academy students recently shadowed associates to learn more about health carecareers. 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) JasonSewell, Tom Koerner, RRT, Ann McGillicuddy, Cheryl Raditic, PT, and Penny Tirpak, RN. vPage 2

Associates Make “Snuggly” DeliveryMercy BeginsWith Me.Within hours of birth on December21, baby Connor Oberst receivedhis first Christmas gift—a snugglynew teddy bear delivered by Mercyassociates, James “Sully” Sullivanand Gary Wesolowski.For the sixth year in a row,Sullivan has delivered teddy bearsat Christmas to Mercy pediatricpatients and newborns. He startedthe tradition with the help of hisdaughter Stacy who works at KayJewelers in the McKinley Mall.“They had some extra teddy bearsleft over from a holiday promotionand Stacy suggested that theycould be handed out to patients atthe hospital,” said Sullivan, whoworked as a maintenance mechanicat Mercy for 13 years before recentlymoving to the OLV campus. “Thebears were so appreciated that thestore has continued to donate themOver 50 Families Benefit FromThanksgiving BasketsGary Wesolowski, left, and James Sullivandeliver a teddy bear to new first-time parents,Jackie Milligan and Bob Oberst of Franklinvilleand their newborn baby Connor.through the years.”“I want to thank my daughterand Kay Jewelers for making thispossible,” he added. “They usuallygive us over 50 bears to hand out.”Wesolowski, an electrician atMercy, and his daughter, KristineWesolowski, who works inEnvironmental Services, also pitchin to distribute the fuzzy friends.“We enjoy delivering the bears tothe children, new moms and theirbabies,” Sullivan added. “They reallybring smiles to everybody.” vMercy associates came together once again to donate Thanksgiving baskets that benefited over 50needy 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. vPhysicianSpotlightSurgeons at theCatholic HealthHeart Center areamong the first inthe nation to usea new device toreduce the risk ofstroke in patientsundergoing heartJohn Bell-Thomson, MDsurgery.The “AtriClip” was recently approvedby the Food & Drug Administrationfor use in surgery treatingatrial fibrillation (AFib), a conditionin which the upper chambers of theheart beat rapidly and ineffectively.This condition makes the patientmore susceptible to blood clot formationin the heart.Led by John Bell-Thomson, MD,chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery atMercy Hospital, the surgical teamsuccessfully implanted the device ina patient on June 28. Surgeons at theCleveland Clinic performed a similarprocedure the same day.“The AtriClip device is anotherbreakthrough in cardiac surgery,”said Dr. Bell-Thomson. “It’s a safeand effective therapy and, as always,we are committed to providing ourpatients with the latest advancementsin technology to enhance safety andimprove care.”Cardiothoracicsurgeon Serrie Lico,MD, recently nameda 2011 “Top Doc” byCastle Connelly, isalso using the device.“Patients with AFibare more likely to Serrie C. Lico, MDform blood clots in theheart, which can detach and causea stroke,” explains Dr. Lico. “TheAtriClip excludes the part of the heartwhere clots form and prevents themfrom traveling to the brain.” v

A Chance to Win Free Movie TicketsAssociates are invited tocomplete the Associates In TheKnow puzzle for a chance towin a pair of free movie tickets.Just drop the completed puzzlein the designated box locatedoutside the hospital cafeteria,or fax completed puzzles toMichelle Wahl at 828-3651, toenter the drawing.Name______________________Phone_____________ACROSS2 Helping Hands Fund benefitedfrom what recent raffle?8 Which department spearheadedthe coat drive?9 The efforts of the AssociateCouncil Wellness Workgroupwill soon result in a new _____10 The Meditation Garden & the________(2 words) are locatedin the interior courtyard of theEmergency CenterDOWN1 Mercy Nursing Facility is offeringthis multi-sensory stimulationroom (2 words)3 It is essential to use ________abbreviations withMercy at WorkIn photos clockwise from bottom left: Mercy Presidentand 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 thebook sale; and Robert Hawks, Mercy ConstructionProjects Manager, leads Sisters Mary Ann Schimscheiner,Peggy Gorman and Sheila Marie Walsh ona tour of the Mercy Comprehensive Care Center (formerlythe Mercy Health Center) featuring a newlyconstructed 21,000 square-foot addition.documentation4 In the spirit of compassion, each departmentadopted what for Christmas? (2 words)5 Mercy Hospital Foundation recently raised over$50,000 through this event6 Which department measures lung function,manages ventilators, and provides emergencycare for patients with cardiopulmonaryproblems?7 The Patrick P. Lee Foundation presented theMercy Hospital Foundation with a $25,000______ for the Mercy Emergency CenterSweet Mercy!People In The NewsCatholic Health Primary Care Servicesis pleased to welcome YelandraMay-Daniels, MD, MBA, and BrendaPerez, MD, MBA, to the ChestnutRidge Family Practice located at 6300Powers Road in Orchard Park. Adepartment of Mercy Hospital, ChestnutRidge Family Practice specializesin primary care/family practice forfamilies and individuals.Dr. May-Daniels hasbeen a family practicephysician for morethan 19 years servingin a number of publicand private medicalinstitutions. Priorto joining Catholic Dr. May-DanielsHealth, she served as a primary carephysician at the Ohio Institute of CardiacHealth and served as the AthleticDepartment team physician for theUniversity of Cincinnati. Board certifiedby the American Board of FamilyPractice, Dr. May-Daniels completedher family practice residency atBethesda Hospital in Cincinnati.Dr. Perez received hermedical degree fromthe State University ofNew York at Buffalo,School of Medicine &Biomedical Sciencesand her MBA fromSUNY Buffalo. Board Dr. Perezcertified in FamilyPractice, she completed her residencyin Family Practice at St. Joseph’sHospital in Syracuse, NY. Prior tojoining Catholic Health, she workedfor Unity Health at County VillageFamily Medicine in Rochester, NY.Fluent in Spanish, she also operateda solo bilingual medical practice forLifetime Health in Rochester, NY.Dr. May-Daniels and Dr. Perez arecurrently accepting new patients.For more information, call ChestnutRidge Family Practice at 667-3200.