May/June - SSM Health Care

Symptoms and Signs of Ovarian Cancer• Pe l v ic or abdo m i nal pain or discomfo r t• Va g u e, but persistent gastro i nt e s t i nal upsets suchas gas, nausea and ind ige s t io n• F re q u e ncy and/or urge ncy of urina t ion in absenceof an infectio n• Unex p l a i ned changes in bowel habits• Unex p l a i ned weig ht gain or weig ht loss,e s p e c ially in abdo m i nal re g io n• Pe l v ic and/or abdo m i nal swelling, bloatinga nd/or feeling of fullne s s• Pain du r i ng int e rc o u r s e• O ngo i ng fa t ig u e• A b no r mal post-me nopausal bleedingFor Jean Miller,C a n c e rD i a g n o s i sH a sL e dt o N ew R o l ei n Ad vo c a cyUntil she was 41, Jean Mi l l e r, ane xe c u t i ve assistant at SSMHC’scorporate office, was the epitomeof health. She led a life carefully orc h e s-trated to yield good health – running orwalking at least three miles a day, eatinglots of fruits and vegetables and no meator fat. But in July 2000, eve ry t h i n gchanged when she was diagnosed withovarian cancer.Sh e’d had indications that somethingwas wrong, but it took months – andchanging physicians – for a correct diagnosis.Su r g e ry and chemotherapy followed in quick succession.“I was stopped in my tracks physically,emotionally and mentally,” recalls Mi l l e r,n ow 43. “I couldn’t exe rcise. I couldn’tw o rk. I couldn’t drive. So I had to stayhome.” In sharp contrast to her highlyscheduled life, Miller allowed herself to justsit still and be quiet – for the first time in herlife. As she sat and reflected, she asked herselfwhy she’d driven herself so hard beforeher diagnosis. “I re a l i zed I was on this rigidpath eve ry day. And I was the only one creatingthe craziness,” she observes.“ Ge t t i n gdiagnosed with cancer was ahuge blessing,” she says, “because now Isee what my life is supposed to be. Pe o p l eMission StatementT h rough our exceptional health care serv i c-es, we re veal the healing presence of Go d .C o re Va l u e sIn accordance with the philosophy of theFranciscan Sisters of Ma ry, we value the sacre d-ness and dignity of each person. T h e re f o re ,we find these five values consistent with bothour heritage and ministerial priorities.• C o m p a s s i o n• Re s p e c t• Exc e l l e n c e• St ew a rd s h i p• C o m m u n i t yDe veloped by SSMHC employees systemwide during 1999.SSM Health CareE xceptional Health Care Services$Exceptional Clinical Ou t c o m e sExceptional Patient, Em p l oyee andPhysician Sa t i s f a c t i o nExceptional Financial Pe rf o r m a n c eLook for symbols on Network stories to link actionswith our focus areas.should wake up eve ry morning and beglad to put their feet on the ground … b eglad to have each day. ”Her diagnosis pushed her life in a newd i rection: advo c a c y. As a result of her illness,Miller founded the St. Louis Di v i s i o nof the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.“When I was going through chemo, therewas no one to talk to, except a womanw h o’d had ovarian cancer years ago. Ma n ypeople learn you have ovarian cancer andsee death. I felt that God was pulling me todo something more with my ovarian cance r, what I call taking it to the next leve l . ”“ O varian cancer whispers,” says Mi l l e r,who spent months re s e a rching the disease.“The signs are subtle, and that’s why it’soften not discove red until the disease isa d vanced.” During her re s e a rch, Mi l l e rlearned about the National OvarianCancer Coalition. She felt a bond with theorganization, and when she learned thatt h e re was no St. Louis Division, she askedif she could start one. “I thought, ‘This iswhat I'm supposed to do!,’” she declare s .In May 2001, with Miller as its pre s i-dent, the St. Louis Division held its firstmeeting – at SSM St. Joseph Hospital ofK i rkwood. Miller expected 30 people.Ninety showed up. Miller spoke abouther experience with ovarian cancer, callingher presentation: “Just Sit Still and BeQuiet.” Her physician was there torespond to questions about the disease.The organization meets once a month,and attendance continues to grow.Members attend communitye vents and provide educationabout the disease, warning signs,which tests to ask for, and questionsto ask physicians. “It’s ve ryhealing for us,” Miller says.“ Maybe we have three ye a r s ,maybe we have 10, but we knowthat as a result of our efforts peoplewill get diagnosed earlier. ”Miller also creates braceletsthat are sold to raisemoney to help fund theg ro u p’s education efforts.After being cancer-free for a ye a r,Miller experienced a re c u r rence of cancerin December 2001. “It’s harder thanb e f o re,” she admits. “The first time,you fight like crazy. You do eve ry t h i n gyo u’re supposed to do. And then,boom, it’s back.” Ne ve rtheless, sheb e l i e ves that her life is even moreblessed. “Be f o re my diagnosis, I neve rlet anyone do anything for me. Du r i n gchemo, I put my life in many people’shands. You have to totally trust yo u rdoctor and your care g i ve r s . ”As Miller undergoes chemotherapy forthe second time in her life, she has, onceagain, shaved her head. Each day, shewears an attractive head scarf that coord i-nates with her outfits. “Some people preferto wear a wig,” she explains, “but yo uh a ve to hold on to what is true to yo u r-s e l f. This is who I am. To wear a wigwould not be me.”For strength, she turns to her husband,her son and her friends. “Ap p reciate yo u rl oved ones, appreciate your life, becauseyou never know what tomorrow willbring,” she says.Miller finds another source of stre n g t hin angels, which abound in her office.“Angels are there for us to lean on,” shesays with a smile.Bone & JointAmong To pHospitalsT he 2002 Top Ho s p i t a l sreport published byAARP’s Modern Maturityma g a z i ne has na me dB o ne & Jo i nt Ho s p i t a lin Oklaho ma City as oneof the top 10 kne e - h i po r t ho p e d c ihospitals int he count r y. Basedupon overall exc e l l e nc efor this specia l t y, thera t i ngs are a report cardcompiled by Cons u me r s ’C heckbook, a no n p rof i tc o ns u mer educ a t io no rg a n i z a t ion. TheC heckbook’s Guide toHospitals rates mo rethan 4,500 ho s p i t a l sna t io nw ide on criterias uch as death ra t e s,local phy s ic ia ns’ ra t i ng s,Jo i nt Commission onAc c re d i t a t on i of He a l t h-c a re Org a n i z a t io nsstatus and tra i n i ngp ro g ra ms.B o ne & Jo i ntHospital also was listedby He a l t h G ra des fo rb e i ng in the top 10 perce nt na t io nally for hipa nd knee ortho p e d ic s, afirst for Oklaho ma. Thera t i ngs are based ont h ree years of patie nto u t c o me data re f l e c t i ngexc e l l e nce of care.M i l l e r, 43, was diagnosedwith ova r i a ncancer in July 2000.SSM Health Care Goals to Ac h i eve by 2004Unplanned Readmission: 2.63 perc e n tInpatient Loyalty: 60 perc e n tEm p l oyee Satisfaction: Index of 75 perc e n tPhysician Satisfaction: 82 perc e n tOperating Margin: 3.3 perc e n tM a y / J u n e 2 0 0 2 N E T W O R K • A b i m o n t h l y p u b l i c a t i o n f o r e m p l o y e e s , p h y s i c i a n s a n d f r i e n d s3