Health briefs

CHEST PAIN CENTER RECEIVES ACCREDITATION

Southeast Missouri Hospital has again received national accreditation of its Chest Pain Center. The hospital earned full Cycle III accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. The accreditation came Feb. 24 from the Accreditation Review Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers and extends to June 16, 2015. To earn accreditation, Southeast met or exceeded a wide set of criteria and completed on-site evaluations by a team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

Wilson P. Pais

MIDWEST HEALTH WELCOMES TWO DOCTORS

Rafid J. Hussein

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Midwest Health Group recently welcomed Saint Francis Medical Center gastroenterologists Wilson P. Pais, MD, MBA, FACP, FRCP, and Rafid J. Hussein, DO. Through this collaboration between Midwest Health Group and Saint Francis, a full continuum of gastrointestinal care is now available in Farmington. Hussein and Pais will be at Midwest Health Group every first and third Tuesday of the month.

AUXILIARY MEMBERS NAMED TO STATE BOARD

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary members Naomi Glassey and Gail Beyatte were named to the Missouri Association of Hospital Auxiliaries Board (MAHA). Glassey was re-elected for a second term as district six director; she is also a member of the MAHA Board of Trustees. Beyatte was appointed by the state auxiliary president as historian for the state MAHA board; she serves as an appointed officer of the board of directors. In addition, Beyatte is treasurer for the local hospital auxiliary, and Glassey is the fundraising chairwoman.

ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON INDUCTED TO ACADEMY

NORFOLK, Va. -- Luke Balsamo, M.D., Norfolk, Va., was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons March 10 during the academy's annual meeting in New Orleans. Balsamo, a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School, was one of 667 inducted to academy, which has 35,664 members worldwide. With a special interest in orthopaedic oncology, Balsamo is on active duty in the Navy, stationed at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va. He is also an adjunct professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.

HERITAGE GARDENS RECOGNIZES EMPLOYEES

SENATH, Mo. -- Cindy Miller was employee of the month for January at Heritage Gardens, and Alicia Willett was employee of the month for February.

DR. LAWYER JOINS P.B. HOSPITAL

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Carl Lawyer, M.D., joined Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He is board certified in sleep, pulmonary and internal medicine, with special interests in asthma, COPD, lung cancer and sleep apnea.

VA CLINIC HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A ribbon cutting was held March 5 for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' new community-based outreach clinic, 905 S. Kingshighway. Services at the Sikeston clinic began Dec. 26, about one year after it was announced. According to Glenn A. Costie, CEO of the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff, Mo., the clinic offers primary care and specialized services such as audiology, mental health and limited radiology. There are eight staff members at the clinic, including one full-time physician and one audiologist. Sikeston's clinic serves veterans in Scott, New Madrid, Mississippi and Stoddard counties. Costie said Sikeston was chosen for its central location and proximity to interstates 55 and 57.

MENZ RECEIVES SPIRIT AWARD

Ann Menz, registered dietitian at Southeast Missouri Hospital, received the O.D. Niswonger Spirit of Southeast Award at a March 11 ceremony. The award was presented by Debbie Linnes, hospital president and CEO. Nominations on Menz's behalf cited her dedication, clinical competence and enthusiasm.

SOUTHEAST EARNS HEART FAILURE ACCREDITATION

Southeast Missouri Hospital is the first hospital in Missouri and the sixth nationwide to earn Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Southeast received full Cycle 1 Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Accreditation Review Committee on Feb. 9; accreditation runs through Feb. 8, 2013. Accreditation recognizes Southeast's close working relationship with ambulance services and the processes that the hospital's Emergency Services has in place to receive and stabilize patients with heart failure, noted Dr. Jeffrey C. Umfleet, medical director of Emergency Services at Southeast. To earn accreditation, the hospital has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

DEXTER HOSPITAL NAMES NEW CFO

DEXTER, Mo. -- Missouri Southern Healthcare recently announced the addition of Allen D. AufderHeide as chief financial officer. He joined the hospital in mid-December. AufderHeide hails from the St. Louis area, were he has amassed 20 years of experience in health care management. He most recently served as regional director of finance for Forest Park and St. Alexius hospitals in St. Louis, and has served as CFO for two other facilities, including Shriners Hospital.

ROMANS IS EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Kacey Romans, of Advance, was employee of the month for March at Advance Nursing Center. She has been employed at the center since February 2008 as a CNA/CMT.

ACS HONORS SOUTHEAST HOSPITAL

Southeast Missouri Hospital received the Society Award from the American Cancer Society in recognition of its Presenting Sponsorship of the local Relay for Life event, scheduled for April 24 and 25 in Cape Girardeau's Arena Park.

BJELICH RECERTIFIED BY COLLEGE OF HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVES

Steve Bjelich

Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, president and CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare System, was approved for recertification as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Recertification represents continued achievement in meeting high standards of professional development and excellence as a health care executive.

CEO HARGIS RESIGNS

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Bryan Hargis resigned as the CEO of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center. Kevin Thurman, marketing director for the hospital, said Dave Steitz has been named interim CEO. Steitz has more than 20 years of health care leadership experience, most recently serving as CEO at Frankfort Regional Medical Center in Frankfort, Ky.

HOSPITAL OPENS BEHAVIORAL, PSYCHIATRIC UNITS

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Mineral Area Regional Medical Center has completed a five-year renovation of two second-floor wings, transforming them into two behavioral/psychiatric care units. Kevin Thurman, marketing director for the hospital, said 52 positions will be created and 46 people have already been hired, not including two doctors and two nurse practitioners. One 10-bed unit is for adults with major depression or other disorders such as schizophrenia. The other 10-bed unit is a geriatric unit for people over age 55; most will suffer from some form of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. Both voluntary and involuntary patients receive 24-hour inpatient crisis stabilization, a multidimensional diagnostic evaluation and short-term interdisciplinary treatment, with an average length of stay of 14 to 16 days. Horizons Behavioral Health is the contracted company overseeing the two programs.

FITNESS PLUS OFFERS NEW EXERCISE PROGRAM

Fitness Plus partnered with Exercise is Medicine, an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) program, to make physical activity and exercise a standard part of disease prevention and treatment. Launched in 2007 by the ACSM and American Medical Association, Exercise is Medicine encourages primary care physicians to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Clients attend an introductory meeting held the first Monday of each month. They receive pre- and post-assessments conducted by professionals, as well as structured resistance and balance training throughout the program. Each client also keeps a physical activity log to assess improvement. Clients are entitled to two sessions per week for eight weeks.