Health briefs

SOUTHEAST GETS GRANT FOR HEART HEALTH

SoutheastHEALTH received a one-year Community Action grant from the American Heart Association to improve heart health in Ripley County. The Community Action grant initiative is designed to help achieve the American Heart Association's mission to build healthier lives, free from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. SoutheastHEALTH is one of 29 grant recipients chosen from 172 applicants across an 11-state region served by the American Heart Association's Midwest Affiliate. Southeast received $3,500 in funding to support the Heart Attack Response Program for Ripley County, which will provide heart attack awareness, emergency response and hands-only CPR education to residents of Ripley County. Educational programs will be presented by staff from Southeast Health Center of Ripley County and the Ripley County Ambulance District.

HUGHES NAMED AMERICARE DIRECTOR

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Randy Hughes of Portageville, Mo., was named senior executive director of Americare's Sikeston communities, the soon-to-open LaBonne Maison assisted living and independent living, and The Arbors at WestRidge Place for memory care assisted living. A 17-year veteran of the company, Hughes has served for the past 15 years as a regional operations director for Americare's skilled nursing division. He also previously served as administrator at Americare's skilled nursing center in Kennett, Mo.

SIENER NAMED TO SAINT FRANCIS BOARD

Saint Francis Healthcare System added Jason Siener of Paducah, Ky., to the board of directors, along with new officers Clyde Nenninger, board chairman; John Layton, vice chairman; and Kevin Govero, secretary/treasurer. Nenninger joined the board in 1989 and will serve a three-year term. He replaces Dennis Marchi, who has served as board chairman since 2007. Layton joined the Board in 2006 and Govero joined in 2003. Siener is president and owner of Beltline Electric Company Inc., with divisions in Paducah; Owensboro, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Huntsville, Ala. He has also served as president and CEO of Morsey Constructors, a general contractor in Western Kentucky. His background includes broad construction experience, with a primary emphasis on the industrial market. Siener, along with his wife Leigh Ann, created the Parents With Hope fund through the Saint Francis Foundation to assist other parents of babies in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit who live outside the area. Siener currently serves as director of the Saint Francis Foundation Board.

EMERGENCY AND TRAUMA CENTER ENHANCES UNITS

Saint Francis Medical Center's Level III Emergency and Trauma Center is now offering specialized care for its youngest patients and seniors throughout the region. The designated children's area features special exam areas and equipment to treat children of all ages. The walls in this space have been painted in a bright and cheerful theme. Louisville, Ky.-based artist Liz Richter designed and painted five murals, each depicting a different scene. Saint Francis has also made senior-friendly modifications to address the region's aging population. The modified space offers thicker mattresses, higher chairs, large-print forms, guardrails and nonskid flooring. Special family lounges are also available for family members of Emergency and Trauma Center patients.

MORRIS PUBLISHED IN JOURNAL

An article written by Cindi Morris, uniform data system coordinator for inpatient rehab at SoutheastHEALTH, was published in "The Coordinator," a journal of the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators. The continuing education article focuses on "Delirium Caused from Urinary Tract Infections." Morris has worked at Southeast since 2006 and has been part of the inpatient rehab unit for six years. She is a certified health unit coordinator and a member of the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators.

ABERCROMBIE JOINS CHATEAU GIRARDEAU

Reid Abercrombie assumed the role of chief operating officer of Chateau Girardeau on June 17. Abercrombie is a 1987 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School and a 1991 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. He returned to Cape Girardeau after working for Home Instead Senior Care in Jacksonville, Fla., as an account executive.

FAULKENBERRY PUBLISHED IN JOURNAL

Regina Faulkenberry, SoutheastHEALTH associate general counsel and corporate compliance officer at SoutheastHEALTH, was published in the Journal of Health and Life Sciences. Her article, "Reviewing and Negotiating Cloud Computing Vendor Contracts," discusses cloud computing technology and the legal issues to consider when reviewing and negotiating such contracts. Faulkenberry holds a law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law and is certified in health care compliance.

CARDIAC SURGEONS JOIN MEDICAL STAFF

Dr. George Berberian, cardiothoracic surgery, joined the medical staff at SoutheastHEALTH. He is affiliated with Southeast Cardiac and Vascular Surgery and is board certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery. Dr. Paul D. Robison, cardiothorac-ic surgery, also joined the medical staff of SoutheastHEALTH, affiliated with Southeast Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. He is board certified in surgery and thoracic and cardiac surgery.

GOTTO HIRED AS ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY SPECIALIST

Blaine Gotto of Jackson was hired as environmental safety specialist for SoutheastHEALTH. She will serve as Southeast Hospital's environmental safety officer and will lead the Environment of Care Committee. She will be responsible for maintaining a safe environment for all SoutheastHEALTH (Cape Girardeau County) facilities and properties and also will have primary oversight of facility-wide environment of care, including the safety program. Gotto previously worked at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center doing a similar type of work. Before joining SoutheastHEALTH, she worked as a science teacher at Cape Central High School.

SOUTHEAST RECOGNIZED FOR PATIENT SATISFACTION

Southeast Hospital physicians and service teams won Top Performer awards and Five-Star awards in the 2013 Excellence in Healthcare Awards. Sponsored by Professional Research Consultants, a nationally-recognized health care marketing research company headquartered in Omaha, Neb., the awards are for exceptional patient satisfaction scores. Top Performer awards are earned by individuals and teams who score in the 100th percentile within their clinical discipline or service category. Five-Star Awards are presented to those who score within the 90th to 99th percentile. A Top Performer award went to Southeast Pediatrics; Five-Star awards went to Dr. J. Paul Leland of Southeast Pediatrics and Dr. Dianne Woolard of Southeast Obstetrics & Gynecology, as well as Cardiac Progressive Care, Southeast Sleep Diagnostic Center, Southeast Obstetrics & Gynecology and Southeast Pediatrics.

BLATTNER JOINS BENNETT FAMILY DENTISTRY

Dr. Ashley Blattner joined Drs. Michael and Ross Bennett at Bennett Family Dentistry, 1200 N. Cape Rock Drive, Cape Girardeau.

ESSNER JOINS SOUTHEAST EAR, NOSE & THROAT

Dr. Trent J. Essner joined Southeast Ear, Nose & Throat as a clinical audiologist. He has a bachelor of science degree in communication disorders from Southeast Missouri State University and a doctor of audiology degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. He served as an audiology extern at a large otolaryngology clinic in Little Rock, Ark.

MOORE APPOINTED TO MEDICAL DIRECTOR ROLE

Saint Francis Medical Center appointed vascular surgeon Dr. Colleen J. Moore as medical director of the Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center. She will lead three other physicians at the comprehensive wound care facility: Dr. Janna Crosnoe, Dr. Jennifer C. Jiang and Dr. Matthew B. Schumer. Moore is board certified in general and vascular surgery and earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She joined Cape Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery after seven years at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine as assistant professor of surgery and director of The Vein Clinic. During that time, she also served as director of the noninvasive vascular laboratory at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Ill.

MYER JOINS BROADWAY PRESCRIPTION SHOP

Jason D. Myer of Kelso joined Broadway Prescription Shop in Cape Girardeau as a pharmacist. He attended pharmacy school at University of Missouri-Kansas City and has many years of experience as a pharmacist at big-box and chain stores in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Mo. Since starting at Broadway earlier in the year, Myer has also received certification in immunization administration.

CAPE, JACKSON ARE IN TOP 10 PHARMACIST CITIES

The Cape Girardeau-Jackson area placed fifth in valuepenguin.com's Top 10 cities for pharmacists. The area consisting of both cities scored high on the website's three study factors, which included pharmacist salaries, cost of living and the concentration of pharmacists in the area. Pharmacists employed in this area earn a median salary of $128,580, according to the website, and the area has relatively low cost of living index. Gadsden, Ala., topped the website's list of cities for pharmacists, ahead of Rochester, Minn., Greenville, N.C., Anderson, S.C., and the Cape Girardeau-Jackson area. For more information on the rankings, visit valuepenguin.com.

MOORE JOINS SOUTHEAST MEDICAL STAFF

Dr. Andrew Moore joined the SoutheastHEALTH medical staff and will be affiliated with Southeast Hematology/Oncology. He has a bachelor's and MD degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He completed a residency in internal medicine at UMKC and completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He is board certified in internal medicine.

PRESBYTERIAN MANOR HONORS EMPLOYEES

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Farmington Presbyterian Manor and Presbyterian Hospice of Mid-America honored 13 employees for their years of service. Those honored were Doris Cruse, 30 years; Sandy Cash, Madelyn Dalton and Diane Hagerty, 25 years; Brenda Gowen, 20 years; Joy Marshall, 15 years; Tammy Willis and Traery Noubarian, 10 years; and Virginia Barriner, Rhonda Bridges, Debbie Cain, Debbie Lindsey and Sara Reed, five years.

OWNERSHIP CHANGE ANNOUNCED AT POPLAR BLUFF HOSPITAL

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Health Management Associates Inc. of Naples, Fla., which owns Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, is being purchased by Community Health Systems Inc. of Franklin, Tenn., the Daily American Republic reported. The purchase will not be final, however, pending approval by 70 percent of CHS' shareholders, which is expected to happen around March. Charles Stewart, market CEO of PBRMC and the Missouri region, received a call from HMA at 6 a.m. July 31 announcing the agreement. CHS announced it has agreed buy HMA in a deal valued at $7.6 billion, according to The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, Tenn. HMA owns 71 hospitals. Wayne Smith, chairman and CEO of Community Health Systems, said the deal will bring cost savings and growth during a time when the hospital industry is being squeezed by lower insurance reimbursements and other financial challenges. Once the deal is finalized, Community Health would own or operate 206 hospitals in 29 states. It is the second-largest for-profit hospital chain in the country, behind only HCA Holdings Inc. of Nashville, Tenn.

GROUNDBREAKING BEGINS $3M HOSPITAL PROJECT

DEXTER, Mo. -- A groundbreaking was held July 25 for the new $3 million medical office building to be constructed in front of the existing SoutheastHEALTH Center of Stoddard County, the Dexter Daily Statesman reported. The building is Phase One of a two-phase plan and is expected to take eight to 12 months to complete. Phase Two includes the addition of an emergency department at the front of the hospital. The medical office building will have offices for seven providers and will house an imaging center, lab, offices, 28 exam rooms, two procedure rooms, both X-ray and lab services and a conference room. The building fulfills the promise of SoutheastHEALTH to bring additional specializing physicians to the area.

HEALTH CENTER RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Bollinger County health Center has become one of only 20 public health agencies in Missouri to be accredited by the Missouri Institute for Public Health, the Banner Press reported. To reach this accreditation, the health center completed a rigorous self-assessment and demonstrated to on-site reviewers that the community is protected by a proficient public health system that is able to provide quality services and meet today's increasing challenges by public health departments across the country, said center administrator Juanita Welker. The Missouri Institute for Public Health looked into three primary areas during its review: community health assessments, a community health improvement plan and an agency strategic plan. The center had been working for several years toward the accreditation, which will last for three years.