Health briefs

__ESSNER JOINS BENNETT DENTISTRY__

Dr. Blake Essner joined the team of dentists at Bennett Family Dentistry in Cape Girardeau. Essner previously practiced dentistry in Sikeston, Missouri, according to a news release, and is a graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School and Southeast Missouri State University. He received his dentistry degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2014.

__MELL JOINS SERENITY HOSPICE__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jessica Mell of Farmington joined Serenity HospiceCare as volunteer, outreach and fund development manager. She previously was vice president of member development and programming at the Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce since 2010. In her new role, she will oversee Serenity's volunteer program and work with fund development and grant writing opportunities.

__CANTERBERRY NAMED CFO AT MISSOURI HIGHLANDS__

ELLINGTON, Mo. -- John Canterberry was appointed CFO at Missouri Highlands Health Care. He assumed his responsibilities on Feb. 16 and succeeds Karen White, who had held the position since March 2009. Canterberry has 20 years of accounting experience, including 16 years as chief accountant for the Missouri Department of Mental Health in the Southeast Region. He lives in the St. Francois County area and also serves as pastor at Iron Mountain Baptist Church. Missouri Highlands Health Care, a not-for-profit organization and federally qualified health center, serves residents of Carter, Reynolds, Shannon, Iron, Ripley, Butler and Wayne counties in Missouri.

__RANZINI JOINS SOUTHEAST HEALTH FOUNDATION__

Patricia M. Ranzini joined the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation as executive director. She has extensive and varied experience in fundraising and not-for-profit administration, according to a news release from Southeast. She has led development efforts at major not-for-profit institutions since 1999. Most recently, she served as foundation executive director at St. Anthony's Medical Center in south St. Louis County.

__SAINT FRANCIS ADDS TWO HOSPITALISTS__

Saint Francis Medical Center added hospitalists Dr. Gretchen E. Price and Dr. Michael S. Flaim as new Saint Francis medical partners. They join 11 other hospitalists who provide dedicated care to patients at the medical center. The two also are a husband-and-wife team. Price earned her medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. Her clinical interests include critical care, hospice and end-of-life care, bariatrics, weight management and working with families. Flaim also earned his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. His clinical specialties of interest include preventive medicine, critical care, infectious diseases and bedside ultrasound.

__ARNOLD NAMED DIRECTOR OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT__

SoutheastHEALTH announced the appointment of Pauline Arnold as executive director of quality management. She has implemented quality and patient safety initiatives and regulatory and accreditation compliance for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and state surveys, according to a news release from Southeast. She is experienced in acute care organization leadership, strategic planning, long-term skilled nursing care and ambulatory surgery centers. For the past 11 years, Arnold has been affiliated with Indiana University Health La Porte and Starke Hospitals in La Porte, Indiana. She most recently served as chief nursing and quality officer, vice president of clinical operations.

__CHAFFEE NURSING CENTER, CYPRESS POINT HONORED BY AMERICARE__

Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Missouri, and Cypress Point Skilled Nursing in Dexter, Missouri, each attained the silver level in the Americare Honor Club for 2015. The awards were presented at Americare's annual meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Communities with Honor Club distinction meet narrow award criteria in each of the four philosophy areas: resident service, employee service, community service and fiscal responsibility. Honor Club membership runs from April to April each year. Only 15 percent of Americare's communities are Honor Club members.

__REASONS NAMED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Hannah Reasons was named 2014 Employee of the Year at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She has worked at the hospital since April 2013 and is a registered nurse in the medical/surgical unit. Employees are nominated for the award by their colleagues based on their commitment to patient care, professionalism and contributions on the job. Reasons was chosen from among 1,250 employees.

__ESCHMANN RECEIVES SILVER AWARD__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Elizabeth Eschmann, a hearing instrument specialist at Miracle-Ear in Perryville, received the Silver Award for Outstanding Educational Achievement from the Missouri Hearing Society. The award was presented at the society's recent educational conference in St. Louis. Eschmann completed 21 hours of continuing education to receive the Silver Award.

__GIBSON RECOVERY CENTER BEGINS RENOVATIONS__

After more than a year of planning, the Gibson Recovery Center has begun its renovations. The local drug and alcohol addiction treatment center is making some much-needed facility improvements, according to its organizers. Bonds issued by the Industrial Development Authority of Cape Girardeau County are financing the project, the Southeast Missourian reported in December. The authority issues bonds for such projects so borrowers can take advantage of tax-exempt financing, "thus enhancing the borrower's ability to provide services at a reasonable cost," according to materials the Cape Girardeau City Council received at its December meeting. The center gets its operating funds through a combination of local and state monies for mental health treatment, grants and client fees. The project is to fix up the Linden Street Center in Cape Girardeau, mostly for aesthetic upgrades, chief operating officer Ryan Essex said. The building was built about 25 years ago and never has received any major upgrades. The building is one of three Gibson maintains in Cape Girardeau, and it houses only male occupants. Gibson is a state-licensed, nationally accredited behavioral health treatment program, Essex said. The project is estimated to cost $150,000. In addition to the bonds, fundraising and donations have been accepted from local individuals and companies. Essex estimated the project will be completed by July 1, and the center will not have to close during the renovations.

__SOUTHEAST SMILES OPENS NEW LOCATION__

Southeast Smiles Pediatric Dentistry opened a new office at 2116 Megan Drive in Cape Girardeau, with Dr. Patricia Merkley at the helm. A grand opening was held May 29.

__MAGNUS PROMOTED AT SAINT FRANCIS__

Gene Magnus recently was promoted to director of information systems at Saint Francis Medical Center. He will be responsible for application software systems at the hospital, including a new electronic medical records system, according to a news release. Magnus began working for Saint Francis in 2010 as a senior system analyst and recently served as a project leader in an implementation of electronic medical records for physicians. He previously owned a local computer and telecommunications business.

__HOSPITAL OFFERS NEW HEART-FAILURE MONITORS__

A new miniaturized, wireless monitoring sensor to manage heart failure, the CardioMEMS HF System, is available from SoutheastHEALTH, the hospital reported in mid-May. SoutheastHEALTH is the first hospital in the region to offer the monitoring system, according to a news release. The system, which measures the heart-failure indicator PA pressure with sensors after a nonsurgical procedure, has been proven to reduce hospital admissions when used to manage heart failure. The system allows patients to transmit daily sensor readings from their homes to their cardiologists, according to the release.