Health briefs

__HUCKSTEP HEART AND LUNG OPENS EXPANDED FACILITY__

PARK HILLS, Mo. — Huckstep Heart and Lung at Parkland Health Center held an open house May 25 for its new and expanded location inside the hospital, the Park Hills Daily Journal reported. Huckstep Heart and Lung is Parkland’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation center. The new location is approximately 500 square feet larger than the previous location, allowing for an increased gym and stretching area, expanded reception area and space for patients to store personal belongings.

__SIDES NAMED VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR__

Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri Hospice announced Robin Sides as its new volunteer coordinator. With 25 years of nursing experience, Sides, an LPN, has been caring for the terminally ill at VNA for the past six years.

__CROSS TRAILS ADDS TWO PHYSICIANS__

Cross Trails Medical Center added Dr. Oldrich Bubenik and Dr. Sarah Goodman to the staff at its Cape Girardeau medical office. The addition brings the number of medical staff at the Cape Girardeau office to four. The office also has four dentists and three dental hygienists in the Cape Girardeau location.

__GALLOWAY NAMED PATIENT CARE MANAGER__

Saint Francis Healthcare System appointed Emily Galloway as patient care manager of the Family BirthPlace and Children’s Center. She joined Saint Francis in 2013 as a staff nurse in obstetrics and later became the assistant manager, according to a news release. Before coming to Saint Francis, she worked as a staff nurse and childbirth educator for seven years at CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Missouri State University in 2006.

__POPLAR BLUFF ER DIRECTOR GETS NATIONAL RECOGNITION__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Dr. Ken Stone, medical director of the emergency department at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, received one of only two awards given nationally to medical directors who work for Schumacher/HPP, a company that provides leadership and staffing for approximately 300 emergency department facilities around the country, the Daily American Republic reported. The award recognizing his leadership was presented at the Schumacher Clinical Medical Directors Conference in Las Vegas.

__SOUTHEAST AWARDED FOR STROKE CARE__

SoutheastHEALTH received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s “Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award” with “Target: Stroke Honor Roll.” The award recognizes Southeast’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, according to a news release from Southeast. The Gold Plus Award recognized consistently high performance for 24 consecutive months on key quality measures that improve patient care, the release stated. To qualify for the “Target: Stroke Honor Roll,” hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke, according to the news release.

__HORTON NAMED STAR SERVICE MEMBER__

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Vickie Horton, executive assistant at Parkland Health Center, was Star Service Team Member for May. She has worked at Parkland for 44 years, including her years at Bonne Terre Hospital, one of Parkland’s predecessors. She began her career in 1972 as an evening shift unit secretary at Bonne Terre Hospital. She has served as executive assistant in administration since 1986.

__GRAHAM IS DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES__

Saint Francis Healthcare System welcomed Randall Graham as director of emergency services. In this role, he is responsible for planning, coordinating and supervising all of the non-physician functions within emergency services to ensure that services are provided in accordance with policies, procedures, philosophy and objectives of Saint Francis, according to a news release from the hospital. Graham most recently served as manager of the emergency department at Christian Hospital in St. Louis. Before that, he was manager of emergency and trauma services at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington, Missouri. He earned his MBA from Webster University in 2012.

__CANCER CENTER EARNS ACR ACCREDITATION__

The Southeast Cancer Center was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology. The Southeast Cancer Center is one of eight ACR-accredited radiation oncology facilities in Missouri and is the only accredited program in Southeast Missouri to earn the recognition, according to a news release. The ACR is the nation’s oldest and most widely accepted radiation oncology accrediting body. Accreditation includes a peer-review evaluation that assesses patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs.

__CUNNINGHAM NAMED EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH__

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Elaine Cunningham, switchboard supervisor, was selected as employee of the month for June at Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center.

__RICH JOINS SOUTHEAST FAMILY MEDICINE__

DEXTER, Mo. — Dr. Cheryll D. Rich, a family medicine physician, joined the staff at Southeast Family Medicine in Dexter. She completed her bachelor and medical degrees from the University of Missouri — Kansas City and her residency in family practice at Southern Illinois University — Carbondale.

__SAINT FRANCIS EARNS TOP MARKETING AWARDS__

Saint Francis Healthcare System won seven Show-Me Excellence awards for health-care marketing from the Missouri Association for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing. The awards also acknowledge quality in advertising, marketing and public relations projects produced by hospitals and health-care systems throughout Missouri, according to a news release. MAHPRM announced the awards at its annual Summer Forum in Branson, Missouri, on June 23. Saint Francis’ Show-Me Excellence awards included one first-place award, Colon Cancer Awareness Month (category: direct mail); three second-place awards, “We Know Cancer” (category: advertising — television), Pink Tie Guys calendar (category: special purpose publication), Hispanic women’s health fair event (category: direct mail); and three third-place awards, 2015 Annual Report — Built for the Future (category: annual report), Saint Francis 2016 calendar (category: special purpose publications), and Center for Pelvic Health launch (category: direct mail).

__MEHNER NAMED DIRECTOR OF NURSING__

PARK HILLS, Mo. — Jackie Mehner, a registered nurse, was promoted to director of nursing at Serenity HospiceCare. She has worked at Serenity since 2008. She previously provided long-term nursing care for 10 years in Perryville, Missouri. She began her career at Independence Care Center as a nursing assistant and eventually became a licensed practical nurse, then a registered nurse.

__SOUTHEAST PARTNERS WITH COLLEGE OF PHARMACY__

A new collaboration between SoutheastHEALTH and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy will provide patients with improved outcomes and offer additional in-hospital training for postgraduate residency training, according to a news release from Southeast. On June 27, Southeast welcomed two pharmacy doctoral residents for a one-year residency.

__LOCKHERT JOINS CAMPBELL MEDICAL__

CAMPBELL, Mo. — Dr. Amy Lockhert joined the family practice of Campbell Medical Clinic. She has been in a solo medical practice since 2000 in Kennett, Missouri, and will continue to offer care there with Dr. Soonattrakul Woody. Lockhert, a native of Lubbock, Texas, is board certified in family practice and a diplomat of addiction medicine.

__SAINT FRANCIS HEALTH CENTER OPENS IN DEXTER__

DEXTER, Mo. — Saint Francis Outpatient Center is open at its new permanent location, the Saint Francis Health Center, 1212 Saint Francis Drive, near U.S. 60 Outer Road and Harris Drive. The center offers primary and urgent care, cardiac specialists, OB/GYN care, a Weight Loss Solutions clinic, Fitness Plus health and fitness center, physical therapy and rehabilitation, imaging capabilities and lab services. An open house will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on July 22.