Health news in brief

Stoddard Co. fares well in nursing home ratings

STODDARD COUNTY, Mo. — A new website by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released ratings for skilled nursing facilities across the nation, and two Stoddard County facilities received five-star ratings. Cypress Point Skilled Nursing by Americare received a five-star rating, as did Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. Additionally, Golden Living Center in Dexter received four out of five stars.

The site, called Nursing Home Compare, rates 16,000 skilled nursing facilities across the nation, and of that number only 10 percent received a five-star rating. In addition to the overall rating, each facility is rated in three categories: inspections, staffing and quality measures.

The two five-star ratings in Stoddard County surpassed ratings in neighboring counties. The only other five-star rating in the counties of Butler, Stoddard, Dunklin, New Madrid, Scott and Mississippi Counties was at the Malden Golden Living Center.

For more information or to look up and compare area nursing home facilities, go to www.medicare.gov/NHCompare.

Lumos earns credentials for play therapist-supervisor

Theresa L. Lumos of Cape Girardeau earned the registered play therapist-supervisor credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy. The licensed professional counselor was awarded the distinction through earning a traditional masters or doctoral mental health degree from an institution of higher education, 150 clock hours of play therapy training, five years and 5,000 hours of post-master's clinical experience, 500 supervised and 500 additional hours of play therapy experience and licensure or certification by Missouri's boards of practice.

Hospital names new engineering director

Jerry Bender, a health care facilities professional with experience in property and facility management, engineering and construction, has been named new engineering and maintenance director for Southeast Missouri Hospital. Bender comes to Cape Girardeau from Booneville, Mo., where he operated Mid America Management. He succeeds Jim Kaempfer, who is retiring after 26 years in the position.

Bender holds a bachelor of arts degree in education and recreation from the University of Nebraska in Omaha and a master's in administration and management from Regency University in Virginia Beach, Va. He is a certified health care facility manager and a member of the American Society for Healthcare Engineering.

Southeast Missouri Hospital breaks ground for cancer center

Southeast Missouri Hospital held a groundbreaking ceremony for its $33 million, 49,200-square-foot cancer center on Jan. 14. The facility, at the hospital's West Campus on South Mount Auburn Road near Cape Girardeau Central High School, should be ready for use in December 2010.

Advance Pain Center opens in Kennett

KENNETT, Mo. — Dr. Abdul N. Naushad has opened an Advanced Pain Center at 807 S. Bypass in Kennett. Advanced Pain Center currently has seven offices in Missouri, including Town and Country, Eureka, Farmington, Festus, Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, and now Kennett. The centers specialize in covering conditions that cause acute and chronic pain, and also specialize in workman's comp and personal injury cases.

Dr. Naushad has worked at the Advanced Pain Center in Poplar Bluff for about five years and is currently working on receiving hospital privileges at Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center. Office Manager Marsha Woolard said that the organization expanded to Kennett after noticing more people in need of pain management. For more information or to set up an appointment, call the office at (573) 888-0030.

Camelot Nursing & Rehab holds open house

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Camelot Nursing & Rehab Center in Farmington held an open house Dec. 5 to officially open a new addition of the facility. Owners Lee Mitchem and Mrs. R.L. Huckstep did the ribbon cutting honors, assisted by Administrator Marilyn J. Miller and Medical Director Dr. Raul Borrego. Canyon Concrete Construction was the main contractor on the construction.

The new wing consists of seven private rooms and a solarium that serves as both a dining room and activity center, complete with a fireplace. Each room has its own bath and shower. Nursing staff is on duty around the clock to provide care and assistance for the residents.

Miller extends an invitation to come by for a tour or to call (573) 756-8911 for more information. Camelot is located at 705 Grand Canyon Drive in Farmington.

O'Bryans open dental practice

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Dr. Timothy O'Bryan and his wife, Kelly, are now working at the dental practice at 12 E. Harrison St. in Farmington. They assumed Dr. Stephen Waller's practice, formerly Dr. Fred Schaper's dental practice.

O'Bryan is a 2006 graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Dentistry. Kelly also graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Dental Hygiene program in 2006, receiving her bachelor's degree in dental hygiene.

Before moving to Farmington, O'Bryan practiced dentistry in Wentzville and O'Fallon. Kelly currently works in the dental practice part-time and also part-time in Oakville as a hygienist.

Dexter welcomes Dr. Mittal

DEXTER, Mo. — Dexter Medical Clinic is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Namarata Mittal to its medical staff. Dr. Mittal is board certified in internal medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Mittal, call (573) 624-3600.

Poplar Bluff welcomes Dr. Davies

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo — Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center announces the addition of Dr. Douglas Davies to the cardiovascular team. Dr. Davies is board certified in cardiovascular diseases, nuclear cardiology and internal medicine. For more information about Dr. Davies and the cardiovascular program, call the Cardiovascular Institute of Soutthrn Missouri at (573) 785-0080.

Foundation for Health announces new members

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Missouri Foundation for Health has announced four new members to its Board of Directors, along with the re-election of two current members. The board has also elected its 2009 officers. The 15-member board provides oversight of all MFH activities and grant making and serve a maximum of two three-year terms.

New members include Cynthia G. Dean of Poplar Bluff, Edward D. Higgins of St. Louis, Marsha L. Mills of Bernie, and Mike Peters of Springfield. Re-elected to the board are Sandra J. Ahlum, MD, of Hannibal, and K. Beth Johnson, CFA, of University City.

Saint Francis launches Arrhythmia Center

Saint Francis Medical Center is home to a state-of-the-art Arrhythmia Center to care for patients with heart rhythm disorders. Millions of Americans live with heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), which can be treated or controlled with leading-edge technology like that available at Saint Francis.

The new center, located in the Saint Francis Heart Institute, allows an expert team of heart rhythm specialists to precisely map the heart's electrical system. When a problem is found, patients in the Arrhythmia Center will often be treated with minimally invasive techniques, such as catheter ablation.

Saint Francis is one of the first medical centers in the world to use the Philips EP navigator, an advanced imaging system that allows for better views of the heart, leading to more accurate diagnoses and increased patient safety during procedures.

The Arrhythmia Center is led by electrophysiologist and medical director of the Arrhythmia Center Gabe E. Soto, MD, PhD, and staffed by a team of specially trained health care professionals, technicians and nurses. For more information, call (573) 331-5157.

Southeast Missouri Hospital, WIRED, address nursing shortage

With support from the Southeast Missouri WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) Initiative, Southeast Missouri Hospital will implement a program to help cure the shortage of health care professionals in the region. Southeast Missouri WIRED recently awarded the Southeast Missouri Hospital Foundation with $31,338 to be used for the Believe to Achieve program.

Southeast Missouri Hospital will work in collaboration with Cape Girardeau Alternative School and MERS Goodwill to provide candidates for the program as well as additional support where needed. The goal of the Believe to Achieve program is to provide at-risk students with the tools to succeed in school and the workforce as well as the foundational elements for a future career in health care.

Instruction will include educating students on the role of the nurse aid and the health care setting. Students will be matched with a nurse aid to further explore health care careers and settings. Upon completion of the program, students may be given an opportunity to assume an entry-level position at the hospital and will have all the requisite hours necessary for CNA certification.

Southeast Missouri WIRED Initiative expects to have more awardees and programs implemented following the Feb. 9 deadline for Innovation in Healthcare requests for proposals. For more information contact Janet Wittner with the WIRED Initiative at (573) 334-0990 or janet@job4you.org.

VAMC launches eco management program

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center announces a new environmental program called GEMS, or "Green Environmental Management System." GEMS is an environmental management system whereby all activities of the medical center are evaluated to determine their potential impact to human health or the environment. It also helps the medical center ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations by placing the primary responsibility for compliance under one management system. The GEMS coordinator for the medical center is James Todd. For more information on GEMS, contact Todd at (573) 778-4267 or Gary Cates at (573) 778-4704.

Fitness Plus manager named association captain

Darren Harris, BS, HFI, A-PAI, has been renamed the Missouri State Captain for the Medical Fitness Center Association. Harris, health and fitness coordinator at Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau, has been state captain for two consecutive years.

Harris has been health and fitness coordinator at Fitness Plus since 2005 and specializes in weight loss and personalized fitness plans. He earned his bachelor of science in health management from Southeast Missouri State University. He is creator of the Extreme Boot Camp program at Fitness Plus and his certifications include American College of Sports Medicine® Health and Fitness Instructor, National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Aquatic & Fitness Professional Association – International.

The Medical Fitness Center Association is a non-profit organization that helps medically integrated health and fitness centers achieve their goal of improving the overall health in their communities. For more information, contact Fitness Plus at (573) 331-3355.

Home Health Agency ranks high

POTOSI, Mo. — Washington County Memorial Hospital Home Health Agency announced that it has been named to the 2008 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

WCMH Home Health Agency Director Kathy Goodson, RN, credits quality care and excellent service with the company's ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite.

The 2008 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. It is brought to the industry by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of home health informatics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care's most respectful independent newsletter, Home Health Line. The entire list of the 2008 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS website at www.ocsys.com/HCE.