Feb 2010 - Waterbury Hospital

IN THIS ISSUESTROKE AWARDSTROKE PROGRAMRECOGNIZED WITHACHIEVEMENT AWARDPAGE 2A MISSION TO HELPRESIDENTS TO BRING RELIEF TOPATIENTS IN LIBERIAPAGE 3FEBRUARY 2010The Newsletter for Waterbury Hospital Employees & Network AffiliatesWATERBURY HOSPITAL...WhereBroken Hearts Go!Members of Waterbury Hospital’sCardiac Services Team celebratethe hospital’s rankings among thetop ten percent nationwide forinterventional cardiology. Theteam includes, from left:Paul Guerrera, CardiovascularUnit (CVU); Betty Stanley, RN,Cardiology; Beth Davie,Emergency Department;Linda Frappier, RN, EmergencyDepartment; Diane DeVit, CVU;Jackie Moran, RN, EmergencyDepartment; Joanne Borduas, RN,Director of OutpatientServices; Steve Stolfi, RN,Emergency Department; andCarlos Vasquez, Cardiology.Cardiac Services Rankedin Top Ten Percent in NationIn a survey of hospitals across the nation,Waterbury Hospital’s Cardiac Serviceswas recently ranked by HealthGrades inthe top ten percent in the nation for coronaryintervention. Additionally, the hospitalwas given the 2010 Coronary InterventionExcellence Award. HealthGrades is anindependent health care ranking service.The rankings and the award came aswelcome news for members of WaterburyHospital’s Cardiac Services program,which has been in place for five years.“We are extremely pleased that our programis now recognized as one of the bestin the country,” said Joanne Borduas, thehospital’s Director of Outpatient Services.“The key for us is that we have an outstandingteam of people who all understandtheir role and are committed todelivering the highest quality care possibleto our patients.”Continued on page 2

WATERBURY HOSPITALCARDIAC SERVICESRANKED IN TOP TENPERCENT IN NATIONContinued from page 1Steven Schneider, MD, the hospital’s Vice Presidentof Medical Affairs, said the HealthGrades rankingsreflect the hospital’s commitment to providing comprehensivecare to cardiac patients.“This is something we view as tremendouslyimportant because of the risks that cardiac emergenciespose to our community,” Dr. Schneider said.“There is a tremendous need for these kinds ofservices, and we want to make sure those needs arebeing met.”Borduas said the program relies on the teamworkand professionalism of staff members in the hospital’sEmergency Department (ED), CardiovascularUnit and Catheterization Lab. Once a patient comesthrough the Emergency Department door showingsigns of a severe cardiac emergency, she said, theteam works quickly to make sure the patient is stabilizedand prepped for an interventional proceduresuch as an angioplasty.Last year at Waterbury Hospital, if a patient arrivedin the ED with a cardiac emergency, he or she wassuccessfully treated with angioplasty in the cath labin an average of 60 minutes. That’s a full 30 minutesless than the national average, Borduas said.“We’ve had cases where we’ve had patientsprepped and ready in 20 minutes,” she said. “Whenit comes to heart attacks, you want to save as muchtime as possible to minimize damage to the heart.”Waterbury Hospital was also given a five-star rankingby HealthGrades for Coronary InterventionalProcedures and a five-star ranking for treatment ofheart failure two years in a row.Waterbury Hospital’sStroke Program ReceivesBronze PerformanceAchievement AwardKelly Poskus, RN (left), Stroke CenterCoordinator and Steven Eisen, MD,Medical Director of the Stroke CenterThe Primary Stroke Center at WaterburyHospital has been given the AmericanStroke Association’s Get With TheGuidelines – Stroke Bronze PerformanceAchievement Award for consistentlymeeting the highest standards ofcare for stroke patients.The award is given to hospital strokeprograms that follow nationally acceptedstandards and guidelines for stroketreatment for a period of 90 consecutivedays. A Silver Award is given when theguidelines are followed for a full year,which is the Primary Stroke Center’snext goal, said Steven Eisen, MD, Medical Director of the Stroke Center.“We are very pleased to be recognized in this way, and we look forward to achievingthe Silver Award in the near future,” Dr. Eisen said. “We feel this award signifiesa well-deserved recognition of our staff’s dedication to providing the very bestcare for our patients.”Kelly Poskus, RN, the hospital’s Stroke Center Coordinator, said the stroke programstaff regularly see the devastation caused by strokes, which is why they are somotivated to teach people how to prevent them.“We try to be as comprehensive as possible, both in terms of treatment and education,”Poskus said.The treatment guidelines the hospital met include aggressive use of medications,anticoagulation therapy, cholesterol reducing drugs, smoking cessation programsand other methods of preventing and treating incidences of stroke. Every year in theU.S. approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke, which is the cause of death forone out of every 18 deaths.“The American Stroke Association commends Waterbury Hospital for its success inimplementing standards of care and protocol,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, Vice-Chair of the national Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee.Hospital Staff Go the ExtraMile for Patient SafetyEmployees who completed the Patient Safety Certificate Programare, from left: Mary O’Hara, Dianna Kiraly, Susan Cordeau, DebQuetti, Julie Weidemier, RN and Donita Semple, RN.2Six hospital staff members have successfully completed a patient safetycertification program that will further enable them to make sure thathospital patients are safely and properly cared for during their stays.The staff members who completed the National Quality Colloquium’sPatient Safety Certificate Program are: Deb Quetti, AdministrativeDirector of Quality and Safety; Dianna Kiraly, Director of Quality; DonitaSemple, RN, Quality Coordinator; Susan Cordeau, Quality ManagementCoordinator; Mary O’Hara, Director of Risk Management; and JulieWeidemier, RN, Assistant Director, Pomeroy 9.To complete the program, the staff members had to perform severalhours of pre-course reading, attend training sessions and pass a writtenexamination. The hospital was part of a pilot for distance learning.Training presentations were broadcast live via the Internet, so notravel was required.The certificate program is part of the National Quality Colloquium, anannual conference of patent safety advocacy groups that strives to findnew and more efficient ways to reduce medical errors and otherpatient safety hazards.

RIGHT: The mission to help patients in the African nation ofLiberia will include, from left, Chief Surgical Resident RobertNunoo, MD; David Knight, MD, Associate Program Director ofthe Waterbury Hospital General Surgery Residency Program;and Surgical Resident Colleen Pietras, MD.FoundationDonates 100thPair of LoupesLoupes Around The World alsoreceives grant to donate 30 more pairsWaterbury Hospital surgeon David Knight, MD,who will be joining surgical residents on a missionto the African nation of Liberia in March, is nostranger to the plight of medical practitioners inthe Third World. In 2007, he helped found LoupesAround The World, a foundation that helps donatesurgical telescopes, or loupes, to resourcedeprivedsurgeons in developing countriesthroughout the world.In January, the foundation, donated its 100th pairof surgical loupes, which can cost over $1,000 apair. The foundation also was given a $10,000grant from the Virtual Village Foundation inWashington, DC, to purchase and donate an additional30 pairs of adjustable loupes – donationswhich will greatly improve the ability of surgeonsto bring desperately needed relief to people intheir communities.The 100th pair of loupes was donated in a shipmentto the International Red Cross in Baghdad,where they will be distributed to Iraqi surgeonstaking care of civilian casualties, Dr. Knight said.Dr. Knight said he is pleased with the success ofthe Loupes Around the World effort so far, butadded that more contributions are always needed.The foundation is currently soliciting financialcontributions for the acquisition of new loupes.To make a contribution or volunteer tobecome involved, please visitwww.loupesaroundtheworld.org or contact Dr.Knight at dcknight@loupesaroundtheworld.org.Surgical ResidentsPrepare to Put Their Skills andIngenuity to the Test in LiberiaWaterbury Hospital Team to Bring Badly Needed Relief to African CountryMost of the residents in the WaterburyHospital surgical residency program areused to working amidst some of the mostmodern medical settings and technologyavailable anywhere. But for two weeks inMarch, Chief Surgical Resident RobertNunoo, MD and Surgical Resident ColleenPietras, MD, will be deprived of these advantagesas they undertake a mission to bringmedical assistance to the West Africancountry of Liberia, which is still reeling fromthe devastation caused by a civil war that allbut wiped out the country’s population ofdoctors and other medical practitioners.David Knight, MD, the Associate ProgramDirector of Waterbury Hospital’s GeneralSurgery Residency Program, said he is lookingforward to traveling with Drs. Nunoo andPietras to Liberia. Before the civil war, Dr.Knight said, the country had over 400 practicingphysicians but now there are less than 50,and only six surgeons, serving a population of3.5 million people.“This is a country in desperate need of medicalresources, from personnel to technology,”said Dr. Knight, whose team will be workingat the John F. Kennedy Hospital inMonrovia, the nation’s capital. He said theWaterbury team will strive to treat patients indesperate need of care while also providingresources and training for Liberian residentstraining at the hospital.In the process, Dr. Knight said he expects theexperience will be eye-opening for theWaterbury Hospital residents.“This is a place where they not only won’thave access to a CAT scan, but even to an X-ray, in many cases,” he said. “It should befascinating to see how the residents react tothese conditions and use their ingenuity andcommon sense to overcome the obstaclesthey’ll be confronted with.”Dr. Knight said the idea to send the residentsto Liberia was conceived by Dr. Nunoo,who is originally from Ghana, and by JamesSirleaf, MD, a physician in the WaterburyHospital Emergency Department whosemother is the President of Liberia. Dr. Sirleafruns a foundation working to improve healthcare in Liberia, and the foundation willprovide the financing for the mission, Dr.Knight said.Dr. Pietras said people are welcome tocontribute to the mission by donating painrelief medication such as ibuprofen orTylenol. Donations can be dropped of at theDepartment of Surgery office on the first floorof the hospital or by contacting the office atExt. 7257.Hospital Doctor Receives “Patient’s Choice” AwardGeorge Barchini, MD, an internal medicine physicianwho has been affiliated with WaterburyHospital since 1993, was recently given the“Patient’s Choice” award recognizing him as oneof the most highly regarded primary care physiciansin the country.In a survey of over 40,000 patients, Dr. Barchiniwas among the top five percent of physiciansnationwide to receive the highest marks for bedsidemanner, doctor-patient face time, follow-upefforts and friendliness of office staff. The awardwas given to Dr. Barchini, who practices inThomaston, by MDx Medical, a national organizationwhich collects patient reviews of primarycare physicians.“I am quite thrilled and surprised by this honor,”said Dr. Barchini. “We work hard to build goodrelationships with all our patients, so it’s enormouslygratifying to see that they feel they are ingood hands.”3

Who’s Got a Golden Attitude?Who do you know who brings a little sunshine with them to work everyday, who regularlybrings a smile to our patients or our fellow workers?These people deserve a little recognition, which is why Waterbury Hospital is seekingnominations for the 2010 Golden Attitude Award. Nomination forms will be available fromMarch 1 through March 26 both outside thecafeteria and on the hospital’s Intranet webpage.Please take time to submit a nomination.For more information please call Golden Attitudecommittee Co-Chairs Sue O’Brien at Ext. 6137or Carol Graziosa at Ext. 6295.Become a “Fan” of Waterbury Hospital4FREE MOVIESat Waterbury Hospital!Waterbury Hospital will be offeringFREE screenings of five recently released box officehits throughout the spring, including two eveningshowings. All movies will be shown in theBizzozero Conference Center.SCHEDULE OF SHOWTIMESThursday, February 25, 1:30 p.m.THE PROPOSALA hilarious romantic comedy starringSandra Bullock as a domineering boss and RyanReynolds as the employee forced to marry her to helpher avoid being deportedEVENING SHOWING! Friday, March 19, 5 p.m.STAR TREKAn action-packed blockbuster that introduced awhole new generation to the legendary crew of theStarship Enterprise.Friday, March 26, 1:30 p.m.JULIE & JULIAA critically acclaimed comedy starring Meryl Streep asthe famous television chef Julia Child and Amy Adamsas a modern blogger who tries to replicate her recipes.Monday, May 3, 1:30 p.m.PUBLIC ENEMIESAn action drama starring Johnny Depp as the famousDepression-era gangster John DillingerEVENING SHOWING! BRING THE ENTIREFAMILY! Friday, June 4, 6 p.m.UP!A wildly popular animated feature about a 78-year-oldwidower who attaches thousands of balloons to hishouse and embarks on an epic voyage to the junglesof South America.Except for the movie Up!, which is Rated G, allmovie guests must be at least 21 years of age.Seating is limited so reserve yourseat today by calling(203) 573-7385IS A PUBLICATION OF THE PUBLIC RELATIONS &MARKETING DEPARTMENT OF WATERBURY HOSPITALMANAGING EDITOR: HEATHER TINDALLASSISTANT EDITOR: MATT BURGARDCONTRIBUTOR: STEPHANIE ATAMANSUBMIT ITEMS FOR UPDATE TO:mburgard@wtbyhosp.org