EMANUEL CELEBRATING 90th ANNIVERSARY - Emanuel Medical ...

SPRING 2007New Chief Of StaffDr. Tom Wilsonthis year beganhis second stint asChief of Staff ofEmanuel MedicalCenter. Hereplaced Dr.Roger Lewis.Dr. Tom Wilson“It’s really rare to have someone servetwice. It’s a hard job,” said John Sigsbury,president and C.E.O. of Emanuel, aboutWilson’s second term as Chief of Staff.“His dedication to patient care andphysician relations makes him perfectfor this leadership role. I love workingwith him.”Wilson, 55, said the position definitely ismore demanding of time than in 1996,when he last filled the top doctor spot.“I did this job 10 years ago and it didn’ttake as much time,” said Wilson. Inthe last decade, he said, Emanuel hasgrown its pool of patients, expanded itsoperating room and opened the newCritical Care Center.“We’re capable of taking care of peoplewith much more acute problems than 10years ago,” he said.Today, Wilson, who has served onEmanuel’s medical staff since 1981,was elected by his fellow physicians tocoordinate the quality of medical care,credentials and challenges for more than300 physicians.He conservatively estimates the extraduties add five hours a week to hisalready busy schedule.“I’m committed to serving the communityand the quality of healthcare,” saidWilson. “It’s an opportunity to serve thecommunity and hospital.”Wilson and his family came to Turlock25 years ago after completing his familypractice residency at the Universityof California, Davis. He did hisundergraduate work at UC Davis andreceived a medical degree from theAutonomous University of Guadalajarain 1977.He and Dr. Ron Johanson in 1981 startedthe Family Medical Group in Turlock.Located at 911 E. Tuolumne Road, thefacility has grown to five physicians andfour physician assistants on staff.Wilson and his wife Cindy, a nurse inOutpatient Surgery at Emanuel, have beenmarried 28 years and have four children.Daughter Elissa is a marriage andfamily counselor. Emily is a nurse in theProgressive Care Unit at Emanuel. Laureland her husband attend college inDallas and son Ryan is a freshman atCalifornia Polytechnic State University,San Luis Obispo.Grateful for New Critical Care Center(Cont. from page 1)Hirschkorn, who formerly owned andoperated Turlock Ambulance for 32 years,said he gave the Emanuel ER staff andfacility a high rating.“Fantastic,” he said about his care.“I couldn’t have asked for anything better.How the staff treated me was superb.”Hirschkorn’s wife, Dorene, also hadspecific praise for the nurses.“We really truly appreciated the nurses onthe telemetry floor,” she said. “They werereally great.”The couple said patients and staff bothbenefit from the new ER facility.“It’s larger and easier for them to getaround,” said Roy. “It’s easier foreveryone to work.”Dorene added the new larger secondfloorCritical Care Center rooms madeher husband as comfortable as possibleduring his stay.“He had a huge room with a flat-screenTV, a huge bathroom and a wonderful airbed that prevented bed sores,” she said.Emanuel is bucking the medicalindustry trend of closing emergencydepartments. According to the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) in Atlanta, the number of hospitalThe Emergency Department, which anchors thethree-story Critical Care Center, opened just intime to meet growing patient demand.emergency departments has decreased byapproximately 14 percent from 1993to 2003.This winter, all Stanislaus County acutecarehospitals and their emergency roomswere at capacity that resulted in facilitiesdiverting ambulances and delayingelective surgeries. Sigsbury stated,“During this surge of very sick patients andthe challenges of opening a new CriticalCare Center and Emergency Departmentat Emanuel, the community was fortunatethat we had the new capacity to treateveryday, 30 to 50 additional patients.We know that our families and patientshad long waits, but the goal of ourphysicians, staff and volunteers is alwaysto provide the very best care.”“It’s rampant all up and down the valley,”said Sigsbury about the hike in ER visits.“We opened this facility just in time.”