Cancer Center at Lowell General Hospital Celebrates Third Annual Survivorship Day
Helen Sullivan (at right) celebrates her three year survivorship with stage 4 breast cancer along with her husband, Karl Hanson, and nephew, David McSweeney. Helen shared words of inspiration "I will live long and I will live well. And while there are fears and pain, there is also hope, faith, courage and strength."
Lowell, Mass. – Survivorship … it is a journey that begins at the very moment of cancer diagnosis and continues with you, forever. On June 9th, 2010, survivors and their loved ones, along with yellow-clad caregivers and staff of the Cancer Center at Lowell General filled Clark Auditorium for the 3rd Annual Survivorship Day celebration. Claudia Rupp, director of Cancer Services, addressed the crowd of more than 100 people who gathered, “Today your courage and strength, together with our team, stand together side by side to help support your mission – the mission to continue to live and thrive regardless of your diagnosis.” With spirit, hope and encouragement, the evening featured dinner, music, a display of paintings done by those in the Healing Through Art program, and helpful information for living with cancer. Stories of inspiration in the words of cancer survivors were also on display; as a way to celebrate the unique journey each is traveling. Guests enjoyed chair massages, trying out temporary tattoos, face painting, and raffle prize drawings that had everyone cheering. Gift bags and handmade pillows were provided to each survivor.
Bringing loved ones together with caregivers is an important part of the celebration of survivorship. Radiant survivor Linda Trudel (front, center) celebrated the evening surrounded by her family.
Through celebration of survivorship and sharing, attendees were reminded that they are not alone; that fear and pain may be part of the road traveled, but there is also hope, faith, courage and strength. In the words of non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Madeline Stone of Billerica, “Cancer can be a bump in the road with many miles ahead to look forward to.” Other guest speakers included Helen Sullivan and Katy VanDyne, both of Chelmsford, each sharing their own words of encouragement. A beautiful luminary service led by Jean Brown, RN concluded the evening to bring a calm peace to all attendees, and sent them on their way filled with love, thanks, courage and hope.
Emerson’s Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine earns “Center of Distinction” recognition
From left to right are Wendy Slabodnick, RN, director of the Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine; Christine Schuster, president and CEO of Emerson Hospital; Dr. Stephen Hoenig, medical director of the Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine; and Theresa Alvaro, Diversified Clinical Services area vice president.
CONCORD, Mass., June 22, 2010- Emerson Hospital’s Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine recently received the Center of Distinction award in recognition of its high patient satisfaction rates, exceptional healing results, and outstanding clinical outcomes over the past twelve months.
This prestigious honor was awarded by the Center’s partner in wound healing, Diversified Clinical Services (DCS), the nation’s leading wound care management company.
The Wound Care Center has achieved success in treating and curing chronic or non-healing wounds and in providing excellent care to more than 930 patients since the Center’s opening in 2007.
“DCS brings to our hospital’s Wound Care Center enormous resources and expertise, enabling us to meet the increasing need for specialized wound care,” said Christine Schuster, president and CEO of Emerson Hospital. “We are thrilled to accept this award and proud to offer this quality Center to our community.”
Emerson chose to partner with DCS to ensure quality in providing specialized treatments. Patients at the Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine suffer from chronic and non-healing wounds-a serious disorder that can lead to amputation of limbs and dramatically impaired quality of life. Associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins, and immobility, non-healing wounds occur most frequently in the elderly and in people with diabetes and other diseases-populations that are sharply rising as the nation ages and chronic diseases increase.
Non-healing wounds of the diabetic foot are considered one of the most significant complications of diabetes, representing a major worldwide medical, social, and economic burden that greatly affects patient quality of life. Almost 24 million Americans-one in every 12-are diabetic and the disease is causing widespread disability and death at an epidemic pace, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those with diabetes, 6.5 million are estimated to suffer with chronic or non-healing wounds.
The Center generally admits these wound patients immediately, working with referring physicians to determine the most effective course of treatment. This outpatient comprehensive service offers advanced healing therapies often unavailable in primary care offices. These services use an interdisciplinary approach to treatment involving a variety of therapies and techniques, including debridement, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, dressing selection, special shoes, and patient education. When wounds persist and resist conventional treatment, a specialized approach is required for healing.
DCS-managed Wound Care Centers(r) effectively utilize hyperbaric oxygen therapy to heal more than 35,000 diabetic wounds each year. Emerson Hospital’s Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine offers two hyperbaric chambers. Systemic hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used to assist wound healing for more than 40 years, and is used as an adjunctive treatment for problematic, non-healing wounds that meet specific criteria.
“We’re so honored to receive this recognition,” said Wendy Slabodnick, RN, director of the Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine. “It’s a privilege to be part of a great collaborative effort between the hospital and Diversified Clinical Services. Together, we are able to heal patients in our community, getting them back to living happy, healthy lives.”
Northeast Health System’s Two Leading Behavioral Health Providers to Integrate Services
CAB and Health and Education Services to Combine to Improve Patient Care, Services and Efficiency
Beverly, MA – Northeast Health System (NHS) announced that it will merge two of the North Shore’s top behavioral health providers – CAB Health and Recovery Services and Health and Education Services (HES) – into a new, single behavioral health entity which will create one of the most significant out-patient behavioral health providers in the state.
CAB and HES are vital, longstanding behavioral health providers on the North Shore that offer critical mental health, substance abuse, education, crisis and prevention services to more than 36,000 people annually. This common-sense merger will result in greater efficiency, increased integration and better care through enhanced services for their patients.
“Northeast Health System is a leading provider in behavioral health and we are always analyzing our services to ensure that we are maximizing efficiency, controlling costs and providing the best patient care,” said Ken Hanover, President and CEO of NHS. “With increasing costs and the changing world of health care, it is essential that we anticipate demands and take common-sense measures such as this to ensure that we can provide the best care over the long-term.”
Longtime HES and CAB veterans Paul O’Shea and Kevin Norton will lead the transition process. O’Shea, the President and CEO of HES, has been promoted to a senior executive position at NHS with responsibility for overseeing service integration within the NHS network of care.
“One of the greatest challenges of any behavioral health provider is ensuring that patients have the most streamlined access to all the care and services they require,” said O’Shea. “NHS, through its outstanding physicians, hospitals, social workers and other staff, offers tremendous resources to the community and I look forward to working on integrating its services so they are best utilized across our system.” CAB President and CEO Kevin Norton will serve as President and CEO of the newly-merged entity.
“CAB and HES have served the North Shore for decades with a variety of vital and often complementary behavioral health and education services,” said Norton. “This merger is about offering the best patient care to our clients and I’m excited at the opportunity to lead the integration of these two critical institutions.
Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe Named Chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association Board of Trustees
Dennis D. Keefe
Cambridge, MA – Dennis D. Keefe, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a Harvard-affiliated public healthcare system that serves Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s Metro-North region, has been named the 70th Chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) Board of Trustees. He succeeds Ellen Zane, CEO of Tufts Medical Center, who held the one-year post from June 2009.
Keefe will be instrumental in guiding MHA in its mission to advance the health of individuals and communities throughout the state by serving as the leading voice for all Massachusetts hospitals and healthcare systems. In his inaugural speech at MHA’s recent annual meeting, he stressed the importance of payment reform but advised a transparent and thoughtful approach that will preclude a “greater loss of jobs and negative financial impacts on providers.”
Additionally, Keefe encouraged hospitals to place a greater focus on wellness, particularly among its own employees. “Given the high cost of disease related to obesity and smoking alone, hospitals, as one of the state’s largest employers, can surely have more impact to bend that curve,” he added.
Keefe has worked in academic teaching facilities and community hospitals for over 30 years, serving as Cambridge Health Alliance’s CEO since 2002. Prior to that, he was CHA’s Chief Operating Officer. He sits on the executive committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and currently is Board Chair of the National Public Health and Hospital Institute. In 2008, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award from Health Care for All for his efforts to improve access to medical care in Massachusetts and, in 2009, received the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Massachusetts Healthcare Executive of the Year Award.
Keefe received both his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University. He was named Northeastern’s Alumnus of the Year in 2005.
Addison Gilbert Hospital, Beverly Hospital and Beverly Hospital at Danvers Receive Echocardiography Accreditation Facilities Recognized for High Quality Patient Care and Quality Diagnostic Testing
Danvers, MA – Addison Gilbert Hospital, Beverly Hospital and Beverly Hospital at Danvers recently received accreditation of their echocardiography laboratories from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). Accreditation status signifies that the facilities have been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the laboratory’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.
The ICAEL certification process was established with the support of the American Society of Echocardiography, the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation. A non profit organization, the ICAEL is dedicated to ensuring high quality patient care and to promoting healthcare.
“We are very pleased to receive this significant accreditation from ICAEL for high quality care in our Echocardiography Labs,” said Pauline Pike, chief operating officer of Northeast Hospital Corporation. “Providing high quality patient care to the residents of the North Shore is our daily mission and goal as an organization. Receiving a recognition such as this let’s us know that we are succeeding in that journey.”
Cardiac structure and flow information provided by echocardiographic testing is useful in the detection and management of many types of heart disease. This noninvasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tests in cardiology with an estimated 10 million echocardiograms performed annually in the United States. Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on the experience and training of both the physician and the sonographer. Their interpretive and technical abilities determine the diagnostic accuracy of an echocardiographic examination. The ICAEL has developed an accreditation program which evaluates the quality of these and other critical elements of an echocardiography laboratory.
HOSPICE OF THE NORTH SHORE ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF THE NEW AYER ANDERSON WING
Hospice of the North Shore President Diane Stringer opened the new Ayer Anderson Wing of the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers in June. Assisting Stringer were (l-r) Congressman John Tierney, Hospice of the North Shore Board Chairman Peter Sherwood, Co-Chair for the Capital Campaign Committee Dr. Harold Kaplan, and Chair of the Building Committee Tom Ford.
Danvers, MA – Hospice of the North Shore is pleased to announce the opening of the new Ayer Anderson Wing of the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. The Hospice House, which opened in 2005 as the first licensed hospice inpatient facility in Massachusetts has provided over 2,000 patients with expert end-of-life care, advanced pain and symptom management, spiritual support, family workshops and respite care services. An ongoing waiting list for the twelve patient care suites led to the construction of the Ayer Anderson Wing, which began accepting patients in June. The new wing adds eight patient care suites and one state-of-the-art pediatric care suite for children who require complex pain and symptom management. The $3.3 million expansion was made possible by the generous donations of many including Hilda Ayer Anderson and Henry and Donna Bertolon. Over $2.5 million was raised for the new construction through a capital campaign, with more than $100,000 contributed by employees of Hospice of the North Shore.
The Ayer Anderson Wing adds 7,500 square feet and 15 new full time equivalent staff positions to the Kaplan Family Hospice House. The construction utilized “green design” components and was led by EGA Architects of Newburyport, Groom Construction of Salem, Interior designers Siemasko and Verbridge of Beverly, and Comak Brothers Landscaping of Peabody.
BRAINTREE REHAB OPENS SOUTH SHORE’S ONLY SPINAL CORD INJURY OUTPATIENT CLINIC
Will Address Wide Variety of Health Issues to Help SCI Patients Continue Recovery
BRAINTREE, MA. – Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital (BRH) has just opened its Outpatient Spinal Cord Injury and Disease Clinic, the only clinic of its type on the South Shore.
Located inside the hospital’s main Braintree facility, the clinic was established to help spinal cord injury patients continue their recovery in a multi-disciplinary setting that will help them maximize their independence and wellness.
Each patient at the clinic will be assigned a board-certified physiatrist, along with a treatment team that may include a physical therapist, assistive technology practitioner, case manager, occupational therapist, orthopedic surgeon, orthotist, speech language pathologist or urologist, depending upon the individual’s needs. These professionals will work together to address a wide spectrum of health issues related to spinal cord conditions, including positioning, skin integrity, mobility, spasticity, difficulty swallowing, bowel and bladder problems, and more.
Treatment services will be extremely comprehensive, including resources for non-narcotic pain management, nutritional needs, psychosocial health, gross mobility, skin integrity, pulmonary function, neurogenic bowel and bladder function, spasticity and sexual function. Patient and family education will be a key element to helping patients continue their recovery in their home setting. Directing the new clinic is Physiatrist Heidi Wennemer, DO. Board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Injury, Dr. Wennemer also serves as the medical director of BRH’s Spinal Cord Injury program. Dr. Wennemer received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000.
An Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Wennemer has published and presented at national conferences on various topics related to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.
The creation of the new clinic dovetails perfectly with BRH’s “continuum of care” philosophy.
“Recovering from a spinal cord injury is a long, complicated process,” said Dr. Wennemer. “Patients with spinal card injury have ongoing medical and functional issues that need to be addressed. Our new clinic will continue the recovery process and allow patients to regain the highest possible level of function.”
More information about the Outpatient Spinal Cord Injury and Disease Clinic is available by calling (781) 348-4011 or on the Web at www.braintreerehabhospital.com
