Archive for the ‘The Medical Center’ Category

The Medical Center and partner Lifelink of Georgia have announced that a new Donate Life flag will fly at The Medical Center. The flag will fly, according to national protocols, every day during April to mark National Donate Life Month. Then, starting on May 1 and continuing on, The Medical Center will raise the flag each day there is a donation at the hospital.

National Donate Life Month was instituted by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003 with the support of then Secretary of HHS, Tommy Thompson. National Donate Life Month encourages Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to celebrate those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

Currently, 113,265 Americans are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and the number grows every day. In Georgia, there are 3,488 people who need a transplant. Each day, approximately eighteen to twenty people die waiting for a transplant.

For more information, visit http://donatelife.net/

The Medical Center is pleased to accept a $20,000 grant from the Amerigroup Foundation to further the development of health and medical services for children in Columbus covered by Medicaid.

Dr. Tunde Sotunde, CEO of Amerigroup-Community Care of Georgia, made the announcement today at the Columbus Regional Conference Center at The Medical Center. Dr. Sotunde and Dr. William Alexander, Chief Medical Director for Amerigroup-Community Care of Georgia, saluted the efforts of Columbus Regional and The Medical Center in making quality pediatric care available to all children in the community.

“We are delighted to play a role in supporting The Medical Center in its efforts toward providing quality care to the underserved in our communities,” Dr. Sotunde said.

“We accept this grant from Amerigroup Foundation with gratitude and sincere appreciation,” said Mike Hill, CEO of Evergreen Medical Group, a physician-hospital organization jointly owned by Columbus Regional Healthcare System and community physician partners. “Amerigroup has a strong commitment to providing support to the Medicaid population. They requested the grant funding be used to further pediatric medical care in Columbus, and we are delighted to put the funds to good use for the children of our community.”

Columbus Regional is the region’s leading provider of women and children’s services, including hospital and outpatient care for children, Mr. Hill added. From July 2010-June 2011, The Medical Center recorded 1,562 pediatric inpatients, well over 30,000 outpatient pediatric visits, 169 admissions to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and 11,800 pediatric visits to The Medical Center’s Emergency and Trauma Center.

The Medical Center, part of the Columbus Regional Healthcare System, has installeda low radiation, high definition CT scan imaging system from GE Healthcare, the first in both Georgia and East Alabama.  The Discovery CT750 HD delivers the highest quality CT images while significantly reducing patient radiation exposure.

This is accomplished through new hardware and software featuring a revolutionary new Gemstone^TM detector. The GE Gemstone detector is a new scintillator (asubstance that emits light when hit by x-rays) that is 100 times faster than any other CT scanner detector and generates higher resolution images than previous systems.  This new Gemstone detector in the Discovery CT750 HD enables physicians at The Medical Center to see internal structures in the human body as small as a grain of sand in a single rotation.

According to Dr. Glen Vahjen, Medical Director of Imaging Services at The Medical Center, “Our new GE 750HD CT scanner produces the highest quality images we have seen, while decreasing radiation to the patient by 50 percent or more compared to other CT scanner systems.” 

The decreased radiation exposure will benefit all patients, but particularly cancer patients, pediatric patients and the few pregnant patients who require CT scans for diagnosis. The scanner is also beneficial for patients whose conditions require one or more follow-up scans.  

The new Discovery CT750 HD will enhance many procedures and help diagnose stroke, early cancers, subtle fractures, and early signs of infection, among many others.

“This new CT scanner is going to help us enhance patient care. The ability of this machine to produce the best CT images we have seen while lowering radiation dose to the patient is a significant step forward for patients in our community and in the medical imaging community as a whole,“ said Dr. Vahjen. “We are fortunate to be the first site in both Georgia and East Alabama to obtain this technology.” 

Approximately 2,300 patients undergo CT scans each month at The Medical Center.

On May 6th, Scott Ressmeyer and the miracle riders will begin another journey across America, seeing 48 states in under a month. They ride in order to increase awareness of Children’s Miracle Network, raise money for CMN and help their local community.

Yesterday’s press conference marked the beginning of this journey. Scott introduced the riders and again stated the importance of CMN for our community. The riders toured the NICU and the pediatrics floor to remind them of why they are going on this ride.

If you would like to read about their journey, send words of encouragement, donate to Children’s Miracle Network or follow the riders on their trip, please visit www.rideformiracles.com

Scott’s Miracle Riders

Since her arrival in early December, Debra Hernandez has been asked her vision as the new Chief Nursing Executive for Columbus Regional and Chief Nursing Officer at The Medical Center. “We will be the best,” she simply says. “Great things are going on here. It’s exciting to be invited to participate.” She looks forward to having the opportunity to develop a strategic plan for nursing services that reduces variation in practice across the organization so nursing care and patient care can flourish.

“We are thrilled to have Debra join our organization,” said Lance Duke, president and CEO of The Medical Center. “Her great background and experience add a lot, and we are very glad to have her on our team. I particularly look forward to her input and guidance of nursing across the enterprise, which is a new way for us to look at this most important part of Columbus Regional.”

Mrs. Hernandez’s accomplishments to this point in her nursing career are many. She comes to Columbus from Stamford, Conn. where she was senior vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Stamford Health System. Previously, she was Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer at Durham Regional Hospital, a facility within the Duke University Health System. She has also served as vice president of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro, N.C. She began her nursing career in the critical services area with her first leadership position in nursing at Western Wake Medical Center in Raleigh as manager of Inpatient Services.

She received her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in health administration from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

A member of several professional organizations, Mrs. Hernandez currently serves on the Strategic Planning Committee of the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She is a past president of the North Carolina Organization of Nurse Executives.

 In 2008, Mrs. Hernandez received the Duke University Presidential Meritorious Service Award for Executive Leadership. She was a recipient of the North Carolina Great 100 Award in 2006.

Debra Hernandez

CRHS

Expectant moms in Columbus, Georgia can expect even more with a new Pampered Pregnancy Program being offered for those who choose to deliver at The Medical Center and Doctors Hospital.

By signing-up for the program, members will receive numerous special amenities, including:

One free spa treatment of their choice

• A membership card for discounts at participating merchant partners
• Monthly My Baby Expectations e-newsletter
• A discount on one childbirth education class or program
• A free lactation consultation during their stay at the hospital
• A hero meal for their birth partner during their stay at the hospital
• A helpful guide for new parents
• A baby spoon from their physician and Columbus Regional

Moms can also choose from one of two gifts:

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting book
  $10 gift certificate off purchases at The Gift Shop at The Medical Center or The Gift Box at Doctors Hospital

They may also sign-up to purchase special services during their stay, including:

• Fresh flowers in their room
• Newspaper or magazine delivered to their room after delivery
• Professional photography services for both parent and child during their stay

Expectant moms can sign up for the free program through www.yourhealthourmission.com.

For more information, call (706) 660-6402.

Thomas R. Stewart, M.D., FACOG

Columbus Regional recently welcomed Thomas R. Stewart, M.D., FACOG, and his private OB/GYN practice to our family of services in Columbus, GA.

Dr. Stewart moved his practice to the 1900 building (1900 10th Avenue, Suite 200, Columbus, GA), in early July.

“Columbus Regional has had a long-standing relationship with Dr. Stewart, beginning with his internship in our family practice program at The Medical Center,” said Columbus Regional Chairman and CEO Larry Sanders. “We are delighted that his practice is now becoming part of our organization. Dr. Stewart is a dedicated professional who, since 1991, has provided the highest quality obstetric and gynecological care to women in our community.”

“We are excited to become a part of Columbus Regional’s family of services,” said Dr. Stewart. “This is a great move for our practice and will enable us to enhance the services and care we provide to our patients.”

Jefferson Jones II, M.D.

Additionally, in mid-July, Dr. Stewart was joined by Jefferson Jones II, M.D., a Columbus native and the son of Jefferson Jones, M.D., of Columbus Clinic.

Quick Facts About Dr. Thomas R. Stewart

• Received undergraduate degree from Columbus College and medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.

• Internship was completed at The Medical Center, and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Memorial Medical Center.

• A Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Quick Facts About Dr. Jefferson Jones II

• Received undergraduate degree from Shorter College and medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine.

• Completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.

• A member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Specialists at Columbus Regional and The Medical Center: Champions for Infants and Children

By Joseph R. Zanga, M.D. | Chief of Pediatrics | The Medical Center

Dr. Joseph R. Zanga

Continued advancements at Columbus Regional and The Medical Center allow specialists on our staff to offer the highest quality care for infants and children in this community and this region.

These advancements are encouraging the recruitment of more of those specialists (Neurology and Hematology/Oncology, to name just two) to join the full-time Cardiologists, Allergist/Immunologist, Endocrinologist, Gastroenterologist, Intermediate Care Specialist, and Physiatrist in Columbus working at, with or for The Medical Center.

Add to that the part-time Autism specialist, Developmental pediatrician, Orthopedist, Pulmonologist, Scoliosis specialist, and others soon to come, and it’s clear that pediatrics in Columbus at the Columbus Regional Women and Children’s Center will be the center for care of infants and children in Southwest Georgia and the place all families in this region will want their children’s care to take place, from birth through adolescence.

Telemedicine Care Another Advancement at The Medical Center

By Joseph R. Zanga, M.D. | Chief of Pediatrics | The Medical Center

Dr. Joseph R. Zanga

Columbus Regional is developing a Women and Children’s Center on its campus to house not only the region’s most advanced Labor and Delivery Service and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but also the most advanced Inpatient and Pediatric Critical Care Units (PCCU) for older children and adolescents.

One example of the continuation of that advanced care is the soon-to-come online Telemedicine Care system. This state of-the-art technology will allow pediatric specialists in Augusta and Atlanta to see patients here in Columbus in real time, view vital sign monitors, ventilator settings, imaging studies, laboratory findings, skin color/lesions, the inside of the eyes and ears, and other items, in high resolution. It will allow them to talk with the patient (if appropriate), listen to heart, lung and abdominal sounds, and perhaps in the not-too-distant future, even “feel” necessary parts of the child as if they were here at The Medical Center, in order to assist us in care.

Beyond that, it will also allow specialists on our staff to offer patient consultations to physicians in distant communities. Both are major advances from the long and scary ambulance ride to an unfamiliar hospital in a far away place.

Lacy Lee, child life specialist in the Children’s Center at The Medical Center, with 12-year old Brittney Braggs, a patient who drew Lacy’s winning raffle ticket for a Mother’s Day basket at Miracle Friday.

Even in these difficult economic times, the generosity of Columbus Regional Healthcare employees toward children in the Columbus, Georgia community was at an all-time high on Miracle Friday!

A record-breaking $33,500 was contributed for the Children’s Miracle Network at The Medical Center. The special fundraising event was held the Columbus Regional Conference Center at The Medical Center.

Our sincere gratitude goes to those who filled the 37 baskets, bid on the baskets, and bought the baked goods and barbeque that contributed to raising the record-breaking amount.