By the Numbers: Our people

N E W S F R O M T H E R E G I O N ’ S P R E M I E R A C A D E M I C M E D I C A L C E N T E R

ADVANCES DECEMBER 5, 2013

Geriatrics Spotlight

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To suggest a By the Numbers, email Advances@kumc.edu.

There are many ways to measure the size of the region’s premier academic medical center – perhaps none as important as our people.

13,735Staff, faculty and students at The University of Kansas Hospital, University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Physicians

Hospital Medical Center

Fantasy Camp supports concussion programNew Chiefs event expands education, safety for youth athletes

With sports concussions on the rise, the Kansas City Chiefs and The University of Kansas Hospital are partnering in a unique event to help expand con-cussion education and treatment.

The Chiefs will host a Fantasy Camp next spring at Arrowhead Stadium. Participants will enjoy a range of activities: socializing with team greats, breaking down game film, suiting up in personalized jerseys and hitting Arrowhead’s hallowed turf for drills and other activities with players, including former QB Trent Green.

The Fantasy Camp is the first-of-its kind event for the Chiefs and once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans. Proceeds, which benefit the hospital’s Center for Concussion Management, will help improve access to concussion testing, care

and education for high school and community athletes and non-athletes throughout the region.

“We are thrilled to be a partner of the Chiefs Fantasy Camp,” said Michael Moncure, MD, Center for Concussion Management medical director. “This is another major step toward improving concussion awareness and treat-ment in our area.”

Formed in July 2012, the center is innovative in its concussion care. It features a dedicated patient navigator and physicians from different special-ties – Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, Orthopedics Youth Sports, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Family Medicine and Trauma.

Professionals from other disci-plines also are involved, including Neuropsychology and Physical Therapy. A research component involves staff at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Just as important, members of the team routinely host work-shops with local coaches, school nurses and administrators, where they share information about

concussion symptoms, manage-ment and our team’s services.

Concussions are increas-ingly common. Up to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. annually. High school athletes sustain up to 300,000 concussions per year – double the rate of a decade ago.

A portion of the fantasy camp’s proceeds will allow the center to extend concussion testing to high school students in need, where schools may not offer the test. “The ultimate goal,” said Moncure, “is to improve the health, education and quality of life for more students.”

Chiefs Fantasy Camp • May 15-16 at Arrowhead• Limited to 100 participants• Co-chairs Trent Green and

David Gentile, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City

• Details at KCChiefs.com/FantasyCamp

Former quarterback

Trent Green will be among the

Fantasy Camp’s star players.

200520062007200820092010201120122013

Fiscal year, full-time equivalent Three campuses and outlying sites

5,602

2,7272,878

3,2663,551

3,7843,938

4,5174,866

UKP 915 employees

Hospital5,602 staff

Medical Center 7,218 staff, faculty

and students

Staff 1,035

Students 3,349 Faculty

2,834

Events Missys’ Boutique annual

holiday open house – Missys’ Boutique is an accredited appearance and retail center at the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion at the Westwood Campus. The open house, which is 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, features 10 percent off all retail merchan-dise, deep-discount tables, door prizes, a scarf-tying demonstra-tion and homemade treats and refreshments.

Forever Young concert – Hosted by the Landon Center on Aging, Forever Young is a rock ensemble for people age 60 and older. Members perform contemporary and classic rock songs from groups such as Mumford and Sons and Queen. The fall concert is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in Battenfeld Auditorium on the main campus. For information or to join the choir, contact Myra Hyatt at 913-588-2365.

The Affordable Care Act: What It Means – Cindy Hermes from the Kansas Insurance Department will discuss the ACA, including the health insurance enrollment process, eligibility for the cost-sharing, tax credits and resources available to help with the application and enrollment process. Many topics also apply to Missouri residents. The ses-sion is 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing in Leawood. Call 913-383-8700 to register.

Save the date for Girls’ Night In – The 9th Annual Girls’ Night In is 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Heartfelt storytelling will be followed by art, wine and heart healthy bites in the Bloch Lobby. This year’s event will benefit the Adelaide C. Ward Women’s Heart Health Center and Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing. Watch for details here or at girlsnightinkc.com.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Geriatric care focuses on quality of lifeGeriatricians may be small

in number at The University of Kansas Hospital, but they have a big impact since caring for older patients is important to most medical specialties.

An emphasis on teaching geriatric care is one reason the program is ranked among the best in the nation, currently No. 18 by U.S. News & World Report. Deon Hayley, DO, section leader of Internal Medicine-Geriatrics, is very proud of the academic approach.

“Most of our trainees won’t become geriatricians, but all of them will be taking care of older people,” said Hayley.

The six geriatricians from both Internal Medicine and Family Medicine see patients at the Landon Center on Aging, the Medical Office Building, in skilled and long-term care facili-ties and during house calls.

It is not age so much as condi-tion that determines when patients might benefit from geriatric care. The typical geriatric patient is frail, has multiple medical conditions or nearing the end of life.

When patients begin to have these issues or experience falls,

memory loss or dementia, their primary care physicians often consult with geriatricians to pro-vide additional care. Geriatricians are equipped to deal with social issues and can help patients and families arrange for a nursing facility or in-home care.

While medical training tends to focus on disease-specific care, Geriatrics takes a holistic, person-oriented approach dedicated to optimizing quality of life.

“Teaching focused on the

person is such an important part of what we do,” Hayley said. “We ask our residents to think about a family member who is experienc-ing some of the conditions we treat, who is declining in their function. When they think of their own grandmothers, for example, there is a light bulb moment that helps them under-stand the bigger picture. That connection helps them understand and connect with their patients in a very personal way.”

EXPOSURE

Night @ The LabHigh school students from throughout Kansas competed in Night @ The Lab, a new program from the University of Kansas Medical Center Area Health Education Center. They researched medical topics, created visual displays and oral presentations. Six teams winning at the regional level advanced to the finals Nov. 19 at the medical center, where they were judged by staff and faculty. The winning team: Frontenac High School (southeast Kansas), whose team explored pacemakers. Laura Richmeier and Austin Greathouse from Garden City High School examined blood pressure and its importance.

Geriatrics staff treat patients in various settings, including the Landon Center exercise room, seen here. The team (from left) includes Rachel Mason, MD; Deon Hayley, DO; Jessica Kalender-Rich, MD; and Shelley Bhattacharya, DO, MPH. (Not pic-tured: James Birch, MD, MPH, and Daniel Swagerty, MD, MPH.)

Stem cell center poised for innovationThe University of Kansas Medical Center’s new Midwest Stem

Cell Therapy Center hosted its inaugural scientific meeting Nov. 23 in Kansas City.

Kansas lawmakers created the center this year to advance research into the use of adult stem cells for treatments and cures. The stem cells have been used for years to successfully treat leukemia and related bone and blood cancers through bone marrow transplants. Research now is focusing on other applications, such as organ repair.

The conference attracted approximately 150 physicians, scientists and others from around the country and locally. It inspired collaboration among scientists from different fields, including cardiology, cancer and the neurosciences.

“We have the opportunity to focus on development of specific areas of adult stem cell research and patient treatment, with the potential to become a leader in innovative cellular therapies for specific diseases or conditions,” said Buddhadeb Dawn, MD, director of the new Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center and direc-tor of the medical center’s Cardiovascular Division.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, also at the conference, said the medical center “is leading the nation in research and treatment using cutting-edge adult stem cell therapies. Their advances are helping people live longer and better.”

A scout’s generous music in PediatricsTwo years ago while in middle school, Noah Hastings was

hospitalized several times because of Crohn’s disease. With the help of great caregivers and a wonderful family support system, Hastings made progress and was discharged – but he also realized how music therapy helped ease his long weeks in the hospital.

So when time came to work on his Eagle Scout project, Noah decided to help other young patients at The University of Kansas Hospital.

He organized a garage sale, car wash, dance party, pancake breakfast and other fundraisers. He collected more than $6,000, easily surpassing his goal. On Nov. 21 Noah and his family, along with members of his scout troop, delivered 25 iPod docks/CD players, movies and other music items to the hospital’s Pediatrics unit where he had spent so much time.

“I want to give back for all that has been given to me,” he said. “I hope it will help countless young patients who struggle with medical issues like I do.” For more, search “Noah’s Eagle project” on Facebook.

In the NewsA recap of recent articles, TV segments and other media coverage of the region’s leading academic medical center.

A special Thanksgiving – KMBC-TV, Nov. 27. An Overland Park man shared Thanksgiving with family and friends - including the woman who gave him one of her kidneys. David Seldner, whose kidneys were function-ing at 14 percent, faced a long-term routine on dialysis. However, his friend and personal trainer, Ellen Murphy, discovered she was a 1-in-30,000 match for Seldner. The procedure was performed in August at The University of Kansas Hospital. Seldner was one of 20 transplant patients to receive a living donor organ this year at the hospital’s Center for Transplantation.

Olathe mayor doesn’t miss a beat after heart surgery – Kansas City Business Journal, Nov. 22. For his aortic valve replacement surgery Sept. 9, Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland considered Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic but opted for The University of Kansas Hospital. “I know people at Mayo… But I looked at what I care about – mortality and hospital-borne infections,” he told the newspaper. “Mayo and The University of Kansas Hospital scores for those outcomes are identical. So why disrupt the fam-ily? Why not just go here, which is what I did. I think we underappreciate the incredible resource we have” at The University of Kansas Hospital.

Low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screening – Fox 4 News, Nov. 21. Pat Galvin, a patient at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, discusses how his life was saved following a low-dose CT screening for lung cancer. Galvin and Radiology’s Lucas Meek, MD, consider Galvin a good example why new guidelines recommend the annual screenings for long-time heavy smokers. The segment also spotlights the role of nurse navigator Barbara Hedgpeth, RN.

Turning Point and hospital celebrate one year together – Kansas City Kansan, Nov. 26. Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing, is celebrating its first year as part of The University of Kansas Hospital. Moira Mulhern, PhD, the organization’s co-founder and executive director, said the first year exceeded expectations. The number of people accessing Turning Point grew 55 percent, to more than 8,000. And the center added new programs for patients and their families facing heart failure, stroke, cancer and neurological diseases.

New

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iefs

A legacy from BuckBob Page (left), president and CEO of The University of Kansas Hospital, and Rick Sutcliffe (right), former Major League Baseball pitcher, last month received The Buck O’Neil Legacy Award. It lauds people who demonstrate

outstanding support for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Page was honorary co-chair of the museum’s All-Star Game celebration last year and helped the museum raise more than $500,000. Bob Kendrick (middle) is museum president. A video is at youtube.com/kuhospital.

Noah Hastings (arm on packages), along with scout colleagues, friends and family, delivered his bountiful collection to our Pediatrics unit.

ADVANCES

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Our People Supporting the Philippines

– Last month’s typhoon in the Philippines, which left millions of people homeless, hurt and in des-perate need of aid, also touched lives at The University of Kansas Hospital.

Employees are participating in a range of events to raise relief funds and collect needed items. The activities are coordinated by staff in the Department of Nursing’s Professionalism Council, who are partnering with Heart to Heart International. The local non-profit re-sponds to people in crisis and delivers humanitarian aid around the globe.

In addition to donating funds online directly to Heart to Heart (hearttoheart.org), employees will participate in an online auction, raising money for Heart to Heart.

Nursing units also are holding a competition to collect the most hy-giene care kit supplies, such as hand towels, washcloths, shampoo, bars of soap and toothbrushes. The kits offer a first line of defense against the spread of illness. (The nursing unit with the most items will win a pizza party courtesy of d’Bronx.)

Hospital employees will gather Saturday, Dec. 7, to assemble the care kits and deliver to Heart to Heart for shipment to the Philippines.

A unique Daisy Award – Each quarter The University of Kansas Hospital honors three nurses with the Daisy Award, a national program recognizing extraordinary nurses for their clinical skills and compassion.

Now the nurse who works tire-lessly behind the scenes coordinat-ing the presentations has received her own award.

Gigi Siers, RN, was named an Extraordinary Daisy Champion, a new award from the organization. Daisy founders Mark and Bonnie Barnes were on hand for the surprise presentation.

“As our Daisy coordinator, Gigi goes out of her way to make sure every event is personal, special, well-organized and a surprise,” said Chris Ruder, RN, vice president of Patient Care Services. This time the surprise was on her.

Michael Salacz, MD Neuro-Oncology

New

Phy

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Takefumi Komiya, MD, PhD Oncology

Rachel Mason, MD Geriatrics

Shannon Kraft, MD Laryngology

Matt Swan, MD Internal Medicine

© The University of Kansas Hospital

A D V A N C I N G T H E P O W E R O F M E D I C I N E®

What if you could save two lives with one liver?

Complex surgeries are common here.Surgeons here performed the area’s first adult split-liver transplant, saving the lives of two women with one liver. These physicians are among many specialized surgery teams that routinely treat the most complex patients.

For an appointment, a second opinion or to speak to a nurse, call 913-588-1227. Or learn more at kumed.com.

Brennen Bittel, DO Neurology

Nurses wearing traditional Filipino kimonos visited staff throughout the hospital, encouraging donations for the relief effort.

Gigi Siers, RN (left), was honored at a surprise presentation by Liz Carlton, RN, and Chief Nursing Officer Tammy Peterman, RN, among others.