SUMMER 2012

spotlight

2 New Administrator at Herrin Hospital

6 SIH Affiliates With Two Local Hospitals

8 Recipe: Low-Fat Cheesecake

In Step with Joint Camp4

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All one has to do is step into Herrin Hospital to feel the security of knowing that you are in a place where the patient comes first… you matter. “When one of the Second Act members comes to Herrin Hospital, we want them to expect the highest level of care in our state of the art facility,” Terence Farrell, the new Vice President and Administrator at Herrin Hospital, said.

When Mr. Farrell came to Herrin Hospital, part of the Southern Illinois Healthcare organization,

Putting Patients FirstA One-on-One with Herrin Hospital’s Administrator

for his first time almost a year ago, he knew right away that he was interviewing with a group of people who were committed to providing quality care to the people they serve in southern Illinois. “I was most impressed when I met the staff that I would be working with at Herrin Hospital,” he explained.

“Their dedication and compassionfor taking care of people was evident from the first day I met them.”

3spotlightTerence Farrell is no stranger to walking the halls of a hospital. While raising six kids, Terence’s mother served as a hospital administrator. “I was about 14 when I first volunteered at mom’s hospital delivering magazines,” Farrell said. “I spent many holidays, weekends and summer vacation days reading to the patients.”

Farrell began his leadership position at Herrin Hospital in November of 2011. Prior to joining Southern Illinois Healthcare’s administrative team, he served as the Vice President of Professional Support Services at the Pikeville Regional Medical Center in Pikeville, Kentucky, east of Lexington. He holds a master degree in Healthcare Manage-ment from University of St. Francis X in Joliet in 2003 and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

“The Herrin community really supports this hospital in a wonderful way,” Farrell stated. “Not only do they use the hospital, they also spend many hours volunteering in a variety of ways.” Most recently, the auxiliary’s work helped to fund the monitoring equipment in the chest pain center at Herrin Hospital.

The new equipment has been a great enhancement to Herrin Hospital’s emergency department according to Farrell. All of the necessary diagnostic services are located in

one physical area to allow for a more efficient delivery of care to the heart patient. Our results are some of the best in the nation,” Farrell said. If a patient comes into the emergency department at Herrin Hospital with chest pains, they are evaluated immediately. If it is determined the patient is having a heart attack and requires a balloon procedure, they are rapidly transported to the cath lab at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Herrin Hospital’s average “Door to Balloon” time is 68 minutes. This time is much less than the national average, which can mean saving valuable heart muscle.

Farrell says Herrin Hospital has a huge amount of potential for continued growth. It is big enough to attract quality physicians and staff, while at the same time, small enough that the patient is not bogged down in the system. We are a community… we all know each other. Decisions can be made quicker and the end result is a high level of care for the patient.”

Herrin Hospital, which serves patients throughout the region, is a 114-bed acute facility. The hospital provides a full range of acute care services, including but not limited to, a 24-hour Emergency Department, Rehab Institute of Chicago inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, bariatric surgery, imaging and laboratory services.

For more information on Herrin Hospital and their medical staff, contact the Southern Illinois Healthcare’s Call Center, toll free, 1.866.744.2468.

Terence Farrell (left), Vice President and Administrator at Herrin Hospital, and Dixie Restivo (right), a member of the hospital auxiliary, view the equipment recently purchased with the funds donated by the Herrin Hospital auxiliary.

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pride in making sure that this is the experience of all Joint Camp patients.”

Joint Camp is open to anyone needing a hip or knee replacement, a revision of a hip or knee replacement, and those with bilateral knee replacements. The Joint Camp classroom experience takes place usually about three weeks before the surgery. The classes are on Thursdays from 1:00-2:30 pm at Herrin Hospital. Patients are encouraged to bring a “coach,” the person who will be their caregiver, to class with them.

Stephanie Banks, RN, BSN, Orthopedic Program Coordinator at Herrin Hospital, is the first person a patient meets when attending Joint Camp. She works in conjunction with a team of healthcare providers, including case management, physical and occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, a physician assistant, a hospitalist and orthopedic nurses to coordinate a patient centered experience for each joint camp participant.

During class, Banks reviews the information in the binder. She explains how important it is to perform the exercises prior to surgery to strengthen their muscles. “These exercises play a key role in the recovery process later,” she said. “For instance, the exercises to strengthen the upper body muscles make the use of a walker or other assistive device easier as they recover after the surgery.”

One of the things that the patients really like is the education before surgery regarding the equipment, therapy needs, pain management, and discharge expectations. Each person is allowed to view a model prosthetic of a hip that the surgeon uses for joint replacement.

Often candidates for hip or knee replacement put off the surgery as long as possible, because of the lengthy and painful recovery process. A new program at Herrin Hospital in January of this year, they call Joint Camp, changes the way the patient prepares for joint replacement surgery and expedites recovery.

“Joint Camp is something that I am very excited about,” explains Terence Farrell, administrator of Herrin Hospital. “The patient education, combined with the enhanced rehabilitation while the patient is in the hospital, and the follow up with the patient has significantly decreased the amount of time needed for recovery.”

The patient education actually begins when the patient receives a referral by their primary care physician to an orthopedic physician. The orthopedic surgeon discusses treatment options. If the patient decides to proceed with having surgery at Herrin Hospital, he/she will be referred to the Joint Camp program. The patient will leave the office with a binder containing information he/she will need to review prior to attending a Joint Camp class.

Dr. Bret Miller, board certified orthopedic surgeon, at The Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois, in Herrin, played a key role in bringing Joint Camp to Herrin Hospital. Dr. Miller also serves as the Orthopedic Medical Director for SIH. “Joint Camp improves the patient experience by increasing their knowledge and decreasing their anxiety,” explains Dr. Miller. “Joint Camp is a program that focuses on the patient and includes the preoperative education, hospital stay routine, and post discharge management. Every member of the Joint Camp team gets involved and takes

JoinT CAmP Shortens Recovery Time

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During class is the first time the group is together. The group dynamic which begins during class is beneficial. Often, questions answered help the entire group. A number of people in each class will also have their surgery on the same date, and take physical therapy as a group following their surgery.

Joint Camp does not end when the patient leaves the hospital. Banks phones patients multiple times after surgery to review how their therapy is going, make sure they have arranged their follow up appointment with the surgeon, go over their medications, and discuss wound care.

When the physician clears a patient for normal activities, he/she receives a free 30-day membership certificate to a local fitness center to maintain an exercise routine that encourages a better outcome.

Joint Camp has had over 100 patients participate in the first six months of the program. Banks said, “We have been extremely pleased with the results.” Since the implementation of the Joint Camp, patients have been able to return to their lives quicker, the length of stay in the hospital has fallen from a four to five day stay to a stay of two or three days. When a patient is able to leave the hospital safely in a shorter time, it helps to decrease the possibility of developing complications, such as an infection, and decreases recovery time.

The Joint Camp program is available to all patients that have their joint surgery at Herrin Hospital. For more information about Joint Camp, please call Banks at 618-942-2171, extension 35856.

Stephanie Banks, Rn, BSn, orthopedic Program Coordinator at Herrin Hospital, speaks with Randy Browning of West Frankfort as to what he can expect followng a joint replacement.

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A hospital is often considered the heart of the community. Therefore, it is fitting that the Prairie STAT Heart program, focusing on the human heart, would prompt the leadership of Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) to form a new affiliation to benefit area residents.

Last September, SIH (which operates Herrin Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro) announced a formal affiliation agreement with Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin, followed by another with Harrisburg Medical Center in January.

Christina Carney, SIH System Service Line Director, said the Prairie STAT Heart program, a rapid response effort involving area hospitals to get heart attack victims to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale’s cath lab for treatment in 90 minutes or less, was just the beginning of a partnership that benefits everyone involved from the hospital to patient. “STAT Heart is the first program that got us thinking regionally,” Carney said. Additional collaborative ideas focused on a better coordination of patient care soon followed.

Ed Gast, CEO, Marshall Browning Hospital, said their agreement with SIH allows the hospital to retain its own identity while providing enhanced services through outreach, development and clinical integration. “The affiliation provides a rich spectrum of educational, administrative, and clinical opportunities in the healthcare professions, meets community needs for high quality, cost-effective healthcare and develops new regional linkages among healthcare providers,” said Gast. Marshall Browning is a not-for-profit 25-bed, critical access hospital.

Patients at Marshall Browning now have access to additional procedures in the area of urology, obstetrics/gynecology and pain management. The affiliation with SIH has enabled Marshall Browning to provide full field true digital mammography—a first

in Perry County. The newly remodeled mammography room opened in June.

Additional cardiac procedures and diagnostic testing are now available at Harrisburg Medical Center. “We have been working with specialty physicians, to set up clinics at Harrisburg Medical. These specialty clinics will provide better access to the next level of care and eliminate the need to drive long distances,” said Carney. “SIH’s role is to help southern Illinoisans to receive the most appropriate care in the most appropriate place.”

Rodney Smith, Acting President/CEO of Harrisburg Medical Center said the affiliation enhances services for the residents of Saline County through outreach and development. Harrisburg Medical Center is an 86-bed hospital that offers surgical procedures, diagnostic testing, home health outreach and nutrition guidance with over 40 proven physicians serving patients in major medical specialties. Harrisburg Medical Center is also home to Mulberry Center, a 26-bed inpatient behavioral health unit for adults; and the Bradford House, an outpatient behavioral health program. Their six primary care and family practice clinics in the surrounding area are dedicated to improving health care in the community.

“We want to work closely with Marshall Browning and Harrisburg Medical Center to identify gaps in care and determine how SIH can help fill those voids to reinforce or add services that will be helpful to the residents,” said Rex Budde, SIH President and CEO. “There is a growing trend in healthcare to draw more closely together to share expertise and programs given all of the changes on the horizon. This relationship will start slowly and develop over time as we identify specific areas we can work on.”

Affiliations with Area Hospitals take the Residents’ Needs to Heart

Dr. Patrick O’Reilly, Family Medicine, speaks to Second Act members during an Eat & Educate program at Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin.

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spotlight is a publication of Southern Illinois Healthcare’s Second Act program. All rights reserved.

SiH Facilities: Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, Herrin Hospital, Center for Medical Arts, Miners Memorial Health Center, and SIH Cancer Institute.

SiH Second Act Staff: Editor – Mona Kerns, Contributors – Petra Massetto and Tina Bernstein, RN, BSN. Design: Horizon Media Group

Material contained herein is intended for information purposes only. If you have medical concerns, seek the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Physicians providing services at and admitting patients to Herrin Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and St. Joseph Memorial Hospital are not employees of the hospital. Physicians exercise their own independent judgment regarding medical care and treatment and the hospital is not responsible for their actions.Volume 3 — Issue 2 — Summer 2012

Fifty Second Act members visited the sites of Chicago

Program Manager Mona Kerns visits with volunteers during the annual recognition banquet.

Varsity Theater for the Arts, The Stage Company, and The Second Act

teamed up for an enjoyable evening.

Members of the Second Act

CheesecakeIngredients3 ounces lemon gelatin8 ounces fat free cream cheese¼ cup sugar12 ounces fat free evaporated milk3 cups graham cracker crumbs½ cup light margarine1 tsp. imitation vanilla1 cup boiling water

DirectionsDissolve gelatin in boiling water; chill until slightly thickened. Cream together cheese, sugar, and vanilla; add gelatin and blend well. Fold in stiffly whipped evaporated milk (this can be done with electric mixer). NOTE: Chill bowl and beater before whipping.

Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted margarine together; pack 2/3 of mixture on bottom and sides of 9x13x2 inch pan (or larger). Add filling and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill several hours (or overnight).

Cut in squares and serve plain or garnish with fruit.

Yield: Serves 16

Nutritional ContentCalories per serving: 219 Total Fat: 12.2 g Cholesterol: 16 g Total Carbohydrates: 23.8 g Protein: 4 g

The Second Act is a free program sponsored by Southern Illinois Healthcare for adults, age 50 or beyond. The program aims to expand the lifestyle of its members by providing healthy living tips, lively social activities, local discounts and much more.

Call 877-480-4040 for more information.

spotlight P.O. Box 3988Carbondale, IL 62902-3988

NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE PAID

CARBONDALE ILPERMIT #183