Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Haven Boasts Deficiency-Free Inspection from State
The Haven of Our Lady of Peace, a partnership of Sacred Heart Health System and Methodist Homes for the Aging, successfully passed a rigorous survey by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). After a four-day review of the Haven, AHCA recorded no deficiencies in care.
The annual survey for nursing home recertification and renewal of State licensure was conducted at the Haven by five surveyors from July 31 to Aug. 3. The survey included a review of records from the past 15 months, which covered the care of both current and past residents.
“To ensure quality care of the elderly, who may not have a voice in the kind of care they receive, close scrutiny of nursing home practices is vital to determining the level of care facilities provide,” said Martha Perez, administrator of the Haven of Our Lady of Peace. “The findings from this survey attest to the Haven’s deep commitment to its mission of providing compassionate, quality care.”
The process includes direct interviews of Haven residents, family members, and employees of the Haven selected at random. In addition, an in-depth review of medication administration, discharge processes, accounting practices, resident trust fund accounts, personnel records, education records, staffing hours, and the relationship of the number of qualified staff to the acute-care needs of residents also is conducted.
Surveyors included two registered nurses, a dietitian/nutritionist, a social worker and quality management specialist, and a life safety code specialist.
For more information about the Haven of Our Lady of Peace, please call Martha Perez at (850) 436-5900.
New Vaccine for Cervical Cancer Now Available
The obstetricians and gynecologists with Sacred Heart Medical Group are providing a new vaccine that protects women and girls against the virus responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers.
The new vaccine, called Gardasil, is the first vaccine approved for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). It must be given in three separate injections over a six-month period.
The vaccine has been shown to be nearly 100 percent effective against four strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which cause most cervical cancers and also genital warts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all females as young as 9-years-old or as old as 26 should get the vaccine. CDC advises that ideally, the vaccine should be given before females have sex for the first time, because almost any sexual encounter carries a risk of HPV infection. While most HPV infections are cleared by the immune system, usually causing no symptoms, some infections persist and cause genital warts, pre-cancerous lesions, and invasive cancers of the cervix.
“There are about 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year in the United States, resulting in 3,700 deaths annually,” said Dr. Bill Lile, an Ob/Gyn with Sacred Heart Medical Group. “We hope the new HPV vaccine will help to prevent many of these cancers from occurring.”
Researchers are studying the vaccine’s effect in women over 26 and in men.
Although the vaccine, made by the Merck pharmaceutical company, is new, many insurance companies have begun covering the vaccine for those in the recommended age groups. Sacred Heart Medical Group is providing the vaccine at its Ob/Gyn offices in Pensacola and at the office of Dr. Dina Navarro in Pace. For more information, call 416-2550.
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Dr. Videau Honored by Navy Residents
Dr. Brent Videau, president of the Medical Staff at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, was honored with the “Teacher of the Year” award by the third-year residents of the Family Medicine Residency Program based at Naval Hospital Pensacola.
U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jack Wyland, chief resident, reports that one of the reasons Dr. Videau was selected was because he offered to assist the Residency Program at a time when there were critical staff shortages due to deployment from Naval Hospital Pensacola. This is only the second time in 25 years that a civilian physician has received this award.
Dr. Videau is a board-certified cardiologist with Cardiology Consultants who earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Emory University, where he also received fellowship training in Cardiology.
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Sacred Heart Uses Telemedicine to Extend Maternity Expertise
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital is extending its expertise in managing high risk pregnancies into the Florida Panhandle thanks to advances in telemedicine technology.
Telemedicine equipment allows pregnant women in Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Bay counties to receive expert care from Sacred Heart’s Regional Perinatal Center without having to travel to Pensacola.
 “We wanted to expand the regional availability of our services and improve birth outcomes in Northwest Florida, while allowing patients to get expert prenatal care closer to home,” said Dr. James Thorp, a specialist in maternal fetal medicine and medical director of the Regional Perinatal Center.
Here’s how it works: Twice a month, a nurse practitioner, a genetics counselor, a program coordinator and an ultrasound sonographer from the Regional Perinatal Center in Pensacola travel to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast in Walton County. There, the nurse practitioner performs a physical examination of patient referred to the Perinatal Center by their primary obstetrician. The patient can have a private consultation with a genetics counselor, and the sonographer performs a high quality ultrasound scan of the mother’s womb to monitor fetal development.
Using high speed lines at the hospital, the digital ultrasound images are transmitted to Sacred Heart in Pensacola, where they are evaluated by Dr. Thorp. The final piece of telemedicine is the use of teleconferencing equipment to establish an audio and video link between the clinic and Dr. Thorp, allowing him to see the patient and converse with her.
“This innovative approach to doing a ‘virtual office visit’ has allowed us to extend our services to underserved rural areas of Northwest Florida that do not have a physician specializing in high risk pregnancy,” said Elisabeth Allerellie, nurse coordinator of the telemedicine clinic. “This makes better use of Dr. Thorp’s time in that he does not spend half of the day driving in a car to see patients in Walton County or Bay County. Now he can see and talk to the patient, and diagnose their ultrasound scans, without having to leave Pensacola. It also means patients and their families can save time and money by avoiding a long trip to Pensacola.”
Since there is a critical shortage of Matenal-Fetal Medicine specialists throughout the United States, the telemedicine clinic will allow the Regional Perinatal Center to provide these services to the most needy areas. Ongoing clinical research is planned to monitor the cost, feasibility, and patient satisfaction as Sacred Heart expand these services
Sacred Heart’s Regional Perinatal Center is already working on plans to locate a similar telemedicine clinic to Crestview in 2007, and another clinic in Port St. Joe in 2008.
Sacred Heart is one of 11 hospitals in Florida designated by the state as a Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center (RPICC). Since 1974, the state’s RPICC program has improved outcomes for women with high-risk pregnancies and improved care to sick or pre-term newborns by providing a full range of specialized services and ongoing care.
Studies have found that outcomes for high-risk pregnancies can be improved through continuous specialized care to pregnant women with major medical or maternal conditions that puts their pregnancy at risk or their newborn at risk for disease, death or disability. At Sacred Heart, RPICC services include specialized prenatal care in a high-risk pregnancy clinic and at Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital, where obstetricians and nurses with specialized training in maternal-fetal medicine manage the pregnancies and deliveries of high-risk mothers. The second component of the program – neonatal care for very sick or premature newborns -- is provided by Sacred Heart’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
For more information on Sacred Heart’s Regional Perinatal Center, call (850) 416-2477.
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Sacred Heart Designated as Bariatric Center of Excellence
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Sacred Heart Hospital’s Institute for Surgical Weight Loss has been designated by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association as a Blue Center for Bariatric Surgery.
The designation means Sacred Heart meets or exceeds stringent quality criteria that demonstrate reliability in delivering bariatric surgical care and better overall outcomes for patients. The Blue Centers designation was developed to help consumers locate quality care for bariatric surgery. Sacred Heart Hospital is the first hospital in Northwest Florida to earn the designation.
Blue Centers for Bariatric Surgery are required to have dedicated teams in place that provide a full range of weight loss surgery services, including inpatient care, post-operative care, follow-up and patient education. Sacred Heart Hospital’s facilities include a nine-bed inpatient unit specially designed and equipped to meet the needs of weight loss surgery patients, and a new state-of-the-art operating room designed for laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
The staff of the Institute for Surgical Weight Loss includes Dr. Jeffrey Lord, the area’s only fellowship trained bariatric surgeon who gained extensive experience in minimally invasive bariatric surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has performed more than 1,000 weight loss surgeries. The weight loss surgery team at Sacred Heart also includes a registered dietitian and a licensed psychologist who are involved in evaluating and counseling patients before and after weight loss surgery.
Dr. Lord and Sacred Heart’s surgical team provide patients with two options for minimally invasive bariatric surgery: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery or a newer technique called Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding or lap-band® procedure.
The criteria for selection to the Blue Centers for Bariatric Surgery were developed with input from expert physician panels and national organizations. With a goal of improving patient health and safety, the Blue Center selection process includes a comprehensive evaluation of a facility’s volume, processes and outcome measures, including survival rates, post-surgical complications and sustained weight loss at two years after surgery. A focus in development of the Blue Centers is to reduce complications of treatment and surgery and therefore better manage costs.
Not all Blue Cross and Blue Shield benefit plans provide coverage for bariatric surgery. Members are encouraged to contact their local Blue Plan customer service representative who can explain specific coverage requirements and restrictions.
When launched, BCBS members will be able to find a state-by-state listing of recognized bariatric surgery centers by calling 1-800-476-BLUE or visiting the Blue Card Doctor and Hospital finder at www.BCBS.com.
For more information on Sacred Heart’s Institute for Surgical Weight Loss, call 416-1628 or visit online at http://www.sacred-heart.org/weightlosssurgery.asp.
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Friday, August 11, 2006
Sacred Heart Plans Miracle Camp Retreats for Young Cancer and Sickle Cell Patients
Sacred Heart Health System’s Miracle Camp, Nemours Children’s Clinic and the Sickle Cell Association of Escarosa will offer free one-day retreats for children and their families who are coping with cancer and sickle cell anemia.
- Fall Festival of Fun Day Camp for children ages 7 and under who have cancer will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their families are invited to join them.
- Sickle Cell Family Field Day for children diagnosed with sickle cell anemia is planned for Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Their families also may participate.
The day camps at Miracle Camp will be filled with activities, games, food, and arts and crafts.
Located in Escambia County on Beulah Road, Miracle Camp provides a premier camp and retreat center for chronically and/or terminally ill children and adults of all ages, as well as individuals who are physically and/or emotionally challenged, regardless of financial barriers or physical concerns. The Camp offers climate-controlled facilities, with a dormitory that sleeps up to 36 people, a dining hall, first aid/medical center, pool, fishing pond, a central campfire area, and more.
For more information about these camps and to make a reservation to attend, call Bambi Provost, director of Miracle Camp, at (850) 944-1677.
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Log-a-Load For Kids To Present Check For Over $51,000 to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Log-A-Load for Kids will present a check for $53,745 to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 24, at noon in the Sacred Heart Administration Board Room.
Sponsored by the Florida Forestry Association, the Panama City and Pensacola branches of Log-A-Load for Kids conducted two annual events to raise funds to help Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital meet the needs of sick and injured children in Northwest Florida and South Alabama. This past May, the Panama City branch held the 11th Annual Log-a-Load For Kids Classic at the Sunny Hills Golf Club and the Pensacola branch held their 10th Annual Log-A-Load For Kids Bass Fishing Tournament at the Swamp House Marina & Landing. This year, they were able to increase their combined grand total by 27 percent.
Since 1995, Log-a-Load For Kids has been a loyal friend of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital by raising a combined $428,544. The donations supported the purchase of pediatric patient beds, the purchase of vital pieces of equipment used in the Infant/Toddler Unit, and the provision of homemade isolette covers for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital is Northwest Florida’s only medical facility dedicated to the care of sick and injured children. Children’s Hospital offers a range of children’s services in partnership with Nemours Children’s Clinic, which provides many pediatric specialists to the region.
For more information, contact the Sacred Heart Foundation at 416-4660 or visit our website at www.sacred-heart.org.
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Common Digestive Problems is Topic of Seminar in Pace
Sacred Heart Hospital’s Senior Service’s program will present a free seminar on common digestive problems in seniors on Tuesday, Aug. 15, from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Rehabilitation Clinic at Sacred Heart Medical Park in Pace.
The seminar will be presented by Dr. Fares Hakim, a board-certified gastroenterologist. The talk will focus on recognizing the symptoms of common digestive problems, such as acid reflux and peptic ulcers, and treatment options for each.
Registration is required and seating is limited. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.
Sacred Heart Medical Park at Pace provides diagnostic services and rehabilitation services to the Pace community, as well as family practice, OB/GYN and other specialty physician’s offices. The facility is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on the north side of U.S. 90 in Pace, between Woodbine Road and Chumuckla Highway.
Sacred Heart SeniorSpirit is a free program for persons 55 and older. Benefits include free screenings, seminars, special in-patient benefits such as a free daily guest meal ticket and newspaper delivery, a monthly calendar of events detailing all SeniorSpirit events, and a quarterly newsletter containing health and event information.
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Sacred Heart Is First to Offer Knee Replacements Designed for Women
 PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sacred Heart Hospital is the first healthcare facility in the region to offer the first knee replacement implant designed specifically for a woman’s anatomy.
Dr. Joseph Dennie, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and chair of the orthopedics department at Sacred Heart, performed the first gender-specific knee replacement procedure on Aug. 7 on a 66-year-old woman at Sacred Heart’s Total Joint Replacement Center.
“This new joint implant is based on extensive biomedical research that shows that there is a substantial difference between male and female joints,” said Dennie. “Over 60 percent of total knee replacement candidates are female and this new knee is designed specifically with a woman’s anatomy in mind.”
By taking into account the natural curvature of the female knee and how it moves, the Zimmer Gender Solutions™ High-Flex Knee is able to more closely mimic the movements of a female knee compared with traditional knee implants. The special shape will provide more motion better and better knee replacement outcomes for women.
Unlike other knee implants marketed for women, the Zimmer Gender Solutions™ High-Flex Knee is designed for a woman’s anatomy, rather than taking a male implant and making the size smaller.
Traditional knee implants are based on the average size of women’s and men’s knees by measuring the end of the thighbone. Because of the difference in the way men and women’s knees work, orthopedics surgeons frequently make adjustments during surgery to make traditional implants fit a woman’s anatomy.
Compared to their male counterparts, women’s knees are narrower overall and thinner to the front. Women’s pelvises are also wider, which causes their kneecaps to move at a different angle. An implant that is too wide can cause the implant to hang over the bone and potentially press on or damage surrounding ligaments and tendons, which could cause pain. Traditional implants can also feel bulky in women and may cause a woman’s knee to feel abnormal as it moves.
The new implant was designed by calculating the average size of over 800 female knees. It is narrower from side to side, is thinner in the front to prevent bulkiness, and the front grove has been redesigned to provide optimal tracking.
No special instruments are needed to install the gender-specific knee implants, and they can be inserted using a minimally invasive procedure. The implant can be used for most female patients and some male patients with small bone structures.
For more information, call Sacred Heart at (850) 416-7000.
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“National Expert to Speak on Electronic Fetal Monitoring at Sacred Heart”
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sacred Heart Women’s and Children’s Hospital will host an educational program Aug. 14-15 on Electronic Fetal Monitoring by nationally recognized perinatal safety expert, Michael Fox.
Fox is project director for the Perinatal Resource Group at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif. The program is part of Ascension Health’s safety program dedicated to decreasing preventable birth trauma and infant mortality.
The goal of the seminar is increase perinatal safety by enhancing the communication between obstetrical nurses and physicians by training them side-by-side in a universal method for reading electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) data.
Classes will be held at Sacred Heart Hospital’s Ninth Avenue campus in the Greenhut Auditorium. Participants can choose from two half day session on Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon or 4 to 8 p.m. A full day session on is also offered on Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for those interested in more in-depth EFM training.
Registration is open to all Sacred Heart employees in obstetrical fields and all obstetricians and staff with privileges at Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital. Continuing Education Credits are available. A continental breakfast will be provided both days, with light snacks available at the Aug. 14 session and lunch provided during the Aug. 15 session.
To register, please call the Sacred Heart Education Department at (850) 416-7264. For information, please contact Linda Fricke at (850) 416-4275.
Electronic fetal monitoring is a method for examining the condition of a baby in the uterus by noting any unusual changes in its heart rate. The fetal monitor records an unborn baby's heart rate and uterine contractions and then graphs it on a strip of paper. This paper strip is used to determine how a baby is handling the stress of contractions.
According to an article published in the Wall Street Journal, one of the biggest communication challenges between nurses and doctors is that they each have their own set of guidelines established by their respective professional organizations to read fetal heart monitors. This can cause a communication gap between the doctors and nurses, which could lead to misdiagnosis and increased liability for hospitals.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development created a universal set of guidelines for reading EFM strips eight years ago, but doctors and nurses often fall back on habits in which they were trained.
Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital is the area’s childbirth leader, with over 3,000 births each year. As the only Women's Hospital in Northwest Florida, Sacred Heart also is the region's leading provider of women's services including specialized care for women with high-risk pregnancies, breast cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, gynecologic cancer and more.
For more information about Sacred Heart, please call (850) 416-7000 or visit our website at www.sacred-heart.org.
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