Have a Question or Comment?Click Here to Send a Message | Need more information about our services? Call 850-416-7000 or Toll Free 1-800-874-1026
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sacred to Host Free Girls Night Out Seminar for Moms and Teens
Join Sacred Heart Women’s and Children’s Hospital for a special free seminar, “A Girls Night Out: A Mother-Daughter Talk on Adolescent Health,” on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s main campusin Pensacola, Fla.
This event is a celebration of womanhood and the mother-daughter bond and is open to all girls in the 6th-9th grades and their mothers or female caregivers. The night will include a series of educational talks, dessert sampling, live entertainment, and vendors from various area businesses.
The talk will include information and discussions on:
Physical Changes and Your Period – Dr. Gem Ashby, OB/GYN resident
How to Deal with Mean Girls and Bullies – Nancy Holweger, coordinator for Safe and Drug Free Schools
Gardasil, the Cervical Cancer Vaccine – Dr. Julie DeCesare, OB/GYN
After the seminar, Sacred Heart OB/GYN physicians will be available to answer personal questions in a closed off area, and the Florida Department of Health will offer free meningitis and tetanus vaccinations, as well as the first Gardasil shot in the three-shot series. Follow-up Gardasil shots will be available at the Florida Department of Health throughout the year, free of charge, for participants whose insurance does not cover the shots.
A limited number of spaces are available, and reservations are required. Registration is free and can be made by calling Sacred Heart at (850) 416-1600.
For more information, please contact Cat Outzen at (850) 969-1372.
Sacred Heart Names New President for Pensacola Hospital
Sacred Heart Health System is pleased to announce that Debbie Bostic has been promoted to the position of President of Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
“Since last October, Debbie has provided leadership in the hospital on an interim basis, while adding to her current responsibilities as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer,” said Patrick Madden, President and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System. “She has dedicated herself to improving the patient experience and increasing the satisfaction level of our patients, our staff and our physicians. Through her track record of improving hospital operations and her commitment to our mission, she has earned the respect of our entire organization.”
Bostic will be responsible for all operations of the hospital in Pensacola while also serving as the Chief Nursing Officer for Sacred Heart Health System. She will report directly to Madden, who remains as CEO of Sacred Heart’s regional healthcare system. “Under Debbie’s leadership, Sacred Heart Hospital has improved patient satisfaction so that we now rank in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide,” Madden said. “She is committed to providing exceptional care to patients. She has the energy and the vision we need to stay focused on the best quality care practices that have become such an important part of our culture at Sacred Heart.”
Bostic, a resident of Milton, began her healthcare career as a nurse almost 30 years ago, and has progressed in leadership roles with increasing responsibilities. She came to Sacred Heart seven years ago as Chief Nursing Officer and has held the position of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer since April 2006.
“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to serve our patients and to lead the wonderful people who work at this hospital,” Bostic said. “It’s humbling to know that I walk in the footsteps of inspired women – the Daughters of Charity – who created this hospital almost 100 years ago and who continue to guide Sacred Heart today. I look forward to the privilege of carrying on their mission with the same dedication.”
In addition to her work at Sacred Heart, she is actively involved in community and professional affiliations that include Ascension Health’s Chief Nurse Officer Advisory Board, Pensacola Junior College’s Nursing Advisory Board, the Florida Hospital Association Nursing Advisory Board, and The Board of Directors for Covenant Hospice. She is also a healthcare consultant for the Studer Healthcare Consulting Group. She began her nursing education at Pensacola Junior College and went on to earn both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration from the University of South Alabama.
About Sacred Heart Hospital Key services at Sacred Heart’s 458-bed hospital in Pensacola include: a Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, a Children’s and Women’s Hospital, a Level II Trauma Center, a Cancer Center affiliated with M.D. Anderson Physicians Network, a 120-bed nursing home, and a 120 member employed physicians group. For more information, call 850-416-7000 or visit on the web at http://www.sacred-heart.org/.
Sacred Heart Hospital is a member of Ascension Health (http://www.ascensionhealth.org/). Ascension Health is transforming healthcare by providing the highest quality care to all, with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Ascension Health, which provided $703.9 million in care of persons who are poor and community benefit last year, is the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. Our Mission-focused Health Ministries consist of 101,000 associates serving in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Trauma Conference Set for Nov. 16-17 on Pensacola Beach
Three Pensacola hospitals and the District 1 EMS Council have teamed up to sponsor the 17th Annual Surviving Trauma Conference, on Nov. 16-17 at the Hilton Garden Inn on Pensacola Beach.
The conference is designed to provide up-to-date information for practicing surgeons, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, and family practitioners, as well as other healthcare professionals who provide care to trauma victims.
Program director is Dr. Karanbir S. Gill, medical director of Trauma Services at Sacred Heart Hospital. Conference faculty include Dr. Gill as well as several other local physicians: Dr. Indermeet Bhullar, trauma surgeon, Sacred Heart Hospital; Dr. James R. Andrews, orthopedic surgeon, Andrews Institute; and Dr. Cyril Sebastian, neurosurgeon, Sacred Heart Hospital and West Florida Hospital.
Faculty members also include several physicians and healthcare professionals from major medical centers around the country, including:
Dr. Christopher B. Hughes, assistant professor of surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
Dr. Lawrence Lottenberg, director of trauma services, Division of Trauma, Burns and Emergency Surgery, University of Florida
Dr. Rick Miller, clinical assistant professor of Emergency and Pediatric Medicine, University of Illinois, Peoria
Dr. Robert F. Mullins, medical director, Joseph M. Still Burn Center, Doctor’s Hospital, Augusta, Ga.
Dr. Paul E. Pepe, professor of surgery, medicine, public health, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
Tracy East-Porter, executive director/founder of Mothers Against Brain Injury, Fruit Cove, Fla.
Michael J. Hewitt, director, Respiratory Care & Pulmonary Diagnostic Services, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, Texas.
Registration is limited to the first 350 participants. Deadline to register is Nov. 1, 2007. Room reservations for this conference are being taken at 1-866-916-2999. Callers should indicate that they are participating in this conference. For more information, please visit www.districtoneems.com; call Lee Smith, (850) 434-4663; or email Smith at lee.smith@bhcpns.org.
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Sacred Heart Hospital’s SeniorSpirit! program will present an educational seminar, entitled “Advances in Stroke Care,” on Monday, Sept. 17 in the Greenhut Auditorium on Sacred Heart’s Ninth Avenue campus in Pensacola. After the seminar, free stroke screenings will be available for the first 50 people who pre-register with the Sacred Heart Call Center. The seminar will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and the stroke screenings will follow from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The seminar will be presented by Dr. Terry Neill, a board certified critical care neurologist with the Sacred Heart Regional Stroke Center and Sacred Heart Medical Group. The seminar will discuss the signs and symptoms of stroke, treatment options and prevention.
Following Dr. Neill’s presentation, there will be a stroke screening from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. featuring free carotid artery ultrasounds, blood pressure checks and vouchers for total cholesterol screenings.
A carotid ultrasound is an imaging test that shows the carotid arteries (vessels in the neck that provide blood flow to the brain), as well as how much blood flows and how fast it travels through them. Ultrasound can be used to find out if there is an abnormality or blockage of the carotid arteries that could lead to stroke.
Registration is required and seating is limited. Screenings are limited to the first 50 who pre-register. To register, call (850) 416-1620 or 1-877-416-1620.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), over half a million Americans suffer a stroke each year. A stroke (also called a "brain attack") occurs when one of the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the brain either becomes clogged or bursts. It is the third leading cause of death in the United States behind diseases of the heart and cancer.
This seminar is part of the monthly series of free health education programs sponsored by Sacred Heart SeniorSpirit! Sacred Heart SeniorSpirit! is a free program for persons 55 and older. For more information on stroke services or Senior Services at Sacred Heart Hospital, please call (850) 416-7000.
Grief Support Group to Meet at Sacred Heart on Thursday, Sept. 13
Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola has established a grief support group called “GriefShare.” The group will meet Thursday, Sept. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart in the St. Catherine’s classroom on the second floor of the main hospital.
The support group is sponsored by those who understand the experience of loss and want to offer comfort and encouragement to help others during a difficult time. A total of 13 GriefShare sessions are scheduled to meet on Thursdays each week from Sept. 13 to Dec. 13.
“As families begin planning their holiday gatherings, some families may be coping with grief and the loss of a loved one,” says Erin Bowers, RN, palliative care manager at Sacred Heart. “The holidays can be a difficult time for those suffering with grief and loss, but this group can help them cope, learn that they are not alone, and help them rediscover joy in their lives.”
A total of 13 GriefShare sessions will cover a variety of grief recovery topics. Sessions include videos of grief recovery experts who include well-known counselors, authors, speakers and pastors with years of expertise in this field. The group is nondenominational; its philosophy of hope and support is based on Biblical teaching. While there are 13 sessions, each session is self-contained so that participants may join in at any time.
The support group is free of charge; however, registration is required. To register, or for more information, please call (850) 416-7705.
Device Allows Surgery Patients to Recover Faster with Less Pain
On-Q PainBuster device
Pain specialists and surgeons at Sacred Heart Hospital are using an innovative medical device that provides surgery patients with effective pain relief without the use of narcotics.
The new On-Q PainBuster device is a small portable pump that is worn by hospital patients who will have pain after surgery. It delivers non-narcotic, pain-numbing medication through a thin tube or catheter directly into a stitched up incision or to the nerves close to the wound.
“You can go home with this pump and have minimal pain,” said Dr. J. Mark Fannin, an anesthesiologist at Sacred Heart Hospital.
Sacred Heart is the first hospital in Northwest Florida to use the new technology. For hospital patients, the post-operative pain relief system means:
A faster, more comfortable recovery
A constant level of effective pain relief for several days after surgery
Less need for narcotics that affect the whole body. The local anesthetics used in the new pain pump allow surgery patients to avoid nausea, drowsiness, constipation, breathing difficulties, and other possible side effects of narcotics such as morphine and Demerol.
Earlier release from the hospital
The new pain blocking technique is being used at Sacred Heart in many types of orthopedic surgery, including shoulder and knee replacement, elbow and hand surgery, ankle and foot fractures and rotator cuff surgery. The device is also being used by some patients who have general surgery, gynecologic surgery, bariatric surgery and heart surgery.
“With the PainBuster pump, we are able to block pain in the surgical area and minimize the use of anesthetics that affect the entire body and may slow the recovery process,” said Dr. Fannin. “Where pain control is needed after the patient goes home, we can give the patient a small pump that infuses a local anesthetic right to the source of the pain. We are using it to provide pain control for the first three or four days after surgery.”
The new pain pump means Sacred Heart’s anesthesiologists can increase their use of regional anesthesia and continuous nerve blocks while decreasing use of narcotics.
“We are happy to pioneer the use of innovative pain relief technology such as the PainBuster,” said Dr. William Goldsmith, anesthesiologist at Sacred Heart. “With advances such as the On-Q system, we are able to provide anesthesia that leaves patients with less nausea, grogginess and other side effects. We believe this will become the standard of pain care for surgery patients.”
The pain relief pump looks like a small balloon that can be attached to the patient’s belt or clothes. The balloon is filled with medication that flows at a steady rate through a catheter that is inserted into the skin and the tissue surrounding a surgical incision. The catheter can be placed before surgery or during the surgery.
For more information on the portable pain pump, call 969-1319 or visit online at www.askyoursurgeon.com.
