Mercy Physician Oversees Worldwide Women s Health and Education Initiative

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1 The SPHS A Sisters of Providence Health System Publication August 18, 2015 Mercy Physician Oversees Worldwide Women s Health and Education Initiative The Mission of the Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS) calls its colleagues to serve as a transforming, healing presence in the community. Mercy Medical Center s Rita Luthra, MD, embraces the SPHS Mission and expands its reach by providing a transforming, healing presence all over the world. Dr. Luthra is President of the Women s Health and Education Center (WHEC) and is Editor-in-Chief of the e-learning publication WomensHealthSection.com, which is dedicated to women s well-being and health care worldwide. A Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, she has also worked with various international organizations, such as UNA-USA, Peace Corps and the World Health Organization. Recently, Dr. Luthra traveled to New York to make a presentation about the WHEC at the United Nations. According to Dr. Luthra, the aim of the WHEC is to improve maternal health through education. Education improves health, while health improves learning potential. Education and health complement, enhance and support each other; together, they serve as the foundation for a better world, said Dr. Luthra. Our website is designed as a resource for health care providers and the general public with articles that provide an overview of current clinical management guidelines in respect of women s health, focusing on the components integral to providing optimum care. According to Dr. Luthra, there is a dire need for this information. Every year, 529,000 girls and women die at childbirth. Over 300 million women worldwide suffer from either short- or long-term complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth, with around 20 million new cases every year. Most of these deaths and disabilities are preventable, she said. Continued on Page 7 SPHS Welcomes Medical Students At a reception in July, Mercy Medical Center officially welcomed the first cohort of 16 medical students from University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine. While at Mercy, these students will spend their third-year clerkship rotating through the disciplines of Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Behavioral Health, Family Medicine and Community Health. These students selected Mercy Medical Center as the clinical setting for the next step Continued on Page 8 1

2 2 Inside Sisters of Providence Health System Mercy Announces $500,000 Gift for Cancer Center Capital Campaign Mercy Medical Center is pleased to announce that Balise Motor Sales has made a $500,000 gift to Transforming Cancer Care The Capital Campaign for the Sister Caritas Cancer Center. The Balise gift will support the 26,000 square foot expansion of the Cancer Center that will bring Radiation Oncology services and Medical Oncology services together under one roof. By 2022, the demand for outpatient cancer services in this region is expected to grow by 26 percent. While I knew cancer is a major health concern, I had no idea how great the need for cancer services is in our community, said Jeb Balise, President of Balise Motor Sales. When my brother Mike (Balise) was diagnosed with cancer, a friend of mine put me in touch with a physician at Mercy, Dr. Mohamed Hamdani, who educated me about Mike s condition and helped me understand that Mike wasn t alone, and neither was I. A cancer survivor himself, Dr. Hamdani serves as Chair of the Capital Campaign for the $15 million expansion of the Sister Caritas Cancer Center. In addition to increasing treatment space, the project design will allow for enhanced communication among oncology providers, improve access to existing cancer TRANSFORMING CANCER CARE THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE SISTER CARITAS CANCER CENTER From left to right, Philip Glynn, MD, Director of Oncology, Mercy Medical Center; Mohamed P. Hamdani, MD, Chair of the Cancer Center Capital Campaign; Jeb Balise, CEO of Balise Motor Sales; Mike Balise, Vice President of Balise Motor Sales; and Daniel P. Moen, President and CEO, SPHS. center services, and provide a more private setting for patients during treatment. The Sister Caritas Cancer Center takes great pride in serving as a place of hope and healing for those who seek cancer care. The generous support we have received from Jeb Balise, Mike Balise and Balise Motor Sales is a testament to the vital role the Cancer Center plays in the in the local community, said Daniel P. Moen, Mercy Night at Valley Blue Sox During Heritage Week in July, SPHS employees were invited to attend a Valley Blue Sox game at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. The game was sponsored by Mercy Medical Center. John Sjoberg, Vice Chair of the SPHS Board of Trustees, took to the mound to throw out a ceremonial first pitch a perfect strike. The SPHS Marketing Department provided giveaways to attendees at the game and SPHS employees were able to enter a special raffle for Valley Blue Sox items. President and Chief Executive Officer, Sisters of Providence Health System. What excites us most about this project is that people right here in our community will have access to extremely high quality care, including clinical trial drugs, without having to travel, said Balise. We can t think of anything more gratifying than making lives better for families in times when it matters most.

3 Inside Sisters of Providence Health System Annual Brightside Golf Classic Raises Over $95,000 Warm temperatures and high humidity didn t slow down golfers at the 35th Annual Brightside Golf Classic on July golfers participated in the tournament, playing on two courses: Springfield Country Club in West Springfield, and Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow. The event raised $95,104 to help continue the important work of Brightside for Families and Children as a non-profit child welfare and family support organization for at-risk children, adolescents and their families. Since its founding as an orphanage in 1881, Brightside has strived to meet the needs of the region s most vulnerable children and adolescents. And while those needs have changed considerably over the years, Brightside has adapted by restructuring its programs and services in order to continue to provide assistance to those in need, said Daniel P. Moen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS). The funds raised through this year s Golf Classic will help support Brightside s efforts to assist children, adolescents and families in need through family outreach and stabilization, psychiatric and medication evaluation and management, special education, and therapeutic mentoring. William Wagner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicopee Savings Bank; Matthew Sosik, President and Chief Executive Officer, Easthampton Savings Bank; John Kendzierski, President, Professional Drywall Construction, Inc., and Paul Fritz, served as co-chairs of the Brightside Golf Classic. Wagner was also presented with the Corridan Award for his longstanding commitment to Brightside s mission to serve and support children and families in Continued on Page 8 3

4 Inside Sisters of Providence Health System SPHS Celebrates Heritage Week 2015 Mercy Adult Day Health July 19 marked the 165th birthday of Catherine Horan, who became known as Mother Mary of Providence when she founded the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke. Each year, the facilities that make up the Sisters of Providence Health System set aside time to celebrate Heritage Week to remember and honor all of the Sisters of Providence, great women whose many stories teach about hope, courage, community, God s providence, and service to those in need. Events throughout SPHS included daily reflections, collections for Providence Ministries and Kate s Kitchen, employee barbeques and ice cream socials. Mercy Hospice Farren Care Center Mercy Home Care Providence Place 4

5 Inside Sisters of Providence Health System Mount Saint Vincent Care Center Mercy Medical Center Mary s Meadow Saint Luke s Home Providence Behavioral Health Hospital Mercy LIFE 5

6 Mary s Meadow at Providence Place has retained a 5-Star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the government agency s highest possible rating. The CMS rating for Mary s Meadow at Providence Place is posted on the Nursing Home Compare website, nursinghomecompare/search.html, which contains quality of care information on every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country, including over 15,000 nationwide. Following a review of performance in the areas of Health Inspection, Quality Measures, Staffing and RN Staffing, each facility is given an overall rating of between 1 and 5 stars. A 5-Star rating indicates quality that is much above average. The exemplary care provided at Mary s Meadow at Providence Place is indicative of the entire staff s commitment to high quality and service excellence. The 5-Star recognition from CMS is tangible evidence that they are meeting their goals to the benefit of our residents and patients, said Daniel P. Moen, President and SPHS Values in Practice Mary s Meadow at Providence Place Retains 5-Star Rating Chief Executive Officer, Sisters of Providence Health System. According to CMS, the 5-Star quality rating system provides consumers with information that can be helpful in selecting a nursing home. While the CMS rating system provides detailed information about staffing and quality measures, it isn t a substitute for visiting a nursing home and meeting the staff. Taken together, these sources of information can help individuals make the best skilled nursing facility decision for their loved ones, said Christopher McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer, Mercy Continuing Care Network. Earlier this year, Mary s Meadow at Providence Place earned a deficiency-free survey from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), with services meeting or exceeding state and federal standards. To receive such a survey, skilled nursing facilities must successfully complete a rigorous evaluation regarding staffing levels, quality of care, safety, food services and cleanliness of facilities. A deficiencyfree rating from DPH is one of the top indicators of excellence for skilled nursing facilities. 6 Mercy Medical Center s annual Mass Mercy Hosts Annual Decon Drill Decontamination Exercise with the Springfield Fire Department (SFD) was held in June. The exercise tests the ability to successfully deploy equipment and decontaminate multiple patients who may be exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives contaminants. Mercy staff practiced alongside SFD members to set up decontamination equipment, review the decontamination process, and account for all equipment as it was packed away into storage. Mercy staff also tested proficiency in donning and doffing Personal Protective Equipment used during interactions with potentially contaminated patients. The exercise gave Mercy and SFD an opportunity to practice the mass decontamination process together as they would in a real incident, and to train new staff members and firefighters.

7 SPHS Values in Practice Mercy Grooves at the Jazz Festival The 2015 Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival, sponsored in part by Mercy Medical Center, drew a huge crowd to Court Square for a day of fun and family entertainment on August 8. Lou Durkin, MD, FACEP, Medical Director of Mercy s Emergency Department (ED), Erin Daley, RN, Interim Nurse Manager, and the staff of Mercy s ED provided first aid services and offered bottles of water at the daylong event. Volunteers also helped out by collecting new socks for distribution by the Health Care for the Homeless program. In all, hundreds pairs of socks were collected at the Jazz Festival and at various Big Y locations throughout the region. Left photo, from left to right: Louis J. Durkin, MD, FACEP, Medical Director, Emergency Department; Erin Daley, RN, Interim Nurse Manager, Emergency Department; Magdaly Nunez, ED Tech; and Tanya Miller,ED Tech. Right photo, from left to right: Sean Fallon, Community Benefit and Health Manager; Peter Newland, Executive Sales Manager, StenTel Transcription; and Doreen Fadus, Executive Director of Community Health, Mercy Medical Center. Mercy Physician Oversees Worldwide Women s Health and Education Initiative Continued from Page 1 The WHEC s e-learning project, Womens HealthSection.com, provides information on a wide variety of topics, such as Medical Disorders and Pregnancy, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Gynecology, Pain Management during Labor and Delivery, and Healthcare Policies and Women s Health. Readers who click on one of these topics have the opportunity to review numerous articles on different elements of the subject. These articles are available in six languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. WomensHealthSection.com continues to grow in popularity, not only as a tool to promote universal access to health information, but also as a valuable continuing medical education system. The e-learning project is currently available in 227 countries, serves 13 to 14 million subscribers every year and has 35,000 to 40,000 visitors each day. The use of information science and telecommunications to support the practice of medicine when distance separates the caregiver from the patient is perhaps the best way to make medical care more affordable and more accessible in every country, said Dr. Luthra. A strong and vital health workforce is an investment in health for today and the future. It has a profound effect on all citizens of the world, and political, social and economic systems. Health-care providers usually have interest or passion in a particular global issue or a particular region of the world. Preparing the next generation of health-care providers in the international arena, deepening their knowledge and improving the skill set for a career in global health and global governance are needed. The programs expose health-care providers to both the academic training and practical knowledge necessary for developing a career trajectory that will focus the passion of health-care providers and actualize their desire to have an impact on national and international health-care policies. The program is building the capacity to care. In 2006, the Center began to develop scientifically based practice guidelines, in the form of practice bulletins, with a view to improving maternal health. The guidelines are derived from the best available evidence of clinical efficacy and with consideration given to costs, with recommendations explicitly linked to the evidence. These evidence-based practice guidelines are intended to be a means of improving the quality of health care, decreasing its cost and diminishing professional liability. They are proscriptive in nature and, therefore, directive in approach. The Center s board of physicians identifies, evaluates and synthesizes evidence from the medical literature to produce the practice bulletins, which serve as a readily available introduction to and overview of the topic. International development has moved beyond charity. It has reached a new, globally competitive stage, bringing with it enormous strategic and economic implications for all the nations and citizens of the world in the years ahead, said Dr. Luthra. The challenge and opportunity are here. Let us make every mother and child count! 7

8 Mercy Medical Center Welcomes Medical Students Continued from Page 1 on their journey to becoming a physician and we welcome their interest and enthusiasm, said Scott A. Wolf, D.O., MPH, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, Mercy Medical Center, and Chief Operating Officer, Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS). Additionally, their arrival at Mercy marks the first step in our preparation for a fully accredited Residency Training Program in Family Medicine and Behavioral Health to begin in The medical students will serve under the direction of Joseph Podolski, D.O., Vice President of Academic Affairs, Mercy Medical Center. Before joining SPHS, Dr. Podolski served as Director of Medical Education at Eastern Connecticut Health Network, where he developed programs for both medical students and residents. University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for national leadership in primary care training and rural medicine. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is Around SPHS Around the Sisters of Providence Health System Paying Tribute to a Hero Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan SPHS/Mercy was honored to join many others, including Peter Pan Bus Lines and the Spirit of Springfield, in supporting the family of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan during the fallen serviceman s funeral services and reception. Although the funeral was private, there was a great outpouring of public support for the family from throughout the region and across the country. More than 1000 Marines joined others from the community to pay their respects and participate in the services. Mercy s contribution helped to offset the cost associated with hosting the large group of servicemen. City Stage and Symphony Hall Tickets SPHS employees can buy discounted tickets for the entertainment line-up at City Stage and Symphony Hall. Log onto citystage.symphonyhall.com, use the promo code MERCY, and save 10-percent on tickets. You can also buy City Stage and Symphony Hall tickets before they go on sale to the general public. fully accredited by the American Osteopathic Association s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. These medical students have received comprehensive training in on-campus learning laboratories to develop their clinical skills and hone their understanding of anatomy and osteopathic manipulative medicine. We are hopeful they will consider returning to Mercy once their education and training are complete, said Dr. Wolf. According to the American Osteopathic Association, approximately 60 percent of practicing osteopathic physicians practice in the primary care specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Many D.O.s also fill a critical need for physicians by practicing in rural and other medically underserved communities. MEET STANLEY KONIECZNY West Springfield native Stanley Konieczny has a long history with Mercy Medical Center. While in high school, he worked in Dietary Services at Mercy, preparing sandwiches and working on the grill. Now returning as a medical student, Konieczny looks forward to working closely with Mercy physicians and learning as much as he can while moving through the rotation of clinical specialties with an eye toward determining his main areas of interest. After medical school, he plans to return to Western Massachusetts to practice medicine. Annual Brightside Golf Classic Raises Over $95,000 Continued from Page 3 need. The Corridan Award is presented each year in memory of James Corridan, who worked with community leaders to build awareness about the important work done at Brightside and was instrumental in establishing and organizing the annual golf tournament. The support of our sponsors and participants in the annual Brightside Golf Classic is essential to our ability to continue to bring hope and healing through the programs and services of Brightside for Families and Children, and we are tremendously grateful for their generosity, said Diane Dukette, Vice President, Fund Development, SPHS. For more information about supporting Brightside, please visit mercycares.com/ways-to-give or call at A MEMBER OF TRINITY HEALTH The SPHS Journal is a publication of the Sisters of Providence Health System. Please send submissions to Mary Orr, Media Specialist, Marketing Department, phone: , SPHS JOURNAL ONLINE AT: or MercyCares.com.