HealthAdvisor WINTER 2005 This Issue: A Rare Joy: Quadruplets Born at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital........... 1 Celebrating Our Hospital and, Most of All, You : A Letter from the President.............. 2 Soldier Wounded in Iraq Receives Care at Shady Grove............... 3 Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: New Hope for Wound Treatment................. 4 Dr. Friedman Named Physician RISES Winner.............. 4 Gloria s Heart Is Healed..... 5 Join the Fight Against Heart Disease.................... 5 Growing to Serve the Upcounty Community................ 6 Multiple Rewards of a Gift Annuity................... 7 See pages 8-15 for a complete schedule of classes and community events. THIS IS YOUR HOSPITAL. Fully Accredited For Quality Care. A Rare Joy: Quadruplets Born at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital It s a girl!...it s a girl!...it s a girl!...it s a boy! These are the words Robert and Katie Poole of Laurel heard when Katie gave birth to quadruplets July 27 th at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. The Pooles had turned to in vitro fertilization to help them start their family. During their first cycle of treatment they were successful twins, a boy and girl, were on the way. Then something rare happened; one embryo split into two, then split again. The result was quadruplets identical triplet girls and a boy. Facing a high-risk pregnancy, Katie hoped to carry the babies to 28 weeks gestation. All were overjoyed when she came into her 35 th week, and the babies had more time to develop. Throughout her pregnancy she was under the medical care of physicians with Greater Washington Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Rockville. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital has the specialized physician and nursing care as well as state-of-the-art equipment needed to care for high-risk deliveries like Katie s. Finally, the day had arrived, and the Pooles four children were born: Mackenzie Margaret at 3 pounds, 15 ounces; Gabrielle Grace at 3 pounds, 5 ounces; Danielle Renee at 3 pounds, 11 ounces; Quadruplets Mackenzie, Gabrielle, Danielle and Robert Poole, three months old, are dressed in specific colors so their parents can tell them apart. and Robert Edward III, at 4 pounds, 13 ounces. God blessed us with four healthy, beautiful babies. For that alone we consider ourselves so fortunate, but He also blessed us with incredible care from amazing caregivers, says Katie Poole. All the small moments of kindness, reassurance and help made all the difference. Fully Prepared for Special Deliveries Quadruplets are rare in fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 434 quads were born in 2002 out of more than 4 million total births. The last quadruplets born at Shady Grove were in 2002. We are pleased that the Poole family chose Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. We re glad to have had the opportunity to share in this excitement with Katie and Robert, says Deborah A. Yancer, president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.
Celebrating Our Hospital and, Most of All, You A L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T Dear Neighbor, The day we had been anticipating all year finally arrived. December 2 nd commemorated the 25 th anniversary of the official opening of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. It has been a joy to celebrate with our employees, physicians, volunteers and you, the members of our community. We thank you for supporting Shady Grove over the years. We look back on the past 25 years with great pride, and look ahead to the next 25 years with great promise. As our community continually changes, so will its health care needs. And Shady Grove is ready to help the community adapt to those changing needs. Meeting Our Growing Need for Emergency Care Montgomery County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state, and the growth creates a need for better access to health care services. In response, Shady Grove has approached the state to expand in a number of ways on campus and off campus. At the hospital, we are awaiting regulatory approval on the construction of a four-story patient tower that would bring much-needed space to expand our services and offer more private rooms to our patients, including new mothers and those receiving palliative care. Out in the community, we are working to improve access to emergency medical services. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital has the second highest emergency department volume in the state of Maryland, second only to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. These volumes are due in large part to the skyrocketing population growth in our community. The population increase has also caused traffic congestion along I-270 and MD 118, adding precious minutes to travel time for patients who need urgent care. Recently we applied to the Maryland Health Care Commission for state regulatory approval to open a satellite emergency department in Germantown. While we are disappointed by the commission s decision to deny our request, we will continue to advocate for this service. For more information on this important issue, please see page 6. Thank You and Happy Holidays I d like to thank those who have supported our growth initiatives, and continue to support the work we do every day to serve our community. Our hospital has a successful past and promising future because of you This is Your Hospital. From all of us at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and the best of health in the coming year. Sincerely, Deborah A. Yancer President Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital then... and now, at our 25th anniversary. 2
Soldier Wounded in Iraq Receives Care at Shady Grove When Thomas Brooks graduated from high school in 2002, he answered a call to serve his country by enlisting in the Army. He went through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Ten months after graduation, the E4 specialist left for the war in Iraq. Specialist Brooks had spent three months in Iraq when his base camp came under mortar attack. He lost his best friend and his team leader. Brooks suffered injuries as well, losing most of his left foot, sustaining serious shrapnel wounds in his legs and a severed artery. However, through all of this, the Vermont native and avid skier was not discouraged. After receiving initial medical care at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Specialist Brooks was sent to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to receive special care at the only hyperbaric treatment center in Montgomery County. Here, Brooks received hyperbaric oxygen therapy to provide additional oxygen to the tissues of the body. The increased oxygen helps the body kill germs and increases healing. Hopes for a Speedy Recovery Following oxygen therapy, Brooks is now undergoing physical therapy at Walter Reed. Although he would like to be back with his unit in Iraq, he s happy to be Specialist Brooks was sent to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to receive special care at the only hyperbaric treatment center in Montgomery County. back in the U.S. I m not a fan of the hot weather, Specialist Brooks said. I went from being in temperatures around 30 and 40 degrees to over 100 degrees. When he returns home to Vermont, he plans to be fitted for a prosthetic foot, and wants to hit the ski slopes as soon as possible. Brooks also plans to enter college to obtain a degree in ecology or environmental sciences. Rebecca Beauchamp, vice president and chief nurse executive of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, is grateful to have helped Specialist Brooks. Thank you for your service to our nation. We are proud to serve your health care needs, she says. Specialist Thomas Brooks preparing for hyperbaric oxygen treatment. FOR A FREE PHYSICIAN REFERRAL, CALL 800-642-0101 Winter 2005 3
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy New Hope for Wound Treatment Wound Care Center Since 1986, Shady Grove has had the only hyperbaric treatment center in Montgomery County. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO 2 T) is a medical procedure in which oxygen is delivered to patients in a pressurized chamber. The increased oxygen helps the body kill germs and increases healing. It has long been known for its value in certain critical care situations such as carbon monoxide poisoning and diving injuries. Today it is also considered an important adjunctive therapy for a growing number of chronic conditions. A Team Approach to Healing Shady Grove has a team of health care professionals, including physicians with specialized training in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, wound therapy nurse specialists, orthopedic, plastic and vascular surgeons, and infectious disease specialists. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, wounds can be treated that have resisted healing after months or even years of traditional treatment. In fact, most patients are healed within months. To learn more about the Wound Care Center visit and click on Wound Care. David G. Srour, M.D., director of Hyperbaric Medicine and vice chairman of the Emergency Department, talks to his patient receiving oxygen therapy. Dr. Friedman Named Physician RISES Winner Cardiologist Dennis Friedman, Physician RISES Winner says, Doing what I do is easy because of the people that I work with. Cardiologist Dennis Friedman, M.D. was named Shady Grove Adventist Hospital s second quarter Physician RISES award winner. Here s what several of the teammates who nominated him had to say: As a professional nurse with more than 25 years of experience, I can honestly say that my respect for Dr. Dennis Friedman only increases with the years. He is very respectful of our professional opinions and always considers our suggestions for the care of the patient. Dr. Friedman practices what he preaches to patients. He lives a very healthy lifestyle and encourages his patients to do the same...[he] is a great supporter of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. For me personally, during the painful process of having a relative die, Dr. Friedman provided the support and the right words to help me deal with my personal loss. I know that he treats patients from all walks of life with the same respect and caring. Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Friedman. We are proud that he is our latest Physician RISES winner. 4
Gloria s Heart Is Healed In the middle of the night on May 2, 2004, Gloria Silverstein, 68, woke her husband because she was experiencing nausea, arm pain and was sweating profusely. Her husband wasted no time and dialed 911. The paramedics rushed Gloria to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. By the time she arrived at the emergency room, she was in full cardiac arrest. Gloria had two more heart attacks in the ER, and when she was stable, she was transported to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, where the cardiac team inserted a stent to restore blood flow to her heart. There were just so many questions. The nursing staff was so understanding and caring during this most difficult time. Stan Silverstein, Gloria s husband But Gloria s ordeal was far from over. She spent the next 10 days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), unconscious and on life support. We didn t know if she would have brain or extensive heart damage upon wakening, her husband says. There were just so many questions. The nursing staff was so understanding and caring during this most difficult time. From Lifesaving Care to Comprehensive Rehabilitation Miraculously, Gloria pulled through. Although she doesn t remember her days in the ICU, she certainly remembers what happened next. The staff supported me every step of the way during recovery, Gloria says, and a psychologist helped me deal with the emotional issues that come with a heart attack. After her release from the hospital, Gloria continued her recovery with the help of Shady Grove s comprehensive Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program to prevent future heart problems. Shady Grove has a long, distinguished history of pioneering cardiovascular treatments. The hospital was the first in Montgomery County to use aortic stent graphs to repair ruptured abdominal aneurysms. And it was the first in the county to perform cryoplasty, a technique using a balloon catheter to freeze plaque and keep peripheral vessels open longer. I m so glad Shady Grove Adventist Hospital was here for me when I needed it most, Gloria says. With God s help, the staff at Shady Grove saved my life! To register for our Cardiac Tracker, go to and click on My HealthCare Manager for this free service. Gloria Silverstein s heart attack took her from Shady Grove s Emergency Department to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab to the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program with expert care at every step. Join the Fight Against Heart Disease Heart disease continues to be the number-one killer of adults in the United States. What s more, coronary artery disease is the number-one killer of American women. More than half a million women die yearly of cardiovascular disease, accounting for nearly half of all deaths in women, according to the American Heart Association. But thanks to major advances in medicine, most types of heart disease are now treatable. Each year Shady Grove Adventist Hospital helps hundreds of cardiac patients like Gloria recover their health and their hope. The comprehensive cardiac services that help those patients exist largely because of generous friends in the community who believe in what we do. State-of-the-art cardiac procedures and rehabilitation services require a continual, significant financial investment. Also, as a not-for-profit hospital, Shady Grove faces an additional challenge: we reach out to all in need, regardless of their ability to pay. We Can t Beat It Alone That s why we hope you will join our family of supporters this holiday season. As you plan for year-end charitable giving, please think of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital by making a tax-deductible gift to support the many important services we offer. Any amount you re able to give will make a huge difference in someone s life. FOR A FREE PHYSICIAN REFERRAL, CALL 800-642-0101 Winter 2005 5
Growing toserve the Upcounty Community The Shady Grove Adventist Medical Center in Germantown opened its physician office building earlier this year to provide care for upper Montgomery County residents. In the heart of Germantown, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is developing the Shady Grove Adventist Medical Center to better serve the health care needs of the Upcounty community. This facility consists of two buildings located at 19731 Germantown Road, across the street from the Germantown Town Center. The first building, nearest the road, is a physician office building that opened in 2004. Since this building opened, physician practices have moved in, and more physicians are planning to relocate there in the coming months. The second building, set back from the road, is the outer shell of what the hospital plans to develop into a full-service satellite emergency department. In September 2004, the Maryland Health Care Commission turned down the hospital s application to develop this facility; however, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is persisting in its efforts to bring this service to the community. A Responsible Plan We have a responsibility to meet the health care needs of our community, which is experiencing rapid population growth and severe traffic congestion, says Deborah A. Yancer, president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. We planned this project to address the crisis that is occurring in our community in terms of access to emergency medical care. The commission opposed the facility, in part, because of the five inpatient beds attached to the satellite emergency department. Yet, according to Maryland law, we had to include the inpatient beds to make the project viable. We re caught in a catch-22 of regulations that need revising, she adds. Taking the Next Steps The hospital is working at the state level to change regulations so that the satellite emergency department can be developed. Nearly 11,000 households in the Upcounty community have expressed their support for the project, and many residents turned out for an October 2004 town hall meeting to discuss the project with elected officials. We are tremendously grateful for the community s outpouring of support, Yancer says. Thanks to that support, we are able to demonstrate to state lawmakers just how vital this project is to the community. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital s emergency department, the only one between Rockville and Frederick, a distance of 29 miles, treated more than 85,000 patients in 2003, up from 69,931 in 2000. The hospital s emergency department volume is the second highest in Maryland and is three times the national average for a hospital with its licensed bed capacity (281 beds). Nearly 11,000 households in the Upcounty community have expressed their support for the project. In addition, traffic conditions in the region served by the hospital continue to deteriorate. According to the State Highway Administration, traffic has increased dramatically in the Upcounty area over the past decade. Since 1994, average daily traffic volume on I-270 at the Frederick County line has increased 83 percent. Traffic volume on MD 118 at Clopper Road has increased 140 percent in the same time period. For the latest news about the satellite emergency department project, please visit www.germantowned.com. 6
Multiple Rewards of a Gift Annuity This is a great time to consider a charitable gift annuity to support Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Low interest rates and uncertain markets are causing people to think twice about their financial decisions and to examine the many rewards of a gift annuity. Here are some of the great benefits: 1) Attractive Payout Rates Compare gift annuity rates with the rates of certificate of deposits and other fixed-income investments. You ll be pleasantly surprised. Sample donor ages and gift annuity rates: 60-years old - 5.7 % 70-years old - 6.5 % 80 -years old - 8.0 % 90- years old - 11.3 % In other words, a $100,000 gift annuity would provide a 60-year-old person $5,700 in income every year. 2) You Select Your Payment Schedule You decide how often you want to receive your payments: quarterly, semiannual or annual payments. Whichever you choose, receiving your regular payments on a predetermined date is both comforting and helpful. 3) It s a Fixed (Not Variable) Income Your payment rate will be locked in for the same amount every year at the time you obtain your gift annuity. It will not rise or fall with the economy, which can be important in uncertain times. 4) The Tax Advantages The IRS considers part of your contribution for a gift annuity a charitable gift; therefore you will receive an income tax charitable deduction to include on an itemized return. Also, during your life expectancy, you will be able to claim part of each annuity payment as tax-free income. 5) It s a Simple Procedure Obtaining a Shady Grove gift annuity is easier than you think. First, we prepare a tailor-made chart for you, so you can see how much you will receive, how much of each payment will be tax-free income and how big your income tax charitable deduction will be. In addition, we provide materials to share with your family and financial advisors. 6) Benefits Last a Lifetime Gift annuities are for life. No matter your age or life span, your payments will continue. And if you have a two-life gift annuity, the other person continues to receive payment for the rest of his or her life in the case of your death. This benefit of lifelong income can provide extra security for each spouse as he or she grows older. Still, the biggest benefit is the enormous satisfaction you ll get knowing that your gift annuity will benefit Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and its patients. Please understand that there is no obligation for you to proceed with a gift annuity after requesting further information. The Foundation Office s role is simply to provide clear illustrations and to let the multiple gift annuity rewards speak for themselves. For your personalized gift illustration, call the Foundation at 301-279-6534. FOR A FREE PHYSICIAN REFERRAL, CALL 800-642-0101 Winter 2005 7
MAP KEY 1. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital 2. Weinschel Health Education Center 3. Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland 4. Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Center 5. Shady Grove Nursing & Rehab Center 6. Support Services 7. Outpatient Laboratory P. Visitor Parking Looking for a Doctor? Health Link is a free 24-hour referral service that helps you find the physician or specialist that best suits your needs. By using Health Link, you can get more information on specific physicians, such as their medical training, office locations and more. Call us at 800-642-0101. Important Numbers Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Main Number......................... 301-279-6000 Admitting............................ 301-279-6007 Emergency Department.................. 301-279-6053 Employment Center..................... 301-279-6135 Foundation Office....................... 301-279-6570 Volunteer Services...................... 301-279-6111 Community Services Health Ministries........................301-315-3136 Interfaith Counseling.................... 301-869-8428 Additional Services Available Adventist Choice Nursing (Nursing Registry).... 301-754-0722 Adventist Home Assistance................ 301-681-9602 Adventist Home Health................... 301-681-9760 Adventist Home Oxygen and Equipment...... 301-891-6878 Adventist Rehabilitation Center of Rockville.... 240-864-6200 Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland...240-864-6000 Greater Washington Sleep Disorders Centers... 800-AWAKEN-1 Kingshire Manor, Assisted Living............ 301-315-1960 Maryland Regional Cancer Care, Rockville...... 301-309-6765 PET Imaging Center, Rockville.............. 301-610-0900 Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health System...... 301-251-4500 Shady Grove Adult Day Care................ 301-315-1970 Shady Grove Nursing & Rehabilitation Center... 301-315-1900 Sign up to receive our free monthly email newsletter. Each ehealth Advisor is full of health tips, news and information on upcoming events at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Visit and sign up today. 9901 Medical Center Drive Rockville, MD 20850 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Rockville, MD Permit No. 2057