Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
Connections
News and announcements for associates, patients, and their families. Summer 2021
It’s That Special Mercy Touch!
Dr. Mark Jajkowski says his patients are benefiting from robotic-assisted lung cancer surgery.
Thanks to continued advancements in medical technology, Dr. Mark Jajkowski, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Catholic Health, is using robotic-assisted surgical techniques to perform minimally invasive lung cancer surgery. This means quicker recoveries and less pain for patients, resulting in little or no need for pain-relieving narcotic medications—an important consideration given the ongoing opioid epidemic in our country. Performing robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) using the daVinci® Surgical System since 2016, Dr. Jajkowski has been tracking some eye-opening statistics: 75% of his lung cancer surgery patients are going home without narcotic pain medications and one third never require narcotics while in the hospital. In addition, more than 25% of his patients go home the day after surgery and 85% are discharged within two days—compared to an average hospital stay of four to five days reported in nationally published thoracic surgery literature. “My patients are going home sooner primarily due to the markedly reduced discomfort they are experiencing, along with little or no need for narcotic pain medicines,” said Dr. Jajkowski. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Major donors Scott Bieler and Kathy Lasher, center, joined hospital officials during a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the newly-renovated Emergency Department.
ED Renovations Designed to Improve Patient Care Mercy Hospital blessed and dedicated a newly renovated Emergency Department (ED) on June 11 designed to improve efficiency of care and reduce patient wait time. The over $500,000 donor-funded project reconfigured existing space in the ED to accommodate a new provider-intriage model of care being adopted by hospitals across the country. The project expanded private triage and treatment space and created dedicated triage areas for EMS ambulance patients, two designated pediatric treatment rooms plus other improvements to enhance patient privacy, comfort and convenience. “We are always looking for ways to improve the patient experience while delivering the highest quality of care possible,” said Mercy Hospital President Eddie Bratko. “This newly renovated Emergency Department is designed to help us do just that by allowing us to care for our emergency patients more efficiently and enhancing patient privacy and comfort.” The project was funded by the Mercy Hospital Foundation through the generous support of donors including: Scott Bieler and Kathy Lasher of the Scott Bieler Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. William and Jane Greene, Miss Maureen Athoe; and the Mercy Hospital Medical Staff. Major donor Scott Bieler, President and CEO of West Herr Automotive Group and former patient, wrote, “Mercy Hospital is a special place filled with exceptional people. The treatment I received here is as good as it gets, but the part you cannot measure on a list of assets is the amount of empathy that Kathy and I felt from everyone we encountered. We are proud to be a part of the redesigned Emergency Center, knowing the impact it will have on the patients and everyone who works there for many years to come.”
Sweet Mercy! People In The News
Celebrating Hospital/Nurses Week at Mercy “You Are the Heart of Mercy” was this year’s theme for National Hospital and Nurses Week in May. The week was jammed with festivities including a Blessing of the Hands, Ice Cream Sundaes, Taco Tuesday, Plinko and Popcorn, Coffee and Donuts, and even a Scavenger Hunt and a Canvas Painting Contest. Congratulations to all of our award winners honored
during National Hospital and Nurses Week at Mercy.
Mercy Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Harsh Jain and ECMO-COVID survivor Craig Shaffer and his partner Cindy Cieslinski (pictured above with reporter Alexa Liacko) were interviewed for a story about “Pandemic Technology” on the Scripps National News program called “The Race” that aired March 7 on over 60 affiliated TV stations in the U.S. Dr. Jain used ECMO, an advanced life support therapy, to help save Shaffer’s life and three other patients who experienced severe COVID-19 in early 2020.
Christina Tobin, PhD, RN, MS, OCN, NEA-BC, has been named Vice President of Operations at Mercy Hospital. She most recently served as Mercy’s Director of Patient Care Services since 2017, overseeing medical/surgical acute and critical care services and the Emergency Department. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University at Buffalo, and master’s degree in Executive Leadership & Change from Daemen College. She recently completed her Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Capella University. Allison Revelas, RN, BSN, CMSRN, was recently named Nursing Supervisor of the Emergency Department. Joining Mercy in 2011, she previously served as Supervisor of Hospital Experience. She holds an AAS in Nursing from Trocaire College and a BSN from Niagara University. Robert Mages, RN, BSN, was recently named Nurse Manager of the Mercy Ambulatory Care Center (MACC). Joining Mercy in 2007, he previously served as a Supervisor in the Emergency Department. He holds an AAS from Trocaire College and a BSN from Excelsior College in Albany.
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Associates honored at the Annual Nursing Awards Ceremony were: Nurse of Distinction Alexandria Foley ‘21 and Mary Ann Murphy ‘20; Outstanding Staff Nurse Jennifer Worthington ‘21 and Alexandra Rabarsky ‘20; Catherine McAuley Award Sharon Panzica; Jon C. Carlson Award Wendy Cushing; Father Nelson
Baker Award Sarah Raab and Miok Priester; Outstanding Nurse Aide Clarissa Jones; Outstanding Surgical Tech Daniele Berdysiak; Outstanding Unit Secretary Ann Marie Desiderio; and DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year Joan Vetter. Thank you to all of our staff for your dedication during COVID.
De-stress in Mercy’s New Wellness Room Mercy Hospital unveiled its new Associate Wellness Room located on the 7th floor during National Hospital Week. Critical care nurse Meghan Quinn came up with the idea in response to the stress and fatigue she and her coworkers felt during Meghan Quinn, left, and the pandemic. She Michelle Wild welcome all collaborated with staff to the Wellness Room. Michelle Wild, Assis-
tant Director of Nursing and Operations, to create the relaxing space that is now available free to all associates. The room was made possible through donations from the Conor J. Long Foundation, named after Meghan’s late brother who passed away in 2018 from a hiking accident, and contributions from nursing leadership.
Mercy Recognized for Care of Older Adults Mercy Hospital joined the AgeFriendly Health Systems movement last year and recently earned its highest level of recognition as an Age-Friendly Health System— Committed to Care Excellence. The hospital is pleased to announce that its commitment to this national movement is not only improving care for older adults in our Western New York community but has also successfully helped the Institute of Healthcare improvement (IHI) to surpass its national milestone goal.
Sarah Sanford of 5 East joins in the Age-Friendly milestone celebration.
Mercy Celebrates U.S. News Best Hospitals Ratings
Sweet Mercy! People In The News
A virtual awards ceremony was held to celebrate the U.S. News & World Report “Best Regional Hospital” rating with (l.-r.) Mercy Hospital President Eddie Bratko; Chief of Cardiology Dr. Mohan Madhusudanan; Chief Nursing Officer & CNO Shari McDonald; Manager of Respiratory Therapy Jesse Tronolone, and Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery Dr. Stephen Downing.
Mercy Hospital was recently named a “Best Regional Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report with “High Performing Hospital” ratings for Heart Bypass Surgery, Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Failure Care, and COPD Care.
U.S. News & World Report evaluates more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures, and conditions, reviewing patient safety data, infection rates, and other quality measures to determine the rankings.
“This prestigious national recognition signals to our patients and community that they are receiving some of the highest rated cardiac care in the nation,” said Mercy Hospital President Eddie Bratko. “These ratings are also a reflection of the quality care our caregivers at the Mercy Hospital Heart Center deliver on a daily basis.”
“These ratings are a testament to our team’s extraordinary commitment to providing the highest level of patient care and safety,” said Stephen Downing, MD, Chair of Catholic Health’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Department. “We are proud of our staff whose dedication to our patients has helped us earn this distinguished achievement.”
Stroke Survivor Reunites with Mercy Caregivers Former stroke patient, Rosemary Olchawski and her husband Jim paid a recent visit to Mercy Hospital to reunite with the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who helped save her life in 2020, and to call attention to the signs and symptoms of stroke as part of National Stroke Awareness Month in May.
Catholic Health has invested in the latest telehealth technology to virtually connect neurologists and neuro-critical care specialists at the Mercy Hospital Stroke Center with emergency and critical care providers 24/7 across its hospital network. Pictured above with the telestroke unit during an interview with Business First newspaper is Dr. Lee Guterman, PhD, MD, Medical Director of Neurosciences, Alex Foley, RN, MSN, Lead Stroke Coordinator, and Neurologist Dr. Arun Babu on the telestroke unit screen.
Amber Wolf, MSN, has been named Nurse Manager of the Medical/ Neuro Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She previously served as Nursing Supervisor in the ICU, and prior to that worked in the ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She holds an AAS in Nursing from Danville Community College in Virginia, bachelor’s degree in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State University and an MSN from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Suzie Coppola, RN, BSN, was named Nursing Supervisor of the Medical/ Neuro ICU. She served as a staff nurse in the ICU for the last four years. She holds an AAS in Nursing from Trocaire College and a BSN from Daemen College.
Rosemary and Jim Olchawski, center, reunited with Dr. Steve Dofitas and Shannon Scarpello.
They were so pleased with their care that they wanted to find ways to “give back” to the hospital. Besides turning into generous donors, Rosemary joined the Mercy Hospital Foundation Board and agreed to become a volunteer gardener for the hospital’s courtyard Meditation Garden. She said she received exceptional
care from the time she entered the Emergency Center through her inpatient care and outpatient therapy. Since her hospital stay was just before the onset of the pandemic, the reunion event was her first chance to thank her healthcare team in person. It also coincided with her first day on the job as the new Volunteer Gardener.
Lisa Aikin, RN, BSN, was named a hospital Nurse Supervisor. With over thirty years of nursing experience, she has held Nurse Manager positions at Eastern Niagara Hospital and Kenmore Mercy Hospital, and has taught clinical nursing at Niagara Community College since 2008. She holds an AAS in Nursing from NCCC and a BSN from Daemen College.
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Mercy at Work
Participants of Mercy Hospital’s Luminaria event, marking the one-year anniversary of COVID-19, took time to reflect on all those who lost their lives, thank our caregivers for their tireless work over the past year, and celebrate the hope for a brighter tomorrow. Nearly 600 luminarias were lit at ministries across Catholic Health on March 25.
Congratulations to our scholarship winners! The Mercy Hospital Medical Staff awards five $1,000 scholarships annually to Mercy associates or their children who are currently enrolled or will be attending a college/ university. Pictured above are Dr. James Egnatchik, neurosurgeon and chair of the scholarship committee with 2021 scholarship winners, from left, Morgan Bakowski, pharmacy- D’Youville College; Mya Doyle, radiology- Trocaire College; and Abdulelah Ahmed, medicine- University at Buffalo. Missing from photo were Nick Azzopardi, nursingErie Community College and Nikita Drayton, nursing- Trocaire College.
The therapy dogs from the Erie County SPCA’s PAWS for Love Program recently visited Mercy Hospital to provide some “destressing” for staff. Pictured above are Julie Downie (Case Mgmt) and Jessica Zaccarine, RN (OR) with “Gracie”.
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Robotic Lung Cancer Surgery, continued from page 1 “Robotic-assisted surgery requires only one to four small incisions to access the chest cavity versus a single large incision used in a traditional open thoracotomy surgery,” Dr. Jajkowski explains. “This technology also provides a magnified, three-dimensional view of the surgical field and greater precision of the surgical instruments.” Dr. Jajkowski also stresses the
importance of annual lung cancer screening for high-risk patients. According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer represents 12.7% of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States but 22% of all cancer deaths. “If we can catch lung cancer at an early stage, there is a much better chance that these patients can be treated and cured.”
Stroke Fellowship Provides Specialized Training Congratulations to Mercy Hospital nurse practitioners and Daemen College alumnae Syntyia Taylor, ANP, and Alyssa Ciccarella, FNPBC, for completing Western New York’s first and only Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Stroke Fellowship Program. A collaborative effort between Mercy Hospital and Daemen College, the program was created in 2019 to advise, promote and support professional education opportunities in the region. The organizations worked together to provide on-the-job training for Pictured are Director of Neuroscience Services Nancy Stoll, left, and VP of Patient nurse practitioners in the hospital’s Care Services Shari McDonald with Syntyia Comprehensive Stroke Center and Taylor, above, and Alyssa Ciccarella. Neuro Intensive Care Unit.
Mission Corner Catholic Health is committed to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and making sure we’re serving all providers, associates, patients and visitors regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. To help us look at our own workplace, associates are asked to complete an anonymous survey by visiting the DEI Intranet Page at https://my.chsbuffalo.org/home/ diversity-equity-inclusion. Associates are also encouraged to join Mercy Hospital’s DEI committee that will meet monthly to plan special events and activities.
Nurses Amber Hydak and Raphaella Altruda-Kandefer display what “Compassion” means to them as a system-wide awareness campaign brings attention to Catholic Health’s Core Values: Reverence; Compassion; Integrity; Community; Excellence; and Innovation.
Important Reminder The Scrub Run 5K to benefit the Heart Center at Mercy Hospital will be held Friday, August 27 at 6:45 p.m. at Cazenovia Park. Sign up today at: https://scrubrun5k.itsyourrace.com/