Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015
Health/Education Progress Edition IV — Section 1
People key to continued growth, success at Trinity Health System
Contributed
Trinity Medical Center West in Steubenville is the focal point for Trinity Health System.
By PAUL GIANNAMORE Staff writer
STEUBENVILLE — The continued growth and success of Trinity Health System can be attributed to people: The people and their health needs of the communities Trinity serves, and the staff dedicated to serving those needs. Trinity Health System continues to be the Upper Ohio Valley’s largest employer, with 1,900 employees at Trinity Medical Center’s East and West and Trinity’s operations throughout the Steubenville area, said Lew Musso, vice president of human resources. The payroll tops $110 million in salary and benefits in the Steubenville area. Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison has 240 employees and another $10 million in payroll. “And we’re constantly looking for good people,” said Steve Brown, vice president of physican services. Among the people who have joined up with Trinity during the past year are 10 new physicians in primary care and subspecialties who bring infectious disease and endocrinology among their skill set to the hospital.
Cancer treatment The Tony Teramana Cancer Center, located on the Trinity Medical Center
West campus, achieved full accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer survey. It is a full-service cancer center offering radiation oncology, medical oncology and support for patients, including the T.E.A.R. Fund, which helps patients with expenses while they’re undergoing treatment, and other support groups. There is even a food drive where eligible patients are able to obtain food that is good for cancer patients. The center also is the only regional location offering stereotactic body radiation therapy, typically used to treat small cancers of the lung. It also is the only area location offering MRI fusion brachytherapy for prostate cancer. It is the only medical facility in the region where the combined knowledge and talents of doctors from the Allegheny Health Network and UPMC work together. “We continue to talk about how back in 1996 with the consolidation (of the former Ohio Valley and St. John hospitals), our promise to the community, our commitment to the community. We’ve done that, where we can bring world-class cancer care to this community. Patients don’t have to jump
from one hospital to another for their care. It’s all right here,” said JoAnn Mulrooney, vice president of operations for Trinity Health System. Three interventional radiologists have joined the radiology group. They are fellowship trained radiologists from UPMC and their skills enable patients to remain in the community instead of having to go elsewhere for treatment. One of them, Dr. Alexis Smith, is a fellowship-trained specialist in breast imaging. Two surgeons provide care for women with breast cancer, including Dr. Denise Gilman, the only fellowship-trained breast cancer surgeon in the area. Dr. Sam Licata is in the top 1 percent in terms of volume among breast cancer surgeons, said Keith Murdock, Trinity’s community relations director. Dr. Craig Oser, a fellow-
ship-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon, rounds out the breast cancer program, allowing reconstruction to be an immediate part of the breast cancer surgery continuum. That allows women to be treated with fewer surgeries, and all in one location. A lung nodule program is beginning, with low-dose CT scans for lung nodules. A group of multidisciplinary physicians has come together to treat patients with lung nodules. The group includes radiology, pathology, oncology, thoracic surgery and pulmonology, plus a navigator for the patient to move through the diagnosis and treatment. When a patient comes to the hospital and an incidental finding is made of a lung nodule, the patient is referred to the navigator to be sure followup care is done for the nodules. Murdock explained the
goal is to identify lung cancer much earlier to allow for more effective treatment and more successful outcomes through early treatment. Dr. Gray Goncz, vice president of medical affairs, said there is work being done to develop a routine screening program for the community. The need is shown through statistics that reveal the region is among the highest concentrations in the state for lung cancers. In addition to expertise and capabilities offered by having the Allegheny and UPMC cancer programs working together, patients are given the chance to access clinical trials for treatment with affiliations through the Hillman Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic. “It means we have the experience of hundreds of physicians in the country See TRINITY Page 2A ➪