Pulse Feb/Mar 2010

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St. Luke’s Rocks Young Readers!.......... Page 2

ALLENTOWN, BETHLEHEM SECURITY TEAMS COP “distinctive” Accreditation The Security Departments at St. Luke’s Allentown and Bethlehem campuses recently gained prestigious recognition for training and professionalism. St. Luke’s is the first Pennsylvania hospital and only the 12th nationwide to receive the “Program of Distinction – Level I Accreditation” award. The recognition program was begun in 2006 by the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS), based in Glendale Heights, Illinois.

Nursing Students Teach and Learn Real-World Lessons.............................. Page 7

. lan C. Lynch, CHPA, CHSP, HEM, Network director of Safety and Security, said he is proud of A the accomplishment of his team in earning the Program of Distinction award because it requires meeting extensive education, training and proficiency benchmarks. The award’s two key requirements are that 80 percent of the security staff meets IAHSS standards and that the department manager holds the Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA) credential. Both Alan and Allentown Campus Safety and Security manager Robert Smith already have achieved this credential, and Bethlehem’s Security Operations manager, John Talijan, has achieved CHPA nominee status and will be sitting for the exam next year.

In addition to passing the exam, security department managers must meet educational requirements and must have adequate years of experience in the field. CHPA recertification continued on page 2

A Day in the Life of Tim Dorsey............................................ Page 9

Getting to Know... Bill Moyer............. Page 11

Security Department members from the Allentown and Bethlehem campuses stand with the “Program of Distinction – Level I Accreditation” award.

February/March 2010

In This Issue: Allentown, Bethlehem Security Teams Cop “Distinctive” Accreditation..... ......... 1 St. Luke’s Rocks Young Readers!.. .......... 2 In Opera and Fund Raising, Preparation is the Key.. .......................... 3 St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital Supports Operation: Touch of Home.. ....... 4 St. Luke’s Half Marathon and 5K Team Growing.. ........................... 6 Nursing Students Teach and Learn Real-World Lessons............................... 7 Dr. Coni Heads Network’s Neurology Department........................... 8 Keeping an Eye on Newborns.. ................ 8 A Day in the Life.. .................................. 9 St. Luke’s Personalized Breast and Ovarian Health Program Offers Free Cancer Risk Assessments.. ...........10 Getting to Know... Bill Moyer...............11

Dr. Andrew Kimmel examines an infant for retinopathy with the help of Carol Scott, RN, coordinator of the Watchful Eye program. See page 8 for the full story.

You Make A Difference Two of this month’s features have strong connections to the men and women serving America in the Middle East. An initiative begun at St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Geriatric Center collected “essentials” for the troops — enough to fill a truck and a car, plus $1150! Our “Day in the Life of ” subject, Tim Dorsey, an echocardiography technician at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital who spent a year in Iraq, shares some of his first-hand experience and perspectives about America’s presence there.

Around the world and in your community, our employees are touching lives in many important ways, as evidenced by the following comments: From a patient at the Miners Campus: “The staff could have not been any nicer or likable.”

From a patient at the Bethlehem Campus: “All nurses were diligent in checking and rechecking my identification, making me, the patient, feel comfortable and in good hands.”

From an outpatient at the Quakertown Campus: “All the people who did my tests and treatments were wonderful and friendly.

Quincy Rogers took my blood and I couldn’t even feel it. (I call him the vampire. Ha Ha.)” From an outpatient at the Allentown Campus: “The visit was one of my most pleasant hospital visits ever!”

From a patient of Medical Associates of Bethlehem: “I’ve been under Dr. Mathur’s care for over three years now and he is the best doctor that I have had. His care and thoroughness are what makes him an excellent doctor.”

St. Luke’s Rocks Young Readers!

More than 130 students from Donegan Elementary participating in Reading Rocks! — a joint reading enrichment program sponsored by St. Luke’s Hospital and Lehigh University — were invited to attend the Lehigh-Lafayette men’s basketball game held recently at Stabler Arena. Also attending as guests of St. Luke’s Hospital were parents, guardians and teachers. The event provided an opportunity for students to celebrate their achievements and share a light dinner with their parents.

The students being honored successfully met their Reading Rocks! goal for the fall semester. Honored students also received a Reading Rocks! T-shirt and a book bag. The student in each participating grade who read the most books was recognized on the basketball court at halftime.

Donegan serves a low-income, bilingual population of 475 students in grades K – 5. Eighty percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 44 percent perform below grade level. The inability to read has a potentially devastating lifelong effect on children. Students not reading at grade level in Grade 3 are statistically likely to live their lives, at best, in poverty and, at worst, incarcerated.

Students participating in Reading Rocks! received a T-shirt.

All books for Reading Rocks! are provided through book drives conducted by St. Luke’s, Lehigh University and other community organizations. Many of the Donegan students do not have books in their homes. St. Luke’s employees donated 2,000 books to support the winter 2009 Reading Rocks! and an additional 600 books were provided primarily by Cops ‘n’ Kids. More than 10,000 books were collected for the fall 2009 Reading Rocks!, including a substantial donation of books from employees of St. Luke’s Hospital and Border’s Book Store.

Reading Rocks! is led by Dr. Bonnie Coyle, Sue Schantz and Karen Boksan from St. Luke’s Hospital and Roseann Corsi from the Lehigh University Athletic Department, in conjunction with Sonia Vazquez, principal of Donegan Elementary School.

Some students from Donegan Elementary who participated in Reading Rocks!

Security cont. is required every three years, and this process includes documented evidence of contributions to the health care safety and security profession, such as by publishing articles or giving professional presentations.

There are 22 security employees serving the Bethlehem and Allentown sites. To meet their certification, they must pass an exam that covers a 40-unit training manual. The manual covers the disciplines relevant to the unique field of health care safety and security. Among them are knowledge of the laws, the use of force continuum, organization of health care institutions, “de-escalation skills” and what Alan calls “customer service.” . at means that in addition to being trained in Th security, safety and emergency preparedness, hospital officers must make visitors, patients

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and staff feel safe and welcome. Alan explains, “Issues that may seem trivial anywhere else are magnified in the hospital context and require a great deal of finesse and sensitivity. In these situations our security officers are trained to work closely with the clinical staff to avoid adversely affecting a patient’s condition or family members’ emotional states.

“Health care security is a very sophisticated kind of security work, because you need to understand the vast array of patient and family issues. It’s more intricate than airport security, for instance, because we aren’t in a position to screen people as consistently and insensitively as what is required for that environment.”

Alan first experienced health care security work while serving with the military police in the U.S. Army and being assigned to Walter

Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He then worked as a municipal police officer in Upper Mount Bethel Township in Northampton County. He returned to hospital work at Pocono Medical Center and then at Easton Hospital before coming to St. Luke’s about five years ago. Altogether, Alan has 21 years of experience in health care safety, security and emergency preparedness.

In addition to being a CHPA, Alan is a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP) and a certified Healthcare Environmental Manager (HEM). In April 2009, he was a national finalist for the “Campus Safety Director of the Year” award in the health care division.

February/March 2010

Michele E. Giletto, director of Development for the Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke’s, will tell you that fund raising is a lot like selling. It’s a transaction that this Lehigh Valley native enjoys, and one that she’s done in the past as a volunteer to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, the Lehigh Valley Women’s 5K Classic, churches and schools.

Michele also was a professional singer for 10 years, performing in opera, concerts and musical theater in this country and in Europe, and that experience connects to being good at her work for the VNA. “Auditioning for a role is selling too,” she says. A performer tries to make herself stand out by singing (or acting or dancing) well, but being prepared is the key. Michele tells the story of being told by an agent at Columbia Artists Management Inc. that a role she was seeking involved some ballet. She knew she could dance, but had not recently done ballet. What if she didn’t remember what the various French words for ballet positions meant? On the way to the tryout, she got a book on ballet, refreshed her ballet “vocabulary,” and got the role. Another aspect of auditioning that translates to fund raising is the building of relationships. It helps cultivate connections with mentors, coaches and other performers.

Michele says that ability led her to participate in the Young Artists Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera.

Michele began performing in Allentown at age 9 with the Stage Door Workshop.

An important revelation came at age 16, when she auditioned with American Music Abroad choir director George Boyer. She was trying out as an alto but Boyer told her no. “You’re a first soprano,” he said. That

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In Opera and Fund Raising, Preparation is the Key

February/March 2010

Michele Giletto (back, center), director of Development for the VNA of St. Luke’s, has performed professionally in Europe and the U.S.

range was much better suited to her voice and the change made a difference. Straining to be an alto would have greatly shortened her career.

She sang in Europe with Boyer’s program and then studied at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford (Connecticut). Then, for seven years she toured Austria as a performer of German Lieder (songs), primarily the works of Robert Schumann and Richard Strauss.

Michele enjoyed singing in programs known as Liederabend, or evenings of song, traditionally held in Austrian castles.

Michele says her voice was well-suited to performing in Europe, where classical music is sung without amplification. Back in the United States, she found that her acting ability also made her a good fit with a changing culture in opera. “It was becoming more theatrical. Since

On June 10, 1983, Dr. Terrill Theman performed the first open-heart surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital.

In the 1990’s, St. Luke’s Hospital transitioned from a respected community hospital to a fully integrated, nationally recognized, regional health care network. Today, St. Luke’s encompasses more than 150 locations.

I was a good actress too, that worked well for me,” she says. As for the roles she enjoyed most, one was in 1988 in the Philadelphia premier of Virgil Thomson’s “The Mother of Us All,” in which she portrayed Angel More, the deceased — and angelic — wife of the American orator and politician Daniel Webster. Another highlight was portraying Abigail Adams in “The Crucible,” composer Robert Ward’s adaptation of the Arthur Miller play.

Another revelation came when Michele tried out for a role with a touring company of “Phantom of the Opera” in Philadelphia.

She was offered a role in a German tour, but decided not to go. “I thought that if I went, it would be for good, I’d stay in Europe.” She also had concluded that being a professional singer for her was “a selfish experience” because one constantly has to “protect the instrument” and therefore misses a lot of experiences with other people.

Michele still sings in the Lehigh Valley with choirs and for weddings and other events.

She resides in Whitehall Township with her husband Basil and their children, Martha (8) and Basil John (9). “They happen to have very good voices,” she says. This year, Martha even had a solo part in a school program.

Michele adds, “I’m afraid she’s got the bug.”

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St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital Supports Operation: Touch of Home When Nancy Wilcox, RN, Radiology Department, talked to her co-workers at St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital about Operation: Touch of Home, the staff at the hospital and the residents of St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Geriatric Center stepped up to the plate to show their continued support of our troops serving overseas. Nancy is involved with the all-volunteer, non-profit organization Operation: Touch of Home, which collects items to send to local troops serving overseas.

Nancy and her husband were recruited by another couple approximately two and a half years ago while Nancy’s son Matthew was preparing for deployment to Iraq with the Marines — a fitting time to get involved. For the troops, the essentials sent to them are considered to be luxuries while they’re away from home.

Various departments within the hospital and at satellite locations decorated donation collection boxes. Residents of the Geriatric Center decorated a pumpkin to encourage donations from other residents on the fifth floor, along with visitors and staff.

Essentials, which included individual drink mixes, snacks, gum, batteries, fly swatters, socks, sunscreen, lip balm, magazines, tissues and thank-you cards, were collected — enough to fill one truck and one car, plus $1150! The

money collected included bingo winnings donated by the Geriatric Center residents, “Catch a Quarter” set up in the hospital lobby and a prize drawing for a fall-themed basket donated by the Radiology Department, along with cash donations.

The items donated through St. Luke’s, combined with other donations to Operation: Touch of Home, resulted in a total shipment of 13,698 pounds of essentials (596 boxes and counting!) at a shipping cost of $8,728 to 86 troops overseas. Each troop received approximately five boxes of supplies, which they appreciated and shared with other members of their units. They even found creative ways to share the joy, such as Black Friday shopping!

“It’s awesome how people come together to support the troops who are defending our freedom,” says Nancy.

“The little things we take for granted are very much appreciated, and needed, by our troops while they’re serving overseas. It’s rewarding to get thank-you notes from the troops, to learn that they’ve been able to share items with other troops and to know that the packages we sent brought a smile to their faces.”

The following letters illustrate how much the troops appreciate the donations...

Wear Red on Fridays If you’ve been to the Coaldale campus on a Friday you’ve seen many people wearing red. Why? The staff in red is showing support of our troops. According to Operation: Touch of Home, this is a simple show of support for our troops as we let them know we are on their side more than ever. The idea of showing solidarity and support will continue each and every Friday until the troops come home. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of our troops!

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February/March 2010

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Thank you SOOOO MUCH!!! I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am as well as my whole platoon for the arrangement of things you sent us. I promise that it has made this deployment much more enjoyable… Your genero us, GENEROUS contributions are much appreciated. It has really put a smile on all our faces…

You have really brought us some holiday cheer. There was a lot of helpful items in there that were really thoughtful.

We are thankful for the sacrifices that you all have made to show us that we are appreciated. Hope the letter finds you soon.

Mail is pretty slow out here…

Thanks again so so much! You have made us all really

happy.

Sincerely, Zachary Viscomi USMC

I have to thank rs in my supervision, and I have roughly 80 Soldie … as I walked sity ero gen heart for your you from the bottom of my es atop my box e ssiv ma 4 see prised to into my tent I was a bit sur touched that them up I was truthfully humble bed. Once I opened rt to put effo ing to take the time and your organization is will especially on, iati rec ous gesture of app together such a tremend you some d sen I’ll in. l stil one we’re during a recession like the ing these ops. I’m planning on sav pictures of me and my tro sure all the ke night, and then I’ll ma packages until Christmas you sent es box 4 se In all honesty the troopers get something. ch. mu so nks as for us. Tha me have MADE Christm Respectfully, her

First Lieutenant Jed Fis Maysan Province, Iraq

If you have information on a local GI currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, please contact Operation: Touch of Home through its website www.operationtouchofhome.org/HomePage.html Thank you to everyone for your continued support of our troops!

February/March 2010

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St. Luke’s Half Marathon and 5K Team Growing The St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Half Marathon and Physical Therapy at St. Luke’s 5K will take place Sunday, April 25 in Allentown and currently the St. Luke’s team is at 92 participants.

Frank Ford, president of St. Luke’s Hospital – Allentown Campus, anticipates the St. Luke’s team will be a large group. As a runner himself, Ford values the role exercise has played in his life both personally and professionally. “When you start your day with a 5 or 7 mile run, especially during these cold winter mornings, your attitude and approach to the entire day is impacted in a very positive way. It is much easier to deal with day-to-day challenges and stress,” says Ford.

A popular event, the Half Marathon and 5K sold out early, with over 4,000 runners for the Half and 650 runners for the 5K. Although there are no more spots available for either event, if you are an employee who is already registered, make sure you are signed up to be part of the St. Luke’s team. You can check your team status by calling Kate Siegrist in Marketing at 610-954-4131.

Also, friends and family members of employees who are already officially registered are encouraged to join the St. Luke’s team. All team members will receive a special St. Luke’s T-shirt as well as a pre-race and post-race party in the Annex Building at St. Luke’s Hospital – Allentown Campus. A 1.5 mile Family Fun Walk and a Kid’s Run activity for children ages 3-14 are also part of the day’s activities. To register for the Family Fun Walk and/or Kid’s Run, visit www.lehighvalleyhalfmarathon.com.

For more information, contact Kate Siegrist in Marketing at 610-954-4131 or siegrik@slhn.org.

A Runner’s World: Q & A with Frank Ford Q: When did you start running?

A: I ’ve been running competitively

since the 1980s.

Q: Why do you run? What are the benefits of running?

A: Once running gets into your psyche, it becomes a way of life and you benefit in so many ways.

The benefits I’ve experienced include: weight control (especially as you get older), stress control, healthy lifestyle motivation to my children (all runners), camaraderie in a healthy activity, goal setting and achievement.

Running teaches discipline, patience and a sense of accomplishment that can be applied to work and personal life.

Q: What are some of your favorite running memories and achievements?

A: I have run in seven marathons: New York City Marathon (1988), Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. – (1989 – 1993) and Cape Cod Marathon (1994). My best time was 3 hours, 27 minutes. After running in the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Half Marathon this April, I plan to run a marathon in the fall after a 15-year delay to help motivate my daughter, who is planning to run her first marathon.

Q: What makes the St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Half Marathon such a great race?

A: The St. Luke’s Lehigh Valley Half Marathon starts on Linden Street, one block from the Allentown Campus. It is the region’s largest single-day competitive athletic event with more than 4,000 participants. It is the perfect venue for St. Luke’s to support a healthy event and draw the community’s attention to the tremendous growth and outstanding quality health care available at the Allentown Campus. It is also a great opportunity for our employees to participate in a fun and healthy community event.

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February/March 2010

NURSING STUDENTS TEACH AND LEARN REAL-WORLD LESSONS Paging through the course catalogue from St. Luke’s School of Nursing (SON) at Moravian College, you might come across “NURS 320: Nursing of Populations at High Risk for Health Problems/Honduras.” Beneath the surface, this course is very special. Taught by Janet Sipple, RN, EdD, professor at the SON/Moravian, NURS 320 began as a global community class for nursing students who visited a rural clinic in the Ahuas area of Honduras — through a partnership between the Moravian Church World Mission Board and the SON.

The May 2009 mission trip to Honduras included: • Desirae Ackerman, SN, SON • Pamela Adamshick, RN, PMHCNS-BC, PhD, assistant professor, SON • Richelle Beveridge, RN, VNA • Avery Bryant, RN, ADN, CEN, Emergency Dept., Bethlehem Campus • Frannys Carotenuto, RN, Emergency Dept., Allentown Campus • Gretchen Deutsch, RN, Emergency Dept., Allentown Campus • Corrie Durnin, RN, CW4, Bethlehem Campus

In 2008, Beth Gotwals, RN, assistant professor at the SON/Moravian, went on a mission trip to San Francisco de Yojoa, another rural area of Honduras, through an organization called the MAMA Project (Mujeres Amigas Miles Apart), which means “women and friends miles apart.” Acting on Beth’s suggestion, a group of 11 nurses and a nursing student from the SON, St. Luke’s Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), and our Allentown, Bethlehem and Quakertown campuses began preparing for a week-long stay in the San Francisco de Yojoa region in May 2009 — as part of NURS 320.

One of the participants, Pam Adamshick, RN, PMHCNS-BC, PhD, assistant professor at the SON/Moravian, puts the experience in perspective for us. “The homes in these villages had dirt floors, open doorways and no screens, so we literally had to work from the ground up — building cement floors. In this environment, one of the biggest medical problems comes from worms that burrow into the bare feet of the villagers. Other issues are contaminated water, nutritional deficiencies, and untreated upper respiratory and other infections.”

Unlike working at the established clinic in Ahuas, which offers surgery and delivers babies, these “dedicated dozen,” with the help of the MAMA Project representatives, assisted at the regional nutrition center and set up and operated day clinics at three of the neediest villages in the region.

Pam continues, “We started by helping out at the residential nutritional center, where malnourished children, their mothers and other malnourished pregnant women are brought for nutritional monitoring and vitamins. The women and children remain for several weeks until they gain adequate weight. The women are taught how to cook nutritious meals and

• Tracy Groller, RN, CRN, Interventional Radiology, Bethlehem Campus • Beth Gotwals RN, PhD (candidate), assistant professor, SON • Deb Halliday RN, RVT, RDMS, site coordinator, vascular technologist, St. Luke’s 8th Ave. Diagnostic Center • Morgan Hibbler, RN, Emergency Dept., Bethlehem Campus • Linda Young, RN, MS, MSEd, vice president, Patient Services, St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital

how to purify water using a simple system provided by MAMA. The nutrition center was also our base for assembling medication packets and organizing other supplies for distribution at the village clinics.

“In the meantime, MAMA had visited the three designated villages, informing the residents which day we would be ‘in town.’ Accompanied by a doctor and dentist, we provided blood pressure screenings, nutritional and other health assessments and interventions; administered medications; and referred people to the nutrition center.”

The St. Luke’s contingent also brought loads of much-needed items for the Honduran families — lightly worn clothing and shoes, toys and art materials, and dental supplies — donated by local churches and other organizations.

According to Pam, beach balls made the biggest splash.

“There is no doubt we received much more than we gave,” shares Pam. “MAMA took very good care of us, and the Honduran villagers appreciated everything we did, including basic things we take for granted like clean water, shoes and a real floor. Personally, I was brought to tears on more than one occasion. While taking a woman’s blood pressure, she murmured over me in words I couldn’t understand, but her demeanor indicated she was ‘blessing’ me. At the end of one day, a village leader presented us with money collected by his people. They were so grateful, they wanted us to give it to the nutrition center — to share with even needier people.

Team members (L-R): Richelle Beveridge, Gretchen Deutsch and Desirae Ackerman take a break during the laying of a cement floor in a home in a remote village.

February/March 2010

Avery Bryant (left) and Morgan Hibbler (right) work with translator Laureen (center) filling medication orders at a health clinic.

“This overwhelming experience taught us the importance of spirituality and hope. You can’t learn those lessons from a book.”

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DR. CONI HEADS NETWORK’S NEUROLOGY DEPARTMENT When Robert J. Coni, DO, was appointed Chief of Neurology for St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network last July, it was the newest accomplishment for a doctor who already held leadership positions in the Network and in the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Coni, on St. Luke’s medical staff since 1995, also serves as medical director of both St. Luke’s Acute Rehabilitation Center and St. Luke’s Headache Center.

Dr. Coni has a special interest in headaches.

He says headaches are one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor, yet estimates that perhaps 40 percent of people who get headaches do not seek treatment. Many headaches are relatively minor problems, but when they are so severe or persistent they interfere with a person’s daily life, it is wise to seek a professional’s care.

He describes the Headache Center as a “team of resources” who accepts referrals to a “headache team,” which includes a chiropractor, psychologist and dentist. The dentist may get involved if there is a misalignment of the TMJ, the temporomandibular joint at the back of the jaw.

At the Acute Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Coni oversees a higher level of treatment than would be needed for people who have suffered an orthopedic injury. Here patients who have had strokes or spinal cord injuries get more intense therapy that addresses functional needs, ultimately allowing them to return home. In fact, Medicare rules direct people with neurological problems to acute rehab centers like St. Luke’s.

Dr. Coni has had a neurology practice in the Lehigh Valley since 1995. Actually, medicine was not his original career pursuit. He earned his undergraduate degree at SUNY-Oneonta and went into secondary education. However, after student teaching, he decided that wasn’t the field for him. Next, he worked as a nuclear medicine tech. “I had always wanted to go to medical school, but growing up in a blue-collar setting (in Farmingdale, Long Island, N.Y.) at first I didn’t think it was possible,” he shares.

Keeping an Eye on Newborns The staff of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network has developed a new program to track premature newborns who may be at risk for serious vision problems. The “Watchful Eye” program is a first of its kind and recently was honored with a Network Quality Award. Originators of the program believe it can be a model for other NICUs across the country.

Gayle Thear, BSN, RNC, NE-BC, explains the problem premature babies sometimes face is Retinopathy of Prematurity, or ROP. The eyes develop differently once they are outside of the uterus. As the blood vessels in the eye grow, they may develop abnormally and cause the retina to pull away from the back of the eye. ROP is classified in stages, from mild to severe. Most of the time, mild to moderate ROP resolves on its own. Severe ROP requires laser surgery to prevent decreased vision or blindness. Babies born at 32 weeks gestational age or less and those born weighing less than 1,500 grams are considered at risk for developing ROP. These babies are “Watched” by the retinal specialist while in the hospital. The unique part of the “Watchful Eye” program is that the hospital continues to “Watch” these babies after discharge, in collaboration with the retinal specialist. continued on page 9

. e says his work in nuclear medicine led him to think about pursuing a specialty in neurology H at medical school (New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of the New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, N.Y.). However, there was another reason within his own family history. Dr. Coni’s father, Salvatore, had suffered a brain metastasis, which inspired Dr. Coni to help people who had similar problems. Though his father died when Dr. Coni was only 11, Dr. Coni recalls how frightening it was to see him suffer seizures. “Today, I think that experience helps me to relate to patients and their families. When they tell me how upsetting it is to see a loved one suffer a seizure, I know what they are talking about,” he explains.

Dr. Coni and his wife Nancy live in the Nazareth area, and he enjoys listening to “the oldies” on his iPod. He also has recently taken up golf, but has time only for nine holes. His favorite local courses include Wedgewood (near Coopersburg), Bethlehem Municipal and the Olde Homestead Golf Club (near New Tripoli). “For now, I’d better stick to the easier ones,” he says with a smile.

Readership Survey Suggestion

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Dr. Andrew Kimmel performs a retinal screening exam on an infant in the NICU.

February/March 2010

A Day in the Life of... TIM DORSEY Echocardiography Technician • St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital More than most other Americans, Tim Dorsey understands the value of teamwork. And he appreciates what many of us take for granted.

Tim has been part of two tightly knit organizations: spending four years with the Neurocardiovascular (NCV) Department at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital, and seven years with the U.S. Army, including over a year in Iraq.

A registered echocardiographer, Tim has performed cardiac ultrasounds on patients ranging from 11 to 104 years old. “We basically look at multiple imaging planes of the heart that allow us to identify segmental wall motions, valve structures, blood flow, chamber sizes and cardiac pressures,” Tim says. “I really enjoy the extensive conversations I have with some patients.

Listening to these stories is like going back in time — covering life in the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War. I am grateful to be exposed to so many fascinating people.”

Tim’s patients and colleagues appreciate him, too. “Tim Dorsey is a reliable, conscientious employee who is friendly and caring with the patients. He exemplifies teamwork in his daily routines, assisting where needed, and willingly assumes added responsibilities,” says his supervisor, Jan Wieand, RT, Radiology/NCV manager.

Tim adds, “The Quakertown Campus is a wonderful place to work, where everybody makes you feel at home. From a patient’s standpoint, this would be the place I would take my mother.

The NCV is like a big family. Everybody communicates what’s on their mind, and we all strive for the same goal as a department. Jan is an excellent manager, who also supervises the Radiology Department. And it’s a pleasure working with Judy Eichorn, Sherry Hartman, Jen Ko, Sue Leidy, Amy Hutcheon, Brenda Croll-Stachelek, Chris Knoble and Eileen Catino.”

Now let’s look at Tim’s other experience in teamwork and purpose, as a supply sergeant for the 324th Military Police Battalion in Iraq. He shares, “I supplied troops with the materials they needed to sustain an effective operation, and provided detainees with supplies. The experience in Iraq definitely made me appreciate life more.

“As Americans, we have it pretty good compared to people in the Middle East. Even in our worst neighborhoods, we don’t wake up to mortar or rocket attacks, our roads are not littered with bombs, and we don’t have barbed-wire checkpoints. There is no comparison between the struggles and hunger in America and Iraq. I think we should really appreciate what we have, because it could always be worse.”

We asked Tim to put America’s presence in Iraq into perspective. He replies, “Some civilians in Iraq are glad we’re there and don’t want us to leave, for fear of things getting worse.

Other Iraqis don’t want us to leave because they are making a lot of money dealing with our country. Of course, some don’t want us there at all. Any way you look at the situation, I think we took an oppressive leader from power and eventually, we’ll just have to let Iraq run itself without the presence of U.S. troops.”

Turning to a less serious subject, his leisure time, Tim tells us he enjoys biking and other outdoor activities with his fiancee Christine, who is a physician assistant in the ED at the Quakertown Campus. It isn’t surprising that he values spending quality time with his family and friends.

“I really enjoy the extensive conversations I have with some patients...

I am grateful to be exposed to so many fascinating people.”

— Tim Dorsey February/March 2010

Watchful Eye cont.

Carol Scott, RNC, LNC, the ROP coordinator, is responsible for tracking and verifying that inpatient and outpatient eye exams have been done until vascular maturity is reached. In the two years of St. Luke’s “Watchful Eye” program, she has had 100 percent compliance with all patient retinal screening visits. If parents of a baby being tracked for ROP miss a retinal screening visit or fail to respond to communications from the hospital, a county Children & Youth (C&Y) department gets involved. Gayle says in the first year of the program, C&Y had to call on four households to get babies “in for exams.” With increased education for parents, last year C&Y was needed only once.

“Watchful Eye” was developed at St. Luke’s by a multidisciplinary team that included Dr. Andrew Kimmel, retinal specialist; Dr. Andrew Unger, chief of Neonatology; Dr. Leo Heitlinger, chief of Pediatrics; Carol Scott, NICU RN; Gayle Thear, NICU manager; Attorney Robbie Wax of St. Luke’s Legal Department; Donna Sabol, administration; and members of the Social Services Department. Carol, Gayle and Ruth Wittmann-Price wrote an article about the program, which was published in Neonatal Network in 2008.

9

St. Luke’s Personalized Breast and Ovarian Health Program Offers Free Cancer Risk Assessments Women can get free help assessing their individual risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers under a new program at St. Luke’s Cancer Center.

“Many women will try to do everything they need to do to keep themselves healthy,” explains Christine Figler, manager, St. Luke’s Cancer Care Associates, who is leading St. Luke’s Personalized Breast and Ovarian Health Program, under the direction of Dr. Lee B. Riley, medical director for Oncology Services.

“They will get mammograms and annual gynecological check ups. But most people don’t know their risk for certain types of cancer.”

Christine, an RN who is also a certified breast health specialist, along with Andrea Smith, a genetics counselor, led a group of experts in developing an assessment form that is available free of charge to women interested in learning more about their risk factors. A year in the making, the assessment questionnaire is contained in a brochure that will be available in physicians’ offices and clinics throughout the Network, or by calling the Cancer Center at 1-866-STLUKES. The program was piloted at the Women’s 5K Classic in October 2009 and within departments at the Bethlehem Campus.

The questionnaire covers personal and family medical histories and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Once completed, it folds securely into a self-mailer that is returned free via business reply mail to St. Luke’s Cancer Center.

The Breast Health and Ovarian Program team (L-R): Andrea Smith, MS, genetic counselor; Michelle Silfies, RN, BSN, breast health specialist; Barbara Davis, RN, CBCN, breast health specialist; Christine Figler, RN, BSN, OCN, manager, St. Luke’s Cancer Care Associates; and Susan Gorman, MSN, CRNP, AOCNP, Cancer Center nurse practitioner.

When the completed questionnaire is received, the respondent’s demographic information is entered into a database. Cancer Center genetics counselor Andrea Smith enters the medical information into a software program that provides an analysis of risk factors, ranking women at low, moderate or high risk for breast and ovarian cancers.

The results are mailed back with a letter inviting those women identified at high risk to the Cancer Center for a free first-time clinical breast exam. Women will have the opportunity to meet breast health specialists, breast surgeons, or an oncology nurse practitioner for more information and to ask questions. Two afternoons each month have been set aside at the Cancer Center for meeting with women who have been identified as high risk through

By the numbers • Your brain uses 20 PERCENT of your body’s energy, but it makes up only 2 PERCENT of your body’s weight.

• It is estimated that there are more than 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections in the human brain.

• Only 4 PERCENT of brain cells work, and the remaining cells are kept in reserve.

the program. Women also will be able to call the breast health specialists with questions.

“The breast health specialists and genetic counselors will make recommendations based on a woman’s personal history,” Christine says. “Depending on their history, they may need further workup and evaluation. Or they may need genetic testing to identify if they carry the BRCA genes that increase risk. If appropriate, women may also be offered an initial clinical breast exam at no charge.”

Monthly educational seminars are being offered at various locations throughout the Network to complement the assessment program. The seminars, offered free of charge to the public, are being held in the evenings.

They include presentations by Dr. Riley and other specialists, including a certified oncology nurse practitioner and a medical oncologist.

Women can register for these seminars at www.slhn.org or by calling St. Luke’s InfoLink at 1-877-610-6161.

Being aware of risk factors will not prevent cancer, Christine acknowledges, but awareness can encourage women to have routine tests that lead to early detection.

“If more cancers are detected early, there’s a greater chance they can be cured, and knowing your individual risk can make a difference,” she says.

*Source: www.medindia.net

10

February/March 2010

GETTING TO KNOW... BILL MOYER Vice President, Construction and Support Services Bill Moyer has taken out the trash, cleaned toilets, cooked food, delivered patient trays, washed dishes, delivered storeroom supplies, assisted with cooling tower maintenance and patrolled with security since he assumed the position of vice president of Construction and Support Services for St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network.

Doing such hands-on work — a bit unusual for a vice president — has been a priority for Bill, who moved into his executive position in March 2008. Job shadowing, he explains, has been a valuable way to better understand what he calls the “behind-the-scenes” departments that fall under the umbrella of Support Services.

They include Environmental Services, Nutrition Services, Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Security, Shipping and Receiving, Storeroom, Couriers, SPD, and Purchasing.

“Job shadowing gives you a better perspective about the difficulties and roadblocks someone faces in doing a job,” Bill states. “It also gives you a greater appreciation of how hard people work behind the scenes to keep the organization running.”

In addition to supervising those departments, Bill is responsible for facility planning and construction for our Network, with the exception of the new Riverside Campus at Route 33 and I-78. Some recent construction

“Job shadowing gives you a better perspective about the difficulties and roadblocks someone faces in doing a job.”

— Bill Moyer projects under Bill’s oversight include the Bone and Joint Institute in Quakertown, the renovation of the Vincent Benet House and the Upper Perkiomen Outpatient Center.

“One of the challenges in my position is space planning,” Bill explains. “The continued growth of our Network requires that we plan accordingly to efficiently utilize all available space.”

This year, for example, St. Luke’s developed an offsite facility service program, which eliminated using third-party services to maintain several buildings located in the vicinity of the Bethlehem Campus. This new service is offered to 32 offsite locations including Polk Street, Union Station and the VNA Hospice House on Black River Road.

Reducing reliance on contracted services has been a focus for Bill, who over the years has justified creating 14 new positions while significantly avoiding operating expenses by more than $2,300,000. In addition to the cost savings realized from bringing the work in house, Bill says he’s getting great feedback

about the quality of the work. “There’s a greater sense of ownership when the work is done internally,” he says.

Bill began his career with St. Luke’s 20 years ago as a technician in the Biomedical Engineering Department. He later was a coordinator and director in the department before becoming an assistant vice president responsible for Engineering, Environmental Services and Biomedical Engineering.

He likes the culture at St. Luke’s, where employees’ opinions are sought and valued.

It’s something he emphasizes as a manager.

“When employees have a concern, they feel they can come to me and talk about it. “ Bill’s wife Victoria is a cardiac rehabilitation nurse in the Health and Fitness Center at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital. They celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in April 2009.

In addition to sharing a career interest in health care, the couple also shares a commitment to exercise and fitness. Moyer says they met when his wife was an aerobics instructor at the gym where he exercised. An avid runner, he’s completed a marathon and a number of smaller races. He cut down on his running schedule while completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees at DeSales University, but he looks forward to competing again.

Bill and Victoria are animal lovers who have been involved as volunteers with several rescue organizations. He also volunteers in the soup kitchen at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.

But he gets the most satisfaction out of his role at St. Luke’s. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with a diverse group of very dedicated individuals who contribute so much toward the success of our organization,” Bill says.

Members of St. Luke’s Support Services team (L-R): Cathleen Silvasi, food server, Nutrition Services; Jane Horack, cook, Nutrition Services; Glen Leh, clerk, Storeroom; Bill Moyer, vice president, Construction and Support Services; Jose Mangual, cleaning aide, Environmental Services; Jenna Martin, hostess, Nutrition Services; and Lance Cristen, cleaning aide, Environmental Services.

February/March 2010

Readership Survey Suggestion

11

Network Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit #275 Bethlehem, PA

801 Ostrum St. • Bethlehem, PA 18015 Our Mission:

The mission of St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network is to provide compassionate, excellent quality and cost-effective health care to residents of the communities we serve regardless of their ability to pay.

Our Strategic Focus: People and Relationships • Physicians, Employees and Volunteers — our most important assets.

• We will be the region’s health care employer of choice.

Simplicity • Continue to simplify management structure.

• Promote efficiency and effectiveness.

Integrity • Transparent, accountable management.

• Ongoing adherence to our Management Philosophy.

Quality • Focus on clinical process improvements using national benchmarks and appropriately share the outcomes of our ongoing focus on quality.

• Perform in the top decile in national pay-for-performance programs.

Cost • Perform in the top decile in Thomson criteria for cost-effective management.

• Continue to be the region’s low-cost tertiary hospital.

 St. Luke’s Hospice employees Kim Nothstein, RN, (L) and Gail DeSalvio, CNA, home health aide, pose for a photo with the Hospice House snowman made during the recent snowstorm.

Network Pulse is a periodic publication for the employees of St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network published by the Corporate Communications Department.

801 Ostrum St. • Bethlehem, PA 18015 Executive Editor: Susan M. Schantz Vice President, Corporate Communications Contributing Writers: Glenn Kranzley • Vicki Mayk • Robert Schobel Design Supervision: Lori Diehl Director, Network Graphic Design Photography: Joseph Klepeiss Director, Media Production Services Betsy Toole • Anne Kemp

St. Luke’s strives to be the region’s health care employer of choice.

 The Bethlehem Campus Nutrition Services staff asked cafeteria customers to complete a survey in return for S’mores made by new chef Harry Horner, shown serving one to Trudy Raymis of Central Transport.