Progress week 2

C M Y K 50 inch proGress 2013

www.herald-dispatch.com

progress 2013:

The Herald-Dispatch’s annual Progress Editions take a look at our Tri-State economy and business community.

Today’s sections focus on health and finance. Other topics will be examined over the next two Sundays.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

HeALTH

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Robert Frazier of Huntington displays his paintings at the art festival for veterans at the VA Medical Center.

INsIde THIs seCTIoN

st. Mary’s: Heart care still focus St. Mary’s Medical

Center’s continued focus on heart care is a driving force of the hospital’s mission. / 2G

Cabell Huntington: physicians work together to treat tumors Cabell Huntington Hospital professionals collaborate in weekly or monthly tumor conferences. Patients are the beneficiaries of not only a second opinion, but sometimes a sixth or 10th or 20th. / 3G

VA MEDICAL CENTER CONTINUES TO GROW

Medical foster home alternative for veterans sTorY BY rACHeL BAILeY / For THe HerALd-dIspATCH F

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he needs and nature of our veterans have morphed many times over the last 80 years, and Huntington’s VA Medical Center, located at 1540 Spring Valley Drive, has changed along with them. Starting in 1932 as a 210-bed hospital, it has grown to include a network of rural outreach facilities, a mental health clinic, a medical foster home program, a homeless veterans resource center and will soon boast a women’s clinic.

Many of these services are par for the course — homelessness and mental health are familiar plights for veterans around the country. But one of the most successful and surprising programs at the VA Medical Center is the medical foster home.

“It’s an alternative to nursing home placement,” said Trina Touchton, coordinator of the medical foster home program. Families in the area can volunteer to foster a veteran who can’t live on his own, usually for medical reasons. Once Touchton has approved a home — based on factors like cleanliness, prior formal or informal caregiving experience and fire safety— she’ll take a veteran who’s looking for a place to stay to see the home and meet the family.

“We do have a wide range, from Vietnam all the way to WWII veterans, who are in care right now. The veteran pays for this care, but it’s much less

Trina Touchton coordinator of the medical foster home program at the VA Medical Center

Please see VA MEDICAL/8G

There’s a reason patients choose St. Mary’s when something is wrong with their heart.

St. Mary’s is the only medical facility in Huntington where doctors can perform heart surgery if you need it. So, start your heart care here.

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If you’re having chest pain, call 911 and tell them,“Take me to St. Mary’s”

The only accredited Chest Pain Center in Huntington

St. Mary’s program has more than 30 years of experience in providing advanced heart care to patients, longer than any other program in the Tri-State.

St. Mary’s offers minimally invasive heart surgery for some patients who would normally require open-heart surgery.

St. Mary’s is a proud partner of the American Heart Association.

The Hands of Experience® in Advanced Heart Care

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C M Y K 50 inch 2G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Brooke Leaberry, nurse practitioner in cardiology at St. Mary’s and coordinator of the heart valve clinic

By BETH HENDRICKS The Herald-Dispatch

F

bhendricks@herald-dispatch.com

rom the region’s first open heart surgery in 1979 to a year of advances and new technologies, St. Mary’s Medical Center’s continued focus on heart care is a driving force of the hospital’s mission.

“It’s not just a rubber stamp here and that’s it,” said Regina Campbell, director of the St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute. “We’re constantly working to make sure we’re doing everything we can to best meet the needs of our patients, from before they arrive until after they’re discharged.”

KEY PLAYER: MUHAMMAD SOHAIB KARIM

Among the medical center’s newest offerings are a heart valve clinic, minimally invasive bypass and valve surgeries and a recent recognition as an accredited chest pain center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.

JOB: Board Certified Primary Care Physician Specializing in Internal Medicine, St. Mary’s Family Care Center Highlawn HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: My grandfather was a primary care physician and I grew up watching him care for patients and that inspired me to become a physician.

FIRST JOB: VA Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz.

FAMILY: Wife, Fatima Karim SPECIAL SKILLS: Internal Medicine Specialist FAVORITE BOOK: “Watership Down” FAVORITE MOVIE: “Dark Night Rises” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Star Trek”

The kinder, gentler heart bypass One of the newest offerings at St. Mary’s is the “kinder, gentler heart bypass” and minimally invasive valve surgery, performed by Dr. Nepal Chowdhury.

Minimally invasive bypass surgery has been described as a mini coronary artery bypass through small incisions using a healthy artery or vein from the patient’s chest, leg or arm, compared to the surgery’s traditional method which requires the patient’s breastbone to be split. The valve surgery repairs or replaces the mitral valve “The minimally invasive bypass uses one small incision about five to six centimeters and two other small holes and the valve replacement procedure uses one small incision about five to six centimeters and two other small holes. The two are very similar in size,” Chowdhury said.

“The benefits are less blood loss, quicker recovery, no sternal precautions such as lighting weight, a shorter hospital stay and cosmetically smaller incisions.”

“You can get back to your regular life sooner,” said Sharon Shaw, public relations manager at St. Mary’s.

“It is the newest thing we have here.

There are probably only 20 centers in the United States doing this,” Chowdhury said, adding that more than 50 cases have already been done. “It means more people can stay here to have this done instead of going to Cleveland (Clinic).”

Not content to rest on his laurels, Chowdhury is already looking to the future and the transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a procedure he hopes is available St. Mary’s soon. Called TAVR in the medical community, the non-invasive procedure is performed to replace the aortic valve in people who are not candidates for open heart valve replacement. In an effort to screen patients for the TAVR procedure as well as offer more treatment options, St. Mary’s has implemented a heart valve clinic to streamline cardiac care.

Heart valve clinic established “The heart valve clinic is a collaborative effort to give patients opinions on what is needed for their care in one setting. We take referrals from physicians and directly from patients who need an opinion or second opinion on options for general valve disorders,” said Brooke Leaberry, a nurse practitioner in cardiol-

St. Mary’s Medical Center

ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMPUS: 2900 1st Ave., Huntington, WV 25702 PHONE NUMBER: 304-526-1234 WEBSITE: www.st-marys.org TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS: 393 NUMBER OF MEDICAL STAFF: 333 NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF: more than 2,600 MEDICAL AREAS OF FOCUS: Advanced Heart Care, Advanced Cancer Care, Advanced Orthopedic Care including Joint Replacement, Advanced Neurosurgery for Brain and Spine, Advanced Stroke Care, Advanced Trauma and Emergency Care, Advanced Intensive

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Dr. Nepal Chowdhury of St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington. ogy and coordinator of the valve clinic.

“It’s a unique opportunity for patients who have these disorders to meet with a cardiologist and surgeon in one setting to streamline their care.”

Appointments for the Wednesday clinics — new to the medical center since 2012 — are available fairly quickly, according to Leaberry.

“Evaluating patients for the TAVR procedure is not the sole focus of the clinic, but it’s one of the potential objectives,” Leaberry said. “We want to see what the best options are available to patients, particularly for patients who have been told nothing else can be done. We want to help people find the right treatment options for them.”

Chest pain center accreditation

we provide expedient, quality care to our patients,” Campbell said. “If you think you’re having a heart attack, one thing to remember is, as an accredited chest pain center, your care starts with pre-hospital care providers such as paramedics who can transmit your EKG to the hospital prior to your arrival. If the ER staff determines you’re having a heart attack, the catheterization staff and interventional cardiologist are immediately activated and prepared to treat you upon arrival.

“When you’re talking about a heart attack, time is heart muscle.”

The accreditation procedure, which is up for renewal this year, looks at all processes related to cardiac care, from pre-hospital treatment to emergency room and cath lab care to creating community education opportunities to warn the public about the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

“It’s not just about what happens in the hospital, but how to help people live healthier lives,” Campbell said. “It’s comprehensive accreditation.”

First recognized in 2010, heart institute director Regina Campbell said the center’s designation as an accredited chest pain center demonstrates continued care for cardiac patients, alongside the newest minimally invasive procedures and recently-implemented heart valve clinic.

“Being an accredited chest pain center Follow H-D reporter Beth Hendricks means we continuously evaluate our on Facebook or Twitter @BethHendrickprocesses and best practices to ensure sHD.

Care, Minimally Invasive Surgery Options for Heart, Lung, Thoracic, Esophageal, Spine, Urology, and OB-GYN. SQUARE FEET OF MAIN CAMPUS: 1,236,693 square feet.

OTHER CAMPUSES/CLINICS: St. Mary’s Medical Campus, Ironton, Ohio: 46,000 square feet.

St. Mary’s Family Care Centers at Highlawn (Huntington), Ceredo, Barboursville (Near Mall) Farmdale (Barboursville on Farmdale Road) and Hurricane: 118,966 square feet.

St. Mary’s Center for Education and Conference Center, 5th Avenue Campus: 138,500 square feet.

EXPANSIONS SINCE JANUARY 2012: Opened new 17 million dollar ER and Medical Campus in Ironton, Ohio opened in July of 2012. Created new women’s health program called “The Total Woman.” Partnered with Marshall University to open new MU School of Physical Therapy on St. Mary’s 5th Avenue Campus.

PLANS FOR 2013: Campus Beautification Project for Main Huntington Campus, Expansion and relocation of St. Mary’s Outpatient Rehab Services to 5th Avenue Campus, Renovation to create additional private patient rooms in patient towers on main medical campus.

KEY PLAYER: ROBIN ELIZABETH ROWE JOB: St. Mary’s Medical Center director of Patient Experience HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: My heart and love for people led me to medicine.

My work ethic and the influences of my military father and take charge mother led me to focus on quality in all aspects of my life. The combination of the two plus life experience led me to what I believe to be a perfect job for me.

FIRST JOB: I worked for Jim Morgan at the Potpourri, a gift shop that used to be downtown at the corner of 10th street and 3rd Avenue. It was a great outlet for my creativity. I worked there from age 16, about 1980, until I graduated from St. Mary’s in 1985.

FAMILY: I am the mother of two grown daughters, Kristina Zucchino and Bethany Morris, and an adopted son, Edwin Reyes.

I am also blessed with a son-in-law, Paul Zucchino, and a son-in-law to be, Zack Bickerton. I am one of three children. I have two brothers whom I adore. My parents, Flem and Christine Rowe, are my mentors and best friends.

SPECIAL SKILLS: I love the challenge of taking a difficult complex problem or project, breaking it down, understanding minute aspects that are necessary for a good outcome, and creating a plan for change. I, above all else, believe in people and trust that if we can communicate with each other and understand each other, nothing is impossible.

FAVORITE BOOK: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee FAVORITE MOVIE: “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Barefoot Contessa” on the Food Network

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

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Chad Schaeffer, executive director of the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center at Cabell Huntington

Doctors and health care professionals at Cabell Huntington Hospital meet as part of a tumor conference to discuss current cases at the hospital.

Toril Lavender/For The Herald-Dispatch

KEY PLAYER: MARGARET BALL

The Herald-Dispatch

M

bhendricks@herald-dispatch.com

ore is better.

That’s the theory behind Cabell Huntington Hospital’s new, multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. By combining all services to provide care and offering medical professionals in all modalities the opportunity to collaborate in weekly or monthly tumor conferences, patients are the beneficiaries of not only a second opinion, but sometimes a sixth or 10th or 20th.

At the heart of this collaborative care option are weekly or monthly disease-specific tumor conferences where team members including physicians, nurses, dietitians, palliative care professionals, patient navigators, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and radiologists come together in one boardroom to discuss patient cases before, during and after treatment.

“What happens in community hospitals around the country is that they have these tumor conferences they put on where they might talk about all kinds of cases, but it’s usually more of an academic exercise to talk about interesting cases,” said Chad Schaeffer, executive director of the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“In our situation, we’re actually planning and managing patients’ treatment plans. We look at national guidelines and best practices, of course, but it’s fascinating to see a real-live, real-time decision being made that could change the course of a patient’s therapy that wouldn’t be made any other way except getting everyone together to come to an agreement about the right way to handle a patient.”

Schaeffer said the cancer center has conducted more than 150 conferences in the past nine months, including lung cancer and breast cancer weekly and orthopedic oncology, sarcoma and general cancers of the prostate, bladder and more monthly. Schaeffer added that the center is preparing to add a pediatric oncology conference as well. More than 500

Cabell Huntington Hospital

Dialysis Center at Cabell Huntington Hospital; Cabell Huntington Hospital Putnam Sleep ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMPUS: 1340 Hal Lab — Hurricane; Cabell Huntington Hospital Greer Blvd., Huntington, WV 25701 Perinatal Center, 1639 13th Ave., Huntington; PHONE NUMBER 304-526-2000 Cabell Huntington Hospital Pain Management WEBSITE: www.cabellhuntington.org Center, 1623 13th Ave.,Huntington; Cabell (hospital)/ www.edwardsccc.org (cancer Huntington Hospital Balance Center, 1616 center) 13th Ave., Huntington; Cabell Huntington TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS: 303 Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation is located in NUMBER OF MEDICAL STAFF: 400 the Marshall University Human Performance physicians Laboratory on the ground floor of the HenderNUMBER OF OTHER STAFF: 2,300 son Center; Cabell Huntington Hospital CenMEDICAL AREAS OF FOCUS: Compre- ter for Lung Health, 1305 Elm St., Huntington; hensive cancer care, Level II emergency CHH Diabetes Exercise Center is located in and trauma care, neurosciences, orthopethe Marshall University Human Performance dics, surgery (general, minimally invasive, Laboratory on the ground floor of the Henderrobotic, bariatric), pulmonary care, cardiac son Center. care, senior care, critical care, internal medEXPANSIONS SINCE JANUARY 2012: icine, family medicine, geriatrics, diagnostic Entrance construction began for the Hoops and interventional radiology, obstetrics (rou- Family Children’s Hospital. Cabell Huntingtine and high-risk) and pediatrics (including ton Hospital Epilepsy Center and NeuroNeonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric physiology Lab relocated to the new offices Intensive Care Unit). and clinical space on the basement level SQUARE FEET OF MAIN CAMPUS: of the Marshall University Medical Center 717,400 square feet (including main camon the campus of Cabell Huntington Hospipus of Cabell Huntington Hospital, Hoops tal. The Cabell Huntington Hospital Breast Family Children’s Hospital, Edwards ComHealth Center added 3D technology for prehensive Cancer Center, North Patient mammograms. Cabell Huntington Hospital Tower); 1.2 million square feet (including expanded its guest services program. main campus and parking areas).

EXPANSION PLANS FOR 2013: ConOTHER CAMPUSES/CLINICS: Four struction began on the new Hoops Family freestanding Family Medical Centers: Children’s Hospital in 2012 and will continue Women’s and Family Medical Center, 20th through 2013. Construction will include a St. Professional Building 115 20th St., new entrance, new elevator and reconstrucHuntington; Family Urgent Care Center, tion of the hospital’s 5th floor Pediatric Unit 2 Stonecrest Drive (just off of 5th Street and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. This will Hill), Huntington; Family Medical Center, create 35 state-of-the-art private patient 100 Meadow Pointe, Barboursville; Family rooms for sick children. The cost of the comMedical Center, 750 Oak St., Kenova. Other pleted project will be more than $12 million. facilities include: Cabell Huntington Hospital The Cabell Huntington Hospital Burn IntenCenter for Surgical Weight Control, 20th St. sive Care Unit will expand from four beds Professional Building, Huntington; Cabell to six beds and relocate to the hospital’s Pediatrics - 20th St. Professional Building, 4th floor in a $1.8 million project. Cabell Huntington; Cabell Huntington Hospital Huntington Hospital will be providing coroCenter for Wound Healing - 20th St. Profes- nary angioplasty in the hospital’s Cardiac sional Building, Huntington; Cabell Hunting- Cath Lab for patients experiencing an acute ton Hospital Breast Health Center, 1415 Hal life-threatening cardiac condition such as a Greer Blvd., Huntington; J. Robert Pritchard heart attack. cases have been presented and discussed in those 150 conferences, he said.

“These are open to all our medical staff as well as physicians in the community and there could be anywhere from six or seven in attendance up to 30 or 40. We want to discuss as many cases as we can, and it does end up being a good portion of our entire caseload,” Schaeffer said. “I think it’s one of our best kept secret.”

Physicians, surgeons and medical professionals confer on cases and agree on the best course of treatment. The result of that joint discussion is then presented to the patient in a clinic setting where the specialists come to them and the overall treatment plan is put into place.

“T his method prevents patients from having to go from one hospital to another, from one specialist to another, get-

ting different answers every time,” Schaeffer said. “We want patients to really understand and know we’re here for them and will work around them, that physicians are rallying around them.”

One of those physicians is Dr. Gerard Oakley, a gynecologic oncologist at Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Twenty or 30 years ago, for women with breast cancer, they had surgery and that either worked or it didn’t. Then we started getting more and better chemotherapy agents and the thought was combining surgery and chemo or surgery, radiation and chemo may give us better outcomes, but not every oncologist can provide the expertise necessary to treat with all these different modalities,” Oakley said. “The only way to get a unified and coordinated approach would be to have an oppor-

tunity to get all these doctors together to sit down and discuss each individual case and come up with a specific plan. It has to be sort of coordinated so that a minimal amount of time is lost between each treatment.

There are various things that need to be coordinated across treatment lines to optimize outcomes for patients.”

Oakley said the advantage of a tumor conference is having the radiologist on-hand to review an X-ray and what it means followed by a pathologist who can show where a cancer originated, and physicians and surgeons who can discuss the next steps.

“It’s like creating a road map of care for what is the most effective treatment,” Oakley said.

Follow H-D reporter Beth Hendricks on Facebook or Twitter @BethHendricksHD.

FIRST JOB: Assistant veterinary tech at Olson Animal Hospital FAMILY: husband: Steve (married 3 years); 4 cats, 3 dogs and 3 horses FAVORITE BOOK: “The Bog,” written by Margaret’s father (John P. Smith) FAVORITE MOVIE: “The Man from the Snowy River” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “CSI”

KEY PLAYER: TIM MARTIN JOB: interim executive director of Ancillary & Support Services at Cabell Huntington Hospital HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: “I really looked up to my older brother growing up and when he selected health care as a career path I thought that would be an exciting path for me as well. I followed, but just not down the same path.

He chose to become a physician and I decided I wanted a more “hands-on” approach with some of the high tech equipment in the medical field so I chose radiology as my path. Twenty years, and

many different positions, later, I find myself intrigued with the day-to-day operation of health care organizations and how we can improve the patient experience.”

FIRST JOB: X-ray technologist FAMILY: wife: Leslie & sons: Brady, 11, and Ian, 4 SPECIAL SKILLS: communicating with others, fortitude and determination FAVORITE BOOK: “The Lord of the Ring” series FAVORITE MOVIE: “Courageous” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Everybody Loves Raymond”

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Welcomes Leigh Ann Levine, D.O.

Now located in the HPT Building 2240 Fifth Avenue, Suite 221 All insurance accepted.

Call for appointment 304.781.0076

www.ohiovalleyphysicians.com

261246

By BETH HENDRICKS

JOB: Nurse for Rajesh Sehgal, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: “I have always had a special interest in science so I decided the medical field would allow me to use my interest in science to help people.”

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The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Friday, March 8, 2013

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C M Y K 50 inch 6G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

CAMC Teays Valley Hospital Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Putnam hospital’s $3.6M expansion is under way

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s Putnam County continues to grow with new businesses and residential areas, CAMC Teays Valley Hospital has been expanding to meet the surrounding community’s needs.

Charleston Area Medical Center took over what was formerly known as Putnam General Hospital in 2006, after the hospital faced the possibility of either closing The 64,700 square foot facility includes 70 beds and employees more than 500 people. The hospital is ranked among the top 10 employers in the county, according to Work Force West Virginia.

“We have remained a community hospital but with the backing of a bigger hospital,” Randy Hodges, president of Teays Valley Hospital said, referring to the CAMC, located in Charleston.

The areas of focus for the hospital are: anesthesiology, cardiac rehab, emergency medicine, family practice, general surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, medical imaging, nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pathology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain medicine, urology and wound.

The gynecology department was recently added in 2012, after Leila Sakhai, M.D., joined the staff in September.

An expansion for a new state of the art intensive care unit broke ground the first week of January and is expected the be complete in November.

“We knew probably three years ago that (an expansion of the ICU) was on the board but all the active planning has occurred in the last year,” said Randall H. Hodges, president of Teays Valley Hospital.

The $3.6 million expansion will feature private rooms and free up space in the hospital that will allow for other areas to grow in the future.

“After we finish the ICU, with our medical staff, our hospital board will get together and see what our next project will be.”

The current ICU has increased from six beds to eight, to accommodate the increased needs of the community. “ We’ve seen some ver y n ice growth,” Hodges said. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in outpatient.”

Outpatient services experiencing

or being converted into an urgent care facility. The hospital struggled after several malpractice lawsuits that involved a former surgeon at the hospital.

Teays Valley Hospital, which is located at 1400 Hospital Drive in Hurricane, is the only hospital located within the county and offers 24-hour emergency room care.

Randall H. Hodges president of Teays Valley Hospital a growth include mammograms, CT scans, MRIs and lab work. Offering these services at the hospital, allow patients to get their tests completed closer to home, rather than having to drive to Charleston or Huntington to a larger hospital.

A facility was constructed in 2009 to house the hospital’s utilities, including a new emergency generator that would keep the power on in the event of a power outage. That generator was put to the test and used extensively last summer, after the derecho storm caused widespread power outages that affected more than half a million West Virginians. The generator allowed the power to be restored immediately wit h in t he faci lity wit hout a ny problems, Hodges said.

Teays Valley Hospital also assists patients at the Teays Valley Hospital Pain Relief Center, Teays Valley Hospital Wound Clinic and Teays Valley Hospital Physical Therapy.

Each facility is located on Hospital Drive, along with the main Teays Valley Hospital campus.

Dr. Jason Pope joined the Pain Relief Center in October, after completing his pain fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Patients can receive pain alleviation at the center with the use of different types of injections, a spinal cord stimulator or an intrathecal pain pump.

“We have seen a really big increase in the number of patients since this physician has (joined the staff),” said Neva Terry, registered nurse and manager of the Teays Valley Pain Relief Center. “I think it’s really nice to not have to go to Charleston or Huntington, or go to a place where you have to pay to park.”

CAMC Teays Valley

ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMPUS: 1400 Hospital Drive, Hurricane, WV 25526 PHONE NUMBER: 304-757-1700 WEBSITE: www.camc.org/tvh TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS: 70 NUMBER OF MEDICAL STAFF: 130 NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF: 400 employees MEDICAL AREAS OF FOCUS: Anesthesiology, cardiac rehab, emergency medicine, family practice, general surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, medical imaging, nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pathology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain medicine, urology and wounds.

SQUARE FEET OF MAIN CAMPUS: 64,700 OTHER CAMPUSES/CLINICS: Teays Valley Hospital Pain Relief Center, Teays Valley Hospital Physical Therapy and Teays Valley Hospital Wound Clinic, all located on Hospital Drive.

EXPANSIONS SINCE JANUARY 2012: An expansion for the Intensive Care Unit is under construction. It is expected to be completed in November.

PLANS FOR 2013: Once the new ICU expansion is complete, more space will be freed up within the hospital to allow for future expansions, which is yet to be decided.

WHITNEY JOHNSON THE HERALD-DISPATCH

KEY PLAYER: RANDALL H. HODGES

JOB: President and CEO, CAMC Teays Valley Hospital HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: “Upon completion of college I applied with a couple health care facilities and several law enforcement agencies. CAMC was the first company to return my call and offer me a job. I have spent my entire career with this one organization.”

FIRST JOB: snack bar manager FAMILY: Wife, Diann Hodges; two daughters and sons-in-law, Mary and Jess Kuhl, and Sara and Eric Whitney; five grandchildren, Aly Whitney, Andrew Whitney, Anna Whitney, Jak Kuhl and Caleb Kuhl.

SPECIAL SKILLS: “My wife and I like to renovate old houses.”

FAVORITE BOOK: “No Easy Day” FAVORITE MOVIE: “Pretty Woman” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “The Andy Griffith Show”

KEY PLAYER: MARY BETH MULLINS JOB: associate administrator/chief nursing officer at CAMC Teays Valley HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: “As a nurse, I wanted to be in a position where I could effect change for the patients and families I cared for.”

FIRST JOB: Nursing assistant at WVU Medical Center FAMILY: Husband, son and daughter SPECIAL SKILLS: “Ability to recognize that individuals are unique.”

FAVORITE BOOK: “I Love You Forever” FAVORITE MOVIE: “The Blind Side” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Parenthood”

C M Y K 50 inch The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

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C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

8G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

VA Medical

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VA Medical Center

CLINICS: Community Based Outpatient Clinics are located ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMin Prestonsburg, Ky., and PUS: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Cen- Charleston, W.Va.; Rural Outter, 1540 Spring Valley Drive, reach Clinics are located in Gallipolis, Ohio and Lenore, Huntington, WV 25704 W.Va.; Homeless Veterans PHONE NUMBER: 304Resource Center is located at 429-6741 or 800-827-8244 624 9th St. in Huntington.

WEBSITE: www.huntington.va.gov PLANS FOR 2013: The TOTAL NUMBER OF Women’s Health Clinic will BEDS: 80 open in spring 2013. RenovaNUMBER OF MEDICAL tions will get under way on STAFF: Physician FTEE, 81 2-West for the expansion of NUMBER OF OTHER primary care services. Later STAFF: Total FTEE, 1,078 this year, renovations are MEDICAL AREAS OF expected to begin at the forFOCUS: Fully accredited mer Army Reserve Center acute medical and surgical (BRAC) property located at care facility, including primary the entrance to the VAMC care, mental health, rehabilitation and specialty care services campus. This property will house administrative services, SQUARE FEET OF MAIN and free up space within the CAMPUS: Main Hospital building is 337,000 square feet medical center for expanded OTHER CAMPUSES/ patient services.

expensive than a nursing home,” Touchton said. Often, veterans’ benefits can help offset the cost of the medical foster home.

Some of the veterans in medical foster care have come from nursing homes, which are widely maligned for their sense of isolation and a lack of personalized care.

“That individualized, personal care and love is so therapeutic for them. They really get the feeling of being a part of the family and that individualized care,’ said Touchton, adding, “In a lot of situations, the veteran becomes like family to the caretakers.”

The medical foster home program is offered nationwide by Veterans Affairs, but it’s been especially successful here. The first veteran in the Huntington program was placed in 2010, and already, the program has expanded to Charleston. And Touchton is always on the lookout for more willing caretakers.

“Our homes stay pretty full,” Touchton said.

The medical foster home program serves as an example of the VA Medical Center’s commitment not only to helping veterans with illness and injury, but also with developing a better quality of life.

Brent Sturm is the hospital’s recreational therapist. By organizing everything from weekly horseback riding to fly fishing excursions to sporting events, his focus is keeping veterans engaged and giving them an outlet to socialize with others who’ve shared their experiences.

“After you’re injured, you’ve got to re-engage in your life,” he said.

Sturm has been pleased by the flexibility provided to him by the Huntington VA to try nontraditional activities with the veterans, like art shows and yearly whitewater rafting trips. He makes use of the recreational activities offered by our state and takes veterans skiing and snowboarding every winter.

“I had a veteran who for several years wanted to do winter sports, but with his PTSD, he’d get scared. He signed up for three years in a row and never

KEY PLAYER: DiANAA DAViS

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

The VA Medical Center’s new Women’s Clinic is scheduled to be complete this spring. went. But my first year here, he came with me, and now he is back in his life. He picked up snowboarding, and now he goes with his kids,” Sturm said.

For some at the VA Medical Center, serving veterans in particular is a calling. Michele Hale is a registered nurse and a veteran of the Navy, where she was a Persian linguist.

After her service, she earned a BA in nursing and decided to dedicate her career to working with veterans.

“Even though I’m no longer active duty, you feel like you’re working with family,” she said. But she insists that her contemporaries who’ve never served are just as qualif ied for the job. “They are there because they love serving veterans,” she says of her coworkers.

Hale is not only a nurse, but also a patient at the VA Medical Center. She says that since her arrival in 2007, she’s seen the hospital grow their services for female veterans, a growing population.

“Over the last five years, we’ve seen more and more women vets starting to utilize the VA, and they’re younger.

It is a necessity to offer women their own separate clinic

�� ��� ���� �������� �� ��� ��� �������� ���������

KEY PLAYER: NANCY C. BOSTAR

JOB: Women Veterans Program Manager at the VA Medical Center HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: My mother was a nurse and she encouraged me to pursue nursing/health care as a career. My current position evolved from a special interest in Women’s Health while working as a family practice nurse practitioner.

When the position became open at the VAMC, it seemed the perfect opportunity to continue in my field, while also serving a very special group, women veterans.

FIRST JOB: Staff Nurse at Cabell Huntington Hospital FAMILY: Husband Joseph J. Bostar III, Four Children: Deann Raines (South Point), James L Raines (Huntington), Lauren Fricia and Lyla Hayes (Atlanta, Ga.) SPECIAL SKILLS: Nurse practitioner with Certification in Family Practice; in my spare time I enjoy reading and walking.

FAVORITE BOOK: “The Girls Come Marching Home” by Kirsten Holmstedt FAVORITE MOVIE: “A Fish Named Wanda” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Downton Abbey”

because women’s health care needs are different,” she said.

In recent years, the hospital has turned resources toward the construction of a women’s clinic, reflecting the changing needs of veterans as more and more women go into the service.

With a staff devoted to serving those who’ve served our country and the flexibility to respond to changing demands, the VA Medical Center offers not just health care but an improved quality of life to those who sacrificed for our country.

JOB: Compliance officer, Huntington VA Medical Center HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: After completing my first master’s degree in safety, I continued my career with the federal government as a safety management intern with the Huntington Corp of Engineers. Later, I transferred to the Huntington Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center as a safety specialist. My father was extremely proud of my decision to work for the VA, as he was a veteran who had served tours in Vietnam and Korea. One year later, I accepted the position of safety/emergency manager, a job that I loved and found greatly rewarding for 15 years. During that time, I completed a second master’s degree in strategic leadership. Approximately 7 years ago, I applied for and was selected to the position of compliance officer at the medical center. This position has allowed me to further expand my knowledge and

Billing, Collections and Accounts receivable Accounting and Financial Services

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FIRST JOB: I was privileged to work with mentally challenged students.

FAMILY: I have the support of a wonderful family. I have also been blessed with a very special adopted family, and an exceptional circle of friends.

SPECIAL SKILLS: I have strong interpersonal and communication skills. In my spare time, I also enjoy horseback riding, traveling and would love to improve my cooking skills.

FAVORITE BOOK: I enjoy reading management books, including “It’s My Ship,” “A Letter to Garret,” “Subservient Leadership” and “Who Moved My Cheese.”

FAVORITE MOVIE: I have lots of favorites, but the top one would be the old classic, “An Affair to Remember,” starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Gunsmoke,” “Bones,” and PBS “Downton Abbey”

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C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013

www.herald-dispatch.com

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

LOCAL MEDICAL gROuP CONTINuES TO ExPAND

Photos by Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Occupational therapist Tevin Gillette, left, talks with patient Benita Simpson of Barboursville during a consultation at Women’s Health Services at HIMG.

HIMG services now include women’s health I t’s been seven years since Huntington Internal Medicine Group moved from 20th Street in Huntington to the sprawling 150,000-square-foot building on U.S. 60 that used to be occupied by Walmart.

In those seven years, the regional medical center has evolved into a medical mall of sorts, adding to its number of physicians, partners and community activities.

The past year has been no different, says Patty Dickey, director of community and physician resources for HIMG. Often called a “hospital without beds,” the medical center now has 56 physicians who provide an array of clinical services, including neurology, oncology, physical therapy, dermatology and cardiology. Altogether, approximately 240 people work at HIMG. If there’s a theme in new services added during the past year, it’s women’s health, Dickey said. Tevin Gillette, an occupational therapist, joined HIMG last summer and offers a pelvic help program for women who are experiencing bowel, bladder, sexual and/or pelvic pain symptoms.

“I work closely with each patient and create a

Gillette positions Simpson for an exercise to improve core strength pelvic stability at HIMG’s Women’s Health Services.

treatment strategy to address all of the symptoms, said Gillette, who has specialized training in treating pelvic floor dysfunction. “Follow-up treatments include specialized exercises, manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, functional training and then developing a home program.”

Gillette said she treats women of all ages, and that treatment can last four to eight weeks depending on the conditions of each patient.

This year, HIMG will add a urologist and a plastic and reconstructive surgeon to its services, Dickey said.

STORY BY BRYAN CHAMBERS THE HERALD-DISPATCH

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1H

C M Y K 50 inch 2H The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

KING’s dAUGHTERs MEdICAl CENTER KEY PLAYER: TinA SiAS, M.D.

JOB: Cardiologist at King’s Daughters Medical Specialties — Proctorville HOW DiD yOu geT in yOur Career? I became interested in medicine during my teenage years after witnessing my family receiving excellent medical care by local physicians.

FirST JOB: Babysitting FaMiLy: I am blessed to have a supportive, loving family — husband of 23 years, Kent; son, Eric; parents, Ishmel and Marcella Hatfield; and inlaws, Ercel and Shirley Sias.

SPeCiaL SKiLLS: Playing piano FaVOriTe BOOK: Holy Bible FaVOriTe MOVie: “The Passion of The Christ”

KDMC has been named a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

Established in 1983, it is the largest nonprofit medical organization in the world dedicated to bariatric and metabolic surgery.

Courtesy of King’s Daughters Medical Center

OUTREACH IN WEIGHT lOss, CARE TO sTUdENT ATHlETEs

By RACHEL BAILEY

King’s Daughters Medical Center

For The Herald-Dispatch

ASHLAND — For better or worse, our region is known for poor health, especially when it comes to obesity and related health problems. A number of factors like easy access to fast food, lack of exercise and plain lack of knowledge about how to live a healthy lifestyle make it difficult for communities like ours to confront the obesity epidemic head-on. Ashland’s King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC), in addition to providing a host of other services, helps shoulder the burden of obesity with programs like their clinical weight management facility and surgical weight loss.

“Kentucky is the sixth state with prevalence of obesity, unfortunately. They’re the sixth most obese state in the country with West Virginia being third,” said Tammy Denton, an R.N., certified diabetes educator and coordinator for KDMC’s Center for Healthy Living. “Our medical center is aware of this epidemic, and we have health screenings that we provide through our medical center for people who are at risk for diseases related to obesity. … We are in a position to help them learn and change their lifestyles.”

KDMC has been named a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Established in 1983, it is the largest nonprofit medical organization in the world dedicated to bariatric and metabolic surgery. Its Center of Excellence seal of approval indicates that KDMC follows evidence-based protocols to provide quality care.

“I think the value we place on quality because to have that distinction means that you have a very high quality program and that the staff is engaged in quality care,” Denton said. In addition to the medical center itself, KDMC’s three weight-loss surgeons also carry a distinction of excellence from the ASMBS. Weight loss surgery may sound like quite the dramatic step, but Denton is quick to point out that bariatric surgery is not a miracle cure for obesity.

“They’re just a tool. It still requires healthy eating and activity for patients to be successful. It can’t do the work by itself. It has to be combined with healthy eating and exercise,” she cautions.

KDMC also offers a clinical weight loss facility for those who want to shed pounds without going under the knife.

“In March, we’re having a grocery store tour where our registered dietitian will be taking people through the grocery store and looking at labels and helping people make good choices. We also have monthly support groups,” Denton said.

Some may associate bariatric surgery with vanity, but there are many health benefits as well. In addition to helping prevent issues like heart disease and hypertension down the road, it can also cure debilitating conditions in real time.

Denton cites as an example a patient with type II diabetes who came into the clinic late in 2012. The patient was

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Tammy Denton is the coordinator of King’s Daughters Medical Center for Healthy Living. taking four injections of insulin a day in addition to oral medications for their diabetes. After a sleeve gastrectomy, just three months later, the patient’s blood sugar levels are normal, making those insulin injections and medications unnecessary.

KDMC is turning a focus toward community outreach as well, caring not just for those who are out of shape but also providing care to some of Kentucky’s most fit residents — its student athletes.

Dr. Andy Gilliland, a sports medicine doctor, coordinates with coaches and trainers at Kentucky Christian University and in schools in a number of counties to make sure athletes stay safe.

“The most frequent right now is concussions,” he said. “I probably see five concussions a week at this point.”

With awareness of the long-term harm concussions can cause on the rise, athletes, coachesandparentsareinvestinginkeeping players safe. Gilliland advises sports teams onwhetherit’ssafeforanathletetoreturnto the field after a bump on the head.

“The most important thing we do is educate the parents on the risks of (concussions). Athletes used to be

allowed to return same-day, even when they thought they might have a concussion. That doesn’t happen now. If we’re in doubt, we sit them out. From that moment, we have an observed return to play progression, which at minimum is five days,” Gilliland said.

To help determine the amount of damage done in the case of a concussion, KDMC has begun offering free concussion testing to athletes in the Tri-State.

“They want the athletes to have baseline tests so that if the athletes are concussed, we have a comparison to them when they were healthy,” Gilliland said.

With the recent controversy in the NFL over the deteriorating health of former players due to concussions, KDMC’s program, which began in 2011, started at an apt time. Changing the paradigm in sports takes time, and Gilliland says he’s found parents, coaches and players open to learning and making changes.

“Ten years from now it’ll be the norm.

If you tore your ACL, I wouldn’t ask you to run a 40-yard dash. And I’m not going to put someone with a concussion in an equivalent situation,” he said.

ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMPUS: 2201 Lexington, Ave., Ashland, Ky PHONE NUMBER: 606-408-4000, call center 1-888-377-KDMC WEBSITE: kdmc.com TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS: 465 STAFF: 4,000 MEDICAL AREAS OF FOCUS: cardiac, vascular, medical, surgical, maternity, pediatric, rehabilitative, psychiatric, cancer, neurological, pain care, wound care and home care services.

SQUARE FEET OF MAIN CAMPUS: 1.2 million OTHER CAMPUSES/CLINICS: More than 50 facilities are affiliated with the hospital, including the new King’s Daughters Medical Center Ohio 2001 Scioto Trail, Portsmouth, Ohio; Center for Advanced Imaging, 2225 Central Ave., Ashland; 29th Street Medical Center (Occupational Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), 336 29th St., Ashland; Outpatient Services Center (Physical, Occupational, Speech Therapy; Audiology Services), 480 23rd St., Ashland. Urgent care centers include: 2245 Winchester Ave., Ashland; Interstate 64 Interchange, Grayson, Ky.; 912 Park Ave., Ironton; and 2001 Scioto Trail, Portsmouth.

Primary care centers include: Bluegrass Family Medicine, 2340 Carter Ave., Ashland; Catlettsburg Family Care Center, 4004 Louisa Road, Catlettsburg, Ky.; Cedar Knoll Family Care Center, 10650 U.S. 60 Ashland; Cedar Knoll Pediatrics, 10650 U.S. 60 Ashland; Central Avenue Primary Care, 1200 Central Ave., Ashland; Flatwoods Family Care Center, 1107 Bellefonte Road, Flatwoods, Ky.; Health Plus - Morehead, 225 Old Viking Road, Morehead, Ky.; Ledford Family Medicine, 2421 Winchester Ave., Ashland; Medical Specialties — Flatwoods, 1109 Bellefonte Road, Flatwoods, Ky.; Medical Specialties — Grayson, 609 N. Carol Malone Blvd., Grayson, Ky.; Medical Specialties — Pikeville, 5425 N. Mayo Trail, Suite 202, Pikeville, Ky.; Medical Specialties — Russell, Russell Plaza, 399 Diederich Blvd., Ashland; Olive Hill Family Care Center, 391 Tom T. Hall Blvd., Olive Hill, Ky.; Sandy Hook Family Care Center, State Routes 7 and 32, Sandy Hook, Ky.; Stone Street Primary Care, 220 Stone St., Morehead, Ky.; Burlington Family Care Center, 384 County Road 120 South, South Point, Ohio; Ironton Family Care Center, 912 Park Ave., Ironton; Medical Specialties — Jackson, 14395 State Route 93, Jackson, Ohio; Medical Specialties — Portsmouth, 2001 Scioto Trail, Portsmouth, Ohio; Medical Specialties -— Proctorville, 6276 State Route 7, Proctorville, Ohio; Wheelersburg Family Care Center, 8750 Ohio River Road, Wheelersburg, Ohio.

EXPANSIONS SINCE JANUARY 2012: Opening of King’s Daughters Medical Center Ohio in Portsmouth. KDMC Ohio in Portsmouth, Ohio, which includes 71,350 square feet in four floors including 43,000 square feet of new construction, four operating rooms, two endoscopy suites; one cystoscopy suite; pre-admission testing; physician offices; 25 pre- and post-op beds; 10 inpatient beds, including one ICU suite; Imaging Center with MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, X-ray services; full service lab, pharmacy and 24 hour urgent care services and cardiac testing including diagnostic cardiac catheterization, stress testing, echocardiograms, EKGs, arterial dopplers, venous duplex, ABI and holter monitoring. It can be contacted at kdmcohio.com or 740-991-4000. The hospital also added two new mobile health units

C M Y K 50 inch Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Progess 2013: Health

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

our ladY of BellefonTe HospiTal The Serenity Garden at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital is seen in Russell, Ky. Photos by March Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Teresa Strickland and Rod Hieneman of Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital in Russell, Ky.

HospiTal offering more procedures

By RACHEL BAILEY

KEY PLAYER: BRENT KIMBALL

For The Herald-Dispatch

RUSSELL, Ky. — It’s not uncommon, in times of serious illness, to have to travel for treatment. The stress and financial burden of having to go hours away from home to get well stretches families and compromises health. But with new services and facilities at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, patients in the Tri-State have more and more options for care close to home.

To that end, the hospital recently began offering craniotomies, with the help of neurosurgeon James Powell and a $600,000 Medtronic Stealth Navigation System.

The machine maps the body like a GPS for people, showing, for example, where a tumor is inside a patient’s brain.

“By bringing in the craniotomy, it helps us tobehigh-tech.We’reofferingservicestoour patients that they could get somewhere else, butheretheyalsogetthattouchthatOurLady ofBellefonteisknownfor,”saidTeresaStrickland, director of Surgical Services.

Craniotomy now joins a host of other surgical procedures offered by the hospital.

In 2012, Our Lady of Bellefonte was ranked No. 1 in Kentucky for general surgery for the second year in a row by Healthgrades, “the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital,” according to a press release. This was their second year with that ranking and their first year ranked No. 1 in gastroenterology.

Rod Hieneman, the hospital’s vice president of Operations, credits the staff and physicians.

“Without the people that work here, we could not achieve those rankings,” he said, citing a sense of family and staff and physician satisfaction scores that have been ranked among the world’s best by Gallup.

While Hieneman focuses on creating an environment where people feel their work is valued, Strickland has fostered a commitment to high standards and a hunger for knowledge among the nursing staff.

“Seventy-five percent of my nurses are pursuing or have pursued a higher degree,” Strickland said, noting that her nurses are encouragedtochallengeoneanother,askquestionsand,aboveall,maintainacommitmentto evidence when making decisions about care.

That commitment is complemented by a nurturing spiritual environment. “As a not-for-profit religious organization, we have a lot of people here who believe in (a) mission. That makes a difference in their satisfaction as employees. It’s not unusual to find large pockets of folks who’ve been here 30 or 40 years,” Communications Director Kevin Compton said.

Our Lady of Bellefonte is part of a network of 14 hospitals that operate under the banner of Bon Secours, which is French for “good health.” Expanding from France to the states in 1881, its first U.S. hospital was established in Baltimore in 1919 by the Sisters of Bon Secours. The mission of Bon Secours is to give patient-focused care, especially to the poor and the dying.

“One of the things that’s scary is, I’m afraid someday health care will treat its product like anyotherindustry,andwecan’tdothatbecause our product is a human life,” said Hieneman.

Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital in Russell, Ky.

Our Lady of Bellefonte hospital

ADDRESS OF MAIN CAMPUS: Saint Christopher Drive, Russell, Ky. PHONE NUMBER: 606- 833-3333 WEBSITE: olbh.com; www.facebook.com/ourladyofbellefonte; www.twitter. com/olbhbonsecours TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS: 214 NUMBER OF MEDICAL STAFF: More than 200 NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF: More than 1,100 MEDICAL AREAS OF FOCUS: Orthopedics, cardiology, radiology/imaging, surgery, women’s health, pulmonology, oncology SQUARE FEET OF MAIN CAMPUS: 687,000 OTHER CAMPUSES/CLINICS: Bellefonte Physician Services (BPS) provides residents of the Tri-State with a variety of services, from primary care to pediatric, urgent and specialty care. The providers of Bellefonte Physician Services offer services at 32 locations throughout the Tri-State. More information at www.bellefontephysicianservices.org EXPANSIONS SINCE JANUARY 2012: Neurosurgeon James Powell, M.D., has begun performing craniotomies at OLBH. It is the first time brain surgery has been performed at OLBH. OLBH acquired the da Vinci Surgical System.

Through the use of the da Vinci Surgical System, surgeons will be able to offer a minimally invasive option for complex surgical procedures. The 2013 additions of craniotomy and da Vinci are the latest embellishments to OLBH’s surgical offerings. HealthGrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital, recently named OLBH number one in Kentucky for general surgery for the second straight year and number one in Kentucky and best in the region for gastroenterology (GI) services for 2013.

PLANS FOR 2013: Bellefonte Physician Services continues to expand to meet the needs of community residents. Additional growth in Bellefonte Physician Services, including new physicians recruited to the Tri-State area, will occur in 2013.

“My mother worked here for 27 years, and she loved coming here to work every day.

She talked about how she could express her faith. She had a voice. People paid attention.

There was a true sense of home here.”

That sense of home is created by the environment as well as the people. From the Catholic-themed art on the hospital walls to the new Serenity Garden out front to the Emmanuel Unit — a floor given over to patients and staff who share the Catholic faith and want a space where they can express that faith by, for example, praying together before a procedure — Our Lady of Bellefonte is a facility that makes room for religion without alienating nonbelievers or patients of different faiths.

In addition to the care being offered in the hospital, Our Lady of Bellefonte has focused on community outreach in recent years, building more than 20 offices

throughout northern Kentucky and Ohio.

These facilities offer everything from urgent and primary care to specialized care, like cardiology and women’s health.

“Thathasbeenamajorfocus,togetoutthere and take our services to the community,” said Compton, adding, “As a hospital, we recently decidedtotakeonthecauseofobesity.”

Because obesity can cause so many different kinds of health problems, Our Lady of Bellefonte aims to lower the BMI rate of Boyd and Greenup counties, starting with a symposium last month and free weightloss teleseminars for area residents. They’ve started at home, incentivizing employees to make healthy lifestyle choices by giving them a discount on their health insurance if they quitsmokingorlowertheirBMIs.Thiskindof preventativecareisespeciallyimportantinthe Tri-State, where we’ve been nationally recognized for poor health in our communities.

JOB: director of Business & Service Line Development at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: Began working in health care at the age of 18.

FIRST JOB: First health care job: food service attendant.

FAMILY: Married for 16 years to my wife Karyn with three wonderful children Nikki, Alexandra and Brenyn.

SPECIAL SKILLS: Feel that my clinical background provides me with great insight in health care planning and business development.

FAVORITE BOOK: Holy Bible FAVORITE MOVIE: “We Are Marshall” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “The O’Reilly Factor”

KEY PLAYER: PhILLIP LIMBAugh LACKEY JOB: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: I had always wanted to go to medical school, but at my house my father wanted everyone to be an engineer. I finally became the rebel and went to medical school after I went to engineering school. I became interested in plastic surgery by accident. I started out wanting to do vascular surgery. During my chief general surgery year I had to cover for plastic surgery fellows who had not returned from the Afghanistan war. The rest is history so to speak.

FIRST JOB: Age 7, paper boy. After my first go at college I worked as an electrical engineer.

FAMILY: Wife, to daughters, one stepdaughter, one step son, two brothers, one sister and my dog.

SPECIAL SKILLS: Drawing. Would someday like to learn how to do 3D tattooing.

FAVORITE BOOK: “My Father, Jesus, and the CIA” FAVORITE MOVIE: “The Cowboys” with John Wayne and “People Will Talk” with Cary Grant.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Current “Big Bang Theory,” also, “Seinfeld” and “24.”

3H

C M Y K 50 inch 4H The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Submitted photo

Valley Health is located at 3375 U.S. 60 in Huntington.

East Huntington facility merges patients’ health care needs

By GRANT TRAYLOR The Herald-Dispatch

gtraylor@herald-dispatch.com

HUNTINGTON — Last year, there was a pile of rubble and rock along U.S. 60 in Huntington where construction cars lined the road.

However, that wasn’t what Valley Health Executive Director Steve Shattls saw at all.

In that same spot, he saw hope for health care in the Tri-State and opportunities for those in need in our area.

One year later, everyone else can see exactly what Shattls’ vision was then.

Valley Health East Huntington opened in November 2012 — nearly two months ahead of schedule — and serves as the new headquarters for Valley Heath Systems, which has grown from three health centers in 1976 to 33 health facilities in the Tri-State.

“At that time, we had three trailers — one in Barboursville, Milton and Wayne,” Shattls said. “Now, we have this great East Huntington location, which we call it the department

store type of arrangement. It’s like a Macy’s or Nordstrom. You have all these different departments within one facility. It’s an opportunity for our patients to get reasonably-priced medicine and care under one roof.”

Valley Health East Huntington is the latest and greatest achievement for Valley Health Systems.

In addition to serving as the centralized headquarters for Valley Health Systems, the facility also is located adjacent to the Prestera Center, meaning that patients can take care of their physical and mental health needs in one general location.

The $8.7 million facility offers patients nearly 24,000-square-feet of wall-to-wall health services, spanning everything from primary care to dentistry to behavioral health and beyond. There is also an urgent care center for immediate health needs and a pharmacy for those who need to have prescriptions filled.

For patients, it provides a much easier climate when taking care of health.

Instead of traveling to six different locations to take care of each individual health need,

patients are provided the opportunity to have one location, which cuts out the confusion of keeping up with appointments.

The facility includes medical exam rooms, behavioral health treatment rooms, group therapy rooms, state-of-the-art dental operatories and space for primary care services such as family medicine, internal medicine, OB-Gyn, psychiatry, psychology. There is also a health center dedicated to lab and ultrasound services, along with a full-service pharmacy.

Shattls said the most exciting aspect of the new facility has been the response from those who utilize the facility — the patients in need.

“Themostexcitingthingisthatwe’vegottengreat responsewiththepatients,”Shattlssaid.“We’restill getting used to the place, but our patients seem to loveit.Sometimesyouhavetogivethemdirections onwheretogobecauseitisnewbutitisexciting.We arecollaboratingverywellwiththefolksatPrestera and we are benefiting each other.”

While 2012 was a banner year in terms of getting the facility opened and integrating with

Prestera, Shattls said 2013 will offer some exciting new ventures as well for the company.

Valley Health is in the process of being certified as a patient center medical home and is adding several new doctors and care personnel over the next few months to better serve the Tri-State while putting the final touches on the facility, like adding a generator, modifying signage and putting the final coats of paint on.

While all that is happening around them, Shattls said one main focus for 2013 is helping patients understand changes in the governmental health care system.

“We are trying to be navigators for the elderly and underserved population through a difficult health care system,” Shattls said.

“We want to make sure they get the best care per patient for all our services, albeit medical, behavioral or primary care.

“We want to champion making patients feel like our location is their medical home. We can be a beacon and a center of excellence when it comes to patient care here at Valley Health.”

Shattls said the East Huntington facility will have its official grand opening and ribbon-cutting in the next month once the weather improves.

Training For A Health Career Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Senator Bob Plymale, left, Congressman Nick Rahall, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Dr. Stephen Kopp, Dr. Kevin Yingling, and Edward Seiler cut the ribbon for the Marshall University School of Pharmacy on Aug. 14, 2012, at the VA Medical Center Medical Education building.

MU School of Pharmacy’s prescription for success

The last six months have been exciting ones for Marshall University and the MU School of Pharmacy! We’ve cut the ribbon on a $9 million newly renovated education building, officially inaugurated our program, and completed our first semester with a class of ‘78 dynamic learners who will help change health care in our region in years to come.

Since launching our program in August, we have implemented one of the most innovative pharmacy curriculums in the country. Adult learners in our program benefit from methods of instruction that facilitate a hands-on discovery experience that is second-to-none. One of those methods is the “flipped classroom.” In this teaching style, students receive material before they come to class. Precious instructional time is then used to assess their knowledge and teach to areas where there are deficiencies. Group projects are also an important part of the curriculum which familiarizes students with the team concept of health care. Our dedicated faculty and staff, working alongside other

Dr. Kevin

YINGLING

university colleagues, have developed a model plan to educate the pharmacists of tomorrow.

Those student pharmacists will enter what is considered by many a top career field in coming years. Ranked as the No. 3 best occupation in the next 15 years by several leading national organizations, pharmacists are an essential member of a health care team. Working alongside physicians and nurses in an inpatient setting, pharmacists offer medication management therapy and medicine interaction expertise. But, a hospital setting isn’t the only opportunity for pharmacists, traditional areas like retail pharmacy, public health, and research are also seeing job growth. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an expected 25 percent increase in the rate of pharmacist positions in the

next 10 years.

Marshall’s School of Pharmacy is a public, affordable educational option. We offer a 2+4 program where student applicants may be accepted into the program after two years of college, provided all prerequisite courses are met. Our inaugural class is an outstanding group of individuals who have chosen our school for their education and are contributing to our community through their time, talents and community service. The Class of 2016 represents more than 12 states with a significant percentage, nearly 75 percent, from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.

Those of us at the School of Pharmacy are grateful for the many hands which have contributed to the opening of the Doctor of Pharmacy program and anticipate what the coming years will bring to our school, our region and our nation. It is a good time to be at Marshall University. We are Marshall! We are the future of pharmacy education!

Dr. Kevin Yingling is the dean of the Marshall University School of Pharmacy.

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C M Y K 50 inch The Herald-Dispatch â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

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C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

6H The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

JOAN C. EDWARDS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Looking to core mission for vision Dr. Joseph

SHAPIRO

For 35 years the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University has been educating students to become the doctors of tomorrow. In fact, more than 1400 physicians have graduated from Marshall and more than six dozen additional doctors will be added to the list upon graduation this spring.

As part of its core mission developed during the school’s infancy, the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (SOM) endeavors to provide high quality medical education and postgraduate training programs to foster a skilled physician workforce to meet the unique health care needs of West Virginia and Central Appalachia. We are committed to living out our core mission daily and continue to be recognized nationally for educating doctors for the country’s most rural areas.

Moreover, the School of Medicine has seen continued success in other areas that benefit us all. The health care provided in this region is very good and to a certain degree our SOM can take credit for that level of care because many of the providers are our graduates. Additionally, the School of Medicine has nurtured several fantastic outreach programs that include the Marshall Medical Outreach which provides care to the homeless right here in Huntington, partnerships with diabetes coalitions across Appalachia and our Annual Global Medical Brigades (GMB) trip to Honduras. Lastly, we can be proud that we have a viable and growing program for medical research that is being led by a dynamic new vice dean for research who brings

Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine

his global experiences to our school.

Despite our recent successes though, there are several immediate challenges, namely our accreditation status. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), our national accrediting body, has placed us on probation and we are working diligently to

address the outlined citations.

Several of the areas of concern are administrative and those have been addressed through a variety of processes, but other citations are more serious and germane to our very mission.

Action plans for these areas were developed over the last year and have been accepted as a reasonable course of

action by the LCME. I want to publicly thank our entire School of Medicine faculty and staff for their devotion to this arduous, demanding, but necessary task. In a concerted effort to be transparent, our entire plan for addressing the LCME issues is available on our website at www.musom. marshall.edu/lcme/ and we

encourage you to take a look at what we are doing.

We remain optimistic that our future accreditation news will be positive and Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine will be a better medical school because of our journey. We commit to continue to be client-centered: our relationships with our

students, residents, faculty and patients remain our top priorities. Our mission is clear, our intentions are purposeful, and our resolve to move forward is resolute.

Dr. Joseph Shapiro is dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University.

HEALTHSOUTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF HUNTINGTON

TO EXPAND

Hospital Adds 10 New Beds

HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital ofofHuntington HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital Huntington

Patient-Centered Care Offered At HealthSouth Huntington, patient care is led by rehabilitation physicians with special expeAtrience HealthSouth Huntington,medicine. patient care is leddoctors by rehabilitation physicians withmanagement special experience in rehabilitation These provide close medical for each inpatient rehabilitation medicine.

These doctors provide close medical management for each patient and and supervise patients’ rehabilitation treatment plans. supervise patients’ rehabilitation treatment plans.

The medical team is led by Medical Director Timothy Saxe, M.D., Internal Medicine, who The team is led

by Medical Director Timothy M.D., Internal Medicine, who has been on hasmedical been on staff at HealthSouth Huntington forSaxe, 17 years. staff at HealthSouth Huntington for 19 years.

Admitting/attending physicians include: Admitting/attending physicians include: Physician

Specialty

Years on Medical Staff

Rabah Boukhemis, M.D., Associate Medical Director

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

20

Ronald Barebo, M.D., Program Medical Director

Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

8

Ahmed Abdelgaber, M.D.

Family Practice

3

Shawn Coffman, M.D.

Internal Medicine

14

Jacqueline Cole, M.D.

Family Practice

8

Thomas Dannals, M.D.

Family Practice

15

Randall James, D.O.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

2

Suresh Kumar, M.D.

Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

4

Jeffrey McCormick, D.O.

Family Practice

8

Scott Mitchell, M.D.

Family Practice

8

Cynthia Pinson, M.D.

Family Practice

6

David Steele, M.D.

Family Practice

2

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Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Huntington has finished a HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Huntington has new wing that increases their capacity to 62 patients.

The new received permission from West Virginia Health Care Authority space boasts 10 spacious, private rooms which are needed to serve to growing complete a 10-bed expansion the number of patients whoproject. need rehabilitation services.

In addition, they are renovating space for a new kitchen, a larger patient dining room and increasing space in the gym for physical, The new 6,300 square-foot expansion will raise the hospital’s occupational and speech therapy. patient bed count from 52 to 62. In addition to all private “We’ve on making thesedining changes to meet theupneeds of rooms,been the planning project includes a new room and an the people we serve for almost 2 years, and it is exciting to see the datednearing therapythe gym, along aesthetic improvements. project end” said with Mike other Zuliani, Chief Executive Officer for the hospital. “Among other things, Patient Satisfaction is a priority at Healthsouth – but first we need to be able to get them in. In recent “We have been privileged to serve in the Huntington months, we’ve been fully occupied andpatients unfortunately, patients had toarea wait for for more a bed.than But 20 nowyears we’veand added new wingtowith ten private looka forward expanding rooms so we can better meet the demand of the patients served by access to our high-quality care in an updated environment,” Healthsouth. “ said Michael Zuliani, HealthSouth Huntington CEO. “The Healthsouth helping their strength and decision tofocuses expandon was madepatients to meetbuild the needs of our area make improvements in their functional gains that ultimately leads to and align our Typical hospital’s interior withatthe current trends of that independence. patients served HealthSouth are ones have sustained Stroke Brain Injury, Fracture, Spinal Cord ������� �����a��� �� or ��������� ����Hip ����� Injury, Trauma, or any medical condition that caused a functional decline. The average length of stay is about 14 days with 80% of the Construction is expectedhome. to begin in the spring of 2012, and patients being discharged the hospital expects the new beds and therapy areas to be Our rehabilitation team offers a comprehensive approach to patient �����helping ����������� ��� ���� �� functioning ����� �������������� care, them �� achieve their������� greatest abilities.

Compare services offered, and you’ll see HealthSouth difference. and grand opening ceremonies will bethe held.

A Higher Level of Care

Huntington is a 52-bed rehabilitationhospital hospital that offers comprehensive inpatient services.

HealthSouth HealthSouth Huntington is a 52-bed rehabilitation that offers comprehensive inpatient services.

Serving patients throughout the tri-state area, the hospital is located at 6900 West Country Club Drive in Serving patients throughout the tri-state area, the hospital is located at 6900 West Country Club Drive Huntington and on the Web at www.healthsouthhuntington.com.

6900 Country Club Drive • Huntington, WV 25705 ���� West ���� ������� ���� ����� � ����������� �� ����� in Huntington and on the Web at www.healthsouthhuntington.com. ��� �������� 304 733-1060 For more information about our rehabilitation programs, contact Kim Cummings, director of marketing operations, at 304 302-7804 or kim.cummings@healthsouth.com. healthsouthhuntington.com healthsouthhuntington.com For more information about our rehabilitation programs, contact Kim Cummings, director of marketing operations, at 304 302-7804 or kim.cummings@healthsouth.com.

©2012:HealthSouth Corporation:519511-02

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013

www.herald-dispatch.com

Sunday, March 10, 2013

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Progress 2013: Health

MIND & BODY

ABOVE & BELOW: Brown Dog Yoga conducts a yoga class at Heritage Station in Huntington.

Photos by Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Residents enjoy yoga classes, reap benefits

M

an or woman, young or old, there are numerous health benefits to practicing yoga on a regular basis, instructors say.

The opportunities have become much easier as well with the addition of two yoga studios in Huntington during the past year to go along with existing classes at the Huntington YMCA and Marshall Recreation Center.

Studio 8, located at 803 8th Ave., recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, while Brown Dog Yoga, located at Heritage Station, opened in January.

Joan St. Clair, owner of Studio 8, was drawn to yoga eight years ago because she was suffering from lower back pain. She has been teaching yoga for the past three years.

“In addition to physical issues, I learned that I was carrying around a lot of stress I wasn’t aware I had,” St. Clair said. “It made me more mindful and aware of my body.”

Many people want to try yoga because of the physical benefits, such as improved posture, balance, flexibility and muscular strength and a reduced risk of injury in the joints, St. Clair said. They quickly learn that their mental health improves drastically, too.

“You begin to realize that you feel more calm and focused. You learn to let go of negativity and be true to yourself,” St. Clair said. “I call it holistic fitness.

It incorporates everything.”

St. Clair’s sentiments are echoed by Katrina Mailloux, owner of Brown Dog Yoga. Mailloux has been practicing yoga for 11 years and teaching for the past five. It has brought focus and perspective to her life in addition to numerous physical benefits, she said.

“It really teaches you in this crazy world of tech-

nology to turn off all of that outward stimuli and recharge and regroup yourself to prepare for what life throws at you daily,” Mailloux said. “A lot of people equate yoga with the physical aspects. They want to integrate it into an overall fitness program.

They soon learn that they get as much of an emotional and mental benefit out of it as well.”

Mailloux said she has discovered that people who say they can’t do yoga because they aren’t flexible are the ones who experience the benefits the fastest.

“It’s not about becoming more bendy. It’s about becoming more adaptable,” she said. “There’s no pressure to get to a finish line.”

Both yoga studios offer a diverse range of yoga classes taught by several different instructors. For more information, about Studio 8, visit www.studio8wv.com or call 304-634-0949. More information about Brown Dog Yoga can be obtained at www. browndogyoga.com or by calling 304-617-6240.

Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Brittany Stowasser instructs a yoga dance class at Studio 8.

STORY BY BRYAN CHAMBERS

THE HERALD-DISPATCH

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C M Y K 50 inch 2I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Prestera Center for Mental Health Services’s addiction treatment center is located on U.S. 60 in Huntington.

Prestera Center: Serving community for 45 years Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, Inc. quietly and confidentially provides a diverse range of behavioral health services to people in our Kim community.

The mission of helping people achieve their full potential continued for the 21,000 adults, children and families served last year.

Prestera Center offers Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) designed to help businesses link employees to treatment services. Job performance suffers when there are untreated mental health and addiction problems.

These problems can lead to worker absenteeism and problems like lower productivity, theft, workplace injuries and increased health care costs. EAP programs respect employee privacy, reduce stigma in the workplace and help implement drug-free workplace policies. Drug-free workplace training is available for businesses.

Prestera Center offers programs that integrate behavioral health and primary health care services.

Tobacco cessation, nutrition counseling and wellness planning are also offered through the BRIGHT program. This program partners with Valley Health to offer medical care inside the behavioral health care setting to unravel the interplay between health problems and behavioral health issues to provide comprehensive strategies. Prestera Center partners with medical providers to integrate primary health care and behavioral health care into the same visit. Screening for possible behavioral health problems when you visit your primary care doctor prevents problems from escalating into emergencies.

Prestera Center offers programs for children and their families, including professional counseling; in-home services where a counselor and case manager visit the child and their families in the family’s home; children’s psychiatry; school-based services in many area schools where children and teenagers can receive counseling during the regular school day; mentoring services that provide positive role models; and intensive outpatient for 6-8 weeks that includes an educational component and family therapy. Behavior problems in children, like suddenly not wanting to go to school, could be a symptom of a problem with depression or anxiety. Prestera Center’s professional services help families manage symptoms and behaviors and find their strengths to overcome difficulties.

Prestera Center offers programs that help stabilize adult depression and anxiety or more chronic behavioral health conditions. Outpatient counseling

MILLER

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Kim Miller of Prestera Center speaks during the Addiction is Bad for Business workshop Nov. 1, 2012, at Huntington’s Kitchen.

KEY PLAYER: KAREN YOST Job: President and CEO, Prestera Center How did you get in your career: It was what I wanted to do from an early age. My aunt was a social worker in Kentucky and I loved listening to her talk about her work.

First job: Adjunctive therapist for Logan Mingo Mental Health in Williamson Family: Husband John; Children Brad and Ashley; grandchildren Jillian, Gage, and Annmarie Special skills: Quilting Favorite book: Anything

by Robert B. Parker Favorite movie: “Secretariat”

Affordable Care Act is worth examining The Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, is a complex piece of legislation and is poorly understood by most Americans. Given the confusion about the health care reform law, it is worth examining what is actually in the ACA. At its core the ACA has four main goals: to expand health insurance to virtually every American; to fundamentally change the rules governing the insurance industry; to focus our health care system on prevention; and containing cost, which is an essential reform, but also the heaviest lift.

The ACA provides insurance coverage to virtually all Americans in two primary ways. First, it expands Medicaid to reach all working, lowincome Americans. Second, it creates new health insurance marketplaces where subsidized private insurance policies are sold.

The current Medicaid program covers very few working adults. Unless you are disabled or pregnant, you cannot earn more than 31 percent of the federal poverty level and qualify for Medicaid. For a single mom with two kids that’s less than $6,000 a year.

The ACA dramatically changes that. Income eligibility rises to $26,300 a year for that single mom with two kids. While projections vary, as many as 120,000 currently uninsured West Virginians will gain coverage under the Medicaid expansion.

Next time you are in a local restaurant ask the waitress if she has health insurance.

The answer will frequently be: No. Not only will she gain covered, but also employees of child care centers and many others who work for an employer who can’t afford to provide health insurance coverage to their employees.

The federal government pays almost all of the cost for this Medicaid expansion, paying 100 percent the first three years and then their percentage gradually declining to 90 percent in 2020 and thereafter. Imagine getting, at worst, $9 for every $1 we invest to cover our friends and neighbors who currently lack the financial and health care security that insurance coverage brings.

Over the next several months Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will need to make a critical decision on whether to accept this money that Congress has set aside for providing health insurance coverage to uninsured west Virginians.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner is conducting a comprehensive financial analysis to determine all of the benefits and the costs.

After this analysis completed, I hope that Tomblin joins with Ohio Governor John Kasich and other governors across the country — both Democrats and Republicans — in accepting these federal resources to provide Americans with health care coverage.

The other means of covering almost all Americans is

Perry

BRYANT the establishment of health insurance marketplaces. This approach uses the free market to provide small businesses and uninsured West Virginians the same purchasing power that large employers currently enjoy. Blue Cross Blue Shield and other commercial insurance will compete for this business in the marketplace, offering easy to compare policies that will allow consumers to select a plan that best meets their needs.

There are significant subsidies for individuals in the marketplace. The subsidies for small businesses, however, are less generous and limited to two years beginning in 2014. This is one of the weaknesses of the ACA. It does not do enough to assist small business in their struggle to afford insurance coverage for their employees.

It is wishful thinking, however, that a bipartisan effort could be mounted to provide greater relief to small businesses. The patrician divide is too deep in Washington to make even beneficial changes to the ACA. The second major goal of the ACA is to fundamentally change the rules for the insurance industry. Beginning next year, the insurance industry will no longer be able to discriminate against consumers based on their health. Over the last half century the insurance industry has spent millions of dollars trying cherry-pick their customers, insuring only young healthy people while denying coverage or charging a much higher premium to older less healthy people. The ACA ends this practice.

The third major goal of ACA is placing a greater emphasis on prevention. Our current health care system focuses almost exclusively on illnesses. The United States does an incredible job of taking very ill patients and making them well. What our current health care system does not do well is to keep people from becoming ill in the first place. The ACA begins the process of changing that by placing greater emphasis on prevention. All new insurance policies must cover clinically effective preventive measures such as pap smears,

Please see BRYANT/3I

Insurance of all types is accepted. A sliding scale is offered based on income and charity care is available for those who qualify where services may be free. Visit us at www.prestera.org or call the toll-free number.

Kim Miller is director of corporate development for Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, Inc.

261238

and doctor visits for medications, more intensive programs designed to improve the problem and avoid hospitalization, residential group homes, supportive housing and programs that end homelessness are some of the services available.

These programs help with permanent housing, employment and life skills.

A diverse array of addiction recovery programs are also offered at Prestera Center. This includes outpatient or intensive outpatient counseling, medications that sustain recovery, detoxification, short-term residential treatment, longterm residential treatment, transitional living and permanent housing in efficiency apartments for adults established in recovery, to name a few.

After-hours, on-call emergency services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 1-877-3997776. Other services include a teen suicide prevention hotline, coordination of substance abuse prevention services through a network of volunteer anti-drug coalitions across the region, supportive housing programs, employment and work-adjustment programs and programs for intellectually disabled adults and children.

To get started in services, walk in to any location between 8 and 9 a.m. No appointment is necessary.

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

We at Advantage Healthcare for Women are pleased to provide comprehensive OB/GYN services, including: pregency care and delivery, 3D & 4D Ultrsounds, all birth control options including Mirena. We also specialize in Endometriosis Treatment, Gynecologic Surgery, including Da Vinci Surgery, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement and Menopausal Management.

Larry A. Caserta, MD Brian E. Bower, MD Donna Kaplan, CS-FNP 5187 Rt 60 E Suite 2 East Hills Professional Center Huntington, West Virginia 25705

Office (304) 525-5405 Fax (304) 525-3400 www.advantagehealthcarewomen.com

C M Y K 50 inch Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Progress 2013: Health

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

3I

MEDICAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

Medical company helps physicians manage business

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a section of the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health on Nov. 20, 2012, at Harveytown Park.

PATH offers foundation for a healthy lifestyle

Dr. Paul Ambrose was passionate about the need to improve the health care of our nation. He was strongly Ken influenced by former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, his mentor, during his residency at Dartmouth. Former Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson, wrote, “Paul cared deeply about the issues he worked on, but even more for the people affected.”

He was deeply concerned about such issues as the escalating incidence of obesity in the United States and its effect on such things as heart disease and diabetes. West Virginia has some of the highest rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the nation.

At the time of his death in the terrorist attacks of Sept.

11, 2001, Paul was working as the Luther Terry Fellow with Surgeon General David Satcher and was the senior scientist involved with formulating the surgeon general’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. The call to action detailed the escalating problem of obesity in the United States and put forward longrange plans centered on improved nutrition and exercise. It called upon individuals, families, communities, schools, worksite organizations and the media to work together to build solutions that would bring better health to our country.

The Paul Ambrose Trail for Health, or PATH, is one such solution. An avid runner and cyclist himself, Paul would have been so excited and pleased to see the Huntington community coming together to create the multi-purpose trail.

Huntington is a wonderful

AMBROSE

Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Ken Ambrose speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the St. Cloud Commons portion of the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health on Nov. 13, 2012, in Huntington. city with beautiful, tree-lined streets, parks and a riverfront.

The PATH will eventually link all the parks, providing safe areas for walking, running and cycling throughout the city and along the river. It will provide wonderful opportunities for individuals and families to achieve healthier lifestyles with increased exercise.

Regular exercise has tremendous potential to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Huntington.

Various studies show regular exercise will: n Prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure and strengthen your heart. n Control your weight and prevent or reduce obesity. n Improve muscle, bone and joint functions.

n Help prevent and control diabetes. n Help with social and psychological well-being in reducing stress and anxiety and promoting a general positive attitude about one self.

The benefit of increased focus on exercise for all ages can be seen in the annual Fit Fest held in Ritter Park in September to support the PATH. There is great enthusiasm and participation with a 5K walk/run, 10K run and multiple races and activities for children. Other activities throughout the year include the Tour de PATH and Spin for the PATH. It has been wonderful to see all aspects of the community come together to support the PATH: hospitals, media, Mar-

shall University, the medical school, local health centers, community groups, churches, businesses and dedicated individuals. It is a tremendous undertaking requiring funding, acquisition of property and construction. It also is exciting to see the St. Cloud Commons portion of the PATH completed and further construction beginning.

The Ambrose family is proud to have Paul’s name associated with this project and wants to thank all involved for their continuing support.

Kenneth Paul Ambrose is an emeritus professor of sociology at Marshall University and father of the late Dr. Paul Wesley Ambrose.

Bryant

n Continued from 2I

mammography, colorectal screens, smoking and dietary counseling, and much more.

These measures must be provided to patients without charging a copayment or deductible. Removing the economic barrier to getting effective preventive measures takes our health care system in a new direction: one that focuses on wellness and not just sickness.

The fourth main goal, and perhaps the most difficult, is containing cost. Currently, we pay doctors on a fee for service arrangement. For every service they provide, we pay them a fee. Can you imagine building a house and telling the electrician that you will pay for every electriSholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch cal outlet he or she installs?

Perry Bryant, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, speaks during a public The house would end up with forum on health care reform in this 2010 file photo at the Marshall University Student Center. far more outlets than you

Medical Practice Management Solutions, a locally owned company, helps with the business side of medical practices so the physician can do what they do best, practice medicine.

Many physicians don’t have the time or the training to effectively manage the business side of their practice.

They are excellent clinicians but have a difficult time dealing with the changing reimbursements and administrative tasks. Our business model takes much of the burden that comes with running a large business off the physician.

Effective billing practices can mean the difference between a failing practice and a thriving one. MPMS improves a practice’s billing efficiency by utilizing technology. According to a study by the American Medicine Association, a clinic producing 6,200 claims a year would save an estimated $42,000 by implementing an electronic billing system over the traditional paper billing method.

Keep in mind that not all systems give you the same level of automation. Many providers use systems that allow them to send a bill electronically but require extensive data entry and manual edits. Investing in a system that allows seamless data transfer, electronic payment posting, and real time eligibility inquiries can add up to lower overhead and a quicker turnaround of payments.

Also, using claim scrubbing technology can help reduce rebills and get cash in the door quicker.

Keeping up to date with changes in regulations and payer policies is critical to a well-run practice. Many physicians assume that their vendors will provide updates that will keep bills flowing out the door.

However, that isn’t always the case. We check with vendors to make sure they have plans in place to meet regulatory requirements in time and to allow for adequate testing time. Many practices found their clearinghouses or billing software weren’t prepared for the HIPAA 5010 changes and were unable to bill for a period of time.

Avoiding cuts to reimbursement is something many providers believe is out of their control. However, there are some penalties that can be avoided. CMS is pushing providers towards electronic health records through penalties that grow over time.

Currently providers that do not e-prescribe are seeing a reduction of Medicare reimbursement of 1.5 percent and it will grow to 2 percent in 2014. Starting in 2015, providers that have not adopted and are not meaningfully using an EHR will see Medicare reimbursements cut by 1 percent.

That number will grow in subsequent years to 5 percent.

For a practice that receives $500,000 in Medicare reimbursement annually, a 5 percent reduction amounts to $25,000 a year. MPMS helps need. That’s how we pay physicians. Our system rewards doing more and more services without any consideration for quality.

The ACA moves away from fee for service and begins to pay based on quality outcomes and for coordination of care. Hospitals that have high rates of infections will see their reimbursement decline. The incentive in this case is to increase quality by reducing hospital acquired infections and reducing costs by not having to treat these infections.

The ACA also promotes health homes. These are primary care offices that coordinate the care of patients with chronic illnesses. Our current system is highly fragmented. For example, a patient with chronic illnesses may be seeing three or four specialist physicians. None of them talk to each other, and they may be prescribing

Patrick

BURROWS Medical Practice Management Solutions can help by providing over 80 years of health care experience combined with leading edge technology to help make a physician’s practice more profitable. you implement a meaningful use EHR. We can set up your network and install practice management software that will help you avoid penalties and also streamline your day to day operations. There are also up to $63,750 in government incentives that should help with the cost of such an investment.

MPMS also uses technology to provide snapshots of the practice so physicians can address small problems before they become larger issues. Some physician practices are multi-million dollar a year businesses but are often ran like much smaller entities. Analyzing practice revenue (net of contractual adjustments) and expenses monthly can help reduce creeping overtime costs and locate billing problems to address issues quickly. Monitoring standard metrics, such as days in accounts receivable and revenue per visit, along with monthly reviews of accounts receivable aging reports will identify potential collection and profitability issues. Reviewing financials more frequently will allow practices to make changes quickly that will improve profits.

Another costly mistake providers often make is not reviewing and updating their charge structure. Many practices never increase fees even though insurance providers continually make updates. Over time, this can result in a physician losing money by charging less than some insurance companies allow.

Experts recommend updating your charge structure every three to twelve months to keep up with reimbursements.

Even though the primary purpose of the physician’s office is providing a service to the community, the underlying business side cannot be neglected. Medical Practice Management Solutions can help with that by providing over 80 years of health care experience combined with leading edge technology to help make a physician’s practice more profitable.

Patrick Burrows is president of Medical Practice Management Solutions, which is in the East Hills Professional Center, 5187 U.S. 60 E, Suite 15A, Huntington.

Burrows can be reached at 304-955-6202 or pat.burrows@mpmswv.com. multiple medications that interact with each other to cause harm rather than healing. In a health home a team comprised of doctors, nurses, dietitian, social workers and others coordinate the care that patients receive, treating the whole patient. The emphasis is on helping the patient control their diabetes or other chronic illness rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Those are the four major goals of the ACA: expand coverage to virtually all Americans, reform the insurance industry, place greater emphasis on prevention, and begin the difficult task of controlling cost. Is the ACA prefect? No. It is, however, a significant step towards ensuring that every Americans has access to quality, affordable health care.

Perry Bryant is executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care.

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

4I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Chewing tobacco causes dental disease and gum disease and wears off the teeth at the gums causing unsightly cavities that are difficult to fill.

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

ADVANCED OUTPATIENT SURGICAL SERVICES IN A CONVENIENT, COMFORTABLE SETTING

1201 Hal Greer Boulevard Huntington, West Virginia

(304) 523-1885

Think before you chew Dr. Raj

KHANNA Chewing tobacco is a lifealtering decision. Most of the time people start on chewing tobacco casually without knowing how it can change their life.

Chewing tobacco is highly addictive because each chew has three times the nicotine content of a cigarette. So, one can of chewing tobacco is almost equivalent to 50 cigarettes.

Chewing tobacco in any form is not a safe alternative to smoking.

Did you know that chewing tobacco has at least 25 cancer causing agents such as arsenic, formaldehyde and nuclear agents such as polonium? Nearly one out of every two to three people who chew tobacco could get oral cancer.

Statistics show if you do get oral cancer the survival rate in five years is only 50 percent. We all die eventually, but oral cancer kills us in a way that is horrible. If you are unfortunate enough to get oral cancer from chewing tobacco, you will have to have a mutilating surgery that, in essence, removes most of your jaw. You will most likely have to have most of, if not all, your teeth

Cabell Huntington Surgery Center is an ambulatory surgery center that specializes in a wide range of outpatient surgical procedures and is fully accredited by The Joint Commission. Since outpatient surgery is our niche, we offer our patients the most efficient and convenient choice for outpatient surgical services. And our compassionate facility staff and growing medical staff of over 50 experienced and highlytrained surgeons is committed to providing our community with the highest possible level of care, service and quality.

SURGERY CENTER MEDICAL STAFF Dentistry

Eric Bailey, DDS Nathan Kirk, DDS J. Patrick Martin, DDS Joey Roy, DDS Chewing tobacco is highly addictive because each chew has three times the nicotine content of a cigarette. pulled for radiation. Additionally, you will possibly have a hole in your neck to help you breathe and a hole in your belly to help you eat and even then your likelihood of surviving is only 50 percent!

Chewing tobacco also causes dental disease and gum disease and wears off the teeth at the gums causing unsightly cavities that are difficult to fill. Nicotine in chewing tobacco will cause high blood pressure and heart disease. Chewing tobacco can also cause cancers of your stomach, pancreas and esophagus (food pipe).

You may not be aware that there is very high sugar con-

tent in chewing tobacco which not only causes cavities in your teeth but can effect blood sugars in diabetics.

So before you put that wad of chewing tobacco or snuff in your mouth next time, think about this life-altering decision you are about to make, don’t gamble with your life.

Raj Khanna, DMD, M.D., is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and is section chief for the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. He also is affiliated with the West Virginia Tobacco Cessation Program.

General Surgery & Endoscopy

Paul Christian Bown, MD David Denning, MD Wade Douglas, MD Curtis Harrison, MD Douglas Henson, MD Subrat Lahiry, MD Gerald McKinney, MD

Gynecology

Joseph Assaley, MD Richard Booth, MD Brian Bower, MD Steven Brumfield, MD Larry Caserta, MD Alan Chamberlain, MD Carolyn Clark, MD Benjamin Edwards, MD Stephen Feaster, MD David Jude, MD Hisham Keblawi, MD

Gynecology continued Andrea Kellar, MD Amber Kuhl, MD Paul Lee, MD Rafael Molina, MD Herbert Myers, DO Amanda Pauley, MD Sarah Price, MD Jennie Yoost, MD

Ophthalmology

Dina Blom, MD David Cook, MD Charles Francis, MD Russel Fry, MD Deborah Klimek, MD Michael Krasnow, DO Joseph LoCascio, MD

Oral Surgery

Orthopedics continued Jeremy Kaltenbach, PA-C Stephen Novotny, MD Jack Steel, MD Stanley Tao, MD

Otolaryngology

Ross Germani, MD Brian Heaberlin, MD Arturo Roa, MD B. Joseph Touma, MD Joseph B. Touma, MD

Plastics

Adel Faltaous, MD Stephen Miller, MD Farid Mozaffari, MD

Podiatry

Raj Khanna, MD

Kirt Miller, DPM Patrick Nunan, DPM

Orthopedics

Urology

Luis Bolano, MD Felix Cheung, MD Tigran Garabekyan, MD Charles Giangarra, MD John Jasko, MD

Rajendra Jain, MD Rocco A. Morabito, MD Rocco Morabito Jr, MD Lawrence Wyner, MD 261257

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C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

5I

MARSHALL RECREATION CENTER

Remember to make time for your health Well, here we are: three months in to the year 2013.

How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming?

Good, I hope!

Katie But if you’re like the majority of the population, you’ve gotten caught up in work, school, kids, and life in general, and all but forgotten about taking care of yourself.

One of the most common resolutions that pops up every year is to get in shape. Not only is this important for your health, but it’s also extremely important for your emotional well-being.

Taking some time out for yourself can help you feel refreshed, regain confidence, and give you new strength to conquer the day.

That sounds good and all — but who has time for that?

Being busy is the leading excuse when it comes to exercise. But that’s all it is — an excuse. I’m sure you made time for that “Walking Dead” episode on Sunday, am I right?

So, how about an hour? Can you sacrifice the time of one TV show in order to better yourself? I’m sure you can manage that, right? And besides, you can always tape it and watch it later.

OK, so you’ve got an hour — now what do you do with it?

Well,Ihappentoknowofaperfectplacethathassomethingenjoyableforeveryone.It’slocatedonthe cornerof5thavenueand20thstreet inHuntington.I’mtalkingabout theMarshallRecreationCenter.

With four full size basketball courts, a giant swimming pool and hot tub, big racquetball courts, a three story rock wall, an indoor track, tons of new fitness equipment, and so much more, how could this not be fun?

At the Rec, we want to give our members the opportunity to get active in as many exciting ways as possible. Because not everyone has the same interests, we offer lots of different activities to bring out the fitness enthusiast in you.

You don’t like running on the treadmill? Well maybe you’d enjoy swimming or yoga.

You’re not a fan of exercising alone? Maybe you’d be inter-

HECK

KEY PLAYER: KATIE HECK

Job: Personal Trainer at the Marshall Recreation Center How did you get in your career: I have always been an active, health-conscious person, but when I got to college I became a lot more serious about it. During my freshman year, I purchased a package of sessions with personal trainer Chris Lane. He introduced me to the weight room, taught me proper form, and really challenged me. That experience created a passion in me that has been burning ever since.

In addition to taking care of myself, I really wanted to help others reach their health goals.

So I changed my major to exercise physiology, studied long and hard, and here I am!

That same trainer that helped me years ago is now my boss.

I was hired this past summer at the Rec Center and I couldn’t be happier!

First job: Bailes, Craig & Yon, PLLC. (2009-2012) Family: I have two loving parents, Charley and Nikki Wood, an awesome little brother Jacob, and a wonderful husband Chris.

Special skills: Excellent motivator, very optimistic, enthusiastic personality, organized, hardworking and dedicated Favorite Book: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Favorite Movie: “The Hobbit” Favorite TV show: “The Big Bang Theory”

ABOVE: Kaitlin Denkins joins participants in a spinning demonstration as Marshall University hosts the fourth annual RecFest on Aug. 25, 2012, at the Marshall Recreation Center.

RIGHT: Marshall freshman Chelsea Slater climbs the rock wall at the Marshall Recreation Center in Huntington.

Photos by Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

sureyoufeelcomfortableandhelp youreachyourgoalsassafelyand aseffectivelyaspossible.

If you would like to find out more, you can check out our website at www.marshallcampusrec.com, give us a call at 304-696-4REC, or just drop by for a free tour of the facility.

Nomatterwhoyouareorwhat youlovetodo,Iknowwe’llhave somethingyou’llenjoy.Butit’supto youtotakethatfirststepandcome seewhatwehavetooffer!Ipromise youwon’tregretit.Seeyousoon!

Katie Heck is a personal trainer at the Marshall Recreation Center.

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Services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most major insurance plans include, but are not limited to: • Coordination of Care • Physician Supervision • Certified Nursing Care • 24-Hour On-Call Nursing • Medical Supplies & Equipment • Medications for Pain/Symptom Control • Grief Counseling and Bereavement Follow-Up • Volunteer Services

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• Rick Factor Screening for those who qualify • Vaccine Call today for more information 304-523-6483 Cabell-Huntington Health Department

Our Mission Hospice of Huntington

provides compassionate physical, emotional and spiritual care for those with a life-limiting illness, and continued support for their families.

Call TODAY if you or someone you know has: • Missed doctor appointments due to sickness • Lost significant weight • Repeat visits to the Emergency Room • Frequent falls • Increased weakness or confusion • Shortness of breath • Experienced a steady decline in health Care is provided wherever the patient lives, including: • In their own home • Nursing home • Assisted-living facility • Senior community • Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House (short-term inpatient care) Ask about our specialized programs for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). We help patients to BREATHE EASY.

www.hospiceofhuntington.org | 304.529.4217

1101 Sixth Avenue | Huntington, WV 25701

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ested in signing up for some of our group fitness classes.

We offer everything ranging from zumba to boxing, from spinning to weight lifting, and even belly dancing on occasion.

Maybeyouwouldlovetobuild somemuscleandlosefat,butaren’t surewheretobegin.Luckyforyou, wehaveaveryknowledgeablestaff ofpersonaltrainersthatwouldbe morethanhappytoassistyou.

Itcanbeveryintimidatingto entertheweightroomforthe firsttime,especiallywhenyou’re unsureofwhattodo.Asapersonaltrainermyself,Iknowthat therestofthestaffandIwilldo everythingthatwecantomake

C M Y K 50 inch 6I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Several people participate in the Water Fitness class at the YMCA in Huntington.

Photos by Lori Wolfe/The Herald Dispatch

YMCA offers fitness choices for older adults Cheryl

The Huntington YMCA offers Arthritis Foundation classes in a warm pool and water fitness classes in a cool pool.

JUSTiCe

A Solid Foundation Rosemary Santostefano of Huntington participates in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatics/Aqua Arthritis class.

Choices of exercise classes that the YMCA offers for the active, older adult include: n Yoga: Senior wise chairbased yoga; traditional yoga (floor and standing poses); vinyasa flow yoga (physically challenging). n Group fitness classes: Silver Sneakers (chair-based and cardio); Senior Wise (cardio/strength); LITE weighted workout; Group fitness classes (all levels). n Aqua: Arthritis Foundation classes in warm pool; Water fitness classes in cool pool.

For further information, check out the Huntington YMCA’s website www.huntingtonymca.org.

No matter your activity level, keep in mind the benefits of

exercise as we age are numerous. The ability to keep and develop lean body mass such as bones and muscle is important because it helps to keep up your regular activities of daily living and allow you to remain independent. Other benefits include improving your balance as well as your mood, improving joint function, and memory or cognitive function.

If someone could give you a pill that could do all this for you, would you be first in line to get it? Take advantage of your health instead of taking it for granted. You can do this by moving more or increasing your activities today.

Cheryl Justice is the senior health and wellness director at the Huntington YMCA.

What is Christian Science? The heart and soul of Christian Science is Love.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, correlates directly with the Bible in magnifying God and his omnipotent Love, and in revealing Man as made in the image and likeness of God. The Scriptures are designed for instruction and guidance for Man’s health and prosperity.

Christian Science provides a systematic study for making those truths practical; always highlighting Man’s God-given dominion.

Our Bible Lesson is studied weekly then presented on Sunday as the “Lesson-Sermon;”

KeY PlaYer: TiMoThY Saxe Job: Medical director, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Huntington How did you get into your career? My grandfather was a country doctor and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

What was your first job: a counselor at a Boy Scout camp Tell us about your family: wife, Susan, children, Ryan, Josh, Ashley and Marc Special skills: Photography has had several pictures appear in National Geographic magazine and has authored 2 published books Favorite Book: The Holy Bible Favorite Movie: The original “Manchurian Candidate” Favorite TV show: “Castle”

delivered by a First and a Second Reader. Citations from both the Bible and Science and Health comprise the Lesson. These two books serve as our “dual pastor.”

The blessings of spiritual study are infinite!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy soul from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 103: 2-5 “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.”

Science and Health p. 494: 10, 11

“God is Love;” 1 John 4: 16

First Church of Christ, Scientist 538 Ninth Street, Huntington West Virginia • 304 522 2784

Sunday Services & Sunday School 11:00 AM | Wednesday Service 12:00 noon Reading Room | 540 Ninth Street | M T W | 11:00 am - 2:00 PM

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Do you remember when children didn’t need car seats or when vehicles didn’t come with seat belts? Do you think of a phone as something that plugs into the wall where you have to sit in one place to talk to your friends? If you said yes to either of those questions, you might technically be considered a senior citizen.

I believe it depends on our own perception and activity level. A good thing to remember is, with age, we need to learn to listen to our bodies and maybe change or alter the activities that we enjoy.

Eating well, being an active person and living a good, healthy life is a great way to develop a strong healthy base no matter what age we are.

This can be done by making small shifts in your lifestyle that will focus on becoming more physically active and eating nutritious foods in proper proportions. Keep in mind that the essential elements of good, physical health should include strength training, cardiovascular work and flexibility work.

Try to develop a program that will work for you and your current physical condition.

Adding these key ingredients will improve your well being both physically and mentally.

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

7I

Dance Barboursville n Ballroom and Latin Dance Instruction Classes, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Couples beginner class; 7:308:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Couples Intermediate class; 6:45-7:45 p.m. Thursdays. Visit www. tophatballroom.com or call Gail Patton, 304-412-3171. Top Hat Ballroom Studio, upstairs over Barboursville Physical Therapy, Barboursville.

Greenup n Social Ballroom Dance Class, 5-6 p.m. Saturdays.

For singles or couples. Casual dress. A different type of dance is taught each month.

Wear shoes that permit your feet to slide a little on the floor.

More information, call Gayle Riggs, 304-453-1250 or email rigg1209@zoominternet.net.

Greenup Senior Citizens Center, 401 Main St. Greenup. $5 per person.

Huntington n Ballroom Dance Lessons, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Feb. 16.

Features the Waltz, Swing, Foxtrot, Cha cha, Tango, and Mambo/Salsa. No partner required. Casual dress with dance shoes or socks. More information, call 304-453-1250 or email rigg1209@zoominternet.net. Premiere Dance Studio, 716 6th St. Huntington. n Ballroom Dance Lessons: Swing, 7 p.m. Mondays. Lessons are designed for social dancing. Dress code is “comfortable” with shoes that let your feel move easily on the floor. No partner required. More information, call 304-453-1250 or email rigg1209@zoominternet.net.

Underwood Senior Center, 632 9th Ave. Huntington. n Underwood Senior Center, Line dancing will be offered 2 p.m. every Monday and Wednesdays. For Cabell County seniors. Questions, call 304-529-3673. Underwood Senior Center, 632 9th Ave. Huntington.

Exercise Barboursville n Zumba, 5:30 p.m.

Thursdays. For more information, call Jodie Miller at 304-743-3312 or visit www. arumbafit.com. Top Hat Ballroom Studio, upstairs over Barboursville Physical Therapy, Barboursville. n Zumba Gold (for the beginner), 9:15 a.m. Saturdays. For more information, call Jodie Miller at 304-743-3312 or visit www. arumbafit.com. Top Hat Ballroom Studio, upstairs over Barboursville Physical Therapy, Barboursville. n Zumba plus toning (weights, bands, etc.), 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For more information, call Jodie Miller at 304-743-3312 or visit www. arumbafit.com. Top Hat Ballroom Studio, upstairs over Barboursville Physical Therapy, Barboursville. n Zumba X (X-tra muscle), 6:30 p.m. Mondays. For more information, call Jodie Miller at 304-743-3312 or visit www. arumbafit.com. Top Hat Ballroom Studio, upstairs over Barboursville Physical Therapy, Barboursville.

Chesapeake n Zumba fitness classes, 6:30 p.m. Mondays and 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. Led by Kristen Miller. Cost is $5 per class or $40 per 10-class punchcard. Your first class is free.

Chesapeake Community Center, 3978 Ohio 7, Chesapeake.

Huntington n Beginner Yoga, 8:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Instructor, Joan St. Clair. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Big Yogi/Little Yogi, 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays.

Preschool children and adult yoga. Instructor, Gina HartSmith. Visit www.studio8wv. com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8; children ages 3-12 are free. n Brown Dog Yoga Exercise Classes, Schedule: 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Fridays, Mid-morning Flow; 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Rock Your Asana; noon Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lunchtime Flow; 5 p.m.

Sundays, Restore and Renew; 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Men at Work; 1 p.m. Sundays, Vibrant Vinyasa Flow; 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Heated Core Flow; 5:30 p.m. Fridays, Align and Wine Yoga Hour; 9 a.m. Saturdays,

Pilates is offered 10:30 a.m.

Saturdays at Studio 8 at 803 8th Ave. in Huntington.

ABOVE: Zumba classes are offered throughout the Tri-State.

Toni Karle, pictured above right, offers a class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Wellness Center at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Metro Creative Graphics

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch

Weekend Warrior I; 8:15 a.m. Fridays and 6:30 a.m.

Wednesdays, Yoga Basics.

Registration is not required but preregistration is available at www.browndogyoga. com. Classes are designed for all levels. Brown Dog Yoga, Heritage Village, Shop No. 11, Huntington. n Family yoga, 5:30 p.m.

Thursdays. Instructor, Gina Hart-Smith. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Free Advanced Tai Chi, 4 p.m. Sundays. Instructor, Marty Laubach. Visit www. studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Free Beginner Tai Chi, 3 p.m. Sundays. Instructor, Marty Laubach. Visit www. studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Free meditation, 12:30 p.m. Sundays. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. Free. n Free Yoga, 9 a.m. Saturdays. Mats available at the studio. Visit www.studio8wv. com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. Free. n Gentle Yoga, 10 a.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Instructor, Joan St. Clair. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Happy Hour Yoga (alcohol-free), 6:30 p.m. Fridays.

Instructor, Sara Limb. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Hot Yoga, 4:15 p.m.

Wednesdays. Mats provided.

Bring water and a towel. Instructor, Joan St. Clair. Visit www. studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Hot Yoga, 5:15 p.m. Mondays. Instructor, Joan St. Clair.

Visit www.studio8wv.com.

Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Kettlebell Workout, 5:30-6:15 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. Burn more calories in less time while losing weight, tightening and toning, strengthening core, legs and abs. For more information, call 304-208-4525 or 304-3997444. St. Mary’s Wellness Center, located in the Regional Heart Institute/ER building, Huntington. n Kids’ Creative Movement, 4:15 p.m. Wednesdays.

Ages 5 and older. Instructor, Zoey Stull. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Kids’ Creative Movement, 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays.

Ages 5 and older. Instructor, Dominique Neff. Visit www. studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Lunchtime Yoga, 11:30 a.m. Thursdays. Instructor, Gina Hart-Smith. Visit www. studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Moving Toward Balance, Ashtanga Yoga, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesdays. Instructor, Sara Limb. Visit www.studio8wv. com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Pilates, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays. Instructor, Mary West.

Visit www.studio8wv.com.

Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Restorative Yoga, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. Instructor, Sara Limb. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Tai-Chi, 6:30-8 p.m. Mondays. Wear loose clothing and bring a mat. More information, call 304-526-1660. St. Mary’s Wellness Center, located in the Regional Heart Institute/ ER building, Huntington. $2 per class. n Underwood Senior Center, The following classes are offered: Free Senior Wellness Program exercises for strength, flexibility and cardiovascular, 1 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday, and 1:30 p.m. Fridays. Line Dancing, 2 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday. Tai-Chi for health and well-being, 1-1:30 p.m. every Friday. More information, call 304-529-3673.

Underwood Senior Center, 632 9th Ave. Huntington. n Vinyasa (Flow) Yoga, 6 a.m. Fridays. Instructor, Jennifer Williams. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Yoga and Zumba at the library, Mondays. Yoga will be held 4:30-5:30 p.m. with Zumba from 5:45-6:45 p.m.

Cabell County Public Library, 455 9th St. Huntington. $2 for yoga, $5 for zumba. n Yoga as Therapy, 6:30 p.m. Mondays. Instructor, Sara Limb. Visit www.studio8wv. com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. n Yoga classes, 4 and 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Bring a mat and wear comfortable clothing. For more information, call Clarice Kumlien at 740-8676152. HIMG Regional Medical Center, 5170 U.S. 60 E. Huntington. $2. n Yoga classes, 10 a.m.

Saturdays. Bring a mat and wear comfortable clothing. For more information, call Clarice Kumlien at 740-867-6152.

HIMG Regional Medical Center, 5170 U.S. 60 E. Huntington. n Yoga Dance, 5:15 p.m.

Tuesdays. Instructor, Brittany Stowasser. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8.

ON 8I:

More exercise classes

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Project Lifesaver helps locate and return Alzheimer’s Clients

• FAIR Program (Family Alzheimer’s In-Home Respite) • Medicaid Personal Care • Title XIX Waiver Services • Lighthouse In-Home Care • Veterans In-Home Care • Voice Care Personal Emergency Response System

Call CCCSO at 304-529-4952 for an assessment of your needs and eligibility.

Service eligibility, amounts and rates vary.

CCCSO “For the Seniors”

No Senior Goes Hungry Won’t you help to provide Meals on Wheels to our at risk and frail Cabell County Seniors.

You can send your donations to: CCCSO • 724 10th Avenue • Huntington, WV 25701 • 304-529-4952

Quality Day Care for Your Loved One Let us help you care for your elderly parent or loved one

Daycare services available:

MONDAY-FRIDAY 8-4 Transportation, lunch, snacks & activities are all included in a friendly and cozy environment.

Go about your day with peace of mind, knowing your loved one is in good hands with our professional caregivers. We’re here for you when you need a break, or just some free time to relax. Give us a call today!

MY FRIENDS HOUSE • 304-529-0393 632 9TH AVENUE • HUNTINGTON, WV 25701

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Health

8I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Exercise

n Zumba Toning, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays in the Wellness Center.

A Zumba cardio workout combined with resistance training using special weighted toning sticks to tone and firm the upper body. Call Toni Karle, instructor, 304-208-4525.

Unlimited classes for $45 per month — six a week to choose from or $4 per class/attend 10 classes and get one free. St. Mary’s Medical Center, 2900 1st Ave. Huntington. n Zumba Toning, 9 a.m. Saturdays.

More information, call Connie Akerley at 304-416-4102. Premiere Dance Studio, 716 6th St. Huntington. $5 per class; package discounts available. n Zumbatomic for Kids, 4-4:45 p.m. Mondays. Ages 6 and up. Limited to 20 students; call 304-7433312. Each child should have their own water bottle labeled with their name. Instructor: Jodie Miller. Bates Memorial Presbyterian Church, Jefferson Park Drive and East Pea Ridge Road, Huntington. $36 per 6week session.

Milton n Exercise Class: F.I.T. In Him, 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Milton Baptist Church, 1123 Church St. Milton.

South Point n Zumba in the Village, 6 p.m.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Questions, call Lisa Rivers Irish, 740414-4369 or email to zumbalisa@ gmail.com. South Point Community Center, 404 2nd St. W. South Point.

Metro Creative Graphics

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and get one free. Highlawn Presbyterian Church, 2814 Collis Ave. Huntington.

Huntington n Zumba Fitness, 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. and 5:30 n Yoga for Runners and Athletes, p.m. Fridays. More information, call 5:30 p.m. Sundays. Instructor, Joan St Connie Akerley at 304-416-4102. Phil Clair. Visit www.studio8wv.com. Studio Cline Family YMCA, 917 9th St. Hun8 WV, 803 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. tington. $5 per class, free for YMCA n Yoga for Strength and Endurmembers. ance, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Weights n Zumba Fitness, 5:30 p.m. Tuesprovided. Instructor, Sara Limb. Visit days Classes by Connie Akerley. 304www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 416-4102. Cabell-Wayne Association 8th Ave. Huntington. $8. of the Blind, 38 Washington Ave. Hunn Yoga Foundations, 6:30 p.m. tington. $5.

Tuesdays. Instructor, Katie Poti. Visit n Zumba Fitness Challenge 2013, www.studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 Registration Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 8th Ave. Huntington. $8.

2-4. Challenge runs Jan. 2-March 28. n Yoga Mix, 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. To participate, register at one of the Instructor, Gina Hart-Smith. Visit www. Zumba classed offered at the center 5 studio8wv.com. Studio 8 WV, 803 8th p.m. Wednesday, 6 p.m. Thursday or Ave. Huntington. $8.

5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2-4. Participants n Zumba, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays can weigh-in, have their measureand Thursdays in the Wellness Cenments taken and learn what their BMI ter. A fun and easy-to-follow aerobic is. Measurements will be obtained at exercise class designed for all ages the beginning and end of the chaland levels. Questions, call Toni Karle lenge to determine the “biggest loser,” and Francesca Karle, 304-208-4525. the winner of the challenge. There Unlimited classes for $45 per month will be a separate challenge this year — over six a week to choose from or for individuals who have had gastric $4 per class/attend 10 classes and get bypass surgeries, which coincide with one free. St. Mary’s Medical Center, the Zumba Challenge and all chal2900 1st Ave. Huntington. lenges will participate in the same n Zumba, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays classes for encouragement. More and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturdays. A fun information, call 304-208-4525 or 304and easy-to-follow aerobic exercise 399-7444. Visit www.youtube.com/ class designed for all ages and levels. tristatezumba. St. Mary’s Wellness Questions, call Toni Karle, 304-208Center, located in the Regional Heart 4525. Unlimited classes for $45 per Institute/ER building, Huntington. Each month -- over six a week to choose class $4 general public and $2 Wellfrom or $4 per class/attend 10 classes ness Center employee members.

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

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C M Y K 50 inch progress 2013

www.herald-dispatch.com

progress 2013:

The Herald-Dispatch’s annual Progress Editions take a look at our Tri-State economy and business community.

Today’s sections focus on health and finance. Other topics will be examined over the next two Sundays.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

FINaNCe

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Ashley Kiley of Huntington participates in child care sharing to help cut down the expense of daily living.

INsIDe THIs seCTIoN

New C-Usa aids travel for Marshall The most noted effect of the realignment will be the cost-effectiveness of the new league. / 2J

STRETCHING HOUSEHOLD DOLLARS

Mother gets creative, budgets to live on less sTorY BY BeTH HeNDrICKs / THe HeralD-DIspaTCH

F

F

bhendricks@herald-dispatch.com

or Ashley Kiley, crafting a household budget means being creative.

Wife to Jason, an artist employed part time at Marshall University, and mom to 2-year-old Etta, the 28-year-old has participated in everything from soup swaps to consigning to shared child care in an effort to stretch her family’s dollars even further.

stock your estate planning box Building a well-stocked toolbox today will spare you and your loved ones unnecessary trouble and expense down the road. / 4J

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“I work full time for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but I’m employed seasonally, which means I have a two-month furlough I have to take every year,” Kiley said. “So, we have to save up enough during the time I’m working to compensate for that. When there’s not a lot of income coming in, you have to be creative.”

Kiley said anyone can live within their means if they’re reasonable about it and resist that “we’re deprived” feeling.

“You can’t think of living this way as being deprived in any way because we aren’t,” Kiley said.

For the Kileys, working on a budget for meal-planning is ground zero.

“I make out a meal plan every week, look at the staples I already have and then shop for groceries for the week,” Kiley said. “I buy bulk meat

Please see BUDGETS/3J

Ashley Kiley wife, working mother to 2-year-old daughter Etta

The difference between Us and Them is that We’re here for You. For over 75 years, Huntington Federal has offered a local alternative to the big banks when it comes to home mortgage, refinance or home improvement loans.

So make the right choice – make the local choice. And enjoy the security of knowing that you’re dealing with a bank that has a truly local commitment.

1J

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Finance

2J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Local economy still a challenge to many businesses

The Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce conducts an annual Economic Impact Survey, and the results indicate that locally the economy is still presenting many challenges. The survey asked several key economic questions of business leaders who are Chamber members.

The Chamber represents more than 2,000 businessmen and women working at 525 companies employing more than 30,000 people in the region.

When asked to what extent the economy impacted their business in 2012, more than 54 percent said that the economy had a negative or largely negative impact on their business last year. This is unchanged from the previous year’s responses. Although this means that about half the businesses surveyed were not impacted by the local economy, because this number has not increased over the previous year, it can be inferred that the economy is not improving

Mark

BUGHER as rapidly as we would like.

Business leaders indicated that 51 percent have experienced a continued decline in customers while sales had dropped for only 44 percent of the responders, verses 61 percent who responded that 2011 sales had dropped. The loss in customers and sales is significant because responders were asked to compare sales with the previous year, indicating a continued loss of customers and sales over the past two years.

The continued bad economy had an effect on expenditures, with 57 percent responding that they had reduced or frozen expenditures in 2012.

This is virtually unchanged

from those who said they reduced or froze expenses in 2011. Frozen expenditures mean that local spending is still depressed, and that the “multiplier” effect of business growth is not being felt to the extent it would in an expanding economy.

In some better news, only 14 percent of the responders indicated they had experienced a layoff in 2012. This is compared the 20 percent who said they had laid off people in 2011.

Companies experiencing hiring freezes are also down from 19.5 percent in 2011 to 14.3 percent in 2012. This may indicate that the unemployment rate in the area has bottomed out and is starting to rebound.

Businesses continue to change their strategic focus, with almost 52 percent saying they changed or altered that focus during 2012. This is up slightly from the 47 percent who said they changed their business strategy in 2011.

This clearly demonstrates

that businesses are constantly looking on how to do things better, and more efficiently.

Although this can be good for the success of the business, it can often have a dampening effect on hiring.

Companies continue to have problems in collecting money due them, with almost 57 percent saying that they experienced delays in payments due them in 2012. This compares to 60 percent who said they had trouble with collections in 2011.

Confidence in the economy is slowly gaining according to our survey, with almost 44 percent of the respondents indicating that the economy had gotten better compared to 38 percent who responded that the economy was improving in 2011. The slow recovery in economy confidence continues to affect spending as 36 percent indicate that they continue to cut back on charitable contributions. Business leaders are however increasingly

investing in marketing, as over 70 percent indicated that they were not cutting back on their marketing expense, compared to 54 percent who were not cutting back marketing expenses in 2011.

Access to credit continues not to be a problem however as 85 percent of the respondents said access to credit was not a problem in 2012.

Each year, the Chamber adds a new question to the survey, and the question this year was about the optimism business leaders had about improvements in the economy in 2013. Respondents were split on their optimism, with slightly over half being very optimistic, or optimistic about the 2013 economy, and 49 percent being somewhat pessimistic or very pessimistic about the economy in 2013.

The Chamber has been conducting this survey for four years, and indications continue to substantiate that the local economy continues

to lag in many sectors. Survey results indicate that the recovery process will be one that will slowly get better, but not rebound to the extent business leaders would like to see.

In the comments section of the survey, business leaders continued to report that tax policies and the Federal Government’s increased regulation of coal operations are having a continued dampening effect on the local economy.

It is in these areas that the Chamber concentrates its work. Creating a more favorable business climate is at the heart of business success, and the Chamber fights to ensure that local, state, and federal government action doesn’t further restrict, regulate, and burden local businesses to the point that profitable operation is unlikely.

Mark Bugher is president and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Marshall’s Andrew Ferguson drives the ball past Bryan Celis of Kentucky during a soccer match Oct. 17, 2012, at Hurricane High School.

Additions of eastern-based schools cost-effective for Herd

I

n 2012, the college sports landscape was rocked by conference realignment, which centered around television packages and power conferences.

While Marshall University stayed home in Conference USA, the makeup of the conference changed dramatically.

In all, Conference USA lost six members — four in 2013 and two in 2014 — while gaining eight total members for all sports except football, which adds six for 2013 and the other two programs in the next two years as their football programs get established.

The impact of the realignment will have several effects on Marshall University, but one of the most noted effects will be the costeffectiveness of the new league.

In terms of football, those exiting the league are Houston, University of Central Florida, Southern Methodist University and Memphis for 2013 and East Carolina University and Tulane in 2014.

Coming into the league are Florida International University (FIU), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, University of Texas at San Antonio

(UTSA), North Texas for 2013 and Old Dominion (ODU) and Charlotte over the next two years. Both Old Dominion and Charlotte will join for all other sports this year.

“Conference USA has become a more regional conference for Marshall University with the addition of schools like Middle Tennessee, Charlotte and Old Dominion,” Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said. “This is a more regional conference for us and it’s one that is fan-friendly as well. It’ll become more cost-effective to travel to some of these places.”

Please see TRAVEL/5J

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch

Marshall’s Michaela Kissell returns against Old Dominion during the tennis match at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center in this 2010 file photo.

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Finance

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

3J

Angela Roach program manager with Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Ashley Kiley of Huntington participates in child care sharing to help cut down the expense of daily living.

Photos by Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch

Budgets

n Continued from 1J

every three to four months at Sam’s Club and freeze it into meal-sized portions.”

Other food ideas they’ve implemented, she said, are buying seasonal foods and freezing them in portion sizes, canning and growing a small garden of vegetables. They also participate in Community Supported Agriculture, where for a small fee, they receive a bag of seasonal produce from local farmers.

“We’re still able to eat the things we like. It just takes a little more thought and planning,” Kiley said.

Angela Roach, program manager with Consumer Credit Counseling Services, said food costs are someoftheeasiesttotrim.

“In my years of doing this, I’ve discovered a majority of people are spending an insane amount of money on food, whether at the grocery store or eating out,” Roach said. “If you spend just $6 a day on lunch five times a week, that adds

up to $1,440 a year. If you just pack a lunch, that extra money could go toward a credit card payment or applied toward your mortgage or car payment principal.

“Track your expenses and write down everything you spend and you’ll be amazed at how much money you’re wasting at Starbucks and McDonald’s,” she continued. “That stuff adds up quickly.”

Food costs aren’t the only line item in a budget that can be slashed. Kiley has also found a variety of ways to save where her daughter is concerned.

“We do child-swapping with some friends. Since neither of us can afford day care, four days a week our daughters are together: two days here and two days at their house. We know we can also call each other in a pinch or for date nights,” Kiley said.

Kiley said she shops mainly from clearance racks for clothes for herself and her husband and takes advantage of area consignment sales for buying and selling clothing and toys for her daughter. She shops second-

hand stores and garage sales as well and rents books and videos for free from the local library.

“It’s a matter of putting a little extra effort into it and you can really save a lot,” Kiley said.

Talking with clients, Roach also advises ideas such as consolidating errands to save on gasoline and putting back a little money every month to avoid maxing out credit cards at Christmas.

“Figure out what you’re going to spend on Christmas and set up your own Christmas club.

Take your pay periods, divide how much you want to spend and direct deposit that amount into a different bank,” Roach said. “It’s out of sight, out of mind, and by the time Christmas rolls around, you’ll have the cash to shop with.”

KEY PLAYER: AngELA RoACh

JOB: Program Manager, Consumer Credit Counseling Services HOW DID YOU GET IN YOUR CAREER: Started working in customer service for a credit card company, but wanted to work for a company that helped people get out of debt rather than further into it.

Has been a credit counselor for 11 years.

FIRST JOB: Burger Chef FAMILY: Single; two children, 25 and seven; one granddaughter FAVORITE BOOK: “Pride and Prejudice” FAVORITE MOVIE: A&E’s version of “Pride and Prejudice” FAVORITE TV SHOW: any decorating show on HGTV

Follow H-D reporter Beth Hendricks on Facebook or Twitter @BethHendricksHD.

RIGHT: Ashley Kiley completes a weekly meal plan at her home in Huntington.

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C M Y K 50 inch 4J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Finance

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

Residents deserve benefits of regionalism success

Being the newest economic development person in the region, I’d first like to say thanks to all who’ve made me feel so very welcomed. As I’ve discussed “regional economic development” with others one thing is clear, we all want this region to thrive. We all want this region to be prosperous and provide livelihoods for our children and grandchildren.

Another thing I’ve learned is this “regional economic development” is no new idea.

There are people in place who’ve been working toward this cause for many years. I’ve said, as have others, this effort is not one we can just “work at,” we have to be successful at “regionalism.” The people in

Bill

HANNAH our Tri-State region deserve the benefits of this successful effort.

Why spend time and energy to make “regionalism” work?

First, because our TriState citizenry lives this way already. There are countless people that live in one state, work in another state and shop and go to restaurants in the third state. We are “living” regionally today. In my

view, we just need to tweak how we’re “selling” ourselves to more accurately reflect the way we live in the Tri-State region. This is what companies considering our region want too. They want to know the “real” population, the “real” labor market, the “real” quality of life being enjoyed by our region. And the fact is, though our organization may only be representing Boyd and Greenup counties our attributes are regional (what we should be “selling” are regional attributes), the same goes for Scioto and Lawrence counties and also Wayne and Cabell counties. Our real strength, what we should be selling, is the “combination of

attributes” from these counties and the counties that surround these counties.

Second, the strength in “selling” ourselves and “coordinating” ourselves as at Tri-State region is “political multiplication.” We gain, up and down the line, our political strength “times three.”

As a region, we can literally “activate” the governors and our congressional delegations from all three states. We can have commissioners and mayors working hand-in-hand, across state lines. Will this be easy? Probably not. Will there be issues that separate us?

Probably so. Will it be worth the trouble? Absolutely. Functioning as the Tri-State, we

will also have access to many more federal dollars for our “region” than if we each pursue these dollars on our own.

And the “political multiplication” comes in this way. As we work together, politically and otherwise, our strength and our presence will grow exponentially, our successes will feed other successes.

Third, and maybe the most important reason, as our region thrives, each “state region” in the Tri-State region will also thrive. The idea that we should “protect” each of our areas (our part of the Tri-State) to ensure we “win” even at the expense of another part of the Tri-State, just has not worked. The

numbers bear this out. We have each suffered, for different reasons, within each of our states as we all attempt to attract new jobs to our region.

The time to decide whether we should work together or not has long past. We honestly can’t afford not to work together.

Over the past few months I’ve enjoyed getting to know my associates in Ohio and West Virginia. We all want success for our region. I look forward to joining hands across our Tri-State region with all willing to take up this work.

Bill Hannah is president of the Ashland Alliance.

Businesses face many workforce challenges The Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO) is the local nonprofit organization dedicated to Stephen creating and retaining jobs in Cabell and Stephen J. Wayne counties. HADCO has been in existence for more than 20 years and has worked with private businesses, our city and county governments and our state and federal representatives to create and retain thousands of jobs in our region.

Each year HADCO visits close to 100 local businesses in order to gauge the current economic climate and to identify any concerns these businesses may have and ways that HADCO can assist them. In the face of a slowly recovering economy, area businesses are exhibiting cautious optimism about future growth. Some industries continue to face serious challenges, but by expanding product lines, looking at new markets (especially foreign), and adding value to existing product lines, businesses are compensating for changes in their markets.

It is critical that businesses get the support they need from government, education and economic development agencies if they are to be successful in this challenging environment. One of the keys to this success is the availability of a quality workforce. Many businesses have expressed the concern to HADCO that they will not be able to find the employees they need to sustain or grow their businesses.

One of the biggest concerns is drug abuse.

Recently, a local business recounted that it lost a good long-term employee due to a failed random drug test. The company has lost a lifetime of experience and productivity. The employee may have lost the ability to ever obtain a good paying job, at least in that field. More companies are utilizing drug testing and more applicants are failing them.

Businesses also have

ZOELLER GOLDER

Courtesy of Metro Creative Graphics

By using these tools listed above, you and your advisors can work together to build a strong estate plan. Building a well-stocked toolbox today will spare you and your loved ones unnecessary trouble and expense down the road.

Be prepared: Stock your estate planning toolbox

It is always important to have the tools necessary to get the job done right, and planning for your estate is no different. This article briefly describes items you may want to consider for your estate planning toolbox. Some of the most common tools and the problems they address are: WILLS: Like a roll of duct tape, everyone needs one.

There is a common misconception that wills (and estate plans) are only for people who are a.) old or b.) wealthy. That is not true! Anyone who cares “who gets what,” whether the “what” is cash, a house, family heirloom, or a sentimentally valuable kindergarten craft project, can benefit from making a will. One of the most important benefits of a well drafted will is that it makes things clearer and simpler for the loved ones who will end up handling your affairs long after you are gone.

A will serves several different functions, including dictating how assets will be distributed upon death; controlling who will administer the estate; and naming an individual to take care of minor children. If you die without a will, state law will decide these issues, and someone will have to post a bond to

Audy M.

ing, but not limited to, paying bills, filing tax returns, selling property and conducting business activities.

MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORadminister your estate.

NEY AND LIVING WILL: Like a TRUSTS: Like a measuring flashlight, these help you see tape, trusts decide how long where to go when you are in assets will be held. When a grantor places an asset in trust, the dark. A medical power of attorney (MPOA) enables one party is given control over you to choose who will make the asset (the trustee), and one health care decisions when or more parties receives the use and benefit of the asset (the you are unable to do so yourbeneficiary). The types of trusts self. A living will can be incorporated into an MPOA, and are many and varied, dependit is a document in which you ing on the purpose for placing the assets in trust and the needs state that you do not want your life to be artificially prolonged of the parties involved.

A trust can meet several by extraordinary medical meaobjectives, including assisting sures if you enter a persistent beneficiaries in the managevegetative state. ment of funds, centralized By using these tools listed management of assets (espeabove, you and your advisors cially real property and miner- can work together to build a al interests), avoiding probate strong estate plan. Building in other jurisdictions and pria well-stocked toolbox today will spare you and your loved vacy from public records. ones unnecessary trouble and FINANCIAL POWER OF expense down the road.

ATTORNEY: Like needle nose pliers, this helps you reach things you can’t. By signing a Audy M. Perry Jr. is a partfinancial power of attorney, ner at Huddleston Bolen LLP one can avoid the lengthy and and advises individuals on expensive process of having matters involving their pera court assign someone to act sonal wealth, including estate on the incapacitated person’s planning, trusts, charitable behalf. A named agent acting giving, business succession on someone’s behalf can assist planning, asset protection and with many activities, includreal estate matters.

PERRY

By MARCY GORDON The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — One in four consumers found an error in a credit report issued by a major agency, according to a government study released Monday.

The Federal Trade Commission study also said that 5 percent of the consumers identified errors in their reports that could lead to them paying more for mortgages, auto loans or other financial products.

The study looked at reports for 1,001 consumers issued by the three major agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The FTC hired researchers to help consumers identify potential errors.

The study closely matches the results of a yearlong investigation

by The Columbus Dispatch. The Ohio newspaper’s report last year said that thousands of consumers were denied loans because of

errors on their credit reports.

TheFTCsaysthefindingsunderline the importance of consumers checking their credit reports.

Consumers are entitled to a free copy of their credit report each year from each of the three reporting agencies.

The FTC study also found that 20 percent of consumers had an error that was corrected by a reporting agency after the consumer disputed it. About 10 percent of consumers had their credit score changed after a reporting agency corrected errors in their reports.

The Consumer Data Industry Association, which represents the credit reporting agencies and other data companies, said the FTC study showed that the proportion of credit reports with errors that could increase the rates consumers would pay was small.

The study confirmed “that

credit reports are highly accurate, and play a critical role in facilitating access to fair and affordable consumer credit,” the association said in a statement.

The new U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has the authority to write and enforce rules for the credit reporting industry. In September the agency began ongoing monitoring of the credit agencies’ compliance. It’s the first time they have faced such close federal oversight.

The CFPB hasn’t yet taken any public action against the agencies. However, it is accepting complaints from consumers who discover incorrect information on their reports or have trouble getting mistakes corrected. The agencies have 15 days to respond to the complaints with a plan for fixing the problem; consumers can dispute that response.

Workforce West Virginia continue to integrate this message into their curriculums. They are also developing specific curriculum that cover a number of skills that will help students to be ready to enter the workforce.

Our new workforce also has to be more engaged and strategic as it prepares for the work place.

A high school education is the starting point for any career, but it will not be enough for most skilled and better paying jobs. Businesses want skilled workers. And skilled doesn’t necessarily mean a 2 or 4 year degree or Masters Degree; it may mean what is often referred to as “12 plus.” In other words you need something beyond high school to be successful, but it may be a certification, special training, licensing, or an internship. More and more of these 12 plus alternatives are being offered, but our workforce has to be smart about getting the right training so that it is attractive to industry and at the same time does not incur any more debt than it can practically repay.

Workforce readiness is not the only challenge facing local businesses and potential employees, but it is one that we can address locally. Workforce readiness means good paying jobs, which means a healthier economy. Marshall University, Mountwest Community and Technical College, The Robert C. Byrd Institute, Huntington Junior College of Business, Workforce WV, our public schools and others are all striving to provide a meaningful educational experience to students. But we need to continue to challenge ourselves and students to create a quality workforce. It doesn’t just benefit the employers and employees, it strengthens our entire community.

Stephen Zoeller is vice president and Stephen J. Golder is chairman of executive committee for the Huntington Area Development Council.

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Study: 1 in 4 consumers had error in credit report

told us that it often takes ten applicants to find one employee. Many applicants do not continue the application process when told a drug test is involved. Others will take the test and fail. Of the remaining applicants, some fail the skills test, do not report to work if hired, or leave after a short time.

This is a serious challenge for business and job growth. We need a drug free workforce. Huntington is by no means alone in this challenge, but to the extent we meet and overcome this challenge, we significantly strengthen our economic position in relation to other communities. Fortunately there are a number of excellent treatment options in our area including Prestera, River Park Hospital, and The Healing Place of Huntington. In addition, REACH WV is a referral office that assists those navigating the path to recovery.

Another critical issue for local business is workforce readiness. Last year HADCO conducted a survey of area businesses. We asked them to rate the importance of certain attributes that a business looks for in a good employee. We then asked them how job applicants matched up with those attributes. Here are some of the results: critical thinking/ problem solving, 97 percent of employers considered this important with 41 percent of applicants matching that attribute; oral communications was 100 percent and 58 percent; teamwork/collaboration was 100 percent and 61 percent; and professionalism/work ethic was 100 percent and 68 percent.

This is the gap that local employers see between what they need in a workforce and how they perceive the workforce. These are the skills that employees of these businesses need to be successful. The message that we need to convey is that if you want to be on a successful career path, these are the skills that will help you attain that success. Fortunately, our area educational institutions and

C M Y K 50 inch Progress 2013: Finance

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

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Truth discovered behind free credit report websites

Travel

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By now, we’ve all seen the cute, funny TV ads featuring college-aged musicians singing a catchy tune and advocating Ed the importance of knowing the information contained in your credit report. They are correct in stating that you have the right to obtain a free copy of your credit report.

And yes, knowing what’s in your credit report is truly important as it can affect many facets of your life.

The problem is that there are many companies offering free credit report access that, in fact, are not free.

Let’s face it, is a $20-a-month monitoring fee really free?

If you’re asking yourself why the credit reporting agencies are so benevolent in offering the general public free access to their information, it’s because they’re being forced to do so. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months. They will only provide this information if you request it.

The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the aforementioned reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, if you’ve filed for bankruptcy protection or have any legal or civil filings against you. The credit reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers and other businesses that use the information to evaluate your applications for credit,

DAVIS

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Marshall’s Travis Brent goes up for a header against Charley Pettys of Kentucky during a soccer match Oct. 17, 2012, at Hurricane High School. lowing for the Olympic sports resulted in a significant amount of financial loss in comparisons of revenue-to-expense.

Comparatively speaking, the $1.11 million in 2011-12 is nearly double the numbers of the pre-Conference USA days when Marshall was in the MidAmerican Conference.

The Indianapolis Star released the NCAA’s financial reports on its website for the 2004-05 year, and during that final year in the MAC, Marshall spent $569,480 on travel for Olympic sports.

While it is not likely to ever get back to that level due to rises in travel costs nationally (gasoline, airfare, etc.), the regionalization of Conference USA will help trim the numbers.

For many of the future trips in Conference USA, Olympic sports will likely be able to bus to more events instead of flying, which will cut costs considerably.

There is also speculation that Western Kentucky could join Conference USA, which would only bolster the regionalization of a once wide-spread conference.

websites that claim to offer free credit reports, free credit scores, or free credit monitoring are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program. Some imposter sites use terms like “free report” in their names while others have URLs that purposely employment, renting a home misspell the name of the or obtaining insurance. website in hopes that you The three nationwide will incorrectly type the consumer reporting companame of the official site. nies have established a central Sadly, many of these false sites try to sell you unnecwebsite, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address essary services or attempt from which you can order your to collect your personal information. free credit report. To order, Annualcreditreport.com visit www.annualcreditreport. and the three nationwide com or call 1-877-322-8228. If you are not comfortable using consumer reporting compaa computer or requesting nies will never send you an information over the phone, email asking for your peryou can request an order form sonal information. Should by writing to: Annual Credit you receive an email, see a Report Request Service, pop-up advertisement or get P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA a phone call from someone 30348-5281. claiming to be from annualSome of my clients prefer creditreport.com or any of to review their credit more the three companies, do not frequently than once a year. reply or click on any of the For that, I advise them to links in their message. More obtain a single credit report than likely, it’s a scam. You from each credit reporting should report any such email agency every few months. to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

For instance, I’ll tell them Obtaining your credit to obtain an Equifax report report can be a great first in February, obtain one step in correcting any errors from Experian in June and you feel may have been made one from TransUnion in in your name or in re-estabOctober. That way, they can lishing your good credit hismonitor their credit report tory. Poor credit can not only every four months while cost you a significant portion accessing reports from each of your budgeted hard-earned agency once a year. The dollars in the form of higher contact information for interest rates, it can affect each reporting company is your living standards, where you live, where you work and as follows: your family’s future.

Equifax: 1-800-685-1111, www.equifax.com.

Experian: 1-800-397-3742; Ed Davis is coordinator of www.experian.com. the Financial Stability PartTransUnion: 1-800-888nership for United Way of the 4213; www.transunion.com. River Cities.

If you prefer to order all three credit reports at the same time, also referred to as a tri-merge, remember that there is only one authorized website from which you can do this, www.annualcreditreport.com. Other

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When the conference realignment began, everyone wondered where Marshall may end up due to the ever-changing conference structures.

All along, Hamrick said he was content in Conference USA, and now, it has become clear why.

In the old Conference USA, the Herd’s closest trip was a sevenhour drive to rival East Carolina.

With the new alignment of CUSA, Marshall will have driveable trips to Middle Tennessee (five hours), Charlotte (five hours) and Old Dominion (seven hours).

Also, adding Florida-based teams FIU and FAU makes for cheaper travel on flights as well with several options available.

Thosebenefitsandsavingscould add up quickly and help enhance Marshall athletics, as well.

According to David Steele, Marshall associate athletic director for administration and business, Marshall’s total team travel for the 2011-12 sports year was $2,857,000, which included the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. With some expensive trips being taken off of the Marshall books, there is the potential for long-term saving with the new alignment of Conference USA. That is something Hamrick said he was hoping for, but was not sure because there has not been a cycle through the new alignment, yet.

If there are savings, Hamrick said the money will instantly be put back into enhancing athletics for the Thundering Herd.

“Any savings that we have on travel we can invest back into our program in many different areas, such as recruiting budgets, equipment upgrades, salaries and other things,” Hamrick said.

While much of the emphasis is on football and how it is affected, the biggest aid will come to Olympic sports, who travel just as much if not more than the major sports without bringing in the revenue of football and basketball.

Of the $2.85 million that Marshall spent on travel in 201112, $1.11 million of it were on Olympic sports at Marshall, which includes all sports except football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.

The large amounts of travel combined with a smaller fol-

The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

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C M Y K 50 inch 6J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 10, 2013

Progress 2013: Finance

Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com

A debt management program, or DMP, is designed to help consumers pay off all of their debt at lower interest rates and one fixed, monthly payment made to an agency that, on their behalf, pays each creditor every month.

Metro Creative Graphics

Don’t settle when it comes to debt All too often, I receive a phone call from someone who has fallen for a debt settlement advertisement or telemarketing call and realized later that they have made a huge mistake. Debt settlement and debt management are two very different programs and consumers must be very careful when seeking help with debt.

A debt management program, or DMP, is designed to help consumers pay off all of their debt at lower interest rates and one fixed, monthly payment made to an agency that, on their behalf, pays each creditor every month.

The program is designed to eliminate the debt within a three-to-five-year period.

Consumers should choose an agency that is a nonprofit, has certified counselors and is accredited. The counselor should offer budget advice as well as a review of your credit report and be available to you throughout the length of the DMP to answer questions and offer advice.

The accounts are closed when the proposals are accepted by the creditor, any late or over-limit fees that may be accruing are stopped and the interest is lowered in most cases. The creditors will be paid each and every month at the same time each month with the deposit made by the consumer. Sometimes,

Angela

ROACH

a nominal monthly fee will be included with the payment; however, based on budget and circumstances, that fee can be lowered or waived.

When the DMP is completed, the credit report will show that the account is paid in full which is more favorable with lenders than having “debt settled” on the report.

Debt settlement is very different. A debt settlement agency will set up a payment plan for you, but your money will be set aside until 20-50 percent of your debt amount has built up. They may also charge a large fee ranging from $500-$3000 up front, which could be held out of your initial payments.

In the meantime, your accounts are not being paid and are being reported to the credit bureau as delinquent and those delinquencies stay on your credit report for seven years. If the account falls severely past due, you run the risk of being sued by the creditor.

One client had this happen and when she called the agency, she was told that they

couldn’t help her and that she should have been aware that this could happen because it was written into her contract.

If you are sued and receive a judgment against you, that becomes public record and will be on your credit report for 10 years.

Another issue that likely won’t be discussed but hidden in the fine print is that if the amount of debt forgiven is greater than $600, it is reported to the IRS which considers the forgiven debt as income. The consumer will receive a 1099 form showing the amount of forgiven debt which then must be claimed as income and could possibly cause you to owe taxes.

The worst thing you can do is to do nothing. Be proactive with regard to your financial well-being. Ignoring it will not make it go away and don’t fall for debt settlement promises.

Make that first step toward financial security and contact us today. We are Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a division of Goodwill Industries, Inc. We are located in Huntington and serve the entire Tri-State. Contact us at 304-522-4321 or visit www. goodwillhunting.org.

Angela Roach is program manager for Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a division of Goodwill Industries, Inc.

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