CRMC 100 years by The Winchester Sun

100 YEARS People of the Past. Promise for the Future.

1917

2017

Building the future of Clark Regional New CEO devoted to delivering high-quality care

t isn’t often you meet someone who not only knows how to effectively manage a hospital, but can also build one — literally. Robert Parker, the new chief executive officer of Clark Regional Medical Center and market president of the Central Kentucky East Market, can. An engineer by trade, CRMC’s new leader began his career at Milliken & Company and quickly became one of the youngest plant managers in the company’s history. He advanced to lead three different manufacturing facilities, during which time he drove significant improvements in quality, service and productivity, led his teams to win dozens of awards and earned recognition as a leader in safety and quality from industry, state and national agencies. Parker has a self-described love for “building things” and has been fortunate to be part of many significant projects over his 29-year career. “One of the striking things about CRMC is indeed its beautiful and efficient facility,” Parker said. “This gives our team a great base from which to deliver high-quality care. And from this wonderful location, in the heart of our community, we can continue to attract top talent and expand on our already strong culture and sense of teamwork.” Over the years, Parker has been fortunate to work on a number of interesting projects from leading the design and construction of new “greenfield” manufacturing plants, churches, schools and hospital expansion projects to engineering large-scale manufacturing processes and systems that are more effective, more efficient and more sustainable. Equally important, he says, is building strong teams based on culture. “People are the backbone of any organization,” he said. “And the terrific people at CRMC — who deliver high-quality, compassionate care each and every day — are indeed the epitome of that type of support system. I am looking forward so very much to getting to work more closely with all of our teams and continuing to build on the great work that they are already doing.” Fortunately for Parker and CRMC, there are a number of new physical building projects underway. The hospital is currently constructing a new 45,000 square-foot expansion of the Clark Clinic,

INSIDE

Hospital focuses on quality care, community impact

A timeline of 100 years of CRMC Robert Parker is the new chief executive officer of Clark Regional Medical Center.

which will house new service lines and additional clinic spaces. There is a new Wound Care Clinic opening in June and a new Interventional Pain Management Center opening in August. Parker also plans to continue building on the strong culture of safety and engagement already present at CRMC. He plans to do this by emphasizing accessibility by keeping an opendoor policy for physicians, staff and community; regularly rounding the hospital and visiting with employees, medical staff and patients to see what is working and where there are opportunities to improve; and by making sure every person who sets foot inside the facility — from employee to visitor — understands that their voice is critical to the delivery of high-quality, safe patient care. “When it comes to quality care, every person has a voice,” Parker said. “Our employees, medical staff, patients, and their caregivers are all vital in making sure we provide the best care possible and that every person has a positive experience at our hospital.”

Scholarship program paying off decades later

Physcians recall early days of hospital

Expansion strengthens solid base for care

Volunteer Auxiliary augments experience at CRMC

People of Clark Regional

Celebrating

CRMC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION | 3

a century of CRMC

Community comes out during Hospital Week

Board of Trustees 2016-2017 OFFICERS Allen Cawley Chairman Chief Operating Officer & Principal of SOAR, a subsidiary of the Peer Exchange Network, LLC Jennings Mace Vice-Chairman Associate Professor of English, Eastern Kentucky University Robert Parker Secretary CEO, Clark Regional Medical Center Market President, Central Kentucky East

MEMBERS DeEtta Blackwell Retired — Clinical Director Hospice East and Representative for The Greater Clark Foundation Ed Mastrean Retired — KET and Representative for The Greater Clark Foundation Benjamin McQuaide, M.D. Past Chief of Staff CRMC Mollye Raney Financial Advisor Edward Jones Greg Reynolds, M.D. Chief of Staff CRMC Rev. Raymond Smith Broadway Christian Church Charles Noss, M.D. Retired Physician

ATTENDEES Chris Stewart CFO, CRMC Barbara Kinder CCO, CRMC Matt Smith COO, CRMC

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While delivering high-quality patient care close to home is the single most important contribution we make at Clark Regional Medical Center, there are many other ways we are making a positive impact on our communities.

2016 ECONOMIC IMPACT

Charity and other uncompensated care .... $1,946,790 Includes unpaid cost of Medicaid as well as charity care and other uncompensated care

Community benefit programs ............................... $804,010 Financial contributions ....................... $47,085 Community health services ............ $1,314 Professional development .............. $202,149 Tuition reimbursement ...................... $113,647 Physician recruitment ....................... $439,815

Taxes paid ....................................................................... $2,025,076 Property and other taxes ...................... $1,826,036 Local sales tax ............................................. $99,520 State sales tax .............................................. $99,520

2016 TOTAL .................................................................... $4,775,876

YEARS

100

East wing added to original hospital.

1930

OF CLARK REGIONAL MARCH 17, 1917

Clark County Hospital opens to meet the medical needs in counties to east of Lexington. The building was located at the corner of West Lexington and Wainscott avenues.

1950-1960

West Wing added to original hospital, bringing total capacity to 52 beds and 16 bassinets. The medical staff included nine general practitioners, one ear, nose and throat specialist, one general surgeon, one full-time radiologist, two consulting pathologists and a consulting cardiologist.

1961

The hospital’s board of directors decides to build a new hospital, after conducting a survey and long-range study of the present facility and the community’s needs. The board voted to purchase 38 acres on West Lexington Avenue for $100,000.

MARCH 6, 1967

The new hospital opened at Lexington Avenue and McCann Drive.

JAN. 15, 1982

The hospital filed a certificate of need with the state for possible renovation and expansion. It would add 16 medical beds and three critical care beds. It would also add a third floor to consolidate all medical beds on one floor.

2010

LIfePoint announces it has purchased Clark Regional Medical Center, along with 30 acres between U.S. 60 and Interstate 64 for a new hospital.

1989

The hospital changes its name from Clark County Hospital to Clark Regional Medical Center as a move to better reflect its service area.

SEPTEMBER 2010

Ground is broken for the multi-million dollar facility.

MARCH 31, 2012

The new $70 million Clark Regional Medical Center located at 175 Hospital Drive officially opens. The new hospital is a 79-bed facility staffed by 75 physicians, nearly 500 employees and about 75 volunteers.

MAY 1, 2017

Clark Regional Medical Center welcomes new Chief Executive Office Robert Parker as it begins centennial celebrations.

MAY 2015

Ground is broken for a 45,000-square-foot expansion of the Clark Clinic on the hospital property. Plans call for the building to house a sleep clinic, diabetes clinic, rehabilitation space, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and doctor’s suites.

6 | CRMC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Pictured from left, along with their old nursing photos, are Janice Clark, DeEtta Blackwell and Linda Plummer. Each received a scholarship from the hospital to complete their nursing education.

Scholarship program paying dividends six decades later BY F R E D P ETKE TH E WI NCH E STE R S U N

ifty years ago, DeEtta Blackwell and Janice Clark wanted to go to nursing school. The problem was paying for their education. “If there were student loans, we didn’t know about them,” said Blackwell. “People didn’t borrow money like they do now,” Clark said. “(My family) didn’t have money to send me.”

At the same time, the hospital needed nurses and the doctors were looking for a way to recruit and retain qualified candidates. A number of the doctors at Clark County Hospital pooled their resources and started a scholarship fund to educate and train nurses. Many years, they had only enough to send one person to school and pay their tuition. In 1966, the doctors couldn’t choose between Blackwell and Clark, so both got a scholarship in exchange for working at the hospital once they graduated. Blackwell said she went to school for three years in exchange for working at the hospital for two years following graduation.

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There’s no telling how many lives have been changed by the decision of the hospital’s doctors in the 1950s. The past helped build the present ... and the future. Decades later, the hospital is continuing this legacy of building healthcare careers for our community by offering tuition assistance for employees seeking to further their education as nursing students, said Katy Hedge, CRMC director of marketing and business development. In 2015, Clark Regional also partnered with Bluegrass Community and Technical College to establish a scholarship program for certified medical assistants. “There’s a need for health care careers in this community,” Hedge said. “They started to meet that need in the 1950s and we continue to seek ways to meet that need today.” “What’s wonderful is that these women who began their careers with a nursing scholarship years ago have been actively involved in training up the next generation of nurses,” Hedge said, “It’s their example of commitment to our hospital and our community that gives us hope for the future.”

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She and Clark more than fulfilled that requirement: Clark retired from the hospital in 2014 after 45 years. Black-well worked there for 10 years before returning to start a hospice program in Winchester where she worked for 22 years; she presently sits on the hospital’s board of directors. “I think for most of us it was a lifetime commitment,” Blackwell said, “By then, this hospital was part of our life.” Another scholarship graduate, Linda Plummer, continues to work as a house supervisor at CRMC, 36 years after using her scholarship at Eastern Kentucky University. “I had lost a daughter,” she said. “Through the loss, I was interested in becoming a nurse. I had no opportunity to complete any education. One of the (members of the ) board of directors said, ‘Allow me to help you apply for this scholarship.’ I’ve been here 36 years and I absolutely love my job.” The hospital’s support of education and training has helped untold numbers of people find their life’s work. “There have been many that have taken advantage of it and gone on to have great

There has been many opportunities I’ve been able to give to my family I couldn’t have without the scholarship.

— Linda Plummer

careers,” Plummer said. “I certainly would not have had any opportunities at all. There’s been many opportunities I’ve been able to give to my family I couldn’t have without the scholarship.”

y a d o io nT

Catie, Heart Transplant Recipient Clark County

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First physicians recall time at Clark hospital

BY S ETH LIT TR E LL TH E WI NCH E STE R S U N

hile Clark Regional Medical Center is now known for its state-of-the-art facilities and being one of the largest employers in Clark County, two of the first physicians to work at the county’s hospital can recall when that was not the case. Charles Noss and Bennett Asher first came to Clark County in the early 1960s. Asher settled in Winchester after a stint in the Air Force because he fell in love with Central Kentucky while attending Eastern Kentucky University. “I felt that this was the best place for me,” he said. Noss wound up in Winchester after struggling to find a way to pay for medical school. “I borrowed from something called the Rural Kentucky Scholarship Fund, which required that I repay every year they give me tuition money by a year of serving in rural Kentucky,” Noss said. He also borrowed from the Appalachian Regional Fund for tuition. “When I graduated, I owed seven years of payback in rural Kentucky,” he said. On top of that, Noss was

Charles Noss, left, and Bennett Asher, right, were two of the first physicians to practice in Clark County.

informed after graduation he had been drafted into the U.S. military and needed to serve for two and a half years. He was offered a deferment for his service if he began his owed medical work in rural Kentucky, an offer he accepted. A Powell County resident, Noss had to look outside his area to find a hospital he could work at, eventually finding Clark County. “The Mountain Parkway had just been built two years before, and Powell County had no doctors, no drug stores, one nurse,” he said. “This was a place that I could go to the hospital every day, so I drove the 26 miles to the hospital every day for almost 50 years.” And for Noss, some of those long commutes happened multiple

CONGRATULATIONS, CLARK REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, ON 100 YEARS OF SERVICE.

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times a day. “I averaged 37 trips a month,” he said. But the hospital then was much different than it is now, and the two young doctors had to effectively be jacks of all trades when dealing

with patients. “We had to do everything,” Asher said. “Surgery, delivering babies, orthopedics, anything that had to be done, we did. A lot of times we got each other to help. We loved it.” Sometimes their work went much further than that. Asher recalls when the hospital became overcrowded, the staff, doctors included, would have to shift patients’ beds around to try and make room for more people. “I called it the Clark County shift,” he said. Noss said the old hospital had only one working elevator, and if the elevator wasn’t working when mealtime came, the entire staff would form a line and pass the food trays upstairs to the patients one at a time. Asher said they were both

nervous as young doctors, but they received a lot of help from physicians who were already at the hospital. They had to learn on their toes, though, sometimes while working long shifts by themselves. The doctors began work during a “golden age” of medicine, Asher said. “It was great. We were looked on with respect by everybody,” he said. “We worked together and got to do everything.” Noss recalled a time when he was called in by a nurse at the hospital to assist a woman who was having complications with a pregnancy.

He made the 26-mile drive to the hospital in 14 minutes to perform an emergency C-section and deliver a baby boy. “I did an emergency C-section by myself with a nurse assisting and delivered a healthy living male who went on to become a CEO of a large corporation,” Noss said “He became a very important man in another state. That was an enormous reward to me because I had the skills, I had the knowledge, I had the abilities, but I also had God on my side.” The two remained in practice for decades at Clark Regional, working in all three buildings the

hospital has been located in during its existence. Noss retired a year ago. Asher still works part time. Both said the hospital has changed significantly since the time they began practicing medicine, most notably in technology and facilities. “This place is beautiful,” Asher said. “I’ve never said that about any other hospital, but it’s absolutely beautiful.” “It’s beyond belief, it’s marvelous,” Noss said. “I would have never dreamed that we could have as much as we have here.”

10 | CRMC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Services Directory

“We have created a place where patients can come for a wide array of different services in one location.”

— Matt Smith, Chief Operating Officer Clark Regional Medical Center

Expansion strengthens solid foundation of care BY S ETH LIT TR E LL TH E WI NCH E STE R S U N

ince the completion of Clark Regional Medical Center’s new medical office building, the hospital has been able to expand its medical services. According to Chief Operations Officer Matt Smith, the new “Wellness Center” located in Clark Clinic B will house physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as the Coumadin clinic, children’s therapy and, the newest service lines provided, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. This new 5,000-square-foot center opened Feb. 15, and continues to accept new patients every day. “We are a couple of months from our opening and patients are commenting how nice it has been that they don’t have to drive to Lexington for these services,” Smith said. “The ability to bring back cardiac and pulmonary rehab will allow us to provide care close to home and meet our mission of making communities healthier. The new space will allow patients to come to one location for a wide array of services. “ “We also moved the sleep center from the existing 1107 campus,” Smith said. “The sleep center was the last hospital department to move over from the previous campus.” The move marks a new era where all of CRMC’s hospital departments are offered on a single campus.

Smith said the hospital has even more plans in the near future, including a new wound care center. “On the horizon for the hospital is our wound care center,” he said. The Center for Wound Care will open June 5 and will provide services five days a week. Another exciting feature of the clinic will be the newly-installed state-of-the-art hyperbaric chambers. The HBO chambers will “provide 100 percent pressurized oxygen that will accelerate the healing of the patient’s wound. The pressurized sessions will last anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours,” Smith said. The hospital is also starting a pain management service line and will be welcoming Dr. Benjamin Sloop to the new Interventional Pain Management clinic. “Dr. Sloop is a board certified anesthesiologist and a fellow in interventional pain management from the University of Kentucky that was recruited to bring a much-needed service to our community. Dr. Sloop will provide interventions that will help patients cope with their pain,” Smith said. “For example, invasive interventions such as injections, spinal stimulators, pain pumps and ablations techniques.” Altogether, Clark Regional’s expansions — totaling nearly $30 million — have created nearly 90,000 square-feet of space for outpatient services.

Anesthesiology Cardiology Cardiac Rehab Children’s Therapy Coumadin Clinic Emergency Medicine Family Medicine Gastroenterology General Surgery Gynecology Hospitalist Infusion Services Inpatient Dialysis Internal Medicine Interventional Pain Management* Nephrology Neurology Nutritional Services OB/GYN Occupational Medicine Oncology and Hematology Ophthalmology Orthopedics Otolaryngology Otolaryngology/Allergy Pathology Pediatric Dentistry Pediatrics Physical Medicine/ Rehab Podiatry Pulmonary Pulmonary Rehab Psychiatry Radiology Rheumatology Sleep Clinic Speech Therapy Spine Surgery Urology Vascular Medicine Wound Care * Coming Soon

CRMC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION | 11

Volunteer Auxiliary augments patient care at Clark Regional

or most patients who visit Clark Regional Medical Center, the first person they have contact with is a volunteer, rather than an employee. These volunteers are part of the long-lived Hospital Auxiliary, an organization founded in the 1970s to help enhance the quality of patient care in Clark County. Member Karl Blackwell said the auxiliary currently consists of about 58 members Auxiliary members perform several functions at CRMC, including working the front desk, assisting patients and visitors find out where they need to go in the facility, running the gift shop and reading to patients, among other things.

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BY S ETH LIT TR E LL TH E WI NCH E STE R S U N

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We are here to help. We give direction and helping people be comfortable is a big thing.

— Karl Blackwell

“We’re here to help,” Blackwell said. “We give direction, and helping people be comfortable is a big thing.” Blackwell said the auxiliary is an aging group with many members having long been retired

from their former careers. “I’m one of the youngest at 67,” said Blackwell, a former employee of the East Kentucky Power Corporation. “We have some ladies volunteering for us who are in their 80s, and they’re still sharp.” Auxiliary members are active all day at the hospital, some working morning shifts from 8 a.m. to noon, and others working from noon until 6 p.m. He said the auxiliary is currently short staffed, and looking for volunteers. Blackwell said anyone is welcome to volunteer, though the organization does conduct background checks on all members. The job can be challenging sometimes, especially when trying to help patients who aren’t sure why they are coming to the hospital. However, it can also be very rewarding, he said.

12 | CRMC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Often, auxiliary members will take extra time to call different members of the hospital’s staff and ensure the patient gets to the right place. “The volunteers are critical to the hospital,” said Katy Hedge, director of marketing and business development at Clark Regional. “They are the first impression people have of our hospital and we rely on them to be that friendly, smiling face that can comfort someone who is likely not feeling well.” For Blackwell, the best part of the job is the interaction with both old and new friends. “A lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time, I see here,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of great new people, and I’ve helped a lot of great people.” In addition to their work with patients, the auxiliary spends much of the money it collects through running the hospital gift shop on items for patients. They assisted in the creation of CRMC’s chapel, purchased books for children in the pediatric department, gave away swaddles to newborn babies and more. The auxiliary is also active outside the hospital in the community at large, giving to many charitable causes such as the Clark County Homeless Coalition, Clark County Humane Society and Honor Flight. “We sponsored five veterans and their caretakers on the last Honor Flight,” Blackwell said. “So we paid for a total of 10 people, some of whom were auxiliary members.” Those interested in applying to join the hospital auxiliary can find applications at the front desk of the hospital. To learn more about the organization, contact Karl Blackwell at 859-749-3516.

The volunteer auxiliary members play a number of roles at CRMC, including staffing the front desk in the main lobby, making the auxiliary some of the first people patients and visitors come in contact with.

People of

Meet just a few of the people who make a difference

CRYSTAL KINCAID, DPM and chair of the Quality Committee, has been in Clark County for 10 years. She said a passion for medicine and surgery led to her decision to pursue a career in health care. The quality, local care along with a small town, intimate feel is what makes Clark Regional stand out from the competition, Dr. Kincaid said. She said she loves building relationships with her patients as she plays an integral role in their health care solutions. Dr. Kincaid has been married for 16 years and has four children — three boys and a girl.

JASON THOMAS, supervisor of facilities, helped make Clark Regional’s transition to the new facility smooth as silk. Relocating a 300-employee hospital in six months was a monumental task for the hands-on leader. Thomas can be found crawling under a desk or above the ceiling or giving tours of the building’s wiring and plumbing systems. He is seemingly always there, troubleshooting and resolving problems. Thomas makes himself available even when he is on vacation. Described as a silent, servant-leader, Jason is the person cooking hamburgers at hospital events, calling to check on the hospital two weeks after major brain surgery and checking in at night after a storm just to make sure all is well.

GREG REYNOLDS, M.D., gastroenterologist and chief of staff, has spent four years in Clark County. His desire to help others drove his career decision, and he said he finds medicine to be exciting and fulfilling. Dr. Reynolds said Clark Regional stands out among the competition because of the dedication of all the staff to providing excellent care to each patient. Getting to interact with different people every day and providing definitive care for patients with GI health concerns is what Dr, Reynolds loves most about his job. When he is not working, Greg enjoys coaching his kids’ soccer teams. “I love serving at my church,” he said. “As for hobbies, I enjoy fishing, hunting and working out. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family.” Dr. Reynolds said he loves Winchester because the people he gets to interact with are very kind and gracious. “I have had a great experience here,” he said.

BRUCE KOSTELNIK, D.O. and emergency medicine physician, has been with Clark Regional for two years. Dr. Kostelnik said an orthopedic surgeon sparked his interest in health care while he was being treated for an injury sustained while playing high school sports. “Dr. Popham helped me obtain my first job as an emergency department tech at the old CRMC,” Dr. Kostelnik said. “This is where my goal to become a physician started.” Clark Regional stands out because of its great facilities, strong group of specialists and vision for the future, Dr. Kostelnik said. The ability to make a difference in his patients’ lives in a relatively short period of time is what Dr, Kostelnik loves most about his job. “The broad scope of emergency medicine provides a When he is not working, Dr. Kostelnik is a husband (married to Dr. Lauren Kostelnik of Clark Clinic Pediatrics) and father. He also describes himself as a builder, boater, scuba diver and golfer. The Clark County community is fortunate to have facilities and specialists at Clark Regional, he said. “The recent expansion of services as well as the future plans provides the community with the exceptional medical services from emergency medicine and surgical services to primary care.”

TRACY COPHER, Director of Risk Management, is always looking forward, but she never loses sight of the hospital’s first priority: its patients. She started her career as a nurse and, over the years, transitioned to new roles. But whatever her role, the nurse in Copher shines through. Copher’s coworkers describe her as: Passionate, giving 210 percent to everything she does for our patients; A self-starter who led the hospital in perfectly orchestrating a 228-step plan to transition patients to Clark Regional’s new facility; Tireless, working through complex problems and seeing them through to fruition; Knowledgeable, constantly amazing her coworkers at what she has read to provide better solutions; A phenomenal teacher who is also a master at sharing knowledge with others; Inspirational to her coworkers to see beyond themselves; and an exceptional nurse. “There is no person I would want to care for me in the hospital setting more than Tracy. Tracy wanted us to be successful and she led us there,” a coworker said.

SHELIA COHELIA, HIM Supervisor, has worked at Clark Regional Medical Center for more than 25 years. She is a key resource for physicians and always sets a shining example for her team. Cohelia’s role is an important one because it provides physicians with medical and diagnostic information they need to care for patients. She also manages an off-site team of transcriptionists and helps make the transition to any new services seamless. Cohelia is equally devoted to the health of her community. She is not only the hospital’s Relay for Life team captain, but she also serves on the Clark County Relay leadership committee. This fundraising effort is very personal and meaningful for her because she lost her mother to lung cancer. Cohelia inspires through excellence.

ERICA GREGONIS, M.D., pulmonary and critical care physician, has been with CRMC for five years. Dr. Gregonis chose her profession after witnessing a neighbor having a heart attack and in response to her grandfather’s diagnosis with lung cancer. which was a life-altering experience for her family. “This inspired me to choose pulmonary medicine and hope to make the same experience less daunting for other families,” Dr. Gregonis said. As a critical care physician, Dr. Gregonis often sees patients and their families going through a very stressful and daunting experience. Spending the time to explain everything to patients and their families, helping to alleviate some of that stress, is an important part of her job. Outside the hospital, Dr. Gregonis is a wife and mother to two children who are 8 and 10 years old. As a family, they enjoy camping and hiking especially at Red River Gorge, playing with their new Vizsla puppy or enjoying some Frank’s Donuts.

SHERI REYNOLDS, Director of Radiology, was recently recognized as Clark Regional’s 2017 Mercy Award winner, an award that recognizes one employee who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded, It is considered the highest honor a LifePoint employee can receive. Reynolds has worked at the hospital for more than 30 years and is described by her co-workers as hardworking, compassionate, dedicated, encouraging and gracious. She is an active member of the community supporting important events like Relay for Life, the hospital’s annual health fair and the American Heart Association Heart Walk. She also regularly tutors and reads to local school children through the Partners in Education program. When it comes to patient care, she is always working to improve quality and enhance the patient experience. Reynolds’ motto is “always do the right thing for the patient.”