fall 2011 • vol. 4 issue 4 we make it fresh garden...

saint joseph health systemfall 2011 • Vol. 4 Issue 4

25 Years of outreach

secondhand with Love

The Presence of god

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Gardenvariety

“We make it fresh every few minutes.”

terry crist,Executive Chef, FountainView Café

Hospital cafeterias serve up fresh ideas with home-grown flavor

is published quarterly by the Communications/Public Relations/Marketing department of Saint Joseph Health System for employees and their families. contact usnews.sjhlex.orgSaint Joseph HospitalAttn: PR & MarketingOne Saint Joseph Dr.Lexington, KY 40504859.313.1845 publisherSaint Joseph Health System executive editorJeff Murphy editorKara Fitzgerald art directorLiz Sword

graphic designerLaura Doolittle (Provations Group)

contributing writersJohn CowgillKym RussellKathie Stamps photographersShaun RingLee ThomasTim Webb marketing staffSue AndrewsAngela FlorekNeva FrancisKatie HeckmanSharon HershbergerCyndi McGrawStephanie SarrantonioKevin SmithAmy Taylor sjhs president’s councilBruce Klockars, Interim CEO, SJHSEd Carthew, CHRO, SJHSGary Ermers, CFO, SJHSJackie Kingsolver, Associate Counsel, CHIMark Streety, CIO, SJHSDaniel Varga, MD, CMO, SJHSBen Wiederholt, Interim VP, Mission Integration, SJHSVirginia Dempsey, President, SJLSue Downs, President, FMHGreg Gerard, President, SJBKen Haynes, President, SJH/SJE/SJJBenny Nolen, President, SJMSKathy Stumbo, President, SJM

Saint Joseph Health System is dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment. Common Thread is printed on a Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®) Certified Paper. The FSC promotes responsible forest management by ensuring certified products come from forests that are managed properly and are not depleted.

The holiday season is upon us, with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. As you spend time with friends and family this season, please remember our patients, colleagues and extended family at Saint Joseph Health System in your prayers and celebrations. This year brought many reasons to be thankful at Saint Joseph Health System. All seven of our hospitals received distinction for service excellence from J.D. Power and Associates. Saint Joseph East and Flaget achieved 100 Top Hospitals recognition yet again; Saint Joseph - Berea was named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission; and Flaget was named one of the United States’ 65 Great Community Hospitals by Becker’s Hospital Review.

In June, the new Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling replacement hospital opened its doors to the community, featuring expanded services and technology. Also this year, we began the intensive background work on OneCare, a multiyear program to create a universal electronic health record for all patients across Saint Joseph Health System and CHI.

In this issue of Common Thread, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Appalachian Outreach Program and its tireless staff who truly represent our mission of serving those in need. We also highlight the individual mission work of Jennifer Hamblin, whose family-run mission has opened a “fifty cent” store in Berea to help those with little afford basic necessities. Miracle patient Maria Miller shares her story from coma to recovery at Saint Joseph East and employee Steve Martin nearly misses a health screening that possibly saved his life.

Thanks again for your commitment to Saint Joseph Health System. I wish you and yours a very healthy and happy holiday season and new year! As we enter 2012, we look forward to embarking upon our new journey with our partners in the pending merger for a statewide health organization. May one of our New Year’s resolutions be to embrace this new adventure that will result in expanding our mission of care to more people throughout the Commonwealth.

Bruce A. Klockars, FACHEInterim CEO

Letter from the CEO

Happy Holidays!“We have many reasons

to be thankful this year at

Saint Joseph Health System.”

Fall 2011 common thread 1

Fall 2011 Contents

08 The Presence of God A community blankets Holly Ham in their prayers as she fights for her life.

10 25 Years of Outreach AOP staff reflects on traveling the back roads of Appalachia.

features

garden variety

14Hospital cafeterias use local, organic

ingredients to serve up fresh dishes with home-grown flavor.

8

2 common thread Fall 2011

3 New threads Virtual Nurse Coach, OneCare, Kentucky Newco, plus other hot topics.

13 Mission Moments Jennifer Hamblin offers secondhand items with love in Fifty Cent Store.

20 Healthy spirit Steve Martin recalls how a simple screening helped save his life.

21 Health Care Hero Dr. Michael Sekela and team earn national ranking for minimally-invasive heart procedures.

Contents Fall 2011

DepartMeNts 13

22

Try your luck at our

Reader Reward challenge for a chance to win an iPad 2! Also, view our photo contest winners!

See inside back cover for details.

24 Quick thread SJH ER team goes pink for Pat Jarnagin and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

25 unwind Daniel Sutton unwinds as he plays cowboy.

26 Healthy spirit Timing is everything for RJ Corman’s Noel Rush.

28 face of God Miracle patient Maria Miller wakes from coma to find strong support at SJE.

30 photo file Employees are captured at various events and celebrations in this photo gallery.

Etc.

26

ne

wthreadsVirtual Nurse CoaCh Program: Saint

Joseph Health System has launched a Virtual Nurse Coach Program to support new graduate registered nurses working in medical-surgical and telemetry units at Saint Joseph Hospital (2E, 3A, 4A, 5B), Saint Joseph East (3 telemetry, 4 med/surg) and Saint Joseph - Berea (med/surg). The program is part of a Catholic Health Initiatives pilot; if successful, it may launch in other locations.

As of Aug. 29, 2011, newly hired nurses who are assuming direct patient care responsibilities on night shifts are receiving virtual support and coaching from expert, experienced nurses via text, voice and videoconferencing. The Virtual Nurse Coaches work from a separate location, but provide support via a mobile bedside cart equipped with dual monitors and a webcam. The cart has a hand-held camera and digital stethoscope, and allows electronic access to the patient’s chart and laboratory reports. For more information contact Shannon McComas (pictured on screen), project coordinator, at 859.421.9421.


Imagine all records for a patient instantly available online. That’s the vision of OneCare, a multiyear program to create a universal electronic health record for each patient shared across Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) and all of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI).

The focus is better patient care through the information. In the end that means signifi-cantly improved safety and clinical outcomes while enhancing the overall experience for patients.

OneCare is led by physicians and designed by staff members who deliver care. Together they are working to make certain the electronic health record system is built using evidence-based medical content that supports clinical judgment by providers for individual patient care.

The program will have business benefits, too, by eliminating duplication and waste and increasing efficiency.

OneCare is an exciting prospect for SJHS and all of CHI, said CHI OneCare Regional Chief Medical Informatics Officer for Kentucky Dr. Jonathan Gold. “This investment in a universal electronic health record for every patient will yield dramatic benefits for both providers and our patients. It will give physicians and staff members more accurate, complete records for their patients, and patients will be able to take greater ownership of their medical care. This will enhance our overall care delivery system and certainly improve care for our patients.”

OneCare is rolling out across all of CHI in phases, reaching all its facilities in 19 states in five years, with a timeline based on each facility’s location and the existing information technology infrastructure that is in place. The program includes three initiatives:• ambulatory Care, which includes new

tools for physician practice management and ambulatory electronic health records;

• hosPital Plus, which includes standardized clinical content, documen-

tation and physician orders as part of the hospital electronic health records system; and

• aCCess Plus, which includes a physician portal, patient portal and the underlying infrastructure and security necessary to support all of the new technology.Together, all components will address

the unique needs of patients and providers depending on where care is being delivered. Each component has its own mix of IT upgrades and systems that will enable patient information to move securely and swiftly for easy access by providers and health care professionals as they care for their patients.

Once OneCare is fully implemented, a patient who is seen at a SJHS clinic and later admitted to one of its hospitals and then discharged will have one electronic health record that is accessible to all providers and eventually will be available to patients to view their own medical records online.

“OneCare will affect every SJHS employee as well as every patient who walks through our doors,” said Bruce Klockars, SJHS interim president and CEO. “It is one of the most complex programs SJHS and CHI have undertaken, but it is vitally important and will end up giving our clinicians the tools they need, and our patients the care they expect from us and are entitled to.”

This fall, SJHS-owned physician practices and clinics began on the OneCare project to implement the ambulatory electronic health record (AEHR). This work began with the OneCare ambulatory “advance team” of professionals assessing what work needs to be accomplished to get the practices ready to convert from paper to electronic records. These comprehensive assessments include not only the current state of wireless connectivity and equipment, but also interfaces needed for the AEHR to connect with other systems such as laboratory and radiology, as well as the best way to communicate effectively with providers, other clinicians and staff, organi-zational structure and culture, and communi-

cation channels. On-site assessments at each practice were

completed in October. The specifics of what practice will go live on the AEHR when will be determined based on these assessments. The first practice could go live as early as March 2012.

The OneCare plan calls for SJHS, and all of “Kentucky Newco” (new statewide partnership), to have a shared electronic record system in place across all facilities by the end of fiscal year 2015. The Newco schedule is being developed as part of the merger plans.

Detailed information about OneCare – including a video program, an overview brochure and PowerPoint presentations – can be viewed on CHI’s intranet, Inside CHI, accessible by SJHS employees by selecting “Patient Care” and clicking on “OneCare.”

CHI and SaInt JoSepH HealtH SyStem launCH fIve-year plan to tranSform patIentS’ HealtH Care experIenCe

What you should knoW about

oneCare

oneCare is the way ChI and sJhs will transform health care by creating a shared, electronic, universal health record for each of its patients.

oneCare will: ✓ Improve patient safety and clinical outcomes

✓ Enhance the patient experience ✓ Provide clinicians and staff with necessary tools and information

✓ Eliminate duplication and waste ✓ Better position us for the future

oneCare is being developed based on these principles:

✓ Led by clinicians, powered by ITS ✓ Designed by the people who deliver the care

✓ Use of industry-leading electronic health record (EHR) programs

✓ Build one EHR with evidence-based content

✓ Act according to our Core Values

You can follow progress of OneCare implementation at SJHS facilities

online via Inside CHI.


three-star byPass ratiNg: In the Sept. 2011 issue of Consumer Reports, heart surgeons were ranked by state according to overall performance, complications and other quality measures. The data are for July 1, 2009, to July 30, 2010, and come from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. London Cardiovascular Surgery, Saint Joseph - London, was listed with three stars (above national average) for bypass surgery.

KoDa awarD: Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH) received the Tissue Donation Performance Award from KODA, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, for the second year in a row during a conference Sept. 7, 2011, in Lexington. The award is based on a conversion formula that required a hospital to have ten or more suitable cases in 2010, and that of those ten, at least 25 percent be released to use for donations. At SJH in 2010, 33 cases were deemed suitable for tissue donation and nine were released for donation.

leaDershiP Notes: Sue Downs, RN, MSN, is the new president of Flaget Memorial Hospital after serving as the interim president

aN outstaNDiNg PatieNt exPerieNCe: On Sept. 14, 2011, J.D. Power

and Associates presented all seven Saint Joseph Health System hospitals with trophies for achieving exceptional service excellence.

The distinction was determined by surveying a random sample of discharged patients in 2010 at each hospital

on their perceptions of their hospital stay and comparing the results to the national benchmark established by J.D. Power.

toP Performer iN Quality: Saint Joseph - Berea (SJB) was named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission based on 2010 data reported about evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children’s asthma. SJB was recognized as a top performer for meeting two 95 percent performance thresholds for the Surgical Care Improvement Project.

65 great CommuNity hosPitals: Flaget Memorial Hospital was recently named one of the United States’ 65 Great Community Hospitals by Becker’s Hospital Review. Data from numerous sources, including U.S. News & World Report magazine, American Nurses Credentialing Center and Thomson Reuters, was used to identify remarkable hospitals. Flaget was one of only four Kentucky hospitals named to the list. Review the list at BeckersHospitalReview.com.

get with the guiDeliNes: Saint Joseph - London received the Silver Award for Heart Failure Care from the American Heart Associa-tion’s “Get with the Guidelines” for the second year in a row. The hospital was recognized for “at least 12 months of 85 percent or higher adherence on all achievement measures applicable to heart failure care.”

since May 2011. Prior to that, Sue was chief operating officer/chief nursing executive since 2009. Norma Goss, BSN, MSN/ED, is the new chief operating officer/chief nursing officer.

reVamPeD website: Saint Joseph Health System has launched a newly designed and improved website that is restructured for easier navigation. The site is more comprehensive and interactive for consumers, patients, physicians and employees. Features include a physician referral service, patient stories, health education and tools, classes and events calendar,

videos, online registration and bill payment, phone directories, printable floor maps, interactive campus maps, virtual tours and one-click directions. You’ll immediately see the exciting improvements when you visit SaintJosephHealthSystem.org.

newthreads

Arthur E. Walker Jr., CEO of The Walker Company, has been a leader in Mount Sterling for decades. From his work with The Walker Company employing Kentuckians throughout the state to his three-decade service as a board member of Mary Chiles Hospital (now Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling), Walker’s legacy of leadership has played a key role in

the advancement of the Mount Sterling community.

With his recent donation to Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling (SJMS), Walker’s legacy and that of his family will live on for generations. In honor of his significant gift, the Walker Administrative Suite and Walker Administrative Conference Room have been named in the new $60 million hospital. The SJMS Foundation held a dedication ceremony Sept. 9, 2011, with the Walker family, hospital employees, community leaders and friends.

a legaCy of leaDershiP:

Arthur E. Walker Jr. and Marsha Walker


The partners and sponsors of what, for now, is referred to as “Kentucky Newco,” are continuing the meticulous detailed planning for integrating Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, Saint Joseph Health System and University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center. The official closing of the merger is pending state and Church approvals.

Community InterestPartner leaders have met with numerous

community groups as well as local and state leaders to spread the message that the pending merger will bring positive changes to the health status of Kentucky and Kentuckians. The partners have begun an advertising campaign in newspapers, magazines, specialty publications and in radio across Kentucky to reinforce the need for the combined mission of the partnering entities to address Kentucky’s serious health issues, including cancer, heart disease and obesity, as well as the physician shortages and lack of access to proper health care.

Questions from interested community organizations and individuals continue to arise. Questions and answers are published in each issue of Partnership Progress, which can be found on the partnership’s website, partnershipprogress.org, as a resource for stakeholders.

Ultimate Goal The number one

goal of “Newco” is to improve the health of all Kentuckians. A key factor in meeting this goal is to expand the reach of the leading-edge treatment, prevention and research programs at the Louisville Academic Health Center throughout the entire system statewide. The system will put basic and advanced specialized care within closer reach for patients in all rural communities we serve.

It will take a significant investment to expand these programs, and the leaders are committed to making it. Another important component is creating health care homes for people. The best way to treat many chronic conditions that plague our state is to prevent them. By increasing access to health care professionals throughout the state, it is Newco’s goal to stop many of these issues before they get started. Learn more about the reasons behind the merger on the partner-ship’s website, partnershipprogress.org.

Planning Teams Work Well Underway

The partners and sponsors have established 13 planning teams – most of which have a number of subteams – composed of represen-tatives from all entities. More than 125 people from the partner and sponsor organi-zations are serving on the planning teams. The teams are reaching further into the organizations to gain deeper understanding of the complexities of bringing the diverse organizations together. Activities include site visits to better understand ways tasks are currently accomplished, as well as to examine best practices that can be shared among the partners.

Additionally, the members of the teams have identified critical interrelationships. This has resulted in interdisciplinary discussions related to the impacts decisions in one functional area will have on one or more other areas. In the end, with input from so many people within the organizations who are closest to the work, this detailed integration planning process will result in a smoother transition and a more efficient organization.

Integration for kentucky newco Continues


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Board of Trustees in PlaceThe partners have named the community

board of trustees for their new, statewide health care system in Kentucky. The 18-member board represents a wealth of knowledge, community leadership and dedication to Kentuckians. The board is serving in an advisory capacity until all regulatory and Church approvals are complete. They will then transition into a fiduciary role and oversee the new organi-zation, establishing committee structures such as strategic planning, quality and patient satisfaction, audit and compliance, and finance, among others.

Michael Ades Retired Attorney Lexington, KY

LouAnn Atlas Fifth Third Bank Executive Louisville, KY

Jane Burks Volunteers of America Louisville, KY

Jane J. Chiles Meridian Chiles Advertising Lexington, KY

David L. Dunn, MD, PhD Executive VP for Health Affairs, UofL Louisville, KY

Paul Edgett Catholic Health Initiatives Erlanger, KY

Robert Hewett Retired Utility and Banking Executive Lexington, KY

Miller Hoffman Hoffman Robertson Insurance Mount Sterling, KY

Robert C. Hughes, MD Senior Partner, Primary Care Medical Ctr Murray, KY

Charlie Johnson CEO, Immanuel Realty, LLC Louisville, KY

Thomas Mechas, MD London Women’s Care London, KY

Robert W. Rounsavall, III Owner, Dixie Real Properties Louisville, KY

Michael Rowan Catholic Health Initiatives Englewood, CO

Adolfo (Ben) Ruiz, Sr. Adhawks Advertising & Public Relations, Inc. Louisville, KY

Richard Schultz Retired Advertising Executive Louisville, KY

Gerald Temes, MD Retired Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon Louisville, KY

Elizabeth Wendeln, SCN Consultant/Facilitator Louisville, KY

Russell Williams, MD Associates in General Surgery, PSC Louisville, KY

Why should our patients and communities care about the merger?

By having the financial stability to carry out our traditional mission of indigent/charity care, the new system will be able to make the necessary investments to:•Sharebestpracticesforexcellencein

patient- and family-centered care•Poolresourcesforefficiency•Disseminateknowledgetoprovide

care closer to homes•Increaseopportunitiesinhealthcare

training•Increasereachformedicalresearch

All these things are necessary for the new health system to address the significant health issues we face. As one organization, we believe we can achieve our ultimate goal – a healthier Kentucky.

What’s NextOver the next few weeks, you are likely

to hear announcements regarding the name of the merged entity, the location of the corporate headquarters, and other decisions and recommendations made by the new board, the sponsors, and/or the Transaction Process Leadership team.


By Amy TAylor

Something happens when you have been to the edge of death and then given a second chance.

“In one moment my world was turned upside down,” said Julie Ham, a registered nurse with Saint Joseph - Berea’s surgery department.

Julie is referring to the emotions she said she felt when she saw her daughter hit by a line drive straight to her face during a high school softball game monday, march 28, 2011. A date they will never forget.

“Holly wasn’t the starting pitcher, but due to a teammate’s injury she was filling in,” said her mother, who will never forget the sound of the bat hitting that ball. “There were two outs, and the girl batting hit it back to Holly in a line drive, hitting her in the left side of the head.”

The 17-year-old never fell down. It seemed like the force of the ball startled her. She dropped her glove, grabbed her head, and said, “I think I got hit.” As a precaution her coach took her out of the game.

A doctor the Hams knew was watching the game; she and Julie assessed Holly.

“She had a little red mark to the left of her eye,” Julie stated. “She placed a bag of ice to the injured spot. Holly watched two more innings of the game from the dugout, cheering for her team.”

It was sundown, and it was getting cold. Since her daughter seemed fine, Julie stayed to sell concessions at the next game. Holly’s father, Jeff, took her home after that. Their peacefulness would be short-lived.

“She hadn’t been gone 30 minutes when Jeff called me to say she was getting sick to her stomach. As a nurse, that concerned me. I ended up going home, and found out she had been vomiting, but she was still pacing around and talking.”

Julie continued to check Holly every few minutes. The teen seemed oK. Her pupils weren’t dilated; they were equal and reactive.

“I went into the bathroom to check her,” Julie said. “Her speech was slurred. Then she was unable to stand up.”

At that point Holly’s dad picked her up and carried her over his shoulder and placed her in the back of their SUV. “He tried to keep

her awake while I rushed her to the hospital,” Julie said. “my husband ran into the Er and told them we needed help NoW. By this time, she wasn’t even responsive. I was beside myself.”

The Er team brought out a stretcher and raced Holly to treatment. She was diagnosed with an epidural hematoma, a blood clot in her brain. Tests also revealed a small arterial tear that was leaking blood.

“She started having seizures,” her mother said. “She was airlifted to [the nearest trauma center], where she underwent emergency neurosurgery that lasted two hours then transferred to the trauma ICU where she remained in a coma on a ventilator until Wednesday around 5 a.m.”

For a while Holly floated in a state of semi-consciousness.

“She was really groggy,” her mother said. “They told me she might never regain full consciousness. They didn’t know how significant the brain injury was.”

If she did waken, “they said she could be like a stroke victim – paralyzed on one side.”

But many, many people – from relatives to friends to co-workers to the congregation from their church to total strangers who had been touched by her story on the news – were blanketing Holly with their prayers. Not only was God touching the lives of the Ham family, but He was touching the lives of these people through Holly. People who hadn’t spoken to God for years revealed that praying for Holly brought them back to prayer.

“By Thursday she was fully conscious,” Julie said. “But they still wanted her to go to [a local rehabilitation center] for a week. They wanted to evaluate her for short-term memory loss. But she did well. We were there a week, and she got to go home.”

In the midst of their fear and pain, Julie remembers the kindness of friends and family – those who visited, those who brought food, those who donated money, those who brought toothbrushes and supplies.

“We’re a praying family,” Julie said. “Everybody prayed for us and with us. Holly’s friends started a prayer page on the Internet. It received over 3,000 hits. The school principal said children were asking, ‘Can we pray?’ We were blessed by God.”

Holly said that during semi-consciousness, she was aware of the presence of God.

“She knows He healed her,” Julie said. “This was a miracle.”

Clarissa ramsey, Julie’s fellow surgery nurse, has watched her co-worker stay strong through a terrifying time.

“She has always been such a positive person, and is always so encouraging to her co-workers,” ramsey said. “These traits were honored by her receiving the Daisy Award. She’ll motivate you to be a more positive person.”

Throughout her ordeal, Holly never worried, she said.

“I felt like I was protected. I prayed to God that I would get better and everything would be oK, and that I would be able to play ball again. I felt God working to heal me.”

Holly was amazed and touched by the flood of cards and letters from high school and college softball teams. The Asbury College team even visited her in rehab, brought gifts, and prayed with her.

“It was so cool,” the teen said.Holly credits her mom’s influence

and attitude for her spirit and despite her injury, the teen went to the prom April 30. She wore a wig to cover her bald head and her surgery scar, and enjoyed the evening with her classmates. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement.

Since her accident, she has been closer with her sisters, Shelby and Courtney, with her parents, Julie and Jeff, and with her teammates, classmates and friends.

“We were close before,” she said. “Now we’re even closer.”

The Presence of GodCommunity blankets Holly Ham in their prayers as she fights for her life

Julie Ham (right) and daughter Holly (left) turned tragedy into triumph after a near fatal softball accident.


PhotograPh by Lee thomas


25 Years of OutreachReflections on traveling the

back roads of AppalachiaBy Kathie Stamps

In September 1986, Sister Betty Shelton and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth started the

Appalachian Outreach Program (AOP) to serve Kentucky’s rural counties by following up with patients after they are discharged from Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH).

photograph by tim webb


after-care. When a patient in Jackson County needed plumbing for a mobile home, Lawson found a company to take care of him.

She visits patients and their families in 11 counties, offering support, referrals, counseling and any type of help they need. Recently she saw a man who had been having “episodes” with a stent. He was going to wait for his scheduled doctor’s appointment but Lawson urged him to go to the ER if it happened again.

“A lot of times they don’t think to call the doctor,” she said. In addition to providing education, Lawson and the other AOP members give their time and presence. “Sometimes I’m the only person who comes by,” she said. “God has called us all for something. I feel called for this.”

In the late 1980s, Sister Mary Alan Stuart, PhD, OP (Order of Preachers), was a professor of nutrition and dietetics at UK. “I got to thinking that Saint Joseph Hospital needed an outreach nutrition service,” she said. “I had no idea they had the Appalachian Outreach Program.” She started the nutrition component of AOP in 1992 and was an employee of SJH for 10 years. Since 2002 she has been a weekly volunteer. Sister Mary Stuart is a Dominican Sister of the Order of Saint Dominic. This year she celebrated her 60th anniversary of being a religious sister.

“I used to say that if we did nothing else, we proved to the rural people that Saint Joseph Hospital cares about them and wants them to be part of a healthy community,” she said.

Barbara Baumgardner, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, is in her ninth year with AOP. She sees people at 13 health clinics and physicians’ offices.

“I really enjoy trying to figure out what makes each person an individual and I tailor what I’m going to say to that person,” she said. One day in Beattyville she saw three people with the same condition – diabetes – but the ages and lifestyles of these patients were all different.

For Baumgardner, the Appalachian Outreach Program is important “because it gives people access to really good nutrition information that a lot of them have never had any chance to get.”

AOP is supported by the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation. Barry Stumbo, president and CEO of the Foundation, was aware of the program even before he came to Saint Joseph more than 10 years ago. “I thought, not only do the sisters provide nutritional counseling and social services, they are bringing the ministry of Saint

“It is such an encouragement and statement of commitment and caring for someone to visit a patient in their home,” said Rose Rexroat, manager of virtual care and community services at SJH. She manages the AOP program. “Patients comment frequently how much the time spent with them has meant to them.”

Sister Betty Shelton (pictured above) ran the program until 1991, when she was joined by Sister Joan Wilson. Laypeople have been added to the staff over the years. Social worker Jeanie Lawson, who was interim chaplain for two years at Saint Joseph - Berea, makes around 40 to 60 phone calls every Friday to check on people after their hospital stay and set up appointments to see them, if they would like. One call may take a minute (“Thank you for calling; I’m fine”) and another up to an hour, with someone who wants to know about the hospital’s financial assistance programs or needs bereavement


Joseph to their homes. What a wonderful thing to do!”

Over the past decade, the Foundation has raised almost $165,000 to support AOP services. “I cannot think of another program that exemplifies the core values and ministry of Saint Joseph like the AOP,” Stumbo said. “The care and compassion demonstrated by our dedicated staff has helped save lives and brought hope, a renewed spirit and a higher quality of life to thousands of our patients and their families.”

There is no charge for anyone to use AOP services. “The fact that it’s a free service is just phenomenal to me,” Baumgardner said.

“The hospital doesn’t make any money on us,” Lawson said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind wonderful program.”

Jennifer Bringardner is the director of strategy and business development with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) in Erlanger, Ky. She started at Saint Joseph Hospital as a new nursing graduate, and joined AOP in 1991. Within a couple of years she was named the program’s first manager. “It was just a wonderful opportunity to work with very gifted angels, in my eyes,” she said.

“When you’re a nurse you are caring for the patient in your environment in the hospital,” she said. “To be able to hear how they were doing when they went home was very rewarding.”

Sister Ann Kernen, former SJH chaplain,

was recruited by Sister Betty Shelton to provide pastoral care for AOP. She recalls many touching and heart-rendering experiences. “As always, you receive much more than you give,” she said.

One day she was met at the door by a woman in a wheelchair. “She couldn’t hear or see very well,” Kernen said. She asked the mother how she managed to take care of her family. “She said, ‘Oh, I’m so much better off than other people.’ I get cold chills when I think of that.”

Ben Wiederholt is interim vice president of mission integration with Saint Joseph Health System. “The AOP is a direct reflection of our mission to emphasize human dignity and social justice as it provides extended services to people who are oftentimes forgotten,” he said. “Sister Betty Shelton’s vision for the AOP reminds me that we have the privilege to be part of an incredible legacy.”

One in a MilliOn

AOP by the numbers (1986-2010)

Contacts: 306,849Counties served: 30

miles traveled: 1,141,890Volunteer hours: 5,943

The Appalachian Outreach Program comprises counselors, educators and advocates who follow up with former

patients to provide a continuum of care, including pastoral guidance, social services

and nutritional services. AOP also runs the Christmas Partners Project, so SJHS employees can help families in need. To help with this year’s Christmas Partners

Project, contact Barbara Baumgardner at 859.313.4447 or [email protected].

AOP team members celebrate 25 years of ministry: (left to right) Jeanie Lawson, Barbara Baumgardner, Sister Joan Wilson, Sister Ann Kernen and Rose Rexroat.

Sister Joan Wilson’s dedicated ministry work By Kathie Stamps

Some shoes are harder to fill than others. When Sister Joan Wilson retired from her 21-year ministry with the Appalachian Outreach Program (AOP)

this summer, Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH) received 115 applications to take her place. No one can replace her, of course, but her position in pastoral care will be filled soon.

Since the founding of SJH in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN), there have been 288 SCNs who have served the hospital. Now, for the first time in 134 years, there will be no SCN employee within the organization.

“It could happen again. We do have some young sisters,” Sister Joan Wilson said. Ever the optimist, Wilson is beloved for her consistent thumbs-up attitude, dedicated ministry work and lilting Virginia accent.

A native of Roanoke, Va., Wilson claims the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth “got her” in grade school. By high school she had joined the community, and at Nazareth College in Louisville she studied theology and elementary education. She now lives at the mother house at Nazareth, outside of Bardstown, Ky., which will celebrate 200 years as a religious community in December 2012.

continued on page 32

Sr. Joan Wilson immersed herself in the culture of India during a recent mission trip.


Mission MoMents

A new store in Berea, Ky., selling clothing for less than a price of a cup

of gourmet coffee is good economic news. But, for Jennifer Hamblin and her family operating the Fifty Cent Store it is more – it’s a way to share the goodness of God’s love.

Jennifer Hamblin lives in Berea and works as a nurse in the infection control department at Saint Joseph East. The importance of helping people was deeply instilled in her as a child as she helped her parents deliver meals to the homeless in poverty-stricken areas of Dayton, Ohio. Helping others continues to be at the heart of the way she lives her life.

On Friday evenings after her shift at the hospital, she usually joins her mother at the store to unload truckloads of donations and stock the shelves until midnight. She’s up at six o’clock and back at the store to prepare for Saturday customers. The store sells baby clothing (size 4T and under) for 50 cents. Clothing of all sizes is priced slightly higher and shoppers can find affordable household appliances, decorative items and furniture as inventory changes by the day.

The original Fifty Cent Store, near McKee in Jackson County, is managed by Hamblin’s brother. Their sister, Andrea Conner, who is a former Saint Joseph employee, helps with the store and the non-profit organization established by the family, Appalachia Mission of Hope. All store proceeds are rolled back into the mission for several special projects and services throughout the year including delivering holiday gifts and meals to those in need.

Hamblin said she believes reaching out is simply the right thing to do. “We were raised in church and saw the need, the poverty, when we were growing up,”

Hamblin explained. Her parents are originally from Leslie County, so when her father took a job in Jackson County, the family brought their commitment to serving others back home – to Appalachia.

The Fifty Cent Store started as a food bank in the family’s garage. Their outreach grew, partnering with churches and other community organizations until the Appalachia Mission of Hope was established as a non-profit entity in 2004. Today, it serves many of the state’s poorest counties. Hamblin’s mother, Anna Williams, serves as the organization’s executive director, runs the Berea store and blogs about uplifting experiences of day-by-day life.

Expanding the Fifty Cent Store model into other communities and offering all of Appalachia Mission of Hope’s services is a long-term goal. Hamblin said, “I live in Berea. I know there is poverty in Berea. People work for minimum wage and they can’t get the help that people who don’t work, get. I see the need here.”

Hamblin said volunteers make a big difference in how much can be accomplished, like picking up donations and unloading trucks. “We need more resources. It’s a lot of work.”

She said she believes it’s important for people to give and get involved. “Anyone blessed enough to be able to help, should help others even if it is giving their time. For me, there is so much satisfaction in knowing that I’ve helped someone get what they need to make things better. I can’t say enough to someone who wants to volunteer. You don’t always see the outcomes. Other times, you see the look on a kid’s face, getting a toy or some new clothes, that expression is priceless. You can’t put a price on that.”

To volunteer or donate, visit amohonline.org.

SecondhandJennifer Hamblin offers hope in Fifty Cent Store

with Love

By Kym Russell

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Home-grown produce fills plates and palates in system cafeterias

garden variety


PestoHunter Purdy (shown at left), sJB

4 cups fresh basil leaves1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil1/3 cup pine nuts (or almonds, pecans or no nuts)

2 fresh garlic cloves1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt to taste (or none)

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. It will keep in the fridge for about a week or it can be frozen for winter use. serve over pasta, chicken, fish or on crostini.

By Kathie StampS

Little things mean a lot when it comes to working green and living green. “Not getting a to-go container when you eat in the cafeteria,” cites Greg

Gerard as an example. he is the system leader of the Working Green/Living Green initiative at Saint Joseph health System, which started in 2008. Gerard is president of Saint Joseph - Berea. “as a Catholic institution, we have a commitment to be good stewards of God’s earth,” he said.

Saint Joseph - Berea (SJB) is using the earth, literally, to provide healthful foods in its Green Leaf Cafeteria. this summer, hunter purdy, RN, hNB-BC, and integrative care specialist, and community relations manager Katie heckman designed three raised beds for herbs and vegetables. they planted tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and green beans, along with parsley, basil, chives, mint and edible flowers (lemon gem chrysanthemums).

“Berea is known as a creative, progressive, environmentally aware community,” purdy said. She had a private practice as a holistic nurse when Greg Gerard approached her in 2009 to help infuse integrative care at the hospital. a beautiful rock garden with flowers came first, then purdy asked the nutrition staff what types of produce they would like to be planted in the gardens.

SJB production worker Judy harris said, “i love going out to the garden in the morning, picking and bringing back a whole apron full. When people see me they can’t get over those white cucumbers! i want more beds so we can grow more.” her co-worker Julie Smith added, “i love that we have healthier options. When we grow our own we know what it is, where it came from and who has handled it.”

three times over the summer, SJB had its own farmers market, of sorts: a garden exchange for employees to bring in any surplus they had from their home gardens and share with one another. “it was a huge hit,” purdy said. the employees also had a plant exchange to share perennials and annuals.

Flaget memorial hospital uses very few disposables at Café Flaget, making the cafeteria as green as possible. “We use china and reusable tumblers,” said Donna hurst, RD, LD, and director of food and nutrition services. “it took some time to get employees to buy in, but we save the environment of all the waste.” the six-person staff is very interested in working with local produce as soon as possible, based on their interest with what is happening in London. the hospital does have a community garden on its grounds for employees to use, but there are no plans as of yet to use any plots for produce served in Café Flaget.

photographs by tim webb

ZuccHInI casserolechef terry crist, sJl

6 cups large diced zucchini or yellow squash

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese3/4 cup milk1.5 cups crushed ritz crackers1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon pepper

steam or simmer squash until tender; drain. add remaining ingredients and place in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly around the edges, approximately 15 minutes.



at Saint Joseph - London’s (SJL) Founta-inView Café, executive chef terry Crist uses basil, banana peppers, dill, thyme and oregano grown in an 8-by-9-foot garden on the premises. the on-site garden was inspired by a meeting last fall with Ford Waterstrat, owner of Sustainable harvest Farm in London.

“We use our herbs and peppers for pizza and our pasta bar, where we make it fresh every few minutes,” Crist said. Four different kinds of vegetables are sautéed (with olive oil instead of butter) every day in front of the cafeteria’s customers. Chef terry and allen Cassidy, director of food and nutrition services, are quadrupling the size of the garden next spring.

the local food efforts of SJL are also supported by the Saint Joseph - London Foundation. “Board members Dianna milam

and Jane Rice Williams have made it their mission to promote the use of local produce to the hospital and to the community,” Crist said.

“We buy local produce when we can, through approved vendors,” said minDee hudson, nutritional services manager at Saint Joseph - mount Sterling. “they let us know what is Kentucky proud and we incorporate it in our menu.” her staff of 16 typically gets local produce in the form of tomatoes and squash, pumpkins and gourds, green beans and corn. “We have lots of big ideas we want to pursue in the future,” hudson said. “i’m excited about getting an herb garden, somewhere, somehow.”

the eight employees in the nutrition department of Saint Joseph - martin (SJm) use produce from GFS or mike’s produce. “We have made an effort to provide healthy meals

daily to employees and, of course, patients,” said Samantha Stratton, director of nutrition at SJm. employees can choose a sandwich with light chicken salad, turkey or roast beef, along with a salad, fresh fruit and baked chips. they also have the choice of selecting the patients’ cardiac meal as a healthy option. the dining room has a serving window for employees and visitors to order meals three times a day.

although Saint Joseph east (SJe) doesn’t have a garden right now, it is on the wish list and there’s even a possibility of doing a rooftop garden. “We work with papania’s inc., a local produce company,” said John herzog, nutritional services manager at SJe. papania’s often fulfills herzog’s requests for Kentucky proud produce purchased at local auctions. “i know Bob Barks will get it locally if he can,” herzog said.



Pedro Green often uses local produce when creating his dishes at SJH.


Saint Joseph hospital (SJh) and SJe both have a Green Leaf Café. “We had a naming contest a while back,” said amanda Goldman, mS, RD, LD, and director of nutritional services at SJh and SJe. “When we use produce from papania’s we market it in the cafeterias with signage. We do that as much as we can so people know we’re using local.”

the three largest vendors, Cisco, U.S. Foodservice and Gordon Food Service (GFS), are offering more local produce than they were just a few years ago, but there’s a long way to go. Conversations about being green are often polemic. While a lot of local food is organic, not all organic food is local. “it puts us in a position to research and figure things out for ourselves,” herzog said. “Nobody was doing this 10 years ago in our roles, but the hospital is absolutely behind the green initiative.”

Local food is getting the green light from almost every source. Organic produce, on the other hand, is pretty much price-prohibitive, according to herzog. “the demand isn’t quite there yet,” he said. “that’s a bigger and different hill to climb. We have a fiscal responsibility of stewardship for our facility.”

Raising the quality of hospital food is a national trend. “Buying local helps,” herzog said. and it has put creativity back into the kitchen. if papania’s has three cases of cherry tomatoes, the hospital cooks will figure out something to do with them.

exhibition cook pedro Green has been with SJh since 2004, after working with local restaurant chefs for eight years. at 6:30 on weekday mornings he is in the kitchen prepping vegetables and making chicken salad and tuna salad from scratch. “i like where i work,” he said. “if we can keep it local, that’s a good achievement, as far as fresh vegetables that don’t have to travel or be frozen.”

Supporting a local farmers market is the one thing everyone can do to help, according to SJL’s executive chef terry Crist. “this is not only true Kentucky proud, it is helping your neighbors out,” he said. “it all starts with our own communities.”


What would have happened if Steve Martin, a rehabilitation physical therapy tech, missed the employee health screening at Saint Joseph Hospital this year? Martin has the answer. As a seasoned interviewer and broadcaster for a Top 40 Internet country music radio talk show, LexingtonBroadcasting.com, he is used to asking celebrities questions about their lives. In this interview, Martin talks about how a simple screening helped save his life.

“In June, I started getting cramps in my right leg only when I’d walk a good distance. I’d have to sit down and it would take five or 10 minutes for the pain to go away. I took

potassium to relieve the cramps. But I felt worse every day until walking in from the parking lot was a challenge.

When the health fair was going on, the rehab department was really busy. I wasn’t going to leave. But, a co-worker told me I should get my leg checked.

I went down there and they told me I had no pulse in my right foot. I couldn’t understand that because my feet are always warm. If there wasn’t a pulse, why are my feet warm? They did an ABI (ankle/brachial index) screening and thought I might have a blockage. They wanted to make a doctor’s appointment to get tested. And, I said, ‘That’s alright. I’ll handle it. I appreciate you finding this.’

Two days later, I couldn’t take the pain anymore and I decided to see my regular doctor. She did the tests and the results showed about 90 percent of the blood flow in my leg was blocked. The next Tuesday, I was in the surgeon’s office scheduling an angiogram to clean out the blockage. My leg pain went away pretty quick. It was the bruising that hung around awhile. I missed about 17 days [of work] altogether with the surgery and recovery. I have no trouble walking at all now. It is like it never happened.

But the screening, it was free help. I’d tell anybody if it’s there, take advantage of it. Everyone was genuinely concerned and they gave me the information I needed.

I could’ve been stubborn like a lot of men and say, ‘Oh, I’m fine. I’ll just sit down, it’ll go away, I’ll be OK.’ It didn’t work out that way.

When I think about it now, it is all about survival. These kinds of things are lethal. If that block had moved, then it could have gone straight to my heart and I would have never known what hit me.

I feel if I hadn’t been coaxed and prodded to get screened and had not been helped by people doing the screening, I might not have survived it.

I have been to every screening offered. It was just this year, I was so busy. I’ve worked with rehabilitation [at Saint Joseph Hospital] for 22 years, these are my friends. They knew what I needed to do, and I had the opportunity to find out what was wrong.”


Healthy spirit

A Nearly-Missed Opportunity

Steve Martin recalls how a simple screening

helped save his life By KyM RuSSEll

Employee health screenings are scheduled

annually throughout Saint Joseph Health

System and coordinated by Saint Joseph

Corporate Health Services. They are offered

as part of Catholic Health Initiatives’ “Healthy

Spirit” program. Watch for more health and

wellness opportunities in 2012.

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Health Care HERO

Facing heart surgery can be terrifying. If the sheer prospect of having one’s heart operated on by foreign instruments weren’t enough to unsettle a patient, the details of the surgery probably would be. Traditional open chest heart surgery involves cutting a 10-inch incision down a patient’s chest, splitting a patient’s breastbone, and spreading a patient’s ribs with a retractor.

The trauma associated with the procedure can make any patient hesitant about the operation.

Michael Sekela, MD, with Surgical Associates of Lexington, is determined to

By John CowgILL

Putting His Heart Into It

Lead surgeon Michael Sekela and team earn national ranking for robotically assisted heart procedures

Drs. Michael Sekela (left) and Theodore Wright (right)

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make life-saving heart operations available to more patients, and to do it with less trauma. To accomplish his goal, Sekela and his team partnered with Saint Joseph hospital in 2009 to offer minimally invasive heart surgery using the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System.

Using the da Vinci system, Dr. Sekela can perform heart surgeries using just three incisions, each less than 1-cm long. “The benefits of the da Vinci are clear,” Sekela said.

“There is no open chest, less pain and trauma, and a shorter recovery and hospital stay.”

In his first year testing the da Vinci, Sekela operated on patients who had been turned down as candidates for open chest surgery due to physiological problems to prove to himself that the da Vinci platform was a less traumatic way to perform heart surgery.

now, after using the da Vinci for two years, Sekela is amazed by the results. “Last

year was our first full year using the da Vinci on all patients. we were named the number eleven practice in the nation in patient volume for intracardiac work on the da Vinci platform,” Sekela said. “It blew us away that we built that.”

The numbers are impressive. Sekela is the only cardiothoracic surgeon in Kentucky ranked in the top twenty in patient volume for intracardiac work by Intuitive


Surgical Incorporated, the company that manufactures for the da Vinci platform. Furthermore, Sekela has performed eighty-eight percent of the more than 120 robotically assisted heart procedures conducted at Saint Joseph hospital.

Despite these impressive achievements, Sekela is quick to praise his team and Saint Joseph hospital for his successes with the da Vinci platform. “The success we have

had with the da Vinci are the result of the commitment of everyone in the operating room,” Sekela said.

Sekela also credits the unique model of his practice and his partner Dr. Theodore wright as reasons for his high patient volume. “In most robotic surgeries, there is a surgeon on the robotic console in the corner of the room and a physician assistant at the patient’s bedside. In our practice, we have Dr.

Theodore wright, who is also a surgeon, at the patient’s bedside,” Sekela said.

with this model in place, Sekela and wright can work quickly and efficiently with minimal communication. In a da Vinci surgery, Sekela works at a console translating surgical movements onto the robotic arms of the da Vinci system while wright stands over the patient operating off the images on the monitor.

“our successes with the da Vinci have truly been a team project,” wright said. “Physicians of many specialties, nursing and ancillary staff, and the administration have all worked together to bring this state-of-the-art care to our community.”

Beyond improving patient outcomes, robotic surgery has enhanced Sekela’s understanding of the heart. The da Vinci system is capable of producing ten times magnification of the heart valve. Although this level of detail can initially confuse surgeons, Sekela has learned to read subtle details in the imaging that can offer clues as to why a heart valve is failing.

“I did a traditional open heart case recently that was very complex and I had to translate what I have learned from looking at the heart valve with the da Vinci platform onto the open case,” Sekela said. “The translation of the skill set goes both ways.”

Although the technology of the da Vinci Surgical System is indeed impressive, Sekela maintains that his primary motivation for performing robotic surgery is for improved patient outcomes. when asked what the most exciting aspect of da Vinci surgery is, Sekela reaches for his digital camera and pulls up a picture of an 83-year-old woman.

“This is a woman who is three weeks out from da Vinci heart surgery,” Sekela begins. “going into the surgery she couldn’t walk. After surgery and three weeks of rehab, she could walk around her house and ride 19 miles on a stationary bike. That is what da Vinci can do.”

Leonardo himself would be proud.

To learn more about the advanced da Vinci technology offered at Saint Joseph Hospital and how it’s used, visit SaintJosephHealthSystem.org/hospital-da-vinci.

“Our successes with the da Vinci have truly been a team project.”

photograph by ShaUN rINg


quickthread

Pat Jarnagin (center) and “Team ER” members at Saint Joseph Hospital celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.

Praises for PinkBy Kym Russell

When Saint Joseph Hospital ER nurse Pat Jarnagin returned to work after surgery, she saw wall-to-wall hot pink. Everyone in her unit was wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “Positive Attitude” with the breast cancer awareness ribbon on the front – and, on the back, “Team ER” demonstrated her co-workers’ unity and support.

Fellow nurse Tammy Andrews led the effort to special-order the shirts. Jarnagin’s ER team covered the cost and more: raising $550 to donate to Saint Joseph Breast Center in Jarnagin’s name. Her on-the-job supporters sported pink on Jarnagin’s first day of chemotherapy and every day she underwent the treatment.

From the time she shared her diagnosis of breast cancer, support came in all forms with countless cards, calls, emails, texts from managers and co-workers throughout the hospital and cancer center. “I had a great supportive family at Saint Joseph. It was something that I really, really needed. In ER, we support each other. It was truly a blessing from all of them.”

Pat has a message for future cancer patients, too. “I can speak from experience. When you go to the Saint Joseph Cancer Center, you are going to get the best quality of care from the physicians and each person that helps navigate the process of going through cancer.”



unwind

How do you unwind? Tell us at http://news.sjhlex.org.

A Cowboy LifeBy Kym Russell

Daniel Sutton grew up to be a cowboy, a darn good one, too. Off the job, the physical therapist at Saint Joseph - Berea works hard to refine his horsemanship: competing in cowboy equestrian events that demand the finesse of dressage and the spirit of the Old West.

Sutton’s competitive streak was fostered by his grandfather who served with the mounted Calvary and later recruited his grandson to compete in carriage driving. Sutton was a teenager when he bought the first horse he could afford, one that had never been ridden. He wanted to ride without a bridle. Taking cues from his dad, a veterinarian, Sutton learned pressure-and-release training techniques.

His horses taught him a lot about patience and thinking things through instead of making hard demands. Today, as a trainer, he said, “I learned I could ride or I could have a trusting relationship. It takes time to set things up so the horse learns to choose the desired reaction.”

In competition, trust pays off. “When you ask the horse to turn, stop or open up really fast, the horse does it in an instant, regardless of loud noise or roping.” Sutton is having fun and is quick to add, “And, I’m happy my wife doesn’t mind being married to a big kid who still plays cowboy.”

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Healthy spirit

Noel Rush is a man full of energy. Guiding visitors through his office at RJ Corman

Railroad Group in Nicholasville, Ky., Rush’s enthusiasm for healthy living is evident. He speaks at length about RJ Corman’s commitment to maintaining a healthy workforce and expresses his eagerness to exercise at the new company fitness center that will be completed this fall.

Rush’s energy and dynamic personality belie the fact that this past March he had a heart attack.

It all began on March 24, 2011, when Rush attended a Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services event at RJ Corman. “We partner with Saint Joseph Corporate Health to hold health seminars at RJ Corman every month,” Rush said. “At this seminar we had Dr. Michael Schaeffer talk about cardiovascular health. It was a matter of coincidence that I had some minor feelings of pain in my lower throat and upper chest two nights before the event.”

Michael Schaeffer, MD, with Saint Joseph Cardiology Associates, spoke with Rush after his presentation. “Noel mentioned to me some pain he was having in his upper chest and he told me he was planning on going to see the doctor very soon,” Shaeffer said. “I noticed he had some risk factors for heart disease and I told him his symptoms should be evaluated right away.”

Two hours later, Rush left work and went to Saint Joseph - Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center. After a blood test showed Rush had elevated enzyme

levels that could indicate a heart problem, he was given a CAT scan and treated by a cardiologist.

“He made me feel very comfortable,” Rush said. “After they got the blood tests back and did a CAT scan, [the cardiologist] very calmly told me that I had had a minor heart attack. I was surprised. He said, ‘Few people look as good as you do after having a heart attack, but you have had a minor one.’”

After the diagnosis, Rush was taken to Saint Joseph Hospital and underwent an angioplasty; two stents were placed in Rush’s heart. Again, Rush was grateful for the care he received. “I can’t tell you how impressed I was at how comforting the staff at Saint Joseph was,” Rush said. “My family in Louisville appreciated it too. I was inclined not to encourage anyone to come to the hospital that night but the medical staff made some calls to my family and told them that they should come over. I appreciated that.”

Rush was so impressed with Saint Joseph Hospital that he provided a testimonial of his experience to his co-workers at the next month’s Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services event. Beyond praising Saint Joseph Hospital, Rush encouraged his co-workers to recognize the symptoms of heart disease and to seek out medical care promptly if symptoms arise.

“I share my story with people because if someone had told me that you could have a heart attack and only experience a little pain in the base of your throat that would

go away after a few hours, I would have driven myself to the hospital that night,” Rush said.

Since his mild heart attack, which did not damage his heart, Rush has continued attending Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services events and has rededicated himself to healthy living. “Health and wellness are a part of our mission at RJ Corman – a part of who we are,” Rush said.

Sherri Eden, employer relations specialist with Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services, coordinates all corporate health events at RJ Corman and works with other businesses across central Kentucky to offer similar wellness programs and health screenings. Eden specifically praises RJ Corman, however, for their unique dedication to health and wellness.

“In the ninety groups I work with coordinating events, RJ Corman is the only one that has a wellness coordinator,” Eden said. “Our work holding health events with them is a partnership in preventative medicine.”

Rush agrees that RJ Corman’s work with Saint Joseph and their emphasis on health and wellness brings the company many preventative benefits. “RJ Corman’s partnership with Saint Joseph Hospital makes our workforce healthier, happier and more productive without a doubt,” Rush said. “We have already seen the benefits on our health insurance claims. We have embraced and will continue to embrace health and wellness. It is part of our culture here.”

Timing is everything for RJ Corman’s Noel RushRushing to Care

By JOHN COWGILL


Health Care HErO



Maria Miller bonded with Deerie Harris and others during her stay at SJE.


Face of GOD

ventilator and it took a lot of courage for her to stay calm.”

One day a chaplain visited. “I got to stand in with the family and pray for her healing and progress,” said Jacob Heil, RN. “It is always an honor to do that.”

Deerie Harris is a painter at SJE. “When I’m in a room by myself I’ll be singing songs to the Lord,” he said. He has also been in the ministry for 24 years. Miller heard him singing across the hall and asked if she could meet him. “He looked so happy,” she said. They shared Bible verses and she thought him quite a remarkable person.

Another “are you kidding me?” experience for Miller, toward the end of her coma, was when nurse Webb made her a promise. “If you’ll just wake up, Moddie, I’ll buy you a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit.” The sandwich appeared the next morning and Miller’s husband said, “Oh, Whitney got that for you.”

After Miller’s release from SJE, Eric Gilliam, SJE administrator, invited her to join the Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) to share her experience and help the hospital improve its patient-centered care. “Hers was a very touching story,” he said. “It really brought home why we’re here and do what we do every day.”

Maria Miller is a miracle patient. “The credit goes to God, absolutely and unequiv-ocally,” she said. “He works through people and the people He worked through were at Saint Joseph.”

awake at lastMiracle patient Maria Miller wakes from coma to find strong support at Saint Joseph East

Although she wasn’t conscious much of the time, Miller still possessed her sense of hearing. Upon waking up, she recalled many conversations she heard from staff and visitors. When the medical coma was induced with Fentanyl and Versed, and the breathing tube was being put in, Whitney Webb, RN, explained everything to her patient.

“Now I know she understood. She heard me,” Webb said. “At one point she squeezed my hand and it broke my heart.”

When a friend or loved one touched Miller, she would have a flash of memory associated with that person. “My principal came to see me every day, including Thanksgiving Day,” she said. Not that she was aware of it at the time, but when she found out later he had been there, it explained why she was flooded with memories of their work relationship.

Her husband, their two sons and extended family were in the hospital almost around the clock. Being a headstrong person helped Miller overcome her illness, but it was being told by family members and hospital staff to fight that really worked.

“I was so comfortable, so heavily sedated, that I was letting go,”

she said. “I don’t think it’s instinctive to fight to wake

up.”“Her spirit and will

to live, accompanied with prayer, pulled

her through,” said Deborah Bryant, MSN, RN, director of nursing at SJE. “She touched everyone’s heart. The staff never gave up hope.”

Genna Vescio, RN, is known as

“Prairie Dog” in the ICU. “If I hear a beep

I perk up to see who it is,” she said. Vescio sat

with Miller and watched “Dancing With the Stars”

with her. “She had to be on the

“She touched

everyone’s heart.

The staff never

gave up hope.”

Person-centered care puts the

patient first. The goals of person-centered

care are respect and dignity, participation,

collaboration, physical and emotional comfort, and

family involvement, all of which align with the Saint

Joseph Health System core values of respect, integrity,

compassion and excellence. Additionally, Saint Joseph’s

service excellence initiatives are built upon the

fundamental belief that we are called to see the

Face of God in every patient we have

the privilege to serve.

By KATHIE STAMPSIn November 2010, Maria “Moddie”

Miller was on a weekend kayak trip at Lake Cumberland. As a Lexington Christian Academy teacher and former aerobics instructor, Miller had always been active and athletic, but by the second day she just didn’t feel well. She had no energy and a fever of 102. Back in Lexington her temperature spiked to 106, her blood pressure was 74/47 and she was admitted to Saint Joseph East (SJE).

“I passed out at 6:30 in the evening,” she said. “I woke up 14 days later.”

Miller’s body was going into organ failure. She was diagnosed with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), a disease similar to MRSA, and she developed a case of pneumonia. During most of her stay at SJE she was in a medically induced coma.

“They told my husband twice I wasn’t going to make it,” she said. “I had signed a living will to never be on a respirator; I’m glad my husband didn’t know it or chose to ignore it. They saved my life the day they put me on it.”

PhotograPh by Lee thomas


FMH employees laced up their sneakers Aug. 13 for a 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for the Nelson County Community Clinic. FMH was a sponsor of the event, called “Run for the Health of It.”

Left to right, Jackie Spalding, RN, Edna Boone, RN, and Rebecca Reiter, RN,

showed off the harvest they have reaped in the Flaget Community Garden, the plot that the hospital maintains for employees to use.

FMH hosted an end-of-summer celebration Sept. 8. Outpatient surgery

staff members attended the tropical-themed party: (from left, clockwise) Pam Sonne, Anne Culver, Jackie Spalding, Lennea Gies, Mary Heil, Katrina Coulter (kneeling right) and Maureen Durbin (kneeling left).

SJJ hosted a free community health fair June 4 on its campus

in Nicholasville. Highlights included tours of safety vehicles and helicopters, health screenings and family fun. Photo by Dan Andrews

Teddy and Angela Anders said hello to the newest member of their family, Hagen Anders,

the final baby born in August at SJL. It was a record-breaking month for newborn deliveries; Hagen was number 121.

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Saint Joseph Heart Institute offered education and blood pressure screenings

July 15 during the Go Red for Women night at the 75th Annual Lexington Junior League

Horse Show held at the Red Mile. Helping out were, from left, Jodi Manley, RN, Betty Cornish,

RN, and Shannon Young, RN.

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, left to right, Elaine Puthoff, Dr. Ancilla

Kozhipat, Mary Susann Gobber, Joan Wilson and Charlene Jacobs

gathered at SJH in early May to visit with staff. The statue in front of the

hospital represents Mother Catherine Spalding, foundress of the Sisters of

Charity of Nazareth.

Members of the Nazareth/SJH School of Nursing graduating

class of 1961 attended a celebration hosted by

education services Aug. 19 commemorating their 50th

anniversary. Front: Violet Peters Bowling, Anita Oganecu Casey,

Marilyn Hillen Robinson, Susan Smith Kerns; back: Terry Taphorn

Hobeika, Betty Jo Miller, Nelda Wells Derrick, Mary Pat Ready

Ockerman, Pearl Carpenter Anderson, Maxine Ritchey Guilfoil,

Sonja Mason Witt.

Captain Clark from the Berea Police Department shared

his reflections during SJB’s prayer

service celebrating the dignity of labor and

remembering 9/11.

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SJM employees celebrated winning the Performance Culture Assessment Excellence Award for achieving the highest combined employee participation rate plus employee

engagement index score on this year’s assessment.

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[from page 12] In Lexington, Wilson joined the AOP

staff in 1991. “It’s a beautiful ministry and service for the people after they return home from the hospital,” she said. “I made so many beautiful friendships all over eastern Kentucky. It was a delight to see the healing that would take place, the people who needed us, when we would call or visit. I thoroughly enjoyed every day.”

In those early years of AOP, Wilson recalls that the first cell phone she used came in a bag, and there was no service in many places, especially on the back roads of Appalachia. Technology has certainly changed over the years, but core values haven’t. “Regardless of the year or time, we have the same basic human need to be loved and cared for,” she said.

At Wilson’s retirement dinner in July 2011, Ben Wiederholt, Saint Joseph Health System interim vice president of mission integration, spoke of Wilson and the other sisters who have served SJH through the years. “When we recall memories of these incredible women, and the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with them, our spirits are uplifted and we are reminded why we are here,” he said.

The motto of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth is “Caritas Christi urget nos”: the love of Christ impels us. “So as the love of Christ impelled Sister Joan, may it also impel us,” Wiederholt said.

In addition to her role in pastoral care with AOP, Wilson has traveled abroad on mission trips. She spent time in Belize several years ago. Last fall she was in India and Nepal (right) for two months, through the SCN Global Exchange Program.

“I had the opportunity to share life and ministry with our sisters in the Eastern province,” she said. She stayed with the sisters in their homes and worked with them in their ministries. “It was an experience and a blessing I will always be truly grateful for, to be immersed in the culture of the people and to see and enjoy the riches and the poverty of the countries.”

It was 1947 when the SCN community was invited to go to India. After the war, they took in orphans and established clinics and homes for children. The main focus in the beginning was health care and now SCN has more than 40 missions in India. “We serve education, health care and social services,” Wilson said. “Beyond that we reach out to people wherever the need is. We are involved in almost any work you can think of.”

Wilson is appreciative of the dedicated and faithful employees who have been with SJH and Saint Joseph Health System for so many years. “They just carry on the work of the sisters and continue our mission and values,” she said.

“Sister Joan is one in a million,” said social worker Jeanie Lawson, who has worked with AOP since 2003. “She has never used the word ‘tired’ in my presence,” Lawson added. “She is like the Energizer bunny, she just keeps going! And I know that in her retirement, her track shoes are on and she is ready for the next marathon. Wherever life leads her she will go at a high-speed pace.”

As for her retirement plans, Wilson is going to visit family, have some fun and take time for spiritual renewal. Before long, she will be active in ministry again, in one form or another, going wherever and doing whatever is needed.

“I’ve had many blessings in my life,” she said. “I’m so grateful for my life as a religious, and the opportunities I have had.”

To learn more about the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, visit SCNfamily.org.

One in a MilliOn

summer photo contest winners

1st Place ($100): “Fun in the Sun,” submitted by Jeanie Hogg, Saint Joseph - Berea Family Medicine (features her grandson, Tyler, and his cousin, Max)

2nd Place ($50): “Yummy Watermelon,”

submitted by Kristen Longino,

Saint Joseph - Jessamine

win an ipad 2!

eTcshare Your story

We want to inspire others! Please tell us how you or someone you work with has created meaningful

change in your community or workplace. Do you know someone

who is outstanding in his or her job? Tell us! To submit your story ideas to Common Thread, visit commOnline at http://news.sjhlex.org.

storY time

One lucky person will win an Apple iPad 2 (Wi-Fi, 16GB) by entering our Reader Reward challenge!to enter the giveaway, you must answer this question correctly: Whose nickname is “Prairie Dog”? Somewhere in this issue of Common Thread you’ll find the answer.

Submit your answer at commOnline at http://news.sjhlex.org (under “contests”). correct answers will be entered into the iPad 2 drawing on Dec. 12. Only employees can enter this challenge. (Prizes will be included as taxable income, per the IRS). congratulations to previous Reader Reward winner chasity Ann Lane at Flaget who won an iPod nano.

3rd Place ($25): “Royal Mayan Beach,” submitted by Ann coleman, Saint Joseph Office Park

(taken during a trip to cancun, Mexico)

Honorable Mention: “Cusco, Peru,” submitted by Dr. Magdalene Karon (visiting with Indian women in Peru)

ReadeR ReWaRd

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLexington, KYPermit #162

The picture of health

Imagine stronger, more capable health care in KentuckyThere is growing excitement in the Bluegrass State, as UofL Health Care, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health

System plan to come together as a single organization. Together, we will have the unmatched ability to coordinate medical research,

education and technology, while increasing access to basic and advanced health services – helping to improve community wellness across

the Commonwealth. Our planning is focused on realizing the extraordinary potential for the citizens of Kentucky. We are committed to

ensuring this bold initiative will live up to the highest expectations of our patients, employees and all we serve.

Mehul Patel Mental Health Associate Our Lady of Peace

Shiao Y. Woo, MD, FACR Professor & Chair of Radiation Oncology

University of Louisville Radiation Oncologist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center

Rosie Huynh Executive Secretary

Saint Joseph Hospital












Imagine stronger, more capable health care in KentuckyThere is growing excitement in the Bluegrass State, as UofL Health Care, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, and Saint Joseph Health System plan to come together as a single organization. Together, we will have the unmatched ability to coordinate medical research, education and technology, while increasing access to basic and advanced health services – helping to improve community wellness across the Commonwealth. Our planning is focused on realizing the extraordinary potential for the citizens of Kentucky. We are committed to ensuring this bold initiative will live up to the highest expectations of our patients, employees and all we serve.












fall 2011 • vol. 4 issue 4 we make it fresh garden...

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