RN selected manager of St. Francis Hospital post-surgical unit

INDIANAPOLIS – Lisa K. Peters, R.N., has been appointed manager of the post-surgical unit at St. Francis Hospital-Beech Grove.

She comes to St. Francis from Indiana University Hospital where she was clinical manager of a multi-specialty unit and seizure unit. Peters held a variety of other roles at the IU medical facility including managing the pre-operative and post-operative recovery units and nursing resource pool.

Peters, a resident of Greenwood, Ind., earned a master’s in nursing administration and bachelor’s of science in nursing from IU.

A former adjunct faculty member of the IU School of Nursing, she is board-certified in nursing administration by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

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Diabetes patients, families served by St. Francis support program

INDIANAPOLIS – The Diabetes Support Group at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers has launched a new series of weekly programs.

The group will meet 6:30 p.m., the first Thursday of each month, from February to December. There’s no cost for participating patients and their families.

Meetings are held at the St. Francis Education Center, 5935 S. Emerson Ave., Suite 100 in classroom 2.

For more information, call 317-782-6600.

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RN selected to manage obstetrics at St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville

MOORESVILLE, Ind. – Stephanie D. Brock, R.N., has been appointed manager of the obstetrics unit at St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville.

Prior to her appointment, Brock worked in the same unit as a charge nurse, managing patient care in all stages of labor, delivery and postpartum. She has been trained in neonatal care and served as a prenatal educator and preceptor and mentor to new hospital employees.

Brock worked as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital-Beech Grove from 1995 until 1999 before transferring to the Mooresville medical facility. She previously worked at Grandview Convalescent Center in Martinsville.

A resident or Martinsville, Brock received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University, graduating with honors.

Brock holds several nurse and medical certifications and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, an honor society of nursing.

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Colorectal surgeon honored with prestigious fellowship

INDIANAPOLIS – Bridget Sanders, M.D., has been named a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Sanders practices with the Kendrick Regional Center for Colon and Rectal Care on the campuses of the St. Francis Mooresville and Indianapolis hospitals. She specializes in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders, as well as laparoscopic colon and rectal surgery.

A 1998 graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Sanders completed her general surgery residency at IU and finished her fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida.

Sanders attained board certification from the American Board of Surgery and was board-certified in colon and rectal surgery in 2006.

She is a member of the ACS, American Women Surgical Association, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Association, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and SAGES.

Sanders was named a Fellow during the ACS’s 93rd annual Clinical Congress, held recently in New Orleans.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The organization has more than 72,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

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St. Francis offers free colorectal cancer risk assessments in March

INDIANAPOLIS – Kim Goelz was shocked when her doctor broke the news to her: she had stage III colon cancer and soon would be in for the fight for her life.

“I was stunned,” said the 35-year-old wife and mother of two. “I had no family history and no major health issues, and yet here I was diagnosed with colon cancer.”

Goelz is among more than 112,000 Americans diagnosed each year with colon cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. She immediately sought medical help when she experienced symptoms and her family physician encouraged her to get a colonoscopy which detected the cancer.

Early detection is the key to successfully treating and surviving colon cancer – and that’s why the St. Francis Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence is offering free risk assessments to the public.

Screenings will be at Greenwood Park Mall Food Court 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 1; and 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday March 3; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 8 at Meijer at Heartland Crossing in Camby.

The free assessments coincide with the observance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

“Screening for colon cancer is highly effective, and one of the key objectives of our center is to increase awareness of the risks of colorectal cancers,” said medical director Michael Morelli, M.D. “Colonoscopy should be part of routine care for everyone who is 50 and older, or earlier for those with a significant family history.”

Goelz was treated with a combination of therapies by St. Francis physicians and she is determined to be among the 70 percent who survive colon cancer. And she’s grateful she didn’t ignore the early warning sign.

“It scares me to think what would have happened if I had waited,” she said. “I had no pain or other symptoms.”

For more information about the free risk assessments, call 317-782-4422.

The Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence team includes more than 25 physician specialists including gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, general surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, family practice physicians and radiologists. They are committed to the prevention, early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, with a focus on providing the highest quality and individualized care for each patient.

For more information about St. Francis Cancer Care Services, go to http://stfrancishospitals.org/cancer.