Franciscan St. Francis Health nurses honored for making a difference

INDIANAPOLIS – Making an enormous difference in the lives of patients with the super-human work they do every day, two registered nurses at Franciscan St. Francis Health have been recognized by patients for extraordinary care giving.

Registered nurses Rita Osborne and Dawn Foster, both who work at the hospital’s Indianapolis campus, have been named the March recipients of the hospital’s DAISY Awards.

Osbone, a pediatric nurse, was nominated for her experience and warmth when dealing with her patient.

“Rita treated my daughter like she was the most important thing in the world,” explained the mother. “She put her at ease by being warm and explaining what was going. It was much easier to calm her down compared to previous experiences elsewhere.”

Foster, bone marrow transplant specialist, was nominated by a patient’s family member.

“Dawn was assertive with dad while still being polite and caring. She didn’t take no for an answer and pushed him to do what he needed to do,” wrote this patient’s child. “I wish dad would have had Dawn a week earlier.”

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a national program that honors the compassionate care and clinical excellence. Franciscan St. Francis localized the program in 2010 to recognize its nurses for their achievements.

The DAISY Award was established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 an auto-immune disease. His family was so impressed by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for him that they created this national award to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere. For more information, go to www.daisyfoundation.org.

To learn more about nursing careers and programs at Franciscan St. Francis, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/nursing.

Speaker slated to discuss pulmonary disorder at St. Francis Health-hosted event

INDIANAPOLIS – It’s called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetic disorder that often goes undiagnosed and affects the lungs and liver.

To raise awareness of that disorder, the Better Breathers support group at Franciscan St. Francis Health will host a special presentation from an advocate who knows first-hand about the disease. Tom Corron, a representative from the Fort Wayne-based Alpha-1 Association will talk about his experiences at 1:30 p.m., April 18.

Alpha-1’s symptoms are similar to asthma and can lead to early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cirrhosis of the liver and reduce life expectancy.

Sponsored by Franciscan St. Francis and the American Lung Association, the seminar is free to the public. The event will be in the Cardiac Testing conference room at the Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

To learn more about the Better Breathers support group, visit http://www.stfrancishospitals.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=95.

Nurses earn Daisy awards for exemplary patient care

INDIANAPOLIS – Two registered nurses at Franciscan St. Francis Health have been praised by patients and peers for going above-and-beyond the call in care-giving.

Pam Buss and Amy Adams were named the February 2012 recipients of the hospital’s DAISY Awards. Buss works in the inpatient tower while Adams works in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, which has since transferred from Beech Grove to the hospital’s Indianapolis campus.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a national program that honors the compassionate care and clinical excellence. Franciscan St. Francis localized the program in 2010 to recognize its nurses for their achievements.

“Pam was very caring and supportive of mom, doing more than what was needed,” wrote the daughter of a patient. “She was very positive by telling mother how well she was doing, which gave my mother much needed encouragement.”

Adams was nominated by a co-worker for an extraordinary act of caring for a patient. Adams, a formal dental assistant, asked to help care for a young leukemia patient who was suffering with gum disease and other issues as a side effect of her cancer treatment.

“What really bothered Amy is that this pretty little patient would cover her mouth whenever she laughed or smiled as she was very self-conscious about her appearance,” stated a coworker. “Amy acquired all of the necessary tools, she worked on the patient’s mouth; instructed the patient on how to care for her mouth; and after several days of work Amy got a smile – but she got more than that. She also could see in the face of this young patient that she had made a difference.”

The DAISY Award was established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 of an auto-immune disease. His family was so impressed by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for him that they created this national award to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere. For more information, go to www.daisyfoundation.org.

To learn more about nursing careers and programs at Franciscan St. Francis, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/nursing.

St. Francis Health surgeon explains orthopedic, joint replacement therapies April 25

RICHMOND, Ind. – Hip and knee pain shouldn’t keep people from leading active and rewarding lives – and Franciscan St. Francis Health wants to show you how.

The St. Francis “Road Show” will be coming to town at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, at the Quality Inn, 5501 National Road E. In the spotlight is a hip and knee replacement seminar. A light buffet will be served at 6 p.m.

Robert A. Malinzak, M.D., will explain the latest procedures in joint replacement and arthritis treatments. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstructive surgery and joint replacement.

Malinzak is a surgeon with the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery at St. Francis Health–Mooresville. The Center has been ranked No. 1 in Indiana for joint surgery five years in a row (2007-2011) by HealthGrades, one of the nation’s premier health care rating companies.

To register for this seminar, call St. Francis toll-free at 1-877-888-1777.

More information about the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery is at stfrancishospitals.org. Click the link in the center section of the home page.

Franciscan St. Francis to open Immediate Care Center near Beech Grove

Medical services slated to relocate from Washington Square

BEECH GROVE, Ind. -- Residents here and on the near south side of Indianapolis will soon have a new health care option with Immediate Care Center-Thompson Commons.

The Center, located at 5210 E. Thompson Road (near Interstate 465 and Emerson Ave.), will open Tuesday, March 27, offering services seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The facility is relocating from its present location at 992 North Mitthoeffer Road at Washington Square, which closes 11 p.m., Monday, March 26.

ICC-Thompson Commons provides urgent care treatment by physicians – without an appointment – for illnesses and injuries, including diagnostic imaging and lab services. The facility features six exam rooms and two treatment rooms, and is staffed by 14 medical assistants, X-ray technicians and management.

“Immediate Care Centers offer accessible, economical medical care to patients, particularly for those with minor accidents and illnesses who don’t require a visit to a hospital emergency room,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer for Franciscan St. Francis Health, which acquired ICC operations in the Indianapolis area in late 2010.

In addition to its new location, ICC operates facilities at 1001 N. Madison Ave. (Greenwood), 650 N. Girls School Road (Chapel Hill), and 860 E. 86^th St. (Nora).

“Together with Franciscan St. Francis, we are committed to provide mission-based compassionate care to families in Beech Grove and the many communities we serve,” said Michael D. Bishop, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the Immediate Care Centers.

ICC-Thompson Commons is located near Franciscan St. Francis’ newly expanded hospital at 8111 S. Emerson Ave. Patients in the area have other health care alternatives, including:

• Beech Grove After-Hours Clinic, 2030 Churchman Ave., in the offices of St. Francis Medical Group Beech Grove Family Medicine.
• Indy South After-Hours Clinic, 7855 S. Emerson Ave., Suite P, in the offices of St. Francis Medical Group Southport Family and Sports Medicine.

The After-Hours Clinics are open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Launched in 1981 by the Bloomington, Ind.-based Unity Physician Group, the four Immediate Care Centers collectively see about 100,000 patients each year. Each facility is always staffed by at least one physician and a highly trained staff committed to service excellence.

To learn more about ICC, visit http://www.thedoctorisin.biz/index-full.html. More information about Franciscan St. Francis Health is at http://stfrancishospitals.org.