Franciscan St. Francis Health kicks off 2013 blood drives with ‘I Pledge’ campaign

INDIANAPOLIS -- With 33 blood donors for the Indiana Blood Center, December’s Franciscan St. Francis Health blood drive was the largest to date.

As the drive began at 8 a.m., Senior Finance Specialist Kelley Foster was one of the first in line. Although Foster has been a blood donor for 16 years, this time her donation was special - she was celebrating being one-year cancer-free.

In November 2011, Foster experienced extensive pain similar to a severe bladder infection or a kidney stone. A CT scan of Foster’s kidneys revealed not only kidney stones, but a grapefruit-sized cancerous tumor as well.

 “I have a tremendous amount of faith,” she said. “I knew God would get me through this experience.”

Within a month, Foster underwent surgery at Franciscan St. Francis Health in the former Beech Grove hospital. The surgery was successful and the tumor was fully removed. Since the cancer had not spread, there was no need for chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

But Foster, an avid blood donor, did get a piece of news she hadn’t planned on: individuals with cancer cannot donate blood until they have been cancer-free or treatment-free for a full year.

“When they told me I couldn’t give blood, it really bothered me,” she said.

KELLY FOSTER

Foster had learned through her many years of donations that her A negative blood type is rare. According to the Indiana Blood Center, only 6 percent of the population has A negative blood. Blood is categorized in four main groups: A, B, AB, and O. The groups are based on the presence or absence of A and B antigens, which help produce antibodies that fight bacteria and viruses. Each blood type is also called “positive” or “negative” depending on whether or not the blood contains another antigen called Rh.

Foster remained healthy during the rest of 2012. When she heard about the December blood drive occurring on the first day she was eligible to donate again, she was thrilled and signed up for the first time slot.

“Emotionally, cancer makes you a completely different person,” she said. “You have to find ways to give back. Giving blood is one way to do it. Consider it your small way of paying forward all you have been blessed with.”

Foster plans to donate blood at every opportunity, and she’ll be the first to sign up for the “I Pledge” campaign for the Indiana Blood Center. In 2013, Franciscan St. Francis Health employees have the opportunity to make a difference by pledging to donate blood at least once during a 2013 hospital drive.

“I pledge to raise my sleeve in 2013 because I am grateful for my life, and I want to extend that gift to others,” she said.

Employees interested in pledging can do so during “I Pledge Week” February 4 to 10. Individuals who pledge in person will receive a free pen and a pledge reminder card, and everyone who pledges will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. The I Pledge booth will be available on the following dates and times:

Feb. 4:   7 to 9 a.m., Indianapolis Campus outside the Terrace Café

Feb. 5:   11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Indianapolis Campus outside the Terrace Café

Feb. 6:   11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Education and Support Services Center Breakroom

Feb. 7:   11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Indianapolis Campus outside the Terrace Café

Feb. 7:   1 to 5 p.m., Mooresville Campus in the Swisher Conference Center

Online Pledges Feb 4-10: Email Sarah.Richardson@franciscanalliance.org with the subject line “I Pledge” and include your phone number and campus (please note online pledges will not receive a pen)

Eight blood drives will be held throughout 2013 at the Indianapolis and Mooresville campus, as well as at the Education and Support Services Center. For dates and times, please check Morning Messenger and CROSS. Everyone is welcome to donate at any blood drive, regardless of if they made a pledge to donate. 

More information is available by contacting Sarah Richardson, marketing and community relations specialist, at Sarah.Richardson@franciscanalliance.org or (317) 528-7980. 

Indianapolis Public Library: ‘The Unbelievable True Story of Regrowing The Heart’

Feb. 9 event focuses on acclaimed work of St. Francis Health cardiovascular surgeon

DR. MARC GERDISCH

INDIANAPOLIS – Some patients are finding new life in surgical procedures using innovative biomaterial technology that combines the innate attributes of nature with the precision of science to help patients’ regrow their own heart tissue.

That innovation, which was pioneered at Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center by Marc W. Gerdisch, MD, is the focus of The Indianapolis Public Library’s latest installment of its Lilly Scientist in Residence Series Winter 2013. The series – which gears its presentations to youngsters, teens and families – features scientists from local health institutions who share their expertise and real-life experiences in these highly visual and interactive demonstration.

The series is made possible by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Franciscan St. Francis Health, Indiana Organ Procurement Organization Foundation, and Friends of the Library, through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.

Gerdisch, is the chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the St. Francis Heart Center, a partner of Cardiac Surgery Associates and the surgical director of the Heart Valve Center and Atrial Fibrillation Center at Franciscan St. Francis Health.  He is an independent physician who chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health, and has presented nationally and internationally on new technology in cardiac surgery and surgical treatment of heart disease.

The event gets under way at 2 p.m. in Clowes Auditorium at Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St. Also on the program is Guy Hansen, Lilly Scientist in Residence, whose presentation will parallel Gerdisch’s discussion.

To register or for more information about the Feb. 9 program or any of the Lilly Scientist in Residence series call 317-275-4222.

Complementing these special programs are ongoing Science Odyssey activities for young people in Central Library’s Learning Curve through May 2013. Fun brain-building activities known as “The Human Body Puzzle,” sponsored by the IOPO Foundation, will use laptops, webcams, drawing tablets, books and more to explore the human body and will be led by Learning Curve Activity Guides.

Programs are  presented each weekend with Saturday programs from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sunday activities from 1 – 4 p.m. In addition, a unique exhibit in the Learning Curve’s Program Wall will feature the latest innovations in the treatment of heart disease at Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center. 

Acclaimed DWTS choreographer gets footloose for Day of Dance

INDIANAPOLIS – Chelsie Hightower has helped numerous celebrity guests get in step on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars competition for more than five years. Now she’s bringing her expertise here for the 10^th annual Spirit of Women Day of Dance.

The event, sponsored by Franciscan St. Francis Health, gets under way at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 23, inside the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38^th St. The event, which continues through mid-afternoon, is for women of all ages, offering dancing and other aerobic activities which may help prevent heart disease.

Hightower, who will host the event, has traded steps with a stream of, athletes and other well-known stars in her role as a partner/choreographer on Dancing with the Stars. She also was paired with Helio Castroneves – three time winner of the Indianapolis 500 – as they won top honors to cap the show’s fifth season.

The fleet-footed choreographer’s career blossomed nationally in 2008, when she became a fan favorite on the So You Think You Can Dance television reality series.

Among those joining Hightower to lead activities at the Day of Dance are the Indiana Pacemates, cheer squad for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

Refreshments will be provided, and participants are eligible to receive raffle prizes

Admission to Day of Dance is free, but advanced registration is strongly encouraged as the number of participants will be limited to 550.

To register, call 317-782-4422, or go to http://www.franciscanalliance.org/health-resources/spirit-of-women/central-indiana/day-of-dance/Pages/default.aspx

To learn more about the Spirit of Women at Franciscan St. Francis Health, visit www.franciscanalliance.org/hospitals/indianapolis/health-resources/spirit-of-women.

Janice Bilby, M.D., family doctor, establishes south Indianapolis practice with Franciscan Physician Network

INDIANAPOLIS – Janice Bilby, MD, has joined Franciscan Physician Network Greenwood Parke Family Medicine and is accepting new patients.

She has been in medical practice for more than 25 years.

Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, Bilby received her undergraduate degree in biology at Ball State University, where she was an honors student. She earned her medical degree at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and completed an internship and residency training at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Bilby, a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, resides in Indianapolis.

Greenwood Parke Family Medicine is located at 8920 Southpointe Dr., Suite E-1, in Indianapolis. For appointments and other information, call 317-882-0535. Get directions.

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Franciscan Alliance and Cigna join in collaborative Accountable Care Organization

INDIANAPOLIS -- Franciscan Alliance and Cigna (NYSE: CI) have launched an accountable care initiative aimed at improving the quality of care for Cigna customers in the Indianapolis area. The collaboration will focus on providing coordinated, cost-efficient health care to improve the overall health status of the Cigna population in Central Indiana.

The Franciscan Alliance Accountable Care Organization includes over 600 local physicians and five Immediate Care Centers located throughout the Indianapolis area, as well as Franciscan St. Francis Health hospitals in Indianapolis, Mooresville, and Carmel.

“As a leader in integrated care, forming this collaborative accountable care initiative with Cigna is a logical next step for us in bringing coordinated care to patients in Indianapolis,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer for Franciscan St. Francis Health. “Bringing together the clinical expertise and information sources from both our organizations will help us to provide patients with more seamless care, resulting in better outcomes.” 

To achieve enhanced care coordination, healthier people, and lower overall costs for patients, the collaboration will focus on identifying and implementing long-term strategies aimed at ensuring health care remains accessible and affordable for Cigna customers in Indianapolis. 
Franciscan Alliance and Cigna will work together, sharing clinical and care management information to provide coordinated, comprehensive health care services. Each organization will have aligned incentives to improve health care quality and patient service while reducing costs.

“This new model stresses the value of care over the volume of care and means both our organizations will work in collaboration to improve the health and the experience of our mutual customers," said Sue Podbielski, president and general manager for Cigna in Indiana. "Together our goal is to change a fragmented health care system that focuses on treating people after they are already sick into a system that emphasizes coordination, prevention and wellness."  

The long-term goal of the initiative, which launched January 1, is to build a delivery model that improves quality through better coordination of care, while taking unnecessary or duplicative costs out of the health care system, reducing costs for Cigna customers and their employers.

Critical to the program’s success are complex case managers employed by Franciscan Alliance who will become part of the physician-led care team and serve as clinical care coordinators.  They help patients with chronic conditions or other health challenges navigate the health care system. 

For example, they identify patients discharged from the hospital who might be at risk for readmission, help patients get the follow-up care or screenings they need, identify any issues related to medications and help prevent chronic conditions from worsening. 

The care coordinators use patient-specific data from Cigna to help them identify patients in need of these services and are aligned to a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between the two organizations.  Care coordinators can also help patients schedule appointments, provide health education and refer patients to the Cigna health management and wellness programs that may be available to them through their employer’s benefit plan.

Cigna is now engaged in more than 50 collaborative accountable care initiatives in 22 states, encompassing nearly 510,000 Cigna customers and more than 14,000 doctors, including more than 6,500 primary care physicians and more than 7,500 specialists. Cigna launched its first collaborative accountable care program in 2008 and its goal is to have 100 of them in place with one million customers by the end of 2014.

About Franciscan St. Francis Health

With hospitals in Indianapolis, Mooresville and Carmel, Franciscan St. Francis Health is a member of the Franciscan Alliance, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 13 hospitals throughout Indiana and Illinois. The Franciscan Alliance serves a geographic area with a population of 3.7 million people, provides care for more than 2.9 million outpatient visits and completes more than 100,000 inpatient discharges every year. To learn more about Franciscan Alliance go to www.franciscanalliance.org.

About Cigna 

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has approximately 75 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.