On-site center provides convenient clinical care, fitness to City-County workers

INDIANAPOLIS – Employees of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County enrolled in a medical plan with ADVANTAGE  Health Solutions Inc. ^SM  (Advantage) now have a central location to have their medical and wellness needs met.

The Franciscan St. Francis Health Clinic, located on the 12^th floor of the Indianapolis City-County Building, provides services to workers with minor aches, injuries and infections delivered by an on-site nurse practitioner and medical assistant with physician oversight.

Also at that location is the ADVANTAGE Wellness Center, where a wellness coordinator provides health risk assessments, cholesterol and glucose screenings, weight management and other related programs.

 “Care is provided on a walk-in basis and no appointment is necessary for urgent visits,” said Joe Sagorsky, director of Franciscan St. Francis Employer Health Solutions. “Wellness services are by appointment only.”

The facility is open 8 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 “Our partnership with Franciscan St. Francis and Advantage have truly made a positive impact on the quality of work-life for City-County employees,” said Bruce Henry, deputy director of City-County Human Resources.  “The positive impact on our employees’ health and wellness has exceeded our expectations.”

For more information about the clinic, call 317-327-5120. The wellness center can be reached at 317-327-5018.

United Way lauds Franciscan St. Francis Health for 2012 campaign efforts

United Way 2012 Co-chair Marianne Glick (r) presents the Distinguished
Campaign award to St. Francis Health HR Director Corey Baute, who
is joined by Craig Nordhoff, HR specialist.

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health has received the 2012 Distinguished Campaign for the largest increase in contributors from United Way of Central Indiana.

The number of Franciscan St. Francis employee donors increased by 109 percent last year with nearly $70,000 raised, far exceeding the organization’s annual goal.

The hospital also was presented with the Company That Cares Award, which recognizes organizations in a six-county area who achieve fundraising and participation goals, and surpass benchmarks in volunteer community participation. Franciscan St. Francis also received the Breakthrough Award for having a more than 30 percent increase in giving compared to the previous year.

“”I’m grateful for this recognition and especially proud of our employees for showing they care, not only through the excellent work they do daily, but also through their support of great organizations such as United Way of Central Indiana,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer for Franciscan St. Francis Health.

For more than 90 years, United Way of Central Indiana has supported programs and agencies focused on education, income, health and basic needs. 

Advance health-care directives make patients’ medical decisions known

INDIANAPOLIS – Who do you want to speak for you and make health-care decisions when you are unable to do so?

Advance health-care directives instructions are given by individuals specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity.

That’s why Franciscan St. Francis Health is helping lead and coordinate efforts to educate the public about the importance of having advance health-care directives.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, information stations will be set up at Franciscan St. 

Francis hospitals in Indianapolis (cafeteria) and Mooresville (main lobby).  An information station will also be hosted at the Greenwood Park Mall from noon to 2 p.m. at the Rejuvenation Station in front of Sears. Hospital clinical experts, social workers and chaplains will be on hand to answer questions.

The events coincide with the National Health Care Decisions Day, designed to raise awareness about the importance of advance care planning.

To learn more about advance directives, go to http://www.franciscanalliance.org/hospitals/indianapolis/patients/rights-and-responsibilities/Pages/advance-directives.aspx

Franciscan St. Francis Health appoints regional marketing vice president

INDIANAPOLIS – Kelli F. Searles has been appointed regional vice president of marketing for Franciscan St. Francis Health, a division of Franciscan Alliance.

In that role, she is responsible for leading key marketing development, enhancing physician integration processes and community relations. She most previously served as director of marketing and community relations for Franciscan St. Francis.

Searles, who has been with the hospital system for 26 years, has helped lead comprehensive and award-winning marketing and communications strategies and two major rebranding initiatives at Franciscan St. Francis’ three hospital campuses. She also served as marketing director for Kendrick Memorial Hospital in Mooresville, which was acquired in 2000 by the hospital system.

Before her health-care marketing years, she held several editor and reporter positions with community newspapers and a daily legal newspaper. She earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology at Ball State University.  

Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, Searles is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Society of Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.  A resident of Greenwood, Searles and her husband, Mark, are parents of two teens.

Franciscan St. Francis Health is first hospital in nation to implant breakthrough aortic heart valve device

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health is the first hospital in the United States to implant a new device that could improve the quality of life for patients with aortic valve disease.

The On-X® Aortic Prosthetic Valve with Anatomic Sewing Ring is the most advanced mechanical heart valve and first to address the important concern of distorting the adjacent structures within the heart. The innovative valve is the only mechanical valve that matches the contour of the heart.

The first implant was performed by Marc Gerdisch, MD, chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Franciscan St. Francis Health and surgical director of the St. Francis Heart Valve Center. Gerdisch, a partner with Cardiac Surgery Associates, collaborated on the design of the device with On-X® Life Technologies, Inc.

Gerdisch, an independent physician who chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health, successfully implanted the device in, a 35-year-old male, from Ellettsville, Ind. The patient sought help at Franciscan St. Francis Health when his condition eluded diagnosis for several months.

Physicians at the Franciscan St. Francis Heart Valve Center found that infection had destroyed the patient’s aortic valve and severely damaged the mitral valve. Although Gerdisch was able to repair his mitral valve, the aortic valve required replacement. Fortunately, the advanced On-X valve technology was available at St. Francis Heart Center.

According to Gerdisch, there are several types of aortic valve disease and all of them pose a threat. Aortic valve disease often progresses slowly without obvious symptoms. Once symptoms appear, untreated patients have a poor prognosis. Aortic valve disease is responsible for more than 25,000 deaths yearly.

Studies indicate that up to 50 percent of untreated patients will not survive beyond an average of two years after the onset of symptoms. Fortunately, surgery that replaces the aortic valve can extend the lives of those who suffer from aortic valve disease.

“The On-X heart valve with Anatomic Sewing Ring is a major advancement and allows us to again improve the quality of life for younger patients with aortic valve disease,” said Gerdisch. “The new valve permits preservation of normal cardiac architecture and tension is reduced on the tissue where the valve attaches. This type of innovation is designed to facilitate implantation and reduce trauma to the heart, ensuring a greater likelihood of long-term benefit.”

On-X valves are designed with breakthrough technology that causes less blood cell damage than traditional mechanical valves.

Franciscan St. Francis Health is one of the leading hospitals for the Prospective Randomized On-X Valve Reduced Anticoagulation Clinical Trial (PROACT). The purpose of this trial is to determine if patients that receive the On-X valve can be safely maintained with reduced levels of blood thinner or eliminating the use of Coumadin (warfarin) altogether.

This landmark trial has already produced important findings that could impact the future for patients that receive a mechanical valve. Gerdisch will be presenting study results at professional conferences internationally this year.

The Franciscan St. Francis Heart Valve Center is the first dedicated multidisciplinary center for evaluation and treatment of heart valve disease in Indiana. As the only Healthgrades 5-Star valve repair and replacement surgery program in Indianapolis for two years in a row, its team of heart surgeons and cardiologists are experienced in managing complex valve disease. By offering advanced surgical techniques not available at most hospitals, the center’s staff offers new life and hope to patients. 

The On-X® Aortic Prosthetic Valve with Anatomic Sewing Ring is the first mechanical valve with a sewing ring to address the important concern of maintaining a more natural anatomy after implant.