Women’s Center gets facelift; open house showcases new look, services

MOORESVILLE, Ind. – Long known for its array of services to Morgan County and the surrounding area, the Women’s Center at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville has completed a renovation offering a fresh and new environment for its patients.

The Women’s Center will celebrate these changes with an open house 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 26. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the newly renovated lobby, doctors’ offices and the Cherished Beginnings obstetrics unit.

They also can meet with physicians who work at the center: G. Alan Von Stein, MD, of Women’s Health & Gynecologic Surgery; Erika Rager, MD, MPH, a surgeon with Breast Specialists; and Glenn Dobbs, DO, of Southside OB/GYN, an independent group which chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

Refreshments will be provided by 3 Days in Paris, and door prizes will be awarded, including the chance to win a Kindle Fire®.

Located at 1201 Hadley Road, Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville offers variety of clinical and outreach programs. The hospital is best known for the outstanding Kendrick Colon & Rectal Center and the top-ranked Center for Hip & Knee Surgery.

In 2008, it expanded to become a full-service hospital, adding the first emergency department in northern Morgan County, an intensive care unit, heart care and new inpatient units with beside charge and wireless communication technology to improve patient care. The hospital’s surgery suites feature the latest advancements, including laminar airflow and ultraviolet lighting to reduce infections.

The hospital also offers cancer treatment, physical therapy, lab and imaging services, cardiac and respiratory care, a Wound Care Institute, sleep disorders program and a Women’s Center for obstetric and gynecological services.

To learn more, go to http://www.stfrancishospitals.org/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=68.

Harp therapy strikes soothing chord of healing, restoration for hospital patients

INDIANAPOLIS – For more than 13 years, Tami Briggs has used a unique medical tool in her quest to help alleviate hospital patients’ pain and enhance their healing and restoration.

A pioneer in the harp therapy field, Briggs blends powerful stories and practical tips with live musical examples showing how the harp and therapeutic music can change the medical environment, especially how patients experience illness and death. This Minneapolis musician will soon be sharing her techniques with clinical staff and patients at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

Briggs will demonstrate her “Sounds of Healing: Therapeutic Music in the Health Care Setting” in two Nursing Grand Rounds presentations, Tuesday, June 26 at the hospital’s Indianapolis campus, 8111 S. Emerson Ave. Nurses will earn education credits, learning the key benefits of using music at the hospital/hospice bedside: Comfort, pain distraction, relaxation and anchoring.

She also will perform for patients in a designated floor unit on June 27. Briggs will wrap up her visit on June 28 for patients and staff at Franciscan St. Francis Cancer Center. The latter event is open to the public and gets under way at 6:45 p.m.

In 1999, Briggs founded Musical Reflections, whose mission is to provide products and services to enhance and support the healing journey. She is certified by the International Harp Therapy Program and has played the instrument at the bedside of hundreds of hospital and hospice patients.

A national speaker, Briggs delivers what her Web site describes as “experiential programs that are inspiring, motivating, and encouraging, but also deeply peaceful and relaxing – a much-needed ‘commodity’  in our fast-paced world.”

Briggs also has written books about her chosen field and has recorded 13 CDs focused on relaxation, comfort, healing and sleep.

To learn more about how Tami Briggs Harp Therapy works, go to http://www.musicalreflections.com/video-clips/.

More information about nursing programs and careers at Franciscan St. Francis Health can be found at http://www.stfrancishospitals.org/nursing/.

Franciscan St. Francis Health surgeon explains arthritis, joint replacement therapies July 12

JEFF PIERSON

CARMEL, 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 Franciscan St. Francis “Road Show” will be coming to town at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 12, at the Ritz Charles, 12156 N. Meridian St. In the spotlight is a hip and knee replacement seminar. A light buffet will be served at 6 p.m.

Jeff Pierson, 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.

Pierson is a surgeon with the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery at St. Francis Health–Mooresville. His offices are located at 12188 N. Meridian St., next door to the Ritz Charles.

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.

College-bound students get financial boost from St. Francis Auxiliary

INDIANAPOLIS – Five area college-bound students have been named recipients of scholarships awarded by the St. Francis Auxiliary.

They were awarded $1,000 scholarships each based on their academic performances, community service and their volunteer commitment at Franciscan St. Francis Health’s Indianapolis and Mooresville hospitals. The recipients are:

Christine Mackenzie of Mooresville. Since 2010, she has volunteered more than 246 hours at the Impact Center. She plans to attend Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and enter its radiography program.

Stephanie Hamilton of Indianapolis. She has been a volunteer for more than a year at the Indianapolis campus and has logged 152 hours of service. She will attend IUPUI and study nursing.

Janit Pandya of Greenwood. A volunteer since 2009, he has served 207 hours, largely in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Indianapolis hospital. He intends to pursue a degree related to medicine at Indiana University.

Meagan Fuller of Mooresville. She has accumulated more than 300 hours as a greeter at the information desk at the Mooresville facility. She will attend Hanover College and major in biology and pre-med studies.

Kyle Miller of Greenwood. He has logged 108 hours volunteering  in the labor and delivery unit at the Indianapolis campus. He will attend IU and major in biology.

The students will be presented with their scholarships at a luncheon Wednesday, June 13 at the Indianapolis campus.

“We are proud of these students and what they have accomplished,” said Paula Curseaden, St. Francis Auxiliary president, “and we wish them the best as they pursue higher education and their career goals.”

Since 2007, the Auxiliary has awarded $30,000 in scholarships to deserving young volunteers.

The Auxiliary is a component of the Franciscan Alliance Foundation–St. Francis Health. It helps the foundation to advance its mission of caring for terminally ill patients and assuring spiritual care and crisis support for patients and employees. It also provides professional development for employees and with the goal of promoting healthier communities.  

Auxiliary members also serve as volunteers in a variety of areas at Franciscan St. Francis Health’s three hospitals.

To learn more about the St. Francis Healthcare Foundation, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/foundation.

Globally renowned business expert to visit Franciscan St. Francis Health

MAASAKI IMAI

INDIANAPOLIS – Maasaki Imai has earned reputation helping organizations and businesses around the world to develop quality management processes through an approach called kaizen, a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement” and “change for the better.”

This Japanese consultant is visiting Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis on Wednesday, June 13, for one of only five sites he will visit during his U.S. tour. Imai will emphasize the importance of leadership in effecting positive changes and discuss his newly released 2^nd edition of Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management.

 

The half-day event gets under way at 8 a.m. in the hospital auditorium, located at 8111 S. Emerson Ave. To register go to www.kaizen.com/events/imaitour2012.

 

Originating in Japan in the ashes of World War II, the kaizen philosophy is used by many health care organizations, government, banking, and myriad industries around the globe. Its premise is that small changes, occurring at various levels and in coordination, lead to better customer service, more efficient work and reduction in waste.

 

When used in the workplace, the process promotes activities which continually improve all functions, and involves all employees from the CEO to front-line workers.

 

Imai established the Kaizen Institute in 1986 to help Western companies introduce kaizen concepts, systems and tools. That same year, he published his book on Japanese management, Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success. This best-selling book has since been translated into 14 languages.

 

“Mr. Imai selected our hospital because of its steady and successful application of kaizen, which has strengthened our health care mission and goals,” said Joe Swartz director of business transformation.

 

Franciscan St. Francis Health adopted kaizen in 2007. Tens of thousands of suggestions and changes have been implemented since that time; 4,000 were submitted last year alone. In those five years, kaizen has saved St. Francis’ three hospitals in excess of $4 million.

 

“The most important thing is that kaizen has engaged all our staff members to make improvements that are good for themselves, good for their respective departments, good for our patients and their families, good for the hospital and good for our community,” said Swartz, who along with Mark Graban wrote Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements.