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Network: August/September/October 2008
Members of the Team: News Briefs Around Sentara
 Two Sentara Programs Named to U.S. News and World Report
Heart and heart surgery services at Sentara Heart Hospital and kidney services at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital each ranked among the top 50 programs in the nation in the 2008 America’s Best Hospitals Edition of U.S. News and World Report magazine.
Ranking 38th out of the top 50 hospitals, the cardiac program marks its ninth year among the nation’s top heart programs, demonstrating a mortality rate superior to seven of the top ten programs in the nation. For the second consecutive year, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s Kidney Program also earned accolades, ranking 42nd out of the top 50 and demonstrating a mortality rate superior to eight of the top ten programs in that specialty. Read a press release about the ranking.
Sentara Earns CIO-100 Award
Sentara will receive a prestigious CIO 100 award from CIO magazine, a leading publication in the information technology industry, for the deployment of wireless telephone technology throughout Sentara hospitals. The innovation puts fast-moving nurses in direct contact with physicians, managers and, if necessary, patients.
Sentara’s IT team used existing wireless infrastructure to save $850,000 on implementation costs. CIO magazine recognized this effort as a cost-effective innovation that improves patient care by improving communication for caregivers.
The award will be presented at the 2008 CIO awards in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Aug. 26, 2008. Read a news release about the award or view the August 15th issue of CIO magazine featuring awards coverage.
 Sentara School of Health Professions Holds Graduation
A graduation ceremony was held on June 4, 2008, at the Chesapeake Conference Center for 81 graduates of the Sentara School of Health Professions. This includes 55 graduates of the registered nursing program, 11 of the practical nursing program, 10 of the cardiovascular technology program and five of the surgical technology program.
Dr. Thomas Morris, governor-appointed secretary of education for the Commonwealth of Virginia was the keynote speaker. His comments centered around practicing the three "V's": value something important, volunteer and vote.
It was one of two commencement ceremonies the school holds each year. The registered nursing program opened in 1892 and became the School of Health Professions in 1993 when all of the allied health programs were combined with the RN program in one department. Learn more about Sentara School of Health Professions.
Pictured from left to right at the School of Health Professions graduation are:
Dr. Linda Aleksa, director of the School of Nursing; Dr. Thomas Morris, secretary of education for Virginia and keynote speaker; School of Nursing graduate Dixie Spore; Mike Taylor, senior vice president of Human Resources for Sentara; and Shelly Cohen, director of the School of Health Professions.
Sentara Leigh Hospital Rededicates Helipad
A rededication of the Sentara Leigh Helipad was held on June 16, 2008, to mark its new location in the hospital’s outpatient parking lot. Nightingale Air Ambulance, scheduled to make an inaugural landing on the pad, was grounded that day due to smoke from forest fires in North Carolina.
The celebration was attended by Sentara Leigh physicians, administrators and hospital staff. The helipad serves as a lifeline for those needing hyperbaric treatment and between Sentara Leigh and the Trauma and Tertiary Care Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The new location of the helipad will be in close proximity to the expanded Emergency Department, part of a $15 million renovation project now underway.
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| Sentara Bayside School at Work graduation. | Sentara Bayside Hospital Graduates First School at Work Class
Sentara Bayside Hospital held a graduation ceremony on July 17, 2008, to honor six employees upon completion of the hospital’s first School at Work class. Sentara CEO Dave Bernd stopped by to congratulate the employees and Lynn Fisher, CEO of Catalyst Learning, the company that delivers the curriculum, provided opening remarks.
The School at Work program encourages entry level employees in health care to pursue career growth and development into clinical or clinical support roles. It reinforces basic math, reading and writing skills and exposes participants to medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, medical ethics, and other health care related areas. The program is already in place at several Sentara hospitals.
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| Graduates of Sentara University. | Sentara Leigh Hosptial Congratulates Sentara University Graduates
Congratulations to the recent Sentara Leigh Hospital graduates of Sentara University.
Pictured from left to right are: Karen Richardson, RN, Emergency Department, completing Foundations I; Deloris Hampton, team coordinator, Emergency Department Registration, completing Foundations II; and Renee O’Garra, team leader, Environmental Services, completing Foundations II. O’Garra previously completed Sentara’s School at Work program.
Sentara Leigh also congratulates the following employees who also graduated but are not pictured: Erin VanHouten completing Foundations I; Linda Dietz completing Leadership Immersion; and Janet Moffett completing Leadership Immersion.
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| (L-R) Donald Barrow and Sylvia Whitaker, Optima Health; Karen Ignagni, AHIP; and Christopher Howard, Optima Health. | Optima Health Family Care Nets Community Leadership Award
Optima Health’s Family Care Program was awarded the 2008 Community Leadership Award from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) for its Girls Community Basketball Program.
The award was presented at AHIP’s annual meeting in San Francisco on June 18, 2008.
The Community Leadership Awards showcase organizations that demonstrate excellence in community outreach by identifying a specific community issue, establishing creative paths to address the problem, and collaborating on solutions.
Optima Health launched the Girls Community Basketball Program in 1998 in partnership with the Norfolk Department of Neighborhood & Leisure Services to have a positive influence on at-risk girls ages 12-14. Before each game, the program requires the girls to participate in 45 minutes of health education. The program has since expanded to serve more than 1,400 middle school girls in 31 locations in Virginia.
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| (L-R) Dixie Carr, respiratory therapist and a camp team leader, demonstrates a code drill for Nicole Randolph, a camp participant and junior volunteer. | Sentara Obici Hospital Hosts "Camp OBC"
Numerous area youngsters participated in Camp OBC – short for Occupations Basic to Caring — on June 24-27, 2008, at Sentara Obici Hospital. During the four-day camp, students learned about health care careers and the importance of taking care of their own health.
They enjoyed hands-on experiences in almost every area of the hospital. They learned how to start IVs (on fake arms), suture pseudo wounds, administer CPR and first aid. They also visited the morgue. The camp wrapped up with a closing ceremony and pizza party attended by the campers and their families.
Sentara Virginia Beach Emergency Department Expansion Complete
After a year of construction, staff and physicians in the Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Emergency Department moved into an 11,000 square-foot addition on July 15, 2008. While renovation of the existing space will continue over the next several months, the newly constructed emergency entrance is open and receiving patients.
Sentara Obici Hospital Earns Compassionate Employer Award
Sentara Obici Hospital administrators accepted a Compassionate Employer Award on May 27, 2008, following a nomination submitted by Sentara Obici Hospital Health Educator Lucy Drewry, RN. The nomination followed Drewry’s gratitude for the outpouring of support she received from the hospital after the death of her 12-year-old son, Luke, in 2006.
Pictured here accepting the plaque are left to right: Vice President of Medical Affairs Thomas Thames, MD; Hospital Administrator Rosemary Check; Health Educator Lucy Drewry, RN; and Chuck Collins, co-regional coordinator for The Compassionate Friends in Virginia.
New Appointments at Sentara
Congratulations to the following Sentara physicians, staff members and new Sentara team members on their appointments within the system:
- Martha R. Colen, BA, BSU, MBA, CASC, previous director of the Peninsula Surgery Center, has been named administrative director of Virginia Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center.
- Michael Gentry, previously a senior vice president with Adventist Health System in Winter Park, Fla., has accepted the position of corporate vice president – Sentara southside.
- Glen Jones, MD, who sees patients at the Executive Evaluation Center and the Dedicated Care Center, has been named Young Internist of the Year in Virginia by The American College of Physicians.
- Kris Kennedy, MD, who practices at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, was awarded the Carl W. Armstrong award from the Williamson School of Healthcare Leadership of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Health Administration for a project entitled “Informed Consent in Obstetrics; Patient Views and Preferences.”
- Gretchen LeFever, PhD, a former professor and consultant for Regent University, has been named director of patient safety initiatives for Sentara Healthcare. She will support Sentara’s patient safety initiatives along with co-director Carol Sale.
- Scott Miller, MD, formerly with NDC, has been selected as vice president of medical affairs for Sentara Leigh Hospital.
- Stacey Taylor, former director of finance for Sentara Obici Hospital, has been named controller for Sentara Healthcare, and will be responsible for the management of general accounting, payroll and accounts payable.
- Gary Yates, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Sentara, has been elected to the board of directors of VHA Inc., a Texas-based national health care cooperative.
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