For the second year in a row, University Medical Center (UMC) in Lafayette has been named the Hospital of the Year for Respiratory Care for hospitals with less than 200 beds by the Louisiana Society for Respiratory Care (LSRC). The LSRC recognized UMC for having highly qualified respiratory therapists (RRTs) who possess high levels of competence and professionalism and a well coordinated RT department available around the clock at UMC. “The ongoing recognition of the UMC Respiratory Therapy Department by experts outside of UMC speaks to the high level of care that our RT Department provides,” said Larry Dorsey, UMC Hospital Administrator. “Our RT Department also has a superior facility, which allows them to provide the best possible care.”

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki addresses the gathering prior to the groundbreaking ceremorny. (click to enlarge)

A model of the new VA hospital. (click to enlarge)

From The Times-Picayune -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki officially launched construction of a new veterans medical complex in Mid-City this morning, promising retired, active and future military service men and women that the New Orleans facility will serve them for generations to come. "We are keeping faith with those who have kept faith with us," said Shinseki, a retired Army general who began his military service in Vietnam and rose to become U.S. Army chief of staff. "New Orleans is one of those great cities of America ... and of the world. We are proud to be part of your city." The $800 million complex is slated to open in 2013, almost eight years after Hurricane Katrina damaged the VA hospital in the downtown medical district. That facility currently houses limited clinic operations, while the VA has contracted with Tulane Medical Center to provide hospital care.

With a history of hurricanes hitting the state and now the Gulf oil catastrophe, Louisianians know disaster first hand, but the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti in January pushed the impoverished nation beyond the breaking point. Five months later, Haiti still welcomes outside aid, so from June 25 through July 11, two teams of medical professionals and volunteers from around the nation will be in Haiti for medical relief work.

A small electrical fire caused some tense moments at the Earl K. Long Medical Center Monday morning, but no one was injured. The fire, which was contained to an elevator building on the roof, caused smoke to enter the elevator shafts and the common areas on each floor. Patients and employees were ordered to shelter-in-place, which means that medical staff is required to stay with patients, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the hospital except first responders. A preliminary investigation reveals that a motor operating one of the elevators overheated and caused the fire. Following an inspection by the Louisiana State Fire Marshall’s office, the hospital resumed normal operations at 11:30 am.

District IV of the Louisiana State Nurses Association recently celebrated its twelfth annual Acadiana Celebrates Nurses program in recognition of National Nurses Week. Of the 25 top nurses in the district honored at the event, six are at University Medical Center. The following are those at UMC who were selected.

Gary Curtis, CEO, eQHealth Solutions (left), was on hand to congratulate Kurt Scott, LSU BMC Administrator, Jill Breazeale, Performance Improvement Coordinator, Cindy Ingram, Quality Resource Director, Anthony Pham, MD, Medical Director, and Sue Sihvonen, Quality Improvement Specialist.

All seven hospitals of the LSU Health Care Services Division received Hospital Quality Awards from eQHealth Solutions, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Louisiana, for improving the quality of their patients’ healthcare. LSU Bogalusa Medical Center received the Platinum Level 2009 Louisiana Hospital Quality Award. It is the highest level attainable and indicates that LSU BMC achieved significant clinical quality improvement in all clinical topics applicable for its inpatient population. LSU BMC is one of only 28 hospitals in the state to receive this honor.

EKLMC employees raised nearly $7,100 for the American Heart Association.

About 125 employees of Earl K. Long Medical Center raised money for and participated in the annual Capital Area Heart Walk at the Nicholson Exchange near the LSU campus. The event is a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Murphy Haydel, RN supervisor of the Cath Lab and chairperson for the event, said that EKLMC employees donated $7,095 to the association. To boost donations, employees also had bake sales and sold t-shirts. After the walk, EKLMC employees and their families were treated to a delicious jambalaya dinner, thanks to Missy Pinson, administrative supervisor of the EKLMC operating room, and her husband, Bob Pinson.

The seven hospitals of the LSU Health Care Services Division exceeded national and regional averages on an annual basis in the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey summarizing inpatient perspectives on the general quality of hospital services. This national, standardized, publicly reported survey compares the quality of hospitals on a regional and national basis. Most impressive is that University Medical Center, Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center and Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center scored statistically significantly above the national and/or regional averages in all composite and individual survey items.

The LSU Health System has been voted a "Best Place to Work" in the annual Encore Louisiana competition to highlight the best that Louisiana has to offer. LSU Bogalusa Medical Center was a nominee in this category as well.

The McKernan Law Firm of Baton Rouge donated two 42-inch flat-screen televisions to the Emergency Department waiting area of the Earl K. Long Medical Center. John Germany, RN, EKLMC director of nursing, below one of the tv’s in this photo, expressed his appreciation for the donation in a recent tv interview.

Photo by CLAUDETTE OLIVIER / AMERICAN PRESS

Lake Charles Junior League members Suzanne Cameron, left, and Diane LeBlanc, dressed as Dr. Seuss characters, help Chalkley Leach apply a temporary tattoo. In honor of Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s 106th birthday, the league partnered with the Louisiana Reach Out and Read Coalition to read to children visiting the W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center’s Pediatric Center.

Staff of the LSU North Baton Rouge Clinic has created the gaily decorated Tree of Life in the clinic lobby as an enduring symbol of hope, renewal and growth for its newborn and oncology patients. Ornaments on the tree contain photos of clinic patients, visible reminders of the good work the staff performs. “We celebrate our newborn babies. Photos of their little faces decorate our tree alongside photos of our brave oncology patients,” said Jeanie Gremillion, LPN, who was an impetus in developing the tree for the clinic. “Their struggles to come into this world are not unlike our cancer patient’s struggles in their determination to live.”

Louisiana will get $474.4 million for storm-related damage to Charity Hospital, and that decision by a federal arbitration panel is a gigantic step forward for New Orleans' recovery. FEMA and the state have been at a stalemate over this crucial recovery project for years, with the agency claiming that the hospital had only suffered $124 million in damage from flooding and the state insisting that the facility suffered more than 50 percent damage and was entitled to the full replacement cost of $492 million.

A federal arbitration panel awarded the state $474.7 million for damages Charity Hospital incurred during Hurricane Katrina, according to Marvin McGraw, LSU Health Sciences spokesman.

The thirteenth annual LSU Healthcare Effectiveness Forum recognized achievements of hospitals throughout the LSU Health Care Services Division (HCSD). The Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center Infection Prevention and Control Program received the TRRRAQSSS Award for its hospital improvement project “Reducing Surgical Site Infections Through Basic Practices.”

Dr. Kathy Viator, Hospital Administrator of the Earl K. Long Medical Center (EKLMC), presented to Sergeant Willie Stewart, of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office (EBRPSO), a certificate of recognition for bravery and service to the medical center for his actions on November 24, 2009, when he acted to ensure the safety of EKLMC patients, visitors, and staff. Sergeant Stewart noticed a woman that day in the EKLMC parking lot acting oddly after she had been instructed earlier in the day to leave the hospital grounds. When Sergeant Stewart approached the woman, she jumped into her car and refused his repeated requests to get out of the car. He saw bottles of alcohol in the car and an elderly passenger.