ct-2011-wtr

SAINT JOSEPH HEALTH SYSTEMWINTER 2011 • VOL. 4 ISSUE 1

Miracleon the Water

Daughter of Laura Otte survives near-fatal accident

Hot Competition for IRON CHEFS

Helping HAITI

HEALTH SCREENING Saves a Life

“ Even though you can’t really see God –

He’s there. ” ALEX OTTE, 14-Year-Old Survivor Of Boating Accident

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is published quarterly by the Communications/Public Relations/Marketing department of Saint Joseph Health System for employees and their families. contact usSaintJosephCommonThread.orgSaint Joseph HospitalAttn: PR & MarketingOne Saint Joseph Dr.Lexington, KY 40504859.313.1845 publisherSaint Joseph Health System executive editorJeff Murphy editorKara Fitzgerald art directorLiz Sword contributing writersKym RussellKathie StampsAmy Taylor photographersTim CollinsRon PerrinShaun RingLee ThomasTim Webb marketing staffCindy ClarkAngela FlorekNeva FrancisKatie HeckmanSharon HershbergerTonya LewisCyndi McGrawStephanie SarrantonioKevin Smith SJHS president’s councilGene Woods, CEO, SJHSEd Carthew, CHRO, SJHSGary Ermers, CFO, SJHSMike Garrido, VP, Mission Integration, SJHSJackie Kingsolver, Associate Counsel, CHIJim Parobek, President, Physician Enterprise, SJHSMark Streety, CIO, SJHSDaniel Varga, MD, CMO, SJHSVirginia Dempsey, President, SJLGreg Gerard, President, SJBKen Haynes, President, SJH/SJE/SJJBruce Klockars, President, FMH/SJMSKathy Stumbo, President, SJM

Saint Joseph Health System is dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment. Common Thread is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certifi ed Paper. The FSC promotes the responsible use of the world’s forests as a renewable and sustainable resource by making sure the forests are managed properly and are not depleted.

Welcome to 2011, the fi rst year of a new decade that is likely to bring signifi cant changes to Saint Joseph Health System, including the opportunity to partner with new organizations and expand quality care even further across Kentucky. As the year progresses, we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of discussions we are currently having with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Healthcare and the University of Louisville Hospital. As we move into this exciting, potential new venture, please be assured that we are keeping the mission and values of Saint Joseph Health System as the

guiding principle of our conversations and plans for the new organization.

Also with the new year, we are launching a new version of Common Thread. This expanded and newly designed magazine continues to focus on the inspiring stories of our co-workers and their commitment to patients and families, with more pages to tell the amazing stories of outreach and mission in our communities.

In a few short months, we will celebrate the opening of the brand new Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling, which is nearing the end of construction, with a target date of June 16 to transfer patients into the new hospital. This will complete the fourth major construction project in two short years for Saint Joseph Health System, following Saint Joseph - Jessamine, The Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East, and most recently, Saint Joseph - London.

As we look to continue the expansion of our compassionate care across the state, I remain appreciative and humbled by your dedication to our patients. It is wonderful to share this extraordinary journey with each of you.

Gene Woods,Saint Joseph Health System CEO

Letter from the CEO

New Year, New Opportunities

“… we are keeping the

mission and values of Saint

Joseph Health System as

the guiding principle of our

conversations and plans

for the new organization.”

Winter 2011 common thread 1

Winter 2011 Contents

10 Spotlight LexingtonSJHS was the presenting sponsor of the Spotlight Lexington festival during the World Equestrian Games last fall and hosted several events.

14 Breathing EasierFlaget’s new pediatric rescue equipment will help babies like Brody, who struggled to breathe as he was rushed to the ER with croup.

22 Hot Competition for Iron ChefsChefs John Herzog, Devontae Washington and David Carpenter serve up their award-winning dishes.

16 Laura Otte’s family is changed forever as daughter Alex miraculously survives a near-fatal boating accident last summer.

MiracleOn the Water

FEATURES

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2 common thread Winter 2011

3 New ThreadsHow a potential merger with Jewish, U of L will create a statewide health care network; plus other hot topics.

6 Mission MomentsBryan Boling returns from Haiti with stories of faith and courage.

9 Welcome to My WorldTim Ferguson shows us the big picture as he talks about his job as an imaging technologist in Mount Sterling.

12 Face of GodStaff members in Martin change the rules of the game to help a patient and his son.

20 Servant LeadershipBen Wiederholt leads by example as he lives our mission daily.

26 Healthy SpiritHealth screening may have saved Rita Wheeler’s life just in the nick of time.

28 Health Care HeroDr. Satyabrata Chatterjee recalls his 22-year history of mending hearts in London.

29 Common ViewMike Stahl’s leading spirit helps physicians learn the business side of health care.

30 Photo FileSJHS employees are captured at various community events and internal celebrations in this photo gallery. Take a peek.

Contents Winter 2011

DEPARTMENTS

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Try your luck at our Reader Reward challenge for a chance to win a limited edition red Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus.

ETC.

See inside back cover for details.

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The new

Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling

hospital will open this June.

The all-private room

hospital is located on Falcon

Drive in Mount Sterling

(near Days Inn on Maysville

Road, just off exit 110/I-64).

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WEBB

Saint Joseph Hospital

Flaget Memorial Hospital

SJ - London

SJ - Berea

SJ - JessamineSJ JJessamiSJ EastEast

SJ - Mount SterlingJewish Hospital - Shelbyville

University Medical CenterJewish Hospital

Sts. Mary & Elizabeth HospitalFrazier Rehabilitation Institute

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SJ - Martin


Catholic Health Initiatives and its Kentucky-based operation, Saint Joseph

Health System, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare/Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, University of Louisville Hospital/James Graham Brown Cancer Center and the University of Louisville have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to merge into a statewide health services organization to improve the quality of care for the people of Kentucky.

The LOI follows nearly eight months of discussions and represents the next step toward the eventual creation of the network. Combined, the organi-zations will include 91 locations, 2,500 beds, 15,000 employees and more than 3,000 physicians throughout the state to provide care for all Kentuckians, and others throughout the region and nation. The three organizations have combined revenues of more than $2 billion.

Extending care throughout the state is a signifi cant principle behind the groups’ efforts. The federal government estimates that the state will be short 3,000 physicians by 2020. Growing the educational and training opportunities for new physicians also will be part of the discussions.

Since beginning talks in March 2010, the organizations have explored many subjects including equity, governance, the role of academic medicine in a new entity, similarities of purpose among the parties, and more. While no defi nitive decisions have been made at this point, leaders of all four organizations believe there is enough commonality to continue discussions and will work toward a defi nitive agreement. Although no specifi c deadline has been determined, this stage can take approximately 12 months.

Potential merger with Jewish, U of L will create

STATEWIDE HEALTH CARE NETWORK

Read the full news release, and additional information on our potential partners, at SaintJosephHealthSystem.org.

When fi nalized, the new entity will:• Have statewide geographic reach• Include a capital investment by Catholic Health

Initiatives exceeding $300 million throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky

• Expand the Academic Medical Center in Louisville to include the University of Louisville Hospital, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Jewish Hospital and Frazier Rehab Institute

• Extend the research and teaching programs of the University of Louisville statewide

• Be governed by a community board of trustees representing the Commonwealth that will have fi duciary responsibilities

As part of a new model of health care, the organizations are developing plans to address:• Changes brought by health care reform• Medically underserved communities• Health challenges faced by Kentuckians, including

cancer, cardiovascular problems, obesity and stroke• Innovative uses of medical research and

technology, such as telemedicine• Training of medical professionals and

a physician shortage

Initiatives (CHI) system. This project is part of CHI’s Clinical IT Strategy. The system is an Allscripts product, and it will integrate with the Ambulatory Electronic Health Record (AEHR). In fi scal year 2011, the Physician Practice Management System will be implemented in all of our physician practices in Kentucky.

NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR: Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH) recently was awarded a Silver Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for successfully increasing the number of organs available for transplantation. SJH is one of four hospitals in Kentucky (one of 307 in the nation) to be recognized for achieving and sustaining national organ donation goals, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors. SJH’s partnership with Kentucky Organ Donor Affi liates (KODA) is paramount to its success in increasing life-saving donations. To learn how you can become an organ donor, visit DonateLifeKy.org.

IMPACT CHANGE: Defunct parking meters throughout Lexington have been colorfully decorated by local artists and repurposed for the Impact Change project, developed by the Downtown Lexington Corporation

Photo: Jessica Gies, vice president of business development for the Downtown Lexington Corporation, modeled one of the “Impact Change” meters coming soon to SJH and SJE.

All fi scal year 2010 recipients of the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses throughout Saint Joseph Health System were honored at an appreciation dinner Sept. 7, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza in Lexington. Gene Woods, CEO, our nursing leaders and members of the executive team led the ceremony.

Congratulations once again to all the Daisy Award winners for providing extraordi-narily compassionate and skilled care to our patients. Several Daisy recipients attended the appreciation dinner along with nursing leaders, members of the executive team and CEO Gene Woods (front, center).

Foundation and Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority, and sponsored by the Kentucky Blood Center. These specially refi tted parking meters will be located at local businesses and hot spots around town, including Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH), Saint Joseph East (SJE) and YMCA facilities (High Street and North – a home base for Saint Joseph Healthy Living Center). The Impact Change meters will collect people’s spare change which will go directly to Downtown Lexington Corporation member organizations that help the homeless and those in need such as the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, Salvation Army and The Nest – Center for Women, Children and Families.

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HONORING OUR DAISIES:

NEWthreads

NEW STRATEGIC PLAN: Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) has released its 2011-2015 strategic plan, which is the organization’s roadmap for the next fi ve years, defi ning our course in the areas of people, quality, stewardship and growth. The SJHS Strategic Plan is an extension of Catholic Health Initiatives’ (CHI) Strategic Plan and is fully aligned and integrated with the One CHI Vision: living our mission and core values (Catholic), improving the health of the people and communities we serve (Health), and pioneering models and systems of care to enhance care delivery (Initiatives). Download the new SJHS Strategic Plan at SaintJosephHealthSystem.org (under the “About Us” heading).

PERSON-CENTERED CARE: The Saint Joseph Health System Nursing Annual Report for fi scal year 2010 was published to recap recent nursing accomplishments throughout the system. It is an impressive collection of milestones. Check it out at SaintJosephHealth-System.org (under the “About Us” heading).

NO WAIT ER: Every facility within Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) has introduced a “No Wait ER” – a groundbreaking program in which emergency care begins within fi ve minutes of a patient’s arrival time and a doctor examines the patient within 30 minutes. This new time frame allows the hospital to provide a better experience for patients – lessening anxiety and frustration –while continuing to deliver the same high-quality care that patients expect from SJHS.

BEREA HEALTH MINISTRY EXPANSION: Saint Joseph - Berea was awarded a three-year grant to partner with Berea Health Ministries, a rural health clinic and service for the poor, to design and implement a project that emphasizes primary health care, preventative health and expanded hours for the poor, uninsured and underserved target audience. The grant is provided by the Mission and Ministry Fund of Catholic Health Initiatives.

PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: The Physician Practice Management System went live at Saint Joseph - London and Saint Joseph - Martin Nov. 1. The new electronic system standardizes patient scheduling and billing functions in employed physician practices across the Catholic Health

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TIBryan Boling found an unusual window

of opportunity in late June 2010. He was moving from Saint Joseph East to work at Saint Joseph Hospital as a registered nurse in the cardiothoracic vascular unit (CTVU). He asked to take a week off between jobs. And, through a series of serendipitous events he wound up in Haiti as a medical volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse, an organization several other Saint Joseph Health System employees have assisted.

Boling and his wife, Sarah, have both volunteered on mission trips – but this was Boling’s fi rst medical mission and his fi rst time visiting a developing country. He expected it to be something like Jamaica where the couple went on their honeymoon.

On his fi rst day in Haiti, Boling called his wife and said he might have made a big mistake. “It was totally foreign to me. I was in a third-world country, I didn’t speak

the language and I wasn’t prepared for the poverty in Port-au-Prince. The poverty is beyond anything I could’ve imagined.”

After a long day of travel, he arrived at the main compound for Samaritan’s Purse in Titiyan. There, he learned he would be moving to the Jax Beach camp, a smaller camp near the epicenter of the quake.

The Jax Beach camp ran mobile medical clinics, taking medical care to people living in tent cities or areas where transportation was limited.

The Samaritan’s Purse organization hires local people wherever they go for relief missions. Here, Haitians, many who lost everything in the earthquake, were employed to assist the medical teams: setting up tents for clinics, translating, cooking, providing security, driving and assisting with many other jobs.

Bryan Boling returns from Haiti with stories of faith, courageBy Kym Russell

Mission MOMENTS




On his second day with the mobile clinic, Boling was working in triage in a village with another medical volunteer. While he was speaking some Kreyol, the local language, he depended on a translator for detailed information.

While his team was not seeing people with medical conditions directly related to the earthquake, Boling believes their health was exacerbated by it. For instance, many patients had hypertension and when Boling asked for more information, he learned people had not slept since the catastrophe for fear another one would occur in the night. Families were taking turns to stay awake all night to wake the others in time to get out. Even so, people complaining of mild symptoms had blood pressure readings that would put them in the ICU in Lexington.

He spoke of a 75-year-old woman who came to see the doctor for blood pressure medication. Boling described what happened in his HeadedtoHaiti.wordpress.com blog:

“I put the blood pressure cuff on her arm and seeing how she was here for high blood pressure, pumped the cuff up to 220. As soon as I released the valve, I heard sounds. I pumped the cuff up higher. I took her pressure three times; the best pressure was 220/180. She was complaining of a horrible headache.”

He alerted the doctor and was instructed to get her to the hospital. He found the team’s driver and thought the patient was ready to go. Then, the team leader told him to escort the patient. Boling wrote:

“Here I am, I thought, with a patient and a driver who neither one speak English and I speak no Kreyol (other than being able to say hello and tell them how often to take their pills!) and I’m going to a hospital run by

Cubans, hoping that someone there will speak English. Grand Goave isn’t too far down the road from today’s clinic site. When we get there, it is like a miniature version of Port-au-Prince. The damage from the earthquake is evident. Not only that, but this is a city in the developing world, not a rural village. It is noisy and crowded and I’m beginning to wonder if it was wise to come alone.

Still, I’m never afraid. I have a total peace about this. I know that I’m doing the right thing and that God is with me. It was a strange sensation. I didn’t feel like God will protect me and keep me safe, but I did feel like if He doesn’t, I’m OK with that. Not that I have a death wish, but I just trusted that He was in control, no matter what.”

Boling’s story takes many twists and turns. At the end of the day, his patient returned to the clinic to fi nd him. She told him she received a shot at the hospital and her headache was gone. Boling checked and her blood pressure was lower. So, in Kreyol, Boling gave her a 30-day supply of nifedipine and explained how to take it. “I felt like I’d helped somebody that day,” he said.

Boling plans to return to Haiti in early 2011 to help with the Cholera epidemic.

“The main reason I got into health care was because I felt God calling me to develop skills and knowledge necessary to care for the sick and injured,” he said. Boling said he hopes to continue reaching out to the underserved and those in need who can benefi t from his life’s calling as a nurse. His passion to help others, he said, is God directing his footsteps.

The local Haitians hired by

Samaritan’s Purse did not

know the American volunteers

coming to help for a week did

not get paid. When Boling’s

team found out, they were

very moved and vowed to tell

everyone that the volunteers

and their supporters were

doing God’s work.

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Welcome to My WORLD

The new Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling (SJMS) hospital is scheduled to open this summer, and Timothy Ferguson

is eagerly awaiting the event. Tim has been a staff technologist at SJMS since July 1, 2002, when it was Mary Chiles Hospital. He has an MBA in health care adminis-tration from Indiana Wesleyan University, plus several other initials after his name, including Registered Technologist (RT) in Computed Tomography (CT) and Radiography, and Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS) in abdomen, OB-GYN and vascular (RVT). Ferguson has also cross-trained in Nuclear Medicine and has been a clinical instructor in Sonography and Radiologic Technology for Morehead State University students at SJMS.

What makes you good at your job? I could not be good at my job without

the help of the staff I work with. I feel that keeping God at the center of everything we do will ensure that we are successful in all things. This success is not always by the standards of people, but by the standards of God.

The Big PictureTim Ferguson talks about his job as an imaging technologist

What inspires you? My motivation is to see the will of God

carried out in my life. In close proximity to this motivation is the inspiration that I receive from my family. My wife, Alison, and I have been married for seven years and we have two sons, 4-year-old Drew and 2-year-old Ijah, a nickname for Elijah.

How do you explain nuclear medicineto your kids?

They understand that I work at the hospital and I take pictures of people who are sick or injured. When we pass the new hospital that is under construction my oldest son always says, “There is Daddy’s new hospital!”

What do you do away from work? I love the outdoors. I enjoy golf, hunting,

hiking and literally any other activity or sport involving my family and the outdoors. I also enjoy projects ranging from tiling a fl oor, building a deck or working with electronics and computers.

Tttaatt

What do your duties include? I perform daily technologist tasks and

imaging procedures in the modalities of computed tomography and radiography, and sonography. I also serve as our department educator.

What is a typical day for you? I begin my morning by checking on my

family, reading a devotion from the Bible, and then catching a few minutes of SportsCenter on ESPN before leaving for work. I work four ten-hour shifts. Thus, I provide coverage in X-ray, CT, sonography and nuclear medicine from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

What changes have you noticed over the years?

The transition from Mary Chiles Hospital to Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling is the most obvious. We are also in the process of changing from acquiring radiographic images on fi lm to using digital imaging techniques. This will be fully implemented at the replacement facility that is currently under construction.

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By Kathie Stamps


Saint Joseph Health System

was the presenting sponsor of the Spotlight Lexington festival

during the World Equestrian Games, Sept. 24-Oct. 10. Thousands

fl ocked to enjoy 17 days of music, entertainment and family fun

as Lexington hosted the international event. Saint Joseph also

served as the broadcast sponsor of the Games on WLEX-TV.

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1 SJE culinary team members (left to right) John Herzog, David Carpenter and Devontae Washington battled the chefs of Holly Hill Inn, a popular restaurant in Midway, Oct. 2 in an “Iron Chef” competition. SJE won the challenge with judges commenting on their great use of creativity and fl avor.

2 Nutritional Services Director Amanda Goldman (front, center) and members of her culinary team at SJH and SJE hosted “Iron Chef” competitions, utilizing fresh farmers market ingredients. WKYT reporter Barbara Bailey (blue scarf) and Tim Livesay (right), director of environ-mental services, co-emceed the event.

3 SJHS displayed an infl atable “mega-heart” that kids could walk through to explore the inner workings of their heart during Spotlight Lexington.

4 Random judges were selected from the crowd to score each team’s dishes during the “Iron Chef” competitions hosted by SJHS. Each team had to use everything that was provided in their identical farmers market baskets, or they would lose points.

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5 Sharon Hershberger (right), director of public affairs at SJL, with helper Sue Andrews (left) donned a special apple costume to encourage healthy eating and to pass out apples to attendees. Apples were labeled with a “Saint Joseph Connection” sticker promoting our system-wide physician referral service.

6 SJHS hosted a booth in Courthouse Plaza throughout Spotlight Lexington. Employees distributed healthy living resources and promotional items, and answered questions about our hospitals and services.

7 Saint Joseph Heart Institute staff members provided free blood pressure checks outside the mega-heart display, and educated the crowd about living a heart-healthy lifestyle.

8 SJH culinary team members (left to right) Derek Nielsen, Tim Kiser and Pedro Green showcased their dishes during the “Iron Chef” competition Sept. 25. They lost by only three points to the chefs of Saul Good, a local Lexington eatery.

9 SJHS created a mini-circus where kids chose among several educational games, talked to the “doctor on stilts,” watched a magic show and had their faces painted to become honorary members of the circus.

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FACE of GOD

had been there since the night before. Staff members reported that Charlie had no one to stay with. He stayed hungry, was frequently calling out for snacks and doing what he could for attention. Additionally, there were safety concerns with a boy jumping on the bed and using the bed controls like a toy.”

Now, retelling the story, Salyer said that she and Mary Little, inpatient nurse manager, went together to see the patient and his son. “I went in with the attitude that we had to get the boy somewhere else while his dad was here,” Salyer said. “The fi rst thing I did was unplug the hospital bed for safety reasons. Our patient, Scott, was very sick. He had put off coming to the hospital because he had no one to watch his son.”

As Salyer and Little talked with Scott about possible caregivers they learned that Charlie’s mother had moved and there were no grandparents or relatives to take Charlie.

Little remembers thinking how fortunate she was to have her family – and how she wanted to make this child feel as comfortable as if he were her son. She said, “It was sad.

Last spring, Judy Salyer, a hospital social worker with Saint Joseph - Martin for 15 years, arrived at work

to fi nd a situation unlike any she had ever encountered at the rural, 25-bed hospital.

The moment she walked in, a nurse aide rushed toward her and said, “You need to go to room 217!’’

“You know it’s going to be a challenging day when they’re waiting for you at the door,” she laughed. Instead, it was the beginning of an experience so meaningful that she submitted an article about it to Sacred Stories, an annual book published by Catholic Health Initiatives.

In her article, Salyer described the situation:

“As I entered the medical/surgical unit, I reviewed the patient’s chart and spoke with the nursing staff about their concerns. The patient, ‘Scott,’ had been admitted to the hospital with severe pancreatitis. His 11-year-old son, ‘Charlie,’ was staying in the room with him, sharing the other bed, and generally making himself at home. He

changingTHE RULES OF the game

Staff members in Martinextend unique care to a patient’s son

By Kym Russell

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Mary Little, Judy Salyer and Samantha Stratton


BY BEN WIEDERHOLT,

Vice President of Mission Integration

Saint Joseph Health System’s

(SJHS) service excellence initiatives

are built upon the fundamental

belief that we are called to see

the F.A.C.E. of God in every patient

we have the privilege to serve.

This principle fl ows directly from

our mission to nurture this healing

ministry, emphasize human dignity

and social justice, and create

healthy communities. As members

of the SJHS community we have the

responsibility to ensure that these

standards are lived and experienced

by our patients and one another.

Although it can be diffi cult

to measure the extent to which

our mission is integrated into our

operations and care delivery, our

patient satisfaction results are

primary examples of how we can

measure our effectiveness of sharing

God’s healing presence. When we

exceed the expectations of our

patients and treat all patients with

equal reverence we fulfi ll our mission

to emphasize human dignity and

social justice. When we provide

our patients with their best health

care experience, they will likely

entrust their care to us again and

we fulfi ll our mission to nurture our

healing ministry and create healthy

communities.

Our patients could go to any other

health care facility and know they

are being cared for, but what must

be different for our patients is that

they know they are not only being

cared for, but they are deeply and

personally cared about as well.

F.A.C.E. is also an acronym

for Formation, Accountability,

Communication and Evaluation and

all the best practices to engineer

the optimal experience we desire

for all our patients fall under these

four themes. We are very intentional

about using the word “always” in

regard to seeing the face of God.

It reminds us of human dignity,

which means every patient is

treated equally through consistently

providing the best care no matter

what services they are receiving

and the clinical covenant that exists

between us and our patients.

Also, when our patients receive

a phone call survey asking them

about their experience, the majority

of the questions are based on the

frequency in which we met a care

standard: 1-never, 2-sometimes,

3-usually or 4-always. Our goal is to

earn an always answer with every

patient for every question. We want

to be an always health system made

up of always employees.

Thanks to the many employees

who participated in the LEARN

module introducing this program

and there will be more information

forthcoming. We hope that with

each edition of Common Thread we

can highlight examples of seeing the

face of God throughout our system

and this story in Martin is a wonderful

example. As we participate in the

legacy of caring established by Jesus

and carried forward by the sisters

and all who have served before us,

let us always seek and fi nd the face

of God as they did.

We realized there was no one for him. With heavy hearts we knew that we had to make a decision.”

It was Charlie who struck the deal.Standing quietly by his father’s bed and

gently rubbing his dad’s leg, he interrupted the adults.

He bargained, “It’s just me and my dad. I will be good here because my dad is sick and has to be here.”

Salyer and Little silently agreed. They had to make sure Charlie was cared for, too.

“I thought we could pull together and keep Charlie safe. It could have gone another way at a larger facility or a different hospital, but we decided we would occupy this child so his dad could recover. I called Charlie’s school and confi rmed the information about his family. Then, I went to the hospital adminis-trators and explained the situation. We got approval to let Charlie stay instead of calling social services,” Salyer said. “That would have meant removing Charlie and placing him in foster care. Once the courts are involved, it is a process for a parent to get a child back.”

Salyer explained the deal to Charlie. “I told him that he could stay but he needed to behave so his dad could get better. He understood his part of the agreement.”

Salyer found some coloring books and games. The hospital dietitian, Samantha Stratton, made sure Charlie got extra snacks and meals. And, as word got out among the staff, Charlie soon had new friends dropping by to play or say hello.

“At fi rst, we were surprised,” Stratton said. “But, having Charlie stay was just common sense and everyone was so welcoming you could tell that all his fears were settled. Initially, he was anxious about his dad. Being together eased their minds. Supporting them was part of healing, they needed a little help.”

When Scott had to be out of the room for tests or procedures, Salyer, Little or Stratton made sure Charlie had company. In a few days, Scott was recovering and ready to go home. Scott thanked Salyer, saying he knew that he would not have gotten the kind of care his little family received anywhere else.

Salyer said, “I didn’t say it, but we could not have done otherwise. If any one of us had been in the same situation, we would want our child to be cared for and safe.”

Looking back, Salyer said she submitted her story to Sacred Stories because it demonstrated so many Saint Joseph values. “There was so much compassion and a different level of care. We came together as a facility to be able to care for both of them. Prayer can move mountains, this time it moved an entire hospital to care for a little boy.”

Always See the FACE of GOD


whose chest was retracting as much as his. That child was critically ill.”

An epinephrine breathing treatment cleared the baby’s upper airway, the physician said. Then “a steroid shot helped with infl am-mation and swelling in the upper airway.”

In a short time Brody was inhaling and exhaling more peacefully.

“I’m not sure I have ever been so happy as when I walked back into the patient’s room and he was breathing easily enough to look up at his mom and smile,” Craycroft said.

The baby’s problem was croup, a viral or bacterial illness that causes swelling around the vocal chords, a dangerous condition that can block breathing.

“Flaget did so well at getting it under control,” his mother said.

Just days later, the hospital received a grant in the amount of $11,000 from the WHAS Crusade for Children. The money was used to purchase lifesaving equipment for children, including a Broselow/Hinkle pediatric code cart for the emergency department, and pediatric emergency kits for each fl oor of the hospital. Flaget supplemented the grant with $780 that bought four guides that cover pediatric resuscitation and proper use of the new equipment.

This equipment would have been a help to Craycroft when she was treating Brody, the physician said.

“This cart has drawers for the exact size of the child, and tells you what dose of medicine and what type of equipment you need to use every time.”

Flaget Emergency Department Director Laura Larue, RN, BSN, MBA, and Vice President of Mission Integration Ben Wiederholt wrote the grant application for the equipment, and presented it to the WHAS Crusade board this past summer.

“When you have a baby or child in cardio-pulmonary arrest, there is no greater sense of urgency,” Larue said. “Fortunately for the children, families and health care providers, this is not something that happens frequently. That makes it all the more important to have these tools. Children are all different sizes, and we are not able to use a ‘standard’ dose of medication or standard type of equipment. The Broselow/Hinkle color-coded system makes resuscitation faster, easier, more effi cient and safer for all children.”

In a life-threatening situation, this rescue equipment can make all the difference, Larue said. “We are so appreciative to the Crusade for making this donation.”

The Crusade, which was established by Louisville’s WHAS TV, has been raising money since 1954 to better the lives of children in Kentucky and southern Indiana. Learn more at WHAScrusade.org.

BY AMY TAYLOR

It was a quiet evening in mid-October of last year when Kim Downs tucked her baby in bed for the night. Chubby-cheeked Brody drifted off to sleep. A while later his mother, a registered nurse, heard the fi ve-month-old coughing, and crying with every cough. She heard a shrill, harsh cry come from his throat. It had an eerie barking sound. She knew her child was struggling to breathe.

Downs rushed Brody to Flaget Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.

“He was agitated, and he had chest retractions – where his chest would sink into his ribs when he inhaled,” the mother said. “He was using every muscle he had to breathe. That was scary.”

Dr. Laurie Craycroft treated the little boy in the emergency department that night. Craycroft has a son just three days younger than Brody.

“This situation is scary, no matter what,” Craycroft said. “But Brody being so close in age to my son – that gave me an extra pang of fear. Plus I have honestly never seen a child

“He was using every muscle he had

to breathe. That was scary.”

New pediatric rescue equipment will help babies like Brody

breathingEASIER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RON PERRIN




Last year’s Fourth of July weekend started out as

pure pleasure for the Otte family. That Friday Laura Otte, one of the house adminis-trators for Saint Joseph Hospital, had spent a peaceful day with her mother, Betty, watching her daughter, Alex, and her son, Tyler, swim in Herrington Lake. Joe Otte, Laura’s ex-husband, best friend and Alex’s dad, had bought a house on the lake so the kids and their friends could enjoy summers on the peaceful water. There was not a cloud in the sky that day. Little did Laura suspect that within hours Alex’s body would be so crushed and mutilated that the 13-year-old’s life would hang by a thread.

Late in the day, Laura and 7-year-old Tyler were getting ready to tie up their little boat. Alex, steering a Jet Ski as she had been trained to do in coast guard classes, was accompanying her mom and brother to make sure they made it safely to the family’s dock. Alex was 45 yards away from her mother in the water when the family saw a 17-foot bass boat with an outboard motor speeding through the water. Alex waited for the driver to pass so she could make a left turn into her family’s dock. Instead, the driver hurtled straight at the girl, ramming her so hard that Alex went airborne.

“He was going so fast he capsized his boat,” Laura said.

“He was so drunk that he never saw her.”

Laura screamed, then jumped into the water to go after Alex. Just then Joe fl ew down the dock steps to jump on another Jet Ski and go after his child. Joe, a former water rescue Marine, rolled his unresponsive daughter over and was able to keep her afl oat while Laura, a former helicopter fl ight nurse, kept Alex’s airway open and her broken neck aligned. Fortunately, the girl was wearing a life jacket.

“The miracles started coming,” the mother said. “I could never have gotten her out of the water without Joe, and medically, he needed me. When I tried to open Alex’s airway, her bottom jaw kind of crumbled in my hand. It was so badly fractured, I knew immediately she had suffered a signifi cant head injury.”

“There had to be

divine intervention.”

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BY AMY TAYLOR


The parents knew nothing of the horrible extent of the girl’s injuries. It wasn’t until they hoisted her up onto the boat that they saw “her right leg was about gone. It was holding on by tendons. We assume the propeller cut it off.”

It took everything Laura had to set her mother role aside long enough to rescue Alex and assess her. By this time, thanks to a neighbor’s phone call, the fi re department had arrived and was carrying Alex up the steep hillside on a backboard. Each of the slim girl’s thighs was as big as her mother’s torso. Her leg bones were crushed. Her thighs had swollen grotesquely.

Laura had the Air Methods rescue helicopter called. At the same time, Joe Otte called Dr. Joseph Richardson, medical director of a fl ight service, at his home. In a fl ash, Richardson was on the phone trying to get the closest available helicopter to respond. While she waited, the mother spoke what she was sure would be her fi nal words to her daughter.

“I kissed her and said good-bye to her, and told her I would love her forever,” Laura said, hot tears fl owing. “I told her she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve spent 23 years in critical care. I knew she was going to be dead when she got to the hospital.”

Then came the second miracle. An empty rescue helicopter was only six minutes away – an unheard of break for the girl. Then there was an empty fi eld right near Joe’s home, so there was a landing zone. In no time, Alex was loaded into the helicopter.

In the meantime, Alex’s little brother was fl oating away in the family boat. Bill McAnly, a neighbor and family friend, jumped into the water with his surfboard, paddled out to Tyler and brought him back. Bill’s wife, Cam, took care of the boy while Bill rushed Laura, dripping wet, 40 miles to Lexington to the trauma hospital.

Another miracle awaited Laura. When she got to the hospital, Richardson, the Saint Joseph Hospital physician and family friend who had summoned the helicopter for Alex in mere minutes, was there to greet her.

“The fi rst thing he said to me was, ‘Laura, she’s still alive!’” the mother said.

Joe, Laura’s parents, her sisters and their families, and some of Laura’s co-workers and friends were also there to keep vigil with her. Then came another miracle.

Naomi North, a registered nurse who works in the Saint Joseph Hospital emergency department, was summoned by the ED charge nurse at the local trauma hospital, where North also works, to take care of Laura’s daughter.

“That meant they weren’t taking care of a pediatric trauma patient,” Laura said. “That meant they were taking care of my Alex. You can’t imagine the gratitude I felt to see a familiar face.”

The teen spent about 4 ½ hours in surgery. Her femurs, which were shattered, were put in traction as an attempt to stop internal bleeding and swelling. Her right foot was amputated. She had a fractured neck bone, a mangled jaw, a lacerated liver and violent damage to her brain that doctors compared to shaken baby syndrome. Her shoulder bone was cracked. That Sunday surgeons placed rods in both legs to fi x

the fractured femurs. A few days later, they amputated the rest

Melanie Sanguigni (left), a fellow house administrator and friend of Laura Otte, shared a laugh with Alex Otte (right) during a recent visit at Saint Joseph Hospital.


of Alex’s leg below the knee.Titanium plates and screws were implanted

to stabilize the teen’s jaw.“They stretched her mouth to get the

hardware in. She continues to have numbness and tingling in her chin all the time from her facial nerve being fractured during the accident,” her mother said. “But she never complains. She’s a better person than I am.”

Alex was in the hospital for three weeks. Meanwhile, an untold number of people at Saint Joseph Hospital were praying for her, according to Melanie Sanguigni, one of fi ve house administrators who work at Saint Joseph with Laura. Hundreds of Saint Joseph workers knew Laura from ICU, PACU, her house administrator role at Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East, or had been educated by her as lead AHA coordinator teaching ACLS, PALS and CPR.

“Every day we house administrators would see hundreds of people inquiring about the Ottes’ status and asking what they could do,” Sanguini said. “The answer was always, ‘Pray for her.’ For a child to go home only 21 days after being so badly injured can only be the work of God. There had to be divine intervention.”

Just before Alex returned home, Sanguini asked her co-workers to sign a poster for the girl and donate money. Within two days, $1,000 was collected.

“Alex received balloons, balloons, balloons, a large candy basket, a cookie bouquet and over $500 in cash, along with a poster board with hundreds of signatures,” Sanguini said. “The amount of people who gave was just outrageous.”

The teen was in a wheelchair for about three months. She wore a “C” collar for the neck fracture. She couldn’t use crutches because of the broken shoulder. If she needed to go to the bathroom at night, she crawled. Still, she insisted on returning to school with her classmates at the end of the summer.

“She told her physician that she wanted to go back to school Aug. 18,” Laura said. “She couldn’t even sit up. The physician said, ‘Honey, there’s no way you’ll do that.’ But that child went back to school Aug. 18.”

In November 2010 the girl received her fi rst prosthetic lower leg. She is currently learning how to use it.

Alex is grateful for the tremendous support she’s received from the Saint Joseph staff and from students and teachers at her school. “They’ve been amazing,” Alex said. “One kid in my class said, ‘Can we see your leg? Not to be mean or anything.’ The teacher said that would embarrass me. But I took off my leg and held it up high so everybody could see it. I know they care about me.”

Her young voice brimming with

excitement and courage and hope, Alex talks about one of the blessings of her accident: getting a puppy named Kya.

“My family and my friends and my puppy have helped me through this. I decided I wasn’t going to let this stop me from doing what I used to do. I’m trying to get back to playing basketball. I don’t want to quit because of this. I get really tired and really sore, but I’m trying the best I can.” continued on page 32

Laura Otte (below, left) and daughter Alex visited with employees at Saint Joseph Hospital to thank them for their outpouring of support. Many employees met the courageous girl for the fi rst time. Alex, now 14, is continuing to recover and is learning how to use her prosthetic leg. She is playing basketball again.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHAUN RING


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Servant LEADERSHIP

By Kathie Stamps

Ben Wiederholt is the fi rst recipient of the Spirit of Saint Joseph Servant Leadership Excellence Award. Saint

Joseph Health System (SJHS) created the award in honor of its patron, Saint Joseph. It is presented to a SJHS leader who consis-tently demonstrates the mission and core values, along with the seven pillars of servant leadership.

Wiederholt is the vice president of mission integration at Flaget Memorial Hospital and Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling. He joined Flaget in July 2005 and Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling in March 2010.

His introduction to health care began in college, at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Mo. “A couple of senior mission leaders for CHI were on campus talking to students about the fi eld and I was hooked,” he said. Over the next couple of years he volunteered in pastoral care at the mission integration offi ce at St. John’s Hospital in Springfi eld, Ill. In December 2010 he earned a master’s degree in health administration (MHA) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to complement his master’s degree in theology.

Wiederholt grew up on a small family farm in southwestern Wisconsin. A sports enthusiast (yes, he’s a Green Bay Packers fan), Ben enjoys running, playing basketball and any activity with his family. He and his wife, Jessica, have three sons: Samuel (7), Luke (4) and Abe (1). They are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia.

What does mission integration mean to him? “It is to translate the authentic healing ministry of Jesus Christ to meet the health care needs of our communities today,” he said. “As Jesus preached and lived the advancement of the values of the kingdom of God, we are invited to ask ourselves what that means for us and our ministry. It fundamentally leads us away from our own interests to the needs of each patient and our community as a whole, especially people who are lacking resources.”

When he heard through the grapevine about his award nomination, Wiederholt was a bit uncomfortable. He actually lobbied not to win so other leaders could be recognized. But when CEO Gene Woods announced the fi rst recipient, it was an emotional moment for Wiederholt.

“I have a devotion to Saint Joseph for his role as a husband and father, as well as his work ethic,” he said. “To receive the fi rst Spirit of Saint Joseph Servant Leader Award in an organization like ours and with the leaders we have is overwhelming.”

Servant leader is a standard Wiederholt aspires to achieve. “Even though I may get it right sometimes, I fully realize that I have a lot to learn,” he said.

Wiederholt’s leadership style is to lead by example through his attitude, how he treats other people and his work ethic. Account-ability is important to him. “I think we need to faithfully respond to all the gifts God has given us by performing to the very best of our abilities,” he said. “I strive to keep the common good of our mission in proper perspective when making decisions.”

In health care, SJHS employees interact with people during some of the defi ning moments of their lives. “I am motivated by the opportunity to work with incredible people toward a common purpose of touching people’s lives in a holistic way,” he said. “I am driven to create an environment where we can fulfi ll our calling with greater purpose and discover new ways of creating a healthy community.”

Mark Streety, chief innovation offi cer of SJHS, is the one who nominated Wiederholt for the award. He citied ethical, practical and meaningful reasons, along with Wieder-holt’s servant leadership style of inclusion and collaboration. “Like Joseph, Ben isn’t in this for public praise or kudos but something much deeper,” Streety said. “I am humbled and proud to call him my teammate and lift him up in nomination for the example and inspiration of Joseph that he is for all that serve with him.”

Changing the pyramid

Coaching not controlling

Developing your colleagues

Foresight

Listening

Self-awareness

Unleashing the energy and intelligence of others

Servant leaders are individuals of character. They put people fi rst, are skilled communicators, compassionate collaborators, system thinkers, use foresight and exercise moral authority.

Unlike leadership approaches with a top-down hierarchical style, servant leadership emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy and the ethical use of power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement across Saint Joseph Health System and the communities we serve.

Watch for future profi les on our Servant leaders in Common Thread.

Seven Pillars

of Servant

Leadership

Ben Wiederholt Leads by Example


Winter 2011 commonThread 23

For Iron Chefs

On a perfect, made-for-TV Saturday morning, David Carpenter, Devontae Wash-ington and John Herzog (left to right) put on a show of culinary mastery at Cheapside Park in downtown Lexington. The trio of chefs, who work at Saint Joseph East, were competing in an Iron Chef type of cook-off against three chefs representing Holly Hill Inn restaurant, a popular fi ne-dining destination in Midway known for its exquisite menu featuring locally-grown foods.

Staged near the farmers market and broadcast on larger-than-life TV monitors, the battle drew a huge crowd and busted old, unappealing “hospital food” stereotypes with pizzazz.

Saint Joseph East’s chefs won the competition by win-ning over the crowd with two delicious meals improvised on the spot. People from the audience were randomly chosen as judges – and they unanimously scored “hospital food” as the best in fl avor and creativity.

The Iron Chef event was just one event of several hosted by Saint Joseph during Spotlight Lexington, a 17-day festival occurring simultane-

ously with the Alltech World Equestrian Games, Sept. 24-Oct. 10, 2010. Saint Joseph Health System was the pre-senting sponsor of Spotlight Lexington. Another team from Saint Joseph Hospital competed against Saul Good chefs earlier in the festival and lost by a mere three points. But, the hospital chefs were victorious in this round.

“I was surprised by how many people watched the entire competition. I expected people to be shopping, mill-ing around the farmers mar-ket. But, we had an audience,” said John Herzog, nutritional services manager. “Compet-ing was fun and we prepared a rocking sandwich, pasta and sweet potato chips.”

The team named one creation the Which Came First Sandwich because the last ingredient, an egg, had the chefs baffl ed at the last minute. Herzog made it work: frying the egg to top off the sandwich. The Iron Chef challenge was to use every ingredient presented to each team – an identical basket-ful of fresh foods from the farmers market. The winning chefs used every ingredient unlike their challengers.

BY KYM RUSSELL


“When we got there, John said to think of him as another chef, not the boss,” said Washington, a production chef. That’s when the gloves came off. “I’d been telling John all week that we were going to win. I was there to win.”

He and his co-cook, Dave Carpenter, who is also a production chef, said that maybe the Holly Hill crew strategized too much and too long. Washington said, “We decided pretty quickly about what we could do and went to work. It was a lot like other competitions I’ve been in, you work fast and don’t worry about who is watching, even if a TV camera is in your face.” Washington and Carpenter are both graduates of Sullivan University culinary programs – Washington (Lexington) and Carpenter (Louisville) – and they are very familiar with its competitive training style.

The winning team share impressive culinary credentials, working at some of Kentucky’s most popular restaurants, catering services and winning several competitions. For example, Herzog was general manager at Emmet’s and Annabelle’s restaurants, Carpenter worked at the Mansion at Grif-fi n Gate and Washington took the gold in a cooking competition sponsored by Sullivan University.

“We wanted to build awareness of using fresh foods as part of a nutritional diet,” said Amanda Goldman, director of nutri-tional services. “And, I think we changed the audience’s perception of hospital foods. Our patients’ meals are an important part of their

Honey-glazed seared

chicken breast

with spicy salsa,

Swiss cheese

and a fried egg

wellness. We want every patient to be satis-fi ed. If one individual complains about their plate, we fi x it.”

At the event, Goldman kept the audience engaged from the stage talking about the benefi ts of nutritional fresh foods. And acting as emcees, Barbara Bailey from Channel 27 partnered with Tim Livesay, director of envi-ronmental services for SJH/SJE/SJJ, to report on the chefs’ progress as the competition got hot.

Would they do it, again? Herzog says bring it on. And, will his co-workers have an op-portunity to taste test the winning dishes?

“I’m thinking of putting the Which Came First Sandwich on the cafeteria menu soon,” Herzog assured.

The winning courses:• Beef-kabobs with grilled veggies, whole wheat pasta salad, Yukon Gold potato salad, served on a whole leaf of kale and collard greens

• Honey-glazed chicken breast sandwich with peach salsa, Swiss cheese and a fried egg on grilled nine-grain wheat bread with sweet potato chips served on a whole of collard greens


“Which Came First” SANDWICH


• Sear the chicken breast on both sides until nearly fully cooked. Drizzle honey directly onto the browned chicken and continue to cook allowing the honey to caramelize onto the breast – be careful not to burn the honey – it won’t take long.

• We chose to grill the bread, but you certainly could toast it if you don’t want to fi re up the gas grill.

• Top the chicken with the salsa and add a slice of Swiss (or Gouda, Farmers, etc.) while it is still on the griddle. Melt the cheese just enough

to hold the salsa in place. Meanwhile, crack one egg on the griddle and cook until the yolk is sturdy. Remove the sandwich and allow the egg to cook. Once the egg is fi nished cooking (it can be a little less “done” if you’d like) place the egg on top of the

cheese slice and cover the sandwich with the remaining toasted bread. We prepared sweet potato chips as a side and they seemed to fi t perfectly.

—by John Herzog, nutritional services manager,

Saint Joseph East

Salsa

Three ripe peaches, diced

Two med. tomatoes, diced

1 cup diced white or Vidalia onion

1 small poblano (or other hot)

pepper, minced

2 tsp. sugar

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

—by John Herzog, nutritional services

manager, Saint Joseph East


Cinnamon Ginger Sweet Potato ChipsSweet potatoes, large-3Vegetable or canola oilGranulated sugar

Cinnamon, to tasteGround ginger, to taste

• Thin slice sweet potatoes – aprox. 1/8 in. (preferably on a mandolin)

• Shallow fry the sweet potatoes in oil until crisp.• Press one side of fi nished chips into a mixture of sugar with ginger and

cinnamon to taste.—by Dave Carpenter, production chef, Saint Joseph East


Healthy SPIRIT



THENICKOF TIME

Health screening may have saved Rita

Wheeler’s life

BY AMY TAYLOR


When Rita Wheeler went for a health screening at Saint Joseph - London

last October, she was taking advantage of an incentive: $100 off on her medical in-surance premiums. Not for one second did she dream the results of the testing could save her from dropping dead of heart at-tack or stroke.

“When the nurse went over the results with me, she told me to see a doctor right away,” said Wheeler, a Saint Joseph - Lon-don employee at the time. “I called a vas-cular doctor at Saint Joseph East, Dr. Nick Abedi. He ran a test on my carotid artery and said it was 90-99 percent blocked. He said he could do surgery on it – or the blockage could lead to death.”

Hearing those frightening words, Wheel-er felt like a deer in the headlights, she said.

“I had thought he was going to pat me on the head and tell me to take some pills and go home.”

Instead, she was immediately scheduled for vascular surgery. Within a week, she’d had her operation; within two, she was back to work. She is currently employed at a physician practice in London owned by Saint Joseph Health System.

For years, Wheeler had ignored ocular migraine headaches, the 52-year-old said.

“With ocular migraines, you have blurred vision, or spots in your vision, or it seems like you’re looking through a haze. I had three episodes where everything went completely blank. Dr. Abedi told me those were mini-strokes.”

Before the screenings, Wheeler was a smoker with a poor diet who almost never

exercised. She didn’t get annual physi-cals. Abedi didn’t mince words about

her lifestyle.“He said, ‘You cannot smoke another cigarette – EVER.’ He

suggested diet changes and en-couraged me to walk thirty

minutes a day. I’m trying to work that in. And I

have been working on eating healthier.”

Cigarettes are gone. Wheeler quit cold-turkey a few days before her tests.

“Something told me not to smoke any-more,” she said. “I got myself nicotine patches.”

Throughout last year, Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) held free Health Risk Assessments and Biometric Screenings, co-ordinated by Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services, at each of the system’s facilities. The screenings will help determine the health risks present in the SJHS workforce in order to assist in planning future well-ness programs, provide education and ad-dress health problems. Employees received a $100 reimbursement on their health insurance premiums for taking part. The screenings included cholesterol numbers, blood pressure, blood sugar, hip-to-waist measurements, weight, vascular screenings for peripheral artery disease, and free coun-seling by a registered nurse to discuss the results and provide education.

“Saint Joseph Health System has made a strong commitment to helping employees improve their health and well-being,” ac-cording to Teresa McCord, RN, the nursing coordinator for wellness and corporate health for SJHS. “Echoing the ‘CHI Healthy Spirit’ program, the health system offers programs to help employees develop a spirit of health and have greater access to healthy lifestyle options.”

Angie Collett is the health educator who oversaw the nurses who offered corporate health screenings in London. When Rita Wheeler e-mailed her to thank SJHS for saving her life, “I was ecstatic,” Collett said. “It’s a special blessing to feel like you’re making a difference in somebody’s life.”

The screenings were especially helpful for workers who do not get regular medical checkups, Collett added. Rita Wheeler “said she wasn’t having any symptoms. Thank God she fi nally did go to the doctor.”

For Wheeler, this experience has given her a new lease on life, she said.

“I have a grandbaby due – a little girl,” she said. “I want to be around for her. Saint Joseph has been a blessing to me. It’s been like a miracle.”

a partner in HEALTHRita Wheeler’s story is an example of

Saint Joseph Health System’s (SJHS) efforts to maintain a culture that emphasizes pre-vention and wellness among employees.

Starting from the inside, Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services offers wellness programs and activities for SJHS employees that align with the national CHI Healthy Spirit program, and then takes these tried-and-true models to the streets offering area businesses and organizations a blueprint for a healthier workforce.

Partnering with companies, Corporate Health identifi es the health risks present in the workforce and develops a plan of at-tack, offering on-site assistance.

In July 2010, Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services became a system-wide ini-tiative serving Bardstown, Berea, Lexington, London, Mount Sterling and Nicholasville (exception is Martin). With a current client base of more than 90 regional employers, and 9,000 commercially-insured consumers, Corporate Health reinforces the organiza-tion’s mission of creating healthier com-munities and generates strategic growth opportunities.

Other components of Corporate Heath include MedWorks, a comprehensive oc-cupational medicine program now serving Bardstown, Berea, Lexington and Nicholas-ville, and community involvement including a partnership with the YMCA of Central Kentucky. Joint efforts include a new outpa-tient rehab clinic at the Beaumont YMCA, Saint Joseph Park Physical Therapy, and the Saint Joseph Healthy Living Center (Beau-mont, North Lexington YMCA locations).

For more information, contact Stephanie Nelson, director, 859.967.5637; Sherri Eden, employer relations specialist, 859.221.7107; or visit SaintJosephHealthSystem.org.

Saint Joseph Corporate Health Services Business Council meets every month and SJHS service line lead-ers are invited (service line leaders are invited to partner with Corporate Health). Currently council meetings are held in Lexington and Bardstown, and soon to be held in Mount Sterling and London. The focus of the council is to streamline communication in each community with employers and to enhance service line marketing initia-tives to the employer populations. Call 859.221.7107.


Health Care HERO

Dr. Satyabrata “Satya” Chatterjee performed the fi rst cardiac cath-

eterization at the new Saint Joseph - London (SJL) on Aug. 19, 2010, the very day the new facility opened. Chatterjee has been associated with SJL since July 1, 1988. Two weeks later he performed one of the fi rst cath techniques at the hospital, then

known as Marymount Medical Center.“Technologically there was a world

of a difference,” he said of the two procedures 22 years apart, “but as far as basics go, it was the same.”

Over the last two decades, his work as a physician has progressed from invasive cardiology to being more pre-

ventive in nature. These days he is doing a lot of administrative work at his private practice, Premier Heart and Vascular Cen-

ter in London. He also shares his medical knowledge with students at three

universities; he is a clinical as-sistant professor at Lincoln Me-

morial University-DeBusk Col-lege of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tenn., the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ken-tucky and the School of Medicine at the Univer-sity of Louisville.

“My profes-sional life has been enriched because of my tremen-dous associates, Drs. Mandviwala, Anand, Patil, Abe

and Khan,” he said. For the

success of his personal life, Chatterjee has accolades for Sumita, his wife of 28 years, and their son, Sourabh, who is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University and is aspiring to follow in his father’s footsteps.

While most successful physicians have known their calling since childhood, Chat-terjee actually wanted to be an engineer before becoming an internist and cardiolo-gist. “Fate and luck determined otherwise,” he said. “It is only now that I am starting to enjoy my profession. I am starting to just understand the unity in diversity of God’s creation and marvel at this perfect machine called the human body.”

Prior to moving to Kentucky in the 1980s, Chatterjee’s medical studies and practice took him from his hometown of Delhi, India, to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dayton. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and he is an integral part of the cardiology program at SJL.

Brady Dale, director of Cardiac Cath-eterization and Cardiopulmonary Re-habilitation at SJL, recalls meeting Drs. Chatterjee and Anand when he applied for the job in December 2008. “We spoke for well over an hour regarding cardiac ser-vices at Saint Joseph - London,” Dale said. “Throughout our conversation, I realized that this was the most important portion of the interview process. Getting the bless-ing from Dr. Chatterjee and Dr. Anand to be a part of the Saint Joseph - London family was an honor.”

Dale is in charge of the day-to-day opera-tions of the cath lab and discusses patients and procedures with Dr. Chatterjee on a regular basis. “When you speak with him, you always walk away knowing more

r. Satyabrata “Satya” Chatterjee s succcesesss ofof hhisis pperersonal life, Chatterjee has

mendingheartsBY KATHIE STAMPS

“It is only now that I am starting to enjoy my profession. I am starting to just understand the unity in diversity of God’s creation and marvel

at this perfect machine called the human body.”

continued on page 32PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WEBB

Common VIEW

Winter 2011 commonThread 29

A Leading SpiritMike Stahl helps

physicians learn the

business side of

health care

BY KATHIE STAMPS

■ Where do you and your family live? We call Knoxville home. We have lived here for 21 years and have every

expectation of staying here after seven long-distance moves in 42 years of mar-riage. Barbara and I are high school sweethearts; we both grew up in Scranton, Pa. We have three adult daughters, three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren in Knoxville, Atlanta and Clemson, S.C. We’ve been blessed in many ways.

■ How did you start the MBA program for physicians?I had been associate dean in the college of business. One day the chancellor

at the time asked me to help lead an effort to design something new for health care, specifi cally for physician leaders. I accepted his invitation and started in January 1998. The Lord smiled on me the day I got the call from the chancellor.

■ Why do physicians need an MBA?If their role is 100 percent clinical, they don’t. I customize the executive MBA

program for physicians in leadership roles to acquire knowledge and skill sets to understand the business side of health care. My wife, Barbara, is an RN, my sis-ter is a physician. My PhD is in management with a focus on strategy. I have an interest in large-scale systems and have always had an interest in health care.

■ What do you like about the SJHS board of directors?Number one, it’s Catholic. With that there are certain implications: a sense

of ministry, ministering to the needs of the patient and putting the patient fi rst. It is consistent with my Catholic upbringing. I’m a “cradle” Catholic. I enjoy my affi liation with Saint Joseph Health System.

■ What are your other involvements?Barbara and I are heavily involved with our church, All Saints Catholic

Church in Knoxville. We have been the presenting team with Catholic Engaged Encounter, a marriage program, for almost 25 years. We also teach a class on marriage in Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Barbara sings in the choir and I’m a lector.

■ What motivates you?Helping others to learn. I had fi ve months between getting my undergradu-

ate degree in electrical engineering and being an Air Force offi cer. I started substitute teaching math and science in Buffalo, N.Y. I got turned on to

helping people to learn.

■ What are your hobbies?Swimming – I typically swim 1,000 meters a day

when I’m on campus – and gardening. I want to help my grandchildren understand that

vegetables do not grow in the grocery store.

Mike Stahl, PhD, serves on three

committees for the Saint Joseph

Health System (SJHS) board of

directors: fi nance, strategy and system

development and the board physician

transaction review (PTRC). He is the

director of the Physician Executive MBA

program at the University of Tennessee

and a published author of 13 textbooks

and research books.


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Left to right: Karen Luh, Sandy Hull, Beth Llewellyn, Mark Streety (back), John Harder (back), Carol Russell, Michael Hammons and Matthew Wade (back)

Not pictured: Jon Pryor and Team Captain Greg Gerard

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SJE medical/surgical staff members, left to right, Alicia Ritchie, Ashley Young, Mary Beth Keeton, Mandy Fugate, Tasia Rader, Meghan McDaniel and Tracy Leontiev released their

inner pageant princesses when they were dubbed with superlatives including “Floor Clown,” “Miss Morale” and “Best Buddy” during medical/surgical week in November.

Ella Spears in the lab at SJJ displayed a culture of an employee’s fi ngers without hand hygiene. During Infection Control Week in October, numerous employees participated

in hand cultures to learn the effectiveness of their hand hygiene efforts.

Staff members at SJL, dressed in their new fl eece jackets, paused for a Christmas greeting and a wish of health and happiness in the New Year for their co-workers at the

other system facilities.

The SJHS Bourbon Chase team, dubbed “Saint Joseph Pacemakers,” fi nished the 200-mile relay in 28 hours, 39 minutes and 1 second. The team placed 10th in the

corporate division out of 29 teams with an overall pace of 8:36 per mile, and fi nished 69th overall out of more than 250 teams.

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PhotoFILE

▲ Left to right: Matthew Wade, Stephen Blair, John Harder, Ashley Morris, Karen Luh and Jacob Heil


FMH ED Director Laura Larue demonstrated the use of the Broselow/Hinkle pediatric code cart, which makes resuscitation of

children faster, easier and safer. The new equipment was made possible through a grant

from WHAS Crusade for Children.

SJB lit its “Lights for Life” tree Dec. 3. Each light represented a special person whom

someone honored by donating to the Lights for Life project. The project provides

important medical care to those in need through SJB Foundation initiatives. Pictured are

children who remembered a lost grandparent by sponsoring a light on the tree.

SJM emergency department nurses and Dr. Anwar Abdeen celebrated a great start to the No Wait ER program Nov. 3. Pictured, left to right, are Kay Fugate, Dr. Anwar Abdeen, Melinda Stumbo (manager), Rolleen Bentley, Leeda Music and Clem McDaniel.

On Dec. 3, SJHS and the American Heart Association hosted the third annual Go Red for Women Symposium, Luncheon

and Fashion Show in Lexington Center. The fundraising event for women featured heart-healthy education and awareness. Pictured,

from left, are SJHS employees Julie Coffey, Shannon Evans, Margaret Kramer, Deb Bryant,

Marilyn Swinford and Tammy Dail.

SJMS and the American Heart Association hosted a Go Red for Women Lunch & Learn

Series event Nov. 30 at Clay Community Center. Pictured,

from left, are SJMS employees Tammye

Hood, Donna Rhodes, Shelly Sanders and

Becky Dotson.

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[from page 19] Alex has learned many lessons from the accident. For one thing, she and her little brother have grown much closer since Tyler watched as he almost lost his sister. For another, “God will save you when you really need him,” said Alex, who celebrated her 14th birthday in November. “Even though you can’t really see God – he’s there.”

The trauma to Alex’s brain has resulted in some loss of short-term memory. Because of that, she does about four hours of homework a night to keep up with her studies. Doctors predict that problem will be gone within a year. Despite the challenge, Alex is a straight-A student.

Jeana Cavenee, RN, a fellow house administrator with Laura Otte and Melanie Sanguini, sees her co-workers as family since the accident, she said.

“Laura and Melanie and I have always been more than co-workers, and more than acquaintances. Everyone’s life is busy. But Melanie almost died in March of a hyster-ectomy. Then there was Alex’s tragedy. It changed my life.”

Now “I realize that none of us are promised tomorrow,” Cavenee said. “We don’t know what’s around the corner. Now I try to live each day letting the people I love know what they mean to me.”

That goes especially for her husband, and for Laura and Melanie and their children, she said.

“They are not acquaintances. They are family.”

[from page 28] than you did prior,” Dale said. “He volunteers his time with medical students to help mold them into promising physicians. Dr. Chatterjee’s bedside manner makes his patients feel comfortable in any situation.”

Mary Osborne also has high praise for Chatterjee. She is the executive director of Innovative Cardiac Solutions (ICS), a co-management company between Cumber-land Clinic and SJL. The company manages the hospital’s cardiovascular service line including outpatient cardiology clinics and diagnostics.

“Dr. Chatterjee is considered the cardiol-ogy champion for the hospital and serves as executive medical director for ICS,” she said. Osborne admires Chatterjee as a per-son and as a professional. “He has made a commitment to himself and to the commu-nity to provide the best heart care locally so people can stay close to home for their care,” she said. “He deeply cares for each person, and not just the patient.”

Laura is the reason her daughter is alive, Cavenee said.

“It was her expertise as a fl ight nurse – and then the fact she was able to put herself aside as a mother and make sure Alex’s airway was open and her neck was aligned – but Laura would have done that for anybody.”

Laura credits her relatives, friends and co-workers with her family’s ability to pull through the accident. She saw long-lasting friendships formed during this unspeakable tragedy. Dr. Judd Chalkley, anesthesiologist at Saint Joseph Hospital, befriended Alex’s dad, Joe, during her recovery. He spent countless hours providing not only emotional and spiritual support, but also his medical expertise to Joe and Laura.

“The people I work with sent food, blankets, care packages,” Laura said. “At any time in the hospital, there were 50 to 100 visitors in the waiting room. We had such an outpouring of support – it was unbelievable. I defi nitely have a different perception of Saint Joseph after this – they truly are my second family.”

“The words ‘thank you’ will NEVER be enough for the love and support my entire family has received throughout this ordeal,” the mother said. “I can only say THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU and … GOD BLESS YOU!”

Joe, Tyler, Alex and Laura Otte count their blessings every day since Alex’s accident.

mendinghearts

MiracleOn the Water

Kick Your Cigarettes to the Curb!

You can quit tobacco by enrolling in the Quit For Life® Program. Learn the skills

you need to quit tobacco for good. More than 500,000 tobacco users have already been helped

through this program. In fact, those who participate in the Quit For Life® Program are eight times more likely to be successful than if they try to quit on their own.

It’s free for Saint Joseph Health System employees! It’s confi dential. It works. Call today for FREE coaching at 1.866.QUIT.4.LIFE (866.784.8454) or visit QuitNow.net.

Win a Wii Fit!

READER REWARD

ETC

Join Our Social Community Sites

Links to these sites are located under “Social Media” at SaintJosephHealthSystem.org.

Facebook.com/SaintJosephHealthSystem

YouTube.com/user/SaintJosephHealth

LinkedIn.com/companies/699208

JC

BECOME A FAN

Share Your StoryWe want to inspire

others! Please tell us how you or someone you

work with has created meaningful change in your community or workplace.

Do you know someone who is outstanding in his or her job? Tell us! To submit your story ideas to Common Thread, visit SaintJosephCommon-Thread.org.

ShSSWW

othow

STORY TIME

It’s a new year. Dust off those old exercise resolutions and make them new again. Here’s an unconventional, not to mention enjoyable, way to get into better shape: power up the plasma and melt pounds off with Wii Fit Plus, a fi tness game for Nintendo Wii. You don’t even have to leave the house, which is especially nice during these chilly winter months.

Recently, research published by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) demonstrated the health and fi tness benefi ts of Wii Fit as well as “exergaming” as a whole (read more at AceFitness.org). So, get off the couch and get moving!

By entering our Reader Reward challenge, you could win a limited edition red Nintendo Wii Console, Wii Fit Plus software and a Wii Balance Board

accessory. See details below. Good luck!To be entered into the Wii Fit prize

drawing, you must answer this question correctly: Who likes to garden and wants to help his/her grandchildren understand that vegetables do not grow in the grocery store? Somewhere in this issue of Common Thread you’ll fi nd the answer. Submit your answer at SaintJosephCom-monThread.org. Correct answers will be entered into a drawing on March 11 for a chance to win a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus.

Only employees can enter this challenge. Congratulations to previous Reader Reward winners Tina Conyers (SJMS), Laurie Faught (SJB) and Ashley Arrington (SJH). They each won a $75 Visa gift card.

KCt

You can quitin the Quit For Life® P®

you need to quit tobacco500,000 tobacco users have a

TIP JAR

Saint Joseph Health SystemTHE SAME GREAT CARE. JUST FASTER.

Introducing NO WAITemergency rooms.

Nobody likes to wait. Especially when it comes to

emergency care. That’s why the emergency rooms at

Saint Joseph Health System have a new “5-30” plan,

which means your care will begin within 5 minutes of

arrival and you’ll see a doctor within 30 minutes. So

take the pain out of the waiting room, and stop waiting.

Your care begins within

minutes.

You’ll see a doctor within

minutes.

5 30

Non-Profi tOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLexington, KYPermit #162

ct-2011-wtr

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