The Medical Leader : Pikeville Medical Center News

Deskins credits PMC for living pain free: Local attorney recovered from hip replacement surgery

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:44:31 GMT

PIKEVILLE - Herbie Deskins Jr. couldn't ask for more from any hospital, anywhere.

That's how the 64-year-old Pikeville attorney and former state legislator described his treatment at Pikeville Medical Center following a hip replacement surgery in October 2007.

"I feel great� I feel as if I have a new lease on life," Deskins said.

For nearly a decade, Deskins suffered from pain in his hip. He dealt with the pain and shrugged it off as being a little overweight. With that in mind, he pushed himself, spending countless hours at his Johnson County farm remodeling his home and clearing out a nearby creek.

Finally, the pain became unbearable for him. Deskins was unable to climb the steps at his law office and simply staying on schedule became an inconvenience.

A trip to a chiropractor resulted in a referral to Pikeville Medical Center's state-of-the-art orthopedic services. Following an x-ray on his left hip, Dr. Keith Hall, an orthopedic surgeon at PMC, suggested a hip replacement.

Deskins, who served in the Kentucky legislature for 23 years, said he didn't dwell on the decision. His son, Herbert "Trey" Deskins III, knew Dr. Hall and assured his dad that he was in good hands. For further good measure, Deskins' daughter, Suzanne Ford, an Elkhorn City physician, assured her father he "couldn't find a better hospital or doctor anywhere."

"The nurses and staff really educated me about the whole process," Deskins said. "I felt very comfortable throughout my procedure and recovery."

After his surgery, Deskins utilized Pikeville Medical Center's Home Health Agency for services. He was visited by a physical therapist that went through exercise routines to help him get back on his feet.

Deskins spent two weeks on a walker and used a cane for a limited amount of time. By the first of the year, he was back at work, splitting time between his law practice and farm.

Dr. Hall lifted all physical restrictions on Deskins on March 24.

"I am totally pain free, and I live a different life-a life with more joy and purpose," Deskins said.

"If someone is going through this pain, they need to get it taken care of."

Hospital to host stroke symposium

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:57:07 GMT

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center is helping health care professionals get the latest medical views on stroke treatments and prevention.

PMC is sponsoring a free symposium focusing on the advancements in stroke treatment and prevention on the second floor atrium of the May Tower on May 17.

Physicians, nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and health care professionals involved in emergency management of a stroke are encouraged to attend the event, which lasts from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Medical experts will discuss contemporary practice in emergency stroke management, evidencebased practice for emergency management of acute stroke and endovascular techniques in cerebral ischemia.

A maximum of 4 category 1 credits are available to physicians, and a total of 4.8 nursing contact hours be can given for participation in this program.

Holding at least eight continuing medical education opportunities annually, PMC's primary goal is progressive patient outcomes. By constantly staying up to date with the most contemporary procedures and technology, PMC is able to provide patients with the best healthcare available.

For more information or to register, contact Brenda Burgess at (606) 218-3931.

PMC goes wireless: Wi-Fi access available to patients, visitors and vendors

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:31:20 GMT

The Medical Leader/Teddy Paynter

CONNECTED: Patients, visitors and vendors can now utilize free wireless internet connection throughout Pikeville Medical Center.

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center has officially gone wireless.

Director of Information Technology Rusty Shanklin said this week the state-of-the-art technology is now "100 percent in place."

"We are pleased to announce this technology," Shanklin said. "This will allow us to offer to our patients, visitors and vendors free Wi-Fi."

He said this will allow anyone with a wireless card in their laptop - or other Wi-Fi enabled device - to surf the web, access e-mail and access any other internet-based service.

"All you will need to do is just access the public wireless within the hospital or by the Riverfill Physical Therapy building." Shanklin said the hospital started getting requests for the service last year from patients, family members and vendors.

"We hope patients can use this service to stay in contact with family and friends, share pictures of the newest addition to the family, or keep in touch with the office while staying with a loved-one," he said.

PMC's Information Technology department has migrated their wireless data network to the newest technology from Nortel Networks.

Shanklin said this technology will allow for a more stable and secure connection for wireless computer users throughout the hospital.

"This will allow our staff, physicians and other caregivers secure access to critical information regardless of where they are within the hospital, and without being tied to a desk," he said.

He stressed that the hospital had already been doing bed-side registration in the emergency room for some time now.

To better integrate the system, staff members from the hospital's Central Registration department and Patient Financial counselors will be using wireless laptops to perform job duties.

"Not only does this allow the registrar to do bedside registration, but it will allow the counselors to check previous information, notes, insurance benefits, and accounts wherever the family or patient may in the hospital," he added.

Counselors will also be able to place accounts notes immediately so that any other departments will be aware of the floor visits and results.

"We often have family members asking for forms and applications beyond what we have readily available," he said. "The laptop will allow the counselor to order the forms, and print them in the immediate area."

Sandy Ratliff, a manager in central registration, said her department can complete paperwork on 75 percent of all straight admissions to the hospital at the bed-side.

"This has been a win-win situation, not only for the patients to be taken straight to their rooms, but the process also decreases wait times for all other patients needing tests and procedures," she said.

She added wait times have decreased an average of less than five minutes in the registration area.

Volunteering is good medicine

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:46:47 GMT

PIKEVILLE - Volunteering is "good medicine" for Charles "Buddy" Workman.

Workman, 65, spent much of his time, especially in the winter, flipping through television channels.

He was bored, lonely and felt disappointed.

"I know how it is to be lonesome at home, sitting there watching every minute go by and turn, minute by minute, into an hour," he said. "I'd still be sitting at home if I wasn't volunteering. I'd be smiling less. Older people, people in their 50s or 60s or 70s or 80s, we need them kind of people [to volunteer] because their mind is situated in a positive way. They can help people. It's is good medicine for old people."

Workman, who has volunteered at Pikeville Medical Center since February, has provided more than 200 service hours.

He has been a patient at PMC twice. In January 2007, he was hospitalized for a month after two knee replacement surgeries. This year, he spent seven days in the hospital for pneumonia. That's when he decided to volunteer at PMC.

Workman said a resident doctor came to visit him almost every morning during his last hospitalization. He had been telling her that he didn't have a lot of things to keep him busy. She suggested that he get out of his house and volunteer.

When Workman signed up as a one-day-a-week volunteer at PMC, he realized how satisfying the service was for him. It wasn't long until he started volunteering about eight hours a day, five days a week.

"I guess it just grows on you," he said. Workman helps the hospital's chaplain service. He travels from room to room,and visits patients and their families.

"Every room is a different situation," he said. "You've got to see the need that they need."

He feels he has been called by God to help people get through difficult times in their lives. He's prayed over patients before surgery, talked with a mother about her son's drug problems, hugged a daughter whose mother was very ill, and brought hope to numerous people and patients at the hospital.

"I was a pretty rough customer up until about 12 years ago," he said. "I knew I needed something. It was God. I needed him in my life. And since that time, I don't have the problems I used to have in my life. My heart, it got real soft."

He placed his hand on his chest. His eyes teared up as he said, "It's just been a better life."

Workman enjoys sharing his new outlook on life with the people and patients he meets at PMC.

One day, he sat in a waiting room and talked to a man about God. The next day, the man's wife ran down the hall to meet him.

"I seen her coming down the hall and she said to me, 'Did you know that you got my husband believing in God?'" Workman said. "I didn't know he didn't believe in God before I talked to him."

Workman talked about a cancer patient he met, befriended and baptized at PMC. He baptized her on Friday, gave her communion on Sunday and she was sitting up in a chair when he went to visit her the next week.

"She was sitting in that chair, telling me, 'I feel so full. I've never felt better in my whole life,'" Workman explained. "And then she said, 'I've got something else to tell you. I'm going home today.'"

Workman has experienced many blessings since beginning his service at PMC.

"People need each other," he said. "They need somebody to love them. A lot of people don't have visitors. Everybody has forsaken them. But I tell them that the Lord will never forsake them. And I tell them to talk to the Lord when I leave. They don't need to get down on their knees. They just need to talk to him like they're talking to me."

Workman quit coal mining when the underground mine he worked in closed down more than 24 years ago. He then opened up a fruit stand near Shelbiana, and it's still in business today. It's a kind of place where customers come, sit down and talk for a while, he said.

He said he will continue to volunteer at PMC and he urges older residents to come join him in helping people who need.

"It's a good thing," he said. "Anybody who loves the Lord would like doing it. When I started doing it, it touched me in so many ways. They're just like family, you know, when you go sit with them in their room. They feel like family even before you get to know them. I hate to see anybody suffer. �I believe it's good work, work that God wants me to do. I feel like he blessed me with ways of doing it. I've just gotten all kinds of blessings.

Your gifts make the difference

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:29:51 GMT

Pikeville Medical Center provides award-winning patient care and uses the latest state-of-the-art medical technology to diagnose, treat, and heal our patients�your loved ones. This high degree of care close to home exists, in part, due to the generosity of those who give. Your gift to Pikeville Medical Center contributes to this high degree of medical care.

Honor a loved one by purchasing a brick or tree� or even sponsoring a room.

Make a difference in the on-going medical care provided by Pikeville Medical Center.

To contribute or to learn more, contact Marty Backus, Director of Development, at (606) 218-4616.

No place like home

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:09:06 GMT

The Medical Leader / MARY MUSIC

HAPPY FAMILY: Donald and Lola Tackett were all smiles as Lola was prepared to be discharged from Pikeville Medical Center's Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital last month.

PIKEVILLE - Virgie residents Lola and Donald Tackett say they talk in a "different language."

Smiling and pointing at her husband, Lola complains that he "won't let me get a word in edgewise."

He laughs, sitting on the side of her hospital bed, and then he complains that she's always finishing his sentences.

The couple has been together for years. They have two daughters (Jenny Upton and Mary Anne Olson, both of Lexington) and a basset hound named Fred.

Lola, the former head of Eastern Kentucky University's Educational Psychology and Counseling department, taught Donald, a graduate-level test and measurements course when he was going to college to become a principal. She doesn't remember what grade he earned in the class.

"But whatever it was, I need to go back and change it," she said, laughing as she sat in the hospital room next to her husband.

Noticing the way the couple joked with each other, a person wouldn't know that Lola had just overcome major surgery, or that she had been hospitalized for 15 days. At one point, she even called her hospitalization a "good experience."

Lola checked in as a patient at Pikeville Medical Center on April 3 after she fell and broke her hip.

Dr. Kevin Pugh implanted a rod into Tackett's hip bone so that it connected correctly to her femur - or upper leg bone. When he noticed an unsteady rhythm in Tackett's heart, Pugh sent her to the hospital's cardiology unit. There, Dr. Bill Harris helped correct her heart problem.

Later, she was transferred to PMC's rehabilitation hospital for a two-week stint where she received physical and occupational therapy that helped her become independent again.

"They've done everything to help me," Lola said describing PMC's compassionate staff. "The interdepartmental cooperation at the hospital - from orthopedics to cardiology and back to orthopedics and back to rehabilitation - has been superb. The staff has demonstrated professionalism and compassion. The attention of the entire staff involved has made the hospital stay much more pleasurable for me than it would have been otherwise."

Donald said that medical services and rehabilitative therapy his wife received at PMC helped her "get back to where she was before she fell."

"And because of the therapy, her upper body strength will be superior to what it was before," he added. The couple both said they were impressed by services provided by Pugh, Harris and other staff members at the hospital.

"What's important to me now is learning to be independent and self-reliant again," Lola said. "This program has sent me on my way to achieve those goals. Others, who experience this type of problem (an orthopedic problem), can take assurance in the fact that PMC has such an outstanding orthopedic program. We can also be thankful that we don't have to travel long distances to find good orthopedic services."

Donald talked about how well Pugh performed his wife's surgery and how he was thankful that Pugh described the procedure for him in personable, layman's terms. "I really am impressed," he said.

He's thankful that his wife's physical health has improved enough for them to return to their Virgie home.

Agency goes the extra mile: PMC Home Health services provides down home care

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:30:13 GMT

The Medical Leader / MARY MUSIC

PROVIDING QUALITY CARE: Registered Nurse Brenda Newsom checks blood pressures and oxygen levels for several Letcher County senior citizens at the Colson Fire Department and Community Center last month. Newsom oversees the Health Buddy program at PMC's Home Health Agency.

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center's home health department is reaching out to help residents in Pike, Letcher and Floyd counties.

Home Health nurses and certified nurse aids travel to various homes in each county to help people who need in-home assistance with medical issues.

"I like the one-on-one care that my staff are able to give to a client," said Betty Conley, director of home health at PMC. "I like the fact that we can make a difference in our client's life. My homemakers and nurse aids and nurses, they may be the only person that a family member sees for months. "My staff becomes an extension of their family. I also like that fact that my staff and [I] can find resources for clients that they have no idea about."

Home Health workers get to "treat the entire patient." Conley said staff members often learn about other issues that may be affecting a client while visiting the home.

Recently, a stroke patient signed up for PMC's home health services. When home health workers started providing care, they learned that he could not afford his medication. The home health department contacted the hospital's social work department and money was provided to purchase the medication.

The man started taking his medication correctly, and his health improved.

Since that time, he has been discharged from two of four therapeutic services that PMC home health provided him.

"If we had not been involved, he probably would have had another stroke simply because he couldn't afford the medication," Conley said.

Pikeville Medical Center has provided home health services since the 1980s, but its current home health agency has been headquartered in Shelbiana for six years.

The home health department provides traditional home health services and home community-based waiver services (or personal care and house cleaning services for indigent clients) to 346 clients in Pike, Letcher and Floyd counties.

Home health workers provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, licensed nursing services, IV treatments, nurse aid services and social work services to area residents.

Clients are accepted by referral only and doctors in any county can refer clients to PMC's home health department.

For more information, call (606) 218-4570.

A wedding for mom: Couple shuffles arrangements, marries at hospital chapel

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:46:22 GMT

ALL FOR MOM: Richmond resident Frank Smith married his wife, Jeanne, (center) at Pikeville Medical Center, where his mother Allene Smith (far right) was hospitalized last month.

PIKEVILLE - Richmond resident Frank G. Smith was going to get married at the Berea College Chapel on April 19.

He and his wife, Jeanne, wanted a small wedding.

But when Smith's mother, Allene Smith, fell at home and fractured her hip, the wedding plans changed. They wanted her to watch the ceremony.

The couple scrapped their wedding plans at Berea College - Frank's alma mater - and drove to Pikeville Medical Center, where Allene was hospitalized. They were married on Saturday, April 19, in the hospital chapel.

Frank remembers riding a bus from West Virginia to PMC with his mother in 1959, the year he had his tonsils removed and surgery on his eyes. He felt it was appropriate - and fitting - that he bring the wedding to his mother.

"Jeanne went and saw mother, and she just couldn't believe that we were wanting to do that for her," Smith said. "She thought we should just go ahead and get married somewhere else. Everybody who was a part of the marriage was there."

Sam Crawford, the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pikeville and a volunteer chaplain at PMC, performed the ceremony.

"I was very honored to be able to participate in the wedding," Crawford said. "It was a small ceremony. It was very Christ-centered and very meaningful for the family to be able to share that with Ms. Smith."

Allene dressed up for the occasion. She sat in the front row of the chapel during the ceremony.

About 15 people attended and Allene received a pass from PMC's Rehabilitation Hospital so that she could enjoy a reception for her son and new daughter-in-law at the Landmark Inn.

"It was an enjoyable day," she said.

"I was glad I was able to attend. The wedding chapel was really nice. Everybody was so nice."

Allene, 76, spent 12 days in Pikeville Medical Center's Rehabilitation Hospital after she fell at home and fractured her hip. Being able to watch her son get married was just one of the things that helped make her hospital stay easier to bear.

When she was scheduled to go home on April 22, Allene didn't want to leave the hospital.

"This is the first time I ever been in a hospital that I wasn't - how can I say it? - that I wasn't raring to go home," she said. "I've just been satisfied with my stay here. It's odd. I've never felt that way in a hospital before. I feel like I'm here with my family."

Occupational Therapist Crystal Sullivan, who worked with Physical Therapist Sabrina Martin in rehabilitating Allene, said it was easy letting the Rawl, W.Va. resident into the Rehabilitation Hospital's "family."

"From day one, I came to work and I saw this patient just talking away," Sullivan said.

"I knew she'd be a good patient. Then, I found out she was my patient and I was like, "Oh, good!"

To ensure that Allene could be independent upon her return home, Sullivan and Martin let her do laundry and cook in the Rehabilitation Hospital's kitchen.

They made sure she could perform daily living activities like taking a bath and dressing herself.

She spent three hours daily in occupational and physical therapy, where she walked up specially-crafted stairs in the exercise room, worked on her balance to build her endurance and exercised her upper and lower extremities.

"They got me on my feet. I'm back on my feet," Allene said.

PMC honors volunteers

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:40:49 GMT

The Medical Leader / Mary Music

HONORING VOLUNTEERS: Pikeville Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Jerry Johnson, right, presents Alice Miller with the Bronze Award for leading contributions during the hospital's annual volunteers banquet on Tuesday at the Green Meadows Country Club.

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center thanked volunteers during its 19th annual volunteer banquet Tuesday at the Green Meadows Country Club.

More than 200 people volunteer to provide different types of services at the hospital each year. Last year, volunteers provided more than 14,000 hours of service. Since the program began in 1990, volunteers have given 167,000 hours of service.

"Volunteering is an unselfish act," said Dana King, director of guest services at Pikeville Medical Center. "It can come only from the heart. �Your efforts and dedication make our organization better, our community stronger and our world brighter."

PMC's Chief Operating Officer Jerry Johnson, Keith Bridges, vice president of public relations, and Juanita Deskins, vice president of human resources, handed out service awards to adult and teen volunteers at the ceremony.

"I don't know what we'd do without our volunteers," Deskins said. "You're a special group of people and we're honored to be in your presence tonight."

King said the hospital's volunteer services department is made up of all types of people and all types of personalities. The volunteers are very competitive with each other about how many service hours they provide. It's not about the awards or recognition for the volunteers - it's about how many people's lives they touch each day, King said.

And it's true.

This year, 220 teen and adult volunteers are providing hospital services.

Betty Stuck, 82, of Shelbiana, was one of the first people who registered as a PMC volunteer in the 1990s. She said she wanted to volunteer because when her mother was in a Florida nursing home, she and her children didn't get the chance to visit her regularly. Since that time, she's donated 5,737 hours of service.

"I felt like I had to give something back," Stuck said. "It's just satisfying to volunteer. It makes you feel good. It makes them feel good."

This year, volunteer Tom Reece received the Ed Elder Volunteer of the Year Award. He's worn several different hats since he began volunteering at PMC when the program initially started and he currently provides services for the Medical Leader. Reece has a "big heart," King said, and "he's always willing to give a helping hand."

Randy Walters, 59, of Sookeys Creek, was last year's volunteer of the year. He's volunteered with PMC's chaplain services department for nearly two years because he enjoys helping people.

"If everybody in the world would help each other, then we'd have a wonderful world to live in," he said.

Before the awards ceremony began, Pikeville resident Peggy Anderson, the wife of volunteer PMC board member Joe Dean Anderson, asked King if she could volunteer for PMC's Rehabilitation Hospital.

Anderson said she spent five days there after she had knee replacement surgery and now, she wants to help the people who helped her recover.

"We have a great group of people," said Guest Services Assistant Robin Hawkins.

After the volunteers received their awards, they lined up and presented Hawkins with a bouquet of flowers.

The awards and recognitions included:

Leading Contributor Adult: Gold Award, Bobby Sullivan, 1,430 hours; Silver Award, Greg Thornsbury, 842 hours; Bronze Award, sisters Rosanna Hamilton and Alice Miller, 792 hours.

Leading Contributor Junior: Gold Award, Dezzarae Seymour, 292 hours; Silver Award, Stephanie McKinney, 120 hours; Bronze Award, Zachary Robertson, 95 hours.

Leading Contributor After School: Gold Award, Stephanie McKinney, 120 hours; Silver Award, Elizabeth Spradlin, 91 hours; Bronze Award, Shikha Sachdeva, 23 hours.

Top Adult Award: Gold Award, Jeanette Elder, 7,976 hours; Silver Award, Phoebe Burchett, 6,213 hours; Bronze Award, Betty Stuck, 5,737 hours.

Top Junior Award: Gold Award, Dezzarae Seymour, 292 hours; Silver Award, Ryan Moore, 180 hours; Bronze Award, Lara Daniels, 177 hours.

PMC welcomes Dr. Curry: Air Force veteran to lead hospital's intern/residency programs

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:31:52 GMT

The Medical Leader / Teddy Paynter

WELCOME TO PMC: Dr. Dirck Curry has been named director of medical education and program director for the intern and residency programs for the Family Practice Clinic.

PIKEVILLE - The Pikeville Medical Center family welcomed Dr. Dirck Curry with open arms as director of medical education and program director for the intern and residency programs for the Family Practice Clinic last month.

"Everyone here at the hospital has been just wonderful to me," Dr. Curry said. "I've worked at a number of places over my career, but this is just a beautiful facility." Curry arrived at PMC April 14 from Normal, Ill., where he worked as program director of BroMenn Family Medicine Residency.

"I just love teaching," the United States Air Force veteran said. "I love having the opportunity to work closely with the youth in this community and the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine."

Curry said his goal as director is to provide patients the very best possible health care they can receive.

"We want patients coming to the hospital to know that we care about them and the treatment they are receiving," he said. "We want to be friendly and assist them in time of need."

Curry worked in a general medical office and was an emergency room physician during his stint in the USAF at Dover, Del. He was also assigned to the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Ill., later in his career.

"This is what I love to do," he said. "There is a need in eastern Kentucky for health care and I'm committed to seeing that our patients are given that treatment." Curry is thrilled to be able to work closely with the medical students at Pikeville College.

"I' m just so happy that we are tied with Pikeville College, and have the opportunity to teach those looking to get into this profession," he said.

Family medicine is close to Dr. Curry's heart. He has volunteered on mission trips to the Philippine Islands, Central America and Africa.

"Family medicine is a viable and respected part of the medical field," he said. "It's just a unique part of any community."

The ordained Roman Catholic Church deacon is married to Asuncion (Chona) Curry. They are the proud parents of four children, Jason, Nicole, Justin and Noelle.

Staff makes hospital a top place to work

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:40:54 GMT

The Medical Leader / Joshua Ball

PMC DISPLAY: Pikeville Medical Center employees Brian Mullins, James Brock and Melissa Coleman worked the hospital's display in the lobby of the Bluegrass Ballroom at the Lexington Convention Center prior to the "Top 25 Best Places to Work in Kentucky" banquet on April 17.

PIKEVILLE - About five years ago, Registered Nurse Phyllis Bowling experienced a personal tragedy.

When her personal life turned topsy-turvy, her co-workers and PMC pulled through for her personally and financially.

"I'll never forget it," she said. "They're awesome."

She, and many other PMC employees who attended a "Best Places to Work and PMC Service Team Recognition Celebration" at PMC on Monday, talked about the close-knit atmosphere at PMC.

"Everybody here is like family," said Registered Nurse Sheila Wright, who works in the hospital's Express Admit department. "We rely on each other and we make a good team together. It's just a good place to work."

During Monday's celebration, PMC officials recognized members of the hospital's service teams, groups of employees from various departments who continuously work to improve the hospital. Pictures of PMC employees and events graced a slideshow as service team members ran around the room, waving signs that recognized various teams.

PMC officials praised employees for making the hospital the fourth best place to work in Kentucky.

"We're building our own trophy case," said Juanita Deskins, vice president of Human Resources.

Deskins, holding up Best Places to Work awards that the hospital has received over the past two years, said she was proud to know what employees thought of PMC. She told employees that they "are the most important asset to this organization."

Several employees, however, praised PMC for its concentration on patient care, employee satisfaction and its overall push toward continual improvement.

Janice Allen, a shift supervisor in patient rehab, said she enjoys the benefits, insurance and incentives given to PMC employees. A three-year employee at the hospital, Allen said she likes the fact that the hospital is always trying to improve.

"They are always setting new goals," she said, "and I believe we'll be able to accomplish those goals." Registered Nurse Sherry Sawyers, who works in the hospital's internal audit department, has worked at PMC for 10 years.

"When you walk down the halls, you feel a sense of satisfaction on employee's faces," she said. "That's important to me. I feel like everybody here is on one team."

"It's one of the best places I've been to work," Sawyers' co-worker, Jan Hunt, said. "It's just a good package."

PMC's "good package" means different things to every employee, but to Willena Moore, director of PMC's family practice clinic, it means the quality of PMC's Christian-based care. She's worked at the hospital for 34 years.

"I enjoy working here because it's always been a great place for me," she said. "It has a Christian atmosphere, which I very much appreciate, and I do feel like we provide quality care to patients in our area. That's important to me."

And taking care of patients is something Nell Johnson cares about. She likes the fact that the hospital listens to her suggestions.

"It's the best place to work in this area," she said. "I've worked many places, and I've never been treated as good. They care a lot about what I think, which is important to me, and they put the patients first."

Johnson works in the hospital's addiction services department. She has worked at the hospital twice previously, and she came back about four years ago after she received training to become a psychiatric nurse.

"We are a not-for-profit center," she said. "It's something the community needs. We are able to use our abilities to save lives, save families, and help people get back into real lives and real families again."

PMC RANKS FOURTH: PMC jumps 5 spots in annual survey of state's top employers

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:10:55 GMT

AMONG THE BEST IN THE COMMONWEALTH: Members of Pikeville Medical Center's senior management team, directors and employees pose for photographers following the hospital's No. 4 ranking in the Top 25 "Best Places To Work in Kentucky." PMC was recognized for the honor at a banquet on April 17 at the Lexington Convention Center.

LEXINGTON - Pikeville Medical Center celebrated a top 5 finish in the Top 25 Best Places to Work banquet held on April 17 at the Lexington Convention Center.

The hospital, which employs more than 1,700 health care professionals, finished fourth in this year's survey among 3,000 Kentucky businesses that participated in the program sponsored by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM).

"This honor is a remarkable feat for our organization, but it would not be possible without the unwavering dedication of our employees," Pikeville Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Walter E. May said. "Everyday, they answer the call with more than state-of-the-art treatment. They meet the needs of our patients with a smile, an embrace, an encouraging word and a determination to provide a compassionate approach to passionate care."

More than 800 people attended the fourth-annual award ceremony, a 43 percent increase from the first year.

LEADERSHIP: Pikeville Medical Center Vice President of Human Resources Juanita Deskins and Walter E. May, president and chief executive officer, accepted the award on behalf of the hospital.

"This program is good for business, and good for Kentucky," said Lyle Hanna, who serves as president of the KYSHRM. "What you have accomplished reflects well on Kentucky."

Juanita Deskins, vice president of Human Resources at Pikeville Medical Center, said the recognition "validates our stance as the region's medical leader and a good corporate citizen."

"Our employees go the extra mile each day to see that our patients' needs are met," she added. "We stand firm by our mission statement of providing quality, regional health care in a Christian environment."

In February, Pikeville Medical Center was ranked among two percent of hospitals nationwide by Professional Research Consultants (PRC) for Inpatient Quality of Care, carrying an overall quality score of 97.9 percent. The hospital is currently in the top five percent for inpatient quality of care this fiscal year.

Last year, PRC recognized Pikeville Medical Center as a top-ranking healthcare provider, awarding the hospital its highest honor - a five-star service award - for its Oncology, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Obstetrics and Cardiothoracic Vascular units.

Pikeville Medical Center has also set the standard in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia in providing innovative programs to its employees. Last year, the hospital's wellness program, which gives employees monetary rewards for meeting goals set forth in a health appraisal, was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Get Healthy Kentucky campaign.

The hospital is also involved in several community activities, including the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

Last week, PMC sponsored the first-aid station for the 32nd annual Hillbilly Days festival. The event, which is a fundraiser for Shriners Hospital, attracts more than 100,000 visitors to Pikeville.

"We take pride in the communities that we serve," Pikeville Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Jerry Johnson said. "After all, these are the communities that we call home."

The Best Places to Work in Kentucky program started in 2004 as "a way to celebrate elite employers who have proven they know what it takes to create an environment where people love to come to work," Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO David Adkisson said.

Missy Coleman, director of Human Resources at Pikeville Medical Center, said the hospital takes great pride in its recruitment and retention efforts.

"We want our employees to know that we value their service and their hard work and dedication in providing quality health care. They are the reason we earn these accomplishments."

Southeast Telephone, a Pikeville-based communications company, finished ninth overall, while Saint Joseph Martin Hospital in Martin was 16th in the small/medium business category.

Pikeville Medical Center and Southeast Telephone participated in the large business category (250 or more employees).

Men praise hospital's open-heart surgery program

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:55:59 GMT

The Medical Leader / MARY MUSIC

THE PMC WAY: Jim Evans, vice president of business affairs at Pikeville College, addressed members of the Pikeville Rotary Club on April 2. PMC surgeons performed six bypasses on Evans' heart last year.

PIKEVILLE - Jim Evans and Marty Backus both suffered with shortness of breath and chest pressure for more than a year before they had open-heart surgery at Pikeville Medical Center.

Evans, vice president of finance and business affairs of Pikeville College, and Backus, the director of development at PMC, met last year while undergoing multi-weekly cardiac rehabilitation therapy sessions at PMC. Last week, the men told Rotary Club members about the experience. They praised the hospital for saving their lives.

Evans said he had two messages for the crowd.

"I encourage you to not be an idiot, to not do like I did and wait until the last minute," Evans said.

He had difficulty breathing after exercising and experienced chest pressure for more than a year prior to the surgery, but he didn't get a medical examination because he thought it was something that he could control.

Evans went to work one morning and was rushed to the hospital with chest pain. Afterwards, he had six bypasses to clear blockages that affected his heart.

"We do have an excellent medical facility here," Evans said, addressing his second message to the crowd. "I think we are blessed to have a facility like this here."

Backus said his symptoms started showing up in 2005, but he passed stress tests and thought nothing was wrong. In 2006, he said he had an "episode where I thought I was having a heart attack."

The Medical Leader / MARY MUSIC

HIS STORY: Marty Backus, director of development at Pikeville Medical Center, spoke of his treatment at the hospital during and following open-heart surgery.

He went to PMC for a heart catheterization, a procedure through which his doctor learned that he had five potential blockages in his heart.

Backus said he "knew enough about the hospital" to feel secure in having the surgery at home instead of being transported to a hospital in another part of the state. Years ago, people who needed serious surgeries were often transported out of eastern Kentucky, but that's not necessary now, Backus said.

"I felt better than I had in years," Backus said. "If you have symptoms, get them checked out. It's just a stress test.

"I can tell you, you can get better care here than you can anywhere in a 200 to 300-mile radius. I'm not just saying that because I work for them. I know it. They just watch over you like you were one of their kids."

Elder loves serving others

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:00:38 GMT

The Medical Leader / Mary Music

Jeanette Elder

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center volunteer Jeanette Elder says she's "not one to just sit around."

Elder, 82, has volunteered at PMC since the hospital's volunteer program started in 1990. To date, she's given the hospital about 8,000 hours of her time.

"I've never been one to just sit around," she said. "I need to get out and help people. It's just a part of me, I guess."

The former math teacher for the Pikeville Independent School District started volunteering at the hospital when her husband, Ed Elder, sat on the board.

Before having rotator cuff surgery in December, Elder volunteered several hours three to five days a week at the hospital. She just started volunteering again in late March.

During her 18 years of service, she has volunteered at the hospital information desk, in guest services, provided activity boxes in waiting rooms for visiting children, helped patients after out-patient surgery and - in her favorite volunteer service - takes pictures of newborn babies.

"That's the fun job," she said.

Elder started taking pictures of newborns in 1992 and it's a job that she doesn't want to give up anytime soon. Nowadays, her volunteer days vary, depending on the number of babies born at the hospital.

Volunteering is important, she says, because it "frees up" other hospital employees so that they can provide other services.

In addition to the rewards Elder receives from patients, she said volunteering helps her make friends - other volunteers and employees at the hospital.

She obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky, where she met her husband, the former owner of Francis & Trivette Insurance Company. The couple married the day after they graduated.

Elder has four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She is also a certified cheerleading judge for the Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors, a volunteer effort that she says she just "can't give up."

PMC always looking for volunteers

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:56:58 GMT

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center volunteers provide dozens of services for patients and their visiting family members.

Volunteers have donated more than 205,000 service hours since Pikeville Medical Center's volunteer program started in 1990. Since April 2007, volunteers donated close to 15,000 hours, said Dana King, Pikeville Medical Center's director of volunteer services.

"Volunteers don't provide direct patient care," King said, "but they do provide other aspects of care. We have ears. We can sit. We can listen. We can talk."

Volunteers often serve as the "eyes and ears" for busy PMC employees, King said, and they have the time to sit and talk with sick patients. The service increases compassion, because it helps patients feel more comfortable during their stay.

Every year, teenagers use the hospital's volunteer services program as a teaching tool. While volunteering, they get to "try on" different hospital departments to decide what type of medical career they want to choose for their own life.

Volunteer placement depends on the person's skill level, interest, availabilities and opportunities available at the hospital. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 can volunteer only in specific hospital areas. Adult volunteers, 18 years or older, can serve in nearly every hospital department.

The hospital conducts a background check, drug screening and TB skin tests for all potential volunteers. Volunteers are oriented into the area they plan to provide services in and they are required to shadow an employee until they become familiar with their area of service.

Volunteers who provide at least three hours per day receive a free lunch at the hospital, are able to use the hospital's Wellness Center gym without cost and can take some educational classes provided at the hospital. PMC's annual volunteer banquet will be held later this month.

To volunteer at PMC, call Dana King at (606) 218- 3521 or fill out an online application at http://www.medicalleader.org/volunteers.html

Early heart attack care is essential

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:47:30 GMT

Heart disease has been identified as the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and that fact has become a reality for many residents across the mountains of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

According to the Kentucky Department of Health and Family Services, heart disease was the leading cause of death for Kentucky and Pike County residents, accounting for nearly 28 percent of all deaths.

With the growing concern associated with heart disease, it is essential that community education be provided at both local and regional levels to enhance health care and the quality of life for those who live in our communities.

The Early Heart Attack Care (EHAC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) serve as great educational resources. As national organizations, both urge health care professionals and members of all communities to be actively engaged in the education of preventing heart disease, and more importantly, seeking immediate medical attention for those individuals experiencing a heart attack.

Seeking a medical evaluation immediately when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death. The EHAC reports irreversible muscle damage to the heart usually occurs during the first six hours from the time symptoms begin. Approximately 85 percent of the muscle damage may take place within the first one-to-two hours after symptoms begin.

What does this mean?

Time wasted after the onset of a heart attack is a heart muscle wasted. None of us have a minute to waste. It is important to go to the nearest Emergency Department immediately.

Prevention and education is the primary key to decrease the prevalence of heart disease in our communities. Knowing the risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and being physically inactive, are essential.

Educating the public of these risk factors and promoting healthier options are even more critical. This effort also expands to those already diagnosed with risk factors. These individuals must be encouraged to follow the medication and dietary regimen prescribed by their health care provider in order to live longer and healthier lives.

Sadly, even when you have done your best in preventing heart disease and heart attack, it still may occur.

What should you do if you or someone you know is having signs of a heart attack?

Always remember, wasting time from receiving treatment is wasting heart muscle. The EHAC educates communities on three easy steps:

Step 1- Learn to detect a heart attack when symptoms occur. Most heart attacks present in two different ways: a sudden onset of chest pressure/pain or mild chest pains progressing into more serious discomfort is common, but not always.

To learn more, talk to your health care provider about the signs and symptoms you should watch for.

Step 2 - Act to interrupt the heart attack process by going quickly to the nearest Emergency Room. The best way to do this is to call 911 as soon as possible to have the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to come to you. A trained EMS provider can initiate treatment while you are in route to the nearest ER.

Step 3 - Act to save yourself or another individual, and be a care giver when it counts the most. If you witness someone having a heart attack, call 911 contacted immediately, remain calm, remain calm and stay with the individual until medical assistance arrives.

Prevention of heart disease begins with educating our community on the risk factors of heart disease. PMC strives to provide quality resources for our community. If you would like to be evaluated by one of our board certified physicians at the PMC Heart Institute, please call (606) 218-2939 for more information.

- Preston Lewis is Director of Hospital Education for Pikeville Medical Center

We go the extra mile So you don't have to

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:10:21 GMT

Five-Star Rated for Hip Fracture Repair Two Years in a Row (2007, 2008)

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Pneumonia Two Years in a Row (2007, 2008)

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Respiratory Failure

Five-Star Rated for Cholecystectomy (Gall Bladder removal) Four Years in a Row (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Ranked Among the Top 10 in Kentucky for Joint Replacement

A GREENER PMC: Hospital kicks off recycling campaign with county officials

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:10:13 GMT

The Medical Leader / JOSHUA BALL

GOING GREEN: State and county officials gathered at Pikeville Medical Center Tuesday as the hospital announced a partnership with Pike County government officials that will enhance the hospital's recycling efforts.

PIKEVILLE - What do a 108,000-pound army tank and a seven-ton elephant have in common?

They weigh approximately what Pikeville Medical Center plans to recycle this year in cardboard and plastic.

Since Pikeville Medical Center implemented a recycling program for plastic bottles and aluminum cans in November 2007, the hospital has eliminated an equivalent of a 30-yard dumpster from Pike County's landfill. But the hospital isn't stopping there.

In an effort to add the community's environmental health to the list of priorities at Pikeville Medical Center, hospital officials kicked off a recycling partnership with Pike County's Department of Solid Waste on Tuesday.

"As the region's medical leader, Pikeville Medical Center takes great pride in being a good steward of not only health care, but the communities we serve as well," Pikeville Medical Center President and CEO Walter E. May said. "Today, we embark on another great chapter of our hospital's commitment to public service."

In conjunction with the Pike County Fiscal Court and Pike County Solid Waste, the hospital will increase recycling efforts to dispose all cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum cans to a recycling bin located in the back lot of the hospital's main campus.

The Medical Leader / JOSHUA BALL

SPEECH: PMC Vice President of Professional and Support Services Terence Farrell addressed the crowd.

Hobe's Grill and Gift Shop, located on the first floor of the hospital, eliminated the use of Styrofoam and began using biodegradable containers and drink cups - a decision that removed 7,407 pounds of Styrofoam from the local landfill.

The hospital is also currently in the process of installing automated paper towel dispensers and equipment in the hospital's restrooms to save an estimated 40,000 pounds of paper and conserve thousands of gallons of water each year.

The hospital's commitment in improving Pike County's environment comes also as a "call" for other businesses to also become "good corporate citizens," May said.

"It is our duty - and responsibility - to set the standard for others to follow," he said. "As the region's medical leader, and Pike County's largest nongovernmental employer, we proudly commit to this venture in keeping our communities clean and green."

The hospital's "Green Team," a group of team leaders who are "consistently working" on environment improvement initiatives, focuses on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle garbage, said Terence Farrell, Pikeville Medical Center's vice president of Professional and Support Services.

Farrell said the hospital has reduced the use and disposal of 90 percent of certain potentially harmful chemicals, eliminated thousands of pounds of garbage by reprocessing and sterilizing fabric sleeves and finger sensors and reduced the disposal of approximately seven tons of plastics by initiating product and packaging changes.

"Pikeville Medical Center is more than the place to come when you are in need or a loved one is sick," Farrell said. "It is the organization that is focused on the sustained and improved health of our entire community."

Pike County Judge- Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said the county received a grant of $175,000 to implement a recycling program that is now "moving farther" with the recycling of plastic materials. The county's recycling program would not be successful without the hospital's cooperation, Rutherford said.

"I'm glad to be here," he said, "as we begin a new era for this hospital, this city and this county."

Fred Kirchhoff, a supervisor with the Department of Environment Protection's Resource Conservation team, commended the hospital and the county for taking efforts to improve the environment.

He explained that it takes 95 percent less energy to recycle aluminum than it does to manufacture aluminum.

Recycling plastic, he said, reduces the country's use of petroleum, improves water quality and reduces air pollution.

When Franklin County (Frankfort) officials began a paper-recycling program, it began with one truck and one driver, Kirchhoff said. The program recently expanded into an operation that recycles about 1,500 tons of paper and cardboard annually. The financially, self-sustaining program has saved approximately $1.2 million in waste disposal costs, he said.

"Things like this will bring us altogether cleaner communities," he said. "And things like that also attract more jobs. Everybody wants to live in a clean environment."

Pikeville Medical Center's recycling initiative comes during National Public Health Week, an initiative sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers to educate the public about this year's theme: "Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance."

FREE Colorectal Cancer Screening

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:10:40 GMT

There will be a FREE Colorectal Cancer Screening conducted on: Saturday, April 12 from 8 a.m. - Noon at the Leonard Lawson Cancer Center

Hospital reopens sixth-floor balcony

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:05:44 GMT

PIKEVILLE - Pikeville Medical Center reopened the sixth floor balcony for patients and their families last week.

The 350 square-foot balcony, located near the sixth floor waiting room, was closed several months for repairs.

The hospital's mainteance department installed new fencing to provide additional safety on the balcony. According to Mary B. Combs, manager of safety management at the hospital, the balcony was initially constructed to provide a play area for the pediatric unit, which was formerly located on the sixth floor.

The space, located near the waiting room in the cardiothoracic unit, is now equipped with several tables and chairs to provide a place for patients and their visiting families to relax.

"It is important for patients when receiving care at PMC not to leave the building because the safety of the patients and effective treatment is best accomplished by proximity to and monitoring by the trained clinical staff," said Terence Farrell, vice president of professional and support services at Pikeville Medical Center.

"Therefore, we provide the open-air balcony for patients and families to have a moment of fresh air and sunshine, if they are permitted by their physicians to ambulate within the facility. In addition to the benefit this provides to patients, the open-air balcony is a nice retreat for visitors and family members who may spend long periods inside the hospital with their loved ones."

Smoking is not permitted on the balcony. Pikeville Medical Center is a smokefree facility.