Thursday, February 7, 2002 TODAY
Medical Center news
- Community relations staff changes
- LLUMC certified for California Newborn Hearing Screening Program
- LLUMC hosts sister hospital administrators from China
- Resident lounge grand opening
- Rehab outpatients carry the Olympic torch
- CAL FED donates deed for East Campus expansion
Community relations staff changes
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Recently the community relations department of Loma Linda University Medical Center experienced a change in staffing as Kimberley Jeske Kuzma, former publications editor, accepted a promotion to become director of the department after the retirement of long-time LLUMC employee Anita Rockwell-Hayden.
Ms. Kuzma came to the Medical Center in 1998 after working her way up to staff writer at Coffey Communications, Inc., a health-care publishing company in her hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. She received her bachelor of arts degree in English from Walla Walla College in 1997.
As the wife of a third-year student at the LLU School of Medicine, Ms. Kuzma enjoys spending time with her husband, Micaiah, whenever he's home. When he's not, she spends her free time reading, listening to music, or getting together with friends.
In her new position, Ms. Kuzma hopes to expand her department's services to the Medical Center.
"I look forward to becoming better acquainted with other LLUMC departments and learning how we can meet their public relations needs," she says. Ms. Kuzma also looks forward to focusing on her new responsibilities. After six months of double duty, she filled the void of her former position with a new employee.
Preston C. Smith joined the community relations staff as the new publications editor January 7. He will be writing stories and keeping the community informed about the happenings at the Medical Center, Children's Hospital, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center, and the School of Medicine.
A recent Texan transplant to California, Mr. Smith formerly worked with the Mountain News newspaper in Lake Arrowhead as a general assignment reporter.
He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English from Canadian University College, in Alberta, Canada.
Mr. Smith also completed a fellowship with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies this past summer in St. Petersburg, Florida, participating in the reporting and writing program for college graduates.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, canoeing, and writing. He invites anyone and everyone to share their story ideas with him at room 1106 on the lobby level of the Medical Center, extension 42267, or at prsmith@ahs. llumc.edu.
Ms. Kuzma also welcomes ideas and input on ways to increase the Medical Center's visibility in the media. She can be reached at extension 44419 or at kkuzma@ahs. llumc.edu.
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LLUMC certified for California Newborn Hearing Screening Program
Loma Linda University Medical Center received certification from the Southern California Hearing Coordination Center January 23 for the California Newborn Hearing Screening Program (CNHSP).
The new state-coordinated plan requires hospital staff to pass a competency test and develop procedures to ensure children detected with any hearing loss be set up with proper intervention.
Katharine West, RN, BSN, MPH, screening coordinator, performed the check of LLUMC's nursery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the screening procedures and presented the certificate Wednesday, January 23.
"We're on board," says Linda Dockery, charge nurse, newborn nursery. "Nothing extraordinary happened, which is a good thing."
Ms. West was pleased with the screening procedures in the nursery and NICU. Nothing will differ in the way the units perform the screenings, and Ms. West only suggested changes to some of the wording in a few of the policies.
The Medical Center began a hearing screening program for newborns in the fall of 1995, performing a noninvasive test using the ALGO Newborn Hearing Screener.
The ALGO sends soft clicking sounds to the newborn's ears, where sensors on the scalp send responses from the auditory brainstem back to the ALGO. The method reports either a "pass" or "refer" result. "Pass" babies can hear even the softest sounds required for speech and language development. A "refer" result means more testing must be done. Only 15 percent of newborns with a "refer" result will need a complete diagnostic evaluation, and of these babies, one-third will be shown to have a hearing loss, according to a recent report released by Hallie Morrow, MD, in the fall, 2001, issue of California Pediatrician magazine.
Once fully implemented in December, the CNHSP will allow close to 400,000 infants to have their hearing screened, according to Dr. Morrow's report. The report estimates 1,200 infants with a hearing loss will be identified annually. The LLUMC nursery reported 1,982 births in 2001, according to Ms. Dockery.
The incidence of hearing loss in infants has been estimated to be between two to four out of every 1,000 newborns, greater than the combined incidence of all the genetic and metabolic conditions for which newborns are currently screened. Recent research findings have shown that interventions (such as amplification, speech and language therapy, and education) begun before six months of age significantly improve language development.
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LLUMC hosts sister hospital administrators from China
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During the second week of January, Jin Min Wu, president of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital (SRRSH) in Hangzhou, the People's Republic of China, and Chao Ho, MD, SRRSH vice-director, arrived at Loma Linda University Medical Center for extensive training in hospital administration.
The two visitors spent their time with physicians and staff at the Medical Center learning about Joint Commission on Accreditation for Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) international standards. Only 10 hospitals outside of the United States have been accredited by JCAHO.
LLUMC passed the joint commission's survey in July, and Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers, RN, MPH, CNAA, a regulatory consultant specializing in helping hospitals meet JCAHO regulations from Di Giacomo Geffers and Associates, met with Mr. Wu and Mr. Ho to discuss issues concerning accreditation.
"Our hospital is almost grown up now," Mr. Wu says of the 8-year-old institution. SRRSH began in 1993 as a partnership between LLUMC and Sir Run Run Shaw, a Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist who was impressed with the care his mother received from a Seventh-day Adventist medical center in China.
During its operation, SRRSH has worked closely with LLUMC physicians and staff, including G. Gordon Hadley, MD, dean emeritus of the School of Medicine, who was one of the first presidents of SRRSH. "Loma Linda is our model," Mr. Wu points out.
Jan Zumwalt, MS, RN, executive director of case management and advanced practice nursing at LLUMC and nursing director of the China project, worked with Mr. Wu and Mr. Ho during their stay, helping them meet appointments with various departments.
The two administrators met with LLUMC employees covering the topics of utilization management, information systems, safety, academic interface, medical staff structure, medical staff office operations, JCAHO, neurosurgery service, financial information, patient relations, reception, infectious diseases, communication, stem cells, public affairs, legal department operations, contracting, decision support, nursing roles, outpatient surgery, policies, procedures, protocols, higher education, clinical orientation, allied health, nursing budgeting, social work, spiritual care nursing, nephrology, education, the patient admission process, and interqual.
Mr. Wu and Mr. Ho are excited about the possibility of SRRSH becoming accredited, since the hospital plans to open a new tower with 400 additional beds in March. The tower will double patient capacity for the institution.
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Loma Linda University Medical Center residents will find life a touch more comfortable this year, thanks to the vision and commitment of Gordon W. Thompson, MD, and his wife, Elaine.
On January 3, the Thompsons officially opened the new resident's lounge at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by residents, house staff, and administration.
Situated across the hall from the student lounge at the student entrance to the Medical Center on A-Level, the resident's lounge has been greatly anticipated.
Dr. Thompson graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1948, and after a residency in internal medicine at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, he spent 25 years as director of graduate medical education at LLUMC, retiring in 1992.
"From the very first, we were concerned there wasn't a place for residents," says Dr. Thompson. "Our medical center is one of a very few in the United States where there is no staff room [for residents]."
This concern prompted Dr. Thompson into action long ago, but other hospital priorities always overrode his resident lounge proposal. Temporary rooms have been set up in the past, but none have stuck.
"These folks have moved around from one place to another," Dr. Thompson explains.
"It was thrilling for me," he reports of the grand opening. Dr. Thompson and his wife, Elaine, donated the funds to complete the lounge. And, while residents may not find it "thrilling," they will at least find it relaxing.
Fully equipped with a refrigerator and microwave, the lounge offers snacks provided by the cafeteria to battle any case of the "munchies" a resident might develop. There is a computer with Internet access for research and personal use close to the snacks, making it ideal for hungry, cyber-savvy residents. The lounge sports two blue leather reclining couches facing a 51-inch Panasonic television. Encouraging photos of daring feats and inspirational messages adorn the walls. A bulletin board posts all the latest happenings and updates for residents. A row of hooks along the hall affords a place for them to hang their coats.
"For the first time we have a resident's lounge," adds Sarah Uffindell, MD, a fourth-year neurology resident. "Now we have a place to go that's a comfortable place to relax between responsibilities—a place to hang our coats."
That's exactly what Dr. Thompson and his wife were wanting. They appreciate the work Nancy Wheeler and the Medical Center house staff contributed to the project. "[Nancy] and her staff have done outstanding work," he says. The residents deserve it. After all, as Dr. Thompson puts it, "They're good people."
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Rehab outpatients carry the Olympic torch
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Gina Cooper-Barnes and Rudy Garcia-Tolson share a special privilege this
winter; both Southern California residents are Olympic torch bearers.
Neither of them have legs.
Both went to Loma Linda University Medical Center for help.
Ms. Cooper-Barnes, a 35-year-old mother of two, lost her hands, legs and hearing in a bout against bacterial streptopcoccus in October of 1998. But she did not lose her determination to recover and fulfill her responsibilities as a mother.
Working with her certified prosthetist and orthotist Karl Barner, Loma Linda University Health Care Rehabilitation Institute (LLUHCRI), Ms. Cooper-Barnes learned to use prosthetics to move around.
On January 15, the Beaumont resident carried the torch in her electric right arm at Dana Point in San Juan Capistrano. Her run of the .2-mile stretch began at 7:15 a.m.
The early morning light provided a fitting background for the dramatic walk as nearly 30 relatives and friends cheered Ms. Cooper-Barnes. Riding most of the way in her wheelchair, she climbed out and walked the last 50 yards.
"If there is Olympic spirit, you saw it here today," says her ex-husband Jeff Barnes.
Three days after Ms. Cooper-Barnes carried the torch, it passed into
the hands of 13-year-old Rudy Garcia-Tolson.
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Born with Pterygium Syndrome and faced with life in a wheelchair, Rudy opted instead to have his legs amputated when he was only 5 years old. Living with his family in Bloomington, he is now a triathlete, running, biking, and swimming.
Mike Davidson, Rudy's CPO at LLUHCRI, says the boy has helped a lot of other patients with his determination and courage. "We call walking from the chair to the sink successful," Mr. Davidson explains. "Rudy forced us to think outside of the box." And now other amputees are benefiting from the progress in prosthetics.
Rudy ran holding the torch in San Francisco, hometown of his friend, comedian Robin Williams, who nominated him for the event. His stretch took him over Fillmore Street from the sign "Lombard" to the intersection of Union at Fillmore.
The Olympics did not end for Rudy with the passing of the torch however. He will be speaking at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympics on March 7, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
These patients aren't the only ones who brandished the flame. Willie Stewart, operations manager at the LLU Drayson Center, became a two-time torch bearer as the Olympic flame neared its destination. Mr. Davidson and Mr. Barner helped craft a prosthetic arm for Mr. Stewart to carry the torch in Washington, D.C., and Salinas.
While working construction on the Watergate building in Washington, D.C., in 1980, an accident caused Mr. Stewart to loose his arm just above the elbow. Formerly an active athlete playing rugby, football, and wrestling, Mr. Stewart has not lost any of his athletic prowess.
"I'm faster now than I was at 18," Mr. Stewart said after just turning 40. He travels to Sun Valley, Utah, to train for cross-country skiing races. "When I was a wrestler, I had to run 10 miles a day to keep my weight off, and I hated it," Mr. Stewart said. Now that he skis, he doesn't mind it so much. "Skiing and running just go together."
The torch was not Mr. Stewart's first encounter with the Olympics. In 1994, he participated in the exhibition of cross-country skiing in Lilihammer.
He will also race in the Paralympics in Salt Lake in March.
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CAL FED donates deed for East Campus expansion
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The Rehabilitation Institute project, planned for the East Campus of Loma Linda University Medical Center, made a huge leap forward when CAL FED donated 1.1 acres of land behind the bank's Loma Linda branch January 8. The deed was valued at $380,000. But the worth to the Medical Center and community will go far beyond its monetary value.
The parcel along Loma Linda Drive is to become the new entrance for the East Campus Rehabilitation Center. After initial architectural planning identified the need for a simpler entrance to the facility for patients, "The piece of property became critically important," says Michael Jackson, MPH, senior vice president for Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center and LLUMC.
Designers suggest the entrance would eliminate the hazard of slowing and turning vehicles on the heavily-traveled Barton Road and would provide an entry drive that bisects the East Campus, offering better wayfinding and ease of access to offices, clinics, and parking areas. A study estimates nearly 500,000 cars will pass through the entrance once it is built. The ease of access is desired for the integration of a garden-like environment the center will utilize for quicker and more complete healing of patients with serious rehabilitation needs.
Part of this integration includes building a multi-use park on part of the donated property. The area adjacent to the bank building will be equipped with benches and picnic tables, as well as special access provisions to parking and trails for disabled persons. Mr. Jackson also hopes to incorporate a "boundless playground" into the park, where 70 percent or more of the activities are accessible from a wheelchair. The nearest boundless park is in Los Angeles at Griffith Park, more than 70 miles away.
Once completed, Mr. Jackson wants the entire rehabilitation center to be a community resource. "It's also a place you can come if you're well," he explains.
CAL FED's willingness to donate the land will greatly aid the speed of the project. The entire process took five months to complete. "These people have been outstanding to work with on this project," Mr. Jackson comments.
CAL FED representatives Jim Haney, senior vice president and regional director of commercial banking, and Adam Russell, vice-president client manager, presented the deed.
"Michael Jackson painted a picture of what [LLUMC] was doing very well," Mr. Haney shares. "His vision of what [LLUMC] is building was what you could call our selling point." The bank had no plans to use the land and was preparing to sell it.
"We're very much a part of the communities we serve," Mr. Haney relates. "We knew it would be used for the right purpose," he said of the donation. "We wanted to help the hospital any way we could."
The next step in the project is to complete architectural designs, which are close to finished. And with the deed from CAL FED LLUMC will be ready to seek funding for the construction once the plans are done.
Administration is currently breaking the project into smaller pieces for fundraising purposes. The first phase will be an $8 million drive, of which $4 million is already in place.
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