TODAY news - October 23, 2003

Thursday, October 23, 2003 TODAY

Loma Linda University Medical Center news

Dinner held to celebrate chair of pediatric's service to LLUMC

TB. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president and CEO of LLUAHSC, presents John Mace, MD, with the president's medal of honor, as Don Pursley, DBA, and Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, congratulate him.

Friends and colleagues of John W. Mace, MD, gathered at Wong Kerlee International Conference Center on the evening of October 1 to honor his 28 years of service as chair of the department of pediatrics. In a salute to his years of dedicated teaching and patient care, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center administration held a dinner celebration to honor Dr. Mace's term.

"What a pleasure and privilege it is for me to offer my congratulations and words of appreciation for your many years of leadership," wrote B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president and CEO of LLUAHSC.

Following dinner, several of Dr. Mace's colleagues presented a tribute to him in front of the gathered audience. Praise and admiration flowed from colleagues such as David B. Hinshaw Sr., MD, past president of LLUMC, who said Dr. Mace "has been a very effective chairman with vision who has injected compassion into his treatment. He's a true Christian gentleman."

Ranae Larsen, MD, chief of pediatric cardiology, noted his greatest strengths of compassion, patience, and forgiveness.

Eba Hathout, MD, who worked closely with Dr. Mace in the diabetes specialty clinic, shared sentiments from patients who remembered his easy smile and cowboy boots.

Richard Chinnock, MD, who will step in as chair of pediatrics, thanked Dr. Mace for his pioneering of Children's Hospital. He recalled how the pediatrics department started as a 16-member staff in 1975 and has grown into a world-class facility.

H. Roger Hadley, MD, dean of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, presented a slide show, demonstrating his gratefulness to Dr. Mace for having instilled a sterling reputation for pediatrics at Loma Linda.

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, chancellor of Loma Linda University, congratulated Dr. Mace's talent for balancing the need of growing a system and growing people in the fledgling department.

Dr. Behrens echoed this thought, reminding those present that "[his] imprint is on people."

After being presented with the LLUAHSC president's award, and a plaque and gift for his years of service, Dr. Mace shared a few kind words with the audience.

"Mostly I want to say thank you," he began. "I look around the room and think, 'How can you not be successful?' I've always had administrative support. Half the things we do in pediatrics is surgery, and we have a terrific surgery department. The talent in this room makes it impossible to not succeed."

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New programs keep respiratory care department vibrant

Loma Linda University Medical Center department of respiratory care celebrates National Respiratory Care Week this week. The festivities started on Sunday, October 19, with a picnic for department staff. The celebration will continue through the 24th. Administrative director Randy Scott, RCP, RRT, and the entire administrative team treated department employees to five days of food and encouragement as a special thank you to the respiratory care staff for their patient care contributions.

A new program is helping bolster the ranks of therapists. In the works for nearly a year, the respiratory care residency program admitted its first student in September. Alan Alipoon, RRT, clinical manager of education, research, and the residency program, worked with Mr. Scott to get the program into action.

“Our goal is to come up with a therapist who can work on any critical care unit, adult or pediatric, in the hospital,” says Mr. Alipoon. The 10-month program aims to do just that by focusing on the clinical and bedside applications of respiratory care. Residents in the program spend eight months rotating through the intensive care units, specialty units, and acute care units learning protocols and gaining experience. The last two months of the residency are spent on an elective chosen by the participants, giving them a chance to specialize in an area of their interest.

Currently five therapists are enrolled in the program. Implemented in conjunction with the Loma Linda University School of Allied Health Professions, the residency is part of a recruitment and retention program. The target enrollment is to get one resident started every month. Each resident signs a two-year contract for service after the residency ends.

“We’re investing in our future,” smiles Mr. Alipoon. The quality of the program speaks for itself, even in its early stages, as demonstrated by four of the current residents who took pay cuts to get admitted.

The respiratory care department is also involved in numerous research projects. A full-time staff of two plus a part-time position keep the department on the edge of new technology and services. Presently, the department has close to 20 open projects. Mark Rogers, RS, RRT, RCP, research coordinator, says the company-sponsored projects, which account for about two- thirds of the research, helps fund some home-grown projects the in-house research team have developed.

“It spreads beyond the traditional scope of respiratory care to the realms of hepatology, critical care, and infectious disease,” says Mr. Rogers. He also notes the advantage the research gives to LLUMC. “A lot of the ventilator projects are two years out from hospital approval, so by the time of its FDA-approval, we’re already trained and using it on patients.”

With more than 200 people in the department, respiratory therapists work throughout the hospital, helping patients breathe a little easier. Located in just about every department from home care to trauma teams, respiratory therapists help perform intensive care, critical care, and neonatal procedures. They play a vital role on lifesaving response teams that handle patient emergencies. Respiratory therapists also monitor and provide patient care at the sleep disorders center and the baromedicine center and the specialty team clinics.

Linda Nassar, RRT, works full-time at the clinics and coordinates the department’s community outreach programs like the Huff & Puff asthma education classes for kids. Under Ms. Nassar’s direction, the department puts on five of the free public sessions each year. The program, which runs for three nights, educates parents on the medications and implications of asthma first, and then focuses on the kids who range from 4- to 10-years-old.

“We encourage siblings to come because they often are the ones who see the signs of asthma,” says Ms. Nassar. The two nights spent with the kids uses interactive programming with games and a puppet show to illustrate why they take medications even when they aren’t sick.

LLUMC enlists the aid of two types of respiratory therapists, the certified respiratory therapist (CRT) and the registered respiratory therapist (RRT).

In February, the department came under a new administrator, namely Daniel Fontoura, MPPM, LLUMC vice president.

“I’m excited about the leadership,” notes Mr. Scott, citing Mr. Fontoura’s go-forward attitude. “From my end, it’s been a real plus learning from him.”

As an asthmatic himself, Mr. Fontoura appreciates the work the department does.

“It’s a big job—clinically, it’s very involved and with a multitude of customers from patients to physicians, it can be very complicated,” notes Mr. Fontoura. “But Randy Scott and his team of managers are energetic—they get it. For me it’s been a lot of fun working with them.”

Part of the synergy of the managers is due to the leadership education and training program that all respiratory care supervisors go through.

“Our crew is happier and

we have seen a much better overall retention rate,” says Mr. Scott since the program was implemented.

Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center would like to recognize and thank each member of the respiratory care department for their work as they help evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders in the ongoing mission to “make man whole.”

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Thursday, October 23, 2003 TODAY