The Wright Stuff - March 28
Dear WVU Medicine colleagues,
On Thursday, it’s Doctors Day, and this is a celebration I look forward to every year!
I hope you’ll join me in taking time this week to recognize and appreciate our world-class doctors throughout the WVU Health System for all they do to save and improve lives in our state and region.
Institutionally, there will be informal and organized observances, but always feel free to let our doctors know that you are grateful for the difference they make in the lives of our patients.
As we continue to grow and care for more and more patients, I’m always impressed with the care team we have assembled, with our doctors taking the lead role. We want the skill and scope of our care to be such that no one in the state would have to – or want to – leave to get their medical problems solved elsewhere. As we continue to progress, it’s clear we are becoming a healthcare destination for the entire region.
One of the keys to this success – and one of many things I love about our doctors – is that we continue to grow our expertise as they embrace and master the latest techniques. Many of these new procedures require specialized training, and our doctors are nimble, adaptable, and eager to embrace a new approach, with the end goal of creating a better experience for our patients. It seems like every week I’m hearing about a new procedure we’re doing that no one else in the region is offering, and our doctors are taking the lead in the new methods of care we’re able to offer.
I can’t thank our doctors enough for all they do, but I want to wish a happy Doctors Day to each one. Please join me in showing your appreciation for our doctors in some way either on Thursday or sometime this week!
IN OTHER NEWS
WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Restores Quality of Life for Essential Tremor Patient
Tim Casey, 70, of Charleston, has struggled for 20 years with essential tremor (ET), which caused him to lose control over movement in his hands, drastically reducing his quality of life. But his life fundamentally improved after he became the 100th recipient of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s (RNI) high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment.
“I can now write cursive for the first time in decades and eat a bowl of soup in public without wearing soup on my shirt,” Tim wrote in a letter to Ali Rezai, MD, executive chair of the RNI. “When something is lost, seemingly forever, and then is restored, the term ‘miraculous’ best describes what has happened. Please know that as I experience many things I can now do, I will be giving thanks to this miracle.”
The treatment, which was granted FDA approval in 2017, uses non-invasive, MRI-guided technology to minimize the symptoms of ET, yielding life-changing results for patients.
According to Ann Murray, MD, neurologist at the RNI, focused ultrasound via MRI technologies can treat ET in an efficient, targeted manner with minimal side effects.
“In focused ultrasound, a lesion is made in the area that triggers the tremor, causing it to calm down. The results are immediate, resulting in an instantaneous improvement in the patient’s quality of life,” Dr. Murray said.
Dr. Murray added that while focused ultrasound has been available to treat tremor on one side, bilateral focused ultrasound has recently been approved by the FDA, allowing treatment of the other side of the body nine months after the first.
The team at the RNI was the first in the region to employ the use of focused ultrasound for the treatment of ET is committed to the research of neurological diseases and the use of technology to propel medical advancements.
“Focused ultrasound is a two-hour outpatient procedure that reduces tremors and improves quality of life,” Dr. Rezai said. “This is a major technological innovation and a step forward to help people with tremor using a non-surgical procedure.”
Watch Tim Casey’s personal story and essential tremor treatment.
Mark Boucot Named a Top Rural Health CEO to Know in 2023
WVU Medicine Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) and WVU Medicine Potomac Valley Hospital (PVH) President and CEO Mark Boucot has been named a Top Rural Hospital CEO to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading healthcare publication, for the second year in a row.
The annual list recognized 80 rural hospital CEOs who have worked to ensure their communities have access to the best healthcare services possible. While rural hospitals across the country have faced closure in recent years, these leaders have developed a model for not only surviving but thriving.
“Mark is a tireless advocate for rural and population health, and has taken that passion and created meaningful systems of care at GRMC and PVH to serve those in need,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “We are proud to have him as part of our WVU Medicine family and congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”
Under Mark’s direction, GRMC and PVH have seen significant growth and change.
At GRMC, he has overseen facility construction and modernization; subsequent rebranding of the hospital; and the addition of specialty services, including behavioral health, cancer care and infusion therapy, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, colorectal surgery, dermatology, gynecology, heart and vascular, integrative pain management, nephrology and urology, and pediatrics.
Under Mark’s leadership, GRMC has received national recognition in safety and quality care, including a Top 20 Rural and Community Hospital in the United States by the National Rural Health Association and the Chartis Center for Rural Health for 2022 and 2021. GRMC has also received recognition as a Top 100 Rural and Community Hospital for five consecutive years and was awarded six consecutive “A” hospital safety grades by the LeapFrog Group.
GRMC had no inpatient central line-associated blood stream infections in 2022, marking nine years since a patient experienced such an infection in the facility. The hospital also ended the past year with no inpatient catheter-associated urinary tract infections, the sixth consecutive year without this type of infection. The hospital has the state’s best hospital acquired condition score for 2022, which is an indicator for reducing preventable complications and assuring patient safety.
PVH improved emergency room wait times and added additional specialty services, including the opening of the WVU Cancer Institute of PVH in 2022. Rated a five-star facility by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2020, PVH also received designation as West Virginia’s Community Star for 2021.
PVH was the first critical access hospital in the WVU Health System to achieve acute stroke ready hospital certification through the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association, making it the third hospital in the state of West Virginia to achieve this designation. The hospital was also awarded the American College of Radiology gold seal of accreditation in computed tomography.
Mark attributes the success of both hospitals to “being able to work with an amazing medical staff and having a superb and caring hospital staff. Together, they work to create an encouraging and welcoming environment through frontline councils and have a dedicated commitment to patient safety and performance improvement.”
UHC Recognizes 20th Anniversary of Cath Lab’s First Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Procedure
The first percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure performed in WVU Medicine United Hospital Center’s cath lab occurred 20 years ago on March 31, 2003.
Since that time, nearly 7,000 procedures have been performed.
PCI is a non-surgical procedure that uses a catheter (a thin flexible tube) to place a small structure, called a stent, to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup, a condition known as atherosclerosis.
Pictured below are five medical professionals who have been with the PCI program from the start. Pictured, from left, are Annie Parsons, RT (R) (CV), lead cardiovascular technologist; Cindy Clutter, RT (R) (CV), cardiovascular technologist; Leah Moyer, RN, CCRN, CVRN, cardiovascular nurse; Leslie Lois Bailey RT (R) (CV); and April McCullough, RT (R) (CV).
Camden Clark Hosts Egg Hunt for Employees’ Families
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center employees and their families had an “egg-straordinary” time over the weekend when the hospital hosted an Easter egg hunt.
With Easter quickly approaching, children of all ages eagerly hopped into the action, searching for eggs in a rainbow of colors. Prizes, face painting, and other activities were also part of the fun event, and children could even have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny.
Everyone in attendance agreed that it was an “egg-cellent” day!
The photos below show some of the “egg-citing” event.
Berkeley Medical Center Donates Trauma Kits to State Troopers
Critical Care and Trauma Services at WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center recently donated trauma kits to several new West Virginia state troopers in the Eastern Panhandle.
In 2015, Trauma Services began to provide first-aid training and trauma kits to local law enforcement officers. In the event of a trauma, law enforcement officers are sometimes the first to arrive on the scene, and these resources ensure officers have the tools needed to render aid until emergency medical services arrive.
This donation highlights Berkeley Medical Center’s strong community partnerships in the Eastern Panhandle, and the hospital’s mission to keep community members healthy and safe.
Pictured below is Donnie Grubb (left), manager, Trauma and Emergency Management, and Sgt. Lonnie Faircloth, Martinsburg Detachment commander.
Camden Clark Supports Telethon, Camp ECHO
WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, once again, participated in the fundraising efforts for Wood County Society's 54th Annual Telethon, which was held Sunday (March 26) on WTAP-TV to raise funds to support Camp ECHO.
The program provides therapeutic and educational experiences for individuals with developmental differences. The next camp will take place June 4-8 at Cedar Lakes in Ripley.
The Camden Clark team supported the event by answering calls for donations, while hospital President and CEO Steve Altmiller presented a check from Camden Clark for $15,000. In addition, the Camden Clark Lifetime Partners program added another $5,500 to help the Wood County Society achieve its vision to empower communities to unite together to ensure all youth and adults with disabilities are recognized for their abilities.
Pictured below are some photos from the telethon.
Princeton Services Highlighted During Women’s Expo
WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital was spreading the word about some of its excellent programs during a two-day event last week.
Known as the “largest and best vendor show” in southern West Virginia, the annual Women’s Expo took place at the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center on Friday and Saturday. The hospital set up two booths at the event – one with information from the Orthopedic Center and the other featuring information about the Women’s Center. They also offered door prizes.
The 25th annual event featured more than 150 vendors and offered networking, as well as games, food, and meet-and-greet opportunities.
WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital booths are pictured at the Women’s Expo.
Inmates Donate Blankets to Princeton Women’s Center
A donation of 150 finger-knitted baby blankets was delivered last week to the WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital Women’s Center.
The blankets, knitted in a variety of colors, were made by inmates at the Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Pocahontas, Virginia, as part of the center’s UPLIFT program. Understanding the Potential Lasting Impacts of Finger-knitting Therapy (UPLIFT) is a program of the correctional center’s Shared Allied Management Unit and has been used as a community outreach opportunity for three years.
The inmates, who began the project for the hospital in November 2022, were able to complete the blankets by working on them when they had free time each day.
Karen Bowling, president and CEO of Princeton Community Hospital; Angel French, director of the Women’s Center; and Tim Anderson, chief nursing officer, were on hand to meet with correctional center officials to accept the blankets. They expressed their appreciation to the inmates for their generous donation, saying, “The families of our newborns will treasure these beautifully crafted blankets. They are sure to become family heirlooms.”
WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital officials are pictured receiving the donation of blankets.
A FINAL THOUGHT…
