(Hartford, Conn.) – Hartford Hospital has appointed Michael D. Nailor, Pharm. D., as an Infectious Diseases Clinical Specialist. In this role, Dr. Nailor will work closely with physicians in the prevention of infections and the treatment of infectious diseases. Such diseases include the H1N1 influenza (Swine Flu), seasonal influenza, HIV/AIDS and MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphyloccous aureus).

“Hartford Hospital is delighted to add Michael Nailor to our staff of expert clinical pharmacists,” said Michael Rubino, Director of Pharmacy at Hartford Hospital. “An infectious diseases pharmacist is unique to the region and further demonstrates our commitment to the safety of our patients and quality of our care.”

Clinical pharmacists play a critical role in patient care, as they provide expertise in identifying the most effective pharmacologic treatment for individual patients. In addition, they ensure the safety of combining medications, while minimizing the risk of adverse reactions. Pharmacists with expertise in infectious diseases are of particular significance, as they work with physicians to prevent antibiotic resistance and to treat infections.

Dr. Nailor joins Hartford Hospital from Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he served as an Infectious Diseases Clinical Specialist. He completed residency training at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich. and UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif. Dr. Nailor received his doctorate of pharmacy from the University of California in San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree from California State University in Bakersfield, Calif.

Dr. Nailor holds a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut, School of Pharmacy. He has authored numerous national publications and abstracts pertaining to the treatment of infectious diseases. He resides in Manchester.

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Aug 11, 2009 – The LA Times (in conjunction with ProPublica.org)

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The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals represents 16,000 nurses and other health care professionals. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, AFSCME, and the AFL-CIO.

Cleveland, Ohio (Aug. 10, 2009)­­ – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The Boards of the Sisters of Charity Health System and the Cuyahoga Joint Venture today announce a change in the leadership structure at St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Under this new structure, the Sisters of Charity Health System will directly manage St. Vincent Charity Hospital with Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, president and CEO of the health system also serving as the president and CEO of the hospital.

In collaboration with St. Vincent leadership, medical staff and caregivers, the team will move forward a new strategic vision for the hospital, developing its campus, medical staff, clinical technology and off-site network of health facilities while continuing its more than 144 years of faith-based, high-quality health care service to this community. This new leadership structure also will allow for improved efficiencies, reduced costs and access to system-level executive expertise.

Additionally, as a result of the restructuring, the Sisters of Charity Health System announces the promotion of Joan K. Ross as chief operating officer for St. Vincent. Ross comes to St. Vincent from Providence Hospitals based in Columbia, South Carolina, where she served as senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer since 2006. Providence Hospital was founded by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in 1938 through mortgaging their motherhouse in Lakewood and is now the leading cardiovascular center in South Carolina. At Providence, Ross developed a culture of patient safety by eliminating silos and enhancing communication across departments.

As the COO, Ross will be responsible for daily operations at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and report to Sister Judith Ann Karam. “We are excited about the dedication to high-quality patient care and service excellence that Joan will bring to St. Vincent and look forward to having her on our leadership team,” says Karam. “She has exhibited a dedication to patient care centered on compassion, respect and accountability.”

“St. Vincent has a long-standing tradition of providing quality health care as a part of the Cleveland community,” said Ross. “I embrace Sister Judith Ann’s vision for St. Vincent’s and look forward to helping to lead the renaissance. I have developed a deep fondness for the core values on which we base our delivery of care to our patients,” she said. “It is because of this commitment to patient care, which I value greatly, that I have accepted this new role within the Sisters of Charity Health System.”

A native of Lorain, Ohio, Ross returns to Northeast Ohio after having spent most of her 25-year career in nursing and health care administration at hospitals in Columbus, Virginia and at Providence. “I grew up in Northeast Ohio and am excited to return to the community where my father, siblings and extended family still live,” said Ross. She will assume her new role on Sept. 14.

With the restructuring of the president and CEO position, Jeffrey S. Jeney will be leaving the organization after years of service to both St. Luke Medical Center and St. Vincent Charity Hospital. Although Mr. Jeney was offered other positions within the health system, he chose to leave to pursue other options in his career. Under his leadership, the hospital most recently opened a new state-of-the-art Emergency Department and a year ago completed a new specialized Psychiatric Emergency Department, one of only two in the state of Ohio. He and the Capital Campaign Committee exceeded the goal for raising dollars needed for these two projects. St. Vincent was recently given a Premier Award for Quality, ranking it in the top one percent of hospitals nationally for quality.

“We are thankful for Jeff’s faith-filled commitment to the mission of the Sisters of Charity Health System and his focus on high-quality, compassionate care for all over his years of service,” said Karam. “Through all of his years of service, his care for our hospital family was outstanding.  We regret deeply his departure from our healthcare system and wish him the very best in his future.”

Currently, St. Vincent Charity Hospital is a part of the joint venture between the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals of Cleveland. In March of this year, the two Members announced the signing of a nonbinding letter of intent to restructure the assets of the joint venture which, when finalized, will result in the Sisters of Charity Health System becoming the sole  Member of St. Vincent Charity Hospital and Mercy Medical Center in Canton. The two Members of the current joint venture will continue their present Member relationship at St. John West Shore Hospital in Westlake under the management of University Hospitals of Cleveland.

The transaction to restructure the assets of the joint venture is expected to close by the end of this year. Since April, by agreement of the joint venture and its Board, the Sisters of Charity Health System has taken an active role in planning the strategic vision for the future of St. Vincent Charity Hospital. A similar arrangement is in effect for University Hospitals of Cleveland at St. John West Shore Hospital.

The president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System and St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Karam has served in health care since 1962 as Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacist and health care administrator and as CEO of hospitals in Cleveland, Canton and South Carolina.  She has been President and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System since July 1998. A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, she serves in numerous health care and community roles. She is a 1986 graduate of Leadership Cleveland and served nine years on the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization.

Since 1851, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have been serving the Cleveland community becoming the first public health nurses visiting the sick in their homes. In 1865, they founded St. Vincent Charity Hospital, where the first open-heart surgery was performed in the Midwest. Today, St. Vincent is home to the outstanding Spine and Orthopedic Institute, Center for Bariatric Surgery, Joslin Diabetes Center, behavioral health services community outreach services, “medical home” delivery model for urban health care and graduate medical education programs in Internal Medicine, General Dentistry and Podiatric Surgery.

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. -

RALEIGH, N.C. – Johnston Health and Rex Healthcare today announced that they have joined together to enhance the services offered to cancer patients in eastern Wake and Johnston counties. Under the partnership, patients will be able to receive radiation therapy in two locations: the Johnston Health Medical Mall in Smithfield, and the medical office building on the campus of Johnston Medical Center-Clayton, now under construction on N.C. 42 West.

Until now, radiation therapy was not offered by Johnston Health cancer services-only chemotherapy treatment was provided. “Now patients who require radiation therapy who live in and around Johnston County will not have to travel longer distances to receive the services they need,” says Kevin Rogols, president and CEO of Johnston Health.

“Patients sometimes need daily treatments over an eight-week or longer period. And that often means family members have to take time off from work or make other arrangements to drive loved ones to distant appointments,” Rogols said. “In partnership with Rex Healthcare-the region’s premier provider of cancer services, our hospital will deliver the very best cancer care to area residents.”

“Providing quality care in a community setting has been a strong Rex tradition for more than 115 years,” said David Strong, president of Rex Healthcare. “The Rex Cancer Center is well known for caring for patients, not only through the latest technology and treatments for cancer, but also with compassion and support throughout each patient’s journey. Rex Healthcare’s affiliation with the nationally recognized N.C. Cancer Hospital and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill means the highest level of care for patients. Through Rex and UNC, patients will have access to all the latest treatment options and clinical trials available.”

For more information about Johnston Health, visit johnstonhealth.org. For more information about Rex Healthcare, visit rexhealth.com.

About Johnston Health
Johnston Health is a new health care system that includes Johnston Medical Center-Smithfield (formerly Johnston Memorial Hospital) and Johnston Medical Center-Clayton, which is opening this fall. The public, nonprofit hospital is licensed for 199 beds. With a mission to improve the health of the people in our communities, Johnston Health operates an outpatient surgical center in Clayton as well as specialty and primary care doctors’ practices in Clayton, Kenly and the communities of Cleveland and McGee’s Crossroads.

About Rex Healthcare
Rex Healthcare, a member of UNC Health Care, is a private, not-for-profit health care system, with 4,400 employees. Rex Healthcare has 665 beds (433 general acute beds, six inpatient hospice and 226 skilled nursing) and treats more than 26,000 inpatients each year. Rex offers dedicated centers for women, cancer, post acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, heart and vascular, same-day surgery and wellness, plus dedicated clinics for pain management, heartburn, wound care, sleep disorders, diabetes education and state-of-the-art emergency services. Rex provides various healthcare services throughout Wake County with facilities in Cary, Apex, Garner, Knightdale, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. Rex is also the first hospital in the Triangle, and one of only 10 in North Carolina, to receive Magnet Recognition, which places Rex nurses among the top 2 percent in the country. In 2008, Rex was listed as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Thomson Reuters Healthcare. In addition, Rex was named a Thomson Reuters Performance Improvement Leader — one of only 16 hospitals in the country to make both Thomson Reuters lists. Rex also was named one of the top 100 (#15) Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine.

On Thursday April 30, Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) will be holding a Public Forum on the feasibility of establishing an Associate Degree in Nursing (Registered Nurse) program at the College. The Forum will be held at 4:30 pm in the Draper Center located on the first floor of the library building. Currently, Dr. Susan Abbe is conducting a formal study to determine if the establishment of a sixth associate degree nursing program, within the Connecticut Community College System, is desirable as a means for addressing Connecticut’s nursing shortage. This study is funded through the generosity of the Foundation for Community Health, Sharon, CT.

Each year, NCCC has approximately 75 students who categorize themselves as “pre?nursing,” and complete all but their nursing courses at NCCC. About a dozen of those students are accepted into the nursing program at Naugatuck Valley Community College while others must apply elsewhere, including out?of?state. Realizing the shortage of nurses in Connecticut, NCCC began to raise private funds in 2007 and currently has $900,000 in community pledges and
donations.

We invite all members of the public, and especially those in the health care fields, as well as students and potential students to attend this Public Forum. Input from all constituencies is crucial to our successful planning for the future. Refreshments will be served.

For further information about this Public Forum, please contact President Barbara Douglass, at (860) 738?6406 or by e?mail at bdouglass@nwcc.commnet.edu.

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