News from across Ascension

Ascension Virtual 5K a moving experience for many

THIS YEAR’S EVENT EMPHASIZED SELF-CARE

For the third year in a row, associates, community members, families and four-legged friends ran, walked, swam and hiked in the Ascension Virtual 5K.

“This year we really wanted to emphasize self-care and how important it is for everyone’s holistic well-being,” said Deana Donovan, National Lead –

Wellness, Human Resources, Ascension, who served as the Ascension

Virtual 5K Planning Team Lead. “The better we feel in body, mind and spirit, the better equipped we are to take care of our loved ones, our patients, our communities and one another. So we try to provide experiences like the 5K to enable associates to focus on what matters most.”

In alignment with the theme “Take care of yourself so you can be there for others,” planning for this year involved several new aspects to engage and encourage associates where they are in their well-being journey.

WELL-BEING KUDOBOARD

The Well-being Kudoboard provides a space to gather in community to encourage and inspire others on their well-being journey. Leading up to the Ascension Virtual 5K, participants were encouraged to ask questions, post tips and share progress toward their fitness goals. After the event, participants shared photos of their experience.

my CARE RESOURCES

Well-being Sessions, a training schedule and recordings available at the myCare website provided information on a variety of topics leading up to the event.

GROUP PARTICIPATION

This year, associates could gather more freely with family and friends to take part in the event. Teams were formed at several Ascension locations so they could participate together.

Ascension Virtual 5K participants posting photos to the event Kudoboard included, from top, Anna Overstreet, Performance Improvement Manager, Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham, Alabama; Arlene Caselli, RN, Nurse Educator, Ascension Resurrection, Chicago; Becky Hoffman, Administrative Coordinator, Ascension Standish, Michigan, and daughter Alivia and dogs Oliver and Phoebe; and Marie Stangl, Associate Vice President, Technology, Ascension Wisconsin.

ALABAMA

Women’s Choice Award Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham received eight 2022 Women’s Choice Awards. The Women’s Choice Award for Best Hospitals identifies the nation’s best hospitals based on robust criteria, including clinical performance, patient satisfaction and accreditations. The hospital was recognized in the categories of Cancer Care, Heart Care, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Obstetrics, Orthopedics, Patient Experience, Patient Safety and Best Mammogram Imaging Center.

Patient experience awardees Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham and Ascension St. Vincent’s Chilton were named among the seven best hospitals in the state for patient experience using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Also, Ascension St. Vincent’s Primary Care Gardendale received the UnitedHealth United Hero Award. The award is based on the achievement of patient experience scores of at least 80%.

BALTIMORE

Top honors The Daily Record in Maryland, a statewide business and legal newspaper published in Baltimore, named Brandi Blevins, Director of Orthopedic Service Line, Ascension Saint Agnes, to its 2022 list of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, and Ed Lovern, Ascension Saint Agnes President and CEO, to its Power 30 Health Care List.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Fitness facility opens Lourdes Health & Fitness opened in May with more than 3,000 members enrolled. The center offers a unique atmosphere that combines a comprehensive fitness experience with clinically driven pathways that allow members to customize activities to their clinical status. A medical advisory board oversees the continued development of health and fitness programming.

Tops in quality Lourdes Breast Care Center, Cardiac Rehab, Coumadin Clinic, Infusion Center, Wound Care and Orthopedics Riverside each received the 5-Star Excellence Award for Overall Quality of Care from Professional Research Consultants (PRC). This designation is awarded annually to healthcare facilities, outpatient service lines, inpatient units and outpatient clinics scoring in the top 10% of PRC’s national client database for the prior calendar year.

FLORIDA AND GULF COAST

Providers recognized A total of 140 Ascension Medical Group providers across Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast were recognized as 5-Star Award winners by Professional Research Consultants (PRC). In 2021, these providers were highly rated by their patients and ranked in the 90th percentile or above when compared to the rest of the PRC national database. Top safety grade Four Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast hospitals were recognized with a Leapfrog safety grade of “A”: in Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach and Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside in Jacksonville; and in Alabama, Ascension Providence in Mobile.

ILLINOIS

Service to community cited Ascension Holy Family was one of 10 Des Plaines, Illinois, businesses and individuals honored with the 2022 Community Enhancement Award for its service to the community, volunteerism, donations and business success.

Center receives grant Ascension Illinois’ Center for Mental Health and the Arlington Heights police department received a $250,000 federal grant for a crisis counselor to work with officers on calls involving people suffering from a mental health crisis.

Heart center recognized Ascension Saint Mary Kankakee received Chest Pain Center reaccreditation from the American College of Cardiology for its demonstrated expertise in and commitment to treating patients with chest pain. The renewed accreditation, first achieved

The Lourdes Health & Fitness center in Binghamton, New York, offers clinically driven exercise programs.

in 2018, is based on rigorous on-site evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who could be experiencing a heart attack.

Team transforms TAVR Ascension Alexian Brothers Elk Grove Village is the first Illinois hospital to offer same-day transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure to replace a narrowed aortic valve that fails to open properly that usually requires a short hospital stay. When the pandemic caused a pause in elective procedures in 2020, a clinical team led by Andrei Pop, MD, Structural Heart Director, used the time to find a way to perform the procedure with same-day discharge.

INDIANA

Associates honored for servant leadership The organization Leadership Everyone honors individuals, projects and organizations that make significant, collaborative contributions to improve and transform the Evansville community. During its 27th annual Celebration of Leadership Awards Ceremony, these Ascension St. Vincent Evansville associates received awards for their examples of servant leadership:

Sheila Hauck, RN, Director of Nursing, Ascension St. Vincent Evansville, has mentored countless nurses and provided leadership to nursing quality, oncology services and palliative care. She established a navigation program for Ascension St. Vincent Evansville’s Cancer Center to ensure that newly diagnosed cancer patients receive timely, equitable services across the care continuum. Her leadership extends into the community through her collaborations with multiple organizations.

Kelly Paul, RPh, Ascension St. Vincent Epworth Crossing Pharmacy, devoted countless hours to organizing and refining Ascension COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic operations. She also created a curbside pickup system so patients had a safe way to get their prescriptions.

In collaboration with the University of Evansville’s LatinX Community Health ChangeLab, Amy Jo Sheeley, Manager of Practice Operations, Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent, has worked to help address health disparity. More than 100 people in the LatinX community received COVID-19 vaccinations at two vaccine clinics hosted by Ascension St. Vincent Evansville. This collaboration started with a project focusing on OB-GYN patient education and has expanded to include COVID-19 vaccinations and various cancer screenings. These initiatives fully align with our ABIDE framework.

KANSAS

Center offers specialized therapies The Cancer Institute at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita is now an approved site for four chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, offering new hope to patients with certain blood cancers that have returned or stopped responding to treatment. It is the state’s only provider outside the Kansas City metro area to offer this type of immunotherapy, which uses a person’s own modified cells to fight cancer. 3D process advances cancer care Ascension Via Christi Cancer Center introduced a 3D printer and specialized software to create patient-specific radiation therapy devices for treating some skin and breast cancers. The process helps tailor the radiation to the size of a tumor or lesion, sparing healthy tissue and provides superior dose distribution.

Hospital expands services Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg expanded ultrasound and echocardiogram services to its nearby rural Fort Scott clinic, allowing residents more access to close-to-home diagnostic cardiology, obstetrics and general imaging services.

MICHIGAN

Sue Hanna receives award Sue Hanna, APACHE Coordinator, Critical Care, at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, received Gift of Life Michigan’s prestigious 2022 Champion Award. Sue is one of 17 individuals, four organizations and one hospital to be honored; the award recognizes her efforts to promote organ and tissue donation through her work as a donation liaison.

Robotic surgery reaccreditation Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc achieved reaccreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by

Sheila Hauck, RN Kelly Paul, RPh Amy Jo Sheeley

Surgical Review Corporation. Christopher Ash, DO; Mark Mattingly, MD; and Carol Powers, DO, became accredited as Surgeons of Excellence. Ascension Genesys Hospital was the first hospital in Michigan to receive accreditation in 2016.

Care of older adults cited The Institute for Healthcare Improvement recognized Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital as a Participant Level Age-Friendly Health System. This designation recognizes a system-wide commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adults.

Nightingale awardees Oakland University Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence recognize exceptional nurses who demonstrate leadership traits and routinely go above and beyond to deliver quality care. Four Ascension Michigan nurses were recognized: Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing winner Makenzie Thimm, Ascension Southeast Michigan Metro East & Metro West Regions; Excellence in Nursing Leadership winner Ashton Austin, Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield Campus; Post-Acute Care & Specialty Nursing winner Karen Habte, Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield & Novi Campuses; and OU School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni runner-up Sara Schwartz, Ascension Providence Hospital, Novi Campus.

Virtual event a success For the second year, Ascension St. Mary’s Foundation in Saginaw held its Cornette Corantine fundraising event virtually. Through sponsorships, donations and an online auction, the foundation raised over $104,000 to support the purchase of a second MRI table to reduce turnaround time and enhance patient experience. The event also honored the Spirit of St. Vincent Award recipient, Steven McLean, MD, emergency medicine physician at Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital, as well as recognized hospital associates with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Award for their support and dedication to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top 100 honor Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Tawas City was named one of the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals in the U.S. by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. To determine the list, the Chartis Center used the Hospital Strength INDEX, which assesses performance in inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and financial efficiency.

Gift supports pediatric care A multimillion-dollar investment from Mary Ann Van Elslander supports the Your Child, We Care campaign at Ascension St. John Children’s Hospital in Detroit. The gift brought the campaign to its baseline goal of $18 million to make changes that enhance privacy, improve comfort and elevate the care experience. The gift supports a multimillion-dollar renovation that will expand the inpatient pediatric unit and create a dedicated hospital entrance for women and children.

OKLAHOMA

TeamBirth collaboration Ascension St. John launched a national collaboration with TeamBirth, a program designed to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. The statewide implementation of TeamBirth is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Health and is the centerpiece of the Delivery Decisions Initiative of Ariadne Labs, a center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Rehab hospital groundbreaking Representatives from Ascension St. John, Encompass Health and the city of Owasso held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Owasso. The facility is the second venture between the two organizations, which jointly own St. John Rehabilitation Hospital located next to Ascension St. John Broken Arrow. Completion is expected in 2023.

TENNESSEE

Reducing food waste Kitchens across the Ascension Saint Thomas campuses are striving for zero waste through tactics that include precise calculations for meal planning and use of food digester machines and recyclable eating utensils. Ascension Saint Thomas is also exploring ways to divert uneaten prepared meals and excess ingredients to local community members in need.

GYN emergency department Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown celebrated completion of its Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Department (OB-GYN ED) with the opening of its GYN ED. Located next to the OB ED, the GYN ED advances the hospital’s vision of offering comprehensive, convenient and personalized care.

Stroke intervention Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is now the first facility in Rutherford County to offer thrombectomy, a potentially lifesaving stroke intervention. Previously, stroke patients required transfer to Nashville to receive this intervention.

TEXAS

Maternal Care Center opens Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin opened a Maternal Care Center, which allows for the highest level of specialized

care before, during and after delivery at Dell Children’s. Mothers diagnosed with complex and rare fetal conditions who are patients of the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center at Dell Children’s can receive their obstetrical care at the Maternal Care Center on site.

Neonatology program expands Ascension Providence in Waco expanded its neonatal provider care team by adding five neonatal nurse practitioners. These clinicians have extensive experience in recognizing, evaluating and stabilizing newborns with unexpected health complications, as well as educating families about newborn care and needs.

Spanish-language stroke mnemonic Maricela Wilson, Stroke Outreach Coordinator at Ascension Seton in Austin, developed a mnemonic for reducing stroke recognition disparities in Spanish-speaking communities: AHORA. Meaning “now” in Spanish, AHORA contains the elements of the English mnemonic FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time to call emergency services) and adds the symptom of a terrible headache that is unlike past headaches. Sudden severe headache is an important predictor of hemorrhagic stroke, a debilitating type of stroke experienced more frequently among Hispanic populations. AHORA stands for Andar (walking), Hablar (speech), Ojos (eyes), Rostro (face and head), and Ambos brazos o piernas (both arms and legs). Emergency medical services programs around the country have begun adoption of the Spanish-language tool.

Center offers specialty care Ascension Seton Health Center Lamar is a new multispecialty health center offering patients convenient access to cardiovascular care, spine care and outpatient imaging services.

WISCONSIN

Dr. Julie Doniere honored Julie Doniere, MD, Emergency Medicine physician at Ascension St. Joseph and Ascension St. Francis Hospital, was honored among the “Women of the Year” by USA Today. The program honors one remarkable woman from every state who leads and inspires, promotes and fights for equity, and champions change.

EMS Director Andy Sandler recognized Andy Sandler, EMS Director, Ascension Wisconsin, was included among the inaugural “10 Milwaukee Healthcare Executives to Know” by the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Clinic opens The Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin – Mequon clinic opened and provides primary and specialty care services including behavioral health, neurosciences, podiatry, dermatology and imaging.

Hospital named to top 100 Ascension Calumet Hospital was again named a Top 100 critical access hospital based on Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX results. The program honors outstanding performance among rural hospitals. Program treats depression Ascension St. Elizabeth began offering transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for patients with medication-resistant depression and/or anxiety. The program has been well received by patients, with an 84% success rate.

ASCENSION GLOBAL MISSION

Responding to disasters One role of Ascension Global Mission (AGM) is responding responsibly to both natural and man-made disasters; reputable international relief organizations emphasize that the best response is to send financial donations rather than goods and materials, which can disrupt local economies. In solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, and those in Haiti who continue to suffer from last year’s earthquake and storms, AGM provided direct funds to Catholic Relief Services and the Daughters of Charity in Ukraine, and funding to organizations on the ground in Haiti that provide direct care to the impacted population.

ASCENSION LIVING

Memory support advancing Ascension Living is finalizing construction of new assisted living memory support residences on existing senior living campuses, including Ascension Living

Kevin Bozic, MD, MBA, FAAOS Edward T. A. Fry, MD, FACC, FSCAI

Bethlehem Woods Village in La Grange Park, Illinois; Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village in St. Louis; and Ascension Living Providence Village in Waco, Texas. In the new residences, resident care will be designed around what is familiar and comforting. From color choices to noise control, lighting and room layouts, everything is being taken into consideration to honor each resident’s unique needs.

ASCENSION VENTURES

New investment, capital Ascension Ventures announced a new investment in RefleXion Medical, developer of a biology-guided radiation therapy platform. Several other Ascension Venture portfolio companies raised capital recently, including Compassus, Help at Home, Imperative Care, MindPath, Regent Surgical, Renovia and STRM.bio.

CLINICAL & NETWORK SERVICES

Drs. Fry and Bozic appointed to national roles Edward T. A. Fry, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Chair of Ascension’s National Cardiovascular Service Line as well as the Cardiology Division and Cardiovascular Service Line at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis, was selected to serve as President of the American College of Cardiology Board of Trustees. Dr. Fry is a founding member of the Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center in Indianapolis. Ascension Texas Orthopaedic Surgeon Kevin Bozic, MD, MBA, FAAOS, was named First Vice President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors. As First Vice President, he is in the second year of a four-year term of service during which he will serve as President of the AAOS board in 2023-24. Dr. Bozic serves as Chair of the Ascension Musculoskeletal Service Line and is the inaugural Chair of Surgery and Perioperative Care at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

COMMUNITY HEALTH MINISTRIES

Fiesta holiday Children in the Head Start and Early Head Start programs at Ascension DePaul Services – San Antonio’s DePaul-Wesley Children’s Center celebrated Fiesta San Antonio with a parade of floats and Tex-Mex food booths in each classroom. The annual event salutes the heroes of the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto.

MEDXCEL

Survey results positive Medxcel’s annual Voice of the Customer survey showed that its customers, including Ascension markets, are pleased with its support and services. Medxcel will use the data collected to guide its strategic planning for the future.

THE RESOURCE GROUP

New interns welcomed The Resource Group welcomed a new class of college interns in May. Last year’s class of 26 interns gave a resounding endorsement of the program, with 100% recommending The Resource Group as a place to work. The reputation of the internship program was validated by the more than 600 applicants who applied this year, resulting in the recruitment of 35 bright, diverse and dynamic students from 22 universities and 21 areas of study. Many of them are expected to become full-time associates in the future.

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Cultivating long-term relationships with patients is one thing Jennifer Belue, LCSW, loves about her role as a social worker within Ascension Rx.

“It’s uncommon for social workers to be embedded in the pharmacy,” she said. “This role has provided me with an opportunity to have long-term relationships with patients. Some of the people I’m caring for have been with this program since it launched in 2006.”

Jennifer began her position on the pharmacy team about the same time that Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West, Nashville, Tennessee, was launching its Dispensary of Hope, a charitable medication distributor. Dispensary of Hope, a subsidiary of Ascension, is dedicated to providing pharmacies and safety-net clinics with reliable access to medication that has been donated by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

“Most of my patients are working but still unable to afford their healthcare,” Jennifer said.

Working mainly at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West, she supports five pharmacies within Ascension Tennessee, helping with policy making and implementation, education, training, and change management. New pharmacists and technicians train with her to learn more about the issues that patients face and Ascension’s guidelines for supporting them holistically.

“In addition to their medications, these patients often need other support such as shelter, food and help paying for utilities,” she said. “Our jobs are more than filling prescriptions. We help people in other ways, and this is the reason that so many associates stay with Ascension.”

The Dispensary of Hope filled over 1 million 30-day prescriptions in 2021. Ascension, through Ascension Rx’s Medication Access Team, also provided over $76 million in medication assistance in fiscal year 2021 through various programs, and that number was expected to at least double in fiscal year 2022.

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