Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
Connections
News and announcements for associates, patients, and their families. Winter 2019-20
It’s That Special Mercy Touch!
Pictured above are PERT members: (l.-r.) Matt Rebmann, PA-C; Hannah Gawlak, PA-C; Todd Roland, PA-C; Megan Donnelly, PA-C; Dr. Vladimir Sabayev, PCCM, MD; and Bob Gibson, ACNP-BC.
In our ongoing commitment to high quality care, Mercy Hospital has developed a Pulmonary Embolism (PE) Response Team or PERT for short – the only one of its kind in Western New York – to more effectively recognize, treat and improve outcomes for patients who develop a PE. The multidisciplinary team, made up of cardiac, pulmonary, vascular, interventional radiology, imaging, pharmacy, nursing and emergency medicine specialists, offers a more coordinated, evidence-based approach to diagnosing and treating PE. Following national best practices, this team concept results in more expedient lifesaving care. “PERT members are available 24/7 to evaluate the patient, develop a consensus response, and initiate treatment within one hour,” says Robert Gibson, NP, advanced practice critical care education coordinator at Mercy Hospital, who coordinates the PERT team. “This saves valuable time by avoiding fragmented care and possibly conflicting opinions from different specialists.” “We are proud to be a regional leader in PE care thanks to the dedication of our staff,” said Mercy Hospital President Eddie Bratko.
Scott Bieler and members of his Mercy “Dream Team” gather at the Autumn Ball: (l.-r.) Jay Drenning, PTA; Dawn Lewis; Andrea Brockman, OT; Bieler; Kathy Lasher; Dr. Jeffrey Lewis; Emily Madeja, PT; Deborah Ruggiero, RA; and Marita Turingan, NA.
West Herr’s Bieler Expresses Thanks To Mercy Scott Bieler, President and CEO of West Herr Automotive Group, is one grateful patient. After recovering from an accident earlier this year, he decided that he wanted to “give back” to the hospital and his healthcare team as a way of saying thanks for the outstanding care he received. Bieler started off by donating a new Ford Edge car to the Mercy Hospital Foundation for a raffle to raise funds for a new Emergency Department (ED) renovation project. The winner was drawn at this year’s Autumn Ball, the hospital’s annual fundraising event held on November 1. Two weeks later, Bieler stopped back at Mercy to present a $30,000 check to the winner, Guy Agostinelli, who chose the cash value of the prize. During the presentation, Agostinelli, who is also a Catholic Health supporter, gave back a donation to the Foundation and hospital officials used the opportunity to announce the ED project to the community. The ED project, estimated at $500,000, will modify existing space to accommodate a new provider-in-triage model of care that is being adopted by hospitals across the country to improve the efficiency of care and reduce patient wait time. Plans call for the creation of new private patient triage rooms, additional private patient treatment areas, including two dedicated pediatric emergency beds, and other improvements to enhance patient comfort, privacy and convenience. Construction is expected to begin pending final approval by the state. During the ceremony, Bieler and Kathy Lasher joined other committed donors as they offered another contribution to the project through the Scott Bieler Foundation. In his remarks, Bieler expressed his gratitude to the entire staff at Mercy Hospital who he described as “fantastic”, and referred to the therapists, nurses and physicians who cared for him in the Medical Rehab Unit as his “Dream Team.”