Sweet Mercy!
Heart Center opens valve treatment program
People In The News
TAVR team members gathered after the first procedure in September. They are: (l.-r.) Jeffrey Boyack; Enrino Fabrizi; Susan Charles; Trish Glascott; Dr. Nadeem Haq; Dr. Joseph Gelormini; Dr. Aravind Herle; Dr. Stephen Downing; Sean Regan of Edwards Lifescience; Patrick Hanlon, RNFA; Kyle Diesfeld, perfusion; and Stephen Bodkin. In addition to Cardiac & Vascular Services leaders, Jason Jankowiak, VP; and Julie LaManna; Senior Director; other TAVR team members not pictured include: Gail Markowski, NP; Brian Butler, RN; Jennifer Worthington, RN; Barbara Khries, CST; Julie Bell-Thomson, perfusion; and cardiac sonographers Kristle Redlinski and Susan Umarand. Lee Guterman, PhD, MD, a neurosurgeon and Medical Director of the Catholic Health Neuroscience Service Line, was a featured guest on Channel 7’s AM Buffalo program during National Stroke Awareness Month in May. Pictured here with TV Host Linda Pellegrino, he explained the signs and symptoms of stroke, the importance of seeking emergency medical attention, and discussed the latest advancements in stroke care being performed right here at the Mercy Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Congratulations to Dr. Catherine Falkner who was presented the Physician of the Year Award from the WNY Perinatal Bereavement Network at its annual Elegant Evening to Remember event held last May.
Catherine Falkner, MD
Dr. George Blessios, an instrumental leader in the development of the dialysis access program at Mercy Hospital, was recently honored by the Northeast Kidney Foundation with the Contribution to Health Care Award at their annual Gift of Life Celebration.
Kudos to Dr. David Bevilacqua, Chairman of Catholic Health’s Department of Orthopaedics, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from St. John Fisher College in Rochester where he is an alumnus.
Mercy Hospital cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac interventionalists and a support team of highly skilled nursing, cardiac, anesthesia, perfusion and imaging professionals performed the Heart Center’s first TAVR in September. This state-of-the-art,
minimally invasive procedure treats patients with aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve. TAVR is a non-surgical procedure that uses a catheter to place a new aortic valve where the patient’s native valve was, pushing the faulty valve aside. Prior to FDA approval of TAVR in 2011, patients who were not eligible for traditional heart surgery due to their age or other medical conditions did not have other treatment options available. For more information, contact the Center at (716) 923-9650.
Stroke team achieves gold for third year in a row
George Blessios, MD
Pictured at awards ceremony are: (l.-r.) Jesse Ladoue, AHA; Shirley Duane, FNP, Director of Stroke Services; Omar Kass-Hout, MD; Lee Guterman, PhD, MD, Medical Director of CH Stroke Services; Roseanne Hemmitt, AHA/ASA Director of Quality Improvement; C.J. Urlaub, Mercy President & CEO; and Liz Zulawski, AHA Executive Director.
David Bevilacqua, MD
John Severins was recently named director of Imaging Services at Mercy Hospital. He previously served as manager of Imaging Services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital. With a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, John has over 20 years of experience in operations and project management related to diagnostic and interventional imaging. John Severins
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The Catholic Health Heart Center at Mercy Hospital has opened a Comprehensive Valve Disease Treatment Program, offering Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and a full spectrum of valve procedures including minimally invasive and robotic valve surgery.
Congratulations to the Stroke Center team for achieving the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart & Stroke Association for the third year in a row! They also
received Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus for 2015 — the only hospital in Western New York to receive this designation.
Mercy Hospital was awarded the 2015 Greenhealth Partner for Change Award and the Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award by Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading health care community focused on environmental stewardship. In addition, Catholic Health
received Practice Greenhealth’s System for Change Award. The awards recognize health care facilities across the country who continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction, recycling and source reduction programs.
Mercy honored for being environmentally friendly