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AHEC
VOICE Issue 24 Spring 2013
A quarterly publication for SR-AHEC employees
Class of 2013 Prepares for Graduation by Karen Mantzouris, Director, Marketing/Public Relations The Class of 2013, consisting of eight family medicine physicians, three family medicine faculty members, two pharmacists and one marriage/family therapist, is scheduled to graduate on Friday, June 28, from respective programs offered through Southern Regional AHEC. The residents and faculty physicians are celebrating milestones in their health care careers. The graduation event will be held at Highland Country Club, beginning at 4 p.m. The graduation program is set for 5 p.m. Heavy appetizers will be served, replacing the traditional evening dinner that has been the norm for past graduations. The new format gives graduates an opportunity to spend the evening with their families and friends. SR-AHEC employees are invited to celebrate with the graduates at no cost. If you are interested in attending the graduation ceremony at Highland Country Club, be sure to respond to your e-mail invitation by June 21, letting Timmie Locklear know if you plan to attend. There will be a $10 charge for each guest of a SR-AHEC employee.
Family Medicine Residency Program Graduates
Reem Rebekah Alkadhi, M.D. Collymore, M.D. Family Family Medicine Medicine
Cecilia Nashatizadeh, M.D. Family Medicine
Leann Retell, D.O. Family Medicine
Faculty Development Fellows, Pharmacy and Behavioral Health Residency Graduates
Donald Guild, M.D. Family Medicine
Harkiran Grewal, M.D. Family Medicine
Sal D’Allura, D.O. Faculty Development Fellow
Asad Shah, M.D. Family Medicine
Rebekah Sprouse, M.D. Family Medicine
Dustin Scott Lisa Bryan, PharmD. Stueck, PharmD. Michaels, PhD. (C) Pharmacy Behavioral Pharmacy Health
Sushma Kapoor, M.D. Faculty Development Fellow
Edwin Houng, M.D. Faculty Development Fellow
Interns Arrive June 10th
Sherry Bajwa, M.D.
Cornelius Wesley Stephen Cooke, M.D. Greenwood, M.D. Jamison, M.D
Kevin Jensen, D.O.
Joshua Hung Vinh Hassan Madani, M.D. Stringam, D.O. Tran, M.D.
Softball Team Slides into First Season by Karen Mantzouris With nicknames like Sparzee, Spanky, Foxi Van Fierce, and Old Guy, you knew it was going to be a fun time, even if it wasn’t a winning season. The SRAHEC Scrubs softball team kicked up plenty of dust playing their first season in the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation’s Spring League, held early March - May. The team played 18 regular season games (2-16) and finished 2-2 in the playoffs. Old Guy, aka SR-AHEC Clinical Practice Manager Carl Keiper, played the position of pitcher and was the team’s inspiration. “I have always loved playing softball and I really love team sports at the intramural level,” he said. ”Sports allow you to get to know others outside the work environment; I actually looked forward to the softball games.” Carl acknowledges that the group of employees on the team were competitive and had a good time together. “Even when we were down 25 to 2, we weren't mad at each other; we tried to encourage each other to do better. The little successes are what made this fun,” he said. Team members: Left to right front row: Carl Keiper (Old Guy), Timmie Locklear (Timister), Christy Spears (Sparzee), Rebecca Collymore (Eve’s Mom); Back Row: Damon Routzhan (Melissa’s son), Melissa Routzhan (Malissaker), John Novales (Duckter Marty), Ben Lambertson (Benito), Edwin Houng (BV), Tina Carter (Ti-Ti), Brad Hughes (team members not pictured) Ingrid Rodriguez (Eye-Rod), Gelou, Christy Bond (Bond), Karsten Ray (Spanky), Andrea Knight (Foxi Van Flerce), Matt Johnson, Danielle Andrews (Dani)
A favorite time during the season for Carl was when a team member was surprised by hitting in the outfield or catching a first pop fly. “Just seeing the excitement on their faces made me happy that I was part of the team.”
Throughout the season the team suffered some pretty serious injuries, but that didn’t stop The SR-AHEC Scrubs. Even Carl went back to pitching after he broke his finger. When asked why he continued to play, he emphasized that it was commitment. “ When you join a team, people depend on you,” he said. “ When you make a commitment, you must honor it. We all have many things going on in our lives, but when you commit to a team, that should become a priority; being tired or stressed is not a good reason not to show up. That is probably when you should show up because these are the people who are supporting you.” (continued on page 8)
Hey, Batter, Batter... The SR-AHEC Scrubs yell to the opposing team on the field at Lamon Street Park, near downtown Fayetteville.
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Farmacy Project Focuses on Food as Medicine by Karen Mantzouris
Deanna Wung is a pharmacy student at UNC-Chapel Hill and is completing her clinical rotation requirements at SR-AHEC this year. Because she has a special interest in the role of nutrition and fresh food in health, she is planning a demonstration kitchen garden as her pharmacy project. The mission of her project is to: • Improve the health and well-being of SR-AHEC patients and staff by improving healthy food access through nutrition education and a demonstration garden; and • Inspire the health care community to emphasize food as an integral part of patient care. “Deanna will be responsible for facilitating the planning and development of the demonstration kitchen garden on the SR-AHEC grounds,” according to Pharmacy Residency Director Susan Miller, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, FCCP. “We see it as an educational tool for SR-AHEC patients and employees.” The idea for the garden came to Dr. Miller after reading an article about a clinic in Winston Salem that has a garden on site. “We are looking for employee volunteers who are interested in helping with this garden project. We need people who are interested in planting, cultivating, and harvesting, (when the time comes) the fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Miller said. Deanna’s vision for the project is to model the expansion of the health care approach by creating an accessible clinic garden to incorporate food as an integral part of medical care. The project goals are for patients to improve healthy food access, to empower the community, and for the SR-AHEC staff to improve healthy food access, increase food insecurity awareness, and provide interdisciplinary collaboration in the health care setting As part of the project, Deanna will be responsible for examining literature and models for urban kitchen gardens, as well as finding the resources for creating a pilot garden at SR-AHEC. A local construction waste recycling company, iCAN, is donating soil for the project. Serving a unique dual role as a health care provider and a health care education facility in the region, SR-AHEC is proud to house the first garden at a health care facility in Fayetteville/ Cumberland County. Local partners in the project include:: •NC Extension Office •Better Health •Cumberland County Health Department •Volunteers will be from staff and clinic patients. For more information on how you can get involved with the kitchen garden project, contact Susan Miller at (910) 678-7302.
Let thy food be thy medicine. - Hippocrates
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~Congratulations~
Employee Service Anniversaries from May - July 2013 May
Employee Pam Frost Tina Carter Don Maharty Deborah Teasley Lynn Greene Chevelle Carter Cheryl Haynes Deana Spexarth Cynthia Griffin Sylvia Sharpe
June
Anniversary 5/1/1995 5/3/2010 5/4/2004 5/7/2001 5/10/1996 5/10/2010 5/15/2012 5/17/2010 5/21/2007 5/27/1999
# of Years 18 3 9 12 17 3 1 3 6 14
Employee Anniversary # of Years Tashara Milligan 6/1/2010 3 Edwin Houng 6/10/2009 4 Eron Manusov 6/11/2011 2 Umer Ahmed 6/11/2012 1 Surinder Bahia 6/11/2012 1 Alexander Gelou 6/11/2012 1 James Lester 6/11/2012 1 John Novales 6/11/2012 1 Aaron Pascual 6/11/2012 1 Amanda Saunders 6/11/2012 1 Philippe Bulauitan 6/13/2011 2 Mitul Butala 6/13/2011 2 Rishita Patel 6/13/2011 2 Stephanie Reese 6/13/2011 2 Ashany Sriskandarajah 6/13/2011 2 Raja Virk 6/13/2011 2 David Tat 6/14/2010 3 Reem Alkadhi 6/14/2010 3 Harkiran Grewal 6/14/2010 3 Rebekah Collymore 6/14/2010 3 Cecilia Nashatizadeh 6/14/2010 3 Leann Rettell 6/14/2010 3 Syed Asad Shah 6/14/2010 3 Rebekah Sprouse 6/14/2010 3 Donald Guild 6/18/2010 3 Joshua Oxendine 6/21/2010 3 Jennifer Powell 6/25/2001 12 Kaye Williams 6/25/2008 5 Benjamin Lambertson 6/25/2012 1 Melissa Ellis-Yarian 6/25/2012 1
July
Employee Michael Spexarth Linda Butler Danielle Thomas-Taylor Scott Michaels Kate Smith Tonya Burney Penny Faircloth Sal D'Allura John Hall Karen Goble Daniel Marlowe Christy Spears Ingrid Rodriguez David Webb
Annivesary 7/1/1995 7/2/2001 7/2/2012 7/2/2012 7/5/2005 7/5/2005 7/5/2011 7/9/2012 7/10/2006 7/16/2012 7/18/2011 7/21/2003 7/25/2011 7/28/2003
# of Years 18 12 1 1 8 8 2 1 7 1 2 10 2 10
Employee Anniversaries for August - September will be listed in the Summer/Fall 2013 newsletter
May
Mitul Butala Macey Greenbaum Judith Farrior Lori Ramirez Phil Anderson Ingrid Rodriguez Carol Oxendine Kaye Williams Don Maharty Robert Ward, Jr. Eron Manusov Nick Ammons Deborah Teasley Robert Wilson. Jr. Barbara Smith Gary McMillan
1 5 8 18 19 20 21 22 23 23 23 23 26 26 26 31
June Howard Loughlin Danielle Thomas-Taylor John Hall Stephen Rust Timmie Locklear Stephanie Reese Yvonne Early Tashara Milligan Leann Rettell Sushma Kapoor Karen Mantzouris Rishita Patel Saundra Stanley Lisa Spann Marilyn Wilson-Sherwin Valarie Locke Betty Hunt Tammy Horne
6 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 17 17 20 20 23 23 26 28 28 30
July Penny Faircloth Edwin Houng Jennifer Powell Danielle Andrews John Novales David Webb Karen Goble Michelle Vida Surinder Bahia Lynn Greene Karsten Ray MaryAnn Turner Julie Minich Castro
1 2 4 8 11 12 16 20 22 23 24 27 28
Employee Birthdays for August - September will be listed in the Summer/Fall 2013 newsletter
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Cheers and Kudos high-fives for a job well done! Congratulations to Danielle Thomas Taylor, M.D., chosen as a winner in The Fayetteville Observer’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Award for the Class of 2013. The award is a celebration of young professionals in the Cumberland County community. A panel of judges selected the winners based on their ambition, business success, and service to others. Kudos to residents Rebekah Collymore and Melissa Ellis Yarian. Both won scholarships and attended the Family Medicine congressional congress in April.
Congratulations Dr. Danielle Thomas-Taylor
Just like Dr. Thomas-Taylor, all of our primary care doctors are winners! We help you succeed in the battle against disease. Be triumphant in your quest for good health. Call Today!
Rebecca Collymore, M.D.
Melissa Ellis Yarian, D.O.
678-0100 “I would like to thank my staff in medical records for all of their hard work and support that they have given me and the medical records department. Without, Danielle, Lisa, and Penny this department would not be able to function as well as it does.”
Most health insurance plans accepted.
1601 Owen Drive • Across from Cape Fear Valley
“They are truly team players and are appreciated each and every day! Kudo’s to all of you for a job well done!” Pam Frost, Director - Medical Records The ladies of Medical Records: Front, LtoR: Lisa Spann, Pam Frost; Back, LtoR: Danielle Andrews, Penny Faircloth
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News from The Regional Extension Center (REC)
Dr. Karen Smith, of Karen Smith MD in Raeford, NC and a 1992 graduate of the SR-AHEC Family Health Care Quality Solutions Medicine Residency program, was selected as a member of the Inaugural Health IT Fellow class. The Health IT Fellows program is a new initiative which connects providers and administrative Resources Improvement champions from all over the nation who have leveraged Meaningful Use in their practices to improve care delivery. Perhaps more importantly, the Fellows are taking up a Call To Action, being empowered to share their extraordinary insights with their peers, Office of the National Coordinator, and the greater public. Dr. Smith will be traveling to Washington DC in June 2013 to take part in their Health IT Fellow Inaugural meeting. “Dr. Smith continues to be a leader in embracing Health IT for improving the care of her patients. Her dedication to continuous quality improvement is a model for our region,” says Mary McCaskill, SR-AHEC Regional Extension Center team leader. “In addition to improving clinical outcomes, she has improved office efficiency by utilizing an electronic system. We are honored to work with Dr. Smith and congratulate her in this accomplishment.”
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Variety Of Activities Keep Employees Involved with Wellness Initiative by Karen Mantzouris, Director -Marketing/Public Relations THRIVE!, SR-AHEC’s employee health and well-being program, began last February with a specific kind of health fair. Pharmacy students performed basic metabolic tests so that all employees would have the opportunity to know their numbers in order to fill out a survey by United Health Care. Since attending the health fair and filling out the survey, SRAHEC employees have been incorporating wellness activities into their daily lives. At the health fair, several employees Pharmacy students perform metabolic tests on signed up for fitness challenges that took SR-AHEC employees, Chevelle Carter and Cheryl Haynes place March -April. Challenge sheets were turned in each week to qualify for a grand prize at the end of the two months: a flat screen television donated by United Healthcare. After the challenges were completed, one participant was chosen at random, from the challenge sheets, to win Brenda Fields was the lucky the television set. Brenda Fields, clinical liaison for women’s health in The Specialty Medicine Center, winner of the flat screen was the lucky winner. television.
Other THRIVE! activities include: • A 100 Miles Walking Club began in May and will continue through July. Participants turn in their progress each week to Barbara Smith to qualify for monthly prizes. Andrea Knight and Julie Munich Castro have been the May and June winners of a foot massage. • Lose and Win program, developed by United Healthcare, meets each Monday at noon in The Family Medicine Classroom. There are 11 participants in the eight week program who get together for information and support. This effort is led by Mary McCaskill, Christy Bond and Lynda Sabalboro. • A Wellness Resource Center is in process through librarian Lisa Kilburn. She has developed an extensive list of resources that is available to employees in the Information Access Center at the AHEC Digital library site. • Stress Management Brown Bag Lunches have been scheduled for Fridays. • Clinic Garden- A great deal of planning has gone into developing a garden and educational programming for the community. The garden activity will be limited to SR-AHEC employees, students, and patients this summer. • Wednesday Fruit Snack Down - healthy snacks are available for 50 cents each, on Wednesdays. Lynn Greene and Lisa Moncrief have been setting up the snacks each Wednesday in the main break room, near the Information Access Center (IAC). The next major focus area for the THRIVE! Employee Health and WellBeing program when the walking challenge ends in July, will be on the following topics: stretching, nutrition, cooking, and meditation. Timmie Locklear reviews some helpful, healthy information at the employee health fair in February
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Employee Cookout
Welcome New Employees
Thursday June 27 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Strickland House
2013 Graduation Friday June 28 4 - 6:30 p.m. Highland Country Club
Holidays Thursday, July 4 Monday, September 2
Mary Ann Turner, Director Nursing CE REIS
Siti Ricks, Logics Coordinator ORPCE REIS
Lisa Moncrief Account Specialist Payroll - Finance/Admin
Courtnee Novales, RN Care Coordinator Family Medicine Center CEAS
Jennifer Lowe, M.Ed Marketing/Design Specialist Marketing/Admin.
Serenity Wolfe, LPN Specialty Medicine Center
Julie Minich-Castro, NP Adv Practice Practitioner Family Medicine Center
Althea Bell Program Assistant REIS
Breaking the Stigma In early April, The U.S. Army Special Operations Command and SR-AHEC co-sponsored the presentation of the USACOCproduced video, “Breaking the Stigma.” The video emphasizes the Army’s message to its soldiers that they can get the mental health services they need, without fear. Approximately 100 local mental health and human service professionals, who work with soldiers and their families, attended the video presentation.
Soldiers who appear in the video served on a panel, enabling discussion of the challenges of returning from combat and available resources for soldiers. Below is a link to the video on YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhSRQwrWT5w
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Scrubs’ Softball Season
continued from page 2
“I went out there to play ball; I did not want to be the manager or coach the team. On the ball field, other people energize me. I am hoping that the we will continue in the fall.” For senior accounts manager Tina Carter, it was the first time she played team softball. ”I exceeded my expectations,” she said. “Coming in, I had never played softball, but I embraced the game and with my teammates help. I learned a lot.” The best thing about playing on the team for Tina was getting know her teammates outside of the workplace. “Everyone is so funny and kind.” And Carl gets Tina’s vote as Most Valuable Player. “He’s a great pitcher and leader, plus he’s pretty active for being an “Old Guy!” Pharmacy student Brad Hughes was impressed with the team’s improvement over the season. “To tell you the truth, when we were first practicing, I didn’t think we would win any games,” he said. “But the team certainly picked up the pace and played well.” Like Tina, Brad said the best thing about playing was getting to know everyone on the team. He also agreed with Tina that Carl was the team MVP. “Carl was an inspiration to us all.”
Old Guy, aka Carl Keiper pitches a underhanded spinner to the opposing team.
Scrubs mascots display their support
Edwin Houng, M.D. is not only a good doctor, he can also hit the ball pretty far into the outfield!
The AHEC Voice newsletter is an internal publication for Southern Regional AHEC employees. Published quarterly by SR-AHEC Marketing/Public Relations Department Karen Mantzouris, Editor
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