2014 Tucson Medical Center Report to Our Community

2014 Report To Our Community I Published May 2015

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Report To Our Community I On Center

SEVENTY STRONG

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MOVING-FORWARD

TUCSON MEDICAL CENTER: Holding steadfast through change

By Judy Rich

For years it seems like the mantra in hospitals has been “change” – we have talked about change so frequently it has become almost a cliché – like “change” in how we document care, “change” in how our campus looks, even “change” in how we engage patients in their care. But, in 2015 in Tucson, in Arizona, it’s not this kind of incremental “change” that comes with progress. Instead, we are seeing groundswell changes that make it difficult to understand what the future will look like.

However, the consistency in our focus on our patients, our mission and our daily work remains clear and never wavers.

For 70 years, members of our community have counted on Tucson Medical Center to be here for them when they are at their most vulnerable. We have been entrusted with this legacy and we continue the tradition of being a vital resource for Southern Arizona. As we set the path forward, know that our vision is clear and focused on improving the health and well-being of the people of Southern Arizona.

Our path is illuminated by our values of Dedication, Community, Integrity and Compassion. To that end, our employees embraced the Be Kind Challenge in 2014, committing to performing a thousand acts of kindness. In reality, though, the staff of TMC accepted that challenge 70 years ago and it’s been building ever since.

While we can’t quite see the full picture of what tomorrow will look like, we can look to our past to see that we’ve managed change quite well – care is no longer dependent on deciphering a physician’s handwriting and TMC is no longer the world’s largest single-story hospital.

Like the road that led us to this point, our path ahead will be shaped by our values and with our staff, doctors, community partners, patients and families. We are committed to Tucson – after all, it’s our first name.

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TMC: Invested in Tucson

By Louise Francesconi

Tucson Medical Center has been committed to and invested in Tucson for more than seven decades – from the nurses to the groundskeepers to the chief administrators – all were clearly focused on supporting the community. Their collective work created the largest hospital in Southern Arizona, a legacy of community-based programs to promote health wellness, education and health care services, and countless other initiatives sparked by the idea that we could do better, we could be stronger.

Our predecessors didn’t merely hope for success – they worked hard every day to make Tucson a healthier place, creating a reliable, compassionate hospital that the community grew to trust. That trust continues today.

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In this report, you will read about the first baby born at TMC, Peter Erickson Godfrey, who joined us when we celebrated our 70th anniversary. Like many in our community, being born at TMC was just the beginning of a life-long relationship with the hospital, deepened in his case because his mother later worked here for many years (read more on Page 10).

Don Shropshire (see story Page 11) left a legacy of “family” at TMC that remains to this day. He walked the halls, knew all of the employees’ names and secured the concept of “community” into the history and legacy of this hospital.

As we honor our legacy, we also look forward as we continue to make Tucson healthier. Here are just a few highlights you will read about in this year’s Report: •TMC is rated as a Top 50 Cardiovascular Program

by Truven Health Analytics

•We opened the TMC Geropsychiatric Center at Handmaker, fulfilling a critical community need •The Core at La Encantada is a one-of-a-kind health and wellness center engaging the community in their health.

Flip through these pages and you will see the faces of the people who call Tucson home. We invest in this hospital and we invest in community programs because we are invested in Tucson. And, of course, we don’t do this alone. Health and wellness is a team sport, and so we are focused on bringing together experts and resources from throughout the community – and beyond – from many disciplines to make our community healthier. We do this because a thriving community starts with healthy and productive people. We do this because Tucson is our home.

Strong alliances key to delivering high-quality care

By J. Manuel Arreguin, M.D.

Collaborative partnerships have necessarily become an important facet in the changing panorama of medicine.

Historically, hospital and physician collaboration have not always mutually aligned their objectives. At Tucson Medical Center, 2014 provides us with a retrospective look at our collaborative performances.

Physician engagement was at an all-time high reflecting stronger Physician-Physician collaborations.

This past October, at our annual Medical Staff meeting, we had more physicians present than ever before. This led to a successful ratification of our bylaws all within one single night’s meeting. A true recent first!

Our independent, all-volunteer physician staff spends the majority of time practicing in outpatient offices. For many, hospital time consists largely of making rounds on the way to our offices. The foremost important collaborative partnership we foster at Tucson Medical Center is the Physician-Nurse Team. Although selfevident, it’s not always self-functioning. The nursing staff is paramount as extenders of physician care. To that end, we started a pilot program consisting of team rounding whereby physician and nurses round together to discuss the plan of care directly in front of the patient.

Patient satisfaction grew immensely!

Finally, the Physician-Administration collaboration is the healthiest in well over a decade. The large-scale investment throughout the campus reflects our mutual goals. The newly constructed Tower, purchase of a second da Vinci robot, and ongoing remodeling projects demonstrates the fact that our Administration responds to the needs of physicians and actively interested in strategically positioning TMC in this changing health care market.

We have our CEO, Judy Rich, and her leadership team to thank for their vision and support of these collaborations as we strive to continue making TMC the voice and heart of this community.

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TMC cardiac program sees significant growth

Paula McNellis had many reasons to be concerned when she had an unusual tightness in her chest last year.

Her father had died at 52 of a sudden heart attack.

And she had spent 30 years working as a cardiac technician, helping people with their stress tests and other measurements before retiring from Tucson Medical Center in spring 2014.

She likes to joke that after so many years of working with heart patients, cardiac troubles were more contagious than she realized.

The pain she had in her jaw, chest and elbow, however, was no laughing matter – making her cut short her 62nd birthday celebration with friends in December. “It was really a wake-up call,” she said. Tests determined she had a blockage that would require open heart surgery to restore the efficient pumping of blood.

McNellis credits the care given by cardiothoracic surgeon Gulshan Sethi, M.D., and the nursing team at TMC with helping her be in a place where she can still look forward to fulfilling some of the items on her bucket list, including seeing the Florida Keys and spending a week in Hawaii.

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Her experience came at a time of significant growth in the cardiac program at TMC. Open heart surgeries increased to 505 cases in 2014 from 387 in 2013 – a 31 percent increase. Expanded cardiac services and referrals play a role in the growth, as does programming that sets TMC apart, including: • stereotaxis robotic navigation to treat cardiac arrhythmias • electrophysiology capabilities to diagnose and treat heart rhythm disorders • transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to provide an option for those unable to tolerate surgery Stronger collaborations have also played a role – and particularly in partnering with community cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons who are helping to co-manage the service line at TMC. TMC’s performance was recognized by Truven Health Analytic’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, a quantitative study that compares more than 1,000 U.S. hospitals on their performance on a host of national benchmarks.

The Top 50 hospitals as a group, for example, had higher inpatient survival rates, fewer complications, lower readmissions, shorter lengths of stay and lower costs per patient.

“The performance level we’ve achieved is really the result of strong teamwork, from working with the physicians, to providing more staff training and education, to providing state-of-the-art equipment, and having the leadership support from administration,” said Anita Bach, service line administrator of Cardiovascular and Imaging Services. “There’s not one element that led to this success. It really takes a village in continuing to serve as a center of excellence for cardiovascular services.”

Sethi agreed that a combination of factors have played a role in the growth of the program, including the addition of the transcatheter aortic valve replacement program and high patient satisfaction.

“Our results have been outstanding and that quality of care has absolutely contributed to improving our volume,” he said.

Sethi also applauded the commitment of the surgeons, cardiologists and staff throughout the department.

“Nothing of any great significance can be accomplished single-handedly. Their dedication really validates the name of TMC as The Most Caring.”

Restored to health, heart patient gives back to others as volunteer

What does a heart patient look like?

In Don Roarty’s case, it looks like someone who goes to the gym several times a week, plays some serious basketball, chases after a pint-sized puppy and just earned a pin marking 2,000 hours of volunteer service at Tucson Medical Center.

About a decade ago, at 65 years of age, Roarty just chalked it up to being out of shape when he returned from a bike ride with a pain in his chest. His wife, a nurse, insisted he get it checked out even though he had no obvious risk factors and had no family history of heart disease.

When he found out he had to have a quadruple bypass, he was apprehensive, he recalled. “But I also felt that God was in charge and it was going to be up to Him at that point.”

He needn’t have worried. After his open heart surgery at TMC, he was back to work as a drug store manager within six weeks and back to his athletic activities soon after.

After his wife passed away about eight years ago, Roarty started volunteering at TMC, helping other patients as a concierge and with transportation needs.

Roarty, now 76 and retired, retains a retail manager’s easy interaction with others and also enjoys time with his son and daughter and his two adult grandchildren. “As a volunteer, I meet a lot of nice people,” he said. “Some of them are younger, some of them are older.

It’s a real cross-section of the community, and I’m just glad that TMC is here to help them with their health needs.”

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Triple bypass, valve replacement give businessman a new lease on life

Gary Scheer knew something wasn’t right in early 2014 when he started having shortness of breath and back pain if he did any manual labor up at his cabin on Mt. Lemmon.

The then-74-year-old optician hadn’t had any heart problems since having two stents put in 20 years earlier to restore blood flow to blocked arteries.

After his cardiologist ordered a round of testing, he found out in August that other arteries were blocked and that he would need an aortic valve replacement and a triple bypass.

“I am convinced that recognizing what was going on – and acting on it – saved me from having a heart attack,” said Scheer, whose father died of a heart attack.

His cardiothoracic surgeon, Gulshan Sethi, M.D. recommended audio CDs that walked him through the process of open heart surgery and helped him not only know what to expect, but helped frame each step in a positive way, reminding him he was surrounded by loved ones and a caring team who would help him rebuild.

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His surgery took place on his 54th wedding anniversary to Barbara, a nurse. Afterward, he was thrilled to find out his incision was glued, with no staples or stitches to worry about, and his pain was controlled with nothing stronger than Tylenol.

He was up and walking down the hall the second day of recovery and within a month, was enrolled in an exercise program through TMC Cardiac Rehabilitation and attending TMC lectures on nutrition and stress relief.

“TMC didn’t miss a lick. The whole staff was first class and very accommodating,” Scheer said.

Scheer is now exercising more and watching portion sizes, losing 22 pounds to arrive at a healthy 178. He’s back up on the mountain, too. “It’s great to know I can move around without worry. I feel like I’ve been given a new lease on life.”

More options for treating patients with life-threatening heart disease

Tucson Medical Center now offers a Structural Heart Program that expands cardiovascular services, making TMC a one-stop institution for all types of cardiac treatments.

A full range of care is available for heart issues including congenital heart defects, valve problems and cardiomyopathy. As part of the program, TMC has become one of 250 sites in the country to offer the transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. TAVR is for patients who have been diagnosed with aortic stenosis, a life-threatening disease that narrows

the aortic-valve opening restricting normal blood flow to the entire body.

Unfortunately, aortic stenosis, which affects an estimated 7 percent of those over age 65, can progress quickly to shortness of breath and heart failure.

Oro Valley resident Bill Marvin was diagnosed with aortic stenosis in February 2013. His quality of life?

Not great.

Now, following his TAVR procedure in 2014, he has a new lease on life. Marvin, who said he feels himself

growing better almost daily, works four days a week at the guard gate of his community, and has resumed his exercise routine.

Patients can undergo surgery to have their valve replaced, but those who are too sick to qualify for the operation had no other options before TAVR was created. This procedure, however, does not require open chest surgery. Instead, physicians place catheters in a patient’s groin instead of going through their chest.

“The difference between providing this service and not providing this service, is the difference between life and death,” said Dr. William Thomas, medical director of the Structural Heart Program.

The Structural Heart Program further demonstrates TMC’s long-standing commitment to providing patients a higher level of cardiovascular care. TMC is proud to be the first hospital in Arizona to be awarded Atrial Fibrillation certification, and the first hospital in Tucson to receive Congestive Heart Failure accreditation. TMC has also been re-accredited in Chest Pain, after earning its original endorsement in 2010.

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Seven decades of caring for our community

In early December, Tucson Medical Center held its 70th birthday celebration, reflecting on the continuous service provided to Southern Arizona from the day it admitted its first patient – Nov. 9, 1944.

“In the 70 years that have passed since then, through good times and bad, TMC has never stopped delivering on its mission as a community nonprofit hospital,” said Judy Rich, TMC president and CEO, to a crowd of about 100 enjoying the courtyard of the refurbished, historic Patio Building.

Among the guests was Peter Erickson Godfrey, the first baby born at TMC whose birth was immortalized shortly after his birth in a watercolor painted by noted artist Charles O. Golden.

“Tucson Medical Center and its staff have cared for my family for 70 years,” Godfrey said. “We marvel at what you’ve accomplished and thank you for so many years of caring.”

“Since Pete became our first baby on Feb. 27, 1945, we have welcomed something like 100,000 additional babies, so thank you Peter Godfrey for being a trendsetter!” Rich joked. Godfrey thanked Tucson Medical Center for its role in the community, and in his family. After his father’s death, his mother was hired on at TMC as a nursing assistant in pediatrics, retiring in 1978.

TMC’s roots actually extend back to the 1920s, when the privately owned Desert Sanatorium began operating on this site as a tuberculosis treatment center and health retreat. Over time, ownership of the Desert Sanatorium transferred from Dr. Bernard Wyatt to financial backers Alfred and Anna Erickson. After her husband’s death, Anna Erickson donated the facility to the people of Tucson to create a new nonprofit community hospital.

The community responded to a challenge to raise a quarter of a million dollars in just a few months, and by November 1944, TMC was ready to open.

Rich noted that today, not only are some of those original buildings, including the Patio and Erickson buildings, still in use, but TMC’s desert landscaping and sun-drenched patios remain part of the heritage established and passed on to us by the Desert Sanatorium.

No one knew for sure whether TMC would survive when the new hospital opened. But Tucson has never had a day without TMC since its opening, and there’s no end in sight.

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DONALD G. SHROPSHIRE: Making a difference wherever he goes He also supported the latest medicine and technology had to offer, such as opening the city’s first newborn and pediatric intensive care units and bringing Tucson its first MRI and breast imaging technology. “Don was always on the forefront of what was happening in health care,” said Darrell Thorpe, a former physician and TMC administrator.

With his trademark bowtie and his ubiquitous presence, TMC President Emeritus Donald G. Shropshire ushered a small community hospital into the modern age.

Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Shropshire brought his Southern charm and acumen to Tucson Medical Center when he assumed the helm as hospital administrator on March 1, 1967 – just a few years after the enactment of Medicare.

During his 25 years as administrator, president and chief executive officer, Shropshire oversaw the expansion of the world’s largest single-story hospital facility and the creation of a new model of care, complete with a preferred provider network, health maintenance organization and health plan.

Shropshire’s commitment to health care was acknowledged in 1989, when he accepted one of health care’s most prestigious honors, the American Hospital Association Distinguished Service Award.

He, his wife and two children lived in the Erickson House on the TMC campus, and he was legendary for rounding on the hospital day and night.

“Even after he retired, he’d make rounds,” Thorpe recalled.

“He probably knew more people by name than anyone else in the organization.”

And his presence was known well beyond the walls of TMC. He was an early member of the Pima Community College Governing Board and served on the Arizona Board of Regents. In 1988, the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named him Man of the Year citing his “profound commitment” to Tucson.

through gifts of others who wish to honor them, including the regular contributions of the TMC Auxiliary.

“Of all the ways Mary Ruth and I can continue to do good work, we settled on this endowment,” he said in a past edition of On Center. “We can’t live our life thinking only about today. Part of our planning process is to create a way to make these efforts last beyond our lifetime to help the generations ahead.”

And though it’s been almost 25 years since he managed the day-to-day operations of the community’s largest hospital, he continues to inspire.

“Don’s contributions to Tucson are immeasurable. His professionalism, judgment, and the value he places on people should long serve as a model for all of us,” said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild.

“I am proud to consider him a mentor and am glad to know him as a friend.”

To this day, he and his wife continue to give back and show their regard to the organization that meant so much to them.

The couple established the Donald G. and Mary Ruth Shropshire Endowment Fund to ensure that they would continue helping the hospital long after they both are gone.

Though the endowment was seeded upon his retirement in 1993, it continues to grow through not only donations they add, but

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TMC’s lightning fast stroke response key in woman’s remarkable recovery For stroke victims, minutes matter.

On April 22, 2014, 72-year-old Sandy Goodsite stopped by her medical management company for just a few minutes when an employee noticed she was unable to move and staring into space. Stunned employees called for help and watched as Goodsite, whose right side was beginning to droop, was loaded into an ambulance.

Longtime Tucson pediatrician Ronald Goodsite, M.D., now semi-retired, was finishing up a shift in the imaging

was really scary,” he said. “It can happen to any of us at anytime, and it can happen when you least expect it.”

Sandy’s recovery started with the medic’s quick response and communication to TMC that a suspected stroke patient was coming in. TMC is a designated Primary Stroke Center, and was recently honored with the Gold Plus award status for the fourth year in a row.

TMC is also recognized as a recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

A brain scan showed Sandy had suffered an ischemic stroke, in which a blood clot broke off and traveled to the left side of her brain – the portion that controls speech and language.

David Teeple, M.D., TMC’s medical director of neurology, administered a drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or Sandy Goodsite with husband Ron and TMC Emergency staff. tPA. It’s approved by the department at TMC for Children when his phone rang. FDA for treatment of ischemic stroke up to three hours It was his daughter telling him Mom was on her way in after stroke and works by dissolving the blood clot. via ambulance – a shocking revelation since she had no warning signs with well controlled risk factors. “It Ischemic stroke patients should get tPA within 60

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minutes of hitting the emergency room. Sandy received it 22 minutes after she arrived at TMC, one of the fastest times in the city.

“With stroke, time really is of the essence,” said Teeple. “Every minute, a stroke patient loses about 2 million brain cells. Every hour, that translates into 120 million brain cells. The sooner you give tPA after the onset of stroke symptoms, the more effective it’s going to be.”

Six hours after tPA was administered, Sandy’s motor deficiency had disappeared. In TMC’s intensive care unit for two days, followed by two more days in the neurological unit, Sandy initially was unable to write.

Her words all ran together.

With ongoing speech and occupational therapy, Sandy now is about 95 percent recovered. She and her husband returned in August, with thank-you notes addressed to every staff member who helped care for her.

“I’m so grateful that she came back to say thanks,” said Melissa Ritchey, director of TMC’s Emergency Department. “You only need to hear that one time to remember each and every time why we do what we do.”

TMC patient battles brain cancer, racks up running goals Odd things started happening to Alfred Bracamonte in the middle of 2013.

He barely finished the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in June and struggled through some of his regular 8-mile training runs.

He had episodes of slurring. His balance was a little off. And he started getting what he thought were little seizures, with the taste of metal in his mouth and what felt like jolts of electricity zinging up and down his spine.

The morning of July 9, the 43-year-old construction worker became violently ill. And nothing has been the same since.

Bracamonte was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, known as an anaplastic astrocytoma, affecting his left temporal lobe. His radiation oncologist was frank: Survival rates were slim with this type of aggressive cancer, with life expectancy spanning about three years.

But Bracamonte and his wife, Laura, have deep faith and felt reassured by their unshakeable confidence in neurosurgeon, Abhay Sanan, M.D., who removed as much of the tumor as he could at Tucson Medical Center a week after his diagnosis.

Even through a regimen of radiation and a year of chemotherapy, the former Marine kept working to complete his running goals. He earned his first medal in October for finishing the three races in the Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown, an event sponsored by TMC. He completed the TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k in May, the TMC Saguaro National Park Labor Day 5k in September – the same one he did in 2013 in the middle of treatment -- and the TMC Get Moving Tucson, the final leg of the trilogy.

“I just want to help other cancer patients, to show them that they can get through it,” said Alfred, whose tumor responded well to the treatment.

“I’m running for me. For life.”

The two are convinced that Bracamonte’s running, and his work with a nutritionist, helped strengthen his body for the arduous work of healing. And aside from feeling like God has carried them, they’ve had support of friends, family and even strangers.

“I just want to help other cancer patients, to show them that they can get through it,” said Bracamonte, whose tumor responded well to the treatment. “I’m running for me. For life.”

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Elders at new complex to receive much needed memory, geropsychiatric care

In the span of a few years, a quarter of Arizona’s population will be over the age of 60.

The community will be better equipped to respond to these growing needs through a unique partnership between Tucson Medical Center, the TMC Foundation and Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging.

The 16-bed TMC Geropsychiatric Center as well as Handmaker’s new 20-bed memory care unit were made possible through a $3 million challenge grant from the Paul and Lydia Kalmanovitz Foundation of San Francisco.

The TMC Geropsychiatric Center serves as a short-term, acute-stabilization center for seniors with behavioral disorders who are experiencing emotional and psychological distress. The center’s specialized team and proximity to great medical care assist older adults who may also be experiencing cognitive impairment, such as dementia, as well as agerelated physiological disabilities.

At the grand opening celebration, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild applauded the two longstanding nonprofits with working together on a common mission. “It should make us all proud as Tucsonans that we collectively care so much about the health of our elders.”

Terri Waldman, left, and her father, Lester, at the ribbon cutting for new TMC Geropsychiatric unit.

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Hirsch Handmaker, whose father, “Murf,” started Handmaker to fulfill a commitment to his late wife, turned the first shovel at the 1963 groundbreaking.

The emeritus board member since has watched the facility steadily grow from its modest beginning into a state-of-the-art facility that cares for nearly 200 residents of all denominations along an entire spectrum of care.

“Now, for the next generation of those individuals struggling with Alzheimer’s and dementia, what’s here is truly remarkable, a tribute to our entire family and the Tucson community,” Handmaker said.

Michael Duran, vice president of the TMC Foundation, noted the professional synergies between the two organizations date back decades and continue today.

“As the health care marketplace continues to evolve, it’s through partnerships like this that we will be able to meet community need for many years to come.”

The Geropsychiatric Center is another resource that TMC brings to the field of geriatrics, building on other senior services, including a multitude of educational, social and support programs.

TMC selects local muralist for new Geropsychiatric Center; Good Ole Tom’s contributes to expand project

Tucson Medical Center has long embraced the belief that art creates a unique environment for healing, so it was a natural extension to solicit a public artist to paint a mural in the new therapeutic center for older adults experiencing behavioral health issues.

of the TMC Geropsychiatric Center at Handmaker. Waldman said she was also grateful for the energy and vision that Villabrille brought to the project, and for the $1,000 contribution from Good Ole Tom’s, which helped fund an expansion of the art project for the new memory care unit at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging for the care of those with Alzheimer’s disease.

The selection committee chose Jos Villabrille from 60 applications, based on his strong Jos Villabrille response to a call for a piece that would be soothing and reflective. Villabrille has been painting TMC was nominated for a Tucson Pima Arts professionally for 40 years and has painted many Council award for public art in 2012 because of public art pieces, including at Park Place, Foothills its extensive sculpture, murals, artwork and open Mall and Desert Diamond Casino, as well as space throughout the campus. The project at restaurants and private residences.

Handmaker complements the TMC Foundation Healing Art program, which is installing art “We were profoundly grateful for the community’s throughout the TMC campus to enhance the interest in the project,” said Terri Waldman, director hospital environment.

TMC donates modular building to Copper Queen complex in Douglas Tucson Medical Center embraces “community” as one of its values, donating a massive 5,200-square-foot modular building in December to the Copper Queen Medical Associates Rural Health Complex in Douglas.

The building will expand and enhance physical therapy services.

“This gift from Tucson Medical Center is creating a new level of collaboration between their hospital and ours to improve care across Southern Arizona,” said Jim Dickson, CEO of the Copper Queen Community Hospital.

“It’s good to know that the modular building that provided a space for us to serve so many people while our campus underwent various development projects will continue to help patients,” said Judy Rich, TMC president and CEO. The project is part of a $4 million renovation and expansion project that also includes enhanced diagnostics, a Quick Care facility for “no appointment” visits and a CT scanner.

Geropsychiatric staff 15

Little Lifesavers – TMC launches umbilical cord blood donation program Tucson Medical Center is the only hospital in Southern Arizona to offer expectant parents the opportunity to donate their baby’s umbilical cord blood as part of the Arizona Public Cord Blood Program.

If the donated blood from a TMC baby meets a certain set of criteria, it will be included on the Be The Match registry where it could save the life of someone with a life-threatening disease.

Since the program’s inception Rich in blood-forming stem in 2011, 19 cords have been cells, umbilical cord blood is a selected for transplant in precious resource to a patient Arizona, meaning 19 lives in need of a stem-cell transhave been saved. The Tucsonplant, since the cells can renew based, nonprofit Save the themselves and grow into Cord Foundation partners Celina Martinez and Baby Jayden mature blood cells. The with the Arizona Public Cord advancement has been proven to cure and treat Blood Program to provide unbiased cord blood as many as 80 diseases, and can help children education and awareness. and adults with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and genetic disorders.

Currently, ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented on the Be The Match registry. The lack Parents have the option to privately bank their of representation of the diverse genetic ancestry in newborn’s umbilical cord blood, but since it is so the bone marrow and cord blood registries means costly, oftentimes this precious resource is discarded that people who are critically ill and could be as medical waste. Now, parents can agree to treated with cord blood transplants donate it as part of this program – free of charge. cannot find matches.Given a diverse Collecting the blood does not hurt the mother or the patient demographic, and the baby or change a woman’s labor or delivery. number of babies delivered at “This is a way for parents to give the gift of health TMC each year (around 6,000!), to others in need,” said TMC Cord Blood this program has the potential Coordinator Kristen Wilt. “It’s one of the easiest to give far more people a ways to make a positive impact on the lives better chance at finding of others.” a match.

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Kristen Wilt, R.N.

TMC contributes to critical river path segment Part of Tucson Medical Center’s mission is to help members of the community live full, healthy and active lives.

Working in support of Pima County’s efforts to encourage expanded opportunities for exercise, TMC and Carondelet Health Network joined forces to complete the final 2.7-mile segment of the 14-mile Julian Wash Greenway segment on The Loop, the shared-use path system that encircles the community.

More than 100 miles of The Loop have already been created for active users on foot, bikes, skates and horses and the Julian Wash segment helps connect the southeast side of the community with the paths along the Santa Cruz River.

“An active lifestyle is an essential part of wellness,” said Julia Strange, TMC vice president for Community Benefit. “It’s important that there are spaces across the community that support physical activity – and that are fun and safe and accessible to all levels of fitness, so families can make health a priority. TMC is pleased to be able to support these opportunities.”

The project builds on previous private-public efforts undertaken in partnership with Pima County, including the construction of the indoor sports complex, the Sporting Chance Center.

Palliative Care and the power of compassion “Dying is going to be the easy part for me,” Robert Blizzard said to a hospitalist who had cared for him as the physician stopped by Blizzard’s room one last time – this time, to say goodbye. Blizzard was about to be moved to a care facility before entering hospice.

His road up until this point had been tough. Blizzard had been in and out of the hospital more times in the past four years than most people are in their entire lifetime.

But this visit was different.

Blizzard was on dozens of medications. His body was tired. And he was tired of fighting. He was introduced to a concept called palliative care, which can be provided at the same time as regular medical care. It’s different than hospice care in that in order to receive hospice care, patients must forego “curative” treatments to receive the hospice benefit, according to Medicare regulations. Blizzard admits that at first, he had no idea what it was until it was explained to him by Sue Taylor, M.D., medical director for palliative care.

“Palliative care is directed at comfort,” she said.

“This concurrent care helps treat pain and attend to a patient’s emotional needs while addressing the spiritual component. It’s all about support, guidance and listening.”

Listening is exactly what Dr. Taylor did during most of her first visit with Blizzard, just as she does with all new patients. “I asked him about his understanding of his condition. His hopes. His worries. His spiritual history and what he believes in,” she said, noting that it doesn’t necessarily need to be tied to religion. The impact her empathy and compassion had on him was tremendous.

“I just fell into her hands,” he said. “She took over and got me off a lot of the medicines that were making me so sick. I knew I was close to meeting my maker. The guidance she gave me was a total relief.

With her help, I didn’t have to worry anymore.”

Sue Taylor, M.D.

Blizzard was taken from his home at age 14 and raised by his grandparents who “taught him right from wrong.” His life wasn’t easy. He worked for the government for many years and raised his two boys essentially by himself. “I was never afraid to die,” he said. “If it happened, it happened.” But now with his death imminent, for the first time in his life, he was really able to let go. “No one wants to die,” he said, “but Dr. Taylor crawled around inside my head and helped me come to terms with the human part of letting go. I was finally able to find peace. She appreciates what I said to her and she accepts me as I am. I just want people to know that I came into this world and said there has to be a better way.

And I tried to make it a better place.”

Blizzard died in early spring.

Dr. Taylor said humans ultimately believe in love.

“Love is what influences us all. Our love for life; our love of family. And everybody is worthy of love,” she said. “We’re putting kindness and compassion back in medicine. We’re expanding our hearts. It’s old-fashioned medicine.”

And with her help, he was able to accept his own mortality – on his terms.

Robert Blizzard

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Tucson Medical Center joins innovative Lean health care network focusing on continuous improvement in patient care

Tucson Medical Center took its place in May in an active network of 60 hospitals committed to an organizational culture change to improve quality, cut costs, reduce wait times and improve the overall patient experience.

“The patient is first and foremost in every job we do and every action we take,” said Judy Rich, TMC president and CEO, explaining the origin of the hospital’s Lean journey in 2012. “When we learned about how Lean empowers every single one of us to do the very best job we can every day – and to make things just a little bit better by the end of our shifts than when we started – we were excited about the potential.”

Since then, TMC’s staff has undertaken projects large and small that: • improved efficiencies in the emergency department • implemented room-service meal delivery, so patients can have what they want, when they want it • improved the ability to accurately recreate patients’ medication lists when they come in without one • streamlined the hiring process • implemented new practices to reduce the potential for hypoglycemic episodes among diabetic patients Lean practices and projects are rolling out in many other units across the hospital, from scheduling to respiratory therapy, palliative care, human resources and the newborn intensive care unit.

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“It was an honor to be accepted into the Healthcare Value Network, because it demonstrates our shared commitment with a group of hospitals that are leveraging the Lean management practices that have worked effectively in the manufacturing industry for decades,” said Lean Transformation Officer Cheryl Young. “This is not a top-down approach, but one that removes barriers and engages everyone in solutions, from executive management to frontline staff.”

TMC was invited to join the network after demonstrating that top management is committed to the process and open to sharing successes and challenges with others in the network.

“TMC is relatively early in its Lean journey, but it already has great results to share,” said Mike Stoecklein, director of network operations for the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. “They have made measurable gains in several areas and it is really exciting to see how Lean principles are beginning to permeate the organization.”

Rich said the Lean process is necessary in a transformative time in health care. “There is increasing pressure on health care providers to demonstrate measureable, quality care while keeping costs in line,” Rich explained. “And as we mature in this practice, we’re finding that the Lean process is a way to pool the considerable intellectual capital we have here at TMC, and then activate problem-solving throughout our departments.”

Accountable care organization meets goals of better quality, lower cost The inception of Arizona Connected Care in 2012 was about meeting a challenge issued by the federal government: Addressing the skyrocketing costs, providing quality health care and improving patient satisfaction.

Arizona Connected Care, which is comprised of primary care providers, specialists, and Tucson Medical Center, is showing it can be done.

The organization met or exceeded its contractual quality goals in 2014 and succeeded in the domains of preventive care, patient experience, care coordination and at-risk population management.

Plus, for the first time, Arizona Connected Care has been able to share savings it achieved from the Medicare Shared Savings program with its participating practices.

“We’ve had a really good year, demonstrating that quality care and operating efficiencies can co-exist,” said Dr. Palmer Evans, the Chairman of the Board. “And ultimately, while we are pleased to be able to reward providers for the valuable work they are doing, we’re even more pleased about what this means for patients, who will spend less of their time in emergency rooms and more of their time living their lives as healthfully as possible.”

While participation in an accountable care organization is voluntary, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in December that there were more than 405 such organizations, serving nearly 7.2 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, and producing more than $400 million in savings.

TMC opens new wellness center in La Encantada retail space

Tucson Medical Center has long believed that good health extends beyond the four walls of the hospital.

As an extension of the community outreach that TMC already does, from sponsoring community runs to providing free car seats to families in need, TMC is expanding the accessibility of its wellness expertise by interacting with people where they work and shop for food, cooking and exercise gear.

The Core, which opened in late November, isn’t a clinic,

although it will be a venue for health screenings and a place for TMC’s clinicians to share their expertise in a comfortable, welcoming environment. It’s also not a fitness club, although fitness activities are a regular part of the schedule.

The Core is an extension of TMC’s well established relationship with La Encantada, from sponsoring the regular running and walking event, Meet Me at La Encantada, to sponsoring holiday Snowfall festivities.

Instead, it’s about an integrated approach to building a strong foundation for healthy living, whether participants are already managing a chronic disease or working to prevent disease in the first place.

“By the time people seek healing at the hospital, we have missed some opportunities to help them find their own path to wellness,” said Tim Bentley, manager of The Core and an avid runner himself.

“Whether you are talking about physical health, intrinsic values or emotional resilience, a strong core is the source of performance, balance and stability,” said Julia Strange, TMC vice president of Community Benefit. “Establishing that core infrastructure of good health provides the foundation for every other aspect of your life.”

“This is a way to extend our reach into the community whether folks are looking for ways to better manage diabetes, have a question about finding a doctor, want information about the latest surgical techniques or are curious about how technology can be a useful tool for promoting better health.”

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New name, same great service and commitment

Saguaro Physicians changed its name to TMC One, Your Health, Your Medical Group.

While it might have an updated look and a fresh focus, TMC One is committed to being patients’ single stop for wellness and primary care.

Old equipment gets new use

Car seats to help Mexican children stay safe

Tucson Marathon Relay major ‘FEAT’ for TMC employees

After Tucson Medical Center replaced about 360 beds with high-tech versions, the older beds were repurposed to help underserved populations through the American Medical Aid Program.

More Mexican children will be buckled in for safety after Tucson Medical Center partnered with the University of Arizona Enactus Club over the summer to collect used car seats from the community.

TMC fielded 10 teams at the Holualoa Tucson Marathon Relay in early December, as part of the first event for the TMC Fit Employee Ambassador Team, or FEAT.

Since 2008, the program has helped deliver medical resources directly to underserved populations in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti and the Philippines.

After a meticulous inspection, restraints that are in good shape, not missing any parts, and are less than 10 years old, according to the manufacture date, will be sent to Mexico as part of the Arizona Department of Health Services Safe Ride Home initiative. In the Mexican state of Sonora, for example, an estimated 13 percent of babies and small children use car seats, in part because of the high cost. In Arizona, that number is closer to 90 percent.

At about $100 per bed, that would represent a donation of more than $35,000. Additional equipment that TMC routinely donates include computers and other products that can be reused in other locations.

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This new program has the potential to make a big difference by putting these seats directly in the hands of the families who need them most. All other seats that don’t meet these standards will be stripped down and taken apart.

Each relay team consisted of four runners and walkers who covered the entire Tucson Marathon course by working together.

Aside from an eight-week 10K training plan that started in October, FEAT participants also attended weekly core workouts on campus geared especially for runners.

“I am overwhelmed by the success of the entire team,” said Amy Mattox, employee wellness specialist, who organizes FEAT efforts. “The incredible teamwork, the amazing attitudes, and the way we all cheered each other to the finish…it was truly inspirational for us all.”

Meeting the challenge: 1,000 acts of kindness

Lecture series to improve wellness of teen athletes

TMC promotes gluten-free education

TMC hosts first Halloween candy swap

Tucson Medical Center kicked off its #BeKindChallenge at the start of the school year, with a goal of reaching a thousand acts of kindness before May 2015.

How much water do athletes really need?

How do stress and sleep impact your game? How can you tear it up on the court without tearing up your knees and ankles?

With gluten-free foods increasingly common in grocery store aisles, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out how those foods may impact nutritional needs.

A small amount of Halloween candy is a nice treat, but who needs buckets full?

TMC, the first Tucson hospital to participate in the program, handily reached the goal with more than 1,240 recorded acts. It is TMC’s belief that creating a kind workplace will reduce employee stress, increase productivity and create a better environment for both staff and patients.

Experts from Tucson Medical Center and the Pima County Health Department are teaming up with Sporting Chance to offer a monthly health education series just for teens.

TMC hosted the Gluten-Free Awareness Expo in November to give participants a chance to ask medical experts about whether a gluten-free diet is right for them.

There was also a tour of the TMC kitchen and a session to help first-timers avoid common pitfalls.

The sessions are free and fast and cover a variety of topics from joint protection, substance abuse and bullying avoidance.

The morning after Halloween, TMC hosted a candy swap, providing kids an opportunity to turn in some of their extra candy for free admission to the Reid Park Zoo. A good trade looks a lot like swapping extra sugar for a little outdoor family fun.

The candy was shared between the Barney Figueroa VFW Post 6271 to support our military heroes and The Salvation Army for its youth programs.

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2014 Community Benefit COMMUNITY BENEFIT TRENDS

12.4%

11.4% 9.7%

$38

MILLION

$48

MILLION

12.7%

$53

MILLION

WHAT MAKES UP THIS NUMBER?

24.5%

Uncompensated Care (Charity Care & Bad Debt) $13,676,000

6.7%

Outreach & Education $3,751,000 TMC will report more than $56 million in community benefit and charity care for 2014, or about 12.7 percent of net revenues. In the previous year, TMC reported a community benefit of 12.4 percent of net revenues. TMC calculates community benefit using standards endorsed by the American Hospital Association.

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Unpaid Costs: TMC provides services to patients covered by AHCCCS and other public programs for people with low incomes. This is the shortfall created when a facility receives payments that are less than the cost of caring for public-program beneficiaries.

Uncompensated Cost of Care for Charity Care, Bad Debt & Discounts for the Uninsured: Charity care is free or discounted health services provided to people who can demonstrate that they do not have the means to pay the full cost of care and who meet the organization’s financial-assistance policy criteria.

Bad debt consists of services for which the hospital anticipated but did not receive payment. Recognizing that self-pay patients who do not have health insurance are not in the same position as insurance companies to negotiate reduced rates, TMC discounts these patients’ bills by half; and, depending on a patient’s income,

$56

MILLION

other discounts may apply as part of TMC’s Community Care program. For purposes of community benefit reporting, charity care, bad debt and uninsured discounts are reported in terms of costs, not charges.

For more information about TMC’s charity care policy, visit www.tmcaz.com.

Hospital Assessment: In 2014, hospitals in Arizona were assessed by the state to help fund the cost of expanding AHCCCS services to an additional 336,000 low-income residents.

Outreach & Education: This figure includes community benefit programs and activities that provide treatment or promote health and healing as a response to identified community needs. These programs and activities help improve access to health care services, enhance the health of the community and advance medical knowledge.

Licensed Beds: Unit

VOLUNTEERING AT TMC With more than 90,000 hours logged, some 760 active volunteers donated their time to support patients, staff and the community at large.

Duties range far and wide – from staffing information desks and checking people in for their breast screenings to helping older adults navigate Medicare enrollment, making home visits to hospice patients and rounding with their pets. TMC volunteers are a critical component in reaching out to our patients and the community at large.

TMC Auxiliary TMC Hospice Senior Services Pet Therapy Program Total

Active Volunteers 562 105 54 40

Hours of Service 78,412 8,547 4,556 1,322

761

92,837

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS: TMC Auxiliary has volunteers in more than 40 areas throughout the hospital. From the Auto Shop to the Vascular Lab and just about everywhere in between Auxilians sport their teal vests and jackets in support of the TMC vision to enhance the quality of life and overall health for the people of Southern Arizona.

TMC Hospice volunteers consistently provide about 10 percent of care to hospice patients, twice the 5 percent required by Medicare.

TMC Senior Services and Healthy Living Connections touched the lives of more than 4,000 people last year, providing a variety of support, including services during the hospital stay, following the hospital stay and year-round wellness programming open to the community regardless of hospitalization.

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Pet Therapy teams visited more than 19,000 people in 2014. That’s a lot of wagging tails and smiling faces.

In 2014, the TMC Auxiliary provided $283,199 in financial support to TMC. Women’s Center Pledge Year 2 $50,000 Breast Screening Services $30,000 Peds ED Lobby Artistic Renovation $15,000 Memory Care Program $10,000 CEO/President’s Fund $10,000 Cardiac Rehab Scholarships $7,500 TMC Healing Arts Program $5,000 Hospice Family Assistance $5,000 TMC Foundation $4,000 Auxiliary Operations $146,699

No. Beds

Mom/Baby NICU Pediatric PICU Medical-Surgical ICU Geropsychiatric Inpatient Hospice Total

60 42 44 12 404 45 16 16 639

2014 VOLUMES Emergency Visits

Adult Pediatric Total

Inpatient Admissions

29,983

Babies delivered

5,527

Surgeries Total Inpatient Surgeries

60,595 30,977 91,572

22,578 Adult Peds Total

9,184 632 9,816

Outpatient Surgeries Adult Peds Total

10,526 2,236 12,762 23

TMC Community Affairs Recipients 88 Crime Alzheimer’s Association American Cancer Society American Diabetes Association American Heart Association Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation Arizona Chamber of Commerce Arizona Oncology Foundation Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson Caregiver Consortium Center for Neurosciences Foundation Child and Family Resources Children’s Museum Tucson Climb for the Fallen Group Community Food Bank Copper Queen Community Hospital Dancing in the Streets Arizona Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona DM50 Educational Enrichment Foundation El Rio Health Foundation

Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse Fund for Civility Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona Greater Tucson Leadership Handi-Dogs Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Susan G. Komen Southern Arizona League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Literacy Connects Living Street Alliance Lupus Foundation of Southern Arizona Mothers Against Drunk Drivers March of Dimes Mobile Meals of Tucson National Fallen Firefighters Foundation National Ovarian Cancer Coalition New Cardiovascular Horizons Foundation Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Association Pima Council on Aging Pima County Reid Park Zoological Society Ronald McDonald House Charities

As corporate citizens in the Southern Arizona community, Tucson Medical Center provides support to other nonprofit organizations serving the region. Last year, TMC provided more than $435,000 to these important community partners. This is a list of some of the organizations receiving financial support from TMC.

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Rotary Club of Tucson Sahuarita Pecan Festival Science of Sport Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation Special Olympics Arizona Steven M. Gootter Foundation Supporting Academic Trauma Foundation The Haven Tu Nidito Children & Family Services Tucson Festival of Books Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network Tucson Jewish Community Center Tucson Metro Chamber Tucson Stroke Leadership Tucson Urban League Tucson Values Teachers UA Dept of Psychology Annual Conference on Successful Aging United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona YMCA YWCA

Report to Our Community credits Publisher: Judy Rich, R.N., President and Chief Executive Officer Executive Editor: Julia Strange, Vice President, Community Benefit Editor: Rhonda Bodfield Design: Hilton & Myers Advertising Contributing Writers: Rhonda Bodfield, Cheryl Kohout, Michael Letson, Alicia Moura, Julia Strange, Kimberly Romo Photography: Eric Suhm On Center credits Publisher: Michael J. Duran, J.D., Vice President and Chief Development Officer Executive Editor: Julia Strange, Vice President, Community Benefit Editor: Kimberly Romo Design: Hilton & Myers Advertising Contributing Writers: Rhonda Bodfield, Cheryl Kohout, Michael Letson, Kimberly Romo Photography: Eric Suhm

TMC HealthCare Board of Trustees Louise L. Francesconi, Chairwoman J. Manuel Arreguin, M.D. Henry K. Boice Michael W. Bracht, M.D. David J. Cohen Jay A. Katz, M.D. Eduardo A. Leon Douglas Lowell, M.D. Judy Rich, R.N. Alan K. Rogers, M.D. Beckie Torrey Gay Tosch Jon R. Young

TMC Foundation Board of Trustees Christine Aronoff, Chairwoman Jodi A. Bain Henry K. Boice Kim Bourn Jeffrey J. Cesare David J. Cohen Palmer C. Evans, M.D., Life Trustee Louise L. Francesconi Anne M. Fulton-Cavett Lewis Jones Fran Katz Patricia Lohse David F. Peachin Judy Rich, R.N. Keri Lazarus Silvyn Steven Siwik, M.D. David Smallhouse Arlene Webster Jim Zarling

Medical Executive Committee J. Manuel Arreguin, M.D., Chief of Staff Douglas Lowell, M.D., Chief of Staff Elect Abraham Bressler, D.O. Tristan Berry, M.D. Lance Clyde, M.D. Catherine Cosentino, M.D. Ives de Chazal, M.D. Gayle Dean, M.D. Fadi Deeb, M.D. Lionel Faitelson, M.D. Thomas Harmon, M.D. Mark Helms, M.D. Barton Hodes, M.D. Erika Huston, D.P.M. Clifford Martin, M.D. Abhilash Nair, M.D. William Odette, M.D. John P. Pacanowski, M.D. Michael Parseghian, M.D. Richard Rosenthal, M.D. Abhay Sanan, M.D. Katherine Scott, M.D. Gulshan Sethi, M.D. Elias D. Stratigouleas, M.D. Paul Strautman, M.D. David Teeple, M.D. Paul Walshaw, M.D. Robert Woods, D.D.S. J. Paul Yurkanin, M.D. Melissa Zukowski, M.D.

Published May 2015 25

On Center

On Center

From the Vice President & Chief Development Officer Michael J. Duran, J.D.

On any given day, the nurses, physicians and staff at TMC touch the lives of many families in our community. It is an honor to care for so many of our fellow citizens and it is a tradition we take very seriously. My family has been cared for at TMC where we’ve experienced the birth of new family members, the passing of loved ones in hospice care and everything in between. As Southern Arizona’s only nonprofit, stand-alone community hospital, we remain committed to delivering specialized, personal care to each patient we encounter.

I am proud to share that TMC continues to be the local market leader in health care. From cardiac to neurology to labor & delivery, TMC remains committed to caring for our community each and every day. Southern Arizonans have come to expect great care and we deliver on that promise by demonstrating our values of compassion, community, dedication and integrity.

In 2014, we established plans to create a truly exceptional experience for women in our community.

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The new Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center is at the heart of TMC’s clinical programs that are the preferred choice for expectant mothers. The physicians who specialize in women’s care have only the highest standards for which TMC is honored to partner with them in the delivery of care for women, new moms and newborns. We set a lofty goal – $12.5 million – but are well on our way to completion. We have already secured $9 million from benevolent individuals and families who share in our vision and our desire to improve care for women in our community.

We are honored and humbled by the remarkable gifts from our donors that allow us to continually improve the care we provide our patients and their families. The Buehler Family Foundation, for example, will help bring the electronic-medical-record system used for TMC inpatients to the hospice outpatient setting. This move will streamline patients’ medical information and allow clinicians to have the most current health information about a patient in a situation that can change quickly.

When Tommilee Phillips and Dick Keiler realized we had a need for pediatric dental surgical equipment, they responded without hesitation.

Thanks to them, physicians are now able

to use brand new equipment on hundreds of children who come to TMC needing oral surgery each year.

This machinery helps improve a pediatric patient’s experience and provide them with a better outcome.

In this edition of On Center, you’ll read about what motivated some people to contribute to TMC – whether it’s helping the hospital purchase a much-needed piece of equipment, or giving their time and talents. We’ll introduce you to a pair of volunteers who have served this hospital for an incredible 51 years each, and counting! We’ll tell you how we honor our veterans, how we’re helping improve care for children and how a new brain fitness program could benefit us all. You’ll also read how the second year of the Mega Raffle proved to be even more successful than the first! This exciting and distinctive fundraising opportunity has allowed us to expand our scope of the services and programs we provide the community.

It is my sincere hope that you will come away inspired and awed by the nurses, physicians and staff at TMC, and those who tirelessly give of themselves to make this hospital the treasure it is today.

From the TMC Foundation Chairwoman Christine Aronoff

My life began at Tucson Medical Center, where my mother delivered me. I am also blessed with two children, including my son who was diagnosed with a serious birth defect while he was in my womb. After extensive research, we were amazed to discover TMC had one of the best facilities and surgeons in the country to treat him. These personal experiences made TMC a natural choice as a place for me to give back by donating my time and effort. Now, as the chairwoman of the TMC Foundation Board of Trustees, I am proud to share the progress and success of Southern Arizona’s nonprofit community hospital.

TMC is made up of a group of physicians and staff who truly care and bring their dedication, work ethic, expertise and training in all they do. They also have led and supported the hospital’s campaigns for improvement. We are blessed to have a hospital that understands and responds to the needs of the community. TMC provides the latest in technology, equipment and facilities to bring today’s advanced medical services to Southern Arizona.

In recent years, the hospital has completed the state-ofthe-art four-story TMC Orthopaedic and Surgical Tower, expanded the TMC for Children medical center

and now is in the middle of a capital campaign for the construction of the Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center.

This new women’s center will provide generations of women with high-quality personalized care in an environment that is patient-focused, comfortable and secure as it delivers the most comprehensive health services in the region.

When work on the women’s center is finished, TMC will have completed construction and renovations of its surgical services from the west side with the Orthopaedic and Surgical Tower to the east side with women’s services. The increased efficiencies of space, the private and convenient environment for women’s health needs and the continued dedication to advanced technology will keep TMC the hospital of choice for our community.

My son is now a happy, healthy teenager, and I am a grateful mother, dedicated to making sure these health services remain available. I am proud to be a part of TMC and look forward to the bright future of TMC in our community. Thank you for your commitment to TMC.

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Looking forward: Meeting women’s health care needs The TMC Foundation announces the campaign for the Joel M. Childers, M.D.,Women’s Center

Tucson Medical Center has been forward-thinking about the health care needs of Southern Arizonans since opening its doors to its first patient in 1944. As the region’s market leader in women’s services and the only locally governed community medical center, TMC provides the most comprehensive team of women’s health specialists and subspecialists in the region.

More babies are born at TMC than at any other area hospital – nearly 6,000 per year. And that number is projected to increase by 10 percent over the next five years.

“Our goal is to provide excellent care for every woman at every stage of life, from pregnancy to menopause to maturity,” said Gayle Dean, M.D., Crossroads/Genesis OB/GYN and co-chair for the Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center Campaign.

“Making HerStory” is the phrase that summarizes the Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center campaign. The campaign and women’s center are named in honor of the popular physician and medical educator who passed away in 2002.

As hospitals across the country strive to keep up with the latest technological advances in women’s health care, TMC will need to make significant investments to continue to provide leading-edge technology and health care options to our patients. That’s why TMC is embarking on an ambitious $12.5 million campaign to open the Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center in 2016.

“We’ve had many donors step forward who see the need, believe in our mission and support this campaign. We are thankful for each and every one. We are especially grateful for the generous leadership demonstrated by Chuck and Norma Childers, Tucson Foundations, the Thomas R. Brown 30

Family Foundation, Alan and Jan Levin, Mel and Enid Zuckerman, Old Pueblo Anesthesia, the TMC Auxiliary, the physicians of Joel M. Childers, M.D. Radiology Ltd. and Pam Grissom. With their help, we have been able to raise $9 million towards our goal. We have deep gratitude for their confidence in our ability to serve our community,” said Michael Duran, TMC Foundation vice president and chief development officer.

Currently, women’s services are spread throughout the hospital without a centralized access point. Research shows that consolidating women’s health care services and providing a separate entrance increases efficiency, enhances privacy and most importantly, improves quality outcomes that are conducive to quicker healing and recovery time.

Expand and remodel the pre-op, post-op and surgical suites to accommodate updated technology and equipment.

Provide four additional labor, delivery and recovery suites.

Enhance privacy and convenience throughout the facility.

Increase efficiency so physicians, nurses and other caregivers can spend more time with patients.

Infuse the Joel M.Childers, M.D., Women’s Center with an aesthetically appealing, peaceful atmosphere for and about women that promotes healing and wellness.

“We can’t thank our donors enough who have stepped forward with generous gifts to support the Joel M. Childers, M.D., Women’s Center Campaign,” said Duran. “Their philanthropic investment in a new and beautiful setting that is conducive to healing is thoughtful and exciting. The future of women’s care is secure because of their support.”

“It has been a lifelong motto for our family to pass our blessings on. We made a gift to the Joel M.Childers, M.D., Women’s Center in honor of Alan’s grandparents, Carl and Martha Grauerholz. They were an amazing help and support to him throughout his life. When Alan was through school and finally able to repay them for the countless times they had helped him, his grandparents said no, insisting there was nothing they needed. Instead, they encouraged him to pass his blessings on. In this community where we have raised our children and now our grandchildren are growing up, we feel that this is an appropriate way to do that. We are proud to support TMC in caring for women in all stages of life with a state-of-the-art facility that our community needs and deserves.”

– Alan and Jan Levin

To address these needs the board, physicians and executive leadership have approved a plan to accomplish the following: Enlarge, centralize and enhance a comprehensive range of women’s inpatient services, including obstetrics, gynecology and gynecologic oncology.

Transform the hospital’s southeast entrance and lobby into a more welcoming and comfortable environment with improved signage.

Designate a da Vinci Surgical System, the most advanced robotic device available for minimally invasive procedures for women’s gynecological procedures.

Create a new evaluation area for expectant mothers To learn more about naming and other giving opportunities, please with private rooms conveniently located at the entrance contact Michael J. Duran, TMC Foundation vice president & chief of the Women’s Center. development officer, (520) 324-3116 or michael.duran@tmcaz.com.

Breast screening program catches cosmetologist’s lesion early

In the 30 years that Monica Kealey has been a cosmetologist, she has supported a number of clients through bouts with cancer, whether lending a sympathetic ear or shaving their hair to give them more control throughout chemotherapy treatments.

She knows cancer can be a formidable opponent, so she’s been faithful to her No.1 strategy to be her own best health care advocate: Routine screenings.

“Early detection is so important,” said the 53-year-old west-side resident, who has been going to the TMC for Women Breast Screening Clinic for annual mammograms for the past six years. “Like any other kind of health issue, your best chance of treatment is when you find something early.”

given advancements in technology and patient demand.

In Kealey’s case, after more imaging, the doctor suggested a biopsy to rule out or confirm early signs of cancer. She was advised that the lesion should be removed to prevent a possible malignancy from forming over time. The surgery was over in 25 minutes.

She missed just two days of work.

Although Kealey now shares her experience, along with the need for early detection, she kept it to herself initially.

“I didn’t tell very many people about what I was going through because I didn’t want to hear horror stories about what happened to others. I knew I was going to have my own story – and I feel very fortunate.”

Kealey, who is self-employed, found the clinic six years ago at a time she couldn’t afford to purchase insurance, but made too much to qualify for financial assistance programs. The TMC Breast Health and Education Program provides free screenings for uninsured women by using grant funding from the TMC Foundation and other community partners, including Avon Breast Health Outreach, Susan G. Komen Foundation of Southern Arizona and Quilt for a Cause.

Even though TMC already provides the most comprehensive team of women’s health specialists and subspecialists in Southern Arizona, additional improvements are warranted

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Stepping forward: TMC Pediatric Therapies explores intensive program for children with cerebral palsy

Like most rambunctious 2 year olds, Kelsey Musgrave keeps her mom, Sarah, on her toes. “She runs around, loves climbing and is always going non-stop!” said Musgrave.

It’s quite a difference from a year ago when the little girl couldn’t even crawl.

Kelsey suffered a minor stroke when she was born in 2012 and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 14 months.

Musgrave enrolled her in TMC Pediatric Therapies where Kelsey attended physical and occupational therapy sessions once a week oftentimes with therapist Caryn Barman.

Kelsey was making some progress, but Barman thought she’d be a great candidate for an intensive program that was part of a research study brought to TMC by long-time Tucson pediatrician Duke Duncan, M.D.

Was more frequent, more intense therapy really a more effective model? Could it be accomplished in an outpatient setting? And would it lead to better outcomes for these children? TMC Pediatric Therapies was awarded a grant

Musgrave couldn’t believe the strides her daughter made with the intensive therapy. “The progress that she made in those 12 weeks was amazing,” she said. “She went from barely crawling to taking steps and walking. And she started using her right hand, which she never really did before the intensive therapy. We saw some great milestones during those 12 weeks.”

Duncan studied cerebral palsy for much of his decades-long career. This study aimed to see if a modified version of the inpatient therapy the Chinese provide to children with cerebral palsy would work on American children in an outpatient setting.

In China, as soon as a child is diagnosed, doctors advise the parents to admit the child into the hospital for three months. During the stay, the child receives intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, hydrobaths with herbs, deep massage and acupuncture – all day, five days a week.

In the United States, the standard of care is for a child to receive physical therapy once a week and occupational therapy once every other week. Duncan said that with this standard of care, he typically doesn’t see much improvement.

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as therapy in her home. Kelsey and the other children made significant progress and as Duncan described it, “beyond what would be expected for children typically developing with cerebral palsy.”

Kelsey Musgrave

funded by the Armstrong McDonald Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network that would hopefully answer these questions.

About two dozen families, including Kelsey’s, were invited to participate in the study. As part of the intensive program, Kelsey received therapy five days a week for 12 weeks – a combination of physical and occupational therapy, as well

She firmly believes that more frequent, more intense therapy is effective. “We saw her make big strides in what she’s able to do day-to-day. This study was the most amazing thing that we’ve been fortunate to be a part of, and I’m so grateful to the TMC Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network and the Armstrong McDonald Foundation for funding it.”

While Duncan continues his research on a broader scale, the TMC Foundation and the Armstrong McDonald Foundation continue to fund the intensive hands-on therapy program, helping other children like Kelsey reach remarkable milestones.

New app prepares children and families for their visit to TMC for Children A new child-friendly app allows children and their families to become familiar with TMC for Children’s facilities as well as understand the complicated medical terminology that doctors and nurses use.

KidSpeak is designed to help promote a positive health care experience for children and their families.

"Here at TMC for Children, our goal is always to provide the best care for any patient and family who walks through our doors,” said Heather Roberts, Child Life supervisor. “KidSpeak is an amazing app with a lot to offer the children and families of Tucson.”

The app includes virtual tours allowing children to see ahead of time the many different areas of the hospital to reduce anxiety during their stay. A glossary of terms is available to help children make sense of complicated hospital terminology.

Children can then take it to a drawing board that features different organ systems of the human body that doctors, child life specialists and others can use. The drawing board is designed to help kids understand the reason for their illness or hospitalization, their diagnosis and treatment. Also included are sounds from some of the equipment, such as MRIs, that can be especially frightening.

“This app can reduce kids’ anxiety,” said Roberts, “and help them feel more comfortable during a visit or a stay.”

Funding to create the app was made possible through the TMC Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network. KidSpeak is a free app available in the Apple and Android app stores.

Mini Radiothon provides welcome distraction The caregivers at TMC for Children have a dazzling new helper in their medical procedure room, to give pediatric patients something fun to focus on while undergoing tests or treatments.

The Vecta Distraction Station can occupy a child’s attention with multiple sensory stimulation, using fiber-optic cable lights, unique sounds, projected imagery, a bubble cylinder and aromatherapy to rouse the senses. A hand-held squeeze-ball controller allows the child to control the bubble column, providing additional distraction and occupational therapy benefits.

This engrossing diversion was made possible by community donations generated by a Mini Radiothon on 94.9 MIXfm. The Morning Mix with Bobby Rich, Greg Curtis and Mrs. Grant raised $5,000 in one focused burst of charity.

Greg Curtis with Brooke Casebolt and Heather Roberts from TMC for Children.

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Thanking our veterans for their service

Whether it was teaching his wife how to shoot at the old Rod & Gun Club by Sabino Canyon, taking the family camping at Rucker Lake in the Chiricahua Mountains or picking up his grandson after school, Thomas Hoyt was always thinking about and doing for others.

“You could always call and depend on him,” said Helen, his wife of 66 years. “If you called for Tom, he’d just say ‘What do you want? I’ll be right over.’”

As the 84-year-old neared the end of his life, it was only fitting that others would do something for him.

In August, TMC Hospice learned of his veteran status. Providing care to some 300 U.S. veterans each year with the need only growing, TMC Hospice joined with national partners We Honor Veterans and the Hospice Veterans Partnership to better reach out to, care for and honor veterans needing end-of-life care.

Hoyt had served in the Marine and Army Reserves before being called up to active duty in1950 during the Korean War. He returned home in 1953.

During that time, Helen and the first of their three sons had moved back home with her parents who lived near his. After the Marine Corps, Tom became a Tucson Police Department officer. After a few years, and needing a better income to take care of his family, he joined and later retired from Coors Beer Distributors.

He and Helen spent their lives collecting Native American artwork and artifacts, making many friends with artists and tribal members. During their three decades of retirement, they started making lamps out of saguaro ribs and ladders recalling Hopi pueblos. The couple began growing gourds to make rattles and 34

men of his generation who fought in World War II and the Korean War.”

other decorative items. Before long, their Native American friends were collecting the Hoyts’ creations.

As the years went on, Hoyt started to lose his vision and slow down. Then in the summer, he fell in the garage and broke one hip; during his stay to recover at a rehabilitation facility, he fell and broke the other hip. He would not recover. Instead he was referred to hospice care.

While at Peppi’s House, the inpatient facility, he was asked if he would want to have a ceremony to recognize him for his service to the country. Helen thought the ceremony would be one person making the gesture.

“Instead, four Marines show up, their brass is shiny, one gives a nice speech and then they recite The Marine’s Prayer,” she said.

The Marine Corps has a long history of tradition, customs and courtesies from the Marines who came before, explained Staff Sgt. Jim Quintero, who coordinated the Marines for the ceremony. “We want to uphold the same type of mentality and carry on the traditions of the Marines, especially for the

The Marines honored Hoyt with a certificate of appreciation, a lapel pin and American flag as gratitude for his service. Helen has them all, along with a patriotic pillow cover sewn by TMC Hospice volunteers, lain out in his room at home.

“Everyone was teary eyed,” said his son, Michael.

“We weren’t expecting it to be so moving. They were showing a lot of respect for Dad.” Quintero acknowledged the emotion. “The ceremony has a special place in our hearts,” he said. “You do get choked up, but as a Marine, you maintain your military bearing and composure.”

Helen, too, knows her husband appreciated the ceremony. “In one of the photos, I can see he has a little smile on his face.”

A grant from the TMC Foundation made possible TMC Hospice’s ability to ramp up its veterans program.

Peppi’s family continues to extend its legacy of supporting TMC The family of the namesake of Peppi’s House, the Tucson Medical Center Hospice inpatient unit, continues a tradition of providing care for some of the hospital’s most fragile patients with its recent gift to transform the way care is delivered in the home setting.

With some 80 percent of hospice care delivered at home or in residential care facilities, TMC Hospice nurses currently keep track of patients’ conditions and needs in a paper chart. By contrast, hospice inpatient care, as with the rest of care delivered inside TMC, is tracked through the use of TMC’s advanced electronic medical record.

To counteract the gaps in care that could result from use of a paper medical record, the Buehler Family Foundation was approached to help.

“Hospice care can change hourly,” said Pam Varner, one of Peppi’s daughters and a board member of the family foundation. “One hour a patient is lucid and talking and by the end of the day could be unconscious and in the last

stages of life. It happens so quickly, that it’s important the latest information is available in a timely manner.”

Other gifts from the Chicago-based foundation have continued to support Peppi’s House and TMC Hospice.

The grant from the family’s foundation will fund laptops and other equipment needed for home-care hospice nurses as well as the development of the needed software to allow them to shed paper charts and keep the medical record of their patients current.

This latest gift brings the total to more than $2 million from Peppi and the family’s foundation to benefit TMC patients and families, Varner said.

“This will be a huge benefit in caring for our patients at home,” said Michael J. Duran, TMC vice president and chief development officer. “TMC remains deeply appreciative of the Buehler Family Foundation’s commitment to local health care and to hospice.”

The Buehler family’s Tucson philanthropy began in 1998 with a grant to support geriatric education and services at Tucson Medical Center.

Then Peppi, who asked to be remembered only by her first name, bequeathed a major personal gift towards a new inpatient hospice facility shortly before her death in 2000.

Since the 1970s, the Buehler Foundation has had a strong commitment to medical projects, Varner explained, adding that much of the philanthropy was directed toward Chicago-area facilities.

Still it’s a natural fit since the Buehler family has longstanding ties to the area. Her grandfather, who created the foundation, started wintering in Chandler in the 1940s.

“It was very natural for me to move down here to Arizona, and then Mom became a snowbird,” said Varner, who helped educate her family members about expanding their philanthropy outside their hometown. “I am very proud that TMC was the first organization outside Chicago to receive funding from my family.”

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Easing anxiety and promoting healing through art

TMC’s Healing Art Program blossomed in 2014 with more than 150 pieces of donated artwork now dotting the hallways and patient areas of TMC. Each piece provides an aesthetically pleasing distraction to patients and families that is appropriate for a hospital setting.

“We are thrilled the community has responded to our request for support.

We hear from patients, visitors and guests about how much they enjoy the art on the walls,” said Michael Duran, vice president and chief development officer, TMC Foundation.

Tom Eiff can attest to the program’s therapeutic effects. His wife had surgery in TMC’s Orthopaedic and Surgical Tower and was being transported to her inpatient room in the main part of the hospital when he noticed some stunning works on the wall. “It was late in the evening. I had a lot on my mind and was wandering around like a ship without a rudder,” Eiff said. “As I came down the elevator, I saw some pieces by my friend Howard Terpning. His art is remarkable and it took my mind off what was going on, even if it was only for a few seconds.”

The program has also expanded to include music. Graduate students from the University of Arizona’s guitar program come to TMC to play classical guitar for the patients.

“Adding a musical element to the program really enhances its therapeutic benefits. For patients and their families, we are able to tap into another one of their senses and offer the calming, stress-relieving sound of the guitar,” said Duran.

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Eiff said, “I think anything that can be done to ease the anxiety of families who have patients in the hospital is terrific. This program hits the bulls eye of a very important mission – to not only help people in the hospital, but also potential donors who can find a place where their art can have a meaningful location.”

That two-fold benefit is exactly what makes the program so appealing, according to its curator, Lauren Rabb.

“TMC’s Healing Art Program is a fantastic option for people who want their art to be hung and admired by thousands of people for many years.

Oftentimes, art is very difficult to sell,” Rabb said. “Donating it to a museum can be a challenge since many museums are extremely selective about what they will accept and they have limited storage space. If you are able to successfully give it to a museum, it will likely only be viewed for a limited amount of time since museums are constantly swapping out pieces for different exhibitions. With TMC’s Healing Art Program, a piece goes up and it stays up.”

Every work is identified with a metal label that says what the artwork is, and who donated it. “Sometimes these works will be dedicated to a physician or a specific unit where a

patient received exceptional care. Some donors choose to dedicate a piece to a loved one because they know it will be up for a really long time,” explained Rabb.

There are more than two dozen art donors participating in the program, but the financial support of countless others has allowed the program to flourish.

For more information about getting involved with TMC’s Healing Art program please call Michael Duran at (520) 324-2501.

TMC Mega Raffle raises money for patient care “Our community has responded well to our call for support.

I believe it’s the buyers understanding that the TMC Mega Raffle is real and that real people do win the prizes.

We have heard so many comments from buyers and their affinity for TMC. This is a unique way for

Tucson Medical Center’s Mega Raffle was back for the second year, raising money to benefit innovative patient care programs and services. Each ticket has a one in 20 chance of winning a prize. Every year, more than 2,000 prizes are raffled off, including two extravagant grand prize packages.

“The raffle has become an annual event for TMC and the community,” said Judy Rich, TMC president and CEO. “The proceeds help us fund health care services and programs that directly benefit our patients and their families.”

the broader community to support TMC

Here are a few examples of what the Mega Raffle helps fund:

and stay engaged with our hospital.”

• TMC Mega Raffle support has helped provide new meters

– Michael Duran,

TMC Foundation vice president and chief development officer

that take the sting out of screening on the Mother/Baby postpartum unit. To assess babies for jaundice in years past, nurses had to take multiple blood samples from their tiny patients. Not pleasant for the caregiver or the baby. But today’s assessments are gentle and pain-free, thanks to hand-held transcutaneous bilirubin meters. A quick non-invasive scan provides immediate information on the baby’s jaundice status without waiting for lab results.

• TMC Mega Raffle supported research by a team from the

UA Eller MBA program to improve patient care for Arizona Connected Care (AzCC), the region’s first accountable care organization. The researchers analyzed consumer surveys on Patient Engagement and shed new light on the results, helping AzCC focus on areas that are most important for patient satisfaction – such as ease of communication among the patient, the physician, and other caregivers.

• TMC’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program uses Mega Raffle

support to better serve their clients – those who have recently had heart disease or heart procedures. Each year, the TMC Foundation joins with community members of Friends of Cardiac Rehab provide funds for scholarships for patients who cannot afford the outpatient services. The Foundation funding assures that patients who need Cardiac Rehab will have access to top-level equipment and programs that help them make lifestyle changes, reduce their risk factors and get back into an active life.

• TMC’s Infant After Care Program offers developmental

follow-up that identifies babies who are at higher risk for having language or cognition delays later in life. These families are encouraged to bring their baby back to TMC for five visits spread out between birth and the child’s second birthday. Therapists can get the child on a preventative track instead of waiting until a problem becomes more prevalent when the child is a toddler, and a complicated therapy track becomes necessary.

Thanks to help from the Mega Raffle, this program is offered to families free of charge so that families will participate and hopefully improve the outcomes for these children.

Hand-held transcutaneous bilirubin meter

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TMC Gift Shop offers enhanced shopping experience

The TMC Auxiliary Gift Shop has undergone a major makeover – and it’s no accident that the place now feels like a commercial retail establishment.

“When the Seasons gift shop at La Encantada closed its doors forever, the proprietor offered TMC Gift Shop their beautiful custom maple cabinetry and store fixtures for a price too good to be true,” said Hope Thomas, director of Volunteer Services and Community Programs.

The Gift Shop needed a full renovation to make best use of the new retail equipment, and the overhaul was completed through collaboration among TMC, the TMC Auxiliary and the TMC Foundation.

The revamped shop draws a clientele that includes hospital staff and volunteers on break, family members visiting patients, the patients themselves, and regular folks from the larger community. The TMC Auxiliary generates more than half a million dollars in business annually from its three retail operations: TMC Gift Shop, Desert Cradle maternity shop and Teal Saguaro resale boutique.

From its humble start as a shelf with a few hygiene items decades ago, today’s TMC Gift Shop has grown to become an upscale shopping destination for a full range of personal necessities, unique knick-knacks and trendy fashion items. And as always, all the proceeds will support TMC.

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51years and counting! TMC volunteer logs decades of service “The first cash register we used looked like it came off the Mayflower,” laughed Jean Dreyfus, recalling when she started working in the TMC Gift Shop decades ago.

Dreyfus was a stay-at-home-mom to two children who were both born at TMC. A friend initially roped her into volunteering in the baby photo department. “I did that once a week. It was great fun, but when I volunteered in the gift shop, I knew that I had found my niche,” she said.

Fifty-one years later, Dreyfus remains one of the longest-serving volunteers with the TMC Auxiliary.

During that time, she has logged 5,900 hours.

“When I started working in the gift shop, it was much smaller than it is now and it was on the west side of the campus.

I’ve seen lots of changes over the years. Back when I started, I had no intention of being here this long. But I really enjoy the other volunteers and have made some life-long friends. The gift shop is a nice social outlet for me and I am definitely proud to work here,” she said.

Hope Thomas, TMC director of Volunteer Services and Community Programs, said “Having a TMC volunteer with more than a half century of service is unbelievable! Jean continues her tradition of providing assistance to families, patients, staff and visitors with joy and professionalism.

She is a exceptional example of what makes volunteerism at TMC so special.”

TMC Auxiliary: Behind the scenes, but every bit as important The friendly face who greets you at every TMC entrance.

The calming person behind the desk who keeps you updated on your loved one’s surgery.

The individual who comes to the rescue of a lost visitor and gets them to where they need to go.

All examples of the highly visible volunteer positions that are filled by thoughtful and committed members of the TMC Auxiliary on a daily basis. “Anywhere a patient touches TMC, they should have a great experience. And that great experience always starts with a volunteer,” said Hope Thomas, TMC director of Volunteer Services and Community Programs. “Our volunteers are everywhere, even in places where you wouldn’t expect to see them.”

And the impact those volunteers make is equally tremendous. You know those golf carts you see zooming patients and families through the hospital and around campus? TMC auto shop volunteers help the hospital’s full time mechanic to keep those carts maintained, running and available to help those in need. The auto shop, for example, is one of 42 service areas where members of the TMC Auxiliary spend their time.

For decades, volunteers have been in the vascular lab providing support to patients who come in for procedures. They are in the chapel, the outpatient pharmacy and in the lobbies of the adult and pediatric emergency departments.

They’re messengers, moving product throughout the hospital.

They’re in the newborn intensive care unit, providing support to nurses and parents of TMC’s smallest patients.

TMC volunteers are committed to the outpatient

clinic at El Dorado. “We have volunteers who just sit with patients and get them what they need while the patient is getting an infusion,” explained Thomas. Also at El Dorado – volunteers who spend time in TMC’s cardiac rehabilitation program. Most of these volunteers have experienced a cardiac event and gone through the program. This is their way to give back. “Our cardiac volunteers not only provide some much-needed support to these patients, but some also visit patients who have just had a cardiac event. Our volunteers are able to give these people, who are oftentimes anxious and discouraged, a glimmer of hope and inspiration – an idea of what success looks like.”

Students make up a big chunk of TMC’s volunteer force, exchanging their time for an experience they can’t get inside a classroom.

“Almost all of our pediatric therapy volunteers are students, for example,” said Thomas. “We provide them with a great opportunity to let them see what therapy is like in a hospital setting. It allows them to fulfill their volunteer requirements but also gives them a realistic look at what that field is like. For some students, it helps them confirm what they want to do with their future. TMC has the only hospital-based pediatric therapy program in Southern Arizona and it gives them an opportunity to gain this incredibly valuable and unique experience.”

Day in and day out, this small army of folks give of their time and their hearts. It is paramount to Thomas and her team that these people feel valued for their contributions. Although oftentimes, she notes, they get as much as they give. “A lot of our volunteers receive personal satisfaction knowing that they are regularly helping others during a time of need. For some, their position is an outlet for social camaraderie.

But for all, it’s TMC pride in what they do.”

Norma Fletcher – “I love volunteering at TMC as much today as I did when I started 51 years ago.”

In 1964, when Norma Fletcher started volunteering with TMC, she was too young to work anywhere but the gift shop. “The gift shop was a tiny walk-in closet where we sold candy bars and few other things. It was so small that if two people came in to shop, one of the Auxilians had to step out to make room for them,” she recalled with a laugh.

“The gift shop eventually expanded to include a cart that I would drive around the hospital.

I remember driving by the rooms of patients who were not allowed to have any sweets.

They’d offer me $10, $15, even $25 for a candy bar.”

Fletcher eventually moved to the OB/GYN department, where she stayed for the next 15 years – even while working and having two children at home. “I came to admire all of the nurses there. I was always amazed by the patience and kindness they’d show to their patients and families,” she said.

From there, she worked in the GI lab, and eventually the surgery lobby. Both spots remain her most fulfilling of the volunteer positions she’s held. “I really enjoyed talking to the families of the patients. I’d calm them down if they were upset, which oftentimes they were, especially in the surgery lobby. I would sit and talk with them, make them feel special and let them know that if they needed anything, we were there for them.”

In addition, she spent time at the northeast desk, and says she loves volunteering at TMC as much today as she did back when she started. “I feel good when I go home,” she said, explaining what she finds beneficial about giving back. “I feel like I’ve done a really good thing for the day. And I’ve made some of my best friends here.”

To date, Fletcher has logged nearly 16,600 hours during her 51years of service to TMC. When asked what made TMC so special, her answer was without hesitation. “The nurses,” she said. “They are always so happy to see the volunteers. They talk one-to-one with us, and I like that. I don’t feel like an outsider when I come in. I have felt valued and appreciated over the years. Patients and staff thank me all the time.”

She has also had a profound influence on her children who she describes “volunteer for everything.”

Hope Thomas, TMC director of Volunteer Services and Community Programs, said, “Norma has held every position that one could possibly hold that helps advance the work of the Auxiliary. She exemplifies what commitment is at TMC. Her extensive knowledge of the hospital’s layout and staff is a tremendous help to those around her.

Her tenure is impressive. Norma is truly an inspiration.”

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Neuroscience equipment receives much-needed upgrade

Muscle Memory: TMC Foundation donor boosts brain health

TMC’s high-tech neuroscience capabilities have become even higher-tech, thanks to grant support from the TMC Foundation for upgrades of the hospital’s biplane angiography system.

As a certified financial planner, Pat Raskob has seen the difficulties her clients face as they age. Her firm, Raskob Kambourian Financial Advisors Ltd., often becomes the closest thing to family for some of their older clients.

An earlier TMC Foundation grant had procured the state-of-the-art Toshiba biplane system, which went into service in 2009. Since then, the equipment has provided enhanced treatment for patients suffering from various clinical problems, notably neurovascular disorders such as cerebral aneurysms and acute strokes.

“We see our clients having problems when they are forgetful or get confused or otherwise have memory challenges,” Raskob said. “We need to stay as healthy as we can, for as long as we can. I’ve heard experts say that people in the future should start making plans to live 120 years! After all, we can replace most of our body parts – except the brain.”

With the upgraded system, the original video screens have been replaced with a large, sleek, more versatile display panel that allows practitioners to manipulate the way images are presented, alter the configurations and add inputs from multiple sources. A physician can immediately review images during the procedure and, at the same time, use instantaneous 3-D images as a roadmap in real time to navigate equipment through blood vessels for treatment. The upgraded system also can quickly provide an image similar to a CT scan that saves critical time in certain instances that would otherwise require transferring the patient to a traditional CT scan machine.

Raskob connected with the TMC Foundation and found a way to make a difference on behalf of those affected by normal memory challenges. Through the generosity of the Raskob Paulus Family Challenge Grant, TMC Senior Services was able to send staff and volunteers through the UCLA Longevity Department’s ‘train the trainer’ program and develop a crew of memory coaches here in Tucson.

“The TMC Foundation has once again stepped up to meet growing needs and has been instrumental in keeping TMC at the forefront of neurological care in Tucson,” said David Jeck, M.D., president and one of three interventional neuroradiology specialists from Radiology Ltd. who routinely use the unit. Jeck, M.D., Boyd Ashdown, M.D., and Andrew Gyorke, M.D. treat aneurysms, strokes, and other neurovascular conditions as part of a team approach with TMC neurosurgeons and neurologists.

TMC is nationally recognized as a Neuroscience Center of Excellence.

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TMC Senior Services is now poised to offer two new scientifically-proven memory education programs to help older adults with normal, age-related memory challenges.

The programs, designed and certified through the UCLA Longevity Center, are based on 40 years of brain research demonstrating that focused training can help improve memory, attention and recall.

The support for the TMC memory coaches fits perfectly with the long history of community service at Raskob Kambourian Financial Advisors. The firm was previously selected from a list of over 70 companies competing for the BBB Torch Awards for the "Good Neighbor" Award, recognizing its significant role in support of local charities.

TMC Facilities lights up campus and hearts during the holidays They weren’t dressed in your traditional Santa suits, but some dedicated TMC Facilities crews pulled off a magical treat for pint-sized patients in a first-ever TMC for Children holiday party, complete with a snow flurry and the jolly old elf himself!

Patients and their siblings were alerted via closedcircuit television that Santa had landed on TMC’s roof as part of his test flight a few days before Christmas. The children were instructed to head to a courtyard donated by the Finley Family Foundation where they could visit with Santa, eat cookies, listen to stories and enjoy enchanted snowfall.

“I think the event made a lot of people very happy,” said TMC carpenter Dan Bittner. “It’s the kind of thing that you just can’t put a price tag on. It was worth every minute and every dime we spent putting it all together. There were kids who had never seen snow falling before, and to see them light up was an amazing feeling.”

The pediatric party was part of a bigger plan to make TMC’s campus more festive during the holidays. Tens of thousands of twinkle lights and other decorations were used to illuminate the 114 acres the hospital sits on. “It’s an enormous undertaking,” said Richard Parker, director of TMC Facilities and Plant Services.

“We have an enthusiastic team made up of employees from many different facilities crews who committed themselves to brightening the holidays for patients, visitors and staff. Oftentimes, they logged hours when most of us were still asleep, and even came in on their weekends in order to decorate in a discreet way that didn’t impact the campus during regular business hours.”

Bittner added, “The enthusiasm and the positive reactions from people on campus made it well worth the effort. It was a huge morale boost to see people enjoying our work and filled our hearts to see what a positive impact it had.”

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Year ending Dec. 31, 2014 Corporation

Foundation

Individuals

Other

TMC FOUNDATION GIFT SOURCE

40%

30%

Women’s Capital Campaign

26%

4%

Children’s

Hospice

Other

General Purpose

26%

21%

6%

5%

Women’s Care

TMC FOUNDATION USES OF FUNDS

41%

Pediatrics

Neurosciences Community Benefit

Hospice

Women’s Care Patient Other Care

1%

Cancer Cardiac Rehab

GRANTS AWARDED TO TMC DEPARTMENTS Total Grants Awarded in 2014

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Total Amount Awarded in 2014

$1,588,366.74 42

32%

28%

14%

8% 6% 6% 4%

1%

1%

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2014 Report To Our Community I Published May 2015

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