OnCenter A PUBLICATION FOR OUR FAMILY OF EMPLOYEES, MEDICAL STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Major Lab Improvements Providing innovative, timely, accurate and high-quality testing
WINTER 2022
Welcome
Editor Julie Taylor Director, Marketing Communications Erin Fiorito Publisher, Creative Director Vincent Rios Design Assistant Alexandria Smith Copy Editor Laura Watts
FROM THE PRESIDENT
While we continue to manage through this latest COVID-19 surge, I am once again reminded about and grateful for your resiliency and dedication. As we continue to deal with this pandemic, I am so proud of our Torrance Memorial response. There is also much to look forward to in 2022, including the opening of our new El Segundo location in March. In this edition of OnCenter, you will learn about upgrades in our lab technology allowing for an even higher level of quality and efficiency to help us prepare for the future. We also focus on the Committee for the Advancement of Respect, Equity and Justice, or CARE + Justice. This committee brings together diverse members—including physicians, staff and management—to address inequities in health care, diversity and inclusion. We also explore the comprehensive Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center that earned the Restorix Health Clinical Distinction for its excellent patient outcomes. This pandemic has been a once-in-a-lifetime career experience for all of us. We have dealt with this adversity together, and we are certainly stronger as a Torrance Memorial family. Thank you!
Craig Leach President and CEO Torrance Memorial Medical Center
2
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
Contributors Danielle Boujikian Lisa Buffington Christine Elston John Ferrari Kimberly Durment Locke Peg Moline Nancy Sokoler Steiner Julie Taylor Photographers Philicia Endelman Michael Neveux Vincent Rios
Published by Vincent Rios Creative, Inc. vrioscreative.com ©2022 Torrance Memorial Medical Center. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. This publication is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice. It has not been designed to replace a physician’s medical assessment and medical judgment. Always consult first with your physician regarding anything related to your personal health.
Contents
WINTER 2022
12
Cover Story
On the Cover
4 6 10 12
Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s pathology and clinical laboratory teams celebrate the official debut of new technologies, renovations and lab services. Photographed by Vincent Rios
16
Awards & Accolades Prestigious awards for Torrance Memorial Social Scene Social posts and news from around the hospital Kindness is Contagious Sprinkle it everywhere Cover Story Torrance Memorial invests in high-quality renovations and new technology for the lab testing center Learning and Growing CARE + Justice Committee takes on health equity
20 22 24 28 31
Life and Health Celebrating the career of radiation oncologist Thomas Simko, MD New El Segundo Medical Complex Opening spring 2022 RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction Torrance Memorial’s Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial Marking four years of affiliation Support and Education TMU virtual class schedule and certificate programs
TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
3
Awards
Awards and Accolades
W
e never tire of sharing our hard-earned and well-deserved awards and accolades that rank Torrance Memorial with the top-renowned hospitals in our nation, state, the Los Angeles region and here in the South Bay. Over the past several years, the recognitions have gone beyond the gold standard annual awards from U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek to expand into year-round acknowledgments from various industries. The awards reach further than statistics and criteria to poll readers and ask them to vote for their favorite hospital, urgent care, health care plan, pharmacy, gift shop and more. We tip our hats to the staff and employees at Torrance Memorial who strive to provide the most current and effective medical technologies administered by clinical experts whose values are centered around the health and well-being of our community.
Newsweek Recognized by Newsweek as part of its list of World’s Best Hospitals 2021, Torrance Memorial Medical Center moved up eight spots to rank as the 40th best hospital in the nation and 10th best in California and top elite 200 best hospitals in the world.
Press Ganey Pediatric Award Torrance Memorial has been named a 2021 Guardian of Excellence® winner by Press Ganey, a national leader in patient engagement. The Guardian of Excellence award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have achieved the 95th percentile or above for performance in Patient Experience. We earned this award based on achieving the 95th percentile in Pediatrics Child CAHPS scores.
4
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
Los Angeles Times Torrance Memorial Medical Center has received the Best of the Southland award from the Los Angeles Times. This new program was created to celebrate readers’ favorite businesses across 65 different categories in five regional zones. In the first round of survey results, Torrance Memorial earned the most votes for the best hospital in the South Bay, Long Beach and South Los Angeles regional zones.
JC Gold Seal of Approval for Total Hip and Knee Replacement Certification After rigorous onsite reviews, Torrance Memorial earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
US News & World Report This year Torrance Memorial Medical Center moved up to rank as the 11th best hospital in California by U.S. News & World Report for 2021–2022 and the 5th best hospital in the Los Angeles Metro area, including Orange County. • Rated high-performing in 7 of 10 specialties • Rated high-performing in 16 of 17 common adult procedures and conditions for patients 65 and older
AHA Get With The Guidelines Program Torrance Memorial has recently been recognized by the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program for our commitment to quality patient care. Our physicians, nurses and staff have worked to close the gaps separating patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. The care our patients receive is our #1 priority, and we are proud to be recognized for Gold Plus performance in Heart Failure, Stroke and Receiving and Gold in Resuscitation.
Lantern Award The Emergency Nurses Association awarded Torrance Memorial Emergency Department the 2021 Lantern Award, showcasing an emergency department’s accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. EDs are encouraged to share stories that highlight a commitment to the care of patients and the well-being of nursing staff. The award serves as a symbol of our commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.
MBSAQIP Award The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) ensures metabolic and bariatric patients receive multidisciplinary medical care, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. To earn MBSAQIP accreditation, Torrance Memorial met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient care pathways, ensuring its ability to support patients with obesity. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its surgical outcomes and identifies opportunities for quality improvement.
South Bay’s Best We are honored our community has once again voted Torrance Memorial Medical Center as the BEST hospital in the South Bay! Readers also voted us BEST in Urgent Care, Medical Groups (Torrance Memorial Physician Network and Torrance Memorial IPA), Knee Center and (for the first time the category was offered) Cancer Center. We were also acknowledged as a Favorite Pharmacy, Gift/Boutique Shop and Physical Therapy Center.
Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2022 in Cardiology Torrance Memorial Medical Center has been recognized as part of Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2022 in cardiology (Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute). This is the second year for this award, and we are honored to be selected. More than 40,000 medical experts—including doctors, hospital managers and health care professionals—participated in online surveys allowing them to recommend and assess various hospitals within their respective specializations. The results of the survey were then validated by a global board of renowned medical experts.
Wound and Amputation Prevention Center RestorixHealth Distinction Award Torrance Memorial recently earned the RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction for Wound Center Distinction 2021 for its 90% patient healing rate, median patient healing time of 32 days and 96% patient satisfaction rate.
TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
5
Social Scene
CURATED BY DANIELLE BOUJIKIAN
Jimmy Miller Ocean Therapy Program Over the summer, health care workers from Torrance Memorial Medical Center received the world’s first-ever COVID-19 surf therapy session from the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation. Along with learning the fundamentals of surfing, workers also had a chance to decompress from the emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. #SouthBay #SurfTherapy
Emergency Nurses Receive the Lantern Award Congratulations to our phenomenal Emergency Department for being awarded the Emergency Nurses Association Lantern Award. This award recognizes emergency teams that demonstrate excellent practice and innovative performance through leadership, education, advocacy and research. It is a visible symbol of an emergency department’s commitment to quality and safety and presence of a healthy work environment. We are so proud of this team! Thank you for all your hard work!
Core Lab Goes Live with Abbott Alinity We are so excited to be the first hospital-based Core Lab in California to go live with Abbott Alinity Instrumentation. Alinity’s innovative technology allows us to provide faster, more accurate patient care while increasing the capacity of our laboratory and improving physician and patient satisfaction and outcomes. We always strive to provide innovative and high-quality care to our community. Thank you for the partnership!
6
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
International Clown Day Happy #InternationalClownWeek to our Clowns on Rounds, who bring smiles and laughter to our staff, patients and visitors. This year they are celebrating their 30th anniversary of the program, and we are so honored to have such an outstanding hospital clown program here at Torrance Memorial. These special volunteers provide smiles when needed most, helping ease the stress of a hospital stay. Thank you for the joy you bring! #LaughteristheBestMedicine
The Great ShakeOut Dr. Mirhashemi’s 2,500th Robotic Surgery On October 22, our staff participated in #TheGreatShakeOut and practiced how to Drop, Cover and Hold On in the event of an earthquake. Great job team! Way to stay ready and prepared.
Congratulations to Torrance Memorial gynecologic oncologist Ramin Mirhashemi, MD, for completing more than 2,500 robotic surgeries with the da Vinci robot, a minimally invasive alternative to cancer and noncancer surgeries. Thank you to Dr. Mirhashemi and our amazing robotics team for your dedication to our patients and Torrance Memorial!
Breast Cancer Awareness Month 600th TAVR Procedure We are celebrating the Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute for performing their 600th TAVR procedure! The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) utilizes a minimally invasive procedure to implant a new heart valve without open-heart surgery. Congratulations to this outstanding team of Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai cardiovascular surgeons and specialists.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year we encourage you to take charge of your health. Schedule an appointment at one of our Breast Diagnostic Centers, where we make expert breast screening easy and convenient. Call 310-517-4709. We are located in Torrance, Carson, Manhattan Beach and Rolling Hills. TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
7
Social Scene
CURATED BY DANIELLE BOUJIKIAN
Wound and Amputation Prevention Center Clinical Distinction Award
South Bay’s Best Congratulations to our staff, physicians and volunteers for being nominated in nine categories, including Best Hospital and Best Medical Group, by the Daily Breeze South Bay’s Best! We are so proud of your hard work! #TeamTorranceMemorial
Congratulations to the Torrance Memorial Wound and Amputation Prevention Center for achieving the RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction Award! Recipients of this award have demonstrated success by meeting or exceeding patient safety goals along with a 90% healing rate. Many thanks and congratulations to the wound center physicians and staff for providing superior patient care. For more information about our wound center, call 310-517-4736 or visit TorranceMemorial.org/APC. #WhereHealingHappens
Martin Chevrolet Truck Donation Share Life, Donate Blood Torrance Memorial is in critical need of blood donations due to a severe nationwide blood shortage resulting from a recent surge in trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries. The hospital is appealing to all local residents to roll up their sleeves and donate blood immediately. Call 310-517-4647 to make your appointment! #ShareLife #DonateBlood
8
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
We are so thankful for our community partners at Martin Chevrolet who donated a beautiful new 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 double cab truck to our engineering department. The engineering team has worked incredibly hard throughout the pandemic and beyond. This truck will come in handy for servicing our Torrance Memorial campus and all 20+ office locations throughout the South Bay. Thank you to the team at Martin Chevrolet for making this happen. We appreciate you! #StrongerTogether
SIDS Awareness Month October is #SIDSAwarenessMonth, a time to spread the word about safe infant sleep. At Torrance Memorial, we deliver more than expert care. Our board-certified maternal team of OBGYNs, nurses and specialists dedicate themselves to making sure you and your new bundle of joy are safe, happy and healthy. Whether you are a new parent, grandparent, sibling or infant caregiver, learn more at facebook.com/CribsforKids. #TMMCSafe #BackisBest
Home Health/Hospice/Home-Based Palliative Care JC Accreditation Torrance Memorial Medical Center has earned the Joint Commission International Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital/Home Health/Hospice/ Home-Based Palliative Care Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards—reflecting our commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Way to go, #TeamTorranceMemorial!
Knee Surgery Has Come A Long Way... The Torrance Memorial Lundquist Orthopedic Institute is at the forefront of innovations that can keep you on your feet, participating in the sports and exercises you enjoy—without pain.
Burn Unit Reverification We are proud to announce our burn unit has been reverified as an adult and pediatric burn center by the American Burn Association through June 2024. Congratulations team!
Lung Cancer Awareness Month Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, making up almost 25% of all cancer deaths. And in 2020, lung cancer screening dropped by 39%.Talk to a doctor about your risk and if lung cancer screening may be right for you. #LungCancerAwarenessMonth TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
9
In November, Torrance Memorial staff, physicians and volunteers celebrated Kindness is Contagious month. This celebration promoted gratitude and the importance of being kind to each other, ourselves and to our community. Special activities throughout the campus included, staff appreciation welcome days, live music in the cafes, pet visitations, photo booths, newsletters, gratitude journaling and snack carts galore! We were inspired to cultivate appreciation for one another and to shower gratitude and kindness to build bonds and make us stronger as a team, especially during very challenging times. #TorranceMemorialStrong
10
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
11
Major Front Row: Ashwin Rohra, Michael Jovellana, Geoff Frank, Miguel Campos, Patty Drew, Divina Cruz, Armando Ramos, Rhonda Heilbron, Alexa Veluz, Vin Aguinaldo, David Jauregui, Ihab Abumuhor Back Row: John Kunesh MD, Keith Hobbs, Kasie Areeprachapirom, Renato Batalla, Lisa Hughes, Rion Listhrop, Duc Trinh, Jay Lambert
12
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
Improvements to Pathology Lab Torrance Memorial invests in high-quality improvements to this testing center
Written by Nancy Sokoler Steiner | Photographed by Vincent Rios TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
13
A
few drops of blood. An ounce or two of urine. These simple substances can reveal what’s going on inside the body, giving physicians information crucial to successfully treating their patients. In fact, 70% of clinical decisions rely on lab tests, says Ihab Abumuhor, director of Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s pathology and clinical laboratory. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the lab performs more than 4.5 million tests annually. Thanks to Torrance Memorial’s investment in renovations and new technologies, lab services are of higher quality and greater efficiency than ever before. “Our goal is to provide high-quality, accurate, timely and innovative clinical laboratory services,” says Abumuhor. “We aim to turn around 95% of blood chemistry tests, CBCs and coagulation tests within 45 minutes.” Blood chemistry tests are used to evaluate and screen for many conditions including electrolyte balance, kidney function and liver function. CBC, or complete blood count, measures the types and numbers of cells in the blood. Coagulation tests, such as prothrombin time, measure how long it takes blood to clot. New Testing System The ambitious 45-minute goal became possible thanks to several major updates. The first involved a lab
14
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
reconstruction to remove the previous testing platform and install a new Alinity system. The new platform allows for faster, more accurate results while increasing capacity and lowering costs. It has a fully automated track, meaning once a sample is placed on the track, the system performs all the steps required without a technician needing to move or prepare samples. These steps include: • Reading the bar code on the samples • Determining the type of tests needed and routing samples to the appropriate instrument(s) • Centrifuging the tube and uncapping it • Portioning the samples • Separating samples that need to be sent out from those done in-house • Analyzing the sample’s chemistry (37 types of tests available, including blood glucose, electrolytes, hormones, lipids and proteins) • Interfacing with the electronic medical record (EMR) • Re-capping the sample • Delivering the completed sample to refrigerated storage Torrance Memorial is the first Alinity hospital-based core lab to go live in California. When it was time to update and replace the chemistry line, offerings from multiple manufacturers were reviewed in detail. The decision to go with Alinity was primarily due to quality,
Core laboratory manager Patty Drew had the honor of cutting the ribbon to celebrate with Abbott Laboratory Inc. representatives and Torrance Memorial staff.
measured as the Sigma metric for each test, which is a combination of both accuracy and precision (reproducibility). Head-to-head comparison showed Alinity to be superior overall. “We knew the change to Alinity would be a difficult transition, and we would have to suffer through the pain of change for a few months with new construction and completely new instrumentation. But longterm it was clearly the right move,” says pathologist John Kunesh, MD. He notes accuracy and efficiency have many positive impacts, including getting the most accurate and reproducible results possible to physicians faster, thus allowing for patient discharges to happen in a timely matter. It also provides speedy results, which appear on their patient portal. In addition, notes Abumuhor, the new Alinty system frees up lab personnel to engage in other vital activities including working on quality control metrics, validating testing, training employees, troubleshooting issues with instruments and manually performing tests that are not automated. In December the lab brought in-house 15 tests previously requiring off-site analysis. That brings the total number of tests performed at Torrance Memorial to more than 130. The array of services and programs provided by the lab include molecular microbiology testing (e.g., bacteria and viruses), pathology, phlebotomy, point-of-care testing and the Blood Bank and Blood Donor Center. It maintains three blood draw stations on the medical center campus as well as four community locations. Performance and Inventory Monitoring The lab also acquired AlinIQ Business performance capability, which enables monitoring of volumes, capacity, costs, turnaround times and other important metrics. Among other things, analysis showed the lab performs an average of 6.35 tests per sample. Another new system, the ABBOTT Inventory Manager, performs automated inventory management. Items get scanned upon delivery and tracked during usage. The system alerts lab personnel when to order new stock and when items are approaching expiration. Previously, staff manually logged each item on a spreadsheet. Official Debut Torrance Memorial staff involved in the many aspects of making the lab enhancements possible attended a ceremonial ribbon cutting on November 16.
“Labs tend to operate behind the scenes. COVID-19 put the spotlight on the role of labs when testing became so crucial. People now have a better understanding of how essential the lab is.” Core laboratory manager Patty Drew cut the ribbon, accompanied by Dr. Kunesh. The ribbon was held by Abumuhor and executive vice president Keith Hobbs. “This was a collaborative effort that involved the support of administration, finance, IT and purchasing. IT alone involved server, desktop, remote access and security capabilities,” says Abumuhor. “Everybody was behind this effort because they knew it was vital for the lab’s future and because they understand how important it is to provide high-quality, accurate and timely results.” He adds, “Labs tend to operate behind the scenes. COVID-19 put the spotlight on the role of labs when testing became so crucial. People now have a better understanding of how essential the lab is.” Looking Ahead Abumuhor notes more improvements are planned for the lab in the future. They include testing for: • Immunology • Allergy • Infectious disease • Autoimmune disease • Serum proteins • Calprotectin (an indicator of bacterial or parasitic infections, colorectal cancer or certain diseases that cause intestinal inflammation) • Fungitell (fungal infections) “The pathology and clinical laboratory at Torrance Memorial aims to continue being the leading clinical laboratory in the area,” says Abumuhor. “The new enhancements serve our goal of providing innovative, timely, accurate and high-quality testing. We see this as an ongoing process where we continuously aim for even greater excellence and improvement.” • TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
15
The Torrance Memorial CARE + Justice committee takes on health equity throughout the hospital and South Bay community
LEARNI AND GROWI Written by Peg Moline
T
here is no question the world of health care, along with our entire world view, has been changing rapidly. During the past 20 months, more has been learned about inequities in health care, social justice, diversity and inclusion. In mid-2020, as challenging and complex a task as it might be, Torrance Memorial committed to initiating action, remaining compassionate and staying relevant in our everchanging community.
16
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
NG NG
The Torrance Memorial Committee for the Advancement of Respect, Equity and Justice— or CARE + Justice committee—first met in July 2020, a few months after COVID-19 became a global crisis and not long after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. “We had civil unrest and a pandemic—both critically important issues to address,” says Debby Kelley, Torrance Memorial vice president and co-chair of the CARE + Justice committee. “This was our way of starting the conversations, initiating action and including our staff who wanted to be more involved. The committee was well-designed and formed to be inclusive. It has diverse members including physicians, staff and members of management. We are fortunate to have such interest and collaboration across the Torrance Memorial health system,” Kelley emphasizes. Nicole Alexander-Spencer, MD, a co-chair of CARE + Justice, says, “One of our goals is to bring attention to racism that still exists and to increase awareness, diversity and inclusion, and to practice cultural humility at Torrance Memorial. Our first task was to create a mission statement: Torrance Memorial celebrates the richness of human diversity in an inclusive environment dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in patient care. We are committed to a culture of respect, equity and justice for all.” The committee has been divided into several subcommittees to work on specific topics. The workforce and education subcommittee led a major initiative to provide all Torrance Memorial employees training in unconscious bias. The course was in partnership with Cedars-Sinai and designed to provide a positive learning experience, educate, and encourage conversations on bias, identity, diversity, equal opportunities and cultural humility. The training helped employees understand and become aware of behaviors like microaggressions and micro-inequities and how to identify and change these behaviors. The unconscious bias education is also available for physicians, along with a collection of resource materials located on the first floor of the West Tower in the medical library. Elaine McRae, director of Torrance Memorial University, explains, “We have also started
an LGBTQ+ support group and diversity conversations via Zoom, including expert panelists to answer our questions. The discussions have been earnest, heartwarming and helpful. We plan to continue these conversations.” Another subcommittee led by DJ Singh, MD, Jason Alvarado, MD, and Lana Le Tai, senior clinical and quality analyst, addresses both parities of care and our community. This group works collaboratively with our existing community benefits work, addressing social determinants of health and community needs. (See community programs details, next page.) These subcommittees work closely with the human resources department and have collaborated to institute an easily accessible hotline to report discriminatory behavior by calling 855-226-5554 or submitting a form at tmmc.ethicspoint.com. “It has been eye-opening,” says Julie Sim, MD. “Before 2020, I had a vague sense of what health equity and unconscious bias meant. I am proud of the steps we have taken at the breast center toward educating ourselves and analyzing our breast cancer health equity data. Being part of the parity of care and community outreach team in CARE + Justice has been empowering.” Moving to a better balance “I was asked to join the committee from the beginning,” says Mary Ford, marketing and communications coordinator. “As a Black woman, initially I thought they extended the invitation because of the color of my skin. After serving on the committee for the past year and a half, I realize what I have contributed—my voice and opinions—has elevated the richness and cultural diversity at Torrance Memorial. It’s not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.” “I hope we are doing meaningful work and moving the needle,” asserts Dr. AlexanderSpencer. “We know we want to see change, and it makes for a better patient care culture. It takes time to do this work, and working alongside a diverse culture of staff and administration reflecting our community is the path forward. Torrance Memorial already has a great culture, and I know we can keep growing and progressing in the direction of respect, equity and justice.” • TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
17
CARE + Justice Committee (in alphabetical order)
Community programs Torrance Memorial’s work to promote equity and inclusion reaches even beyond the committee and expands into the community. • The Supported Employment program partners with Goodwill Industries and helps forge a pathway into the workforce for people with disabilities. Johanna Johnson-Gilman, Torrance Memorial’s director of nutrition and food services, says the partnership has helped train valuable employees for Torrance Memorial. • Torrance Memorial partners with the New Challenge Ministries to provide a food redistribution program and collection drives for other necessities. In January, Torrance Memorial employees participated in a food drive honoring the legacy of the late Martin Luther King Jr. The donations benefited the Fresh Rescue Food Bank, the largest food bank in the South Bay.
The hospital also participates in two cohorts to study what makes for a positive birth experience. • The SACRED (Safety, Autonomy, Communications, Racism, Empathy and Dignity) Birth and Cherished Futures — promise to improve the birth experience, specifically for Black women and their babies. • A Community Health Worker (CHW) grant position in our Carson medical building was created in partnership with Providence and Charles Drew University and is staffed by an individual who has a close understanding of the community being served. In this position, we help people solve issues such as accessing physicians, government services and transportation resources by serving as a patient liaison to provide assistance and improve care. “The power of a CHW is to bridge the gaps between health care and the community member,” says Claire Coignard, Torrance Memorial’s director of health education and community benefits. “The better a healthcare system can address a patient’s social determinants of health, the better it can achieve health equity for the community members it serves.
18
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
Nicole Alexander-Spencer, Physician Rashaan Ali-Jones, Physician Jason Alvarado, Physician Leonard Anderson, CNA Tracy Bercu, Physician Tasneem Bholat, Physician Aaron Bright, Physical Therapist II Ingrid Cobb, VP, Human Resources Claire Coignard, Director, Health Education Frances Davis, Supervisor, Inpatient Phlebotomy Lynell Davis, Director, Legal & Business Affairs Omer Deen, Physician Thyra Endicott, Physician Steven Farrah, Clinical Quality Analyst Mary Ford, Coordinator, Marketing/Communications Alejandra Garcia, Medical Secretary Moe Gelbart, Director, Behavior Health Janet Gomez, TMPN Communications & Project Manager Elaine V. Hume-Dawson, Manager, Nursing Debby Kelley, VP, Ancillary & Support Layne Kelley, Director, Medical Staff/PI Dennis Kikuno, Director, Compliance Lana Le Tai, Senior Clinical Quality Analyst Monica Lee, Physician Elaine McRae, Director, TMU Eric Milefchik, Physician Kristel Quinto, Manager, Palliative Care Denzil Ramdhanie, Director, Human Resources, POSS Bernadette Reid, VP, Information Technology Maggie Rodriguez, Manager, Nursing Julie Sim, Physician DJ Singh, Physician Patricia Stines, Cancer Program Data Analyst Christopher Telles, Lead, Food Service Laura Tweedt-Roybal, Legal Assistant Rochelle Walker, RN II Eileen Whitfield, LCSW Felicia Wiggins, Accounting Specialist Mary Wright, SVP, Patient Services
TORRANCE MEMORIAL
COMPLIANCE HOTLINE 1-855-226-5554 tmmc.ethicspoint.com
Use the Compliance Hotline to report a violation in the following areas: • Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Theft
• Harassment or Discrimination
• Health, Employee Safety, and Environmental Issues
• Violation of Policies, Laws and Regulations
• Concerns Regarding Diversity and Inclusion
• HIPAA Violations
• Conflicts of Interest
Anonymous • Confidential • Accessible OUR VALUES Service • Excellence • Knowledge • Stability • Community
Life & Health
In the Right Place, at the Right Time Dr. Thomas Simko retires after 40 years helping Torrance Memorial grow Written by John Ferrari | Photographed by Vincent Rios
L
ooking back over his career, radiation oncologist Thomas Simko, MD, will tell you he was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. That may be true, but it took more than happenstance for Dr. Simko to make the most of the opportunities he had and to build a legacy over his 42-year tenure with Torrance Memorial Medical Center. It took skill, dedication to his career and his patients, commitment to Torrance Memorial and—not least—empathy. OnCenter caught up with Dr. Simko soon after his retirement in August. What originally brought you to medicine and radiation oncology as a specialty? We’re immigrants. My family was in West Germany after World War II. My father was a doctor and worked for the U.S. Army. We came to the United 20
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
States in 1952 when I was 5, so I guess I’ve always had an appreciation for being in this country and all the opportunities it afforded. I majored in biology at UC Riverside, applied to medical school and was accepted at UC Davis. I started on the path to internal medicine at Huntington Memorial in Pasadena. In those days, radiation oncology was a fairly unknown field. I happened to do a rotation with the radiation oncologist at Huntington Memorial and gravitated toward the combination of treating significant diseases through the aspects of technology, physics and psychology. You have to have a sense of empathy and compassion to treat people well and educate them about their disease at a difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. This is the career that matched my personality, and I have not regretted it for one instant.
Taking an evening walk along the beach is one way Thomas Simko, MD, and his wife, Laura, are enjoying the next phase of their lives.
What brought you to Torrance Memorial? I went to the University of Washington in Seattle to specialize in radiation oncology and then moved with the head of the program to UCLA. I spent the first year out of my residency at Cedars-Sinai and then was recruited to Torrance Memorial. At that time it was a fairly small hospital but had potential to become an important community medical center. I’ve been here ever since. How has the department developed over time? I was fortunate enough to stay and lead the department after five years. The department built itself. It grew naturally, and I had good people around me. The department had two physicians initially: me and Dr. Daniel Hovenstine for a long time. Then we hired a third physician, the esteemed Dr. Thyra Endicott, and more recently Dr. Brian Chang from Yale. In the last several years we’ve taken on other physicians to create a great department including nurses and radiation therapists. What are the department’s capabilities now? The department has grown at a faster rate—not because the patient load has grown more quickly but because radiation oncology is much more advanced than when I started. The complexity of radiation treatment has increased dramatically over the last 10 to 15 years. Each treatment is much more detailed and precise. Torrance Memorial has two TrueBeam linear accelerators—state-of-the-art radiotherapy systems that allow us to treat tumors very precisely. Without the generosity of the Hunt family and other key funders like the Henry L. Guenther Foundation, we would not be able to have all the advanced equipment we have. We can treat about 60 patients each day, and we are one of the busiest departments in Southern California.
The tremendous changes and growth I’ve seen in the cancer program at Torrance Memorial have taken place over 40 years. It does take time and it does take commitment, but it’s worth it. Due to the leadership of both the medical and administrative sides of Torrance Memorial, all have worked hard over the last 20 years to create a collaborative, patient-centric environment. As a result, we now have a dedicated cancer center. Torrance Memorial’s CEO Craig Leach has created an atmosphere of collaboration and kindness. Looking ahead, what are your plans? I plan to get bored and then I plan to get unbored. At the moment, I’m unwinding. I like walking, reading and cooking, so I have things I like to do. I’m still appreciating the wind-down, but I want to give credit to my wife, Laura, who took care of our family. Without her, I would not have been able to achieve the success I have had. Her support enabled me to focus on my clinical work at Torrance Memorial and give back to the medical center we both believe in. While raising three wonderful daughters, she also earned two advanced degrees and now teaches at CSU Dominguez Hills. It’s my turn to support her, part of which is to cook her wonderful dinners. Beyond that, I’m looking forward to whatever I’m going to do next with my family and myself. •
“There is a reason the sun rises and sets every day. It lets us rest, recalibrate and start each new day fresh—striving for improvement and excellence.” - Thomas Simko, MD
Your commitment to Torrance Memorial has been extensive. As chief of staff, medical director of radiation oncology, member of the hospital board of trustees, president of the Foundation board and having served on numerous staff committees, what motivated you to become so involved? I’ve always felt the desire to give back to the hospital and the community. Serving on those boards and being a founding member of the cancer support community was extremely rewarding. You think you’re giving, but you always get more than you give. Torrance Memorial is a place with so many high-quality people at every single level across the board, including the community. When hundreds of people do their best, amazing things happen. TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
21
El Segundo Medical Complex to Offer State-of-the-Art, Family-Focused Care Opening in spring 2022, the complex will include urgent, primary and specialty care and related health care services in one accessible location Written by Lisa Buffington
Members of the experienced physician team at the new El Segundo Medical Complex will include (from left): Jamie Kagihara, MD, Houman Solomon, MD, Rumi Cader, MD, and Nidhi Agarwal, MD.
22
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
I
n spring 2022, Torrance Memorial will open a new, multispecialty, familycentered medical complex in El Segundo. Located at 2110 E. El Segundo Boulevard, the 42,000-square-foot complex will expand access to Torrance Memorial’s award-winning care beyond the South Bay and into the growing communities of El Segundo, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale and Gardena. The state-of-the-art medical complex is designed to meet the comprehensive health care needs of every member of the family, providing adult and pediatric primary and specialty care services, urgent care, outpatient imaging and laboratory services, endoscopy care and more. “By bringing a range of services together in one location, we are hoping to make the health care experience as pleasant, efficient and easily accessible as possible,” said Heidi Assigal, vice president of business and operations for Torrance Memorial Physician Network. “Every detail of the complex—from access to physician suites to waiting areas to the layout, colors and art—has been designed with patient comfort and convenience in mind.” Features of the complex include: Primary Care Patients can receive comprehensive preventive, acute and chronic condition treatment in the spacious primary care suite, which can include up to six providers and 14 exam rooms. “Featuring multiple intake areas and easy-access pathways, this efficient, well-designed space will minimize wait time and maximize quality time with your health care provider,” says Assigal. Additionally, all office suites and staff workspaces are state-of-the-art and designed to promote efficiency, allowing team members to deliver a smoother patient care experience Urgent Care Patients who are experiencing an injury, acute illness or another condition that
requires prompt, nonemergency care, can receive efficient diagnosis and treatment at Torrance Memorial Physician Network Urgent Care. The 6,000-square-foot urgent care suite features: • Three providers • Seven exam rooms • Two procedure rooms • Integrated x-ray access • Blood draw station “Our Urgent Care Center can also assist people in getting established with a primary physician if they don’t already have one,” said Assigal. Digestive Care Clinic and Endoscopy Center The Digestive Care Clinic and Endoscopy Center provide a full range of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic care for conditions of the digestive tract. Patients can schedule office visits in the Digestive Care Clinic, while procedures such as colonoscopies and upper endoscopies are performed in the 6,000-square-foot onsite Endoscopy Center. Specialty Physician Clinics Torrance Memorial’s El Segundo Medical Complex will include specialty physician practices affiliated with Torrance Memorial, including: • Pediatrics, for two providers and six exam rooms • Obstetrics/gynecology, for three providers and eight exam rooms • Endocrinology, pulmonology, oncology and other specialties, with space for five providers and 12 exam rooms Additional specialty offices include: • COR Cardiology • Association of South Bay Surgeons • Digestive Care Consultants • Beach Cities ENTS • South Bay Gastroenterology • Gynecologic Oncology Associates “We have a talented group of experienced adult and pediatric primary care and specialty physicians who bring a wealth of knowledge and are
enthusiastic about being part of a project to expand Torrance Memorial’s services to El Segundo and the surrounding communities,” says Assigal. Ease of Access Conveniently located off the 405 on El Segundo Boulevard, the El Segundo complex is easy to find and easy to access. “Free adjacent parking will make it easy for patients to pull up, park and get into their physician’s office,” says Assigal. “The points of entry and exit to the facility are convenient and navigating GPS directions is simple. Well-Planned Design The El Segundo Medical Complex features office suites that allow for safe distancing in waiting rooms, common areas, staff spaces and patient care areas—meaning there is no reason for patients to delay care over concerns about physical safety and social distancing. “The pandemic validated the need to have well-planned spaces and reinforced the strength of the facility’s design,” says Assigal. “If necessary, these spaces will allow us to pivot or modify operations to meet extra demands of a high-pandemic care model so people can feel physically safe while receiving critical health care services.” Advanced Imaging In addition to x-ray imaging services, the El Segundo Medical Complex will also feature on-site, state-of-the-art CT and ultrasound technology (opening early fall). The physicians and team members at the center are looking forward to welcoming members of the community to their new facility. “As we learn more about El Segundo and the surrounding communities, we will be looking at new opportunities to address health care and health education needs,” says Assigal. “This is the community’s health care center, and we want to make sure it is meeting the community’s evolving and expanding needs.” • TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
23
Torrance Memorial’s Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center team and patients celebrate receiving the RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction award.
Teamwork Earns Award Torrance Memorial’s Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center is awarded the RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction Written by Kimberly Durment Locke | Photographed by Philicia Endelman
T
orrance Memorial Medical Center’s Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center is a prime example of the medical achievements possible when a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals works together for patient safety and healing. The comprehensive center earned the RestorixHealth Clinical Distinction this past June for its 90% patient healing rate, median patient healing time of 32 days and 96% patient satisfaction rate. Wounds from head to toe—including those resulting from burns, diabetes, 24
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
peripheral vascular disease, skin cancer and radiation—are treated at the center. The RestorixHealth achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the highly qualified team of experts representing a variety of health care specialties. Its multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and physical therapists have advanced training in wound care and effective treatment plans. The center includes plastic, burn and general surgeons and podiatrists. Additionally, nurses and physical therapists play a critical role in treating the
whole patient and counseling them on nutrition that promotes healing. Treatment plans may include infection control, restoration of blood flow, debridement (dead tissue removal), offloading (taking the weight off the wound area), skin substitutes, compression therapy, foot reconstruction and skin grafting. Karen Shum, DPM, is the medical director of the hospital’s Amputation Prevention Center, and Matthew “Max” Reiss, MD, is the medical director of the Burn Center. The two centers make up the wound healing center. Together Dr. Shum
and Dr. Reiss lead a team of dedicated health care professionals whose primary objective is restoring patients’ health to the fullest extent possible. Dr. Shum, a fellowship-trained podiatrist, has experience with limb salvage and wound care from below the knee and extending into the foot and toes. “We specialize in helping patients with limbthreatening conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers, infections and peripheral arterial disease,” she says. Her goal for the wound healing center is to be at the forefront of the wound care community. “This means following a set of wound care metrics for exceeding the average time it takes to heal wounds and preventing major amputations,” she says. “We review our data on a quarterly basis to see how we are doing in relation to other wound centers nationally. The metrics include our healing rate average and major leg amputation rate, which we strive to keep to a minimum.” For Dr. Shum, success is helping patients’ wounds heal fully and restoring the foot or feet so they are fully functional, can be walked on and fit into a shoe. Her motto, “time is tissue,” speaks to the criticality involved with patients seeking medical assistance as soon as they notice a leg or foot ulcer that has difficulty healing, a change in color, drainage or malodor. If any of these symptoms occur along with a fever, pain or leg swelling, a patient should go to the emergency room, Dr. Shum emphasizes. Delaying care, she says, usually results in increased damage to tissue, which can lead to tissue loss and even major limb amputation. A majority of lower limb amputations, says Dr. Shum, are the result of foot ulcers that occur due to complications from diabetes. The toughest wound care cases at the Amputation Prevention Center are wounds on the bottom of the foot. “With these wounds, we have to find ways to alleviate pressure on the foot using a variety of methods including casts and padding. This is where art and medicine intersect as we seek to find innovative ways to avoid concentrated pressure on the foot so it can heal. For instance, we sometimes use a total contact cast that redistributes pressure on the foot so it can heal,” explains Dr. Shum. Medical advancements for wound treatment largely focus on different types of cellular and tissue-based grafts. One of the newest types of grafts is donated human umbilical cord graft.
PATIENT TESTIMONIAL
Oscar Gallardo – Wound Healing and Amputation Prevention Patient “I found the confidence I needed and received lifesaving care.” What started as a superficial scratch on 51-year-old Oscar Gallardo’s toe last June turned out to be much more. After several days of self-care, he noticed the discoloration at the scratch site had spread throughout his forefoot. Being diabetic, he saw his physician. He was given creams and told not to wear shoes so his foot could heal.
Patient Oscar Gallardo received life-saving and limb-preserving care from Dr. Karen Shum.
After nearly five months of treatment, an infection developed. Gallardo feared he would lose his entire foot. At this point, he sought help at Torrance Memorial Medical
Center’s comprehensive Burn, Wound and Amputation Prevention Center, where he found lifesaving and limb-saving care. “From the moment I met Dr. Karen Shum, I told her I would do anything to save my foot,” says Gallardo. Dr. Shum quickly diagnosed a vascular blockage previously missed, which prevented healing. A vascular procedure to clear the vessel blockage was done. Dr. Shum performed a transmetatarsal amputation to remove the infected toes and try to preserve as much of his foot as possible to enable ambulation. From proper diagnosis and problem-solving to surgery, Gallardo found the care at Torrance Memorial to be very good and personal. The center’s team reassured him he was getting the right treatment. “I found the confidence I needed and received lifesaving care,” Gallardo says. Dr. Shum even arranged for state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy to prevent further infection and promote healing. Gallardo is making a full recovery. He started exercising routinely and improving his diet and has since lost nearly 65 pounds. Gallardo has returned to work and credits the center’s team for saving his foot and enabling him to walk again. TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
25
There are also fish skin grafts, porcine collagen and porcine intestinal mucosa grafts. Another wound treatment method is called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which helps stimulate new blood vessels and aids in the healing process. There’s also negative pressure wound therapy whereby a sponge-like material is placed on the wound, and a vacuum pump is then applied to the area to bring blood to the tissue’s surface. “This method promotes tissue growth by helping the wound contract, thus stimulating blood flow,” Dr. Shum explains. “We have the latest noninvasive vascular device available to assess tissue oxygenation levels,” she says. “It’s a portable device with a near-infrared camera that takes a picture of the wound and tells us how well the tissue is oxygenated. This helps guide our treatment plan. If the oxygenation is on the lower end, we consult a vascular specialist who can determine the need for a stent or performing an angioplasty or bypass surgery to help restore blood flow.” Torrance Memorial is the only Torrance hospital affiliated with a larger amputation prevention network using proven techniques and protocols of the Amputation Prevention Centers of America. “Not all clinics carry this range of treatment options, but here at Torrance Memorial we have a wide spectrum of wound care options depending on the type of wound being treated and the severity of the wound,” she explains. “The team works to educate patients on ways to optimize wound healing. That team includes surgical podiatrists, plastic surgeons, vascular surgeons and/or interventional cardiologists with advanced training in procedures to help patients avoid major amputations.” The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on wound care, as many patients have delayed treatment or could not access the care they needed due to the increased demands on hospital staffing during the height of the pandemic. “Unfortunately, this led to an increase in more acute cases due to wound neglect 26
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
or inadequate self-care, and by the time they came in, we couldn’t save their leg,” says Dr. Shum. While there is no conclusive data for the results of patients who delayed wound care during the past year’s pandemic, Dr. Shum believes there has been a growing number of patients who required major leg amputations due to delayed care. Although Dr. Shum originally considered going into sports medicine, she ultimately decided it would be more fulfilling for her to apply some of the treatment options she learned from wound care and limb preservation specialists to nonathlete patients. “When I saw hospital patients who could lose a leg or foot, I decided to focus on limb salvage and wound care so I could help them end up with a successful recovery,” she explains. The five-year mortality rate for patients who undergo a leg amputation is 50% to 60%. “This is a life-changing event that affects the patient’s quality of life in many ways. If we can extend their life and improve the quality of their life, it means everything,” says Dr. Shum. Dr. Reiss, who has a master’s degree in public health, is a burn and reconstructive plastic surgeon. In his role as the medical director of the hospital’s Burn Center, he puts a strong emphasis on getting the word out about ways to avoid burns and how to best treat them. “It’s about outreach to the community and letting them know we are here should they or someone they know need to be treated for a burn,” says Dr. Reiss, who also ensures the center stays current on the latest burn prevention tips and burn treatments as a member of the American Burn Association. He explains the Burn Center he manages overlaps with the Amputation Prevention Center led by Dr. Shum and supplements patient treatment depending on the case. “We also offer such procedures as porcine and placental membrane grafts on an outpatient basis, and plastic and reconstructive surgery for acute burns on an inpatient basis. Our
goal is to make our patients better and help them return to as normal a life as possible,” he adds. While not all cases involve a suite of specialists, there are those patients who, after being assessed, require critical care. For example, the patient could have been in a house fire and suffered smoke inhalation, in which case a camera will be inserted into the patient to assess damage to the lungs and other vital organs. Dr. Reiss says the Burn Center offers not only specialty physicians such as reconstructive surgeons but also a comprehensive care team of psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists including physical, occupational, speech and respiratory. He was inspired to become a burn specialist and plastic surgeon because of the endless challenges in reconstructive surgery and the huge variety in burn patient treatments overall. Those burn treatments include placenta-donated membrane grafts and a relatively new treatment called synthetic skin grafts. In some cases, a sample of a patient’s skin is sent to a lab where sheets of new skin are grown and then sewn onto the burn area where the graft is needed. Smaller skin grafts, he explains, can be created from cells grown in a petri dish or in the operating room and, after some processing that includes enzymes, are sprayed on the burn area in as little as 15 minutes. Celebrating success is important for the patients and the treatment team. To that end, the hospital—in nonpandemic times—hosts an annual holiday party where former and current patients gather with staff members to reconnect and share information. Helping make these successes possible are Vimal K. Murthy, MD, burn surgeon and certified wound specialist with the Association for Advanced Wound Care, and John K. McKissock, MD, plastic surgeon. Both Dr. Reiss and Dr. Shum share the same perspective on success. “Seeing our patients reintegrate back into their routine as much as possible so they can lead happy, healthy lives is our goal.” •
PATIENT TESTIMONIAL
Burn Survivor Gives Back This Torrance Memorial volunteer plans to support fellow burn survivors. Six years ago on September 3, 2015, Dustin Varela of San Pedro was severely burned in a building fire in Harbor City. With burns covering 70% of his body, Varela was taken to Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Burn Center, where burn surgeon Vimal Murthy, MD, burn and reconstructive plastic surgeon Matthew Reiss, MD, and plastic surgeon John K. McKissock, MD, provided lifesaving—and later, lifeenhancing—treatment.
Dustin Varela and Matthew Reiss, MD, give back to others while celebrating Dustin’s remarkable recovery.
“I don’t remember much about my hospital stay, but I was told I was in a medically induced coma for about six weeks, my lungs collapsed, and they almost lost me a few times,” says Varela. “I had to relearn how to walk, talk, swallow and eat.” Dr. Murthy, who managed most of Varela’s acute inpatient
care, says Varela, then age 30, was fortunate to survive. “Dustin was young and healthy at the time of the accident. If he had been older or had other health problems, his injuries may have killed him.” Comprehensive Burn Care As one of only three certified burn treatment centers in the region and under the leadership of Dr. Murthy and Dr. Reiss, the Burn Center at Torrance Memorial provides comprehensive burn and wound care for children and adults. The center has received the 2021 Clinical Distinction Wound Center Recognition from RestorixHealth for wound care excellence. The Torrance Memorial Burn Center team includes board-certified burn and plastic surgeons, physical, occupational and speech therapists, social workerscounselors, respiratory therapistsm and psychiatrists who specialize in helping patients recover physically and emotionally. As Varela began his recovery journey, the focus of his treatment changed from lifesaving to life-optimizing. Varela received most of his burn and reconstructive care from Dr. Reiss, while the Burn Center nurses attended to his everyday needs, as well as the needs of his loved ones. “The support I received from the nurses was unreal,” says Varela. “My mom was practically living at the hospital while I was there,
and the nurses took care of her just as well as they were taking care of me.” All told, Varela’s inpatient stay at the Torrance Memorial Burn Center lasted six months. Since Varela’s discharge from the hospital, Dr. Reiss has performed surgeries every three to six months for the past six years to enhance Varela’s mobility and improve his quality of life. Learning to SOAR During Varela’s hospital stay, he met with a volunteer from Phoenix SOAR (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery), a program run by the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors to connect survivors and their families with others who have experienced similar trauma. “I didn’t know what to expect when I was discharged from the hospital,” said Varela. “The SOAR volunteer answered my questions about medical care, life and everything in between.” When Varela returned to the Burn Center’s annual holiday party to visit with the physicians and nurses who saved his life, several nurses told him he should think about becoming a SOAR volunteer. “I thought, ‘If I can just help one person through SOAR, then it would be worth it,’” he says. “Despite his injuries and adversities, Dustin is an affable, charismatic, loving and generous human being,” says Dr. Reiss. “For Dustin, SOAR is a gateway to help other people.” “Dustin’s strong family support system and resiliency are reflected in his interest
in giving back to others,” says Dr. Murthy. Finding a New Path for Giving Back After several days of training provided by Phoenix SOAR, Varela was ready to help. But unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his plans. As of the time of publication, pandemic-related restrictions have prevented Varela from connecting with his first burn survivor. But staying true to his upbeat, “never-give-up” attitude, Varela has found another way to give back. “Even though SOAR was on hold, Dustin still wanted to serve,” says Mary Matson, director of service excellence, patient experience and volunteer services at Torrance Memorial. “He volunteers every week as part of our escort services program, which assists with discharging patients and errands around the hospital—and he is a great member of our team.” Varela, now age 37, enjoys spending time with his family—especially his parents and his 10-year-old niece, whom he credits with providing unwavering support and encouragement. And through his volunteering at Torrance Memorial, Varela is able to stay in contact with what he refers to as his “Torrance Memorial family.” “I spent so much time at the hospital that it became like my second home, and volunteering allows me to keep in touch with people and give back to the hospital that saved my life,” says Varela.
TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
27
Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial Mark Four Years of Affiliation Heart, stroke and cancer patients discuss how the unique collaboration fostered healing Written by Christina Elston
T
his year marks the fourth anniversary of the affiliation between Torrance Memorial and CedarsSinai, a partnership forged to provide coordination of leading-edge healthcare and services to patients throughout greater Los Angeles. “Our affiliation with Cedars-Sinai has worked out remarkably well and exceeded our initial expectations. By enabling both institutions to continue the unique relationships both have within the communities they serve while working together to coordinate world-class care, the South Bay community has benefited greatly,” President, CEO Craig Leach says. The collaboration continues to provide Torrance Memorial patients with convenient local access to
28
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
treatments in cancer, heart disease and brain disorders, all backed by an academic-level medical institution and making a profound difference in the lives of many over the years. Susan Sestich Today Susan Sestich is happily planning her daughter’s August wedding. But nearly two years ago she suffered a massive stroke that almost ended her life. When Sestich collapsed at home and couldn’t move, her husband called 911 and insisted paramedics transport her to Torrance Memorial, a Comprehensive Stroke Center that partners with a telestroke team at Cedars-Sinai.
Torrance Memorial Medical Center celebrates four years of collaboration with Cedars-Sinai.
PHOTO: MICHAEL NEVEUX
“If a clinician at Torrance Memorial believes one of their patients might be having an acute stroke, they activate their emergency stroke system,” says Konrad Schlick, MD, assistant professor of neurology and director of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program at Cedars-Sinai. “We jump on camera to see the patient and rapidly make an assessment.” Dr. Schlick, who was on call when Sestich was brought in, saw there was no blood flow on one side of her brain and she needed immediate treatment. He contacted George So, MD, an interventional radiologist at Torrance Memorial. “Her kind of stroke is the worst type we treat,” So says, “but our team is prepared for this kind of patient.”
Sestich was given medication to dissolve the blood clots in her brain, and Dr. So used a tiny catheter guided through an artery in Sestich’s groin to remove those that remained. Three days later, she was discharged from the hospital with very few after-effects. “I can drive. I can ride a roller coaster. I was in Hawaii with my daughter and my son-in-law-to-be when he proposed,” says Sestich. “I get to live my life fully, and I’m so lucky to do it.” Kristen Enomoto Kristen Enomoto is celebrating her defeat of stage 3 breast cancer with the help of a Cedars-Sinai cancer clinical trial combined with treatment at the Torrance Memorial Hunt Cancer Institute. A year ago, an ultrasound follow-up to a routine mammogram detected two noncancerous cysts in Enomoto’s left breast. Fortunately, Enomoto had been
Susan and Mike Sestich enjoy a walk with Rosie.
experiencing discomfort under her left arm and asked the technician to check that area as well. The ultrasound and a biopsy confirmed Enomoto had HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to multiple lymph nodes. HER2, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, is a protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells. Enomoto was facing 5½ months of chemotherapy, but Torrance Memorial breast cancer specialist David Chan, MD, suggested Enomoto enroll in a Cedars-Sinai clinical trial that let her complete chemotherapy in just three months. In the study, Reva Basho, MD, codirector of the Women’s Cancer Program and assistant professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai, is testing a treatment plan that increases the body’s immune response against HER2-positive breast cancer with the addition of a checkpoint inhibitor. “The goal is to engage the immune system to allow us to de-escalate the amount of chemotherapy that needs to be given to patients with curable cancers while improving their long-term outcomes,” Dr. Basho said. After 12 weeks of treatment, Enomoto had a mastectomy, and test results showed no active cancer remaining. “We couldn’t prescribe this therapy outside of a clinical trial,” says Dr. Chan. “But our partnership with Cedars-Sinai gives our patients the opportunity to participate in studies for potential new treatments they wouldn’t be able to access otherwise.” Without Torrance Memorial’s physicians alerting her to Dr. Basho’s study, Enomoto says she wouldn’t have known about the opportunity. Being able to have her treatment take place close to home in Torrance was a big convenience at a difficult time. “My result was excellent,” Enomoto says. “The treatment essentially killed all the cancer, and without this partnership, I might not have received it.” Jessie Savolt Jessie Savolt will celebrate her seventh year with a new heart because the partnership between the Torrance Memorial Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute and the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, which was in place before the affiliation, made a transplant possible. “I’ve just been very fortunate between the two hospitals, with the different doctors who took care of me,” says Savolt. “I’m here because of all of them—all their hard work.” TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
29
Savolt spent decades battling debilitating fatigue and shortness of breath and two years on the transplant waiting list at another institution. Then in 2015, Torrance Memorial cardiologist Mark Lurie, MD, director of the Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute, contacted Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of the heart transplant program at Cedars-Sinai. He was willing to take her on right away in conjunction with colleagues at Torrance Memorial. Within three weeks, Savolt had a heart. “The teamwork of our integrated heart failure programs, employing ever-evolving medical advances, managed her condition,” says Dr. Lurie. “While heart failure patients are living longer, the time had come to find another option for Jessie.” Danny Ramzy, MD, vice chair of innovation and director of robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute and associate professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai performed Savolt’s transplant. He says her case was too high-risk for many other medical centers. “She had two previous heart operations and other issues,” Dr. Ramzy says. “At Cedars-Sinai we have some of the best cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and ICU doctors in the world, and we have an intensive care unit specifically trained for posttransplant management. This allows us to take on these higher-risk patients.” The affiliation with Torrance Memorial brings these capabilities to patients in and around the South Bay area, Dr. Ramzy says. •
30
ONCENTER — WINTER 2022
Terry Savolt, Jessie Savolt, Mark Lurie, MD, and heart failure nurse Roxanna Balter show their medals after the 2017 Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K race.
Support and Education
TMU Zoom Classes All classes are held virtually. 3rd Tuesday of the month 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Diversity Conversations March 3 10 a.m. to noon Time Management March 10 10 a.m. to noon Cultural Sensitivity March 16 10 a.m. to noon Building Positive Relationships March 30 10 a.m. to noon How to Give Positive Feedback April 13 10 a.m. to noon How to be Happy During Challenging Times April 27 10 a.m. to noon Professionalism in the Workplace May 11 10 a.m. to noon Dealing with Difficult People For more information contact elaine.mcrae@tmmc.com or call ext. 75704.
Health & Wellness Lecture Series for Torrance Memorial Staff This lecture series was developed based on the need to help employees navigate life during and post-pandemic. Health care professionals provide meaningful, hour-long discussions to educate, provide compassion, and promote health and wellness. All lectures can be accessed by attending live or by visiting the TMU website under resilience and resources for previous recordings. STAY TUNED FOR UPCOMING 2022 LECTURES For more information contact elaine.mcrae@tmmc.com or call ext. 75704.
Certificate Programs Manager Certificate Program (managers only) March 22 to September 6 10 a.m. to noon, 2 hours per week Leadership Fundamentals for Leads (for ancillary leads or anyone recommended by a manager) 10 a.m. to noon, 2 hours each module May 12 – Leadership & You May 19 – Leadership Essentials May 26 – Lead Communication Skills June 2 – Time Management Skills + Action Planning MICROSOFT Training Access Microsoft Trainings @ TMU website Pre-recorded and live classes available
TORRANCEMEMORIAL.ORG
31
Nonprofit organization U.S. Postage
3330 Lomita Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505 310-325-9110 www.TorranceMemorial.org
PAID
Permit No. 381 Torrance, CA
We are grateful for our dedicated Volunteers who help us elevate the Patient Experience at Torrance Memorial. Celebrating our recent rating. The Volunteer Services office is open M–F, 7:30 a.m.to 6 p.m., 310-517-4752 or email volunteerservices@tmmc.com.