Congratulations to Tyree Peavy, Huntsville Hospital's Employee of the Month for July. Peavy is a psychiatric tech in the Behavioral Health Department and has been with the hospital since October of 2007. His nomination states, "Tyree shows a gentle, caring and patient spirit when caring for our patients. He meets their needs and shows genuine interest in how they feel ... (He) shows up ready to work with a contagious smile on his face that's still there at the end of the day."

The region’s largest not-for-profit hospital is included in the August edition of U.S. News & World Report for reaching a higher standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke as recommended by the American Heart & Stroke Associations.

Huntsville Hospital received the national recognition by earning the 2009 Triple Performance Achievement Award for quality care in all three areas through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The GuidelinesSM program. Huntsville Hospital is one of only two facilities in the state and only 40 in the country to receive this level of achievement in all three areas.

Get With The GuidelinesSM (GWTG) is a joint program between the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association to provide hospitals with the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines for the care of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke patients. Awards are presented to participating hospitals who demonstrate a commitment to treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care. Bronze, silver and gold awards are earned based on the length of time a hospital has been participating.

At the time of the magazine’s deadline, Huntsville Hospital had earned the Silver Achievement Award in all three areas, meaning the facility had demonstrated compliance with the evidence-based treatments for more than a year. The hospital has since been awarded the Gold Achievement Award for quality stroke care after hitting the two-year mark of GWTG compliance in that category.

"Our greatest reward is serving our patients, and we’re dedicated to making our care for heart disease and stroke patients among the best in the country," said Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers. "That’s why we’re committed to turning treatment guidelines into lifelines."

NewsChannel 19, founding sponsor of Huntsville Hospital Foundation’s Swim for Melissa event, aired a story about the NICU on Sunday. This is a very powerful piece that features the NICU nurses, and tells the story of the infants and families whose lives are touched by our staff every day. The story was the first of several that are helping to promote the August 14-15 Swim events that will benefit our tiniest patients. Please click here to view the story.

Every year thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Many will die unless they get a bone-marrow or cord-blood transplant from a matching donor. Seventy percent do not have a donor in their family and depend on the generosity of strangers and the Be the Match Registry to help save their lives.

Be the Match, part of the National Marrow Donor Program, offers people the unique opportunity to help a patient by donating bone marrow or cord blood. Joining the registry is easy, and you can start by visiting a LifeSouth Donor Center. There is currently no cost to register; the $53 that covers testing needed to match donors with patients has been waived through Sept. 30.

LifeSouth has donor centers at Huntsville Hospital Main, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children and an off-campus center on Bob Wallace Ave. The centers on the hospital campus are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call Huntsville Hospital Public Relations at (256) 265-8317.

Community Health Initiative, a Huntsville Hospital outreach program that helps local non-profit organizations by awarding grants for healthcare programs, today presented 12 grants totaling $404,000. Over the past 13 years, Community Health Initiative has awarded more than $5.5 million to 35 local agencies. Of the 12 non-profits awarded grants this year, two organizations are new recipients, The Autism Resource Foundation and Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.

The purpose of Huntsville Hospital’s Community Health Initiative is to improve the health status of citizens of Madison County through education, prevention and early detection of disease. Each year, the Community Health Initiative committee, comprised of volunteers appointed by the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville, encourages organizations with new or innovative programs to apply for funds and decides how to allocate available grant monies.

The 2009-10 Community Health Initiative grants include:
• The Arc of Madison County Inc. - $10,000
• CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound of Madison County) Safety Net Project - $59,000
• The Community Free Clinic - $90,000
• Girls Incorporated, Commit to be Fit - $7,500
• HEALS (Health Establishments at Local Schools) - $85,000
• Mental Health Center of Madison County - $20,000
• The Riley Behavioral and Educational Center - $15,000
• The Pathfinder - $15,000
• United Cerebral Palsy, Equipping Families for Success - $75,000
• New Hope Children's Clinic - $72,000
• The Autism Resource Foundation - $15,000
• Huntsville-Madison County Public Library - $8,000

Click here to learn more about the programs funded.

Congratulations to Randy Coleman, who was named Huntsville Hospital's Employee of the Month for June. Coleman is a supervisor for the Safety and Parking Department and has been with the hospital since 2005. His nomination states, "Randy is an employee who gives his heart and soul to his job as well as the customers ... He has kept the (ICU) waiting room satisfaction score over 97 percent since it opened."

Huntsville Hospital and The Heart Center, P.C. jointly announce today that the two will affiliate in September, ensuring the presence of advanced cardiovascular services in the community and region for many years to come, according to officials from both entities.

Dr. John Hartley, Chairman of The Heart Center, P.C., said, “The affiliation of The Heart Center into Huntsville Hospital joins the region’s leading cardiology practice with the region’s foremost cardiac hospital. We have worked together for three decades to build a strong, comprehensive cardiac program. Our missions and goals have been the same so it was time to take the next step and formalize our relationship. We intend to grow our current care model based on the principles of exemplary service, top quality, cutting-edge research and advanced technology.”

David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital CEO, echoed Hartley’s comments, saying, “We are going to continue to improve quality of care and address the efficiency issues in providing that care, so we have to function as a single team. We have talked about this for years.”

Both Hartley and Spillers said that the acquisition would lead to greater progress in fighting heart disease which is the number one killer of people in north Alabama. With joint efforts, cardiac services can reach further into communities where those services were missing, they said. “This is a major step forward in advancing cardiac care for our region,” said Hartley.

When effective in September, physicians and 230 other employees of The Heart Center, P.C. will become employees of Huntsville Hospital or of a new non-profit entity owned by the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville. Heart Center patients will not experience any interruption in their care.

“The new care model will allow the cardiologists to focus more time on what they do best…care for the patient. That’s what it’s all about,” said Spillers.

Did you know that Alabama has the fourth highest death rate due to cardiovascular disease in the United States? That is one reason that Huntsville Hospital is working on a project called the “Assault on Cardiovascular Mortality.” It was originated by the Alabama chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and co-sponsored by the Alabama Department of Public Health designed to bring attention to the epidemic of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the great state of Alabama. The importance of the project was recognized by the national ACC who awarded the Alabama chapter its "National Chapter of the Year Award" and by the Alabama House of Representatives who passed a special resolution supporting it.

Cardiologist Philip Laney, MD, of The Heart Center, is the Alabama ACC Chapter President Elect.

Learn more about the "Assault on Cardiovascular Mortality" project now.

Huntsville Hospital recently held a men’s health event at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Jones Valley. People from the community participated in the free health screenings, received free health information, chair massages, donated blood and even operated the daVinci robotic surgery system like a surgeon.

Huntsville Hospital would like to congratulate the winners of the one month free membership to the Wellness Centers ($146 value):

Lifang Li
Kelly Addington
Bill Jones

View photos from the event now.

Modern Healthcare, a national healthcare business news weekly magazine, recently ranked Huntsville Hospital ninth in a list of the largest public healthcare systems in the nation. The list, featured in the June 8 issue, ranked hospital systems by the number of staffed acute-care beds reported in a 2009 survey. Huntsville Hospital was ninth on the list with 912 beds. It was the only system with two or fewer hospitals to make the top ten.

Lite 96.9’s Abby Kay and Nate Adams kicked off the Laugh & Learn event June 16 with a music trivia game at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Dr. Marco Cioppi, board-certified vascular surgeon, then presented “Hot Legs” about the importance of keeping your legs healthy and options for the prevention and treatment of spider and varicose veins.

View Dr. Marco Cioppo's presentation from the event now.

Learn more about our Laugh & Learn program by clicking here.

Stretch and Stroll, a Huntsville Hospital walking club for new moms and expectant at Parkway Place, had a special guest this month. June 9 Sci-Quest brought their educational display "Terrific Turtles." Kids were able to touch a real turtle, learn about their body parts, what they eat ... and much more! Parents learned about Sci-Quest summer camps, activities and Parent’s Night Out.

To learn more about Stretch and Stroll or other Huntsville Hospital walking clubs visit huntsvillehospital.org/walk.

The 21st annual Huntsville Classic was a tremendous success! Legendary country music star Randy Travis wowed the crowd of more than 5,000 people at the Dinner at the Von Braun Center Arena on May 15. The next day, 280 golfers teed it up for a cure at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course at Hampton Cove. Proceeds from the Classic will benefit Huntsville Hospital’s Oncology Unit and the Lab and will help provide Vein Viewers, a GeneXpert, and funding toward the Robin Lanier Stewart Memorial Fund, which provides medication assistance for cancer patients in need. Thanks to everyone who made this year’s Huntsville Classic an event to remember! Click here to see more pictures.

Huntsville Hospital recently presented the RN of the Year award to Stephanie McDowell, who has been with the hospital for nearly 28 years. Stephanie works night shifts in PCCU-1 and is known by her coworkers for being “always willing to help,” “never hesitating to teach,” and always finding “the good in every situation.” Congratulations, Stephanie!


The 2009 LPN of the Year is Frances Allen. Frances, who takes care of newborns at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, has worked here for almost 20 years. According to her numerous nominations for the award, she is “enthusiastic,” “takes ownership for Huntsville Hospital,” and “is loved by all her patients.” Congratulations, Frances!

Congratulations to Lindsey Maples, who was named Huntsville Hospital's Employee of the Month for May. Maples is a Volunteer Assistant in the Volunteer Services Department and has been with the hospital since 2006. Her nomination states, "She is a self-starter and is extremely creative in finding new ways of approaching her work in order to accomplish it effectively and efficiently."

The Marketing Department at Huntsville Hospital was nationally recognized for advertising excellence in the 2009 Aster Awards. The hospital received a gold award for its newcomers campaign launched in 2008.

The Aster Awards, one of the largest competitions of its kind, is hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today and Creative Images Inc. The national program recognizes outstanding healthcare professionals for excellence in their advertising/marketing efforts.

The 2009 Aster Awards consisted of approximately 3,000 entries from across America. Participants’ entries competed against similar-sized organizations in their category. Entries must score at least in the top 85 percent to receive an award. Judging criteria includes creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

“Huntsville Hospital is among the top in the nation for healthcare advertising expertise…specifically scoring in the top 5 percent. It was an honor to have Huntsville Hospital participate in the 2009 Aster Awards,” said Melinda R. Lucas, Aster Awards Program Coordinator. “They exceeded the judges’ expectations.”

Entries in the Aster Awards were judged by a diverse panel of healthcare marketing experts. All winners are posted on AsterAwards.com and will be published in "Marketing Healthcare Today," a national healthcare marketing magazine.

For the tenth year in a row, the Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital has earned a perfect score as the result of a Food and Drug Administration inspection conducted May 1. The center performed more than 30,000 mammographies last year, making it the largest single-site facility in the state.

FDA inspections are an important component in ensuring compliance with the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992, said Breast Center Manager Kathy Burroughs. The law requires breast centers to meet stringent guidelines. Standards cover equipment performance, quality control, personnel qualifications, medical record keeping and outcome audits.

“The FDA found that the Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital is in complete compliance with national mammography quality standards, and it had no recommendations for improvements,” said Burroughs. “We're delighted with these results.”

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States, and one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

The American Cancer Society recommends that all women over the age of 40 have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so as long as they are in good health. Women at high risk should get a breast MRI and a mammogram every year, and women at moderately increased risk should talk to their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram.

In addition to mammography and breast MRI, the Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital offers bone density testing and breast health education, including group presentations, individual counseling and resource literature.

Mike Goodman (left) and Warren Strickland, M.D. (right)

Mike Goodman, executive vice president of Redstone Federal Credit Union, has been appointed by the Huntsville City Council to a six-year term on the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville, the volunteer governing board of Huntsville Hospital. Goodman replaces Fred Crauswell who retired from the board after two terms of service. In addition to Goodman’s appointment, the City Council also reappointed Warren Strickland, M.D. to a second term on the Health Care Authority. Dr. Strickland is a cardiologist with The Heart Center.

Huntsville Hospital is now home to the highest quality MRI device in north Alabama, following the recent installation of the new 3.0 Tesla (3T) MRI in the Imaging Center at the Medical Mall.

“This is the gold standard in terms of MRI imaging. Not only does the new 3T MRI, manufactured by Siemens Medical Solutions, allow for faster results and greater resolution, but it has a larger opening than many currently utilized MRI models. This will allow for patients of various sizes to feel less restricted and claustrophobic during testing, which will increase the overall comfort of the patient,” said Huntsville Hospital neuroradiologist Dr. Philip Chapman.

MRI scanners use a large magnet, radio frequencies and a computer to take three-dimensional pictures of the body. The 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner is an advanced parallel imaging computer system which produces highly detailed images. This new system will have twice the field strength of most conventional MRI scanners, which typically operate at 1.5 Tesla. These new machines capture images with a level of detail, clarity and speed never before possible. The 3T MRI can do anything which the present 1.5T MRI can do and do it faster and better.

The clinical benefits of the 3T MRI include spectacular signal-to-noise ratio and image detail, which enable clinicians to see anatomical structures and details that are simply not visible at lower field strengths. Some of the procedures that the 3T MRI will particularly benefit include: MR angiography, neurological/brain imaging, spine studies, orthopedic, pelvis, abdominal, and cardiac studies.

By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Huntsville Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation's health care through voluntary accreditation.

Chief Executive Officer David Spillers called the accreditation, “proof of an organization-wide commitment to provide quality care on an ongoing basis.”

Laura Steele, LPN, was named Huntsville Hospital's Employee of the Month for April. She has been with the hospital for more than five years and works on the Progressive Surgery Unit. Her nomination states, "Laura Steele is one of the best workers at the hospital. She is always dutiful, always offering to assist anyone. PSU II is very fortunate to have this shining star on our team!"

By Anna Holland, RD
Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center dietitian

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. Water helps keep you full while promoting fat oxidation.

2. Exercise regularly three to five times per week. Exercise influences metabolism by affecting the body's anatomy, physiology and biochemical makeup. Exercise type, duration and intensity are all important factors. Try adding more cardio exercise. Walking, jogging, hiking, swimming and biking are all great examples.

3. Strength train two times per week to build muscle. It takes more energy to maintain muscle mass than it does fat mass. Muscle burns calories 24 hours a day!

4. Add intervals to your current exercise plan. Changing your workout routine keeps your body challenged and hinders those pesky plateaus. Try walking at a faster pace for one to two minutes every five minutes throughout your workout.

5. Eat every three to five hours. Eating five to six small meals per day makes your body use more energy to turn food into fuel. This will also help prevent overeating later in the day.

6. Don’t skip breakfast! Breaking your overnight fast is the perfect way to wake up your metabolism. Research shows individuals who don’t eat breakfast tend to be overweight.

7. Eat on a routine; don’t go on or off diets. Eating 1,200 calories Monday through Thursday and 2,000 calories Friday through Sunday will only confuse your body. Stick to a realistic amount of calories to yield slow and steady weight loss. Changing habits permanently is far better than losing weight quickly and then regaining it. Consistency is key!

8. Stay away from diet pills and fat diets. Following these plans can actually slow down your metabolism. There is no quick fix! Be patient and remember the bottom line is calories in vs. calories out!

For more articles about nutrition and healthy lifestyles, click here.

Congratulations to Loren Foster, a respiratory therapist at the Center for Lung Health, who recently became the only Certified Asthma Educator in north Alabama. The 30-year veteran of Huntsville Hospital earned the certification after completing the rigorous education and experience requirements of the National Asthma Educator Certification Board.

Diana Sumner, RN, CWOCN, recently earned Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification following an extended course of study in the this field from Emory University. Diana is a five-year employee of Huntsville Hospital and works in the Outpatient Wound Clinic, Huntsville Hospital and Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

Joanne Pittman, RN, was named Huntsville Hospital's Employee of the Month for February. She has been with the hospital for more than five years and works on the Geriatric Psychiatric Unit. Pittman's nomination states, "Joanne is caring, loving and unique. She is committed and dedicated to our unit, our elderly patients and other employees. She takes pride in her work and encourages other people to give their best to the unit.

The Employee of the Month for March is Timmons Bush, an Environmental Services supervisor who has worked here for more than 19 years. According to his nomination, Bush is "always smiling. No matter how hard his day is, he continues to smile. He'll also make sure you're smiling too before he walks away. He does the work of many - without complaint."

Congratulations, Joanne and Timmons!

Huntsville Hospital has announced the formation of the Madison Hospital Advisory Council. David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital, said the group, which includes residents who will be served by the new hospital, will provide valuable feedback and assistance in the development of the 60 bed facility in the city of Madison.

Members of the advisory council are John Allen, Damian Bianca, Sandra Brooks, Margaret-Anne Crumlish, Lydia Davenport, John Dees, Bobby DeNeefe, Bob Gustafson, Sandy Harrison, Susan Hatcher, Lynn Holladay, Gerald Johnson, Carole Jones, Cliff Lanham, Ralph Malone, Darla Malueg, Steve Monger, David Peebles, Ricky Pounders, Steve Ryan, Vickie Sloup, Taron Thorpe, Clarence Tidwell, Teresa Van Hooser, Bob Wagner, Sidney White and Carmelita Winburn.

Groundbreaking for the hospital is scheduled by the end of the year.

Ten pounds in 10 weeks ... it's time for the 40,000 statewide Scale Back participants to step on the scales again. Please note: You must weigh out at the same facility where you weighed in.

Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center weigh out hours are:

Saturday, March 14: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 15: 1 to 4 p.m.
Monday - Thursday, March 16 - 19: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, March 20: 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For a complete rundown of how the statewide contest works, a list of all weighing sites and information recently released about Governor Bob Riley's additional Scale Back incentive, please visit www.scalebackalabama.com.

By Donald Aulds, M.D.

Postpartum depression, often referred to as the “baby blues,” is triggered by the hormonal changes that occur in a woman after giving birth and the emotional upheaval of suddenly having another person dependent on her. Studies have reported that approximately 80 percent of all new mothers have some degree of “baby blues” and may feel upset, alone or afraid. On top of that, many mothers feel guilty for having these feelings. Based on the severity, these emotional changes can be divided into three categories:

• “Baby blues” usually last only a few days to a couple of weeks and can include sadness, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, crying, trouble sleeping and decreased ability to concentrate. This is not considered an illness because it is usually so mild and short-lasting that medications are not needed to control the symptoms. These symptoms usually do not interfere with the mother’s ability to take care of the baby or her family.
• Postpartum depression may start with baby blues and intensify over time. The symptoms of postpartum depression are more severe, last longer and may lead to the mother’s inability to care for her infant and family. Symptoms include loss of appetite, intense anger, overwhelming tiredness, feelings of shame or inadequacy, difficulty bonding with the baby, loss of interest in sex, withdrawal from family, and thoughts of suicide or harming the baby. If a person has had a history of major depression, major stress or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, she may be at higher risk for developing postpartum depression.
• Postpartum psychosis is the most severe form of postpartum disorder. It is a rare form that usually develops within the first two weeks after delivery. The symptoms are even more severe and can include hallucinations, delusions, disorientation, confusion, paranoia, and attempts of suicide or harm to the baby. This form requires immediate therapy. It can be associated with individuals who have previously been diagnosed with severe depression, bipolar disorders or severe psychosis prior to pregnancy. This disorder has a higher risk of developing after a birth of future children.

There is no single cause of postpartum depression. Physical changes within 48 hours after the delivery may include a drop in estrogen, progesterone, cortisol and thyroid levels. This sudden change can cause fatigue, sluggishness and depressed feelings. Once the baby is born, the changes in sleep patterns may contribute to the feelings of being overwhelmed and fatigued. After the delivery, the woman may feel that she is less attractive and may struggle with her own sense of being and identity. Lifestyle changes can also contribute to the risk of depression including financial changes because of not being able to work and bring in her salary, difficulty breast-feeding, or lack of support from the spouse.

Are there risk factors that may be identified as a risk for postpartum depression?
The risks factors that have been identified include postpartum depression after the birth of a previous child, a history of depression previously, marital conflict, stress during the previous year such as illness, pregnancy complications and job loss, having a weak support system, and unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.

What therapies are available for postpartum depression?
Women should discuss all options with their physicians, but some suggestions for dealing with depression include:
• Rest as much as possible. Try to sleep when the baby is sleeping.
• Eat healthy foods. Try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains. Avoid alcohol as this may increase the symptoms of depression.
• Don’t place extra pressure on yourself. You don’t have to be “Super Mom.” take care of your baby and yourself and leave the rest. You do not have to have the perfect household. Those things can wait.
• Take some time for yourself. Leave the house, go visit a friend or do an errand. Schedule some time alone with your partner.
• Take medication if prescribed by your physician. Antidepressant medications have been used to control the symptoms of postpartum depression. It is important to know that any medication you take will pass through the breast milk to your baby. Most antidepressant medications can be used with minimal risk of side effects on the baby.
• Try acupuncture. Recent studies have shown that acupuncture can promote relaxation and may help the woman sleep better. Acupuncture may help some regain their energy and thereby improve the depression symptoms.
• Get a message. Message therapy helps relax tight muscles and allows women to sleep better. Studies suggest that some women feel less depressed after a message.
• Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Recent studies have shown that omeg-3 fatty acids may decrease the depression symptoms by acting directly on chemicals in the brain.
• Get creative. Drama, music and art may provide a relaxed environment, channel stress, and encourage a new sense of productivity and identity.

If you feel depressed after giving birth, don’t be afraid or embarrassed to seek help. Talk to a counselor, friend, family member or a physician. If the symptoms do not fade after a couple of weeks or if the symptoms interfere with the ability to care for the baby, seek immediate professional help.

To read more articles from Women's Connection, an online newsletter dedicated to women's health, click HERE.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Nursing and Huntsville Hospital will admit almost 3,000 first graders to the 24th annual "Let's Pretend Hospital" (LPH) beginning March 6 at the UAH Nursing Building.

The simulated hospital will open its doors on Friday, March 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will resume activities March 9 - 13.

The purpose of the role-playing project is to teach children what they can expect during a hospital visit and minimize fear and anxiety associated with hospitalization. This project also allows more than 200 UAH nursing students an opportunity to apply developmental theory in teaching children about nursing and health care.
First grade students from Huntsville City, Madison City and Madison County will have the opportunity to visit the virtual hospital setting which includes an emergency room, X-Ray and laboratory, operating room, patient room and pediatric playroom. Children will also learn important information about how to make healthy food choices as well important safety tips.

Prior to the event, area teachers participating in the project receive information packets to help prepare children for the visit. The packets include a bibliography and other reading materials to prepare the children for the unique medical experience. Each child will receive a surgeon's cap and mask, pencil, coloring book and crayons.

The project is a joint effort of UAH College of Nursing and Huntsville Hospital. The Angels for Children from Huntsville Hospital will volunteer at this year’s event. The Angels are a volunteer organization, which assists Huntsville Hospital Foundation in raising funds for pediatrics and nurseries at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. The Angels also provide volunteer support and activities for the pediatric patients and their families.

On Jan. 30 an announcement by Crestwood Medical Center and its parent company, Community Health System to no longer legally oppose the State of Alabama’s decision favoring Huntsville Hospital, in effect, confirms Huntsville Hospital’s selection to build the new hospital in the city of Madison.

“We are very excited that Huntsville Hospital has been selected to build the new hospital for the residents in the city of Madison and western Madison County,” said David Spillers, hospital CEO.

“We want to thank Crestwood Medical Center for its decision today,” said Spillers.

“It is a privilege for Huntsville Hospital to build the first new hospital in Alabama in more than a decade and to build it in such a dynamic growing community,” he said. “We have served the Madison community for more than a century and we look forward to bringing more healthcare services to Madison and the surrounding communities.”

“We will work closely with the community’s leadership and its residents as we plan and build the hospital,” said Spillers.

Spillers said that the first step was to convene the Madison Hospital Advisory Council, a group of 25 to 30 citizens who will provide feedback on questions and issues during the planning and construction of the hospital. Spillers said that first meeting of the group is already scheduled in February.

Spillers indicated that the new hospital which will be constructed in Madison Medical Park on U.S. 72 would initially have 60 beds, but would be constructed with the potential to grow to more than 200 beds in order to match the future growth that is expected in the community.

“This is great news for Madison and for Huntsville,” said Spillers.

Huntsville Hospital Dr. Juan Carlos Abanses was the first author in a recently published groundbreaking study in Chest Journal, a cardiopulmonary and critical care journal published by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). Dr. Abanses, along with fellow researchers Dr. Shinobu Arima and Dr. Bruce K. Rubin, found that the commonly used cold remedy Vicks Vapor Rub may actually make some children’s illnesses worse. According to the ACCP, this is one of the biggest stories they have published, nearly surpassing the organization’s chest guidelines.

The study was conducted as a result of an 18-month old toddler being rushed to the emergency room in respiratory distress after grandparents rubbed the medicine underneath the toddler’s nose. Although the toddler recovered fully, the incident sparked interest in the effects that Vicks Vapor Rub may have on small children. To conduct the study, Dr. Abanses said that they chose to examine ferrets due to their respiratory system similarities with small children. Typically utilized to alleviate chest congestion symptoms, the study found that the medicine actually increased mucus secretion and narrowed breathing airways. The menthol in the medicine only fools the brain into thinking that airways are clearer, when they really are not.

“Since Vicks Vapor Rub was actually found to increase mucus production, it has a tendency to block airways in small children. I would recommend using nasal saline drops and suctioning the nose rather than other cold medicines, especially in toddlers under the age of two,” said Dr. Abanses.

Dr. Abanses also published an innovative study in Pediatric Emergency Care in March of 2006 on rapid influenza testing on febrile infants and young children.

Huntsville Hospital patients will soon benefit from the highly advanced imaging of a recently purchased MRI system. The Hospital is in the process of acquiring the highest quality MRI device in north Alabama, the 3.0 Tesla (3T) MRI. The new MRI system will be installed in May in the Imaging Center at the Huntsville Hospital Medical Mall.

“This is the gold standard in terms of MRI imaging. Not only does the new 3T MRI, manufactured by Siemens Medical Solutions, allow for faster results and greater resolution, but it has a larger opening than many currently utilized MRI models. This will allow for patients of various sizes to feel less restricted and claustrophobic during testing, which will increase the overall comfort of the patient,” said Huntsville Hospital neuroradiologist Dr. Philip Chapman.

MRI scanners use a large magnet, radio frequencies and a computer to take three-dimensional pictures of the body. The 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner is an advanced parallel imaging computer system which produces highly detailed images. This new system will have twice the field strength of most conventional MRI scanners, which typically operate at 1.5 Tesla. These new machines capture images with a level of detail, clarity and speed never before possible. The 3T MRI can do anything which the present 1.5T MRI can do and do it faster and better.

The clinical benefits of the 3T MRI include spectacular signal-to-noise ratio and image detail, which enable clinicians to see anatomical structures and details that are simply not visible at lower field strengths. Some of the procedures that the 3T MRI will particularly benefit include: MR angiography, neurological/brain imaging, spine studies, orthopedic, pelvis, abdominal, and cardiac studies.

Anita Barr, communications representative at the Communications Center, is a role model for her department and Huntsville Hospital. That's why the 26-year veteran has been named the hospital's Employee of the Month for January 2009. Her nomination states, "Anita is dependable and always willing to go that extra mile to meet the caller's needs....She is polite, efficient and takes on extra responsibilities to help wherever she is needed." Congratulations, Anita!

On Jan. 21, the Circuit Judge of Montgomery County affirmed the Alabama Certificate of Need and Review Board's decision supporting Huntsville Hospital to build a hospital in the City of Madison.

Former Buffalo Bills Tight End football player Kevin Everett recently visited Pediatric patients at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. Everett is considered a “medical miracle" after recovering from a football injury that could have left him paraplegic.

Everett was visiting Huntsville to speak at a seminar co-sponsored by TOC and the Huntsville Hospital Sports Center.

Read more about Kevin Everett's story.

 

Huntsville Hospital healthcare professionals and medical experts are ready to talk. Huntsville Hospital offers a comprehensive Speakers Bureau that can bring customized programs to clubs, churches, and other organizations in our community. General presentations on the hospital and on a variety of specific health and medical topics can be provided by speakers who are associated with Huntsville Hospital.

Book a speaker by calling Huntsville Hospital Public Relations at 265-8317.

View the flyer or visit the web page now.

The Alabama Productivity Center has awarded two silver Alabama Quality Awards in the Team Showcase category to teams from Huntsville Hospital’s Pharmacy Department.
The awards recognize the teams for their success in implementing team-based, quality improvements. One team, made up of Pharmacy employees Richa Airee, David Collette and Michael McDaniel, focused on improving medication reconciliation; the other team, consisting of Sharon Baty, Michele Durda and Jerry Robinson, looked at ways to improve the safe administration of heparin, a blood thinner linked to dozens of deaths in the United States and hundreds of allergic reactions.
“These awards recognize Huntsville Hospital’s commitment to the safety of its patients,” said Pharmacy Director Michael McDaniel. “There were seven Team Showcase Quality Awards presented this year, and the Pharmacy Department is extremely proud to have won two of them.”
The Alabama Productivity Center has administered the Alabama Quality Award since 1986. The award honors organizations whose past or recent innovations in the areas of management, production or service have resulted in increased productivity or quality. For more information about the Alabama Quality Award, please visit alabamaexcellence.com.

Santa needs to be in good shape for his trip delivering gifts around the world to good boys and girls. On Dec. 9, we welcomed him to Stretch and Stroll, Huntsville Hospital's free walking club for mom of infants and toddlers.

View photo gallery.

Next meeting:
Tuesday, Jan. 13
9 a.m.
Parkway Place Food Court

Join now! Call 265-8317 for more information.

Huntsville Hospital chief executive officer David Spillers has announced that Jeff Samz will become Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Huntsville Hospital effective in early January. Samz comes to Huntsville from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville where he served as CEO of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute. Vanderbilt Heart is ranked 23rd on the U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 ranking of Heart and Heart Surgery programs. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is ranked 15th on the 2008 Honor Roll of best hospitals.

Prior to his work at Vanderbilt, Samz worked with Duke University Medical Center with its heart services program. He also worked in a variety of administrative roles at Mission Hospitals and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Samz earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and a master of business administration degree from Wake Forest University.

He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been active in community and professional organizations throughout his career. He and his wife, Jill, have two children.

By Korohen Jones,
manager of Huntsville Hospital's Wellness Center in Madison

As a fitness professional, I see the start of winter as a peak time for our Wellness Center. New Year’s resolutions are in full swing for many adults. But as a mom of two children, I see that winter doesn’t have the same effect on kids. The hopeful beginning of a new year often motivates adults to focus on fitness, but the cold weather can lead to children hibernating in front of the TV.

Studies have shown that, in the winter, children burn half as many calories and consume more calories than they do the rest of the year. It’s not that kids are any less energetic during the winter season; it’s just that they lack the self-discipline to get physically active. How often do you hear an 8-year-old talk about needing to go log in time on the elliptical machine?

That’s why kids need opportunities for physical PLAY. With a little planning and creativity, the options are endless and can be fairly inexpensive. By making it fun, it’ll be easy to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity for kids. Here are some ideas to get your family active even in winter:

Go outside. Don’t think that going outside is off-limits in cold weather. All you need to do is layer up. Make sure the layer closest to the skin is a moisture-wicking fabric. Keep cotton layers away from your skin because they have a tendency to hold moisture. Next, add a layer of fleece for warmth. If there’s a chance of snow, make sure the top layer is waterproof. Bundle up with gloves, a scarf and head gear, and play in the backyard or at the neighborhood playground. Madison County has some great walkways, and the nature trails on Monte Sano and Green Mountain are wonderful places to explore.

Have a dance contest. Freestyle or work on a routine to perform for the family.

Build a fort. Use some chairs and a sheet to build a fort. Then go on a “bear hunt” and pretend like you’re swimming across a river or crawling under rocks.

Scarf catch is another fun activity – especially for younger children. Throw the scarf up in the air and try to catch it before it hits the ground.

Create a parachute using a sheet. Throw some balloons or balled-up socks on top to create a wave of excitement.
Try a walking challenge for older kids. Use pedometers to challenge the family to see who can get the most steps by dinnertime.

Hallway bowling is another fun game at home. Use two-liter plastic bottles as pins and a tennis ball as the bowling ball.

Animal relays are a favorite activity in my house. Clear a straightaway in a large room or hallway, and have your kids pretend to be different animals as they race to the finish line. My girls love the crabwalk, seal crawl, monkey slide and bear walk.

Team sports or lessons are great ways to engage your children in a new activity. Try swimming, tennis, ice skating, roller skating or martial-arts lessons.

You now have plenty of tools in your toolbox to get your young ones moving. But don’t forget the most important factor…YOU! You need to be a role model for your children to lead active lives. The old saying “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work here. Your kids will see right through you to the TV show they’re watching.



Korohen Jones is the manager of the Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center in Madison. She has over 10 years experience in the field of fitness. Korohen lives in Huntsville with her husband and their two daughters.

Business Week recently named the city of Huntsville the “Best Place to Raise Your Kids” in Alabama. To read the article, click here.

For the seventh consecutive year, National Research Corporation has recognized Huntsville Hospital for its quality with the 2008 Consumer Choice Award. Alongside UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery and co-recipients Mobile Infirmary Medical Center and Providence Hospital in Mobile, Huntsville Hospital is one of five hospitals statewide to receive this year’s honor.

Huntsville Hospital Chief Executive Officer David Spillers said the NRC award exemplifies how Huntsville Hospital’s physicians and staff are accomplishing the hospital’s vision to be one of the best in America. “This honor is very important because it reflects how our patients feel about the clinical and service excellence available at Huntsville Hospital,” he said.

NRC annually conducts a comprehensive survey of more than 200,000 households representing more than 400,000 consumers across the nation to determine which hospitals have the highest quality and image in more than 250 major healthcare markets.

Ginny Martin, president of NRC’s Healthcare Marketing Guide Division, said winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings. “Consumers continue to be empowered to make decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their healthcare facilities and services,” Martin said. “As care options multiply and consumer perception of quality grows in importance, dedication to providing a high level of quality healthcare becomes essential for hospitals.”

The 225 national Consumer Choice award winners were listed in Modern Healthcare magazine, Sept. 29, 2008, edition. NRC has more than two decades of experience in healthcare performance measurement and improvement.

HUNTSVILLE – The Alabama Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (AHPRMS) honored Huntsville Hospital’s Marketing and Public Relations Department with four gold awards and two silver awards during the state society’s annual conference.

Members from the Kentucky Hospital Association judged this year’s works from Alabama hospitals. Huntsville Hospital received gold awards for television advertising, total hospital advertising, total advertising campaign for SportsMax and the community relations for “Scale Back Alabama”. The hospital received silver awards in television advertising for the SportsMax commercial and in print advertising for “The Heart of Our Mission.”

This year, the AHPRMS received 80 entries from hospitals statewide and presented 39 awards including 14 gold, 21 silver and four “Best in Show” awards. The AHPRMS annually honors hospital departments across Alabama which demonstrates professional excellence in the field.

The AHPRMS is an affiliate of the Alabama Hospital Association and serves as a forum for public relations and marketing practitioners in healthcare to sharpen their professional skills, share ideas and strengthen the profession.

Huntsville Hospital hosts the Autumn Chase Fun Run each year to promote that staying fit is not only healthy, but can also be fun. There is no registration fee for the race, and each finisher receives a T-shirt and a ribbon. Donations are accepted to benefit Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, and this year participants gave more than $4,000 to support Child Life services, the program that comforts young patients and their parents with music and art therapy, toys and crafts, distraction techniques and age-appropriate explanations of medical procedures.

Thank you to the many volunteers and participants that made this year's Fun Run a huge success!

View the Autumn Chase Fun Run photo gallery.

View the race results by visiting the Huntsville Track Club's web site. Click on race results and look for Autumn Chase.

If you’d like to get in shape, spend time with your baby and meet other Moms, join Stretch and Stroll.

Participation in this FREE walking program at Parkway Place means you can win prizes and receive exclusive coupons, as well as meet with a Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center fitness specialist once a month. Download a registration form now.

Stretch and Stroll
Parkway Place Food Court
Second Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m.
Next meeting: Nov. 11

View pictures from our Stretch and Stroll kickoff.

Call Public Relations at 265-8317 for more information.

Huntsville Hospital brings you Laugh & Learn, a specially designed series of programs aimed at helping women live life to the fullest. Learn more.

The region’s largest not-for-profit hospital is featured in the July 21-28 edition of “U.S. News & World Report.”

Huntsville Hospital received national recognition by earning the 2008 Triple Performance Achievement Award for quality care in coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke, through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines program. Huntsville Hospital is the only facility in the state and one of only 30 in the country to receive this level of achievement in all three areas.

Get With The Guidelines is a joint program between the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association to provide hospitals with the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines for the care of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke patients. Awards are presented to participating hospitals who demonstrate a commitment to treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care. Bronze, silver and gold awards are earned based on the length of time a hospital has been participating.

Huntsville Hospital earned the bronze achievement award in all three areas, meaning they have demonstrated compliance initiating the evidence-based treatments.

Carla English, director of quality improvement initiatives for the Associations’ Southeast affiliate, presented the award to hospital physicians and executives July 24.

“Our greatest reward is serving our patients,” said Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers. “That’s why we’re committed to turning treatment guidelines into lifelines.”

For more information about Get With The Guidelines, visit americanheart.org/getwiththeguidelines. For more information about services available at Huntsville Hospital, visit huntsvillehospital.org.

With cooler temperatures, now is the perfect time to start an outdoor walking program. About 500 people have already joined the Huntsville Hospital Walking Club at Bridge Street!

If you're interested in joining, please visit a Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center to pick up a registration card. Or, you may print the Club information/registration card. All registration cards should be returned to Mountain High Outfitters at Bridge Street.

Participation in the Walking Club makes you eligible for great monthly prizes! For more information, call Huntsville Hospital Public Relations at 265-8317.

Several businesses and organizations have joined the fun.

We welcome:
Boeing
City of Huntsville
DeltaCom
duMidi
Huntsville Hospital employees and "HealthWorks" members
Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center members
Jacobs Engineering
Lockheed Martin
Qualitest Pharmaceuticals
Redstone Arsenal, FOX Medical and Redstone "Waiting Spouses" (a group for individuals with deployed spouses)
SAIC
BAE Systems
Mentor Graphics

Let us know if your business/organization has formed a team so we can add you to this list! Email pamela.sparks@hhsys.org.

View the kickoff photo gallery.

Sherry Wheeler, RN, who works in Recovery at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, was honored June 28 at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Talent Expo with first place in the Americana category for her song, “The Pink Side.” Sherry, a two-time breast cancer survivor, said she wrote the song to encourage women battling cancer to not give up and hopes this experience will allow more people to hear her message of strength and perseverance.

Listen to the song now.

Community Health Initiative, a Huntsville Hospital outreach program that helps local non-profit organizations by awarding grants for healthcare programs, presented 13 grants totaling $400,000 on June 19. Over the past 12 years, Community Health Initiative has awarded more than $5.1 million to 33 local agencies.

The purpose of Huntsville Hospital’s Community Health Initiative is to improve the health status of citizens of Madison County through education, prevention and early detection of disease. Each year, the Community Health Initiative committee, comprised of volunteers appointed by the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville, encourages organizations with new or innovative programs to apply for funds and decides how to allocate available grant monies.

2008-2009 Community Health Initiative Grants
• The Arc of Madison County, Inc. - $10,000
• CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging & Homebound of Madison County) Safety Net Project - $65,000
• The Community Free Clinic - $90,000
• Girls Incorporated– Commit to be Fit - $10,000
• HEALS - Health Establishments at Local Schools - $90,000
• Mental Health Center of Madison County - $30,000
• Still Serving Veterans - $25,000
• The Riley Behavioral & Educational Center - $20,000
• The Pathfinder - $20,000
• United Cerebral Palsy – Equipping Families for Success - $10,000
• Interfaith Mission Service – First Stop - $13,000
• Madison County Medical Alliance – AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Project - $7,000
• New Hope Children’s Clinic - $10,000
Total Funded: $400,000

Learn more about the programs funded.

Huntsville Hospital has been recognized for their commitment to quality, cost-effective care by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama.

BCBS of Alabama categorizes hospitals into one of three “tiers,” based on their performance in three areas. With a score of 98 out of 100 total points, Huntsville Hospital is designated as “Tier 1” for having attained the highest level of compliance in the following categories:

• Fiscal awareness – Hospitals scoring high in this category have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring patients receive the most cost-effective care for their healthcare dollar.

• Quality awareness – Scores in this category reflect a hospital’s commitment to specific programs and initiatives designed to improve quality of care. “Tier 1” facilities such as Huntsville Hospital actively participate in an effort to reduce hospital-acquired infections, in the sharing of best practices and in increasing healthcare transparency.

• Patient safety awareness – Hospitals scoring high in this area have implemented National Quality Forum safe-practice standards and Rapid Response Teams, completed employee safety surveys to pinpoint areas for improvement, perform above-average on national core quality measures, and participate in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 5 Million Lives Campaign.

Congratulations to these special caregivers who were recognized during Huntsville Hospital’s Nurses Week activities! The 2008 RN of the Year is Mary Starkey. Mary works in the Pediatric Emergency Room and has been with Huntsville Hospital for 34 years. The LPN of the Year is Sandra Cobble. Sandra works in the Respiratory Care Unit and has a tenure of 35 years. The Patient Care Aide of the Year is Wendy Strange. Wendy works in the Central Staffing Float Pool and has been with Huntsville Hospital for five years.

The Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital, Alabama’s largest single-site mammography center with all-digital mammography and breast MRI, was recently recognized for its quality care and highly skilled personnel.

The American College of Radiology now recognizes breast-imaging centers with an “excellence” accreditation. The Breast Center at Huntsville Hospital is Alabama’s only facility to achieve this accreditation, which means it is fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy.

In addition, for the ninth consecutive year, the Breast Center has earned a perfect score from the Food and Drug Administration for exceptional compliance with the Mammography Quality Standards Act.

The excellence accreditation and perfect score in mammography are evidence of the Breast Center’s dedication to meeting rigorous standards in regard to equipment/image quality, personnel qualifications and record keeping.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the initial results from the Hospital Consumer And Health Provider Survey, better known as HCAHPS. Huntsville Hospital is included in the recently released report. The survey is an effort to measure and compare patient satisfaction among U.S. hospitals. Hospital participation in HCAHPS is voluntary for 2008, but is mandatory beginning next year.

The HCAHPS survey focuses on major “experiences” of a hospital patient. Most of the survey questions measure the frequency that key positive behaviors were noted during the hospitalization.

The survey is conducted by CMS-approved survey companies who submit the data directly to CMS. Each hospital is compared to a state and national average score. The recently announced report reflects responses from patients who were hospitalized from October 2006 through June 2007. Updates to the survey will be made quarterly and are available for review and comparison at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

Huntsville Hospital met or exceeded the national average in 8 of 10 categories in the survey. Click here to review Huntsville Hospital’s results.

Huntsville Hospital's application to build the Madison hospital was approved March 19 by the state Certificate of Need Review Board in Montgomery.

The CON board's decision confirms that Huntsville Hospital is the right choice to build the Madison hospital.

We are very excited for the people of Madison and western Madison County, and we look forward to building the 60-bed hospital in Madison Medical Park.

Huntsville Hospital is the first health care organization in the Southeast to use virtualization technology for desktop and remote access solutions. The Information Technology Department has created an innovative solution to enhance the manageability and compliance of our desktop computing infrastructure.

Using virtualization technology and a blade center solution, the hospital’s IT department is upgrading 2,000 computers with electronic medical records capability without having to replace the computers or interrupt service. More importantly, this project will provide doctors and nurses in the surrounding community the ability to remotely-access centralized patient information from anywhere in the world via virtual desktops while maintaining the security of that data in compliance with HIPAA regulations. This project, expected to be completed in June, is the first of its kind in a healthcare setting in the Southeast.

Huntsville Hospital IT employees David Carlisle, Tony Wilburn and Shawn Scott recently starred in a national video to promote this new technology. The video is being aired on IBM.com.

The American Stroke Association has awarded Huntsville Hospital its Get With The Guidelines –Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Bronze Performance Achievement Award at the association’s International Stroke Conference 2008. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and this award addresses the important element of time,” said Peggy Matzkiw, CRNP, director of the surgical service line. Huntsville Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the Emergency Department. This includes always being prepared to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

To receive the GWTG-Stroke Bronze Achievement Award, Huntsville Hospital consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the GWTG-Stroke Program. This involves aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation.

“The time is right, and Huntsville Hospital is focused on improving the quality of stroke care and has implemented the GWTG-Stroke Program. The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a larger aging population,” said Matzkiw.

According to the American Stroke Association, each year approximately 780,000 people suffer a stroke. For 600,000 it is their first stroke, and 180,000 are recurrent. Of stroke survivors aged 49 and older, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year. For those aged 70 and older, the mortalities are even higher.

Huntsville Hospital is a Primary Stroke Center certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is the only regional referral center in north Alabama and the state’s largest community-owned and governed, not-for-profit hospital serving a population of 1.5 million.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) recently recognized Huntsville Hospital with a three-star rating in coronary bypass surgery, the highest rating awarded by the organization. Of the 775 hospitals participating in the national database only ten percent received the three-star rating.

Recognizing the importance of improving patient care and cardiothoracic-surgery outcomes, the STS created the nation’s most extensive data collection on adult cardiac surgery in 1989. Huntsville Hospital has been a participant in the database since 1994. Studies based on information from this database have substantially advanced patient care, research and quality initiatives.

In 2007, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons began using the database to rate hospitals on coronary bypass surgery outcomes, allowing for comparisons among participating hospitals across the country. Huntsville Hospital’s three-star rating was based on the first STS quality assessment for patients who were treated in 2006.

Nathaniel Richardson, Jr., vice president of operations at Huntsville Hospital, commented on the STS recognition. “I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic team, who has worked so hard to accomplish a 3-Star rating. The clinical and medical staff is dedicated to quality cardiovascular care and our community can be confident that their cardiac surgery care will be treated by professionals of a program that has been ranked in the top 10% of all cardiac surgery programs in the national STS database,” said Richardson.

Huntsville Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery program is the second largest program in Alabama, performing nearly 750 open-heart surgeries in the past year. Approximately 16,000 surgeries have been performed at the hospital since 1981.

Cardio-thoracic surgeons on Huntsville Hospital’s medical staff include Richard Clay, M.D., T. Benton Washburn, M.D., Evans Cohen, M.D. and Charles Newton, M.D.

Huntsville Hospital has recognized five managers for demonstrating outstanding character and leadership in 2007. Peggy Matzkiw, surgical service line director, received the Margaret Adams Award for Excellence in Quality. Thomas Fender, surgical services director, received the Fred Crauswell Award for Excellence in Human Resources. Lee Hardison, medical service line nurse manager, received the Lola Stewart Award for Excellence in Customer Service. Rhonda Atchley, imaging services director, received the Patty Bibb Award for Financial Excellence. Tim Adams, construction director, received the Edward D. Boston Manager of the Year Award.

Huntsville Hospital’s Bariatric program has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The ASMBS designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

To earn Center of Excellence designation, a series of site inspections took place during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected.

When you breathe better, you feel better! For a limited time, Huntsville Hospital is offering a free lung function test to access your needs.

Simply call 265-7071 for more information or to schedule your free appointment. Trust the Center for Chest Disease to help you find relief.

Huntsville Hospital’s Cancer Program has been granted Three-Year Approval with Commendation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. Huntsville Hospital’s program is the only CoC-approved program in north Alabama.

CoC Approval with Commendation means the independent physician surveyor who recently conducted an onsite evaluation found no reason to recommend improvements. Approval by the CoC is given only to facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality cancer care and undergo a rigorous evaluation process every three years.

Karen Henry, RN, BSN, Cancer Program Manager, said that what this means to patients is an assurance of comprehensive, quality care. “The fact that our surveyor had no recommendations for improvement tells us that we are not only compliant with CoC standards, but we’re also going above and beyond to ensure quality patient care,” said Henry.

Receiving care at a CoC-approved cancer program ensures that patients have access to:
• comprehensive care, with a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
• a multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
• information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
• access to cancer-related information, education and support
• a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up
• ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
• and, most importantly, quality care close to home.

(left to right) CEO David Spillers, Manager of Human Resources
Nancy Bishop and Vice President Andrea Rosler

Nancy Bishop, office manager of the Human Resources Department, has been named Huntsville Hospital’s 2007 Employee of the Year. Nancy has spent her entire 13 year career at Huntsville Hospital in HR. Employees throughout the hospital continually praise Nancy for her dependability and dedication. Congratulations Nancy!

Huntsville Hospital joined an elite group of healthcare facilities in September when the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations awarded it Primary Stroke Center certification.

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the nation and the leading cause of adult disability. Huntsville Hospital is committed to improving the outcomes for stroke patients by tailoring treatment to individual needs, investing in new technology and meeting nationally established guidelines. It is now one of only three hospitals in the state to achieve the status of a Primary Stroke Center.

“This certification recognizes our ability to treat stroke patients quickly and effectively, improving their chances of recovery,” said Stroke Team Coordinator Mary Brethour, CRNP.

To earn the certification, a hospital must have a rapid-response stroke team that is specially trained to perform quick neurological assessment, obtain emergent diagnostic testing and deliver treatment based on best-practice guidelines.

Because quick diagnosis and treatment greatly improves a patient’s chance of recovery, Huntsville Hospital has been involved in numerous screenings and programs to teach the public how to identify stroke symptoms and the importance of getting to the hospital quickly.

The hospital has also invested in cutting-edge technology, giving clinicians more tools to tailor treatment to individual patients. One of those tools is the state-of-the-art MERCI Retrieval System that allows interventional radiologists to quickly remove some clots with a tiny, corkscrew-like device rather than waiting on traditional drugs to dissolve the clot. For patients that meet specific criteria, this method can reduce brain damage and further disability by quickly restoring blood flow.
It was the MERCI Retrieval System that saved Toney resident Robert Steelman’s life, said his wife, Peggy Steelman.

“When we got him to the hospital, the doctor asked how long he had been showing signs of a stroke, but I didn’t know because he had been napping. Since it’s better to know before using the clot-busting drug, he suggested we use the MERCI retriever,” she said. “He was completely paralyzed on his left side, but now he can walk and has little evidence of stroke. I really do think it was a lifesaver.”

Huntsville Hospital’s Stroke Center underwent an on-site review in July, which included an actual observation of a patient being treated for an acute stroke; interviews with staff, physicians, patients and family members; and assessment of documentation and procedures to ensure compliance with national standards. Certification allows the hospital to display the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval to inform the public of its high level of care for stroke patients.

Huntsville Hospital is one of only three hospitals statewide to be named Consumer Choice Award recipient for 2007 by the National Research Corporation. NRC annually conducts a comprehensive survey of more than 200,000 consumers across the nation to determine which hospitals have the best quality and image in more than 200 major healthcare markets.

Get your team together and lace up your running shoes for the 4th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run on October 20th, starting at the corner of Lowe Avenue and Adams Street, and ending at Huntsville Middle School. The Ribbon Run includes a Women’s 5K, Men’s 5K and Survivors’ Walk.

Go to www.lizhurleyribbonrun.org to register your team now. While you’re online you can create a page for your team and send the link to your friends and family. You’ll love how easy it is to raise money for this worthwhile cause! For more information or to volunteer for the event, call the Foundation at 265-8077.

Friday, Oct. 19 - Huntsville Middle School
• 5 – 8 p.m. Final registration for 5K races & Survivors’ Walk
• Spaghetti Supper & Packet Pick-up for race participants
• Memorial/Tribute Luminary Display

Saturday, Oct. 20
• 8 a.m. – Men’s 5K Race
• 9 a.m. – Women’s 5K Race
• 10 a.m. – Survivors’ Walk
• 10:30 a.m. – Awards

Huntsville Hospital offers a comprehensive Speakers Bureau that can bring customized programs to clubs, churches, and other organizations in our community. General presentations on the hospital and on a variety of specific health and medical topics can be provided by speakers who are associated with Huntsville Hospital. If you would like a representative from Huntsville Hospital to provide a program to your organization, please contact Public Relations at 265-8317 or email burri@hhsys.org.

Mark Noble has joined Huntsville Hospital Sports Center as SportsMax program designer and sports performance specialist.



For nearly 20 years, Noble has served as performance enhancement consultant to Duke University and other NCAA Division 1 teams including the University of Alabama. He also helped prepare U.S. Team Handball for the 1996 Olympic games and other international competitions.

Duke University's Coach Krzyzewski said, "Mark has been great and beneficial to work with, supplying us valuable information about our team and allowing us the opportunity to only become better."

Noble will design conditioning programs and work with middle, high school and college student-athletes who choose SportsMax to help them achieve their highest level of performance.

For more information about SportsMax, call 265-5000.

Dr. Stephan Moran, trauma surgeon; ED medical director
Dr. Sherrie Squyres and trauma surgeon Dr. Rony Najjar

The ribbon has been cut and the doors are open on phase one of Huntsville Hospital’s new Emergency Department and Trauma Center! Entry into the new 38,000 square foot facility is from a new garage entrance on Madison Street, just north of the previous facility.

Phase two of the project involves the remodeling and renovation of the existing emergency space. Upon completion of that work next year, the expanded Emergency Department will occupy more than 63,000 square feet, twice the size of the current facility.

The new department was designed with “best practice” ideas from large emergency departments across the country. Treatment rooms in the new ED offer private accommodations and are designed as “universal” rooms, meaning that they can be used for every level of emergency. Six state-of-the-art trauma suites are available with the capability of treating three patients in each suite in the event of mass casualties. StatScan technology provides emergency and trauma physicians with clinical information for the most rapid diagnosis possible. Huntsville Hospital is the first hospital in the state of Alabama to offer the StatScan technology.

Additional features designed to enhance the experience of patients and families include a computer, phone and television in each patient room. There is even a “sound resistant” floor which keeps the facility quieter for patients and visitors while at the same time making it easier on the feet for the staff who work each day providing care to the patients who come to Huntsville Hospital’s Emergency Department.

LifeSouth is trying to avoid an emergency appeal for blood by asking all available donors to give. Currently north Alabama has a small supply, but additional units of O positive, O negative, A positive and A negative are on backorder, as well as platelets.

"We are not getting enough donors in each day," said Tammy Barnes, district director of the North Alabama LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. "We are trying to prevent a major deficit in our blood supply."

Visit LifeSouth for donation locations and hours of operation. Huntsville Hospital main and Women & Children both house a LifeSouth Donor Center.

Maddox Locke, born in early July with a rare low platelet condition called neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, is being cared for in the Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Through the work of his family and the Huntsville Hospital Blood Bank, and also thanks to a large community response to a July 19 Huntsville Times article, several donors of PLA1-negative platelets have been identified.

Maddox is receiving regular transfusions to keep his platelet count in a safe range, and he is expected to eventually outgrow the condition. Even though Maddox's needs are being managed, the need for platelet donation never goes away.

You can make an appointment to donate platelets by calling LifeSouth at 1-888-795-2707. Three local donor centers collect platelets by apheresis:

LifeSouth Donor Center at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, 1st floor
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LifeSouth Donor Center, off of Bob Wallace Avenue (2801 Westcorp Boulevard)
Monday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LifeSouth Donor Center, Clearview Cancer Institute (3601 CCI Drive, Suite 210)
Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please note: Apheresis donation takes approximately two hours.

Since it was established in 1978, Huntsville Hospital Foundation has been blessed by wonderful friends and generous supporters who believe in Huntsville Hospital’s mission and share our passion for this great hospital. Over the past year, our donors have helped us provide another record year of support for our hospital and its patients. Our annual fundraising efforts are not complete yet, as the fiscal year ends on June 30, but we can proudly announce that the Foundation has provided a record $2 million to Huntsville Hospital for the purchase of cutting-edge technology and program support --- that’s an increase of more than $300,000 over last year’s record!!!

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Foundation funded the construction of several areas, and purchased critically needed high-tech equipment as well as “high-touch” items that provide comfort for our patients and their families. View the 2006/2007 Stewardship Report now.

In its 11th year, Community Health Initiative, a Huntsville Hospital outreach program that helps local non-profit organizations by awarding grants for healthcare programs, has awarded more than $4.7 million to 32 local agencies.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients, announced June 27:

The Arc of Madison County, Inc.: $10,000
CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging & Homebound of Madison County): $65,000
Girls Incorporated - Commit to be Fit: $10,000
HEALS (Health Establishments at Local Schools): $90,000
Lilies of the Valley Foundation: $10,000
Madison City School System: $10,000
Mental Health Center of Madison County: $30,000
Still Serving Veterans: $40,000
The Community Free Clinic: $90,000
The Pathfinder: $20,000
The Riley Behavioral & Education Center: $20,000
United Cerebral Palsy: $10,000

Total awarded: $405,000

The purpose of Huntsville Hospital's Community Health Initiative is to improve the health status of citizens of Madison County through education, prevention and early detection of disease. Each year, the Community Health Initiative committee, comprised of volunteers appointed by the Hospital Board, encourages organizations with new or innovative programs to apply for funds and decides how to allocate available grant monies.

Community Health Initiative committee members include Jean Templeton, Chair; Greg Barnes, Philip Bentley, Jr.; Russell Brown, Nancy Colin, Peggy Fambrough, Jerry Galloway, Jill Gardner, Dale Griggs, Dr. Carl Grote, Jr.; Rev. John Herndon, Anne Marie Lacy, Donna Lamb, Janet Neeley, Dr. Brian Patz, Betty Peterson, Dr. Lawrence Robey, Judy Smith, Maria Taylor and Snyder Washington. Hospital Liaison Burr Ingram and Community Health Initiative Program Coordinator Karen Kiss serve as non-voting facilitators on the committee.

Click here to see a summary of grants for 2007 - 2008 and their descriptions.

Area middle school and high school athletes can take advantage of SportsMax, a new program for professional training, conditioning and strengthening. The program, endorsed by native Alabamian Walter Jones, left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks, is now being offered by Huntsville Hospital Sports Center staff.

Walter Jones visited Bob Jones High School in Madison on June 21 to coach drills and encourage the football team about the importance of reaching athletic goals with the proper training.

With SportsMax, licensed athletic trainers and strength & conditioning specialists prepare sport-specific drills and exercises based on the student athlete’s endurance level. Performance enhancement is monitored as the student athlete progresses toward the goals of increasing strength, speed and agility.

SportsMax training is available for custom team needs at area schools or for groups of students who can train in any of the three Wellness Centers.

Dewayne Manning, director of the Sports Center, said SportsMax is another way Huntsville Hospital is meeting the needs of the community. “Kids today want to take their game to the next level, and we’re proud to teach the right way to help them achieve their goals,” said Manning.

“I know first hand the importance of good training for optimal performance, and who better that Huntsville Hospital, the area leader in health and wellness, to offer this program,” said Jones.

For more information about SportsMax, call 265-5000.

Kids Kamp Gives Pediatric Patients a Great Escape

In 2004, friends and seventh graders, Farrell Robinson and Sam Robinson, organized a group of area students with a mission to raise funds and build a Pediatric play garden for Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. Their “Pocket Change for Peds” committee, comprised of 33 children in 19 elementary and middle schools, proceeded to raise more than $100,000 for the project in just three years.

Kids Kamp reflects the student leaders’ vision to provide an outdoor area where hospitalized children can enjoy fun and fresh air with other children, while also offering a peaceful respite from the hospital setting. Kids Kamp is a special gift from children to children. It comes with the hope of bringing happiness and health to the sick and injured children of north Alabama.

Huntsville Hospital Foundation dedicates Kids Kamp to the “Pocket Change for Peds” kids for their enthusiasm, hard work and community spirit. They are outstanding leaders and have created a wonderful legacy for future generations of children.

Emergency need for all types.

(Montgomery, Alabama) As Alabama faces the worst drought in the United States, another kind of drought is also affecting Alabama – a shortage of blood. LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, which supplies more than half the blood components transfused in the state, reports an emergency blood shortage of all types in Alabama regions.

“The shortage is seriously affecting our ability to meet hospital requests for blood – we are hundreds of units behind current demand and we really need Alabamians to come out and support the state’s blood needs,” Judy Russell, district director for LifeSouth’s South Alabama
District, said.

Please call toll free (888) 795-2707 or visit www.lifesouth.org for donor center and blood drive information. Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more, and show a photo I.D.

LifeSouth is a nonprofit, community blood center that provides a volunteer blood supply for 57 hospitals in Alabama through 15 donor centers in Albertville, Birmingham, Cullman, Decatur, Dothan, Florence, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Opelika. LifeSouth, based in Gainesville, Florida, first began serving Alabama in 1994 with a center in Birmingham. The blood center supplied more than 130,000 blood components for Alabama hospitals in the last year.

Huntsville Donor Centers

State Senator Parker Griffith held a press conference on April 19 in one of the Emergency Department trauma bays under construction to discuss the importance of creation of a statewide trauma system.

Griffith chose the Emergency Department as the site of the news conference because Huntsville Hospital is one of only three statewide trauma centers and because the current expansion, which will double the Emergency Department’s patient capacity, demonstrates Huntsville Hospital’s commitment to providing the best trauma care available.

Griffith’s bill that he is co-sponsoring with three other senators calls for creation of a 24-hour statewide trauma dispatch center. Under the proposed system, state dispatchers would know at a glance the patient volumes at local Emergency Departments and be able to make informed decisions about where to send patients for the most immediate care based on their injuries.

View photos from the press conference.

Huntsville Hospital welcomes Sally Warden to the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville. She was recently appointed to serve by the Huntsville City Council.

Warden is very involved in the community, serving on the boards of HEMSI, Madison Arts Council and Huntsville Hospital Foundation, among others. She is employed by MarketGraphics of North Alabama, LLC, and is a Madison resident.

Warden replaces Albert McDonald who retired from the board after 12 years of service.

Girls Inc. has been providing academic activities and skill building programs to young ladies in the Huntsville community since 1972. Huntsville Hospital is proud to support the First Annual Mother’s Celebration event so Girls Inc. can continue developing young ladies into leaders – strong, smart and bold.

Join us on May 10 for a garden party gala to recognize our area’s most outstanding mothers. For ticket and nomination information call Girls, Inc. at 851-9911.

Your support today will help build self-esteem, creativity and critical thinking so these young ladies will continue to be… strong, smart and bold.

Learn more about Girls Incorporated. View a video or visit their website.

At Huntsville Hospital, nearly 600 adults and youths volunteer their time to help make our community-owned hospital a great place for healthcare. In 2006, volunteers contributed more than 110,000 hours of service, which equates to 55 full time employees valued at more than $1.9 million.

Beyond the gift of time, volunteers raise needed funds to help Huntsville Hospital accomplish its mission. In 2006, the Huntsville Hospital Auxiliary contributed more than $200,000 from gift shop proceeds and special sales. Total gifts from the Auxiliary total more than $3.5 million!

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and we value the generosity of our volunteers throughout the year. If you are interested in opportunities to serve at Huntsville Hospital, contact Pat Legg, Director of Volunteer Services, at 265-8013.

April is National Donate Life Month, and you can make a difference by becoming a registered organ donor. Simply visit www.legacyalabama.org. Your pledge to donate life could enhance the lives of up to 50 people. Join more than 100,000 people in Madison County when you officially record your intentions to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.

If you and your partner are having difficulty getting pregnant, you are not alone. Huntsville Hospital "Spirit of Women" is proud to present a program on April 19 for couples hoping to become new parents soon.

For more information, click here.

Thanks to everyone who attended Cardiology Update! Presentations are now available for you to download. View the presentations by clicking here.

With supplies of type O blood at emergency levels and a shortage of all other blood types, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers asks all eligible residents to give blood and help bring supplies in Huntsville-area hospitals to safe levels.

“We are just barely meeting minimal demands at our hospitals in Huntsville right now due to donations falling off. If there were a significant local event that required blood supplies, it could create a life-threatening blood shortage for this community,” said Bill Gair, Chief Operating Officer for LifeSouth.

Gair added that it is the blood center’s responsibility to maintain enough blood to respond to normal and emergency demand at the hospitals.

LifeSouth is part of a national network of blood centers and, when supplies are low, asks other centers for help with supply. Currently, because so many centers are suffering with shortages of their own, LifeSouth isn’t able to get help from other blood banks.

All eligible residents are asked to give blood. Please call toll free (888) 795-2707 or visit www.lifesouth.org for donor center and blood drive information. Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more, and show a photo I.D.

LifeSouth is the primary blood supplier for 11 hospitals the North Alabama Region and provides, on average, 3,000 units of blood each month to local hospitals to meet patient needs.

LifeSouth Huntsville Donor Centers

Regional Donor Center
2801 Westcorp Blvd, SW (off Bob Wallace)
(256) 533-8201

Huntsville Hospital
101 Silvey Road
(256) 265-6340

Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children
911 Big Cove Road
(256) 265-7043

Comprehensive Cancer Inst.
3601 CCI Drive
(256) 539-0741

Kids in north Alabama now have access right here in Huntsville to the resources of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The St. Jude Clinic at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children is now open. More

Huntsville Hospital’s Madison Street Tower, with 84 new private rooms, is now open for treatment of oncology, neuro-surgical, cardiac and surgery patients. The 72,000 square foot Madison Street Tower features the latest in evidence-based design for healthcare settings.

By definition, evidence-based healthcare designs create therapeutic environments supportive of family involvement, efficient for staff performance and restorative for caregivers.

According to Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers, the bed tower was designed with research from around the country and input from our patients, families, nurses and physicians. “It was important for us to adopt a design that has been proven to help speed patient healing and provide the safest environment for patient care,” said Spillers.

Features of the new tower include 250 to 350 square foot rooms with bedside computers for charting and walk-in showers, nursing alcoves near each patient room and a technologically advanced air filtration system to fight bacteria.

The $24 million tower was designed by Huntsville-based Chapman Sisson Architects as part of a master plan to meet the healthcare needs of a growing community. The general contractor was the Robins & Morton Group. Later this Fall, Huntsville Hospital will open a new and expanded Emergency Department with nearly 100 treatment rooms and a 5,000 square foot critical care family/visitor waiting area.

Listen to what CEO David Spillers has to say about the distinguishing characteristics of Huntsville Hospital's new 84-bed patient tower. Click here to listen.

View some basic facts about the new Madison Street Tower here.

Click here.

Click here for this exciting news.

(l to r) Cardiothoracic Surgeons T. Benton Washburn, MD;
Richard Clay, MD; Evan Cohen, MD; and Charles Newton, MD;
lead Huntsville Hospital’s open heart surgery team.

It takes a team to touch 15,000 lives over a quarter of a century. This is especially true when you are providing life-saving cardiac care.

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of cardiac surgery at Huntsville Hospital, we are pleased to recognize the surgeons, nurses and other dedicated professionals who helped pioneer cardiac surgery in North Alabama and who continue today to provide outstanding heart care for our community and region. You make a difference in the lives of families throughout the Tennessee Valley.

Huntsville Hospital has been named one of only two hospitals in the state as recipient of the 2006 Alabama Excellence Award (Level 3), the highest-level Alabama Quality Award conferred by the State of Alabama. Huntsville Hospital also was awarded two silver awards for Best Practice in surgical infection prevention and for the Congestive Heart Failure Clinic.

In its 21st year, this award is the premier honor for top-tier organizations statewide. Organizations named Alabama Quality Award recipients demonstrate excellence in leadership, strategic planning, attention to customers and other stakeholders, market focus, process management and analysis of organizational performance. The award recognizes outstanding qualities that can be shared with other organizations to help contribute to the overall economic well being of the State of Alabama. Additionally, the Alabama Quality Award serves as a stepping-stone for application for the Malcolm M. Baldrige National Quality Award.

The 2006 Alabama Quality Award recipients will be recognized at the Alabama Quality Award Annual Conference and Award Ceremony during a banquet on the evening of November 30. The AQA conference, administered by the Alabama Productivity Center, will be held November 29 through December 1 at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa.

View additional information

(Huntsville, AL) In addition to the chest incision scar, a telltale sign of open heart surgery has historically been a scar running the length of the patient's leg where the vein used for the heart graft was removed. This is not the case for patients at Huntsville Hospital because specially trained surgical nurses and physician assistants, under the direction of cardiothoracic surgeons, remove the needed leg vein with instrumentation that barely disturbs the patient's leg tissue.

Mary A. Noland, registered nurse first assistant, who has been with the cardiovascular surgery team since its inception 25 years ago, explains, "We make a small incision that's about an inch long on the inside of the patient's knee. We then use an instrument with a small camera mounted to it that travels up the length of the leg toward the groin, creating a tunnel as the vein is separated from the surrounding tissue. After cauterizing the vein's branches and clipping the top of the vein at the groin, we gently pull it out of the leg through the incision at the knee." The entire minimally invasive vein harvesting procedure takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

Richard Clay, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon, said Huntsville Hospital's open heart surgery program has the most experience in the state of Alabama performing the endoscopic vein harvesting procedure.

Noland said patients, surgeons and post-operative nurses all benefit from this type of vein harvesting. "Patients are ambulating faster, there is much less leg pain after surgery, reduced chance for infection and the incision heals faster since it's so small," Noland said. "Surgeons like it because we're in and out of the leg quickly and able to help them with other aspects of the surgery; and post-op nurses like it because they can get the patients moving around sooner, and they don't have to treat a large leg wound as before."

Huntsville Hospital pioneered cardiac care for patients in the Tennessee Valley in 1981, and since then has earned the reputation as this region's trusted team for providing outstanding cardiac care with the experience of performing more than 15,000 open heart surgeries.

Once again, the Huntsville Hospital Autumn Chase Fun Run, now in its 26th year, was very successful, drawing more than 2,000 preschool through eighth grade kids from local schools. A special thank you must go to all our volunteers who helped out."

View our Fun Run Photo Gallery

Breast cancer doesn’t just affect women. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, in addition to the one woman in eight who either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, 400 men will die this year. Because of breast cancer’s prevalence, virtually all of us have been affected by how breast cancer has impacted a friend or family member’s life. In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Huntsville Hospital is raising awareness in new and very visible ways.

The fountain that welcomes visitors to Huntsville Hospital’s main entrance on Gallatin Street has been lit with pink lights, and the water has been tinted with pink gel. Large exterior signs can be seen near the fountain, at the entrance of Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children and at the entrance to the Women’s Pavilion. Inside the Women’s Pavilion, visitors are invited to sign a banner in honor of a woman affected by breast cancer.

“For years, we at Huntsville Hospital have been heavily involved in initiatives to battle this killer,” said Jennifer Brewington, RN,MSN, director of outpatient health, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. “To keep making progress, we believe it’s important to find creative, new ways to keep breast cancer awareness top of mind.” The Huntsville Hospital Breast Center is the most trusted provider of mammography services in the area with two dedicated Radiologists on staff daily with special training in mammography imaging, imaging staff members who are all registered/certified in the field of breast imaging, two certified breast health specialists and perfect quality scorecards for eight consecutive years according to Mammography Quality Standards Act. It is the only facility in Huntsville/Madison that provides digital mammography, the newest and most reliable method for detecting breast cancer.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Joseph Mirro, Jr., St. Jude Chief Medical Officer;
Dr. William Evans, St. Jude Director and CEO; country music legend Randy Owen;
David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital CEO; Kelly (Mrs. Randy) Owen; the Honorable Loretta Spencer,
Mayor of Huntsville; Dr. James Gilbert, Huntsville Hospital Medical Director for Pediatric Surgery.

At a recent news conference, David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital CEO announced a partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to open a local clinic in January 2007. The clinic will be called the St. Jude Clinic at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. This will be the fifth St. Jude affiliated pediatric hematology/oncology clinic in the United States and will serve children in the region of north Alabama and south central Tennessee. It is the first new affiliate to join the St. Jude family in more than a decade.

"We are very pleased today to announce a partnership that will bring a new level of medical care for children in north Alabama who have cancer and catastrophic blood disorders," said Spillers.

St. Jude director and CEO William Evans, Pharm.D, speaking at the official announcement commented, "We are very, very selective about where we open clinics," He said this was the perfect fit. "When we met the leadership and clinical staff of Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, we knew that we had found a partner that shared our mission and values."

They were joined at the news conference by country music star Randy Owen - the lead singer for the group Alabama - and his wife Kelly, who spoke emotionally about when their infant daughter Randa was born with severe pneumonia and spent days in the Huntsville Hospital neonatal intensive care unit. Randa is now a healthy high school senior, and some of the nurses who cared for her attended the announcement and were embraced by the Owens.

Randy Owen said he became interested in St. Jude after meeting Danny Thomas, and he began urging radio listeners to donate to St. Jude. "This is a dream come true," he said to smiling St. Jude and Huntsville Hospital officials on the platform behind him. "God bless whoever made this decision."

"We're tying our partnership to Huntsville Hospital because we think they have the right leadership, mission and medical staff," said Joe Mirro, MD, St. Jude Chief Medical Officer. "Having the children treated close to home is better for the child, better for the family, and can aid in better treatment outcomes."

The new clinic will be managed by Lucille Ferrante, MD a former Huntsville pediatrician who recently completed her fellowship in pediatric oncology and hematology at the Medical University of South Carolina. She and her staff will have full access to St. Jude's research labs and diagnostic services, and St. Jude will provide special training for nurses and staff at the clinic.

Huntsville Hospital was established in 1895 and is the largest community-owned, not-for-profit hospital in Alabama, serving as a regional referral center for ten counties and south central Tennessee.

View our St.Jude Photo Gallery

September is Baby Safety Awareness Month so now is a good time for anyone with child safety seats to have them inspected by trained professionals to ensure that the littlest passengers would be protected in the event of a collision. For a limited time, the “Car Seat Fitting Station” is provided free by appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays by Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

Car Seat Fitting Station
420 Lowell Drive
Ground floor parking level of Professional Office Building
(behind Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children)
Call (256) 265-7296 to make an appointment.

Russell Brown, Chairman of Huntsville Hospital's Board, David Spillers, Hospital CEO,
Dean Fay Raines, UAH College of Nursing and UAH President, Frank Franz.

Huntsville Hospital has provided a $75,000 gift to The University of Alabama in Huntsville that will allow the university to hire more nursing faculty to help educate additional nurses to meet the growing demand of health care professionals in the greater Huntsville area.

The recent $75,000 donation brings Huntsville Hospital’s total gifts to more than $200,000 during the past three years, according to Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers.

“Huntsville Hospital is honored to be a long-time partner with UAH’s College of Nursing,” said Spillers. “With nearly 2,000 nurses working in our hospital, Huntsville Hospital and hospitals throughout the region depend on UAH to train quality nurses for our patients today and for the future.”

Huntsville Hospital serves as the primary clinical teaching site for UAH’s nursing program and employs more UAH nursing graduates than any hospital in Alabama with more than 360 alumni working at Huntsville Hospital.

“Huntsville Hospital has long shown a willingness to work closely together with UAH in our efforts to produce high-quality nurses and health care professionals,” said Fay Raines, Dean of UAH’s College of Nursing. “It’s a well-known fact that nurses are going to be in great demand in the future, and this generous gift by Huntsville Hospital will help us meet that growing demand.”

The UAH College of Nursing had more than 120 graduates earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing last year and an additional 44 earned a master’s degree.

Sonya Greck has joined Huntsville Hospital as Chief Operating Officer. Sonya comes to Huntsville from Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC where she most recently served in the dual-role of chief executive officer of the Mission-owned McDowell Hospital in Marion, NC, as well as the vice president of heart services for the Mission system. Sonya brings a wealth of talent, experience and enthusiasm to our hospital. Welcome Sonya!

Effective September 1, Huntsville Hospital returns to the Tricare network of hospital providers. The new agreement between the hospital and Humana Military Healthcare Services, which administers the Tricare insurance program, offers active-duty military personnel, retirees and their families full access to the services at Huntsville Hospital.

“This is great news for our community and for Tricare beneficiaries,” said David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital. Orie Mullen, vice president and COO for Humana Military, echoed Spillers’ comments. “We are pleased to welcome Huntsville Hospital into our robust network in Alabama,” he said.

Tricare beneficiaries with questions about services should call the Humana Military Customer Service Line at 1-800-444-5445 or Huntsville Hospital at 533-8280.

Individuals with chronic heartburn, occasional difficulty swallowing and/or non-cardiac chest pain are benefiting from a new type of diagnostic equipment only available statewide at Huntsville Hospital’s Endoscopy Center.

ManoScan, an innovative type of esophageal manometry equipment, uses high-resolution technology to determine if there is a problem with the way a person’s esophagus, or swallowing tube, propels food from the mouth into the stomach. With ManoScan, muscle contraction and relaxation of the esophagus are now more accurately measured resulting in a more accurate diagnosis. The physician can therefore develop a more individualized treatment plan based on the patient’s unique needs.

According to Angi Achenbach, nurse coordinator of Huntsville Hospital’s Alabama Heartburn Treatment Center, both doctors and patients are excited to have this technology resource available at Huntsville Hospital.

“With other types of esophageal manometry equipment, the exam takes about 45 minutes to an hour and is rather uncomfortable,” said Achenbach. “With ManoScan, the exam takes about 10 minutes and patients are much more comfortable.”

For more information on ManoScan or acid reflux, please call Huntsville Hospital’s Alabama Heartburn Treatment Center at 265-GERD (4373). Education and ongoing support are provided to patients at no cost.

While women may think of their hearts everyday in the romantic sense, many women neglect their hearts when it comes to health. Less than half of all women can name heart disease as the leading killer of women. Because of this, the Go Red for Women campaign will let Madison county women know the importance of living a heart-healthy lifestyle.

The Go Red for Women event, “Black, White & Red All Over”, on Tuesday, October 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Von Braun Center will include live and silent auctions, special entertainment and a local celebrity fashion show that features heart and stroke survivors. The fashion show will combine style with substance by incorporating messages about empowering women against heart disease.

Chairman, Sandra Steele, president of Enfinger Steele Development, recognizes the importance of making women aware of their hearts and their risks for cardiovascular disease—her mother, Olga Marie Kent Pike, died much too soon of a massive stroke.

Go Red for Women is a national movement by the American Heart Association to raise awareness for the affects of heart disease on women. Every year about 500,000 women die from cardiovascular disease, but less than 13 percent of American women view heart disease as a serious problem. Funds raised from Go Red for Women events will go toward research for women’s cardiovascular issues.

Go Red for Women is sponsored nationally by Macy’s and Pfizer. “Black, White & Red All Over” is presented locally by Huntsville Hospital, Enfinger Steele Development, Lockheed Martin, Wachovia and WAFF-48.

The Health Care Authority board, the governing board of Huntsville Hospital, has elected new officers. Elected chairman was Russell G. Brown, who previously served as vice chairman. Mr. Brown is CEO of D.P. Associates. New vice chairman of the board is Jean W. Templeton, CEO of Wesfam Restaurants. Elected secretary-treasurer was Philip W. Bentley, Jr., president of Bentley Automotive Group. Mr. Bentley served as chairman of the hospital board for the past two years.

Voluntary Hospital’s of America has awarded Huntsville Hospital the 2006 National Leadership Award in Cardiac Excellence for Acute Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack). This recognition is for Huntsville Hospital achieving consistently high levels of care as measured by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

The Congestive Heart Failure program at Huntsville Hospital received the 2006-2008 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization’s Certificate of Distinction with a Gold Seal of Approval.

Huntsville Hospital Laboratory earned national accreditation from the College of American Pathologists for the fourth consecutive 2-year cycle. The national accreditation is based on an unannounced, on-site inspection of the hospital lab’s quality, staff qualifications, equipment, safety record and the facilities. This stringent inspection is designed to ensure the highest standard of care for patients.