Cath Lab Digest - December 2007 - (Page 24) 24 SPOTLIGHT DECEMBER 2007 We are currently located on the main floor across the hall from the cardiac surgery unit, an intensive care unit for critical heart patients and post open-heart patients. The OR and radiology departments are located down the hall. The ER is one level away. The reason for the location of areas is mainly due to the original design of the hospital structure in 1971. The future move will put us in an ideal proximity to the OR and ER. What trends do you see emerging in the practice of invasive cardiology? According to the medical director of the cardiac cath lab, Dr. Barry Hackshaw, the trend is to apply more medical management as opposed to performing more invasive interventional procedures, especially when considering a patient population that is prone to a greater co-morbidity. Staff cardiologist Dr. Lester Padilla believes the use of statins, hypertension control and anti-platelet therapy is giving a select group of his patients life-sustaining results without a coronary intervention. He believes that the willingness of American society to perform risky invasive procedures on the elderly requires stringent and conscientious medical management for this higher-risk patient population. This is not to say all elderly patients are the same, which is precisely the point. The overall patient health profile must be considered in administering any type of treatment or procedure. Please tell readers what you consider unique or innovative about your cath lab and staff. In having had the opportunity to work in cath labs across the country, from the midwest to the west coast, I conclude that a cath lab is a cath lab, is a cath lab. What makes a cath lab unique or innovative is driven by the culture of the people who work in the lab. It is also driven by the attending physicians’ purpose and/or motivation in his/her practice (i.e., interest in teaching, research, etc.) The general type of patient population treated in the lab also contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the lab. These factors combined create the unique quality of a cath lab. The majority of our cath lab staff has never worked in another cath lab setting. For this reason, there is staunch tradition in practice here. After so many years of working together, this team knows each other very well. This familiarity gives way to a comfortable sense of predictability in each other’s responses and an understanding of one another’s “aura” of the day, a persistent “inside” humor, a steadfast loyalty and a familial history that binds them even closer beyond the work door. Since the beginning of this cath lab, the team has evolved through their shared life experiences such as marriage, divorce, pets, children, deaths and illnesses. This mutuality is unique within the fast-paced healthcare field that tends to have constant employee turnover. The number of long-term employees in this lab may be attributed to living the Five Star Values (Integrity, Respect, Honesty, Professionalism, Team Player) that Eisenhower Medical Center has set forth in fulfilling its organizational mission statement. Is there a problem or challenge your lab has faced? For the past few years, this cath lab has been challenged to function without a manager. One staff member, Cheli Shea, RN, has stepped up to bat in a big way to take care of some of the not-so-exciting administrative duties. We can’t convince her to take the position full-time! A former long-term manager (Maureen Lochridge, RT) who now works only as a staff RT, takes care of our computerized time cards. We really appreciate this! Our administrative director, Lynn Hart, RN, has delegated some managerial duties among each staff member as needed. Our team players have collaborated in the execution of these assigned duties. We each have things we excel at and these assigned duties give us the opportunity to shine in a way that may not be within our usual roles. We do have common workplace Top row: Maureen Lochridge, RT, Mary Jacobs, RN, Kathy Stevens, RN, Sue Salimaki, RN. Bottom row: Dixie Sargent, RCIS, Mike McKeever, RT, Monica Turner, secretary, Cindy Olson, RN. problems like any other cath lab. We just try hard with one another to work it out. It has been a good measure of our maturity and professionalism. It makes us a better team. What’s special about your city or general regional area in comparison to rest of the U.S.? Rancho Mirage, California, is located in the Coachella Valley, within a unique desert landscape. It is surrounded by three separate mountain ranges. We are approximately 20 miles from central Palm Springs. Our weather is outstanding for the majority of the year. Temperate conditions are an average balmy 85 degrees. Tourists and part-time residents from all over the world flock here for several months out of the year. The summer can reach into dry, scorching triple digits, creating a temporary exodus from our desert oasis. Even though this is primarily a retirement population, it is an outdoor/sportsoriented community. The seniors here are some of the most robust, vital and interesting people you could ever meet. It is a real pleasure to serve such a patient population. And a lesson in trying to keep up with their energy! One can take in the natural desert beauty in a variety of ways. World-class golfing, tennis, hiking in one of the many national parks, swimming, biking and people-watching are just a few of the outdoor activities. To top it off, you can take a ride straight up the snowcapped San Jacinto mountainside on our world-famous gondola. The only other one like it is in the Swiss Alps. To complement this desert terrain, less than two hours away are the Pacific Ocean, Disneyland, and the ski resorts of Big Bear Mountain. We are always in close proximity to interesting outdoor activities. The Palm Springs area has long been a draw for the rich and famous. Rancho Mirage is considered the “Playground of the Presidents.” Our hospital is named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who lived here after his presidency. Comedian Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores, actually donated the land our hospital campus is built upon. Dolores Hope still resides in the area. The late President Gerald R. Ford was a long-term resident here before passing. His wife, Betty, still resides in Rancho Mirage. Our retiree population has molded the character of our community and of our hospital. These active individuals have a wealth of experience that contributes to the success, growth and progressive healthcare we offer at Eisenhower Medical Center. Our 130acre campus includes Eisenhower Hospital, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower, the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower. We are fortunate to attract a level of generous benefactors who care about our community in such a healing way. Our hospital culture is attributed in a very large part to the brigade of Auxiliary volunteers. These men and women assist by raising funds, volunteering assistance to patients and hospital personnel. To have this kind presence It is vital to the life of our patient that each cath lab and ED team member involved is playing their role full-out, 100% of the time.
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