Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare - (Page 54)

from growing pains to patient gains by angela moore of specialized monitoring. The new rooms create a homelike atmosphere for patients and make family members more comfortable with amenities considered to be the latest, most advanced, state-of-the art technology. Community Healthcare System reinvests in hospitals, the region D espite the recession and the local economy, the face of healthcare in Northwest Indiana continues to change, thanks to investments, technological advancements and new projects initiated by Community Hospital, St. Catherine Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center. According to John Gorski, chief operating officer of Community Healthcare System, new construction and projects across the three hospitals and their respective outpatient facilities have been thoughtfully planned and designed to create a healthier community. “These investments are important to the well-being of the patients we serve, the growth of the local economy and the future of Community Healthcare System,” Gorski says. “With each new project, our physicians and healthcare professionals are able to provide better outcomes and improve care through the latest technologies and treatments. These investments also help to keep our system on the cutting-edge.” ❋ advanced imaging Women will now find the latest in digital technology available at two additional convenient Community Healthcare System locations. Community Hospital Outpatient Centre in St. John and St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago have joined Community Healthcare System Women’s Diagnostic Centers in offering digital mammography, which features same-day results. Digital mammography screening results can be transferred electronically between hospitals to facilitate consultation between physicians and initiate treatment sooner. “Digital mammography has advantages for some women,” says Mary Nicholson, M.D., fellowship-trained, dedicated breast radiologist and medical director for breast imaging services for Community Healthcare System. “Many women, including women less than 50 years old, those perimenopausal and those with dense breasts, benefit from digital mammography. For all of these women, screening with digital mammography provides better visualization of the breast tissue, which means better patient care.” New diagnostic technology also is a part of St. Mary Medical Center’s $6 million Advanced Imaging Center at the hospital in Hobart. The new 5,365-square-foot-addition brings state-of-the-art imaging services—CT, MRI and ultrasound—to one convenient location. “Our new imaging center is clear confirmation of our commitment to provide the most advanced technology available which places patient comfort first and foremost,” says Janice Ryba, CEO. Cutting-edge technology includes a Siemens 64-slice CT system, which produces precise, high-definition crosssectional images of body structures—such as the brain— within five to 10 seconds. A Siemens Symphony Short-Bore Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system also provides ❋ expansion of services From East Chicago to Hobart to Munster, the hospitals and outpatient facilities have experienced upgrades and expanded services across the communities they serve. Over the past year and a half, Community Hospital has completed a $40 million expansion of its Munster campus—a project that has nearly doubled the capacity of the Emergency Department; added 78 new private patient rooms on three floors; expanded and renovated the Family Birthing Center; and created 50 new jobs. “We understand that our patients want a hospital that can cater to their needs for privacy, provide accommodations for visitors and be able to deliver care as efficiently and as conveniently as possible,” says Donald P. Fesko, CEO of Community Hospital. As part of the expansion project, the West Pavilion’s fifth and sixth floors were converted from office space to a new inpatient oncology unit and a surgical patient floor. Twentysix more private patient rooms also have been added to the second floor of the West Pavilion for cardiac patients in need 54 vim & vigor • sp rin g 2 010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Award-Winning Care
Get Well Sooner!
Band of Gold
Confirming the Count
Excuses, Excuses
Easing the Pressure
Prostate Predicament
On Mended Knees
Imaging IQ
Caregiving: A Survival Guide
Form Factors
Wake-Up Call
Getting to the Bottom of Back Pain
From Growing Pains to Patient Gains
To Clot or Not to Clot

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare