Occupational Health : St. David's HealthCare

St. David's HealthCare Names Chief Financial Officer?

reedsmith — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:44:41 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas-St. David's HealthCare today announced the addition of Cindy S. Sexton to its leadership team as vice president and chief financial officer. Effective June 1, 2012, Sexton-who has more than 22 years of financial management and leadership experience in the healthcare industry-will lead the financial division of St. David's HealthCare's seven-hospital healthcare system, across 60 locations in Central Texas.

For the past 12 years, Sexton has served as chief financial officer of St. David's North Austin Medical, where she not only successfully managed the facility's financial operations but also has been instrumental in advancing a number of key strategic growth initiatives. Sexton played a major role in physician recruitment to the campus, in the development of the Women's Center of Texas, in the creation of the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery, and in the facility's access strategy to develop urgent and free-standing emergency care centers. Sexton's responsibilities were expanded in 2008 when she was appointed chief financial officer of St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. Under her leadership, both hospitals have continued to grow and improve operational performance.

"We are pleased to welcome Cindy to the team as our new chief financial officer," David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David's HealthCare, said. "Her strong financial and operating acumen, her proven ability to identify and implement key growth opportunities in the market, and her experience in and knowledge of our partnership make her uniquely qualified for this position."

Before joining St. David's HealthCare, Sexton served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Columbia North Monroe Hospital, a 222-bed facility in Monroe, La.

In addition to other prior healthcare roles, Sexton has served as an accountant and auditor, directly involved in Medicare cost reports for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Sexton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

St. David's HealthCare
With more than 60 sites across Central Texas, St. David's HealthCare includes seven of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. Known for compassionate, high-quality care, the organization has been recognized with the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. In January 2012, St. David's HealthCare was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. In April 2012, three of the system's hospitals-St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's Round Rock Medical Center-were named to the list of 100 top hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters. Perennially ranked as the top Austin-area employer among large companies by the Austin Business Journal's annual "Best Places to Work" survey, St.�David's HealthCare is the third-largest private employer in the Austin area, with approximately 7,500 employees. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

St. David's South Austin Medical Center Awarded Gold Healthy Hospital Award For "Green" Efforts

reedsmith — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:26:36 GMT

Waste Reduction Efforts, Environmentally Sound Practices Saved St. David's

South Austin Medical Center $280,000, Avoided Nearly 9,000 Pounds of Waste
AUSTIN, Texas-St. David's South Austin Medical Center was recently awarded the Gold Healthy Hospital Award by Stryker Sustainability Solutions for its waste reduction efforts and environmentally sound health care practices in 2011. The award cites the hospital's outstanding performance in reducing environmental harm and improving overall hospital quality through medical device remanufacturing and reprocessing.

Stryker reprocesses devices by collecting them from facilities and then sterilizing them for reuse, following strict FDA guidelines. By utilizing Stryker's programs, St. David's South Austin Medical Center was able to reduce supply costs by more than $280,000 and reallocate significant resources to patient care quality initiatives. Through its partnership with Stryker, the hospital also reduced medical waste from landfills by nearly 9,000 pounds.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized for our efforts to minimize our environmental footprint and to be able to set an example for other businesses in our community," Todd Steward, chief executive officer of St. David's South Austin Medical Center, said. "We plan to make continued strides in our green initiatives."

As the leading reprocessor of medical devices for hospitals throughout North America, Stryker Sustainability Solutions is committed to assisting hospitals and health care providers while reducing waste in their operations.

St. David's South Austin Medical Center
St. David's South Austin Medical Center, located at 901 West Ben White Boulevard, is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters in January 2012. St. David's South Austin Medical Center is an acute care facility with 292 beds, offering a range of complex specialties and sub-specialties, including a comprehensive and nationally recognized cardiac program, full-service maternity and newborn care with Level I and II nurseries, and a thriving 24-hour emergency department, among others. In 2010, the medical center launched a comprehensive $72-million renovation and expansion effort, to be completed in 2012. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Opens New Family Room at St. David's Medical Center

reedsmith — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:39:44 GMT

Ronald McDonald House Charities Seeks 30 Volunteers to Assist with

New Family Room at St. David's Medical Center-the Largest in Central Texas
AUSTIN, Texas-Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas (RMHC Austin) is scheduled to open a new Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. David's Medical Center in June.

The new Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. David's Medical Center will be the largest in the region, and it will have a significant impact on the families of medically fragile infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St. David's Medical Center-the largest Level III NICU in Central Texas. Last year alone, the St. David's Medical Center NICU treated 650 babies with an average length of stay of 27 days.

"We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Ronald McDonald House Charities to provide NICU families with a comfortable place to stay within our hospital while their baby is being treated," Don Wilkerson, chief executive officer of St. David's Medical Center, said. "A stay in the NICU can be stressful and sometimes difficult for families, especially those who live outside the region. In addition to providing the best possible medical care for their infants, we want to ensure that the families are cared for as well."

The 1,300 square-foot Family Room will consist of a living room, kitchenette, four bedrooms, two ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible bathrooms, a big-screen television and two computers. It will provide a restful place within the hospital where families with a baby in the NICU can spend the night, take a shower, enjoy a snack, access the Internet, watch television, check email, visit with other families or simply get away from the beeping of the hospital monitors for a few moments.

Many of the families who will use the new Family Room live within the Austin area. However, more than 40 percent of the families live outside of Austin and often travel a great distance to be with their babies during this challenging time.

"Research shows that a family's presence in the hospital helps children heal faster and cope better," Ann Jerome, chief operating officer of RMHC Austin, said. "The Ronald McDonald Family Room encourages families to stay at the hospital and allows them to better communicate with their child's medical team and improve adherence to complicated treatment plans."

RMHC Austin is in immediate need of 30 volunteers to help with the new Family Room at St. David's Medical Center. Volunteers will work a weekly, four-hour shift to support families caring for their hospitalized children.

"The Ronald McDonald Family Room program thrives when our volunteers are present to support families," Derrick Lesnau, RMHC Austin programs director, said. "Volunteers create a supportive and caring environment that is essential to providing an on-site respite for families with children being treated in the NICU."��

St. David's Medical Center features a 65-bed Level III NICU and offers a wide range of services, including neonatal surgical care. The NICU consists of an in-house team of nurses and board-certified neonatologists, with board-certified pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, neurologists, nephrologists and other pediatric subspecialists available around the clock to handle the most complicated cases. Physicians at the NICU at St. David's Medical Center perform more neonatal surgeries annually than any other facility in the Austin area.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. David's Medical Center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This is the third Ronald McDonald Family Room to open in Austin. RMHC Austin opened its first Family Room at St. David's Women's Center of Texas, located at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, in 2009. Then, in September 2011, it opened a Family Room at Dell Children's Medical Center.

To learn more about how to volunteer or to get additional information about the program, visit the Ronald McDonald Family Room page of the RMHC Austin website at RMHC-Austin.org/Family-Room-St-Davids.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas
Through its Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room programs, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. The Ronald McDonald House, with its 30 rooms for families, provides lodging and support services in a nurturing, home-like environment where families stay together while caring for their critically ill or injured children receiving treatment in Austin-area hospitals. The Ronald McDonald Family Rooms inside St. David's Women's Center of Texas, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, and coming soon to St. David's Medical Center, are places of rest and support within the walls of the hospitals for families with children in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. In 2011, RMHC Austin served over 1300 families in all programs combined.

St. David's Medical Center
St. David's Medical Center is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized in January 2012 as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. Founded in 1924, St. David's Medical Center is a full-service medical center offering comprehensive medical care at three locations-St. David's Medical Center, located at 919 East 32nd�Street in Austin; Heart Hospital of Austin, located at�3801 North Lamar Blvd.; and St. David's Georgetown Hospital,�located in Georgetown at 2000 Scenic Drive. The three campuses offer a full range of medical specialties, as well as many other innovative health care services.

St. David's Medical Center in central Austin includes a�350-bed acute care hospital and a freestanding, 64-bed rehabilitation hospital providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. St. David's�Medical Center provides a complete range of women's services, including its acclaimed maternity unit, maternal fetal medicine,�a�high-risk maternal and neonatal transport team,�the region's largest and most sophisticated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Breast Center, and a fertility center; is home to the internationally acclaimed Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute; NeuroTexas Institute�(including�the TIA Center for Stroke Prevention and designation as a Primary Stroke Center); complex surgical services; a comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Center; and a 24-hour emergency department.

Thomson Reuters named St. David's Medical Center to the list of 100 Top Hospitals in 2010, 2011 and 2012. For more information, please visit�StDavids.com.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center Designated as a 2012 Texas Ten Step Facility

reedsmith — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:37:35 GMT

Award Recognizes Hospital as Supportive Environment for New Mothers

ROUND ROCK, Texas-St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has been designated as a 2012 Texas Ten Step facility by the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Hospital Association. This annual designation is awarded to birthing facilities that provide optimal care to improve breastfeeding outcomes and the health of newborns and infants.

The Texas Ten Step Program encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of feeding for newborns and infants. This designation recognizes that St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is providing an environment that creates positive outcomes for breastfeeding families and supports new mothers and their decision to breastfeed.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has implemented 10 goals, or "steps," to support mothers who intend to breastfeed their infants. Texas Ten Step facilities are asked to address 85 percent of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite, evaluate their breastfeeding policies and maternity care practices, and routinely educate all health care staff with evidence-based courses.

Based on the World Health Organization and UNICEF's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the program aims to assist birthing facilities' support of breastfeeding mothers before, during and after delivery; encourages them to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged; and encourages facilities to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of having 82 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeeding when they go home with their newborn.

The Texas Medical Association officially endorsed the Texas Ten Step Program in 2009 to encourage hospitals to create an environment that supports the breastfeeding mother.

For more information on the Texas Ten Step Program at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, call Veronica Hendrix, program coordinator, at (512) 341-4592, or visit www.TexasTenStep.org.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center
St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, located in Round Rock at 2400 Round Rock Avenue, is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized in January 2012 as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. With 170 beds, this acute care hospital provides comprehensive health services to residents of Williamson County and the surrounding areas. Services include The Heart and Vascular Center with express testing, maternity and newborn services with Level I and II nurseries at The Women's Center, and a 24-hour emergency department, providing Level II trauma care in Williamson County. St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is also known for advanced orthopedic and bariatric services, among other complex specialties. Thomson Reuters named St. David's Round Rock Medical Center to the list of 100 Top Hospitals in 2012. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

St. David's Medical Center Only Hospital in Central Texas to Acquire Robotic Fluorescence Imaging Technology With da Vinci� SiT Surgical System

reedsmith — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:48:34 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas-Recently, St. David's Medical Center became the first hospital in Central Texas to acquire fluorescence imaging technology with the da Vinci� SiT Surgical System. This technology offers the capability of providing real-time, image-guided identification of key anatomical landmarks using near-infrared technology. Fluorescence imaging allows surgeons to see and assess anatomy better than the naked eye, further enhancing the unmatched vision, precision and control of minimally invasive da Vinci surgery.

"This revolutionary fluorescence technology has the ability to illuminate healthy tissue, allowing for improved surgical precision," John Marietta, M.D., chief medical officer at St. David's Medical Center, said. "When performing a tumor removal procedure, for example, there is a fine line between the areas requiring removal and the healthy portions of an organ. This technology allows us to more precisely differentiate those areas with the flip of a switch, often sparing healthy tissues by leaving them intact."

The fluorescence imaging technology provides real-time identification of a patient's anatomy. The specially designed endoscopes and camera allow physicians to visualize tissue and surrounding blood vessels by injecting a green-colored dye called IndoCyanine Green (ICG), which is activated by near-infrared light. This technology allows surgeons to identify malignant and healthy tissue as the procedure is performed.

The fluorescence imaging technology with da Vinci robotic surgery will be used to perform minimally invasive surgery across a wide array of specialties. Currently, it is primarily used in urologic and colorectal procedures.

The da Vinci Si Surgical System is developed by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Intuitive Surgical, Inc., is the global technology leader in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. The company's da Vinci Surgical System offers surgeons superior visualization, enhanced dexterity and greater precision compared to traditional surgical approaches.

St. David's Medical Center

St. David's Medical Center is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized in January 2012 as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. Founded in 1924, St. David's Medical Center is a full-service medical center offering comprehensive medical care at three locations-St. David's Medical Center, located at 919 East 32nd Street in Austin; Heart Hospital of Austin, located at 3801 North Lamar Blvd.; and St. David's Georgetown Hospital, located in Georgetown at 2000 Scenic Drive. The three campuses offer a full range of medical specialties, as well as many other innovative health care services.

St. David's Medical Center in central Austin includes a 350-bed acute care hospital and a freestanding, 64-bed rehabilitation hospital providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. St. David's Medical Center provides a complete range of women's services, including its acclaimed maternity unit, maternal fetal medicine, a high-risk maternal and neonatal transport team, the region's largest and most sophisticated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Breast Center, and a fertility center; is home to the internationally acclaimed Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute; NeuroTexas Institute (including the TIA Center for Stroke Prevention and designation as a Primary Stroke Center); complex surgical services; a comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Center; and a 24-hour emergency department.

Thomson Reuters named St. David's Medical Center to the list of 100 Top Hospitals in 2010, 2011 and 2012. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.