Kohl’s Grant Supports The Medical Center’s Newborn Care & Safety Program

The Medical Center will reach more expectant parents with vital obstetrics education classes thanks to a grant from Kohl’s Cares®. Kohl’s has awarded Commonwealth Health Foundation a $26,005 grant to be used for The Medical Center’s Newborn Care and Safety Class which teaches expectant parents essential baby care skills.

“The Newborn Care and Safety Class is one of the most important classes that expectant parents can take as they prepare for the birth of their child,” said Amber Herman, OB Clinical Manager for The Medical Center. “The class allows expectant parents to feel more confident and comfortable caring for their newborn.”

The Newborn Care and Safety Class is a free, hands-on class where participants use baby dolls to practice swaddling and holding a newborn, diapering and giving the baby a bath. A variety of safety issues are addressed, and a CPR demonstration shows parents what to do in an emergency.

The Kohl’s grant will enable The Medical Center to offer more classes throughout the year. Currently 23 Newborn Care and Safety Classes are scheduled at The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center in 2011. Other locations are currently being researched to expand the classes to other areas of the community. The Kohl’s grant also funds the purchase of safety tote bags for expectant parents who take part in the Newborn Care and Safety class. The tote bags, which include items such as a DNA identification kit, bath water temperature tester, infant CPR memo board, and baby safety gift set, are provided to parents at no cost.

The Medical Center is the local Kohl’s Cares® beneficiary. Since 2005, Kohl’s has donated more than $100,000 to The Medical Center to support its health and wellness programs including construction of two community walking trails at local elementary schools.

Kohl's commitment to Commonwealth Health Foundation and The Medical Center is made possible through the Kohl's Cares® philanthropic initiative. Kohl’s Cares® includes a merchandise program featuring $5 books and plush toys where 100% of net profits benefiting health and educational opportunities for children nationwide. Since 2000 when Kohl’s Cares® was introduced, Kohl's has raised more than $150 million dollars through its merchandise program. In addition to its hospital partnerships, Kohl's Cares includes Kohl’s Cares® scholarship program, Kohl's Associates in Action program, and fundraising cards for local schools and nonprofit youth organizations.

The Hospitality House on The Medical Center Campus to Open in January

Ribbon Cutting and Open House scheduled for December 21

Construction is complete on the Hospitality House located on The Medical Center campus. The 12 private guestroom, private bath facility will open in January and serve the family members and caregivers of seriously ill patients receiving treatment at The Medical Center and Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital. A Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and open house will be held on December 21 at 9:30 a.m. The Hospitality House is located at 501 High Street across from Rosewood Health Care Center.

In January 2010, Commonwealth Health Foundation announced the Extending Home Capital Campaign with a goal of raising $3 million to cover the costs to construct and furnish the Hospitality House and establish an endowment to ensure ongoing operation. To date, the Foundation has raised over $2.9 million in donations and pledges.

“We are truly grateful to those in the community who have provided the financial support to make the dream of opening the Hospitality House a reality,” said Connie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer of Commonwealth Health Corporation. “Soon the families of patients being cared for at The Medical Center and Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital will enjoy a warm and inviting place where they can rest and recharge between visits to their loved one.”

“The response to the capital campaign from the community, both from individuals and businesses, to fund this much needed project has been overwhelming,” said Mike Murphy, Chairman of the Extending Home Capital Campaign Steering Committee. “Southcentral Kentucky has recognized the need for such a facility and rallied behind us. The Hospitality House is a perfect example of what great things can be done when community members come together for such a worthy cause.”

In addition to the 12 private guestrooms and baths, The Hospitality House features a large kitchen and dining room to accommodate multiple families, a prayer room, a community room with comfortable furnishings, and a business center with computers and internet access. There will not be a charge to stay at The Hospitality House; however, guests who are able to make a donation for each night they stay will be encouraged to do so.

To learn more about The Hospitality House and how you can support the Extending Home Capital Campaign, contact Commonwealth Health Foundation at (270) 796-5543 or visit www.hospitalityhousebg.org.

$30 Million Expansion of The Medical Center Complete

Project meets growing need for patient rooms

The Medical Center has completed a $30 million expansion project, featuring two new patient floors and 48,000 square feet of space. The new addition is entirely dedicated to patient care and includes 48 new private rooms. With these additional rooms, The Medical Center has the capacity to provide all 337 beds for which it is licensed with all private rooms throughout the hospital.

The two-year project, which began in the fall of 2008, enables the hospital to meet the increased need for healthcare services in Southcentral Kentucky. A growing population and continued expansion of available health care services at The Medical Center are two key factors driving this need.

“The Medical Center continues to be the hospital of choice for a large majority of Southcentral Kentuckians,” said Connie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center. “This expansion provides much needed space for patient care as we continue meeting the increasing demand for some of our key services.”

Two stories have been added to the current Emergency Department and Ambulatory Surgery wing of the hospital located along the High Street side of the hospital’s campus. The third floor of the new addition is dedicated to Orthopaedics and Neuroscience and features a physical rehabilitation gym. The gym will accommodate several patients at a time, enabling patients and family members to socialize and support each other during therapy treatments. Multiple therapists will work in a team-oriented environment with patients, providing greater communication and better management of the patient’s care.

The fourth floor is designed for Cardiothoracic and Vascular patients. Care will be delivered to patients who have undergone open-heart surgery or other thoracic and vascular procedures. The fourth floor features a new Open-Heart Recovery unit that is readily accessible from The Medical Center’s operating room suite. Open-heart patients will transition from the recovery unit into one of the new, spacious private rooms where they will remain for the rest of their stay.

Three rooms on each floor feature lifts, allowing for patients to be weighed and safely transferred to and from a wheelchair or the bathroom. One bariatric lift can hold up to 1,000 lbs. while the other two lifts can accommodate up to 550 lbs. Each floor also features two isolation rooms with a special ventilation system that generates negative air pressure. These rooms are designed for patients with contagious airborne diseases.

Several nurse stations are positioned throughout each floor. Remote telemetry is available on both floors with a central monitoring station. Pharmacy and patient supplies are housed in secure stations to allow convenient access for nursing staff. A tube system is used to transfer items to ancillary departments located in the main section of the hospital such as the Lab and Pharmacy. A satellite kitchen allows Food Services staff to prep meals and deliver to patients in the new section.

Both floors offer family members spacious, comfortable waiting rooms with an abundance of natural light. A conference room is available on the third floor where physicians can meet privately with families.

Overweight Children Physician Referral Program at The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center

Nearly one in three children and adolescents is overweight and in the last 20 years the number of obese children has doubled. The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center is working with local pediatricians to combat childhood obesity with the Overweight Children Physician Referral Program. This new program enables physicians to help children who need assistance with weight management through exercise and healthy nutrition by referring them to the Health & Wellness Center for nutritional counseling, the Walking Program, and The Medical Center Healthy Kids Club.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics has deemed childhood obesity our number one issue,” says Debra Sowell, M.D., a pediatrician with Graves-Gilbert Clinic. “Locally, we would like to model a program that has been successful in other areas of the state.”

Children prescribed nutritional counseling and their parents meet with a registered dietitian one-on-one to discuss a healthy and well-balanced eating plan. The dietitian also provides ongoing support for the children. The Walking Program promotes exercise and keeping children active. Children will walk on set days and times at the mall and will be encouraged to walk at other times at local parks or in their neighborhood. They will log their miles and receive monthly incentives. Annually, all participants will be entered into a drawing for a bike. The Healthy Kids Club is a membership program that supports children making healthy choices by promoting physical activity, healthy eating, safety and wellness.

"The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center is pleased to offer the newly formed Overweight Children Physician Referral Program. Our goal is to help one child at a time learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and to have the best health possible for a lifetime," said Linda Rush, Director of the Center.

The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center is located at Greenwood Mall. For more information, call (270) 745- 0942 or (877) 800-3824.

The Medical Center at Scottsville to Open Fountain Run Rural Health Clinic

Contact: Doris Thomas, Vice President, 270-745-1589

The Medical Center at Scottsville will open the Fountain Run Rural Health Clinic on Tuesday, June 1. The clinic, located at 47 Akersville Road in Fountain Run, will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fountain Run Rural Health Clinic will provide services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries as well as provide preventative health screenings. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (270) 434-4857. Walk-ins are accepted.

The clinic will be staffed by Jason Shuffitt, ARNP. Jason earned his master’s degree in nursing from Western Kentucky University and is pursuing his doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Arizona to be completed fall 2010. He is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The Medical Center at Scottsville also operates the Scottsville Rural Health Clinic located in the Scottsville Medical Plaza at 466 Burnley Road next to the hospital. Shuffitt also will see patients at the Scottsville Rural Health Clinic along side Grover Dils, M.D, Michael Lang, D.O., Lynetta Stiltner, D.O. and Gwen Wright, ARNP.

The Medical Center at Bowling Green Notifies Patients of Breach of Protected Health Information

Contact: Doris Thomas, Vice President, 270-745-1589

The Medical Center is currently notifying 5,418 patients of a breach of personal protected health information. The breach involves the theft of computer equipment from The Medical Center’s Mammography Suite containing information on patients who underwent bone density testing at The Medical Center between 1997 and 2009. We have no reason at this point to believe the device was stolen for the information on it or that any personal information has been released or used.

On April 1, 2010, we discovered that a piece of computer equipment had been stolen from The Medical Center Mammography Suite. Upon learning of the theft, we immediately conducted a comprehensive investigation of the incident, and the theft has been reported to the Bowling Green Police Department.

We have determined the information on the device included each patient’s full name, date of birth, address, medical record number and physician name. Some patients’ records also included information such as social security numbers, weight, height and menopause age. The information on the hard drive was not encrypted; however, the hard drive was maintained in a locked, non-public, private area.

The Medical Center has stringent policies and procedures in place to protect patient information and takes very seriously its obligation to safeguard the personal health information of its patients. As a result of this breach, steps are underway to further strengthen the security of patient information. We will now archive data to a secure network, which will allow us to eliminate the need for use of a hard drive like the one that was stolen. Additionally, we will ensure that we do not have any other equipment configurations that utilize a portable hard drive containing non-encrypted data.

We regret the incident, and we are committed to prevent future such occurrences. However, affected patients are strongly encouraged to take the following steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent any possible misuse of personal information.

• Monitor accounts and bank statements each month and check credit report on a regular basis.
  
• Stay alert for the signs of identity theft, like:
  
  • accounts you didn’t open and debts on your accounts that you can’t explain.
    
  • fraudulent or inaccurate information on your credit reports, including accounts and personal information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers.
    
  • failing to receive bills or other mail. Follow up with creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.
    
  • receiving credit cards that you didn’t apply for.
    
  • being denied credit or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high interest rate, for no apparent reason.
    
  • getting calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.
• You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) by calling 1-877-322-8228; by mail at Annual Credit Report Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281; or by visiting the website: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp.

The Medical Center is following all of the requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act which includes: notification of the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; notification of patients who may have had their personal protected health information accessed by the breach; public disclosure to the local media; and posting information about the breach on The Medical Center’s website.

We have established a toll-free number at 1-877-338-8525 for patients with questions about this matter who live outside the Bowling Green area and who desire to talk directly with The Medical Center’s Privacy Officer. Local residents may reach The Medical Center Privacy Officer at 270-796-2100. In addition, affected patients may visit The Medical Center’s web site at www.themedicalcenter.org where updated information about this breach will be posted.

Update as of June 9, 2010

The Medical Center has not received any reports of misuse of information related to the missing computer equipment. The police investigation of the theft remains open and active. Please check back to this site for future updates.

Update as of August 23, 2010

The Medical Center has not received any reports of misuse of information related to the missing computer equipment. The police investigation of the theft remains open and active. Please check back to this site for future updates.

Final Update: February 4, 2011

The Medical Center has not received any complaints of criminal misuse of stolen identity associated with the April 2010 breach of protected health information. These updates will be removed from the website on February 18.

The Medical Center Announces Women-in-the-Arts Award Recipients

Contact: Doris Thomas, Vice President, 270-745-1589

The Medical Center has announced the award recipients for its 20th annual Women-in-the-Arts Exhibit. The purpose of the exhibit is to recognize and honor the work and talent of area female artists. The 2010 exhibit features 57 artists entering 110 pieces of art.

Jane Ward Kehrt received the Special Purchase Award for her entry, "Kentucky Horses, Barns & Fences." The Special Purchase Award is selected each year by The Medical Center and is added to its existing collection of original art.

Merit Awards were selected by the juror, Mary Pat Turner, who is an art instructor at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Merit Award recipients included: Misha Ambrosia, “The Grain Train at Shaker Tavern”; Roberta W. Clark, “My Wedding Cake”; Lynette Frey Haggbloom, “Road to Fargo II”; Kim Spradlin Hanna, “Sister Oaks”; Kim Jones, “White Noise and Maiden”; Jacqui A. Lubbers, “A Come A Part #10”; Cattie Lou Miller, “The Two Fence Menders”; and Alice Gatewood Waddell, “From the Bottom of the Top of the Hill.”

Honorable Mentions selected by the juror included: Pamm Douglas, “Comfort Zone”; Jane Ward Kehrt, “Fall Into Elkhorn Creek”; Leslie Nichols, “Hope”; Lynn Robertson, “Vineyard II”; and Kirsten Smith, “Hope.”

The Women-in-the-Arts Exhibit is free and open to the public on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in The Medical Center Auditorium. The Special Purchase Award, Merit Awards and Honorable Mention Awards will be displayed at the Ervin G. Houchens Gallery at the Capitol Arts Center from April 26 – May 14.

A majority of the works will be available for purchase. Twenty-five percent of each sale will benefit the Capitol Arts Center’s Visual Arts program.