Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center: A Progress Report
Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC) is proud to provide care to our community.
Rural hospitals, such as CHMC, are an integral part of their communities not only providing access to health care, but also serving as a hub for public health, wellness and social services. Rural hospitals contribute heavily to local communities by providing jobs, recruiting health practitioners, consuming services of other local businesses, and helping to make communities healthier places to live and work.
Claxton-Hepburn has been a cornerstone of its community for over 126 years providing high-quality health care; bringing life into the world, caring for the aged, ensuring public safety when an emergency or disaster strikes, providing comfort at the end of life and educating the community about the impact of lifestyles on their health and well-being. CHMC is a major contributor to both the local and state economies and to keeping families healthy and secure by providing needed healthcare services.
Highlights
CHMC started off the year with a special incentive for its employees. For the first time, CHMC employees had an opportunity to financially share in the success of the organization. Special checks were issued in January to 449 employees totaling $49,000. Through an established wage incentive plan, all SEIU 1199 and non-union employees were eligible to receive a monetary bonus of 0.5% of their hourly wage that is above and beyond the annual wage increase. Three ambitious goals were established, focusing on key areas: employee safety, patient satisfaction and financial health. Two of the three goals were met and the hospital issued the special checks. The program carried over to 2011.
Additionally, at the beginning of the year, the new construction in the former Residential Health Care Facility space began. Funding for the closure of the RHCF and the new construction was received from a HEAL New York State Grant. The new construction, which debuted with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony in December included a new sleep lab, speech and occupational therapy, an outpatient lab area and renovations to the emergency department (ED).
The ED’s new construction created space for a Fast Track system to treat minor illnesses like sore throats and injuries such as sprained ankles, where these patients can be treated and discharged ideally, within less than an hour. It allows the ED staff to better utilize the advanced treatment rooms for more acute patients. Other improvements include a private area for families to wait, and an improved treatment area for mental health patients.
A group of CHMC employees started working together to implement a formalized worksite wellness program for Medial Center employees and affiliates. Quarterly health fairs that provide free health screenings, Choose Health weight management programs, healthier choices in the cafeteria, becoming a trans fat free facility, healthy cooking demonstrations, exercise programs and physical activities such as a 5K Walk/Run were among the many activities provided to the staff. The group will expand the program in 2012.
In March, the Dr. Ravinder N. Agarwal Renal Center celebrated the one year anniversary of the inception of their home hemodialysis program. The Center held a mini-celebration and toasted their very first home hemodialysis patient, Mr. Gary Adams of Morristown.
Through a generous gift commitment of $750,000 from an anonymous donor, Claxton-Hepburn renamed its wound healing center in honor of Rev. Thomas T. Patterson at an event in September. The donor appreciates Rev. Patterson’s contributions to the Medical Center and the Ogdensburg community, and wanted to ensure that he was recognized for his contributions. The wound healing center opened in 2007 and is the only center of its kind north of Syracuse. The center provides wound healing treatment to more than 400 patients from the North Country each year.
New Providers
In 2011, ten new providers were welcomed to the CHMC medical staff.
In March, Dr. Lee Akin, DDS, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon joined the medical staff and Dr. Stephen Fisher’s practice. Dr. Akin received his bachelor of arts in Humanities/Spanish from Brigham Young University, and received his Doctoral of Dentistry Science from the University of California at San Francisco.
In the spring, CHMC welcomed Dr. Hans Klaudt, MD, FACEP, an emergency medicine physician, and new medical director of the Emergency Department. Dr. Klaudt received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa, Ontario, and then went on to complete a rotating internship at Ottawa General Hospital and a residency in surgery and medicine at National Defence Medical Center, Ottawa. Dr. Klaudt is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
In August Claxton-Hepburn welcomed Dr. Parthajeet R. Chowdhuri, MD, an internist, and Dr. Himani Singh, MD, who specializes in hematology and oncology to the medical staff. Dr. Chowdhuri received a bachelor of science in Psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned his Doctor of Medicine from St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. Dr. Chowdhuri is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Singh received her bachelors of science degree with distinction from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec and earned her Doctor of Medicine from St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. Dr. Singh is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
In September, CHMC welcomed back Orthopedist, Dr. Jeffrey Haasbeek. Dr. Haasbeek cares for pediatric orthopedic conditions, adult hand wrist conditions, injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Dr. Haasbeek earned his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, Canada, and also completed his internship and residency there. He continued his training and completed pediatric orthopedic fellowships at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and at The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, and an adult hand and wrist fellowship at the University of Calgary, Canada. Dr. Haasbeek is board certified by the Royal College of Surgeons, Canada, and the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
CHMC ended the year by welcoming Dr. Richard Tombler, MD, an orthopedist, to its medical staff. Dr. Tombler completed his premedical schooling at Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, and then went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario.
He completed a general rotating internship at Toronto East General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, and an orthopedic residency at the University of Ottawa, and a fellowship in sports medicine at the Dr. D. Johnson Sports Medicine Clinic, Carleton University, Ottawa. Dr. Tombler is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Canada.
Over the summer, four advanced practice providers joined the Claxton-Hepburn medical staff. Family nurse practitioner Mylene Jumalon joined Dr. Juan Diego-Harris’s pain management practice. Jumalon earned her bachelors of science degree in nursing from St. Paul University of Manila, Philippines and her masters of science degree in family nursing from Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.
Christopher Haserodt, a certified physician assistant working in the emergency department, earned his certified emergency medical technician certification from Miami-Dade Community College, Miami, Florida, and then earned his bachelor of science in medical sciences from Mercy College of Detroit Physician Assistant Program, Detroit, Michigan.
Physician Assistant Christopher LaPoint joined the Medical Center’s hospitalist program. LaPoint earned his bachelor of arts in clinical and child psychology from Alfred University, Rochester, New York, and then went on to earn his bachelor of science, physician assistant, from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Hammond Area Health Center welcomed Registered and Certified Physician Assistant Deborah McCabe. McCabe earned her bachelors of science degree in health science, her physician assistant certification and masters degree in health science, all from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Staff Updates
In May, the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC) was proud to announce that CHMC’s Kay Zimmer, licensed medical social worker and patient navigator at the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center, received the designation of Certified Breast Patient Navigator through the completion of the NCBC’s Breast Patient Navigation Certification Program. The certification program validates Zimmer’s knowledge and skills in navigating a breast patient through their breast care/cancer continuum of care. The certification directly benefits patients by equipping breast patient navigators to personally guide each patient through the care process.
Also in May, six registered nurses in the surgical services department earned the credential of CNOR after successfully completing the rigorous national exam developed and administered by the Competency and Credentialing Institute. Judy Armano, Ruthann Badlam, Marion VandenHeuvel, Memory Bouchard, Art Wilson and Justin Warriner earned the certification which recognizes a nurse’s commitment to professional development. It is an objective, measurable way of acknowledging the achievement of specialty knowledge beyond basic nursing.
In August, Dr. Geetanjli Sangwan, MD, MPH, FACC, a non-invasive cardiologist, was elected to Fellow status in the American College of Cardiology. Additionally, she has become a Diplomate in the Subspecialty of Cardiovascular Disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Sangwan received her medical degree from Government Medical College, Panjab University, India. Following medical school, Dr. Sangwan received a Master of Public Health degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. Her internal medicine internship and residency, and fellowships in geriatrics and cardiology were then completed at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.
Awards and Recognition
2011 brought much recognition and awards to Claxton-Hepburn. In January, CHMC announced that Dr. Juan-Diego Harris, MD, a pain management and palliative care specialist, co-authored and published a book entitled Symptom Relief in Palliative Care, second edition with Mervyn Dean and Claud Regnard. The book serves as a clear, concise resource that can be quickly consulted to guide patient care. The book accomplishes the goal of providing a patient-centered approach to clinical management in palliative care.
In May, for the fourth year in a row, CHMC’s Rev. Thomas T. Patterson Wound Healing Center received national recognition. National Healing Corporation, an industry leader accounting for approximately 30 percent of the nation’s managed and outsources wound healing centers, recognized CHMC’s Wound Healing Center with its Front Runner Award. The center was recognized for maximizing its resources to meet the growing needs of its community. The center offers highly-specialized wound care and advanced treatments that include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies.
In June, Claxton-Hepburn and two of its nurse managers, Lettie Deloney and Jennifer Shaver, were recognized at the 33rd Annual Perinatal Nurse Conference by the March of Dimes (MOD) as only one of two New York state hospitals participating in a national project spear headed by the MOD aimed at eliminating medically unnecessary deliveries prior to 39 weeks, the age at which babies of healthy pregnancies are considered “at term.”
Additionally in June, CHMC was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Claxton-Hepburn’s nuclear medicine department is the only nuclear medicine program north of Syracuse to hold this prestigious accreditation. Claxton-Hepburn’s nuclear medicine department now joins the hospital’s already ACR accredited CT, mammography, ultrasound and MRI departments. The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety and is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice-Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed.
In August, the Medical Center announced that the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognized Dr. Sarika Shah-Sekhon, Dr. Manasvi Jaitly, and Dr. Robert Cruikshank, for Diabetes Excellence Recognition. The recognition highlights the excellence in care that they provide for their patients with diabetes. In order to receive the prestigious recognition, the physicians met a number of clinical measures demonstrating excellence in management of diabetes. Working together with people with diabetes and their health care providers can reduce the occurrence of diabetic complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, blood lipids by perceiving these and other preventive care practices in a timely manner.
In October, CHMC’s Dr. Ravinder N. Agarwal Renal Center received its annual dialysis facility review from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The review established the Agarwal Renal Center as a top performer compared to other centers in New York state and nationwide. The 2006-2010 mortality rate for kidney failure patients treated at the Agarwal Renal Center is in the top 5% in centers nationwide. Additionally, the center performed favorably in other areas reported which include adequacy of dialysis, infection rate, anemia management, hospitalization rate, length of hospital stay and transplantation rate.
Community Outreach
CHMC offered many outreach activities in 2011. A new call center was launched that makes it easy for patients to obtain information about CHMC and our providers. By calling 1-888-908-2462 (CHMC), callers will find very useful and important information about CHMC and our services.
The Medical Center participated in several health fairs and provided health screenings (cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and body mass index) to over 1500 people. Additionally, a free skin cancer screening, and a free peripheral vascular disease screening were held.
CHMC hosted four American Red Cross Blood Drives, four AARP Safe Driving Courses, a Child Abuse Certification Class, three Chronic Disease Self-Management Classes, a free Diabetes Education Day, two series of Diabetes Education Classes, free Seasonal Flu clinic, six support groups (diabetes, ostomy, two cancer, bariatric and grief) that meet monthly, and a free Donor Recovery Network Workshop. CHMC also continues its partnership program with six area schools which has been ongoing since 1991.
Additionally, CHMC offered its second annual 5K Walk/Run and teamed up with BOCES to host a Camp Med program for children. CHMC also teamed up with the Ogdensburg Teacher’s Association to expand our Pink Ribbon Efforts. In addition to making the human pink ribbon, a walk and a ceremony were added to the venue. Over 200 people participated in the event. CHMC also created its own version of the Cancer Glove Dance video and it has been uploaded to YouTube. Over 200 employees, students and CHMC affiliates participated in the making of the video.
Once again the 12th Annual Rainbow of Hope Celebration (National Cancer Survivors Day) was held at the Golden Dome in Ogdensburg. Spearheaded by the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center, the event drew a crowd of over 450 cancer survivors and their guests. We also teamed up with the American Cancer Society and provided free cancer education and materials at the fourth Relay for Life in Ogdensburg.
Additionally, CHMC became a corporate sponsor of the Gouverneur Business Women’s Annual Breast Cancer Walk and rose over $1000 to donate to the Walk and also had a team participate in the Walk. CHMC also teamed with the National Kidney Foundation to provide the 7th annual National Kidney Walk in Ogdensburg.
Future Plans
CHMC’s Richard E. Winter Cancer Center and radiology department have combined efforts to redevelop the Breast Health Center at the Connection for Women. This initiative will provide a higher level of care from the screening of breast health through the treatment of breast cancer. This project comprises three main components: first, the National Accreditation Program for Breast Health Centers (NAPBC), an accreditation program through the American College of Surgeons; the second is the use of a national quality benchmarking program called The National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program (NQMBC); lastly the center will offer a Multidisciplinary Clinic to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) represents a group of professional organizations dedicated to improving the quality of care and monitoring of patients with breast diseases.
This mission is pursued through standard-setting, scientific validation, and patient and professional education. The objectives of the NAPBC include:
- Develop criteria for breast centers and a survey process to monitor compliance
- Strengthen the scientific basis for improving quality of care
- Establish a National Breast Disease Database to report patterns of care and affect quality improvement
- Reduce the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer by improving screening mammography and advocating for increased access to and participation in clinical trials
The Team is working together to become a Quality Breast Health Center of Excellence by participating in The National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program (NQMBC).
The Multidisciplinary Clinic will be offered to all patients with a new breast cancer diagnosis at the time of diagnosis. At that time, the patient will meet with a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, surgeon, and the patient navigator. The patient will discuss all available treatment options so that she or he is able to make a fully informed decision regarding treatment.
CHMC will also welcome several new physicians and continue to recruit providers, expand services and enhance current services to ensure that you are your family continue to receive the high-quality, compassionate care that you have come to know from Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.
Hospitals are critical to New York’s quality of life and to keeping communities healthy and vibrant. Our mission, to meet our region’s healthcare needs with compassion and excellence, and our vision, to be your family’s first choice in health care, are the basis behind every patient interaction and experience here at Claxton-Hepburn. Our values, compassion, teamwork, integrity, innovation and excellence are put forth in our everyday interactions with our patients and their families.
For more information about Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and the services it provides, contact the community relations department at 315-713-5251, or visit us on the web at www.claxtonhepburn.org.