Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1110805
INSPIRED INNOVATION: THE CARDIOVASCULAR INSTITUTE The move from illness-driven ca re to popu lat ion a nd prevent ion-focused initiatives is a relatively recent develop- ment in the hea lthcare industry and for St. Joseph's Hea lth, but it stems from a long histor y of medica l innovations t hat Sa int Ma r ia n ne contr ibuted to during her time at St. Joseph's Hospita l and beyond. Before hand washing and sterilization of medical instruments became standard practices in the medica l f ield, Sa int Marianne established both precautions at St. Joseph's Hospita l. She took those practices with her to Hawaii, where she cared for hundreds of people with leprosy over the course of 35 years. "She told her fellow Sisters to follow her hand-washing regimen, and they wouldn't catch leprosy," says Leslie "Les" Paul Luke, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health. "She was right." Long a f ter Sa int Ma ria nne passed away, innovation continued to flourish at St. Joseph's Hea lth, which became home to the first successful open-heart surgery performed in Central New York. The procedure took place in 1958 and was an early instance of using induced hypothermia to aid in open-heart surgery. "We've done a good job of continuing innovation in our cardiovascular care pro- gram since then," Luke says. "We recently invested approximately $30 million into our Cardiovascular Institute." St. Joseph's Hea lth Cardiovascular Institute is recognized as a Cardiovascular Center of Excellence by the American Heart Association and is one of only eight hospita ls in the nation to receive this distinction. The recent addition of the Care Flight air medical transportation program to St. Joseph's Health has helped bolster the Cardiovascular Institute and expand its capabilities. "In the past, even if a n emergency patient was transported by helicopter, the helicopter would have to land at the airport, and an ambulance would bring the patient to St. Joseph's Health," Luke says. " We needed to get patients in for open heart and cardiac catheterization procedures fa ster, which is why we have a new helipad to support the Care Flight program." The Cardiovascular Institute has also implemented hybrid patient rooms that can be converted for surgical procedures at a moment's notice without the need to move patients. This helps improve the patient experience while minimizing delays before time sensitive procedures. INSPIRED INNOVATION: ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE OF NURSING Luke credits much of the Cardiovascular Institute's success to the number of gifted physicians who have joined St. Joseph's Health during its history. "Our hospital has been fortunate to attract talented surgeons, which is related to having a teaching program here, too — itself another innovation in St. Joseph's Health's history," Luke says. "We had the first teaching hospital in Central New York, going back to 1872." During that time, Sa int Ma ria nne i nv it ed G eneva Med ica l Col lege t o Surgeons perform a procedure in the state-of-the-art, nationally ranked A. John Merola Cardiovascular Institute. The St. Joseph's College of Nursing advocates a holistic approach to nursing, and the curriculum goes beyond scientific nursing courses to encompass communication, cultural sensitivity, ethical and legal issues, leadership, conflict resolution, and decision-making. 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y