MDNews - Greater Kansas

KUSM-WICHITA BECOMES SITE FOR SCHWARTZ ROUNDS PROGRAM IN KANSAS The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita launched a bimonthly program that is Kansas' first such site of an international program dedicated to nurturing the patient-caregiver relationship and to improving compassion. The KUSM-Wichita's Department of Pediatrics and the pediatrics residency program at Wesley Medical Center started the Schwartz Rounds program in February, with a program themed "the first patient I lost." More than 70 people from 10 disciplines attended. The Wichita program is assisted by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare (theschwartzcenter.org), which takes its name in honor of Boston attorney Ken Schwartz who died at age 40 of cancer. The Schwartz Rounds happen at more than 600 sites in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland. The program is interdisciplinary, including not only medical profes - sionals but also chaplains, social workers and others working in health care. The program's goal is to enhance compassionate care, improve teamwork and reduce stress and isolation. According to the Schwartz Center's website, research has shown that when caregivers are more compassionate, patients do better and are more satisfied. ASCENSION VIA CHRISTI EPILEPSY CENTER ACCREDITED The Epilepsy Center at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis has achieved two-year accreditation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a Level 3 center for adults. "According to NAEC, Level 3 Epilepsy Centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy," says Ricky Lee, MD, a board-certified and fellowship-trained epileptologist who serves as the center's Medical Director. STORMONT VAIL HEALTH ANNOUNCES ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Kevin Steck has joined the Stormont Vail Health leadership team as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Steck had worked for 10 years with St. John Health System in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a more than 20-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The health system also had a number of administrative changes. Darlene Stone, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, is now also overseeing a new patient experience department. Carol Perry, RN, is the system's Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Acute Care Operations. Tracy O'Rourke is Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer with the added duties of operational oversight of behavioral health and several allied health departments and of serving as the liaison for the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Sridevi Donepudi, MD, was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Quality Officer and will also oversee medical staff services. Amy McCarter joined the organization as Vice President, Marketing and Communications. PHARMACIST PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY DISPENSING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES A Salina woman once employed as a CVS pharmacist and her husband have pleaded guilty in cases related to controlled substances. Kirsty Hartley pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and dispensing con - trolled substances without a legitimate medical reason; she admitted to unlawfully dispensing more than 21,000 tablets of hydrocodone with acetaminophen. Dalton Hartley, her husband and co-defendant, Dalton Hartley, pleaded guilty to one count of acquiring controlled substances through fraud. In his plea, Dalton Hartley admitted he fraudulently re - ceived 450 tablets of hydrocodone with acetaminophen and 360 tablets of alprazolam from his wife. He would consume the medication himself or trade tablets to other people for marijuana, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. WESLEY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL PATIENT GIVEN NATIONAL HERO AWARD Andres Arambula, a victim of a road-rage shooting in Wichita in October, received the national Kids Wish Network Hero of the Year Award in a special ceremony in Wichita in May. Andres, who was 4 years old at the time, was a passenger in his family's SUV when he was hit with a bullet. A patient at Wesley Children's Hospital, he underwent several surgeries to remove the bullet and repair the dam - age to his kidney and liver, as well as his fractured hip bone. He also had physical therapy to help him walk again. The hospital nominated him for the national network's monthly hero award in November. As part of his recognition as the network's national hero, Andres re - ceived a $5,000 check and the network donated a pallet of toys worth $20,000 in his honor to the Kansas Children's Foundation (formerly Wesley Children's Foundation). DERBY'S FIRST HOSPITAL OPENS Rock Regional Hospital, the first hospital to open in Derby, Kansas, began accepting patients April 24. The nearly 90,000-square-foot hos- pital at 3251 N. Rock Road is part of a new 15-acre medical campus that will include two medical office buildings. The $40 million hospital has four operating rooms, two cardiac catheterization labs, two procedure rooms, a six-bed ER and 31 acute care beds, with seven being in inten - sive care and the other 24 being medical/surgical rooms. The for-profit hospital is primarily owned by Rock Medical Assets, comprising local investors, real estate developers and private capital firms; Ascension Via Christi has 25 percent ownership. Day-to-day operations are being handled by Candor Healthcare, located in the Dallas area. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 019 2 1

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