Memorial’s Emergency Medicine Chairman named President of Pennsylvania’s American College of Emergency Physicians

Daniel R. Wehner, MD, Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, MMC, has been appointed to a one-year term as President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (PaACEP).

With more than 1,200 members, the Pennsylvania chapter is the organization’s second largest in the nation.

For the past year, Dr. Wehner has been active as President-Elect, working on issues from emergency department overcrowding to healthcare reform. “I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the Chapter, particularly at this moment in time, considering all of the activity in state and federal politics and unfolding healthcare reform,” says Dr. Wehner. “Among my goals are efforts to reduce emergency department crowding and boarding of admitted patients in our emergency departments, making strides toward improving the medical liability situation in Pennsylvania and promoting access to quality emergency medical care to all who seek such care.”

“We are very proud to have someone with Dr. Wehner’s expertise in emergency medicine not only leading our Department of Emergency Medicine at Memorial Medical Center, but also the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians,” says David Carlson, DO, Chief Medical Officer, Conemaugh Health System. “Dr. Wehner has experienced firsthand the many challenges facing emergency departments, and we are certain that he will do his best to help affect change and improve the state of emergency care.”

Dr. Wehner joined Memorial Medical Center in May 2000 as Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine. Upon receiving a medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Wehner completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at Wright State University in Kettering, Ohio. Dr. Wehner resides in Johnstown with his wife, Donna, and their two children.

According to the PaACEP website, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians is a state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a medical society that has represented physicians specializing in emergency medicine since 1971. For more information, visit www.paacep.org.

MedWELL Urgent Care Center to open in Ebensburg

Caregivers at Conemaugh Health System’s newest MedWELL Urgent Care Center will begin seeing patients Monday, May 3.

Located at Conemaugh Ebensburg, 236 Jamesway Road in the Jamesway Plaza, the goal of MedWELL is to serve as a quick, convenient healthcare option. It will be open to walk-in patients seven days a week, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with limited laboratory and imaging services also available on-site.

Physicians and other medical personnel, including physician assistants and nurse practitioners, will staff the new urgent care center.

“We want to stress that the MedWELL is not meant to replace the relationship between a patient and their primary care physician, which is extremely important,” says Dr. David Carlson, Chief Medical Officer of the Conemaugh Health System. “We realize, however, that there are times that people need medical attention when their physician’s office is closed, and the emergency room is the only option. MedWELL is designed to provide an alternative for care when nonemergent situations arise and the primary care physician is unavailable.”

Conemaugh Health System’s first MedWELL location on Scalp Avenue in Johnstown has had more than 20,000 patient visits since opening its doors in September 2008.
When should patients visit MedWELL? Below is a list of some of the conditions that can be treated by the MedWELL team:

•Common illnesses and colds
•Sprains and strains
•Minor cuts or injuries
•Skin and eye irritations

MedWELL location and phone number information is as follows:

MedWELL
236 Jamesway Road
Ebensburg, PA 15931
814-472-7336

MedWELL
1450 Scalp Avenue
Johnstown, PA 15905
814-269-5200

MedSTAR celebrates more than 20 years of service

The crew and staff of MedSTAR, the premier Air Medical Transport program in the Laurel Highlands, are celebrating the organization's 20th Anniversary with a celebration on April 24.

Operated through a joint program of Conemaugh Health System and Air Methods Corporation, based in Colorado, MedSTAR aero-medical service became operational at Memorial Medical Center (MMC) on October 27, 1989. The original Critical Care Flight Team was comprised of nine Registered Nurses and three EMT-Paramedics. Over time, MedSTAR also added specialized pediatric nurses to accommodate missions related to MMC’s Regional Intensive Care Nursery (RICN).

Conemaugh Health System laboratories receive accreditation

Following an unannounced, on-site inspection, The College of American Pathologists’ (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program recently reaccredited each of the Conemaugh Health System (CHS) laboratories, including the labs at Memorial Medical Center, Miners Medical Center and Meyersdale Medical Center. This accreditation signifies that all CHS laboratories have successfully met the Laboratory Accreditation Program Standards for Accreditation.

The CAP accreditation process is especially rigorous because facilities attempting accreditation are inspected by their peers. An inspection team, comprised of healthcare laboratory professionals from similar-sized facilities, completes the on-site evaluation.

“It is very important that patients are aware of the high level of excellence required of our laboratories which are all CAP accredited,” says Lary Koval, Conemaugh Health System’s Laboratory Administrative Director. “These laboratories must strive for continuous improvement, education and most of all, quality. Our accreditations support Conemaugh Health System’s vision of ‘Excellence. Every Patient. Every Time.’”

In addition, the AABB, formerly called the American Association of Blood Banks, granted Memorial Medical Center’s Main Campus Laboratory national accreditation for Transfusion and Donor Center activities. The only facility in Cambria County to achieve the honor, the AABB accreditation represents Memorial’s commitment to excellence by promoting a level of professional and technical expertise that contributes to quality performance and patient safety.

“The AABB accreditation fosters advanced learning and innovation in our Blood Bank lab at Memorial, and thereby promotes the highest possible standard of care for patients and donors,” adds Koval.

Tony Campagna, Executive Director, Diagnostic and Outpatient Services, Memorial Medical Center, says, “These accreditations ensure that patients are receiving the safest and highest quality of laboratory services. During accreditation inspections, there are hundreds of standards that our lab professionals at Memorial have to address. We are extremely proud of the laboratory employees at Memorial and at each of our facilities for their dedication to excellence.”

Memorial Medical Center recognized for reducing medical waste

PHOTO: Left to right: Robin Romanow and Sharon Allen from Memorial Medical Center’s (MMC) OR; Ascent representative Mark Milo; Debi Galko, Supply Chain, MMC; Gerald Ambrose, Supply Chain/Green Team, MMC; Jean Hansen, OR; and Pam Reckner, Supply Chain, MMC.

As part of a Conemaugh Health System-wide “green” initiative, Memorial Medical Center (MMC) has implemented many environmentally-friendly initiatives in an effort to reduce waste. One such initiative recently earned the facility recognition.
Ascent: A Stryker Sustainability Solution program, which is governed by the FDA, awarded MMC with the 2009 Healthy Hospital Award for reducing medical waste at the facility by 6,172 pounds in 2009 alone.

Stephen Tambolas, MPM, CPSM, CPM, Vice President, Supply Chain and Facilities, MMC, says the rewards of the program have been two-fold. “Reprocessing medical devices not only aids Memorial’s "green" initiative by reducing a significant amount of medical waste but also increases cost savings.”

By utilizing the program, in the past year Memorial has experienced $80,600 in supply cost savings which have been redirected to important key patient care initiatives.

Reprocessing involves cleaning, testing, packaging and sterilizing expensive medical devices, while remanufacturing includes disassembling, repairing and manufacturing devices that were originally marketed as “single use.” The reprocessing and remanufacturing of medical devices must be in accordance with strict FDA guidelines, and according to Ascent’s website, these processes prevent thousands of pounds of medical waste from hospitals around the country from ending up in landfills.
For more information about Ascent: A Stryker Sustainability Solution, visit their website at www.ascenths.com.

High school students show off their talents while raising money for a “critical” cause

Westmont Hilltop High School senior Nastasia Easter thought holding a talent show that would combine talent, fun and charity, would be a perfect senior project. Easter is the coordinator of “Westy Has Talent,” benefiting the expansion of Memorial Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit—a cause that has impacted the young woman on a very personal level.

“I decided to raise money for the Critical Care Unit because I love helping those in need,” says Easter. “Also, when I was 12-years-old my father died from a heart attack, so it definitely was something that opened my eyes.”

The event, which will include “coffee house” style performances, will take place Friday, April 16 in the Westmont Hilltop High School Auditorium at 1 p.m. Some of the talents displayed will include singing, rapping and Easter’s talent of choice, dancing.

“Westy Has Talent” is open to the public. Tickets will be sold at the door for $3, and additional donations are welcome.

“We are so pleased and proud that Nastasia has taken it upon herself to coordinate an event that will benefit thousands of people from around our region,” says Susan Mann, President, Conemaugh Health Foundation. “This expansion will allow our caregivers to care for more critically ill patients, who benefit tremendously from the expertise and advanced technology offered at Memorial.”

Memorial’s Critical Care Unit cares for more than 1,150 patients each year from across the region. In order to accommodate this large number of patients, Memorial is expanding the Unit by adding nine additional Critical Care beds as a specialized Coronary Care Unit. The Critical Care Unit treats patients with acute, life-threatening illnesses or injuries including heart attack, pneumonia, surgical complications and stroke. Critical Care also includes the care of trauma patients, which is extremely important since Memorial is the only Level One Regional Resource Trauma Center between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and is routinely referred patients from hospitals across several counties.

“By increasing capacity, we will help ensure that we are providing patients who are critically ill with the appropriate, high level care administered by specially trained critical care professionals,” says David Carlson, Chief Medical Officer, Conemaugh Health System. “The expansion of our Critical Care Unit is necessary to fulfill our vision of providing ‘Excellence, Every patient, Every time.’”

Salvatore J. and Sara A. Valenty Nursing Scholarship presented to first recipient

Caption: Bobbi Ream, Chair, Conemaugh Health Foundation (CHF) Board; Sam Valenty; Melissa Phillips; and Susan Mann, President, CHF.

Miners Medical Center board member Sam Valenty honored his late wife, Sara, with the presentation of the first annual Salvatore J. and Sara A. Valenty Nursing Scholarship.Valenty created the scholarship to honor his late wife and to recognize the excellent nursing care she received during her illness.

“The nursing service at Miners and Memorial was so extraordinary, I gained a newfound respect for the profession of nursing,” says Valenty. “I was with her every day, and the nurses were just so good to her, I wanted to do something for them.”

The Salvatore J. and Sara A. Valenty Nursing Scholarship was established with a generous $25,000 donation to the Conemaugh Health Foundation. Each March, $1,000 will be given to a Northern Cambria resident attending the Conemaugh School of Nursing. This year’s recipient is Melissa Phillips of Northern Cambria.

“Education is something that Sara and I always considered to be very important,” says Valenty. “We grew up in a time when none of us were able to go to school, because it was just too expensive, so hopefully with this donation we’ll be able to help others fulfill their educational dreams.”

Valenty has a long history with Miners Medical Center, having served as a member on the Miners Medical Center Board of Trustees since 1994, in addition to a short stint in the early 1980s. Mr. Valenty also currently serves as a Cambria County Commissioner.

“Mr. Valenty has given so much of his time and of himself over the years,” says Susan Mann, President, Conemaugh Health Foundation. “This donation is another testament to his giving spirit. He is an inspiration and a true steward of his community.”

About the Conemaugh Health Foundation

The Conemaugh Health Foundation (CHF) is a nonprofit, qualified charitable organization responsible for raising funds to support the programs and services of the Conemaugh Health System. Donations to the Foundation stay in the local community to serve the needs of the entities of the Conemaugh Health System. These entities include Memorial, Meyersdale and Miners Medical Centers.