Hopkins County Memorial Hospital celebrates the people and events that have made serving the
community memorable since 1949 page 2
903-885-7671 ● November 2009
60 Years Memoriesof
903-885-7671 ● November 2009HEALTH@Memorial
Comparing therapies for AFIBpage 5
Strike back against strokepage 6
Lights of Life 2010page 7
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Hopkins County Memorial Hospital115 Airport Road, Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
Chief Executive Officer: Michael McAndrew
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer: Donna Geiken Wallace
Chief Nursing Officer: Terri Bunch
Marketing/Managed Care and Volunteer Coordinator: Sherry Moore
Memorial Hospital Main Number:903-885-7671
Memorial Hospital Physician Referral:903-439-4062
Memorial Hospital Volunteer Opportunities: 903-439-4062
Educational Programs: 903-439-4149
Hopkins County Health Care Foundation:903-438-4799
Memorial Hospital Mission: The mission of Hopkins County Memorial Hospital is to maintain, improve and promote the health of the residents of Hopkins County and the surrounding area. Under the leadership of the Board of Directors, we will consistently exercise judicious stewardship of health care resources for the citizens of Hopkins County. In order to carry out our mission, we will provide an environment that fosters personal growth and satisfaction for our dedicated, high-quality employees, volunteers and medical staff.
Visit hcmh.com or call 903-439-4062 for information about Hopkins County Memorial Hospital services, upcoming
events, physician referrals, career opportunities and more.
Health@Memorial is published four times a year by McMurry. © 2009 Baylor Health Care System.
The material in Health@Memorial is not intended for diagnosing or prescribing. Consult your physician before under taking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines.
Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Hopkins County Memorial Hospital or Baylor Health Care System. Hopkins County Memorial Hospital is affiliated with but not controlled by Baylor
Health Care System or its subsidiaries or community medical centers.
Photographs may include models or actors and may not represent actual patients.
If you are receiving multiple copies, need to change your mailing address or do not wish to receive this publication, please send your mailing label(s) and the updated information to Robin Vogel, Baylor Health Care System, 2001 Bryan St., Suite 750, Dallas, TX 75201, or e-mail the information to [email protected].
2 Health@Memorial November 2009 ● For a physician referral, visit hcmh.com Group staff photograph and Roberts family photograph on cover by Brandy Fisher
Hopkins County Memorial Hospital opened its doors—and its 65 beds—on Sept. 5, 1949. Back then, the doctors and
nurses welcomed people to a hospital that cost $250,000 to build—less than the price of many homes today.
The hospital, the Sulphur Springs community and the world have seen many changes in those 60 years. And, more changes are to come,
with a $36 million expansion under way that includes a new emergency department, front lobby and gift shop, as well as a changeover to all private rooms.
The switch to private rooms is just one example of the transitions over the years. In the 1950s, back when those Americans who owned television sets were watching Ozzie and Harriet raise their boys, Dragnet’s Sergeant Joe Friday fi ght crime, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto help tame the Wild West, private hospital rooms were rare. Most rooms were semiprivate, though you could pay $3 to trade up to a “deluxe” room. And separate male and female wards held fi ve beds each.
New patient tower and front entrance to Memorial Hospital.
Celebrating 60 Years
Memorial Hospital has served the
Sulphur Springs community since 1949
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To make a donation, visit hcmh.com l November 2009 Health@Memorial 3
Skyrocketing Staff In the early days, Memorial Hospital had about 30 employees: four to six graduate nurses, about 14 to 16 nurse aides, two attendants, three kitchen employees, one maintenance man and several technicians. The staff also included a surgeon, a pediatrician, a radiologist, five or six medical staff doctors, and four dentists.
Today there are 40 doctors on active staff and another 80 consultants, plus 500 employees.
expanSion continueS By the 1960s, when John and Jackie Kennedy were bringing the era and aura of Camelot to the White House and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were walking on the moon, the hospital was relocating to a new 100-bed building in its present-day loca-tion. Along with the modern new medical equip-ment, the building boasted the first elevator in the county.
growing familieS Although moms and dads have been welcoming newborns into their families forever, the typical American experience has changed a lot in the past 60 years. Women used to labor and deliver in large rooms that held several moms-to-be. Dads were relegated to waiting areas, and babies were whisked away to the nursery shortly after birth. The belief at the time was that the nursery was safer for babies, with fewer germs, and moms should spend three to five days in the hospital resting.
Now, women labor, deliver and recover in the private rooms of the Women’s Pavilion, with their partners and, if they choose, other family
members by their sides. Newborns can stay with their families for nearly all of their hospital stays, which are normally one to two days.
care cloSe to home In 1981, when 52 hos-tages who had been held by Iranian students for 444 days were freed on Ronald Reagan’s inauguration day, people in Hopkins and sur-rounding counties still had to travel for a lot of their emergency care. In 1983, Memorial Hospital added emergency medical services, utilizing primarily paramedics. The current hospital expansion is increasing the emergency department’s services and size, growing from 10 beds to 20 beds. There is a separate entrance for ambulance patients as well.
Top left: Chamber Ribbon Cutting for the new ED in June 2009. Top right: Skyler Strickland, who was born at a very low birth weight, was able to stay in our newly opened Nursery in 1997, saving the family from the financial hardship of staying in Dallas for several weeks until she was big enough to come home. Above: Yvonne Skelton, LVN, in the Nursery that opened in 1968.
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Mark Roberts photograph by Brandy Fisher4 Health@Memorial November 2009 ● For the career of a lifetime, go to hcmh.com
Memories from Memorial HospitalMyra Mikeska knew at age 14 she wanted to be a nurse, and she began a lifelong career at Memorial Hospital after graduating from Sulphur Springs High School in 1952. Here, she shares a few memories from the years:● “It was quite diff erent back then. There was no air
conditioning. People could rent a small fan—my, did it feel good to walk into a room that had one.”
● “We did it all. We gave enemas, carried bedpans down the hall, gave shots and medications, fi lled out charts on each patient, and answered lights.”
● “Supper was served around 4:30 p.m. By bed-time some were hungry again. Most of the time we gave them a bowl of ice cream. If things were quiet, they might get one of my good backrubs.”
● “Since my mother worked when I had my fi rst baby, I talked Dr. Hodges into letting me stay for 10 days until the navel cord fell off . Haven’t times changed?”
HOSPICE Locals may remember the ’90s as the reign of the Dallas Cowboys. They rode to victory in three Super Bowls: 1993, 1994 and 1996. In the same decade, Memorial Hospital launched a hos-pice program, extending much-needed care and support to people with terminal illnesses.
TODAY AND TOMORROW Now, Memorial Hospital brings a range of health care off erings to the Sulphur Springs community, including:● Cardiac care through an advanced heart care
program that brings tests and treatments—including stents, pacemakers and defi brilla-tors—to the community.
● HealthPlex, a rehab and therapy clinic off er-ing physical, occupational, hand, speech and aquatic therapies.
● Wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for leg wounds in people with diabetes, wounds related to blood vessel disease, traumatic ulcers, work-related injuries and complicated surgical incisions.
● CARE Unit, an inpatient rehab program designed to help people get home as quickly as possible.
● An EMS team that stands ready to provide quality care if you need it and off ers a host of injury-prevention programs to help you avoid the need for their care.
● The Foundation, which supports Memorial Hospital’s services by encouraging philan-thropic donations.
● The Gardens, a peaceful place where patients, their families and friends, hospital staff and the community can walk or sit outdoors.
● The Children’s Therapy Playground, where children who need therapy can work in a fun environment. ● By Stephanie Thurrott
Top: Mark Roberts plays on the swingset
in the Children’s Therapy Playground.
Bottom right: The Gardens at
Memorial provide a peaceful place for
patients, families and employees.
Myra Mikeska then and now
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Between 2 and 5 million Americans experience atrial fi brillation, the most common type of heart rhythm problem. The small upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating eff ectively, which can lead to stroke, serious heart issues and even death.
Treatments for atrial fi brillation already exist, and Baylor Health Care System is participating in a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to determine whether one approach might be better than another.
THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano is Baylor’s lead site for the multi-center CABANA trial, which will randomly assign 3,000 partici-pants to one of two groups to compare established treatments. One is medications that can regulate the heartbeat and the other is catheter ablation, a minimally invasive procedure. Catheter ablation uses a tiny tube to send energy to the heart and destroy small areas of tissue where abnormal heart-beats may cause an irregular rhythm, also known as an arrhythmia.
“Traditionally, the primary treatment has been medication to suppress the arrhythmia, but some of the side effects are significant,” says J. Brian DeVille, M.D., FACC, a cardiac electrophysiologist
and medical director for electrophysiology for the Heart Rhythm Institute at THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano.
Catheter ablation is typically only used in patients who don’t respond well to medication, which works well in about 50 percent of patients to control atrial fi brillation. However, the success rate with catheter ablation is about 70 percent to 80 percent, Dr. DeVille explains, although, up to one-third of patients need to have the procedure performed twice.
Participants will be followed for a minimum of two years over the course of the fi ve-year study, which also will be conducted at the Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital. Other Baylor sites are likely to participate in the CABANA trial, too.
Ultimately, the study is designed to determine which of the two treatments provides the best stan-dard of care. Or, according to Dr. DeVille, perhaps the results will show that there are applications for both approaches to addressing atrial fi brillation.
“This has been a highly anticipated trial,” he says, “and I think this study really has the potential to shape how we treat atrial fi brillation in the years to come.” ● By Amy Lynn Smith
Join the TrialFor information about participating in the CABANA trial, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/advancingmedicine.
Between 2 and 5 million Americans experience atrial fi brillation, the most common type of heart rhythm problem, which can lead to stroke, serious heart issues and even death.
Baylor evaluates options for regulating heart rhythm problems
Illustration by Stephanie Dalton Cowan
Diff erent Drummers
Visit us at hcmh.com ● November 2009 Health@Memorial 5
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Stroke is the number three cause of death and the top cause of disability for Americans, according to the American Stroke Association (ASA). Knowing what to watch for—
and getting treatment quickly—can make the diff erence in surviving a stroke with minimal long-term eff ects.
Stroke occurs when blood fl ow to the brain gets interrupted. In about 85 percent of cases, it’s caused by a blockage—a blood clot either develops in the brain, or develops somewhere else in the body and travels through the bloodstream to the brain, then gets lodged there. These blockages are similar to the blockages that cause heart attacks.
Depending on where within the brain the stroke occurs, it might cause vision problems, paralysis, memory loss or behavior changes.
Reginald Cole, M.D., a neurologist on the medi-cal staff at Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, explains that new stroke treatment protocols at Memorial Hospital, following the ASA standards, aim to improve outcomes for people who experience stroke.
Because speed is so important in stroke treat-ment, the protocol starts with community education eff orts. Dr. Cole notes that it’s important for people to recognize the signs of stroke in themselves or others, and to call 911. (See “Signs of Stroke.”)
The EMS team is trained to contact the hospital if stroke is suspected, so the stroke readiness team can be in place when a patient arrives. At the hospital, a patient can quickly get the necessary MRI, CT and/or blood work and, if appropriate, start on antiplatelet drugs or anti-coagulants. Clot-busting drugs can help reverse the stroke’s effects if they’re given within three hours of the stroke’s onset.
Similar protocols are in place for treatments after a patient is admitted to the hospital, whether to a fl oor or to the ICU, and for rehab. There’s also a patient education component in place that addresses smoking cessation, alcohol consumption and other factors within a patient’s control that can infl uence recovery from stroke.
The protocol helps ensure that, from onset of symptoms through recovery, stroke patients get the recommended care. ● By Stephanie Thurrott
Stay a Step Ahead of StrokeAnswers about the causes, symptoms and prevention of stroke
Signs of StrokeThe Stroke Awareness Foundation stresses that if you are concerned about someone pos-sibly having a stroke, you should think FAST:
Facial weaknessArm and leg weaknessSpeech problemsTime is critical
If you suspect stroke, call 911.
Reginald Cole, M.D.
6 Health@Memorial November 2009 ● Sick? Click. Visit hcmh.com
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Lights of Life 2010Help raise funds for digital mammography at Memorial
2009 GALA INFORMATIONDate: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010Time: 6 p.m. to midnightPlace: Sulphur Springs Regional Civic CenterTicket price: $100 per person (same as previous years)Goal: $110,000
Funds raised will go to help purchase a digital mammography machine.
You Can HelpTo donate to the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation, please call 903-438-4799. Funds are accepted year-round and may be designated for the Lights of Life campaign, to provide improvements to the Gardens at Memorial, to make additions to the Children’s Therapy Playground, or to purchase brick pavers in honor or memory of someone special.
Dancing the night away at last year’s Gala.
2008 Gala Co-chairs Dr. Bill and Peggy Dietze
and Troy Dungan
For the fourth year in a row, the Hopkins County Health Care Foundation is sponsoring a Lights of Life Campaign and Gala, aiming to raise $110,000 for a new
digital mammography machine.This year, Jennifer and Craig Roberts are chairing the event.
Many people in the Sulphur Springs community are famil-iar with Jennifer and Craig and their 9-year-old twin boys, Matthew and Mark.
Matthew and Mark were born three months prematurely, and both of them have battled health problems stemming from their early birth.
Matthew suff ered brain damage at birth and as a result uses a wheelchair. He also sometimes battles seizures.
Mark, who weighed just 1 pound at birth, needed a ventilator to help him breathe for his fi rst year of life. He slowly built up his strength and by age 3 he could walk.
The boys still require a lot of therapy, but both are doing well in their regular classes at school and busy with activities any 9-year-old would envy, from camp to Boy Scouts to karate.
Some of the funds raised in last year’s Lights of Life campaign helped pay for a children’s therapy playground at the hospital. “The boys just love it. When they get to play on it, they get really excited,” Jennifer says.
Craig, who was the chair of the hos-pital foundation last year, says he was honored when he and Jennifer were asked to chair the Lights of Life cam-paign this year.
Jennifer is also enthusiastic about her role as co-chair. “I am an educator and I have a lot of responsibilities with the boys and their special needs. I haven’t had the opportunity to do something like this before. It’s great for us to be able to come together as a couple and do some-thing together for the community,” she says. ● By Stephanie Thurrott
Co-Chairman Dr. Bill Dietze drives a fl oat in the Christmas Parade.
Find Dr. Right. Visit hcmh.com ● November 2009 Health@Memorial 7
Hopkins County Health Care Foundation Presidents: Craig
Roberts (2008), Tom Sellers (2007) and Mickey McKenzie (2009)
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Hopkins County Memorial Hospital 115 Airport Road Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
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