Media dramatize need for center. Oregon friends rally for burn center remodeling cause

A carefully orchestrated fund-raising and media relations campaign contributed to the opening earlier this year of the new Oregon Burn Center on Legacy Health System's Emanuel Hospital campus, Portland, Ore. The new $5 million center is the only facility of its kind between Sacramento, Calif., Salt Lake City and Seattle. It replaces the original 12-bed facility built in 1973. The expanded center has 16 beds in 16 private rooms, treatment areas designed for children and a host of other state-of-the-art improvements that make the Oregon Burn Center among the nation's finest. Between Legacy's investment of $3 million and contributions from Oregonians, more than $5 million was raised for the new center. Beyond that, annual giving, which amounted to $85,000 in fiscal 2001, is holding steady in 2002.     

Systems collaborate for a healthier community. A Community Health Advisory Board focuses on immunization

The Community Health Advisory Board (CHAB), Pierce County, WA, involves four healthcare systems--Franciscan Health System, MultiCare Medical Center, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, and Good Samaritan Hospital--that have joined forces with other providers in an innovative attempt to better serve their community. An evaluation by representatives of New York University's Hospital Community Benefit Standard Program prompted St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma, WA, to bring major providers together in a coordinated effort that could reach community residents in need. At their first meeting in November 1992, CHAB members agreed on a purpose: to facilitate collaboration between healthcare providers throughout the county to develop programs and services that improve the health status of community residents. In January 1993 CHAB members selected a "quick success" project: a program aimed at increasing immunization levels to 90 percent for two-year-old children in the county. In February 1993 CHAB members committed the "best and brightest" to the Immunization Task Force, naming experts in planning, nursing, community health, education, and marketing. When the Immunization Task Force assessed the project, they realized that the "quick success" program would not be accomplished so quickly. CHAB has had to address underlying problems to make higher immunization levels sustainable. In March 1994 members will evaluate the immunization program's process, status, and structure; data on immunization levels; and the group's demonstrated ability to cooperate.     

Highlighting 2002 award-winning initiatives

This issue takes an instructive look at four organization--SSM Health Care (based in St. Louis), Children's Hospital and Health Center of San Diego, Concord (NH) Hospital, and McLeod (SC) Regional Medical Center--that received top honors this past year for their ongoing efforts to provide quality healthcare.     

How to market an affiliation. St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center affiliate to create Affinity Health System

When Wisconsin's St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center affiliated to create Affinity Health System, Inc., strategic planning and a solid marketing plan carefully executed were instrumental in its success. A corporate identity campaign and product line identification were follow-up phases to the merger approval.     

Humana tries important entry into Chicago market

The proposed purchase of Chicago's Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center by Humana Inc., is hailed as one of the first such takeovers driven by the value of an HMO plan rather than the value of the parent hospital. The author discusses the proposed $50 to $70 million Reese purchase and its impact on the market.     

Building better team charters: an example from reengineering the preoperative system

This article illustrates a six-step chartering method using a successful project at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. The annual savings generated from this project were estimated at $13 million.     

Where are the bariatric bypass ads? The answer,my friend,is bloomin' on the Web

If you look up bariatric, or gastric bypass surgery on the Internet, you'll find 9,000 entries or more, depending on the search engine used. Some of these, but not all, are from hospitals and healthcare systems, most of which have more requests than they can handle. We look at the publicity for bariatric surgery presented by St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minn.; Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, N.J.; Kuakini Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii; and Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.     

A 'lifetime' of accomplishments by age 38

At age 38, he's already created hospital departments from scratch, taken charge of a $149 million expansion project, taken a children's hospital independent after a 35-year link to another facility and found time to reverse losses at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. He's Mark Wallace, the American College of Healthcare Executives' Young Healthcare Executive of the Year.     

Hospital borrows from position of strength

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is nearly debt-free and able to finance much of its own replacement and equipment needs. But rather than avoid debt obligations, it's taking on more than $200 million in new borrowing that capitalizes on the hospital's flush financial profile. Its strong balance sheet and credit ratings will keep capital infusion costs low.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS. By I valclare S. H ow-land ; Paper bound, $3.00, pp. 174, Wm. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, Iowa, 1959.
COUNSELING IN THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. By R osalind C assidy ; Paper, pp. 151, Appleton Century Crofts, New York, 1959.
JOHN DEWEY: DICTIONARY OF EDUCATION. Edited by R alph B. W inn ; pp. 150, $3.75, Philosophical Library, Inc., 15 East 40th Street, New York.
MEDICAL CARE OF THE ADOLESCENT. By J. R oswell G allagher , M.D. Chief of the Adolescent Unit, The Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, and Lecturer on Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Cloth, $10.00. pp. 369, with Illustrations. Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., New York, 1960. Reviewed By T homas E. S haffer , M.D.     

'To make a difference'. The Lincoln Collective

The Lincoln Collective was born in 1970 as a grassroots effort of health and community workers to start the kind of nonhierarchical community-oriented program described in this article. The idea of two residents who were already at Lincoln Hospital, the notion was given official approval because of the influx of young, American-trained physicians and nurses it would bring. But, as the experiment was advertised by word of mouth to members of the Student Health Organization, the Medical Committee for Human Rights, and other health workers involved in antiwar activities, the hospital, administration got more than it bargained for.     

Hospitalisations,admission costs and re‐fracture risk related to osteoporosis in Western Australia are substantial: a 10‐year review

Objective: To quantify hospitalisation costs to Western Australia (WA) for osteoporosis‐related fractures and estimate risk of readmission after incident fracture. Methods: All hospitalisation records for WA residents aged ≥50 years admitted to a WA hospital between 2002 and 2011 due to osteoporotic fractures were extracted from the WA Hospital Morbidity Data System. Data linkage enabled identification of the first (index) fracture admission, determination of subsequent osteoporotic fracture‐related readmissions, and quantification of total admission costs and bed days. Cox proportional hazard models assessed factors influencing first readmission. Results: A total of 5,326 patients were admitted to WA hospitals for an index fracture. Of the 2,037 (38.2%) patients who sustained a re‐fracture requiring readmission, 1,223 (23.0%) had one re‐fracture episode, 453 (8.5%) has two, and 361 (6.8%) has three or more re‐fracture episodes requiring readmission. Cost of index admissions was $57,007,262 while $48,948,623 was associated with readmissions (CPI‐adjusted to 2011/12). Cumulative probability of readmission within six months of the index admission was 20% (males) and 17% (females). Conclusions: Osteoporotic fracture‐related hospitalisations impose a substantial financial impact on WA, exceeding $100 million in a decade. Implications: Considering the large system costs, policy and programs to improve identification of index fractures and initiation of osteoporosis treatments and primary prevention initiatives are justified.     

西安交通大学附属儿童医院(西安市儿童医院)创建国家儿童区域医疗中心的实践探索

儿童健康事关家庭幸福和民族未来。加强儿童医疗卫生服务改革与发展,是健康中国建设和卫生健康事业发展的重要内容。西安交通大学附属儿童医院（西安市儿童医院）准确定位国家儿童区域医疗中心功能定位和职责任务,通过“引人才,带队伍,强专业”提高医疗质量;紧密依托高校,规范培训基地,促进人才培养;引进科研人才,建设重点实验室,加快科研转换;防治结合,防在治先,加强健康管理;建设智慧化医院,促进精细化管理,从而推动国家儿童区域性医疗中心的建设。     

Ban on needle swaps blamed for 10,000 U.S. infections

According to a study by two AIDS researchers, Dr. Peter Lurie of the University of California, San Francisco, and Ernest Drucker at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, nearly 10,000 new HIV infections could have been prevented over the last 8 years with the use of needle-exchange programs. At the Eleventh International Conference on AIDS, Lurie presented findings from studies showing that HIV infections among injection-drug users, their sexual partners, and their children could have been prevented between 1987 and 1995. The Federal government's reluctance to use the harm-reduction method is expensive, ranging between $244 million and $538 million for HIV treatments over the last 8 years. If needle-exchange programs are established now, an additional 5,150 to 11,329 infections could be prevented by the year 2000. Although six government-funded studies have found that needle-exchange programs reduce HIV transmission and do not increase drug use, Lurie does not expect the Federal government to change its policies soon. Contradictory evidence was also presented at the conference. Montreal's Saint-Luc Hospital found that people using syringes supplied by needle-exchange programs are more likely to contract HIV than those who do not. Also, research conducted by the Bureau of HIV/AIDS of Health Canada found that injection-drug users who swapped dirty needles for clean ones were more likely to be frequent drug users, to inject with used needles, and to engage in unprotected sex, often for money.     

Obesity: addressing a multifactorial disease

An estimated 30% of the U.S. population is obese, totaling more than 120 million Americans. This figure represents 5.7% of the entire national health expenditure at an annual cost of more than $100 billion.     

Teenage pregnancy in an urban hospital setting

Recent research suggests that adverse consequences of teenage pregnancy are largely a function of social background factors and adequacy of prenatal care. This study examines the situation of young mothers with new babies in a low income, urban environment. The study explores the relationship between age and ethnicity and various life circumstance and life style differences which might effect long term developmental outcome. 475 Hispanic and black mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The majority are poorly educated, single parents. Educational attainment is higher for blacks than for Hispanics and for older mothers than for younger. Older mothers are more likely to be living with the father, to be married, and to have received adequate prenatal care. Hispanic parents are more likely than Blacks to be planning to live together. Hispanic mothers are more likely than blacks to be planning to be the primary caretaker for their babies. Adequacy of prenatal care is related to both prematurity and low birth weight. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to pregnancy prevention and parenting education programs.J. Kent Davis, Ph.D. is Chief of Psychological Services and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Raymond Fink, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Community Medicine at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Benamana Rajegowda, M.D. is Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College and Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, New York. Arun Yesupria, M.D. is Chairman of STAT Clinical Laboratories in India. Rasila Lala, M.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York Medical College and an attending Neonatologist at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, New York.     

Joining forces for children's health.

From airborne particulatesto pesticide-laden fruit, children probably encounter more pollutants than adults. Because their bodies are rapidly developing, children may react more strongly to these toxins, too. The NIEHS hopes to learn more about how several hazardous agents specifically affect kids. Together, the NIEHS and the EPA are spending $10 million to establish up to six Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research. The CDC, a third partner,will later help apply center research to public health.     

How United HealthCare and two contracting hospitals address cost and quality in era of hyper-competition. Case study

Boston Regional Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, offer models for working with a large managed care organization.     

Seattle hospital opens renovated children's dental clinic. Joins effort to promote children's oral health

The pediatric dental clinic at Seattle's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center is filled to capacity, so marketers can invest efforts in community outreach and educational projects.     

Ohio healthcare center launches interactive website. Heather Hill Hospital demonstrates treatment, environments

Heather Hill Hospital, Health and Care Center launched an interactive Internet website to share and demonstrate its treatment innovations, programs and environments with interested professionals, caregivers and individuals around the world, reaching more than 30 million people wired into the Internet.