News Briefs – November 2010

Grant Boosts Virginia Public-Health Training
A $2.5-million, five-year grant to Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration will create a statewide public-health training center aimed at developing an effective public-health work force. The Commonwealth Public Health Training Center is a partnership of the state’s graduate programs in public health, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Public Health Association, and all family medicine residency programs in the Commonwealth. Dr. David O. Matson, head of EVMS/ODU Graduate Program in Public Health, and Dr. Christine C. Matson, chair of the EVMS Department of Family and Community Medicine, will be the center’s directors.

Chesapeake Regional Elects New CEO
The Chesapeake Hospital Authority has appointed Wynn Dixon as chief executive officer for Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (CRMC).

Helping Hearts Program Begins
Now through December 3, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater (JFS) will be collecting socks, hats, gloves, grooming items, gift cards and holiday novelties for distribution to people in need throughout Hampton Roads as part of the organization’s Helping Hearts Program, Last year, 1,300 individuals received gifts. For more information, call Nikcole Sales at (757) 938-9130.

Physicians for Peace Moves to New Location
Physicians for Peace, an international medical relief organization, recently moved to its new location at 500 E. Main St. in Norfolk. An open house was held in September. For more information, call (757) 625-7569 or visit www.physiciansforpeace.org.

EVMS Celebrates National Physician Assistant Week
Two national leaders of the physician assistant (PA) field, Assistant U.S. Surgeon General Rear Adm. Michael Milner, and Robert Wooten, president-elect of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), spoke last month at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) during National Physician Assistant Week about the growing importance of PAs in the evolving health care landscape.

Maryview Cancer Program Recognized for Quality
The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has granted a three-year re-accreditation to Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center’s cancer program. The cancer program was commended for having excellent quality of data submitted to the National Cancer Data Base; having very active and strong outreach, prevention and detection programs; and implementing improvements to the cancer program each year.

Planned Parenthood Launches New Campaign
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia (PPSEV) is launching “Birth Control Matters,” an effort to raise awareness about the importance of making prescription birth control available at no cost under the new health care reform law so that all women may find the method that works best for them, and to help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. PPSEV provides reproductive health care to women, men and teens across Hampton Roads. For more information, call (757) 499-7526 or visit www.ppsev.org.

Beazley Foundation Donates $1 Million to Cancer Center
Beazley Foundation recently donated $1 million to Eastern Virginia Medical School’s new cancer research center, which will be named in honor of long-time foundation board member Leroy T. Canoles, Jr. The center will be housed in the medical education and research building under construction on the EVMS campus, and its program will build on the medical school’s work toward developing new cancer diagnostics, identifying biomarkers that indicate certain cancers and enhancing the understanding of other forms of the disease.

Surgical Weight Loss Center Recognized for Quality
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has re-accredited the Bon Secours Surgical Weight Loss Center at Maryview as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. In addition, Dr. Gregory F. Adams, a general surgeon with Tidewater Surgical Specialists, has achieved Center of Excellence designation by ASMBS. The honor recognizes surgeons and surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Lee Joins Konikoff Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
James Lee, D.D.S., has joined the Norfolk offices of Konikoff Family & Cosmetic Dentistry. Lee completed a residency in advanced education in general dentistry at the University of Florida after receiving his doctorate in dental surgery from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Lee joins Dr. Stephen Konikoff, Dr. Alisa Smith-Kayal and Dr. Raymond Epstein in the practice.

Maryview Sleep Lab Earns Accreditation
Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center’s Sleep Lab has earned a five-year accreditation by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). The Standards for Accreditation ensure that sleep medicine centers display and maintain proficiency in areas such as testing procedures and policies, patient safety and follow-up, and physician and staff training.

Jennifer Boynton-Smith Receives Fellowship Award
Jennifer Boynton-Smith, administrative director of Neurosciences Service for Bon Secours Hampton Roads, recently became a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for health care leaders. Boynton-Smith has been with Bon Secours and Maryview Medical Center since 1979.

VCU’s Nursing School Receives Grant for Breast Cancer Research
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research to study epigenetics and psychoneurologic symptoms in women with breast cancer. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in the sequence of DNA, and psychoneurological refers to a cluster of symptoms that many women with breast cancer experience during treatment, and some women, into survivorship. This grant is the largest to date for the nursing school.

Panel Discussion on Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness-Central Virginia Chapter (NAMI-CVA) will meet Thurs., November 11, at 7 p.m., at the Weinstein JCC, 5403 Monument Ave (located one block east of St. Mary’s Hospital). This meeting is free and open to the public. For further information, call (804) 285-1749.

Virginia Women’s Center Improves Technology for Patients
Virginia Women’s Center, recognized in 2009 for implementation and use of el ectronic health records, recently completed work on a new secure patient portal. The portal allows patients to make online appointments, pay bills, view electronic health records, receive prompt notification of lab and test results, and contact members of the center’s team with routine questions and requests for prescription refills.

Retchin Named Vice Chair of National Health Care Workforce Commission
Dr. Sheldon Retchin, CEO of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and vice president of Health Sciences at VCU, has been named vice chair of the National Health Care Workforce Commission. Retchin is one of 15 members appointed to the commission, which serves as a national resource for Congress, the president and the states regarding the nation’s health care workforce. Retchin is a national expert on health policy and health care delivery and has special expertise regarding the Medicare program.

Colonial Heritage Athletic Club Plans “Holiday Health & Wellness Expo”
Colonial Heritage Athletic Club will host its 5th Annual Health Fair with this year’s theme focusing on health during the holidays. The event, which is open to the public, will be held December 1 at the Colonial Heritage Clubhouse from 3 to 6 p.m.

New Aesthetician at The Skin Clinic
The Skin Clinic, Inc., welcomes licensed master aesthetician Kaoru (Kay) Holliday. Holliday graduated with high honors from American Spirit Institute in 2008 and specializes in non-invasive skin care treatments, spray tanning and hair removal.

J. Clifton Tinsley Joins Visiting Physicians Association
Dr. J. Clifton Tinsley recently joined the Williamsburg office of Visiting Physicians Association. Tinsley comes to VPA from Denbigh Family Practice in Newport News. The Williamsburg office covers the greater Peninsula and Tidewater areas, including Williamsburg, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Chesapeake.

Sentara eCare Now at All Sentara Hampton Roads Hospitals
Sentara Obici Hospital recently completed the implementation of Sentara eCare, an electronic medical record system that helps caregivers provide timely, safe and efficient patient care. In addition, the hospital has upgraded all its technology systems to fully complete its integration. Sentara eCare allows for secure sharing of patient information across physical boundaries including hospitals, physician offices, diagnostic centers and patients’ homes.

Chick-fil-A Sponsors Christmas Town Dash
The Christmas Town Dash, presented by Chick-fil-A, will take place at Busch Gardens Williamsburg beginning at 8:30 a.m. on December 5. The event will feature an 8K as well as a “Running of the Chick-fil-A Cows” family fun run. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to Toys 4 Tots. Register online at visit www.christmastowndash.com/.

HealthGrades Ranks Bon Secours Among Top in Nation
Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital has earned HealthGrades’ Orthopedic Surgery, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery Excellence Awards for 2011. HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent ratings organization, ranked the hospital among the top five percent in the nation for spine surgery, second in the state for spine surgery, and third in the state for both overall orthopedic services and joint replacement.

Kohl’s Makes Donation to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
Kohl’s Department Store has donated more than $100,000 to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. The check was presented to the hospital last month as part of the Kohl’s Cares Family Forum, a program that sponsors free presentations on parenting, education and children’s health.

Dalton Named Administrative Director of Orthopaedic Services for Bon Secours
Bon Secours Virginia Health System announces the promotion of Eric Dalton to administrative director of Orthopaedic Services for Bon Secours Hampton Roads. Dalton joined Bon Secours as administrative resident after earning a master’s degree in health care administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.