More Than Medicine

The memorial service

2009-07-06T15:10:00.004-04:00

On June 24 more than 70 attended a memorial service for two employees: Wendy Ryan, who passed away on May 28, and Toni Long who passed away on May 30. Each died suddenly, and their colleagues at Community General Hospital were shocked and saddened at the double loss.

Wendy Ryan was a registered nurse on the orthopedic floor, a part of the Community family for 26 years. Toni served as a respiratory therapist for 33 years -- she was also a respiratory clinical instructor at Onondaga Community College for 18 years.

At the memorial service, fellow nurses and family members read scriptures and paused to remember and celebrate their lives spent helping others. The service was conducted by the Rev. James Carey, who has long been associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese chaplaincy program at Community General.

Douglas Smith of the Food Service Department wrote a poem to honor the memory of Toni Long. Doug asked me to read his poem in memory of both employees at the service.

She gave
Until she had nothing
Left to give.
Sharing her own;
To give knowledge and life.
Now in a better
Place.

- Douglas P. Smith
June 9 2009

200th robot-assisted surgery

2009-06-20T09:01:00.007-04:00

At 7:45 a.m. on June 1 Myron Luthringer, MD, performed the 200th robot-assisted surgery at Community General Hospital.

This makes Community's robot surgery program the fastest growing -- and the largest -- in Syracuse NY.

This new surgery has been developed safely and effectively, thanks to the surgeons and the robot team. Community's director of robot-assisted surgery is Po Lam, MD. He has performed the most cases to date, followed by Dr. Luthringer. Jennifer Marsiale, MD (in the photo), and Andres Madissoo, MD, have also been credentialed for this type of surgery, and other surgeons are in the process of becoming so.

Congratulations to Community's surgeons and the robot team.

Today's photo on the blog

2009-06-06T07:56:00.015-04:00

Part of the fun is the banter.

I bantered a lot yesterday on the first hole at the Shenendoah Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort during the 25th annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament of the Community General Foundation. It turned out to be the Foundation's most successful tourney ever, netting some $110,000.

That makes it one of the top charity golf events -- if not the top -- in Central New York. And in this tough economic environment, that's saying something.

The tourney's success comes from great supporters of Community General Hospital -- the doctors, the businesses, and the individuals. It comes from a great Foundation Board, chaired by Scott Matukas; from great team participants and professional golfers; and from a great staff lead by Community's John Zacharek, Vice President - External Affairs.

Each foursome was paired with a Central New York PGA member. That means the amateurs played alongside pros with the interplay adding real value for the players during their five or six hours on an excellent course.

So there I was at the first hole, thanking all the players, making sure they got a gift memento of the day, and watching as team photos were taken. The picture-taking, as you may imagine, generated a fair amount of good-natured ribbing. Some exaggerated their golf accomplishments, some teased about shots-gone-horribly-wrong, and a few playfully lied about their names to Dan Cameron, who was snapping the pictures.

When David Northrup of Team Merrill Lynch challenged me to put the photo in Community's main lobby, I told him I wouldn't promise the lobby but he shouldn't be surprised to find the team on the web Saturday morning.

That's David, on the left, with his teammates Frank Pfau, Richard Neal, and John Redmond. They finished 10 under par in best-ball competition. In the center is PGA member Rob Phelps of the Onondaga Golf & Country Club. At two under, he tied for second place among PGA players yesterday afternoon.

The CNY PGA site has results of the morning flight for amateurs and pros, as well as the afternoon amateur and pro scores.

Thank you, everyone, for supporting a great cause on a great day.

Testing surge capacity

2009-06-03T16:31:00.013-04:00

Community General Hospital tested its emergency preparedness this week when 20 “accident victims” showed up in the emergency department for a first-of-the-kind state exercise.

"Victims" arriving at Community General Hospital

The Exercise Plan (ExPlan) tests a hospital's surge capacity (at least 20% above typical emergency patient volume).

The ExPlan will be required for New York State hospitals in 2010, and Community was the first hospital to test the exercise for the Department of Health (DOH).

A "mass casualty" victim entering the ED

That screaming in our ED came from some of the high school students who played "victims" of a mass casualty event, complete with moulage (makeup simulating wounds). Exercising their vocal chords was part of the verisimilitude.

The training scenario, developed by the State Department of Health, activates a hospital's incident command system, allowing the hospital to practice its its ability to triage victims, to treat them, and to prepare the entire hospital, including surgery, for the influx.

Triaging a "victim"

It was a learning experience for all of us, and we certainly appreciate the help of the DOH in developing the significant resources needed to prepare, conduct, and evaluate this exercise.

Community's incident command center

And now, thanks for our sponsors

2009-05-30T05:44:00.018-04:00

My thanks to the sponsors of the 25th annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament of the Community General Foundation:

IBEW NECA Local #43 , Presenting Sponsor
Pepsi, Silver Anniversary Sponsor
Welch Allyn, Cart Sponsor
Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, Reception Sponsor
Crouse Radiology, Pro Sponsor

We couldn't do it without these sponsors.

The tourney will be Friday, June 5, at the Shenendoah Golf Club at the renowned Turning Stone Resort.
The tournament features two rounds of golf -- one in the morning, another in the afternoon. In the evening, the reception will be at the beautiful Shenendoah Clubhouse (shown below) with prizes awarded.

Each foursome plays a round of golf with a Central New York golf professional. The pro's are competing for a PGA prize. There are a handful of openings left.

Thank you, sponsors!

2009-05-14T04:24:00.008-04:00

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll stopped at Community General one day this month to say thanks to employees for their work with patients.

During National Hospital Week, Community recognized all its 1,150 employees with free meals, free cardiac risk screens, and free “green” grocery tote bags. Both Joanie Mahoney and Matt Driscoll told employees how much they appreciate the hospital and how how hospital staff has treated their family members with professionalism and courtesy. Many employees thanked the elected officials for their service to the community, as well.

New York State Assembly members Joan Christensen, Bill Magnarelli, and Al Stirpe, who were unable to attend, each sent letters acknowledging Community’s workers.

Here are photos of our special day -- that's the County Executive with Health Office employees and the Mayor with Food Service staff.

The cover of MD News

2009-05-09T07:56:00.008-04:00

It's great to see Dr. Myron Luthringer featured on the cover of MD News, Central New York Edition, for his work with the daVinci surgical robot.

Some 8% of the nation's hospitals have daVinci robots, and it takes skilled surgeons and an excellent robot team to safely and successfully begin using robot technology in the operating room.

Community General is fortunate to have Dr. Po Lam as Medical Director of Robotic Surgery and Dr. Luthringer as the first gynecologist credentialied for robotics at Community. Dr. Luthringer has offices in Syracuse and Auburn, NY.

From the Flora Bernice Smith Foundation

2009-05-09T07:31:00.000-04:00

On behalf of our patients, I want to express our sincere appreciation to the Flora Bernice Smith Foundation for its donation of $17,000 to the Community General Foundation.

The grant helped purchase the new Hologic bone densitometer for the Wellspring Center at Community General Hospital.

Wellspring provides mammography services, including stereotactic biopsy. Wellspring also tests for osteoporosis -- thus, the new bone densitometer.

Over the years the Flora Bernice Smith Foundation has donated more than $147,000 to benefits patients at Community General. We are sincerely grateful for the donations that honor the memory of Mrs. Smith.

In the photo with me (and the ceremonial check) is Foundation trustee John E. Morrissey Jr., a past member of the Community General Board.

Our orthopedic growth

2009-05-06T16:06:00.014-04:00

Today, I announced the start of construction on a new sixth-floor Center for Orthopedics, funded with $7.6 million from a New York State HEAL grant. The funds come from New York State, as a result of our voluntary compliance with the recommendations of the Berger Commission (Commission on Healthcare Facilities in the 21st Century).

The construction project will generate up to 150 jobs this year, and the finished center will help us respond to the growth in our orthopedics service. See the story in today's Post-Standard.

From 2005 to 2008, our orthopedic inpatient cases have grown by over 50%. Here are the numbers of inpatients, discharged from Community General Hospital over that period [1]:

2005- 1,236
2006 -1,346
2007 -1,777
2008 -1,882

Last year our hospital served orthopedic patients from 19 counties and from out-of-state as well.
As a result of our patient growth, the orthopedic patient care unit moved from 4 West to a larger 4 North three years ago. Next year it will relocate to the brand new Center for Orthopedics on both Six East & West.

The new Center will have:

▪ 36 private rooms that can flex up to 40 patients at high census.
▪ Decentralized nursing stations in three pods.
▪ All new spacious patient rooms with state-of-the-art beds that help prevent falls and facilitate skin care.
▪ An expanded physical therapy area.
▪ Modern electronics for electronic medical records (EMR), Computer Provider Order Entry (CPOE), and wireless service.
▪ A nurse call system with wireless phones to reduce ambient noise and connect patients directly with nurses.
▪ Design by King & King Architects, the same team that designed our award-winning Jim and DeDe Walsh Family Birth Center.

The rending shows a patient room in the new facility. Hueber-Breuer Construction is managing the build-out.

Many thanks go to the operating room orthopedic staff nurses for helping establish our excellent reputation. They are backed by great therapy and support teams.

And my special acknowledgment goes to our orthopedic surgeons whose skill and trust in our hospital and staff have helped build our growing regional reputation for outstanding care:

Spine Care
Thomas R. Haher, MD
Warren Wulff, MD
Richard Zogby, M.D.

Sports, General Orthopedic Services, &Joint Replacement
Todd C. Battaglia, MD
John J. Cambareri, MD
C. Perry Cooke III, MD
P. James Newman, MD
Joseph A. Smith, MD (past department chair, not currently in practice)

Hand & Upper Extremity
John F. Fatti, MD
Walter H. Short, MD
Joint Care & Surgery
Stephen P. Bogosian, MD (department chair)
Michael T. Clarke, MD
Michael Vella, MD

Foot & Ankle
Frederick R. Lemley, M.D.

[1] Sources of data: HANYS Market Expert, 2005-2007; Hospital financial services, 2009

For nurses

2009-05-06T05:40:00.006-04:00

I couldn't do my job without nurses.

A hospital does not exist, except for nurses.

Nurses have the privilege of intimacy with patients and their families. They are with our patients 24/7...in the difficult times, through pain and fear, in joy and recovery.

Today Community General Hospital celebrates Nurses’ Day, a daylong event that includes receptions for nurses on each shift, starting in a few minutes.

From all of us who work at your side and who support you behind the scenes, thank you, nurses.

Swine flu?

2009-04-25T08:32:00.013-04:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its instructions for the public, for health professionals, and for laboratories regarding the swine influenza A virus (H1N1) that has been identified in Mexico and in parts of Texas and California.

There is a story in today's New York Times about the possible swine flu infection of students at a school in Queens, NY. Some students were reportedly in Mexico recently.

Now is the time to remind ourselves about lessons learned from the SARS outbreak in 2003 -- just in case the N1H1 virus turns out to be highly contagious and an international threat.

On March 7, 2003, different SARS patients reported within hours of one another to different hospitals in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. According to the subsequent report by a Canadian Commission, the health care personnel responded differently in each city. As I have written before:

Because the Vancouver hospital followed strict precautions, there was no SARS epidemic in British Columbia. In Toronto precautions were inconsistently used. As a result, 44 people died in Ontario and 375 became sick with SARS. 'Of the…people who contracted SARS in Ontario,' says the [Commission's] report, '72 percent were infected in a health care setting….[and] 45 percent were health care workers.' In Vancouver only one health care worker contracted SARS.

If standard precautions are not used consistently by health care workers, we put ourselves at risk. Worse, we become part of the chain of infection for others.

With a new strain of swine flu in the news, it seems a good time for all of us in health care to remind ourselves about the importance of following standard precautions 100% of the time.

From the heart

2009-04-24T05:59:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I wrote about members of the Community General family who participated in the 2009 Heart Walk. They raised more than $2,500 in support of the American Heart Association. Thank you!

You make us better

2009-04-24T05:54:00.003-04:00

For National Volunteer Week we thank and honor the 475 volunteers at Community General Hospital. That, I believe, is the largest team of volunteers at any hospital in Syracuse.

Last year Community's volunteers donated 55,000 hours of service for the patients of our community. They truly are "People in Action."

Thank you, earthlings

2009-04-22T18:00:00.002-04:00

On Earth Day, a team of Community General employees celebrated by helping to clean the hospital’s 42-acre campus after the winter months. There were 30 large trash bags filled with with junk, including everything from car mats to dentures. All items were properly disposed of. Four members of the clean-up crew were awarded raffle prizes, which included gift certificates to local restaurants. Thank you, earthlings!

Doug Smith has something to say

2009-04-18T07:50:00.008-04:00

Douglas Smith has worked at Community General Hospital for 12 years. He's part of the team in food services, easily recognizable by his broad smile. Many know Doug by his trademark thumbs-up and his friendly wave with fingers spread wide.

Some may be surprised to learn that this quiet man has just published his second volume of poetry, called Wake Up The Ghosts [1]

Doug's poems show a thoughtful and sensitive observer who cherishes both his solitude and his friendships. Some poems refer to events of ordinary life -- for example, the warmth of a holiday in “Christmas at the Williams’s.” Others are filled with longing. Some, such as "Bad Brunch," use wry humor:

"If only"
Is a bitter dish to swallow
That leaves an empty hollow
In a hunger that won't end.

"What if"
Is a side dish served cold
With a spoon to add to the
Sour after taste when chewing
On the meal you have cooked
For yourself...

Both Ghosts and Doug's earlier book, The Window at the Top of the Door [2] are available on Amazon.com.

Doug writes about the difficulties and importance of communicating. "In a Cold Rain” (from Ghosts), a reflection on the death of his grandfather, he considers the meaning of silence:

I have found that silence is
The most and the least you
Can say to show respect

In one poem from Ghosts, the poet tries desperately and unsuccessfully to communicate:

"Wake up the ghosts!”
I scream silently with
A smile toward the cobwebs
No one else seems to see.
“Wake up the ghosts!”

After getting no response from the ghosts, “I pleaded," says the poet, "in a voice no one can hear.”

For Doug, the poet is an observer. He explains that "…life is lived and enjoyed through/ the Eyes of the Beholder." But the observer does not necessarily say what he sees. Doug writes in Window:

My tongue never follows
The path I see with my eyes,
Leaving me to speak softly
In wishing sake.

If the poet does not always say what he sees, he is sometimes frustrated when others don't listen. “I rage," he writes, "in a voice no one seems to hear” (“The You I Never Met?”).

Doug's voice may be quiet, but his poems speak clearly. We have only to listen.

* * *

[1] (Outskirts Press, Denver CO, 2009, 127 pp.)

[2] (Outskirts Press, Denver CO, 2007, 69 pp.)

Walk this way

2009-04-18T06:54:00.000-04:00

To Community General employees who are participating in today's American Heart Association’s 2009 Heart Walk -- thank you.

Heart disease and stroke are among the top three killers in the country, and we're proud to help the American Heart Association encourage walking exercise to promote heart health.

Check it out

2009-04-17T14:25:00.006-04:00

Here's Community General's new homepage offering streaming video and links to information about hospital services, including orthopedics, the Jim & DeDe Walsh Family Birth Center, and daVinci robot-assisted surgery.

A second chance

2009-04-11T07:13:00.008-04:00

In my job, I don't usually have the opportunity to interact with patients and families with the same degree of intimacy and privilege as caregivers. But some time ago my life was touched by the death of a young woman, by the questions of her grieving husband, and by the response of an OR nurse.

I remembered that young woman this week when I looked out my window to see the "Donate Life" flag in front of the hospital. We are flying the flag during April in honor of organ recipients, who have a second chance at life, and in honor of the donors, whose organs, eyes and tissues give them that chance.
A young woman was pronounced dead in Community General's emergency department, and her husband immediately agreed to organ harvesting. Married just a few years, the young couple had talked about donating their bodies to help others "if something should ever happen.”

After the woman's body was prepared for the operating room, hospital staff worked throughout the night. Surgical teams from other medical centers came and went as various organs and bones were harvested, then carried to other parts of the country.

On a Monday six months later, the widower called and asked to meet with members of the hospital staff who had cared for his wife the day she died. “I want to thank them,” he said, “and I have some unanswered questions, some things I am wondering about.”

I did not know what to make of this request. The man was heartfelt. What did he mean “unanswered questions?”

I arranged for him to attend a small reception at the hospital several weeks later. I invited to the reception those clinical staff who had been involved in the care of his wife and in harvesting the organs.

The reception was scheduled for mid-morning when staff would be taking coffee breaks. I wasn't sure how many caregivers would actually be able to attend -- or how many would have an interest in doing so.

"Hospital people are very busy," I said, beginning an explanation in case only a handful showed up.

Many caregivers came. They greeted the widower, introducing themselves and shaking his hand. “I cared for your wife in the ED,” one said. “I was with your wife in the OR,” said another. They all said, “We're sorry for your loss.”

The man said, “I remember you," and "Thank you so much for all you did.” He thanked everyone for stopping to see him that morning.

One OR nurse was especially prepared. She had done some homework, and she held a small paper with numbers on it. “Let me tell you about some of the people who benefited from your wife's gifts,” she began.

“There was a 15 year-old girl in Virginia with bone cancer. She received your wife's long bones.

"There was a middle-aged man in St. Louis who received her heart. I was in the OR when the harvest team arrived from St. Louis. The team left, and we continued to work on your wife. Hours later there was a phone call to the OR, and it was put on the speaker in the room where we were working. The caller said, ‘The heart is in the patient, and it is beating.’ We all cheered.”

The nurse continued, “I tried to count the number of patients who were helped by your wife's gifts - they received the eyes, the kidneys, the skin, the bones, the heart." She glanced at the paper with numbers. "I counted more than 150 individuals who were helped.

"The harvesting took many hours," she continued. "When it was over, we were all exhausted. We all said a prayer for your wife, right there in the OR.”

"I had no idea,” the widower said. “I had no idea that so many people were helped. Thank you for telling me this. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

* * *
Each us us can prepare for organ donation now "if something should ever happen." For more information, visit Donate Life, a not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and state teams that encourages organ, eye and tissue donations.

[I wrote about this experience in a somewhat different form in an earlier posting.]

For 40 years...

2009-04-04T06:32:00.000-04:00

Last week week (March 27) Community General honored 116 employees for a total 2,065 years of service.

That's Helen Banyas, Operating Room surgical technologist, pictured on my left. Beside her is Dolores "Dee" Doughtry, who recently retired as unit secretary on Two West. Both were honored for 40 years of service. Helping with the celebration was Dr. David Halleran, Medical Staff President, along with some 300 who attended the service recognition dinner.

My thanks and congratulations to all who, working together, provide extraordinary care and service for the patients of our community.

Thank you, Gabriel

2009-04-03T14:43:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Gabriel Briggs, a senior physical therapist for Rehabilitation Services at Community General Hospital, winner of a recent WOW Award for excellent customer service.

Gabriel was nominated by a patient who complimented him for being "totally concerned" with her well being. She also commented on his care and concern for other patients.

If you've seen a member of the Community General family provide outstanding care, please make a nomination for the WOW honor. You can use a form available in the hospital lobby or online.

Who said health care reform?

2009-03-28T10:12:00.011-04:00

Last week a local brewery stopped plant operations briefly to show concern about the proposed increase in New York State's excise tax on beer.

It’s hard to know what taxpayers might think about increasing the beer tax. Most people don’t know about it, and that is probably the point. Hidden taxes are below the radar of taxpayers who otherwise focus on income tax, sales tax, or property tax.

Who knows about hidden taxes on health care? The state has proposed an invisible tax on hospital revenues, something like a sales tax on every dollar a hospital collects. Significantly, this is not a tax on a hospital's "bottom line." Many New York hospitals don't even have a positive bottom line.

The impact of the state's proposed hospital tax, along with the proposed cuts on hospital payments, now appears much worse than it did a few months ago. According to Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), new figures from the Department of Health show Community General Hospital will lose some $2.2 million (far more than the $636,000 loss estimated last December). [1]

The accompanying chart shows the result of hidden taxes and state cuts on all four Syracuse hospitals. Together these hospitals will lose nearly $9 million under the proposed state budget. To see the impact of the budget on any hospital in New York, go to this site.

There are also hidden taxes on health insurance. I was surprised to learn this week just how much they are. The health insurance tax represents the fourth largest source of income for New York State. The following information comes from Excellus, updated as of March 10.

Major sources of NYS taxes, last year
1. Personal income taxes, $36.27 billion
2. Sales and use taxes, $11.301 billion
3. Corporation franchise taxes, $ 4.265 billion
4. Private health coverage taxes, $3.177 billion
5. Petroleum business taxes, $ 1.184 billion

After the proposed increases, health insurance taxes will move to the third largest source of state revenue, at $3.75 billion annually. [2]

Taxes on hospital revenues...increased taxes on health insurance. Did someone say, “health care reform?”

[1] The state’s proposed cuts and taxes will cost Community General about $200 for each patient admitted to the hospital.

[2] Excellus estimated the state’s hidden taxes would add some $400 to the cost of treatment for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer who has a lumpectomy and follow-up cancer care.

Her Whole Life Was Nursing

2009-03-21T10:24:00.008-04:00

Last month I read in The Post-Standard the obituary of Margaret Eklund, who died at age 91. She was the first Director of Nursing at Community General Hospital, having joined the organization in April 1962. One of the original administrative team, Ms. Eklund was employee #0006.

Community opened on January 1, 1963 and Ms. Eklund built its policies, hired its nursing staff, and established a culture of of excellence and caring.

I did not know her, but in the weeks since Ms. Eklund's passing, I have asked some who knew her for their memories. Ms. Eklund set high standards for herself and for all with whom she worked. She was meticulous and demanding, and her starched whites, including cuff links, were legendary.

When Syracuse General Hospital merged with Community in 1964, Ms. Eklund brought the nurses from General into Community's new organization. The transition was "very skillful, very amiable," remembers Charles Calligaris, Community's Associate Administrator (employee #0002).

“Ms. Eklund was a very effective Director of Nursing," Mr. Calligaris recalls. "She supported her staff. The nurses were professional, and they felt good about themselves.”

With General Hospital came its nursing school, and Ms. Eklund also served as Director of Nursing Education until the nursing school transferred to Onondaga Community College in 1968. A student from that era recalls some hijinks -- students going to the hospital roof to let off steam. As she recalls, a bit ruefully, “Ms. Eklund didn’t appreciate any fooling around.”

Ms. Elund’s obituary reads: “She fought lifelong to set the highest standards in healthcare for all and for the elevation of as well as respect for the nursing community.”

Remembers Charles Calligaris: “Her whole life was devoted to nursing.”

Adequate sleep and safe driving

2009-03-19T07:43:00.007-04:00

Yesterday News10Now interviewed Dr. Culebras about sleep disorders and daytime vigilance -- especially driver safety. You can see the story here. Also, see the posting, below.

World Sleep Day

2009-03-11T14:26:00.015-04:00

Dr. Antonio Culebras, a consultant at the Sleep Center at Community General Hospital, is the co-chair of World Sleep Day, March 20. This is the second year Dr. Culabras has co-chaired the event.

A professor of neurology at Upstate Medical University, State University of New York, Dr Culebras is a specialist in stroke and sleep disorders. He is active in the World Neurology Foundation, the American Academy of Neurology, the World Federation of Neurology, and the International Stroke Society.

World Sleep Day is organized as an international event by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to educate the public about the importance of sleep disorders. Click here to see a video of Dr. Culebras.

With specialists in neurology and pulmonology, Community General's fully-accredited Sleep Center is in its 21st year and diagnoses and treats sleep disorders and daytime alertness. The six-bed center is directed by Dr. Robert E. Westlake, Jr., a board-certified pulmonologist and specialist in sleep medicine.

Dr. Goldberg & the Syracuse Healthcare Quality Forum

2009-02-28T09:40:00.021-05:00

April 22 will mark the first time four hospital medical staffs will co-host the Syracuse Healthcare Quality Forum.

For Dr. Fred Goldberg this will be the eighth time he has produced such an educational (and inspirational) panel of national experts in health care quality.

Fred is the VP for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Community General Hospital. When he joined Community in mid-2007, he brought with him a passion for quality improvement – and the idea that Syracuse hospitals should cooperate in educating and motivating ourselves in quality improvement.

Dr. Goldberg previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, where he organized its first quality forum in October 2002. That became an annual tradition in the Utica area. When Fred proposed such a forum here, the medical directors at other hospitals enthusiastically supported the idea. Together they planned the Aprill 22nd event, that is being supported with funds from the medical staffs at Community, Crouse, St. Joseph's, and University hospitals.

The Syracuse Healthcare Quality Forum is free, and registration is on-line. The line-up of quality experts is first rate:

• Tamra E. Merryman, RN, MSN, FACHE, Chief Quality Officer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, will speak on “Transformation of Care at the Bedside.”

• Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD, President, Institute of Medicine. His topic: “Patient Safety and Quality, the Unfinished Agenda.”

• David Nash, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Health Policy Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, will discuss “Leadership for Quality and Safety.”

• James P. Bagian, MD, PE,Human Factors and Patient Safety Expert/Veteran NASA Astronaut. His presentation is entitled, “Getting Stellar Clinical Results: It’s Not Rocket Science.”

The Syracuse Healthcare Quality Forum will be presented from 1:00 – 6:30 p.m., April 22, at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at OnCenter in downtown Syracuse. It is intended for those in the caring professions and for health care leaders.