One Patient s Heart-felt Story of Satisfaction

health heart summer/fall 2008 Patients Are Our Purpose One Patient s Heart-felt Story of Satisfaction Is Weight-Loss Surgery Your Path to Better Health? Guardian Medical Transport Is Ready When Emergencies Strike FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 1 8/15/08 2:43:46 PM

Changed Lives: In Their Own Words Here s a look at how the quality, compassionate care delivered each day by the team at Flagstaff Medical Center benefits patients in need. Below are letters sent to FMC, in the words of the patients themselves. This is a quick letter of appreciation to make you aware of one of your hospital s nurses who made my recent hospital experience pleasant. I had to have my first MRI, and I was very nervous. The Radiology nurse was the nicest, sweetest nurse I have ever met. I sincerely wish more nurses were this kind; it would be a great blessing to people who are suffering. Flagstaff, Ariz. I wanted to take a moment and say THANK YOU for the many employees and volunteers of FMC who had an impact in my father s life during the last two weeks. Earlier this year, my dad and step mom were traveling from Arkansas to visit family in Phoenix and Tucson. They had stopped for gas when my dad had a stroke. He was taken to FMC for care. From that day until he was flown home, the staff and volunteers of your facility were wonderful and key to the beginning of his recovery. I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to you and the employees and volunteers of FMC. They are truly a unique group of folks. Tucson, Ariz. Our baby girl was admitted to FMC with a kidney infection. The staff provided us with great personal attention they were knowledgeable, communicated well, were always available, and were kind and generous with food, toys, time and their patience. We were visiting Arizona and felt complete trust in the Pediatric staff while being so far away from our normal practitioners. Irving, Calif. This letter is to commend the staff at FMC for outstanding service. My husband was in a serious ATV crash several months ago. He was subsequently taken to surgery for various life-threatening injuries. It was a very long night, but with the expertise of the surgeons and nursing staff, he survived. I cannot say enough praise about the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and physical therapists. The staff treated him as a person, not just another patient. They were also concerned for the family s well-being and shared various coping mechanisms with us. I am still impressed by their compassion, positive attitudes and overall level of care. There are people who I met during this very difficult time in my life that I will never forget. Glendale, Ariz. Flagstaff Medical Center Board of Directors William Austin, M.D. Chris Bavasi, Vice-Chair William T. Bradel, President, Flagstaff Medical Center Mark Chapman, M.D., Medical Staff Representative Gary Christensen, M.D. James Dorman Wayne R. Fox L. George Hershey, D.O. Bill Jeffers J. Thomas Montfort, D.D.S. Robert M. Montoya, Chair Steve Peru, Secretary/Treasurer James A. Puffenberger, President/CEO, Northern Arizona Healthcare Daniel L. Shaw, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., Medical Staff President Guadalupe E. Woodson, R.N., M.S., F.N.P. 2 FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 2 8/15/08 2:43:51 PM

FMC Board Chairman Bob Montoya knows firsthand about the excellence of care delivered at Flagstaff Medical Center he and all of his siblings were born at FMC! Pride in His Hospital When Bob Montoya walks into Flagstaff Medical Center, he feels a sense of personal pride. For Montoya, FMC is not just a hospital it is his hospital. This feeling of pride and ownership is due in part to the fact that Montoya and his siblings were all born at FMC. His family physician, Gilbert Sechrist, M.D., is a member of the Sechrist family who founded the hospital in 1936. I am a life-long Flagstaff resident, and FMC has been there to care for my family in birth, in healing and in death, Montoya said. That s why I am passionate about serving on the FMC Board of Directors. It is important for me to give something back to FMC and ultimately, to the community. Montoya has served on FMC s Board of Directors since 1999. Currently, Montoya is the chairman of the board and serves on the finance committee. He also is on the Board of Directors for Northern Arizona Healthcare, FMC s parent organization. As the owner of Sun Mountain Real Estate and Development, Montoya s expertise includes financial analysis, strategic planning, construction and development, and team building. FMC s 13-member Board of Directors is a volunteer board comprised of community representatives from a vast array of professional and personal affiliations. The board helps set the vision and direction for the notfor-profit FMC, and works with physicians, management and staff to ensure FMC is providing the best healthcare to the visitors and residents of Northern Arizona. FMC s Board of Directors is passionate about the health of our community, Montoya said. As board members, our goal is to represent the community s interest and to offer our insight and expertise to ensure FMC is successful in meeting the healthcare needs of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona there is no need to go to Phoenix for the latest in technology and the best healthcare, when we have it right here in Flagstaff. Here for Northern and Central Arizona Founded in 1993, Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) is the parent corporation of Flagstaff Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center - Sedona Campus and Northern Arizona Homecare, and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. NAH is dedicated to providing highquality, cost-effective healthcare to the visitors and residents of Northern and Central Arizona. As the largest healthcare organization in Northern Arizona serving approximately one half of the state, NAH employs approximately 2,800 healthcare professionals. NAH facilities are all not-for-profit and have more than 150,000 patient visits each year. 3 FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 3 8/15/08 2:43:57 PM

Happy to Have Her Good Heart Back Cornville resident Alice Goodhart is no stranger to heart procedures. Her husband has had nine stents, a pacemaker implant and an aortic valve replacement. Even though Alice was feeling great, her husband s history and the recent heart disease diagnoses of two female friends prompted Alice to see her physician to make sure her heart was healthy. She was shocked to find out she had coronary artery blockages in her heart and she needed surgery. Samuel Butman, M.D., Goodhart s cardiologist at Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC), referred her to FMC s open heart surgeon, Steven Peterson, M.D. My husband and I met with Dr. Peterson, and he completely put us at ease, Goodhart said. He explained the bypass procedure and how he would be able to perform the surgery while my heart was still beating. Dr. Peterson performed a double bypass, restoring blood flow to Goodhart s heart. I was up and walking the very next day, and was home in three days, Goodhart said. I hardly had any pain, and my scars are barely visible. Living in Cornville, I am delighted I can still wear the same hotweather apparel I love. Working with physicians at both VVMC and FMC was like working with one major unit that spreads its arms out and gives you a big hug. The new technologies FMC uses for open heart surgery are wonderful. Dr. Peterson and the open heart team gave me back my good heart so I have many more years to share with my family and friends. 4 Alice Goodhart, a Cornville resident, is thankful to the team at Flagstaff Medical Center for the care that saved her heart. Alice is pictured here with her husband. FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 4 8/15/08 2:44:01 PM

Working Together to Benefit Patients Northern Arizona resident Russell Wagner had no way of knowing his back pain would mark the beginning of a collaborative effort between cardiovascular surgeons at Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) and Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) to provide care to patients throughout Central and Northern Arizona. Wagner, 65, needed surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Cardiovascular surgeons Steven Peterson, M.D., FMC, and John Schor, M.D., VVMC, worked together in a VVMC operating room to treat Wagner s aneurysm. The physician collaboration on this case marks the beginning of a regional approach to caring for cardiovascular surgical patients. While we are both cardiovascular surgeons, we each have a different primary focus right now, Dr. Schor said. Dr. Peterson primarily performs heart surgery, and my primary focus is vascular work, including abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. Mr. Wagner s case presented a good opportunity for us to work together because he not only had an aneurysm, but also severe coronary artery disease. After Dr. Peterson coordinated Wagner s care for his coronary artery disease, which included cardiac bypass surgery and a follow-up cardiac catheterization by VVMC interventional cardiologist Samuel Butman, M.D., Wagner was ready for surgery to repair his aortic aneurysm. By inserting catheters through two one-inch incisions in the groin and guiding a tiny fabric and metal tube through the blood vessels to the site of the aneurysm, Dr. Schor was able to repair Wagner s weakened artery. Dr. Peterson assisted in the procedure. When physicians work closely together, patients benefit, Dr. Peterson said. A collaborative effort between FMC and VVMC ensures cardiovascular patients in Central and Northern receive the best care. World-Class Physicians Dr. Peterson has performed more than 4,000 cardiovascular surgeries. Prior to joining FMC in 2006, he worked as a cardiovascular surgeon and served as the chairman of the Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Department at the Deaconess Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont. Prior to joining VVMC in 2006, John Schor, M.D., practiced cardiovascular surgery in Miami, Fla. During his 12 years of practice in Miami, he was a voluntary professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Miami and helped train more than 20 cardiovascular surgeons. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are not as commonly known as other life-threatening medical conditions, but physicians diagnose approximately 200,000 people with AAA annually in the U.S., and 15,000 people die as a result of this silent killer. John Schor, M.D., at Verde Valley Medical Center, explains a diagnosis to a patient. Steven Peterson, M.D., at Flagstaff Medical Center, talks about options for cardiovascular care. Interventional Cardiologist joins Northern Arizona Healthcare Eric D. Cohen, M.D., interventional cardiologist Eric D. Cohen, M.D., interventional cardiologist, recently joined Northern Arizona Healthcare. NAH is the largest healthcare system in Central and Northern Arizona, and is the parent company of Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center. Dr. Cohen cares for cardiovascular patients at both FMC and VVMC. Dr. Cohen s expertise includes peripheral vascular disease intervention, aortic and endovascular stent grafts, limb salvage procedures, carotid stents for stroke prevention and cardiac catheterizations. Dr. Cohen is a published author of numerous medical articles, case reports and reviews. He is heavily involved with research and will be bringing that interest to Northern and Central Arizona. He has lectured across the U.S. and internationally regarding medical technology and serves as a consultant for multiple companies specializing in interventional device equipment. For more information on the exceptional heart and vascular services at FMC, visit FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com. FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 5 8/15/08 2:44:04 PM

Weight-Loss Surgery for Better Health Type 2 diabetes was having a negative effect on the way Michael Smith lived his life. After extensive research, Smith decided bariatric, or weight-loss surgery, was the best way to ensure his well-being. Joseph City resident Smith, 54, had not been obese his entire life. His 6-foot, 4-inch frame was fit during his 28 years in the Navy. But after retiring to a civilian life, teaching school and a love of cooking, combined with less physical activity, pushed his weight to 342 pounds. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2004, Smith was forced to work part-time to manage his health while making regular visits to his physicians in Flagstaff. I did not like the control Type 2 diabetes had over my life, Smith said. I heard about bariatric surgery, found the Flagstaff Medical Center Web site and information links, researched the procedure online and contacted my insurance company ready to do whatever I could to get my life back. Taking Action The more Smith researched, the more he felt the procedure was for him. He met the criteria for surgery 100 pounds or more overweight with additional health concerns. The final step was receiving a psychological evaluation to determine whether or not he could mentally support the profound changes that would occur following surgery, as well as the lifelong responsibility of maintaining better eating habits and regular exercise. For those considering bariatric surgery, don t get discouraged. Research the procedure and rely on the support at FMC to help you make the right decision, said Joshua Clark, M.D., family practitioner and bariatrician at FMC. The biggest post-surgical achievements for many are the immediate improvement in blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Watch Health at Heart for updates on Smith s weight loss. To attend a free information session about FMC s Bariatric Surgery program held the second Tuesday of every month, call 928 214-3737. When his health began to interfere with his quality of living, Michael Smith, a Joseph City resident, turned to the team at Flagstaff Medical Center for advice about weight-loss surgery. Supporting Your Decision The choice to have surgery to alleviate health-related conditions through dramatic weight reduction is a personal one, but you do not have to make the decision alone. Joshua Clark, M.D., family practitioner and bariatrician at Flagstaff Medical Center, adds another dimension of care to the Bariatric Surgery and Weight-Loss program, helping to ensure every patient is educated and prepared for surgery. Coupled with our surgical expertise, the education side of our Bariatric Surgery program psychological evaluation and support, counseling on diet and exercise and supervised medical weight loss has made bariatric surgery at FMC a success for many of our patients, Dr. Clark said. For the right candidates, bariatric surgery has the power to change lives in ways people could not have imagined. For comprehensive information on what to expect and what to consider with bariatric surgery, visit FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com and choose the Bariatric Surgery Program link. 6 FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 6 8/15/08 2:44:09 PM

Exceptional Care in Emergency Situations When emergencies happen, FMC s Guardian Medical Transport provides fast, quality care delivered by trained professionals. On March 16, blizzard conditions struck in Northern Arizona, and many drivers on I-40 were caught in the midst of a 170-car pile-up. Fortunately, the seasoned professionals and leading-edge equipment of Guardian Medical Transport, a division of Flagstaff Medical Center, stepped in to save lives. While the accident resulted in a 20-mile stretch of I-40 westbound near Flagstaff being closed for almost 15 hours, members of many local emergency response crews, including Guardian Medical Transport, went to work assisting accident victims. Overall, FMC treated 53 patients, 10 of whom had to be admitted to the hospital. This was a traumatic situation for the people involved in the accident, said Mark Venuti, director of Guardian Medical Transport. In situations such as these, intense training and extensive knowledge of our disaster plans prepare us to respond quickly and appropriately. We had people working at the scene, in the ambulances and at the hospital to be sure patients were receiving the best care. At the end of the day, our expertise saved lives. Help on the Ground Guardian Medical Transport covers more than 6,000 square miles of Northern Arizona and averages as many as 14,000 calls every year. The prolific care provider includes a fleet of 13 ambulances, all equipped with the four-wheel drive capabilities needed in snowy conditions. These capabilities also are important when paramedics are working to access patients in hard-to-reach areas. Equipped with advanced life support technology and electrocardiograms that can identify heart attacks, Guardian Medical Transport provides patients with a level of care usually reserved for the emergency room. It is because of Guardian Medical Transport s commitment to this high level of care that it is the only medical transport group in Northern Arizona approved by the state to participate in a Medication Assisted Intubation pilot program, a procedure, which assists patients with breathing problems. The way our system is designed provides the quickest, highest level of care possible to a person outside the hospital setting, Venuti said. Thanks to our training and our equipment, patients are in good hands. For more information about Guardian Medical Transport, visit FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com, and search for keywords Guardian Medical Transport. An Asset to the Community Beyond providing lifesaving services to local residents and visitors in emergencies or accidents, Guardian Medical Transport is working to educate and assist the community through events and collaboration with other agencies, including: American Cancer Society American Heart Association Coconino County SAFE KIDS Coalition Community CPR Day Health career presentations Presentations to local high school students Stand-by care at local school and non-profit events Health fairs 7 FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 7 8/15/08 2:44:13 PM

n hen it gets hard on Thank You For Your Support lausing h James Taylor h Patrick Graham Michael MacDonald h Raymond Zest hen you carry too much on hen it hurts On behalf of Flagstaff Medical Center and the families of our fallen colleagues, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the community for its incredible outpouring of support during the medical air transport tragedy in Flagstaff. The community support we have witnessed is heartwarming and is a testimony of the close and caring communities we have in Northern Arizona. The events of June 29 resulted in the loss of seven precious lives. Providing honor to our fallen heroes and hope for the future, many have generously extended a financial hand through donations to the Medical Air Transport Memorial Fund to provide financial assistance to the victims families. Gifts in memory of our Guardian Air and Classic Lifeguard family and friends are making a difference. Thank you Northern Arizona friends and neighbors for your generosity. Sincerely, a tribute to Heroes and Friends hen it s impossible Richard Smith Vice President Development FMC Foundation e Patrick Joseph Graham 957 June 29, 2008 tt, 12 years old If you would like to make a donation to the Medical Air Transport Memorial Fund, contact the FMC Foundation at 928 773-2093, by mail at FMC Foundation, 1200 N. Beaver St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001 or donate online at FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com. Classic Lifeguard II c Guardian Air Angel 1 Final Flight June 29, 2008 Patients Are Our Purpose This publication in no way seeks to serve as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Health at Heart is published by Flagstaff Medical Center. Copyright 2008. FMC is dedicated to improving the health of the people and communities we serve. produced by 800 624-7496 We want your feedback! Feel free to contact Janet Dean, FMC director of Marketing/Public Relations, at 928 773-2081 or via e-mail at janet.dean@nahealth.com. You also can fax comments or questions to 928 773-2395, or send correspondence to: Flagstaff Medical Center, Marketing/Public Relations Department, 1200 N. Beaver Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. FAMC_S08_H96214_10.indd 8 8/15/08 2:44:17 PM