The E.C.H.O. Foundation's Fourth Annual Fashion Show has been changed due to Hurricane Ike to November 6 at the Silverado 19 IMAX Theater on FM 249. Experience the latest fashion trends by popular area boutiques and stores.

Funds from the fashion show will be designated toward the building of a new Cardiac Cath Lab in the Robert F. Schaper Heart Center at Tomball Regional Medical Center.

Community models include City Councilman Mary Harvey, David Quinn, the Tomball Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist, hospital physicians, employees and many more.

This year's theme is "Picture Perfect" and will showcase fashion styles from Cache, Coldwater Creek Harold Powell, Jos A. Bank, Orvis, Tommy Bahama, Talbots and Dahlia's. Sienna Salon will provide trendy hairstyles and makeup for all models in the show.

The event begins 10:00 a.m. and a pasta buffet lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m. Community models will strut trendy clothing styles on the catwalk at 1:00 p.m. Vendors will also be on hand until 3:00 p.m. to display and sell fabulous items just in time for the holidays.

 "The fashion show is one of three major events per year the foundation holds to raise funds for the hospital," said Marilyn Kinyo, Director of the E.C.H.O. Foundation. "We hope to raise $12,000 from this year's fashion show."

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States," said Dennis Semmler, Executive Vice-President at TRMC. "Raising money to expand the resources in the Robert F. Schaper Heart Center is one more way we can provide superior care to the community."

The Robert F. Schaper Heart Center is poised to utilize specialized resources to treat heart disease-from prevention programs to diagnostics, treatment and a rehabilitation program that prepares heart patients for their journey to better health.

 For tickets and pricing, please call (281) 401-7928.

 East Houston Regional Medical Center (EHRMC), a campus of Bayshore Medical Center continues to be temporarily closed due to water damage caused by Hurricane Ike. All hospital departments, including the Emergency Room will be closed for several additional weeks while remediation crews diligently work on restoring the facility. All support groups and social meetings have been cancelled until further notice.

Patients should contact their physician's office for information about rescheduling any tests or procedures that were scheduled at EHRMC. Patients seeking outpatient services are encouraged to call our main campus, Bayshore Medical Center to schedule appointments at 713-359-1366. Bayshore Medical Center is located at 4000 Spencer Highway in Pasadena. For more information about Bayshore services call 713-359-2000 or visit their website at www.bayshoremedical.com.

Employees of East Houston Regional Medical Center should stay in contact with their department directors and call the Employee Information Line at 713-393-2999, for furtherinformation about work schedules and pay information while the facility is closed.

The staff and physicians of East Houston Regional Medical Center are eager to re-open the facility and continue their commitment to providing compassionate, quality healthcare to the residents of the North Channel Area and surrounding communities.

With electrical power restored to its main health care facility in Houston, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) is attempting to resume normal operations.

Staff should report to duty as scheduled. If you cannot, contact your supervisor or the VA Employee Hotline by calling 1-866-233-0152. You are required to check in with your status, location, and contact information.  Operators are available 24 hours, seven days a week until further notice. All staff must wear their VA identification and have their VA vehicle parking tag to pass through police checkpoints.

The following clinics are closed Monday, September 15, 2008: Beaumont VA Outpatient Clinic; Conroe VA Outpatient Clinic; Galveston VA Outpatient Clinic; Texas City VA Outpatient Clinic; Charles Wilson VA Outpatient Clinic, Lufkin.

Primary care and specialty care appointments are cancelled at the main VA hospital in Houston on Monday, September 15, 2008.

Veterans who need medical advice should call the VA Network Telecare Center Hotline at (713) 794-8985 or toll-free 1-800-639-5137. Registered nurses, pharmacists, and administrative clerks at the VA Network Telecare Center are ready to answer veteran health care questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The VA Network Telecare Center is not for life-threatening emergencies. Veterans with life-threatening emergencies should immediately call 911.

Evacuated veterans with urgent care needs may contact any VA facility across the country by dialing 1-800-507-4571.  This telephone number may also be used by families and friends requiring information about patients from those VA facilities affected the hurricane. Veterans may call with questions such as where to access health care, how to receive their prescription drugs, or any other concerns they may have about their care.  

Visit www.houston.va.gov  for updates, emergency preparedness tips, useful Web sites and telephone numbers, safety suggestions for power outages, and more.   

 Bayshore Medical Center and East Houston Regional Medical Center has been finalized meaning that both hospitals will operate under one hospital license; resulting in one employee group, one blended medical staff and one Board of Trustees. 

The merger of both hospitals was executed to offer the facilities the greatest possible flexibility in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Although the communities of Pasadena and East Houston will not notice many changes with the merger, the hospitals will experience improved efficiencies, reduce overhead and increase referrals between the two campuses.

The most obvious change for both facilities is that they now share two top level Administrative Team members: Jeff Holland, as Chief Executive Officer, and John Armour, as Chief Financial Officer. "Most functions remain the same for both campuses such as our commitment to our respective communities, involvement in community outreach activities including h2u and volunteer services, educational programs, and medical services provided at each site", said Jeff Holland, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer for both facilities. 

Dozens of officials at Bayshore Medical Center and East Houston Regional Medical Center have spent the past several months executing the detailed plan to merge two large hospitals that collectively have a total of 500 beds, over 2,000 employees, and over 186,000 patient encounters each year. The process has involved reviewing financial records, legal contracts, merging bylaws, and developing relationships between the two hospitals. Also, Physician Transition Teams at both hospitals have been deployed and tasked with smooth melding of two medical staffs to further enhance the services of both hospitals. 

"The administrative, medical and management teams at both hospitals are committed to work together to make this as smooth a transition as possible," said Holland. "Merging Bayshore Medical Center with East Houston Regional Medical Center is not only the best way for both hospitals to be more efficient but also to ensure our long-run survival in this dynamic healthcare environment. We are excited to offer our communities with the best healthcare available so close to home on both sides of the Houston Ship Channel", Mr. Holland added.

 Robert Engelbrecht was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device, Dillon Cannon was paralyzed by a sniper's bullet, and David Lewis was partially blinded by a rocket-propelled grenade. These brave individuals are but three of our nation's newest veterans - the men and women who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq (OIF).

Recent combat has demonstrated the nature of modern warfare has changed. More war-wounded are returning with complex, multiple injuries such as amputations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injury, visual impairments, and psychological adjustment problems.

In response to the unique physical and mental health needs of returning combat veterans, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) assembled a team of specialists to ensure smooth transition to VA medical care.

This six-member OEF/OIF Support Team includes Fern Taylor, program coordinator; Toni Brown, LCSW, program manager; Raj Dhamija, R.N., clinical nurse case manager; M. Wade Cooper, LCSW, social worker; Vickie Toliver, transition patient advocate; and Rose Bush, administrative support assistant.

The team provides assistance and support to all OEF/OIF veterans, including walk-in patients as well as direct transfers from Department of Defense (DoD) medical facilities such as Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Once a veteran contacts the MEDVAMC, the team facilitates the enrollment process for the veteran to receive VA health care, ensures he or she is assigned a primary care provider, cuts through red tape and solves problems, and coordinates medical care services and appointments. Upon entering the VA health care system, each OEF/OIF veteran undergoes a 90-minute comprehensive screening for possible war-related conditions.

"Many recently returned veterans have a difficult time verbalizing their symptoms," said Toliver. "This screening is critical to identify, as quickly as possible, any injuries they may have sustained in combat."

Since the actual affects of combat-related injuries may take years to develop, OEF/OIF veterans are allowed five years after separation from the military to apply for VA medical services. Veterans can become "grandfathered" for future access by enrolling with VA during this period. Veterans with service-related injuries or illnesses always have access to VA care for the treatment of their disabilities without any time limit, as do lower-income veterans. Hospital care, outpatient treatment, and nursing home services are all offered at the MEDVAMC.

To date, the OEF/OIF Support Team at the MEDVAMC has assisted more than 5,000 ambulatory and approximately 100 severely injured and seriously ill veterans.

"Even with the extensive benefits returning veterans are eligible and qualified for, our biggest challenge is getting them to enroll with the VA to receive care," said Taylor. "Most are focusing on returning to their families, jobs, and their lives."

The OEF/OIF Support Team proactively meets with local Reserve and National Guard Units before and after deployment to brief about available VA benefits, placing special emphasis on mental health screening and counseling. In addition to making personal home visits and manning information booths at military family days and welcome home events, team members also attend meetings of various community and veterans groups in an attempt to contact eligible veterans who have not yet enrolled for VA care.

"We want each and every veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to know we are here for them," said Brown. "VA services are not only available, but accessible."

 Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD ranked among "Houston's 50 Most Influential Women" by Houston Woman Magazine (HWM). Women considered for this distinction were nominated by readers of HWM.

Each one of the 50 women was chosen because her sphere of influence was deemed "vast and powerful." HWM's selection criteria focused on charismatic "women whose actions or thoughts can change the actions or thoughts of others."

Out of the 5.2 million people in the Houston Metropolitan Statistical area, the significance of this award is phenomenal.

The recognition is well placed in Milazzo. Her influence is far reaching as a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., now in its seventh printing. She is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute ranked as an Inc. Top 100 Education Company in America. She started her business in 1982 with $100 and has grown her company to $16 million.

Milazzo is credited by The New York Times with pioneering the legal nurse consulting profession. Inc. named her to the national Top 10 Entrepreneur list and named her company one of the Top 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. Pitney Bowes recognized Vickie Milazzo Institute as one of the most innovative Small Businesses in America. Milazzo is the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Advancing the Profession and the Stevie(R) Award (business' Oscar(R)) as Mentor of the Year.

August 2008

The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) will be featured in an upcoming educational video produced by The Joint Commission, the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting health care organization. The film focuses on the MEDVAMC's bottom-to-top emphasis on preventing the spread of infections, particularly Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

MRSA is a serious form of a common bacteria that frequently inhabits the skin or nostrils of healthy people. Due to its resistance to antibiotics, MRSA is one of the most rapidly growing and virulent health care associated infections, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is responsible for more than 100,000 U.S. hospitalizations each year.

"We were selected for this film project because the Joint Commission team leader was extremely impressed with our staff's knowledge, attitude, and involvement during their site survey in April," said Thelma Gray-Becknell, R.N., M.S.N., chief nurse executive.

The Joint Commission surveyors expected to see staff and nurses from the Infection Control Department active in the fight against MRSA, but were surprised to find patient support assistants reminding physicians and nurses about hand washing and wearing gowns and gloves, housekeepers leading discussions of data trends, and nursing assistants suggesting product changes to manufacturers.

In addition, the team praised the MEDVAMC for being one of the few hospitals equipped with a computerized system able to integrate all the steps required for surveillance MRSA testing: sample preparation, amplification, and rapid detection.  

Anyone can get a MRSA infection, but the risk is greatest among people treated in hospitals and health care facilities, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers, with weakened immune systems. These health care-associated staph infections include surgical wound infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia.

When MRSA is introduced into a hospital, it tremendously increases the total burden of infection for the patient and increases the risk of death four-fold. These patients have hospital stays lasting two and a half times longer than the average patient.

The VA developed the "MRSA Bundle" as a packaged prevention strategy. These measures include (1) active surveillance cultures (swabbing performed on admission, discharge, and transfer within the hospital); (2) hand hygiene (before and after patient contact); (3) contact precautions (gloves and gowns); and (4) cultural transformation (staff and leadership engagement).

"We are honored by this recognition of our infection control efforts by The Joint Commission," said Edgar L. Tucker, B.A., M.P.H., F.A.C.H.E., Medical Center director. "However, we are extremely proud that our staff members support each other and are focused on our mission to provide the highest quality health care possible to our veterans."

In June 2008, the MEDVAMC achieved re-accreditation in the areas of hospital, long term care, behavioral health care, and home care from The Joint Commission as a result of its demonstrated compliance with the organization's nationally recognized health care standards.

Bayshore Medical Center has been recognized with a five-star rating for clinical excellence in maternity care, based on a study issued by HealthGrades. The HealthGrades Fifth
Annual Report on Women’s Health Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals found that best-performing hospitals had almost 51 percent fewer maternal complications among women who had vaginal births compared to poor-performing hospitals, and 76 percent fewer for women undergoing cesarean section births.

The HealthGrades Maternity Care ratings are based on four quality criteria related to maternity care and neonatal care: volume, vaginal and c-section complications, elective c-section complications and neonatal mortality. All ratings have been adjusted for severity by adjusting the complication and neonatal indicators for the presence of an intermediate level or higher level NICU. Bayshore has been the recipient of the Maternity Care Excellence Award, the Five-Star Rating for Maternity Care and Ranked in the Top 10% Nationally for Maternity Care 5 years in a row (2003-2008//2009).

 “As a recipient of a Five Star Rating for Maternity Care five years in a row, this top ranking by
HealthGrades is a way to differentiate our hospital within our market and to expand our reputation as a center of excellence locally and nationally”, said Jeff Holland, Chief Executive Officer, Bayshore Medical Center. “This ranking was achieved through the hard work of the team at the Women’s Life Center at Bayshore Medical Center. I would like to personally thank them for their contributions and for working towards our goal of excellence in all that we do," he added.

Bayshore Medical Center is a 369-bed acute-care facility that has been serving the needs of
Southeast Harris County for 46 years. Bayshore has been ranked by HealthGrades, a national independent quality ratings company, the Only Houston Area Hospital to be Ranked Among the Top 5 Percent in the Nation 5 Years in a Row, earning the HealthGrades® Distinguished Hospital Award for Overall Clinical Excellence, and the only hospital in Pasadena fully accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers and The Joint Commission.

Residents of The Heritage- DayBreak, Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Comprehensive Nursing now play a Wii; it caters to people with varying levels of physical abilities, and helps with occupational, speech and physical therapy.

 "We are proud to be the first retirement community in the area to utilize the Wii in this way," said Jackie Barnes, Executive Director. "The Wii seems to bring out the competitive and playful child in all of us- staff, residents, and families alike. The therapists working with our residents can employ the Wii to address balance and strength in a creative way that is fun and functional.  It is a great tool to enhance therapy participation and compliance and creates an incentive for boosting endurance."

 Nelda Krug, Independent Living Activity Coordinator at the Heritage, said "The Wii is not only good for fine motor skills (the buttons on hand held remote) but helps with large motor skills as well. The Wii is also a great tool for thinking, keeping score, and taking turns."

 An added bonus is that it fosters an increased resident and staff interaction, and families can play the Wii while including the whole family.  

 "Using the Wii system is a wonderful activity that promotes socialization, eye-hand coordination and utilizes upper body movement.  Many of our participants who at one time went bowling, really enjoy using this system.  It allows many to remain as active as possible," said Elaine Kiehler, DayBreak Activities Coordinator. "The game can be played standing or sitting, so it's wonderful for individuals who are wheelchair bound."

 "There are multiple studies that have shown the physical and psychosocial benefits of the Wii," said Barnes. "It simulates the motions involved with multiple sports with which the residents have been familiar during their lives in which they can no longer participate. It uses their muscle memory and increases their activity level- all the while allowing them to enjoying what was important to them in their youth."