System News: September 2023

Atrium Medical Center

Premier Health and Atrium Medical Center were the presenting sponsor for the Luke Kennard Elite Basketball Camp this summer. Luke plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and is a former Franklin High School basketball standout. Premier Health athletic trainers were present for both camp locations, Camp Chautauqua and Carlisle High School. This year, the camp had more than 250 participants, a record.

Atrium Medical Center Foundation’s Ninth Annual Highway to Help took place on Aug. 5. This event supports local families in need through Atrium's Adopt-a-Family program, particularly during the holiday season. Nearly 60 motorcyclists embarked on a more than two-hour journey, traversing Warren and Clinton counties. The ride ended in Mason at Powder Keg Harley-Davidson, where riders, volunteers, and community members enjoyed an after-party with live music and food.

In collaboration with the (Cincinnati) Health Collaborative, about 45 Southwest Ohio high school students in the TAP Health Summer Academy toured Atrium for a closer look at the hospital’s stroke program. The TAP Health Summer Academy is a career exploration program for students interested in health care.

Atrium leaders and providers donned their sweatbands and sneakers during an event on Aug. 25 to encourage participation in the recent Butler/Warren County Heart Walk. During a kickoff event in the hospital's main lobby, Team Harlan and Team Kanagy squared off to see who could log the most minutes on treadmills.

Atrium employees showed their generous spirit by donating 45 backpacks filled with school supplies. Atrium employees needing assistance could pick up backpacks and school supplies to ease the financial strain of the back-to-school season.

Atrium played a role in popular end-of-summer community events with sponsorship and participation in the Lebanon Blues Festival; the Healthy Living Market in Lebanon; Chamber45005’s annual golf outing; and the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in Mason.

Miami Valley Hospital

Miami Valley Hospital South has earned Disease Specific Care Certification from The Joint Commission for its spine care services. This certification recognizes the hospital’s dedication to delivering superior spine care and ensuring optimal patient outcomes.

Miami Valley Hospital Foundation and Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton awarded nine nursing scholarships to nurses at Miami Valley Hospital, Miami Valley Hospital North, and Miami Valley Hospital South. Funded by Foundation donors, these scholarship opportunities help our team of nursing professionals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines further their nursing education.

Dr. Michael Herbenick and his team hosted an Orthopedic Externship for minorities and women in medicine at Miami Valley Hospital South. The students participated in various activities and were given a brief demonstration of sterile gowning, gloving and hand washing. They also received a brief introduction to orthopedic Surgery and sports medicine.

The 2024 MVH/ University of Dayton Healthcare Symposium is set for April 12, 2024. The planning committee met for a visioning session to review past events, presentations and event location. Sharon (Howard) White and Dr. Teresa Zryd are members of the planning committee.

Upper Valley Medical Center

The Piqua YWCA was awarded grant funding for their facility renovations project from the UVMC Community Benefits Fund. The check presentation was held Aug. 22 at the YWCA. 

Lisa Pitcairn, APRN, chronic disease clinical nurse specialist, Upper Valley Medical Center, was interviewed on Aug. 30 by Troy Power 107 and WPTW radio stations to share important educational information about cholesterol for National Cholesterol Education Month in September.

UVMC was the presenting sponsor of the Miami County Hospice’s Celebrating Life’s Stories Butterfly Release on the UVMC campus on Aug. 12.

In other community outreach, UVMC sponsored the Troy City Schools New Teachers Welcome Luncheon hosted by the Troy Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 16; sponsored the Rock the Hill Festival in West Milton on Aug. 19; and is sponsoring the West Milton and Main Street Piqua Third Thursday events held through mid-October. 

UVMC hosted a Community Blood Center Blood Drive for the hospital family on Aug. 10 -- an event that was well attended and achieved 142 percent of the goal. 

Premier Physician Network

PPN still ranks No. 1, according to the 2023 Dayton Business Journal Physician Group Practice Listings. PPN continues to be the largest group of primary and specialty care practices in Southwest Ohio. With more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers in 190 offices throughout greater Dayton and northern Cincinnati, PPN again takes the top spot in the DBJ listings. Read about this in the August 11, 2023, Dayton Business Journal Physician Group Practice Listings.

PPN welcomed several physicians and APPS at the August 16, 2023 New Physician and APP Orientation (Front, L-R): Sara Cruikshank, MD, Premier Psychiatry Associates; Kellye Moore-Texter, PA, Cardiothoracic Surgery Associates; Erika Watamanuik, CNP, MVHS Hospitalist Group; Rebecca Tobias, MD, Miami Valley Infection Specialists; (Middle, L-R):  Patrick Bartholomew, CNP, Advanced Pulmonary Critical Care – Atrium; Erica Anderson, NP, Studebaker Family Practice; Alexandra Wilson, PA, Bull Family Diabetes; Tommie Easley, MD, Nocturnist – MVH; Andrea Dockry, MD, Premier Psychiatry Associates; (Back, L-R): Syed Ahsan, MD, Nocturnist – MVHN; Adam Deardorff, MD, Clinical Neuroscience Institute – MVH; Aruna Prattipati, MD, UVMC Hospitalist Group; Alison Swelbar, PA, MVH Hospitalist Group; Raneka Rogers, NP, MVH Hospitalist Group; Anna Bergman, NP, MVH Hospitalist Group; Jordan McCracken, NP, Middletown Family Practice; and Paula Pacurari, MD, SureCare Medical Center.

Dayton Daily News published an article on August 28, 2023, about the FDA’s approval of Abrysvo, a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for pregnant women, which can protect their infants from RSV illness after birth. The article quotes subject matter expert Y. Linda Pan, MD, of Lifestages Centers for Women.  In the article, Dr. Pan discusses how the research is still new, and the CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have not yet made a recommendation on this new vaccine for pregnant women. “Right now, I think we’re cautiously optimistic but have not made a particular statement about this vaccine yet,” Dr. Pan said.

Back to the September 2023 issue of Premier Pulse