Organizational Awards
GHS' Patewood Memorial Hospital has been named the April 2013 Healthcare Organization of the Month by Studer Group, an outcomes firm that implements evidence-based leadership systems to help organizations attain and sustain outstanding results. This award is presented monthly to an organization that stands out from its peers and serves as a premier example of what is right in healthcare.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina recognized Patewood Memorial Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for quality in the areas of spine surgery and knee and hip replacement. Greer Memorial Hospital was recognized for knee and hip replacement surgery, and Greenville Memorial Hospital was recognized for spine surgery.
As part of its Working Well initiative, the South Carolina
Hospital Association and NC Prevention Partners recently recognized Greenville
Hospital System’s employee tobacco cessation program with a Gold Star. The
award-winning tobacco cessation program offers individual coaching for
employees and spouses, as well as insurance rebates for non-tobacco users and
those who participate in tobacco cessation programs. The program also offers
free or reduced-cost nicotine replacement therapy and prescriptions for tobacco
cessation medications. In addition, GHS maintains a strict tobacco-free policy
on all five of its medical campuses.
Greenville Health System’s Learning and Development
Department recently received the 2012 Gold Star Award of Excellence from the
Upstate South Carolina Chapter of the American Society for Training and
Development. This award recognizes the department’s efforts to advance the
field of workplace learning and performance.
Greenville Health System was named
2012 Public Education Partner of the Year by Public Education Partners, a non-profit organization that supports and strengthens public education in Greenville County. This award is presented annually to a business that has had an outstanding impact on local public schools. Previous award winners include GE and Michelin.
The S.C. Chamber of Commerce presented Greenville Health System with the
2012 Excellence in Workplace Diversity Award in recognition of the hospital system’s contributions to moving South Carolina forward in diversity initiatives.
North Greenville Hospital recently received the
2012 Goldberg Innovation Award from the National Association of Long Term Hospitals. This award is given annually in recognition of an innovative process or technology that supports long-term acute care hospitals. North Greenville Hospital was honored for implementing a three-step program that has all but eradicated central line infections, saving as many as nine lives and more than $1 million in unnecessary health care costs in the first 15 months.
Individual Awards
Dr. Bruce Lessey, a reproductive endocrinology and
infertility specialist with GHS' Fertility Center of
the Carolinas, recently received the American Society of Reproductive
Medicine’s 2012 Star Award. This award is presented to reproductive health
professionals who have presented at the society’s annual meeting at least nine
of the last 10 years.
Dr. Bryce Nelson, medical director of pediatric endocrinology at GHS Children’s Hospital, received the
2012 Pediatrician of the Year award Nov. 8 at the 21st Annual DeLoache Seminar. This peer-nominated award is given annually to a pediatrician whose dedication to patient care exemplifies excellence. Dr. Nelson was recognized for his commitment to his patients and for being a strong leader, teacher and researcher.
Goodwill Industries of the Upstate/Midlands South Carolina presented Aja Martin, a nursing assistant at GHS' Cottages at Brushy Creek, with the
James E. Jones Healthcare Excellence Award. This award is presented annually to a graduate of Goodwill’s Certified Nurse Aide Training Program who demonstrated a commitment to excel and obtain employment. The award is named after a member of the Goodwill Board of Directors who was on the board when the organization was founded in Greenville in 1973.
Nutrition systems coordinator Kimberlee Davis received the
Above and Beyond Award from CBORD Group, Inc., for her efforts to help pioneer a new product called Room Service Choice that allows patients to order customized meals at the bedside. CBORD Group is the leading provider of food and nutrition management, cashless card and access control software solutions and related services.
Drs. Sen Ravindran, Garland Gudger, and Jared Sanders each received Greenville Health System’s
2012 Lily M. and G.D. Jackson Award, which is given annually to first-year residents recognized as “physicians of exceptional promise.” The three were nominated by peers, hospital staff and academic services faculty.
The South Carolina Medical Association named Cancer Centers of the Carolinas physician Dr. Mark O’Rourke as co-winner of the
Physician of the Year Award for Community Service. This award is presented annually to a physician who has gone above and beyond to provide service to his or her community.
Richard Lanham, a sterile processing technician at Greenville Memorial Hospital, received the
International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management’s (IAHCSMM)
Technician Achievement Award. This annual award recognizes outstanding leadership, knowledge, service and skill in the Central Service Material Management profession.
Shelley Brown, Susan Chisholm, Regina Franco, Bhavini Patel, Lorraine Jones, Claudia Jenkins and Barbra Anne Trout, registered nurses at Greenville Health System, each received a
2012 Palmetto Gold Award. The Palmetto Gold Award annually recognizes 100 registered nurses in South Carolina who exemplify excellence in nursing practice and commitment to the nursing profession. Nominations are submitted from employers of nurses across a wide variety of healthcare settings, and winners are chosen from a blind review of candidates by a state selection committee.
Dr. Jennifer Hudson, medical director of the newborn nursery at GHS Children’s Hospital, was named winner of the
2012 O’Neill Barrett Teaching Excellence Award. The winner of this annual award is selected by senior medical students from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine who are completing their education at GHS.
Sherry Gravely, nurse manager for vascular/urology services, received the 2011
Journal of Vascular Nursing (JVN) Writing Award from the Society of Vascular Nursing for her submission “Comparison of Three Types of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Education Plans to Determine Patient Recall of Education.” The article appeared in the Journal’s September 2011 issue. The JVN Writing Award was established in 1999 to recognize excellence in writing. Articles are nominated based on content, originality, clarity, applicability/practicality and significance.
Infection preventionist Sue Boeker was awarded the 2011
Horizon Award by the South Carolina chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). This award is presented annually to an infection preventionist for his/her outstanding service and dedication to the South Carolina APIC chapter and his/her contributions to the field of infection prevention.
Accreditations & Desingations
Greenville Health System has been named
one of the top 50 companies for diverse managers to work by Diversity MBA Magazine. The sixth annual list of “50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work” was published in the magazine’s spring issue available May 2012.
Greenville Memorial Hospital has earned
Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals. Approximately 15% of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award.
Hillcrest Memorial Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by the patient, to diagnose and treat a variety of disease, including many types of cancers, heart disease, and certain other abnormalities within the body.
Greenville Health System has been named a Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association and achieved Platinum level status. The Fit-Friendly program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity and health in the workplace. To move from Gold to Platinum level status, GHS had to fulfill all gold-level criteria and demonstrate at least one behavior change, achieve at least one cost-savings outcome and achieve a positive return on investment.
Greenville Memorial Hospital was recognized at the International Stroke Conference in January, not only for its designation as a Gold Stroke Plus stroke center, but for making the Target: Stroke Honor Roll. These awards are given to the highest performers in achieving national standards for the treatment of stroke.
Grants
Dr. Francis Nuthalapaty, director of OB/GYN undergraduate medical education, received a $15,000 grant from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Medical Education Endowment to conduct a study aimed at finding out if a two-week elective course for fourth-year medical students entering the field of OB/GYN improves competency and enhances the transition from medical student to resident.
Other Achievements
Chris Plemons, manager of practice operations for GHS' department of surgery, was elected to serve as governor of the S.C. Medical Group Management Association in 2013.
Colorectal surgeon Dr. Cedrek McFadden was recently initiated into Fellowship in the American College
of Surgeons. To be initiated into Fellowship, Dr. McFadden had to meet strict
membership requirements and receive approval from at least three-fourths of the
College’s Board of Regents. Only those surgeons whose professional activity is
devoted to surgical practice and who agree without compromise to practice by
the professional and ethical standards of the College are admitted into
Fellowship.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Cart deBrux was voted into active membership with the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). ASPS is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world. Member physicians must be board certified and have at least five years of surgical training – two of which must be in plastic surgery.
Dr. Jack W. Bonner, professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences, was appointed to the
Advisory Board of the South Carolina Opioid Safety Initiative (SCOSI). SCOSI's charge is to begin the process of developing and recommending strategies and interventions to reduce opioid misuse/abuse/diversion and to optimize pain management and opioid safe use within the state. SCOSI is funded by an FDA grant awarded to the SC College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Jack W. Bonner, professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences, was elected president of the
Benjamin Rush Society (BRS) at the society’s annual meeting in January. The BRS is an invitational honor society that fosters an atmosphere congenial to the exchange of ideas and information among leaders in the field of psychiatry.
The South Carolina Orthopaedic Association named orthopaedic resident Dr. John Adams winner of their annual
Resident Research Competition and recipient of a $1,000 scholarship for his paper on tibia fractures. Dr. Kevin Kruse, another orthopaedic resident, was awarded second place for his paper on rotator cuff tears.
Grace R. Dotson, director of hospital case management, has been elected to serve as President-Elect for the
South Carolina Chapter of the American Case Management Association.
Dr. Tom Diller, vice president for quality and patient safety, recently received his
Certification in Medical Quality from the American Board of Medical Quality. This certification demonstrates evidence of expertise, experience and training in the field of medical quality management, including clinical quality improvement. Slightly more than 100 physicians nationwide have this certification.