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Hampshire Memorial Hospital | Fall 2009
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Lifesaving Teamwork
Working Together to
Save a Teen’s Life
■
State Employees
Shape Up at Hampshire
Wellness & Fitness
Hampshire Memorial
Breaks Ground on
New Hospital
Valley Healthlink | Fall 2009
2
Greetings!
When Minutes Matter
It’s truly an honor and
privilege to be in the beautiful
Shenandoah Valley leading
a strong, community-based
organization with a strong
tradition of excellence and
exceptional employees,
medical staff members and
volunteers. My family and I have been welcomed
warmly since our arrival in June, and we look forward
to a long presence. Thanks for your generous welcome
and hospitality.
Although I have spent most of my career in
nonprofit health administration in larger cities from
Chicago to Washington, D.C. to Dallas, I was born,
raised and educated in North Carolina and feel right
at home in this part of the country.
America, Virginia, Valley Health and each of us
face very real challenges in health care. Across the
country, healthcare providers are under significant
pressure—from federal and state government,
insurance payers, employers and patients—to control
costs, improve quality, enhance service and increase
access to care. We face growing physician and clinical
staff shortages at a time when demand will increase
because more of us will be older and sicker.
Whatever lies ahead, Valley Health is committed
to offer excellent services, replace aging facilities,
develop services to meet the needs of our region and
use technology to increase patient safety and minimize
duplication and risks of error. And we are committed to
working smarter and more effectively while being good
stewards of the resources entrusted to our care.
Valley Health is much more than just a sum of its
parts. I feel we can be stronger, more robust and
more effective through collaboration, sharing better
practices and continuing to serve as outlined in our
Vision: “Trusted to Deliver the Best Experience. Every
Time. Every Place.”
I am excited and impressed with this organization,
its medical staff and volunteer boards, its
accomplishments and the opportunities that lie ahead
to improve the health of its communities.
rural heart attack victim may have a 30- to
40-minute ambulance ride to the emergency
department. Advanced Life Support emergency
medical technicians have potent tools, but the
best outcome relies on reaching a hospital with a cardiac
catheterization lab where the blocked vessel can be
opened with balloon angioplasty.
Reducing “door-to-balloon” time has long been a priority
at Winchester Medical Center, since every minute blood
is blocked from reaching the heart means more cardiac
muscle death. Recently, the focus has broadened to include
first responders in the field.
“In emergency medicine, we know that accessing
definitive care as soon as possible offers the best patient
outcome,” explains Jack Potter, MD, medical director of
Emergency Services at Winchester Medical Center and
regional medical director for the Lord Fairfax EMS Council.
“We are able to capture high-quality diagnostic info in
a patient’s living room, but in our rural area we’ve been
hampered in our ability to communicate these findings to
the hospital.”
In 2008, with support from local technology companies
working with Intel and Dell and funding from the
Winchester Medical Center Foundation and The Heart
& Vascular Center, Dr. Potter launched a trial to equip
six advanced life support ambulances with wireless
transmission technology. The system was tested in remote,
geographically challenging areas and by May of 2009,
another 20 ambulances in the region had been outfitted
with wireless equipment.
“The whole idea is to save lives and minimize debilitation
by reducing incident to balloon time,” says Don Jackson,
chief at Gainesboro Volunteer Fire & Rescue and director of
Emergency Services for Clarke County, pictured below. “The
12-lead technology enables us to recognize high priority
patients and alert the on-call Cardiac Catheterization Lab
team so everything’s ready when we arrive.”
Sincerely,
Mark H. Merrill
President & CEO, Valley Health
ON THE COVER
Hampshire Memorial Hospital leaders at July groundbreaking:
Dr. Vijay Chowdhary, Robbie McCauley, Christine Lowman and
Walter Layman
A new initiative from Winchester Medical Center puts
wireless 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) technology in
the field to expedite lifesaving care.
A
3
Tired of
Being
Since his sleep study and obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis
earlier this year, Jimmy Martin has gained a valuable friend:
his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask.
“I feel like a new person,” the 42-year-old says. “I used to
wake up still feeling tired and thought it was natural to be
sleepy during the day. I have energy I haven’t had since I
was a kid!”
Tired?
High-Tech Glove Makes
OSA Diagnosis Easier
Valley Health’s Neurodiagnostic and
Sleep Center has a new home test for
sleep apnea—the Watch-PAT.
O
bstructive sleep apnea
(OSA) is a disorder that
occurs when something—
usually the soft tissue
in the throat—partially blocks the
airway. As a result, sleep apnea
sufferers don’t get the oxygen they
need during sleep, and that lack of
oxygen can cause them to awaken
many times a night. Untreated
sleep apnea can also contribute
to a variety of health problems,
including heart disease, headaches,
weight gain, erectile dysfunction,
depression and memory problems.
“Sleep apnea can be diagnosed
definitively with a sleep study,” says
Yashica Marshall, MBS, BS, director
of Valley Health’s Neurodiagnostic
and Sleep Center. “However,
there are signs and symptoms
to look for—such as large neck
circumference, high body mass index
and excess fatigue—that increase a
person’s risk of sleep apnea.”
Catch Your ZZZs
Valley Health’s Neurodiagnostic
and Sleep Center staff is available
to clinically identify and treat
problems to help patients receive
the benefits of restorative sleep. If
a sleep study diagnoses obstructive
sleep apnea, a continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP) machine
may be prescribed to keep the
airway open during sleep.
“A CPAP machine helps the
patient receive continuous positive
airway pressure during sleep, which
helps the patient fall asleep and
stay asleep,” says Jeffrey Lessar,
MD, pulmonologist who works
with the staff at Valley Health’s
Neurodiagnostic and Sleep Center.
“The knowledgeable staff at Valley
Home Care also can help patients
with CPAP setup in order to help
them live happier, healthier and
safer lives. Our goal is to improve
our patients’ quality of sleep, which
in turn improves their health!”
For more information about Valley
Health’s Neurodiagnostic and Sleep
Center (with labs in Winchester,
Front Royal and Woodstock), call
(540) 536-8165 or visit
www.valleyhealthlink.com. To learn
more about CPAP, call Valley Home
Care at (800) 745-6668 or visit
www.valleyhealthlink.com.
www.valleyhealthlink.com
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 12 million
Americans are affected by sleep apnea. Are you one of them?
“In the past, all patients would
have to come to the center and stay
overnight for a sleep study,” says
Jeffrey Lessar, MD, pulmonologist.
“However, this new technology
offers certain patients a convenient
alternative—a sleep study in
the privacy of their own home.
Amazingly, the results can be read
the very next day.”
With a prescription from a primary
care physician, Neurodiagnostic and
Sleep Center staff meet briefly with
eligible patients and show them
how to use the Watch-PAT.
The glove-like device uses painless
probes on the fingers to measure
the user’s peripheral arterial tone
(PAT), oxygen saturation, rest/active
cycles and pulse rate. Information
is stored in a memory card in the
device and downloaded the next day
to a computer in the sleep lab.
“Not only does the Watch-PAT
offer patients convenience, but it
gives physicians a more accurate
reading about the patient’s
behaviors while the patient is
sleeping in a more normal setting,”
Dr. Lessar says. “It’s a great firstline tool that will help us with the
diagnosis of sleep apnea.”
Valley Healthlink | Fall 2009
4
Helping to break ground on this historic
occasion are (from left): Craig Lewis,
Valley Health CFO; Tatiana Escobar,
architect with Perkins & Will; Todd Way,
Valley Health Sr. Vice President; Walter
Layman; Shelley Moore Capito; Vijay
Chowdhary, MD, HMH Medical Director;
Robbie McCauley; Christine Lowman,
HMH CFO; Daniel Hileman, Mayor of
Romney; Ruth Rowan, West Virginia
House of Delegates; and Mark Merrill,
Valley Health CEO.
Dreams
Field of
HMH Breaks Ground on New Hospital
“T
his is a great day for Hampshire
County!” exclaimed Walter Layman,
chairman of the Hampshire Memorial
Hospital Board of Directors, to the
nearly 100 people who had gathered to celebrate the
groundbreaking of the new Hampshire Memorial
Hospital on July 6.
“I’m sure our county fathers were equally as excited
when they broke ground on our current hospital in 1957,”
Walter continued. “That hospital has served us very well,
but it is time for a new facility, and we’re all very pleased
that Valley Health took an interest in the health and wellbeing of the residents of Hampshire County.”
More Than Just Bricks and Mortar
The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning
of construction on the $35 million, 65,000-square-foot
facility, which is almost double the size of the current
hospital. The hospital will accommodate 14 acute-care
beds (10 private rooms and four semi-private beds) and
30 long-term care beds, and feature a six-bed outpatient
surgical department, six-bed emergency room, a helipad
and a 24,000 square-foot medical office building.
“I have had the privilege of being part of the team at
Hampshire Memorial Hospital and serving the great
citizens of Hampshire County for 29 years,” remarked
President Robbie McCauley. “I know the capabilities
of our medical staff and employees, and I truly believe
that this facility will enable us to bring a new era of
healthcare to Hampshire County.”
Speaking on behalf of West Virginia Governor Joe
Manchin, Mary Jo Brown, regional representative,
extended the governor’s thanks and congratulations.
“I commend the hard work of everyone involved in the
reconstruction of this important facility, and sincerely
appreciate your commitment to providing the residents
of Romney and surrounding areas the care that they
deserve,” Mary Jo said. “I want to especially recognize
the staff of Valley Health for all they do to improve
healthcare for so many West Virginians. Your services
truly are appreciated.”
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, who represents
West Virginia’s Second Congressional District, noted that
the future of healthcare is on everyone’s mind these days,
particularly those in Washington.
“D.C. is buzzing with talk of how to best meet the many
challenges our healthcare system is facing,” she said. “But
I’m very excited about it, because this facility, this staff
and the technology that will be housed here, are going to
meet the challenges of whatever changes come through
either nationally or the state in our healthcare system.”
The hospital is expected to relocate to its new home,
located just behind the Hampshire Wellness & Fitness
Center on Sunrise Boulevard, in 2011.
Meet
the
New
Man
on
Board
In
this position, Walter will oversee the
hospital board, which monitors hospital
operations and functions as the eyes
and ears of the community.
However, his new role with the board isn’t the
first time the 24-year resident of Romney has been
involved with the hospital. Walter currently serves
as president of the Hampshire County Development
Authority and was on the committee that helped
arrange for the grant money to fund the Hampshire
Wellness & Fitness Center. In addition, he was
instrumental in bringing the Hospice program into
the community and currently serves on the Campaign
for a Hospice Home committee.
“When you are involved with a community bank, you
get involved with everything in the community,” says
Walter. “We all take from our community, and we
all have the responsibility to give back. My position
with Hampshire Memorial Hospital is my opportunity
to contribute.”
Breaking Ground
In life, Walter is always eager to find a new
challenge. Already one of his first goals as chairperson
was accomplished—to break ground in July 2009 on
Hampshire Memorial Hospital’s new and improved
healthcare facility.
“I feel being a part of this board is much like one
of my favorite past times—gardening,” says Walter.
“You can work all day in an office and not see what
you have done, but you can work on a garden and see
results. This is how I view being chairperson of the
board, and I appreciate the opportunity of serving my
community again and watching it grow.”
West Virginia state employees are losing weight and
learning to live healthier lives at Hampshire Wellness
& Fitness Center.
T
he West Virginia Public Employees Insurance
Agency (WVPEIA) Weight Management
Program encourages employees to get fit by
enrolling in a two-year program at Hampshire
Wellness & Fitness Center.
“We obtain a health history and plan an individualized
diet and exercise regimen to fulfill each patient’s
goals,” says Megan Fitzsimmons, exercise physiologist
at Hampshire Wellness & Fitness. “Employees visit the
center at least twice a week, with a goal of losing one to
two pounds weekly during the initial 12-week period.”
Employees who are compliant for the first 12 weeks
advance to phases two and three, which become less
structured but still include a monthly goal assessment
meeting with an exercise physiologist.
Program participants are encouraged to engage in
cardiovascular and resistance training using weight
machines, free weights, indoor track, pool and group
exercise classes.
“This is a win-win program,” notes Megan.
“Participants have access to a nice local facility and
expert encouragement at a reduced rate, the WVPEIA
gains healthier employees and we have an opportunity
to become a partner in each member’s ongoing wellness.”
Success Story
Rita Hott, a high school teacher from Kirby, joined the
program in January 2008 to make exercise and healthy
eating a part of her daily routine. With the support of
those at the center, Rita lost nearly 50 pounds and is
determined to shed more weight.
“The staff and program participants at the center became
my extended family,” says Rita. “The energy I’ve gained
by becoming healthier is great.”
For more information, contact the WVPEIA
at (866) 688-7493 or Hampshire Wellness
& Fitness Center at (304) 822-7255. You
may also visit www.valleyhealthlink.
com and select “Our Locations” and then
“Hampshire Wellness & Fitness.”
Megan Fitzsimmons, left, works with
Pam Webb, one of 70 WVPEIA clients, at
Hampshire Wellness & Fitness Center.
www.valleyhealthlink.com
In early 2009, Walter Layman, retired president of
FNB Bank Inc., began serving as chairperson of the
Hampshire Memorial Hospital board.
State Employees Shape
Up and Slim Down
5
6
LIFESAVING
Teamwork
Will Orndorff sprinted across the outfield intent on gloving the fly ball. As it arrived, so did diving teammate Sheldon
Stickley. The punishing head-to-chest collision knocked Sheldon unconscious. Will fell heavily, too, and didn’t move.
Inside, his heart quivered. Then it died.
Valley Healthlink | Fall 2009
It
was March 31. Will and
Sheldon, members of the
Strasburg High School
baseball team, were
practicing on their home field in
sunny, 60-degree weather.
The devastating collision left
Sheldon with a concussion. The blow
to Will’s chest triggered a condition
called commotio cordis—literally
commotion of the heart—where
the organ’s electrical rhythms are
grossly disturbed. The pumping
process turns spastic, and then
shuts down. As the flow of blood
and oxygen ceases, life ends—
unless precise interventions occur
without delay.
Jumping to Action
In an instant, the
field went silent.
Jeff Smoot, the
Rams’ coach for
more than 25
years, rushed
to the boys.
Recognizing
Will’s dire
circumstance,
he began chest
compressions and mouthto-mouth resuscitation.
Joe Loving, a firefighter/paramedic
with Shenandoah County Fire &
Rescue, was a mile away at his home
station when he got the 911 dispatch.
In two minutes he was beside the
boy, defibrillator in hand. After
affixing the pads and getting an okay
from the machine, he ordered “clear,”
and fired. For anxious seconds they
waited…and then there was one beat,
and then another. Will had a pulse
and was breathing.
Joe inserted a breathing tube and
placed an IV line.
When AirCare 4
arrived, Will was
placed in the
helicopter and
flown to Winchester
Medical Center, a
level II trauma
center.
Rushing to
the Hospital
Judy Orndorff
was at work
when she got
the frightening
call about her son.
She hurried to the
hospital and saw Will as
they rolled him in.
“I touched his hand
and he opened his eyes but it wasn’t
anything I considered a response,”
Judy says. “He wasn’t acting right.”
Jack Orndorff was in Woodstock
having his truck serviced when
Strasburg town manager, Kevin
Fauber, called.
“He told me ‘there’s been an
accident. It’s William,” Jack
remembers. “They started CPR and
have him back.’”
With Jack’s truck still perched on
the lift, the garage owner handed him
the keys to a loaner and said ‘Go!’”
Commotio Cordis explained
Commotio cordis is rare. Between
1996 and 2007, the National Commotio
Cordis Registry documented 188
cases. Ninety-six percent of the
victims were male with an average
age of just under 15. Ominously, less
than one in five survived.
Blunt trauma to the chest doesn’t
always trigger commotio cordis.
Research found that blows to the
chest set off deadly ventricular
fibrillation only during a narrow
window in the cardiac cycle, a 15 to
30 millisecond span representing
about 3 percent of a complete
cardiac cycle. Blows outside that
time could inflict damage, but the
heart doesn’t typically stop.
Thanks to the quick thinking of his coach, a
paramedic and his medical team at Winchester
Medical Center, Will Orndorff survived a rare
heart trauma called commotio cordis.
7
first response
Wednesday evening, staff began
warming Will—one degree an hour.
At 4:30 Thursday morning, Judy and
Jack were with their son when he
stirred. As Mom moved around the
bed he followed her with his eyes.
“I asked him if he could respond,
and he squeezed my hand,” Judy says.
“That’s when the party began!”
Dr. Crowe conducted a brain test
later that morning. “He came running
out hollering and almost jumping up
and down,” Jack recalls. “He said ‘He’s
going to be good.’”
Later, as the Orndorffs met with
friends in the waiting room, the
17-year old came walking down the
hall, triggering cheers.
Quick Action=Success
For Dr. Warner, the great
outcome goes back to the coach
who started CPR and the EMT with
the defibrillator.
“I am happy I was in the right place
at the right time, and that I had
14 years of training to call on,” says
Joe. This was his first encounter with
commotio cordis.
He knows CPR is often delayed
because observers underestimate the
trauma. When CPR is delayed longer
than three minutes, survival plunges
to less than 5 percent.
Jack is grateful for all the teamwork.
“It’s a miracle Will came from where
he was to where he is now,” he says. “I
read up on the condition, and it says
he had a 15 percent chance of making
it if everything—from A to Z—
was done right. I’ve known Coach
Smoot all his life, so this really
makes it special.”
Back on the Field
Will and Sheldon rejoined the team
after a few weeks. On the first game
back, Coach Smoot put one in right
field and one in left.
“He used the centerfielder as a
cushion,” the happy dad jokes.
By Tom Urtz
www.valleyhealthlink.com
Innovative Treatment
Winchester cardiologist James
Warner, MD, evaluated Will.
“His heart was probably going to
be fine but our concern was brain
function,” Dr. Warner says. “He
was completely unresponsive. How
much damage would he have for
lack of oxygen?”
Consulting with neurologist Neil
Crowe, MD, Dr. Warner wanted to
“pull out every stop for someone that
young to make sure he had the best
chance of coming out of this well.”
They focused on the hypothermia
protocol—a technique that can
preserve brain function for someone
who has undergone cardiac arrest
that Dr. Crowe has used about a
dozen times. The patient is sedated
and given drugs to induce paralysis,
and the body is chilled to about
90 degrees by applying ice to the
neck, armpits and groin and using a
cooling blanket. About 18 hours later,
you slowly reverse the process and
wait for a result.
Dr. Crowe knew they were
“getting to the outer time limit to
consider cooling, but Will wasn’t
coming around the way we would
have liked.” He conducted a quick
literature search to affirm their
approach and the Orndorffs
consented.
When brain tissue is deprived of
oxygen, neurons receive a signal to
self-destruct. The signal comes in
the form of a chemical reaction that
triggers the release of enzymes that
are fatal to neurons. As the neurons
die, swelling occurs in the brain, and
disability and death can follow.
Hypothermia short-circuits this
downward spiral by stalling the
chemical processes triggering cell
death. With oxygen restored, and
bodily functions reduced to a state
of suspended animation, the neurons
have time to shake off the insult and
return to work.
Neurologist Neil
Crowe, MD, Rhonda
Kiracofe, RN, and
cardiologist James
Warner, MD, in
the Cardiovascular
Surgery Intensive
Care Unit at
Winchester Medical
Center, where
Will received
hypothermia
treatment. The three
were part of
a larger regional
team whose
individual actions
made the difference
in Will’s recovery.
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
P.O. Box 3340
Winchester, VA 22604
Mark Merrill, CEO
Valley Health
Robbie McCauley, President
Hampshire Memorial Hospital
Winchester, VA
Permit No. 333
Healthlink in no way seeks to diagnose or treat illness or to serve as a substitute for professional medical care. Questions
or address changes may be directed to Valley Health’s Marketing & Public Relations Department at (540) 536-5325.
Valley Health Rehabilitation Services
Has the Winning Combination to Help Patients
Unlock the Door to Independence!
Experienced Therapists
Convenient Locations
Services Available in Hampshire County:
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Aquatic Physical Therapy
Inpatient Therapy
Hampshire Memorial Hospital
(304) 822-3248
Outpatient Therapy
Hampshire Wellness & Fitness Center
(304) 822-7273
Specialty Services and Clinics Available
at Other Valley Health locations