Pride in Our People

It Fits everyone to a “T”

When the emergency department (ED) launched the T-System (an electronic documentation record) this summer, staff at all three sites served on workgroups. Nurses like Veronica Wilhelm, R.N., collaborated with nursing managers and information services specialists to ensure a smooth rollout. High school student Kelly Browning of Allentown, a member of our Health Care Career Exploration Program, learns here from Wilhelm what it’s like to be a patient. Read more about T-System in the January Magnet Attractions. Get yours by calling 610-402-CARE.

Our “Cleanroom” Draws Raves

Katy Worrilow, Ph.D. (left), scientific director of our In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) lab, and her embryologist colleagues, Huey Huynh and Jaime Bower, are in select company. Our ISO 5 (Class 100) “cleanroom,” designed to filter bad particles from the air so embryos can thrive, is one of the most advanced in the nation. Worrilow presented our cleanroom technology at conferences in Las Vegas and Montreal, Canada, and has received inquiries about it from hospitals in the U.S. and overseas.

Envisioning a Healthy Future

For the first time, LVH–Muhlenberg colleagues saw a live broadcast of the 2005 LVHHN Community Annual Meeting in December. Guests at the hospital’s educational conference center were greeted by Stuart Paxton, senior vice president of operations, and Robert Murphy, M.D., medical director, and watched on giant TVs as President and CEO Elliot J. Sussman, M.D., spoke of our accomplishments and our plans for the New Year and beyond. To get your copy of the Annual Meeting DVD or the 2005 Report to Our Community, call 610-402-CARE.

Emergency Medicine Residency in the Spotlight

Jeff Kuklinski, D.O. (far right), earned first place in a clinical pathological competition held as part of the recent American Osteopathic Association’s Unified Osteopathic Convention in Orlando, Fla. Kuklinski tested his skills against thousands of residents and physicians nationwide in treating a hard-to-diagnose patient case study. His colleague, Terry Goyke, D.O., (second from right), a residency graduate and now a full- time ED physician, placed second, while residents (from left) Steve Conroy D.O., and Brandon Lewis,, D.O., also made presentations. Residency program director Alex Rosenau, D.O., and Gary Bonfante, D.O., had significant leadership positions in conference meetings, and our physicians provided eight hours of lectures and a resident ultrasound course.

Accommodating Growth at LVH–Muhlenberg

Following in the footsteps of the two successful express admissions units (EAU) at LVH–Cedar Crest is the new EAU (7E) at LVH–Muhlenberg. The unit, which opened in October, gets emergency department (ED) patients and patients admitted directly from doctor’s offices into hospital beds sooner. In its first two months, 7E cared for more than 350 patients, with an average length of stay of 1 hour and 56 minutes. “It’s a win-win situation,” says 7E director Beth Kessler, R.N.

Creating a Community of Care

While attending an HIV/AIDS fund-raiser a year ago, Allen Smith, R.N., continuous quality improvement coordinator for the AIDS Activities Office (AAO), realized he didn’t know anyone from other area HIV/AIDS agencies. So, Smith (fifth from left) and his AAO colleagues (pictured) began hosting community meetings, co-sponsored by a local HIV/AIDS fund-raising organization called Fighting AIDS Continuously Together. The events unite physicians, staff from area hospitals, and representatives of Bethlehem and Allentown’s health departments, community groups and local prisons. “We share our programs, ideas and frustrations,” Smith says. The group also is working on creating a regional directory of HIV/AIDS services.

Read more about colleagues who raise money for kidney patients, arrange greetings from Santa Claus and more by calling 610-402-CARE.

This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM