VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth has named nursing leader Donna King to its system board of directors.
With more than 40 years of experience, King’s tenure as a registered nurse and nursing executive makes her a valuable addition to the PeaceHealth system board. Most recently she served as the vice president of clinical operations and chief nurse executive at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.
King has an outstanding record of accomplishments, focusing on integration of healthcare systems and revitalizing services in times of rapid growth and transitional climates. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both nursing and psychology from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. She also holds an MBA from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
King will support PeaceHealth’s ongoing commitment to the highest level of quality care in our communities.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 1,200 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
Longview, Wash., Nov. 7, 2019 – PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the local hospital’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
“This grade is a direct reflection of the continued hard work, focus and dedication that our caregivers and physicians are putting forward every day in support of quality and safety initiatives to benefit the care and well-being of our patients, families and communities,” says Cherelle Montanye, PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center Chief Executive.
“‘A’ hospitals show us their leadership is protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes genuine commitment at every level – from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors – and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.”
Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ grade today, when Leapfrog announced grades for the fall 2019 update. To see PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center’s full grade details, learn how employers can help, and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 1,200 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
Radiation oncologist C.R. Kim, MD and Pulmonologist Divya Bappanad, MD will discuss the dangers, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer during a community talk on Wednesday November 20, 2019. The public is welcome to attend and ask questions.
“Nearly one of every seven new cancers are lung cancers,” said Dr. Kim. “We’ll see nearly a quarter million new cases of lung cancer next year in the U.S., with nearly 150,000 deaths. It is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, and it’s important that we all know how we can best detect and battle this dangerous disease.”
Divya Bappanad, MD specializes in diseases of the lungs as well as critical care medicine. “Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of breast, colon and prostate cancers combined,” said Dr. Bappanad. “However, lung cancer which is detected in the early stages is frequently curable. Lung cancer screening is now available which allows for early detection and improved survival.”
Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older. The overall chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about one in 15; for a woman the risk is about one in 17. However, the risk is much higher for people who smoke.
The discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m. at PeaceHealth St. John’s Women’s Health Pavilion, located at 1660 Delaware Street in Longview, WA. Dr. Kim and Dr. Bappanad will go over the latest technology for diagnosing and treating lung cancer, including promising early results from the cancer immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) along with its potential combination with chemotherapy and other treatments.
There is no cost to attend, and pre-registration is not required. For more information contact PeaceHealth St. John Cancer Program Manager Karla Houk at 360.414.7839.
About Cancer Care at PeaceHealth Lower Columbia Regional Cancer Center
The Lower Columbia Regional Cancer Center provides comprehensive, efficiently integrated, compassionate care through collaborative efforts aligned to place the needs of our cancer patients and families first. Our cancer team provides many treatments in Longview including radiation oncology, chemotherapy, and surgical procedures, and also collaborates with larger facilities such as Oregon Health Sciences University and University of Washington. The Lower Columbian Regional Cancer Center also offers an extensive Patient Resource Center with current treatment information, support groups, classes, books and other items that help patients and their families cope during this journey. For more information visit peacehealth.org/st-john/cancer-care.
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation held an evening fundraising gala on Saturday, Oct. 19 to benefit the Jaime Wyatt Miller Cancer Compassion Fund. A total of $1,078,653 was raised, exceeding any amount ever raised at a PeaceHealth Southwest Foundation event.
The Starry, Starry Night Gala was attended by 450 guests and chaired by Terry Prill. Dan and Janis Wyatt and the Wyatt Family created a $250,000 matching gift opportunity for the evening, which was met. In addition, a $50,000 matching gift from the Firstenburg Foundation was also met.
“We’re so grateful for this wonderful display of support for Jaime’s Fund. The generosity of our sponsors and so many individuals in support of this unique fund will provide special assistance to the most vulnerable among the thousands of cancer patients who receive care and treatment at PeaceHealth Southwest each year,” said Terry Prill.
The Starry, Starry Night Gala was one part of PeaceHealth Southwest Foundation’s Giving Strength Cancer Campaign which is focused on several aspects of providing superior care for cancer patients in our region. In addition to Jaime’s Fund, the Foundation is also nearly halfway toward reaching its $3 million goal to renovate inpatient cancer facilities which are currently located in the original Mother Joseph building. This renovation will provide modern, spacious, private patient rooms having ample space for loved ones, as well as modern nursing and other caregiving and conference spaces necessary for the care of especially fragile cancer patients.
The Jaime Wyatt Miller Cancer Compassion Fund is named in memory of Jaime Wyatt Miller who died in 2018 from breast cancer. Her family established the fund to honor her memory and dedication to helping others, creating a legacy and tribute to a local Vancouver woman who is deeply missed.
Structured as an endowment, Jaime’s Fund will ensure in perpetuity that those PeaceHealth Southwest cancer patients undergoing treatment who are also dealing with additional stress and worry over basic necessities like food, clothing and transportation will get the assistance they need, so they can focus on their treatment and healing.
Including the gala donations, the Foundation has now raised a total of $1,783,031 for Jaime’s Fund and much needed assistance is already being distributed to those cancer patients at PeaceHealth Southwest who are in need of strength.
To learn more about the Giving Strength Cancer Campaign, visit www.peacehealth.org/givingstrength or contact Jennifer Wilkerson son@peacehealth.org">jwilkerson@peacehealth.org 360-514-3106.
Photo caption: PeaceHealth Southwest Cancer Center's Infusion Therapy team is overjoyed with the community's support of cancer patients going through chemo and other treatments at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.