Winter 2013

connectLawrence MeMoriaL HospitaL

In this issue2-North renovations unveiled

Lawrence General Surgery expands offerings

LMH earns certification as Primary Stroke Center

An extraordinary life remembered

To get more information, visit www.lmh.org.2

Compassionate. Caring. Loving. Sentiments used to describe a woman who, long after her service at Lawrence Memorial Hospital ended, continued to make a lasting impact on the hospital and the community.

On November 16 the Family Birthing Center at Lawrence Memorial Hospital was dedicated and renamed the Cindy Murray Family Birthing Center in loving memory of Cindy Murray (1949-2012), a well-known obstetrics nurse and member of the community — thanks to the generosity of Tom Murray, her husband of 41 years.

As an obstetrical nurse at LMH from 1975 to 1986, Cindy assisted in the delivery of thousands of children in Lawrence and Douglas County. After her time at LMH, Cindy pursued a career in school nursing until she retired in 2009. Her outstanding nursing skills and professional character have left a legacy that lives on.

Tom’s donation will lead the way in supporting and expanding the birthing center at LMH. An endowed fund will be set up to provide for education opportunities for physicians and staff, equipment purchases, program enhancements and furnishings. “This gift is huge for the LMH Endowment Association and for the hospital,” says Kathy Clausing Willis, LMH vice president and chief development officer. “With Tom’s generosity we can do significant things for the unit and the patients we serve.”

For Tom, the gift is more about the legacy than the dollar amount. “This is about Cindy. It’s not about me,” he says.

Blazing a trail: “The nurse of the future”

In the early 1970s, even before Cindy was out of nursing school, she was involved with the Lamaze method of prepared childbirth. She sometimes held classes in her living room, teaching breathing techniques and getting fathers involved. During her time at LMH, Cindy pushed the boundaries of obstetrical nursing and was one of the first individuals to start a conversation with physicians to advocate for classes to prepare parents for the birthing process. “I believe Cindy was the nurse of the future,” says her longtime friend and LMH coworker Sue Givens. “Cindy was competent in every way — from her technical skills to her reassuring ways of communication — and physicians began to trust and admire her abilities.”

After hearing that other area hospitals were implementing educational programs, Cindy knew that more education for the community was needed. Cindy and her coworkers laid the groundwork for the kinds of educational classes and programs now offered by the hospital to help parents-to-be navigate all stages of parenthood.

After Cindy left LMH, she started a career in school nursing. Even though she retired, her impact as a nurse is still felt today. “Even up to right before we lost Cindy, if she and I were anywhere in public, invariably someone would come up to us and say, ‘Remember me?’ ” reflects Tom. “ ‘You were the nurse who delivered my child in 1979.’ ” That remembrance and generosity of spirit is something about Cindy that sticks with all of those who knew her.

“She’s the kind of person you got to know quickly and easily and it felt as though she was always in the category of a best friend,” Sue says.

—Christy Moore

An extraordinary life remembered by an extraordinary giftLMH renames Family Birthing Center in honor of Cindy Murray

Learn how your dollars can make a difference! Visit lmhendowment.org or call 785-505-6134. 3

REASONS TO GIVE LMH Endowment Association’s goal is to support and enhance the services currently offered by Lawrence Memorial Hospital and to

help the hospital grow as the needs of the community grow. LMH is proud to serve the health care needs of everyone in the region — those who are new

parents and those who need to get a good night’s sleep (even when those aren’t one and the same). Donating is an investment in our community. Contact

LMHEA today to learn how your dollars can make a difference in the care your friends and family members receive at our community hospital.

LMH Sleep Center: Helping you get a good night’s sleepAre you getting a good night’s sleep? Do you feel like you’ve

slept for seven to eight hours, but still wake up feeling groggy? You are not alone. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approximately 100 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep disorder like sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy or restless legs syndrome. Sleep disorders often leave people feeling tired and fatigued, and if ignored, can lead to severe medical conditions.

One of the most common sleep disorders is sleep apnea. Lida Osbern, MD, a pulmonologist and co-medical director of the LMH Sleep Center, says that untreated sleep apnea can result in impaired quality of life, and even early death. “The life expectancy of untreated sleep apnea is only 58 years of age, compared with 78 for the general population,” she says.

Dr. Osbern has served the Lawrence community for more than 30 years and has helped the LMH Sleep Center become one of the first to be accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Am I a candidate?Sleep studies are tests that monitor and record what happens

to your body during sleep. Symptoms that may warrant a sleep study include: loud and disruptive snoring, morning headaches, a drowsy feeling when driving, weighing 20% or more than your ideal body weight, a neck size 17 inches or greater (male) or 16 inches or greater (female), or high blood pressure. Typical problems include sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep for 10 seconds or longer), problems staying awake such as narcolepsy, problems with nighttime behaviors like sleepwalking, problems sleeping at night like insomnia, or problems sleeping during the day due to working nighttime hours.

What should I expect?The LMH Sleep Center diagnoses and treats sleep disorders

in a home-like environment. Each month nearly 90 patients are examined or treated in the Sleep Center’s comfortable and relaxing environment. Patients generally begin their stay between 9-10 p.m. and complete the study by 6-7 a.m. The patient wears painless monitoring equipment while sleeping and a sleep technician is avail-able all night to assist the patient and to monitor oxygen level, heart rate, body positioning, snoring, breathing, sleep stage and muscle movement. After the sleep technician checks the test for accuracy, the test is scored and then interpreted by one of the sleep medicine physicians who specialize in sleep medicine: • Lida Osbern, MD, co-medical director• Eric Friskel, MD, co-medical director,

diplomat, American Academy of Sleep Medicine• Steve Hull, MD, diplomat, American Academy of Sleep Medicine• Elaine Kennedy, MD

The LMH Sleep Center offers the following testing options:• Polysomnogram (PSG)• CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)/BiPAP (Bi-level

Positive Airway Pressure)• Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)• Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT)

The LMH Sleep Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Patients who would like to be considered for a sleep study need to obtain a physician referral prior to testing. Testing is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, talk to your primary care provider and call 785-505-3789.

—Christy Moore

• More than 100 million Americans of all ages regularly fail to get a good night’s sleep.

• Two out of every 100 women and four out of every 100 men have a sleeping disorder.

• Half of all people age 65 and over experience twitching in the legs and arms during sleep.

• An estimated 30 million adults snore.• Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms

of depression at any age.

is an advanced practice registered nurse and a board-certified family nurse practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 1998, she received her master’s degree as a nurse practitioner from the University of Kansas School of Nursing. Renie has provided primary care to patients in McLouth and the surrounding area since 2000.

In addition to practicing at Family Medicine of Tonganoxie, is a collaborative physician at McLouth Medical Clinic.

Elizabeth Beal, MD is board certified in Family Medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2006, and in 2009 she completed her residency in Family Medicine at Research Medical Center

in Kansas City. Prior to medical school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wichita State University. Dr. Beal is conversant in Spanish and has a special interest in women’s health care.

Follow us at facebook.com/lmhorg or twitter.com/lmhorg.4

Residents who live in the surrounding communities of Tonganoxie and McLouth do not have to drive far for quality care. Both the McLouth Medical Clinic and Family Medicine of Tonganoxie are two of five family practices affiliated with Lawrence Memorial Hospital, giving smaller towns bigger rewards when it comes to family medicine.

Family Medicine of Tonganoxie and McLouth Medical Clinic have a highly skilled medical staff that offers complete primary care. Both clinics provide primary medical care for patients of all ages, from pediatrics and adolescent care to adult medicine and geriatrics. The practices are equipped to provide a wide range of onsite patient services, allowing residents the ability to get quality care in their hometown.

Lifetime Tonganoxie resident Gladys Walters has been a patient of Family Medicine of Tonganoxie since it opened in December 2003. At 79, Gladys thinks it’s wonderful to have a practice in her hometown and appreciates the focus of her family prac-tice doctor. “It gives me a feeling of security to have the clinic so close,” she says. “I have a good relationship with Dr. Beal. She is not only a good doctor, but someone I can confide in. Dr. Weatherford, too, has my confidence and respect; he is an asset to our community.”

As one of two practicing physicians in Family Medicine of Tonganoxie, Elizabeth Beal, MD, is what residents like Gladys have been looking for. “It’s very handy to have her here,” Gladys says. “Out-of-town physicians are not always able to be in touch.”

The time, energy and patience that Gladys receives from Dr. Beal are critical to her positive experiences with the clinic. The same goes for another Tonganoxie resident, Jean Henson.

When Jean took her son to visit Dr. Beal, “She knew immediately that something was wrong with his liver,” Jean says. “Dr. Beal told me to take him to LMH because he needed help immediately.”

When Jean and her son arrived, LMH doctors were waiting and treated him immediately in the emergency department. He spent a week at LMH, having tests and sonograms to determine his diagnosis. After a successful liver transplant this past Easter, he is doing great. Dr. Beal keeps informed with

his progress and knows everything that his physician is doing regarding his treatment. “I am so thankful Dr. Beal is here. I have never seen a doctor like her,” Jean says. “My son would not be alive today. My husband and I say we are so grateful to have someone like Dr. Beal and LMH in our backyard.”

Family Medicine of Tonganoxie and McLouth Medical Clinic proudly offer these patient services and more:• Primarycareforallages• Pediatricsandadolescentcare• Adultmedicine• Geriatrics• Generalphysicals• Laboratoryservices• Lacerationrepair(stitches)• Women’shealthexams/gynecologicalcare• Men’shealthexams• Dermatology• Patienteducation• Dietandexerciseinstruction• Weightlosscounseling• Smokingcessationprograms• Chronicdiseaseeducation

Additionally, Family Medicine of Tonganoxie also provides:• BasicX-ray• Orthopedics• Pulmonaryfunctiontesting• Minorsurgery

For added convenience, the McLouth Medical Clinic offers walk-in and urgent care. Please see lmh.org for more information.

—Christy Moore

Strength in community. . . smalltownsbigoncare

William Weatherford, MD is board certified in Family Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1999 and completed his residency KU Medical Center in 2003. He holds memberships in the American Academy of Family Physicians, Metropolitan Medi-cal Society of Kansas City and the Ton-

ganoxie Chamber of Commerce. Prior to medical school, Dr. Weatherford earned his bachelor’s degree in science education at Kansas State University and taught at Blue Valley High School of Overland Park.

410 Woodfield Drive | Tonganoxie, KS 66086913-845-8400

313 S. Union StreetMcLouth, KS 66054913-796-6116

Gladys Walters of Tonganoxie talks with Dr. Beal

www.lmh.org 5

PHOTOS BY JASON DAILEY

At the end of October, Lawrence Memorial Hospital unveiled the recently renovated 2-North medical unit. Among the upgrades are private rooms furnished to encourage healing and family visits, larger bathrooms, a warm and friendly family hospitality lounge, a new nurse’s station and an updated physician’s dictation area. These renovations create a spacious place where patients and visitors can find comfort.

The renovations — representing a $2.1 million project — began in March and were partially funded by a $350,000 donation from LMH Endowment Association’s seventh biennial Hearts of Gold Ball. The new waiting room creates a larger, quieter and more comfortable space for visitors of acutely ill (non-surgical, non-oncology) patients. “The hospitality room was designed to provide a comfortable space for families and visitors during a stressful time in their lives,” says Deborah Rector, director of the 2-North medical unit. “We want to make it warm and inviting.” The waiting room includes the Barteldes Family hospitality lounge, made possible by a generous gift from Chris Barteldes in honor of his parents, Ben and Toddy Barteldes. The hospitality lounge provides visitors with amenities such as beverages, a fireplace, a refrigerator and a microwave, and free Internet access.

The entire 2-North wing was expanded and renovated to eliminate semi-private rooms, creating 28 private, much larger inpatient rooms with updated equipment and furniture. Each now has a larger bathroom, a sleeper sofa and chairs for visitors for a family-friendly environment during the patient’s medical stay. “Family can be with patients at all times,” says Stanley Hornbaker, MD, one of 10 hospitalists at LMH, who sees approximately 15-22 patients a day on the 2-North wing. “The new features are beneficial. In each room there is a device on the wall that tells all the vital signs — blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation — and the information is fed directly into the patient’s electronic chart.” The renovation provides improvements to both the physical environment and to workflow procedures, resulting in efficient processes and experiences for staff, patients and family members. “Our nurses can spend more time with the patient at the bedside,” Rector says.

Over the last 13 years, the Hearts of Gold Ball has raised money for specific needs at the hospital. In 2003, it was held in honor of Bob Billings, a popular Lawrence philanthropist and 13-year LMHEA Board of Governors member. The money raised that year helped fund the

Bob Billings Cardiac Evaluation Center. In 2010, proceeds benefited the hospital’s cardiovascular services with the purchase of the Holter portable EKG system, Q-stress test and other medical equipment that further enabled physicians to monitor and treat patients’ cardiac issues. “We are grateful we live in a community that is so generous,” says Rector. “By donating money we are able to make our community hospital stronger and more friendly for everyone.”

—Christy Moore

2-North renovations unveiled

Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) has been named one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. LMH was recognized for its achievement in heart attack, pneumonia and surgical care.

LMH is one of eight hospitals in Kansas to earn the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. The list of Top Performers represents 18 percent of more than 3,400 eligible accredited hospitals in the country reporting core measure performance data in 2011.

LMH President and Chief Executive Officer Gene Meyer says, “While being recognized by a respected national organization like The Joint Commission is significant, we believe the real winners are our patients. LMH is dedicated to improv-ing patient care, and our commitment to quality and patient safety is evident in the work of our physicians and staff who make this happen every day.”

Top-performing hospitals met two 95% performance thresholds. First, they achieved performance of 95% or above on the composite score that includes all the accountability measures for which data are reported to The Joint Commission. This means that of all the opportunities to provide evidence-based practices, LMH did so for at least 95%of those opportunities. Examples of evidence-based practices are giving aspirin before and after arrival for heart attack patients, or giving antibiotics before surgery. Second, recognized hospi-tals met or exceeded a 95% performance target for each and every accountability measure for which they report data.

Karen Shumate, RN, LMH chief operating officer, says of the standards, “From physicians to every LMH associate, we have maintained a focus on our patients and on adhering to these standards of care. This recognition tells us what we already know — we truly are a great hospital with a culture of quality and patient service that sets us apart.”

For more information about what it means to be a Top Performer, visit www.lmh.org/qualitymatters.

—Janice Early

LMH named a Top Performer

Recent renovations to 2-North include more spacious and well-equipped patient rooms, and a family-friendly hospitality lounge.

6 lmh.org

It was only a few decades ago when recovering from colon, hernia or gallbladder surgery could take several weeks for patients to be up and moving again. However, with today’s rapidly evolving techniques and technology, minimally invasive surgeries under the skilled hands of experienced surgeons like the ones at Lawrence General Surgery require less time to recover.

In January 2010, Lawrence General Surgery joined Lawrence Memorial Hospital as an affiliated physician practice. Lawrence General Surgery’s four board-certified surgeons provide a full range of general surgery procedures. Their goal is to provide patients with state-of-the-art procedures and equipment resulting in the best possible surgical care. The physicians in the group have more than 75 years of combined experience.

Services offered

The experienced surgeons at Lawrence General Surgery are trained to perform a wide variety of surgical interventions. Some of the most common types of surgery include: • Laparoscopicsurgery• Endocrinesurgery,includingminimally

invasivethyroid,parathyroid,adrenalandpancreassurgery

• Breastdiseasesurgeries• Appendectomy• Cholecystectomy(gallbladder)

• Herniarepair,includinglaparoscopic hernia repair

• Stomachsurgery• Anti-refluxsurgery• Smallintestinesurgery• Colonsurgery• Releasingofperitonealadhesions• LowerGIendoscopy(colon)• Thoracicsurgery,includingthoracoscopy,

pleuralabrasion,biopsyanddecortications• Anorectalsurgery,including

hemorrhoidectomy• Office-basedminorsurgery,including

treatmentforskincancersandother skinconditions

New surgeon, new procedures

In April 2012, Lawrence General Surgery welcomed their newest surgeon, Chad Tate, MD. Dr. Tate specializes in most aspects of general and endocrine surgery and surgical oncology, including thyroid and parathyroid disease; advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery, inclsuding various esophageal surgeries; and surgeries of the stomach, spleen, adrenal glands, pancreas, small and large intestine, and laparoscopic ventral hernia repairs; and management of skin cancers including melanoma. With the addition of Dr. Tate, Lawrence General Surgery further expands the minimally invasive surgeries available to the community.

—Christy Moore

Lawrence General Surgery expands offeringsCheryl A. Rice, MD is a board- certified general surgeon. She com-pleted an internship and a residency in general surgery at St. Louis University. Dr. Rice earned her medical degree from the KU School of Medicine, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tabor College in Hillsboro.

Steve W. Myrick, MD, FACS is a board-certified general surgeon. In 1982 he joined a group of surgeons who had been serving the Lawrence community since 1951. Dr. Myrick grew up in western Kansas, received his bachelor’s degree from KU and his medical degree from the KU School of Medicine.

Mark A. Praeger, MD, FACS is a board-certified general surgeon. Dr. Praeger came to Lawrence in 1977 after serving 10 years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Chad R. Tate, MD is a board- certified general surgeon. He came to Lawrence in April after spending the last seven years in private practice at Baylor University Medical Center where he also completed his surgical internship and residency. He is a gradu-ate of the University of Notre Dame

and the University of Texas-Southwestern.

One of the new health care laws embedded in the 2010 Affordable Care Act is that hospitals must meet the national standard of Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) readmission rates in order to receive full reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. The Hospitals Readmissions Reduction Program came into effect on October 1, 2012, measuring the readmission rates of patients from July 2008 to June 2011. “Readmission” is defined as the occurrence when a patient is treated at a hospital for any reason within 30 days of initial inpatient treatment for pneumonia, heart failure or heart attack. Nearly one in five Medicare patients across the U.S. are readmitted, according to Kaiser Health News. It’s a sobering statistic.

The 2013 penalty for having higher-than-national standard of readmission rates is 1% of reimbursement amounts, which will increase to 2% in 2014 and 3% in 2015. Out of 55 hospitals in Kansas, 29 have been penalized for exceeding the national standard of readmission rates. Nationwide, 2218 hospitals are subject to penalties amounting to $280 million.

The readmission rates at Lawrence Memorial Hospital are lower than what CMS requires and therefore not subject to any penalty. LMH’s readmission rates, as compared to the CMS’s 2013 national rate, are as follows: • Heart attack patients: 16.9% (CMS national rate is 19.2%)• Heart failure patients: 21.6% (CMS national rate is 24.6%)• Pneumonia patients: 15.9% (CMS national rate is 18.5%)

Linda Gall, director of care coordination, says that LMH has been proactive in its

approach to keeping readmission rates low. Much of the hospital’s success in this regard is due to the community care navigator role created in March 2010. The community care navigator — originally a social worker whose part-time position was funded for the first two years by the LMH Endowment Association; now a nurse whose full-time posi-tion is funded by the hospital — coaches high-risk patients about disease management and follows up with them weekly for 30 days after they are released from the hospital.

Gall says, “When patients get discharge instructions in the hospital, their stress level is often high, and they can’t remember what they are supposed to do after they get home. So the community care navigator follows up with them when they are in their own environment, reinforcing the importance of following the instructions and taking medications correctly.”

The community care navigator also helps patients access additional community resources, arranges for transportation, and acts as a liaison between them and their primary care providers. Patients also are introduced to the pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation centers at LMH. The community care navigator works with LMH’s respira-tory navigator to make sure that patients on respiratory inhalers use them correctly.

Since the role of the community care navigator was created, LMH’s readmis-sion rates have decreased by 9% for heart attacks, 7% for heart failure, and 1% for pneumonia.

Lower readmission rates are good for everyone involved, Gall explains. For the patient, they indicate improved health and outcomes. For LMH, lower rates mean lower

LMH’s readmission rates meet Medicare reimbursement criteria

330 Arkansas, Suite 202 | Lawrence, KS 66044785-505-2200

To learn more or to make a gift, see www.lmhendowment.org. 7

LMH earns certification as Primary Stroke Center

In November 2009, 44-year-old Josef Rantner, father of two, left work early — something he would never do otherwise — due to a severe headache. By the time he arrived at his home and was able to sit down on the couch, the symptoms grew worse and what he didn’t know was that he was about to have a stoke.

Josef found himself sitting on the couch and not feeling well. Suddenly, he lost vision and tried to get up off the couch, but his balance was completely off. He then fell down and became completely disoriented. “At this point, I couldn’t tell which way was up or down,” he says. “I knew something severe was happening, but I never would have thought it was a stroke.” Luckily for him, it was a Wednesday so his 14-year-old daughter was home from school; she was able to call 911 when he couldn’t.

Josef was immediately rushed to LMH. “I thought there was a possibility that I could die,” he says. He was surrounded by LMH emergency department physicians and staff who ran tests and started treatment for a stroke. “The doctor told me he was going to treat me as if I was his brother,” Josef says, describing how his emergency department physician started his diagnosis and treatment. Josef stayed three days at LMH.

It’s been three years now since his stroke, and Josef doesn’t take life for granted. He gets yearly physicals and takes the results seriously. He exercises regularly and has made lifestyle changes every year to continually improve his health. He believes he has made a complete recovery — something for which he’s particularly grateful, given his family history of stroke (his father passed away from one).

Josef is forever thankful for and appreciative of the compassionate care he received at LMH. He recalls a memory that even now is still fresh in his mind about an incident that occurred between himself and a member of the staff who wheeled him to get a CT scan. “He was pushing me to my scan and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Hey, Josef, you are going to be just fine,’” Josef recalls with affection. “That is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was the most reassuring, comforting thing that happened to me in the hospital. I will never forget it.”

—Christy MooreJoin us in sharing experiences and ideas about life changes brought on by stroke. Monthly meetings often include informal presenta-tions about treatments and services available for stroke survivors and their loved ones. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 4 p.m., usually in Conference Room E in the basement of Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Friends and family are welcome to attend. For more information, please call Lynn Murphy at 785-505-2712 or Lisa Graves at 785-505-3266.

Stroke survivor thankful for compassion and care

Josef Rantner

LMH has received certification from The Joint Commission, an independent accreditation and certification organization for health care providers, as a Primary Stroke Center. Effective July 2012, the two-year certification recognizes LMH’s stroke program as a center of excellence in providing primary care for stroke patients.

To receive certification, LMH demonstrated proficiency in diagnosing patients with stroke by EMS technicians while en route to the hospital, having CT technicians and scanners ready to receive patients upon arrival, diagnosing patients with type of stroke and administering proper treatment within 60 minutes of arrival.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., and the leading cause of adult disability. Receiving prompt diagnosis and care enhances outcomes considerably.

There are two types of stroke: hemorrhagic and ischemic. Hemorrhagic strokes, which comprise 10% of all strokes, are a result of a burst blood vessel that causes bleeding in the brain. Ischemic strokes are a result of a blood clot. In either case, blood and oxygen are blocked from a part of the brain, causing death to brain tissue.

The most effective initial treatment for ischemic strokes is administer-ing an FDA-approved drug that breaks up clots, called tPA — tissue plas-minogen activator. tPA is most effective when administered quickly. tPA is not effective when given outside of a three- to four-and-a-half-hour window of the stroke occurrence, as brain tissue cannot rehabilitate after it has been dead beyond that length of time. Effective use of tPA can decrease severity of disability as a result of a stroke.

Cassandra Showalter, RN, CCRN, coordinator of stroke care at LMH, says, “Time is brain tissue. With LMH’s certification as a Primary Stroke Center, people can rest assured that they are getting the best stroke treatment they can get in their own community.” —Daisy Wakefield

RECOGNIZING A STROKEF.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of a stroke. When you can spot the signs, you’ll know quickly that you need to call 911 for help. This is important because the sooner a stroke victim gets to the hospital, the sooner they’ll get treatment. And that can make a remarkable difference in their recovery.

Face drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.

Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech difficulty: Is speech slurred, is the person unable to speak, or is he or she hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.

—from the American Stroke Association

325 Maine StreetLawrence, KS 66044

connect is published by Lawrence Memorial Hospital. The information in this newsletter is intended to educate readers about subjects pertinent to

their health and is not a substitute for consultation with a personal physician. To have your name added to or removed from this mailing list, please call 785-505-3317.

Gene Meyer | President and CEO, Lawrence Memorial HospitalEditorial Board | Sheryle D’Amico, Janice Early, Melissa Hess, Sherri Vaughn, MD, Kathy Clausing Willis

8 Lawrence Memorial Hospital • 325 Maine Street • Lawrence, KS 66044 • 785-505-5000 • www.lmh.org

DocTalkRobert Gorman, MD Robert Gorman, MD, has joined LMH Hospitalists. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administra-tion from Washington University in St. Louis, then went on to complete a medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Gorman completed his residency and was boarded in both internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Missouri Hospital and Children’s Hospital.

Melissa Kalb, MD Melissa Kalb, MD, has joined Lawrence Family Practice. A board-certified family physician, she grew up in Lawrence. She received her medical degree from the University of Kansas and completed her residency at Smoky Hill Family Medicine, where she was chief resident from 2011 to 2012. Dr. Kalb is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical

Association. She chose family medicine because she enjoys caring for patients of all ages. Dr. Kalb also provides obstetrical services to her patients. In addi-tion to spending time with her husband and son, she likes to bake, cook and run in her free time.

Lawrence Family Practice4951 W. 18th Street | Lawrence, KS 66047785-841-6540www.lawrencefamilypractice.com

Christopher Koster, MD Christopher Koster, MD, has joined Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, P.A. Dr. Koster received his medical degree from the University of Kansas and completed his residency program at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. For the last three years he has practiced medicine in his hometown of Great Bend and has been involved with the Boy Scouts as a scoutmaster and district chairman. He also enjoys brewing beer,

camping, hunting and sports. Dr. Koster and his wife, Aidan, who grew up in Lawrence, have two daughters.

Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, P.A.4824 Quail Crest Place | Lawrence, KS 66049or 346 Maine | Lawrence, KS 66044785-842-4477www.pandapeds.com

Caleb Trent, MD Caleb Trent, MD, has joined Lawrence Emergency Medicine Associates and is providing care in the LMH Emergency Department. He earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis. Dr. Trent completed his residency in emergency medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, where he was chief resident from 2011 to 2012. He and his wife

have two sons and a newborn daughter.

Lawrence Emergency Medicine Associates325 Maine | Lawrence, KS 66044785-505-6162www.lmh.org