Gov. Bill Graves
More than 300 KU Medical Center physicians, employees and volunteers gathered in the hospital’s main lobby Friday to learn the names of the new Hospital Authority Board members during a special announcement by Kansas Gov. Bill Graves. The l4-member board will serve as the new governing body of the hospital. It includes eight governor-appointed members and six members who are in current Medical Center-related positions. Those appointed by the governor include two from the state legislature-Sen. Sherman Jones (D-Kansas City) and Sen. Sandra Praeger (R-Lawrence). From the Board of Regents, Gov. Graves appointed Bill Docking, Arkansas City, and Sylvia Robinson, Kansas City. The governor’s four other appointments are Ed Chapman, Leavenworth; George Farha, MD, Wichita; Dorothy Lynch, Salina; and Mark Parkinson, Olathe. The six other members of the authority are Robert Hemenway, chancellor of KU; Donald Hagen, executive vice chancellor of KUMC; Deborah Powell, MD, executive dean of the KU School of Medicine; Irene Cumming, chief executive officer of KU Hospital; and Karen L. Miller, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the KU School of Nursing. In making the announcement, Graves said “The appointment of this oversight group
will allow the KU Hospital to continue to provide high quality patient care while not
being hindered by outdated restrictions imposed by state government. I am grateful to
these fine Kansans for their willingness to serve. Their appointment will allow government
to step aside and let the hospital do its job.” Authority Board Members Reception is today--
Dr. Norris earned his medical degree from the KU School of Medicine in 1964. After completing his residency and serving as a faculty member in otolaryngology at Tufts University, he returned to KUMC in 1971. Here, he developed the head and neck cancer team in the Otolaryngology Department. In addition, his clinical practice has included general otolaryngology, throat problems, allergic disorders and nasal and sinus disorders. In addition to his clinical practice Dr. Norris has taught numerous ENT residents in the past 27 years. He also has taken on strong leadership positions, serving as chair of the Otolaryngology Department and as chief of the KUMC medical staff. During his leadership at Otoloaryngolgy, Dr. Norris implemented the first computerization of office and support staff. Everyone is invited to honor Dr. Norris and wish him well! More than 1,500 employees answer surveys Nearly 80 percent of KU Hospital employees have responded to the survey conducted April 23 through April 30 to determine employee satisfaction. The survey results were electronically scanned and written comments were recorded and sent to an outside company for tabulation. Hospital leaders said they planned to hold Town Hall meetings in early June to review the hospital-wide results with all interested employees. Sessions are scheduled for all three shifts, to ensure that all employees have the chance to attend. “The survey went really well,” said Terry Rusconi, director of organizational improvement. “So far, 1,530 people have responded. That is about an 80 percent response rate, which is excellent.” The surveys are the first step in identifying employee concerns and ideas about working at KU Hospital. The results will be used to create action plans that will make KU Hospital a better place to work. “As a hospital team, we are committed to providing preferred quality care and a level of patient satisfaction that sets us apart from other healthcare providers,” said Irene Cumming, KU Hospital CEO. “This cannot be accomplished unless the employees who deliver care and services feel good about the Hospital’s future and their role in building that future.” Q&A Answering Questions On Q: On April 15, 1998 I celebrated my 24 year anniversay at KU. I have been a classified
employee but am currently a Regents Unclassified. On April 15 will I celebrate my 25th
anniversary or will I--and all Authority people--be “day one” employees on
October 1st (or December 31st)? Will our longevity follow us for the purposes of
calculating benefits, vacation, etc? Around KUMC Children’s Miracle Network Telethon needs volunteers
Walter S. Sutton exhibit open through June “The significance of the Phyllis Keeney Lawrence Teaching Award lies not only in
preserving the memory of Phyllis but also in its place in our school’s history,”
said Karen L. Miller, dean of the School of Nursing. “With this endowed award, we can
recognize faculty members who are shaping the careers of future nurses and the lives of
the patients these nurses care for.” Seminar scheduled Plastic surgery team returns to KUMC from hospital ship off African coast
Anyone who thinks plastic surgery is all about nose jobs and tummy tucks for aspiring Hollywood starlets should spend some time with Ned Garrigues, MD, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Sutherland Institute. Plastic surgery’s “glamorous” image rapidly pales as Garrigues recounts recent experiences. Garrigues led a team of physicians and nurses from KU Medical Center to Africa recently where team members lived and worked on a hospital ship. For two weeks the five-member team performed four or five surgeries a day on patients with cleft lips and palates, burn scars, large tumors, and other maladies while the ship was docked in the impoverished west African nation of Benin. The trip was funded by Dwight Sutherland, chief executive officer of Sutherland Lumber, Kansas City, Mo. In addition to the team members, Sutherland’s son, Todd, president of University National Bank, Lawrence, Kan., and Bill Kanaga, retired chairman of Ernst & Young, New York, N.Y., spent a week in Africa with the team on board the ship.
“The trip went great,” said Garrigues. “I think our team was able to make a real difference in the lives of the patients we treated.” Besides Garrigues, KU Medical Center’s team included anesthesiologist Jack Bray Jr., MD; plastic surgery resident David Csikai, MD; and operating room nurses Lisa Elm, RN, and Clara Meneses, RN. “This was a real team and I think we made a lasting impact; not only on the people we operated on, but on the ship itself,” Garrigues said. “From the minute we hit the deck, we were the KU team, ready to pitch in and help with the job at hand.” While the team arrived prepared to work, there was no way they could have prepared for some of the conditions that faced them. “Benin is a terribly poor county,” Garrigues said. “The poverty was just incredible. The boat was met on the pier by hundreds of people all trying to get medical care. We might be able to only provide help for one in 10 or one in 20 of them, but still they came to the pier to meet the ship.” Some patients suffered from the tropical disease noma, in which childhood malnutrition and infection combine to eat away parts of the nose, face or lips. KUMC’s team helped rebuild facial features for some of the disease’s victims. Despite the hardships of the trip, the Medical Center’s team remained enthusiastic about their experiences. “The Sutherland family built the institute at KU so patients in the Midwest would receive the highest level of care without having to leave the Kansas City area. I think it’s outstanding that they are now helping to bring the level of care patients receives at the Sutherland Institute to other parts of the world,” said Garrigues. Governor Graves: Hosptial Board is “most significant” change in KUMC history
Authority Board Profile-- Robert Hemenway was named chancellor of the University of Kansas in l995 and oversees the University’s main campus in Lawrence; KU Medical Center in Kansas City and Wichita; and the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Hemenway served as the chancellor of the University of Kentucky’s Lexington campus for six years before becoming KU’s l6th chancellor. During his tenure at KU, Hemenway has initiated several changes, including a reorganization of the administrative structure to eliminate layers of bureaucracy and a downsizing of the nonacademic work force. He has called for KU to become a student-centered university and has stressed the recruitment of high-ability students. KU enrolled 57 National Merit Scholars in the fall of l995, 58 in l996, and 90 in l997. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, and reared in Iowa and Nebraska, Hemenway graduated from Hastings (Neb.) High School in l959. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in Omaha and his doctorate in English from Kent State University in Ohio at age 24. KUMC employees share athletics, camaraderie during annual Corporate Challenge games KU Medical Center’s involvement in the 19th annual Kansas City Corporate Challenge plans to be record-breaking this year, in more ways than one. A “most-ever’’ 251 employees--43 percent more than last year--signed up to participate in the month-long series of Olympic-style events that officials kick off with a one-mile walk Friday at the Country Club Plaza’s Mill Creek Park. And if it means anything that KUMC employees already won the annual preliminary event--the May 16 fishing tournament--then that might just mean we’re well on our way to success. And why not? Last year, KUMC athletes combined their strengths to place fifth among companies participating in Division A, which includes those with more than 2,000 employees. KUMC hopes to place in the top five again this year. “Maybe even number four,’’ said Jan Schmidt, KUMC Corporate Challenge coordinator. The Corporate Challenge is “a team-building thing. Employees pulling together and supporting each other is what it’s all about,’’ said Schmidt, who also is associate director of KUMC’s Kirmayer Fitness Center. Friendships proliferate, both among KUMC employees and across company barriers. Within KUMC, co-workers becoming co-athletes adds a “new dimension’’ to the workplace, according to Tom Pierce, head of KUMC’s field services division of the Center for Environmental and Occupational Health and a five-year Corporate Challenge participant. “You might kind of know who somebody is, but when a biochemist or somebody is also a swimmer or trap shooter, that’s something else to know about them.’’ But these athletes keep the fun-loving spirit to it all. “It tends to be a friendly affair. I don’t know anyone who competes at such a level he can’t go to work on Monday,’’ Pierce said. So, if you see Gloria Davidson, radiation oncology secretary, in the halls, ask her about her finesse lately in racquetball and volleyball, the sports in which she competes. Never having had the chance to be competitive in high school because “I was from the era when they didn’t have girls’ athletics in public schools,’’ Davidson is making up for what’s missing from her past. In 1990, Davidson served the last two points in the volleyball game that won the gold medal for the KUMC women’s team. Last year, Davidson and the KUMC team won the silver medal. And then there’s Raja Khalifah, research associate professor of biochemistry, who grew up playing tennis on the banks of the Mediterranean in his native Lebanon. Khalifah won the Heart of America district tennis singles championship in Kansas City last summer. And he’s consistently placed within the top eight in his last three years of Corporate Challenge singles tournaments. Respiratory therapy’s Steve Coburn placed third in the individual weight-lifting competition three years ago and last year he tied for fifth, along with plumber Jeff Lockington, facilities management. There are more victory stories. “We’ve got a good group,’’ Schmidt said. “We expect to have a lot of fun.’’ The fishing pros -biomed’s Randy Bindel and Ron Sparks - set the pace by winning the fishing tournament, the preliminary event of the Corporate Challenge. Get out and watch more than 60 of the co-workers in the one-mile walk between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday. Afterward, KUMC athletes may attend the Corporate Challenge kick-off party at Westport’s Beaumont Club, Schmidt said. There’s more cheering to be done. So try to catch at least one of the next week’s events. Here’s when and where and the names of those Schmidt knew to be competing by press time: Men’s 3 on 3 basketball: Al Jackson, medical staff Trap shooting: Gaylon Lowery, KU Cancer Center Golf tournament Athletes were qualifying at press time. Women’s 3 on 3 basketball Xin Chen, clinical lab Table tennis Athletes were qualifying at press time. Racquetball Timothy Hall, radiology Classifieds Automotive For sale: 1996 Honda Accord EXL, V-6, leather, CD player, keyless entry, immaculate
condition, color-”Heather Mist,” 42,000 highway miles, $17,995 or best offer.
Call 525-5501. For Sale For sale: Solid oak queen size waterbed. Bookcase headboard, pedestal base with six
drawers. New mattress and heater. $600. 383-1228 after 5 pm. Wanted Wanted: refrigerator-white 537-5755 For Rent House for rent: 2-bedroom, 2 bath, garage, large basement with office. Big back yard
and dogs allowed. Extremely nice! Ten minutes from KUMC. Available July 1. $675/month.
Call 816-796-0275. Free Free firewood: Mostly hardwood, little or no pine. First come, first served. Call 361-8358 evenings. Pets Free to good home: 2 beautiful, large, long-hair Siamese black cats. Brother and
sister, 1 year old. Both have all shots and are spayed and neutered. Call 724-1568 Topics Information Topics ad policy Prepared by Printing Service Imaging |
