UMMC, NMMC Partner For Newborn With Congenital Heart Condition

 The University of Mississippi Medical Center and North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) recently partnered to bring UMMC’s congenital heart surgery team to Tupelo to repair a certain type of heart defect in newborns.

Dr. Jorge Salazar, chief of congenital heart surgery at UMMC, and a specialized team of medical professionals operated in NNMC’s neonatal intensive care unit to close a newborn’s patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This was the first newborn heart surgery at NMMC.

Before birth, there is a natural connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. This opening usually closes shortly after birth, but when it doesn’t, it’s called a PDA. 

If left untreated, the PDA causes excessive blood flow to the lungs and can lead to heart failure and worsening lung disease in premature babies.  The surgery, or PDA ligation, permanently closes this connection improving survival, and at times preventing severe chronic lung problems.

Now babies with this condition won’t have to be transferred to other hospitals when they’re unstable. Previously, the only choice was to transport the baby in an ambulance to the pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, and there’s always a risk of the baby’s condition deteriorating during travel.

Salazar said the surgery takes 45 minutes and babies recover quickly from the procedure. He and his team have performed this surgery successfully on babies as small as 1 pound.

The procedure has a 99 percent success rate and results in dramatic improvement in heart and lung function said Salazar.

Orthopedic Surgeons Join Memorial Physician Clinics

Memorial is pleased to welcome Minoo Hollis, MD, and George Byram, MD, to our healthcare system in the practice of Orthopedic Surgery in association with Inez Kelleher, MD, in Gulfport.

Dr. Hollis graduated from the University of Nevada, and attended medical school at the University of Nevada, School of Medicine in Reno, Nevada. Dr. Hollis completed her residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas. She is fellowship trained at the American Sports Medicine Institute, Birmingham, Alabama. She is Board Certified in orthopedic surgery.

Dr. Byram received his bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Georgia and attended medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He interned at Southern Pacific Hospital in San Francisco, California. Dr. Byram completed his residency at Tulane University Charity Hospital and he is Board Certified in orthopedic surgery.

Carmela Osborne joins staff of Methodist Spine & Joint Center

Carmela Osborne, M.D., a board certified physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician, has joined the staff of Methodist Spine & Joint Center in Flowood.

Osborne is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She completed her PM&R residency at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, where she served as chief resident.

Osborne served as a General Medical Officer for the United States Army and is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal

For the past 10 years, Osborne worked at Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center in Ohio, where she specialized in musculoskeletal and electro-diagnostic medicine.

Jackson VA Director Named Senior Healthcare Executive of the Year

Linda F. Watson, Center Director of the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, has been named Senior Healthcare Executive of the Year by the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

Watson received the award at the NAHSE 25th Annual Educational Conference. Health Care Executives from across the country and VA staff from Jackson watched Watson receive the honor.

In Jackson, Watson leads a medical center that has consistently ranked among the top of all VA facilities in providing quality health care. Recently, Jackson ranked second among all VA medical centers in providing quality health care to Veterans.  Jackson ranked first among VA medical centers that are similar in complexity.

Mississippi State Department of Health Receives Perfect Score

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has received a 100 percent score for its ability to receive and dispense medicine and medical supplies within 48 hours of a public health emergency.   Mississippi is one of only nine states to achieve this.  The other states are Virginia, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Louisiana, Indiana, and California.

MSDH has planned, trained and been graded on this federal program since December 2000.  On September 2, 2005, Mississippi became the first and only state to receive, stage, store, and distribute the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) package “12 hour push package” of medicine and medical supplies during the Hurricane Katrina response.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) SNS program is a national warehouse of medicine and medical supplies to protect the American public when a public health emergency severe enough to deplete local supplies occurs.  The SNS is designed to assist and resupply state and local public health agencies anywhere and at any time within the U.S. or its territories.

Cotton named Marketing Director

Renee Cotton has joined the staff of Madison County Medical Center/Madison River Oaks as Director of Marketing.

She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has been in the field of Healthcare in the metro area for nearly twenty years.  Cotton is actively involved in the business community. In addition to marketing for the existing facility, she will guide and direct the marketing and promotional efforts of Madison River Oaks which is scheduled to join the River Oaks family in Spring of 2011.  She and her family reside in Madison.

Anderson Receives National Awards for Patient Safety, Patient Experience

Anderson Regional Medical Center has been ranked as one of the top hospitals in the nation in two important areas and is being recognized for its achievements by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

The hospital ranked in the top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals for patient safety and in the top 10 percent of U.S. hospitals in patient experience. Of the almost 5,000 hospitals surveyed, Anderson Regional Medical Center is among only 30 institutions nationwide to receive awards in both of these categories, at 5 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

In a study released by HealthGrades, Anderson Regional Medical Center was one of only 238 hospitals in the nation to receive the HealthGrades 2010 Patient Safety Excellence Award. The award is given based on the incidence rates of 15 patient safety indicators among Medicare patients at virtually all of the nation’s nearly 5,000 non-federal hospitals.

The HealthGrades 2010-2011 Outstanding Patient Experience Award was given on the basis of surveys of patients shortly after discharge to ascertain their experience on a range of issues, from communication with doctors and nurses to cleanliness and pain management.

NMMC Employees Certified As Asthma Educators

Two respiratory therapists from North Mississippi Medical Center have recently been certified as asthma educators. Sherry Fuqua and Angie Coggin of Tupelo are respiratory therapists with NMMC’s Women and Children’s Services.

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