The Southern Highland Reader

REGIONAL–The governing board of MedWest Health System voted unanimously Tuesday to accept Carolinas HealthCare System’s recommendation and appoint Mike Poore as the chief executive officer for the affiliated hospitals of Haywood Regional Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital. The system will enter into a management agreement with Carolinas HealthCare System beginning in January, 2010.

Mike Poore

Poore, who was hired as CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center in October 2008, will assume the new position effective January 1, 2010.

“I’m excited about the challenges of bringing these two organizations together to better serve all of our communities. By integrating the resources of WestCare, Haywood Regional and Carolinas HealthCare System we will greatly enhance the healthcare of our region,” states Mr. Poore.

“The new MedWest CEO will be very busy over the next few months working with the new organization and with Carolinas HealthCare System to develop a management action plan to be presented to the MedWest board. The transitional process will take approximately six months,” said Mark Clasby, chairman of the MedWest board.

Fred Alexander, board vice chairman, stated, “Mike Poore has the experience and expertise to lead this system as it grows and enhances healthcare in the area. He has the full backing and support of the board and we look forward to the work that needs to be done.”

“I would like to congratulate Mike Poore on his appointment to CEO of MedWest Health System. This system, with support of Carolinas HealthCare System, will ensure that quality healthcare continues to be delivered to the citizens of Western North Carolina for years to come. I am very proud of our strong, capable and compassionate WestCare staff and know they will remain committed to providing excellent patient care. I would ask the WestCare staff to give Mike the same level of commitment and dedication they have always provided,” Mark Leonard, CEO of WestCare Health System.

The MedWest Board of Directors is made up of 14 members and has equal representation from both Haywood Regional Medical Center and Harris Regional and Swain County Hospitals. Two physicians each from Haywood and WestCare will also serve on the board of directors.

Poore served as senior vice president and administrator for Wellstar Douglas and Wellstar Paulding hospitals and the Paulding Nursing Facility in Atlanta, Ga., from 2007 to 2009; and as vice president and administrator for Douglas Hospital from 2004 to 2007. He served as the administrative director of ancillary services and vice president of operations at DePaul Medical Center from 1998 to 2004. Prior to that he was an administrator of support services at Erlanger Health Systems and was an administrator at Stewart Webster Hospital in Richland, Ga.

“An organization will flourish when you develop ownership and pride among employees. I believe in giving employees the tools needed to do their job, removing any barriers, and then getting out of the way and letting them do their job,” Poore said.

He is originally from Mobile, Al. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration at Auburn University and a Master of Business Administration degree at the University of South Alabama. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He and his wife, Penny, have two sons and one daughter.

“I would like to thank the MedWest board for their hard work to ensure a strong system that can offer better service to all communities served by the newly integrated network,” said Michael C. Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. “CHS looks forward to being actively involved in those communities, and responsive to community needs, once the new management agreement has taken effect.”

Mr. Clasby said the MedWest board’s goal is for the management agreement to become effective in January. The management services agreement will help to ensure access to broader resources, including sharing best practices in areas such as financial management, staff recruiting, safety and quality improvement, he said.

Haywood Regional Medical Center (www.haymed.org) was established in 1927. The current facility opened in 1979 and is licensed for 170 acute care beds. It is the third largest employer in Haywood County with more than 900 employees.

WestCare Health System (www.westcare.org) was formed in February 1997 when Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital combined to develop a full spectrum of health services. WestCare employs almost 1,200 full and part time employees and has a medical staff of more than 90 physicians representing 22 specialties.

Carolinas HealthCare System (www.carolinashealthcare.org) is the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas, with 29 affiliated hospitals in North Carolina and South Carolina.

SYLVA – Dogwood Women’s Health welcomes Swa Sapp, registered nurse and licensed esthetician to the practice, joining Dr. Graeme Potter, Cindy Noland, CNM and Maggie MacRae, CNM.

Swa provides skincare services including a wide variety of peel strengths and types, facials and hygienic waxing for women and men in a medical setting. She provides support and education for clients as part of the customized skincare her practice offers. She is the exclusive provider of BION skin care products in Western North Carolina.

Swa has been providing skincare services in Sylva for 11 years. She graduated from Duke University and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Certification in Esthetics from Haywood Community College.

Dr. Potter, Noland and MacRae provide OB/GYN services at Dogwood Women’s Health in Sylva, Bryson City, Franklin and Robbinsville. Swa practices in the main office in Sylva, on the campus of Harris Regional Hospital.

SYLVA–Ja’Quayvin Smalls, a Western Carolina University football recruit who died during an off-season team workout, passed away from “acute lethal cardia dysrhythmia due to cardiomyopathy” according to autopsy results released today.

Smalls also carried the sickle cell trait, according to Dr. Wm. Lawrence Selby, who performed the autopsy at Harris Regional Hospital.

In his report, Dr. Selby noted that Smalls had “a history of sickle cell trait, past positive PPD, and irregular heartbeat with PVC’s during fever approximately 5 years earlier.”

Selby told Tyler Norris Goode and Jon Ostendorf of the Asheville Citizen-Times that he had no clear evidence that the sickle cell trait played a role in Smalls’ death. At question in the national sports media after Smalls’ July death was whether testing for the sickle cell trait — which WCU did not perform — might’ve prevented the death.

Coverage from the Asheville Citizen-Times here.

REGIONAL–MedWest Health System, the new organization reflecting the affiliation between Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) and WestCare Health System, held the first meeting of its board today, and elected officers.

From Brian Thomas at MedWest:

Mark Clasby was elected chairman of the MedWest Health System Board of Directors. Clasby is chairman of HRMC’s governing board and served as chairman of the joint study committee for the affiliation process. Mr. Clasby is executive director of the Haywood County Economic Development Commission.

“[In today's meeting] we talked about remaining steps to complete the organizational process, and approved a resolution authorizing the integration agreement and management services agreement with Carolinas HealthCare System. In addition, we signed the integration agreement on behalf of MedWest,” Mr. Clasby said.

Representatives of the two healthcare organizations have been working on a joint operating agreement since spring, when plans were first announced to integrate operations. MedWest Health System is expected to be up and running by January 2010. At that time, Haywood Regional and WestCare will execute the management services agreement with Carolinas HealthCare System, based in Charlotte.

Fred Alexander, chairman of WestCare’s governing board, was elected as vice chairman of the MedWest board. Mr. Alexander is district manager for government and community relations the southwestern North Carolina mountain counties served by Duke Energy.

“I think Helen Keller said what I feel most, ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.’ This is a tremendous step for healthcare in our region and I look forward to seeing all the good we can do with a united presence,” Mr. Alexander said.

Bob Carpenter, also a member of WestCare’s governing board, was elected secretary. He is an associate financial planner with MetLife Financial Services and has been a member of the Jackson County Planning Board since 2007.

Glenn White was elected treasurer. Mr. White served three terms on Haywood Regional’s governing board and held the office of treasurer from 2000 until 2008. He served as chairman his final year on the board.

The newly formed joint board will have oversight responsibility for Haywood Regional and WestCare Health System; however, the currently constituted Haywood Regional and WestCare governing boards will remain in place with authority to oversee specific functions. The two individual hospital boards, for example, will continue to approve credentials for their respective medical staffs; and will make decisions regarding the sale, lease or distribution of current assets.

Other members of the MedWest Health System Board of Directors include Dr. Martha Anderson, WestCare; Jean Burton, HRMC; Dr. Shannon Hunter; HRMC; Bunny Johns, WestCare; Kirk Kirkpatrick, HRMC; Jim Manring, WestCare: Jerry McKinney, WestCare; Dr. Henry Nathan, HRMC; Frank Powers, HRMC; and Dr. Larry Selby, WestCare.

Haywood Regional Medical Center (www.haymed.org) was established in 1927. The current facility opened in 1979 and is licensed for 170 acute care beds. It is the third largest employer in Haywood County with more than 900 employees.

WestCare Health System (www.westcare.org) was formed in February 1997 when Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital combined to develop a full spectrum of health services. WestCare employs almost 1,200 full and part time employees and has a medical staff of more than 90 physicians representing 22 specialties.

Carolinas HealthCare System (www.carolinashealthcare.org) is the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas, with 29 affiliated hospitals in North Carolina and South Carolina.

WAYNESVILLE–Officials from Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare Health System today announced a joint operating agreement to include Haywood Regional Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital, Swain County Hospital and other healthcare facilities serving a four-county area in Western North Carolina. The JOA is now official, as WestCare’s governing board approved the JOA on October 13. The new organization will be known as “MedWest Health System.”

Representatives of the two healthcare organizations have been working on the JOA since spring, when plans were first announced to integrate operations. Mark Clasby, chair of Haywood’s board of commissioners, said the agreement “reflects a strong consensus within our local communities that integration of facilities and resources is the best way to ensure the continuation and growth of comprehensive healthcare services.”

Fred Alexander, chair of WestCare’s board of trustees, echoed these sentiments, adding that the JOA will help ensure that high quality services remain available close to home. “This new relationship,” he said, “will enhance our ability to attract the very best physicians, nurses and technicians to our area. Additional benefits include increasing access to care, reducing healthcare costs to patients, and improving patient outcomes.”

Alexander helped to unveil the new MedWest logo, featuring a blue and green mountain-themed design. He said the logo will be increasingly visible to the public, and adopted officially when a Joint Operating Company is in place to manage combined activities.

Clasby said the Joint Operating Company is expected to be up and running in January 2010. At that time, he said, Haywood Regional and WestCare will execute a management services agreement with Carolinas HealthCare System, based in Charlotte.

Hospital officials said ultimate responsibility for oversight will be vested in a newly formed governing board; however, the existing hospital boards will remain in place with authority to oversee specific reserved functions. For example, the individual boards will continue to approve credentials for their respective medical staffs; to make decisions regarding sale, lease or distribution of current assets; and to approve new members of the Joint Operating Company.

Clasby expressed thanks to members of a joint study commission that has been working since spring to oversee the details of integration and prepare the accompanying legal documents. “They have worked in a very cooperative spirit that has enabled us to keep pace with deadlines and maintain a sharp focus on enhancing healthcare delivery for the people of our region,” he said.

Michael C. Tarwater, chief executive officer of Carolinas HealthCare System, said his organization was pleased and honored to be a part of the new affiliation.

He noted that it is a growing trend for smaller hospitals to maintain some type of affiliation with a larger system, “because the economics of the times make it very difficult for small, independent hospitals to keep up with current demands.”

“A management services agreement,” he added, “helps to ensure access to a much broader array of resources, which are needed to meet the challenges they face today. Advantages include group purchasing opportunities and sharing best practices in areas such as financial management, staff recruiting, safety and quality improvement.”

Tarwater attributed Carolinas HealthCare’s growth to a firm commitment to local needs and sensitivities. “Decisions about growth, medical services and customer relations,” he said, “need to be guided by the people whose families will be affected by those decisions. We have a proud tradition of respecting that principle, and we are somewhat unique in that respect.”

About the partners

Haywood Regional Medical Center (www.haymed.org) was established in 1927. The current facility opened in 1979 and is licensed for 170 acute care beds. It is the third largest employer in Haywood County with more than 900 employees.

WestCare Health System (www.westcare.org) was formed in February 1997 when Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital combined to develop a full spectrum of health services. WestCare employs almost 1,200 full and part time employees and has a medical staff of more than 90 physicians representing 22 specialties.

Haywood Regional and WestCare have announced plans to affiliate with Carolinas HealthCare System (www.carolinashealthcare.org), one of the leading healthcare providers in the Southeast. The newly integrated network, to be called MedWest Health System, will enhance its commitment to the people of Western North Carolina by improving the quality of available services, offering new services, and providing more people with access to needed care. Carolinas HealthCare has 29 affiliated hospitals in North and South Carolina,

SYLVA–Lucretia Stargell at WestCare Health System notes an upcoming reception for new physicians:

WestCare Health System will host a reception 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 21^st in the lobby of Harris Regional Hospital to welcome several new physicians to the community. The public is invited.

The following have recently started practicing with WestCare Health System and will be honored at the reception: Dr. Isabella Pasniciuc and Louise Jones, PA-C (Sylva Medical Center); Dr. Jessica Ange (Sylva Family Practice); Dr. Shawn Kosnik (Mountain Ear, Nose & Throat); Dr. Casey Prenger, Dr. Simbiso Ranga and Dr. Tracée Ray (WNC Hospitalist Service); Dr. Christian Moretz and Jamie Ellingwood, PA-C (Wellspring Family Practice); Dr. Silviu Pasniciuc (WNC Internal Medicine); Dr. Currie Custer and Tim August, MPAS, PA-C (Current Dermatology); and Dr. Judson Garbarino (Carolina West Sports Medicine).

WestCare Health System recently expanded orthopaedic services welcoming Dr. Ryan Slechta and Eric Carrier, PA-C (Sylva Orthopaedic Associates) and Dr. Hubert Lee Gooch (Carolina Spine & Neurosurgery Center) who is performing spine surgeries at Harris Regional Hospital.
Dr. Olufemi “Femi” Babalola will join Mountain Valley Surgery in November. Tiffany Councill, ACNP-BC joined the practice over the summer.
For more information call (828) 586-7998.

SYLVA – WestCare Health System will recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month during October with a series of events at Harris Regional Hospital, Swain County Hospital and WestCare Medical Park of Franklin, beginning with the 11^th Annual Smoky Streak 10K run/5K run/walk.

Registration for the race begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, October 3rd at Webster Baptist Church. Pre-registration is $20 and $25 the day of the race. Proceeds will go toward digital mammography services.

Dedications for the “Tree of Hope” will take place at noon on Monday, October 5th at Harris Regional Hospital, Swain County Hospital and WestCare Medical Park of Franklin. Anyone who would like to honor or remember someone affected by cancer of any kind is invited to fill out pink cards to be placed on the trees. The cards will be available all month while the trees are on display. Dr. Martha Anderson of Carolina West Radiology and breast cancer survivor Phyllis Foxx will open the annual ceremony at Harris Regional Hospital.

Pink ribbons will decorate the light posts in downtown Sylva and Bryson City throughout the month. They will honor and remember those affected by breast cancer and serve as a reminder of the importance of yearly mammograms. WestCare Health System extends gratitude to the towns of Sylva and Bryson City for allowing the ribbons to decorate the light posts.

SYLVA – WestCare Health System invites the community to meet three physicians and one physician assistant who have recently joined the medical staff and provide orthopaedic services regionally. A reception will be held 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 30th in the lobby of Sylva Orthopaedic Associates at Harris Regional Hospital and is open to the public.

Dr. Ryan Slechta completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and has joined Dr. Larry Supik, Dr. Martin Senicki, Dr. Jud Handley, Dr. Quayle Neslen and Robin Pope, PA at Sylva Orthopaedic Associates. Also joining the staff is Eric Carrier, PA, who graduated from the Duke University Physician Assistant program.

Dr. Hubert Lee Gooch has joined Carolina Spine and Neurosurgery Center and performs spine surgery at Harris Regional Hospital. He completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Orthopaedic Associates Scoliosis and Spine Center in Baltimore, Md.

Dr. Judson Garbarino will provide primary care sports medicine at Carolina West Sports Medicine seeing patients in Sylva, Bryson City, Franklin and Cherokee. Dr. Garbarino was fellowship-trained in primary care sports medicine at Riverside Methodist Hospital Primary Care Sports Medicine in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information call (828) 586-7998.

SYLVA–Construction will soon begin on a medical office building on the Harris
Regional Hospital Campus in Sylva. The new 45,000-square-foot three-story building
will house physician practices and free up space to allow for additional
medical staff growth.

“Currently most of the physician office space on the Harris Regional
Hospital campus is occupied, so we’re very excited about the development of
this new building which will provide the opportunity for our medical staff
to grow and for hospital related functions to expand, so that we can better
serve the community” said Mark Leonard, CEO, WestCare Health System.”

WestCare has recruited 11 new physicians and 7 new midlevels during the
past 6 months. These providers will be starting practice over the next
several months and this building will help in housing these physicians and
allow for future growth of the medical staff. The building will also house
an outpatient laboratory and x-ray to make access easier for patients.

WestCare states that no capital or foundation money from WestCare is being
used to fund these projects. In the joint venture, developers will pay for
the construction of the building, and then will lease out the space to the
medical staff.  WestCare will ground lease the land to the developer,
Colony Development Partners of Charlotte, NC.

The healthcare division of Colony Development Partners is a full-service
turnkey healthcare development company whose principals have experience in
all types of medical facilities with an emphasis on specialty hospitals,
speculative medical office buildings, hospital-sponsored medical office
buildings, ambulatory surgery centers and care centers, and
single-physician practice medical office buildings. The healthcare division
is currently developing medical offices and healthcare facilities
nationally with offices in Charlotte and Nashville.

WestCare Health System looks forward to affiliating with Haywood Regional
Medical Center and Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS). The newly integrated
network will enhance its commitment to the people of Western North Carolina
by improving the quality of available services, offering new services, and
providing more people with access to needed care. CHS is one of the leading
systems in the Carolinas, and currently owns, leases or manages 25
hospitals in North and South Carolina.

SYLVA–Becky Wilkes has been promoted to serve as the Director of Human Resources for WestCare Health System. She began with Harris Regional Hospital in 1983.

During her time with WestCare she has supervised the payroll process, conducted compensation/market analysis and provided vital information and statistics for Human Resources.

Wilkes has holds a certificate in Employment Law and has attained her SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) status with the Society for Human Resource Management.

Janet Millsaps, MPA, FACHE, SPHR Vice President states, “Becky is a stellar example of a high-performer who continues to grow in mastery of her knowledge and competency in the operational management of human capital. She is highly respected by her peers and is certainly an asset to WestCare Health System.”

CULLOWHEE–Western Carolina University football player Ja’Quayvin Smalls, a newly-enrolled transfer from Georgia Military College, died Wednesday at Harris Regional Hospital.

Smalls, participating in his first conditioning workout with the Catamounts, stopped breathing while being treated for cramps. He was administered CPR by athletic training staff and reportedly briefly revived before medical personnel arrived, but was pronounced dead at Harris Regional at 7:30pm.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy, but it is especially tragic when someone is taken from us at such a young age,” said Chip Smith, WCU director of athletics. “Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of Ja’Quayvin, and with his coaches and teammates.”

Smalls, from Mt. Pleasant, SC, is survived by his parents Henry and LaSonia Smalls and two younger siblings, Jarrel and Ja’Keil.

SYLVA–Every parent knows how difficult an infant’s inconsolable crying can be.

These “Periods of Purple Crying” are part of early life for many infants, and are stressful for parents – particularly new parents.

Harris Regional Hospital’s staff recently completed training on how best to deal with inconsolable crying, and how to teach young parents to deal with it as well.

Andrea Cochran, WestCare Perinatal Services Clinical Coordinator stated, “I believe the information that we will be providing to our patients is very important to every new mother and father. Anyone who is or has been a parent knows how frustrating it is to not be able to console your child.”

Christy Reagan, Director of Women/Children’s Services, agreed. “I think it will be helpful for them to understand that their baby’s behavior is normal. It doesn’t mean that they are a bad parent if they need to lay their baby in a safe place and walk away for a few moments instead of losing control and possibly causing harm.”

Adds Mark Leonard, WestCare CEO, added: “The completion of this training shows the strong nurse leadership here at WestCare and our staff’s commitment to the families in our care.”

The letters in PURPLE stand for the common parts of non-stop crying in infants:

• P – peak pattern (crying peaks around 2 months, then decreases)
• U – unpredictable (crying for long periods can come and go for no reason)
• R – resistant to soothing (the baby may keep crying for long periods)
• P – pain-like look on face
• L – long bouts of crying (crying can go on for hours)
• E – evening crying (baby cries more in the afternoon and evening)

Some basic soothing tips that a parent can try for a fussy baby are:

• Feeding the baby
• Check the baby’s temperature
• Hold the baby
• Cuddling, cooing, reading or singing
• Rocking the baby
• Checking the baby’s diaper or clothes
• Creating “white noise”
• Taking the baby for a walk

For more information on this feel free to email info@westcare.org, visit westcare.org or call 828-586-7000.