“I knew nursing was my path,” shares Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell CEO Dawn Tschabrun, RN of her 31-year professional career and lifelong interest in nursing. It all began in her South Central Nebraska hometown, where Dawn was introduced to health care through her mother’s job as a materials management tech at their local community hospital. By high school, Dawn volunteered as a candy striper and met a charge nurse named Rita, who took her under her wing and opened her eyes to the field of nursing. “She was an old-school nurse – starched white uniform, white hat and wore her nursing pin every day. She kept telling me what a great profession nursing is and how you serve people at their worst time or at their best time when they are welcoming a new child into the world.”

Due to the size and nature of the community hospital, Rita, the charge nurse, moved from department to department with Dawn always close by. “We went from med/surg to the Emergency Department and the OR – all over that hospital,” she recalls. “It afforded me the opportunity to understand that nursing was very broad and there were many different things that connect you to the patient and that it even goes beyond the patient to their families. That experience solidified my desire to have a career in nursing. I knew I wanted to be the best nurse possible.”

Dawn went on to be the first person in her family to graduate from college. In 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in hand, Dawn said two states were hiring at that time – Alaska and Texas. “For the girl from Nebraska the options were: no snow or snow,” she adds. “I chose no snow.” She began working at a Texas hospital in the med-surg unit then moved into the intensive care unit (ICU) and eventually transitioned to cardiovascular intensive care unit (CV-ICU).

“I began to ask myself, ‘How could I do more and serve more people?’” she recalls. “I believed as a leader I could serve more people.” Dawn accepted a role as the house supervisor, rounding on all the departments throughout the hospital, overseeing quality and patient care. It is essentially the house supervisor’s role to find an answer to every question and a solution to every problem. Her work was quickly recognized and she was asked to oversee the construction of a new med/surg telemedicine unit as a nursing director.

At the conclusion of that project, Dawn stepped back to look strategically at her career moving forward. In 2000, she decided to go back to school to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). “I thought a Master’s in Business would give me a solid resume.” Upon graduation, she was recruited to a hospital in Las Cruces, NM, boasting 320 days of sunshine and an opportunity to lead as chief nursing officer (CNO). “I focused on providing exceptional care for patients every day.”

Nearly seven years ago, Dawn was recruited once again – this time to the physician-owned Roswell Regional Hospital. “I was pleasantly surprised at how busy and dynamic a 26-bed hospital could be,” she recalls of her first visit. On her way back to Las Cruces the CEO in Roswell called Dawn and convinced her to make the move. She came on board as the CNO.

“The organization has been through a lot of change,” she explains. Lovelace Health System purchased the hospital in 2012. The following year, Dawn was named the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell. The role marries her clinical and business experience. “I have an understanding of what our providers are doing. It’s all about quality care. If we focus on excellent outcomes and excellent service to our patients, everything else flows from that.”

Dawn leads not only from within the hospital, but at the community and state level as well. “It’s important to be involved,” she says. Serving on the board at the local community college to the Roswell Chamber of Commerce and Quality New Mexico, Dawn’s path in health care leadership continues to serve others across the state. “I’m passionate about giving back. Every community I have lived in has given me something. I try to take that forward with me. I attend graduation and hand out diplomas to graduating students. It’s exhilarating to see their faces. At the Chamber of Commerce, I want to sustain and grow Roswell to attract and retain businesses. At Quality New Mexico, my passion is to validate New Mexico as a state of excellence.”

Her passion for serving others has caught on at Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell. Employees can be found coaching tee-ball on the weekends. Dietary staff caters events for the community. Lovelace is so much a part of Roswell, the son of a nurse, Mayor Dennis Kintigh, often joins Dawn for physician recruitment interviews, sharing his passion for the field of health care and serving others.

“Nursing is care, compassion and respect for humans in both their worst and best times,” Dawn says. At Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell, nurses have the opportunity to bring their passion for patient care to an environment that fosters their professional development as well.

To learn more about current opportunities in nursing at Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell and to apply online, click here.

ALBUQUERQUE – May 9, 2016 – Lovelace Medical Center has been recognized as a top-performing hospital in the Midas+ Platinum Quality Award program. This award is based on Lovelace Medical Center’s 2015 performance in the Midas+ National Comparative Database for clinical performance in several key areas, including utilization efficiency and clinical efficacy measures and risk-adjusted length of stay and mortality outcome measures.

“The clinical staff at Lovelace Medical Center is superlative in providing quality care to our patients,” said Troy Greer, CEO of Lovelace Medical Center. “We are very proud that our quality has been recognized on a national level yet again.”

Lovelace Medical Center has recently been recognized for other quality initiatives, including the Get With The Guidelines ® Stroke Gold Plus and Target: Stroke Elite Plus awards for stroke treatment.

More than 800 hospitals participate in the Midas+ CPMS and DataVision Solutions. Midas+ aims to provide distinct yet tightly integrated solutions that address strategic performance management needs.

A representative from Lovelace will attend the 25^thMidas+ Annual Symposium in Tucson, Arizona May 23-25 to accept the award.

Epic to replace 80 software systems and improve care, experience & work environment

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (May 10, 2016) – Lovelace Health System has selected Epic, the industry’s leading provider of electronic health record software, to unite its hospitals, clinics and physician groups under a single information-sharing platform.

The move provides Lovelace’s caregivers with a single, stronger patient information system that will help streamline their work. In doing so, it will afford caregivers more time at the bedside to offer consistent, high-quality health services and a better patient experience for the people they serve.

“This is a significant step forward on our journey to deliver high-quality care and exceptional customer service more efficiently,” said Ron Stern, president and CEO of Lovelace Health System. “In addition to streamlining workflow for our physicians, nurses and staff, this conversion will allow us to provide patients with the convenience of a single medical record and bill for all of our services – dramatically simplifying and improving their overall experience.”

Lovelace’s parent company, Ardent Health Services, chose Epic after one of the most thorough evaluation periods in the software company’s history. Nearly 500 Ardent team members, including Lovelace physicians, bedside nurses, registration and discharge staff representing each part of the care continuum and all specialties participated in the demonstrations and assessment.

“We are very pleased to have Ardent join the Epic family after rigorous evaluations of functionality, total cost of ownership and long-term value," said Carl Dvorak, president, Epic. "Ardent is a well-respected and innovative organization and we look forward to partnering with their clinicians and leadership in transforming care to provide superior outcomes for patients in the markets they serve.”

Epic will replace 80 information systems currently in use across Lovelace and other Ardent facilities, increasing efficiencies by streamlining services such as registration, billing, clinical applications, ehealth and population health initiatives. Lovelace will also join a growing Epic community, which includes many of the nation’s leading health systems, in the exchange of data, best practices and innovation.

“Epic’s electronic health records systems will allow us to provide a more consistent record-keeping experience across the board at all of our hospitals and clinics,” said Lovelace Medical Group CEO Dr. John Cruickshank. “Through greater, quicker access to medical records, Epic will improve the care experience not only for our patients, but for our providers and staff members as well.”

Once implemented, Ardent will become the first investor-owned hospital company to utilize Epic throughout the entire organization, which also includes BSA Health System, in Amarillo, Texas, and Lovelace Health System, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Representatives from Epic will begin working alongside Lovelace employees this summer to build the software system, a process that typically takes nine to 10 months. Lovelace is expected to transition to the new system in the fall of 2017. 

Founded in 1979, today Epic consists of 385 highly respected healthcare organizations that cover 33,500 clinics, 1,600 hospitals, 1,700 retail clinics and more than 33,000 physicians. Its software is used in community hospitals, academic medical centers, children’s organizations, retail clinics, multi-specialty groups, integrated delivery networks, rehab centers, skilled nursing, independent practices and more.

Epic’s MyChart software, which Lovelace will adopt, allows patients to find personal and family health information at their fingertips. Patients will be able to message doctors, attend e-visits, complete questionnaires, schedule appointments and be more involved in managing their health.

Theresa Gutierrez, FNP-C

Theresa Gutierrez, FNP-C, is a certified family nurse practitioner. Theresa has over 15 years of nursing experience.

Theresa earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of New Mexico and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of St. Francis Joliet.

Theresa is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

Theresa’s professional interests include holistic care and chronic disease management. She is passionate about forming partnerships with her patients in order to work toward managing chronic disease processes and encouraging her patients to live healthier lives. 

Michelle Amaya Schmidt welcomed her first child, a boy, Asher Hunter Schmidt on January 13, 2016. He was born at Lovelace Women’s Hospital after months of anticipation and preparation. Michelle joined the Lovelace Labor of Love program to learn more about what to expect during her first pregnancy, while taking advantage of every opportunity to give her baby the best start possible. “I was immediately drawn to the Labor of Love program,” she says. “I am interested in maternal health and believe that by providing education and resources, it can lead to positive pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child.”

A natural delivery was one of the goals Michelle worked towards throughout her pregnancy. She attended prenatal yoga classes at Lovelace Women’s Hospital, which are complimentary to Labor of Love members. Prenatal yoga has many health benefits for mom and baby during pregnancy. From reducing stress, to improving circulation and even sleep, prenatal yoga helped Michelle support a healthy pregnancy and prepare for the natural delivery she had planned.

She worked closely with Certified Nurse Midwife Christina Cheney, CNM, throughout her prenatal care and at the Family Birthing Center at Lovelace Women’s Hospital when the big day arrived. It was the experience she had been working towards over the previous nine months. “I always tell friends and family about the great experience I had throughout out my pregnancy,” she says. “I had excellent prenatal care with my midwife Christine Cheney and an awesome natural delivery on the third floor. The staff was all so helpful and attentive.”

Following Asher’s arrival, Michelle was treated to an in-room massage, also offered to Labor of Love members, to help bring restoration and balance after delivery. “The Labor of Love program has provided great resources,” she adds.

Today, Michelle stays connected with other new moms and continues to receive support for any of her questions regarding caring for her baby, including breastfeeding, by attending the New Parents Support Group. “I have been attending the New Parents Support Group since my son was a few weeks old and I still continue to go, because it is very helpful and it is great to be surrounded by a community of breastfeeding mothers,” she explains.

“I had the best experience and would recommend it to any expectant mother,” Michelle says of choosing Lovelace Women’s Hospital and joining Labor of Love.

To learn more about Labor of Love, please click here. Expecting or a new parent? Please join us Saturday, June 4 at the Labor of Love Health Fair at Lovelace Women’s Hospital from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Click here for more information.

Breast cancer patients and survivors often experience uncomfortable symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, decreased range of motion due to scar tissue and weakness. These symptoms are often the result of cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, regular exercise has been shown to improve survival rates and reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. Research has shown that yoga has many physical and emotional benefits for cancer patients and survivors.

The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, which should also include strength training at least two times per week. Breast cancer patients and survivors may be extremely weak when going through treatment or recovery, so yoga has become a popular choice when trying to maintain regular exercise each week.

“Yoga is a great modality to help decrease stress, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness that can be associated with breast cancer diagnosis and treatment,” says certified yoga instructor, Meredith Smith.  “Yoga is all about tuning into your body, reading the cues your body is sending you, helping understand when it is time to take it easy or when you can go a little further. During treatment and after surgery, the gentle movements of yoga can help stretch and move scar tissue and help maintain range of motion. It is important to listen to your body and be gentle with yourself and yoga helps with both of these aspects.”

Many cancer patients and survivors use yoga practices to help manage the emotional and psychological side effects that often result from cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. “The yoga I teach is grounded in slow movements and a focus on being present and in the moment,” explains Meredith. “Breathing is important, which is tied with the different postures and movements we do in class. Yoga helps us be more aware of our breath as well as how we are feeling physically, mentally and spiritually.”

A study published by researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that women currently receiving treatment who practiced yoga experienced better general health, less fatigue and lower stress levels compared to women in treatment who did not practice yoga.

“Breathing during yoga helps to relax the muscles and by being more present in the moment, stress, anxiety, depression and other emotional states can be diminished. The posture and focus on breath can also decrease insomnia,” says Meredith.

Free yoga classes are currently offered to survivors at Lovelace Women’s Hospital where Meredith is a certified instructor. She has been practicing and studying yoga since 2003 and is also the author of Foundations of Wellness. Drawing from her background as a diabetes and cancer educator and counselor, Meredith believes all are capable of positive transformation.

“This program is a great opportunity for women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in New Mexico,” says Meredith. “I have seen women use yoga to help them stay centered through diagnosis and treatment, which helps them make decisions and be able to be present with their lives, increasing their sense of enjoyment.”

For more information on class dates and times, please call Lovelace Women’s Hospital Breast Care Center at 505-727-6933. Registration is not required. 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hope Wade, CPA, has joined the Lovelace Health System as chief financial officer for the Lovelace Medical Group. 

Wade has 20 years’ experience in health care management. She previously served as the executive director of finance at Northern Arizona Healthcare; as a controller over both a health plan and a hospital at Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma; and as a financial analyst for St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City.

View the original story here.

Dear Editor

Eastern New Mexico Medical Center and Lovelace Regional Hospital were a buzz with celebrations May 8-14 for National Hospital Week!

The week celebrates hospitals and the women and men who support the health and well-being of their communities through dedication and compassionate care from the heart. The Roswell Chamber of Commerce would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated individuals in our community — physicians, nurses, therapists, food service workers, volunteers, administrators and so many more — for their contributions.

Knowing that when life happens, these individuals are working relentlessly to provide healing and comfort, while advocating for the best care possible for ourselves and those we love. That is peace of mind we are all grateful for.

Please join us in celebrating these wonderful healthcare professionals and extend your personal gratitude for their service to our community.

Candace Lewis
Executive Director Roswell Chamber of Commerce

Surviving a diagnosis that shakes you to your core is not as easy on the other side as many might think. The words, “You have cancer,” are branded into DNA from that moment on. Your life is forever changed. Being a survivor means the curtain has been drawn. That story is over. However, as survivors have shared, you are never quite sure if there’s another act. “We’re told that it might come back at any time,” shares a member of the Young Survivor Coalition support group that meets at Lovelace Women's Hospital. “It's only natural to be afraid of that news.” It’s news that is played out in a survivor’s mind leading up to annual exams days or even weeks ahead. What if the worst happens again?

Coping with fear and anxiety leading up to follow-up appointments after surviving cancer is one of the many topics the Young Survivor Support Group discusses each month at Lovelace Women’s Hospital. They cover the cancer-related issues survivors need to explore, learning from others how to navigate a road they never thought they would find themselves on.

“Getting together with a group of like-minded cancer survivors has a profound effect on normalizing the experience, which in turn returns a survivor back to the sense that her experience, no matter how frustrating, is normal,” shares a survivor. “Feeling normal is crucial to feeling able or confident, and provides a foundation for healing.”

There are milestones in healing – one year, five years and 10 years or more after the last day of treatment. They mark another year of being cancer-free. They help, but don’t fully restore the feeling that everything will be OK. “All you can do is take care of yourself and hope for the best,” explains another support group member. “While I am almost six years cancer-free, it still worries me that the most common recurrences happen in the five-to seven-year time-frame.”

Survivors know the statistics inside and out. They knew what their chances of survival were and they know the risk of a recurrence. As one survivor shares, it is a reality that can be isolating even years later. “As a 10-year survivor, I'm one of the longest out in the group, yet I'm still learning through other survivors that I shouldn't feel alone in my experience with cancer,” she shares.

Finding that support each month bridges hope in between milestones, anniversaries and day-to-day wins. “I think reaching milestones should definitely be celebrated, but also just enjoying every day knowing that you beat this deadly disease is a huge accomplishment,” says one survivor. “There is so much support for women out there that we should lean on, even if it is just to go for a check-up, an appointment or an MRI. This support can help you celebrate another positive test result, exam or help support you if there is something that needs to be looked at - even if it turns out to be nothing at all or bad news. I feel that just knowing someone is there for me, if I ever needed it, is comforting and reassuring.”

To learn more about the Young Survivor Support Group, please contact 505.727.6933. Meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. The Young Survivors support group is also on Facebook and Meetup – just search for “Young Survival Coalition: New Mexico Region Face 2 Face.”

Joe Cardillo, Reporter

Like a lot of health care executives, Derrick Jones has long days. 

Lovelace Westside Hospital is hosting a hiring fair for experienced RNs on Thursday, June 28. We are looking for RNs with a minimum of 2 years of experience for these areas:

• Labor & Delivery
• ICU
• Med/Surg
• Pediatrics
• Emergency Department
• Case Management
• Surgical Services

Sign-on bonuses available for some positions. If you're looking for an exciting and rewarding career, consider joining the team at Lovelace Westside Hospital!

To attend, please bring copies of your resume and register below.

• Date: Thursday, June 28, 2016
• Time: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Location: Lovelace Westside Hospital (front lobby) | 10501 Golf Course Rd. NW

Lovelace Westside Hospital is hosting a hiring fair for experienced RNs on Thursday, June 28. We are looking for RNs with a minimum of 2 years of experience for the following areas. Sign-on bonuses available for some positions.

• Labor & Delivery
• ICU
• Med/Surg
• Pediatrics
• Emergency Department
• Case Management
• Surgical Services

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, June 28, 2016
• Time: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Location: Lovelace Westside Hospital (front lobby) | 10501 Golf Course Rd. NW
• To attend, please bring copies of your resume and register here.

If you're looking for an exciting and rewarding career, join the team at Lovelace Westside Hospital!

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Lovelace Health System and University of New Mexico Health System have signed off on a patient transfer deal to help  when UNM emergency department beds are in short supply.

The two organizations on Tuesday said under a newly developed clinical partnership, patients waiting in UNM Hospital’s emergency department to be admitted to a hospital room may be transferred to an available room at any of three Lovelace acute-care hospitals in Albuquerque, if the patient consents.

UNM’s call transfer center (known as “PALS”)  will connect appropriate patients from around the state to Lovelace One Call if UNMH is full and Lovelace has capacity.

“This plan allows eligible patients to access the high-quality health care services at Lovelace, while allowing UNMH to accommodate more patients who require complex or specialized care only available at our hospital,” said Irene Agostini, MD, UNMH’s chief medical officer.  “Partnering with Lovelace makes better use of the capabilities of both UNM and Lovelace hospitals.”

The plan could also reduce significant emergency room wait times for some patients.

“Our hospital is at more than 90 percent capacity all of the time,” Agostini said.

UNM has transfer agreements with Presbyterian Healthcare Services, but for patients needing specialized care.

Since UNMH’s in-patient units are nearly filled to capacity every day, that means patients who need to be admitted for further care may have to wait ten hours or more in the ER before an in-patient room becomes available, said Agostini, who added ER admissions at UNMH facilities have remained static the past two years at approximately 80,000 patients visits. These do not always translate into admissions.

Under the transfer plan, those who don’t require specialized or complex care may choose to be transferred to an appropriate Lovelace hospital. Patients with cardiac, medical and surgical conditions are eligible to benefit from the arrangement.

Both organizations did not have projections for how many patients would be transferred on any given day.

Ron Stern, Lovelace president and CEO, acknowledged accommodating the overflow of UNMH patients at a Lovelace hospital will also be a financial opportunity for Lovelace with the boost in patient volume, but he didn’t have any forecasts of what the revenue would be from payers.

He said the patient transfer agreement does not mean Lovelace is supporting UNM’s proposal to build a new hospital where one of the goals is to reduce wait times for emergency room patients. “The focus (of the agreement) is to accommodate the current patients in their ER,” said Stern.

In opposing an earlier UNM expansion plan, Lovelace had offered to make beds available at its downtown location when UNMH’s emergency room was full. “We can tell you this as far as Lovelace is concerned – given the current health care environment, a new big hospital in the downtown area is not what is needed at this point,” Stern said at the time.

Lovelace ER departments recorded nearly 100,000 visits in 2015, a nearly 10 percent increase from the previous year. Officials attribute the rise to Medicaid expansion in New Mexico.

Agostini noted that while the agreement does not completely solve UNMH’s overcrowding issue, it can improve a patient’s hospital experience.

Besides easing the emergency room crunch, UNM’s proposed new hospital is also intended to better handle an expected growth in the state’s senior population and allow UNMH to accept more patients from other hospitals, UNMH officials have said.

The estimated $600 million hospital, northwest of Lomas and University SE, would serve 360 adult medical and surgical patients, and an additional 48 behavioral health patients.

See the original story here. 

Each year, more than 320,000 people go into cardiac arrest [is this a U.S. or NM statistic?] when their heart suddenly stops sending blood to the body and brain. Survival depends on immediately receiving CPR. Yet, the majority of the time, people are not in the hospital when this happens. What if no one around them knows what to do? This is the reason Maria Atencio, manager of the chest pain/STEMI program at the Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center, and Devin Lujan, provider relations liaison with Lovelace Health System, joined forces to teach the Albuquerque community hands-only CPR through Resuscitation Rangers, a volunteer program staffed by Lovelace employees. Through education, lives will be saved.

“90 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims don’t survive,” shares Devin. It is a statistic that can be startling – especially when you consider that could mean witnessing a loved one suffer from cardiac arrest and feeling helpless. “Cardiac arrest occurs in the home or residential setting 70 percent of the time. It could likely be someone you know and love. Fortunately, CPR can double or even triple survival after cardiac arrest.”

Often, formal CPR training may leave many feeling uncomfortable recalling exactly what to do – especially when someone’s life depends on it. In fact, fewer than 40 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting receive CPR, because people are afraid or unsure of what to do. The Resuscitation Rangers, following American Heart Association guidelines, are working to empower the public to save lives with hands-only CPR, which focuses on two steps:

1. Always call 911 first.

2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

The goal is to deliver 100 compressions a minute. “If compressions are given to the beat of the song Staying Alive, you should perform 100 to 120 compressions a minute,” shares Maria.

Resuscitation Rangers officially launched during Heart Month – February of 2016. At the heart of the program are Lovelace employees volunteering their time outside of their regular job duties. A combination of clinical staff  who are certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) serve as team leads,  along with nonclinical personnel, who have been trained by the team leads, go out into the community to offer this training. Additionally, they teach participants  about Early Heart Attack Care (EHAC), which includes  recognizing the early signs of a heart attack, seeking immediate emergency medical attention, and proper use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Along with hosting free Lovelace seminars to teach classes, Resuscitation Rangers conduct in-community training sessions at a variety of venues in Albuquerque. As word begins to spread, more people have signed up or requested private classes for their organization. “At our first Silver Elite training event, attendance was so high, we had to start a waiting list,” shares Devin.

Today, more than 400 people have been trained by the Resuscitation Rangers to assist someone in need of medical attention. “People feel they are walking away with a lot of information,” shares Devin. “They are assured that even by calling 911, they are becoming an early cardiac caregiver.”

“They are our deputies to go out and fight heart disease,” adds Maria. “I believe, as a result of this education, there will be a higher rate of survival from cardiac arrest in our community.”

Lovelace Health System and University of New Mexico Hospital have announced a partnership to transfer patients to Lovelace hospitals when possible. KOAT Action 7 News covered the story May 31, 2016.