SPRING 2012 Maui Region    Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) recently welcomed Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Michael H. Dang as the newest member of the Maui Heart & Vascular team of cardiologists, which includes: Dr. Andrew Rosenblum,Dr. Jonathan Allen, Dr. Joseph Chambers, Dr. Colin Lee and Dr. Leslie Oberst.  Dr. Dang will have his outpatient practice at the Maui Heart & Vascular Wailuku Clinic. He will also continue to see patients on the Big Island in Hilo and Kona.  Read on...     NEW HELIPAD at Maui Memorial Medical Center's (MMMC)   The helipad is an important milestone and signifies the culmination of many years of planning for the new cardiology service line which was recently rolled out.  MMMC is now the only neighbor island hospital treating emergency heart attacks and the new helipad means that an important window of 15-20 minutes can now be saved to treat those heart and other critically-ill patients.  Read on... West Hawaii Region   Neighbor Islands First Open Bore MRI at Kona Community Hospital Kona Community Hospital has installed the region's first Open Bore, 1.5 Tesla, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that combines a larger bore, or opening, for obese and claustrophobic patients with the ability to capture high-field quality diagnostic images.  It is identified as the best on the neighbor islands and is the same premier machine as in Queens Medical Center located on Oahu.  Read on...     Kona Community Hospital Celebrates Its Level III Trauma Center StatusKona Community Hospital (KCH) celebrated its Level III Trauma Center designation Wednesday, August 17, 2011 with guest speakers Senator Josh Green, MD, Mayor Billy Kenoi and Peggy Sale of the Department of Health.  The Hawaii Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Branch, awarded the hospital this status on July 1, 2011 after an intensive and rigorous survey process of over two years.  Read on... East Hawaii Region   Big Island Trauma III Celebration Trauma patients on the Big Island now have a better chance at survival, according to the state Department of Health. Following a two-year effort to bolster trauma responses at hospitals statewide, Hilo Medical Center and Kona Community Hospital were designated this month as Level III Trauma Centers. Meanwhile, North Hawaii Community Hospital is currently working to achieve the same designation. Read on...   Excellence Institute Instructors -  Improving Customer Service --  In recognizing the importance of customer service and improving leadership skills, Hilo Medical Center conducted and all-day class attended by nearly 70 managers. The class provided specific tools to improve communication skills based on a person's social style.  Read on... Oahu Region Leahi Adult Day Health To Offer Saturday Hours Leahi Adult Day Health Center (LAHDC) opened its doors in 1991 to serve East Oahu's frail elders wanting to enrich their lives and maintain their independence and self esteem as well as to provide support and respite to their caregivers.  LADHC expanded its services from its current Monday to Friday operations to include Saturday as well on October 11, 2011.  Read on...    Maluhia Long-Term Patients Recognized for Military Service  On Thursday, January 26, 2012, two long-term care patients of Maluhia were honored for their outstanding military service during World War II.  The 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment and Maluhia hospital staff honored Mr. Yoshiwo Shimabukuro and Mr. George Chinen by presenting each of them with gold medal to commemorate their service and sacrifice.  Read on...   Maluhia Earns High Marks In State and Federal Rankings Maluhia, the Alewa Heights long-term care facility, has earned a Five-Star Rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the highest overall rating based upon three key areas related to quality of care for nursing home residents: health inspections, quality measures and staffing information.  Read on... Message from Bruce S. Anderson, PCEO It's been a busy year since I stepped into the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of HHSC in April 2011.  The time has just flown by!  This e-Newsletter is an exciting new initiative for us, and will greatly enhance our communications from the corporate office to the regional facilities and vice versa. There a lot of good things happening at HHSC that you probably don't know about, and that I'm still learning!  Please feel free to share information about new programs, new ideas and great employee activities for our future e-Newsletters.  I know that we're all committed to making HHSC a community leader in healthcare services throughout the islands. Read on...   Kauai Region   Bon Dances West Kauai Medical Center held its first Bon Dance at the campus for families, patient residents, staff, and community beginning a tradition on the west side inspired by the annual Bon Dance at Mahelona Medical Center's campus.     Wedding Vow Renewals In her heart, Josie Pablo (recreational therapist at Mahelona Medical Center) has wanted for years to provide married patient residents with the chance to celebrate and renew their vows. Her dream came true this year with patients celebrating 20-65 years of marriage in a touching vow renewal ceremony in the beautiful courtyard. The Hanalei Rotary club and Kauai Orchid Society have beautified the courtyard in recent years with a covered pavilion, wheelchair accessible paths and exquisite orchid plantings.   Annual Family Luau HHSC CEO Bruce Anderson joined in the Annual Family/Resident Luau at Mahelona Medical Center this year. Myra Ornellas, Administrator, provided a tour of the Emergency Department to Senator Ron Kouchi. Other dignitaries included Representative Derek Kawakami, Beth Tokioka of the Mayor's Office and various County Council members, notably Kipukai Kuali'i and JoAnn Yukimura. In This Issue Maui Region West Hawaii Region East Hawaii Oahu Region Message from Bruce Anderson Kauai Region Electronic Medical Records Get To Know HHSC's Board Members WELCOME! Dr. Ramsay Hasan, M.D. Full Steam Ahead for the EMR Project The emerge Project, HHSC's electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation project, is well underway with multiple teams of HHSC clinical and operational staff involved in designing and building the system. As a reminder, the emerge (which stands for "EMR gaining efficiency") system will provide HHSC an integrated solution that will provide health care professionals access to patient information where it's needed, when it's needed, across HHSC's care settings, which will ultimately improve the overall quality of care provided to our patients.  Read on...   Mahalo, Alan S. Ito Chief Information Officer Get To Know HHSC's Board Members:  This month:  Board Chair, Avery Chumbley Avery has been on HHSC's Board for five years, and chair for the past three years.  Originally from Illinois, Avery, a self-described "farm boy" moved to Maui in 1982. At every turn in his career, Avery's philosophy has been to serve the people of Hawaii.  His term as a Hawaii Legislator spanned ten years. He was first elected to the State House in 1992, and then served two terms as a State Senator from 1994 to 2002.  Read on...  WELCOME!    Stephany Nihipali Vaioleti   has been named Administrator for Kahuku Medical Center (KMC).  Previously, Ms. Vaioleti served as an assistant administrator for KMC, in addition to being the Director of Social Services for Kahuku Hospital.  "The KMC Board of Directors followed a rigorous process in order to fulfill our responsibility of selecting a new Administrator for the KMC.  Read on..   Derek Akiyoshi, Administrator, Maluhia Hospital    Leslie B. Chun M.D. was appointed to the newly created position of Chief of Clinical and Medical Affairs at MMMC.  Dr. Chun will lead all non-nursing clinical areas and oversee case management / social work, quality and patient safety, and clinical service line development.  Read on... HHSC APPOINTS RAMSEY HASAN, M.D., AS CHIEF MEDICAL INFORMATION OFFICER The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) announced today the appointment of Ramsey Hasan, M.D., as the state community-hospital's Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO).   In his new position, Dr. Hasan will oversee physician adoption and integration of health information technology throughout the HHSC system.  He will work closely with the Medical Staffs, administration and information technology department as HHSC moves forward with its conversion to electronic medical records (EMR).  Read on...