Franciscan Alliance unveils new logos for system and hospitals

Ongoing rebranding symbolizes unified mission of system's 13 hospitals

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL JANUARY 25, 2011 | As part of Franciscan Alliance's ongoing rebranding initiative, the Board of Trustees and senior leadership of Franciscan Alliance (formerly Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc.) are unveiling the logo marks for the system and its 13 hospitals throughout Indiana and northeastern Illinois.

For consistency and clarity of Franciscan Alliance's unified mission to provide the highest-quality, value-based, compassionate medical care, the word "Franciscan" was placed before each hospital name, and the word "Health" added at the end.

Two exceptions: The name of St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville is being changed to Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Crawfordsville to more accurately reflect the hospital's existing management and patient care alignment with its two regionally aligned hospitals (Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette East and Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette Central) in the Western Indiana Region of Franciscan Alliance. And, the name of Franciscan Physicians Hospital, LLC — Munster is not being changed.

The system's new hospital names are:

• Franciscan St. Anthony Health — Crown Point
• Franciscan St. Anthony Health — Michigan City
• Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Crawfordsville
• Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette East
• Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette Central
• Franciscan St. Francis Health — Beech Grove
• Franciscan St. Francis Health — Indianapolis
• Franciscan St. Francis Health — Mooresville
• Franciscan St. James Health — Chicago Heights
• Franciscan St. James Health — Olympia Fields
• Franciscan St. Margaret Health — Hammond
• Franciscan St. Margaret Health — Dyer
• Franciscan Physicians Hospital, LLC — Munster

Sister Jane Marie Klein, O.S.F., chairperson for the Board of Trustees of Franciscan Alliance, said, "With the rapid changes occurring in the health care industry, we are adapting to the 'new norm' while remaining deeply rooted in our ministry and values."

Kevin Leahy, Franciscan Alliance president and chief executive officer, said, "The development of a strong, consistent identity and brand replicated across the entire system is an important part of telling our story with one voice. And it is a unifying symbol of what my fellow 18,000 plus Franciscan Alliance physicians, nurses, employees and volunteers do every day to create positive experiences for our patients and their families."

To be as cost efficient as possible, the new logos will be assimilated into the various applications across the system and at each hospital in a planned and organized manner. Leahy said, "We are prioritizing our efforts, and the integration of our new logo will occur over the next 12 months or longer."

Franciscan Alliance provides care for more than 2.9 million outpatient visits and more than 100,000 inpatient discharges every year with the most effective medical treatments, state-of-the-art medical equipment and an abundance of compassionate care.

The system employs 18,200 co-workers including 556 physicians — both primary care and specialists — and expects to grow its physician team to more than 630 physicians this year, serving the system's service-area population of 3.7 million people.

To learn more about the Franciscan Alliance, visit http://www.franciscanalliance.org/.

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About Franciscan Alliance

Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 13 growing hospitals and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Franciscan Alliance includes: Franciscan St. Anthony Health — Crown Point, Ind.; Franciscan St. Anthony Health — Michigan City, Ind.; Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Crawfordsville, Ind.; Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette East, Ind.; Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health — Lafayette Central, Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis Health — Beech Grove, Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis Health — Indianapolis, Ind.; Franciscan St. Francis Health — Mooresville, Ind.; Franciscan St. James Health — Chicago Heights, Ill.; Franciscan St. James Health — Olympia Fields, Ill.; Franciscan St. Margaret Health — Hammond, Ind.; Franciscan St. Margaret Health — Dyer, Ind.; and Franciscan Physicians Hospital, LLC — Munster, Ind.

Media Relations

Michael Shepherd
708-756-1000, Ext.3455
Michael.Shepherd@franciscanalliance.org

Franciscan St. James Health participating in Chicago Auto Show First Look for Charity

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL – January 25, 2011 St. James Health announced today it will once again be a participant at the annual Chicago Auto Show First Look For Charity on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at McCormick Place.

First Look for Charity is a black-tie event held the evening before the Chicago Auto Show opens to the public. The event annually raises approximately $2 million for 18 Chicago area charities.

This is the second of a nine-year commitment that the Chicago Auto Show has made to St. James.  The hospital foundation will be among the 18 benefiting charities through 2018.

“We are grateful to Dennis Bauer, of Arnie Bauer Cadillac Buick GMC, for bringing this opportunity to St. James Health,” said Michael Bruni, St. James vice president of external affairs. “It helped raise significant dollars for technology advancements to better serve our patients.”

Photo Caption:

Dennis Bauer, of Arnie Bauer Cadillac-Buick-GMC (left) is joined by Franciscan St. James Health president, Seth Warren and vice president of external affairs, Mike Bruni.

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Media contact: 

Michelle Jimenez 708-747-4000, ext. 7424

Michelle.Jimenez@franciscanalliance.org   

Controlling Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD, affects as many as 12 million Americans. With PAD, the blood vessels that supply your legs, feet and arms with fresh blood become narrowed by fatty deposits. This slows blood flow and can lead to blockages, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke by four to five times. Ultimately, PAD may lead to ulcers, gangrene and amputation if left untreated.

Symptoms that may indicate the presence of PAD include leg pain while walking or climbing stairs, numbness, and cramping. When the legs are at rest, the pain goes away. However, as the disease progresses, the pain can persist even when the legs are at rest, especially at night. Because diabetics are prone to neuropathy, PAD is sometimes misdiagnosed as neuropathy, which is a burning or painful discomfort in the feet or thighs. 

The two biggest risk factors for PAD are diabetes and cigarette smoking. Other contributing factors include obesity, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, kidney failure, heart disease, hypertension and genetics.
Diagnosing PAD involves a physical examination followed by a series of tests. First, a Doppler, or simple ultrasound, allows us to see the vessels and measure pressures. The next test is an angiogram, an X-ray that uses a special dye and camera to take pictures of the blood flow in an artery.

Once diagnosed, patients are started on a conservative course of therapy that involves behavior modification. Depending on the individual, risk factors to be controlled include lowering blood pressure, getting sugars under control, or quitting smoking. There are some excellent smoking cessation programs in the area, such as the one offered by WellGroup Partners in Olympia Fields.

One of the most important things patients can do to help themselves, if they are able, is to walk. Walking 30 to 40 minutes, three to four times a week can make a significant difference in controlling PAD. While the blockages in the arteries will never go away, walking can help build up existing small vessels that can take over for the blockage.

If conservative therapy fails, patients are put on a daily aspirin and a cholesterol medication. The next steps include options that range from minimally invasive to major surgery to a hybrid procedure. Minimally invasive procedures include balloon angioplasty, stent insertion, atherectomy, or thrombolitic therapy. Considered major surgery, a bypass involves creating a new pathway through which blood can flow that goes around the blockage. A hybrid procedure, endarectomy, combines minimally invasive and minor surgery to core out the obstructing plaque inside the artery.

Following minimally invasive procedures, typically 80% of the vessels are still open after a year. This gives patients an opportunity to capitalize on the positive effects of having an increased bloodflow, start walking, and take charge of whatever controllable factors are affecting their condition, be it blood sugar, smoking or others.

WellGroup Partners implements my LEA-UP program, which stands for lower extremity amputation and ulcer prevention. Using a team approach, the patient’s endovascular surgeon, internist and other physicians involved in the patient’s medical care work together. In addition to addressing pertinent issues such as smoking cessation, patients are sent to a podiatrist for a foot check.

A significant benefit of such a team approach is the communication between doctors and the accompanying ability that provides to aggressively monitor conditions. Patients experience fewer ulcer and antibiotic days and fewer days off work. LEA-UP can help stop the progression of PAD as well as improve other conditions. In the four years this program has been implemented, at St. James has seen a 30% drop in its amputation rate.

Eugene Tanquilut, DO, is a vascular surgeon at WellGroup Partners in Olympia Fields, and is affiliated with Franciscan St. James Health, which is a member of the Southland Health Alliance.

Alverno Home Medical Equipment earns ACHC accreditation

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL – January 6, 2011 | Alverno Home Medical Equipment is proud to announce that it has received accreditation from The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). The ACHC is a national, non-profit organization that provides accreditation programs for various providers, including home health and hospice agencies, home infusion companies, home care aides, specialty pharmacies, and home medical equipment suppliers like Alverno. The ACHC was developed to help these companies improve business operations and quality of patient care.

Gaining accreditation is a voluntary activity that establishes Alverno Home Medical Equipment’s commitment to uphold the high standards that have been put in place by the industry's regulatory bodies. Accreditation is not easy to attain. Health providers endure a rigorous review of 96 different qualifying standards and criteria. Alverno Home Medical Equipment submitted reviews of the following business practices:

• Documented internal policies and procedures
• A checklist of best practices
• Reviews of training and fiscal management records
• Quality improvement measures and corrective actions
• Customer satisfaction rates and improvement measures

ACHC then performed on-site visits to validate each standard, and interviewed Alverno’s staff members to research levels of training, product management, and health and safety standards. ACHC also reviewed customer satisfaction rates using a variety of methods, including contacting customers directly. Once ACHC had considered the entire body of evidence, they determined that Alverno Home Medical Equipment had indeed met the standards to become ACHC Accredited.

About Alverno Home Medical Equipment:
Alverno Home Medical Equipment specializes in the distribution of Durable Medical Equipment (DME). It primarily provides wheelchairs, in-home oxygen, and sleep therapy products. Alverno Home Medical Equipment is a unit of St. James Hospital and Health Centers.

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Media contact:
Michael Shepherd
708-756-1000, ext. 3455
Michael.Shepherd@franciscanalliance.org