Wesley Medical Center

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Polles joins Wesley Medical Center

Hattiesburg, MS – Alexandria Polles, M.D., a psychiatrist, has joined Wesley Medical Center as a member of the medical staff.

Dr. Polles received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed an internal medicine internship at Alton Ochsner Foundation Hospital, an emergency medicine residency at Charity Hospital of Louisiana and a psychiatry residency at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. She also completed a fellowship in addiction medicine at the Pine Grove Recovery Center in Hattiesburg.

Dr. Polles is board eligible in emergency medicine, board certified in psychiatry and is certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She is a diplomate of American Board of Addiction Medicine. She has certificates of added qualifications in addiction and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Polles is also a fellow of the American Psychiatry Association and is a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist. Dr. Polles is further certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy.

Dr. Polles is accepting new patients to her practice at Wesley’s Behavioral Health Center located at 239 Methodist Blvd. Appointments are available by calling 601-296-2125.

For more information about Dr. Polles or to learn more about services available at Wesley Medical Center, please call 601-268-8000 or visit www.wesley.com.

Filed under: Business, Hattiesburg, Medical, Alexandria Polles, medical, polles, psychiatrist, wesley, Wesley Medical Center

Wesley Medical Center upgrades clinical laboratory operations

Hattiesburg, MS – Wesley Medical Center recently completed the installation of two state-of-the-art, clinical lab machines to improve patient safety and reduce testing errors in the laboratory.

The Dimension RxL Max Integrated Chemistry System and StreamLAB Automation Solution, both manufactured by Siemens, help increase lab efficiency while allowing more clinical tests to be run from a single workstation.

“Ultimately, the system improves test result accuracy and gets those results to providers more quickly and efficiently,” says Paula Ward, Wesley’s clinical lab director.

Through the Dimension RxL System, Wesley’s lab personnel have streamlined their workflow by running multiple disease-specific tests using various testing methods on a single machine. Additionally, by linking the device to the StreamLAB Automation Solution, Wesley has also automated many of the manual tasks previously required to run tests, such as decapping, centrifuging, sample introduction, recapping and storage of the samples after testing.

“With a national focus on preventing medical errors in hospitals, this system will help us catch common errors that sometimes occur,” Ward says. “While our error rate has always been significantly below the national average, this system provides additional security to help eliminate common errors.”

To learn more about this new system or about Wesley Medical Center, please contact 601-268-8000 or visit www.wesley.com.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Medical, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, Paula Ward, Wesley Medical Center

Seminar to discuss senior citizen financial abuse

Hattiesburg, MS – Wanda Murphy will discuss ways to avoid senior citizen financial abuse at Wesley Medical Center’s Senior Circle monthly seminar Friday, January 21, in the Evergreen Room at the hospital.

Murphy, a registered nurse, is a representative with Home Instead Senior Care, a non-medical home care agency that provides service and support to senior citizens.

A conservative estimate shows that seniors average an annual loss of $2.6 billion from schemes and financial exploitation. Most cases, however, often go unreported. This amount is predicted to drastically increase as the nation continues to age.

Friday’s free seminar will offer advice and education to seniors to help avoid these situations.

For more information or to reserve your seat, please contact Melissa Garretson at 601-268-8192.

Filed under: Business, Hattiesburg, Medical, Elderly care, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Home Instead Senior Care, Melissa Garretson, Wanda Murphy, Wesley Medical Center

Emergency Responders Workshop to be Held Saturday

Hattiesburg, MS – Last Saturday’s tragedy in Tucson might have resulted in one more death had the first person to the aid of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords never received first responders training.

Using clean towels from the grocery store, Daniel Hernandez applied pressure to the congresswoman’s head wounds, sat her upright and kept her interacting with him – all skills he learned during first aid training.

Arizona representative and hospital physician Matt Heinz said the fact that Hernandez was near and able to react quickly probably saved the congresswoman’s life.

Hernandez had only been an intern for Giffords for five days before she was shot by a 22-year-old man at the “Congress on Your Corner” event in Tucson last Saturday. A junior at the University of Arizona, Hernandez had previously worked as a certified nursing assistant where he learned the life-saving skills that became second nature on that tragic morning.

First responders and volunteers across the nation face these and similar situations daily. Though each scene varies in severity, each has very similar circumstances where knowledge must be applied quickly and correctly.

While emergency medical technicians often receive highly specialized training in treating medial trauma, much of what they know is available free to the general public.

Wesley Medical Center will host a first responders workshop for community volunteers and emergency response personnel Saturday, January 15, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Institute for Wellness and Sports Medicine at the hospital.

“We hope these skills are never really put to the test,” said Nita Williamson, RN, community educator for Wesley Medical Center. “But just as was the case with Mr. Hernandez, you never know when this knowledge might be needed.”

At the workshop, individual stations will be set up to educate attendees on the guidelines on basic life support and advanced cardiac life support. Attendees may also be educated on the use of automated external defibrillators, how to care for patients in cardiac arrest, how to assess trauma and general medical issues, how to prepare a scene for medical evacuation and how to properly transport patients on stretchers.

The free event is being sponsored Lamar County Fire Services, Lamar County Emergency Management District, ASAP Ambulance Service and Wesley Medical Center.

“Our local emergency response agencies have been working on this for several months,” said Williamson. “It’s because of their hard work and dedicated time that we’re able to offer this service to the community.”

To register for the event or for additional information about these courses, please contact Lamar County Fire Coordinator George Stevens at 601-270-7525.

Filed under: Featured, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Medical, Basic life support, Certified first responder, Congress, Daniel Hernandez, Emergency medical responders, George Stevens, Hattiesburg, Institute for Wellness and Sports Medicine, Matt Heinz, Wesley Medical Center

School of Music to Host Vocal Arts and Science Symposium Jan. 21-22

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of Southern Mississippi School of Music will blend two popular disciplines when it hosts the inaugural Vocal Arts and Science Symposium on the Hattiesburg campus January 21-22.

Featured clinicians will include two of the nation’s leading pedagogical and voice experts: Dr. Karen Peeler, professor of voice and vocal pedagogy at Ohio State University and Dr. Thomas Cleveland, director of vocology at Vanderbilt’s Bill Wilkerson Center.

Southern Miss professors representing the departments of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Theatre and Dance, Mass Communication and Journalism and the School of Music will participate in panel discussions, lectures and the recital.

Additionally, local speech therapists, hearing specialists and professional singers will be serving as panelists and speakers. Physicians from Hattiesburg Clinic and Wesley Medical Center will also offer their expertise and assistance. These include: otolaryngologists, John D. Sobiesk, M.D., Robert McCrary, M.D., FAAAI-ENT and facial plastic surgery, and Charles E. Guice, III, M.D. FACS-ENT and facial plastic surgery.

Symposium topics will include voice production, tension and injury, among many others. Master classes will be available to give practical methods and techniques on vocal improvement in speech and various styles of singing.

“This is a totally different and new realm of interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Dr. Kimberley Davis, associate professor of voice at Southern Miss. “This is a significant event being that it is the first time to bring the realms of art and science together face-to-face. We have the opportunity to appreciate and develop a respect for each other while gaining knowledge in and of the other field.”

“Great teachers are always looking for new techniques or fresh ways of communicating their subject matter or concepts. This symposium is the perfect opportunity to do so.”

The symposium is open to members of the National Associations of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), private studio teachers, professional singers and speakers, K-12 teachers, choir members/directors, students and all who have an interest in professional or avocational voice usage.

A recital titled, “The Joy of Singing” will take place Friday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg. The concert is free and open to the public.

Symposium sponsors include Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg Clinic ENT Associates, Partners for the Arts, National Association of Teachers of Singing Inc., DuBard School for Language Disorders and Kappa Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota.

For more information or to register, visit www.usm.edu/music/index.php/studios or call The University of Southern Mississippi Office of Professional Development and Educational Outreach at 601.266.4186.

Filed under: Arts, Medical, USM, Charles E. Guice, DuBard School for Language Disorders, Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg, Hattiesburg Clinic and Wesley Medical Center, Hattiesburg Clinic ENT Associates, Hattiesburg Mississippi, John D. Sobiesk, Kimberley Davis, Music, Music Teachers National Association, Robert McCrary, Singing, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi Office of Professional Development and Educational Outreach, University of Southern Mississippi School of Music, Wesley Medical Center, Westminster Presbyterian Church

Chain Reaction Crash in Jones County Injures 4

A chain reaction crash involving five vehicles on Hwy. 84 West in the Big Creek Community on Monday morning has sent the drivers of four of the vehicles to area hospitals.

Volunteer fire and rescue units from Calhoun, Hebron and Soso responded to the crash along with units from the Mississippi Highway Patrol and Jones County Sheriff’s Department.  All five of the vehicles were headed eastbound when the crash occurred.  Two pickup trucks, one SUV, one passenger car and one van were involved in the crash.

Two victims were transported by EMServ Ambulance Service to South Central Regional Medical Center while two other victims were transported by private vehicles to both South Central and to Wesley Medical Center.  Both eastbound lanes of Hwy. 84 West were closed for over thirty minutes as rescue operations proceeded at the scene with one lane later opened to traffic as vehicle recovery operations proceeded.  None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening according to emergency responders at the scene.

Calhoun Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Lee Garick served as Incident Commander during the fire department response to the crash.  All five vehicles sustained extensive damage and had to be towed from the scene.   A unit from the Mississippi Department of Transportation also responded to the scene to sand the roadway where fluids from the crashed vehicles had leaked unto the roadway.

Filed under: Ellisville, Featured, Jones County, Laurel, Calhoun Fire, Disaster/Accident, EMServ Ambulance Service, Lee Garick, South Central Regional Medical Center, Wesley Medical Center

Volunteer of the year recognized at Wesley Medical Center

Hattiesburg, MS –Wesley Medical Center has recognized Joan Harper as the 2010 volunteer of the year.

Wesley CEO Mike Neuendorf and Katherine Pittman present Joan Harper (center) with the 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award at a recent ceremony at the hospital where employees and volunteers were recognized.

“Joan is one of the kindest, sweetest volunteers I have known,” says Katherine Pittman, director of customer service. “She’s always happy to helpin every situation. We are so grateful to have her here at Wesley.”

Harper has volunteered more than 3,386 hours since joining Wesley in 2007.

In her duties as a volunteer, Harper spends much of her time assisting in the NICU. She also serves as coordinator of Wesley’s Chain Gang – a group of volunteers who crochet and knit booties and caps given to babies born at the hospital.

Originally from Texas, she and her husband, James, have been married for 53 years. Before retiring, Harper taught second grade at Oak Grove Lower Elementary.

For more information about the volunteer program at Wesley Medical Center, please call 601-268-8405.

Filed under: Business, Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Medical, Joan Harper, Katherine Pittman, Mike Neuendorf, Wesley Medical Center

Three Injured In Crash On Hwy. 98 at Hwy. 589 Intersection in Lamar County

A collision between a Ford F-150 pickup and a Ford F-350 pickup on Sunday evening at the intersection on Hwy. 98 and Hwy. 589 in Lamar County has left three people injured and requiring transport to a Hattiesburg hospital.

Central Lamar Volunteer Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the call along with units from the Lamar County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol and ASAP Ambulance Service and reported the adult male driver of the Ford F-350 trapped in his vehicle with his wife injured.

The adult female driver of the Ford F-150 was also injured, but was able to self-extricate herself and was believed to have been taken to Wesley Medical Center by private vehicle.

Central Lamar firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools to remove the drivers door of the F-350 pickup and rescue the driver.  Both he and his wife were transported by ASAP Ambulance Service to Wesley Medical Center for treatment of undisclosed injuries.

Central Lamar Fire Chief Reggie Ridgway served as Incident Commander during the fire department response to the crash.  One eastbound lane of Hwy. 98 West was closed for nearly forty-minutes as victim rescue, accident investigation and vehicle recovery operations were conducted.  Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and had to be towed from the scene.

Two volunteer firefighters from Jones County, Powers Firefighter Lance Chancellor and Powers Jr. Firefighter Kelsi Chancellor, who were in the immediate area of the crash assisted Central Lamar firefighters at the scene.

Filed under: Featured, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Oak Grove, Sumrall, ASAP Ambulance Service, Central Lamar Fire Chief, Disaster/Accident, Lamar County, Lamar County Sheriff's Department, Powers Firefighter Lance Chancellor and Powers Jr. Firefighter Kelsi Chancellor, Reggie Ridgway, Wesley Medical Center

Wesley's Senior Circle Christmas Celebration set for Tuesday

wesley, senior circleHattiesburg, MS – Wesley Medical Center’s Senior Circle program will host its annual Christmas celebration Tuesday, December 7 at the Lake Terrace Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Senior adults age 50 and better are invited to attend and enjoy food, fun and door prizes. Wesley CEO Mike Neuendorf will be the keynote speaker.

Senior Circle is an organization that improves the lives of people 50 and better; it is sponsored by Wesley Medical Center. For more information, please contact Melissa Garretson at (601) 268-8192, or visit us at www.wesley.com or www.seniorcircle.com.

Filed under: Business, Christmas, Hattiesburg, Medical, Christmas, Hattiesburg, wesley, Wesley Medical Center

Wesley Announces Employees of the Year

Hattiesburg, MS – Three Wesley Medical Center employees have been named as the 2010 employees of the year during the annual service awardreception at the hospital.

Stephanie Beasley has received the Employee of the Year award for her work as a financial analyst for the hospital. Beasley is in her 27th year with Wesley.

In her duties, Beasley generates and tracks data reimbursement, patient census and productivity. She also serves as a consultant to patient business services and health information management.

“Data management is absolutely vital to the operations of this facility,” said hospital CEO Mike Neuendorf. “Stephanie is our most trusted source upon whom we rely for this information.”

Randy Green, RN, director of emergency services, has been recognized as the Clinical Manager of the Year.

As the emergency department clinical director, Green plans, organizes, directs and evaluates all of the unit’s clinical activities. He provides direction, support and guidance to the nursing coordinators and triage staff and aids in their clinical development.

“It’s easy to understand why Randy was nominated for this award,” said CNO Andrea Brenn. “Randy has a wonderful work ethic that has led to high patient satisfaction and improved quality metrics within his department.”

Green was recognized in 2009 as Wesley’s Nurse Manager of the Year.

Katherine Pittman, RN, has been recognized as the Non-Clinical Manager of the Year.

Pittman currently functions as the hospital’s director of customer service, Community Cares champion and serves as the managing coordinator of volunteer services and Senior Circle.

“From performing her role as our Community Cares champion to her role as our patient advocate, Katherine always has a smile on her face and a caring heart,” said COO Travis Sisson. “She handles complaints with a deft touch, preserving the dignity of the patient when she has to communicate information that may not be what they want to hear. We are thrilled to have Katherine as part of our leadership team.”

Each year, Wesley recognizes two employees who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to their work in both the clinical and non-clinical environments. Also during this time, one employee is recognized for their exemplary service and dedication to their field; this person is recognized as the hospital’s employee of the year. The supervising directors nominate employees for each category and the hospital’s senior staff determines the winners based on those nominations.

For more information about Wesley Medical Center, please contact them at 601-268-8000 or visit them online at www.wesley.com.

Filed under: Featured, Forrest County, Hattiesburg, Lamar County, Medical, Andrea Brenn, Healthcare, Katherine Pittman, Mike Neuendorf, Randy Green, Stephanie Beasley, Travis Sisson, Wesley Medical Center