In Business

Father David Petersen holds a gift basket presented to him and his wife by Jillian Hanger, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit manager, shown standing behind him. Mother Lauren Petersen holds Avery, the unit’s first patient, as Dr. Rashmi Aggarwal, left, and Dr. Sudish Chandra, neonatal medical director, look on.

The first patient treated in Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point’s new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has gone home with a basketful of gifts and well wishes.

Avery Petersen, daughter of Lauren and David Petersen, of Valparaiso, was born at Franciscan St. Anthony on March 6 and was brought to the neonatal unit on March 7, its first day of operation. She was born at 34 weeks, six days; was 18 inches in length and weighed five pounds, 11 ounces, according to her mother. Avery has a brother, Elliott, aged 3 ½.
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For the fourth consecutive year, The Community Hospital in Munster was recognized with HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals designation based on clinical outcomes over an 11-year period. (Times File Photo)

The Community Hospital was the only Hoosier hospital named in HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals report, the hospital announced Wednesday.

For the fourth consecutive year, Community was recognized with the designation based on clinical outcomes over an 11-year period.

“We cross our fingers every year when they run the data,” said Don Fesko, the CEO of The Community Hospital. “Everyone’s proud. It’s a total team effort.”
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The Franciscan Alliance has proposed to the Hammond Clinic to create a marriage of their health services through a sale of the Hammond Clinic to the Franciscan Alliance.

“Following a due diligence period of both parties to ascertain the value of the practice and equipment, we’ll settle on a price and move forward to bring the Hammond Clinic under the umbrella of the Franciscan Alliance,” said Gene Diamond, regional CEO of the Franciscan Alliance for northern Indiana.

Diamond said the Franciscan Alliance has approached the Hammond Clinic multiple times, and now is in the late stages of the purchase.
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From left, Joe Allegretti, Capital Campaign chairman; and David Ruskowski, St. Anthony Health-Crown Point president; accept a $100,000 donation from Doris Paluszak, Auxiliary president; and Carolyn Meinbresse, treasurer. (Photograph courtesy of Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point.)

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here’s today’s submission from Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point:

The Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point Auxiliary presented a $100,000 check to the hospital’s Capital Campaign during its annual business meeting on Jan. 28 in the Marian Education Center. David Ruskowski, hospital president, told of the priceless benefits the Auxiliary’s 240 members offer, adding their services amount to the equivalent of 15 to 20 full-time employees. Since the hospital opened in 1974, the group’s fundraising efforts have raised more than $2 million to benefit services and programs. The Capital Campaign is funding a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which is expected to open in The Birth Place in March, and recently funded construction of a new home for the St. Clare Health Clinic and the Prenatal Assistance Program, both of which provide free services to needy area residents.

Rich Shelhamer, right, National Sales Manager of Perry Johnson Registrars Inc., presents the ISO certification to Dave Ruskowski, left, president of Franciscan St. Anthony Health in Crown Point, and Tim Ross, regional director of WorkingWell, during Thursday's Innovators Cafe event. (Photograph by Kristin Elkins/The Times.)

In an effort to adopt the same standards as many of the companies with which it does business, Franciscan Alliance’s WorkingWell Occupational Healthcare became ISO-certified. It became the first occupational health care facility worldwide to achieve the certification.

The Crown Point WorkingWell clinic received it’s ISO certification Thursday during the Innovators Cafe meeting at Franciscan Point, which houses the clinic. The Crown Point WorkingWell clinic is the second of the system’s five clinics to receive the international standards certification.
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Wal-Mart President and CEO Bill Simon looks on as First lady Michelle Obama takes part in Wal-Mart's announcement of a comprehensive effort to provide healthier and more affordable food choices to their customers, Thursday in Washington.
(Photograph by Cliff Owen/Associated Press.)

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest grocer, says it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and push its suppliers to do the same, joining first lady Michelle Obama’s effort to combat childhood obesity.

The first lady accompanied Wal-Mart executives Thursday as they announced the effort in Washington. The company plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in some items, build stores in poor areas that don’t already have grocery stores, reduce prices on produce and develop a logo for healthier items.
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A local, for-profit hospital contributed 240 jobs and a total economic impact of more than $44.8 million in 2009, according to an economic vitality report released Tuesday.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital, 701 Superior Ave., is a 63-bed facility partially owned by physicians and partially owned by the Franciscan Alliance Northern Indiana Region, formerly known as the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services. The report released by the hospital Tuesday was created by the Indiana Hospital Association, said hospital spokesman Andrew Mullins.
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From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here’s today’s submission from the STEM Mentor program:

Middle school girls and their mentors in the STEM Mentor program will explore the field of biomedical science as IVDiagnostics and Entech Innovation Center hosts Discoveries Unlimited on December 11, 2010.

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to have the Entech Innovation Center host the last in the series of Mentor and Mentee events for 2010,” stated Charlie McGill, Executive Director of the Entech Innovation Center. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to serious health issues, like infertility or ovarian cancer, or when it comes to simple matters, like annual checkups or allergies, finding a doctor that not only has the right kind of knowledge and skill, but also a doctor who truly understands, is critical. That is why when many women choose a doctor for themselves they turn to another woman, selecting a female doctor, to advise and to identify with their issues and their needs.

According to the Boston Globe, “Nearly half of medical school students nationwide are now female, and as they enter the profession, they are making patient care friendlier and therefore may be less likely to get sued than male physicians. Women physicians also are more likely to serve minority, urban, and poor populations and are twice as likely to go into primary care.”
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A record number of Americans will be eligible to retire next year, putting an unprecedented amount of stress on our nation’s health care system and challenging many social service programs, businesses and units of government. Whether or not these “golden years” are tarnished by out-of-control health care costs and shortages in services depends greatly on our understanding of and preparation for what lies ahead.

Nearly 77 million Americans who were born between 1946 and 1964—referred to as baby boomers—will enter their retirement years starting in 2011 and are expected to live longer than previous generations. Baby boomers will be part of the fastest growing segment of the population for the next 30 years and will most likely need long-term health care service options after age 85.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2020 the number of people across the nation age 85 and older will increase by more than 40 percent. By 2050, estimates show another 118 percent increase in that age group. Read the rest of this entry »