NORTHSTAR Joins Superior Health Partners

NORTHSTAR Health System in Iron River has joined as an affiliate of Superior Health Partners (SHP). The SHP Board of Directors took official action Tuesday to accept the affiliation contract with NORTHSTAR.

NORTHSTAR inclusion in the SHP health delivery organization brings the number of Upper Peninsula hospitals under the SHP umbrella to nine. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is the tenth SHP affiliate.

SHP affiliates hospitals now include:

• Baraga County Memorial Hospital
• Bell Hospital
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• Dickinson County Health System
• Helen Newberry Joy Hospital
• Marquette General
• Munising Memorial Hospital
• NORTHSTAR Health System
• Portage Health System
• Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital

Connie Koutouzos, CEO of NORTHSTAR, stated, “Joining SHP is congruent with the strategic direction of NORTHSTAR Health System. The SHP alliance with eight other hospitals in the Upper Peninsula and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will strengthen efforts to improve quality and patient experience while lowering costs. A notable benefit leveraged by SHP membership includes an infrastructure necessary to meet the challenges we face with healthcare reform including population health management.”

Gary Muller, CEO of Marquette General Hospital and SHP said, “SHP is indeed fortunate to have NORTHSTAR onboard as an affiliate. SHP is pressing forward on a variety of fronts to define a unique unified definition of the total patient experience within the UP affiliate hospital chain. We are tremendously excited that NORTHSTAR is now another strong link in that chain. By combining resources and managing the talented combined pool of healthcare providers, SHP is focusing on enhancing quality healthcare services and medical treatment delivery in the Upper Peninsula.”

Muller pointed out that the SHP alliance in no way diminishes UP community hospital independence, while the affiliation with SHP will strengthen each hospital’s ability to compete with out-of-state healthcare providers, which in recent years have systematically tried to steer specific healthcare services out of the UP. Patient “outmigration” accounts for at least $80 million of healthcare funding that leaves the UP annually, primarily to Wisconsin.

SHP Board Chairman Tim Larson said, “The SHP alliance is a truly progressive commitment to ensuring that medical access quality, hospitals viability and the economy of the entire region thrive during an era of unprecedented change in healthcare delivery. We all hope Upper Peninsula residents are paying close attention to the progress SHP makes, because the steps we are taking to unify the healthcare front in the region will affect every aspect of the overall UP community.”

SHP was established in 2010 by MGH and Bell Hospital. It has since grown in both the number of affiliates and depth of mission. It was cited in the Wall Street Journal in 2011 as a nationwide model for increasing healthcare quality through unification and alignment efforts.

Overcoming speech delay, Isaiah’s communication success

Isaiah Patron with Gayla Rovelsky, Speech Therapist for MGH Therapies.

To celebrate and create awareness for Better Hearing and Speech Month, we are featuring one of our patient success stories. Five-year-old, Isaiah Patron, began treatment with Marquette General Therapies when he was 3 because he had poor intelligibility, meaning everyone was having a very hard time understanding him.

“When Isaiah first came to us, he was pretty much speaking in only vowels,” stated Gayla Rovelsky, SLP, a Speech-Language Pathologist for Marquette General Therapies. “He had normally developing language – meaning he could understand what was being said to him and he could also express what he wanted in age appropriate utterances – but the actual sounds of his speech, called articulation, were very poor and made his speech sounds like gibberish or jargon.”

Isaiah began treatment for Developmental Apraxia of Speech, a condition where a child’s motor planning for speech sounds and putting speech sounds together isn’t quite right. Isaiah is still attending speech therapy two times per week. His mother reports “When Isaiah first began speech therapy, it was hard for us to communicate with him and understand his needs. Now, I can understand my child so much better and he can communicate with us. This makes me feel successful as a parent. It’s very rewarding.”

The “wait-and-see” approach to children who talk late is a result of misconceptions about typical language development. “All children develop at their own pace” is another common phrase parents come across when looking for an explanation for a child’s delayed development. While children do develop at their own pace to some extent, there are certain milestones which should be reached by a specific age. Even normally developing kids can have difficulties with speech and language. It’s always better to seek professional advice earlier rather than later.

Gayla Rovelsky is a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), who provides evaluations and treatment for children and adults with speech and language disorders communicate more effectively. Sometimes this might mean helping a child pronounce and express words more clearly or it could mean helping an adult who recently had a stroke communicate with ease or be able to swallow without difficulty. Gayla graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors with her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from Northern Michigan University and obtained her Master’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Michigan State University.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Gayla Rovelsky, SLP, contact Marquette General Therapies at 906-225-5900 or visit us at www.uprehab.com

Brain Path a big success at Marquette General Hospital

Technology at Marquette General Hospital is allowing doctors to better attack brain tumors. Learn more: Brain Path a big success at Marquette General Hospital.

What happens if a hospital is hit during a natural disaster?

Recent natural disasters have received a lot of attention lately, and rightly so; minor and severe injuries, even fatalities, are nothing to be trifled with. But what do hospitals do if hit by a natural disaster? Learn more: What happens if a hospital is hit during a natural disaster?

Critical need for O-negative, A-negative and B-negative blood throughout Upper Peninsula

The U.P. Regional Blood Center, a service of Marquette General, is in critical need of O-negative, A-negative and B-negative blood throughout Upper Peninsula.

If you haven’t donated in the last 8 weeks, please take the time to give the “gift of life.” Did you know that just 1 pint of your blood can help save 3 lives? All blood donated at the UP Regional Blood Center stays in the UP.

Please donate at one of the following Upper Peninsula locations:

U.P. Regional Blood Center – Escanaba

• 710 South Lincoln Suite 200
• Call for an appointment at (906) 786-8420
• Hours: Tuesday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday 9 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.; Thursday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

U.P. Regional Blood Center – Hancock

• 787 Market Street, Suite 6, Quincy Center (next to Pat’s Food)
• Call for an appointment at (906) 483-1392.
• Hours are Monday and Tuesday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Wednesday 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

U.P. Regional Blood Center – Iron Mountain

• Dickinson Medical Building
• 1717 S. Stephenson Ave., Suite 315
• Call for an appointment at (906) 774-1012
• Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

U.P. Regional Blood Center – Marquette

• 427 West College Ave. – Adjacent to Marquette General Hospital
• No appointments necessary; walk-ins welcome.
• Hours: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Friday 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

U.P. Regional Blood Center – Sault Ste. Marie

• 550 Osborn St., Sault Ste. Marie, MI
• Call for an appointment at (906) 632-1177
• Hours: Monday – Tuesday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thursday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., with 12 p.m. being the last scheduled appointment.

Hope Starts Here Challenge draws record participants

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The eighth annual ‘Hope Starts Here Challenge,’ held May 11 at Lakeview Arena, drew 618 participants, making it the most successful to date.

Proceeds from the event will support the advocacy, education and research programs of the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center. The UMBTC is a collaborative effort between Marquette General and Northern Michigan University. Its mission is to empower patients and families dealing with brain tumors through advocacy, research, education and treatment.

The UMBTC participates in clinical trials and conducts basic science research. The UMBTC research lab is located on the campus of NMU and is under the direction of Robert Winn, PhD, Professor of Biology. The research lab is staffed by undergraduate students and graduate students pursuing their Master’s degree. To date, all research funding has come from community support.

Last year’s event drew more than 575 people and raised more than $14,000. This year, the total amount raised exceeds $20,000.

The event included a competitive half marathon, duathlon, 5k and 10k runs, and the noncompetitive family scenic walk.

To view race results, click here.

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Thank you, sponsors!

We would like to thank our sponsors for helping raise awareness & funds for the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center:

• Northern Michigan University
• Superior Health Foundation
• Sunny 101.9
• WLUC TV 6
• The Mining Journal
• Marquette Internal Medicine & Pediatric Associates
• NICO Neuro and Spine
• Advanced Center for Orthopedics
• Lakeshore Bike
• Mommaerts Mahaney
• Griffin Beverage Company
• Pasta Shop
• Marquette County Title
• Salon Salon
• Quick Stop
• Superior Timing
• SISU Clothing
• UP Rehab Associates
• Casa Calabria
• River Valley Bank
• Norway Springs
• Subway
• Getzs
• Econo Foods
• Fox Marquette
• Ore Dock Brewery
• City of Marquette

Cardiologists perform area’s first Lariat procedure

Lariat procedure offers atrial fibrillation patients an alternative for stroke prevention

It may look like an ice fishing pole, but this high tech gadget allows Cardiologist Dr. Rudolph Evonich to give people with atrial fibrillation who can’t take blood thinning medicines a new option for stroke prevention.

Cardiologists at Marquette General Hospital now have the latest technology at their fingertips to reduce the risk of stroke in patients who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

In late April, Cardiologists Dr. Rudy Evonich, Dr. Kris Dosh and Dr. Gary Friesen were the first in the Upper Peninsula to perform a non-surgical procedure using a suture to tie off the left atrial appendage (LAA). The LAA is a muscular pouch connected to the left atrium of the heart and is the source of most blood clots leading to stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

The procedure, which uses the LARIAT® Suture Delivery Device, permanently closes the LAA which is a benefit for individuals with AF who cannot tolerate blood thinners. The Lariat works as a lasso that goes around the LAA and stops the flow of blood to that area where blood clots form, reducing the chance of stroke.

“Patients with atrial fibrillation who cannot take blood thinners now have an alternative to reduce their risk of stroke,” said Dr. Evonich, of Upper Michigan Cardiovascular Associates and on the staff at Marquette General Hospital. “Once the procedure is performed, the patient no longer requires blood thinners.”

Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, is a condition that results in the upper chamber of the heart beating too fast. This allows pooling of blood in the left atrial appendage which can lead to clot formation. If the clot breaks free it can migrate to the brain and cause stroke. About 1 out of every four strokes are due to AF and patients with AF have a five times greater risk of having a stroke. Typically stroke is prevented in AF patients by taking blood thinning medicines, but some patients cannot tolerate them. That was why the LARIAT procedure was developed.

During the procedure, which takes about an hour, Drs. Evonich and Dosh deliver the Lariat through a catheter inserted under the rib cage to the heart. They then insert a second catheter from a vein in the leg to guide the device into place. The procedure is monitored by ultrasound pictures Dr. Friesen obtains during the procedure. Once in position they use the Lariat to tie off the LAA and permanently separate it from the rest of the heart. The procedure is performed in the cardiac catheterization lab at MGH, and patients are typically discharged from the hospital the following day.

“The Lariat is the first FDA approved percutaneous technique for treatment of the appendage that doesn’t require a large incision,” said Dr. Evonich. “Prior to the Lariat, the only way to tie off the left atrial appendage was to perform open heart surgery. This new device has revolutionized the way we treat atrial fibrillation.”

Individuals interested in more information regarding the Lariat procedure can speak with their primary healthcare provider, or call Upper Michigan Cardiovascular Associates at (906) 225-3870.