Little Rock Doctor and Nurse Join “Operation Walk” in Peru

LITTLE ROCK — C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. and nurse, Marty Bushmiaer were part of an “Operation Walk” team that visited Lima, Peru in October to bring up-do-date medical care to a third world country by performing hip and knee replacements to patients on a waiting list of over 1,200 people.

The medical team brought all its own equipment and did the surgery for free. Some of the patients have been on the waiting list for several years. Over the course of 3 ½ days the team performed 48 knee replacements and 12 hip replacements.

Dr. Barnes is a fellowship trained surgeon with Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics in Little Rock, AR, and he specializes in hip and knee replacements. He is 2nd Vice President in the Presidential line in the Southern Orthopaedic Society and holds a similar position in The Society of Arthritis Joint Surgeons.

Arkansas Hospice Announcements

Dr. Neal Wyatt has accepted the position of Arkansas Hospice Medical Director. In addition, Wyatt was recently honored with the Dr. Fay W. Boozman award for 2007. This honor is given annually to an Arkansas physician who lives out his or her faith in family life, practice and community.

Odessa G. Darrough, PhD, Arkansas Hospice Board member, was selected to participate in the 2007-2008 class of Leadership Greater Little Rock. Now in its 23rd year, the LGLR program is designed to develop effective leaders by enhancing their civic, social and professional awareness to positively impact our community.

St. Anthony’s Lights of Love Let Holiday Spirit Shine

MORRILTON — St. Anthony’s Foundation invites you to celebrate your loved ones this holiday season. For the third year in a row, the Foundation will display the “Lights of Love” Christmas tree — an opportunity to honor those near and dear, while also engaging in the giving spirit.

But this year’s tree will be substantially grander. Standing at 17 feet tall, the Christmas tree will be on display during December on the St. Anthony’s lawn. The tree will be lit with white lights and accented by red “celebration” lights and green “memorial” lights. Lights may be purchased for a $10 donation to the Foundation and acknowledgement cards will be sent to those who are honored. Also new for 2007, the Foundation has expanded giving options to include ornaments, snowflakes, angels, and stars. Donors may also choose to purchase an endowed light that will shine year after year.

The Christmas tree will be lit at an official ceremony on December 3, 2007 at 6 pm followed by cookies and hot cocoa, courtesy of the St. Anthony’s Auxiliary. It will remain lit throughout the holiday season and the names of those being honored will be displayed in the St. Anthony’s lobby and on the website.

Lights of Love is a great way to honor family, friends, children, teachers, co-workers or anyone else you choose while helping raise funds to further the healing mission of St. Anthony’s Medical Center. All proceeds help St. Anthony’s continue to provide the right care, right here.

Light of Love order forms are available online at www.StAnthonysMorrilton.com/Foundation. They can also be picked up at the St. Anthony’s Auxiliary Gift Shop, Human Resources office, or Foundation office.

Little Rock Orthopaedic Hand Specialist Published in National Hand Journal

LITTLE ROCK — The work of Michael Moore, M.D., of Arkansas Specialty Orthopaedics, was recently published in the Journal of Hand Surgery, a peer reviewed medical journal. The article titled “Distal Radius Osteotomy in the Elderly Patient Using Angular Stable Implants and Norian Bone Cement” covers the findings of a team of physicians that includes Dr. Moore. The study found Norian calcium phosphate was a safe and predictable technique in elderly patients who require corrective osteotomy for malunion of the distal radius. The technique eliminates the pain and morbidity associated with bone graft which has been traditionally harvested from the patient’s iliac crest.

Dr. Moore is a fellowship trained surgeon who specializes in the Hand and Upper Extremity. Dr. Moore is a member of the American Society of Surgery of the Hand, the American Society for Reconstruction Microsurgery and the American College of Occupational Medicine.

Karyn Clements Earns Certification in Mammography from
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists

Karyn Clements, RT, a mammographer at Stone County Medical Center (SCMC), has recently been certified in mammography by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, ARRT.

Karyn graduated from North Arkansas Community College Radiological Technology Program and began working at SCMC in 2003.
ARRT, The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, promotes high standards of patient care by recognizing individuals qualified in medical imaging, interventional procedures and radiation therapy. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, it tests, certifies, and annually registers more than 235,000 radiologic technologists across the United States.

Devin Terry Joins St. Vincent Heart & Vascular Clinic

LITTLE ROCK — Devin Terry is the new stroke coordinator for the St. Vincent Heart & Vascular Clinic at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock. Terry is responsible for Pre-op & Post-op patient education, clinical management, discharge planning, marketing, outcomes, data collection and patient focused events.

UAMS’ Hutton Elected Fellow of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

LITTLE ROCK — Terri J. Hutton, an assistant professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Health Related Professions, has been elected a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

The designation recognizes professional or scientific achievement and is given to an ASHA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the speech, language and hearing professions. The ASHA is the professional, scientific and credentialing association for more than 127,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the United States and internationally. Less than one percent of ASHA members have been designated a fellow of the association.

Hutton joined the UAMS faculty in 1972 as an adjunct professor, before later becoming an instructor and, in 2006, an assistant professor. She also serves as director of the speech and hearing clinic at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). The Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology is operated jointly by UAMS and UALR.
Hutton also is a member of the Arkansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

St. Anthony’s CEO Named to National/Regional Boards

MORRILTON — Christy Hockaday, Administrator/CEO for St. Anthony’s Medical Center, has been elected as an American Hospital Association (AHA) at-large alternate delegate for the AHA Regional Policy Board. Hockaday was also recently appointed to the Arkansas Rural Medical Practice and Scholarship Board. On each of these, Hockaday will be representing the State of Arkansas, St. Anthony’s Medical Center, St. Vincent Health System, and Catholic Health Initiatives.

In addition to these regional and national boards, Hockaday also serves on the Conway County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) Board, the local School Counts Program Business Sign On Committee, and the River Valley Technical Center Advisory Committee.

UAMS College of Nursing Names Associate Dean for Service

LITTLE ROCK — Donna Jean Middaugh, Ph.D., R.N., of Little Rock, a 19-year veteran of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing, has been named associate dean for service.

Middaugh was named clinical associate professor in the college in January. The associate dean for service is a new position, created as part of a restructuring of the college’s management team under Dean Claudia Barone, Ed.D., R.N. Barone said the restructuring brings the college’s mission more formally in line with UAMS’ four-part mission: teaching, healing, searching and serving.

The associate dean for service is responsible for developing the service mission in the College of Nursing. In addition to general administrative supervision, Middaugh will oversee the integration of the college’s scholarship, education and service missions.
Middaugh, also the college’s Nursing Administration Masters Specialty coordinator and assistant professor in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, began her career at UAMS in 1988 as a College of Nursing instructor. She served as a clinical assistant professor from 1993-2006.

Dr. TerKeurst Adds New Cryotherapy Cancer Treatment

MOUNTAIN HOME — Dr. John S. TerKeurst is the first urologist in northern Arkansas to offer a minimally invasive treatment for men with prostate cancer, known as prostate cryotherapy. This method of cancer treatment uses argon gas to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. It can be done as an outpatient procedure requiring no major surgery.

Cryotherapy is suitable for patients whose cancer recurs following radiation treatment, for prostate cancer in an advanced stage, and for patients who wish to avoid major surgery. The patient experiences fewer and less severe side effects than he would with major surgery, such as removal of the prostate. The patient having cryotherapy as a primary treatment does not undergo radiation and has no radioactive substances left in the body, according to TerKeurst.

Cryotherapy involves a small incision or insertion through the skin, a limited treatment area utilizing ultrasound guidance, and a shorter recovery time.

TerKeurst is board certified by the American Board of Urology and has practiced urology in Mountain Home since 1989. An Arkansas native, he earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine at Little Rock with internship and residencies at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport, La.

St. Anthony’s Names Employee of the Year, Celebrates Staff

MORRILTON — St. Anthony’s Medical Center named Tammy Smith the 2007 Employee of the Year and recipient of the Sister Teresa Joseph Babcock Award at the annual Employee Recognition Dinner and Heritage Day Celebration. The festivities, held November 2 at the Multipurpose Building, also recognized hospital staff celebrating milestone employment anniversaries.

Each year, St. Anthony’s recognizes one employee for their exceptional service to the organization. In addition to being named Employee of the Year, the recipient is given the Sister Teresa Joseph Babcock Award for Service Excellence. This award was established in 2001 and separate Babcock awards are given each year to honorees representing St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, St. Vincent Doctors Hospital, St. Vincent Medical Center – North, St. Vincent Community Programs and St. Anthony’s Medical Center.
Sister Teresa Joseph Babcock, a native Bostonian, ministered at St. Vincent Infirmary from 1967 until 1995. She was a fixture of compassion and hospitality at St. Vincent. She endeared herself to many with her ability to give of herself to everyone with whom she came in contact. She was never too busy to be present to anyone in need.

Tammy Smith began her employment at St. Anthony’s in August of 1989 as a Nurse Aid; she then became Administrative Secretary in 1990 for eight years and was named Human Resources Director in April of 1998. Tammy clearly exemplifies the qualities of Sister Teresa Joseph, as evidenced in the comments from St. Anthony’s employees who have called her “dedicated and hardworking,” and “always willing to help.”

Nominees for Employee of the Year included the past year’s Employee of the Month recipients. In addition to Smith, this year’s nominees were: Mollie Fisher, Karen Martin, Michelle Moll, Dorothy Jeffers, Jennifer Zinser, John Briggler, Cassidy Roland, Sharlene Mourot, Anne Renard, John Hopkins and Heather Goates.

Annual Service Awards were presented to employees celebrating milestone anniversaries. Angie Longing, Chief Nursing Officer, and SAMC’s departmental directors recognized the following recipients: 30 years — Bertha Heaganns; 25 years — Evette Canady; 20 years — Linda Andrews; 15 years — Mary Clemons, Donna Hendricks, Deb Martin, and Gertie Trezvant; 10 years — Alice Andrews, Jennifer Berkemeyer, Anna Criswell, Jennifer Harrell, Ruth Henderson, Robert Meaders, George Moore, Patty Scroggins, Verna Wilson, and Mickey Zackary; five years — Dr. Westerfield, Shanna Washington, Megan Voss, Ruby Spaul, Leslie McNeal, Denise Martin, Dorothy Jeffers, Robert Gustavus, Kathy Turley, Barbara Francis, and Tricia Chance.

UAMS Cancer Researchers Participating in Advanced Melanoma Study

LITTLE ROCK — Skin cancer specialists at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (formerly the Arkansas Cancer Research Center) are recruiting patients into a large Phase 3 study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Allovectin-7®, an investigational product for advanced melanoma.

If Allovectin-7® is found to be safe and effective in clinical trials, it may offer patients a new option for fighting advanced melanoma (stage 3 or stage 4). Safety and efficacy data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of Allovectin-7® were presented at the 2006 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

The ongoing Phase 3 study is designed to determine whether more patients with advanced melanoma respond favorably to Allovectin-7® alone than to current standard chemotherapy alone. To find out whether you or someone you know qualifies for the study, please visit www.melanomatrial.com.

Allovectin-7® has been previously administered to more than 700 cancer patients in several multi-center clinical trials.

To be eligible for the current Allovectin-7® clinical trial, patients must be at least 18 years old and have confirmed recurrent metastatic melanoma with at least one tumor large enough to inject − about the size of a pea. Patients having received previous chemotherapy for melanoma cannot participate. In addition, patients with lung lesions can be included but those with liver or brain lesions cannot.

Approximately 375 patients will be enrolled to receive either Allovectin-7® alone or the current standard chemotherapy (dacarbazine or temozolomide) alone. Sixty-seven percent of enrolled patients will be randomly assigned to receive Allovectin-7® and 33 percent will receive chemotherapy. Allovectin-7® will be administered by a weekly injection into the tumor for six consecutive weeks. The injection cycle may be repeated every eight weeks. Participants will be closely monitored to assess disease status, safety and tolerability. Patients whose melanoma does not clinically progress will be encouraged to continue on the trial and be assessed for up to two years.



December 2007