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Medical DialogueKEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTERFALL 2023 Critical Care Management by VituityDignity Health –St. Mary Medical Center, under the leadership of Hospital President Carolyn Caldwell and the Board of Directors, is pleased to rearm their commitment to delivering the best and most compassionate care to our patients in the intensive care unit by enlisting Vituity. Vituity is a physician-owned democratic partnership that is dedicated to the pillars of quality and compassion. This -hour in-house multidisciplinary approach to care helps ensure that St. Mary delivers better, safer intensive care with these goals:• Reduced mortality • Decreased ICU and hospital length of stay• Fewer hospital-acquired infections• Increased patient satisfactionThrough the leadership of Karim Tadlaoui, MD, as the Critical Care Medical Director and his achievement in assembling a team of caring and engaged physicians, we are already witnessing the positive cultural impact. Vituity has helped to foster a friendly, communicative, and supportive environment for our entire team, including the nursing sta, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, nutritionists, social services, case managers, and pastoral care. Delivering safe and high-quality care to our patients and their families has motivated a sense of pride and ownership amongst all team members.We are excited to have the support of the Vituity team, and we are condent in our ability to provide our community with the same care we would want delivered to our own families.St. Mary has partnered with Vituity to ensure our Critical Care Team continues providing a patient-focused multi-disciplinary approach to care. Welcome Desert TraumaThis past spring, St. Mary Medical Center selected Desert Trauma as our contractor to provide trauma and acute care surgery and surgical critical care services. We’re pleased to welcome Bryan Love, MD, Medical Director, and Andrew Fragen, MD, Associate Medical Director who are overseeing a team of trauma surgeons at St. Mary. Desert Trauma has a strong track record of service with a broad range of specialty services including rib plating, abdominal wall reconstruction, and advanced wound care maneuvers, such as skin grafting. In the near future, this team will provide elective general surgery services as well, and most importantly, will continue to provide immediate, life-saving care to our community. Bryan Love, MDAndrew Fragen, MDSee inside for our U.S. News honors!
2 St. Mary Medical DialogueGet Evidence-Based Knowledge at St. Mary’s Bellis Medical LibraryLooking for an article about a specic condition to improve your understanding? Look no further than the Bellis Medical Library. For your convenience, the library can be accessed both on campus and online. The Bellis Medical Library website provides:• A COVID- Portal with current and authoritative information• Library news• Print and online resource access• Research assistance• Documents requests articles and book chapters• Information on remote access for point-of-care and research databases• Medical Librarian contact informationAccess the library online at libguides.dignityhealth.org/SMLB.Save Time. Consult Our Experienced Medical Librarian.Nancy Berko, RD, EdD, applies experience in library automation and resource access to assist physicians utilizing the Bellis Medical Library website, Online Catalog, and Dignity Health full-text article links in PubMed and UpToDate. For information or research requests, feel free to email Nancy at nancy.berko@CommonSpirit.org, or call - for urgent patient care information support.Tell Us What Journals You NeedThe Bellis Library wants to ensure we have access to the medical journals you need. Please take a moment to see the full list of current journals available, and to add any requests. Click here to access the form or scan the QR code with your mobile phone camera or click on it.St. Mary Medical Center Receives U.S. News & World Report Awards Thanks in part to our physicians’ dedication to excellence, U.S. News & World Report has recognized St. Mary Medical Center in the - Hospital rankings for Heart Attack and Pneumonia.This great recognition demonstrates the clinical excellence and quality patient care provided by our physicians and clinical sta. Across nearly hospitals, these designations are the highest distinction a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals procedures and conditions ratings.Earlier this year, St. Mary received the Healthgrades® Critical Care Excellence Award™ for a second consecutive year. Our hospital was also among Newsweek’s Best Maternity Hospitals and recognized by the American Heart Association© with a Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Silver Award. These quality honors by U.S. News & World Report, Healthgrades®, Newsweek and the AHA©, places us among the best hospitals in our nation.Congratulations to our physicians and entire hospital team for your collaboration and dedication in serving our patients and community with the highest quality of care and excellence. Carolyn Caldwell President and CEO Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center
St. Mary Medical Dialogue 3.Welcome Medical Staff Team MembersNancy Berkoff, Medical LibrarianNancy Berko, RD, EdD, is a graduate of the UCLA Doctorate of Education Program with a Master’s in Nutrition Education. Originally from the East Coast, she has been a Southern Californian for over years. Her background in clinical and non-clinical health care has taken her around the globe to practice and teach in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to health care, Nancy has been involved with culinary arts and has participated in the Culinary Olympics, held in Europe. She’s written many food-related books and articles, and is looking forward to making the Bellis Library St Mary’s research and study hotspot.George Ruiz, Medical Staff CoordinatorBorn and raised in Los Angeles, George moved to Long Beach at the age of to attend California State University Long Beach. He joined St. Mary Medical Center years ago as a Per Diem Registration Clerk in the Emergency Department’s admitting area, and then transferred to the Emergency Department as a Unit Coordinator/Social Director. George most recently joined the Medical Sta Department where he coordinates credentialing activities, serves as a liaison between physicians and the hospital during credentialing, and assists in complying with Medical Sta Bylaws, rules and regulations. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with friends and family and attending Dodger games he even recalls watching Fernando Valenzuela on the mound as a boy.Angela Shaw, Medical Staff Quality AnalystAngela comes to St. Mary Medical Center from Texas Children’s Hospital where her duties in the Medical Sta Oce included administering the Focused Professional Practice Evaluation FPPE and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation OPPE processes, and collaborating with Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management to monitor medical sta performance indicators. Additionally, she helped establish the Graduate Medical Education Oce where she assisted with onboarding and ooarding about Residents and Fellows annually. She was personally selected by two medical sta presidents to help launch initiatives aimed at reducing practitioner burnout, including the Practitioner Health and Well-Being Committee, Parallel Peer Support program, and D.I.N.E. initiative. In her new role at St. Mary, Angela analyzes practitioner quality and safety data related to practitioners’ clinical and professional practice. The data outcomes will be used to evaluate performance, reveal trends, identify opportunities, and leverage health information technology to improve professional practice, patient engagement and quality outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys roller skating, will soon complete her undergraduate studies at Grand Canyon University and maintains a deep-rooted passion and calling for the ministry and serving God.If you need to contact any of our sta members in Medical Sta, please call -.Appointment of Ardel Guillamas Avelino, Chief Operating Officer We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ardel Guillamas Avelino, DNP, MHA, RN, PHN, recently accepted the role of Vice President and Chief Operating Ocer at St. Mary Medical Center. In his new role, Ardel is responsible for overseeing all hospital operations and providing the leadership, management and vision necessary to ensure the continued growth and nancial strength of our facility. Ardel joined St. Mary in as a sta nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, and in , he joined the hospital’s administration team demonstrating excellent oversight of quality management initiatives, onboarding of physicians into hospital clinics, overseeing construction of a new biplane suite, and helping to establish the thrombectomy program, and comprehensive stroke center designation. Most recently, Ardel served as SMMC’s Interim VP and COO and has proven to be a results-driven leader. Please welcome him to his new role.
4 St. Mary Medical DialogueSt. Mary Recognized for High-Quality Heart Failure CareSt. Mary Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure Silver Award quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.The Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. We would like to thank all of our amazing physicians and team members who helped us achieve this incredible honor!Internal Medicine Program, Class of 2023Please join us in congratulating Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Program, Class of ! This incredible group has the unique residency training experience coinciding with the beginning of the COVID- outbreak. They embraced the clinical and educational aspects of the pandemic response experience. This class is nishing their residency training as accomplished and well-rounded doctors with upcoming pursuits in hospital medicine, primary care, and further fellowship training. We’re so proud of them and know they will continue to accomplish great things!Special thank you to all of the wonderful faculty who worked with our residents and a big thank you to Neill D. Ramos, MD, Chester Choi, MD, and Kel Miller for their amazing guidance and leadership.Congratulations Graduating ResidentsAntonius Anis, MD will begin a critical care fellowship in NevadaAlexis Amonic, MD will graduate in November Mrinal Asopa, DO will begin a nephrology fellowship at UCLASarah Elzubeir, MD will become a hospitalist in TexasCho Rok Kim, MD will enter primary care in TorranceLoriel Liwanag, DO will enter primary care in TexasAli Mahdi, MD will begin a sleep medicine fellowship at USCHasan Mirza, MD will become a hospitalist in Southern California Hannah Saadaeijahromi, MD will become an Administrative Clinical Instructor aka Chief Resident at St. Mary’sBrandon Schemits, DO will become an Administrative Clinical Instructor aka Chief Resident at St. Mary’sCharis Tjoeng, DO will begin an infectious disease fellowship at Harbor-UCLAWelcome Incoming ResidentsSam Adllirad, DOAlyssa Anderson, MDAlec Baktamian, DO Tovia Bavly, DOLucy Chen, DOSilia Domat, MDJeremy Fukushima, DO Gagik Gabrielyan, DOEric Jiang, DONasir Khan, MDJesper Kim, DOAndrew Lai, DORichard Martirosian, MD Ojel Pathak, MDGary Wong, MD
St. Mary Medical Dialogue 5SMMC Among Best Maternity HospitalsDignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center is recognized among America’s best maternity hospitals, according to a recent ranking from Newsweek. This honor underscores our community’s condence in St. Mary’s quality maternity services–from choosing an obstetrician through delivery and postpartum care. Congratulations to our Obstetricians on this prestigious honor!CMO ExchangeSt. Mary’s Chief Medical Ocer, Dr. Chuck Anderson, represented our hospital at this year’s CMO Exchange, an invitation-only event that brings together Chief Medical Ocers, VP of Medical Aairs, Chief Clinical Ocers, and the Chief of Stas for an intimate discussion on the top challenges and disruptions aecting the healthcare industry. Dr. Anderson served as one of the roundtable facilitators, helping to keep the conversation on-track and guide the one-hour discussion toward solutions. Some of the topics discussed were social drivers of health and ensuring equitable care, current nancial stress now that funding from the Cares Act has stopped, and transparency with sta and patients, to name a few.Welcome New Physicians to the St. Mary Medical Center FamilyAnesthesiologyMichael Do, MDCritical Care MedicineIan Butler, MDAmir Ghiassi, MDShahid Hayat, MDMuhammad Nouman Iqbal, MDRaj Joshi, MDJoseph Seif, MDShahab Shahangian, DOKarim Tadlaoui, MDJihane Zaza, MDCritical Care SurgeryBryan Love, MDDiagnostic RadiologyGuillermo Palacios-Lopez, MDEmergencyErinn Tempelis, PA-C Emergency MedicineRyan Carlson, MDDanny Fernandez, MDLaura Le, MDJohn Sawyer, MDDemy Tabangcura, PA-CShannon Voss, PA-CHand SurgeryKourosh Kolahi, MDInfectious DiseaseRithika Ramakrishnan, MDInternal MedicineMushtag Khan, MDHannaneh Saadaeijahromi, MDBrandon Schmeits, DOSean Shahamiri, MDSarah Youkhana, MDInternal Medicine/HospitalistHamid Modarres Mousavi Behbahani, MDSweta Chekuri, MDVictoria Laine, MDKhashayar Nemovi, MDPeter Duy-Minh Nguyen –Dang, MDAli Varasteh, MDOB/GynAmanda Sheridan, MDOtolaryngologyGeorey Trenkle, DOOtolaryngology, Head and Neck SurgeryAhmed Maki, DOPediatric CardiologySinan Denny-Brown, MDPhysical Medicine & RehabHeidi Choe, DOPlastic SurgeryJames Black, MDPsychiatryAmina Sutherland-Stolting, MDPulmonary/Critical Care MedicineMarius Viseroi, MDPulmonary DiseaseMahmoud Moammar, MDMohammed A. Shaikh, MDThoracic SurgeryStephen Rogitz, PA-CTrauma SurgeryAnnie Allan, DOKyrillos Awad, DOAndrew Fragen, MDGaurav Garg, MDCarlos Guzman, MDFarabi Hussian, MDJennie Kim, MDJoseph Robert Sirody, MDBlair Smart, MDAaron Strumwasser, MDPaul Wisniewski, DOVascular SurgeryCarlos Donayre, MDKeith Jones, MDGarabed Nishanian, MDRobert Pereyra, MDMichael Schiedler, MDPlease also welcome Igor Kirzhner, MD, to his new role as the Medical Director for Anesthesiology.
6 St. Mary Medical DialogueSMMC Makes Opioid Care Honor RollCongratulations to all of our physicians who helped St. Mary Medical Center earn Opioid Care Honor Roll recognition by Cal Hospital! To receive this certicate, St. Mary had to score between and points on the Opioid Management Hospital Self-Assessment and score at least one point in each of the following four domains of care: safe and eective opioid use, identifying and treating patients with opioid use disorder, overdose prevention, and applying cross-cutting opioid management best practices.The goal of the California Opioid Care Honor Roll Program is to increase access to addiction treatment for hospitalized patients and reduce opioid-related deaths. Thank you for your diligence in ensuring optimal treatment for patients with opioid use disorder. Physicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in media stories.Ali Jamehdor, DO, Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, was featured on ABC Channel 7 News where he discussed the dangers of reworks, and again in a story where he discussed the terrible air quality that resulted from Fourth of July reworks and how to avoid the pollution.Nikhil Kapoor, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Cardiologist, was featured on KNX News Radio where he discussed ways to mitigate stress, while ghting heart disease and avoiding weight gain. Stroke SpotlightDignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center and Dr. Wled Wazni, Neuroendovascular Specialist, were featured on the CBS morning segment, Inside SoCal! The spotlight featured the neuroscience clinic and stroke center’s life-saving services.The Neuroscience Clinic at St. Mary’s is a Joint Commission certiedThrombectomy Capable Stroke Center as well as a Comprehensive StrokeCenter with the Los Angeles County EMS Agency. Our skilled neurologists,interventional neurologists, neurosurgeons and sta are expertly trained to treat people with neurologic changes, from acute onset through the recovery phase. The unique program at St. Mary also features nurses who are specially trained in ushering stroke patients through the hospital in a timely manner in order to provide the best outcome possible.For more information or to nd out how St. Mary Medical Center can help your patients, call -.Watch the CBS morning segment, which features two grateful patients, by scanning the QR code or clicking on it.How to Respond to Media RequestsOur Public Relations team helps to ensure all media and social media mentions reflect our hospital’s mission, vision, and values. If you are contacted by the media to speak on behalf of St. Mary Medical Center, please be sure to first contact Christina Zicklin, External Communications Director, at 310.922.8522 to discuss the request. All media requests involving Dignity Health SoCal hospitals must first be approved by Christina Zicklin and Administration. Thank you.
St. Mary Medical Dialogue 7Charity Golf Classic Raises $140,000 for CARE CenterThe St. Mary Medical Center Foundation is pleased to announce that its th Charity Golf Classic raised over for this year’s chosen beneciary, Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center’s CARE Center. Founded at the rise of the AIDS pandemic in , St. Mary’s CARE Center continues to oer important programs and services to the people in our community. During a time when other hospitals were turning away those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, the CARE Center continued to treat anyone who walked through our doors. Today, the CARE Center provides comprehensive HIV treatment, PrEP & PEP, social services, dental care, health education, a food pantry, and housing assistance to patients.We currently have a million CARE Center expansion project underway, which includes a new medical clinic. When the project is nished, our CARE Center oerings will include medical care, behavioral health and additional support services, all located in one convenient location on our hospital campus.Proceeds from this year’s charity golf tournament will help support the CARE Center’s mission of providing high quality care, while making sure it is able to continue expanding services to meet the needs of our community’s most vulnerable patients.Paul Lovely, Executive Director of the CARE Center, which raised $140K for the CARE Center from the golf tournamentProhealth Associates, including Winston Chung, MD (left), and Bhavik Thakkar, MD (right)ED Clinical Team, including Won Ki Chae, MD (center)Jyoti Datta, MD (left), and Michael Cogan, MD (2nd from left)Chief Hospitalist Babak Gachpaz, MD (left) James Murray, MD; Frederick Stafford, MD; Gregory Vanley, MD; and Anoop Shah, MD“Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.”– Arnold Palmer
8 St. Mary Medical DialogueCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the St. Mary Medical Staff to submit information or articles for publication. We welcome your input! Issues are published quarterly (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring).Article submissions are due to the Communication Department a month in advance of the next quarterly issue.Please call Tracie Gipson, Medical Dialogue Editor at 818.522.4574 or email TracieCheesemangipson@CommonSpirit.org.EDITORIAL TEAMChuck Anderson, MDChief Medical OfficerChristina ZicklinExecutive EditorTracie GipsonMedical Dialogue EditorBonnie MathewsMedical Staff CoordinatorShannon VinsonMedical Staff Director1050 Linden Avenue • Long Beach, CA 90813 | 1.888.4STMARY (1.888.478.6279) | dignityhealth.org/stmarymedicalOur values are the core principles that enable us to deliver humankindness.CommonSpirit Values: Compassion | Inclusion | Integrity | Excellence | CollaborationCentennial Mass – Your Health, Our Mission, 100 YearsThis past August, a special Centennial Mass was led by the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, who blessed the doctors, nurses and sta of St. Mary Medical Center in honor of its th anniversary.While St. Mary Medical Center’s dedication anniversary date was August , St. Mary held mass on August in honor of the memorial day of Sister Dennis with the Medical Sisters of St. Joseph from India. Sister Dennis passed away after serving our hospital as a pediatric nurse for years. St. Mary opened its doors in August as a small -bed community hospital. Ten decades later, we carry on the traditions and heritage of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, TX, who established this hospital where there was a need and has since become a cornerstone in the Greater Long Beach community.During the Centennial Mass, gatherers reected on the hospital’s legacy of compassion and paid tribute to our dedicated health care professionals. “As our beloved hospital celebrates years of service, I nd myself reecting on the strength and courage of our founding Sisters,” said Carolyn Caldwell, President and Chief Executive Ocer. “Their mission of health and healing has carried this hospital well into today’s reality, empowering it to remain a relevant and vital part of Greater Long Beach.”We look forward to celebrating our centennial with all of our sta, volunteers and physicians through March . Our hope is that St. Mary’s healing ministry will continue to thrive for another years as it meets the growing health care needs of our community.The Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop, held a Centennial Mass where he blessed staff, including Lydia Ortega, Sr. Director of Business Development (left), and met with hospital leaders including Dr. Ardel Guillamas Avelino, VP and COO, and Carolyn Caldwell, Hospital President (right).