Parkview Family Practice has joined the HSHS Medical Group

Streator, Ill. - Parkview Family Practice in Streator has joined HSHS Medical Group and has changed their name to St. Mary's Family Medicine - Parkview.

St. Mary's Family Medicine - Parkview, located at the St. Mary's Health Center - Parkview facility, at 109 East Elm Street in Streator, is the second in a series of regional satellite facilities that will extend the high quality health care of St. Mary's Hospital throughout the Illinois Valley and surrounding communities.

This transition will allow the physicians of St. Mary's Family Medicine - Parkview to access more resources and provide a fresh approach to health care delivery, where all aspects of health care system are integrated to support the health of the whole person - at all phases of need. The focus on care integration is central to the mission of the HSHS medical group. It links physicians, patients and technology to provide seamless care for patients, from the time a person enters the system as a newborn through to the end of life.

“For patients, our approach means we value time spent in personal contact, embrace the highest standards of care, and provide the same level of care regardless of ability to pay,” says Richard D. Rolston, MD, FAAP, president/CEO of HSHS Medical Group. “For physicians and staff, our approach means providing a stable work environment, predictable and competitive compensation, access to technology, and a balance between professional and personal responsibilities.”

St. Mary's Family Medicine - Parkview houses three family practice physicians and two certified nurse practitioners. They include Glen Ricca, MD, Jennifer Tieman, MD, and Mark Wargo, MD, as well as Joni Luckey, FNP and Connie Jaegle, APN.

“Parkview Family Practice is an excellent group of providers and are a welcome addition to our organization. We are thrilled to have them be a part of the HSHS Medical Group family,” says Joanne Fenton, President/CEO of St. Mary's Hospital.

The HSHS Medical Group and St. Mary's Hospital are pleased to be able to offer the community increased access to high quality health care services.

HSHS Medical Group and St. Mary's Hospital announce the opening of St. Mary's Health Center - Streator

Streator, Ill. - The March opening of St. Mary's Health Center - Streator features the practice opening of Amir Torshizi, MD, an Internal Medicine physician. Dr. Torshizi also joins the HSHS Medical Group.

St. Mary's Health Center - Streator, located at 104 West Sixth Street, Suite 104, is one in a series of regional satellite facilities that will extend the high quality health care of St. Mary's Hospital throughout the Illinois Valley and surrounding communities.

Dr. Torshizi is the latest physician to join the HSHS Medical Group, a growing network of primary care and specialty care physicians aligned with St. Mary's and the 12 other hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin that comprise Hospital Sisters Health System. Dr. Torshizi has been in practice since 1996 and brings a wealth of knowledge to St. Mary's Health Center - Streator.

“We are very pleased and proud to welcome Dr. Torshizi to the HSHS Medical Group,” said Richard Rolston, MD, CEO of the HSHS Medical Group, “Dr. Torshizi is an outstanding physician and we look forward to providing him and his patients a seamless, integrated network of care.”

“St. Mary's Health Center - Streator is one element of our care integration plan to provide comprehensive and convenient health care to the communities that we serve, said Joanne Fenton, President/CEO of St. Mary's Hospital. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with physicians in the community to expand our service area. This allows us to provide our community with increased access to a higher level of health care. The addition of new physicians and new facilities in our immediate area is consistent with our journey to service excellence.”

St. Mary's Health Center - Streator currently houses Dr. Torshizi's St. Mary's Internal Medicine practice and is now accepting new patients.

St. Mary's Hospital announces new angiography suite

Streator, Ill. - St. Mary's Hospital is proud to announce the addition of their new angiography suite promoting the delivery of enhanced vascular care.

This new angiography suite will come equipped with the Philips Allura FD imaging system. Designed for optimal patient safety and comfort, the Allura will provide comprehensive vascular imaging for diagnostic and interventional procedures. Using this advanced technology, a team of specialists will now have a local world-class resource to be able to perform a wider range of minimally invasive diagnostic vascular procedures in a patient-focused environment.

St. Mary's is the only hospital in the area to provide this type of service locally. “We are very excited to be able to offer this state-of-the-art service to our community. Now we are capable of providing advanced vascular care for our patients and keep them close to home,” Tricia Novotney, RT (R) (BD), director, diagnostic imaging.

This advanced technology will provide many benefits including sharper, high-resolution images, reduced radiation doses, and minimized procedure times, leading to improved results for patients needing vascular care. The angiography suite, located in the main hospital, will be conveniently open five days a week.

St. Mary's Hospital will celebrate the addition of the angiography suite with an Open House, Wednesday, January 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the main hospital. The public, as well as St. Mary's colleagues and physicians are invited to attend the celebration and learn more about the services and technology offered.

St. Mary's Hospital announces “Saints Flight” helicopter transport service

Streator, Ill. - St. Mary's Hospital has announced the addition of a dedicated helicopter transport service, Saints Flight, to be permanently stationed at St. Mary's helipad, offering immediate transport whenever service is needed.

St. Mary's will be the first hospital in the Illinois Valley to have their own helicopter and flight transport team, allowing for faster treatment of seriously ill and injured patients in the area. “St. Mary’s understands that minutes matter in crucial emergency situations. The Saints Flight is an investment in saving time and potentially saving lives, and we are very proud to offer such a vital resource to the local community,” said Joanne Fenton, President and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital.

When a call for service is made, a Saints Flight transport team typically takes off from St. Mary's helipad in under seven minutes. With a cruise speed of 130-150 m.p.h., Saints Flight can quickly arrive at an area hospital or accident scene and provide the most immediate care during any emergency situation.

ARCH Air Medical Services (owned by Air Methods) will provide the helicopter, pilots and medical transport teams. On-board each Saints Flight are highly trained professionals, with pilots being required to have a minimum of 2,500 flight hours, including 500 hours flying at night. Adult transport teams consist of a registered nurse and paramedic, each with at least five years of specialized training in caring for critically ill and injured patients.

“Air Methods is proactive when it comes to patient and crew safety,” said Dave Fails, Aviation Manager at ARCH Medical Services. “We incorporate extra regulations when it comes to flight condition, including requiring that there be at least two miles of visibility for flight made during the day.”

Saints Fight, a BK117 dual engine aircraft helicopter constructed by American Eurocopter, is part of a medical air transport operated by ARCH. The twin-engine aircraft has proved to be one of the safest and most reliable in the industry. The network has helicopters based across central and southern Illinois in Granite City, Sprat, Litchfield, Effingham and Urbana.

St. Mary’s Hospital Home Health Services honored

St. Mary's Hospital Home Health Services in Streator was one of a select group of home care agencies honored for 25 or more years in the Illinois HomeCare Council (IHCC), an association that represents nearly 250 home care and hospice agencies statewide.

St. Mary’s, along with 39 other providers, were inducted into the Quarter Center Club, which was established this year to honor agencies for the dedication and commitment to IHCC and for serving as pioneers in the field of home care.

“We are honored to be the only agency in the area to receive this recognition,” stated Becky Tirevold, manager of community health.

Founded in 1960, IHCC is the nation’s first home care association and is dedicated to shaping and supporting the entire spectrum of home care providers in the state.

Home care is a broad term that describes a range of health and social services. These services are delivered at home to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living.

St. Mary's Hospital earns quality respiratory care recognition

St. Mary's Hospital has earned quality respiratory care recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

Approximately 15% of United States hospitals have received this award. The program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care.

St. Mary's Hospital earned the designation by adhering to a strict set of criteria governing respiratory care services. Those criteria include proper credentialing of all therapists delivering bedside care, having respiratory therapists available 24 hours a day, and having a doctor of medicine or osteopathy designated as medical director of the services.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.

“I am very proud of our respiratory team,” said Shari Merriman, manager of respiratory care. “They treat all of their patients as if they were a part of their own family by providing quality care.”

St. Mary's Hospital is staffed with ten registered respiratory therapists, two certified respiratory therapists, one respiratory care practitioner and three respiratory therapy students. The medical director of St. Mary's Hospital’s respiratory care services is Dr. Indra Pal, board certified in internal medicine.

To learn more about St. Mary's Hospital’s services, visit www.stmaryshospital.org or call 815-673-4594.

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