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Dec 18
0

Dr. John and Shelley Rhodes Recipients of the 2019 Heitkotter Award

By | Awards, Press Release, Recognition

Dr. John Rhodes, senior medical director for the Mountain West Region of primary and adult medicine for Southwest Medical, part of OptumCare, and his wife Shelley have been recognized for their longtime contributions by Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School as recipients of the school’s 2019 Heitkotter Award.

“We have been blessed by the many contributions John and Shelley have made to Faith Lutheran, whether to help build buildings or young lives, and are excited to honor them with Faith’s highest award,” said Dr. Steve Buuck, CEO and administrator of Faith Lutheran.

Dr. and Mrs. Rhodes are the parents of four Faith Lutheran graduates and were co-chairs of the “You Gotta Have Faith” capital campaign that raised nearly $6 million toward construction of the school’s chapel and performing arts center. They were also catalysts for the creation of the Mark 10:14 program to help developmentally disabled students like their son, Clayton, who recently became the first student with Down Syndrome to graduate from UNLV.

The Rhodes also began the annual Mark 10:14 Barbecue at the school several years ago and have since helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the program.

 

Dec 18
0

Henderson Hospital Earns 2019 Leapfrog Top General Hospital Award for Second Consecutive Year

By | Awards, Press Release

Award Recognizes Hospital’s Outstanding Quality and Safety

Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Henderson Hospital was named a Top General Hospital nationally by The Leapfrog Group. Announced today, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive. The Top Hospital designation is awarded by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality.

The Top Hospital Award comes following Henderson’s Hospital third “A” Hospital Safety Grade, also from The Leapfrog Group. Henderson Hospital was also named a Top General Hospital in 2018.

“This award highlights the diligent work and commitment by our employees and medical staff to create and sustain a culture of patient safety,” said Sam Kaufman, CEO/Managing Director of Henderson Hospital. “Receiving this award for the second consecutive year is an outstanding accomplishment, and helps continue to build on our research, planning, implementation and evaluation of protocols for better outcomes, the hard-wired processes of the patient safety goals; and our team’s commitment to providing the best possible care during every shift.” 

About 2,100 hospitals were considered for the award. Among those, Henderson Hospital received a Top General distinction. A total of 120 hospitals were selected as Top Hospitals, including:

·         10 Top Children’s Hospitals

·         37 Top General Hospitals

·         18 Top Rural Hospitals

·         55 Top Teaching Hospitals

Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.

“We are pleased to recognize Henderson Hospital as a 2019 Leapfrog Top Hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and to the Henderson community and surrounding areas. We congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible and know they share pride in this achievement.”

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers in the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest known standards for quality and patient safety, and achieve top performance in its category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2019 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information, they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. 

About Henderson Hospital

Henderson Hospital is a member of The Valley Health System, a network of six acute care hospitals that provide care for patients throughout Southern Nevada and nearby communities. Located in Henderson, NV, this acute care hospital offers emergency care, surgical services, including an outpatient surgery center, cardiovascular care, women’s health and maternity services, including a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, outpatient wound care and a freestanding emergency department.

 

Dec 18
0

MountainView Hospital Earns National 2019 Leapfrog Top Hospital Award for Outstanding Quality and Safety

By | Awards, Press Release

Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, MountainView Hospital was named a Top Teaching Hospital nationally by The Leapfrog Group. This is the second year in a row MountainView has been named a Top Teaching Hospital.

Announced today, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive. The Top Hospital designation is awarded by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality.

The Top Hospital Award follows the recently awarded  “A” Hospital Safety Grade, the third time MountainView Hospital has earned that honor, also from The Leapfrog Group. 

“We are honored that the hard work of the entire hospital team, as we continue to evolve from community hospital to academic medical center, has been recognized,” said Jeremy Bradshaw, MountainView Hospital Chief Executive Officer. “We strive to provide the best quality care, coupled with the right faculty members and residents, to create a culture of learning at every level.”

About 2,100 hospitals were considered for the award. Among those, MountainView Hospital received a Top Teaching distinction. A total of 120 hospitals were selected as Top Hospitals, including:

·         10 Top Children’s Hospitals

·         37 Top General Hospitals

·         18 Top Rural Hospitals

·         55 Top Teaching Hospitals

 

Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.

“We are pleased to recognize MountainView Hospital as a 2019 Leapfrog Top Hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and to the Las Vegas community. We congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible and know they share pride in this achievement.”

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers in the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest known standards for quality and patient safety, and achieve top performance in its category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2019 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information, they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. 

About MountainView Hospital:

MountainView Hospital is a state-of-the-art, full-service medical facility located in the heart of northwest Las Vegas. With a dedicated and talented staff of employees and outstanding physicians, MountainView Hospital is recognized for high patient satisfaction and for providing quality and compassionate care to our community since 1996, including most recently The Leapfrog Group’s Grade A for fall 2018, and was named a Top Teaching Hospital in 2018.  MountainView features nationally recognized programs including a top cardiovascular and thoracic center and the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Robotic Surgery. The Sunrise Health Medical Education Consortium, based at MountainView, trains the next generation of physicians and surgeons for our community.

MountainView is a member of the respected Sunrise Health System consisting of Sunrise Hospital, Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Southern Hills Hospital and several surgery, diagnostic imaging, urgent care center and hospital based emergency rooms, offering a complete range of specialized and technologically advanced services.

 

MountainView Hospital

3100 N. Tenaya Way, Las Vegas, NV 89128

 

Nov 05
0

Dr. Nilesh “Neil” Gokal Awarded an Honorary Pi Alpha Award

By | Awards, Press Release, Recognition

Dr. Nilesh “Neil” Gokal of Southwest Medical Associates, part of OptumCare, has been awarded an honorary Pi Alpha Award by the Pi Alpha Honor Society. The recognition took place Oct. 30 as part of the physician assistant (PA) banquet held at Sunset Station Hotel & Casino for the PA students of Touro University in Henderson.

The award recognizes accomplishment in the areas of significant academic achievement, leadership, research, community/professional service, and the encouragement of a high standard of character and conduct among PA students and graduates.

“Southwest Medical has ongoing health care provider pathway programs designed in partnership with local health care educators, including our PA Pathways program with Touro University,” said Dr. Robert McBeath, president and CEO of Southwest Medical. “This award is a very gratifying recognition of his education and effort in integrating medical students into professional practice within our community.”

 The Pi Alpha Honor Society was organized in 2004 by the Association of Physician Assistant Programs and is the nonprofit division of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).

Dr. Gokal is the medical director of clinical education for Southwest Medical Associates, as well as a family medicine practitioner in Southern Nevada. He is also an adjunct clinical faculty member for the UNLV School of Medicine and pending affiliation with Roseman University.

 

Aug 28
0

Clark County Medical Society Receives AAMSE President’s Award for Opioid Education Programming

By | Awards, Press Release, Recognition

The Clark County Medical Society (CCMS) received the American Association of Medical Society Executives (AAMSE) Profiles of Excellence President’s Award on Friday, July 27 in recognition of the society’s outstanding work on educating their members about new opioid laws in Nevada.

The program, Understanding New Opioid Laws in Nevada, was a collaborative effort among staff, physician members, and our partners at the Nevada State Medical Association (NSMA) to help physicians in Nevada better understand Assembly Bill 474, which implemented strict new regulations regarding the prescription and use of opioids in response to the growing opioid epidemic in the United States.

“We are incredibly grateful to AAMSE for presenting us with this award, and want to share this recognition with all of our community partners and physician members who helped make this program a success,” said Alexandra P. Silver, the Executive Director of CCMS. “It was very important for us as a medical society to make sure our doctors had a seat at the table when it came to this legislation, which had caused them a lot of concern in its initial form.”

The program consisted of several events to help educate and gain input from physician’s and the community, including a town hall at the City of Las Vegas Council Chamber which saw over 300 attendees. Other aspects of the program included free and discounted CME opportunities for CCMS members, and participation on the task force which was addressing the legislation.

“Our ability to get direct input from our members to affect this legislation is a perfect example of why it is more important than ever to be involved in organized medicine,” Silver said. “We help our physicians get their voices heard, so that they can focus on what they do best — providing fantastic health care to our community.”

The award was presented during the annual AAMSE Conference, which brings medical society and association executives together once a year for a series of keynote speeches, best practices seminars, and roundtable discussions regarding how to improve the services these organizations provide.

“Every day there are medical societies making a positive impact on their members and in their communities with programs and campaigns that advance the field of organized medicine and improve the lives of physicians and the patients they serve,” said Steve Levine, president of AAMSE. “AAMSE is committed to recognizing these efforts with the Profiles of Excellence awards.”

About Clark County Medical Society

The Clark County Medical Society was chartered on July 15, 1955 by the Nevada State Medical Association and has grown to 2,000 members. We are proud to have served Southern Nevada physicians and their patients for the past 63 years.

Apr 09
0

Spring Valley Hospital Named Wound Care Center® of the Year by Healogics

By | Awards, Press Release, Recognition

Award recognizes seven hospitals in the nation 

 The Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center at Spring Valley Hospital received the distinguished Center of the Year award for the West zone from Healogics, Inc. This zone includes centers from 13 states, including Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington.

The Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center at Spring Valley Hospital earned a patient satisfaction rate of 97.5 percent, and 93 percent of its patients’ wounds are healed within 30 days. The team cared for more than 500 patients in 2017, always with the goal of healing wounds, preventing amputations and improving patients’ quality of life.

“I’m very proud of our team’s dedication and expertise to healing complex wounds,” said Leonard Freehof, CEO of Spring Valley Hospital. “Along with wound care and hyperbaric medicine, we established a Limb Salvage program. Our focus is on prevention and early intervention to heal conditions affecting the legs, feet and toes, and help prevent the loss of a limb.”

The Wound Care Center is under the direction of medical director Lubna Javed, MD, and program director Ernie Elliott. It offers specialized wound care to patients with diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds that have not healed in a timely manner. Advanced treatments include negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, biological and biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies.

The Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center at Spring Valley Hospital also received the President’s Circle Award for exceeding clinical outcomes and operational goals for the second year in a row, and the Center of Excellence Award for exceeding clinical outcomes for the second year in a row.

Nearly 700 wound care centers managed by Healogics had the opportunity to qualify for the Center of the Year award; only seven were honored.

May 24
0

Nevada Small Business Person of the Year: Dr. Eva D. Littman

By | Awards, Press Releases, Recent Releases, Recognition

Before Dr. Littman founded Red Rock Fertility in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas community had to travel to California and elsewhere to get the appropriate care. When she opened the center, she wanted to make sure that the Las Vegas community as well as the international community, had access to not only personalized physician care, but also the highest standard of fertility care that could be offered.

Red Rock Fertility CenterDr. Littman says that what drives her is “the challenge – the challenge of being able to take situations that others have failed at, and to succeed.” It is not only challenging to own and run a small business but to encounter obstacles in her work every day in reproduction is truly miraculous. As the founder of this small business, she has worked hard to produce high pregnancy success rates in Las Vegas, throughout the US and abroad. Dr. Littman truly is passionate about accepting and overcoming challenges. She often takes cases with less than five percent chance of pregnancy. She is motivated by being able to make people’s dreams come true after they’ve almost given up hope.

Red Rock Fertility is a modern, boutique-style fertility practice. With a team oriented approach to healthcare, they ensure that their patients receive the highest quality of care and in turn, high success rates. They offer a full range of services and treatments, including In Vitro Fertilization. The practice was founded in 2008 by Dr. Eva Littman and has grown to be one of the most successful fertility centers on the West Coast. The Red Rock team prides themselves on specializing in challenging cases and helping patients that other doctors have deemed as having a slim chance on conceiving.

Red Rock Fertility purchased a new building at 9120 W. Russell Road in Southwest Las Vegas in December 2014. The two-story, 12,500-square-foot building was purchased with an SBA 504 loan from TMC Financing. TMC Financing provided $1.7 million of the project’s $4.7 million total cost.

In the first week of May, Dr. Littman will join winners from all 50 states and US territories in Washington, D.C. for the announcement of SBA’s National Small Business Person of the Year. The applicants are judged based on the history of the company, their business plans, analysis of growth, and how they have overcome adversity.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

May 23
0

Ronald McDonald House Charities to Award a Record 269 Scholarship Recipients!

By | Awards, Charity Organizations, Grants/Endowments, Press Releases, Recent Releases

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Greater Las Vegas, McDonald’s owner/operators of Greater Las Vegas, and local community partners are proud to announce the RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Scholarship Program recipients for 2017. More than $369,000 will be awarded in 2017 on behalf of RMHC, McDonald’s, and local community partners. 150 high school seniors and another 119 college students who were previous recipients, have been chosen to receive various scholarships offered through the RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Scholarship Program.

“We know that a number of these students would not have the chance to go to college if it weren’t for the support they’re receiving from these scholarships,” says Alyson McCarthy, Executive Director of RMHC of Greater Las Vegas. “This program allows us the opportunity to help make a student’s dream of higher education come true.”

The RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Scholarship Program has awarded more than $4.1 million in scholarships to students in Clark and Nye counties since the program began in 1999.

Local McDonald’s owner/operators help raise funds for the scholarship program by donating proceeds from every Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper sold at participating McDonald’s restaurants and by hosting “Eggs for Education,” an annual in-store fundraising event each spring. McDonald’s has contributed more than $2.1 million to the local RMHC Scholarship Program.

“Paying for college can be tough and very expensive. In today’s economic climate, really good students, whose parents may be financially strapped, are facing the prospect of having to put their college dreams on hold indefinitely,” said Eva Martin, local McDonald’s Owner/Operator.

RMHC of Greater Las Vegas has also partnered with several local community organizations in an effort to offer a wider scope of scholarship opportunities. The following partners have contributed more than $65,000 towards the 2017 program:

100 Black Men of Las Vegas Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. MLK The Village Foundation, LJP The Links Inc., Las Vegas Chapter Hispanic Educators Association of NV Hannah Brown Foundation Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. James and Eva Martin Charitable Trust

Scholarship recipients were chosen based on financial need, academic achievement, community involvement, and future career goals. A committee made up of McDonald’s owner/operators, RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Board Members, and a diverse group of community leaders review and score the applications and make final recommendations to the RMHC of Greater Las Vegas Board of Trustees.

Applications are available online in October. For more information, please visit www.rmhlv.org.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities: Believing that every child deserves a safe and supportive place to grow, Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Greater Las Vegas creates and supports programs that directly improve the health, education and well-being of children in our community. We fulfill our mission by providing a home-away-from-home at the Ronald McDonald House® for families who travel to Las Vegas to receive critical medical treatment for their children, and manage programs that service the immediate needs of children and families in our community. For more information on RMHC of Greater Las Vegas, visit www.rmhlv.org.

May 10
0

Amerigroup Nevada Receives Multicultural Health Care Distinction from the National Committee for Quality Assurance

By | Awards, Press Releases, Recent Releases, Recognition

Health Plan Honored for Its Achievement in Providing Culturally Diverse Programs and Decreasing Health Disparities Among Nevadans

Amerigroup Nevada announced today that is has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which awards distinction to organizations that meet or exceed its rigorous requirements for multicultural healthcare. In acknowledgement of these efforts, NCQA awarded the health plan with the Multicultural Health Care Distinction, which recognizes organizations that lead the market in providing culturally and linguistically sensitive services, and work to reduce healthcare disparities.

“As the demographics of America continue to shift to a more ethnically and diverse society, Amerigroup Nevada continues to be attuned to the cultural and socio-economic factors that impact our members’ access to high quality healthcare,” said Eric Lloyd, Amerigroup Nevada president. “We are honored to receive the NCQA Multicultural Health Care Distinction, as it is a testament to our unwavering commitment to address the needs of our distinct members and providers, and validates how we are making a positive impact in the diverse communities we serve.”

In addition, NCQA also awarded the Multicultural Health Care Distinction to16 other Medicaid health plans affiliated with Amerigroup Nevada’s parent Company.

“Earning Multicultural Health Care Distinction shows that an organization is making a breakthrough in providing excellent health care to diverse populations. I congratulate any organization that achieves this level of distinction,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane.

“Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care is essential to improving the quality of care overall.”

The NCQA Multicultural Health Care Distinction is a symbol of quality in organizational efforts to address the diverse needs of its members. The Multicultural Health Care Distinction evaluates organizations, such as health plans, wellness, disease management and managed behavioral health organizations through use of an evidence-based set of requirements. These standards create a roadmap for improving and refining initiatives.

About Amerigroup Nevada

Amerigroup Nevada helps improve health care access and quality for approximately 190,000 low-income Nevadans by developing innovative care management programs and services. Members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. Amerigroup Nevada provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their health care. Through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

Apr 26
0

Health District’s Chong-Dao, McCloskey Named Silver Syringe Recipients by Immunize Nevada

By | Awards, Press Releases, Recent Releases, Recognition

Immunize Nevada is honoring the Southern Nevada Health District’s MeeKee Chong-Dao, RN and Lynda McCloskey, RN for their efforts to ensure Southern Nevadans, especially children, are vaccinated against preventable diseases. Both will be honored at the upcoming Silver Syringe awards, an annual event during National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 22-29.

Chong-Dao was named Outstanding Immunization Champion. She is the Community Health Nurse Supervisor for the Health District’s Immunization Program. In this position, she has helped expand immunization services to underserved populations and rural Clark County communities such as Searchlight and Laughlin as well as outreach activities to educate Southern Nevadans about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

McCloskey is recognized as the Outstanding Immunization Nurse for her continued collaborative efforts with community partners and health care professionals as a resource and advocate for immunizations. Currently, she serves as the Quality Assurance Review Coordinator for the Vaccines for Children Program.

“We are honored that two of our immunization nurses are being recognized by our partner, Immunize Nevada. As a community, we continue to make gains in immunization rates, and MeeKee and Lynda are two of the main reasons why our efforts are paying off,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, Southern Nevada Health District Director of Clinical Services.

“The Annual Silver Syringe Awards have become a prestigious award ceremony celebrating immunization champions in Nevada,” said Immunize Nevada Executive Director Heidi Parker. “The awards ceremony gives us the opportunity to recognize passionate individuals and organizations that are committed to making Nevada a healthier state.”

The 15 Silver Syringe categories recognize health care providers and community partners, nominated by their peers, as exemplifying outstanding immunization practices in a specific category.

Silver Syringe began in 1998 as a way to celebrate Nevada’s immunization successes and champions. Today, the event has become a statewide tradition for Nevada’s immunization and health care stakeholders.

Access information about the Southern Nevada Health District on its website: www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict, YouTube: www.youtube.com/SNHealthDistrict, and Twitter: www.twitter.com/SNHDinfo. The Health District is available in Spanish on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TuSNHD. Don’t have a Twitter account? Follow the Health District on your phone by texting “follow SNHDinfo” to 40404. Additional information and data can be accessed through the Healthy Southern Nevada website: www.HealthySouthernNevada.org.