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At the Hospitals
n Leon Levine Foundation to Fund
Psychiatric Residency Program
The Leon Levine Foundation has donated $3
million to initiate a new psychiatric residency
program at Carolinas Medical Center. To be
called the Sandra and Leon Levine Psychiatry
Residency Program, it will instruct 12 medical
residents. As a result, Carolinas HealthCare
System will further develop the most
comprehensive, integrated behavioral health
delivery system in the region, offering inpatient,
outpatient, school-based, crisis and residential
treatment programs.
“This new initiative presents us with an
exciting opportunity to comprehensively
educate and train talented young psychiatrists
for our expanding behavioral health programs,”
says Michael Tarwater, president and CEO of
Carolinas HealthCare System. “We are deeply
honored to have Leon and Sandra Levine
associated with this initiative, as well as some of needed equipment and patient scholarships to
the most distinctive healthcare facilities within
Carolinas HealthCare System.”
The Sandra and Leon Levine Psychiatry
Residency Program will meet a pressing need for
talented physicians to provide behavioral health
services in this region, expanding mental health
services and education, as well as addressing
the behavioral health crisis, to build a model for
healthcare organizations nationwide.
n Carolinas HealthCare System
Selected for Second Round of
Partnership for Patients
Carolinas HealthCare System has been
selected as one of 17 organizations in the country
to continue efforts in reducing preventable
hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions.
Through the Partnership for Patients initiative
— a national public-private collaboration begun
in 2011 with the goal to reduce preventable
hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and
30-day readmissions by 20 percent — Carolinas
HealthCare System will participate in a second
round of Hospital Engagement Networks to
continue working to improve patient care in the
hospital setting.
This is the third contract Carolinas HealthCare
System has been awarded as part of the
Partnership for Patients initiative. During the first 2010. He has held more than a dozen leadership
round of this initiative, the System was able to
prevent more than 9,800 potential patient safety
events and save nearly $60 million in related
costs. In addition to the Hospital Engagement
Network, Carolinas HealthCare System was
one of only six healthcare organizations in the
country to receive the Leading Edge Advanced
Practice Topics (LEAPT) contract. LEAPT
was aimed at further enhancing and improving
patient safety and outcomes.
n Carolinas Rehabilitation to Receive
$60,000 Grant
Carolinas Rehabilitation’s Spinal Cord Injury
team has been selected to receive a $60,000
Craig H. Nielson Foundation Quality of Life
Grant award. The team, led by LaTanya Lofton,
MD, plans to develop a unique outpatient day
rehabilitation program for people with spinal
cord injury (SCI). The funds will provide
allow program participation.
The program, Living Fit and Engaged (LIFE)
after SCI, offers comprehensive, focused
interventions and skill building for persons with
SCI who have an interest in pursuing vocational,
educational or volunteer endeavors. There is an
emphasis on wellness and employment with the
overall goal of improving the quality of life of
individuals with SCI. The program also includes
health education, fitness training and educational
or vocational assistance.
Jan Niemeier, PhD, Jesse Lieberman, MD,
Shannon Martin, Jackie LaBarbera, Sherry
Jones, Ruth Wilson, Tami Guerrier and LaTisha
Moore were among those who helped with the
grant application.
n Saju Joy, MD, New Chief Medical
Officer of Carolinas HealthCare
System Pineville
Saju Joy, MD, MBA, MS, is the new chief
medical officer of Carolinas HealthCare System
Pineville. As CMO, Dr. Joy will provide clinical
care leadership for programs that continually
enhance quality patient care at CHS Pineville.
This position was previously held by Michael
Ruhlen, MD, who transitioned to vice president
in the CHS division of medical education and
AHEC medical director.
Joy has been a part of the CHS medical
community since joining Carolinas Medical
Center and the Women’s Institute as an OB/
GYN and maternal-fetal medical specialist in
Mecklenburg Medicine • February 2016 | 13
and committee posts during his tenure, the most
recent of which include specialty medical director
of the OB/GYN surgery care division and chief
of maternal-fetal medicine for the CHS division.
Joy received his bachelor of science degree
in computer engineering and a master’s degree
in electrical engineering from North Carolina
State University. After receiving his medical
degree from the University of North Carolina,
he completed his OB/GYN residency at the
University of Florida. His fellowship was at Ohio
State University Medical Center, specializing in
maternal-fetal medicine. Joy recently earned his
MBA from Duke University.
n Six Hospitals Cited for Quality
Carolinas Medical Center and Carolinas
HealthCare System Cleveland, Lincoln,
NorthEast, Union and University, earned
recognition as Top Performers on Key Quality
Measures by the Joint Commission, based on
2014 ratings.
The Top Performer program recognizes
hospitals for improving performance on
evidence-based interventions that increase the
chances of healthy outcomes for patients with
certain conditions. These hospitals demonstrated
achievement in accountability measure sets,
including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia,
surgical care, children’s asthma, immunization,
perinatal care and strokes.
NATIONAL HEALTH
& WELLNESS
OBSERVANCES
FEBRUARY 2016
AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
American Heart Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month
Wise Health Consumer Month
February 3: National Girls & Women in Sports Day
February 5: National Wear Red Day (fight heart disease)
February 14-20: National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
February 23-March 1: National Eating Disorders
Awareness Week