As a physician, Dr. Kemmely Hochstetler is no stranger to making a difference. Still, she’s never done it quite the way she’ll be doing it for the Red Cross.
That’s because Dr. Hochstetler is being featured as a star in the organization’s annual “Dancing With Our Stars” fundraiser. She is partnered with Dr. John Turjoman.
The twin pillars of the event are dancing and fundraising. Prior to becoming a contestant, those were two areas in which she had limited experience.
“I have never done anything like this, not from a fundraising standpoint or a dancing standpoint,” Dr. Hochstetler said. “It’s daunting to think about dancing on stage in front of 500 people, but at the send of the day, this is for the Red Cross. I’m going to put my best foot forward and have fun with it.”
Dr. Hochstetler said she has already learned a lot from the competition, both about the Red Cross and about herself. For example, she learned that she experiences notable vertigo and that some of the more acrobatic moves she had envisioned incorporating into her routine would not work.
Nonetheless, she is optimistic the audience will enjoy her performance, the specifics of which are a closely guarded secret.
Of course, putting on a good show is only one of her goals for the competition.
“I’m pretty competitive,” Dr. Hochstetler said. “I can’t deny it’d be great to represent SOMC well and win the trophy.”
For more information about Dr. Kemmely Hochstetler’s involvement in Dancing With Our Stars, visit her crowdfunding page at https://www.crowdrise.com/dwosORV2017/fundraiser/kemmelyhochstetler1.
Members of the Scioto Guild, part of the Friends of SOMC, are currently taking orders for their annual Flower Sale.
Flowers for sale include hanging baskets of Ivy Geranium (red, pink, lavender), Hybrid Geranium (red, pink), New Guinea Impatiens (red, orange, purple, blackberry cream), Purple Wave Petunias, Blue Angel, Lantana (yellow, red and yellow, pink and yellow), and Dragon Wave Begonias for $16; trays of ten Geranium plants (red, salmon, pink) or Lantana (yellow, red and yellow, pink and yellow) for $32; and hanging ferns for $13.
All orders must be placed by Friday, March 31. Pick up will take place May 7 and 8 at the SOMC Friends Community Center.
To place an order, please call 740-353-7453 or 740-574-6998. You can also place an order in-person from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 23 in the SOMC ED/Waller Corridor on the hospital’s Main Campus.
The Wound Healing Center at Southern Ohio Medical Center has been recognized for its continued efforts in high-quality patient care, receiving the Robert A. Warriner III Center of Excellence award. The award is presented by Healogics, the nation’s leading and largest wound care management company.
More than 330 Wound Care Centers® were eligible for the award, with 169 receiving the honor in 2017.
“I am so proud of our Wound Care team,” Neva Moore, program director of the SOMC Wound Healing Center, said. “This award is incredibly important and demonstrates our commitment to our patients and hospital partners. It requires dedicated focus, stamina, and strength, and proves that we are maintaining our highest standard of care year after year.”
The Center of Excellence award is reserved for Wound Care Centers® in the Healogics network that have met the highest level of quality standards for a minimum of two consecutive years. This includes achieving a patient satisfaction rate higher than 92 percent, achieving a minimum wound healing rate of at least 91 percent within 30 median days to heal, and meeting several other quality standards.
“SOMC provides us an environment of excellence—making it easy for our team to successfully achieve our patient centered goals,” Moore added. “This award is a result of putting the needs of our patients ahead of our own.”
The SOMC Wound Healing Center offers highly-specialized care to patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in a reasonable amount of time. For more information about the Center, please visit www.somc.org/wound.
Southern Ohio Medical Center is invite the community to pamper themselves with an evening of pottery painting, heavy hor d’oeuvres and wine.
SOMC’s Pamper Your Heart will take place on February 25 at 6pm at the Friends Center. The event will also feature vendor booths with healthy and beauty tips and great “pampering” prizes. The event is being held to celebrate heart month and encourages women everywhere to take better care of their hearts.
Tickets for Pamper Your Heart are $50 each and can be purchased in advance at somc.org/pamperyourheart.
Mohammad M. Kalo, MD, has been elected to serve as the Chief of Staff for the Board of Directors of Southern Ohio Medical Center. His term, which began Jan. 1, will remain effective through December 2017.
Dr. Kalo has practiced Internal Medicine in the Wheelersburg area since 2001. He received his medical degree from Damascus University in Damascus, Syria and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Kalo served as the SOMC Chief of Medicine from 2001 to 2012. He resides in Wheelersburg with his wife, Hala, and their three children.
Luke Purdy is a three-sport athlete who competes in football, tennis and swimming. It wasn’t until February 2015, however, that he felt like he began to hit his real potential.
That’s because that is when he began CrossFit.
“CrossFit is unlike traditional strength and conditioning programs,” Purdy said. “It is unpredictable, interesting and never gets old. It has not only made me physically fit, but has peaked my performance within the sports I play.”
CrossFit is a high-intensity exercise regimen that incorporates elements of Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics and more. It is practiced locally at the CrossFit Alpha Pack’s “den,” located at 1202 18th Street in Portsmouth, adjacent to the SOMC Friends Center.
Purdy credits his experience with CrossFit with his improved performance in competitive sports, saying that it helped him gain 20 pounds without sacrificing speed or agility.
“The atmosphere there is absolutely motivating,” Purdy said. “You never know what the ‘workout of the day’ is going to be and you find yourself becoming addicted to the results. It is challenging, but still something anyone can do, regardless of fitness level, because each workout can be scaled to your individual needs.”
Purdy recommends CrossFit for anyone who has an interest in the program, calling it a life-changing experience that is well worth any soreness that may result.
To learn more about CrossFit, and how you can participate locally, visit CrossFitAlphaPack.com or call 740-356-7650.
SOMC has announced that Matthew Miller has been selected to a member of the hospital’s Board of Directors.
Miller is an owner/investor in several local restaurants, including The MILL Tavern, Penn Station East Coast Subs and Papa John’s Pizza. He is also the president of the Wheelersburg Board of Education and the ESH&Q (Environmental, Safety, Health and Quality) Manager for Wastren Advantage, Inc. (WAI).
WAI is a facilities operations and remediation services company that supports environmental cleanup projects by providing a disciplined project management approach focused on safe, compliant and cost-effective project delivery.
WAI’s clients include the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Reclamation and multiple consumer entities. Miller currently manages projects in Portsmouth, as well as in Hanford, Washington and Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Miller has 22 years of experience in the ESH&Q field. He also spent 18 years with the United States Department of Energy and four working in the commercial pulp and paper industry. He graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Hygiene. In addition, he holds “Q” security clearance with the Department of Energy.
Miller has a wife, Jennifer, and five children; Elizabeth, Matthew, Isabella, Xavier and Giselle.
Dr. Suzann Bonzo was recently awarded the Scioto County Medical Society’s “Outstanding Physician Award” at the organization’s annual installation dinner.
The award ceremony featured several personal touches, including an introduction by Rebecca Bonzo White and a plethora of decorated desserts baked by Dr. Bonzo herself. The desserts, which also served as centerpieces for the tables, included “Cherry Chip Cake,” “Queen Bee Yellow Cake,” “Snowflake Almond Cake” and more.
The award was a recognition of the successes Dr. Bonzo has enjoyed so far in her career, which began with a Portsmouth private practice in 1981. At the time, she was one of the area’s only female physicians.
Dr. Bonzo’s record of accomplishment includes the founding of SOMC Hospice, which has grown from a single patient to a daily census of more than 130 patients in five counties. There are plans to expand the current inpatient unit from 12 beds to 16. Funds for that expansion are being raised by the SOMC Development Foundation through a campaign known as Transcending Lives.
Dr. Bonzo also maintains a fulfilling life outside of medicine. She enjoys cooking and gardening, and lists swimming as her favorite form of exercise. For more information about Dr. Bonzo or SOMC Hospice, visit somc.org.
In honor of Heart Month this February, Southern Ohio Medical Center will be selling long-sleeve heart-themed t-shirts beginning Feb. 3 in the Lobby of the Main Campus.
Those purchasing shirts, which are being sold for $20 and are available in charcoal gray, will also receive a pair of child-sized gloves that they will be encouraged to donate as part of SOMC’s “Cold Hands, Warm Hearts” campaign. At the end of the sale, SOMC will evenly distribute all donated gloves to local school districts.
SOMC employees and community members are encouraged to wear the shirts, or red clothing in general, on Friday, February 17 as part of the organization’s annual Go Red Day event.
For more information, visit somc.org.
SOMC Home Health Services has been named a Top Agency of the 2016 HomeCare Elite, which is a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.
HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies in the U.S. Agencies are evaluated by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, process measure implementation, patient experience, quality improvement and financial performance. The ranking is developed by ABILITY® Network, a leading information technology company for health care providers and payers; and sponsored by DecisionHealth.
“Improving quality of care and the patient experience continue to underpin a rapidly evolving healthcare environment”, said Christine Lang, Senior Director, Product Management for ABILITY® Network. “At the same time tracking, measuring and interpreting data that support these efforts is becoming more complex.
The 2016 Home Care Elite winners have demonstrated the highest quality care in their communities, which is a remarkable achievement. We congratulate SOMC Home Health Services on being one of the top agencies in the country”.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Karen Thompson, administrative director of SOMC Home Care, said. “It is our goal to provide the patients and families of this area with the best Home Care available. Being named one of HomeCare Elite’s Top Agencies of 2016 is a testimony to the caliber and caring of our excellent staff-nurses, therapists, social workers, aides and clerical support staff. It is especially meaningful to us to receive this honor for 2016, as we are celebrating 50 years of SOMC Home Care Services to the community.”
SOMC Home Health Services has been name to the HomeCare Elite seven out of ten years that the ranking has been published.
For more information, visit www.somc.org or like SOMC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SouthernOhioMedicalCenter.
