With electronic health records becoming the national standard for storing and sharing patient information, UH is introducing new technology that will enhance patient safety, increase our quality of care, and measurably improve clinical outcomes. Leading the charge is Holly Miller, MD, UH’s Chief Medical Information Officer.

This week, Dr. Miller is chairing the CIO track at the National Healthcare CIO Summit. Dr. Miller will be joined by keynote speakers former President George H. W. Bush, as well as former U.S. Senator and Majority Leader, Bill Frist, MD.

As part of our yearlong partnership with American Heart Association Go Red for Women campaign, UH Heart & Vascular Institute is proud to be a sponsor of the annual Start! Cleveland Heart Walk, which will take place Aug. 10, at Progressive Field downtown.

Every medical center, health center and department within UH is encouraged to participate, as well as to choose a team leader and support this event. Team leaders will be responsible for recruiting and organizing groups of 10-15 walkers who will seek pledges in support of the walk. The goal for each group will be to raise $1,500 for the AHA. If you are interested in being a team leader, please e-mail your name, entity/department and contact information by May 15 to Tiffany.Hatcher@UHhospitals.org.

University Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute is the yearlong local partner of American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. On Sunday, May 11, The Plain Dealer will feature a special Go Red for Women/Mother’s Day section, highlighting stories of how mothers and daughters have chosen to “Go Red” for themselves, their families and each other. Through your inspirational stories, we hope to encourage other women in Northeast Ohio to make healthier choices and to Go Red in their own way.

Please consider sharing your story of how you and your mother, or you and your daughter, exercise together, cook heart-healthy recipes together, or encourage each other to Go Red in other ways. Winners will be randomly selected based on the number of entries and will be featured in a special Go Red/Mother's Day section in The Plain Dealer.

Please visit www.americanheart.org/clevelandgoesred and submit your name, contact information, along with your story and a photo of you celebrating the Go Red movement through a healthy lifestyle choice. The deadline for submitting stories is Tuesday, April 22. For more information, please contact Meryl Cross of the American Heart Association at (216) 619-5133.

When a loved one experiences a stroke, the entire family is affected. Recognizing the need for increased support and education for our patients and families, the staff at University Hospitals Case Medical Center has developed a new program called Living for Independence with the Freedoms of Equality or LIFE. The primary goal of the LIFE program is to assist recent stroke patients and their families in moving forward in the recovery process. LIFE will also provide information about resources for adaptive equipment and community assistance opportunities, as well as provide opportunities for stroke patients to socialize in a therapeutic recreational environment.

The LIFE program will host guest speakers and community and hospital leaders at each monthly meeting. For more information and to register for the program, please contact Rachele Kelly, CTRS, at Rachele.Kelly@UHhospitals.org or Lori Dunn, MSW, LSW, at Lori.Dunn@UHhospitals.org.

Community meetings will be held on the east side at UH Chagrin Highlands Health Center on May 15, June 17, Sept. 18 and Nov. 20. Meetings on the west side at UH Westlake Health Center will take place April 17, June 19, Aug. 21, Oct. 16 and Dec. 18. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Jean Garbett might not make headlines across the country, but she’s already a celebrity at UHCMC. A volunteer at UH for 35 years, Ms. Garbett will receive a 2008 Smart Living Award tomorrow in honor of her dedication to health care. Smart Living Awards, given by Judson at University Circle, recognize individuals committed to the vitality of University Circle. Ms. Garbett will receive her award at a luncheon at Judson Manor. The event will be hosted by 104. 9 WCLV’s Robert Conrad and will air tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Ms. Garbett makes the trip to UHCMC twice a week and has logged nearly 19,000 hours of volunteer service. She assists patients and their families prior to surgery and in the post anesthesia care unit after surgery. Ms. Garbett has touched a countless number of lives through her volunteer work. Ms. Garbett’s compassion and gift for comforting others hasn’t gone unnoticed among patients. Repeat patients request her by name and recovering patients often ask about her.

Smart Living Awards are sponsored by Judson at University Circle, a not-for-profit organization that provides programs and living options for seniors.

Today, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital will conduct a mock disaster for approximately 100 members of the Cleveland-area YPO, a leadership organization with more than 20,000 members worldwide. The drill will take place at the Adelbert gym at Case Western Reserve University at 4 p.m. and should conclude by 5:30 p.m.

The mock disaster will include an interactive, hour-long experience that will highlight mass casualty triage, resuscitation and trauma care. It is being staged as a joint exercise between senior leadership at Rainbow, the CWRU Emergency Medical Services Department, the CWRU Police Department, the Cleveland Fire Department and the Cleveland Division of EMS. YPO members have been invited to participate as “victims” in the mock drill.

Through their participation, YPO members will become familiar with the elements of mass casualty triage and transport. The event also provides an opportunity to introduce UH and RB&C programs and services to YPO members, and demonstrate UH’s ability to respond to this type of emergency situation.

At the end of the mock disaster, experts in disaster management will be available to answer questions from participants.

For more information about the drill, contact Michael Anderson, MD, at Michael.Anderson@UHhospitals.org.

To help celebrate Nurses Week at UHCMC, the Nursing Research Council is sponsoring a poster presentation May 8. All nurses are invited to consider submitting a poster for the session, which will be Thursday, May 8, 10 a.m.-noon, in the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Community Room Lobby Poster themes can include anything from evidence-based practice projects to recent research endeavors. The session will follow Marie Manthey’s “Relationship-Based Care” presentation. For more information or to submit a poster, please contact UHCMC Nursing Research Council Co-Directors, Dr. Gail Bromley at (216) 844-2796 or Dr. Mary K. Anthony at (216) 844-0508. The deadline to submit a poster is Thursday, May 1.

This year’s Nurses Week celebration will be Monday, May 5, through Friday, May 9. Look for more information about Nurses Week events in upcoming issues of Daily News.

Wednesday, April 16:

W.O. Walker, intermittent network disruptions and network hardware maintenance, 6 – 9 p.m.