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LVH News
Best in the Nation
If you’re wondering where to go for the best heart attack care in the nation, look no further than Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH). According to data from Hospital Compare, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, LVH’s heart attack care survival rates are the best in the country. Highlighting LVH and citing the Regional MI Alert program as a secret to our success, USA Today spotlighted the case of Richard Silverman of South Whitehall Township who suffered a heart attack in October 2007 while at work. Through quick action by a local ambulance crew and LVH’s emergency department and cardiac cath lab teams, Silverman, 63, survived a life-threatening, completely blocked coronary artery. 
Breastfeeding Moms
Reunite
For four years, breastfeeding moms have gathered on Monday mornings to offer each other support and advice. They're members of Monday Morning Moms, a support group for breastfeeding moms at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. They recently reunited during World Breastfeeding Week, some attending with their second children. "Breastfeeding can be challenging," says lactation consultant and support group founder Beth Kushner-Giovenco, R.N. "We provide moms an opportunity to talk openly about their concerns and gain guidance and encouragement from each other." 
To Everything There is a
Season
Tucked behind the Kasych Family Pavilion at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest is a beautiful garden designed for quiet meditation and reflection. Dubbed the Healing Garden, it’s a place where patients, visitors and staff can go to enjoy a breath of fresh air and connect with nature. The garden is in full bloom now, with colorful perennials such as echinacea or coneflower at their seasonal peak. The garden is also home to flowering trees, decorative lighting and works of art. 
A Rolling Good Time
Oblivious to the threat of rain, these children at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg's Summer Festival couldn't get enough of this ride as it wound round and round the track. One of the hospital's largest fundraisers, the festival has raised just over $2 million dollars during its long history. The proceeds from the festival are used to purchase new equipment for LVH-Muhlenberg. Festival attendees also enjoyed nightly entertainment, a wide variety of food choices and approximately 75 arts and craft exhibitors. 
A New Take on Care
Bears
Kylie, 3, listens for her stuffed bear's heartbeat while her sisters Madyson, 6, and Corrine, 8, wait for news on the bear's condition. A teddy bear clinic was one of the featured activities at the recent opening of the Upper Bucks Health and Diagnostic Center in Quakertown. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network and Grand View Hospital run the new collaborative facility that brings together primary and specialty care services offered by each hospital. 
No Place Like Home
Dilcia Marte (right) and Yahaira Alejo (left) and their families are ready to begin life anew on Allentown’s North Street. Four years ago, a fire swept through the street's 400 block, destroying eight row homes and damaging many more. The Housing Association and Development Corporation (HADC) is revitalizing the neighborhood with new town homes, nine of which are now complete. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network's for-profit entities are helping by pledging at least $50,000 a year for five years to support HADC's efforts at building sustainable communities. 
A Quilt's Tale
If this beautiful quilt could talk, it would share the inspirational stories of our Transplant Center patients and their families, such as (l-r) Kathy Wagner, Lee Wagner and Mary Ann Horvath. At the encouragement of colleagues, 13 patients made quilted squares depicting their lives since receiving donor organs. Several colleagues also created squares. The quilt was a hit at the annual transplant picnic and will soon be on permanent display at the Transplant Center. 
A Camp of a Different Color
It may look like your typical day camp with guest speakers, crafts, snacks and activities, but Camp Red Jacket teaches kids a lot more than how to paint. Forty children ages 6-12 with Type-1 diabetes participate in Camp Red Jacket every year. Now in its eighth year, the camp is a free, three-day program that teaches children how to care for themselves and how to better manage their diabetes. One camper, Natalie, 7, above, painted a carrying case to store her diabetes medication. 
Lace Up Your Sneakers
Some people walk through malls for exercise, but 92-year-old Frank Ferris prefers walking around inside Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest. For the past 12 years, he's enjoyed a daily cup of coffee and a few laps around the hospital. The hospital recently created indoor walking for patients, visitors and community members like Ferris. The trails start in the main lobby and loop around to different campus destinations. Some include steps for added exercise. 
A Family Tradition of Giving
Dale Lakatosh Sr. (right) of Slatington has been donating blood for more than 55 years. He also convinced his son, Dale Jr. (left), and grandson Dale III (center) to become donors. There is often a shortage of blood during the summer months. Miller-Keystone Blood Center, the only supplier of blood products to hospitals in a nine-county area, will hold two blood drives at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in August. The first is slated for 7-11 a.m. Aug. 12 at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Conference Rooms C and D. Another one will be held 6:30 a.m-4:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in the Kasych Family Pavilion. 
America's Best
Lehigh Valley Hospital ranks as one of the nation's top hospitals in three specialty care delivery areas in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report guide to "America's Best Hospitals." The 2008 list recognizes LVH among the nation's leading hospitals for: LVH has made the U.S. News rankings 13 consecutive years - eight times for heart care and heart surgery - with a total of 28 specialty category listings in the past five years alone. 
Playing His Cards Right
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network geriatrician Francis Salerno, M.D., and his longtime friend, Henry Acres, 81, recently co-authored a new book, Basic Prevention: A Guide to Healthy Aging. "Two major factors affect our health," Salerno says. "Thirty percent is our genetics - the cards we are dealt at birth. Seventy percent is how we live our lives or play those cards." He knows all about playing the hand you're dealt. At age 8, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which led to blindness 20 years later. Diabetes also put him at risk for developing heart disease and last year he suffered a heart attack. Learn more about his book and read some of his tips on aging here. 
Surgery of Tomorrow is Here Today
The da Vinci® S HD™ Surgical System takes innovations developed by NASA and applies them to the operating room. Guided by high-definition images, surgeons work a console to control four robotic arms that mimic the precise movement of a surgeon's hand. This technology is helping surgeons at Lehigh Valley Hospital perform laparoscopic hysterectomies, fertility-sparing cervical cancer surgery and surgeries for prostate cancer and other urologic procedures. "The system improves our visualization and dexterity and allows for a full range of motion within a confined area," says urologic oncology surgeon Joseph Trapasso, M.D., second from right. 
Going Green
The two newest buildings on Lehigh Valley Hospital's Cedar Crest campus are among the most environmentally-friendly buildings in the Lehigh Valley. The Kasych Family Pavilion and the Center for Advanced Health Care have earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the national benchmark for green buildings. The most visible "green" aspect of the buildings is the use of large windows to allow for natural light. Other features include the use of recyclable materials, energy efficient appliances, reflective roofing and smart water management.
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