The Starfish Legend
A small boy stands on the beach, the waves lapping on his feet, throwing starfish that have washed up on the shore back into the ocean one at a time. Noticing the boy and the scores of starfish washed up on the beach, a man walks up and says, “You know, you can’t make much of a difference here.” The boy, starfish in hand, looks up at the man. “But I can for this one,” he says.

The newly-established IASIS Healthcare Foundation recently sponsored its first clinical mission trip to the Serengeti region of Tanzania in Africa, where doctors and nurses from Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital in Tempe, Ariz., treated hundreds of local people in need of medical attention. The two-week mission was nicknamed Operation Starfish in honor of the legend.

“As healthcare providers we all have an interest in helping others, yet many people don’t know where to go to share their time and skills,” said David White, IASIS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and mission founder. “The people of Tanzania have so many basic needs. This is a perfect fit for a company like ours. Everyone on the mission came back with a greater understanding of their roles as healthcare providers and a sense of how fortunate we are to live in a prosperous nation.”

St. Luke’s employees used their personal vacation time to make the trip to Tanzania in November, with the Foundation covering the cost of transportation. Volunteers included Carol Kirkby, R.N., house supervisor; Shawn Ogles, R.N., emergency department; Jennifer Schlitz, RN, education director; Dr. Mark Sexton, emergency department physician, and his wife Jeannie; Dr. Alok Sinha, emergency department physician; Katura Volpe, RN, emergency department; and Dr. Richard Whitman, general surgeon. White and his wife, Carolyn - who is also a registered nurse, made the trip.

While the East African nation of Tanzania is free of political conflict, it is one of the world’s most impoverished countries. Residents must walk or ride a bike to villages sometimes miles away to receive medical treatment. Clinics often share doctors, and medical supplies are scarce.

“What struck me the most was how grateful the patients were, even for the smallest gesture,” said Jennifer Schiltz, RN. “Even though we couldn’t see all of them, they were just so thankful that we came.”

The Foundation shipped three 40-foot containers of pharmaceuticals, bandages and other medical supplies to the region in advance of the trip. In addition, each team member carried two 70-pound duffel bags full of supplies. IASIS vendors donated all supplies, which were estimated at $500,000 in value.

From Lion Bites to Malaria
While in Tanzania, the team worked with local physicians and nursing students to hold clinics at the Mugumu District Hospital and in the nearby village of Nata. There they treated as many as 250 patients a day for ailments that ranged from malaria to tuberculosis. One man had been bitten by a lion a month before they arrived, and team members were able to disinfect the wound and save his arm.

“We treated one little girl for malaria, among other things,” said Shawn Ogles, RN. “She couldn’t have been more than eight years old, and she walked four miles by herself to come see us. She knew something was wrong, and somehow knew where to go. It was amazing.”

Mission team members stayed at a safari camp about two hours away from the clinic. The camp consisted of makeshift tents and had no electricity or running water. Due to the remote location of the safari camp, the mission team was limited to working during daylight hours and had to turn away many Tanzanians who had walked miles in search of treatment.

“Each of us has a picture of what goes on in Third World countries from the media,” said Dr. Sexton. “But it’s incredibly hard to paint a real picture of what these people experience. When we saw it in person, the image was cemented in our minds and our emotion forever.”

Lessons Learned
The team gained a new appreciation for things that Americans take for granted every day. “Just to have running water is such a luxury now,” Ogles said. “It was truly a life-changing experience,” Schiltz agreed. “It made me appreciate the things we have and appreciate what others don’t have. To see them living with conditions that we would run to the emergency room with in an instant was humbling.”

“You learn from the people not how much we’ve got, but how much they use what they’ve got — their efficient use of minimal resources and our misuse of overflowing resources,” White said.

The team also learned that it’s beneficial if all mission team members have worked together at the same hospital. “There’s a necessity for working close together and communicating effectively, ” White said. “It worked really well this time, so we’re going to have hospitals sponsor teams in the future.”

Sexton added that the mission brought the entire Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital together in a way that no other project has. “It’s remarkable how everybody came together in support of this trip,” he said. “For months before the mission, the whole office was buzzing about it, and everyone still is a month afterwards. I’m asked virtually every day how people can learn more about the trip and how they can get involved with the next one. It’s really created a sense of unity, identity and purpose for the entire organization.”

More Trips on the Horizon
White said there’s been a great deal of interest in the Foundation from employees at the 15 IASIS hospitals, both from those that would like to participate in a mission and those that want to donate money to the Foundation. White hopes the Foundation can take three trips in 2001. He said the Foundation may make it possible to fly patients with extremely serious medical conditions back to the States for treatment. “Of course, the ultimate goal is to upgrade their medical capability in Tanzania by improving medical facilities and providing proper medical supplies and training,” he said.

“We’re not out to change the world, but we can change the world for some people,” White said. “I feel certain that we changed these people’s world for the better.”

IASIS names New CEO
White brings experience, passion to the job

vitalstats Name: David White Age: 53 Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn. Education: B.S. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. M.S. in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas Family: Wife, Carolyn and son, David Interests: Hunting, Harleys, working on his cattle farm	David White’s fascination with hospitals began at age 15, when he worked as a bottle washer at a hospital pharmacy. Since then, he has worked at dozens of hospitals, several healthcare companies and, eventually, IASIS. After serving as the Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, White recently expanded his role with the company when he assumed the title of chief executive officer. On the job since December 1, he already has an impressive list of goals for the company. White has been the guiding force behind the formation of the IASIS Healthcare Foundation, a charitable organization that sponsors mission trips to provide medical treatment and supplies to impoverished regions. White discovered the needs of Tanzania while on safari trips in Africa beginning in the mid-’90s. A team sponsored by the IASIS Healthcare Foundation made its first mission trip in November. White hopes the Foundation can sponsor as many as three trips per year to the Serengeti region of Tanzania, Africa. In his first few weeks as CEO, White visited 15 hospitals in nine days. He recently sat down to talk about his new role and future of the company.
Q: What will be the main areas of focus in your first 90 days as CEO? A: I want to learn as much as I can about each of the hospitals and the people who work there. What are their dreams, their hopes, their passions? Where and how might we apply resources to help them better meet these goals? Q: What do you see as your biggest challenge in assuming your new role as CEO? A: I think the biggest issue is a cultural one. We have a real opportunity to create a culture amongst a group of hospitals —a culture of trust, a culture of valuing one another, a culture that embraces accountability. This will ultimately have a positive effect on our patients and their families. Q: What has impressed you most about IASIS? A: I visited all 15 hospitals in nine days. I met many employees and had the opportunity to talk with them and listen, to meet physicians and get a sense of the leadership that exists inside each hospital. What pleased me most was the degree of cooperation and togetherness that exists in each hospital management team. Everyone talked about the fact that they liked working with one another. Q: Where do you see IASIS in one year? A: We must focus on continually improving our 15 hospitals. Hopefully, in a year or so, we’ll be in a position to begin looking at other markets. We’ll be able to say that we know we can make it work there, because we’ve done so elsewhere. Q: How did you choose Tanzania as the destination for the IASIS Healthcare Foundation’s first mission trip? A: I have traveled extensively in that region, and over time, built relationships with the local people. The fact that we had a great deal of support from the local safari camp was helpful. They provided food, shelter and transportation, and had a relationship with the local government. We hope to leverage these relationships to other parts of Tanzania in the future.	Q: Can you describe the area you visited? A: Man is not in control there. There is incredible beauty, unspoiled nature, a natural ecosystem, romance and excitement. Yet it’s a land of indescribable poverty. There’s no running water or electricity. Every day is spent living from day to day. They have incredible needs. Q: What impact did your recent mission trips have on you? A: I’ve realized that we’re not going to change the world, but we can change it for some people. Like the children we were able to save. You really learn that you can help some people. Maybe not every person. But some people. Q: Aside from your work with the Foundation, what is the most rewarding part of your job? A: Watching people develop. That’s definitely the most rewarding aspect. Watching people grow and be able to enjoy their jobs. Q: What do you like least about your job? A: Airports. Q: How do you spend your free time? A: I live on, own and operate a cattle farm. There’s always a fence that needs to be fixed, equipment that needs work. Saturday is a workday. Sunday is church and Harleys. I ride with my wife. Q: What’s your biggest accomplishment? A: My proudest accomplishment is the relationship I have with my wife, Carolyn, and son, David. It’s the thing, of earthly things, that I value the most. Carolyn and I have been married for 34 years. She’s really the one that keeps everything together. She loves Africa as much as I do. My son just graduated from Belmont University in Nashville. Free at last!

A quick look at what’s happening
at IASIS hospitals around the country

New Women’s Center attracting patients
Davis Hospital - Layton, Utah
The hospital completed a new Women’s Center in February of 1995, adding birthing suites with jacuzzi tubs, a newborn intensive care unit and newly finished post-partum area. Almost immediately, the hospital experienced an increase in births and admissions, and it has continued to rise steadily. Currently the hospital offers nine labor and delivery beds, 26 OB/GYN beds, a newborn nursery and a 12-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The growing medical staff has also helped to attract patients. The hospital will deliver 2,300 babies in the year 2001.

Expansion helps boost business
Jordan Valley Medical Center - West Jordan, Utah
The hospital completed its $15 million dollar expansion project in the spring, and business has been booming ever since. In addition to expanding surgical services, several physicians were added to the medical staff roster. The hospital broke its birthing record in June, with an all-time high of 200 babies born in the Women’s Center, and the new 23-bed Emergency Department is full most evenings.

The hospital purchased a new CT scanner, which has the ability to project three-dimensional images. The new scanner allows the hospital to better diagnose and treat conditions such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis, which were previously considered difficult with traditional CT technology.

Hospital completes successful JCAHO survey
Mesa General Hospital - Mesa, Arizona
Mesa General Hospital recently underwent a combined Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and AOA (American Osteopathic Association) survey. The results were outstanding. The JCAHO scored Mesa General a 93 out of 100. The hospital also received commendable comments and accreditation results from the AOA. Congratulations to all employees and medical staff members for an outstanding job!

New device helps diagnose and treat bone loss
Pioneer Valley Hospital - West Valley City, Utah
Pioneer Valley Hospital recently acquired a new, state-of-the-art LUNAR bone densitometer. The Prodigy is the premier device for axial measurement of bone density. Previously, evaluating bone density using conventional X-ray systems did not reveal a potential problem until a patient had lost 25 percent to 30 percent of her bone density. Now, in just 30 seconds, this highly sensitive densitometer identifies bone loss at a much earlier stage. The earlier bone loss is detected, the sooner drug therapy can be instituted and the bone loss halted.

Hospital welcomes new CEO and staff
Salt Lake Regional Hospital - Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake Regional Hospital recently welcomed several new staff members, including Chief Executive Officer John Rossfeld. With more than 25 years of healthcare management experience, Rossfeld comes to Salt Lake City from Miami, Fla., where he was administrator of the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics. Jerri Woods was named perinatal director. She joins the hospital from Memorial-Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, Texas, where she spent 15 years as a labor and delivery nurse. Jonathan Fuller was named director of perioperative services. Prior to joining the hospital as a staff nurse in 1993, Jonathan was director of perioperative services at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz. Syndee Harris was named medical staff services coordinator. She joins the hospital from the University of Utah Health Network where she was a contracts and provider relations representative.

Bicycle giveaway benefits local kids
Southwest General Hospital - San Antonio, Texas
Southwest General Hospital and the San Antonio Police Department joined together to hold the 3rd Annual Bicycle Giveaway in December. The event distributed approximately 100 new and used bikes to needy children in the southside area. Southwest General donated the bicycle helmets and hosted the event at the hospital for the children and their families. Area merchants donated time and materials to refurbish some of the bicycles. Each child was taught bicycle safety by the police officers, and their bikes were engraved with an identification number.

Hospital first to administer new therapy
St. Luke’s Medical Center -Phoenix, Ariz.
St. Luke’s is the first hospital in Arizona and one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to administer vascular brachytherapy (radiation therapy) using a newly approved medical device called the Beta-Cath. Vascular brachytherapy involves the introduction of beta radiation inside the artery to reduce the development of in-stent restenosis, a condition in which the stent becomes clogged in patients who have undergone balloon angioplasty and stenting. Richard Heuser, M.D., Director of Research, Interventional Cardiology at St. Luke’s, was one of the principal investigators in the trials, which were the basis for FDA approval. Dr. Heuser has already performed the procedure on several patients since FDA approval, all with excellent results.

‘STARS’ get special treatment
Town & Country Hospital - Tampa, Fla.
Town & Country Hospital recently initiated a new employee recognition program that makes use of STAR cards. STAR is an acronym for: S - Shows positive attitude; T - Takes initiative; A - Aware of guests needs; R - Respectful and courteous. Team members are awarded STAR cards for performing tasks above and beyond the scope of their position.