LAFAYETTE, Ind. -– Based on a ruling yesterday (March 30) from the Marion County Superior Court-Civil Division in Indianapolis, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will continue to recognize facilities operated by the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services (SSFHS), including St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Home Hospital, as in-network until the contracts between Anthem and SSFHS expire Sept. 1, 2009.

Although Anthem had sought to terminate the contracts early, the court ruling means that members of Anthem health plans can continue to receive in-network services at SSFHS facilities after May 1. The hospitals include St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Beech Grove, Indianapolis and Mooresville; St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Home Hospital in Lafayette; St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville; St. Anthony Memorial Health Centers in Michigan City; St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point; St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Hammond and Dyer; and Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster.

The current Anthem-SSFHS contracts expire Sept. 1, 2009 with the exception of St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s contract which will continue at least through Dec. 31, 2009.

But leaders from both organizations emphasized they are committed to continuing contracts talks and securing a new long-term agreement to ensure that Anthem-insured patients receive in-network benefits at the highest level of care at all SSFHS hospitals.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — St. Elizabeth Regional Health announces the appointment of Susan Garrity, RN, MSN, FNP to the St. Elizabeth Regional Health Palliative Care team, and Sigma Medical Group’s Cecilia May, MD has received her board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Susan Garrity, R.N., MSN, FNP, has joined St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s Palliative Care team.

Garrity graduated from the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Fort Wayne. She then received her bachelor’s of science in nursing and her master’s as an advanced practice nurse in family primary care from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Garrity received the Outstanding Professional Award from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2005 and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International. She holds certifications as an operating room nurse and as a family nurse practitioner from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Cecilia L. May, M.D., a hospitalist/internal medicine physician with Sigma Medical Group and medical director of St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s palliative care program, recently received her board certification in hospice and palliative medicine from the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. May has practiced medicine in the Greater Lafayette area since 1989 as an internal medicine physician and a hospitalist.

Sigma Medical Group is a St. Elizabeth Regional Health partner. The multi-specialty physician group is made up of 26 physicians. For more information, contact Sigma Medical Group at (765) 449-5080 or visit them Web at www.sigmamedicalgroup.org.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Kathryn Weil Center for Education and the Spirit of Women are continuing an educational offering for new moms in the Greater Lafayette area.

The weekly “New Moms Tea” will launch with its spring series at 1:00p on Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education, located inside the Medical Arts Building at 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette on the Home Hospital campus.

The series allows new and expecting moms an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment.

Upcoming topics and speakers include:

• Feb. 19: “Infant Message” by Deb Baker, an occupational therapist with St. Elizabeth Physical/Occupational Therapy.
• Feb. 26: “You Are What You Eat” by Renee Kidder, R.D., CSP, a dietitian with St. Elizabeth Regional Health.
• March 5: “Your Baby’s First Year” by Deb Baker, an occupational therapist with St. Elizabeth Physical/Occupational Therapy.
• March 12: “Music and Your Baby” by Rebecca Colby, M.A., MT-BC, NMT-certified music therapist.
• March 19: “Keeping Calm: Yoga for Mom and Baby” by Jacqueline Nelson, 500 PYT, RYT, HC, a yoga instructor. For this session, moms should come dressed to exercise.
• March 26: “The Low Down on Breastfeeding” by Renee Kidder, R.D., CSP, a dietitian with St. Elizabeth Regional Health.
• April 2: “Finding Fitness as Part of Your New Lifestyle” by Laura Wegener, M.S., a physical therapist with St. Elizabeth Physical/Occupational Therapy.
• April 9: “Baby Talk: Speech and Language Development” by Glenda Chambers, M.S., CCC/SLP, a speech therapist with St. Elizabeth Speech Therapy.
• April 16: “Sex and the New Mom” by Catherine Sam, M.D., an OB/GYN with the Woman’s Clinic.
• April 23: “The Skinny on Skin to Skin Contact” by Pam Smith, R.N., director of Home Hospital’s Postpartum Unit.
• April 30: “How Hormones Affect Our Moods as New Moms” by Denise Seeger, an educator with the Kathryn Weil Center for Education.

The Kathryn Weil Center for Education and St. Elizabeth Regional Health are members of the Spirit of Women, a national coalition of hospitals and health care providers that pledge to provide the highest standards of excellence in women’s health, education and community outreach.

All sessions are free, but registration is required and can be made by calling the center at (765) 449-5133.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — St. Elizabeth Regional Health encourages all Greater Lafayette area residents to become more heart healthy and take control of their health by becoming more active and educated about cardiac issues and their personal health.

Since February is American Heart Month, St. Elizabeth Regional Health is providing several community education events, advocacy events and health fairs throughout the month.

Events include:

National Wear Red Day on Monday, Feb. 2
Wear red – a dress, shirt, tie or Red Dress pin – in support of raising awareness of and fighting cardiovascular disease! The gift shops at St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Home Hospital will offer a 10% discount on select red items from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Donation jars for the American Heart Association will be available in the gift shops and cafeterias all month long.

Heart Health Fair
8am–1pm, Monday, Feb. 2 at St. Elizabeth Medical Center
St. Elizabeth Regional Health will offer a free heart health fair at St. Elizabeth Medical Center’s Atrium. The fair will focus on heart health, featuring health screenings, information, consultations and more to help you live a heart healthy life. This event is free and open to the public. Some health screenings may require a fee. The gift shops will offer a 10% discount on select red items on this day. Debbie Wright, M.D., a cardiologist with Sigma Cardiovascular Disease, will present “Understanding Your Heart” at 11 a.m.

Lunch and Learn: Women’s Hearts Are Different
11:30am, Thursday, Feb. 5, Kathryn Weil Center for Education, Medical Arts Building, 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400
Karen Bullard, R.N., division director of Cardiac Inpatient Services at St. Elizabeth Regional Health, will discuss women and heart disease, why women’s hearts are different and the implementation of HeartCaring at St. Elizabeth Regional Health. Lunch is available for $6. Registration is required and can be made by calling (765) 449-5133.

Heart Healthy Meals for a Busy Lifestyle
6pm, Thursday, Feb. 19, Kathryn Weil Center for Education, Medical Arts Building, 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400
Allison Stetler, a registered dietitian with St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s Food and Nutrition Services, will provide tips, recipes and cooking demonstrations for eating healthy in a fast-paced world. This event is free, but registration is required and can be made by calling (765) 449-5133.

Friends and Family CPR
6–9pm, Thursday, Feb. 26 at Kathryn Weil Center for Education
The Kathryn Weil Center for Education is offering a community “Family and Friends” CPR class based on the American Heart Association’s guidelines. Cost for this event is $5 and registration is required. For more information or to register, please call (765) 449-5133.

Day of Dance
Noon – 6pm, Saturday, Feb. 28 at Tippecanoe Mall
St. Elizabeth Regional Health encourages the Greater Lafayette community to celebrate being heart healthy by learning to dance! This free and fun Spirit of Women event will feature a wide variety of dances offered by local dance groups, activities and information for people to come and learn how to be active and live a heart healthy life. For more information please call (765) 449-5133 or visit www.ste.org/kwce.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The St. Elizabeth Regional Health Auxiliary recently elected officers for 2009 at their annual meeting.

This year’s officers include the following:

• Nancy Christmas as president. Christmas has been involved with the Auxiliary for more than 30 years and has held many offices on both the local and state levels. She currently volunteers in the Home Hospital gift shop and has been an active volunteer since 1986.
• Karen Almon as recording secretary. Almon is retired from Purdue University and volunteers in the St. Elizabeth gift shop.
• Nancy Roberts as corresponding secretary. Roberts is retired from the West Lafayette Police Department Records Division. Roberts has been an active volunteer since 1993 in the St. Elizabeth gift shop.
• Sandy Kuipers as treasurer. Kuipers has been an Auxiliary member for more than 20 years and volunteers with the craft group and works on the flower carts.
• Eldon Hood as the Red Coats’ chairman. Hood has volunteered in the Home Hospital Pharmacy since 1991.
• Jim Moore as Red Coats’ vice chairman/treasurer. Moore has volunteered in the Home Hospital Pharmacy.

For more information on the St. Elizabeth Regional Health Auxiliary, please contact Cheryl Suter, division director of Auxiliary and Volunteer services, at (765) 449-5060.