The latest technology in breast mammography, Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (also known as 3D Mammography), is now available to patients at each of the Main Line Health Breast Centers at Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. The cost will be the same as a standard mammogram, which will continue to be offered to those patients who require 2D mammography.

“3D mammography is recommended for women of all ages. It has shown to be most valuable to women between 40 and 50 years of age, those that have dense breast tissue and/or women with a personal history of breast cancer,” said Emma Simpson, MD, interim system chair, Radiology. “It provides a clearer, more accurate view of the breast and allows our radiologists to more effectively pinpoint the size, shape and location of any abnormalities. This can lead to better detection and greater peace of mind for our patients.”

The benefits of 3D mammography include:
•    Greater accuracy in pinpointing size, shape and location of abnormalities
•    Earlier detection of small breast cancers that may be hidden during 2D mammography
•    Greater likelihood of detecting multiple breast tumors, which occur in 15% of breast cancer patients

By offering women the latest and more accurate¹ technology in mammography, Main Line Health expects to increase the number of area women who will be routinely screened. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival. If detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. ²

For more information about 3D Mammography or to schedule an appointment, please call 484.580.1800 or visit mainlinehealth.org/imaging.

Riddle Hospital’s Cancer Center, part of Main Line Health, has been granted The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award. The award is presented to a select group of 74 accredited cancer programs throughout the United States. Criteria were based on qualitative and quantitative surveys conducted in 2013. Riddle is one of two hospitals in Pennsylvania to receive this distinction.

“This award reflects the dedicated staff who delivers a superior patient experience,” said Gary Perecko, president, Riddle Hospital. “Each day our cancer experts focus on ensuring patients receive the most appropriate, comprehensive care with the goal of improving outcomes and saving lives. The recognition further assures our patients that they have access to advanced care and technology in their community.”

The purpose of the award is to raise the bar on quality cancer care, with the ultimate goal of increasing awareness about comprehensive cancer care choices among cancer patients and their loved ones. In addition, the award is intended to:
•    Recognize those cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients.
•    Motivate other cancer programs to work toward improving their level of care.
•    Facilitate dialogue between award recipients and health care professionals at other cancer facilities for the purpose of sharing best practices.
•    Encourage honorees to serve as quality-care resources to other cancer programs.

“More and more, we’re finding that patients and their families want to know how the health care institutions in their communities compare with one another,” said Daniel P. McKellar, MD, FACS, Chair of the CoC. “They want access to information in terms of who’s providing the best quality of care, and they want to know about overall patient outcomes. Through this recognition program, I’d like to think we’re playing a small, but vital role, in helping them make informed decisions on their cancer care.”

The 74 award-winning, cancer-care programs represent approximately 14 percent of programs surveyed by the CoC in 2013.

Main Line Health has four cancer centers that serve Philadelphia and its Western Suburbs. Each one is accredited by the CoC and fall into the following categories: Bryn Mawr and Paoli Hospital: Comprehensive Community Care Program (CCCP); Lankenau Medical Center: Academic Comprehensive Care Program (ACAD); and Riddle Hospital: Community Cancer Program (CCP).

For a list of the award winning cancer programs visit: www.facs.org/cancer/coc/outstandingachievement2013list.html

On July 8, Congressman Chaka Fattah visited Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health, for a demonstration of the tests and equipment used to make disease diagnoses. Fattah, who serves as the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), is one of the most ardent supporters of medical and scientific research in Congress. Walter Klein, MD, Bryn Mawr Hospital pathologist, had invited Fattah to tour the hospital’s pathology and histology labs when they met at a College of American Pathologists event in May. Bryn Mawr Hospital is located in Fattah’s district.

“Lab tours provide a unique opportunity for members of Congress to become familiar with the important role pathologists play in health care,” said Dr. Klein.“When members of Congress make legislative decisions that impact pathologists, it is crucial that they have an understanding of what pathologists do and how changes to the system will impact their ability to deliver quality care and accurate diagnoses to their patients.”

Following the lab briefing, Fattah participated in a Q&A with lab staff and hospital administrators. 

Main Line Health is proud to announce that all of its acute care hospitals, including Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital, have been named among the best in Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia region by U.S. News & World Report. Its annual “Best Hospitals” rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating patients with the most challenging health care needs. Lankenau Medical Center has also earned a national ranking as one of the top 50 hospitals in the specialty of Diabetes & Endocrinology.

“This achievement is a testament to the commitment of our physicians, clinicians, employees and volunteers who provide a superior experience to our patients each day,” says Jack Lynch, President and CEO, Main Line Health. “This recognition is based on metrics that evaluate the quality of care delivered to our most complex patients, and demonstrates that patients do not need to travel far to receive high-quality, superior care. Main Line Health’s advanced technology and clinical care delivers innovative treatment options to patients in the communities we serve.”

In the Philadelphia metro area, Lankenau Medical Center was ranked as the 4th best hospital; Bryn Mawr Hospital was ranked 10th; Paoli Hospital was ranked 12th; and Riddle Hospital was ranked 14th. In the state, Lankenau Medical Center was ranked as the 7th best hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital was ranked 16th; Paoli Hospital was ranked 27th; and Riddle Hospital was ranked 31st.

Nearly 5,000 hospitals were evaluated nationally by U.S. News in 16 adult specialties. This year, Lankenau Medical Center received a national ranking as the 46th top hospital for Diabetes & Endocrinology. Only three percent of the hospitals that were analyzed for Best Hospitals 2014-15 earned a national ranking.

U.S. News also recognizes high performing hospitals that perform nearly at the level of their nationally ranked peers and represent valuable regional sources of quality care. Main Line Health’s hospitals were recognized as “high performing” in the following areas:

Lankenau Medical Center:
•      Cancer
•      Cardiology & Heart Surgery
•      Ear, Nose & Throat
•      Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
•      Geriatrics
•      Gynecology
•      Nephrology
•      Neurology & Neurosurgery
•      Orthopedics
•      Pulmonology
•      Urology

Bryn Mawr Hospital:
•      Cardiology & Heart Surgery
•      Diabetes & Endocrinology
•      Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
•      Geriatrics
•      Nephrology
•      Neurology & Neurosurgery
•      Orthopedics
•      Pulmonology
•      Urology

Paoli Hospital:
•      Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
•      Geriatrics
•      Orthopedics
•      Urology

Riddle Hospital:
•      Orthopedics
•      Urology

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse staffing levels and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Using the same data, U.S. News produced the state and metro rankings. The rankings are freely available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook, available in August.

Main Line HealthCare (MLHC), Lucas Margolies, MD, and Elliott Schulman, MD are pleased to welcome David T. Park, DO to MLHC Neurology on July 14th, 2014. Dr. Park is board certified in neurology and specializes in epilepsy and EEG.  He also has an interest in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology. He earned his medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Following an internship at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, PA, Dr. Park completed his Residency and Chief Residency in Adult Neurology at The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and a Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology with a focus on epilepsy and EEG at The University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society, and is available as a speaker for community events. Dr. Park is on staff at Main Line Health hospitals: Lankenau Medical Center and Bryn Mawr, Paoli, and Riddle Hospitals.    

MLHC Neurology is located in Suite 256 of Medical Office Building East at Lankenau Medical Center at 100 East Lancaster Avenue in Wynnewood. Dr. Park welcomes new patients and sees patients aged 15 and older. He accepts most insurance plans including HMOs and PPOs. To schedule an appointment, call 484.572.6300.

Main Line HealthCare (MLHC), Raffi Megerian, MD, Mark Lee, DO, and Martha Coates, CRNP are pleased to welcome John E. Peacock, DO to Main Line Physicians – Internal Medicine & Geriatrics at Shannondell on July 1st, 2014. Dr. Peacock is board certified in geriatrics and family medicine and has a special interest in physical fitness in the elderly, fall prevention, sarcopenia (muscle loss), and polypharmacy. He earned his medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), and did his surgical internship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Peacock completed his Family Medicine residency at Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, PA and his Geriatric Family Medicine Fellowship at PCOM. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Family Practice, and the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, and is available as a speaker for community events. Dr. Peacock is on staff at Main Line Health hospitals: Paoli,Bryn Mawr, and Riddle Hospitals, and Lankenau Medical Center.    

Main Line Physician’s Shannondell location is at 10,000 Shannondell Drive in Audubon, PA. Dr. Peacock welcomes new patients and sees patients aged 18 and older. He accepts most insurance plans including HMOs and PPOs. To schedule an appointment, call 610.728.5241.

Joseph McHale, Esq., has been elected to the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees. McHale is Partner-in-Charge of Stradley Ronon’s Malvern office. He is also Chair of Stradley’s Products Liability & Life Sciences Group.

McHale’s clients include pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, pharmacists, physicians, businesses and individuals with personal injury claims. He also serves as counsel to a group of health system risk managers. McHale was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® consecutively since 2006 by a vote of his peers and was included consecutively since 2007 in the editions of the Best Lawyers in America.

A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Saint Joseph’s University and Widener University School of Law, McHale frequently lectures for the Pharmacy Learning Network which provides live continuing education for pharmacists. He was also selected by the International Association of Defense Counsel to serve on the faculty of the 37th Annual IADC Trial Academy at Stanford Law School.

WHEN: Friday, August 1, 2014, 10:30 a.m.

WHAT: As part of World Breastfeeding Week, August 1 to 7, Main Line Health hospitals will host “Big Latch On” events where local moms and their babies will join breastfeeding women and their children from 120 countries around the world in a synchronized breastfeeding event.

WHY: The worldwide “Big Latch On” brings groups of breastfeeding women together at registered locations around the world to latch on their child at a set time for one minute, and are counted by witnesses. The numbers will be added up in an effort to beat last year’s record, when 14,536 women and their children came together across the world and breastfed simultaneously. The mission of the “Big Latch On” is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding women and their babies.

WHO: The “Big Latch On” events are hosted by Main Line Health’s Nursery and Lactation Committees and the Nursing Mothers Alliance, and is sponsored by Advocare Newborn Network. Representatives from the La Leche League will also be present at the events to provide education and support for nursing mothers.

WHERE: Paoli Hospital (Green Room, 2 Industrial Blvd., Paoli, Pa.)

Premier, Inc. has recognized Paoli Hospital, part of Main Line Health, with the QUEST® Award for High-value Healthcare for delivering high-quality, cost-effective health care. Lankenau Medical Center, also part of Main Health, was named one of the award finalists.

Only 18 hospitals received the award for achieving top performance in all six of the areas measured in Premier’s QUEST collaborative, including harm, mortality, readmissions, costs, patient experience and evidence-based care, and Paoli Hospital was the only hospital in the Philadelphia region to receive this award. Paoli Hospital was honored during Premier’s annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio.

“Participation in this collaborative reinforces our commitment to deliver safe and superior care to the communities we serve,” said Jim Paradis, president, Paoli Hospital. “We’re proud to receive the QUEST Award as we continue down our path of improving patient outcomes.”

Specifically, Paoli Hospital is being recognized for:
•    Obtaining a mortality rate at least 15 percent less than expected;
•    Reducing the average cost of care to less than $5,690 per discharge;
•    Reliably delivering all evidence-based care measures to patients in the areas of heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care at least 95 percent of the time;
•    Improving the hospital experience so that patients favorably rate their stay and would recommend the facility to others at least 73 percent of the time;
•    Reducing preventable harm events; and
•    Obtaining a readmissions rate at least 11% less than expected.

QUEST is a performance improvement collaborative of approximately 350 hospitals working to make healthcare safer, more efficient and consistently effective. Approximately 330 QUEST hospitals were eligible for the QUEST Award for High-value Healthcare.

Susan DeVore, Premier president and CEO said, “QUEST hospitals have a really fresh perspective on the state of healthcare today, which they’re using to rethink the way care is provided and design innovative changes that impact our future. It’s no easy task for health systems to do this on their own, so they work together to capitalize on the power of information. Our vision is to outperform this industry together, on our own terms, which is exactly what Paoli Hospital is doing. Premier congratulates them for the fantastic achievements they’ve made.”

The nation’s leading hospitals created QUEST to set new standards in healthcare that ensure the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care. In five and a half years, they have saved more than 136,000 lives and $11.6 billion.

Top performance thresholds were established at the top quartile of performance from a baseline period in all measures except cost of care, which was based on the median of the total inpatient cost per case-mix-adjusted discharge. Top performance methodology for each dimension varied depending on the unique measure calculation and methodology.

The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) has recognized Riddle Hospital with a 2014 Achievement Award in the category of Patient Care (medium-sized hospitals) for “Promoting Staff Engagement and Patient Safety Through Innovative Purposeful and Leader Rounding.” Riddle Hospital was one of only 15 hospitals statewide to win this award from a pool of 100 entrants. The HAP Achievement Awards Program recognizes hospitals that have taken innovative steps in improving workplace collaboration, community benefit, patient safety, patient care and operational excellence.

Riddle nurses developed this program as part of their participation and commitment to the Main Line Health Patient Experience initiative and Culture of Safety embedding process. The pilot unit for the revised hourly rounding was 4South. The Unit Council partnered with three new nurse residents to assess the effectiveness of hourly rounding and to implement the changes necessary to improve the practice. Based on the review of the literature, the Unit Council and nurse residents identified the changes necessary to improve the effectiveness of hourly rounding on the pilot unit. Education, structure and accountability were created, implemented and hardwired including an innovative rounding accountability tool that was developed using colored magnets on white boards in patient rooms.

Following the success of the revised hourly rounding practice on the pilot unit, nurse managers, directors and Human Resources adapted the education developed by the pilot Unit Council. They added the concept of“Narrating Your Care” to further improve patient satisfaction scores related to communication with nurses with evidence of how this practice can positively impact patients’ hospital experience. This education was provided to all  clinical nursing staff at the hospital from April-August 2013, implemented on all nursing units in August 2013, and installed as part of new employee on-boarding as of September 2013.

In a congratulatory letter to Riddle President Gary Perecko, Paula A. Bussard, HAP SVP for Policy & Regulatory Advocacy, stated: “The results from the project are quite impressive—reductions in patient falls and pressure ulcers and improvements in patient satisfaction (particularly nurse communication and staff responsiveness). I also liked that it was an effort building from your facility’s commitment to nurse residencies! There are many lessons other facilities can learn from this project in advancing patient safety and satisfaction.”

The award entries were evaluated by a 15-judge panel representing the public and private sectors, health care and business organizations, the media and for-profit and non-profit entities. 

Lankenau Medical Center, a part of Main Line Health, recently earned an above average rating from Consumer Reports for heart bypass surgery in the publication’s national “Where should you go for heart surgery?” report, featuring ratings of more than 400 hospitals in the country. LMC was one of only six hospitals in Pennsylvania, and the only one in the Philadelphia region, to earn a top score (above average) in heart bypass surgery.

“I am extremely proud of our physicians and clinical staff for working so diligently to achieve this national recognition,” says Phil Robinson, President, Lankenau Medical Center. “This honor demonstrates the superior patient outcomes we deliver through the Lankenau Heart Institute and at the Heart Pavilion at Lankenau Medical Center. It confirms that Lankenau is a true leader in the region for cardiovascular care.”

Consumer Reports, which tests and rates products and services, provides hospital ratings to help the public  compare hospitals based on patient safety scores as well as individual measures relating to patient experience, patient outcomes and certain hospital practices.

Consumer Reports’ bypass surgery ratings reflect a hospital’s performance in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery, including the open-heart approach and less invasive versions. Overall score is a composite of four measures:
•    Survival – percentage of patients who leave the hospital and survive at least 30 days after surgery
•    Complications – percentage of patients who avoid the most serious complications, including needing a second operation, developing a deep chest infection, suffering a stroke or kidney failure, and requiring prolonged ventilation
•    Best surgical technique – percentage of patients who receive at least one graft from an internal mammary artery, located under the breastbone, which improves survival
•    Right drugs – percentage of patients who receive beta-blockers before and after surgery to control blood pressure and heart rhythm, aspirin to prevent blood clots, and a drug after surgery to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol

For information about programs and services offered at Lankenau Medical Center and across Main Line Health, please visit mainlinehealth.org or call 1.866.CALL.MLH. For Consumer Reports’ complete hospital ratings, subscribers can visit consumerreports.org/hospitalratings.

Main Line Health hospitals, including Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital, hosted “Big Latch On” events on August 1 to kick-off World Breastfeeding Week, August 1 to 7. A total of 56 moms gathered together at Main Line Health’s four acute care hospitals to join other breastfeeding women and their children from 120 countries around the world in a synchronized breastfeeding event.

As part of the Big Latch On, all breastfeeding women and children must be latched on for one minute at a set time and are counted by witnesses. Main Line Health’s numbers for this year will be added to the world’s Big Latch On number to hopefully beat last year’s record, when 14,536 women and their children came together across the world to breastfeed simultaneously. The Big Latch On’s mission is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding women and their babies.

Donna Sinnott, board-certified Lactation Consultant and chair of the Main Line Health Lactation Committee, said the purpose of the Big Latch On is “to normalize breastfeeding, create a community in support of breastfeeding, and to simply help set a record for the most women breastfeeding at once.”

Main Line Health’s Big Latch On events were organized and hosted by the Nursing Mothers Alliance and the MLH Lactation Committee and sponsored by Josh Rabinowitz, DO, section chief of Nurseries at Main Line Health, the Advocare Newborn Network and the Main Line Health Department of Pediatrics.

To continue the celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, moms who deliver at a Main Line Health hospital will receive special gifts that may include World Breastfeeding Week bibs, a calendar, a candy bar and other breastfeeding items.

Main Line Health provides prenatal breastfeeding classes, as well as staff trained in breastfeeding to assist breastfeeding mothers and babies during their hospital stay. Lactation rounds are made routinely with each breastfeeding mother, and lactation support is available during the baby's hospital stay, to all breastfeeding mothers with babies in the NICU and on Pediatrics. For information about Main Line Health’s maternity services, including lactation and breastfeeding support, visit mainlinehealth.org/maternity.

Main Line HealthCare and the physicians and staff of Riddle OB/GYN Associates are pleased to welcome Jenny A. Graber, MD. Dr. Graber earned her medical degree from University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed her OB/GYN Residency at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Stony Brook, NY. During her residency she was awarded the Midwifery Partnership Award, and in 2012 the Robert L. Barbieri M.D. Research Award. Dr. Graber specializes in laparoscopic surgery and has a special interest in obstetrics, the treatment of uterine fibroids and abnormal uterine bleeding. She is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Medical Association, and is on staff at the Main Line Health Hospitals; Riddle, Bryn Mawr and Paoli Hospitals and Lankenau Medical Center. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Graber has experience as a translator, and is certified in medical Spanish. She is available as a speaker for community events.  

Riddle OB/GYN Associates has convenient office locations in Media, Glen Mills, and West Chester. Dr. Graber welcomes new patients, and accepts most insurance plans, including HMOs and PPOs.  To schedule an appointment with Dr. Graber, call 610.891.6240 or you may schedule online at mainlinehealth.org/riddleobgyn.

The physicians and staff of Lankenau Heart Group are pleased to welcome Katie M. Hawthorne, MD. Dr. Hawthorne specializes in general cardiology, echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and is certified in nuclear cardiology. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, and has a special interest in pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, and women’s cardiovascular health.  

Dr. Hawthorne earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed her fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and was chosen to serve as Chief Fellow of Cardiology in 2013-2014. Dr. Hawthorne is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American Medical Association, and is on the medical staff at all four Main Line Health Hospitals; including Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr, Paoli, and Riddle Hospitals. Dr. Hawthorne is available as a speaker for community events.   

New patients ages 16 through adult are welcome, and Dr. Hawthorne accepts most insurance plans, including HMOs and PPOs. She has two convenient locations: Lankenau Medical Center Heart Pavilion in Wynnewood, and in Springfield. To schedule an appointment at either location, call 484.476.1000.  

Lankenau Heart Group physicians are part of the Lankenau Heart Institute— Main Line Health System’s premier comprehensive cardiovascular medicine and surgery program. The Lankenau Heart Institute brings together the clinical expertise of all four Main Line Health acute care hospitals and community cardiology practices to ensure that patients receive a level of quality, service, and experience that is unprecedented in the region.

Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, the biomedical research center for Main Line Health, received a $3.1 million, five-year grant award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to conduct clinical trials of new oncology drugs and perform additional research to improve patient care.

This award for an NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) supports all NCI-sponsored clinical trials, which is conducted by Main Line Health oncologists, relates to cancer prevention, screening, treatment and post-treatment management. NCORP also supports research into cancer care delivery, which focuses on improving health and quality of life outcomes, identifying and addressing any disparities of care among individual patients, and gaining a more integrated understanding of all the costs involved in effective health management.

Main Line Health is one of only 34 health care organizations in the U.S. to receive an NCORP award from NCI, testifying to the national strengths of the Main Line Health hospitals in delivering and continuously improving cancer care. NCORP supports oncology research at all Main Line Health hospitals, including Lankenau Medical Center,Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital.

The Principal Investigator for the Main Line Health NCORP award is Albert DeNittis, MD, Chief of Radiation Oncology at Lankenau Medical Center, with Associate Principal Investigator John Devlin, MD, Bryn Mawr Hospital; site investigators Michael Dabrow, DO, at Paoli Hospital; and Rashmi Sanjay, MD, at Riddle Hospital.

“Having the NCORP available at all four acute care hospitals in the system expands the access our patients have to innovative treatment care options and highlights another way we strive to provide a superior patient experience to each Main Line Health patient,” said Diana Blade, Administrator of Cancer Clinical Trials at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research.  “Our relationship with the NCI allows us to contribute in a meaningful way to cancer research and treatments that lead to medical breakthroughs.”

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, part of Main Line Health, has renamed its successful Cruisin’ Not Boozin’® (CNB) program, a community education and awareness initiative focused on the distractions that young drivers experience behind the wheel. The new name, Cruisin’ SMART™, launches the program into its 25th year and incorporates the message that teens should not text, use cell phones, drink, take drugs, or do anything that may distract them while driving.

As an acute rehabilitation hospital, the physicians, nurses and therapists at Bryn Mawr Rehab often care for patients who have survived automobile accidents caused by distracted or impaired driving. By establishing CNB in 1989, Bryn Mawr Rehab’s goal was and still is to significantly decrease the amount of patients like this by educating young drivers about the consequences of making poor decisions when getting behind the wheel.

Cruisin’ SMART is a unique educational program that uses true-life tragedies to instruct and change attitudes. Cruisin’ SMART speakers are survivors of life-altering accidents who warn their audiences that being distracted or impaired while driving can often result in a fate worse than death. They share their earlier lives as teenagers, their fateful accidents, and their painfully long journeys through recovery. The program is in line with Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital’s mission to prevent life-altering injuries and disability through education and skill building.

Distraction occurs visually, manually and cognitively, and texting involves all three of these types of distraction simultaneously. Taking eyes off the road, hands off the wheel and your mind off of what you’re doing while driving, even just for a moment, is extremely dangerous, and statistics show that teens between the ages 15-19 make up the largest population of distracted drivers.

“Cruisin’ SMART encourages parents and teens to communicate clearly and to set up boundaries before the teen gets into a vehicle,” says Donna Phillips, President of Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital.“Instituting rules and consequences can help save a child’s life, and the lives of others who may be on the road with them. This program is dedicated to saving lives and preventing accidents and injury.”

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital increases its impact by reaching out to local schools, law enforcement, parents, juvenile justice officials and grassroots community groups to collectively address the health and behavioral risks that threaten youth, families and communities.

Debbie Fioravanti, telemetry nurse at Bryn Mawr Hospital, has received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The quarterly award is presented to a nurse who provides outstanding care to patients every day. Nominations are accepted by patients, their families or colleagues.

Fioravanti’s nomination from a patient’s wife noted: “You were with my husband when he was anointed at Bryn Mawr Hospital and became a Catholic. Because of this, my husband and I were able to receive Holy Communion together after 43 years of marriage on the day he died. Thank you for your kindness to him and visiting with me to tell me about it!”

DAISY Awards nominees included: Marla Marley, Kristin Hartner and Lizanne Mikus, Pediatrics; Chris Pitcock, Eileen McNulty Clark, Marianne Mulligan, Colleen Broadwater and Kitty Kennedy, Telemetry; Judy McCallom, IV Team; Kate Cardile and Eileen Brown, Stroke/Bariatric/Cardiac Unit; and Laurie Maher, Orthopedics.