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The Ramsay Way Spring 2013

SPRING 2013 TRW 7 Mrs Lavinia Jeffries 100 years old with new born Fraser Steicke. (Courtesy of the Community Newspaper Group) Glengarry Private Hospital had two reasons to celebrate on the 29th July 2013. Mrs Lavinia Jefferies, who was born in 1913 in Marvel Loch, a small mining town south of Southern Cross, celebrated her 100th birthday while Debra and Chris Steicke welcomed their new baby boy Fraser into the world. Mr & Mrs Steicke were thrilled to be able to share Fraser’s birthday with Mrs Jeffries, on the same day 100 years apart, remarking to staff how amazing it was that the hospital cares for such a variety of patients. Glengarry staff presented Mrs Jeffries with a bouquet of flowers to commemorate her special occasion while admiring her birthday card from the Queen. Glengarry Private Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer and Director of Clinical Services, Dani Meinema, said: “One of the magical things about Glengarry is being able to care for patients at each end of the life spectrum”. Attadale Private Hospital opened its doors 40 years ago offering primarily obstetric and gynaecological services in a specially designed 50-bed facility. Today the hospital still offers obstetrics and gynaecology services but also urology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, general surgery and IVF. The hospital also has rehabilitation and general medical services and conducts sleep studies. It is held in particularly high standing within the community for obstetrics, delivering over 600 babies per year. Over the years more than 30,000 babies have been born at Attadale Private Hospital with the first baby born there, Joel Van Den Brun, coming into the world in the early hours of 9 June 1973. Joel’s mother, Pamela Van Den Brun, says her experience at Attadale couldn’t have been better. “They had all the newest equipment and the most wonderful people available,” said Pamela. “All the staff were very excited at the birth of the first baby at the hospital.” Long-term employee Judith Patching has been with the hospital since 1976. “Many of the original staff are still in contact and enjoy regular get-togethers,” said Judith. “Much time is spent reminiscing about the wonderful time they had at Attadale both workwise and socially.” Attadale Private Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Jane Case, says the past 40 years of providing quality health care to local residents would not have been possible without the dedication of the hospital’s hardworking staff and volunteers. “Attadale has always been, and will continue to be, a warm and friendly hospital that continually strives to provide quality and excellent service to its patients throughout the community,” said Jane. A century apart Attadale Private Hospital celebrates 40 years Lake Macquarie in a regional first Ramsay’s contract at Mildura extended ABOVE: Lake Macquarie Private patients Barry Smith and Robert Young the first to benefit from the introduction of a new surgical technique to Newcastle. In August, Lake Macquarie Private Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr Peng Seah, assisted by Associate Professor Duncan Thomson, performed the first Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair (MIMVR) operation in regional NSW. The surgery, involving mitral valve repair via thoracotomy (an incision into the pleural space of the chest), is less invasive than traditional surgery to repair the mitral valve. Theatre staff at LMPH received training in the procedure at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. Scrub nurses Sharon Scotman and Pat Shnier assisted in these operations, as did Lake Macquarie perfusionist, Ray Swart. MIMVR enables patients to return home more quickly and return to their work and daily activities in a much shorter time frame as well. Patients Barry Smith and Robert Young were the first to benefit from the introduction of this surgical technique to Newcastle. Mr Smith said that he was happy to wait for Dr Seah to introduce the new technique as he didn’t want to go through more invasive surgery. He also said that he gave 100 percent marks to the nursing staff and atmosphere at Lake Macquarie Private. “The hospital has a great reputation and it was an absolute pleasure to be cared for there,” Mr Smith said. Mr Young was also praiseworthy of the new surgical procedure, stating that there was “little pain and it was quick and easy”. He was very happy that he could drive again in a week. Ramsay Health Care has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement that it will renew the Company’s contract to operate Mildura Base Hospital. The contract, which was set to finish in 2015 has been extended and the Victorian government has also recently announced that it has purchased the land and assets from its owners the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA). “We are pleased with the recent decision of the State to purchase the hospital site and building, and believe that this is positive news for the hospital and its future development,” said Mildura Base Hospital CEO Dane Huxley. “We are also delighted the Government has chosen to continue the contract with Ramsay Health Care to operate the hospital, which is an acknowledgement of the quality of service Ramsay has provided to the Mildura community for more than a decade,” Dane said. “It has been a difficult time over the past year for management, staff and doctors with the extensive focus on the hospital’s ownership and operation. “With the outcome now decided, we look forward to putting this behind us and getting on with providing a quality health service to the community.” After the arrival of the new da Vinci Robot to John Flynn Private Hospital in August this year, the hospital was able to “go digital” with the announcement of this advancement for prostate surgery, advertising the availability of the technology on the new, highly visible, digital billboards across the M1 motorway, the main freeway from Brisbane to the Gold Coast.


The Ramsay Way Spring 2013
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