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Holy Cross: Where Hospice of Palm Beach County
Quality, Research Staff Member Receives International

and Service

Excellence Meet Unsung Facility Hero Award

Hospice of Palm Beach County is pleased to
announce that staff member Fernando Gonzalez has
n 2007, Holy Cross Hospital was won the International Executive Housekeeper
named one of America’s 50 Best
IHospitals (while earning several Association Third Annual 2007 Unsung Facility Hero
more distinctions from Health- Award. The award recognizes that employee who
Grades), opened the award-winning exemplifies dignity in the housekeeping field, who
Michael & Dianne Bienes Diagnostic upholds the integrity of the industry, and who goes
Imaging Center and participated in ground- above and beyond the call of duty time after time.
breaking, world-caliber research. All in all, Recipients go into the “Hall of Fame” of cleaners
an exceptional year. whose attention and proactive measures have either
Holy Cross started 2007 by being ranked saved the facility money or assisted a guest or patient
among the nation’s top five percent of hospi- with a need.
tals for clinical excellence for the fifth con- As one of over 900 staff members at Hospice of Palm
secutive year, according to a study of mortal- Beach County, Gonzalez has gone above and beyond
ity and complication rates by HealthGrades, the realm of his job responsibilities since he began
the nation’s leading independent healthcare working there five years ago. Robert Hogue, C.E.H., Fernando Gonzalez
ratings company. Housekeeping Supervisor at Hospice of Palm Beach
A month later, Holy Cross was named one County, nominated Gonzalez for the award. “Fernando has excellent skills in floor
of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by finishing and maintenance. He cleans patient rooms, sets up meeting rooms, and has
HealthGrades. worked in all Hospice of Palm Beach County departments wherever he’s needed.
According to the Tenth Annual Health- However, there is so much more that Fernando does—outside the scope of his job
Grades Hospital Quality in America Study, responsibilities—that makes him deserving of this special award,” said Hogue.
Holy Cross Hospital ranked among the top (l-r) John Johnson and Dr. M. Lee Pearce Gonzalez’s heroic acts not only during a series of hurricanes but also daily have
5% in the nation for orthopedics and among at the blessing and dedication of the made a lasting impression on staff and those served by Hospice of Palm Beach
the top 10% for pulmonary and stroke care.
The study, the largest of its kind, analyzed HealthPlex. County. Dedication to his job responsibilities include:
patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals over the years 2004, 2005 * When Gonzalez first started at Hospice of Palm Beach County, he knew little
and 2006. English and had a hard time understanding staff and supervisors. So, Gonzalez
The study also found that Holy Cross Hospital is 5-star rated for: Treatment of Heart enrolled in a local English class to learn more. Now, he assists as a translator between
Attack; Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation; Overall Orthopedic Services, Joint Replacement, patients and nurses at Hospice.
Total Knee Replacement, Total Hip Replacement, Hip Fracture Repair, Spinal Fusion; * Florida has been plagued by many hurricanes in recent years, and while many
Community Acquired Pneumonia, Overall Pulmonary Care, Treatment of Stroke, employees would abandon work responsibilities and take cover at home, Gonzalez
Community Acquired Pneumonia, GI Procedures and Surgeries and Treatment of Sepsis. instead chose to stay at Hospice and provide support for the facilities and staff.
“At Holy Cross Hospital, we have a skillful and dedicated team of clinicians and During the last four hurricanes, Gonzalez was at Hospice of Palm Beach County’s
employees,” said John C. Johnson, President & CEO. “It is because of their hard work Charles W. Gerstenberg Center 24 hours a day for several days.
that our patients and their families receive quality healthcare that is among the best in the
nation.”
More outpatients were able to experience that skill and dedication with the 2007 open-
ing of the Michael & Dianne Bienes Diagnostic Imaging Center. The Diagnostic Imaging
Center offers patients the most advanced imaging services available in South Florida in a
comfortable and technologically advanced 14,000-square foot facility staffed by dedicat-
ed technologists and Board Certified radiologists. Positioned steps away from the Main
Entrance of Holy Cross Hospital, the Michael and Dianne Bienes Diagnostic Imaging
Center promises a diagnostic experience unlike any other – from the moment you call to
schedule an appointment. On November 9, the Imaging Center won the 2007 South
Florida Business Journal Excellence in Healthcare Award in the Facilities & Expansion
category.
In May, Holy Cross blessed and dedicated the Holy Cross HealthPlex, eight weeks after
Holy Cross announced receipt of a $20 million charitable gift from visionary philanthro-
pist and medical pioneer M. Lee Pearce, M.D., J.D., to assist Holy Cross Hospital in the
establishment of a comprehensive off-campus ambulatory / outpatient services center
close to the hospital.
Through a structured donation and bargain sale of land, buildings and medical equip-
ment, Dr. M. Lee Pearce enabled Holy Cross Hospital to acquire the outpatient ambula-
tory services enterprise at the former Oakridge Medical Complex site for use in support
of its Mission. Through the arrangement, Holy Cross Hospital acquired 19 acres of land
with over 200,000 sq. ft. of medical buildings and related clinical equipment dedicated to
ambulatory healthcare including physician offices, surgical, diagnostic, imaging and other
ancillary services for the benefit of the community.
Holy Cross achieved several notables in the research arena in 2007. For starters, the Jim
Moran Heart & Vascular Research Institute began participating in a novel clinical trial
investigating whether a subject’s own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery
disease. The Autologous CD34+ Cells for the Treatment of Chronic Myocardial Ischemia
(ACT34-CMI) Trial is the first human Phase II adult stem cell therapy study in the U.S.
designed to investigate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of blood-derived selected
CD34+ stem cells to improve symptoms and clinical outcomes in subjects with chronic
myocardial ischemia (CMI), a severe form of coronary artery disease.
The Research Institute is one of 15 to 20 research sites nationwide participating in the
study, which is sponsored by the Cellular Therapies business unit of Baxter Healthcare
Corporation. Baxter technology is used to select the subject’s own CD34+ stem cells that
are under investigation in this trial.
Additionally, the Jim Moran Heart & Vascular Research Institute formed a Scientific
Advisory Committee to openly review and discuss the opportunities to bring more cut-
ting-edge research to South Florida. The Committee includes John Johnson, Alan
Niederman, M.D., Nicolas A.F. Chronos, M.D., Alan C. Yeung, M.D., Mark C. Poznansky,
M.D., Ph D, Robert A. Harrington, M.D., Michael C. Gibson, M.D., Joshua Michael Hare,
M.D., and Robert Superko, M.D.
The Committee’s initial fall meeting included a discussion of the focus and mission of
the Jim Moran Heart & Vascular Research Institute, collaboration between healthcare
institutions, the vision of translational research within a community setting, the roadmap
to accomplish this mission and more.
For more information about Holy Cross Hospital, visit www.holy-cross.com.

South Florida Hospital News hospitalnews.org December 2007 33