The bike ride will be Saturday, March 20, 2010. The one-day event will feature family fun rides, along with challenges for serious riders. The 65-mile ride will begin at 8 a.m., the 25-mile ride will begin at 9 a.m. and the 10-mile and five-mile rides will begin at 10 a.m. at Dutch Fork High School.
The idea for the bike ride came from Dr. March Seabrook, one of the hospital’s gastroenterologists and the governor of the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Seabrook is a prominent advocate for expanding colorectal screenings in South Carolina, and through his work, Dr. Seabrook reached out to the University of South Carolina’s Center for Colon Cancer Research for a contribution. The Center then donated funds to Lexington Medical Center for an event that would promote colon cancer awareness.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in the United States and is responsible for nearly 50,000 deaths annually. The best way to conquer colorectal cancer is to get screened. The recommended age for a colonoscopy is 50 years old and above.
To register or for more information about the race please visit our Web site at www.lexmed.com.
The Lexington Medical Center Foundation is pleased to present a dinner and talk with Ambassador David Wilkins on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Embassy Suites, Columbia.
Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP and chairs the Public Policy and International Law practice group, which focuses primarily on representing businesses on both sides of the US-Canadian border and offers experience on a wide range of strategic bilateral issues.
Mr. Wilkins was nominated by President George W. Bush to become the United States Ambassador to Canada. He began his service on June 29, 2005, and served until January 20, 2009. During his tenure, Ambassador Wilkins helped to resolve some of the highest profile issues between Canada and the United States, including the decades-old softwood lumber trade dispute.
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Wilkins practiced law for 34 years in Greenville, South Carolina, and has extensive experience in civil litigation and appellate practice.
The event begins with a Founder Reception at 5:00 p.m. in the Embassy Suites atrium. A Sponsor Reception is at 6:00 p.m. The dinner and talk begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Ambassador Ballroom. Embassy Suites is at 200 Stoneridge Drive in Columbia.
The Lexington Medical Center Foundation works to ensure that quality health services and patient-centered care are available for the people of the Midlands through the development of philanthropic resources. Examples of LMC Foundation projects are the Women’s Mobile Imaging Unit, Becky’s Place, the Extended Care Memorial Garden, nursing scholarship, Partners Program for high school students at the hospital’s Doula Program.
Tickets are $50.00 per person. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card. You can register on-line and find more information at our hospital Web site.
Lexington Medical Center joined the Haitian relief efforts by donating six pallets of medical supplies. The hospital donated items such as gloves, sutures and lead vests. Because of the recent earthquakes in Haiti, thousands of people are without food, water and shelter, and many require medical treatment. Providing medical supplies is just one way Lexington Medical Center is helping the Haitian community.
Mark Shelley, Lexington Medical Center’s director of marketing and advertising, was recently published in the January 2010 issue of Healthcare Marketing Advisor, one of the health care industry’s leading marketing publications. Shelley contributed an article about how organizations can use hive marketing and social media vehicles to energize brand advocates. The article gives extremely practical information for how marketing professionals can use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to communicate successfully with supporters of a given brand. Previously, Shelley has contributed articles to the Alternative Health Journal and Healthcare Marketing Advisor. He is scheduled to be a featured speaker this spring at the Fifteenth National Forum on Customer Based Marketing Strategies in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference is produced by the Forum for Healthcare Strategists.
Lexington Medical Center was honored to be voted one of the Most Trusted Businesses and Professionals in South Carolina by PalmettoBizBuzz.
PalmettoBizBuzz helps consumers find the most trusted businesses and professionals in South Carolina. PalmettoBizBuzz prides itself on taking the guesswork out of choosing a local business by providing reviews and ratings from other consumers.
The Index Journal announced after the first of the year, that Lexington Medical Center was honored as one of the top 10 hospitals in South Carolina to gain recognition for achieving an in increasing the number of organs available for transplantation.
South Carolina’s 10 winners were among 428 hospitals across the nation to receive the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medal of Honor for Organ Donation.
Each hospital was selected for achieving and maintaining national goals for donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors at their facilities. This means three out of every four medically eligible donors became donors at Lexington Medical Center.
According to statistics, there are more than 100,000 people in the United States waiting for organ transplants, and the list is growing each day.
In a recent blog post and YouTube video, Mid Life Celebration highlighted Lexington Medical Center’s tradition of excellence. Jeff Noel, founder at Mid Life Celebration, was traveling through Columbia, SC when he noticed a billboard for Lexington Medical Center. The billboard pointed out that LMC had once again been selected best hospital in the Columbia Metro. Here was Noel’s reaction: “To be excellent once, or maybe twice, is a huge accomplishment. But to do it eight straight years, well, unbelievable.” To check out Noel’s blog post about LMC please go to http://midlifecelebration.com/2009/12/12/mid-life-celebration-on-you-tube/.
Lexington Medical Center filed a Certificate of Need (CON) request on Thursday, December 3, 2009 with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) for approval to perform open heart surgery and therapeutic cardiac catheterizations.
“It has been a priority of Lexington Medical Center for several years to make comprehensive cardiovascular care more accessible to the people of Lexington County,” said Mike Biediger, Lexington Medical Center President & CEO. “Approval of this request will allow us to address acute cardiac events in a more timely fashion, ultimately saving more lives.”
The CON request was made in conjunction with Providence Hospitals. Under the terms of an agreement reached with Providence Hospitals earlier this year, Lexington Medical Center is requesting approval for one open heart surgery suite and the authority to perform open heart surgery and therapeutic cardiac catheterizations. If DHEC approves the CON, Providence Hospitals will de-license one of its open heart surgery suites, allowing Lexington Medical Center to add a suite, in keeping with the state health plan.
“The ability to perform open heart surgery at Lexington Medical Center is necessary to enhance the delivery of health care in the Midlands,” said Thad Westbrook, Chairman on the Lexington Medical Center Board of Directors.
Lexington Medical Center operates the state’s second busiest Emergency Department, treating approximately 90,000 patients each year. It also operates the busiest diagnostic catheterization lab in South Carolina without a corresponding elective angioplasty or open heart surgery program. As a result, Lexington Medical Center has to transfer hundreds of patients each year to other hospitals for cardiac care.
If the CON is approved, Lexington Medical Center would create a space in its Surgery Department for an open heart surgery operating room. Post-surgery, heart patients would be cared for in critical care units with intensive cardiac and pulmonary monitoring capabilities. If Lexington Medical Center receives permission for open heart surgery by April 2010, the hospital could begin its open heart surgery program by early 2011.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease affects 1 in 3 Americans and accounts for 1 in 3 deaths in South Carolina each year. In addition, statistics show that more Lexington County residents required open heart surgery in 2007 than did Richland County residents. Lexington Medical Center recognizes that the need for a full service open heart program for the people of Lexington County has never been greater.
Lexington Medical Center Board Chairman Thad Westbrook, President & CEO Mike Biediger and Chief of Staff Aubrey Bryant, M.D. are featured in the 2010 “Men of Lexington” magazine published by the Greater Lexington Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau. They are on the August, 2010 page.
Calendars are available for purchase at the chamber’s office at 321 South Lake Drive in Lexington for $10 each.
This is the first year that the chamber has produced calendars. They were designed to showcase chamber members throughout the Lexington County community.
The Lexington Medical Center chaplains and associate chaplains celebrated another year of providing outstanding spiritual care to our patients at the Annual Chaplain Dinner. Pastoral Care presented several awards, and everyone enjoyed a delicious meal together.
Reverend Alice Linder receives the Harold Von Nesson Award
This year, chaplains and associate chaplains volunteered 10,411 hours of service from 9,235 patient visits. Reverend Alice Linder received the Harold Von Nesson Award, which honors chaplains who go the extra mile for patients and Pastoral Care. Rev. James Gibson III received the Bill Price Award for his dedication to patients and their families as well as his commitment to Pastoral Care.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month and Lexington Medical Center will host the first “Colon Cancer Challenge 2010,” a bike ride to support local cancer screenings. 
