(Peoria, IL / July 17, 2013) – OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is pleased to announce the most recent winner of the DAISY Award, which recognizes outstanding nursing care. Winners are nominated by patients and their families.

The April 2013 DAISY Award was presented to Melissa Finney from Peoria. She works on the Surgical Acute unit.

Her nomination reads:

My son, Jeremy, had surgery for his Crohn’s Disease. The day after surgery, after removal of the catheter, Jeremy was having difficulty urinating. Melissa had to use the straight catheter and drained 750 ml of fluid the first time and 900 ml the second time. She listened to our concerns; she called the doctor and truly showed compassion, kindness, and professional care to the best. She helped us through a very difficult day and without Melissa’s work for us and with us through that day, we wouldn’t have healed the way we should have. She deserves a DAISY Award for her excellent care above and beyond being a good nurse.

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is the first hospital in the Midwest to participate in the DAISY Award, a national endeavor. The hospital receives approximately 180 DAISY nominations each month. From those nominations, a panel of five judges from the Professional Nursing Congress Recognition/Communication Committee at OSF Saint Francis chooses a monthly winner. Nurses who win a DAISY Award receive an award pin as well as a hand-carved Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe, an award certificate, a bouquet of daisies, cinnamon powder called “DAISY dust”, and cinnamon rolls for their entire unit.

(Peoria, IL / July 17, 2013) – OSF Saint Francis Medical Center has named Shelley Nguyen Executive Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development.

She will be responsible for all aspects of Human Resources and Organizational Development which includes Volunteer Services and the Learning Academy. Nguyen succeeds Lynn Gillespie who retired as Vice President of Human Resources in June.

The Tremont resident began her career with OSF Saint Francis in 2003 as a Human Resources Representative before being promoted to Director of Employment and Retention in 2004.

The City of Peoria and 1st District Council Member Moore has invited Chicago Developer Zeb McLaurin, owner of the real estate management firm McLaurin Development Partners, to Peoria to discuss urban redevelopment for Peoria’s South Side. His firm is a proven leader of commercial mixed use and mixed income developments in some of Chicago’s most distressed communities.

Council Member Moore recently had an opportunity to visit Zeb in Chicago and toured a few of his firm’s projects. One noted project is the development of a 150,000 square-foot, three-story Target Department Store in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood. This project resulted in 200 new jobs of which 75 were reserved for public housing residents. The success of this project was attributed to his firm’s ability to layer creative financing, manage various stakeholders, and passion for urban renewal. Other developments by his firm include Walgreens, shopping malls, Starbucks, clothing stores, and banks. For more details about McLaurin Development Partners projects, please view their website at http://kinbez.com/.

Zeb has graciously agreed to visit the City of Peoria to discuss his strategic approach to urban redevelopment. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 19, 2013 at Peoria City Hall, Room 110, 8:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m and will be attended by City staff and community stakeholders. There will also be a brief tour of the business corridors on the South Side.

For more information, please contact 1st District Council Member Denise Moore at 309-213-6628 or dmoore@peoriagov.org.

(July 16, 2013 / Peoria, IL) Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced positive and promising results from the first performance year of the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model, including both higher quality care and lower Medicare expenditures. The Pioneer ACO Model encourages providers and caregivers to deliver more coordinated care for Medicare beneficiaries.

“The overall results show that Pioneer ACOs have been successful in reducing costs for Medicare, improving the quality of care for their patients, and that incentives to align payment with quality can work. The results specific for OSF HealthCare indicate we performed positively in that our results are better than our benchmark. We are trending in the right direction in terms of better coordinating the care of our sickest patients, improving their quality of life while concurrently reducing the total cost of care for all of our Pioneer ACO patients by nearly 1 percent,” according to Robert Sehring, Chief Ministry Services Officer for OSF Healthcare System.

“That approach of better coordinating care has been extended beyond our Pioneer ACO patients to all of our patients,” notes Tara Canty, COO for Accountable Care at OSF Healthcare System. “We embarked on Accountable Care with CMS on January 1, 2012 with the commitment of applying the CMS triple aim of giving our Medicare patients better service, better quality and better care at a lower cost to all of our patients. That extra commitment enables us to better carry out our Mission, to serve persons with the greatest care and love.”

The complete status report which includes metrics for care coordination, the patient and caregiver experiences and preventive care will soon be available on the CMS website. In the meantime, to learn more about the Pioneer ACO model, visit http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Pioneer-ACO-Model/.

The OSF medical centers, physicians, advanced care practitioners and home care services in Illinois comprise the OSF Healthcare System Pioneer ACO. The specific organizations and their locations are listed below. These facilities and clinicians work closely with aligned, independent facilities and clinicians in improving the delivery of health care to beneficiaries under the Pioneer ACO as well as all patients in the communities we serve.

With extremely high temperatures and humidity forecasted this week, cooling centers are opening across the area to provide relief for those without access to a cool environment. A list of locations and hours of operation are below.

Location Agency Address Hours
Fulton Co. Dept of Human Services 1329 N. Main St., Lewiston 8:30 – 5:00
Mason Co. Dept of Human Services 323 W Main St., Havana 8:30 – 5:00
Peoria Co. Salvation Army Sylvia 414 NE Jefferson, Peoria 8:30 – 5:00
Fites Center
Peoria Co. All Peoria Fire Department Houses 8am – 8pm
Peoria Co. Civic Center Verizon 201 SW Jefferson, Peoria 8am – 6pm
Wireless Cafe
Peoria Co Friendship House 800 NE Madison, Peoria 8:30-5:00
Peoria Co Dept. Human Services 2301 NE Adams, Peoria 8:30-5:00
Schuyler Co Dept Human Services 111 E. Washington St., Rushville 8:30-5:00
Tazewell Co Dept Human Services 200 S. Second St., Ste 20, Pekin 8:30-5:00
Tazewell Co Dept Human Services 2970 Court St., Pekin 8:30-5:00
Tazewell Co City Hall @ Police Station 111 S. Capitol St., Pekin 24 hours
Tazewell Co Service Center 1130 Koch St., Pekin 7:30-4:00

To prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke during hot weather, take the following measures:
• Try to keep cool during extremely high temperature.
• Stay in a cool environment (preferably air conditioned).
• Limit outdoor activities.
• Avoid vigorous physical activities in hot and humid weather.
• Take frequent breaks to hydrate yourself.
• Wear hats and light-colored, lightweight, loose clothes.
• Drink plenty of cool fluids (like water) regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Avoid liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol or large amounts of sugar – they cause you to lose more body fluids.
• Take care of your pets. Give extra water and be sure to place the water dish in a shaded area if outdoors. Make sure pets have a protected place where they can get away from the sun.

Peoria, Illinois (July 16, 2013)—The UnityPoint Health-Methodist Service League recently elected the following officers for the coming year. Marcia Morley was elected Treasurer. Julie Cramer was elected Secretary; Sandy Litwiller is the new Vice-President and Nancy Watts as the new President.

The Service League’s gift to the UnityPoint Health Methodist Foundation was $126,000 this year which brings their total giving to $6,049,635.

Peoria – On Saturday, July 27, Peoria County’s Facility Master Planning Ad-hoc Committee is hosting a public engagement forum to discuss potential future uses for Bel-Wood nursing home, once vacated, and the Hanna City property the County owns. The two subjects will be discussed consecutively at Bel-Wood Nursing Home, 6701 W. Plank Road, in Peoria: the Bel-Wood facility will be discussed from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m., followed by discussion regarding the Hanna City property from 10:30 a.m. – noon.

The Bel-Wood portion of the meeting will be an open discussion to allow the general public and interested agencies to share thoughts on potential usage of the property located at 6701 W. Plank Road. The intent of the discussion is to explore everything from selling the property to repurposing the building for other uses.
The Hanna City discussion is intended to help identify future uses of the site, located along Illinois Route 116. This portion of the meeting will include an outline of site restrictions, an update of current initiatives, small group discussions of potential opportunities, and an open forum.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend either or both facility discussions. For more information, please call Peoria County Administration at (309) 672-6056.

The Peoria Area Association of Realtors® 2013 second quarter results show the homes market recovery continuing, with lower property inventories and increased buyer activity causing homes to sell faster and home prices to creep upward. The number of new listings to date is down 4.4 percent keeping inventory numbers 18.3 percent lower for the second quarter. As buyer activity heats up, prices are edging up and days on the market are dropping, down 15 percent. The median sales price was up 2.5 percent, and the average sales price climbed 1.5 percent. Days on the market were 15 percent lower.

The National Institute of Medicine recommends about 3 liters of fluid for males and 2 liters for women.

Excessive heat is expected to bake central Illinois this week with the heat index rising well over 100 degrees. Excessive heat can be deadly and has caused more deaths in recent years than any other weather event. Weather experts say it will be so hot heat illnesses are possible, especially for people who work or spend extended periods outside. This intense heat can cause discomforting symptoms if regular and adequate fluids are not consumed.

Water is one of the most important components of our daily diets. Water helps lubricate internal surfaces, flushes toxins through the kidneys, transports nutrients throughout the body, maintains healthy blood pressure, regulates body temperature and sustains healthy vital organs.

Symptoms of Dehydration
Summer heat seems to bring on more instances of dehydration due to larger losses of body fluid through sweating. Be conscious of the following symptoms to help prevent or treat dehydration:
· Dry mouth
· Headache
· Nausea
· Vomiting
· Irritability
· Tiredness
· Decreased urination
· Constipation
· Dizziness
· Fever
· Delirium

Water Consumption Recommendations
The National Institute of Medicine recommends about 3 liters of fluid for males and 2 liters for women. The general recommendation for eight 8 oz glasses of water per day converts to about 1.9 liters. This amount would be sufficient for most women, males need slightly more. Those who exercise, work outside or sweat excessively experience extra water loss and create higher fluid needs.
· When hydrating in the summer heat, water is your best option.
· Sports beverages may be needed through strenuous exercise and excessive fluid and electrolyte losses through sweat.
· Choose beverages with lower calorie content and lower added sugar. Juices, sodas and sweetened coffee beverages can add unnecessary simple carbohydrates to your diet.
· Alcohol should be avoided as it causes dehydration.

For more Red Cross heat safety tips, please visit arcillinois.org/tip-library/heat-related-illness/16-heat-tips.

Company’s vision “to be the customer’s #1 choice” still stands true today

July 15, 2013 (PEORIA, Ill.) – Federal Companies, a full-service moving and storage company, is celebrating 100 years of “Making Moves That Matter” by thanking its employees and the community with a special open house from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, July 20, 2013, at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, 222 S.W. Washington St. The media is invited to attend this milestone event in the company’s history.

A presentation, delivered by William Cirone, president of Federal Companies, will be at 2:45 p.m. in the museum auditorium. More than 200 Federal employees, family members and friends will take part in the open house festivities, which include free admission to the museum, Giant Screen Theater and Caterpillar Visitors Center. The centennial celebration continues at Dozer Park where the group will enjoy an evening of baseball with the Peoria Chiefs.

“It is important to all of us at Federal to celebrate the vision that Federal had 100 years ago … be valuable to our customers, our communities and ouremployees. This vision and our core values of how we operate is one of the few things that has not changed in the past 100 years,” said Jeff Bogdan, vice president of sales and marketing at Federal Companies. “As customers’ needs changed, so did the services that Federal provides, but at the core, Federal still continues to offer services that are safe, secure and reliable to help our customers meet their goals.”

An original 1930 Ford Model A, one of the first vehicles used by Federal Companies to move and transport customer’s merchandise, products and household items, will be on display outside the museum during the open house. Also on exhibit, in the museum’s lobby, will be other memorabilia from the company’s past including different types of equipment that all museum attendees can view.