Within the next few months,

KU Med will implement a new plan

for placing patients on several of its

nursing units.

“Our decision to change the

mix of patients on some of our units

was based on several different fac-

tors. First and foremost, we

considered what was best for our

patients and how we could continue

to provide the highest standards of

patient care,” explained Tammy

Peterman, vice president of Patient

Care Services and chief nurse exec-

utive.

Other factors that went into the

decision-making process were mak-

ing the fewest number of unit

changes, maintaining nursing staff

and unit competencies for patient

care, and analyzing projected

patient volumes, as well as admis-

sions, discharges and transfers for

each unit.

Based on these factors, the

placement of patients on Units 41,

42, 45 and 46 will stay much the

same. Units 43, 51, 53 and 55 will

see the greatest changes in the types

of patients placed on each unit.

(The chart on this page lists

KU Med’s nursing units and where

patients will be placed after the new

plan goes into effect.)

In addition, two new state-of-

the-art nursing units will open in

July as part of KU Med’s sixth-

floor expansion project. Unit 65 is a

14-bed Medical Intensive Care

Unit, while Unit 66 is a 22-bed

Medical Telemetry Unit featuring

large, private rooms. The sixth floor

also contains space for the build-out

of other patient care areas in the

future.

Page 2 50th Anniversary

Page 3 Front & Center

Page 4 Classifieds, etc.

New Placement of PatientsWill Enhance Care

29 MAY 2003 • VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 22

Inside

The University of Kansas Medical Center

Patient Services and Where They Will Be LocatedGround floor Emergency Department

Hyperbaric CareCardiologyCancer Center

First floor Neurosurgery/Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit

Second floor Cardiac Cath LabOperating RoomsSame Day SurgeryPost-Anesthesia Care UnitSurgical Intensive Care Unit

Fourth floorUnit 41 General Medicine and Renal MedicineUnit 42 Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow TransplantUnit 43 Family Medicine and General SurgeryUnit 44A Cardiac Intensive Care UnitUnit 45 Cardiothoracic/Cardiovascular Surgery and TransplantUnit 46 Cardiology Telemetry

Fifth floorUnit 51 Trauma and OrthopedicsUnit 52 Burn CenterUnit 53 Neurology, Ear/Nose/Throat and UrologyUnit 54 Labor & DeliveryUnit 55 Pediatrics and Pediatric Intensive Care UnitUnit 56 Mother/BabyUnit 5666 Neonatal ICU

Sixth floorUnit 65 Medical Intensive Care UnitUnit 66 Medical Telemetry

Other locations4720 Rainbow Outpatient Dialysis CenterUnit 2 Olathe Pavilion Child PsychiatryUnit 3 Olathe Pavilion Adult PsychiatryUnit 3F Rehabilitation

2

Elizabeth “Liz” Anderson

says she doesn’t like change.

Maybe that’s one reason she’s

given 50 years to KU Med as a

food service worker in the hospi-

tal’s cafeteria. She’ll celebrate her

anniversary May 29 with a recep-

tion in the Wyandotte Room.

But Liz, as everyone calls

her, also likes helping people, and

she loves food.

As a young girl growing up

in Kansas City, Kan., she recalls

spending hours in her mother’s

kitchen learning to cook and

bake cakes.

At 18, she went to work at the

Patio, a restaurant in the old Emery

Bird Thayer department store in

downtown Kansas City, Mo.,

where she worked seven years.

In 1953, she came to what was

then Bell Memorial Hospital. It was

a natural for her.

This was the hos-

pital where she

was born in 1926.

“I was paid

65 cents an hour,

and I thought I

had some money,”

Anderson says

with a laugh.

Back then,

she worked six

days a week, first

in two small din-

ing rooms near

the Sudler court-

yard entrance and later in a cafete-

ria that was located on the first

floor of Delp, where Family

Medicine now resides.

“All the food was made from

scratch,” she said. “There were

soup cooks, dessert cooks and

cooks who baked bread fresh

every day.”

A popular item was a one

inch thick pork chop, split and

stuffed with homemade dressing.

For most of her 50 years at

KUMC, she has served patients,

providing food service for 27

years to patients in the Burn Unit.

For the past seven years,

Anderson has served lunch to

physicians in the medical staff

lounge.

“I try to make sure they

(physicians) get their favorite

foods,” she said. “There’s one

doctor who likes

peanut butter and

jelly, so I’ll have

it for him.

“I really

don’t want to

retire,” said

Anderson, who

has slowed down

a little to work

20 hours a week.

“I like to move

around, I like to

see the doctors,

and I want to be

around people.”

EMS CelebrationMore than 275 emergency medical

services (EMS) personnel from the

Greater Kansas City area, along with

police and fire departments, attend-

ed the fifth annual EMS picnic in

Rosedale Park May 22. The event was

sponsored by KU Med’s Emergency

Department and Level 1 Trauma

Center.

Enjoying the barbecue lunch were

members of the LifeNet helicopter

team (above from left) Marty

Pinkham, pilot, Jena Ferguson, Tony

Wikstrom and Tony Arboin.

Below, members of the Kansas City,

Kan., Fire Department Rookie Class

2003 enjoy barbecue at the EMS pic-

nic. Following lunch, they won the

annual gurney race and the covet-

ed trophy.

Cafeteria WorkerCelebrates 50 Years of

Liz Anderson

From left, Donald Hagen, MD, KUMC

executive vice chancellor, and

Barbara Atkinson, MD, School of

Medicine executive dean and vice

chancellor of clinical affairs, present-

ed the inaugural “Deborah E.

Powell, MD, Pride in the Profession

Award” to Brendan Rice, MD, ‘03.

Bradley Thedinger, MD, ‘76, presi-

dent of the KU Medical Alumni

Association, assisted with the presen-

tation, which took place May 15 at

the

KU Medical Alumni Association’s

Graduation Celebration. The award

was established by Hagen in July

2002 in honor of former SoM execu-

tive dean Deborah Powell, MD. It is

awarded to a senior medical student

who most appropriately characterizes

the qualities of professionalism in

medicine. A permanent plaque will

be on display in the School of

Medicine. Rice was presented with a

certificate and $500 award.

Front & Center

Powell Award Winner

Helipad TestBelow, inspectors were on hand

May 22 for a test of the fire suppres-

sion system on KU Med’s new

helipad, located on the sixth-floor

roof. Nozzles placed around the heli-

pad shot a foam and water mixture

over its surface. The system, which

would be used if a helicopter ambu-

lance caught fire or there was a fuel

spill, passed the test. The new heli-

pad is expected to go into service in

July. It also features an ice-melting

system that allows helicopters to

safely land in bad winter weather.

Credit Union PicnicBelow from left, Angie Birdsong, KUMC Credit Union, and Nella McFadden,

Payroll manager, served fried chicken to Kevin Copple, Plumbing, during the

annual Credit Union Picnic in Murphy Courtyard May 21.

3

Friday, May 30

• Cholesterol and blood pressure

screening, 8:30-11 a.m.,

Mid-America Cardiology.

• Psychiatry Grand Rounds,

“Augmentation Strategies with

Antipsychotics,” Neil Kaye, MD,

Jefferson Medical College,

Philadelphia, 10:30 a.m.-noon,

Sudler Auditorium.

• Neurology Grand Rounds,

“Possible Genetic Effects on the

Severity of Multiple Sclerosis,”

Sharon Lynch, MD, associate pro-

fessor of Neurology, 8:30-9:30 a.m.,

Room 1563a hospital.

Saturday, May 31

• 12th annual Stroke Conference,

noon-4 p.m., Rieke Auditorium.

Tuesday, June 3

• Computer Basics, 9-11 a.m.,

KU Med Senior Resource Center.

Wednesday, June 4

• Diabetes self-management classes,

“Chronic Complications of

Diabetes,” Bonnie Cutler, RN,

9 a.m., “Special Care Needs: Foot,

Skin and Dental,” Glee Peters, RN,

10 a.m., Room 1107, hospital.

Thursday, June 5

• Fred Holmes Visiting Professor

Lecture, “Aging With Disabilities,”

Laura Mosqueda, MD, University

of California Irvine College of

Medicine, noon -1 p.m., G013

School of Nursing.

Coming UpClassifieds, etc.

Automotive:1991 Pontiac Sunbird, silver, A/C,AM/FM/cassette, 112K, very good condition, $1,200. 913-649-4616.

1992 Acura Vigor GS, best offer. 913-707-6689 or 913-649-4048.

1998 Grand Prix SE, 125K, good condition, tinted windows, alarm,$6,000 OBO. 913-422-1614.

For Sale:2 BR, 11/2 BA KCK Berkshire VillageTownhouse, full basement, quiet andfriendly neighborhood, 2 window A/Cs,2 ceiling fans, window coverings includ-ed, must qualify for HUD, $4,975.913-362-0574.

1995 Coleman pop-up camper, excellentcondition, rarely used, stored in garage,sleeps 6, dinette, inside/outside stove,awning, $2,000 firm. 816-524-0368.

Sofa and oversized chair with matchingottoman, immaculate condition, all 3 pieces $425. 913-897-0551.

Window air conditioners used for lessthan 3 months, Frigidaire Whisper Cool8000 BTU w/remote and GE 5200 BTU,offer fair price. 913-220-7770.

King-size waterbed, waveless mattress,4-drawer pedestal with storage, book-case headboard, includes heater and2-drawer matching night stand, wellmaintained, $400 OBO. 913-642-6983.

Girl’s clothing, size 5-6X, brand namesinclude Old Navy, Limited Too, Children’sPlace, GAP and more; size 3 red dressshoes from Children’s Place, pricesstarting at $2; women’s Express slackssize 5/6 short, new, $10. 816-763-2451.

To Rent:Roeland Park home, 2 BR, 1 BA, 1-cargarage, newly remodeled, minutes fromKUMC, no pets, available June 1,$775/mo. 913-338-1020.

Free to Good Home:American Eskimo dog, 6 years old, white,would prefer owner who is familiar withthe breed, fenced backyard, no children.913-642-7411.

Puppies, black and white pointer mix, 6 weeks old, mother is playful andaffectionate. 913-724-2286.

Irene M. Cumming Donald Hagen, MDPresident and Executive Vice ChancellorChief Executive Officer University of KansasKU Med Medical Center

Barbara Jaekel, EditorVal Renault, Senior Writer

Kevin White, Senior Graphic DesignerJan Lewis, Editorial Manager

Mary King, Communications Services Director

In The Center is a weekly employee publication pub-lished by the KU Med Communications ServicesDepartment. Send story ideas to Barbara Jaekel, Bldg.48, Room 1070, or e-mail bjaekel or call 8-1074.

Ad Policy - Send or bring your ad, 30 words or less, toBldg. 48, Room 1070, fax to 8-1063, or e-mail bjaekelby noon Thursday of the week before it is to run. Adsrun free of charge for employees, students and volun-teers. All ads must include the advertiser’s name andwork extension (or student box number) for verifica-tion. Only home phone numbers–no pager numbersor work extensions–will be published. Please includearea code. No ads for commercial services or pets forsale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken by tele-phone. Ads may be held a week if space is limited.

3901 RAINBOW BOULEVARD • KANSAS CITY, KS 66160 • (913) 588-5000 • WWW.KUMC.EDU

In Memoriam

A memorial service for David Prayson,

a member of the Clinical Laboratory

team, will be held at 8 a.m. Friday,

May 30, in Spencer Chapel. He was employed by the hospital for 10 years

and was a laboratory technician II in the specimen processing area.

Bernice Wiglesworth, 81, of Shawnee, Kan., a longtime KU Med volunteer,

passed away May 23. Over 20 years, she provided more than 16,000 hours of

service to the hospital.