Among the first people to arrive and assist at the scene of emergencies; whether accidents, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks; are police, firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Therefore, it’s vital for the leaders of these public services to be familiar with the medical expertise and emergency services available in the local hospitals.
Recently, Flower Mound Police Chief, Andy Kancel, and his counterpart in the Fire Department, Chief Eric Greaser, toured Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound (THPHFM) with Spencer Turner, president of THPHFM, and Annette Weir, member of the hospital’s Governing Board.
Chief Greaser and Chief Kancel have been in their respective positions for a short time, having served with distinction for many years in other localities. When visiting the hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) they noticed the special concern demonstrated for the privacy of the patients. While in the ICU they were shown how the design of the nursing stations facilitates the continuity of nursing care on each floor. In addition, during the tour they noticed a heavy emphasis on ecologically friendly materials used in the design and construction of the hospital.
THPHFM, www.texashealthflowermound.com, is located at 4400 Long Prairie Road in Flower Mound and sits on 12 acres of what might be viewed as a medical city. With 400 physicians on their staff, THPHFM, a 103-bed facility, is the area’s first acute care hospital providing services for cardiology, diagnostic imaging, orthopedics, surgery, women’s and infant’s health, sleep laboratory, epilepsy and seizure center and robotic surgery.
Its Emergency Department is fully computer automated to streamline patient admissions and facilitate the assessment process. Individual treatment rooms are designed to respect patient privacy and confidentiality. In addition, the hospital’s new Women’s Imaging Center at 2560 Central Park Avenue, Suite 240, will celebrate its public grand opening on October 16, from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., with tours, door prizes, music, give-a-ways and refreshments. The Women’s Imaging Center is located at the River Walk Medical Park in front of the hospital. The tour will enable visitors to see the some of the latest equipment in breast imaging and meet the staff.
Reading mammograms takes great skill. At THPHFM, every mammogram is interpreted (read) by a board-certified radiologist dedicated exclusively to breast care. After spending years performing diagnostic and interventional radiology, board-certified radiologists, Drs. Tim Georgelas and Bryan Maupin, have narrowed their practice exclusively to breast imaging.
“Experience matters,” said Dr. Georgelas. “Radiologists who aren’t focused solely on breast imaging only need to read an average of 480 images a year to be certified to interpret breast images. I read that number in a couple of weeks. And now, with 3-D breast mammography, also known as tomosynthesis, we have an improved capability to find breast cancer at an earlier stage, which can improve a woman’s chance of survival,” he added. The Center’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cutting-edge technology of breast tomosynthesis assists doctors to see “tiny little things obscured by dense breast tissue.” THPHFM’s Women’s services also includes gynecological surgery from childbirth to menopausal care and beyond.
The hospital is also a participant in, and significant contributor to, the North Texas Pink-Out Breast Cancer Foundation, which is dedicated to saving lives within Flower Mound and the surrounding community. The Pink-Out Foundation is focused on the benefits of screening and early detection of breast cancer in the general population as well as the identification of individuals at higher risk due to genetic factors by providing education and support services.
Board members for the Pink-Out Foundation are Pam Petrides, President (Marketing Director of THPHFM); Sonya Lail, Vice-President (Flower Mound High School Principal); Dr. Stanley Franklin, Treasurer (OBGYN with THPHFM); Rebecca Clark, Secretary (Lamar High School Principal); and Dianne Costa, Fundraising Chair (Governing Board member THPHFM). Honorable mention goes to Jerry Holton, a community volunteer who works assiduously with the Foundation to provide information to women about breast cancer awareness.
To support breast cancer awareness, October 17, will be a Pink-Out night at the Flower Mound High School football game and on October 24, Marcus High School will have its Pink-Out night. All funds raised during the Pink-Out games will go to the Pink-Out Foundation in support of breast cancer awareness. Last year the community demonstrated overwhelming support– these events were packed with people wearing pink T-shirts to show their support for the cause.
All funds raised from Pink-Out T-shirt sales go to the Pink-Out Foundation and any individual donations to fund the Foundation’s mission can be made by check payable to the North Texas Pink-Out Foundation. Please send donations to Pam Petrides at 4400 Long Prairie Road, Flower Mound, TX 75028, or you can visit the Pink-Out website at www.pinkout.org for more information about giving opportunities and how you can help raise breast cancer awareness. Anyone wishing to volunteer for the Foundation should also contact Pam Petrides.
The Flower Mound community is indeed fortunate to have such a marvelous medical community in its local orbit. Presby Flower Mound, as many refer to THPHFM, has accomplished enormous goals in the relatively few years of its existence. Some of the awards it has earned include: Best Hospital of Denton County 2013 – Best of Denton County; it was voted Best Place to Work, No. 17 in 2012 and No. 1 in 2013, according to Modern Healthcare, a weekly business publication that targets the healthcare industry; Best place to have a baby in North Texas 2014 – Best of Denton County; and Best Hospital and Emergency Department 2014 – Best of Denton County.
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