Physicians nominate those who best embody hospital’s TLC values  

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 2, 2012 -- Paul Harrington, M.D., a Family Medicine physician based in Charlton, is the winner of this year’s TLC -- Total Local Care award.

Dr. Harrington, who has practiced in Charlton for 30 years, was chosen for the TLC award because he embodies Harrington HealthCare System’s TLC values, such as being available, caring, collegial, cooperative, flexible and reliable. The TLC Award was inaugurated one year ago by Harrington HealthCare System. Last year’s winner was Dr. Paul Santolucito, a cardiologist.

In his years in practice in this region, Dr. Harrington has done everything from deliver babies to work in the Emergency Room, and on occasion still makes a house call. (He jokes that he took the position here because the administration promised to name the hospital after him!) His office, called Charlton Family Practice, on Route 169, also includes Drs. Andrey Sayko and Hope Ring and nurse practitioner Carleen McQuaid. Dr. Harrington’s wife, Kathy, is the office manager.

Each year, members of Harrington HealthCare System’s Medical Staff nominate those they believe best embody Harrington’s TLC values. This year, 13 physicians were nominated for the award. The winner is chosen by committee.

Dr. Harrington learned he had won the award the evening of Thursday, Nov. 1, at a Physician Recognition event at Harrington HealthCare System’s major medical office building, Harrington HealthCare at Charlton, on Main Street just off Route 20. The semi-annual event is organized by Joan Menard, Harrington HealthCare System’s Director of Physician Relations, who also launched the annual TLC Award one year ago

The physicians and Harrington executives who attended the Physician Recognition event also honored two other doctors who have practice 30 years or more in this area -- Stjepan Kereshi, M.D., a neurologist; and Rose Tharakan, M.D., F.A.A.P., M.R.C.P., D.C.H, a pediatrician who retired this fall after over 40 years of service to our community.

Dr. Tharakan was also awarded a special “college” chair with the Harrington logo on it, and was honored for her tireless devotion to Harrington, where she practiced for 40 years. She was chief of Pediatrics at Harrington Hospital for six years, and still serves as school physician at Tantasqua Junior High School.

HARRINGTON HEALTHCARE SYSTEM is a comprehensive regional healthcare system serving the needs of Southern Worcester County and Northern Connecticut through:

Øour 114-bed acute-care Harrington Hospital in Southbridge that provides medical and surgical inpatient care, 24-hour emergency services, psychiatric care, pediatrics and obstetrical care, intensive/coronary care and comprehensive outpatient services;

Øsatellite medical facilities across South Central Massachusetts, including physician offices, Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard in Webster, anchored by a 24/7 Emergency Care Center, and Harrington HealthCare at Charlton. These two large medical facilities house a number of medical services, including primary care and specialty doctors, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services and other medical specialties;

Øa free-standing treatment center, The Cancer Center at Harrington, in Southbridge, that allows patients to receive advanced, local oncological care, including chemotherapy, counseling, pain management and reconstructive surgery. Through our joint venture partner Radiation Therapy Services, the center offers advanced radiation therapy techniques, including Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy.

A large group of teen drivers and their parents made their  way into the function room at the Webster-Dudley Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday, October 30, to hear from Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. about distracted driving practices and the catastrophes they cause.  The program is one of the District Attorney’s community outreach programs.

DA Early Jr. was the first to take the podium and spoke primarily about the reasons why the program was initiated.  He detailed when the program began, and that it actually was in response to a fatal crash that occurred in Charlton, killing a young woman who was texting on her way to school.  Since then, the practice of texting while driving has become more wide-spread, and devastating crashes with life-changing events have ensued.  But this wasn’t the only distraction that was discussed.

Next to speak was Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey T. Travers of the Worcester office's Motor Vehicle Homicide Response Team.  He discussed all forms of driving distractions, including the use of many electronic devices and having friends in the car while driving.  He also discussed the inevitable factors that predictably contribute to many of the fatal crashes he has investigated: not wearing seat belts, speed, distractions - such as talking on the phone, texting, applying makeup, reading a newspaper - and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The main thrust of Travers’ multi-media presentation was to eliminate today’s most common distraction, text messaging while operating a motor vehicle.  He stated, “We know it takes an average of five seconds to type ‘LOL’.  You're taking your eyes off the road for about five seconds.  And if you were traveling at 60 MPH, you will have traveled the length of a football field before you have even looked at the roadway.”

As part of the program, Travers showed participants the AT&T-produced "The Last Text," an informative video that included horrific images and heart-wrenching stories about several young people whose lives were cut short because of texting while driving. Among the real-life final text messages in the video are "Yeah,' "lol," "Where u at" and "where r," simple and insignificant messages that became chilling epitaphs.

 Following the short video, Travers concluded his presentation by giving the young drivers some very good advice that should serve them well throughout their lifetime.  He told them, “always buckle up, don't drink and drive, and turn your cell phone off or put it in the trunk when you’re operating a motor vehicle”.  No text message is so important that you should lose your life or the life of your friends over it.  “Treat all kinds of distractions as a risk to your safety”, Mr. Travers said.  “And be mindful of the road that you're on, the weather conditions around you, and adjust your speed for what's reasonable.”

Following the program, DA Early, Mr. Travers, Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar and Webster Police Chief Timothy Bent made themselves available for questions as the participants enjoyed light refreshments.         

By Patriot staff

For many of us, Election Day couldn't come soon enough, and finally it's just days away. Town clerks expect a good local turnout, given that it's a presidential contest year.

Residents in Dudley and the other towns in the 6^th Worcester District will chose incumbent Republican Peter J. Durant or his challenger Democrat Kathleen Walker to be their next state representative.

If elected, Durant promises to focus on providing incentives for businesses to hire the unemployed and to increase local aid.

Walker, who is a selectwoman in Charlton,  said her focus will be on small businesses to improve the local economy, increased school funding, and senior and veterans programs.

Residents in Webster, precincts 1 and 4 in Oxford, along with the other towns in the 18^th Worcester District will choose between incumbent Republican Ryan A. Fattman and challenger Donald Bourque, chairman of the Webster Board of Selectmen..

Fattman's platform calls for ending EBT welfare abuses, improving the economy, and restoring local services.

Bourque, who owns a local employment agency, wants to bring jobs and training to the district, restore  local aid and funding for emergency services, and ensure support for seniors and the disabled.   

In other races, State Representative Paul Frost is unopposed for re-election in the 7^th Worcester District.

State Senator Richard T. Moore is unopposed in his bid for re-election in the Worcester Norfolk district.

Congressman Richard E. Neal is unopposed in the 1^st Congressional District. Congressman James B. McGovern is unopposed for re-election in the 2^nd Congressional District. 

Republican Senator Scott Brown is being challenged in his bid for re-election by Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

And of course, Mitt Romney is challenging President Barack Obama for the presidency.

There are three ballot questions. Question 1 concerns the “right to repair” for cars. This question should be ignored, as the parties have come to agreement.

Question 2 allows the prescribing of medication to end life. Question 3 allows the medical use of marijuana.

Dudley has two additional questions on the ballot, a provision for a Proposition 2 ½ override and a debt exclusion for a new ladder truck for the Fire Department.

SOUTHBRIDGE/WEBSTER, Mass. – October 24, 2012 – Harrington HealthCare System has launched live emergency room (ER) wait times on its website, www.harringtonhospital.org, where patients and the community can view the amount of time they might wait to be seen in the Southbridge and Webster emergency departments.

“We are committed to providing excellent care without making patients wait hours in our ERs,” said Thomas Hijeck, R.N., M.S., Vice President of Nursing at Harrington HealthCare. “We are proud of our wait times, which are significantly lower than most in the area.”

The wait times posted on the website define the time it will take a patient from walking through the doors of an Emergency Department to the time it will take for them to be placed in a bay and seen by a physician or nurse practitioner. Harrington employs state-of-the-art electronic medical record technologies which allows for tracking all aspects of the patient visit, including wait times.

Harrington joins other hospitals across the nation that have taken the approach of making healthcare more accessible and transparent.

“These numbers are very accurate in our commitment to patient care,” said James Sullivan, M.D., Chief of Emergency Medicine at Harrington. “It’s important for patients to realize conditions like chest pain, severe abdominal pain, sudden onset weakness, dizziness or headache could warrant a more urgent response and potentially cause a longer delay for others with less serious symptoms in our Emergency Rooms. But those who are experiencing things like respiratory symptoms, rashes, lacerations and minor orthopedic injuries could look at our website to determine which campus might offer quicker treatment.”

Harrington has committed to adhering to a 30 minute “Door to Doctor” philosophy for emergency patient care. Average wait times for both the Webster and Southbridge campuses have been 15 minutes or less. Combined, both campuses see approximately 36,000 patient visits each year in the Emergency Department.

Now in effect at all facilities

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. -- October 15, 2012 -- Harrington HealthCare System today announced that it accepts a broad array of Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP) products, including FCHP Direct Care, FCHP Select Care, FCHP Tiered Choice, Fallon Senior Plan, FCHP MassHealth (Medicaid) and NaviCare.

As of October 15, these Fallon Community Health Plan products are accepted at all Harrington HealthCare System facilities, including Harrington Hospital, Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard, Harrington HealthCare at Charlton, as well as Harrington’s Physician Hospital Organization.

Fallon Community Health Plan is one of the largest insurers in Central Massachusetts, the market served by Harrington HealthCare System.

“Harrington HealthCare System is extremely pleased to announce our expanded relationship with Fallon Community Health Plan,” said Harrington President and CEO Edward H. Moore. “Harrington has long offered a number of Fallon products to the residents of this region. By broadening our Fallon offerings, we are giving those covered by FCHP more choice in the marketplace.

“Harrington HealthCare System’s physicians and medical facilities are available through South Central Massachusetts,” Moore said. “By being available to residents of this region who are covered by these Fallon Community Health Plan products, we are better able to provide our trademark TLC -- Total Local Care.”

“At FCHP, we have long supported the high-quality and outstanding services provided by regional and community-based hospitals and doctors," said Patrick Hughes, President and CEO of Fallon Community Health Plan. "We're pleased and proud to have Harrington HealthCare System provide care to so many of our members."

For more information about Harrington HealthCare System, please visit our website, www.harringtonhospital.org. If you need a physician, please call 508-765-3145.

Annual event is Wednesday, 7-8:30 pm

Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School will be having their annual Open House on Wednesday October 24, 2012. Parents and students are invited to explore 21 vocational areas and view the rigorous academic curriculum the school has to offer.   The doors will open at 6:45 pm. Formal classroom presentations will begin at 7:00 pm and continue until 8:30 pm. Students and parents will be introduced to our career and technical education programs.  Academic instructors will be on hand to answer questions about our Advanced Placement and Honors courses as well as answering questions pertaining to high school graduation requirements, and college and career pathways.

Students from  Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, North Brookfield, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer and Webster can take courses in one of 21 vocational areas:  automotive collision, automotive technology, cabinetmaking, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, drafting , electrical, electronics, facilities management, graphic communications, health assisting, HVAC, machine tool technology, marketing, masonry and tile setting, metal fabrication, business technology, plumbing, power equipment, programming and web development.

Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School is located at 57 Old Muggett Hill Road in Charlton. A special invitation is extended to all middle school students and their parents to see firsthand how a technical education can be both academically and vocationally rewarding.

George McGovern at booksigning
Amherst, March 2012

STATEMENT OF U.S. REP. JIM MCGOVERN ON THE PASSING OF GEORGE MCGOVERN

“The world has lost a great and good man, and I have lost my inspiration, my mentor, my dearest friend. There is less hunger and poverty because of George McGovern. There is more hope. He believed that one person can change the world, and he proved it every day. While Lisa and I will miss him terribly, we are comforted by the knowledge that he is in a better place. And we are celebrating a long and well-lived and uniquely American life.”

Senator McGovern speaking at an event at Mechanic’s Hall in Worcester in 2008. Seated behind him are the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Governor Deval Patrick, Lisa McGovern(wife of Rep. Jim McGovern), and Rep. Jim McGovern.

for state representative in 6th Worcester district

Members of 1199SEIU, the state’s largest healthcare workers union, announced their endorsement of Kathleen Walker in her campaign for state representative in the 6th Worcester district composed of

“Kathleen Walker has a proven record of standing with working people. 1199SEIU members are impressed by her commitment to creating jobs, supporting our schools and protecting healthcare services for the public,” said 1199SEIU Executive Vice President Veronica Turner.

1199SEIU members are proud to stand with Walker. 1199SEIU members feel that Kathleen Walker is highly qualified to deal with the issues facing the district such as economic development, job creation, and rising healthcare costs.

“Kathleen Walker not only understands the need for a strong middle-class, but also understands the challenges working families face,” said Turner.

Union members say they are confident that Walker will advocate for policies that support healthcare workers in providing quality care.

1199SEIU members will be volunteering this fall to support several candidates in state elections. Members will make phone calls, hand out literature, and door knock during the campaign season.

Public invited; first of three events is Tuesday, Oct. 23

DUDLEY -The coming Presidential election will get plenty of “air time” at Nichols College in the coming weeks through three evening programs hosted by
political experts.  The programs, presented by the school’s Fischer Institute and History and Political Science departments, are aimed atraising election–year issues, making students more informed about the candidates, and encouraging them to get out and vote.

All three events will take place in Davis Hall 205 on the Nichols campus and are open to the public.

On Tuesday, October 23 at 7 p.m., former White House Speech Writer and
Presidential Scholar Michael Waldman will share his insights on presidential races past and present.

On Thursday, October 25 also at 7 p.m., Nichols graduate Neil Levesque, the executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and Political Library at Saint Anselm College, will speak.  Levesque also worked for 12 years with former New Hampshire Congressman Charles Bass for whom he organized legislative agendas and public policy initiatives.

After the votes have all been counted Political Science Professor Maurice Cunningham, from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, will provide a post-election analysis on Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m.

In between the two final programs, the Nichols student body will cast ballots in its long-running presidential straw poll to choose the next commander-in-chief.

REGION - Harrington HealthCare System was in the news last week with its story of growth in southern Worcester County.

The Worcester Business Journal named Harrington HealthCare System the top growth company in the nonprofits category, with revenues expanding from $93,340.000 in 2009 to $128,529,599 in 2011, a 38% increase.

“We’re not just Harrington Hospital in Southbridge anymore,” said Edward H. Moore, President and CEO, “We’ve transformed from a hospital into a system, with a new medical building in Charlton, the management of Hubbard Hospital in Webster, and soon a new office in Spencer.”

Earlier this month Harrington announced that it would accept Fallon Community Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage Plan for seniors, and last week expanded that relationship with an additional list of FCHP insurance products,

Mr. Moore said that the system’s focus is on prevention and on delivery of high quality health care, with high standards. “Fallon gets it,” he said. “That’s why we’re glad to be partners with them.”

Currently Harrington HealthCare System serves about 5,000 FCHP members, according to Mr. Moore, and FCHP has about 25,000 members total. “And now that FCHP patients will be able to go to all our doctors, we hope to capture more of them,” he said.

Specifically, Harrington will accept FCHP Direct Care, FCHP Select Care, FCHP Tiered Choice, Fallon Senior Plan, FCHP MassHealth (Medicaid) and NaviCare at all its facilities, including Harrington Hospital, Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard, Harrington HealthCare at Charlton, as well as Harrington’s Physician Hospital Organization.

Fallon Community Health Plan is one of the largest insurers in Central Massachusetts, the market served by Harrington HealthCare System.

In the official statement Mr. Moore said: “Harrington HealthCare System is extremely pleased to announce our expanded relationship with Fallon Community Health Plan, Harrington has long offered a number of Fallon products to the residents of this region. By broadening our Fallon offerings, we are giving those covered by FCHP more choice in the marketplace.

Patrick Hughes, President and CEO of Fallon Community Health Plan said, “At FCHP, we have long supported the high-quality and outstanding services provided by regional and community-based hospitals and doctors. We're pleased and proud to have Harrington HealthCare System provide care to so many of our members."

While Harrington grew rapidly in the last three years, fiscal year 2012 was more challenging, and it laid off 12 people, reduced hours for a dozen others and eliminated nine vacant positions. The new partnership with FCHP will help fuel continued growth. Harrington has 1,300 employees. “This is a real win for everybody,” concluded Mr. Moore.