Agnes Hospital

St. Agnes Hospital announced the induction of nine doctors to the Healing Hands Society. The physicians were honored for clinical excellence and leadership plus service to the community and their hand imprints were added to a recently unveiled wall. Those recognized were Dr. Karen Broderick, Dr. James Castellano, Dr. Michael Ellis, Dr. Keith Falcao, Dr. Deepak Merchant, Dr. Arturo Santos, Dr. William Signor III, Dr. Willard Standiford and Dr. Michael Zatina.

Dr. Richard J. Bouchard, a retired cardiologist who played an instrumental role in the establishment of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. Agnes Hospital, died Saturday from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at Stella Maris Hospice. The longtime Timonium resident was 89. The son of a railroad conductor and a homemaker, Richard Joseph Bouchard was born and raised in Ogdenburg, N.Y., where he graduated in 1946 from St. Mary's High School. "His main interest was heart catheterization, and he was very good at it. His patients loved him and he was an extremely honorable man," said Dr. Ronald H. Gillilan, a semiretired cardiologist and director of the cardiac rehabilitation program at St. Agnes Hospital.

"Eat, drink and be merry" seemed the theme at the St. Agnes Fall Gala -- "Laughter is the Best Medicine." Some 580 guests were treated to a cocktail hour, then a gourmet dinner at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Further putting a smile on folks' faces -- the night's entertainment -- Harry Anderson, the comedian / magician who starred in the TV sitcom "Night Court." If those guests who had young children seemed to be extra relaxed, maybe that was because they knew their kids were being entertained at their own party -- "Kinder Gala" -- right down the hall, complete with their own magician, arts and crafts, movies, games and food.

While health professionals encourage people to get from seven to eight hours of sleep nightly, millions of Americans are falling well short of that mark. Many are getting just five to six hours and recent studies have shown that more than 20 percent of the population may be suffering from some type of sleep disorder. St. Agnes Hospital now has a renovated and expanded facility dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. The St. Agnes Sleep Center is open to adults and children as young as 3 years old. The patients are usually referred to the facility by their primary care doctor or cardiologist.

Sister Alberta Beckwith, president of the board and administrator of St. Agnes Hospital from 1962 until 1978, died Monday of heart failure at Villa St. Michael, the retirement home of the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg. She was 83.After stepping down from her positions at St. Agnes, she was director of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine at the order's St. Joseph's Provincial House, also in Emmitsburg, for three years.During her administration of the hospital, the Paul Dudley White Coronary Care Unit was established.

Bonnie L. Phipps, an Atlanta health care executive who is a native of Baltimore, has been tapped to become president and chief executive of St. Agnes Hospital early next year. In that position, Phipps will set the strategic direction for the Southwest Baltimore hospital and oversee an ambitious expansion plan. Next month, the hospital is to break ground on the first phase of a multiyear project that includes a renovated emergency room, new cancer center, patient tower, parking garages and medical offices.

The administrators of St. Agnes Hospital didn't intend to begin construction of a $20.6 million expansion until next spring.But after Gov. William Donald Schaefer said that he was moving up the timetable for state construction projects to help stimulate the sluggish economy, they decided to do the same thing.So on Monday -- four months ahead of schedule -- they will break ground on their four-story addition, which will contain a variety of in-patient and out-patient services, including 18 surgical suites and a coronary intensive care unit.

A milestone change has occurred at West Baltimore's St. Agnes Hospital. For the first time in that institution's 129-year history, its president comes from outside the ranks of the Daughters of Charity.The reason is quite simple. As a result of the incredible societal convulsions of the past few decades, the number of nuns has plummeted.At St. Agnes, only 15 of the 2,900 employees are nuns. The hospital's board of directors is still being run by Daughters of Charity. Two vice presidents are nuns.

Officials of St. Agnes Hospital and the state's hospital rate-setting board met yesterday but failed to resolve their dispute over St. Agnes' decision to offer a free second day in the hospital to mothers who give birth.The rate-setters say St. Agnes needs their permission to offer the free care, and the hospital must support its request with documentation to show the offer does not force other patients to pay more.The two sides will continue to meet, and both say they hope for a resolution in the next few days.

More than 140,000 people in the U.S. die each year from stroke, making it the country's second leading cause of death for women, and the third for men. About 795,000 strokes occur each year. At least one-quarter occur in people younger than 65 years, making it a health subject important to all age groups. Dr. Marian LaMonte, neurology chief at St. Agnes Hospital, presents a free talk on strokes at 6 p.m. May 12 at the hospital. She offers these tips: 1 Know the warning signs of stroke.

St. Agnes Hospital was one of 11 medical institutions recognized by the Emergency Medical Technology program in the School of Health Professions at the Community College of Baltimore County. In addition to the Baltimore hospital at Wilkens and Caton avenues, the other institutions that received plaques from the school were Franklin Square Hospital, Harford Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Maryland Poison Center - University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Mercy Medical Center, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Sinai Hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center, University of Maryland Medical Center and Upper Chesapeake Medical Center "These sites provide valuable experiences to our students that could not be duplicated in the classroom," said Deanna Wiseman, CCBC EMT program clinical coordinator, in a release.

City police were investigating a double-shooting in West Baltimore Monday night that killed a 29-year-old man. Officers found Donte Collins suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Rosedale St., in the Rosemont neighborhood, and paramedics transported him to Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Around the same time, police were informed of another shooting victim who had been dropped at St. Agnes Hospital for treatment for multiple gunshot wounds to his lower body.

Dr. Edwin H. T. Besson, a retired pediatrician who was the former chairman of the St. Agnes Hospital pediatric department, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, Dec. 4 at his Ellicott City home. He was 85. In a memoir, he recalled that after his birth in Carbondale, Pa., he often moved with his family and wound up living in the small town of Stockton in Worcester County. His family had suffered economic hardship in the Depression and they lost their home.

St. Agnes Hospital announced the induction of nine doctors to the Healing Hands Society. The physicians were honored for clinical excellence and leadership plus service to the community and their hand imprints were added to a recently unveiled wall. Those recognized were Dr. Karen Broderick, Dr. James Castellano, Dr. Michael Ellis, Dr. Keith Falcao, Dr. Deepak Merchant, Dr. Arturo Santos, Dr. William Signor III, Dr. Willard Standiford and Dr. Michael Zatina.

Dr. Henry M. Shuey, a Baltimore neurosurgeon who had been chief of neurosurgery at St. Agnes Hospital, died June 17 of cancer at his Lutherville home. He was 62. Dr. Shuey was born in Philadelphia and raised in Huntsville, Ala., where his father worked at the Army's Redstone Arsenal. After graduating from Lee High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in 1970 in chemistry from Centenary College in Shreveport, La. He graduated in 1974 from the University of Alabama School of Medicine.

The number of cervical cancer cases diagnosed annually has gone down markedly over the past 30 years, a drop attributed to cervical cytology screening (the Pap smear). The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recently changed its guidelines for cervical cancer screening. Dr. Diane Boykin of St. Agnes Hospital discusses what you need to know about the new guidelines. The new guidelines state that all Pap smears can begin at age 21. This is a subtle change from the previous recommendation, which had screening begin by age 21 or one to three years after the onset of sexual activity.

Martin McCoy stands before a bookcase just able to peek over the first shelf.The 17-month-old toddler is usually energy in motion, but a colorful case of books has his full attention now."You get to choose one," his mom tells him. "Go ahead, let's get one you want."The sweetly round-faced youngster considers his options and then plucks a book from the lowest shelf. "Lets see what you got," says his mother, Danyel McFarlane. Martin holds the book upside down for his mother to see."Oh, 'I Am A Puppy,'" she says, reading the title.

Dr. Richard J. Bouchard, a retired cardiologist who played an instrumental role in the establishment of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. Agnes Hospital, died Saturday from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at Stella Maris Hospice. The longtime Timonium resident was 89. The son of a railroad conductor and a homemaker, Richard Joseph Bouchard was born and raised in Ogdenburg, N.Y., where he graduated in 1946 from St. Mary's High School. "His main interest was heart catheterization, and he was very good at it. His patients loved him and he was an extremely honorable man," said Dr. Ronald H. Gillilan, a semiretired cardiologist and director of the cardiac rehabilitation program at St. Agnes Hospital.

People of all ages, from newborns to the elderly, may experience anemia - the lack of healthy red blood cells in the body - at some point in their lives. It is estimated that there are 3.5 million people in the United States who have anemia. Dr. Meyer R. Heyman, a hematologist who directs the Center for Blood Disorders at St. Agnes Hospital, discusses the condition. * Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body; therefore, those with anemia do not get sufficient oxygen-rich blood.

Running puts an enormous amount of pressure and strain on the body and can often lead to injury, says Dr. Brian Polsky, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at St. Agnes Hospital. Sixty percent of runners experience an injury severe enough to sideline them, he says. With marathon season here - the Baltimore Marathon takes place Oct. 10 - Polsky outlines a few steps runners of all abilities can take in order to prevent running injuries. Maintain flexibility and strength: Both strength training and flexibility exercises should be components of a runner's weekly workout.