October 31, 2005

Fact Sheets
St. John's Children's Hospital
Pediatric specialty faculty bios
Medical director appointment
Pediatric teaching rounds
SJCH Press Conference

St. John’s Children’s Hospital Recognized By National Organization
Collaborative effort with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
enhances delivery of pediatric healthcare for region

SPRINGFIELD – In recognition of the efforts by St. John's Hospital and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to enhance the quality of pediatric health care services for south-central Illinois, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) has accepted St. John's Children’s Hospital into its organization.

St. John's Children’s Hospital becomes one of 195 institutions belonging to the nonprofit association, which serves as a collective voice for health systems devoted to the well being of America's 70 million children and their families.

"Membership in NACHRI is the result of working closely with the SIU School of Medicine and community physicians to recruit new pediatric specialists and provide a high level of healthcare services for children. By joining NACHRI, we are part of a national network that works to provide the very best medical treatment for sick children," said Richard Carlson, executive vice president, St. John’s Hospital.

St. John’s Children’s Hospital operates as a "hospital-within-a-hospital" at the Carol Jo Vecchie Women and Children's Center. It serves as a unified voice for pediatric health care and philanthropy, volunteerism, child welfare, education, and pediatric program development. Dr. Mark Puczynski, professor and chairman, Department of Pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine, began serving as St. John’s Children’s Hospital’s medical director in July.

"I'm excited about the many opportunities we have to better meet the health care needs of children in central and Southern Illinois. SIU’s pediatric faculty is committed to providing high quality care for children with acute and chronic conditions through inpatient, ambulatory, and community-based programs and we’re proud to be part of the development of St. John's Children's Hospital as it continues to grow," said Dr. Puczynski.

St. John's Children's Hospital is licensed for 75 pediatric beds, performed more than 2,500 pediatric surgeries last year, and has more than 48,000 pediatric visits annually. It has the area’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and is home to the region’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Currently, five SIU neonatologists provide care for premature and seriously ill newborns from throughout a 34-county area in central and southern Illinois.

Thirty SIU pediatric specialists and surgeons are part of the medical team at St. John’s Children’s Hospital, including nine recruited in the last 18 months. They provide care in the areas of hematology-oncology, cardiology, critical care, behavioral pediatrics, gastroenterology, genetics, infectious diseases, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, pulmonology, rehabilitation, and various pediatric surgical areas.

SIU's pediatrics department is recruiting additional specialists in cardiology, critical care, gastroenterology and neonatology. Other SIU departments are recruiting specialists with pediatric expertise in urology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, dermatology and psychiatry. SIU has seven generalists pediatricians, who along with numerous community pediatricians, family practitioners and surgeons treat patients at St. John's.

Child life specialists on St. John’s staff help pediatric patients and their families prepare for surgery and procedures using a variety of tools that lessen the emotional stress that often accompanies hospitalization. The Pediatric Rehabilitation Department provides comprehensive physical, speech and occupational therapy for children.

The depth and breadth of the pediatric services offered at St. John’s Children’s Hospital is a requirement for membership in NACHRI.

"We welcome St. John's Children's Hospital to the family of care givers devoted to improving the health of children, and we look forward to its active involvement," said NACHRI President and CEO Lawrence A. McAndrews. "Because of their focus on children, institutions like St. John’s Children’s Hospital are able to identify emerging trends and problems associated with the health of children."

Children's hospitals represent approximately three percent of all hospitals nationwide, but in 2001, they gave more than 6 million days of inpatient care to more than 1 million children at an annual cost of $11 billion. The average children’s hospital sees more than a quarter million children per year on an outpatient basis.

NACHRI is a pioneer in advancing the concept of integrated child health care networks. When fully developed, these networks will make sure that children get the most appropriate and economical health care from experts who are trained at centers of excellence and accountable to the public for children's health and health care.

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Pediatric Specialty Faculty, SIU School of Medicine

Glen Aylward, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics, specializes in child psychology.

Dr. Gregory P. Brandt , assistant professor of pediatrics, directs SIU’s pediatric hematology and oncology division.

Dr. Subhash C. Chaudhary , professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric infectious diseases.

Dr. Dennis T. Crouse, Ph.D. , professor of pediatrics, is director of SIU’s neonatology division and co-director of the Springfield Perinatal Center.

Dr. Konstantin Denev , assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric critical care.

Dr. Mark H. Fishbein , associate professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric gastroenterology.

Dr. Mark R. Johnson, assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric pulmonary.

Dr. Jane C. Joost, assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in developmental behavioral pediatrics.

Dr. Jerie Beth Karkos, associate professor of pediatrics, specializes in developmental and pediatric rehabilitation.

Dr. Narinder N. Khanna , professor of pediatrics, specializes in neonatal-perinatal medicine.

Dr. Randy A. Kienstra, professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric nephrology.

Dr. Gurpreet S. Mander , assistant professor of pediatrics, directs SIU’s pediatric critical care team.

Dr. Ramzi Nicolas , assistant professor of pediatrics, directs pediatric cardiology.

Dr. Daniel J. Niebrugge , assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric hematology and oncology.

Dr. Dharmendra J. Nimavat , assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in neonatology.

Dr. Charles F. Potter , associate professor of pediatrics, specializes in neonatology.

Dr. Mark S. Puczynski joined the SIU faculty in 2005 as professor and chair of the pediatrics department. He also is medical director of St. John’s Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Michael C. Schneider , assistant professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric genetics.

Dr. Michael P. Sherman , professor of pediatrics, specializing in neonatology.

Dr. Theodore R. Sunder , professor of pediatrics, specializes in pediatric neurology.

Dr. John R. Fisk, professor of orthopaedic surgery, specializes in pediatric orthopaedic surgery.

Dr. Keith R. Gabriel , associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, specializes in pediatric orthopaedic surgery.

Dr. Ruth D. Mayforth, Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery, specializes in pediatric oncology surgery and neonatal pediatric surgery.

Dr. Patrick H. McKenna, professor of surgery and chair of the urology division, specializes in pediatric urology.

Dr. Michael Neumeister, professor of surgery, specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. David A. Rogers, professor of surgery, specializes in pediatric surgery.

Dr. Bradon J. Wilhelmi, associate professor surgery, specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Gayle E. Woodson, professor of otolaryngology, specializes in otolaryngology.

Dr. Elvin Zook , professor and chair of the plastic surgery division, specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery.