A Week In Business

New CEO Appointed

SALISBURY – Lower Shore Enterprises (LSE), which provides employment opportunities to workers with disabilities, has named Luis A. Luna as its next Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds John R. “Jack” Heath, who will retire June 30.

“We wanted a worthy successor to Jack, who has done a superb job managing LSE during the past four years,” said incoming board president Dr. Rick McCann. “Luis fills the bill. He brings us a remarkable mix of skills, passion and experience. He has impressive high-level national and local management experience in the for-profit, nonprofit and government arenas. Plus, he is well known in our community for his civic involvement. Luis has a heart for our mission, and we are delighted to have him lead this organization.”

For the past six months, Luna has been part of LSE’s senior management team as its Director of Operations. He oversees its production, custodial and document destruction services as well as managing its facilities.

Over his career, Luna has served as Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, head of corporate communications and spokesman for Perdue Farms, and executive director of the Greater Salisbury Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and has a law degree from Georgetown University.

Luna called LSE “an inspiring place.” He added, “Every day, we see individuals eager to work. They overcome tough odds with the goal of becoming self-sufficient. LSE deserves the recognition it has received during its 46 years of existence. I’m honored to have the chance to help lead it as we continue building employment partnerships for persons with disabilities.”

Daisy Award Winner

SALISBURY — Nurses at Peninsula Regional Medical Center are being honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a national program to recognize the outstanding efforts of nurses in their daily work.

The award recipient for May is Michele McIntosh, RN. Her nomination, written by a patient’s family member, described how she monitored a potentially dangerous clinical situation while showing compassion for the patient and family by maintaining a calm, soothing manner. She stayed with the patient until long after her night shift was over.

“I have no idea what time she finally got out of there that morning, but at no time did she ever make us feel that she wanted to be anywhere other than where she was — with us,” the nominator wrote of McIntosh. “Her demeanor and efficiency made a very difficult situation better.”

Every month, a nurse will be selected by Peninsula Regional’s nursing administration to receive the DAISY Award. At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients and visitors, the honoree will receive a certificate commending her or him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.”

The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” The honoree will also be given a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. To nominate a nurse, visit www.peninsula.org/DaisyAward.

“We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day,” said PRMC Chief Nursing Officer Mary Beth D’Amico. “It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Top Producer Named

WILLARDS — Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley recently congratulated Nikki Strickler as the top producer for May.

Strickler, who has nine years of experience in the insurance industry, is an expert in employer benefits and specializes in health and wellness.

Resource Lunch Held

BERILN — The Coastal Delmarva Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors® recently held a Business Resource Luncheon Meeting entitled, “Getting Ahead of the Storm” at the Captain’s Table Restaurant in Ocean City.

In attendance were members of the chapter and other local area Realtors who enjoyed a presentation by a panel of experts to get prepared for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. The panel members were Bob Rhode from Ocean City Emergency Services; Stephen Shiveley, WMDT Meteorologist; Jim Smith, Consumer Advocate Delmarva Power; Barbara Shufelt, Red Cross Lower Shore; Therese Tyndall, Nationwide Insurance; and Alison McCarty and Chrissy Maddy, of BB&T.

The panel answered questions regarding when the storm season officially begins, what the possible effects are and how to prepare property owners. Excellent resource tools were distributed to those in attendance making them better able to assist others.

Scan System In Place

SALISBURY — Peninsula Regional Medical Center is the first healthcare system in Maryland to use PatientSecure, a cutting-edge system that uses a palm vein scan to identify patients biometrically.

Patient safety is one of the driving factors that led PRMC to choose PatientSecure. When patients register with the system, a digital image of their hand veins is converted into a unique patient identifier in a secure format that interfaces with the healthcare system’s electronic health record system. The patient record is linked indelibly with the correct patient, helping to decrease patient wait time and speed up registrations. It also prevents identification theft and error. Every person’s palm vein pattern is unique, so once patients are registered, there is never any doubt about which record belongs to them. It ensures that the right care is provided to the right patient, every time.

“Imagine being incapacitated or knocked unconscious in an accident and brought to the Emergency Department,” said Jeff Karns, PRMC Executive Director of Patient Financial Services. “Even if patients can’t give their name in these cases, their palm can be scanned and their medical record accessed, giving doctors valuable information such as past medical events and allergies.”

PatientSecure works by scanning palm vein patterns using harmless, near-infrared light, which is the same as the light of a TV remote control. The advanced algorithm processes the vein pattern to create an encrypted and protected digital file which is linked to a unique medical record.

PatientSecure palm scanning technology is making its debut in Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s outpatient registration areas, with plans to roll it out to other departments and affiliated physician’s offices over the next few months.