WHO: Patients Greg Hunsucker, Jessica Headlee, Robert Zornes and Savannah Bush, Centerpoint Medical Center and Lee’s Summit Medical Center physicians, EMS crews and Missouri Mavericks Coach, Richard Matvichuk
WHAT: Great Saves On Ice
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016
Media interviews: 5:00 pm
B-roll opportunities: Reunion & Recognition, 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.; on-ice recognition during first intermission at approximately 7:35 p.m.
WHERE: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, 19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence, Missouri, 64055
WHY: Centerpoint Medical Center and Lee’s Summit Medical Center—along with its community partners, the Missouri Mavericks and Silverstein Eye Centers Arena—will honor and reunite First Responders with four patients whose lives were saved due to quick and courageous actions. This annual event recognizes EMS heroes for their contributions to the care of each patient and reunites them for the purpose of extending a collective community thank you. This year, the Missouri Mavericks join the Great Saves On Ice in recognizing these community heroes who make great “saves” each and every day.
Centerpoint Medical Center Chief Executive Officer David Williams expresses his enthusiasm for the event.“This unique Great Save allows us to recognize the remarkable collaborative effort made each day in delivering high-quality, compassionate healthcare to these patients at our respective locations,” he says.
Matt Sogard, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer of Lee’s Summit Medical Center, will join his colleague Tuesday evening at the Great Saves On Ice. “We have the privilege of working every day with Kansas City’s First Responders who represent some of the most skilled professionals and most compassionate hearts in healthcare,” he says. “Their work in helping patients is nothing short of heroic.”
This year’s event takes place at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, home of The Missouri Mavericks. The hosting of the event was a key connection as Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, Richard Matvichuk, shares his own respect for first in the line of duty community heroes. “Coaching the Missouri Mavericks is my passion, but between being a player and a Coach, I was able to become a fulltime firefighter, providing that watchful presence that EMS crews and firemen provide for our communities,” he says. “I’m pleased how life sometimes circles back, providing an opportunity to thank and acknowledge these heroes in our community.”
Centerpoint Medical Center and Lee’s Summit Medical Center are part of HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s leading healthcare provider. For more information, visit hcamidwest.com.
The patients who will be recognized at the Great Saves On Ice include:
Greg Hunsucker, Heart Attack: On October 24th, 2015, Hunsucker was preparing for dinner service at his Independence, Missouri, restaurant, V’s Italiano Ristorante, when he began experiencing chest pain. The Independence Fire Department, along with American Medical Response (AMR), responded to the scene. AMR completed an EKG and determined that Hunsucker was having a heart attack; he was immediately transferred to Centerpoint Medical Center where he was first evaluated in the Emergency Department and then quickly taken to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. Dr. Paul Nager, D.O., Cardiologist, discovered a 100 percent lesion of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in an area where stents had been placed. Angioplasty was completed to open up the blocked area with a remarkable door-to-device time of 33 minutes. Hunsucker’s heart muscle sustained minimal damage and he recovered well from the heart attack. Due to the diligent work of Independence Fire Department, AMR and Centerpoint Medical Center, Hunsucker is back serving home-style Italian food to his loyal restaurant patrons.
Jessica Headlee, Heart Attack: On April 7, 2015 around 9 p.m., 36-year-old Headlee, who serves in the Army Reserve and was preparing for deployment to Panama, felt unexpectedly fatigued. When she started having left-sided chest pain, nausea and sweating at 10 p.m., her significant other called 9-1-1 and, moments later, EMS arrived to find Headlee’s heart had gone into a fatal arrhythmia. EMS initiated CPR and shocked her back into rhythm; after Headlee regained a pulse, the EKG indicated that this otherwise healthy young woman was having a heart attack. EMS activated a code STEMI at Lee’s Summit Medical Center, calling in specially trained medical professionals. Upon arrival to the hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Headlee was found to have a completely blocked major heart artery. Within 42 minutes of her arrival at the hospital the cardiovascular team had opened the artery. Under the care of Dr. Aaron Doonan, M.D., Caridologist, she was discharged from the hospital and continued cardiac rehab for three months while she gained strength, confidence and reversed damage to her heart. Headlee’s perseverance makes her a great role model for women’s heart care. The swift action of the EMS crew saved her life and allowed the Lee’s Summit Medical Center team to give her excellent heart care.
Robert Zornes, Stroke: On July 17, 2015, Zornes was at his business, Mother’s Refuge, in Independence, Missouri. He left at 10:30 a.m. to get a drink at McDonald’s and was unable to form the words to place his order. Upset, he returned to work and called his wife, who immediately recognized his speech difficulties and had him call 9-1-1. The Independence Fire Department and AMR arrived at Mother’s Refuge only 9 minutes and found Zornes positive on the stroke scale for difficulty with speech and remembering details and overall confusion. Centerpoint Medical Center was notified of a possible stroke patient and Zornes was transported to the hospital’s Emergency Department. Dr. Lorraine Duncan, M.D. assessed him, and Dr. Margo Block, D.O., Neurologist, was immediately contacted. The decision to give tPA, the clot-busting drug was made, and Zornes received it just 47 minutes after his arrival to the hospital. Following a short hospital stay, Zornes underwent an extensive stroke workup and recently completed speech therapy treatments. He has returned to his business, thanks in part to fast and efficient stroke care received from the collaborative efforts of EMS and Centerpoint Medical Center.
Savannah Bush, Trauma: On August 13th, 2015 Bush and her seven-year-old daughter, Baylee, and six-week-old son, Bodee, were traveling down Highway 50 westbound in Lee’s Summit when an SUV pulled in front of her truck, crossing over from the eastbound lanes. Although Bush slammed on the brakes to avoid the unyielding SUV, she was unable to stop in time. Her vehicle t-boned the SUV at 60 mph, deploying the airbags. Crews from Prairie Township and Lake Lotawana Fire Protection Districts were dispatched and responded to the scene; after stabilizing the trio—which was properly restrained with seatbelts and car seats—they transported them to the Lee’s Summit Medical Center Emergency Room where Adam Henson, D.O., activated the trauma team. Bush suffered minor injuries, due in part to defensive driving. “The biggest thing for me is how wonderful EMS crews were with my two kids,” Bush says. “Baylee was very scared and it was hard for me not to be able to comfort her. The EMS crews went above in beyond, not only making sure that she was okay physically, but emotionally as well. Not knowing how Bodee was after the wreck was hard as well, but EMS kept reassuring me that he was being checked out and was just fine. Once in the ambulance they brought both kids in so I could see that they were okay before I was transported to Lee’s Summit Medical Center.”