The Behavioral Health Pavilion Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

May 2015
The Behavioral Health Pavilion
Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
“I see The Pavilion as the preferred destination
in our region for mental health treatment
provided by caring, knowledgeable, well trained,
psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, nurses,
and counselors. We have had dramatic expansion
and improvement of psychiatric services here
at The Pavilion in the past five years
and my vision is to continue to guide that
clinical growth to ensure superior care to
those people in need of our services;
not just in our local area but region-wide.”
Jeffry T. Gee, M.D.
Medical Director and Chairman of Psychiatry
The Behavioral Health Pavilion
Director of Business Development Connie Cochran greeted guests as they arrived for the
anniversary reception.
The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias commemorated five successful years on Wednesday, May 13 with an anniversary reception for area
residents, local and state officials, and the media.
Since the spring of 2010, The Pavilion has admitted 8,588 patients
and provided a comprehensive continuum of psychiatric care
that includes step-down services in the form of intensive outpatient programming, traditional outpatient counseling, and
medication management. Outpatient visits since 2011 have
totaled 7,819. The facility attracts patients from throughout West
Virginia and southwest Virginia.
Administrator Steve Cavender welcomed guests and presented a
brief overview of the history of The Pavilion beginning with the visionary leadership of Princeton Community Hospital CEO Wayne
Griffith who sought, through a partnership with Diamond Healthcare
Corporation, to transform the former St. Luke’s Hospital into a
much-needed behavioral health facility.
Reception
program,
commemorative
booklet, and anniversary
paperweight.
Mr. Cavender said, “This state-of-the-art center has turned into a success story for this region over the past five years. We are proud of the
1
work being done here and proud of our staff for helping meet
a great need in the area.”
“We’ve had many real success stories over the years,” Dr.
Gee observed. “The Pavilion has helped depressed college
students stay in school and graduate – they have helped
parents to overcome mental illness that would have otherwise rendered them ineffective at home and work, and they
continue to provide a stable and safe environment for patients to recover and re-establish normalcy in their lives.
Many patients have said ‘Dr. Gee, you saved my life.’ It is
good to hear that as it is a reminder of what we are here for.
“We now have 64 beds for inpatient care on three different
units. We have admitted patients from every county in
West Virginia and from many counties in Virginia. There is
an army of highly trained folks on staff who are here to
help people.
“We have a full compliment of outpatient services. We’ve
built the foundation in five years for further growth in the
community and the region.
Kimberly Gross, regional representative for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin,
delivering a greeting from the Governor.
“Full-time medical students are on rotation at The Pavilion
from Lewisburg and Blacksburg. There are approximately
20 students rotating annually and they learn a lot about
psychiatry.”
Mr. Cavender introduced Kimberly Gross, regional representative for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Ms. Gross delivered the following greeting from the Governor:
“As Governor, I offer greetings with regards to the fifth anniversary of The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias.
Princeton Community Hospital is an important part of the
mountain state as I’m sure it is to our neighbor, Virginia. I
commend its staff for the hard work and commitment that
they show every day. They are setting good examples for the
rest of the state as well as recognizing and meeting a need
throughout our great nation. Also, I congratulate everyone
involved with helping them to succeed through the past five
years. Your role has made a difference and I applaud your extraordinary efforts. Furthermore, I encourage each of you to
continue in your efforts to make our region a better place to
work and live. Again, I send my greeting on this occasion
and I wish you a bright and successful future.”
Administrator Steve Cavender.
Medical Director Dr. Jeffry Gee.
“This is a time to celebrate our accomplishments, to refocus
our original goal – which is helping our community by providing quality mental health treatment, and it is a time to
focus on the future as well.”
Dr. Gee discussed the Suicidal Thought and Biological
Markers Study that was initiated at The Pavilion in the fall
of 2013. The full title of the national study is Suicidal
Thought and Biological Markers (STM): A Prospective Multicenter Study Validating Verbal, Non-verbal & Genetic Methods
to Assess Suicidal Intent. Developed by Dr. John Pestian with
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the study’s
aim was to develop a model to accurately predict the likelihood of a suicide attempt. The STM study involved people
who had expressed suicidal intent, plus those who suffered
from other mental health issues. It also involved people
who did not have any mental health issues. The Pavilion
study team recently concluded a series of 125 participant
interviews. Analysis of the research data is underway with
preliminary findings scheduled for release this fall.
Dr. Gee recalled wearing a hardhat as he toured the facility
during renovation. He joined The Pavilion as the medical
director in June 2010.
He also described the latest technology to be embraced by
The Pavilion called transcranial magnetic stimulation
(TMS). TMS is a procedure that uses magnetic fields to
Sincerely, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin
Following Ms. Gross’ remarks, Medical Director and Chairman of Psychiatry Jeffry Gee, M.D., addressed the crowd.
He said, “It is good to take pause from time to time to reflect on and celebrate accomplishments. The five-year anniversary of a medical facility in the community is
noteworthy in my opinion. Thank you all for coming. It is
great to see such a good turnout.
2
Diamond COO Rick Shrum.
made the collective decision
to embark upon this project.
Our vision was to develop a
state-of-the-art behavioral
health facility that could serve
this region. Today is a very
clear demonstration that
we’ve achieved that goal.
Keys to that success were
teamwork and collaboration.
The leadership teams at both
Princeton Community Hospital and Diamond Healthcare
Reverend David Neal.
Corporation came together
with our physicians and our great staff to pull this project
together.”
PCH COO Jeff Lilley.
stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of
depression. Transcranial magnetic stimulation may be tried
when other depression treatments have not worked.
Mr. Shrum thanked Kevin Graham with PCH, Lindsay Shuff
with Diamond, Travis Lilly with St. Luke’s and The Pavilion,
and the entire construction crew for the major renovation
that transformed the facility. From an operational and clinical perspective, he thanked Larry Burchfield, Joetta Dotson,
and the entire management team at PCH.
With TMS, a large electromagnetic coil is placed against the
scalp near the forehead. The electromagnet used in TMS creates electric currents that stimulate nerve cells in the region
of the brain involved in mood control and depression.
The TMS equipment has been installed at The Pavilion and
training is now underway.
He then acknowledged the leadership and support of the
current team – Dr. Jeffry Gee, Dr. Kerry Musick, Steve
Cavender, Connie Cochran, Dawn Chatton, Jeff Lilley, Pam
Dillow, Rose Morgan, and the staff at Diamond Healthcare
Corporation. Mr. Shrum introduced Christopher Carney,
President and CEO of Diamond Healthcare Corporation,
who was visiting The Pavilion for the first time.
Diamond Healthcare Chief Operating Officer Richard
Shrum followed Dr. Gee. Mr. Shrum said, “I’m hopeful that
everyone here today understands how much hard work and
how much good work went into what’s become The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias. From the beginning, it
was a collaborative effort – a collective thought – between
Princeton Community Hospital and Diamond Healthcare
Corporation. Through Mr. Griffith’s leadership and through
Mr. St. John’s leadership with the Board of Directors, we
In his closing remarks, Mr. Shrum noted that the focus for the
future of The Pavilion would be the same as in the past –
shared vision, teamwork, true partnership, and quality of care.
Administrator Steve Cavender; Diamond Healthcare President and CEO Christopher Carney; Medical Director and Chairman of Psychiatry Jeffry Gee,
M.D.; Diamond Healthcare COO Richard Shrum; Regional Representative for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin Kimberly Gross; and Princeton Community
Hospital COO Jeff Lilley.
3
A Short Memoir
I looked around and all I saw were smiles and
happy faces – but more than that,
I saw peace. I saw hearts being put back
together. If only for that moment,
I was ok because I saw hope.
In that moment we truly lived and nothing else
mattered. We smiled as if we had smiled forever – as if we had endless love of every kind.
Our hearts were at peace. We were at peace.
I did not need marijuana, or a cigar, or even my
klonopin that I missed dearly to make me feel
better. I had everything I needed. I had love. I
had people that cared. I belonged to someone,
to a cause, to a group. I actually fit in for the
first time in my life. And for the first time in my
life I could shine. It was ok with me that it was
through a light that someone else was
generating. I became “we” in that moment.
All we have is hope. All we need is love.
Something we can grasp but not necessarily
something we can touch.
In that moment I realized that these people
with whom I could share anything were my
family. They were what I had been longing for.
They took the ache out of my heart and
replaced it with love. In that moment I valued
myself and I felt as though I provided that
same nurturing touch to someone else in the
room. I was human. I was ... me.
Family and friends – are they really that
different? Friends are the family we choose to
gently guide us to and along the right path.
Friends are the family that lasts.
In my mind we were somewhere each of us
wanted to be. We were who we wanted to be. I
saw it. We achieved everything we ever wanted
in that moment. We are patients, mental health
patients – and we have hope, and laughter,
and smiles. Something as rare and precious as
diamonds in this room – those smiles. I will not
wish to relive that moment because it is neither
plausible nor necessary. It is the past, but I will
always have that moment and no one can take
that from me – from us!
If just for today we can have a smile.
If just for today we can laugh aloud.
If just for today we would have no sorrows.
If just for today we did not worry about
tomorrow. If just for today. But I will not be sorry
about today or even tomorrow because I worry
that it will worsen. But in this moment of today,
I will dwell in that moment that we were
worth it ... because I am worth it.
By a Former Pavilion Patient
Chief Operating Officer Jeff Lilley took
the floor after Mr. Shrum to deliver the
keynote address. He remarked that
upon his arrival at Princeton Community Hospital four years ago, it was obvious that The Behavioral Health
Pavilion of the Virginias was a huge
component of PCH and the relationship with Diamond was exceptional.
Mr. Lilley said, “The Pavilion is a
tremendous asset for our hospital, especially from the standpoint of the
emergency department and having a
facility for our ER patients in need of
psychiatric care. The staff of The Pavilion are key to its success. They do a
tremendous job and many of the folks
who continue to work for The Pavilion
were tenured employees with St.
Flowers by Brown Sack Creations,
Luke’s. There is a lot of value in that.
Brushfork, West Virginia.
Kudos to Dr. Gee and the staff for
making this facility what it is today. The transformation of St. Luke’s
hospital into The Behavioral Health Pavilion was a great opportunity.
Certainly Wayne Griffith and Rick Shrum saw that as a tremendous
value, not only for the former employees of St. Luke’s but also for the
community. In the state of West Virginia as well as in the United States
in general , the need for behavioral healthcare continues to grow.
Often, it is very difficult for communities to provide appropriate psychiatric care. We are fortunate to have this facility in Mercer County
and we look forward to providing
additional services
in the future.”
Mr. Lilley concluded his general
remarks by acknowledging the
important role
Nurse Manager
Shannon Riedel
played in the early
work of The Pavilion. Ms. Riedel
passed away in
December 2013.
Cake by Sabrina Richardson.
In the keynote address, Mr. Lilley discussed the changing attitudes toward mental health issues in Appalachia, the various services provided
by The Pavilion during its first five years, the educational outreach
programs, and the role the facility has played in helping meet the mental health needs of the region.
PCH Chaplain Reverend David Neal offered the invocation, after which
everyone enjoyed a sumptuous buffet lunch prepared by Executive
Chef Tommy Lee Vance and the Nutritional Services staff.
Everyone in attendance was given a gift bag and a copy of the 5th anniversary commemorative booklet.
4
The Pavilion Nurse Manager Pam Dillow, Clinical Director Lisa Caldwell, Administrative Assistant Tracey Spangler, Administrator Steve Cavender,
Director of Business Development Connie Cochran, and Director of Outpatient Services Kimberly Franklin.
Nurse Manager (PCH) Marlene Martin, Nurse Manager (PCH) Janet Shrewsbury, Nurse Manager (Pavilion) Pam Dillow; Vice President of Patient Care
Services Rose Morgan, and Nurse Manager (PCH) Sandy Counts.
5