Franciscan Health

Fr. James Barrand conducted a blessing for the ambulance during the open house and blessing of the Franciscan Critical Care Transport-Indianapolis on Friday.

The Franciscan Health Coding team is searching for experienced hospital inpatient and outpatient coders, educators and supervisors. These are remote positions in Indiana. Apply today to learn about our great organization and benefits! #BecomeFranciscan https://lnkd.in/gg29R_mW

Join Franciscan WorkingWell at its symposium Sept. 12 in Merrillville.

Join us in congratulating the July 2023 Nursing Cohort on their graduation. They recently celebrated the milestone at Franciscan Health in central Indiana. #WeAreFranciscan

FRANCISCAN PHYSICIAN NETWORK FEATURED OPPORTUNITY – GENERAL SURGERY OPPORTUNITY IN OLYMPIA FIELDS! Franciscan Health Olympia Fields is seeking a Board-Certified General Surgeon to work in our General Surgery practice located on our hospital campus in Olympia Fields, Illinois. Fellowship training is a plus but is not required. This person will also appreciate working in a community teaching hospital mentoring surgical residents and serving the needs of a diverse patient population. • Full-time schedule – 2 to 3 half days in office, Scheduled OR time for elective cases, rotating coverage on in-hospital service with resident team • 10 operating rooms (1 open Heart and 1 robotic) • Call is currently 1:3 with residents taking first call • Excellent subspecialty support from GI, Oncology, Pulmonary, Cardiology, etc. • General surgical volume in 2021 was approximately 900 cases. (This will undoubtedly grow as we get further away from the Covid epidemic). • 214 bed hospital with 31 bed ICU staffed by critical care team • EPIC electronic medical record • Opportunity to focus on a subspecialty of general surgery Olympia Fields is a suburb of Chicago without the hustle and bustle of living downtown. It offers an affordable cost of living with excellent school options including private and public schools. Park your car and ride the Olympia Fields Metra into downtown Chicago or neighboring cities. Diverse employment base with good commercially insured base of employees. Learn More About This Fantastic Opportunity! https://lnkd.in/gWF-rfDC For more information, contact Physician & Provider Services. practice@franciscanalliance.org

Congratulations to Franciscan Health Munster general surgeon Jovenel Cherenfant, MD, named Physician of the Year by the medical staff. Dr. Cherenfant serves as Medical Director for the General Surgery Department, Breast Program leader, Chair of the Medical Education Committee, Cancer Committee member, Liver and Hepatobiliary Program member and Robotic Committee member. He is also the former Surgery Department chairman. In addition to serving on hospital committees, for the past eight years, Dr. Cherenfant has served as a volunteer with Holistic Evolution in Gary, the mission of which is to provide mentoring, life coaching and resource connection for men of color between the ages of 16 and 24. He also travels yearly to Haiti and Ghana for medical mission work, performing 80 to 100 surgeries per trip for patients with limited access to healthcare. The Physician of the Year award is presented annually by the medical staff to a physician who embodies the Franciscan Alliance values of respect for life, fidelity to the Franciscan Alliance mission, compassionate concern, joyful service and Christian stewardship. “I cannot think of this as an individual award,” Dr Cherenfant said. “Taking care of patients is teamwork. When my patients do well, it is because my clinic staff, the anesthesiologists and the hospitalists do their best to provide quality care. I thank my co-workers and colleagues for their support.” #WeAreFranciscan

The Franciscan Health Foundation of Northern Indiana recently received a $3,000 donation from Horizon Bank to support the Franciscan Health Michigan City Center of Hope program. The Center of Hope program provides a safe environment for survivors of violence, sexual abuse and trauma, including pediatric victims. Financial support for the Franciscan Health Michigan City Center of Hope program assists in the emotional, physical and spiritual healing of those impacted by sexual and physical assault and abuse. The sexual assault nurse examiners serving Center of Hope are specially trained in cultural sensitivity, injury identification, evidence preservation, forensic photography, forensic documentation, courtroom testimony and the acute and long-term effects of sexual violence. The $3,000 gift from Horizon Bank will be used to purchase transportation vouchers, soft blankets, new clothing and undergarments to replace those that must be kept for evidence, hygiene items for patients to use to shower and restaurant gift cards. “Thank you for helping support victims of violence,” said Center of Hope Program Coordinator and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Jen Ahlenius. “Your generous donation will allow the Center of Hope to assist our survivors in a variety of ways. Thank you for helping us make a positive impact.” Since 2005, Horizon Bank has donated more than $60,000 to the Franciscan Health Foundation to support Franciscan Health Michigan City’s nursing scholarships, pandemic response and preparedness and the Center of Hope program.

FRANCISCAN HEALTH FEATURED OPPORTUNITY – OTOLARYNGOLOGY IN WESTERN INDIANA! Franciscan Physician Network is seeking a Board Eligible/Board Certified Otolaryngologist to join us at Lafayette Otolaryngology Associates located in Lafayette, Indiana. • Competitive compensation with guaranteed based and wRVU bonuses • Ancillary Income opportunity from ED/hospital call • Opportunity for ancillary income from hearing aid business • Flexible full-time schedule • Busy practice volumes with ample block times at both an onsite surgery center and Franciscan Health Lafayette • Average outpatient volume: Average 25 patients per day in clinic • 1:4 Call rotation with additional ER call compensated • Opportunity to buy-in to onsite Surgery Center and Audiodiagnostics Clinic • Opportunity to participate in medical education • Teaching medical students on rotation • Multiple opportunities for collaboration with Purdue University Lafayette is a multi-faceted town which encompasses a vibrant college scene, a beautiful natural landscape, and a lively urban center. Across the Wabash River in West Lafayette, Purdue University draws a diverse young student population to the city. A walking tour of downtown Lafayette reveals a historic core of Victorian architecture, unique shops, and public art. Learn More About This Fantastic Opportunity! https://lnkd.in/gYamUe72 For more information, contact Physician & Provider Services. practice@franciscanalliance.org

The Lake County Tobacco Prevention Coalition recently recognized members, community partners and youth advocates with the organization’s annual awards. This year’s awards included the Bree Wilson Youth Advocate of the Year Award, which was presented by VOICE Indiana in partnership with the Healthy Hoosiers Foundation to Mieka Neely, a 2024 graduate of Thomas Edison Jr./Sr. High School in Lake Station. The award includes a $1,000 scholarship. VOICE is Indiana’s statewide program led by teenagers who seek to engage, educate and empower peers to celebrate a tobacco- and vape-free lifestyle. The Lake County Tobacco Prevention Coalition oversees the Lake County VOICE team and is supported by the lead agencies of the Franciscan Health Foundation of Northern Indiana and Community Advocates for Northern Indiana. Indiana and national tobacco control partners established the Bree Wilson Youth Advocate of the Year Award in memory of Breanna “Bree” Lynn Wilson who died in January 2021 at the age of 22 after a battle with brain cancer. Wilson was a VOICE Action Squad Member, National Youth Ambassador Award winner for the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids and Fellow for the TRUTH Initiative. In honoring Wilson’s legacy, a VOICE Indiana Youth Ambassador or Core Team Leader is selected to receive the Bree Wilson Youth Advocate of the Year Award for their hard work, passion and commitment to pursuing health equity for all Hoosiers. “Mieka is an amazing young woman who truly embodies and embraces the spirit of VOICE and the VOICE values of respect, healthy communication, teamwork, leadership, diversity and equity,” said Stacy London, statewide VOICE coordinator. “Mieka’s commitment to VOICE these past five years and the impact she made on her community made the selection committee’s decision easy.” Neely joined VOICE in the eighth grade and has continued to be dedicated to the mission of saving youth lives. “I am humbled to be chosen as the Bree Wilson Youth Advocate of the Year,” Neely said. “Bree emulated VOICE’s core values. Her light was bright and her passion to advocate and give back to her community and all those around her was a gift. This award and scholarship (are) another way Bree’s light continues to shine.” Neely plans to attend Purdue University in West Lafayette to pursue a degree in biomedical health sciences with a premedical concentration. She has pledged to continue her volunteer and advocacy work at college. The Lake County Tobacco Prevention Coalition 2024 award recipients included Coalition Champ Karina Buenavides, Engagement Champ Adrienne Jackson and Youth Advocate Champ Astrid Garett. Honorees for Special Projects were Penny Cochran, Adrienne Jackson, Connie Martin, and Karina Buenavides.

Denice Chobanov Barsich was a 35-year-old wife and mother of three young children in 1991 when she stopped to help a motorist who drove off the road and got stuck in the snow in Schererville. Denice lost her right leg below the knee after being hit by a car as she tried to get the vehicle out of the snow. Years later, she was fitted for a new prosthetic and thought it was uncomfortable after her fitting. When she got home and took it off, she discovered a deep wound on the side of her knee. After seeing several different doctors for months without success, Denice was finally referred to the Franciscan Health Wound Healing & Prevention Institute Dyer, where staff said they could see her the same day. "I walked in the door and I knew I was home," Denice said. "I look forward to seeing everyone here. Everyone is so gentle and kind." Denice was given a wound pump to help the wound on her leg heal and allow her to wear a new prosthetic. She is using crutches in the interim. "She is very enthusiastic and has a very positive attitude," Dr. Albert Milford, DO, said. "She follows directions and is determined. It makes a world of difference in healing." Dr. Wanicki said she looks forward to being able to celebrate Denice's graduation from wound care soon, but will miss her. "The best thing about this clinic is we see our patients often, so we get to know them, know a lot about their family, their interests," he said. "They come back to visit a lot because they say they miss us."