Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital says farewell to retiring physicist, touts ‘Baby Friendly’ status

ALBANY — Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital recently honored a retiring physicist, while also making note of its recent Baby Friendly Designation, behavioral health unit reopening and DNV GL Healthcare survey.

Physicist Michael Cleland, who has been on the hospital’s staff since 1983, is retiring at the end of the month. Drs. Chuck Mendenhall and Jay McAfee from Radiation Oncology Associates honored him at the hospital’s Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday.

“He is virtually impossible to replace because they don’t train him the way he was trained,” Mendenhall said.

McAfee noted that Cleland is a cancer survivor, and that nobody has been able to reach out to patients the way he has.

The physicist himself remarked that he has always had a heart for the people who worked at Phoebe, and that is a greatly encouraged attitude.

He also treasured his role as patient advocate, and for giving them a sense of hope.

“There is no way I can do something like this again, with the people I have spent time with,” the husband and father of three sons said. “The people here are the best, so it makes it easier to do your best.”

There is a bell on the radiation floor that patients ring when they finish their treatment, which has now been named in honor of Cleland.

The board also was updated on Phoebe’s recent Baby Friendly Designation status announcement. Officials said the five-year process to receive the designation now means promotion of skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby, babies rooming in with their mothers, doing pediatric evaluations in the mother’s room and encouraging proper breastfeeding and formula feeding.

Jennifer Heleski, nurse navigator for the hospital’s women’s and children’s services, said she has seen a significant difference in patient satisfaction — even among those who have delivered at Phoebe before.

“They are telling their friends and families (about their experience),” she said.

It was also noted that Phoebe’s inpatient behavioral health unit was put back online last month, nearly a year after a patient in the unit damaged a sprinkler that resulted in “a tremendous amount of water” making its way into multiple floors.

Laura Shearer, the hospital’s senior vice president of operations, remembered on Wednesday getting the 3 a.m. call about the incident last November. Since then, one unit for eight highly functional patients opened on Oct. 20 and another unit for 10 high-acuity patients opened on Oct. 24 after a period of extensive repairs.

“It turned out really, really nicely,” she said.

Phoebe Putney Health System COO Joe Austin repeated a note from the hospital’s Professional Affairs Committee meeting on Oct. 23 concerning Phoebe’s recent DNV annual survey.

He said a team of five individuals came down last month, finding six items to “tweak,” including one requiring a paperwork follow-up.

“Of all the surveys we had, this is the best survey we have ever had,” Austin said.

Phoebe Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Kitchen presented the latest report from the Professional Affairs Committee, which included a recommended delineation of privileges change for pediatrics to provide staff the option between core privileges or the refer and follow category. The board approved the change unanimously.

The hospital board is scheduled to meet again on Dec. 6.