DAVENPORT, Iowa -- January 18, 2013 -- Genesis Health System President and CEO Doug Cropper has announced the promotion of Wayne Diewald to GHS Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. The health system COO is a new leadership position announced by Mr. Cropper last month that will report directly to him. Mr. Diewald had been President of GMC Davenport and a Genesis Health System Senior Vice President.

In making the announcement, Mr. Cropper explained the organizational need for "expert and focused" leadership dedicated to achieving performance excellence across the health system.

"This re-structuring will promote greater system integration and consistency in quality clinical care and customer service," said Cropper. "And, it will result in a more agile organization that is better able to respond to the shifting demands of a changing health care environment."

Mr. Cropper went on to express great confidence in the ability of Mr. Diewald to help accelerate Genesis' progress on the Journey to Excellence.

"He brings both business savvy and a deep commitment to our mission of 'compassionate, quality health services to all those in need' to this assignment. I know Wayne will help guide us wisely forward," said Cropper.

Mr. Cropper also noted the growing demand for a greater share of his attention to more long-range strategic issues and away from operations as a contributing reason for the creation of the new COO position.

"With system operations now in the capable hands of Wayne, I will focus on our goals for population health and strategic growth as well as our vision of national leadership in quality and safety," Cropper said.

Divisions reporting to the new COO will include : Genesis Medical Center, Davenport; Genesis Medical Center, Illini; all critical access hospitals; Outpatient Services; Genesis Health Group; Genesis Home Health & Hospice; and, all Genesis
Nursing Homes.

Earlier this week, Genesis Health System Senior Vice President Flo Spyrow announced Curt Coleman has been named administrator for Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt, on a permanent basis, effective immediately. He had served as
interim administrator for GMC DeWitt since July 1. Coleman also will continue to serve as Genesis administrator of Jackson County Regional Health Center in Maquoketa as he has since July 1, 2011, when Genesis began providing management services to the facility.

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PEORIA, Ill. (Jan. 16, 2013) – Like the emergency room of a hospital, the American Red Cross must be prepared to respond to patient emergencies with blood products 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Through the dedication of blood donors, the Red Cross can be prepared day in and day out, no matter The need is when or where blood is needed.

Readily available blood helps save the lives of people like David Zien, who was on his way home on his motorcycle when the SUV in front of him lost control during a lane change and flipped onto its side, sending Zien nearly 350 feet. He was transported by helicopter to a hospital, where he received 32 pints of blood. Today, Zien says he attributes much of his survival to the generosity of blood donors.

All blood types are currently needed. For more information and to make an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Carroll County
Feb. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 2100 Chicago Ave. in Savanna, Ill.

Henry County
Feb. 11 from 2:30-6 p.m. at Hooppole Community Center, 1404 Washington St. in Hooppole, Ill.
Feb. 13 from 1:15-5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 105 Dwight St. in Kewanee, Ill.

Whiteside County
Feb. 2 from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. at CGH Medical Center, 100 E. LeFevre Road in Sterling, Ill.
Feb. 5 from 8-11 a.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
Feb. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fulton High School, 1207 12th St. in Fulton, Ill.
Feb. 6 from 2-6 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
Feb. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD No. 3, 79 Grove St. in Prophetstown, Ill.
Feb. 12 from 1-5:15 p.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sterling High School, 1608 Fourth Ave. in Sterling, Ill.

Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rock Falls Blood Donation Center, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.

How to donate blood
Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an
appointment or for more information. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms
of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental
consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be
eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also
have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red
Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the
American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join
our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

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"Insane" has a clear meaning when we can look at it next to "sane" in the real world. Unfortunately, that has become more and more difficult to do, says Mike Bartos, former chief of staff at a state psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane.

"It's not just because the media rely so much now on bizarre behavior to entertain their audiences," says Bartos, author of "BASH" - Bay Area State Hospital - (www.mikebartos.com), a fast-paced tongue-in-cheek novel that stems from his decades of experience as a mental health-care professional.

"Take a look at what have become the 'normal' problems in modern America - some of them could be textbook examples of psychological dysfunction."

Case - or rather, cases - in point:

• Obesity epidemic: Denial, compulsion, addiction and sublimation are just a few mechanisms at work in the psychology of a largely obese population. Sublimation is the mature defense activity perpetrated when socially unacceptable impulses, such as sexuality, are redirected, in this case to the consumption of salty, fatty and sugary food. With more than two thirds of the U.S. population either overweight or obese, there is nothing sane about this health crisis.

• Banking: The financial crisis that changed the world in 2008 can be largely owed to a cluster of "too big to fail" U.S. banks and their employees who thought they could continuously repackage terrible debt loans. Meanwhile, unqualified customers snatched up properties they couldn't afford. This was an undiagnosed mega-scale gambling addiction. Many in the financial world knew it simply could not be sustained but the players continued to ante up.

• Climate change: Denial, denial, denial. The raw data from objective scientists overwhelmingly tells us man is largely responsible for warming global temperatures, yet we continue to use fossil fuels and to fill landfills with methane-producing waste. It's a classic case; we completely ignore symptoms and evidence to maintain the status quo.

• A drugged nation: Marijuana, a natural relaxant, is outlawed in most states while tobacco and alcohol - responsible for incalculable violence and sickness, as well as tens of thousands of accidents and deaths each year - are lucrative and legal vice industries.  Meanwhile, some pharmaceutical companies and physicians encourage substance abuse and chemical dependency by promoting pills to ease the inevitable emotional and physical pains that come with life.

"Many of my psychiatric patients suffered from addiction to both legal and illegal drugs. Sometimes it was hard to tell which came first, the addiction or the other mental health issues," Bartos says. "The legal or illegal status of certain drugs seems to be completely arbitrary -- much like the behavior of a patient suffering psychosis," he says.

• Spoiled-brat adults: Narcissistic Personality Disorder isn't only now accepted in society, it's widely encouraged and celebrated, Bartos says. Reckless driving and road-rage are just two examples in which individuals are so self-absorbed, they believe their time and sense of entitlement are more important than the lives and safety of others. Throw on top of that our obsession with plastic surgery, need for constant attention on social media, and pre-occupation with consumer brands and we have pandemic megalomania.

• War: America has been at war for 10 years now, and leaders cannot say with any precision what we are doing with our current campaign in Afghanistan, nor what we accomplished with our last one in Iraq. It's as if government leaders have a masochistic, sociopathic relationship with one percent of the U.S. population - the military, and their families. Young men are shipped off in the prime of their health, and often return physically or mentally damaged, if they come back at all. "Is this sane?" Bartos asks.

About Mike Bartos

Mike Bartos is currently in private psychiatric practice in the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife Jody.  He has several decades of experience in the mental health field, including serving as chief of staff at a state hospital for mentally ill patients convicted of violent crimes, where he focused on forensic psychiatry. Bartos is a former radio show host and newspaper columnist. While practicing in Charleston, S.C., he served as a city councilman for the nearby community of Isle of Palms.

There's a crisis in primary health care. In some cities, almost 90 percent of primary care physicians are not accepting new patients because their practices are full. And it's only going to get worse, warns noted physician and emeritus professor of medicine Dr. Paul Griner (www.DrPaulGriner.com), author of "The Power of Patient Stories: Learning Moments in Medicine."

"In 2014, 32 million people currently without health insurance will become insured and there will be nowhere near enough primary-care physicians to meet their needs," Griner says. "Less than 20 percent of new physicians are entering primary care, which includes the specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine and general pediatrics."

Griner, an internist and longtime advocate of physician-patient relationship as the first and most vital diagnostic tool, says it's important to find a doctor who will take the time to listen to you. But first, you need to decide what kind of primary care physician will best meet your needs. For instance, a family physician can care for both you and your children. A general internist is trained for the care of adults. A geriatrician has additional training in the care of older patients. A gynecologist may also have an interest in primary care.

Once you've made that decision, he offers these suggestions for qualities to look for:

• Someone who is interested in knowing the whole patient -- not just the illness. As the great Sir William Osler, Regis Professor of Medicine at Oxford, once said, "The good physician knows the disease the patient has. The great physician knows the patient who has the disease."

• A patient-centered atmosphere in the office

• Someone who is a good listener. Most diagnoses can be made or suspected by letting the patient tell his or her story

• Someone who is willing to say, "I don't know," but does know where to go to get the answer, such as referring you to another doctor or using medical knowledge bases such as "Up To Date."

• Readiness to use the latest technology for communicating with patients, such as the I-phone, e-mail or Skype.

• Someone who values team care and values the role of advanced practice nurses or physician's assistants.

"Ask around," Griner says. "Get recommendations from friends and colleagues; the experience of other patients is always helpful. Askyour county medical society for names of physicians who are accepting new patients, or ask the premier hospital in your area, then check their credentials and look for feedback about timeliness, friendliness, etc., on-line."

If you want to do something about the primary care physician shortage, there are ways the public can help, Griner adds.

• Advocate for more support for primary care through your state and U.S. representatives. "Support" can include more money for primary care training grants; better compensation for primary care physicians; and expansion of sites that qualify as physician shortage areas

• Support the development of local "accountable care organizations" or networks by your local hospital, health system or group practice. The goal of these new organizations is to guarantee comprehensive, continuous care with the primary care physician as the manager of a team of health professionals.

• Support community initiatives to recruit primary care physicians through incentives such as loan relief.

About Paul Griner, M.D.

Hematologist/internist Paul Griner has had a 59-year career in medicine. He is a professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and was a consultant at the Massachusetts General Hospital, senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and consultant to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Cambridge, Mass. He has written or co-written 130 journal articles, book chapters, and books on clinical medicine, medical education, and health policy. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was president of a number of national medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians.