FRIDAY July 13, 2018 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER 75 CENTS Back-to-school gift card Heart of the Matter campaign CMC lays underway for Advocates’ groundwork for shelter cardiovascular residents BY MARIE NESMITH services [email protected] expansion Looking to “empower” its shel- ter residents, Advocates for Chil- BY JAMES SWIFT dren is seeking public support for [email protected] the nonprofit’s back-to-school gift card drive. Within a decade, Dr. Maxwell Prempeh “We start this campaign around — a Harbin Clinic interventional cardiolo- the first week of July or whenever gist and the medical director of cardiovas- the school supply lists start rolling cular services at Cartersville Medical out,” said Lyndsey Wilson, director Center (CMC) — fully expects the local of Advocates’ Flowering Branch hospital to provide structural and valvular Children’s Shelter. “It is our hope heart surgeries. that when people start thinking of And the road to that kind of cardiological getting their own kids back-to- care in Cartersville may have started last month with the filing of a certificate of need school ready, they will remember to Georgia’s Department of Community our kids as well. Parents of recently Health. graduated children are possibly an CMC, via a loan from its parent company even better fit for this campaign Hospital Corp. of America, is planning to since they are still in the back-to- invest almost $4 million in cardiovascular school habit but are looking for a services expansions and renovations. new way to kick off the school “We do anticipate approval without any year. problems, and that’s because there’s such “There is no direct connection of strong justification for the volume that we our back to school gift card cam- have experienced in growth in cardiology,” paign and Amazon Prime Day said CMC COO Lori Rakes. since we are wanting to allow the Over the last five years, she said catheter- JAMES SWIFT/DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS kids the opportunity to go shopping ization lab procedures at CMC have in- Cartersville Medical Center COO Lori Rakes and Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services Dr. Maxwell Prempeh say for themselves. However, Amazon creased 77 percent, while echocardiography plans for cardiology services expansion will have a big impact on the local hospital. makes purchasing gift cards sim- lab services have increased 12 percent. ple. Anyone participating in Prime Under CMC’s expansion proposal, its specialists have already interviewed with it impacts so many departments in the hos- tients to CMC. Day on the 16th could very easily stress lab and echocardiography lab will be the hospital; she said she expects to have pital.” “We’d like to be able to keep everything add a gift card to their cart before moved into the same area as the rest of its several onboard with CMC by next sum- She said she anticipates the certificate of local,” he said. “In the past we’ve had to checking out,” she said about the cardiology services. The plan also includes mer. need to be approved around November, send people out for certain procedures and shopping opportunity for Amazon the addition of a new cath lab, which takes Prempeh said he’s especially excited with construction set to begin immediately I think with the new expansion we’ll be Prime members that starts Monday advantage of advanced biplane imaging about the expansion allowing for treatment thereafter. By this time next year, she said able to retain a lot more of the patients here at 3 p.m. and lasts 36 hours. “The technology, as well as another stress lab. of peripheral vascular disease. she expects CMC’s expanded cardiological at CMC and Bartow County, where they “It really makes it an area that’s very pa- “We’ll be able to do peripheral interven- services to be fully operational. feel more comfortable rather than having to shelter also has an Amazon wish tient-friendly, both for the outpatient envi- tions, primarily through Dr. Rajeeve Sub- “Our driving intention is to make sure travel to other places.” list that includes laundry detergent, ronment as well as the inpatient biah, and we plan on doing stents, that we can provide the needed services for The new technology, Rakes said, won’t hygiene products and kitchen sup- environment,” Rakes said. essentially, in the kidney arteries, the arm residents in Bartow County without them just allow CMC to offer more cardiovascu- plies, which are in high demand all In total, she said CMC looks to spend arteries, the legs,” he said. “We’re not going having to leave for care that we feel like we lar services in the short term. She also said yearlong.” about $1.3 million on equipment upgrades to be getting into the pacemakers just yet, can provide,” she said. “By being able to it will allow Prempeh and his interventional Formed in 1983, Advocates for and add about 4,000 square feet to its car- but we plan on bringing pacemaker implan- run two labs at the same time, it frees up cardiology colleagues to identify — and Children assists more than 3,000 diology services footprint. tations soon.” that ability to do so ... that will just add fur- then begin the implementation processes area youth and families each year. “With the biplane technology, what that The proposed expansion, Rakes said, ther ability for us to be able to respond very for — new procedures that may be per- Along with operating Flowering allows us to do is really be able to plan for would have a pronounced impact on quickly to patient needs.” formed at the hospital in the near future. Branch Children’s Shelter, the the future,” she said, “and give us the ca- CMC’s emergency room, imaging, ICU Considering many patients who have “In 10 years, I see us having cardiotho- Cartersville organization provides pacity to do a wider variation of more com- and inpatient services. conditions such as coronary artery disease racic surgery here to expand the cardiovas- numerous programs that aid in the plex procedures.” “Cardiology is one of our service lines and congestive heart failure usually have cular service even more, to have open-heart awareness, prevention and treat- That includes opening up opportunities that just performs beautifully,” she said. peripheral vascular disease as well, Prem- surgery,” Prempeh said. “As well as elec- ment of child abuse. for new vascular and neurosurgery services. “We have great support from the commu- peh said he certainly expects the expanded trophysiology being done here for your In fact, Rakes said several neurosurgery nity, from the rest of our medical staff and cardiology services line to bring more pa- atrial fibrillations.” SEE ADVOCATES, PAGE 6A Library offers mixology ‘The Enchanted Bookshop’ to open July 20 BY MARIE NESMITH from a program that Pumphouse Players had [email protected] years ago,” Lowe said. “We revived the class, photo name for our new program as an homage to Keeping with tradition, The Pumphouse all the work of everyone that came before scanning Players will kick off its 44th season with an us, instilling a love of arts in our commu- offering from Pumphouse Junior. Opening nity’s youth. This program, of which I am Saturday July 20 at 7 p.m., “The Enchanted Book- the program director, is a free children’s the- shop” will be presented at The Legion The- ater initiative. Participants pay nothing to be BY DONNA HARRIS atre, 114 W. Main St. in Cartersville. involved, and they receive a free T-shirt and [email protected] “‘The Enchanted Bookshop’ brings liter- a summer full of fun memories putting a ary characters to life for kids and audi- show together. The Cartersville Public Library ences,” said PHP President Laurel Ann “I love watching them pull together as a is offering a couple of events Sat- Lowe, who also serves as the play’s director cast and work hard to make it happen. This urday that patrons may not have and program director for Pumphouse Junior. year’s group was ‘off-book’ with all their seen there before. “At Pumphouse Junior, we always try to add lines memorized faster than any cast we’ve This week will launch the Satur- a little extra educational material to our ever had, and it has been very fulfilling to day Scan Day, where patrons can show, whether that be about literature, see them take ownership of their roles and make an appointment between 9 mythology or something else entirely. We their show. As director of the play, I guide a.m. and 3 p.m. each Saturday at want our actors and audience members to them and lead them in the right direction, the library at 429 W. Main St. to leave having learned something. but once we open on July 20, it’s truly out use its photo scanner to digitally “‘The Enchanted Bookshop’ is unique in of my hands and it becomes their show. It’s preserve their personal photos and that it makes room for 25-plus kids to be on- going to be a great one.” documents up to size 9-by-12. stage in parts that have a rich life beyond The play’s cast includes Trinity Haynes as Director of Finance and Out- this stage. We’ve already heard from some Miss Margie; understudy Jessica Green as reach Jill McAllister said listening of our young actors that they’ve been doing Miss Margie for July 22’s matinee; Gwen to podcasts about family history their ‘homework’ to learn about characters, Kalos as Bombalurina; Audrey Linek as topics gave her the idea to start like Pollyanna, Robin Hood and Tom Mom; Ethan Thompson as Timmy; Chris- looking into ways to help people Sawyer,” she said, referring to some of the tian Cothran as Officer Ketchum; Christina preserve their heritage.