Christian Messa

Sealy & Smith Foundation contributes $3.75 million to geriatric patient facility expansion, cancer detection equipment

ACE Unit expansion will increase number of available beds to 52

GALVESTON, Texas — The Sealy & Smith Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $3.75 million to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to expand the university’s nationally recognized geriatric acute-care hospital unit by 32 beds and to purchase diagnostic equipment that will help physicians detect cancer in patients sooner.

Expansion of the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit, the first hospital unit in Texas designed exclusively to accommodate acutely ill older people, will more than double the unit’s size to 52 beds from the 20 that currently occupy part of the 10th floor of John Sealy Hospital. The $750,000 project will merge the rest of the floor into the ACE Unit by early 2005.

Because geriatric patients are more inclined to develop illnesses or experience adverse events like falls while in the hospital, the ACE Unit uses an interdisciplinary model of care. A team of nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, social workers and pharmacists with special education and geriatric training works closely with the medical staff to prevent such complications and ease anxiety among patients and their families. Group activities, in which patients share their experiences with each other, are encouraged. Staff members also persuade physically able patients to walk around the unit, rather than remain in bed for extended periods. The goal is to ensure that patients not lose function or the ability to live as independently as possible once they are ready to go home.

The facility, which was established with a $3.8 million Sealy & Smith Foundation grant and opened in October 2000, offers a more relaxed home-like environment than standard hospital rooms. Some of the ACE Unit rooms feature end tables, reclining chairs, wooden bureaus, soft lighting and wider shower stalls for easier access. Sleeper sofas are available to allow visiting family members the opportunity to stay overnight. Padded carpet in rooms and hallways reduces the risk of slips and lessens the impact from falls.

While the 32 additional beds will not have all the physical characteristics of the original ACE Unit, every patient will receive the same high level of care that has earned the facility outstanding marks among patients and their families, said Susan C. Tyler, UTMB executive director of geriatric services. The geriatric unit continues to reap exceptional scores in patient satisfaction, based on independent Press Ganey Associates surveys. Patients are asked to rate almost every facet of their stay, from the quality of their physicians to the temperature of their food. “UTMB realizes how important it is to give appropriate care to older adults,” Tyler said. “This sets us up for having one of the premier geriatric services in the nation.”

Such success can be tied to the ACE Unit’s staff, Tyler said. Together, the interdisciplinary team members help elevate the care level of older patients through the Wellderly Program, a therapeutic exercise plan that features group recreational and relaxation activities.

Adding to that achievement is the ACE Unit’s work environment. David R. Marshall, chief nursing officer in UTMB’s Department of Hospital Administration, said the facility’s nursing staff report high employee satisfaction. “The nurses and other members of the ACE Unit’s staff experience more autonomy, which allows them to claim more ownership in their patients’ care,” Marshall said.

Tyler also credited the success of the ACE Unit to Drs. James S. Goodwin and Karen H. Sexton. Goodwin, chief of the Geriatric Medicine Division and director of the Sealy Center on Aging, was the driving force behind the unit’s creation. Sexton is UTMB’s chief operating officer. “The Sealy & Smith Foundation recognizes the value of his vision for geriatric care,” Tyler said of Goodwin, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Medicine. “Dr. Sexton has taken a leadership role in making sure our hospitals’ clinical services for older adults are outstanding.”

In addition to funding the ACE Unit expansion, The Sealy & Smith Foundation contributed $3 million toward positron emission tomography technology, which will allow UTMB doctors to identify cancer in their patients faster. The technology is more effective than conventional diagnostic equipment like magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography since it can directly measure patients’ metabolic rates. Using such information, physicians can identify normal and abnormal states in the body and therefore detect various cancers at an earlier stage.

For example, positron emission tomography can effectively diagnose lung cancer and non-invasively determine the stage of the disease. Patients are therefore spared the unnecessary pain and expense of undergoing more invasive biopsy procedures. The technology may also indicate if a patient is responding well to a specific type of cancer treatment and identify earlier those who are not responding as well. Doctors can then more quickly alter therapies to improve the patients’ health and lower costs related to inefficient treatment.

Dr. John D. Stobo, UTMB president, said The Sealy & Smith Foundation’s latest contribution will strengthen the academic health center’s ability to provide compassionate health care. “The ACE Unit expansion and the addition of positron emission tomography will allow us to better meet the needs of our geriatric patients and our cancer patients,” Stobo said. “The Sealy & Smith Foundation continues to build upon its caring legacy for the citizens of Galveston and Texas.”

Established in 1922 in Galveston, The Sealy & Smith Foundation has contributed more than $500 million to UTMB to help further its patient care mission. The foundation’s grants have provided state-of-the-art facilities and programmatic support that have sparked great advances in health care at UTMB. Most major buildings — from the John Sealy Hospital tower to the Emergency Room and Trauma Center — exist on the strength of the foundation’s support.

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