Five-star rating for UI Heart and Vascular Center

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics scored well in a Gannett News Service analysis of heart care services).

The hospital received the top ranking—five stars out of five—at both the state and national levels for the percent of time heart attack patients got recommended care.

For heart failure patients, the hospital received five stars at the national level and four stars at the state level.

"I think the care we provide is excellent, and I'm very pleased that we have the data to show that," said Theresa Brennan, MD, an interventional cardiologist.

Brennan added that the best heart care requires a multidisciplinary team effort, and cardiologists with UI Heart and Vascular Center collaborate closely with physicians in the Emergency Treatment Center, heart surgeons, and nursing staff.

As an added benefit, she says, the state’s doctors and patients have access to the latest biomedical research conducted at the state’s only comprehensive academic medical center.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in Iowa and in the U.S.

Ponseti group targets clubfoot care

A new association based at the University of Iowa is dedicated to advancing the work of Ignacio Ponseti, MD, a UI faculty member and world-renowned pioneer in the treatment of children with the crippling deformity called clubfoot. The Ponseti International Association for the Advancement of Clubfoot Treatment will focus on education, research, and improved access to care. Ponseti, 92, developed a revolutionary non-surgical method of treatment for clubfoot in the 1950s. The Ponseti Method involves gentle, manual manipulation of the child's foot and application of toe-to-groin plaster casts to gradually achieve near-normal muscle and bone alignment.

Heart, obesity surgery programs cited

Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa has named University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics a Blue Distinction CenterSM for both Cardiac Care and for Bariatric (weight loss) Surgery. Blue Distinction is a nationwide program targeted to consumers and providers based on rigorous evaluation and driven by quality, collaboration, and affordability. For more information about UI Heart and Vascular Center, call 800-777-8442 or visit www.uihealthcare.com/heartcare.For more information about UI Obesity Surgery, call 319-356-1887 or 319-356-7694 and ask for Debi Heitshusen, RN, or send e-mail to obesitysurgery@uiowa.edu.

Ferentz gift creates two endowed funds

Iowa Hawkeye football coach Kirk Ferentz and his wife, Mary, have made a $400,000 gift commitment to University of Iowa Children's Hospital and the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Iowa City couple's gift through the UI Foundation establishes two permanently endowed funds: the Ferentz Family Pediatric Research and Education Fund, which will benefit University of Iowa Children's Hospital, and the John and Elsie Mae Ferentz Research Fund in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, named after Kirk Ferentz's parents.

John Ferentz died in 2004; Elsie Mae Ferentz lives in Pittsburgh.

Four years ago, the Ferentzes gave $100,000 through the UI Foundation to establish the Kirk and Mary Ferentz Excellence and Innovation Fund in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

"University of Iowa Children's Hospital is an extremely important institution for Iowa and the region," says Mary Ferentz, who chairs the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Council, a volunteer development and advisory committee.

"As I've become more aware of the hospital's work serving children and families—including preventive programs, treatment, research and education of future pediatric health professionals—I've become committed to helping it fulfill its mission in any way I can," she says.