Princeton CommunityHospital is honored towelcome obstetricianand gynecologist,Brandon M. Lingenfelter,D.O., Ph.D., and toannounce the opening ofhis new practice inPrinceton on July 15.

Originally fromHouston, Texas, Dr.Lingenfelter earned hismedical degree from the

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and adoctorate in Reproductive Physiology from WestVirginia University. His residency in Obstetrics andGynecology was completed at Reading Health Systemin Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.

While a fourth-year medical student at WVSOM, Dr.Lingenfelter completed a rotation at PCH where heworked closely in the Women’s Center with Dr. LoriTucker. That positive experience helped shape hisdecision to open a practice in Princeton in the samebuilding with Dr. Tucker.

Dr. Lingenfelter said, “Princeton is such a nice smalltown. There are many opportunities here, andPrinceton Community Hospital is a great facility thatreally cares about its patients. That is obvious by theirwillingness to invest in new technology. They areconstantly pushing forward where other smallcommunity hospitals do not. That investment intechnology is a direct investment in the health andwellbeing of the patients themselves. It is exciting to bepart of this organization and I look forward to servingpatients in Princeton and the surroundingcommunities in the years to come.”

News from Princeton Community Hospital and The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias

OB/GYNOpens NewPractice inPrinceton

Dr. Brandon M. Lingenfelter in the da Vinci robotic surgical suite in Princeton Community Hospital’s surgical department.

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July • 2016

Dr. Brandon LingenfelterSpecializes in:• Minimally Invasive and Robotic Assisted GynecologicSurgery

• Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction• Obstetrical Management from Conception to Delivery

Obstetrical Care• Prenatal Care• Obstetrical Ultrasounds• Vaginal Deliveries• Cesarean Sections• Circumcisions• Postnatal Care• Lactation

Office Procedures• Colposcopy• LEEP• Hysteroscopy• Dilation & Curettage• Tubal Occlusion• Endometrial Ablation• IUD Insertion and Removal

• Urodynamic Tests (Bladder Testing)

• Cystoscopy• Botox for Urinary Urgency/Frequency

Gynecological Care• Abnormal Menstrual Periods

• Abnormal Pap Smears• Birth Control• Breast Health• Endometriosis• Fibroids• Infertility• Menopause• Ovarian Masses• Pelvic Organ Prolapse• Pelvic Pain• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Urinary Tract Infection• Uterine Bleeding• Vaginitis• Well Woman Exams

– Now Accepting New Patients –For an appointment, please call 304.431.7100.

Brandon M. Lingenfelter, D.O., Ph.D.Center for Obstetric and Pelvic Health904 Harrison Street • Princeton, WV 24740

Phone: 304.431.7100www.brandonlingenfelterdo.com

From the

CEOJeffrey E. Lilley, CPA, MHA

Chief Executive Officer

Thanks to our medical affiliationwith Charleston Area MedicalCenter and many months ofthoughtful preparation, PrincetonCommunity Hospital is proud toannounce that diagnostic cardiaccatheterizations are now beingperformed at the hospital on aregular basis by cardiologist, HrakChemchirian, M.D.

Board certified in internal medicine,CAMC cardiologist, Dr. Chemchirianpractices in Princeton at MercerMedical Group Cardiology.

For an appointment withDr. Chemchirian, please call304.431.7200.

Mercer Medical Group CardiologyPrinceton Medical Arts BuildingSuite #7 • 508 New Hope RoadPrinceton, WV 24740Phone: 304.431.7200

Dr. Chemchirian in the PCH Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

Meet Our Highly Skilled Pathologists

At the end of December 2015, Gopal M. Pardasani, M.D., anatomic and clinical pathologist, retired after devotingnearly 43 years of outstanding service to Princeton Community Hospital. New pathologists Dr. Priti Goyal andDr. Thomas Martin, had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Pardasani for several months prior to hisretirement.

Priti Goyal, M.D.Anatomic and Clinical PathologyBoard Certified by the AmericanBoard of Cytopathology and theAmerican Board of Pathology.

Born and raised in NewDelhi, India, Dr. PritiGoyal earned hermedical degree fromthe University Collegeof Medical Sciences inNew Delhi. Shecompleted her

residency in anatomic and clinical pathology atGovernment Medical College, Armritsar in the stateof Punjab.

Dr. Goyal came to the United States in February 2000.She first interviewed with the Pathology Departmentat the University of Minnesota where she was offereda position as a visiting pathologist.

Dr. Goyal worked in the Division of Surgical Pathologyand Hematopathology for one year before pursuingadditional postgraduate training. She completedresidency in anatomic and clinical pathology at theState University of New York, New York City; and theUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Dr. Goyal joined PCH in July 2015 as associatepathologist. She said, “Princeton Community is avery good hospital. All of my training has been inmuch larger hospitals but it has been a very goodtransition. I worked closely with Dr. Pardasani for sixmonths and learned a great deal, not just aboutpathology but about life in general. He has been agreat help in many respects. I am also very blessedthat Dr. Martin and I can work together as a greatteam. We share a lot of common goals and practices.My dream is to evolve the lab into an even moremodern facility that reflects the growth of the hospitaland serves our patients and the community with evergreater efficiency.”

Thomas CharlesMartin, Jr., M.D.Anatomic and Clinical PathologyBoard Certified by the NationalBoard of Medical Examiners.Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology – Certifiedin Anatomic and ClinicalPathology.

Dr. Thomas Martin wasborn in Bluefield, WestVirginia, and spent thefirst nine years of his lifein West Virginia – living

in Charleston, Princeton, and Pageton, near Anawalt inMcDowell County, where his father was a coal miner.

Dr. Martin completed both his internal medicineinternship and his anatomic and clinical pathologyresidency at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth,Virginia, in June 1993 and June 1999, respectively.

He served as a general medical officer at Cherry PointMarine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina,from 1993 to 1995. From 1999 to 2001, Dr. Martinworked as the head of clinical pathology at NavalHospital Camp Lejeune, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.Prior to coming to PCH in October 2015, Dr. Martinspent 14 years as pathologist and laboratory director atStanly Regional Medical Center, Albemarle, NorthCarolina.

Dr. Martin said, “ Princeton Community Hospital has avery good reputation and that was attractive to us. I’vebeen very impressed. The facility is much more up-to-date than I was expecting. Specifically, I’m veryimpressed with the lab and the amount of newtechnology that is available here. It is also nice having acolleague like Dr. Goyal to discuss cases with, and it isgood that Dr. Pardasani is still involved with thedepartment to a certain degree. He has been a greatmentor. He is an intelligent and gifted individual and agreat pathologist. He is definitely a tough act to follow!”

People check into hospitals to overcome illness, butthese supposedly sterile environments can alsoexpose you to many germs. Luckily, there are severalthings you can do to protect your health if youhappen to land in the hospital:

1. Research your chosen hospital. Educate yourselfabout laws in your state designed to create safer,healthier hospitals, then find out what yourhospital has done to control infections. Yourstate’s health department can advise where youcan find specific hospital statistics.

2. Practice appropriate hand washing. Ask thatyour doctors, nurses, and visitors wash theirhands before touching you or items in your room.Gloves offer a false sense of security and can becontaminated if put on by germ-infested hands.

3. Eat from clean plates. Consume food that hasonly touched the clean plate on which it isdelivered. Don’t set food on a meal tray or anyother surface.

4. Avoid contact with sick people. This includes notjust other patients but also family and friends whomay be ill.

5. Keep tubes to a minimum. Catheters, IVs, andother tubes offer a direct line into your body. Ifpossible, skip them; but also ask to have all tubesremoved as soon as possible after surgery.

6. Go home. The longer you stay in the hospital aftersurgery, the more likely you are to develop an

infection. Before being admitted, work with yourdoctor to create a recovery plan you can tackleright away in order to get out of the hospital assoon as possible.

Princeton Community Hospital makes every effort toprotect our patients against hospital-acquiredinfections. Those measures include careful roomcleaning and inspection after cleaning; use of the Tru-D SmartUVC™ Room Decontamination Systemthat delivers cleansing germicidal ultraviolet light tothe room that is effective in destroying the DNA ofbacteria, viruses and spores, thus rendering themharmless; and the use of the new Cepheid Gene Xpertinstrument that gives rapid, sensitive and specificmolecular test results.

Molecular testing is a “stand alone” test that isrecommended by the American Society forMicrobiology, along with the Center for DiseaseControl (CDC). Our laboratory currently performsClostridium difficile testing and GC/Chlamydiatesting on this instrument. Clostridium difficile(C. diff) is a common cause of hospital-associated andcommunity-acquired diarrhea. It is an infectioncontrol issue and a patient safety concern in hospitalsacross the nation. Rapid identification is crucial totreatment and the proper disinfection of patientrooms. The Gene Xpert not only identifies thepresence of Clostridium difficile, but it also screensfor a specific strain of the organism. This strain isextremely virulent and has been responsible foroutbreaks worldwide. Monitoring and reporting ofthe strain enables clinicians to improve infectioncontrol efforts and better treat patients.

How to Protect Yourself From Hospital Infections