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Rumor Mill separates fact from fiction Colcock Hall Rumor: The rumor is that there will be changes in the use of Colcock Hall. What  plans are being considered? What are the plans for the present occupants? One rumor circulating is that plans are being considered for adding on and changing the look of the building (making it look like a castle). Can this be done since this building is on the National Register of Historic Places? It would be nice to know something about what is being planned in the area.  Truth: We are in the early stages of exploring a possible renovation of Colcock Hall. The intent is to update its infrastructure, while keeping the exterior of the building consistent with its historical appearance. Any renovation will be contingent on the availability of appropriate funding and appropriate provisions will be made for the current occupants.  Bank Building 165 Cannon Rumor: I heard that they are closing the Wachovia Bank on campus as well as the Bank Building. I just wanted to know what is going to happen to that building and if they will put another banking facility on campus. So many employees go to Wachovia during their lunch break because MUSC checks are written on a Wachovia account and it is convenient for a lot of people.  Truth: Wachovia Bank closed the branch on May 8 and merged with First Union last year. As a result of the merger they have been reviewing their branch bank locations in the Charleston area to determine which branches should remain open. Coincident to the merger, the long term lease Wachovia had from MUSC expired in February. MUSC and Wachovia mutually agreed not to renew the lease due to university space shortages and planning for the new hospital facility. Wachovia intends to leave the ATM machine at 165 Cannon as long as the land  is available. In addition, they have expressed interest in locating a smaller branch on campus if the opportunity arises in any retail space that might become available in the redevelopment of the Charleston High School project. Plans for the bank building are uncertain at this time as planning for the hospital is not complete.  Hagood Parking Rumor: There has been some question as to what is going on in the MUSC Hagood parking lot. A student or faculty will quickly be given a fine for parking in an unauthorized space, but there is at least one small business right in the middle of our parking area. It appears to be some sort of pet dealership. Are people buying pets in the parking lot? Is MUSC making money off of unused parking space in Hagood?  Truth: Thank you for the inquiry as well as information. Business of any type in this lot is not authorized nor permitted by MUSC. In addition, MUSC does not make money from any unused parking spaces. According to our findings, there is a recreational vehicle containing many pets that is owned by a MUSC employee that parks regularly in the lot; however, there have been no pet sales from this vehicle to the best of our knowledge, and any such sales would not permitted. The vehicle owner has been  informed that the lot owner, the City of Charleston, does not permit overnight parking of  recreational vehicles and has been asked to make other parking arrangements.  Personal Data Displayed Publicly Rumor: On Saturday while exiting the President's Street parking garage I noticed a female's driver's license taped to the glass attendant's booth. Public Safety was contacted by several individuals regarding this license but stated they could not do anything as this is a parking management issue. Displayed for all to see were this individual's picture, name, address and license number. We are constantly reminded to protect personal information, yet the Office of Parking Management obviously feels comfortable displaying someone's personal information for all to see. The information on that license is enough for an unscrupulous individual to damage someone's financial life. How do we prevent similar situations from occurring in the future? Truth: It is certainly not the policy of the Office of Parking Management to publicly display personal information. The situation cited resulted from a well-meaning initiative by the parking booth attendant to try to quickly return the lost license to its owner. The  license had been turned in at the booth by a good citizen who found it in the garage. Though motivated by the very best of intentions, the method chosen was inappropriate. Instruction regarding how to properly handle lost and found items in the garage is being provided to all parking attendants.  The Office of Parking Management sincerely appreciates being quickly informed of this so that appropriate preventive measures could be immediately taken.  Criminally Insane in IOP Rumor: I have heard that we will soon be converting 1N and BICU into an inpatient area for the criminally insane. Is this true? If so, what extra safety precautions will be in place? The adult unit (3N) is already challenging enough and the safety of the employees on that unit is in danger daily. We usually send these patients to Columbia where they are better equipped to deal with them. Will we have individual locked rooms or will the unit be like 3N? Truth: The 1North unit is being converted to a high acuity unit with appropriate levels of staff and structural safety precautions for handling the population of patients with high degrees of agitation, psychosis or mania that are currently admitted to 1N, 3N and 4N in order to manage those patients in one area with specifically designed programming to meet their needs. This should significantly lessen the safety issues across the IOP adult units. We have always admitted some patients involved in the legal system. The criteria depends on the clinical picture that each patient presents and our ability to safely manage them here. We have no plan to open a forensics unit. If you have any further questions or concerns,  call or e-mail Linda Lewis, director, Institute of Psychiatry, at 792-5504. Women's Services Rumor: Why has MUSC embarked upon a media blitz advertising our cardiac care, pediatrics, and other programs while ignoring women's services? How are we rated in the local community? Is this the issue? Truth: Marketing of various services/products of any organization is based on many factors. Market growth potential, market penetration, competitive landscape, public perception and the investment required to shift purchase preference versus the return on that investment to the overall bottom line. In healthcare, other forces come into play—reimbursement rates, payor mix, regulatory agencies and much more. Add to this, a finite amount of human and financial resources and the resulting formula for what we market and how we market our services is complex. Currently, the Department of Business Development and Marketing Services is supporting several campaigns for various reasons. MUSC Children's Hospital and the MUSC Heart and Vascular Center have received recognition by nationally recognized resources. This represents an enormous opportunity for differentiation and positioning for these services. In addition, our  number one local rating by the National Research Corporation as “Charleston's most preferred provider” allows the entire clinical enterprise to be recognized for public preference. Our stronger service areas ranked number one in this survey included heart, cancer, ortho and pediatrics. Certain other areas did not receive the same level of recognition at this time as those we included in our current advertising. The department does support marketing of all services where response, capacity and excellent service delivery standards are met. Many effective, global consumer and physician strategies are in place to support these needs. An example would be our Channel 5 Health Connection segments. Women's Services appear as part of this program at an average rate of two segments/month. In addition, any cutting-edge discoveries are placed in technically-based physician publications and distributed to physicians across the state. Ultimately, it is the overall business strategy and mission that drives any marketing initiatives. The success that results from the marketing support of any component of our organization yields a stronger base of support for all services.  Reproduced from http://www.musc.edu/rumor/.    Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.