Avera Bulletin - September 2008

 

Many Recognized at Annual Quality Event

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Avera Quality Awards for Excellence, Collaboration, Safety and Caring. The 15 award-winning projects and individuals from across the Avera region were chosen from 96 nominations submitted by Avera colleagues.

Avera Caring With Excellence Awards:

• Avera St. Luke's for General Orientation Program
• Avera St. Anthony's for Hourly Rounds
• Avera Brady Health and Rehab for Open Dining
• Sioux Center Medical Clinic Avera for Incorporating an Automated Patient History In a Family Practice Setting

Avera Caring With Collaboration Awards:

• Avera Sacred Heart for Quiet Time
• Avera Cancer Institute for Avera Breast Conference
• Avera McKennan for Centralized Scheduling: Managing Incoming Calls

Avera Caring With Safety Awards:

• Avera McKennan for Reducing Medication Errors
• Avera St. Benedict Health Center for Medication Error Reduction
• Avera Brady Health and Rehab for Process Improvement for Skin Assessment and Protocols

Avera Caring Spirit Awards:

• Shawn Hustoft, Avera McKennan, Avera Spirit of Compassion Award
• Julie Carlson, Avera St. Anthony's, Avera Spirit of Hospitality Award
• Geri Beck, Avera Queen of Peace, Avera Spirit of Stewardship Award

Avera Caring With Leadership Award:

• Dr. Martin Christensen, Avera Queen of Peace

Avera Caring With Collaboration in Crisis Special Award:

• Avera Marshall for A Community Working Together

At Avera, our ministry, our people and our superior value distinguish us. Avera is a health care industry quality leader delivering care nearby home at 235 locations in the region. High quality equals high value. Avera's facilities consistently rank among top performers in national quality initiatives.

Avera Marshall Kicks Off Avera HealtheCARE™

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center kicked-off implementation of Avera HealtheCARE™ on Sept. 3, 2008. Avera Marshall began laying the groundwork for the connection months ago by installing more than 51 miles of fiber optic and copper cable, a new phone system and enhancements to the connectivity at the 1104 E College Drive building. Later this fall, Avera Marshall will have access to shared files (J drive) and will be able to reduce long distance phone rates by dialing other Avera facilities through the network. Some 60 employees from Avera Marshall and Avera McKennan have been brought together in teams to make the transition to Avera HealtheCARE™ as smooth as possible.

Avera McKennan Opens Women's Center Addition

Avera McKennan hosted open house events for the new Women's Center on Sept. 5 and 6. The new addition offers the latest in LEAN design and beautiful décor and amenities for patients and family members. Four pods of six suites make up the new addition with nutrition areas, medication prep and nurses' stations in each wing.

Features include:

• Large, remodeled suites with oversized beds, flat-screen televisions, whirlpool tubs and more
• A technologically advanced Nursery features the latest in neonatal care
• A spa providing manicures, pedicures, haircuts and styling, facials and massages (one free spa service for each new mom during her post-partum stay)
• A Dad's Den complete with oversized furniture, big-screen television and computer/wireless Internet access
• Full-service café buffet
• Children's play area adjacent to the Dad's Den
• In-room concierge service

Avera St. Luke's Hospital Selected for Award

The American Cancer Society selected Avera St. Luke's Hospital to receive the Corporate Crown - Health Promotion Award at the South Dakota Region Annual Leadership Summit on Oct. 3, 2008. Avera St. Luke's will be recognized for outstanding contributions to health promotion in the Midwest Division, South Dakota Region, during the past year. Individual awards will be presented to Eileen Damgaard, Education, and Brenda Glasford, Business Office.

Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center Renovation Open House

Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center in Wessington Springs, S.D., hosted an open house on Sept. 14, 2008, to showcase the renovation and expansion that started Feb. 14, 2007.

The project remodeled approximately 8,100 square feet of existing space and added 5,000 more. A new main entry, covered patient drop off, nurses' stations, Surgery, Emergency Department, Laboratory and inpatient wing were all added during construction. Surgical facilities were improved for outpatient procedures and to improve patient flow. More private consultation rooms and the relocation of the Emergency Department closer to the nurses' station were done to improve patient flow and privacy. The renovation also created space for an on-site Computerized Axial Tomography (CT) Room.

State Honors Yankton and Parkston Communities

The South Dakota Department of Health recognized the communities of Yankton and Parkston for their outstanding efforts to immunize children against the flu virus during last year's Child Influenza Initiative. The two communities were honored at the department's Awards of Excellence Luncheon on Aug. 20, 2008.

Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston offered free flu vaccinations to children under 18. They had an open flu clinic at schools and in their clinic facility. The community of Parkston vaccinated nearly 700 children during the initiative.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton was awarded for exemplary service for the program. Many departments within the hospital and several volunteers contributed. Avera Sacred Heart was one of only two hospitals in the state to receive the special commendation. The community of Yankton vaccinated more than 2,800 children.

Avera McKennan Employes Recognized as Heroes in the Fight

The South Dakota National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently recognized several Avera McKennan colleagues with Heroes in the Fight Awards. Dr. Matt Malone, Avera University Psychiatry Associates, was named Psychiatrist of the Year. The Avera Behavioral Health Assessment Team was chosen as the Treatment Team of the Year. Steve Lindquist, assistant vice president of Avera McKennan Behavioral Health Services, received the Allied Health Care Professional Award.

Grand Opening at Avera Brady Health and Rehab

Avera Brady Health and Rehab hosted an open house for the Comfort Suite on Sept. 12, 2008. The Comfort Suite is a double-room suite with a kitchenette. It allows families to be with loved ones who are in the final stages of life. 

Avera Transplant Institute Reaches Milestone, Receives Honor

The Avera Transplant Institute recently announced that its medical team has performed its 500th solid-organ transplant at Avera McKennan. This milestone marks experience and a proven track record in organ transplantation.

The Avera Transplant Institute was founded 15 years ago in 1993 as the first organ transplant program in the state of South Dakota. The first kidney transplant was performed in July 1993. Bone-marrow transplantation began in 1996. Pancreas transplantation was added in 2003. It is the only pancreas transplant program in the state.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that, once again, Avera McKennan earned the Medal of Honor for Organ Donation. The medal is awarded to hospitals that achieve at least a 75-percent organ-donation rate in a consecutive 12-month-or-greater period. The hospital annually has received the award since its inception in 2005.

Avera McKennan Weight Loss Challenge a Success

Avera McKennan's 12-week Community Weight Loss Challenge came to a close with more than 2,000 people participating on 350 teams and losing a total of 8,857 pounds. Jennifer Kreider and Denise Pankratz of team Orange Blossom won the challenge, losing 15.7 percent of their total team body weight. The winning Life Care Team at Avera McKennan was Deana Nariello, Joyce and Tom Senden, Colette Peterson, Linda and Rick Zimmer and Deone Hemme.

Both winning teams received Nintendo Wii's, and the feature couple through out this challenge, Dough and Jenny Bartel, also received a Nintendo Wii. Doug and Jenny blogged about the challenge, and in his last blog Doug thanked Avera for the support and help they received throughout this challenge.

Avera Heart Hospital Announces Planet Heart

Planet Heart (formerly HeartAware) is the new comprehensive cardiac screening provided by the Avera Heart Hospital. The $50 screening includes a calcium score CT - crucial for early detection of heart disease, blood pressure check, body-mass index, cholesterol and blood sugar check. The screening is followed up with education and a risk assessment by an expert cardiovascular nurse. Call 1-877-AT-AVERA for more information or to schedule your Planet Heart Check.