At SJRMC, we receive so many letters of appreciation from our patients. In addition, we encourage our Associates to share their "Kudos," recognizing each other for displaying excellence and compassion in our work. Here are some recent Thank Yous and Kudos we have received...
Dawn Brammer, RN, Four North, South Bend Campus
Dawn is so in tune to our Diabetic patients. The patients love her energy and smile as she takes time to clearly educate the patients. Dawn goes beyond the call of duty and she consistently does it with a smile. I have asked Dawn to see patients that have been newly diagnosed and when the patients see me the next day they tell me how appreciative they are. Kudos Dawn!
Center for Spiritual Care, In God's Arms Program
We have written this letter to send a very special thank you. Our baby was one of the many babies remembered at the “In God’s Arms” Memorial Services held on April 26, 2009. Even through the rough time, what a delight it truly was to attend the service. It is such a blessing for wonderful people like yourselves and the staff of Palmer Funeral Home to make such a beautiful service like this happen! We are blessed to know there is such a beautiful and peaceful place we can go and reflect and rejoice the life of our precious child, as we truly believe life begins at conception, as we lead our way down the road of recovery. We have not only been blessed with such a wonderful and precious angel, but we have been blessed with God given people like all of yourselves! You all will always hold a very special place in our hearts! This has been such a true wonderful blessing to our lives and we are sure it will be a blessing to many more families. In loving memory of our child.
Denise Pitts, Pediatric Therapy
At the age of 20 months my son Ryan started Pediatric Physical Therapy here at SJRMC South Bend. He could not walk and was in the process of diagnosis. Within 2 weeks of PT with Denise Pitts my son was walking. She gave us the avenue to make it possible. He ended up with a diagnosis of mild Cerebral Palsy. He’s had PT at SJRMC for six year now and we have been fortunate to have Denise as our PT the entire time. Denise takes her patients and works with them in such a way that they are totally unaware of how hard they are working. Part of PT is showing me how to motivate him at home and get the exercise in. She rises to this challenge and helps me with new and fun ideas. She brings so much humor, genuine caring and creativity to her job. She has even shared toys of her own children to help motivate my son. We only see Denise once a month now. My son is 8 and still is excited on the day that he has PT. The work is very hard and it says a lot that he wants to come. He doesn't remember his life before PT and I think there are many kids that come to PT in that same situation. I feel so fortunate that SJRMC and Denise Pitts have been there to guide and help my son. Enough cannot be said for Denise and the entire Pediatric Therapy Department here at SJRMC.
Kate's Hope
Many of our Associates were part of Kate’s Hope, the group that recently walked in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s MS Walk in memory of former SJRMC Associate Kate Coleman. Kate’s Hope was by the far the Walk leader, raising more than $10,000 in support of the fight against MS.
ICU Wins Trinity Award for Prevention Excellence
Abbreviated to BSI, these infections occur in an estimated 250,000 cases in the US each year. In May 2004, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center observed an estimated 12.71% infection rate in patients with a Central Venous Catheter.
These infections are more than costly – they can be deadly. The estimated attributable mortality is 12 – 25% for each infection. This sobering statistic prompted SJRMC to do something.
That something was Keystone: ICU. The program aims to reduce BSIs, as well as ventilator-associated pneumonia, that occur in ICU patients. The ICU was provided with research and resources provided by the Michigan Health and Hospital Associate and the safety leaders at John Hopkins University.
But without the commitment of our SJRMC staff, this initiative would not have been so successful. So successful that an ICU patient has not developed a BSI since before February 2005 – almost 4 years ago.
BSIs at SJRMC Rates per 1000
May 2004 12.71%
January 2005 4%
February 2005 – January 20090%
“Staff buy in was essential to this initiative, said Marsha King, Chief Nursing Officer. “Our nursing staff was so enthusiastic about this project, and they remain enthusiastic today. They are saving lives with Keystone ICU.”
May 2004 12.71%
January 2005 4%
February 2005 – January 20090%
“Staff buy in was essential to this initiative, said Marsha King, Chief Nursing Officer. “Our nursing staff was so enthusiastic about this project, and they remain enthusiastic today. They are saving lives with Keystone ICU.”
SJRMC Named Among the Nation’s Top Performance Improvement Leaders
Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today named Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend and Plymouth among the nation’s performance improvement leader hospitals, for the second consecutive year.
SJRMC and its Senior Leadership Team were recognized for being one of a hundred hospitals making the greatest progress in improving hospital-wide performance over five consecutive years (2002-2006). The 2007 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders have set national benchmarks for the rate and consistency of improvement in clinical outcomes, safety, hospital efficiency, and financial stability. SJRMC and its Medical Staff have made major strides in increasing the quality and efficiency of services locally.
Findings from the fifth edition of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study appears in the August 11, 2008, issue of Modern Healthcare Magazine.
“This recognition is significant validation that Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center continues to be committed to providing first-rate quality and faith-based care to the communities we serve at each of our acute-care hospitals in South Bend and Plymouth,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, President and CEO of SJRMC. “As we move forward, we continue to enhance the healthcare we provide so our patients, caregivers, and community at large benefit and recognize the value-added services of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.”
The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study analyzed acute care hospitals nationwide using detailed empirical performance data from years 2002 through 2006, including publicly available Medicare MedPAR data, Medicare cost reports, and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outpatient data.
SJRMC and its Senior Leadership Team were recognized for being one of a hundred hospitals making the greatest progress in improving hospital-wide performance over five consecutive years (2002-2006). The 2007 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders have set national benchmarks for the rate and consistency of improvement in clinical outcomes, safety, hospital efficiency, and financial stability. SJRMC and its Medical Staff have made major strides in increasing the quality and efficiency of services locally.
Findings from the fifth edition of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study appears in the August 11, 2008, issue of Modern Healthcare Magazine.
“This recognition is significant validation that Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center continues to be committed to providing first-rate quality and faith-based care to the communities we serve at each of our acute-care hospitals in South Bend and Plymouth,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, President and CEO of SJRMC. “As we move forward, we continue to enhance the healthcare we provide so our patients, caregivers, and community at large benefit and recognize the value-added services of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.”
The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Performance Improvement Leaders study analyzed acute care hospitals nationwide using detailed empirical performance data from years 2002 through 2006, including publicly available Medicare MedPAR data, Medicare cost reports, and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outpatient data.
SJRMC & Riley Hospital for Children Continue Partnership
Riley will coordinate with SJRMC and with physicians affiliated with both institutions to provide outpatient pediatric management, consultation, education, and telemedicine services.
This collaboration saves patients and their families the delay, inconvenience, stress and expense of travling to Indianapolis to meet with a pediatric specialist.
“We are excited about partnering with Saint Joseph’s to offer Riley outpatient pediatric specialty care in the Michiana communities,” said Dan Fink, Riley Chief Operating Officer. “Working together with multi-disciplinary teams allows us to treat a wider range of childhood diagnoses and build on improving the health of children and families in Michiana.”
Riley already contributes to SJRMC’s Pediatric Specialty Clinics, including cardiology, endocrinology and diabetology, gastroenterology, and rheumatology. Other elements of the partnership include new services to SJRMC’s Pediatric Specialty Clinics, such as neurology, with selected services potentially being offered through telemedicine technology.
NICU Reunion Turns Into “Amazing Celebration”
They’ve grown into healthy children, each with their own unique story their families celebrate everyday. They all entered the world under uncertain circumstances, but thanks to a lot of love from those families and the care and compassion of Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), daily celebrations are well worth it.
That’s why Saint Joseph’s NICU hosted a reunion for it’s graduates – the hundreds of babies and their families who spent some time there for a wide variety of reasons. The reunion was held in the Upper Deck at Coveleski Stadium on Sunday, October 26. NICU graduates and their families made up the crowd of over 100 who showed up to exchange stories and hugs while getting their fill of ballpark food and Halloween snacks.
Saint Joseph doctors and staff were just as thrilled to be reunited with so many families and patients from the past, many of whom were dressed in Halloween costumes.
“To be able to see all the success stories that we’ve experienced is the most rewarding thing this job has,” said Dr. Monty Dobson, SJRMC’s NICU Director. “There are some very difficult stories that were told here and this is the good ending that we are so glad we can share with everybody. This is fantastic – an amazing celebration!”
That’s why Saint Joseph’s NICU hosted a reunion for it’s graduates – the hundreds of babies and their families who spent some time there for a wide variety of reasons. The reunion was held in the Upper Deck at Coveleski Stadium on Sunday, October 26. NICU graduates and their families made up the crowd of over 100 who showed up to exchange stories and hugs while getting their fill of ballpark food and Halloween snacks.
Saint Joseph doctors and staff were just as thrilled to be reunited with so many families and patients from the past, many of whom were dressed in Halloween costumes.
“To be able to see all the success stories that we’ve experienced is the most rewarding thing this job has,” said Dr. Monty Dobson, SJRMC’s NICU Director. “There are some very difficult stories that were told here and this is the good ending that we are so glad we can share with everybody. This is fantastic – an amazing celebration!”
Soldier Serving in Iraq Hears Birth of Firstborn
Obstetrics Technician Gail Harrison had transferred phone calls from the nurses station to patient rooms at SJRMC/South Bend’s Family Birthplace countless times.
“It’s so routine I could do it in my sleep,” Harrison said. “But this time I was so nervous. I just had my fingers crossed that this transfer would go through.”
That’s because she typically doesn't take calls from Iraq from a United States Soldier anxious to find out the status of his soon to be growing family. But a seamless transfer on the part of Harrison enabled Robert Wesley Garrett to hear everything he longed to know, getting a detailed account as his daughter entered the world while he was on the other side of it, thousands of miles away.
Around 8 am on February 12, Army Specialist Garrett began calling South Bend every ten minutes, as he knew his wife, Rita, could go into labor at any moment.
“The nurses kept coming in telling me there was a message on the phone from Iraq . . . your husband is on the phone from Iraq,” explained Rita. “As we were getting closer, I finally had to tell my Mom to tell him I can't talk – I’m trying to push this baby through.”
But the Family Birthplace Staff had an idea.
When Specialist Garrett called just after 10 am, Harrison made the all-important transfer into the labor room, where SJRMC’s Pam Dziadosz, RN, took the handoff.
“Your first baby is such a wonderful experience and to be overseas and miss that experience is heartbreaking,” Dziadosz said.
So Dziadosz laid the phone on the bed and described everything as it was happening.
“It was like she was doing a ballgame,” Rita laughed. “It’s crowning . . .okay, I can see the head . . .it’s a girl!”
Dziadosz even held the phone up to let Specialist Garrett here the baby’s heartbeat and to let him hear his daughter, 6 pound 15 ounce Savannah, cry for the first time.
In an interview over the phone, an emotional Specialist Garrett explained from Iraq, “When I first heard her cry, it really hit home to me that I had a daughter. It’s the greatest, it really is the greatest.”
For all involved at the Family Birthplace, this not-so-typical delivery was one they will cherish forever.
“I am always so grateful to help and take care of fellow service members and their families,” said Dr. Kelly McGuire of Saint Joseph OB/GYN Specialists, who served in the United States Marine Corps. “It was great that Specialist Garrett could be part of the delivery.”
“It’s so routine I could do it in my sleep,” Harrison said. “But this time I was so nervous. I just had my fingers crossed that this transfer would go through.”
That’s because she typically doesn't take calls from Iraq from a United States Soldier anxious to find out the status of his soon to be growing family. But a seamless transfer on the part of Harrison enabled Robert Wesley Garrett to hear everything he longed to know, getting a detailed account as his daughter entered the world while he was on the other side of it, thousands of miles away.
Around 8 am on February 12, Army Specialist Garrett began calling South Bend every ten minutes, as he knew his wife, Rita, could go into labor at any moment.
“The nurses kept coming in telling me there was a message on the phone from Iraq . . . your husband is on the phone from Iraq,” explained Rita. “As we were getting closer, I finally had to tell my Mom to tell him I can't talk – I’m trying to push this baby through.”
But the Family Birthplace Staff had an idea.
When Specialist Garrett called just after 10 am, Harrison made the all-important transfer into the labor room, where SJRMC’s Pam Dziadosz, RN, took the handoff.
“Your first baby is such a wonderful experience and to be overseas and miss that experience is heartbreaking,” Dziadosz said.
So Dziadosz laid the phone on the bed and described everything as it was happening.
“It was like she was doing a ballgame,” Rita laughed. “It’s crowning . . .okay, I can see the head . . .it’s a girl!”
Dziadosz even held the phone up to let Specialist Garrett here the baby’s heartbeat and to let him hear his daughter, 6 pound 15 ounce Savannah, cry for the first time.
In an interview over the phone, an emotional Specialist Garrett explained from Iraq, “When I first heard her cry, it really hit home to me that I had a daughter. It’s the greatest, it really is the greatest.”
For all involved at the Family Birthplace, this not-so-typical delivery was one they will cherish forever.
“I am always so grateful to help and take care of fellow service members and their families,” said Dr. Kelly McGuire of Saint Joseph OB/GYN Specialists, who served in the United States Marine Corps. “It was great that Specialist Garrett could be part of the delivery.”
SJRMC Receives HealthGrades Awards
SJRMC received 2009 clinical excellence awards for orthopedic surgery, joint replacement surgery and spine surgery from HealthGrades, the healthcare ratings company. These awards SJRMC clinical outcomes in the top ten percent nationally for each recognized area of care.
In addition, SJRMC also received a 5-star rating for Treatment of Stroke.
“Quality patient care is our top priority,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC’s President and CEO. “Recognition from an objective, independent source such as HealthGrades validates the efforts our physicians, nurses, and staff deliver to the people of Michiana everyday.”
These findings were included in the eleventh annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.
Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
In addition, SJRMC also received a 5-star rating for Treatment of Stroke.
“Quality patient care is our top priority,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC’s President and CEO. “Recognition from an objective, independent source such as HealthGrades validates the efforts our physicians, nurses, and staff deliver to the people of Michiana everyday.”
These findings were included in the eleventh annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.
Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)