The objective of the Nurse Executive Forum series is to share information concerning the onset, peak, and decline of the pandemic and assist in preparing nurse leaders with operational ideas to help guide them through current and future phases of the pandemic.
New Program Brings Virtual ICUs to Hospitals in Baldwin, Monroe, Peach Counties
Access to health services is difficult for many Georgians, particularly those in rural areas of the state. Many Georgians have to travel long distances from home to access basic medical services. When the need is critical, accessing the proper level of care can become even more challenging.
Navicent Health understands that accessing appropriate care close to home is an essential need for all Georgians. Over the past seven years, Navicent Health has worked closely with hospitals and hospital authorities in Baldwin, Monroe and Peach Counties to ensure local residents maintain access to local care. Now, through its collaboration with Atrium Health, Navicent Health is bringing intensive care services to those same counties through Atrium Health’s Virtual Critical Care (VCC) platform. Through VCC, intensive care services will be expanded at Navicent Health Baldwin and will be offered at Medical Center of Peach County and Monroe County Hospital for the very first time.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Navicent Health and Atrium Health anticipated the launch of VCC in central Georgia in 2021. However, due to the anticipated need of ICU beds for COVID-19 care, the two collaborative partners chose to move forward with the launch.
“Now more than ever, our ability to deliver high-quality healthcare in each community we serve is critical. Our ability to provide the safest therapies through leading technologies will allow us to fully support the healthcare needs of the region during, and long after, the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tom Oliver, MD, President of Hospitals and Clinics, Navicent Health.
How Does VCC Work?
Healthcare providers at Medical Center of Peach County, Monroe County Hospital and Navicent Health Baldwin are now able to access real-time critical care support through high definition video and two-way audio. The VCC platform provides instant access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to more than 80 board certified tele-intensivists, 40 board certified critical care nurses, critical care certified pharmacists and respiratory therapists.
Care providers at the three Georgia hospitals may consult with VCC intensivists to make evidence-based decisions for the benefit of the critically ill patients. The platform’s quick response programming allows the VCC provider to remotely examine the patient, review vital signs and EKG tracings; examine settings on IV pumps and ventilators; and communicate directly with the patient if the patient is able.
VCC clinicians are also available to consult with local care providers on medication therapies and management, and visually analyze the patient’s response to treatment.
“This additional layer of critical care expertise and real-time communication will allow local bedside clinicians to provide critical care close to home, rather than transferring their patients to larger tertiary hospitals like The Medical Center in Macon. This will not only be a benefit to the patient, who is able to expediently access care, but is also less strain on loved ones who travel to be at the patient’s side. It is the right thing to do for those we serve, and we’re pleased to partner with Atrium Health to bring this service to the region,” said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Navicent Health. “Although the circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic were the catalyst for VCC’s early launch, this robust platform unites Navicent Health’s local expert providers with additional resources for the best patient outcomes, close to home. We look forward to exploring more opportunities to expand access to critical services in other communities.”
In order to launch VCC, a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, information systems specialists and administrators in both Georgia and North Carolina worked closely together to secure access to information systems and design an innovative patient care workflow to ensure the needs of both bedside clinicians and patients are met.
“We appointed VCC medical directors who worked closely with doctors at each hospital to ensure their specific needs were met. Nursing leaders at each hospital also collaborated to ensure VCC is efficient, sustainable and effective in treating patients. VCC has been used at Atrium Health for a number of years, and we were fortunate to have their expertise for seamless implementation in central Georgia,” said Oliver.
To learn more about the VCC platform and view a video showcasing its use, please visit https://atriumhealth.org/medical-services/specialty-care/other-specialty-care-services/virtual-critical-care
About Navicent Health
Navicent Health, the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia, is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Providing more than 1,000 beds and offering care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region, Navicent Health provides care for healthcare consumers’ through an academic medical center; community, pediatric and rehabilitation hospitals; urgent care centers; physician practices; diagnostic centers; home health; hospice and palliative care; and a life plan community. Navicent Health is dedicated enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.
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Telescope Health Expands Telehealth Services Into Georgia in Collaboration with Southeast Georgia Health System 7:34 pmDigital health service is designed to increase access to quality health care
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 4, 2020 – Telescope Health is bringing its virtual health care services to Georgia through a collaboration with Brunswick, Georgia-based Southeast Georgia Health System to provide COVID-19 testing to residents across the health system’s six-county service area. Telescope Health will also introduce wide-spread serology testing, also known as antibody testing, to residents across Georgia and provide return to work guidance for individuals re-entering the workforce.
“Patients throughout our service areas in Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Charlton, McIntosh and Wayne counties are seeking flexible health care options,” said Michael D. Scherneck, president and CEO of Southeast Georgia Health System. “We are pleased to work in partnership with Telescope Health to expand COVID-19 testing in our community through this virtual service offering to support our mission to provide safe, quality, accessible and cost-effective care to meet the health needs of our residents.”
Telescope Health also offers patients across the state with affordable telehealth services to include live video chats with board-certified physicians for both acute and urgent health care needs:
“Providing quality access to health care is more important than ever and by using Telescope Health, patients not only have access to a physician, but Telescope Health also provides many health care navigation services that patients come to rely on more and more, ” said Matthew Rill, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Telescope Health. “As our communities continue to combat the spread of COVID-19, telehealth is an important asset that can help us flatten the curve, ensure all patients stay up-to-date on their health care visits and return back to work in a responsible manner.”
To access the telehealth platform, patients can download the Telescope Health app or visit www.TelescopeHealth.com. Patients wishing to see a virtual provider for COVID-19-related health care concerns may be eligible for a discount. To learn more about how you can protect yourself, your family and your community from getting and spreading respiratory illnesses like coronavirus 2019, visit cdc.gov.
About Telescope Health
Telescope Health is a mobile health care application that allows users to immediately see a board-certified provider for many urgent and primary care needs. Telescope Health physicians are local to Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida, and many practice in a Southeast Georgia Health System, Baptist Health or Wolfson Children’s Hospital emergency center. Through virtual appointments and on-demand check-ins, Telescope Health provides both acute care and connected health care navigation to help patients address all types of health care needs. Telescope Health providers coordinate with local follow up care options and communicate with primary care physicians and specialists to help make sure every patient gets the care they need. For more information about Telescope Health, download the Telescope Health app, or visit telescopehealth.com.
About Southeast Georgia Health System
Southeast Georgia Health System is a not-for-profit health system comprised of two acute care hospitals, two long term care facilities, two comprehensive Cancer Care Centers and multiple specialty care centers, including orthopedic and spine care, joint replacement, breast care, maternity, outpatient rehabilitation, sleep management and wound care. The Brunswick Campus Cancer Care Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and offers the only CyberKnife® M6 with MLC technology in Georgia. Additionally, the Southeast Georgia Physician Associates medical group includes more than 140 providers working in 20 different medical specialties at more than 50 locations. The Health System is part of Coastal Community Health, a regional affiliation between Baptist Health and Southeast Georgia Health System forming a highly integrated hospital network focused on significant initiatives designed to enhance the quality and value of care provided to our contiguous communities. For more information, visit sghs.org.
COVID-19 Challenges and Rapid Recovery Podcast 6:35 pmBRG’s Mukesh Gangwal and Paul Osborne moderated a discussion with Dr. K. Ranga Krishnan (CEO, Rush University System for Health), Daniel DeBarba Jr. (CFO, Catholic Health Services of Long Island), and Tri MacDonald (president, BRG). In this extract from their COVID-19 Challenges and Rapid Recovery podcast, they discuss COVID-19 governmental funding sources and how health systems will restart operations under a new-normal environment.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Tours Temporary Medical Unit at Navicent Health 12:44 pm
On Wednesday, May 27, Gov. Brian Kemp visited Macon-Bibb County to tour the temporary medical unit (TMU) at The Medical Center, Navicent Health. At the request of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), Macon-Bibb County and Navicent Health worked closely with the state to stand up a temporary medical unit in Macon-Bibb County.
“Constructing the TMU was a precautionary measure in the event that extra capacity is needed due to a patient peak in COVID-19 activity. At this time, The Medical Center has ample capacity to care for all patients, including those with COVID-19, but the TMU provides additional resources if needed. As a regional tertiary teaching hospital, The Medical Center Navicent Health must stand ready to take all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, from over 55 counties in central and south Georgia,” said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Navicent Health.
The 24-bed TMU will provide patients with the same level of care they would expect to find within the hospital. Patients in need of care should report to the hospital, and a triage team will determine which patients are directed to the TMU based on the patient’s need and hospital volumes at the time. The TMU, staffed by Jackson Health and supported by Navicent Health clinicians, will be used solely to care for patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.
On his visit, Kemp toured the TMU and praised hospital and county officials for the measures they have taken to protect Georgians from the virus. He also reminded Georgians to continue to take proper precautions as the state begins its limited reopening, encouraging citizens to act responsibly by social distancing, masking, and using proper hand sanitization. To view Gov. Kemp’s comments following his tour, please click here.
The TMU was constructed in partnership between number of agencies, including GEMA, Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency, BMarko Structures, Salas O’Brien Engineers, DES Engineering, Choate Construction, CertainTeed Ceilings and Navicent Health.
As the state of Georgia has begun its limited, phased reopening process, Navicent Health has begun to see a return to pre-COVID patient volumes across its health system. In order to ensure the safety of each person seeking care at Navicent Health, the health system has taken measures to ensure each of its hospitals, clinics and physician practices are COVID Safe. Click here to learn more about Navicent Health’s COVID Safe initiative.
In the attached photo, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at The Medical Center, Navicent Health on Wednesday, May 27. Also pictured is Navicent Health President and CEO Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders. Gov. Kemp was in town to tour the temporary medical unit placed at The Medical Center, Navicent Health.
About Navicent Health
Navicent Health, the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia, is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Providing more than 1,000 beds and offering care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region, Navicent Health provides care for healthcare consumers’ through an academic medical center; community, pediatric and rehabilitation hospitals; urgent care centers; physician practices; diagnostic centers; home health; hospice and palliative care; and a life plan community. Navicent Health is dedicated enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally-recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.
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LOCAL MARTIAL ARTIST, PERSONAL TRAINER BACK TO NORMAL AFTER STROKE 6:35 pmGreg and Jeri Mansur were away for a little bit of a staycation when a stroke struck.
Greg was out buying some medicine for Jeri’s headache. They exchanged a few texts. But, when he returned to the hotel, he found Jeri, her face against the ground.
“He came back, and he saw me on the floor,” Jeri, now 63, said.
She couldn’t stand. She couldn’t give her husband any answers. She wasn’t sure how she ended up on the floor and couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t able to get up. Greg knew something was wrong.
In the 11 minutes between the last text Greg exchanged with his wife and the time he called 911, Greg realized Jeri had suffered a stroke. He was able to tell the operator on the phone, and Jeri was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) in Gainesville, the area’s designated primary stroke center, for rapid treatment. The staff at NGMC were prepared for Jeri’s arrival and able to administer alteplase, a blood clot-busting drug.
When a stroke occurs, time is everything.
“Her arm, her whole left side, was gone,” Greg said. “She had no movement, no feeling, no strength, no anything. She was looking the wrong way when I called her, and I said, ‘Baby, something’s wrong.’ So, I called 911 right away.”
Jeri is an otherwise healthy person. She’s likely healthier than most her age – or even younger. She’s a martial artist with a third-degree black belt and a personal trainer. Greg said she’s worked out at least five days a week, every week, since her 20s. She doesn’t have a history of strokes in her family.
“I would have never thought in a million years that I’d have a stroke,” Jeri said. “I’ve been healthy all my life.”
But a stroke can affect anybody.
“That’s the scary thing about strokes,” said Holley Adams, stroke coordinator at NGMC Gainesville. “They can happen to anyone at any time. And, when a stroke does occur, it’s important to get help fast — like Greg was able to do for Jeri.”
When Jeri suffered her stroke in July 2019, she was rushed to NGMC. The quick assessment she received there helped save Jeri from any long-term deficits she may have faced.
“It’s important to always seek care immediately if you’re experiencing symptoms of a stroke, even during this COVID-19 pandemic,” Adams said. “The main thing we want everyone to do is call 911, no matter what. When you arrive at NGMC, we’re prepared to evaluate you quickly and administer alteplase if you’re eligible. And, if we need to send you somewhere else for further treatment, we’re prepared to do that, too.”
Before Greg was able to get to NGMC to be with his wife, nurses at the areas designated primary stroke center had a plan in place.
“By the time I got there, they had already figured out that Jeri had a clot in her brain, and she needed to get down to (Grady Memorial Hospital),” Greg said. “Their speediness in addressing the issue was certainly very good.”
Jeri was flown to Grady in Atlanta for surgery, and she is now almost fully recovered.
“I don’t have any paralysis,” Jeri said. “But what I’ve learned since the stroke is that time is of the essence.”
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and this is Jeri’s first year observing as a stroke survivor. She didn’t know much about strokes around this time last year, but now she does.
“You could say he’s my hero,” Jeri said of her husband. “Because of the way he acted so quickly in getting me help, whenever I’m in a situation where somebody might be having a stroke, I’ll do my very best to do what he did for me — get help as quick as possible. I’m very thankful.”
For more information about stroke care and to learn how one of NGMC’s designated stroke centers in Barrow, Braselton or Gainesville can help, visit nghs.com/stroke-care.
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Hospitals encourage donations in hour of need 1:20 pmHEART program allows Georgians to direct their state income tax to save local healthcare access
Even as they continue to heroically respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, community hospitals are facing critical financial distress that puts their futures in doubt. They need help to ensure our critical healthcare infrastructure survives to serve their region’s ongoing healthcare needs long after we’ve defeated COVID – and they can do it at no costs to themselves.
“Rural hospitals are major economic engines for their communities and they’re experiencing devastating decreases of revenue due to COVID-19. Without financial help, it will be tough for some hospitals to keep the doors open,” said Monty Veazey. “This pandemic has brought the needs of rural hospital into immediate focus, and we need members of the community to rally behind our hospitals.”
The HEART (Helping Enhance Access to Rural Treatment) hospital tax credit program benefits hospitals struggling to stay open by allowing taxpayers to direct their state income tax obligations to the rural hospital of their choice. The loss of rural hospitals decreases access to healthcare, delays treatment during emergencies and cripples economic development.
“Local communities depend on community hospitals, and healthcare providers have stepped up to meet higher demand for high-quality care. Ensuring patients have access to high-quality care is our mission and our passion, and we’ll do everything in our power to keep those services available – and save lives. I encourage everyone who is able to reach out to your local hospitals to see what needs they may have.”
As they’ve transitioned to respond to COVID, hospitals across the state have burned through their reserves as a result of new costs and postponed elective surgeries. As hospitals work to slow the spread of coronavirus, thousands of hospital beds remain empty.
“At this moment, communities need their hospitals more than ever,” Monty said, “and hospitals need their communities more than ever.”
Donations to the HEART program go toward the hospital of the donor’s choice. To donate to the Georgia HEART program, complete a short application at www.georgiaheart.org.
Hamilton Medical Center reminding community members to B.E. F.A.S.T. 12:46 pmHamilton Medical Center (HMC) is encouraging community members to be aware about the dangers of stroke and steps to take to avoid stroke. May is National Stroke Awareness Month.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, causing brain cells to die.
“It’s so important to be treated quickly to minimize the effects of a stroke,” said Meagan Darnell, HMC stroke program coordinator. “Knowing the signs of stroke could save your life or the life of a family member or friend. A stroke is definitely an emergency.”
The B.E. F.A.S.T. acronym is a valuable tool to help identify a possible stroke. The letters stand for balance, eyes, face, arms, speech and time – all factors in identifying and getting treated for stroke.
“When experiencing the symptoms of stroke, every second counts,” said Darnell. “So does getting the right level of care as quickly as possible.
HMC has a nationally ranked, highly trained Rapid Stroke Team on staff.
To avoid stroke, it is recommended to stay active, eat healthy, quit smoking, control cholesterol and watch your blood pressure.
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Hamilton Medical Center recognized for quality medical excellence, patient safety 5:16 pmHamilton Medical Center was recently recognized for medical excellence and patient safety quality by CareChex®. HMC was ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation in five categories for 2020.
The awards are based on a comprehensive quality scoring system that compares inpatient quality performance across general, acute and non-federal U.S. hospitals.
For Medical Excellence, HMC was recognized in the following categories:
For Patient Safety, HMC was recognized in the following categories:
CareChex Awards by Quantros utilizes a peer-reviewed, risk-adjustment methodology to more reliably measure rates of mortality, complications and readmissions. The process provides appropriate weighting and accounting for all of the risk factors relating to a patient’s principal and secondary diagnosis, as well as other patient characteristics that may increase the probability for adverse clinical outcomes. These rankings do not include any self-reported data.
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How to Help Your Local Hospital during COVID-19 1:13 pmGeorgians Benefit from Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program
In the best of times, it’s important that rural communities have access to health care. In the worst of times – one could argue that describes the COVID-19 outbreak – it’s especially critical. But coronavirus isn’t just a threat to public health, it also impacts infrastructure, such as the rural hospitals communities are counting on for life-saving care.
“Rural hospitals throughout Georgia, including our Camden Campus, are experiencing significant decreases in revenue due to coronavirus,” says Michael D. Scherneck, president and CEO, Southeast Georgia Health System. “To protect our community and to ensure the availability of critical resources for coronavirus patients, we temporarily postponed elective surgeries and procedures. Our physician offices also postponed procedures and did not see as many patients. We’re doing our part to slow the spread of coronavirus, but it is not without financial consequences.”
Right now, the Camden Campus needs the community’s support more than ever. “There is an easy way our community can help. The Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program allows Georgia state taxpayers to give back to rural hospitals that have given so much to their communities before and during this crisis.”
The program allows Georgia taxpayers to redirect their 2020 state income taxes to improve health care in their communities, thereby ensuring family and friends have access to quality care close to home.
The Georgia General Assembly enacted the Georgia HEART (Helping Enhance Access to Rural Treatment) hospital tax credit program to help rural hospitals struggling to stay open, but hospitals aren’t the only entities that benefit. The program offers a 100% state income tax credit to Georgia taxpayers and C-Corporations that donate funds through the program to hospitals that qualify, and for the second year in a row, the Health System’s Camden Campus qualifies for this innovative program.
By redirecting what you would have paid toward state income tax to the HEART program, you help rural hospitals, such as the Camden Campus, add new services, purchase technology, recruit physicians and offer additional health programs and screenings. In 2019, the Health System used its HEART funds to add 3D Mammography to the Camden Campus radiology department. This innovative technology is the most effective screening method for breast cancer, and early detection can increase the chances of patient survival. The Health System had committed the 2020 HEART funds to build a new Wound Care Center on the Camden Campus. That project is now complete and the opening has been delayed until early summer because of the pandemic. A more immediate priority for the HEART funds, however, is to help provide for the personnel and other resources that have been required to support the Health System’s COVID-19 pandemic response efforts.
“The beauty of the HEART program is that it allows taxpayers to keep their state tax dollars close to home, where it benefits family, friends and themselves,” Scherneck says. “It also allows hospitals to direct the donations to areas of greatest need.”
Scherneck adds, “Rural hospitals like the Camden Campus fill a vital need. The tax credit program is an excellent way to improve access to medical care and the quality of that care, without impacting household finances. It’s an easy way to feel better about paying taxes, knowing that your dollars helped improve health care in your own community. In a time when many people feel powerless, this program empowers them to strengthen their community. It truly is a win-win for everyone.”
The process to participate in this program is easy and takes less than five minutes. Simply complete a brief application, found at sghs.org/ga-tax-credit or at georgiaheart.org.
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