Jesup, GA – Wayne Memorial Hospital is hosting its next blood drive Tuesday, April 3, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the bloodmobile adjacent to the exterior entrance to The Café at Wayne Memorial.  Appointments may be made by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or visiting www.redcrossblood.org and entering “wmh” when prompted for a sponsor code.  Walk-ins are also welcomed.

Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a two-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.
 

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St. Mary’s Hospice Services is now accepting applications for its Healing Grief workshop, a free 7-week program for adults who have lost a loved one through death.

The group will meet from 2-4 p.m. each Thursday from April 5 through May 24 at Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 100 Janice Drive, Athens. In this private setting, participants will learn ways to better cope with the death of their loved one in a supportive group environment.

The professionally facilitated group takes an educational and supportive approach to healing. Topics will include understanding grief; remembering, accepting and expressing feelings; stress and coping; anniversaries, and memorializing.

Healing Grief is free but participants need to complete an application in order to enroll. To request an application or for more information, call St. Mary’s Hospice at 706.389.2273 or, toll-free, 1.800.822.3381.

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Jesup, GA – A free class on childbirth is offered at Wayne Memorial Hospital Saturday, March 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the hospital cafeteria conference room. The class is ideal for those expectant mothers 25 weeks pregnant or later by the class date. Those interested in registering may do so by calling (912) 530-3118 or (912) 530-3117.

Topics of the class will include the normal process of pregnancy, labor and delivery with an emphasis on conscious prepared childbirth. Stress is placed on a medically safe delivery in the hospital under the direction of a physician. Additional topics covered are infant care and infant feeding. Attendees are encouraged to invite a support person to the class.

Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a two-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.

Did you know that skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer?

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 2,000 cases of melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, will be diagnosed in Georgia this year. As with other cancers, early detection is important. The Northside Hospital Cancer Institute would like to help you get ready for the sun with a skin cancer screening. Medical professionals will provide skin assessments in a private setting. Registration is now open and everyone is invited to attend.

The skin cancer screening takes place:

Thursday, April 19, from 6-8 p.m.

Northside Hospital Cherokee

450 Northside Cherokee Boulevard

Canton, Ga. 30115

Qualified Spanish interpreters available free of charge, by request.

Recommended Screening Attire: Shorts and T-Shirt

Appointments are required. Call 404-531-4444.

Northside Hospital is one of the largest and most respected providers of comprehensive cancer services in the Southeast, combining the latest in technology and research with compassionate patient-centered care. The hospital offers a full continuum of care that encompasses the entire cancer experience, including education, screening, diagnosis, treatment, research, support and survivorship.

Northside’s skin cancer screening should not replace a complete skin exam with a skin specialist.

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About Northside Hospital (www.northside.com)

The Northside Hospital health care system is a 905-bed, not-for-profit health care provider with more than 150 locations across Georgia, including three acute care, state-of-the-art hospitals in Atlanta, Cherokee County and Forsyth County. Northside Hospital leads the U.S. in newborn deliveries, diagnoses and treats the most cancer cases in Georgia and performs the most robotic surgeries in Georgia. Northside has more than 2,500 physicians and 15,000 employees who serve nearly 2 million patient visits annually across a full range of medical services.

CUMMING, Ga. — Northside Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Institute will offer a free screening to determine your risk for heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease, or CVD.

CVD remains the No. 1 killer of Americans, according to the American Heart Association.

There are a range of factors that raise your risk of developing CVD and having a heart attack or stroke. The more factors you have, the greater your risk. It is essential to find out your risk for CVD and make a plan to prevent it.

The free screening takes place:

When: 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 14

Free parking available.

This comprehensive screening is administered by health care professionals and will include a one-on-one consultation, risk assessment, blood pressure reading, total cholesterol (HDL, ratio of TC/HDL) as well as glucose testing and body mass index (BMI) analysis.

The screening is free, but registration is required. Call 404-851-6550 to secure your spot and schedule an appointment.

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About Northside Hospital (www.northside.com)

The Northside Hospital health care system is one of Georgia’s leading health care providers with more than 150 locations across the state, including three acute care, state-of-the-art hospitals in Atlanta, Canton and Cumming. Northside Hospital leads the U.S. in newborn deliveries and is among the state’s top providers of cancer care and surgical services. Northside has more than 2,800 physicians and 15,000 employees who serve 3 million patient visits annually across a full range of medical services.

Health System Earns 2018 Top Workplaces Award from AJC

Tanner Health System continues to garner distinction as a leading metro Atlanta employer, garnering a 2018 Top Workplaces Award from theAtlanta Journal-Constitution.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than 2,300 metro area employers were nominated or requested to participate in the 2018 Top Workplaces awards — but only 150 of those enterprises made the final list of award winners. The awards are hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and its partner, Energage LLC.

The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage. Formerly known as Workplace Dynamics, Energage is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous surveys measured several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution and connection.

“Top Workplaces is more than just recognition,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement.”

Tanner placed 17th among large employers on the Top Workplaces list, just ahead of supermarket chain Aldi and behind A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation company with facilities in Atlanta and Marietta. Among other large healthcare employers on the list, Resurgens Orthopaedics ranked 11th and Piedmont Healthcare ranked 22nd. The Alston & Bird Law Firm topped the large employers list.

Tanner has also been recognized within the past year as one of the top 10 extra large employers in metro Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and is among Modern Healthcare’s 2017 list of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The health system offers a competitive array of benefits in an inclusive, service-focused culture.

With more than 3,000 employees and five regional hospital facilities, Tanner is one of the largest employers in west Georgia and east Alabama.

“We put a lot of focus into accolades such as this, because health care is such a competitive industry to attract and retain talent and every healthcare organization wants prospective employees to think that they’re the best place for them to work,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner. “Measures like this demonstrate that Tanner truly is a great option for healthcare professionals looking to begin or expand their careers.”

As part of the survey that determined the rankings, employees at each company were asked to respond to a set of statements using a seven-point Likert scale. Each statement was tested to ensure a high correlation with how Atlanta employees rate their workplaces. This was calculated by correlating the statement responses to a control question that asked each employee to rate his or her workplace on a scale of zero to 99. According to Energage, a common theme that resonated among employees at the 150 top companies was that they felt there was “a genuine care from their employer and an investment in each and every one of their employees.”

“Becoming a Top Workplace isn’t something organizations can buy,” Claffey said. “It’s an achievement organizations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage. It’s a big deal.”

Anyone interested in exploring career opportunities at Tanner can view current openings and apply online at www.TannerCareers.org.

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In honor of Heart Month, the American Heart Association (AHA) sponsors the Little Hats, Big Hearts Program. According to the AHA’s website, volunteers from around the country band together to showcase the significance of the month by knitting and crocheting red hats for babies born in February at participating hospitals. Little Hats, Big Hearts honors babies, mothers and heart healthy lifestyles. The hats are donated to babies nationwide in February in order to empower mothers to live heart healthy lives and to help their children do the same.

And this year, the program has a unique local tie to the City of Jesup and Wayne Memorial. City of Jesup employee Rosie Kinard saw a Facebook post about the program a few months ago. She thought to herself, “That’s nice. I can make a couple of hats and send them in.” The next morning at work, she mentioned the program to City Manager Mike Deal, who suggested she make one for each of the babies born during the month of February at Wayne Memorial. She said, “Challenge accepted.” A few phone calls later, Rosie committed to making 50, the average number of babies born at the hospital during the month of February. She shares her reasoning for upping her commitment from 2 hats to 50. “Heart disease touches every person in the United States in one way or another. My father, Hayward Norris, died from congestive heart failure, so these hats are in memory of him in the hopes that everyone makes their heart health a top priority.”

The American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts program started in February 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. It collected 300 hats in the first year. The program is now in more than 40 states and collected over 200,000 this year. Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 475 employees, 84 beds and is a two-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.

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The Dasher Heart Center at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta has unveiled a state-of-the-art operating room that takes the treatment of vascular and endovascular patients to the next level.

According to SGMC Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon Dr. Maurice Solis, this is the only hybrid operating room in South Georgia.

“Hybrid operating rooms combine the most advanced operating room and medical imaging technology,” Dr. Solis explains.  “The room will be especially helpful in treating patients with complex aneurysms, circulatory issues in the lower extremities and carotid artery disease—situations where expert imaging is beneficial.”

Dr. Solis explains that the need for the hybrid room is to be prepared for the unknown. When a surgeon is doing an endovascular procedure, such as treating a circulatory blockage by inserting a stent in a patient’s leg, there is always a small possibility an emergency will occur.

“A fairly-routine case can become life threatening if a blood clot breaks loose during the stenting procedure,” Dr. Solis stated.  “SGMC’s hybrid room makes it possible to transition from an endovascular case, using wires, stents, needles and contrast (something similar to a procedure performed in a Cath Lab) to an open case with anesthesia and full surgical intervention in a matter of moments.”

The new OR has a regular surgical table complete with a C-arm robot image intensifier. When endovascular imaging is needed, the robot drives itself over to the procedure table.  When it is no longer needed, it drives itself back to its docking location.  The hybrid OR is also equipped with advanced video transmission equipment that allows live-case presentations as learning opportunities for physicians, nurses and students.

According to SGMC System Project Director Bill Forbes, the hybrid OR was designed by Gresham Smith Architects of Jacksonville and constructed by local contractor, Cauthan Construction.

Forbes concluded by saying, ”The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, GA and SGMC’s Leadership continue to bring the best available technology and services to the citizens of Valdosta, Lowndes County and surrounding areas.”

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Tobacco is still the largest cause of preventable death in Georgia and in the rest of America. Smoking kills nearly half a million adults every year. During the week before the Oscars, St. Mary’s and Trinity Health are asking for the community to Help Oscar Quit.

Smokefree Movies is an organization working to raise the rating of movies that feature smoking to decrease the number of young adults exposed to tobacco use. As the voice behind the #HelpOscarQuit movement, they are initiating a Week of Action leading up to the 2018 Oscars. St. Mary’s has joined the fight to reduce smoking exposure in youth–rated films.

According to Smokefree Movies, smoking was featured in 86 percent of films nominated in major categories this year. This is the highest percent of tobacco use in nominated films in the past four years. The US Surgeon General has confirmed that smoking and tobacco use featured in movies causes kids to start smoking.

“We see the disastrous effects of smoking every day, including heart attacks, strokes, lung disease, peripheral artery disease and more,” said Montez Carter, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System. “The best way to treat these conditions is to prevent them, and the best way to prevent them is to never start smoking. We need to come together and convince Hollywood that our kids don’t need to be exposed to smoking in the movies.”

Of the PG-13 youth–rated films that are nominated this year, 50 percent of featured smoking. All 16 of the R-rated movies featured tobacco use, Smokefree Movies says.

The CDC estimates that giving a film that features smoking and tobacco use an R rating could prevent a million tobacco deaths in this generation of young adults. With the help of the community, St. Mary’s hopes to help prevent smoking-related deaths by urging the industry to raise the rating of movies that feature smoking.

For more information on how to get involved, please visit the online News section of stmarysathens.org

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GE Healthcare to provide transformative consulting services, advanced analytics, and leading technology to deliver innovative patient centric care

Accelerate integration of technology resources to ensure the system has access to technology as needed to improve the patient experience

GE Healthcare and Navicent Health have announced plans to transform healthcare delivery and reduce the cost of care in central Georgia for the benefit of the local community.  Over the course of the next six years, the two entities will work side by side to make system-wide improvements that will cover every aspect of care delivery and generate up to $150 million in improvements for Navicent Health. 

“We are excited to collaborate with GE Healthcare, a company that brings access to market leading resources, expertise, advanced analytics, and proprietary tools to help us transform how we deliver care to our patients,” said Dr. Ninfa Saunders, FACHE, President and CEO, Navicent Health.  “This is NOT a quick fix, rather a steady and strategic approach to developing sustainable solutions that will enhance our entire system allowing us to deliver higher-quality care at a lower, and more consistent, cost.”

Based on mutual goals, the collaboration will target clinical, operational and financial outcomes – all of which are expected to promote growth, enhance synergies across the system and accelerate efforts to provide high quality care in an environment that appeals to its employees. By working together, GE Healthcare and Navicent Health expect to drive change and reshape the future of the health system, creating a “One Navicent Health” continuum of care to deliver high quality, efficient and relevant care to its community and beyond.  Over the course of the relationship, the two organizations will adjust and respond to industry trends and meet the current needs of the community.  For example, GE Healthcare will help Navicent Health build operational pathways to improve patient flow and create analytics that provide the care team with critical information which will allow them to make real-time decisions to improve patient care and optimize the capacity of the system.

“The future of healthcare is about recognizing the needs of the system, then aligning technologies, services, and activation of new methods to support the system as it creates access for the right patient, at the right time,” said Helen Stewart, Managing Principal, GE Healthcare Partners. “Hospitals face increasing cost pressures, patient demands and workforce challenges that put a strain on staff and their ability to provide quality patient.  Navicent Health demonstrates an eagerness to apply innovative thinking and a passion for real change, which makes them an ideal partner for us.”

Navicent Health is the latest health system to join GE Healthcare’s cohort of systems which have embarked on long-term, strategic risks-sharing relationships with the company over the last two years.  This is GE Healthcare’s sixth collaboration of its kind.

“By working with GE Healthcare, we are confident that we will experience operational excellence and improved patient satisfaction while achieving financial stability,” said Michael Esposito, Chief Operating Officer, Navicent Health.  “We believe this strategic collaboration will help solidify Navicent Health’s position as a leading healthcare provider in this community and strengthen our commitment to delivering clinical, operational and financial outcomes for our patients, employees and the communities we serve.”

About GE Healthcare

Harnessing data and analytics across hardware, software and biotech, GE Healthcare is the $19 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading provider of medical imaging equipment, with a track record of more than 100 years in the industry and more than 50,000 employees across 100 countries, we transform healthcare by delivering better outcomes for providers and patients. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter or The Pulse for latest news.

About Navicent Health

Navicent Health was incorporated on November 17, 1994 as a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to coordinate The Medical Center, Navicent Health and other affiliated entities in their mission of providing a comprehensive continuum of high quality, reasonably priced healthcare services to the region. Navicent Health has 970 beds for medical, surgical, rehabilitation and hospice purposes. The health system includes The Medical Center, Navicent Health, a nationally recognized tertiary teaching hospital; Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health, the region’s only dedicated pediatric hospital; Navicent Health Baldwin and Medical Center of Peach County, Navicent Health, both rural critical access hospitals; Rehabilitation Hospital, Navicent Health, the region’s oldest and most experienced rehabilitation provider; Pine Pointe, Navicent Health, which provides palliative and hospice care in homes and in its facility; Carlyle Place, Navicent Health, the area’s first continuing care retirement community;  Navicent Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Navicent Health; as well as diagnostic and home care services. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.