The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals recognized Navicent Health as Large Hospital of the Year during its 34^th annual conference last week. The event also marked the beginning of president and CEO Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders’ term as chair of the statewide organization. She succeeds Jerry Fulks, president of WellStar West Georgia Medical Center.

“Navicent Health has played a critical role not only in the lives of its patients but also the health of the community and region it serves for over 120 years,” said Monty Veazey, president of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals. “They deserve this recognition not only for all they have done in the past, but for what they continue to do to ensure the health and wellness of people throughout the region.”

The annual Hospital of the Year award recognizes the impact a hospital has had both on individual patients and the overall quality of life in the community it serves. Navicent Health was recognized specifically for its proactive approach to addressing disparities in outcomes for patients with issues such as cardiovascular disease and COPD as well as the new MedLaw Program created in partnership with Georgia Legal Services and Mercer University. This innovative program assists patients and their families with non-medical issues that create barriers to health.

Recognized by CEO Connection as one of 2017’s most influential women and named the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals’ CEO of the year in 2014, Dr. Ninfa Saunders assumes the role of chair at a critical time for non-profit hospitals across the state as they face the uncertainty of changes to federal health care law.

“It has never been more important for our non-profit hospitals to work together to advocate for laws and policies that will allow us to continue to provide quality care to our patients and support both the physical and economic health of our communities,” said Dr. Saunders. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity for the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals and look forward to working with my peers from across the state and with elected leaders at the state and federal level to ensure access and affordability for all Georgians.”

Other awards presented during the conference included Northside Hospital Cherokee as Small Hospital of the year, Don McKenna, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System, as CEO of the Year, and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as Legislator of the Year in recognition of his long history of support for the state’s non-profit hospitals.

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The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals named Don McKenna, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens, Georgia, as its CEO of the Year during the organization’s 34^th annual conference last week. The award recognizes leaders who have made a positive impact on their patients, the institutions they lead, and the communities they serve.

“Don McKenna is a true leader who, through his spirit, vision and leadership skills has transformed and grown St. Mary’s Health Care System while ensuring its financial stability and long term ability to serve patients throughout northeast Georgia,” said Monty Veazey, president and CEO of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals.

McKenna was recognized for his overall leadership and accomplishments including the creation of the region’s first residency program and high levels of satisfaction among both patients and employees. He also was lauded for the role he played in preserving access to local health care by bringing two struggling rural hospitals into St. Mary’s Health Care System — Ty Cobb Health System in Lavonia, Georgia, now known as St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital, and St. Joseph’s at East Georgia in Greensboro, now known as St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

“He is a consummate professional, an exemplary leader, a visionary chief executive offer, and a staunch advocate for our patients and for the profession,” said Jean Chin, MD, Chair of St. Mary’s Board of Directors and Executive Director of the University Health Center at the University of Georgia. “He has improved the health of this community, inspired countless staff, senior leadership, and newly minted residents to excel, guided the hospital system brilliantly through the economic recession and these turbulent health care reform years, and maximized the talents of those around him. Mr. McKenna is most deserving of this prestigious award.”

McKenna joined St. Mary’s Health Care System in 2008. Since that time, the system has grown from 196 licensed beds at one hospital to 275 beds in three hospitals and today employs over 2,100 people. St. Mary’s was recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals in 2016 and again for its specialty areas of stroke and gastrointestinal care in 2017 by the online consumer resource Healthgrades.

Other awards presented during the conference included Navicent Health as Large Hospital of the Year, Northside Hospital Cherokee as Small Hospital of the year and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as Legislator of the Year in recognition of his long history of support for the state’s non-profit hospitals.

In addition, Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, president and CEO of Navicent Health was welcomed as the organization’s new chair, succeeding Jerry Fulks, president of WellStar West Georgia Medical Center.

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Northside Hospital and Gwinnett Health System (the parent of Gwinnett Medical Center) announced today that they have submitted their proposed merger agreement to the State of Georgia Office of the Attorney General for review and approval. Depending on the review process, the five-hospital Northside-Gwinnett Health combined system could be operational in early 2018.

Northside Hospital and Gwinnett Health System previously announced that they had signed a letter of intent to begin discussions to combine their operations. Both systems have taken the necessary time to conduct this process carefully and deliberately. The primary due diligence and planning process has concluded and the systems are moving forward with the proposed merger.

Northside Hospital and Gwinnett Health System are both driven by quality patient care and satisfaction, strong medical professionals, health care innovation and unparalleled patient access.

Anchored by Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs and Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, the new health system also will include hospitals in Canton, Cumming and Duluth, as well as cancer treatment centers, imaging centers, urgent care centers and other outpatient locations throughout the state. Altogether, the Northside-Gwinnett combined system will have 1,479 beds, nearly 21,000 employees and 3,500 physicians on staff.

About Northside Hospital (www.northside.com)

The Northside Hospital health care system is a 926-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 is among the state’s top providers of surgical services. Northside has more than 2,500 physicians and 15,000 employees who serve 2.5 million patient visits annually across a full range of medical services.

About Gwinnett Health System (www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org)

Gwinnett Health System (GHS) is the parent company of Gwinnett Medical Center, Gwinnett Medical Group and Sequent Health Physician Partners. GHS employs approximately 5,500 associates and has more than 900 physicians serving more than 600,000 patients annually. Gwinnett Health System is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit healthcare network with acute-care hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth. Additional facilities include: the Gwinnett Women’s Pavilion, the Gwinnett Extended Care Center, Glancy Rehabilitation Center, outpatient health centers and surgical centers, imaging centers and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy facilities.

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The Family Birth Center at St. Mary’s Hospital is enhancing care for newborns and their mothers by implementing 10 steps to successful breastfeeding, including skin-to-skin contact after delivery and early initiation of breastfeeding.

“The evidence is powerful that measures such as skin-to-skin contact and establishing breastfeeding while in the hospital have tremendous benefits for both the newborn and the mother,” says Laura Crowe, one of three internationally certified lactation consultants at St. Mary’s.

“Breastfeeding provides babies with the right mix of nutrients for growth and development,” adds Mallory King, another of St. Mary’s lactation consultants. “In addition, breastfeeding provides antibodies from the mother that help the baby’s young immune system fight off infections.”

The changes come as St. Mary’s joins in celebrating World Breastfeeding Week Aug. 1-7.

“World Breastfeeding Week is a wonderful way to educate everyone about the benefits of breastfeeding,” says St. Mary’s third lactation consultant, Donna Jenkins. “It also helps make breastfeeding more acceptable and normal.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card, only 69.2 percent of Georgia’s babies are breastfed at least once. The national average is 81.1 percent. Improving that percentage would enhance the health of Georgia’s newborns and their mothers.

The 10 steps St. Mary’s is taking include: enhancing training for all Family Birth Center staff, updating policies, providing prenatal education to parents, initiating skin-to-skin contact and support for early initiation soon after delivery, providing skilled lactation consultants, encouraging rooming-in and baby-led feeding, encouraging no routine supplementation or artificial nipples, and providing breastfeeding support after discharge.

As part of its effort to continually improve care for moms, babies and families, St. Mary’s is working with the Georgia 5-Star Hospital program. Here are key steps St. Mary’s takes to promote breastfeeding and support breastfeeding mothers:

• Sacred Hour: At St. Mary’s, healthy newborns are immediately placed in skin-to-skin contact for at least an hour regardless of their feeding method.  We call this crucial period the “Sacred Hour.” Studies show the Sacred Hour soothes both mother and baby, lowers blood pressure, stabilizes the baby’s temperature and vital signs, and helps the mother’s milk come in to promote a calm and loving transition to breastfeeding. St. Mary’s starts the Sacred Hour with caesarean section patients as well once they are stable during the recovery period.
• Breastfeeding education: St. Mary’s Family Birth Center’s trained nurses and internationally certified lactation consultants educate mothers about breastfeeding and provide one-on-one emotional support while in the hospital. They also implement evidence-based practices that are shown to be the best for breastfeeding families.
• Cue-based feeding: The early signs that babies are hungry can be subtle. But if the cues are overlooked, babies become irritable and may have a hard time feeding. The Family Birth Center encourages rooming-in with guidance from staff to teach the family to recognize the early cues of hunger so that everyone can rest easier.
• Lactation consultants: St. Mary’s three International Board Certified Lactation Consultants – Jenkins, Crowe and King – bring state-of-the-art knowledge, compassion, and expertise to assist moms with all aspects of breastfeeding, including latching-on, pumping and storage, and problem-solving.
• Classes: Before delivery, St. Mary’s helps families prepare for their new baby, including breastfeeding, with several classes.
  • Baby Nutrition. An introduction to breastfeeding basics that covers getting started, preventing problems, maintaining breastfeeding when mom returns to work or school, and the role other family members can play. Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. $25 per couple.
  • Childbirth Education. Two-day class on consecutive Sundays that covers all aspects of preparing for delivery. In addition to helping parents be active participants in their baby’s birth, the class touches on the Sacred Hour and establishing the breastfeeding relationship. $60 per couple.
  • Baby Basics. Provides information on the general characteristics of a newborn, specifics of baby care, making the transition from hospital to home, and more. $15 per couple.
• Support groups: St. Mary’s offers two community support groups where breastfeeding moms can receive professional guidance, weigh their babies before and after breastfeeding, develop friendships, and exchange information with their peers. Both groups meet at St. Mary’s Hospital and are free.
  • Bundles of Joy, designed especially for first-time moms. Mondays, 1 p.m.
  • Toddle Time, designed for moms who have toddlers, too. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.
• One-on-one support: After discharge, moms who delivered at St. Mary’s can consult with St. Mary’s lactation consultants at no charge. Consultations over the phone can help with resolving an immediate problem. In-person consultations can address issues to help maintain the breastfeeding relationship.

For more information, visit www.stmarysathens.org or call St. Mary’s Family Birth Center Lactation Office at 706.389.3310.

On Wednesday, July 26 trauma care experts from Navicent Health conducted “Stop The Bleed” training for almost 300educators and administrators from Bibb County schools. In the coming months, physicians, nurses, emergency medical service (EMS) personnel and public health officials statewide hope to provide Stop The Bleed training to educators in more than 2,000 Georgia schools. The Bibb County School District is the first in the 23-county central Georgia region to receive the training.

Navicent Health physicians, working in conjunction with local first responders and clinicians, prepared course participants to provide basic trauma care in the event a student or coworker is injured. During three sessions at Central Georgia Technical College on Wednesday, trauma professionals – led by Navicent Health – instructed educators on the following topics:

• Caregiver safety
• Bleeding control techniques
• Ongoing care of the injured person
• Interacting with first responders

During hands-on exercises, participants learned to dress wounds, apply tourniquets, and utilize small trauma kits provided by the Georgia Trauma Commission.

“The skills learned in the Stop the Bleed training are a vital component in the school district’s efforts to provide a safe learning environment for students, faculty and staff,” said David Gowan, Director of Safety and Security for the Bibb County School District.

Stop the Bleed is a national initiative of the American College of Surgeons and Hartford Consensus. The program provides bystanders of emergency situations with the expertise to stop life-threatening bleeding until first responders arrive. In February, the Georgia Trauma Commission requested funding to support the Stop the Bleed Campaign in Georgia’s public school system by providing each public school in the state with a bleeding control kit.

“Our goal is to provide life-saving education and equip our school classrooms, educators and school administrators with bleeding control kits, along with education and training to fully equip individuals with the necessary skills to save a life,” said Dennis W. Ashley, MD, Director of Trauma Services and Critical Care for MCNH.

Uncontrolled bleeding injuries can result from natural and manmade disasters and accidents. Severe bleeding may claim a life within minutes, potentially before first responders arrive on scene. Providing bystanders with knowledge of the steps to take to stop uncontrolled bleeding, and providing the public access to bleeding control kits, can save lives.

“Research has shown that bystanders with little or no medical training can heroically save a life if equipped with the right knowledge. This is seen in incidents where bystanders use CPR training or automatic defibrillators until help arrives. We firmly believe this program has the ability to help people save lives in the event of an emergency situation. We are privileged to partner with the Bibb County Board of Education and Central Georgia Technical College to offer this training day,” said Dr. Ashley.

The Medical Center, Navicent Health is one of only two nationally-verified Level I trauma center in the state.

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 830 beds for medical, surgical, rehabilitation and hospice purposes. The health system includes The Medical Center, Navicent Health, a nationally recognized tertiary teaching hospital; Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health, the region’s only dedicated pediatric hospital; Medical Center of Peach County, Navicent Health, a rural critical access hospital; 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.

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Navicent Health CEO Recognized Among Women Who Influence Change, Innovation and Standards of Excellence

The Top 25 2017 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market has been announced by CEO Connection^®, the only membership organization exclusively for mid-market CEOs. This list recognizes the top 25 women in the U.S. based on their ability to influence change, innovation, and standards for excellence in companies with annual sales between $100 million and $3 billion.

Among the 25 women included on 2017’s list is Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, FACHE, President and CEO of Navicent Health. Nationally renowned for her strategic initiatives to improve access to healthcare and affect change within the industry, Dr. Saunders has over 45 years of hospital administrative and clinical experience.

An executive cofounder of Stratus Healthcare, a collaborative partnership of both urban and rural healthcare providers, she remains focused on “a fee-for-value framework rather than the fee-for-service model.” She has worked tirelessly to protect access to healthcare in rural areas, ensuring all patients have right access to the right care at the right time and at the right cost.

“We at Navicent Health are honored to have our CEO, Dr. Saunders, recognized nationally among CEOs for her dedication to innovation and ability to influence change within the industry. We are so pleased with the work she has done for our community, our region, and the industry as a whole,” said Starr Purdue, Chair of Navicent Health’s Board of Directors.

“We are honored to be able to recognize such a prestigious group of women who have truly made an impact on their company and have given back to their community,” says Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEO Connection. “We have been recognizing CEOs through our Mid-Market 500 and Mid-Market 1000 lists as well as the Most Influential Women’s List and we are pleased to share this new select group with the business community.”

Honorees will be recognized at the 2017 Mid-Market Convention on September 25-27 at The Wharton School in Philadelphia, PA. Referred to as the “Davos for the Mid-Market,” this exclusive global gathering brings together the leadership of the mid-market top business experts and senior government officials to help each other and change the world.