November 23, 2012

PEOPLE
A PUBLICATION FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF VIDANT HEALTH

Keeping care close to home Pg. 2

Kids helping kids for the holidays

By Carissa D. Etters

Dwayne Rawlins is a systems engineer for Vidant Health Information Services. This year, his lucky number seems to be 13, as he will mark 13 years with Vidant Health, and his daughter turns 13. For most dads, 13 + daughter = scary. For Rawlins, though, his daughters 13th birthday gave him inspiration. To celebrate the milestone age, Rawlins daughter, Britany, and six of her friends decided to hold a joint birthday party. However, in lieu of birthday presents, the seven girls requested their guests bring toys they can donate to Vidant Childrens Hospital. Im just proud of the fact that they considered someone else besides themselves for the holidays, especially on their birthdays, and even more that they wanted to help sick children, Rawlins said. Rawlins contacted Vidant Medical Centers Child Life Services to get a wish list, and with more than 150 guests at the joint birthday bash, more than 70 toys were collected.

I think what these girls did is remarkable, said Susan Sugg, child life services manager. It is the whole concept of kids helping kids that highlights what our childrens hospital is all about. While the girls donated their collection of toys for children at Christmas time, Sugg points out donations like this are important all year long. Toys are used so many ways. We might stock them in play rooms or use them as a gift from the hospital during a celebration, like a child going off chemo therapy or a birthday, Sugg said. As for Rawlins, the age 13 does not seem so scary. In fact, he hopes it serves as an example. I hope this holiday spirit is contagious throughout our organization and community, Rawlins said. If interested in donating or volunteering at the childrens hospital, contact Child Life Services at 8475327.
LIKE US ON facebook FOLLOW US ON twitter

From left: Samantha Sheppard, Katie Bland, Kenzie Woolard, Britany Rawlins, Blake Swanner, Caroline Manning and Bailey Gerard (not pictured) drop off their toy donation at Vidant Childrens Hospital.

Dwayne Rawlins, systems engineer with Vidant Health information services, smiles for a picture with his daughter, Britany.

The seven birthday girls collected and donated more than 70 items to the Vidant Childrens Hospital.

PEOPLE

N O V E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 PG 2

Telehealth helps keep health care local

By Lisa Newsome Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital

CONGRATULATIONS

Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie is one community hospital working to keep care local. Sue Lassiter, president of Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, said the best care is care delivered close to home. Many health care services today can be offered in the community hospital setting so patients and families do not have to travel out of town for care, Lassiter said. Our community hospital is part of Vidant Health, which includes nine community hospitals and one acute care hospital, Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. So patients and families can receive safe, quality care close to home. The hospital has brought specialists to Ahoskie for the past several years through

outpatient specialty clinics. These specialists have improved access to care, and reduced expense of travel for cancer care, cardiology, podiatry, nephrology, pulmonology and a sleep center. Vidant Health has located a number of specialty practices in Ahoskie, including general surgery, urology, womens care, behavioral health and neurology. Keeping patients close to home and providing the same level of care that they would receive at a larger hospital is our goal, states Pam Askew, RN, nurse manager of the Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital intensive care unit. This also makes family involvement easier and lessens the burden of time and expense to travel. One of the most innovative ways that Vidant Roanoke-Chowan is helping patients avoid unnecessary travel is through

Dr. Jeffrey Severa, hospitalist at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital (left) and Pamela Askew, RN, nurse manager of intensive care unit, provide care for a patient in consultation with Dr. Mark Mazer, intensivist physician at Vidant Medical Center (on screen) through telehealth.

its telehealth program, which uses video conferencing equipment to connect a physician at the community hospital with a specialty-trained intensivist physician at Vidant Medical Center. As an intensivist, Dr. Mark Mazer can view the electronic health record, discuss the patients care, make treatment recommendations, and determine if the patient is getting all the care needed at the community hospital. Mazer also talks with the family to assure them that patient is receiving the same level of care he/she would receive at a larger hospital. We always include the family in the process in case they are requesting transfer so they will be assured that the same level of care is being provided right here at home, Askew said. Funds from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant were used to purchase the advanced telehealth equipment and programs (software) to connect the regional hospital to Vidant Medical Center. Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital also has been recognized for providing optimal care and quality measures by The Joint Commission, including an award last year placing it in the top 14 percent of hospitals nationwide for certain core measures of quality. At the time of this article, the hospital had achieved 1,295 days of patient safety (with no incidents of patient harm). For more information about quality care at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, visit www.vidanthealth.com/roanokechowan/. To find a health care provider in your area, call toll-free 1-800-472-8500.

The North Carolina Division of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management presented Vicki Haddock a Lifetime Achievement award. This is the first such award ever given by this organization. Vicki is an exceptional risk management professional, and we are so proud that her outstanding accomplishments have been recognized at the state level of her professional organization. Thank you, Vicki, for representing Vidant Health in such a manner.

PEOPLE
Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . Anissa Davenport Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Dunn Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Anne Atkins Carissa Etters