Announcing the Retirement of Dr. Thomas Evans

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1 February 2018 A Publication of Sweetwater Hospital Association Inside this issue: Continuing Education & New Years Baby 2 Announcing the Retirement of Dr. Thomas Evans Dear Monroe County, Holiday Festivities & New Fracture Prevention Clinic THA Board Retreat & Pediatric Surge Cart Breast Cancer Awareness & Pharmacy Week Mock Pediatric Disaster Drill MRI Under Construction 7 Physician Directory 8 Planning for the Future As you may know, I am planning on retiring this year. My last full day in my office in Sweetwater will be March 23, I will continue to have part time office hours from April through June Sweetwater Hospital and I have worked diligently to find someone who we believe will provide the same level of care that my patients have come to expect. I am happy to announce that Dr. Laurence James, an Internal Medicine Physician who graduated from Vanderbilt University, will be accepting patients starting in July I believe that Dr. James will be a great asset to Sweetwater Hospital and to this community. I will continue to attend to residents at Sweetwater Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Wood Presbyterian Home until the end of Your medical records will be maintained at Sweetwater Hospital Association and we will forward them to your new physician at your request. I am grateful for the relationships we have established and honored that you have trusted my advice over these many years. Godspeed Sincerely, New Intensive Care Unit! Thomas Evans, M.D 1

2 Continuing Education THA (Tennessee Hospital Association) Webinar Psychiatric Auditing and Documentation Sam Bivens June 26th. Opioid Safety A Team Approach Seminar South College Campus Patti Thompson July 20th. Annual Life Star Symposium at UTMC (University of Tennessee Medical CenterAugust 19th Sasha Conine, Britney Temples Huskey, Melissa Roe, Tiffany Taylor, Jacob Hahn, Tanner Henry, & Starla Bivins Mammography Analysis and Advanced Techniques Thompson Cancer Survival Center Knoxville October 28th Amy Howard and Marla Lawson Annual Will Rogers Institute Respiratory Therapy Critical Care Seminar Fort Sanders Regional Hospital September 28th Steve Bell, Beverly Franks, Wanda Nelson, & Susan Peterson Functional and Corrective Exercise Seminar August 17th- Physical Therapy Staff A Rehab Professional s Guide to Pharmacology Knoxville, TN August 26th Millie Knight and Gale Irons APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control ) Smoky Mountain Annual Seminar Pigeon Forge November 2-3, 2017 Bobbie Arp and Shannon Anthony-Peters Tennessee Society for Respiratory Care Fall Seminar Erlanger Hospital October 6th Candi McCormick and Glenda Wilkins Dawn Scruggs provided a legal panel presentation at the annual THIMA (Tennessee Health Information Management Association) conference in Nashville on October 12th. Andrea Henry attended the CSCC (Cleveland State Community College) Nursing Advisory Board meeting on October 9th on the Cleveland campus. Core DEC (Drug and Endangered Children) Regional Awareness Training was held at SHA on October 16th, with Sam Bivens, Lori Derrick, and Diane Haynes attending CHRISTMAS PARTY Tennessee Association for Home Care fall conference was held at the Park Vista in Gatlinburg. Karen Eller and Jennifer Tackett attended the event on November 5th -7th. Helen Ross McNabb Center In-service Training was held at SHA for all emergency room and Social Services staff on November 17th. SHA employees enjoyed a festive Christmas party full of heavy hors d'oeuvres, tacky Christmas sweaters, and pictures with Santa! DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT Studies have shown an average of only 1 in 4 victims of domestic violence report the crimes committed against them. Sweetwater Hospital Employees wore purple to honor victims of domestic violence. THE FIRST BABY GIRL OF 2018 Sweetwater Hospital Association is proud to welcome Aylin Alondra Martinez, one of the first babies born this year! Aylin is a beautiful baby girl, born at 3:57 PM on January 2, 2018, weighing 8.1 pounds, and was 19.5 inches long. Congratulations to Ana Martinez and Alegrando Zavala from Philadelphia, TN! 2

3 Dr. Krishen Meets Monroe County Dr. Krishen s pediatric practice is off to a great start! Dr. Krishen really enjoyed each event she attended in Monroe County including the Muscadine Festival, Mayes Avenue Halloween, and Sweetwater s Downtown Christmas. Dr. Krishen is overwhelmed with the number of people who welcomed her with open arms and she s excited to be a part of such a tight-knit community. Dr. Krishen s Pediatric Office is open Monday through Friday with the exception of Thursday. She accepts same-day appointments and walk-ins! To schedule an appointment call: (865) HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Left to right: Jonathan Watson, LPN, Jessica Watson, RN, Lori Derrick, RN, Nursing Orientation Instructor, Courtney Woods, LPN, & Tim Whited, LPN 3

4 THA Board Certification Program Sweetwater Hospital Association is proud to announce our Board of Directors continues to be Board Certified! This year, Sweetwater Hospital Association s Board of Directors is three-star certified! Developed and administered by the Tennessee Hospital Association, there are three levels of board certification available to Tennessee Hospitals. The third level, or three-star certification, means 100% of our board members are individually certified. This is a commitment few hospitals across the state have been able to achieve. Three-star certification tells lawmakers, regulators, physicians, employees, and community stakeholders that our Board of Directors: Understand and embrace the need for accountability in governance. Govern according to a standard of excellence. Are willing to formally commit to governance best practices. Through education and networking opportunities, the Board Certification Program encourages board members to stay informed on the pressing healthcare topics of the day health reform, finance, quality, compliance and cultural competency while identifying appropriate best practices for hospitals in each of these areas. The aim of the program is to achieve the highest quality of governance by ensuring ethical, independent, and conflict-ofinterest free behavior to foster sustainable employee and community trust. ( Sweetwater Hospital Association Board Members: Dr. Kenny Archer, Mr. Rick Bettis, Mr. John Carson, III, Dr. Thomas Evans, Mr. Jim Fairweather, Mr. Gary Kimsey, Mr. Tom Korn, Dr. Ken Kozawa, Mr. Doug Warren, Ms. Barbara Watson, and Ms. Peggy White. Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Supply Cart In 2014, Emergency Departments across the United States were asked to participate in the National Pediatric Readiness Project. This project evaluated each state s overall preparedness to care for pediatric emergencies both in day-to-day operations, as well as preparedness for a pediatric surge. While Tennessee had the highest score in the nation with a mean score of 89%, one of the largest gaps identified was the lack of pediatric equipment. Through the Knox East Tennessee Healthcare Coalition which works with the 21 hospitals in the region, Sweetwater Hospital Association has received a pediatric supply cart for our Emergency Department. This prioritization of resources has allowed Sweetwater Hospital Association and our community to expand its ability to care for an influx of pediatric patients within our region. Not only has this project enhanced disaster preparedness, but the day-to-day care of the vulnerable pediatric patients. This comprehensive project is invaluable when you look at it s impact on saving lives. 4

5 BREAST CANCER AWARENESS Did you know, in the United States, about 1 in 8 women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime? (breastcancer.org) Pharmacy Week Pharmacy Week was October 16th - 20th. Sweetwater Hospital Association wants to recognize our pharmacy team. Our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play an important role in educating patients, promoting safe and effective use of medication, and providing the perfect dose of caring and commitment. This is why it is SO important to have a routine mammogram! If you scheduled a screening in October, you had the chance to win this Celebrate Life gift basket. The basket included a key chain, manicure kit, pen, bracelet, a stainless steel pink cup, notepad, breast cancer awareness pin, fleece blanket, cooler, tote bag, socks, colored pencils, and an adult coloring book. We had five winners and pictured on the right is Nellie Jackson, our employee winner. Pictured on the left is Amy Howard, RTRM (Registered Technologist Radiology & Mammography), one of our mammography specialists. Not pictured is Marla Lawson, RTR. Call to schedule your next mammogram now! HEALTH NEWS New Blood Pressure Guidelines Explained: According to the American College of Cardiology, the new guidelines will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46 percent) having high blood pressure, with the greatest impact expected among younger people. Additionally, the prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45, and double among women under 45. Blood pressure categories, in the new guideline, are: Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg; Elevated: Systolic between and diastolic less than 80; Stage 1: Systolic between or diastolic between 80-89; Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg; Hypertensive crisis: Systolic over 180 and/or diastolic over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other indications of problems, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage. The guidelines eliminate the category of prehypertension, categorizing patients as having either Elevated ( and less than 80) or Stage I hypertension ( or 80-89). While previous guidelines classified 140/90 mm Hg as Stage 1 hypertension, this level is classified as Stage 2 hypertension under the new guidelines. In addition, the guidelines stress the importance of using proper technique to measure blood pressure; recommend use of home blood pressure monitoring using validated devices; and highlight the value of appropriate training of health care providers to reveal "white-coat hypertension." (Source: American College of Cardiology) 5

6 Dr. Krishen plays the part as she determines what happened to this child at the scene of the disaster. Pellissippi State nursing students volunteered to act as victims for SHA s Disaster Drill. Sweetwater Hospital nurse examines mock patient s leg. To prepare for this mock drill, Casey Camp used Moulage to create these different injuries. The white tag (the symptomology tag) on this student displays the biographical information, visible symptoms, physical findings, and other patient information in order for him to act his part accordingly. This student s symptomology tag stated: Age: 8 Visible Symptoms: Impaled object to left upper arm and perfuse bleeding from wound. Other patient Information: Injury appears severe, patient becoming lethargic, patient can t provide any personal information. Mock Pediatric Disaster Drill The pictures above are from a regional pediatric mass casualty drill Sweetwater Hospital participated in this past October. Nursing students from Pellissippi State Community College graciously volunteered to play the victims for this event. The drill scenario involved a tornado striking a fairground, 15 miles away from our hospital, on student day. The drill was an excellent learning event not only for our staff, but the nursing students as well. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event. 6

7 PHYSICAL THERAPY MONTH RESPIRATORY THERAPY WEEK Respiratory Therapy Week was October 22-28th, Sweetwater Hospital Association recognized our hard working respiratory therapists during Respiratory Care Week. October was National Physical Therapy Month! National Physical Therapy Month is an annual opportunity to recognize the physical therapy profession's efforts to "transform society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience." We would like to thank our physical therapy staff for all they do every day to improve the health, mobility, and quality of life of the patients they serve. Pictured above is Candace McCormick, RRT performing a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) on a patient. A respiratory therapist is someone who cares for patients that have trouble breathing; for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, stroke, drowning, or shock. Again, thank you for the countless lives you save one breath at a time. NEW MRI UNIT UNDER CONSTRUCTION Sweetwater Hospital Association is excited to announce the installation of our new MRI unit with revolutionary comfort features. This unit offers the quickest, quietest, and least confining MRI exam on the market today for the most pleasant patient experience possible. 7

8 Sweetwater Hospital Association 304 Wright Street Sweetwater, TN We re on the web! Sweetwater Hospital Association (SHA) is a 59-bed, acute care, notfor-profit corporation, which was chartered by the state of Tennessee in Sweetwater Hospital Association is located in rural East Tennessee and serves parts of Meigs, McMinn, Roane, Loudon, and all of Monroe County. It is the only hospital located in Monroe County which has a population of approximately 45,000. Gauzette Publication Committee Casey Camp, MHA, Editor Joe Anderson, MHA Bobbie Arp, RRT Melissa Harris, MSN Lucretia Allen, HR Director Scott Bowman, Administrator Debbie Thompson, CFO 8