Avera Bulletin - December 2007
Avera Health Awarded Federal Communication Commission Pilot Program
The Federal Communications Commission recently awarded a coalition of health care facilities known as the Heartland Unified Broadband Network (HUBNet) $4.7 million to increase access to acute, primary and preventive care across the region under the Rural Health Care Pilot Program. The grant will be spread across three years.
HUBNet is a partnership between Avera, Regional Health and Dakota Network of Community Health Centers. The three organizations provide services to patients in South Dakota , North Dakota , Iowa , Minnesota , Nebraska and Wyoming.
“This grant will allow our organizations to expand technological capabilities and services available across the region,” said John Porter, president and CEO of Avera Health. “Advanced technology will make even more health care available to patients close to their homes.”
The goal of the grant is to expand and enhance networks to address health problems of the area’s aging population, increase the use and quality of teleradiology and increase distance education activities. The broadband network also will establish the infrastructure for an interoperable health information network.
Other opportunities that come from enhancing the regional telehealth network include participation in local, regional and national disaster response activities and the development of a regional teletrauma program.
Avera McKennan and Sioux Falls Catholic Schools Announce New Partnership
O+Gorman High School ’s annual Thanksgiving Mass on Nov. 21, 2007, became the occasion for the announcement of a new partnership between Avera McKennan and the Sioux Falls Catholic School System that focuses on the joint missions of health care and faith-based education. As part of the partnership, Avera McKennan will give $10 million to the school system’s “Building on Excellence” campaign over the next 13 years. The donation will go toward capital improvements, a teacher salary endowment, math and science programs, and student scholarships.
The partnership flows from the deep roots that Avera’s sponsors, the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, have in the ministries of health care and education in the region. In the late 1800s, Sisters from both orders came to Dakota Territory to establish schools. When presented with the health care needs of the frontier region, the Sisters answered the call.
As the population ages, the need for health care workers becomes ever greater. Avera McKennan chose this opportunity to invest in education to support and encourage area youth to pursue careers in health-care-related fields. Shadowing opportunities, internships, career days and other activities are planned. The partnership also provides new ways to promote health and wellness among students and parents through projects such as on-site health fairs, health screenings and immunization clinics.
Avera Heart Hospital Named to Top List
The Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota was named in the top 100 hospitals in the nation for the second year running by Thomson Healthcare based on its performance in treating heart attacks. If all cardiovascular hospitals received the same results as those named to the list, 7,000 lives would be saved annually.
Three Avera Facilities Recognized With Prestigious Awards at Press Ganey National Conference
Three Avera facilities took home awards from the Press Ganey National Conference. Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center , Wessington Springs , S.D. , and Floyd Valley Hospital , Le Mars , Iowa , both received a Summit Award in the Emergency Department category. Summit Award winners are selected for a superior level of sustained service excellence to their customers, communities and the entire health care industry. The Summit Award, Press Ganey’s most prestigious award, goes to facilities that have maintained a ranking in the 95th percentile or above for a minimum of three consecutive years.
Avera Dell Rapids Area Health Center , Dell Rapids, S.D., received a Compass Award in the Ambulatory Surgery Category. The Compass Award recognizes health care facilities with overall satisfaction scores that have shown the greatest improvement over the past two years relative to other facilities in the Press Ganey databases.
Avera McKennan Emergency Department Opens
The new patient-friendly Emergency Department at Avera McKennan saw its first patients in the early morning hours today, following an open house on Dec. 4. The facility is designed for patient privacy and efficient care. Sixteen rooms incorporate state-of-the-art technology for the care of any illness or injury, with three specialized rooms for the most critical cases. Family-friendly features include a comfortable waiting room with plasma TVs and a special area for children.
Emergency department staff and physicians designed the unit with LEAN principals for optimal staff efficiency. An outbound track hallway around the perimeter of the unit accommodates patient and family activity, while the center houses the medical staff core. Each room has two access doors – one for patients and family and one for the medical staff. The second phase of the project, to be completed in spring 2008, involves remodeling the old Emergency Department into 20 patient rooms and an Internet Café.
Dougherty Hospice House Opens
Avera McKennan recently celebrated the opening of the Dougherty Hospice House on the Avera Prince of Peace campus. The unique and exceptional facility is a place of dignity, family and peace for those journeying from life to death. Patients receive round-the-clock, hospital-quality care in a comfortable setting that offers the warmth and security of home.