Claxton-Hepburn

To our friends, It's hard to believe a quarter of 2012 has passed us by already. Here at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, we hope you've enjoyed many enriching experiences with family and friends thus far and continue to do so as the spring season and even warmer weather are upon us. This year, we have been fortunate enough to have already received a great deal of feedback from the community regarding our facilities and services. I am particularly proud of the advances we have made in our emergency department, which recently underwent a full renovation. That renovation included the implementation of the Fast Track rapid-treatment area, which provides prompt care for patients visiting the ED with non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries. You can read all about these improvements in our cover story. Elsewhere in this issue, you'll learn about where we're heading next— specifically, towards accreditation for our Breast Health Center, detailed on page 7. Also, beginning on page 4, we pay tribute to those donors in the community who have helped make our ongoing mission to provide exceptional healthcare services to the North Country a reality. We thank them for their support, and we thank you for allowing us to serve you. Sincerely, Mark Webster, FACHE PRESIDENT AND CEO Announcement Giveaway Find the hidden apple in Living Well and win an iPod Touch. Go to our website or send a postcard with your name, address, and phone number indicating the page number and location of the apple to: Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Attn: Community Relations 214 King Street Ogdensburg, NY 13669 www.claxtonhepburn.org All entries are due by May 31, 2012. One entry per person. Correct entries will be entered into a drawing. Must be at least 18 years old to enter. Claxton-Hepburn employees and their immediate families are not eligible for the drawing. Congratulations to our winner: Joan Hadlock from Hammond Did you find the apple in the last issue? It was hidden on page 4! 2 LIVING WELL YOUR NEW-LOOK HOME FOR EMERGENT CARE {CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1} (L to R) Arthur Fedorowicz, MD; Tisa Martin, RN; Sarah Gordinier; Jackie Knable; Christa Tribble, RN, CEN; Julie Sciorra, RN; Kathy Pike, RN; and Samantha Martin rooms are also more spacious than the previous accommodations. Each features a TV, which helps pass the time for patients who are often in the department longer than those with more immediate health concerns." Building a Better Department Renovation of the ED may have begun solely with mental health patients in mind, but the end result benefits everyone who seeks care in the department. "As work proceeded on the new mental health area, Claxton-Hepburn decided it would be best to redo the front of the ED to move registration away from the entrance and add a triage area that would allow a nurse to see patients as soon as they walk in," says Julianne Sciorra, RN, director of the ED at Claxton-Hepburn. "We also added a rapid-treatment area to decrease wait times and increase efficiency for all patients [see 'Starting Patient Care Off on the Right Track']." Future changes to department processes should help reduce average wait time even further. "This recently completed renovation shows we listen to our patients when they suggest ways we can improve care," says David Ferris, RN, MSHA, FACHE, chief nursing officer at Claxton-Hepburn. "We will continue to search for ways to make the emergent care process as efficient and pleasant as possible." To keep up with the latest news from Claxton-Hepburn, visit www.claxtonhepburn.org and click "Custom Health eNewsletter." Starting Patient Care Off on the Right Track One of the major additions the emergency department (ED) at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center recently debuted as part of the transformation is a rapid-treatment, or Fast Track, area for patients who require care for non-serious injuries or illnesses. This area is open 10 hours per day during the department's busiest times. When it comes to order of care, patients with serious injuries or illnesses are typically given priority in EDs. The Fast Track area at Claxton-Hepburn gives those who don't require extensive lab work, radiology tests, or other resources the chance to receive treatment more quickly. "The Emergency Severity Index helps ED providers determine which patients need to be seen right away and which ones can safely wait," says H. Theodor Klaudt, MD, FACEP, medical director of the ED at Claxton-Hepburn. "Level 1 patients should be seen immediately, while those in Levels 4 and 5 can wait to be seen without fear of harm to their health or safety. Patients who fall under the last two levels are candidates to be seen in the Fast Track area. Thanks to this new, dedicated space, we're able to get patients the care they need faster and allow them to return home sooner." On Our Cover: Emergency Department physicians Craig Todd, MD, and H. Theodor Klaudt, MD visit our website www.claxtonhepburn.org

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