One nursing home in Alabama was facing a communications problem and it was affecting the quality of care they provided to their residents. They needed to change the focus of their communications from “I” to “We.” Doing so would show how it truly takes a team, working on every resident’s behalf, to ensure the highest [...]
In August 2013, JoAnn Burke moved back to her small, rural hometown of Tipton, Indiana, in anticipation of her retirement within a few short years. She saw a need for improved care for the aging population, which she had observed visiting family there for years. When she learned that Tipton would soon have the third [...]
Navigator Program Expands to 22 Primary Care Clinics Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Mississippi recently completed a successful three-month care coordination pilot with three primary care clinics and is in the process of expanding the program to all 22 of their primary clinics. Physicians, along with key clinical staff met to determine metrics for measurement and [...]
Sandra Simpson is the Director of Nursing for Jefferson County Nursing Home in Fayette, Mississippi. She has been there 18 years and loves what she does. She, her staff and her residents also love that their facility has maintained a composite score of less than 6.00 for most of the last four years. Sandra Simpson, [...]
In the United States, 18.8 million people are diagnosed with diabetes, and an estimated seven million people remain undiagnosed, according to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Educating diabetics about how to manage their disease allows them to better control and understand the potential complications such as amputations, blindness and kidney failure. In 2012, the [...]
Michelle Vincent MSN, RN, APRN- BC, Director of Quality, Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center located in Leitchfield, Kentucky, credits her team’s participation in an electronic medical record (EMR)-specific workgroup with helping their facility provide better care. “At the end of the day, it really comes down to the impact of delivering safe patient care,” she [...]
In 2011, a nursing home in Tennessee had nearly a 30 percent restraint rate, with approximately 50 residents in some form of restraint.Three years later, they’re down to one. How did they do it? They began by assessing one resident at a time. The staff worked closely with the Director of Therapy Services to determine [...]
In May 2012, approximately 15 healthcare providers from across Nashville held their first meeting as a community devoted to reducing hospital readmissions. Three years later, they are still going strong, having just celebrated their anniversary at the University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tenn., with fifty members in attendance.The Nashville community, known as Transitioning Patients Across [...]
When she was first diagnosed and started to learn about the damage diabetes could do if it is not controlled, Tennessee resident Doris McKinley was scared. “I wasn’t sure I could make it,” said Ms. McKinley. Her healthcare professionals warned her that diabetes was the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure and amputations in [...]
More than 200 people gathered at the Jackson, Tenn., Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 29, for Southwest Tennessee Development District’s (SWTDD) Annual Board of Directors Meeting and Awards Banquet to recognize individuals and organizations who work cooperatively with SWTDD’s Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities (AAAD) and its Economic & Community Development (ECD) divisions. “The awards [...]
