Welcome to Centra Today!
September has arrived which means school is in full swing, the foliage in Virginia has begun to hint at its coming change of color and many of us are trading our flip flops for cozy sweaters.
This month we’re sharing about a new practice in the Lynchburg General Emergency Department that’s helping to reduce patient wait times. We’re also highlighting a local community partner who has been working since the 90s to address the needs of one vulnerable population and introducing you to a Centra Caregiver who was in the last graduating class of the Virginia Baptist Hospital College of Nursing and has served on this organization’s board for 10 years.
Keep scrolling to read these stories and more!
Speeding Up the Wait
New Tele-triage Program Launches in the LGH Emergency Department
A trip to the emergency department (ED) usually comes about due to an unfortunate accident or medical emergency. From bad falls and broken arms to heart attacks and strokes, the emergency department (ED) is the first place where a patient is evaluated and triaged. Oftentimes, depending upon the number of patients in need of care, individuals have to wait to be seen by a provider which can be quite stressful and frustrating for someone who is in pain.
In an effort to reduce patient wait times and expedite care in the emergency department, Centra recently altered its patient triage process at Lynchburg General Hospital (LGH) by harnessing the power of telehealth through a service called tele-triage.
So what exactly is tele-triage?
When a patient enters the emergency room through the waiting room, the first step is usually to be evaluated by a triage nurse. Adding a remote provider via secure video conference in triage allows a physician to assess a patient at the beginning of their ED evaluation to help identify subtle emergencies and place orders for testing and treatment that would be beyond the scope of a nurse. The overall effect is that this assessment by a provider speeds up a patient's visit and shortens the amount of time they have to spend in the emergency department.
Why did Centra decide to begin offering this service?
The practice of tele-triage was utilized by some hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Centra is looking to improve patient experience and throughput while also giving another option to our providers in how they provide care to increase recruitment, reduce burnout and improve work-life balance which ultimately benefits both patients and their clinicians.
What are the benefits?
Centra launched the tele-triage program on August 1 and according to Dr. Ben Newman, Executive Medical Director of Centra Emergency Services, “things are going great. Both the ED staff and Centra's IT departments fully leaned into this new idea and made the rollout a huge success. So far, I've only received positive feedback from the nurses, other providers, and (most of all) the patients!”
Some benefits that have been realized over time by other hospitals who have implemented tele-triage include less overcrowding in the emergency room and a reduction in the number of patients who leave without being treated.
A practice that has not yet become widely used by other healthcare systems, Centra is an early adopter of this innovative way to utilize technology to improve the patient and provider experience. While it can sometimes be challenging to implement a new process, Centra’s ED staff and IT teams worked together to make the launch of this new initiative possible with hopes of this only being the first step towards even more advanced telemedicine offerings from the Centra Emergency Department!
I Am Woman 5k
Have you registered for the race?
Have you registered for the Centra I am Woman 5k?
Happening this year on Saturday, October 28, the annual race’s mission is to promote fitness and bring our community together all while improving the lives of families across central Virginia.
Funds from the race benefit Centra Pediatrics and have been used in the past to purchase specialized newborn and pediatric equipment such as fetal monitors, radiant Panda warmers and Omni beds for the Intensive Care Nursery.
Don’t forget that dressing up for the race is a tradition and that costumes are encouraged! To learn more about the race and register to participate, click here!
Miriam's House
Community Partner Spotlight
A local, non-profit that was started 29 years ago, Miriam’s House works to eliminate homelessness among families and individuals in Lynchburg. First begun in the 90s, the organization served 11 families at a time predominantly through the organization’s namesake home that is still located on Magnolia Street.
Now, the 14 staff member organization provides a wider range of interventions and wrap around supports while remaining committed to its mission of, “ending homelessness by connecting individuals and families with stable, affordable housing and providing the skills and supports that lead to self-sufficiency.” During the first half of this year alone, Miriam’s House has provided housing for 216 individuals, 119 of whom are children.
There are four main principles that guide Miriam’s House’s operations and services:
1. Housing
In the past addressing homelessness had often taken an approach similar to substance abuse recovery which would include a multi-part plan that assumed the homelessness stemmed from a personal flaw. The aftermath of the 2008 recession brought about a paradigm shift across the nation, revealing that homelessness is often the result of economic factors rather than personal shortcomings. This led to a transition in thought regarding how to best address homelessness while still prioritizing the belief that everyone does better if they’re stably housed. By championing the approach of “housing first,” Miriam's House continues to reinforce the notion that everyone deserves a secure place to call home.
2. Empowerment
The second principle that informs Miriam’s House’s approach is empowerment. This means that the staff at Miriam’s House view each individual as the expert on their own life and their choices are honored. This principle is a continuation of treating every individual with dignity by listening to their desires and seeking to honor those desires whenever possible.
Sarah Quarantotto, Miriam House’s Executive Director, shared one example of how they were able to empower an individual named George who had lived outside for many years and consequently adopted two cats. He was hesitant to move into an apartment because he was fearful* that his landlord would not allow him to keep the animals. However, the Miriam’s House staff understood how important it was to George to live in a place where he could continue caring for his cats and because they understood this desire, they were able to find him stable, pet-friendly housing.
3. Support
Through support initiatives, Miriam’s House staff carry out the idea that people need “housing first, but not housing only.” To this end, their Housing Case Management Team works hand in hand with clients, addressing the multifaceted challenges that could jeopardize their housing stability. This can look like connecting individuals with helpful resources, making sure they have a primary care provider and offering a monthly support group to build community among those they serve. Building community leads to the last principle that guides Miriam House’s services–community.
4. Community
Miriam’s House staff recognize that as an organization they will never be able to meet every individual’s needs. Rather they understand that individuals and families building relationships with those they live in proximity to is invaluable. This means connecting clients with their neighbors, faith communities, and local community centers with the ultimate goal of connecting them with the things that will holistically enrich their lives.
When asked to share a favorite story of impact, Sarah said, “Once a week, there is a family or individual who is homeless or in a shelter who we’re bringing stable housing, and every time it’s so gratifying.”
She went on to share how Miriam’s House was recently able to help move a mother and her three children to stable housing from a shelter before the school year began, and these kids having a place to call home before they begin the school year is vital for their academic success.
Centra has been able to partner with Miriam’s House in numerous ways over the years to work to promote a healthy community. One example of this ongoing partnership comes from 2020 when Centra’s Transport Teams helped to properly transport homeless individuals who had COVID-19 to hotels where they could safely self-isolate. Sarah explained that fortunately the spread of the virus among homeless individuals in Lynchburg was minimized through these efforts that would not have been possible without the partnership.
While Miriam's House has evolved over nearly three decades, their core mission remains steadfast: serving homeless families. In the heart of Lynchburg, Miriam's House stands as a symbol of hope, empowerment, support, and community. As they continue to work towards the elimination of homelessness, they illuminate the path towards a brighter future, where every individual and family has a place to call home.
Always Taking the High Road
People of Centra: Kim Price, RN, DNP, MBA, NEA-BC
A member of the last graduating class of the Virginia Baptist Hospital’s College of Nursing, Kim Price’s warm sense of humor was made evident as she quipped, “They didn’t close the school because of me…it just moved to Lynchburg General Hospital!”
Kim began her career at Centra as an intensive care unit nurse before becoming the first Nursing Informatics nurse where she assisted with installing the first computer system at Centra. Also spending time as a director within the Finance Department, Kim explained that this role helped her to, “understand the business issues associated with healthcare and the importance of data in driving decisions.”
After serving as the Director of Centra Women & Children’s Services, Kim worked as the Chief Nursing Officer for Lynchburg General and Virginia Baptist Hospital during the “COVID years” which she described as the most challenging part of her whole career.
Reflecting on this time, Kim shared, “There was no one to call and ask, ‘what do I do in this situation,’ because no one had ever dealt with a pandemic like this before. It was intense, but we focused on keeping people alive and we made it through.”
Following this period, Kim took on her current role as Vice President of Patient Experience and Women & Children’s Health. In this position, she focuses on strategizing how the experience of care for both patients and Caregivers can be optimized at Centra. Constantly seeking out evidence-based information in addition to rounding with patients, Kim focuses on working with teams to figure out ways that they can improve care.
She explained that the Strategic Theme of “One Centra,” influences much of her work because the patients that Centra serves do not see a difference between inpatient and outpatient care. Whether they are visiting an urgent care in Forest or receiving cancer treatment in Farmville, their experience is all “Centra.”
When asked what the most challenging part of her role is Kim described how meeting patients where they are, attempting to meet expectations and explaining what we can and cannot do can be incredibly difficult. She went on to say, “Sometimes we can’t meet the needs that people expect to have met. As I help guide patients through their care journeys, I spend a lot of time listening. Sometimes all we can do is listen and cry with people. My personality wants to fix everything, but sometimes there are situations that I just can’t fix.”
While there’s no doubt that Kim’s heart for others has been made evident through her current role at Centra, there’s another title that she holds that communicates this same heart. As a ten-year member of Miriam House’s Board of Directors, Kim provides her wealth of healthcare knowledge and experience to the Miriam’s House Team as they seek to eliminate homelessness in Lynchburg. Kim explained that they serve as a strong partner to Centra because they are guided by evidence-based practices and focused on developing trust with families, particularly women and children.
She explained how Miriam’s House does an excellent job of helping individuals develop skills and perform necessary but often cumbersome tasks like opening a bank account all with the end goal of helping them to be self-sufficient. Kim went on to say, “You never want to have to discharge a mother and baby who are going to be homeless, and because of Miriam’s House, that’s never a reality. They always help us figure something out.”
When Kim isn’t at Centra, you are likely to find her traveling the globe! She loves to plan trips, and so far, Iceland is her favorite destination. In addition to its breathtaking scenery, Kim loved getting to hear the stories of the independent, strong individuals who call the country home. Her next trip? Traveling to Transylvania, Romania!
Kim has two sons, three German Shepherds and four grandchildren. One of her German Shepherds, Radar, also works at Centra as a pet therapy dog!
As someone with years of healthcare and community service experience, Kim’s closing thoughts were especially poignant. When asked what’s one piece of advice that she’s never forgotten, she said,
“Carolyn Jacques, one of my mentors, who was the VP of Women & Children’s Health before me used to say, ‘Always take the high road.’ If anything has helped me through my 40-year career, it’s been to take a deep breath, pause, assess the situation and ultimately, take the high road.��
Centra Bedford PACE Care Site Grand Opening Ceremony
Celebrating the opening of a new care site in Bedford!
Centra Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) has recently partnered with the Bedford Adult Day Center to now offer services in Bedford! Nestled by the stunning Peaks of Otter and conveniently situated next to Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital, the center serves as a convenient location for members of the Bedford community who need professional care and supervision.
PACE aims to provide a stimulating program of social, recreational and therapeutic activities geared toward a variety of participant needs and abilities, the center is designed to enhance participants’ sense of well-being and give them an opportunity to socialize with their peers while eliminating the need for institutional placement.
On August 9, Centra celebrated this partnership and the opening of this alternative location with a ribbon cutting ceremony! To learn more about the location and its services or to schedule a tour, please call 540.586.8424.
Paint the Town Pink & Shirt Sale 2023
Help support the MAAM (Mammograms Annually A Must) Fund and purchase a t-shirt to honor a survivor, remember those lost to the disease and support the progress we are making to defeat breast cancer together. Your t-shirt purchase directly contributes to funding mammograms for uninsured and underinsured women in our communities.
Order your shirt by September 8 and you’ll receive it in time to help us paint Centra pink on October 20! We can’t wait to see pictures of departments, units and teams from across Centra wearing pink to show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness–make sure to post your picture in the Centra Connect Facebook Group.
Order your shirt here!
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Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
View the whole podcast playlist here!
Mission Moment
by Amy Rugh, MEd, LPC
In honor of National Recovery Month, we asked Amy Rugh, MEd, LPC to explain how she carries out Centra’s mission through her role as the Clinical Coordinator at Pathways Treatment Center. Pathways offers empathetic, evidence-driven support for individuals dealing with substance use disorders and associated issues.
Dealing with addiction is one way to significantly impact Centra’s mission of improving the health and quality of life for the communities we serve in various ways. Addiction and substance misuse can have far-reaching consequences that affect individuals, families, and communities as a whole. Addiction often leads to serious physical and mental health challenges which places an additional burden on healthcare systems and resources, diverting attention and resources away from other health improvement initiatives.
I get to serve our community as the Counseling Coordinator at Pathways Treatment Center. In this role, I have worked to develop and deliver evidenced-based, person-center care models for counseling and addiction treatment. My work also includes spearheading and implementing mental healthcare and substance misuse treatment to the previously underserved pregnant and postpartum population. Innovating care throughout the community is one of my passions! As a leader at Pathways, I also have the privilege of working to create seamless flow through the various levels of addiction treatment to ensure patients always receive the most appropriate and effective treatment possible.
In addition to the work I described above, I believe one of the main ways I fulfill Centra’s mission of, “improving the health and quality of life for the communities we serve,” is through prioritizing internal referrals to ensure patients are able to access the services they need without undue delays. Additionally, the Pathways Team carries out our mission by going out into the community to the places where there is significant need and sharing resources of how to access the wrap around care provided through our addiction services.
Thank you for reading September’s edition of Centra Today!
We love receiving your feedback about the meaningful stories we aim to share each month. If one of this month’s stories resonated with you, click the heart below, and if you have a story idea for a future newsletter, email corporate.communications@centrahealth.com.