Welcome to Centra Today!
As we embrace April, a month synonymous with rain showers and blooming dogwoods, we’re telling stories from across our system that are bright spots of hope, persistence and heart!
In this edition of Centra Today, we’re sharing the stories of multiple Centra team members who have faced personal challenges that have ultimately shaped them into the Caregivers that they are today. We’re also highlighting Autism Acceptance and Neurodiversity, along with the innovative education that is being made available for Caregivers in the coming months in an effort to combat human trafficking in our communities. Additionally, you can read a status update of our Modernization Plan progress and a recap of the recent Langhorne Medical Center Groundbreaking.
Keep scrolling to read these stories and more!
My journey into healthcare...
Amy Johnson, NP
As a child growing up on my family’s farm in Highland County, one of the more rural parts of Virginia, I had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Since we raised beef cattle and sheep, I figured I would always work in the agricultural industry, and never thought that I would end up working in healthcare.
After high school, I went to Virginia Tech, pursuing a degree in Animal Science. While there, I took an EMT course in order to work at a summer camp. This led to me volunteering at a local rescue squad in my free time. This time spent volunteering sparked my interest in healthcare and started me down the path to where I am today.
My senior year at Virginia Tech, I was accepted into the Paramedic Program at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, VA. Prior to starting this program, I would have a life changing experience. The summer of 2002 following my graduation from Virginia Tech, I ran an EMS call for a farming accident. The resulting fatality was one of my former classmates. Being with him that night when he died was something that would stay with me for many years to come.
After working as a paramedic in the ER at a local trauma center as well as a local EMS agency, I went back to school to become a registered nurse. Soon after this, an opportunity became available in the ER at Bedford Memorial Hospital, and I transferred there in 2008. I immediately fell in love with the Bedford Community. Growing up in a small town, Bedford truly reminded me of home. While it was much bigger than where I grew up, the people were friendly and so appreciative of the care that you provided. My husband and I were also farming on his family farm, growing wheat, soybeans and hay.
After being influenced by many great APPs in my career as an RN, I chose to go back to school once again, and I was accepted into the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Radford University. My capstone project was raising awareness about the importance of farm safety and preventing injuries on the farm in honor of my former classmate.
I graduated in 2013 and began working with Dr. Lenord Cohen in Huddleston, VA. Having worked in emergency medicine my entire career, primary care was an entirely different experience for me. Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else.
I joined Centra Medical Group in January 2015, and I enjoy providing primary care in a rural community and working with farmers and their families. I am very active with the Virginia Farm Bureau outside of work and continue to promote not only farm safety, but also the importance of preventative care in agriculture and taking care of your mental health.
I have had the opportunity to speak on a state and national level on these topics to a variety of audiences. One of my proudest moments was in 2020, when I was asked to speak at the White House for a national press event about the importance of telehealth in providing access to healthcare for rural populations.
While I never pictured myself going into healthcare when I was younger, I honestly can’t see myself doing anything else. Every day I come to work, I realize how lucky I am to be able to provide care to my patients across their lifespan and form therapeutic relationships with them.
I appreciate the collaboration among providers at Centra that allows me to provide my patients with a team of Caregivers to meet their healthcare needs within their community. I am also very grateful for a work environment that allows me the opportunity to incorporate my background in agriculture and my love of healthcare while continuing to advocate for access to rural healthcare.
Recently, I became the lead advanced practice provider for the Ambulatory Care Service Line for Centra Medical Group. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be able to provide leadership to other APPs within our organization through this new role.
Prevent. Educate. Collaborate.
Innovation Close to Home
As April Rasmussen and her team began to observe cases of human trafficking as part of their role as forensic nurses at Lynchburg General Hospital, they realized that Centra didn’t have a policy related to what steps should be taken when a patient who is a victim of human trafficking is given care at one of our facilities.
Soon after having this realization, April met a few nurses from Carillion Clinic who had begun to create a template that could be used as a tool for healthcare workers to understand next steps after the identification of a victim occurs. This led April to partner with the team at the Lynchburg-based non-profit, Freedom 4/24 to work to create a policy and education that would meet the need.
Texas is currently one of the only states that requires all healthcare providers to participate in approved human trafficking prevention training in order to be a licensed medical professional in the state. The education that Centra’s Forensic Nursing Team collaborated on with Freedom 4/24 was written to these standards, so that if the Virginia Legislature ever passes a similar law, Centra’s training will already be in line with the established requirements.
Currently, the education is being reviewed by Centra’s Professional Development Team and once approved it will allow providers to obtain two hours of CME credit from the live training along with pre- and post-testing. There will also be a course provided for nurses that will allow them to obtain one hour of CME credit with the opportunity to do further training too.
April also shared that she is a part of the Southern Virginia Human Trafficking Collaborative which involves multiple community agencies along with law enforcement, Carilion Clinic and Centra. This collaborative works together to support one another and the cases that they’re handling through idea sharing and relationship building.
Ultimately, each aspect of this work is being done to strengthen the health of our communities through preventative action, innovative education and strong collaboration.
Green with Gratitude
CentraCares
This month, many of Centra’s facilities will be lit up green to commemorate DonateLife Month. Organ, eye and tissue transplants offer patients a new chance at healthy, productive and normal lives and return them to their families, friends and communities.
Over 100,000 people are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants and another person is added to the wait list every ten minutes. However, one Centra Caregiver was recently surprised when she was offered the opportunity to receive a new kidney and no longer be a part of this number.
Brenda Cobbs is a Care Transitions Specialist on the Case Management Team. She works with patients and their families along with their providers and other Caregivers to facilitate discharges that are as smooth as possible. Having worked at Centra for ten years, her favorite part of her role is meeting new people and having the privilege of helping them. She also explained that she has a different level of empathy for those on dialysis and wants to be their biggest cheerleader because she recently walked down that path.
Brenda has had Systemic Lupus since she was 16. While she and her healthcare team were able to manage the autoimmune disease for many years, over time it began to affect her kidneys. The problem was heightened in November 2022 when getting COVID-19 caused fluid around her heart and her kidneys’ functioning drastically decreased. After having the fluid removed from around her heart through a pericardial window, Brenda began dialysis and a few months later joined the waitlist for a new kidney.
To her complete surprise, three months after joining the waitlist, she received a phone call at 12:42 a.m. letting her know that she was eligible to receive a kidney transplant. After being instructed to travel to the hospital as soon as possible, Brenda immediately contacted her manager, Shavonne Fyfe and her Case Management Team letting them know that she was about to have surgery to receive a new kidney.
She described her entire Centra work family as supportive from the day she went in for the surgery through her recovery as they texted her thoughtful messages and sent her cards. However, what Brenda wasn’t prepared for was the extra special welcome that she received when she returned to work the week of February 5th. Shavonne had planned a special celebration to welcome Brenda back in addition to honoring the life of the donor who made her transplant possible.
As part of the celebration, the exterior of Lynchburg General Hospital was lit up green to commemorate Brenda’s experience and the donor’s life. Additionally, Brenda received a surprise Tulip Award that she was nominated for after going above and beyond to coordinate the discharge care for one patient and their family.
As she reflected on this challenging season and the hope that she was given through her new kidney, Brenda shared that if she could speak with her kidney donor she would, “thank them for the opportunity to live life,” going on to say, “I want to write a letter to the family, to thank them and let them know that I think of them often. I hope they’re okay with their family member’s decision to be a donor and I hope they know that a part of them is still around.”
In an initiative that began last year, many of Centra’s flagship facilities are lit up in a different color each month to commemorate health awareness months such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Heart Month. See the chart below for the full schedule:
Centra's Modernization Plan
One Year Update
It’s been a little over one year since Centra’s multi-year modernization plan was announced! This initiative that will encompass the most significant facility improvements and capital investments in Centra’s 36-year history, the 500-million-dollar investment will address different needs found within our community based on findings from the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment.
Since this announcement was made, there has been exciting progress made on multiple projects and most recently the groundbreaking for the Centra Langhorne Medical Center was held!
In late January, two of the new parking lots on the Lynchburg Campus opened. One of these lots also contain EV Charging Stations which is a first for Centra. An additional parking lot is scheduled to be constructed across from LGH where the old Tate Springs Medical Center was located and preliminary work to demolish the existing building is scheduled to begin this spring.
Phase 2 of the LGH Bed Optimization and Wayfinding Project was completed in late February. This phase involved applying the naming convention that was developed and implemented for 5A and 2D2 last summer to all other inpatient spaces at LGH.
The new naming convention which encompasses room numbers and unit titles is assigned by floor (number) and building (letter) and for the C and D Tower, wing (second number). The East Tower is now known as Tower A, the South Tower is now known as Tower C and the Center/North Tower is now known as Tower D. After the new care tower is constructed, it will be known as Tower B.
Speaking of Tower B, the schematic design of the building has been completed and the design development meetings are currently in progress. Planning for utility relocations on the future tower site is ongoing and a new central utility plant will be constructed to serve the tower. Additionally, geothermal wells will be used as a source of renewable energy for the tower.
Work is also continuing for the new medical campus on Simon’s Run which will be home to a behavioral health hospital and a rehab hospital. Construction of both facilities is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2024.
Members of the Centra Leadership Team along with our partners for the project, Remedy Medical Properties, Robins & Morton, the Haskell Company and Hurt & Proffitt, celebrated the groundbreaking for the Centra Langhorne Medical Center on March 20. The five-story medical office building will house multiple specialty clinics and streamline access to healthcare services for the Lynchburg community.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as more work is completed, and progress is made to make our modernization plan a reality. Exciting things are ahead for Centra!
VBH 100: Generations of Nursing
Melissa Carrico, RN
In 1978, I had kidney surgery performed by Dr. Sorenson and was admitted to the Pediatric Unit at Virginia Baptist Hospital. I still remember to this day the events of my one week stay. I had the most fabulous nurses who made my stay as fun as it could be–they assembled a nurse’s hat for me, made balloons from gloves and even popped wheelies in the hallway when I was able to get out of bed and go for a wheelchair ride. I had three drainage bags and they made having them fun by calling them my pocketbooks. Additionally, they read to me and played board games such as Operation and Hi Ho Cherry O.
Dr. Sorenson gave me a surgical hat, shoe covers, a mask and gloves to keep and play with. He also let me keep the scissors and tweezers that were used to remove my stitches. I still have them to this day. Everyone was so kind, and the Peds Unit was phenomenal, so much so that I told my mom when we got home that I was going to be a nurse. I never wavered from this plan.
I was seven years old at the time of the surgery and continued playing nurse and doctor with my friends and family. I even got a doctor kit that Christmas. As a teenager, I was eager to help anyone that was hurt or sick. My dream of becoming a nurse was still alive.
I went on to graduate high school and attend the Lynchburg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1989. In 1990, I became a Nurse Extern and began to work for Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital on the Skilled Care Unit in the English building. In 1991, I transferred to the Postpartum Unit where I continued my externship and then became a restorative nursing assistant.
I had several wonderful mentors that helped my transitions, and some became lifelong friends. In 1993, I became a registered nurse and began working night shift on the Postpartum Unit under Carolyn Jacques who was the unit manager. I remained with Postpartum through the change and renovation to Mother/Baby in the late 1990s. The previous Newborn Nursery and Postpartum Units were converted to Mother/Baby couplet care.
In 2005, I decided to expand my knowledge and obtain my Maternal Newborn Certification, and later I pursued my bachelor of science in nursing through the first Liberty University/Centra Cohort Program in 2013. I served on many committees over the years, advanced in the Clinical Ladder Program and later served as unit president.
In May of 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and after 31 years of bedside nursing, I was presented with the opportunity for a management position. After much discussion and thought, I accepted the role of Assistant Unit Manager on Mother Baby (and MSIU for a short time). This was an adjustment for me (going from expert to novice), but I really enjoy being in this role and getting a different perspective on the field of nursing.
I am approaching 34 years of service with Centra (31 as an RN) and have no regrets! I want to say thank you to all of the nurses and doctors who showed me so much compassion at the tender age of seven and to all of my family, coworkers and managers who helped and encouraged me through the many changes during my career. Thank you for encouraging me, mentoring me and supporting me.
God had a plan for me, I never wavered from it and every smooth transition throughout my career leads me to believe that it was just meant to be. I am proud to say that I am a Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital Mother/Baby nurse!
Just last year, my daughter, Alaina Carrico, followed in my footsteps and graduated from Liberty University with her bachelor of science in nursing. She currently works in the Intensive Care Nursery at VBH, and to say I am proud is an understatement. While she remembers the many holidays and family events that I had to miss, she has a new appreciation for the sacrifices that nurses make every day and now understands my love for VBH from the architecture to the family-like atmosphere.
Was there a Caregiver at VBH who played an important role in your life, were you born at VBH or do you have a meaningful story like Melissa to share? If yes, we want to hear it! Email corporate.communications@centrahealth.com and you might just be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.
Embracing Acceptance
Strategy in Action
During the month of April, we have the distinct privilege of recognizing Autism Acceptance Month. Autism Acceptance initiatives promote inclusion and connectedness for people with autism. Embracing acceptance plays a pivotal role in fostering robust support networks. It goes beyond merely educating oneself about the diversity within the autism community; rather, it entails cultivating genuine understanding and reverence for individuals with autism.
Autism is situated within the spectrum of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity recognizes not every brain is the same and challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Everyone thinks differently and experiences life differently. At Centra, we affirm that all minds are valuable and are necessary in bringing unique talents and skills to our organization and community.
Recently, the Autism & Developmental Center collaborated on a project initiated by our occupational therapy and speech team. Led by Lisa Marchand, each team within the Centra Autism & Developmental Clinic took part in “The Worlds” Project. Clinicians and patients worked together to bring this project to life.
Globes and hands were available for patients to design as a representation of the many personalities and perspectives with a focus on positivity. Each clinician that participated with a patient artfully wove this activity into their existing therapy program, to work on skills in the natural environment.
Crystal Collette, the Director of Autism Programs shared, “This idea was generated from the diversity we experience with our patient and Caregiver populations daily. Despite the many differences in skills, language, race, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomics, our clinic functions with all individuals being equal and unique. It is also an excellent example of how our multi-disciplinary team works together to provide meaningful learning experiences for our patients.”
The completed hands and globes are currently lining the hallways and covering the bulletin board in the waiting room of the Centra Autism & Developmental Clinic.
Centra is also celebrating neurodiversity later this summer through the Arts of Neurodiversity Showcase at the Academy Center of the Arts. This event will feature arts, talents and skills of over twenty talented individuals. To learn more about the event, click here!
Mission Moment
Dana Garrett, Director of Hospice
I am honored to share my experience of working at Centra and how my work as Hospice Director supports Centra’s mission of “improving the health and quality of life for the communities we serve.”
My passion for wanting to help others began when I was hospitalized at Virginia Baptist Hospital as a child. During my hospitalization, I experienced wonderful care from nursing, radiology, environmental, volunteer and food service staff. Every person I encountered was delightful. Maya Angelou was correct when she said, “people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Following the experience, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful in my life that helped other people, and ultimately my experience on the Pediatric Unit at VBH led me to become a nurse.
Working at Centra Hospice and providing end of life care in our community for over 15 years is one of the most meaningful things I have ever done. It has been an incredible experience that has allowed me to meet and care for so many wonderful people. I know I’m making a difference in the lives of others by directly supporting the interdisciplinary hospice care team so that they can deliver exceptional care to our patients and their families.
In hospice care, we only have one opportunity to meet and exceed expectations and it is critical that we provide quality end-of-life care. I truly believe my most important role as the Director of Hospice is safeguarding quality, adherence to regulatory components and the proper management of end-of-life symptoms.
Everyone is important and I want to ensure that every patient we serve has quality end-of-life care. As Dame Cicely Sauders stated,
“You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”
Thank you for reading April’s edition of Centra Today!
We love receiving your feedback about the meaningful stories we aim to share each month. If you have a story idea for a future newsletter, please email corporate.communications@centrahealth.com