FIRSTS, MILESTONES AND AWARDS

METHODIST HOSPITAL | METROPOLITAN EARNS LEVEL III MATERNAL CARE AND NICU FACILITY DESIGNATIONS

Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan was recently designated as a Level III (Subspecialty Care) Maternal Facility and as a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Metropolitan is the only hospital in the city to have a freestanding facility completely dedicated to the health of women and their newborn babies, The Suzell Waller Women's Pavilion. To receive the Level III Maternal Care designation, the hospital demonstrated particular care standards related to the treatment of pregnant and postpartum patients and validated that all quality measures are reviewed regularly, reflecting continuous improvement. To round out a full complement of complex services at Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan, the NICU program demonstrated performance as a Level III designated facility. A two-day survey of the NICU was conducted to review the hospital's outcomes and quality initiatives, ancillary departments, provider and nursing credentials, and more. The results showed that the hospital has one of the premier NICUs in the state and can provide exceptional care to infants of all gestational ages. "Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan is committed to providing exceptional care to the mothers' fragile infants while also keeping the family informed and engaged in their infant's NICU journey," said Sarah Auge, Director of the Neonatal ICU. "Our highly skilled team works together to treat these infants with the most innovative and safest practices. Achieving this recognition shows our outstanding outcomes and reflects the kind of family-centered care we provide to the San Antonio community."

LEAPFROG HOSPITAL SAFETY GRADE A'S

Seven Methodist Healthcare hospitals earned Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade ‘A's’ in the spring of 2021, a national distinction recognizing achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. Congratulations to all of our hospitals’ incredible efforts to keep our patients safe and especially to Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan for earning their 10th A in a row!

Hospital Safety grades for Spring 2021:

10th A

in a row

Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan

6th A

in a row Methodist Hospital | South

3rd A

in a row Methodist Hospital

3rd A

in a row Methodist Hospital | Northeast

7th A

in a row Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant

4th A

in a row Methodist Hospital | Texsan

3rd A

in a row Methodist Children’s Hospital

B

Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak

Our wonderful partner, Hearts Need Art, recently launched “Gratitude Grams”, a program designed to support healthcare workers through the arts community. After almost a year of fighting COVID-19, burnout among medical staff is on the rise. Burnout can cause healthcare workers to feel hopeless, trapped, helpless, worthless,

depressed, sleepless and tired.

In the Hearts Need Art Gratitude Grams program, medical staff receive a personalized email and video from a musician, artist or writer once a week. Each video includes a message of thanks and an encouraging song, uplifting poem or simple art activity. After watching their Gratitude Gram, participants report feeling more hopeful,

empowered, energized and appreciated.

Enroll today at HeartsNeedArt.org/ gratitudegrams.

FIRSTS, MILESTONES

AND AWARDS METHODIST CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ESTABLISHES THE REGION’S FIRST SENSORY-FRIENDLY ER

For a child, a trip to the emergency room can be scary and intimidating. New sights, smells and sounds add to the already delicate situation that brought the child to the hospital in the first place. These stressors are especially difficult for a child with autism spectrum disorder or for a child with a sensory need. This was the case for Sandra Obregon’s son, Ernesto, who has autism. When he was 5-years-old, Ernesto required a trip to a local pediatric emergency room. “I had to explain to the nurse that he had autism, but she still was not able to work with him, and had to restrain him to take his vitals,” Obregon recalled. Her son had eaten berries that were found outside, which caused concern for poisoning. Due to the overstimulation of the environment, Ernesto would not drink the activated charcoal cleanse. “We knew he would not drink it on his own, so they decided to do it through his nose. All I did was sit in a corner and cry while three adults restrained him through this process,” Obregon said. In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Methodist Children’s Hospital is proud to announce it is now the first sensory-friendly pediatric emergency room in the South Texas region.

The sensory-friendly ER program’s goal is to avert and avoid over-stimulation so that the proper treatment can be provided to the patient.

"Each child has their own special sensory needs, and when these needs are not met, this can create feelings of frustration for all involved,” said certified Child Life Specialist, Charlesy Crocker. “Kids comply and cope better with medical procedures when these needs are taken into account.” Obregon is excited for the safe and calm experience the program will provide children and their loved ones. “We can now go to a setting where we are understood immediately by the medical personnel focus on the ailment or injury, and on the child getting the medical

care they need with less stress for everyone. This is truly life-changing!” Obregon said. It was important to make the new sensoryfriendly emergency room customizable to each patient’s unique need. Methodist Children’s ER staff members only introduce items to the patient’s room or care plan that will be beneficial to him or her. “Our goal is to provide the best practice for all children. One child might seek sensory stimulation, whereas the next child is sensoryavoidant. If we were to fill a room with items that speak to sensory stimulation, this would greatly hinder the sensory avoidant child’s peace of mind and experience,” Crocker said.

Some of the steps taken to implement the new program include:

• Establishing sensory-friendly patient rooms throughout the emergency department that have been painted pale blue, which is a calming color • Providing a sensory-trained certified Child Life Specialist in conjunction with a sensory-trained pediatric ER nurse at bedside • Adding a dimmer function to light switches to lower the brightness to the child’s comfort level

• Shifting the monitors to ring at the nurse’s station instead of the patient room • Supplying softer gowns, or providing the option of leaving the child in their own clothing • Designing a menu of more than 20 sensory-friendly items that are customizable for each patient’s specific sensory need, which includes, but is not limited to: » Soothing projectors that project different patterns of light on the ceiling » Noise-reducing headphones » Weighted blankets » Beads

» Sensory circles » Fidget spinners » Fiber optic lights » Adopting a “sensory passport” process for future

ER visits, which allows staff to pull up the patient’s medical chart and easily identify the child’s sensory needs and tools used from prior visits

If a parent or guardian does not already know that their child has a sensory need, the hospital’s Emergency Room staff is trained to recognize whether a child might benefit from a sensory-friendly room and its offerings. Knowing that the need for th s type of care is great, the hospital hopes to expand this program to its freestanding emergency rooms and establish sensory-friendly patient rooms throughout Methodist Children’s Hospital in the near future.

FIRSTS, MILESTONES

AND AWARDS Methodist Hospital | Northeast is focused on ways to meet the growing needs of the northeast Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe SAN ANTONIO VOTES METHODIST counties. Over the last few years, we HOSPITAL | NORTHEAST “BEST have invested over 100 million dollars in HOSPITAL” FOR THE 2021 YOURSA growth initiatives. READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS To name a few, we Methodist Hospital | Northeast was voted as recently expanded our “Best Hospital” for the 2021 YourSA Readers’ emergency room and are Choice Awards. We are committed to upholding our mission of “Serving humanity currently adding two new to honor God by providing exceptional and cost-effective health care accessible to all.” We credit this award to not only our courageous, floors with 60 private inpatient beds to meet the compassionate and resilient team, but also our community, who has continued to trust us demand for care. to provide exceptional health care. With every We also have three new neighborhood challenge we have faced over the last year, our freestanding emergency rooms: Methodist community has proven its invaluable support. ER | Converse (now open), Methodist ER | Nacogdoches (now open) and Methodist ER | Kitty Hawk (opening summer 2021). These locations give more families access to safe emergency care that is close to home. From advanced cardiovascular and neurosurgical care to orthopedic and joint replacement surgeries, Methodist Hospital | Northeast is committed to providing compassionate and life-saving care. The American College of Cardiology has recognized Methodist Hospital | Texsan for its demonstrated commitment to comprehensive, high-quality cardiovascular care. Methodist Hospital | Texsan was awarded the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence designation based on meeting accreditation criteria, and through ongoing performance registry reporting. Texsan previously earned HeartCARE Center designations in 2019 and 2020.

METHODIST HOSPITAL OFFERS REVOLUTIONIZED TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER, REDUCING SIDE-EFFECTS AND DAMAGE TO QUALITY OF LIFE

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Customary prostate cancer therapies include surgery and abrasive radiation treatment, often presenting significant side effects and major impacts on a patient’s quality of life. Now, Methodist Hospital offers a revolutionized incision-free and customizable solution for men diagnosed with low-to intermediate-risk prostate disease. Methodist Hospital is first in South Texas, and second in the state, to perform its first MRIguided transurethral ultrasound ablation, a radiation-free procedure used to treat prostate disease. Naveen Kella, MD, urologist, performed the first procedure on Monday, April 5, 2021. The system is connected to the MRI machine, which allows the physician to use highprecision MR imaging to determine the areas of the prostate that will be ablated. A temperature algorithm helps control and provide constant feedback during the procedure in order to minimize damage to surrounding tissue and organs. The MR images and the customized procedure plan enables the physician to draw out boundary lines, while avoiding important nerve bundles and critical structures around the prostate; this reduces the risk of side effects and preserves the patient’s natural functions. The MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation procedure is not a one-size-fitsall therapy; it is a minimally-invasive and customizable procedure personalized to meet the patient’s unique anatomy and tissue. Patients no longer have to commit to several visits to treat their cancer; this out-patient treatment is performed in a single session and takes a few hours, meaning patients spend less time in the hospital and more time living their lives.