LO C A L H E A LT H C A R E
MEDICINE IN MONTGOMERY
PRESCRIPTION FOR PROSPERITY The health-care industry is an economic driver and key employer for Montgomery and the River Region. Major players explain how they are dealing with challenges, outline what the future may hold and highlight the region’s many opportunities. 15
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• High Tech Right Here • Regional Medical Campus a Game Changer • Nursing Education Options
PRESCRIPTION FOR PROSPERITY
MGM: Strong Contender The competition to recruit doctors to our area is stiff, but Montgomery competes well. “Our community is where we shine,” said Julia Henig, Vice President of Business Development at Baptist Health. She pointed out the city’s positives. “We are a big small town. We are a great place to raise a family, with proximity to lots of
If You Build It?
great places. We don’t According to Henig, the number
have bad traffic.”
about 100 opportunities offered to them before they are done, so it’s very competitive to get them,” Henig said. Recruitment is a large part of her job. One issue making it difficult is the fact that our Medicare reimbursement rate is lower than other parts of the country. But, as Peter Frohmader, Marketing Director at Jackson Hospital pointed out, we have some positives that other areas can’t match. “All the providers in the community are working hard to recruit doctors,” he said. “We continue to be very successful once we get potential doctors here. They are very impressed with our city, what has been happening downtown, in
We have the hospitals and clinics;
of doctors we need, but don’t
economic development and our
we have plenty of patients who
have, could hit 90,000 across the
resources for a city our size.” In
require care. But do we have the
country in the coming years. And
the last few years, Jackson has
necessary contingent of doctors
it’s the same with nurses and gets
recruited more than 50 health-
and nurses to meet their needs?
worse when you look at medical
care professionals.
For now, yes. But soon, maybe
specialties. Some new and
not. That’s the consensus from
interesting solutions, supported
hospital administrators, nursing
by advances in technology, are
and medical school instructors
being considered to combat this
and others in the know on the
workforce shortage, things like
subject. “For our population and
telemedicine and an increased
service areas, we have enough
reliance on “mid-levels,” people
don’t have bad traffic, and we’ve
facilities with Baptist Hospital,
like nurse practitioners and physi-
got a regional airport.” She also
Jackson Hospital and some
cian assistants, who in the future
pointed to another benefit. “We
outside clinics,” said Julia Henig,
may be trained to do more. “We’ll
Vice President of Business Devel-
have to figure out something or
opment at Baptist Health. “The
people may have to drive long
issue we face, like all industries,
distances for a specialist and
is the aging population of baby
even for primary care,” Henig
boomers. We don’t have enough
said.
professionals coming in behind those who are retiring to fill their shoes, and that means we don’t
Filling the Void
have enough medical profession-
While the most obvious fix is to
als to take care of all the aging,
get and keep more doctors here,
and our retiring doctors and nurs-
that’s easier said than done.
es are adding to those ranks.”
“Doctors in training will have
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Henig agreed. “Our community is where we shine,” she said. Julia Henig, Vice President of
“We are a big small town, a great
Business Development
place to raise a family, with prox-
at Baptist Health
imity to lots of great places. We
GETTING THE JOB DONE
have the fantastic opportunity to start a specialty medical career,” she said. “We are not oversaturat-
Together, Baptist Health and Jackson Hospital provide 6,200 jobs and are within the top 10 largest private employers in Montgomery.
MONTGOMERY BUSINESS JOURNAL
ed with specialists.” And she praised the Chamber for its help. “It is often easier to recruit families over single people,” she said. “We sometimes work through the Chamber to help get a spouse placed in a job, and they have been great in that effort.”
Together makes us better. And you, too.
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Together makes us happier, stronger, better. That’s why Baptist South has opened a clinic that brings the best names in healthcare together. Nurses and staff from Baptist South have joined specialty-trained doctors from UAB to offer advanced care in many specialties. It’s a partnership that’s going to make everyone better, including you. Call today and make an appointment at the UAB clinic. Let’s get you better, together.
334.613.7070 UABmedicine-Baptist.com MULTISPECIALTY CLINIC BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER SOUTH
2119 East South Blvd, east of the Emergency entrance at Baptist South
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HIGH TECH Right Here Providing world-class care here at home so residents don’t have to leave the market is a priority for both of Montgomery’s hospitals and that means staying up to date with the latest and greatest medical technology and coming up with new ways to serve patients are necessities. Here’s a brief overview of a few recent advancements at both Jackson and Baptist.
Jackson Hospital:
Baptist Health:
The 3-Tesla MRI: the stron-
The Davinci X5 Robot:
gest MRI used on patients
the newest tech for robotics
anywhere (and currently the
in the country, being used to
only one here). It gives doc-
perform minimally invasive
tors the ability to see things
surgeries.
they’ve never been able to before.
The UAB Multi-Specialty
Tru-D SmartUVC: a germ-
Clinic: staffed with 10 doctors
eliminating robot that
in four specialties with breast
generates UV light energy
and cardiovascular surgery
that modifies the DNA or RNA
added in summer 2017.
structure of an infectious cell. Jackson is the first hospital in the River Region to use it.
ADDED BONUS “It’s so efficient. In the past, these doctors and nurses would have to leave the city for several days to train. Now, they just walk out of the hospital, into the training center, learn what they need and get back to work.”
Don’t Panic So you find out your surgeon did his training in the back of an 18-wheeler. Sound sketchy? Don’t worry. It’s not. One key piece of the medical professional retention puzzle is making continuing education a no-brainer. Of course, this pays off for patients too. At Jackson, surgical teams often train in a mobile lab, which just happens to be in an 18-wheeler’s trailer. Stryker, a medical equipment company, drives its lab (basically a surgical suite on wheels) to the hospital and sets up shop and then brings entire surgical teams in to get specialized training on cutting-edge equipment. This particular mobile lab is for neurosurgery and spine procedures using 3D navigation, a kind of GPS mapping and imaging for your body, that Jackson now utilizes. Peter Frohmader, Marketing Director at Jackson Hospital.
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PRESCRIPTION FOR PROSPERITY UAB Med School Good for MGM
Making Montgomery Home
UAB’s School of Medicine Montgomery Regional Medical
Julia Henig, Vice President of
Campus started in 2012 and
Business Development at Bap-
is in partnership with Baptist
tist Health, stressed the role
Health. “UAB knew the med
residents can play in recruiting
school needed to increase its
doctors. “To get doctors here,
class sizes and produce more
we need to continue to add
doctors for our state,” said Dr.
to and improve upon existing
Wick Many, regional dean for the school. But rather than have those students assigned to the main campus or UAB’s campuses in Huntsville or Tuscaloosa, the recommendation was to place a campus in Montgomery.
A group of UAB School of Medicine Montgomery students, class of 2018.
The students, who are all in their third year of medical school when they come to Montgomery, love it. “They go back and brag to students in Birmingham about the relationships they are developing here.”
The idea was that UAB’s close
Area doctors are pitching in too.
el of excitement and enthusiasm
relationship with Baptist Health
“Our faculty is mostly voluntary,”
that rekindles those feelings in
would remove some of the diffi-
Many said.
our faculty who are practicing doctors,” he said. “It raises the
culty of starting a new program. But the focal point was the lack
The students, who are all in
level of educational discourse,
of access to care in some of the
their third year of medical
gets them talking about new
economically depressed areas
school when they come to
breakthroughs. The students
right outside of Montgomery.
Montgomery, love it. “They go
are actually bringing some new
“The hope is, if we train doctors
back and brag to students in
ideas and knowledge to these
here and have them live here,
Birmingham about the rela-
faculty, things that just weren’t
that the long-term investment
tionships they are developing
on the map when some of our
will pay off by having many
here,” Many said. And these
faculty were in school.”
of them come back and work
relationships could make all the
here,” Many said.
difference when the students the future. “Will all our students
to make the med students’ time
come back to this area? No.
here a positive experience, and
But if we have 20 graduate and
they’re getting help. “The city,
have three to five come back,
the Chamber and Baptist have
that is a homerun, and I think we
bent over backwards to help
will get that,” Many said.
us,” he said. “I am in awe of the support we receive and the wel-
And it’s a win-win, according to
come the students are given.”
Many. “The students bring a lev-
options that make quality of life great,” she said. “And to keep them here, we need to embrace them." One recent recruit to the area explained why he came and
Dr. Geoff Habermacher, a urologist, from Charlottesville, Va.
why he and his family feel so at home. Dr. Geoff Habermacher, a urologist, came to Montgomery last year from Charlottesville, Va. He’s now practicing at the UAB Multi-Specialty Clinic. “To be successful, and to be on the leading edge of a new
are deciding where to settle in Dr. Many and others work hard
amenities and entertainment
venture for a large academic center like UAB is a neat thing,” he said. He and his family are also enjoying the welcome. “Both of our daughters are fitting in well. Dr. Wick Many, Regional Dean, UAB’s School of Medicine Montgomery Regional Medical Campus
Plus, the people are as warm as the weather, and that’s nice.”
Adding to the problems plaguing health care everywhere is uncertainty over the Affordable Care Act and
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT UNCERTAINTY
its replacement. “The overall state of health care in general is really an unknown with the uncertainty at the federal level right now,” Frohmader said. In a perfect world, more people insured is always better for hospitals and health-care providers. “Better access is a great premise, but under the ACA, we still had problems with payment,” Henig said. “Many were still uninsured and those insured at the lowest level had such high deductibles. Some reform is needed for sure.”
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LO C A L H E A LT H C A R E
A FEW EXPERTS Local professionals sharing their insight
Dr. Jean Leuner, the Dean of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Auburn University at Montgomery
Image courtesy of Auburn University at Montgomery.
TAPPING INTO TALENT nursing, but we have more quali-
dire, hasn’t. “The work of nursing
fied applicants than we have seats
has gotten more complex as our
nursing shortage head on.
in schools.”
population ages and the number of
Our area – just like our country – is
A look at data from the Bureau of
Leuner said. “It is a very demand-
already facing a nursing short-
Labor Statistics shows that we had
ing profession today, but we still
age as well as a nursing faculty
2.71 million nurses in 2012 and that
have many who want to do it.”
they can, and hopefully will, teach.
shortage, a situation Dr. Jean
figure will rise to 3.24 million by
Leuner, the Dean of the College
2022, an increase of 19 percent.
Yet, we don’t have the manpower
There’s also a need for more nurs-
of Nursing & Health Sciences at
And yet, we still fall short. “It’s esti-
to train them all. The faculty short-
es with bachelor’s degrees, and in
Auburn University at Montgomery
mated that we’ll need an additional
age is, as Leuner put it, “severe.”
an effort to meet that, AUM has put
(AUM) calls “the perfect storm.” “We
half million nurses by 2022, so the
Adding additional instructors to
its RN to BSN program complete-
are seeing baby boomers retiring;
growth we have is not enough,”
nursing schools is one reason
ly online, which lets registered
as they age, we see the shortage
Leuner said.
recent recommendations put out
nurses pursue a bachelor’s, and is
by the Institute of Medicine call
admitting new students to it every
How the River Region is fighting an impending
Kay Bennett, Vice President of Human Resources
chronic diseases has increased,”
intensifying because the need for
at Baptist Health
more nurses is getting greater,” she
One factor that you’d think might
for doubling the number of nurses
semester. The school has also cre-
said. “There’s plenty of interest in
make the situation even more
who get a doctorate degree so
ated a community for pre-nursing
MAKING IT COUNT
LEARN HERE. WORK HERE. "Our graduates are very well thought of in our community. Baptist in particular loves having our students do their clinicals there. They say they are so well prepared and so professional. And more than 75 percent of the nurses trained in our ASN program stay here.” - Dr. Sherry Seibenhener, Troy University Montgomery Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Associate’s Degree in Nursing program
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LO C A L H E A LT H C A R E
NURSING SCHOOL IN THE RIVER REGION For River Region residents looking to enter the nursing profession, there are several options for education right here at home. Here are some of the offerings.
TROY UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY: • Associate of Science degree in nursing, a two-year program that allows its graduates to take the
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
national licensure exam to become
AT MONTGOMERY:
a licensed registered nurse.
• Bachelor of Science in nursing
• Master of Science in nursing
• RN to BSN, which allows registered nurses to obtain their BS degree in
SOUTH UNIVERSITY:
nursing, and is offered as a totally
• Bachelor of Science degree
online option or in a hybrid format with partnership hospitals.
in nursing
• RN to BSN
• Master of Science in nursing
• Master of Science in nursing with specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner Image courtesy of Auburn University at Montgomery.
LOOKING AHEAD students, blocking off an entire floor in a dorm for them to live and learn together. “It’s the first academic community like this at AUM, and there is a lot of research showing how beneficial these live/learn groups are,” Leuner said. Both Montgomery hospitals are doing their part.
A look at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that we had
ing, not just here, or regionally, it is nationwide,” she said. “We have a lot of strategies, but one
will rise to 3.24 million by 2022, an
tionship is more formal; we talk to their nursing
that leads new RN graduates through a yearlong but continue their training while working, and
and Leuner. “There is a great demand for nurs-
2.71 million nurses in 2012 and that figure
Jackson now has a nurse residency program training program. “They are practicing nurses
Kay Bennett, Vice President of Human Resources at Baptist Health echoed both Frohmader
increase of 19 percent. AND YET, WE STILL FALL SHORT.
work with a dedicated experienced nurse who serves as a mentor for them,” said Peter Frohmader, Marketing Director at Jackson
is working closely with area schools, like AUM as well as Troy and Wallace. With AUM, this relafaculty often and get their feel for what is going on and how we can help their efforts.” Baptist offers nurse extern programs where students actually shadow nurses in eight different departments, rotating every week, to get an idea of where they’d like to work.
Hospital. Jackson also offers an externship for The hospital also facilitates a support program
nursing students in their last two semesters of school. They operate as nursing techs, and get
programs have been very successful and great
for just-graduated nurses where they meet
paid while they finish their studies. “We hope
transition tools for new graduates who maybe
monthly to talk, share advice and more. “Our
they stay on with us once they graduate and
don’t feel confident to just step out on their
senior leaders participate in that, and we get
pass the nursing exam,” Frohmader said. “Both
own.”
feedback from the nurses and make adjust-
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ments to make their work environment better,” Bennett said. “These are ways we not only recruit but also retain good nurses.” And retention is key. “We have and are looking to implement a lot of strategies on this point,” Bennett said. One is establishing unit councils in every department to provide their nurses the ability to make decisions that affect their day-today. Another is recognizing and rewarding good work with awards. And finally, giving nurses flexibility and the chance to grow is key. “We have
Image courtesy of Troy University.
a place for a nurse to practice in almost every area,” Bennett said. “We’ve also increased the
graduating nursing students from AUM stay in
are better prepared to onboard quickly at local
number of clinical educators on the floor sup-
the greater Montgomery area, so it behooves
hospitals and health-care agencies,” she said.
porting our nurses. And going forward, we’re
both hospitals to keep an eye on these students
In the end, this is all good news for nursing
looking at some pretty creative shift scheduling
and reach out to them.
students and middle or high school students
and different staffing models all in an attempt to
interested in the career. “The employment
understand what nurses need to be successful
Leuner and her team are being proactive too,
opportunities for nursing students are great,”
and meeting those needs so they can best care
working with local health-care entities to see
Leuner said. “When our students graduate, they
for their patients.”
what AUM can do to best meet their needs in
have job offers in hand, and that is due to the
terms of nursing, things like revising or adding
huge need. Especially for bachelor’s degree
to its curriculum. “This means our graduates
nurses, the employment outlook is amazing.”
According to Leuner, 90 to 95 percent of the
w
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