’s
January 8, 2016 edition
The Pulse
Your regular check up on SCKMC activities Share your thoughts, story ideas, and comments by e-mail to claytonp@sckrmc.org.
New Providers Begin at Hospital ER
USB Makes Donation to Hospital
SCKMC has entered into an agreement with Integrity Health Professionals (IHP) to provide medical services through the hospital’s emergency department. IHP began providing night and weekend coverage on January 1st. The change is the result of notification from the prior ED provider group, Emergency Care Associates, that they would no longer be providing services after the first of the year. “ECA gave us notice about 70 days ago that they wanted to discontinue staffing us with providers to render services in our emergency department because they were having difficulty recruiting and keeping them up-to-date with all the changes in regulations. ECA provided services for the ED for many years, and we appreciate that, but we have successfully transitioned to the Integrity Health Professionals and feel very comfortable and excited about going forward with them,” said Virgil Watson, SCKMC’s Chief Executive Officer. IHP will provide coverage using a combination of physicians and mid-level providers, including physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners. “Most of them will be physician assistants (PAs) with physician back up. They are very experienced and have had training at Wesley Medical Center. I see this as very positive because they know us from prior contacts through the patients that we have sent to Wichita. Many of them have received our transferred patients, and two providers have worked for us before,” Watson said. Watson also believes IHP provider’s can help to keep more patients in SCKMC instead of being transferred. “Our first goal is to try to safely keep every patient that we can and take care of them here at our hospital. We will have our quality manager monitoring the quality of care that our patients receive as well as going through a continuous improvement process to provide the greatest care that we can possibly give to the patients that come through our hospital,” Watson said.
SCKMC has been named the recipient of a $10,000 donation from Union State Bank. The donation is part of a $50,000 commitment by USB to the hospital’s “Building a Future of Excellence” campaign. Previous donations within the USB commitment were used to upgrade the hospital’s two conference rooms with audio and visual equipment. In recognition of USB’s generosity, SCKMC has named the space the USB Conference Center. The conference center is used regularly by local organizations to host a variety of meetings and events. Following the initial contribution, Bill Docking, USB Chairman of the Board stated, “We are delighted to partner with SCKMC. The enhancements made to the facility will benefit both the hospital and our community.” Photo: John Sturd, Arkansas City Community President of Union State Bank, presents a check to Virgil Watson, CEO of SCKMC at the hospital’s “USB Conference Center”.
SCKMC’s First Baby of 2016 Tripp Dwight Welch was SCKMC’s first baby of 2016 born at 3:37 p.m. on January 1st and weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. Congratulations Kristina and Monty on your bundle of joy, and thank you for allowing Dr. Lin, Dr. Klaassen, and the rest of the South Central Kansas Medical Center birthing team to be part of this special moment in your lives.
Brzycki Retires from Business Office Cynthia Brzycki ended the year by celebrating her retirement. Cynthia worked for SCKMC’s business office as a pre-certification coordinator for eight years. During that time she also assisted Dr. Christopher Siwek, orthopedic surgeon with patient scheduling. Cynthia’s last day of work was December 30th. She celebrated with a small reception within her department which included cake and cards from coworkers wishing her the best.
January Employee of the Month Congratulations Brandon Evans, Respiratory Therapist, for being named the SCKMC Exceptional Service Award winner for the month of January. Brandon was nominated by both patients and hospital staff for providing quality care, and going the extra mile to keep the patient calm and informed. Brandon was presented with a certificate of appreciation by respiratory department manager Terry Blackburn. Brandon will also have a special parking spot reserved for him.
Give the Gift of Health This holiday season consider a gift to the Medical Center. Your donation will benefit our community for decades to come. Giving to the hospital helps us continue to provide the best in medical care right here, close to home. We offer a number of approaches to support our programs. Gifting opportunities range from providing support to name a portion of the new facility, to providing funding that can assist in providing new equipment or sponsoring programs.
Call or visit us on-line and find out how you can share the gift of health.
We are 6401 Patterson Parkway, Arkansas City 6401 Patterson Parkway, Arkansas City
www.sckmc.org
(620) 442-2500