CHATTANOOGA–New mothers now have the opportunity to enjoy a two-hour respite every day during their stay at the Erlanger East and Baroness campuses.

 

The Women’s Services staff members of Erlanger Health System have developed “Serenity Time,” the only quiet time program offered in the area for post-labor and delivery patients. It is a special time set aside for moms to rest or bond with their new baby. Parents take part in the solitude with limited staff interruptions, limited telephone calls to the patient’s room, restricted visitors, dimmed lights and minimal noise daily from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

 

A study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing found new mothers experienced dozens of interruptions during their first day after delivering a baby. Researchers recorded the number of durations of visits and phone calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for 29 mothers. During that timeframe, the mothers averaged 54 visits or phone calls averaging 17 minutes in length. On the other hand, they were only alone with the baby and/or the baby’s father only 24 times. Many of those times lasted an average of nine minutes or less. 

 

A special committee who monitors patient satisfaction at Erlanger found many new mothers requested the option to have the quiet time. 

 

CHATTANOOGA - Parkridge Medical Center is one of 60 HCA facilities currently participating in REDUCE –MRSA, a nationwide study aimed at decreasing the number of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in hospital adult intensive care units. The drug-resistant bacteria can cause severe problems, particularly in hospital patients whose immune systems have already been compromised by illness. Parkridge began its part in the study on March 1, and the program will continue over the next year.

 

Parkridge Medical Center is one of 20 hospitals assigned to the Targeted Decolonization arm of the study. Patients determined to be MRSA-positive upon entering the intensive care unit at Parkridge are isolated and treated with decolonizing agents that include a special nasal swab and skin wipes. MRSA-negative patients do not receive these treatments.

 

The trial’s 3-arm approach is designed to compare three different strategies for reducing MRSA. Patients at hospitals that make up the first arm of the study will receive the current standard of care during their ICU stay, defined as screening for MRSA and isolation measures for patients who test positive or who have tested positive in the past for the bacteria. Patients at ICUs in the study’s third arm will all receive the decolonizing measures, and screening will not be conducted upon entry.

 

For more information about the study, contact Karen Davenport, Clinical Research Coordinator at Parkridge’s Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at 423-493-1667.

 

CHATTANOOGA—Siskin Hospital recently held a 20th Anniversary Reception at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club honoring those who have served on the Board of Directors over the past 20 years. The evening was filled with pleasant memories and reflection of the accomplishments achieved thanks to so many who have contributed their time and heartfelt efforts on behalf of Siskin Hospital.

 

The continued success of Siskin Hospital relies heavily on the leadership of the Board of Directors. The Board’s input and guidance has proven to be invaluable, and Siskin Hospital is honored to have had such an incredible group of individuals guide the Hospital through the last 20 years.

 

“As we continue to be Chattanooga’s first choice for rehabilitation care, the staff will aim to uphold the reputation and work ethic that has led us to where we are today. Siskin Hospital truly appreciates all that the Board of Directors have done for our hospital, staff, patients, and community,” Robert Main, President and CEO, said.

 

CHATTANOOGA—Carlos Thompson, a Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant at Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, was recently voted the Clinical Instructor of the Year by the Chattanooga State Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) Program. 

 

On May 6, a Clinical Instructor Luncheon was held at the new Health Science Center on the Chattanooga State campus. Cindy Birchell, Academic Coordinator of Clinical Instruction, presented the Clinical Instructor of the Year award to Thompson, who is a graduate of the PTA program at Chattanooga State Community College.

 

Determination of this award is by nomination from students, academic clinical faculty, and the Association of Community and Continuing Education. Recognition is given to a Clinical Instructor who had demonstrated exceptional efforts on behalf of clinical education with Chattanooga State students during the previous year. The award recipient must have consistent positive comments by students over the past year, faculty recommendation, clinical observations by academic faculty when visiting students in a clinical setting, Clinical Instructor participation in thorough completion of student assessments, and Clinical Instructor frequency of providing student supervision. 

 

Thompson has worked at Siskin Hospital since 1990, and was able to complete his degree from Chattanooga State while working full time and raising a family. Thompson’s passion for excellence in physical therapy and instruction provides students with the opportunity to excel in their education and establish necessary skills for quality patient care. Students commented at the Clinical Instructor Luncheon that Thompson is a great teacher who has a gentle way of correcting mistakes while learning.

 

CHATTANOOGA—Lisa Wallace has been named associate chief nursing officer at Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge. She brings over 30 years of experience in healthcare and 20 years of nurse management experience to the position.

 

Wallace has been with HCA for over 22 years as part of the Ocala Health System and Ocala Regional Medical Center in Ocala, FL. where she most recently served as the Director of the Medical/ Surgical Unit, Women’s Center, Inpatient & Outpatient Wound Care and Hyperbarics, and the Inpatient Surgical Specialty Unit. She was also instrumental in the opening of the Neurosurgery Unit and Women’s Center and implemented the hospital’s Nurse Navigator program.

 

Wallace holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Central Florida and a Masters of Science in Nursing from Research College of Nursing in Kansas City, MO.   She and her husband, Scott, have three children named Judson, Eli and Jojo.

 

CHATTANOOGA— Mihail Subtirelu, MD, FAAP, Pediatric Nephrologist at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger, has received the designation of Specialist in Clinical Hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension (ASH).

 

The ASH created the Specialist in Clinical Hypertension designation in 1998 for the specific purpose of identifying and recognizing physicians with expert skills and knowledge in the management of clinical hypertension and related disorders.

 

To date, the designation of Specialist in Clinical Hypertension has been granted to less than 1,250 physicians practicing in the United States, Canada, and other countries.

 

After attending medical school at the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania, Subtirelu completed his pediatric residency program at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, affiliated with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. He then completed a fellowship program in pediatric nephrology at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, also affiliated with Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

 

In addition to the Specialist in Clinical Hypertension designation, Dr. Subtirelu is board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric nephrology. He is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga, based at Erlanger.

 

CHATTANOOGA- Parkridge Medical Center and Parkridge East Hospital have received full Cycle III accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers’ Accreditation Review Committee.

 

“The Parkridge hospitals have worked hard to earn this honor,” said Robin Marsh, emergency department director at Parkridge Medical Center. “This designation lets the public know that we are dedicated to improving awareness about heart disease, facilitating arrival and care in our Emergency Department, and incorporating ideas and processes from across the nation to improve our area’s care plans for our patients.”

 

The Chest Pain Centers at Parkridge Medical Center and Parkridge East Hospital have demonstrated their expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations with a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The chest pain accreditation cycle runs for three years and there are three levels of accreditation, with each level featuring increased expectations. With this year’s designation, Parkridge Medical Center and Parkridge East Hospital have completed the highest level of accreditation.

 

The Chest Pain Center’s protocol-driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective, and to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that a patient is neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

 

With the rise of Chest Pain Centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. The Society’s accreditation process ensures that centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.