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Good Samaritan Hospital is one of the “Best Places to Work in Indiana.” This was first evident in December of 2008 when the hospital was recognized as a Magnet facility, and now the Indiana Chamber of Commerce is honoring Good Samaritan Hospital with its “Best Place to Work in Indiana” award. The “Best Place to Work in Indiana” program, in its fourth year, is managed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and presented in partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The program recognizes companies, small and large, for their ability to create a strong workplace environment where employees feel valued. The top companies in the state are determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. This is Good Samaritan Hospital’s first time being honored in the group of 70 making the list this year. The actual rankings of the Top Hoosier companies will not be announced until the Best Places to Work awards dinner on May 5, 2009. Director of Human Resources, Dean Wagoner, attributes this award to the efforts of Good Samaritan Hospital employees in achieving the hospital’s mission. “We strive to provide an employee focused culture that encourages and allows employees to excel,” Wagoner stated. “Our employees understand that teamwork leads to our success in providing excellent care to the patients we are privileged to serve.” State-of-the-art technology and immaculately maintained buildings provide the best possible environment for employees to achieve positive outcomes, but Wagoner says it’s the continuous compassionate care and concern demonstrated by employees and medical staff that have allowed Good Samaritan Hospital to achieve this recognition and celebrate 101 years as a community hospital. “We are extremely proud of and grateful for their efforts,” he added. Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar says businesses like Good Samaritan Hospital represent some of the state’s most outstanding Hoosier employers. “They embrace the idea that a positive work culture that includes respect, communication, opportunity and being part of a team not only makes it a place in which employees want to work but also fuels the success of the organization,” Brinegar stated. The Best Places to Work in Indiana awards dinner on May 5 is open to the public. Individual tickets and tables are available at www.indianachamber.com. |
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GSH among the ‘Best Places to Work in Indiana’ |
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Hospital earns Quality Respiratory Care Recognition |
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Good Samaritan Hospital has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available at hospitals. Only 15 percent of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award. This is the fifth time Good Samaritan Hospital Respiratory Care has been recognized since the national QRCR program began in 2003. “Receipt of this recognition assures the community that when they come to our facility to receive respiratory care services, they will be provided by a department that employs adequate levels of staff who are licensed, credentialed, and highly trained,” stated Respiratory Care Director Janet Sievers. The QRCR program was created by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) to help consumers identify facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. To qualify for the recognition, Good Samaritan Hospital provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions: • All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital that deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the CRT or RRT credential. • Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours. • Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing. • A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services. According to Sievers, all of Good Samaritan Hospital’s therapists are licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners by the State of Indiana. Staff is credentialed through the National Board for Respiratory Care. In the department, 71% of the staff possesses the advanced credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) while 29% are Certified Respiratory Therapists (CRT). Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies. “Our department is unique from many in that we also utilize respiratory care protocols to provide the most efficient and effective care,” said Sievers. “The protocols are based on the latest scientific, evidence based medicine. We work together as members of a diverse health care team to provide the best and safest care possible.” Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines, and should be commended for their commitment to quality care. A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the association’s website for consumers, www.YourLungHealth.org.
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Lilly Oncology On Canvas, an art exhibition honoring the physical and emotional journeys people face when confronted by a cancer diagnosis, will be on display 24 hours a day until June 11, 2010 in the Cancer Pavilion lobby. This free public exhibit, which is touring communities nationwide, will showcase select pieces of art from the 2008 Oncology On Canvas competition. Launched in 2004, Oncology On Canvas is a biennial art competition that invites people from the U.S. and Puerto Rico diagnosed with any type of cancer, as well as their families, friends, caregivers and health care providers, to express, through art and narrative, the life-affirming changes that give the cancer journey meaning. Good Samaritan Hospital hosted the exhibit last year for the first time. Hospital President and CEO, Rob McLin, says he is proud to bring the display back to the Cancer Pavilion where it can help inspire and bring hope to cancer patients and their families. “Anyone who has been touched by cancer in some way will be moved by this art,” he stated. “When reading the stories behind some of these pieces of art it will strike a nerve, even in those who haven’t been touched by cancer.” The winners of the 2008 competition were announced on October 22, 2008 in New York City. In total, 26 prizes were awarded to 20 cancer charities selected by the 19 winners in various categories. The themes explored in the nearly 600 entries ranged from fear, to the loss of individualism, to the support of family and friends, to the memory of those lost, to the perseverance of those who survive. The traveling exhibition of art from the 2008 competition toured hospitals, cancer centers, patient advocacy group meetings, and other venues nationwide last year and will again this year. Registration for the 2010 competition is open until June 10, 2010. Completed art entries and submission forms should be postmarked by June 30, 2010. For information on how to enter the 2010 competition, please call (866) 991-5662 or visit www.LillyOncologyOnCanvas.com.
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Samaritan Center is preparing to cut $2.6 million out of its budget for fiscal year 2011 as a result of federal and state Medicaid changes. The Indiana Division of Mental Health and CMS are implementing changes that will affect how Samaritan Center is reimbursed on the state and federal level for services provided to chronic mentally ill adults, severally emotionally disabled youth, and chronically addicted adults. John Manning, CEO of Samaritan Center, says a reduction in funding of this magnitude will create significant changes in the manner of which Samaritan Center provides services to the residents of Knox, Daviess, Martin, and Pike counties. Manning says the state is implementing “Service Packs” for Medicaid patients. “This means that the services patients get are based on their level of function and diagnosis, and that the services have to be received within a six month window in order to be paid by Medicaid,” Manning said. “If the patient is not well within that six months, an extension would have to be filed with the state. Then we would have to wait to hear back from the state to see if the extension has even been approved.” Manning says Samaritan Center is in the planning process to manage this funding decrease. He says the mental health center is looking at ways to reduce costs without sacrificing the quality of care that is provided to its patients. “We have to work hard to find a way to treat our Medicaid patients, especially those who have more serious conditions, in a shorter time period than we have done in the past,” Manning said. “It may be difficult, but these new “Service Packs” that will be implemented by the state will force us to do so.” In addition to this change in Medicaid funding by the state, Manning said the Samaritan Center has also had to deal with shortfalls in its $13.6 million total budget from a 100% increase in charity care and 100% increase in bad debt since the economic crisis. “As a result, planning is under way to deal with this reduction in funding as well,” said Manning. “We are sensitive to the needs of providers and consumers but will adapt our operations to meet the funding realities. We are committed to providing quality services that are patient centered, recovery based, and in the best interest of the consumer.” Manning says all changes to reflect the reduced budget will be in effect by July 1, 2010.
Samaritan Center - Since 1972, Samaritan Center has been the region's comprehensive mental health center, offering a full range of services for adults, seniors, families, teens and children. Samaritan Center offers counseling, inpatient psychiatric service, diagnostic evaluations, individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, addiction services and much more. All of the Samaritan Center’s services are designed to improve the quality of life for people of all ages, ťgiving them a place to turn and helping them along the path to recovery. |
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Samaritan Center forced into drastic budget cuts |
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‘Oncology on Canvas’ display |