ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET

May 13, 2016

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NOTEWORTHY Johnston Health receives highest rating on Leapfrog’s April 2016 Safety Score Johnston Health has received an “A” rating for Leapfrog Group’s April 2016 Hospital Safety Score, the highest grade granted to hospitals for keeping patients safe from er-rors, injuries, accidents and infections. “Johnston Health’s ‘A’ rating from the Leap-frog Group demonstrates our continued com-mitment to putting our patients’ safety first,” said Chuck Elliott, CEO and president of Johnston Health. “I would like to thank all of our nurses, co-workers and physicians who work diligently every day to ensure that we’re providing a safe environment and the best possible experience for our patients.” The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization that strives to bring safety, qual-ity and affordability of health care in the U.S. by promoting transparency. Johnston Health was one of 798 hospitals to receive an A, ranking among the safest hospitals in the United States. “Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number one concern of our health care leaders. Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ from Leap-frog are leaders in saving lives, and we com-mend them and urge their continued vigi-lance,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. The Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, C.diff and MRSA. To see Johnston Health’s full score, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Undoubtedly, Second Bright Leaf is the most diverse floor of the hospital. In addition to cardiac recovery, it has rooms dedicated to observation, inpatient and outpatient care, and an area (formerly the ICU) for inpatient dialy-sis. Nurse manager Vickie Garner, who’s been in charge since last November, says she loves the variety, and is proud of how her staff is embracing the opportunities to learn the many different skills required to work with such a range of patients. There’s so many functions, in fact, that it’s required her nurses to take five different classes in Epic, which is the new electronic health record set to launch May 21. Garner, who grew up in Morehead City, says she’s always wanted to be a nurse. After earn-ing her associate degree from Watts School of Nursing in Durham, she went to work on the cardiac floor at WakeMed. It was after she bought a house in Johnston County that she applied for a PRN position at Johnston Health in November 2012. And as the hospital prepared to launch its PCI pro-gram (heart stenting), Garner was able to share her knowledge and train the nurses who would be caring for patients recovering from the new cardiac procedures. She was promoted to clin-ical coordinator of the floor in May 2015, and then to manager six months ago. In her new role, Garner says she encourages and mentors as often as she can. “It’s hard being a nurse, emotionally and physically,” she adds. “That’s why we need to look for opportunities to teach and to build up one another.” Last month, Garner was recognized as a Johnston Health Ambassador, largely for her leadership on Second Bright Leaf. During a presentation at a Monday Morning Rally, Holly Tipton, an RN, shared a story of how Garner had reminded her of the basics of nurs-ing, such as wiping a patient’s face with a cold wash cloth to ease nausea until pain medica-tions can kick in. “I was inspired by her compassion,” Tipton said. “She made me want to be that type of nurse.” Chuck Elliott, president and CEO of John-ston Health, said Garner is always looking for ways to improve the work environment, and welcomes questions and feedback from her staff. “She makes sure they have the resources, tools and training they need,” he said. “And when the unit is short-staff, she works along-side her nurses to ensure excellent care.” Garner says she practices the Golden Rule. “We should take care of patients the way we would want to be taken care of,” she adds. “I’m passionate about that.”

Garner named Ambassador She’s passionate about putting patients first

Tammy Wood receives top honor hursday was quite the family night for Tammy Wood, the benefits specialist for Johnston Health. After participating in a pinning

ceremony in Princeton for her daughter, Emily, who will graduate Monday from nursing school, Wood and husband, Jay, dashed off to the Red Carpet Awards Ban-quet back in Smithfield. In years past, she had helped with greeting guests, and with tidying up after the end of the event. But on this night, she would be front and center, surprised at being called to the lectern to receive the organization’s top honor, as Johnston Health Ambassador of the Year. And it came with a standing ovation, too, from the nearly 200 employ-ees and their spouses attending the annual dinner in the hospital’s dining hall. In delivering the award, CEO Chuck Elliott said Wood “inspires us all by her exemplary service and commitment to our ideals, mission and vision.” She has worked in the hospital’s human resources department for 22 years. “Tammy truly cares about our employ-ees,” he said. “It’s not unusual for her to deliver family medical leave applications to employees while hospitalized, and disa-bility forms to employees’ homes when they’re not able to travel. She goes above and beyond to help employees receive the benefits to which they’re entitled.” Wood said hospital employees felt like family. “I love you all,” she said after-ward. “You’re all ambassadors.” Also at the banquet, employees celebrat-ing milestone anniversaries and retire-ments were recognized and honored. Elliott thanked employees for their ser-vice and leadership. “People look to you for guidance. Thank you for making us the best we can be,” he said. During guest remarks, Dr. Lesley Tay-lor, chief of the medical staff, said the dedication of employees was one of the hospital’s strengths. “Thank you all for the work you do,” he said. Bobby Parker, chairman of the Johnston

Health Services Corp., thanked employees for their loyalty. “Nowadays, working 20 and 30 years for the same organization is unheard of,” he said. “I believe we’ve made great strides over the years toward becoming, not only a great hospital, but a great employer.” Employees and their milestones were: 30 years--Sherrie Barefoot, Doris Edwards, Beverly Farish, Billy O’Neal; 20--Elizabeth Edwards, Faye Johnson, Kimberlie Pipkin-Keen, Monnie Thompson; 15--Phoebe Allen, Cyn-thia Baker, Joe Barnes Jr., Beth Brown, Kimberly Bryant, Dianna Buffington, Mary Butler, Patricia Byrd, Diane Czi-kora, Mattie Edsall, Nancy George, Tammy Grams, George Lee, Jackie Mann, Tonya Murphy, Tammy O’Brien, Judith Romero, Connie Seagroves, Maria Simonson, Lorraine Strickland, Vicky Turbeville; 10--Janet Alford, Lynn Bare-foot, Gloria Battle, Barbara Bax, Kathy Bissette, Tina Bizzell, Charlie Blinson, Exzora Cobb, Karen Davidson, Barbara Davis, Virginia Davis, Donna Dewberry, Scott Erick, April Furr, Judy Gonzales, Kenneth Gooch, Kevin Grams, Eric Hammond, Martha Harrelson, Shirley Heuser, Sherry Holloman, Larry James, Janet Johnson, Michelle Killane, Kathryn Kreis, Tracey Lee, Julia Lowe, Audrey Massengill, Gregory McClain, Cynthia McMath, Deborah Mitchell, Sherry Munden, Barbara Narron, Diane Norton, Amanda Parrish, Gina Parrish, Beverly Riddle, Lisa Ross, Vrtinisa Ruffin, Deborah Sanders, Mary Stanley, Linda Sugg, Zina Sutton, Judyth Tabron, Tina Thornton, Carissa Vaughn, Tammy Wasserman, Jonathan Wuntke Retirees recognized were: Sherrie Barefoot, for 30 years; Connie Lassiter, 31; Connie Godwin, 28; Billy O’Neal, 30; Doris Edwards, 30; Sherrie Stanley, 29; Linda Hicks, 21; Linda Kropp, 20; Sylvia Maxey, 21; Carolyn Stewart, 21 years.

Michelle Medlin, administrative assistant in Clayton, was the winner of a drawing for an i-Fitband Activity Tracker. She was among the dozen or so employ-ees participating in the Johnston Health wellness assessment of-fered monthly through employee health.

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Administrative Director Donna Hin-nant and CEO Chuck Elliott congratu-late Vickie Garner on being named the Ambassador for April.

Billy O’Neal and Beverly Farrish received standing ovations for reaching their 30-year anniver-saries.

Tammy Wood, benefits specialist, was named 2016 Johnston Health Am-bassador of the Year Thursday night during the Red Carpet Awards Ban-quet in Smithfield. From left: Doug Harrison, director of human resources; Bobby Parker, chairman of the Johnston Health Services Corp.; Tim Hays, vice president of human resources; and Chuck Elliott, CEO and president of Johnston Health, congratulate her on the award.

Seniors resource fair June 30 A seniors resource fair will be held from 10 a.m. till noon on June 30 at the Johnston Medical Mall. The event will offer info on benefits, legal matters and health care needs. The event is being hosted by Con-gressman David Rouzer. Gift Shop to drop Saturday hours From June 4 until Sept. 10, the Volunteer Gift Shop in Smithfield will be closed on Satur-days.

Hospital meets goal for blood drive The American Red Cross collected 26 units of blood and met its goal during its hospital drive on April 27. Among the donors were 14 Johnston Health employees. Amanda Horne of pathology was the winner of a drawing for a $50 gift card. All employees received a Johnston Health logo gift. An inaugural trophy, the Golden Pint Award, will be presented in coming weeks to the department that had the best participa-tion. It will then be passed to the winning

A milestone for volunteers The value of hours donated by the 234 volunteers serving Johnston Health’s two hospitals and its SECU Hospice House topped $1 million last year. From left, volunteer chaplain Wanda Robinson Lee, Hospice House volunteer Tony Andreola, and hospital volunteers president Sue Archambeault present the contribution ($1,060,477 exactly) to April Culver, vice president of planning and external affairs for Johnston Health, and to Ralph Stewart, who serves on the board of directors of the Johnston Health Services Corp. The presentation took place during the an-nual Volunteers Award Banquet on April 19 at the Agricultural Center. In addition to the tasty luncheon, volun-teers received service pins and heaps of praise. Both Stewart and Culver said Johnston Health relies greatly on its volunteers and feels fortunate to have them as part of the organization. Also notable, Wanda Robinson Lee re-ceived the Overa S. Stevens Award for dedicated service. The award is named after the local pastor who was in-strumental in starting the volunteer chaplaincy program more than 40 years ago. Lee has been volunteering for the past seven years.

Walkers, runners, and their dogs race for the cause Lisa Johnson, an RN in the Smithfield emergency department, stopped by the office of the Johnston Health Foundation on Wednesday to collect medals for fami-ly members running in the Champions 5K on Saturday. Her father, Dennis Parrish, 73, of Pine Level, placed first in his age group, and Johnson’s grandson, Devon, who was celebrating his 9th birthday, placed second in his age group. Johnson says she and her dad run a cou-ple of 5Ks together every year. “He’s active, and a great sport,” she says. “We take those opportunities to jog down the hills, and to walk up the hills.” The event netted about $24,000, which will be split between the Angel and Healthy Kids funds. While one assists cancer patients with medical-related needs they otherwise could not afford, the other one pays for children’s scholarships to attend a structured fitness and wellness program led by HealthQuest. Thirty teams, made up of 437 people and 30 dogs, walked and/or ran the 3.1-mile course, which began and ended in front of the hospital, and wound through neighborhoods and along the Smithfield Commons greenway. Sol Halliburton, director of the founda-tion, said she was inspired by the number of company and community teams. Four Oaks Bank had the largest with 115 mem-

bers. And Johnston Health fielded 12 teams made up of 88 employees, friends and fam-ily members. “I hope everyone will continue to pro-mote and lead an active lifestyle, as cham-pions of our own health,” she said. “Whether it's walking more often, taking the stairs, or entering a challenging race.” The first place winner was Jacob Gonza-lez of Four Oaks, a junior cross country

runner for South Johnston High School. (He placed 5th in the State 3A championship last fall.) His time was16:28. Other notables: Johnston Health president and CEO Chuck Elliott placed first in his age group as did Dianne Westbrook of the finance department and Jonathan Wuntke of the Smithfield emergency department. To see the race results, click here.

Johnston Health Volunteers have used $9,500 from Gift Shop proceeds to buy the four metal patio tables outside the cafeteria in Smithfield. It’s a great place to enjoy your breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ladies Night Out at the Medical Mall on April 26 drew about 200 participants. Among the depart-ments offering info and tours were: (from left) ambulatory im-aging’s Karen Ryan, Donna Camin and Shirley Creech, who have a combined 94 years of rad tech experience, mostly in mam-mography. For their part, the techs talked with women about the advantages of the new 3D mammography system, which has been up and running in Smithfield since mid February.

Second District Congresswoman Renee Ellmers toured the SECU Hos-pice House on Monday and visited with patients and families. A former nurse, Ellmers is a hospice advocate who is interested in proposed legis-lation that would raise awareness about advance directives. Seated at the bedside, Carolyn Jones, who is a hospice house volunteer, is the daughter of hospice patient, Charles Cohorn and his wife, Doris.

At left, Colton Gibbs, 15, was among the many 5K participants who ran with their dogs. He and his terrier finished the course in 28.58.

Memorial quilt takes the stage Eighty-six family members representing 32 former pa-tients attended the unveil-ing of the community me-morial quilt on April 24 at the Johnston Medical Mall. In all, the quilt has swatch-es representing 41 pa-tients. It will hang for the next year in the mall’s al-cove near the medical on-cology clinic. Following the service, family members photographed the quilt.