I really enjoy our weekly Monday morning coffee sessions on the Bistro patio. If you're an early riser, come join us next week. Pick up your FREE tickets in Activities. Even though it is free, tickets are required so accurate food and beverage counts can be made.
We do tend to cluster around those wonderful fire pits in the early morning cool temps.
This week's sponsor was Banner Casa Grande Medical Center and the main speaker was Rona Curphy who is the Chief Executive Officer. As a full time resident of Casa Grande, I am delighted to hear that Banner has moved into our community to upgrade our health care. Rona talked about several subjects that Banner is bringing our way, but the EICU unit sounds outstanding. (Electronic Intensive Care Unit). I asked Rona for more information and received the following article via email within the hour! It is lengthy but interesting.........especially for those who live here full time.
Where would any of us be without advanced technology? We’re
living in a “technology era.” From our cars, to our cellular phones, technology
helps us in our everyday lives, making things easier and even safer for us. The
great part about technology is that it can also save lives! That’s exactly what
will happen at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, starting Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Once Banner Telehealth’s TeleICU (intensive care unit)
program officially goes into service at Banner Casa Grande, it will save lives
by teaming on-site medical staff with intensive-care specialists or intensivists
and experienced nurses. These intensivists follow patient care from remote
monitoring centers located in Mesa, Ariz.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Denver, Colo.;
and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Specialists and nurses at the centers use specialized
software and audio/video technology to continuously monitor patients’ vital
signs, lab tests and other important medical data to track progress and watch
for changes that might signal a problem.
This highly sensitive monitoring technology gives the Banner Telehealth
team the ability to quickly notice changes in a patient’s condition, should
they occur, so they can be addressed immediately. If a change in the patient’s condition is
detected, the Banner Telehealth specialists work with the bedside medical team
to help determine what course of action is appropriate.
In addition to providing this state-of –the-art care in the
ICU, Banner Casa Grande patients will also have the benefit of this type of technology
and access to specialists in the Emergency Department. “We’re really excited about
this technology and how it’s going to enhance the care for our most critical
patients,” said Kelly Kieffer, Chief Nursing Officer for Banner Casa Grande. “Our
medical staff is ready for it when we go live in a few weeks. Banner Telehealth
has had this in place for several years; it’s been extremely successful and
helped saved thousands of lives. Now that we’re a part of the Banner Health
family, it’s gratifying to know that our nurses and doctors will be able to
save more lives and that our local community will have that extra layer of
care.”
Banner Health was one of the first in the nation, and the first
health care provider in the states of Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada to use this
telehealth technology to monitor patients who are a few miles to thousands of
miles away. “Banner has always been a leader in providing excellent
patient care - but Banner is also leading through innovation. The Banner
Telehealth program focuses on cross-continuum tele-services including remote
monitoring of patients throughout the Banner system, including individuals in
their homes. This investment in technology, people, and processes to improve
patient outcomes provides yet another example of how Banner is an emerging
national leader in healthcare” said Julie Reisetter, Chief Nursing Officer for
Banner Telehealth.
Currently, the Banner Telehealth TeleICU program covers 430
ICU patient beds throughout 18 of Banner’s 25 hospitals. According to a
national database of ICU patient experience, from 2007 to 2012, there were
5,849 intensive care unit patients at Banner Health hospitals who were expected
to die, but instead survived thanks to this technology. During that four-year
period, Banner Health ICU patients stayed 109,348 fewer days. They were then
able to be transferred to a less acute setting where their risk of death and
complications were significantly reduced.
“Banner Casa Grande is considered a rural hospital,” said
Rona Curphy, CEO of Banner Casa Grande Medical Center. “To have this type of
technology available in our own medical facility like the bigger hospitals - for
example, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix- is going to be absolutely
phenomenal. Our patients and their loved ones can have that peace of mind that
they have faster accessibility to critical care specialists and experts in
their own back yard.”
Since its transition from Casa Grande Regional Medical
Center this past summer, to Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, the hospital has
already undergone a multitude of changes including a newly refurbished front
lobby that was officially unveiled to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 28. An open
house was held that evening so that members of the local community could see
what the new front lobby looks like. Other recent changes to the facility
include a fresh new coat of paint on the exterior building, and new signage
reflecting the name change to Banner Casa Grande Medical Center.
“Our transition has been rapid but remarkable,” Curphy said.
“It’s exciting to see all of these new changes taking place – a new front
lobby, a new look to our building and new technology like the Banner Telehealth
TeleICU program. I can tell you that this is just the beginning, and I’m
looking forward to what we’ll be able to provide to our patients in the
future.”
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