Employees in Walla Walla Saw Red in February
More than 85 percent of Walla Walla General Hospital employees "went red" Feb. 1 to show support for women and the fight against heart disease.
Wear Red Day is part of the Go Red for Women movement that educates people about heart disease—the No. 1 killer of women and men. WWGH's Emergency Center sees more than 800 people each year for heart-related illnesses. Heart disease is often preventable, which is the message WWGH hopes to promote through events like this.
"You can help prevent heart disease," says Linda Givens, director of WWGH's critical care services. "Know your risk factors and work on those you can control, like not smoking, managing your blood pressure, getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight."
Portland's Adventist Medical Center Participates in Economic Summit
The hospital's Gresham Imaging Center was the keynote sponsor for the 2007 East County Economic Summit where more than 100 business leaders listened to John Kitzhaber, former Oregon governor, share about the health reform project—the Archimedes Movement. The project outlines his commitment to building a meaningful opportunity for engagement through which health care systems can be channeled into effective action. The summit also focused on building sustainable communities. Deryl Jones, AMC president and CEO, spoke about the many ways AMC promotes economic stability and growth throughout the community.
Wristbands Enhance Patient Safety in Tillamook
Tillamook County General Hospital has joined more than 20 Oregon hospitals and health systems and several western states in adopting a standardized system of color-coded alert wristbands to increase the safety of patients. The four colors are red, yellow, purple and pink with the meaning for each band imprinted on the wristband itself.
A red band alerts staff the patient has an allergy.
A yellow band means the patient needs to be closely monitored for falls.
A purple band indicates a "do not resuscitate," according to the patient's wishes.
A pink band cautions that a patient's extremity should be handled with extreme care.
These alert wristbands are used to quickly communicate a certain health care status a patient may have. This is done so every staff member can provide the best care possible, even if they do not know the patient. Because these colored bands are being used throughout Oregon, the wristbands will be left in place on patients who are transferred to higher level care hospitals in the Portland area so staff will immediately be alerted to special conditions.
Portland Stroke Program Receives National Honor
Adventist Medical Center was honored by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association with a Bronze Performance Achievement Award for its participation in ASA's "Get With the Guidelines" program. The program helps ensure continuous quality improvement of acute stroke treatment and ischemic stroke prevention. It focuses on care team protocols to ensure patients are treated and discharged properly.
Learn more about TCGH by visiting: www.tcgh.com
More than 85 percent of WWGH's employees "went red" for women.
Deryl Jones, AMC president and CEO, spoke at the 2007 East County Economic Summit.
