Continuing Care Hospital Awarded NALTH 2018 Goldberg Award for Providing Innovative Care to Patients - Archived

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Continuing Care Hospital Awarded NALTH 2018 Goldberg Award
for Providing Innovative Care to Patients
Award granted through the National Association of Long Term Care Hospitals

Lexington, Ky. (April 30, 2018) – Continuing Care Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, has been awarded the 2018 Goldberg Award from the National Association of Long Term Care Hospitals (NALTH). The hospital received the designation for innovative measures taken at the hospital that have ensured patient and employee safety.

Continuing Care Hospital submitted a practice at the hospital called “De-Escalation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” to be considered for the award, which involves how patients are screened for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections upon entering the hospital. MRSA is caused by a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. VRE infections are more difficult to treat than other infections with enterococci, since fewer antibiotics can kill the bacteria.

In the past, patients admitted to Continuing Care Hospital were screened for both MRSA and VRE using nasal and rectal swabs. The patients were then placed in containment until results were ready, to avoid contact with other patients and staff members.

“This process was not only uncomfortable for many patients, but also costly to our hospital,” said Jimmie Settles, president, Continuing Care Hospital. “We developed a quality improvement project to eliminate these screenings and instead use standard precautions for admitted patients. As a result, patient satisfaction increased while there was also a decrease in infection rates, expenses for gowns and gloves, and the costs of screenings.”

In addition, Continuing Care Hospital also received an Honorable Mention from NALTH for a separate project that includes using the MetaNeb® System to improve patient outcomes. This 15-minute treatment is used for lung expansion therapy, the treatment and prevention of pulmonary atelectasis, and the mobilization of secretions in the lungs and respiratory tract. After using the system for just two days, Continuing Care Hospital saw a two-day decline in ventilator days for patients, an eight-day reduction in overall hospital length of stay, and a nine percent increase in ventilator weaning. Continuing Care Hospital was the first long-term acute care hospital in Kentucky to incorporate this treatment regimen into its respiratory care plan.

“These awards are a testament to the excellence and dedication of our staff members,” said Settles. “Thanks to their hard work, our hospital is being celebrating on a local and national level.”

Continuing Care Hospital is located on the 3rd and 4th floors of Saint Joseph Hospital, located at 1 Saint Joseph Drive in Lexington. For more information, call 859.313.4366, or visit www.kentuckyonehealth.org//chi-saint-joseph-health/hospitals-locations/continuing-care-hospital.

For more information on the National Association of Long Term Hospitals, visit www.nalth.com/.

About Continuing Care Hospital
Continuing Care Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, is a 57-bed, long-term acute care hospital in Lexington, Ky., with beds located within Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Hospital. Licensed as a general acute care hospital, Continuing Care Hospital addresses the unique and complicated physical, emotional, spiritual, nursing and rehabilitation needs of long-term patients.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, part of Catholic Health Initiatives, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth, and includes hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.

 
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