A publication for the employees of Anderson Regional Health System

Best medicalpracticeschange with

the times, and baby deliveries at Anderson RegionalHealth System are no exception. Adjusting to thesenew practices takes time but by fall of this year, nursesat Anderson said they hope to have their on-siteassessment, the final step to getting the World HealthOrganization’s “Baby Friendly” stamp.“In applying for the Baby Friendly designation,

hospitals must prove they practice the ten steps forsuccessful breast feeding, as created and required byWHO,” said Lindsey Robertson, RN, co-chair of BabyFriendly at Anderson. Robertson and her fellow chair, Heather Lewis, also

an RN, said Anderson is in the third of four stages toreceive the designation. After “Discovery and Development,” the hospital

now needs to“Disseminate” theinformation

throughout the workforce and community, beforemoving onto the designation phase.Anderson has three major focus points for better

birth practices: skin-to-skin contact, rooming theinfant with the mother and breastfeeding. “The benefits of breast feeding are wonderful for the

mother and for the baby. It can decrease ear infectionsor infections in general, decrease the risk of diabetesand even decrease the risk of cancer for both motherand baby,” Robertson said. “If a baby is sick less often,mom has to take off work less often and saves on thedoctor which means cost savings.”Robertson said this emphasis is especially important

in Mississippi, which has the lowest rate ofbreastfeeding in the country.

January • February • March 2018

Continued on the next page…

On the Pathway to “Baby Friendly” Designation

Above, Heather Lewis, RN, and Lindsey Robinson, RN. Photo Courtesy Whitney Downard, The Meridian Star

From the Anderson Regional Health System Board of Directors:

We have passed the Joint Commission Accreditation and Ican only say “job well done.” The entire staff worked andpulled together to show the surveyors that Anderson is a

quality hospital. The nurse surveyor had an opportunity to speakto a patient who had nothing but positive things to say about hiscare. I might also say that this interview was not set up by us. It’salways a stressful week for all but let me conclude by saying “greatjob folks.” You are the best. We already knew that though. Keep upthe good work.

—Dr. Joe Anderson, Board Chair

Clinic Scores 100 Percent Accuracy

Congratulations to Anderson Children’s Medical Clinic on scoring100 percent accuracy on the 2018 Medicaid EPSDT Audit. TheEarly and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT)

benefit provides comprehensive and preventive health care services forchildren under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid.

This is a significant milestone for the Children’s Medical Clinic — inpast years, the Clinic was in the 80s percentile; last year, the Clinic wasat 94 percent accuracy.

Needless to say, to reach 100 percent accuracy in the audit took thework of each physician and staff member — it is a job well done andshows the results of hard work.

Robertson and Lewis described howskin-to-skin contact helps regulate aninfant’s body temperature, heart rateand blood sugar, in addition todecreasing stress hormones. Many of these new, evidence-based

methods run contrary to traditionalpractices. No longer do doctors andnurses separate a mother and babyafter birth, whisking the baby to thenursery where fathers and grandparentscan see them. Now, if medically safe,mothers and babies stay togetherthroughout the hospital stay. “You used to see nurseries full of

babies. Now we’re rooming babies withmom,” Robertson said. Lewis said this helps build up a

mother’s confidence before they leavethe hospital. With babies and motherstogether, Lewis said, nurses can guidemothers through breastfeeding orswaddling and help mothers recognizetheir infant’s needs. “It’s a change in theculture,” Lewis said. To help mothers feel confident about

the new practices, Lewis and Robertsonsaid all OBGYN clinics in Meridian haveinformation about Anderson RegionalBirth Center and the hospitalencourages mothers-to-be to take freebreastfeeding classes or join thebreastfeeding support class. No matter the changes, Lewis and

Robertson — both mothers of two —know they chose the right profession. “Ialways felt a calling to work withmothers and babies,” Robertson said. Lewis agreed. “I knew what I wanted

when I went to school,” Lewis said. “Iwouldn’t have done anything else.”

Baby FriendlyContinued

Successful Joint Commission Survey at Anderson-North

First row, bottom: Joanna Warren, CPNP; Annie Pugh, Intake/Scheduler; andJennifer Tucker, MRHF, Manager. Second Row: Chelissa Gaines, Intake/ Scheduler;Tiffany Wooldridge, RN; and Dale Higginbotham, FNP-BC. Third Row: Kimberly

Hopson, Intake/Scheduler; Dr. Deanna Price; and Shelley Jenkins, RN. Fourth Row:Pam Speagle, LPN; Carnesha Wood, LPN; and Dr. Bob Eubanks.

2017 Top Service Excellence AwardsThe departments listed here had the highest overall “rate this hospital” scores for 2017.

Anderson Cardiac Surgical Assc. Anderson Regional Breast Center

Tom C. Maynor Rehabilitation

Center

Telemetry

At Anderson, we constantly seek ways to improvethe patient experience. And many times, the FIRST patient experience is in the

Admissions/Emergency Department waiting area.Over the years, we have received feedback from

patients regarding their ER waiting room experiences.If we do not accommodate the needs of those in thewaiting room, it led to these two outcomes: LWOBS(left without being seen) and LWOTS (left withoutreceiving treatment), which ultimately causes a delayin their care. We asked our Patient and Family Advisory

Committee (PFAC) members to do an in-depth studyon the waiting room. They each performed separate“gemba” walks through the Admissions/ER waitingarea. A gemba walk is the term used to describepersonal observation of work — where the work is

happening. The original Japanese term comes fromgembutsu, which means “real thing.” The PFAC tookgemba walks at different times and days of the week,then made recommendations to improve the overallwaiting room experience.Those recommendations where then reviewed by

the ER Waiting Experience Lean Team comprised ofseveral team members throughout our organization.We are happy to report we were able to expedite andcomplete several of their recommendations,ultimately improving the waiting room experiencewhile decreasing our LWOBS and LWOTS. We havenow found that patients are staying and waitingbecause they have a comfortable environment whereeveryone is being acknowledged personally andcommunicated with throughout the waiting roomexperience.

Improving the Patient Experience

The Oncology Care Committee, which meetsregularly to examine and discuss cases, has beennamed in honor of Dr. John C. Halbrook, who

helped found the committee. The plaque outside themeeting room reads:John C. Halbrook, MD, a graduate of University of

Mississippi Medical School, began practicing oncologyin Meridian in 1981. Board Certified in InternalMedicine and Medical Oncology, Dr. Halbrook wasone of the first physicians to treat cancer patients inthis area. As one of the founding members ofAnderson Regional Medical Center’s Oncology CareCommittee, Dr. Halbrook took great interest in thecoordination of services and numerous intricaciesrequired to provide high quality cancer care. He servedas Chairman of the committee from 2005-2017,sharing his vast knowledge and expertise to furthercancer care at Anderson. Under his leadership, theoncology program at Anderson was named a

Comprehensive Community Cancer Center andreceived accreditation with commendations by theAmerican College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.Dr. Halbrook’s tireless dedication and professionalservice to the cancer community of our region hasmade a true difference in many lives.

Oncology Care CommitteeNamed in Honor of Dr. Halbrook

John G. Anderson, President & CEO; and Dr. John C. Halbrook.

Stephanie Long, RN,Lee Cottrill andSheila Nettles

recently completed theQuality ImprovementFellowship Programfrom HRET and theInstitute for HealthcareImprovement. Theprogram offersinteractive webinarsand online courses onkey topics in quality improvement and safety, andguide participants through leading a project toimprove outcomes.Two tracks are available: Foundations for Change for

those new to improvement, and AcceleratingImprovement for experienced improvers who arelooking to spread and scale their work. Past Fellowshave come from nursing, quality improvement,patient safety and infection prevention departments,among others, and have worked on projects includingReducing Falls, Sepsis Bundle Adherence and

Reducing Central Line Infections.Stephanie completed Foundations for Change with a

project on Sepsis and Physician Engagement. Leecompleted Accelerating Improvement with a projecton Sepsis Bundle Compliance. And Shelia completedthe Patient and Family Engagement Fellowship.Being a Fellow means working for healthcare quality

improvement. Those participating in the program givea year-long commitment to creating andimplementing their QI projects.

Connie Lee, RN, Director of Quality, recentlyattained the prestigious internationalcredential, Certified Professional in Healthcare

Quality (CPHQ). Connie passed a fully accredited,international examination that assesses knowledgeand understanding on the process to achieveregulatory compliance and accreditation/licensure,program development and management along acontinuum of care, and quality improvementconcepts as well as profession of quality,case/care/disease/utilization and risk managementand emphasizes how all of these programs andprocesses integrate into an effective system. Connie joins the ranks ofmore than 10,000 colleagues in the United States and internationallywho have achieved this important career milestone. Congratulations,Connie!

Three Complete Quality Improvement Fellowships Program

Stephanie Long, RN Lee Cottrill Sheila Nettles

Connie Lee, RN, CPHQ

Lee Obtains Prestigious CredentialCongratulations to Ashley Gray,FNP, Anderson Family MedicalCenter - Enterprise, for beingnamed “Person of the Month”by Clarke County Hot Topics.

Dr. Zaineb Daud ofAnderson NeurologyCenter and otherpresenters from TheMind Center atUniversity ofMississippi MedicalCenter and Alzheimer’sMississippi recentlyparticipated in a paneldiscussion at the 1stAnnual Alzheimer’sAwareness Workshop atthe MSU Riley Center.

The 2018 Go Red for Womenevent was a night of games,prizes and awareness!

Sponsored by Anderson RegionalHealth System, CardiovascularInstitute of the South, the AmericanHeart Association and the MeridianFamily of Stations, the eventfeatured health care experts and a game-show style format to test theknowledge of attendees. Speakers included:• Jennifer Rodriguez, MD — Interventional Cardiologist• Awad El-Ashry, MD — Cardiothoracic Surgeon• Andrea Goodwin, MD — Obesity Medicine Specialist• Sarita Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc — Naturopathy and Acupuncture• Adam Hodges — General Manager ofAnderson Health & Fitness Center

Sidney Covington was the host for the evening, held atthe MSU Riley Center and attended by more than 175people.

Participating in the Alzheimer’s Awareness Workshop were, from left, Leslie Goines, Lynn Manter, Dr. Daud, Amy Gist and Abby Novak.

Large Turnout for Go Red

Anderson Coding Department

Anderson Health Information Department

Using the theme of “Our Future is Bright,” the American HealthInformation Management Association honored and celebrated healthinformation professionals during the 29th annual Health Information

Professionals (HIP) Week in March. Members of the Anderson HIP team inthe Coding and Health Information departments took time for a party,

complete with giveaways. The AHIMA represents more than 103,000 healthinformation professionals in the United States and around the world.

Celebrating Health Information Professionals

At Anderson Regional Medical Center, the team at theCentral Sterile Processing Department knows just how critical it is to provide sterilized equipment — on time —

for every patient and procedure. The highest standard forsterilization assurance comes from using a biological indicator,a true measure of the lethality of a sterilization cycle, tomonitor each and every load, every time, for the same standardof care for every patient.

Recently, the CSP made the important decision to implement3M’s Every Load Monitoring program, which requires abiological indicator in every steam sterilization load. Working toensure the highest possible level of sterilization assurance forinstruments andimplantable devicesthat are used in theoperating room isone of the best waysthe SterileProcessingDepartment can doits part to helpcontribute toreducing the risk ofHealthcare-AssociatedInfections (HAIs).

This biological indicator is a self-contained device thatcontains highly resistant spores that, when exposed to theproper sterilization conditions, are killed and demonstrate theeffectiveness of the cycle. 3M Health Care, a world leader insterilization assurance products for more than 50 years, is thedeveloper and manufacturer of 3M™ Attest™ BiologicalIndicators used at Anderson.

Shelia Robinson, CSP Assistant Manager, explains: “We wantto be leaders in sterilization practice. With Every LoadMonitoring, we are confident we’re doing everything possible toprovide properly sterilized instruments for every patient.”

There are benefits to patients, staff and the our facility usingthis process.

• A Reduction in the Risk of Infections: Nationally, 1 in 10patients acquire an infection after admission to the hospital.1

When every load is monitored with a biological indicator,there is biological evidence the sterilization cycle was lethalbefore equipment is allowed to leave the sterile processingdepartment — which plays a part in reducing the risk ofSurgical Site Infections (SSIs), a type of HAI.

• A Reduction in Risk:Monitoring every load helps minimizethe risk of non-sterile instruments being released, andultimately can help reduce the risk of negative publicity thatcomes with HAIs.

• Fewer Disruptive Recalls: Recalls require significant staff timeand resources to investigate and report on the recall. WithEvery Load Monitoring, there is less risk of disruption topatients, surgeons, operating room schedules and SPD staff.

• Simpler Procedures: With Every Load Monitoring, abiological indicator process challenge device is included inevery load. This leads to streamlined procedures andtraining, improved operational efficiency, reduced

opportunities forerror and simplifiedwork procedures.

“This is a bigcommitment for us,but one we’reexcited to make,”said FlorenceWright, BSN, CNOR,RNFA, CSP Manager“At the end of theday, we’re raisingour standards andreducing risks —

both critical elements to the success of our healthcare facility.”

The Association for the Advancement of MedicalInstrumentation (AAMI) is the primary source of consensusstandards for the medical device industry. They publish theANSI/AAMI ST79, Comprehensive guide to steam sterilizationand sterility assurance for health care facilities and otherstandards that drive practices in sterile processing. AAMI ST79states that, “Biological monitoring provides the only directmeasure of the lethality of a sterilization cycle.”

The most recent AAMI guidelines require the use of BiologicalIndicators weekly, preferably daily and in all loads that containimplantable devices. Florence said Anderson has committed toa higher standard of monitoring in order to provide for patientsafety.

“Our entire team, from the most experienced to the newesttechnicians, feels very proud of the work we do and how itcontributes to patient safety,” she said. “Every Load Monitoringtakes ‘recommended practice’ to ‘Best Practice’ and is simplythe right thing to do for our patients.”

1 Graves, N. “Economics and Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections”, Emerg Infect Dis(serial onine), April 2004. Available from: http://wwwcdc.gove/ncidod/EID/vol10no4/02-0754.htm.

Anderson Raises Sterilization Practices

Members of the CSP team include, from left: Kasey Anthony, Clemmie Green, SheliaRobinson, Florence Wright, Sherry Mangum, Brenda Hurn.

For the third year, local chapter members ofDelta Kappa Gamma Society — a professionalinternational honor society of key womeneducators —created and distributed fleece-tieblankets to the patients at Anderson. Picturedwith the blankets are, from left, Karen Rhodesand Janet Berg.

Many thanks to Dr. Azhar Pasha and his teamat the Pain Management Center for adonation to the Cancer Patient BenevolenceFund. Dr. Pasha is pictured above (right) withWayne Herrington of Anderson RegionalCancer Center.

More than 50 communitymembers took part in 2018Heart Check, where we offereda free screening for bloodpressure, cholesterol andweight — all heart disease risk factors.

Supporting a Good CauseMembers of the Anderson team were out in full force at the firstannual Allie Cat Run & Festival, staffing the First Aid booth.

ANDERSON ADDS MORE LEAN GRADUATES — LEAN focuses on the patient by eliminatingwaste, ensuring continuity, reducing variance and improving predictability. The most recentclass of LEAN graduates, front row, from left: Anthony Dubose, Heather White , Bridget Hare,Stacey Moffett and Christy Bell. Back row, from left: Susan Moore, Robin Butler, Ashley Dikes,

Ronna Nichols, Gail Gunn, April Floyd, Cee Cee Martin, Angel Weems and John Moore.

We Hear You!We so appreciate suggestions fromour employees and look forward tothe ideas that you express in thesuggestion box. Wonder what

happens to those suggestions? Weread each and every one — andresponses are directed to theappropriate vice president or

department manager. So keep those suggestions coming!

Keep Those Suggestions Coming

Mission

Vision

QuarterTo continue our heritage of healing and improving life for the people we serve.

To be the healthcare provider of choice.

ValuesWe recognize: Respect, Trust, Dignity and Responsiveness.

Justin Miller is the Charge Nurse at Horizons Geri-Psych Center at Anderson-South. His coworkers said, “Justin is a team player. • He is always willing to takeon extra work and never complains. • Justin can manage the unit well when

difficult situations arise. • He is easy to get along with and very approachable.Justin is always on time for work. • He values his job and always tries to do his verybest.” In his spare time, Justin enjoys hunting and fishing. He and his wife, Jamie,have been married for 11 years and they have three children, Lane, Jace andHayden. Justin and his family are members of Northcrest Baptist Church where heassists with the 4th grade boys AWANA’s class.

Ginny Ruffin is an Oncology Social Worker and Patient Navigator at Anderson RegionalCancer Center, and she has worked at Anderson for 20 years. Ginny’s coworkers said, “Ginnyis constantly thinking about what we can do to improve the way we serve our oncology

patients. • She has a passion for her patients and works diligently to see that they get the very best that we haveto offer. • Ginny is a true reflection of our values in everything she does. • She is respectful, trusted, dignifiedand responsive. The nature of Ginny’s role as patient navigator can be difficult at times, but she always keepsa smile on her face and continues to encourage patients during their cancer journey. • Ginny does so muchbehind the scenes that goes unnoticed by many. • She is compassionate, thoughtful, generous and kind toeveryone she meets.” In her spare time, Ginny enjoys reading and listening to music. She serves on the Boardof Directors for the Free Clinic of Meridian. She is active in her church where she teaches a ladies Sunday Schoolclass, plays the keyboard, sings in the choir and works in the ladies ministry.

Katelyn Crawford, or Katie as most of you know her, is a Senior Pharmacy Technician at the retailpharmacy where she has worked for 11 years. Her coworkers said, “Katie is always so cheerful, upbeat,positive and happy. • She always finds way to save my family money on our prescriptions. •Whether it’s

by finding a coupon or switching to a generic version, she is very thoughtful and goes above and beyond tohelp all of her customers. Katie is absolutely WONDERFUL! • She goes the extra mile to be sure you get your

prescription refilled, and if there are no more refills she will call the doctor’s office to get the prescription refilled for you. • Customersask for Katie by name. You can always count on Katie to be at here and ready to work. • She has the best heart and truly enjoys herjob and helping others. • Katie is a team player and always goes beyond her duties to help anyone that walks in. • Katie is truly anasset to our pharmacy.” In her spare time, Katie enjoys working with the youth group and young teens at the Beatline Church inPhiladelphia. She and her husband, Asa, have been married for five years and they have a daughter named Alexis.

Employees of theJanuary • February • March 2018

High Praise for Anderson

Praise for Sleep Center Staff

Ms. Brenda was awesome. She explainedeverything to me that she was doing. She is suchan easy person to talk to. If everyone was like herthis world would be a much better place. I can saythis about Ms. Brenda, I love her and just the timewe spent together. She is great!

Lexa Karas was very caring and kind tonight.She understood my various issues. Explained allmy concern. Enjoyed meeting her. All staff isgreat.

I had a great experience for my sleep study. Thenurse (Deanna Burt) I had was so on point. Wetalked like we were family. That’s what makesyour stay comfortable. She’s a sweetheart.Explains everything well and has a lot of patientswith you.

Health & Fitness Center News

Martha Broadhead Retires from Childcare

Congratulations to Child Care Coach MarthaBroadhead, who recently retired afterworking for more than 20 years at

Anderson. A special party was held at AndersonHealth & Fitness Center in her honor, with manyparents, children and Anderson employees inattendance.As John G. Anderson, President & CEO said,

“Martha is a special lady and has taken care of alot of little ones at the Fitness Center. Martha hasbeen a part of the family for quite a while andwatched many little ones grow up in her time atthe Fitness Center. We wish her well.”

Anderson Health & Fitness Center launchedCrossfit for Kids in January, a program that isBIG fun for all ages. CrossFit for Kids is a

method for teaching Greg Glassman’s CrossFittechniques to children ages 3-18. Based on theprinciple of mechanics, consistency and thenintensity, the program emphasizes good movementthroughout childhood and adolescence. Andersonoffers classes after school and on Saturdays.CrossFit coaches Adam Hodges, Casey Mancini andReva Coate attended a two-day workshop in NewOrleans prior to the establishment of this newoffering to obtain credentialing.

Anderson Launches Crossfit for Kids Program

Adam Hodges, General Manager and Martha Broadhead,Childcare Coach

At left, Anderson’s Brandon Dew,Rob Walsh and Adam Hodges getinstruction from professionaltrainer Ahmad Alaajiy (in blueshirt).

Health & Fitness Center News

Anderson Health & Fitness Center offers community members theopportunity to take part in the CDC-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) that is proven to prevent

or delay type 2 diabetes. In January, the Center held its second NDPPOpen House. The first event, held in late 2017, was very well attendedand resulted in 20 participants qualifying for the one-year program.Eight more participants were chose to begin this excellent CDCprogram aimed at preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Anderson Health & Fitness Center waspleased to welcome professional trainers Richard Farr and Ahmad Alaajiy from

Texas to “train the trainers” on boxing andkickboxing for the newly formed Anderson BoxingClub. Some benefits of boxing include: increasedcore strength, stronger muscles, more caloriesburned, tougher biceps, increase in confidence,boost in happiness, and more energy.Rich and Ahmad taught the trainers howto wrap hands and how to instructmembers in a boxing or kickboxing class.

In photo above, left, AdamHodges, General Manager, speaksto the participants at the OpenHouse. Also speaking was BrookeDew, ACSM CPT, DiabetesEducator. Directly above, twomembers of our current classspoke to the participants aboutthe benefits of the program.

Getting Tips on Boxing from the Experts

Mom Aubrey Mooney and baby Kyleigh show off thered hat they received from Anderson Regional BirthCenter for the“Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaignchampioned by the American Heart Association tocelebrate heart healthy lives. All babies born inFebruary — which was American Heart Month —received a red hat from Anderson with the goal ofinspiring moms to live heart healthy lives and helptheir children do the same.

We celebrated the first baby of the year born atAnderson Regional Birth Center. Little Isla received agoodie basket. Proud parents are Christian Wilsonand Acie Leach. Welcome to the world, Isla!

In celebration of MardiGras, the Anderson Caféheld a contest whereparticipants had achance to win a castiron pot filled withcooking goodies.

LEARNING ABOUT PATIENT SAFETY — Attending this year’s PatientSafety Fair were, from left: Victoria Grayson and Jennifer Collins.

HEALTH FAIR AT EMEPA — Ray Gullette and Melissa Ellis provided information to attendees

of the Eliza Pillars Health Fair held at EastMississippi Electric Power Association

in March.

Dr. Joe Andersonled the thirdannual GoodFriday Service atAnderson - South,hosted byAnderson SwingBed. Refreshmentswere served andTashiya Wardprovided theinspirationalmusic.

National Doctors’ Day — 2018