Hospital Corner – August, 2018
It is official! Mt. Grant General’s Community Paramedicine program is state approved (finally!) as of mid-August, and already providing care at home to Medicaid patients with chronic health issues. Though our primary focus is on patients who frequently appear in the emergency room and/or call 911, we aim to expand over time to help as many qualifying patients as we can to stay in their homes. Community Paramedic Charlie can be seen most weekdays making house calls in Hawthorne and (soon) in nearby towns; look for his shiny Ford Edge with distinctive MGGH decals. Call me or Charlie at 945-2461 if you have questions or want more information about this critically needed population health program.
Thank you Wongs! In early August, many residents of the Lefa L. Seran Skilled Nursing Facility wanted something different for lunch. Mention was made of kung pao chicken, chow mein, wonton soup, egg rolls, stir fried rice (hungry yet?). Thus, our Friday excursion that week was a short trip downtown, where they were graciously welcomed and served by the proprietors of Hawthorne’s local Chinese restaurant. Sixteen of 24 residents participated, one of our most popular resident outings to date. We all look forward to cooler weather in the coming months so more residents can join in the fun.
Speaking of our nursing facility, we are in the very early stages of discussions about expansion. In addition to adding SNF rooms, consideration is being given to building a small assisted-living complex adjacent to the current building. We are fortunate indeed that hospital leaders and board members many years ago set aside significant acreage around the current hospital footprint, leaving plenty of room for the proposed expansion under consideration. Your thoughts, ideas and suggestions are requested as we plan for the future. Also in the works are plans to replace the ancient Business Office trailer (more of a shack than a workspace) and the even older maintenance buildings
Our William N. Pennington Foundation grant projects continue. If you have visited the hospital in the past few weeks, you may have noticed orange extension cords hanging from hallway ceilings (no, those are not permanent). A long overdue emergency power upgrade is currently underway to ensure that no matter the situation (such as recent flash flooding), Mt. Grant will have lights and all the power needed to maintain operations—even if all of Hawthorne is in the dark. Those extension cords are temporary measures to provide power to office areas whenever the electricians disconnect external power (while new high-voltage connections are made). Safety first!
New faces at Mt. Grant. We wish the best for Mark Stevens, APRN, as he and his wife move out of state for new opportunities. Mark has been a valued member of our Emergency Department staff for the past few years. Taking over his duties in the ER will be Chris Sessions, PA, and David Cain, PA; both come highly recommended and have extensive training and experience in emergency medicine. We are fortunate to have them join the Mt. Grant team—a staff dedicated to rural health care: Doctors Ventura (Chief of Staff), Rivas, Dofeliz, Mullins & Ward; Laura Millsap, PA; Tobey Morris-Hull, APRN; and (last but certainly not least) Dr. Dees, who has been associated with Mt. Grant for over 30 years!
More and more community members are taking advantage of Telehealth services available in the Clinic. Save a trip to Reno by scheduling your next specialist consultation here in Hawthorne; call the Clinic staff at 945-0709 for more information. Also available now at the hospital: Echocardiograms. Talk to your primary care provider for details.
24/7 Nurse Health Line (775) 341-6161
Hugh Qualls, Administrator