Catawba Valley Health System

Join us in congratulating our August C.A.R.E Award Recipient – Michelle (Shelly) Benfield! Shelly serves as a midwife in CVMC’s Maternity Service’s Department. “Shelly is an outstanding midwife. She cares for her patients on such a deep level. She goes above and beyond for every patient she sees. She provides emotional, physical, and mental support for her patients,” according to Shelly's nominator. “She also is an amazing team player. She is passionate about her job and doing what she can to help ensure staff and patient satisfaction. She will go the extra mile no matter what, and with a smile on her face! Shelly embodies everything that a CARE employee is. She has devoted over 25 years to her job here and is just as fervent now as she always has been.” The C.A.R.E Award is given monthly to a Catawba Valley Health System employee who has exhibited Courtesy, Attitude, Respect, and Enthusiasm throughout their work. To learn more about becoming one of the exceptional team members who work at CVHS, visit our careers page at https://lnkd.in/gjfq87kQ.

August is recognized as #NationalBreastfeedingMonth, so we want to take the opportunity to celebrate our Center for Women and Children, as well as our Lactation Consultants! Thanks to the care provided by all staff who work in our Women and Children’s Center, CVMC recently received the 2024 Women's Choice Award as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics. The award signifies that CVMC is in the top nine percent out of 4,728 U.S. hospitals offering obstetrics, and shows our dedication toward improving the health and positive outcomes for both newborns and mothers. Our Lactation Consultants have nearly 60 years of experience combined, and have all been instrumental in the breastfeeding journey of many local mothers and families. Our Lactation consultants are: Jackie R. Echelberger, RN, BS, IBCLC Lactation Program Coordinator Carla Patton, MSN-Ed, RN, IBCLC, CNE Holly Risch, RN, MSN-Ed, CNEcl, IBCLC Mariah Bowman, BSN, RN, C-EFM, IBCLC Megan Finger, BSN, RN, IBCLC If you’ve received lactation assistance from any of our consultants, drop your thank you notes in the comments below! To learn more about all of the services offered at CVMC for women and children, visit us online at https://lnkd.in/gkBuRr5m.

Catawba Valley Medical Center has received the only 4-star rating for a hospital within the Unifour region, which encompasses Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties. Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings are given annually by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency that manages healthcare programs for the United States. The CMS Star Ratings system, first introduced eight years ago, helps Medicare consumers compare the quality of care being offered so they are empowered to make the best health care decisions for themselves. The CMS Star Ratings can be reviewed at the Medicare Care Compare website. Among 4,658 hospitals nationally, only 766 (16 percent) achieved a four-star rating. CMS uses 46 measures across five domains – mortality rates, readmission rates, safety, patient experience, and timely and effective care – to assess a hospital’s performance. Michelle Lusk, Catawba Valley Health System’s Chief Nursing Officer, said, “Safety and quality are the top priorities at Catawba Valley Health System, and we’re proud to show this region our commitment to patients, their families, and our community. We have an exceptional team of employees and providers, as well as protocols in place to ensure that patient safety remains our very top priority every day. This is how we live out our mission of providing exceptional healthcare to every person, every time.” The four-star CMS rating comes after recent news that CVMC earned the only ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety in the Unifour region, the 15th ‘A’ grade in the last 16 reporting periods. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year.

Join us for our inaugural Orthopedic Conference at Catawba Valley Medical Center located in Hickory, NC. The conference is designed for healthcare professionals at all levels, irrespective of whether you work directly with orthopedic patients at the bedside or are support staff for our orthopedic population. Prepare yourself for a series of captivating sessions, beginning with our keynote guest speakers and renowned surgeons Dr. Al Geissele and Dr. Phillip Bostian from Emerge Ortho as well as Dr. Wheaton Williams, Infectious Disease from Catawba Valley Medical Center. Engage in additional thought-provoking sessions with our CVMC guest speakers that will enrich your mind and provide opportunities to collaborate with fellow healthcare professionals. Register online at https://lnkd.in/e_R8y8Yt

Catawba Valley Medical Center is proud to announce this quarter’s DAISY Award Recipient. The DAISY Award is designed to recognize exceptional nursing care. Join us in congratulating Breanna Burkett, who serves as a Registered Nurse in our Birthing Center. Breanna was nominated by two different patients who she took care of in October 2023 and April 2024. “Breanna is one of those people you meet that was born to do what they do - care for others. She has all the wonderful characteristics a DAISY Award winner should have. Breanna is easygoing, kind, compassionate, and is a wonderful nurse,” one patient wrote in her nomination. “Breanna you are a GEM to this world and I will never forget the positive impact you had on me when I was at my most vulnerable.” The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. The award is given in numerous countries around the world. To learn more, visit DAISYFoundation.org. To read Breanna’s full nomination, visit https://lnkd.in/e7-6952h. If you would like to nominate someone to receive the DAISY Award, visit https://lnkd.in/eugGFsrC.

Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) has announced the addition of Carolina Surgery & Cancer Center to its medical group. The name of the practice has been changed to Catawba Valley Surgery & Cancer Center effective July 26th. All services, staff and team of physicians will continue, and the location remains the same at 1501 Tate Blvd. SE, Suite #202. The physicians at the practice are Susan Pabst, MD, Bryan McCluer, MD, and Todd Fridley, DO. Phone and fax numbers have changed, however. The new phone number is 828-732-7400 and the new fax number is 828-732-7401. Dennis Johnson, president and CEO of CVHS, said, “This is an extraordinary addition to our medical group and our health system. Drs. Pabst, McCluer, and Fridley enjoy tremendous reputations, and they will only enhance our efforts in offering the best care possible to our community and our region.” Johnson added, “They are well-known for advanced and innovative procedures. They are proud to often say they offer the advanced care you would expect to get at Duke, Wake Forest or Chapel Hill, and it’s right here in Greater Hickory Metro. We couldn’t be more excited to have them on our team.” Catawba Valley Surgery & Cancer Center will continue to offer surgical treatment of breast disease, lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, mastectomy, advanced laparoscopic surgery for most intra-abdominal problems, including appendectomy, lung disease (benign and malignant), hernia repair, colon disease (benign and malignant), gallbladder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), fundoplication, and splenectomy. Catawba Valley Surgery & Cancer Center becomes the fifth CVHS specialty practice, joining Catawba Valley Cardiology, Catawba Valley Vascular Surgery, Catawba Valley Pulmonology, and Catawba Valley Foot & Ankle Center. Those specialty practices join with 16 primary care practices comprising CVHS’ Catawba Valley Medical Group. You can learn more about Catawba Valley Surgery & Cancer Center at https://lnkd.in/gVZC8k7B or you can find information about all CVHS medical practices at https://lnkd.in/gnGahD5M.

Today, we want to share a heartfelt thank you for Jim Armstrong Subaru, Inc. of Hickory for their contribution to our Oncology department at CVMC! Our local Subaru dealership, in partnership with Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), delivered 80 blankets and handwritten cards to Catawba Valley Medical Center this week. The items are now being gifted to patients who are undergoing cancer treatment. “The blankets are a comfort when a patient is cold, but also when they need to remember someone cares for them after they return home and aren’t surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a hospital and our wonderful staff. A lady told me that she has tried to give back for her entire life and it was so nice to be the receiver when she needed a caring gesture too,” said Melanie Lutz, Director of CVMC’s Cancer Program. “The surprise for the patients is always fun to be part of but I am especially grateful to witness the kindness being shown to these courageous people when they need it most. Thank you Jim Armstrong Subaru and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for your continued support of CVMC’s patients.” CVMC has been fortunate to receive this annual donation since 2016. Thank you to our community partner, Jim Armstrong Subaru, for making this delivery, and to our partners at Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for providing these gifts to our patients! To learn more about the Subaru Loves to Care program, visit LLS.org/subaru.

Earlier this month, Stephen Briggs , PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, who serves as CVMC’s Pharmacy Informatics and Analytics Manager, presented his innovative electronic order entry workflows at the 2024 MUSE Inspire Conference in Denver, Colorado! His presentation was selected as the International Education Exchange contest winner, qualifying Stephen to present to Meditech users at the United Kingdom and Ireland conference in October 2024. The MUSE (Medical Users Software Exchange) Conference gives healthcare professionals an opportunity to learn about Meditech, a medical software, from their peers who have first-hand experience with the software. “We are grateful to have such talent within the organization and excited for this opportunity for Stephen to share his expertise internationally,” said Amy Hollar, CVMC’s Director of Pharmacy. To learn more about Catawba Valley Medical Center, visit CatawbaValleyHealth.org.

Catawba Valley Medical Center is honored to share the accomplishments of two staff members – Joelle Calloway, MSN, RN, CIC, Director of Infection Prevention, and Hillery Thacker, MSN, RNC-LRN, NPD-BC, NICU Professional Development Coordinator. Joelle Calloway was recently chosen to present two topics at the National Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC). Earlier this month, Joelle presented poster presentations highlighting CVHS’ central line bloodstream infection prevention (CLABSI) reduction with the implementation of the Vascular Access Team (VAT) and the innovative infection prevention education which was made available to staff by participating in an educational Escape Room. Hillery Thacker also recently designed and launched two educational Escape Rooms surrounding neonatal hypoglycemia and neonatal sepsis designed for mother/baby nurses, NICU nurses, NNP’s, and pediatric nurses. This activity taught staff how to recognize maternal risk factors and neonatal risk factors for both. Staff were also given the opportunity to calculate the risk of infection in the sepsis scenario as well as the glucose gel dose in the hypoglycemia scenario. The purpose of this education is to strengthen staff’s nursing practice in order to be able to recognize and treat our patients more efficiently and effectively. We are proud of both Joelle and Hillery for their dedication to education and their innovative approach in ensuring our staff are able to serve our patients in the best way possible. Thank you to these ladies for truly embodying “Where Compassion Meets Innovation.” To learn more about Catawba Valley Health System, visit CatawbaValleyHealth.org

Today, we are highlighting Catawba Valley Family Medicine- South Hickory! Our practice is located at1985 Startown Road, Suite 102, in Hickory. CVFM- South Hickory is home to Dr. Paul Sykes, MD, Adam Benfield, PA-C, Morgan Propst, PA-C, and Abigail Eckard PA-C. The top priority of the staff and providers at CVFM-South Hickory is helping you and your loved ones prevent illness and maintain physical and emotional well-being by providing medical care and recommending healthy lifestyle choices. CVFM- South Hickory provides multiple services including the following: • Preventative Family Medicine for all ages, including newborns and pediatric patients • Adult and Well Child Physicals • Immunizations • Geriatrics • In-House Lab, EKG (electrocardiogram, Spirometry & Digital X Ray) • Minor Procedures (warts, skin tag removal, simple lesions, drainage of abscesses) Morgan Propst and Abigail Eckard are both accepting new patients over the age of 5! If you would like to book an appointment with them or learn more about CVFM- South Hickory, give them a call at (828)-732-5500 or visit their website https://lnkd.in/enpcwPkU