If you ever go on a tour of Athens Regional Medical Center here's a word of advice: turn off your cell phone when you enter the cardiac ward. It's a rule they have.
I made contact with Mike Pilcher, Associate Director for Corporate Communications at Athens Regional, on Tuesday just to get my foot in the door. (What good is a reporter on a beat of local hospitals if he's never even entered one?) I knew if I was going to get anyway and get to talk to anyone it'd be through the communications department.
I arrived at the Corporate Communications office, located at 256 King Ave. on the Athens Regional Campus, and was greeted by Pilcher. We started our tour through the Medical Services Building located on the southern part of the campus. My first thought upon entering was that the building looked more like a doctors office than the buildings I had seen on TV that represented hospitals. I suddenly didn't know what to think -- was I going to have to rethink my entire notion of what a hospital looks like? My fear was soon abadted as we left the medical services building and headed towards the main part of the hospital. We started through the lower levels and the scene was rather placid. No one was rushing about, no one screaming and certainly no one visibly bleeding. The "drama" was absent -- and I'm sure ARMC likes to keep it that way. We continued our tour jumping in an elevator and going up just one floor.
"This is where I like to go when I'm having a bad day," Pilcher said as we entered the birthing ward. "You get to see people on what is the happiest day of their lives."
The viewing window to the nursery was curtained off, and even efforts to see one of the nice new rooms was thwarted by all of them being full.
Pilcher said that them being full is a good thing. The area is currently undergoing expansion to deal with the increased number of patients the hospital is seeing. Pilcher said the hospital served a 17 county area and with the current population book in surrounding counties the hospital is seeing more patients than ever.
However, I had to ask Pilcher why they had just closed their psychology ward if the hospital was seeing so many more patients.
Pilcher explained that while the ward had 15 beds, often the case was that only two were being filled -- hence the reason for the closure. They were able to retain staff since most patients were not only admitted because of psychological conditions but existing medical conditions as well.
The hospital runs like any other business -- expanding where they need to and subtracting where they don't.
We finished our tour of the main hospital by entering the cardiac ward. Pilcher said that ARMC is well known for its cardiac center not only in terms of patient care but in patient after care. Framed on the wall of the wing was a quilt, sewn together by patients and spouses of patients that had been treated in the hospital.
As we finished up our tour, we walked through the cafeteria which Pilcher said was excellent in variety and taste.
I asked how staff cohesion was -- thinking back to my TV days and episodes of hormone filled Grey's Anatomy -- and Pilcher explained that the staff actually was very cohesive.
The staff is very helpful, Pilcher said. When looking at the hierarchy, while it's definitely patient first, staff is a close second.
As we rounded out our walk Pilcher pointed out their mobile mamography unit -- another source of pride for the hospital.
"It's all about education," Pilcher explained. Whether it's patients at the hosptial or the community at large, ARMC dedicates time to helping those in the Athens area under their health and the issues that face them.
There is so much, much more to the hospital -- the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support for starters -- but the scope just can't be covered in this blog post.
Plus, what else would you come back here for?
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3 comments:
You're right, one hospital has tons of stories inside it. From talking to doctors, either as a patient, journalist or friend, it is very interesting to hear about the things that go on in their different areas of expertise.
I recently wrote an article for the Courier-Times in Roxboro, N.C. about the birthing tub that the hospital had recently installed. I became fascinated with the idea of water birth while doing research for that article.
Traditionally water births were performed at home, but increasingly more hospitals are installing tubs and offering the option to expectant mothers. Though I have never experienced childbirth, I think water birth sounds like a great alternative to the strapped-to-the-hospital-bed tradition, that is if you can stand a drug-free labor.
I would be interested to know if any of the hospitals in Athens have birthing tubs.
A good book on the subject is Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper.
I agree with Kimberly, you're doing an excellent job making contacts in our two local hospitals. It would be interesting to return and spend an evening in the emergency department, or part of a day sitting in on health education classes for people with diabetes, etc.
Also important to step back and see the hospital in context: one reason the labor and delivery operation is so busy that hospitals in the surrounding counties have cut out this service.
And remember those national quality and cost databases I mentioned earlier.
As for the psych unit standing mostly empty, when local free clinics see so many people serious mental health issues, why was that? What insurance coverage or advance deposit was required for admission to that unit?
This post is definitely an attention-getter. The way you've described your experience makes me want to read more.
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