Great News about the Future of Healthcare in Springville

Announcement, Community

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital received word this week from New York State and the Department of Health that our application for funding through the Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation Program was approved.

Additional information will follow, but we want to extend a sincere thanks to area legislators who have been supportive of our application: NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan, NYS Assemblyman David Dipietro, NYS Senator Catharine Young and Cattaraugus County Legislator Richard Helmich. Our deepest thanks, too, to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health for investing state funds in our facility and supporting the future of local healthcare in our rural region.

Our application outlined an $11.3 million investment in equipment, technology and site development over a five-year period. Our projects will improve healthcare access to primary care and specialty services, upgrade imaging and technology infrastructure, and preserve jobs and health services for residents in southern Erie, northern Cattaraugus and Wyoming Counties.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-446-million-funding-strengthen-health-care-western-new-york

BCH Nurses Certified as Diabetes Lifestyle Coaches

Announcement, Community,

Kathleen Hebdon, RN and Sheri Plummer, RN of the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Diabetes Education team have completed the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Lifestyle Coach certification. This complements the Diabetes Self-Management accreditation that the hospital has achieved, and will result in additional services that can be offered to patients and covered by most insurance plans.

Studies have shown that patients who attend weekly sessions in diabetes programs for an extended period of time have been rates of prevention because of the healthy lifestyle habits they develop. After an initial 16 weeks, patients are encouraged to attend a monthly support group. Those who commit to attendance up to a full year have the lowest rates of converting to a diabetes diagnosis.

As instructors, Hebdon and Plummer hear myths and misinformation about diabetes reflected back to them from patients. “Some people think that they just have ‘a little diabetes,” said Hebdon. “But the prevalent thought now is that once someone is diagnosed with pre-diabetes, about 50 percent of their pancreatic function is lost, and by the time they are diabetic, that ratio is 80 percent.”

Diabetes causes more deaths in the United States than breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes is very much a lifestyle disease. “People are resistant to starting diabetes treatment,” said Sheri Plummer, RN. “And they give excuses like ‘I’m too old’ or ‘I’m too out-of-shape’ – but they would not hesitate to start a cancer treatment!” She explained, “Pancreatic changes are permanent and progress with age, and we want our patients to start treatment and lifestyle changes immediately to preserve pancreatic function and delay or prevent having to take insulin.”

Diabetes can be treated by three modalities: medication, diet and activity. “Without exercise and activity, you are missing out on a third of the possible treatment regimen,” said Hebdon. “Our programs can help patients overcome barriers with alternative exercises for all conditions, like arthritis, back pain and immobility, and ways to work those into everyday life.”

For information about upcoming Diabetes Education programs, call (716) 592-9643.

Cordelian Club Presents Gift for BCH Emergency Department

Announcement, Community, ,

Cordelian Club 2017Thanks to the efforts of the Cordelian Club, the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation received a gift that will fund equipment in the Emergency Department.

The purchase of an ocular tonometer, which measures eye pressure, and additional equipment for the ED will proceed because of this donation.

Each year, the Cordelian Club coordinates a party like no other in town. This year’s theme was a tribute to Prince, and it continued a long tradition of dances that have changed with the times but have always supported the hospital.

Pictured from left: BCH Foundation President William King, Shelly Baronich, Primary Care Center Medical Director William Wnuk, MD, Dance Chairperson Kelly Baker, BCH Foundation Board Member Jessica Sullivan, Cordelian Club President Amy Wnuk, BCH Board and Foundation Board Member Stanley Handzlik, BCH Emergency Department Nurse Manager Penny Gardner, RN, BCH Primary Care Nurse Manager Kim Bockhahn, LPN.

Teddy Bear Donation from St. Al’s

Community, ,

The St. Aloysius Crafters group put together a generous donation of handmade teddy bears for Bertrand Chaffee Hospital. Before finding new homes with children, they will be staying comfortably in the hospital’s emergency department and lab. Thank you to Karen Schlageter, who coordinates the group, and BCH Women’s Association President Karen Ritenour for making this project happen for our facility.

Can Kids Make a Difference?

Announcement, Community, ,

 Yes, yes they can! Our thanks to two students from Springville Middle School for collecting and delivering a variety of books as part of their Kids Can Make a Difference project. This supply will keep the hospital’s Little Free Library stocked for patients, visitors and employees this summer. The range of classics, fiction and non-fiction means that you should check our library often to see what is new!

Imaging Department Installs New CT Scanner

Announcement

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital has announced that a new, upgraded CT (computerized tomography) scanner has been installed in the Imaging Department.

The CT scanner, commonly referred to as a “cat” scan, takes a series of x-ray images from different angles to produce cross-sectional images of bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside the human body. These studies show greater clarity and detail than a single x-ray image, and can typically produce images of the abdomen/pelvis, head/brain, sinuses, chest, neck, orbital cavities (eye) and spine. CT angiography can also scan the arteries and veins throughout the body.

“This equipment has a faster scanning time, lower radiation dose and higher image resolution,” said Imaging Department Manager Lisa Smith. “A particular benefit of this scanner is its advanced cardiac screenings, which will support our Heart Center patients.”

BCH’s CT scanner is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and participates in the “Image Gently” program. This CT scanner complements the other imaging and radiology services at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, including digital mammography, bone density, nuclear medicine, x-ray, MRI and ultrasound. For more information or an appointment, call (716) 592-8169.

Marion Igel: 20 Years as a BCH Volunteer

People, , ,

For a woman like Marion Igel of Boston, volunteering is seen in terms of a commitment to a job. She started as a transport volunteer at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and its Physical Therapy Department on June 18, 1997. And at the end of this June, twenty years later, Igel has kept that commitment to the patients of BCH.

After retiring from the banking industry and roles at the “Big E” (Erie County Savings Bank), Igel looked for a way to fill her time. Her second-oldest sister was volunteer at Our Lady of Victory, and later at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo. Igel lived in Boston, she wanted to find something closer to home.  She called Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, and was soon connected with the PT department. Her assignment: for one day a week, spend six hours transporting patients to physical therapy appointments from the Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home and the medical-surgical floor of BCH.

“It’s the people that have kept me volunteering all these years,” explained Igel. “I grew attached, especially to some of the residents at the Jennie B.”

Igel continued, “Volunteering and helping people made me feel good, and I made great friends along the way.”

Mary Lou Wright, director of the Physical Therapy Department, explained, “Marion has put in miles of walking over the years, transporting patients and running interdepartmental errands.” Wright added, “Volunteers can ‘walk away’ at any time…Marion chose to stay, and we have been very fortunate to have her as part of our team, and to know and love her as part of our family.”

Igel has a son in Texas and a daughter who lives just a few minutes away in Boston (NY), with five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She said that she would tell future volunteers at BCH about the empathy involved in being a hospital volunteer: “Be devoted and learn to associate yourself with the patients…one day you could be in that position.”

 

Department Spotlight: Emergency Department

People,

The people who work in the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Emergency Department have the distinction of being able to say that they are part of one of the most valuable teams in our community.

As a registered nurse and nurse manager for the department, Penny Gardner, RN says that the reliability of emergency care at BCH is stronger than ever. “It’s the only place that is open every minute of every day, and we never turn anyone away,” she explained.

Just as there is no such thing as a typical day in the ED, there is no typical patient either. “Every day is completely different,” said Gardner. “But every day we come to work we know we are going to be able to help our neighbors.”

Most people don’t realize the length and depth of experience that BCH ED nurses have. Just five of the 23 nurses have a total of 130 years of nursing experience at BCH. Some have decades’ more experience at other facilities. “I am astonished by the commitment these nurses have shown throughout their career,” explained Gardner. “We are lucky to have that kind of allegiance in this small community.”

Emergency care at BCH includes the nursing staff and providers who cover the ED 24 hours a day. That doesn’t count the lab techs and imaging personnel who are ready to perform immediate tests, and the registration clerks, hospitalists and medical-surgical nurses available to admit patients.

It also doesn’t include the air medical transport crews from Mercy Flight, who can rapidly transfer patients to a higher level of care once stabilized at BCH. The ED’s connection with Mercy Flight stretches back more than 35 years. It became even more powerful with the construction of a helicopter hangar and ground transport base for Mercy EMS in 2016.

Healthcare professionals who gravitate toward emergency medicine are usually people who want to be on the frontline, ready and willing to take care of whatever comes through that door. “Emergency medicine means having the ability to take care of a severely injured patient and the family member at the bedside,” Gardner continued. “And then minutes later, we walk into another room with our entire focus on that next patient; we are truly a special breed.”

 

BCH Women’s Association Installation Dinner

Community, People,
BCH Women's Association Officers 2017-18

BCH Women’s Association Officers 2017-18

The Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Women’s Association held its annual installation dinner on June 7 at the Apple Dumplin in Springville. Members capped off a year of fundraising and activities with a donation to the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation to support the purchase of a vein viewer for the Emergency Department.

This continues the strong tradition of the BCH Women’s Association in supporting clinical equipment purchases and building improvements at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and the Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home. Jennifer Siragusa, RN, director of patient care services, accepted the gift on behalf of the hospital and foundation.

From left: BCH Women’s Association Officers 2017-18: Secretary Diane Fleckenstein, Vice President Lori Beeman, President Karen Ritenour, Vice President Lisa Yaeger and Treasurer Beth Bolt

 

Thanks to Garden Party Supporters

Announcement, ,

A warm and welcome thank you to everyone who participated in the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation’s fifth annual Garden Party on May 25.

Our celebration of the career of Darlene Schrantz, RN and the life of William McMahon, MD was made possible by a friendly and loving crowd, some of whom were able to share remarks about their work with these two tremendous healthcare professionals.

Peony sponsors included Stansberry and Knight Physician Assistants and the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Medical Staff. Iris sponsors were Arcade-Springville Dental Arts Group, Nils and Erika Gunnersen, Mercy Flight/Mercy EMS, Craig and Tanya Helms, ACM Global Laboratories and Voya Financial. Rose sponsors: 2121 Main Street Pharmacy, Eaton Office Supply, Fiddler’s Green Manor, Freed Maxick CPAs, Julie’s Pizzeria, Fred and Darlene Schrantz, Roger and Margo Soricelli, Springville Door and Window and STC Construction. Ivy sponsors: AllPro Parking, Kelly O’Neal Adams, Patrick Hurley, MD and Susan Fischbeck, MD, Grover and Elizabeth Riefler, and WNY Imaging.

We are grateful for the entertainment provided by the Springville Jazz Orchestra and its conductor, William Cocca, and for the wine tasting station donated by Empire Merchants North.

Proceeds from this event will go toward the purchase of a transesophageal echocardiogram for the BCH Heart Center. Cardiologist Dr. Thomas Smith was kind enough to describe the benefits and need for this equipment to assembled guests.

Thank you for the support for our foundation and our “Gem on the Hill” from the hospital and nursing home employees, medical staff, board of directors and most importantly our community.

Mary Kwiatek
Vice President, BCH Foundation Board of Directors