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Intermountain Bear River Valley Hospital in Tremonton, UT is opening its renovated and expanded Emergency Department to ensure high-quality emergency medical care is close to home for Box Elder County residents. The renovations and expansion took five months and includes two new large triage rooms, re-designed patient flow areas, a larger waiting room, an outdoor courtyard with seating, new restrooms, and storage areas. "With this expansion, it is our hope and focus that the more than 7,000 residents in need of emergency care each year, will recognize the improved facility and more efficient processes that are focused on best serving our patients,” said Brandon Vonk, Intermountain Bear River Valley Hospital administrator. “It is always the expectation of our patients to be seen quickly, and with our additional triage rooms, we are better positioned to meet these expectations." Intermountain Bear River Hospital has also recently added a new Wound Care Clinic, which can speed up the wound healing process and greatly decrease the risk of infection and complications with Intermountain Health’s team-based approach.
This National Patient Account Management Week, we want to recognize all of the patient account management professionals who work to ensure that patients receive the care they need while managing the financial aspects of healthcare. Thank you for helping our patients navigate the complexities of healthcare billing and insurance each and every day!
As a first responder, Miguel Lee’s job often came at a mental cost. He witnessed abuse, fights, and death. “I responded when it was the worst time of their lives,” he said. When his job-related traumas became mental health issues, Miguel found the Mission Six program at Intermountain Health’s West Pines Behavioral Health in Wheat Ridge, CO. Mission Six, a crucial Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) designed for first responders, addresses unique trauma challenges. While there, emergency personnel can find therapeutic support and stability. “When I started working with first responders as a co-responder, I always heard ‘we got your six’,” said Elizabeth Groom, lead therapist for the Mission Six program. “That means ‘we got you, we’ve got your six, and we can help you with whatever it is you’re going through’.” Mission Six provides first responders with a structured and supportive environment, addressing their physical and mental health needs. It's more than just a program; it's a lifeline for those who put their lives on the line. “When I come to West Pines, I don’t feel alone,” said Miguel. “I feel accepted, I feel welcome, and I feel there’s some sort of community where we are able to express ourselves.”
Seven Intermountain Health hospitals in Utah have received the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award, which is presented annually by Vizient Inc. to recognize top performing health systems and hospitals in the United States for excellence in clinical quality and patient care. Intermountain is one of only two health systems in the nation to have seven hospitals honored with the award in 2023. “To see so many of our hospitals being recognized on this list is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our caregivers towards patient care,” said Sue Robel, RN, region president at Intermountain Health. “It also shows whether a hospital be in a large city or smaller community, patients are going to receive the best care possible.”
🥳 It's National Respiratory Care Week! 🥳 A special shout out goes out to all of our respiratory care professionals for providing outstanding care to our patients and communities, this week and every week.
According to new federal data, Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT has the nation’s highest survival rate for heart attack patients. Data recently released from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shows that Intermountain Medical Center – along with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and NYU Langone Hospital – have the highest 30-day survival rate in the nation for heart attack patients hospitalized for care. “We’re really proud of this achievement,” said Kent Meredith, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Intermountain Medical Center, who helps lead the heart attack treatment program at the hospital. “CMS is a government agency that tracks healthcare outcomes, so it’s free of the biases that can be seen by other reports from internal data. This data shows very directly that patients who were treated at Intermountain Medical Center have the highest percentage of surviving after a heart attack compared to all other hospitals in the United States.” “Many cardiovascular programs, both locally and around the country, place other things before quality, so our foremost dedication to the most appropriate care is unique at Intermountain Medical Center, and that commitment shows in our outcomes,” said Trey O’Neal, MD, who leads the heart attack treatment team at Intermountain Medical Center with Dr. Meredith.
In 1873, Mother Xavier Ross of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth sent four Sisters west from Kansas to start a hospital. They had $9 and the challenge to “look forward for what good there is yet to be.” Arriving in Denver, they solicited miners and cowboys for funds to help start the hospital. They opened in a cottage at the intersection of 14th Avenue and Arapahoe Street and began the organization that later became Saint Joseph Hospital. This year, Saint Joseph Hospital, now part of Intermountain Health, celebrates 150 years of providing healthcare in Colorado. Saint Joe’s is Denver’s second oldest hospital and was Colorado’s first private teaching hospital. Today it remains the most prominent teaching hospital in the city. Saint Joe’s provides a tradition of healthcare with more than 2,600 caregivers, nearly 1,600 physicians and advance practice providers, and more than 150 volunteers. Sister Renee Washut, a hospital volunteer since 2006, said the 150th anniversary milestone is a sign of what the Sisters have been able to do in Denver. “The fact that we can celebrate it is a good way to carry forth the history of our ministry here.” She added that Saint Joe’s is a special place for staff members and patients. “It seems to me that people are doing the work and living the opportunity to care for others who are so vulnerable.”
A special shout out this week to our incredible pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who work hard to ensure our patients receive the medications they need to live their healthiest lives. We sincerely appreciate the knowledge and expertise you bring to your careers each and every day!
Food and shelter. Two basic needs. When your shelter is the hospital, your food is hospital food. And when it comes to wellness, studies show it’s an important part of your healing. “We have a focus on respect for ingredients, minimally manipulated foods, making things in house, ensuring that we serve up nutritionally dense food. And it's appetizing and executed in a way that shows respect for food and ingredients in general,” said Alex Govern, executive chef at Intermountain Health. The fact is hospital food is crucial to healing. While the fancy recipes might impress, the larger point is the message. This is our patients' temporary home and we'll give them choices to make it comfortable. “Because it changes your entire outlook associated with your stay at a hospital,” said Govern.
Caregivers in Colorado and Montana address housing insecurity through community service Housing insecurity is a top social determinant of health and a priority challenge as identified in community benefit analyses of multiple hospitals in Colorado and Montana. Caregivers are going above and beyond providing supplies and building homes to help address this critical need in their communities.
