Ready to Serve Loudoun County’s Emergency Medicine Needs

StoneSpring Free Standing Emergency Center

I am frequently asked about our planned expansion in Loudoun County because, if you have driven there lately, the population is rapidly growing and with that comes the need for more healthcare services. In response to this demand, we recently announced the development and construction of a $10 million Free-Standing Emergency Center in Loudoun County.  This center will be built on our future StoneSpring Medical Campus, a 50-acre site located at the intersection of Gum Spring Road and Route 50.  Groundbreaking is expected in the summer of 2012, and the facility is scheduled to open mid-year 2013.  On that same site, HCA Virginia has been awarded a Certificate of Public Need to build 164-bed StoneSpring Medical Center.  The hospital is scheduled to open in December 2015.

StoneSpring Emergency Center will have 12 bays and house a CT scanner and other technology needed to diagnose and treat patients with moderate to serious injuries and illnesses. Like a hospital emergency room, the 9,600-square-foot facility will be open 24 hours a day, staffed by physicians, nurses and other caregivers.  Our expectation is that we will create another access point for patients to be seen quickly with the highest quality care.  I’d like to hear your thoughts on this expansion of ER services in Loudoun County

 

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the hard work that each of you are doing to care for our ever-increasing patient volumes at Reston Hospital Center.  We saw record admissions, surgeries and visits in 2011 and January 2012.   Just to give some perspective, October 2010 was the first month in our history that we had 1,000 admissions.  We have consistently exceeded that threshold most months since then.  In fact, we saw our highest admission rate ever in January 2012 with 1,117 admissions (that is a 23% increase compared to January 2011).  At the same time the number of births increased by 28% and the number of inpatient surgeries increased by 15%.  None of this could have been accomplished without your commitment and dedication to our patients, our physicians and this hospital.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  

In light of this growth we are working through a series of steps to best support our employees and our patients:

1. We have revamped and streamlined our recruitment process to more rapidly post open positions and recruit  highly qualified applicants.  Adding strong staff members to our team is a top priority.
2. We are investing in new and improved information systems and technologies (such as Pyxis and Meditech upgrades) to streamline our care patient care model.
3. We are fast tracking several LEAN projects to positively impact operational effectiveness and efficiency with a specific focus on improving the throughput process for patients from the ER and OR to their inpatient rooms and ultimately through to discharge.

 As a patient or an employee, what opportunities do you see for us to improve how we provide or receive great care at Reston Hospital Center?

Let’s Get Healthy Together!

Every year, many of us talk about making an effort to lead healthier lives.  Sometimes, we actually make progress (especially around New Years), but statistically most of us start slipping and we revert to our old ways.  To help support healthy lifestyles, Reston Hospital Center is re-committing to stepping up this effort. We will be rolling out a wellness program in the coming months that, in addition to the things below, will provide you with the resources you need to live better.  However, it will only make a difference if you personally decide to take an active role. Inevitably this change will make a difference both in your personal life and your professional life. The change will require a lot of focused effort until it becomes part of your routine.

Reston Hospital Center’s commitment to healthy living:

1. Cafeteria food:  Every day in the cafeteria we will be offering more heart-healthy meals that will be highlighted with icons that provide easy references for making better food choices.  Some examples of icons include a “Calorie Counter” for both under 500 and 300 calorie meals.  Weight Watchers points will also be offered on items in the café when available.
2. Reston Therapy and Fitness Center on the second floor of the Pavilion will be offering free gym memberships to employees starting March 1^st.  A fitness assessment is required for new members.  More information will be provided in the coming weeks.
3. Healthy cooking classes:  The culinary and nutrition team will periodically offer free cooking classes with a particular emphasis on healthy entrees. 
4. Health profile screenings: Employees can get a free, one time annual health screening that includes cholesterol, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, bone density and health risk assessment. Through our H2U assessments and wellness program, employees can also earn up to $500 credit towards a health savings account.
5. Weight Watchers: A 16-week program with weekly meetings held on the hospital campus, includes weigh-ins and food plans. We will reimburse 50% of the cost for employees who actively participate.
6. Nutrition classes:  Our staff of certified clinical dieticians will be offering a free one-to-one personal assessment for employees.
7. Charity walks: Participate in one of the many charity walks that the employees or the hospital support.
8. Educational Series: Based on employee interest, the hospital may offer educational programs on coping with stress, diabetes management, and other health topics
9. Walking trail:  We will create a loop with mileage markers around the campus.
10. On-Line Health Coaching: Personal, confidential, convenient, and non-judgmental, constructs automated counseling sessions around your personal issues and needs. Visit www.HCARewards.com/h2u   to get started.

Your health and wellness is important to us.  What else can we offer to promote good health?

Day 5: Excellence

This week we’re talking about the hospital’s recently updated core values. We now have an easy acronym, which should make sense for anyone in our hospital—I CARE. It stands for Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Resourcefulness and Excellence.

In addition to revamping our values, we also updated our vision statement. We thought it made sense to think about where we’ve come in the past 25 years, and where we truly want to be in the next 25, and beyond.  The vision statement – To be the region’s preferred healthcare provider has been updated to more accurately reflect our current culture -To become a nationally recognized community hospital driven by a passion for clinical excellence and unparalleled customer service.

Today, I’ll elaborate on our final value, excellence:  The hallmark of the care provided at Reston Hospital Center is excellence.  We have never been about just getting the job done, rather, focused on getting it done in a way that people remember.  This includes both our clinical outcomes as well as our customer service interactions.

How does excellence play into your day-to-day, here at Reston Hospital Center or elsewhere? Is there a specific person (or act) that truly exemplifies excellence here at work? What about outside the hospital, what are some other organizations or groups that make excellence apparent in their work?

Day 4: Resourcefulness

We’re in the home stretch of sharing the hospital’s recently updated core values.  The values follow an easy acronym, which should make sense for anyone in our hospital—I CARE. It stands for Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Resourcefulness and Excellence. So far we’ve gone over Integrity, Compassion, and Advocacy. Today we’ll talk about Resourcefulness.  

Today, I’ll elaborate on our fourth value, Resourcefulness.  We need to make sure we use all of our resources really wisely.  Whether it is in our personal lives or our business enterprise, resources always have limits so it is important that we continually re-prioritize them.  These resources include the skills and talents of our people as well as our financial resources.  In the recent year, we have invested significantly into both of these areas. 

How does resourcefulness play into your day to day, here at Reston Hospital Center or elsewhere? Do you have a great example of how better utilizing resources saved you time, money, or some other commodity—at work or at home? Has being more resourceful helped you be “greener”?

Day 3: Advocacy

We’re now onto day three of sharing the hospital’s recently updated core values.  The values follow an easy acronym, which should make sense for anyone in our hospital—I CARE. It stands for Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Resourcefulness and Excellence. So far we’ve gone over Integrity and Compassion.

Today, I’ll elaborate on our third value, advocacy. It is important that we are not only an advocate for the patient, but also each other and this organization.  If you see something that can be improved, take personal action and initiative to help us find a better way.  If you see a patient not getting everything done in his or her best interest, make a stand and lobby for their well-being.  Whether you are in the hospital or in the community, share the good news about the talents and compassion of your co-workers, our physicians, and our hospital.  Your words are powerful and have great impact.  They can often sway the people who hear them to make a choice to join to our team.

How does advocacy play into your day to day, here at Reston Hospital Center or elsewhere? Is there a specific person (or act) that truly exemplifies what it means to be an advocate?

Day 2–Compassion

This week we’re talking about the hospital’s recently updated core values. We now have an easy acronym, which should make sense for anyone in our hospital—I CARE. It stands for Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Resourcefulness and Excellence. Yesterday, I shared the reasoning behind the revitalization of our values, and talked about the first value—Integrity.

Today, I’ll elaborate on our second value, compassion. This value really speaks to the heart of what we do and why we do it.  It is often what attracted many of us to train for careers in healthcare in the first place.  I strongly believe that employees who make the biggest impact on our patients chose their jobs because of the innate compassion they have towards those that they serve.  We want our employees to do work that they find impactful, meaningful and rewarding.  It is obvious when someone feels they are in the wrong job or feels burned out from the everyday tasks.  The patients who share positive comments with me are almost always referring to the compassion shown to them through their experience at Reston Hospital.

How does compassion play into your day to day, here at Reston Hospital Center or elsewhere? Is there a specific person (or act) that truly exemplifies what it means to live this value? On the flip side, how has compassionate care made a difference when you or a loved one was the patient?