Hancock Medical named “Hospital of the Year”

Medical Center wins prestigious Nightingale Award

The Mississippi Nurses Association presented Hancock Medical Center with the Nightingale Award for Hospital of the Year (under 100 beds) in Mississippi.

   The Association’s annual Nightingale Awards Black Tie Gala honoring exceptional service in the nursing and health care profession was held Monday, March 2, at the Marriott in Jackson, MS. Awards were presented in 16 categories. Hancock Medical was a finalist for Hospital of the Year and for Nurse Administrator of the Year (Chief Nursing Officer Angie Gambino).

   The criteria submitted for the category of “Hospital of the Year” included nursing initiatives, patient safety measures, community benefit, innovations, and overall hospital services. The 16-page submission package for Hancock Medical included testimonials from the hospital’s nursing staff, a listing of patient safety initiatives like the hospital’s medication scanning system and the innovative PACS Imaging System, the opportunities for nursing leadership, and much more.

   “This prestigious award belongs to every employee at Hancock Medical,” said administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE. “It validates the fantastic work that goes on here every single day.”

   Hancock Medical’s history began in 1957 when Hancock General Hospital was established on Carroll Avenue in a building donated by the Kings Daughters & Sons, who operated a hospital for 37 years. Hancock General opened for business in 1960. In 1987, the hospital was established at its current location at 149 Drinkwater Boulevard.

   Before the infamous date of August 29, 2005, Hancock Medical was a thriving health care facility employing over 500 employees. The medical center featured a full roster of physician specialties offering comprehensive health care services to the residents of Hancock County. Hurricane Katrina changed the footprint of the 104-bed Hancock Medical facility. Today’s Hancock Medical, certified by The Joint Commission, is a 47-bed medical center on its way back to 104 beds with outreach clinics throughout the county and an emphasis on excellent outpatient services.

    Services at Mississippi’s Hospital of the Year have steadily returned since 2005 and most hospital offerings are back in place with new high-tech equipment.

   “Today’s 2009 version of Hancock Medical is the best equipped medical center ever in Hancock County,” said Leftwich, “and the dedicated staff of physicians, nurses, technicians, and support staff stand ready to serve.”

   In addition to the medical center in Bay St. Louis, Hancock Medical has a campus in Diamondhead featuring physician offices, a physical therapy center, an urgent care clinic, imaging services, and lab services. The hospital also offers health care services at clinics in Kiln and Port Bienville and has registered nurses and athletic trainers at clinics in the county’s public schools.

   “We’re here working hard to cover the health care needs of Hancock County and we’re very honored with the recognition from the Mississippi Nurses Association,” said Leftwich. “We invite people to come in for community tours and see all that we have to offer to our community.”

   Anyone interested in a community tour of Hancock Medical can call Tom Carlton in the Marketing Department at (228) 467-8790.

Hancock Medical Receives High Marks

At a recent department managers meeting at Hancock Medical, the hospital managers celebrated some scores that showed Hancock Medical at or above the state and national average for quality care core measures.

What does that mean exactly?

Well, to the department managers it means the hard work and dedication put in by doctors, nurses, clinicians and other medical professionals to continually improve patient outcomes is resulting in excellent patient care at Hancock Medical.

Transparency is a buzzword in health care these days and Hancock Medical is proud to point people to the CMS web site (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) which reveals, for anyone interested in hospital performance, the “core measure” scores for hospitals around the state and nation.

“We’re very proud of our efforts,” said Susan Stevens, Director of Quality Resources at Hancock Medical. “In most of the categories, Hancock Medical scores as good as or better than the state and national averages.”

For example, in the category “Percent of Surgery Patients Whose Doctors Ordered Treatments to Prevent Blood Clots for Certain Types of Surgeries,” Hancock Medical scored 97 percent compared to the national average of 80 percent.

In the category “Percent of Heart Failure Patients Given an Evaluation of Left Ventricular Systolic Function,” Hancock Medical scored 100 percent compared to the national average of 86 percent.

Stevens points out that Hancock Medical is accredited by the Joint Commission and also voluntarily participates in State Health Care Quality Improvement Projects.

“We’re always striving to be better and we do that by responding to patient experience surveys which help us to focus our improvement efforts,” she said.

Hancock Medical improvement efforts involve an interdisciplinary team process that includes medical staff, nurses, dietitians and other health care professionals at the hospital working together to evaluate patient experiences and outcomes.

“Every department in the hospital identifies elements of performance that they can improve,” said Stevens. “The quality improvement process not only benefits patients, but also can increase job satisfaction among employees. Job efficiency and patient satisfaction go hand in hand.”

Hancock Medical Risk Manager Robin Barnett heads up Hancock Medical’s voluntary participation in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators that studies indicators such as nurse turnover, nursing care hours, patient days, patient falls, pressure ulcer prevalence, restraint prevalence and RN education.

 “The idea is to improve patient care and at the same time job satisfaction among the nursing staff,” said Barnett. “Hancock Medical is doing a good job and it’s reflected in our scores.”

 Stevens points out that quality improvement in health care is an ongoing challenge that Hancock Medical will continue to meet head on.

 “We encourage the public to evaluate the quality of services available by researching the informational web sites and responding to patient experience surveys following hospital stays,” she said. “Together, we will continue striving for excellence and make Hancock Medical the best that it can be.”



LIONS INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION HELPS HOSPITAL AGAIN

Hancock Medical was the recipient of a $62,000 Hurricane Katrina Grant from the Lions Club International Foundation to buy a new pulmonary function machine for the hospital. The new pulmonary function machine will replace the hospital’s current machine which received damage during Hurricane Katrina.

Dolores Tanner, Chief Executive Officer for Lions Clubs in the state of Mississippi and a member of the Diamondhead Lions Club, presented Hancock Medical Administrator Hal W. Leftwich, DBA, FACHE, with the grant check at a special ceremony in Diamondhead.”

“The Lions have been very generous on the local level and the grants our hospital has received from them over the last two years are prime examples,” Leftwich said. “We are very grateful for their assistance in helping us provide quality health care to our residents.”

Hancock Medical Respiratory Therapist Mike Faul, R.R.T, said the pulmonary function machine helps evaluate how well a patient’s lungs work.

“Tests from the machine determine how much air your lungs can hold, how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs, how well your lungs put oxygen into your blood and how well they remove carbon dioxide from your blood,” he said. “This new machine will provide us with the current technology that will enable us to do the necessary tests patients with breathing difficulties need.”

Tanner said the Lions are happy to be able to help Hancock Medical and the communities the hospital serves.

“All of our health care professionals who weathered the storm and were there to help people in their time of need are heroes,” she said. “Hancock Medical is well-deserving of this grant.”


FIRST COAST BABY OF 2008 BORN AT HANCOCK MEDICAL


Dr. Dimitri Yanez delivered the first Coast baby of 2008 at 12:34 p.m. on New Year’s Day at Hancock Medical in Bay St. Louis to Laconya Laneaux, of Gulfport. The baby boy born to Laconya is her fifth son…the new baby’s name is Kyran. He came into the world weighing in at 7-pounds, 6-ounces. He was welcomed by his brothers Montez (7 years old), Montrel (6 years old), Larry (3 years old) and Lashowan (2 years old). Laconya, the mother, was also born at Hancock Medical.




ROOM DEDICATION HELD AT HANCOCK MEDICAL

BAY ST. LOUIS -- A room in the Intesive Care Unit at Hancock Medical was dedicated as a memorial to a nurse who worked on the unit and died in an automobile accident earlier this year.

Greg and Rise Dossett, of Kiln, established the memorial fund through the Hancock Medical Foundation to honor the memory of their son, Stone Dossett, who worked as a registered nurse at Hancock Medical.

Many donors and co-workers were on hand at the dedication ceremony held Friday at the hospital. Cindy Knoblock, president of the Hancock Medical Foundation Board, thanked Stone’s parents for giving back to the community in the form of this memorial.

“We are very grateful that you decided to honor your son in this way,” Knoblock said. "It is evident from the stories people have told here today, that Stone touched a lot of lives."

The Hancock Medical Center Foundation was established in 1985 to secure private donations in support of the hospital’s mission to be the community’s health care resource. Through the generosity of local businesses and individuals, Hancock Medical Center continues to expand community outreach efforts and upgrade facilities and equipment with Foundation funds.



William A. Tate, III, named Mississippi Hospital Association's Trustee of the Year

BAY ST. LOUIS - William A. Tate III, president of the Hancock Medical Center Board of Trustees, was named Hospital Trustee of the Year by the Mississippi Hospital Association at the 76th Annual Leadership Conference held Thursday in Point Clear, AL.
“This is a great honor,” said Tate, “and one I share with the entire hospital staff and its board. Everything we’ve accomplished has been a team effort.”

Tate, a resident of Bay St. Louis and a retired businessman, was cited for his leadership during the hospital’s recovery process following Hurricane Katrina’s devastating blow in 2005. Despite having to deal with the loss of his own home in the hurricane, Mr. Tate and the rest of the 7 member Hancock Medical Board has helped the hospital navigate many challenges on its road toward total recovery.

A member of the Board since 1979, Tate has served as president since 2002. Earlier this year, he received a national honor when he was named Trustee of the Year for small hospitals by Modern Healthcare magazine.

While helping the hospital get back on track, Tate worked tirelessly to get his own home rebuilt following the destruction from Hurricane Katrina. Six of the seven Hancock Medical board members, including Tate, lost their homes in the storm. Tate and his wife Judith, married 53 years, moved back into their home on Mr. Tate’s 70th birthday back in March of 2007.

The other members of the seven-member Hancock Medical Board of Trustees are Robert Baxter, Charley “Dusty” Rhodes, David Peranich, Bryon Griffith, Gerard Boos, and Larry Ladner. Tate said that his honor as Mississippi Trustee of the Year is a reflection of the hard work put in by the entire board and hospital staff.

“No man is an island,” he said. “This award honors everyone at Hancock Medical.”


Lions Clubs International Foundation
helps fund Imaging Room and Buy Equipment



DIAMONDHEAD – Hancock Medical was the recipient of two generous donations from the Lions Clubs International Foundation totaling $107,507 for its imaging suite at the Hancock Medical Multi-Specialty Clinic in Diamondhead.

Howard A. Jenkins, the International Director of The International Association of Lions Clubs, and Dolores M. Tanner, Vice District Governor for District 30-N and a member of the Diamondhead Lions Club, presented the checks to Hancock Medical Administrator Hal W. Leftwich at the hospital’s annual health fair in Diamondhead on Thursday.

Leftwich and Hancock Medical knew about the first check for $42,782, but a second check for $64,725 was a complete surprise.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support from the Lions Clubs International Foundation,” said Leftwich. “Our dedicated staff has been working hard to bring comprehensive health care services to all of Hancock County. These donations today by the Lions Clubs International Foundation help us bring imaging services to this growing area of our county and many people will benefit as a result of this generous gift.”

Local Lions Club member Tanner said the hospital is well-deserving of the funds.

“Hancock Medical has been a beacon of hope for people in need,” said Tanner. “The staff continues to be there for people in need, as they were immediately after Hurricane Katrina. Hancock Medical employees who weathered the storm are heroes and the Lions are glad to support the health care services they provide in Hancock County.”

Together, the funds from the two donations helped put an x-ray room in at the Multi-Specialty Clinic in Diamondhead and are helping to buy four EKG machines, two sleep apnea monitors, and a NIBP unit.

Click here for hurricane information



Orthopedic Surgeon Tim D. Jackson, M.D.
joins Hancock Medical

Office in Diamondhead
4540 Shepherd Square

(228) 255-8526

• arthroscopic surgery
• sports injury treatments
• total joint replacements
• minimally invasive surgeries
• sprains and fracture treatments

Liz Zimmerman, Hancock Medical
on the cover of
Mississippi Hospitals magazine

Employee of the Quarter


Mike Faul (left) showing off the cardiopulmonary function machine with department director David Mayfield (right). Faul was the Employee of the Quarter for the fourth quarter 2008.

Thanks Again Hancock Regional!