Patient Care

Dear editor: We often read negative things about people who work in nursing homes. My mother is a resident at Golden Living, and I go there every day when I am not out of town. The staff of Golden Living should be commended on a job well done. During the recent ice storm, they lost electricity like many of us. They used a large generator to keep the residents warm and fed. While many of us were concerned about our households of two, three or maybe eight or ten, they had to take care of all of their residents.

Ephraim McDowell Health pharmacists earn national certification Ephraim McDowell Health pharmacists Stephanie Stone, Ashley Cambron, Michele Heinz, Angie Hatter, Brett Vickey, and Jaime Kenney, have reached a professional milestone few in their profession achieve. Each one has earned board certification as Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS) through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties.  Nationally, fewer than 4 percent of all clinical pharmacists achieve this certification. Ephraim McDowell Health is honored to have a total of 10 highly regarded BCPS pharmacists serving patient needs.

Community involvement is essential to providing quality care to long-term facility residents, according to local nursing home ombudsman Gene Layne. Layne spoke at a community forum at Fountain Circle Health and Rehabilitation Center in honor of National Resident Rights Month. Fountain Circle hosts community meetings quarterly to keep family members apprised of any issues at the facility, and to provide an opportunity for community members to voice concerns. “I feel like if we can get the community involved, and get the word out, we can get things running real smooth,” Layne, a representative of Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass Inc., said.

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center has remained in operation under a state of emergency over the past 24 hours. Community relations representative Maleena Streevals said that the hospital is providing only emergency services. "We are going to re-schedule all non-essential surgery, but other than that patient care will be unaffected. We have our full staff here, but just had to scale back on non-emergencies. " The hospital was on emergency power until 3 a.m. this morning when the building returned to full power.

Brown joins Farmers National Bank Stephen P. Brown recently joined Farmers National Bank working in the Private Wealth Management Unit as senior vice president. Brown has more than 34 years of experience in the trust and investment business. He is an accredited asset management specialist and a registered financial consultant. Brown attended Transylvania University, Cannon Comprehensive Wealth Management School, Cannon Trust School, Cannon Trust Graduate School and Cannon Employee Benefits Sales School.

Ephraim McDowell Cardiology is pleased to welcome Baptist Cardiology Danville physicians and staff to its practice. Drs. John Aumiller, Aslam Ahmad, Hussam Hamdalla, Sharat Koul, along with physician assistant Frank Koroluk, will be joining Drs. Gary Grigsby, Adrian Messerli and the staff of Ephraim McDowell Cardiology in January 2013.  “We are excited to expand our cardiology practice with the addition of these excellent cardiologists,” says...

For 21 years, Carol Reed has been working hard to help Heritage Hospice.  The Perryville resident's years of devotion to the organization that serves Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties was recognized when she received the 2013 Margaret E. Caldwell Spirit of Hospice Award Friday night at the annual Heritage Hospice Memorial Auction and at Pioneer Playhouse. About 260 people attended the event. Janelle Wheeler, Heritage Hospice executive director, and Barbara Lockhart, whose family received the honor in 2012, presented the award to Reed.

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center has invested $200,000 in new technology to enhance patient safety. Bedside Medication Verification will use bar code scanning technology to match patients with their correct medication. The new technology will be implemented beginning Nov. 17. "We are very pleased to be expanding our technology while at the same time enhancing the safety of our patients," said L. Clark Taylor Jr., chief executive officer of Ephraim McDowell Health. "This new technology will help us to ensure that our patients are receiving the correct medication prescribed for them.

Kim Smith, a local optometrist, said she, her husband and their patients are excited about moving into a building with more space, something the Danville Eye Center in the Danville Manor Shopping Center has needed for some time now. The office will move into the building currently under construction beside the fire station on the U.S. 127 Bypass. Smith said she, like many others, has heard all the rumors circulating about what the building will be. "I've heard all kinds of speculation," Smith said, including the latest word on the street that it will be home to a new steakhouse.

For 21 years, Carol Reed has been working hard to help Heritage Hospice.  The Perryville resident's years of devotion to the organization that serves Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties was recognized when she received the 2013 Margaret E. Caldwell Spirit of Hospice Award Friday night at the annual Heritage Hospice Memorial Auction and at Pioneer Playhouse. About 260 people attended the event. Janelle Wheeler, Heritage Hospice executive director, and Barbara Lockhart, whose family received the honor in 2012, presented the award to Reed.

Brown joins Farmers National Bank Stephen P. Brown recently joined Farmers National Bank working in the Private Wealth Management Unit as senior vice president. Brown has more than 34 years of experience in the trust and investment business. He is an accredited asset management specialist and a registered financial consultant. Brown attended Transylvania University, Cannon Comprehensive Wealth Management School, Cannon Trust School, Cannon Trust Graduate School and Cannon Employee Benefits Sales School.

Ephraim McDowell Health pharmacists earn national certification Ephraim McDowell Health pharmacists Stephanie Stone, Ashley Cambron, Michele Heinz, Angie Hatter, Brett Vickey, and Jaime Kenney, have reached a professional milestone few in their profession achieve. Each one has earned board certification as Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS) through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties.  Nationally, fewer than 4 percent of all clinical pharmacists achieve this certification. Ephraim McDowell Health is honored to have a total of 10 highly regarded BCPS pharmacists serving patient needs.

Ephraim McDowell Cardiology is pleased to welcome Baptist Cardiology Danville physicians and staff to its practice. Drs. John Aumiller, Aslam Ahmad, Hussam Hamdalla, Sharat Koul, along with physician assistant Frank Koroluk, will be joining Drs. Gary Grigsby, Adrian Messerli and the staff of Ephraim McDowell Cardiology in January 2013.  “We are excited to expand our cardiology practice with the addition of these excellent cardiologists,” says...

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville has been named one of the nation's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. McDowell was recognized for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. McDowell is among 620 hospitals in the United States earning the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in measurable performance.

Politicians in Frankfort who still believe government edicts can somehow or other deliver the commonwealth from the scourge of prescription drug abuse are once again approaching the issue with a butcher knife instead of a scalpel. Kentucky House Bill 1, which passed during the special legislative session earlier this year, forces doctors across the commonwealth to use a government database called the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system (KASPER) before prescribing Schedule II or III controlled substances for their patients.

Drug abuse is one of the most important public health issues in Kentucky. It affects employers looking for good employees; it can lead to crime as addicts seek drugs to feed their addiction; and, most importantly, it can destroy families, friendships and lives. A new law regarding prescription drug abuse was passed by the legislature earlier this year. Some have referred to the new law as the “pill mill bill.” While the law does target illegal “pill mills” in the state - a move that was vital to the public safety of all Kentuckians - the new law also requires physicians and other practitioners who prescribe specific drugs to perform additional administrative tasks.  If it takes longer for your physician to prescribe drugs for you or a family member than it has in the past, please be patient and understand that the new law requires that these steps be taken.