News

Margaret Selfridge receives the PVCH Foundation Healthcare Star from Lewis Young, PVCH Foundation Trustee. Margaret was nominated by a patient for “Being very caring and considerate of the patient needs. She was always pleasant and did everything possible to help me. She deserves to be honored for her dedication to nursing at PVCH.” Congratulations on receiving this honor Margaret. Pictured with Margaret is Lewis Young, a PVCH Foundation trustee.

     Pawnee Valley Community Hospital is hosting the 7th Annual Benefit Larned Indian Warrior Fun Run on August 26, 2017 starting at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds from the 5K Run and Obstacle Course event will go to the Fort Larned Physical Fitness/Education fund to benefit our young Larned Indians.  This year the event is taking on a whole new look as obstacles will be included to bring out all of our inner warriors.

     In 2016, the PVCH Fun Run successfully raised $3,701, which helped fund the purchase of an I-pad with software to help in concussion detection and new volleyball nets. The money has helped over the last several years to improve the gym as coaches and student athletes are starting to see the payoff. The high school is starting to have a higher number of student athletes go on to play and compete at the college level.

     The goal for this year’s Fun Run is to raise funds to improve the physical fitness of our young Indians to prepare them for a strong and healthy future.

     There are two events this year: the 5K Run and Obstacle Course and the Obstacle Course. Registration for both will start at the Larned Community Center, 1500 Toles Road. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.

Cost

5k Run & Obstacle Course (18 & up) $25

Students 6 – 17 $15

5 and under (no shirt) Free

Obstacle Course only (any age)  $15

Shirt only $15

The deadline is Aug. 16 to be guaranteed a t-shirt.

Top Placing Awards

5K Adult – Top Female and Top Male

5K Youth – 17 & under Free Frosty

All placings will receive a certificate and gift card.

For more information about events or to obtain a registration form, contact the PVCH Rehab Department at 285-8605.

Employee of the Quarter Named – Nikki Loreg Nikki Loreg is the PVCH Employee of the Quarter. Nikki went the extra mile helping the lab organize policies. We are proud to have her on the PVCH team.

On May 12, 2017, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) was notified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) that a recall had been issued by Pinnacle Foods Inc. of some Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast foods including pancakes, waffles, and French toast slices, because they are potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This recall was initiated after Listeria monocytogenes was found in the production environment. All affected distributors, retail, and food service customers are being notified. It was determined on May 9, 2017, that PVCH had served this brand of French toast in its cafeteria. The purpose of this letter is to inform PVCH patients and visitors that if you consumed this product at the PVCH facility on May 9, 2017, and if you develop any symptoms of listeriosis within 70 days of that date, please promptly notify your physician.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. To date, no illnesses have been linked to this recall. Please visit https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm557098.htm for a complete list of recalled products and product codes. All “best buy” dates for these products have been recalled. Contact PVCH if you have any questions about the recall.

Employee of the Quarter Named Karen McDade is the PVCH Employee of the Quarter. Karen is a dedicated employee in the lab and is well-liked among patients and co-workers. She is a pleasure to be around and we are proud to have her on the PVCH team.

Learn More…

Health Coach Providing Services in Pawnee County Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) is working with heart and stroke patients in Pawnee County to prevent further problems and provide personal care to manage day-to-day issues. The health coach program is a component of The University of Kansas Hospital-sponsored Heart and Stroke Collaborative (KHSC), which PVCH participates in. Melissa Hagerman, RN, BSN, is the local health coach. The patients she works with have a history of heart or stroke issues, plus one additional chronic disease. She helps patients continue to manage their prescriptions, assess healthcare needs, communicate with family to answer questions and concerns.

She also assists local providers in helping patients between routine clinic visits. Eric Lybarger, PVCH administrator, said the KHSC is an important resource at PVCH because it helps the hospital engage at-risk patients in Pawnee County on a more personal level. “Working with the KHSC has been very rewarding in the fact that I have found numerous medications being taken incorrectly at patient visits during medication reconciliation,” Hagerman said. “I have also directed patients to many local community resources which in turn have benefited them.” Hagerman graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelors of Nursing Science degree. Her experience has been floor nursing, surgical nursing and public health nursing. She is married and three children. The KHSC is a project being funded by $12.5 million, 3-year federal grant focused on improving heart and stroke care.

The grant was awarded to The University of Kansas Hospital and Hays Medical Center is helping administer it. Also participating are ten Critical Access Hospitals and rural primary care providers serving Western Kansas. What kinds of things are covered at an initial face-to-face health coach visit?

• Medication reconciliation and review • Medication Education with patient and/or family members • Safety hazards/concerns • Diet review • Exercise encouragement and review • Compliance with preventative cares, specialty provider appointments, and health maintenance • Identifying and Offering Support Systems • Identifying and Obtaining Resources • Chronic Illness questions addressed and education provided • Nursing head-to-toe assessment • Coordination with health care provider

PVCH has hired Julie Bugner-Smith as the new leader of the Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Foundation. Julie has been the executive director for United Way of Central Kansas for several years. She is an experienced fundraiser with seven United Way campaigns under her belt and having raised more than $1.7 million for agencies in Barton and Pawnee counties. As the Foundation Coordinator, Julie will be in charge of developing relationships and raising money for the Foundation to fund health and wellness initiatives in Pawnee County and to provide finance support for PVCH needs and projects. We are looking to having Julie join our team in May. “We are fortunate to have Julie on our team,” said Eric Lybarger, PVCH Administrator. “She is well known in the region and has achieved a great deal of success building relationships and raising money.” Bugnor-Smith will start her new position at PVCH in late May.

Lynn lives in Garfield with her husband, Clint, and son, Alex, a 17-year old junior at Larned High School and daughter, Taylor, who is seven and a first grader in Larned. Lynn graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Elementary Education. After getting married, she moved to Larned 19 years ago. She taught 5th grade in Great Bend for several years before retiring to focus on starting her family. Lynn enjoys volunteering for several community groups including Prairie Arts Unlimited, Citizens Review Board, Youth Group Teacher, Picture Lady and the PVCH Patient, Family Advocacy Committee (PFAC).

She was also on the committee involved in passing the school bond for the new elementary building and renovations at the high school. Some of her interests include running, reading and cooking. “We are very fortunate to have Lynn as a member of our Board,” said Eric Lybarger, PVCH Administrator. “She will bring an interesting perspective to discussions and decisions in our meetings. Lynn is already a member the hospital’s PFAC and her input as a healthcare consumer on that committee is valuable. I think her experience in the healthcare arena will allow her to contribute in a very positive way to our Board.”

Pawnee Valley Community Hospital (PVCH) in conjunction with First State Bank will be co-hosting a Community Health Fair on Friday, March 31 from 6:30 – 9:00 a.m. The health fair will be held on the second floor of the First State Bank building, 6th & Main in Larned, and participants are asked to enter through the south door. Included in this year’s health fair will be lab testing at reduced rates and the Pawnee County Health Department will have a mental health Kiosk for participants to “get a check up from the neck up”. The kiosk will allow a user to take an anonymous screening for eight different behavioral health categories. The health department will also have information available on Zika Virus. Also available to participants will be blood pressure checks, health screenings and health education.

The lab testing being offered includes a Total Profile, Hemogram, CMP, Lipid Panel, TSH, Free T4, PSA and a Diabetic Screening Test. The PVCH lab prides itself with quick turnaround times and results will be mailed to individuals as soon as possible. These results can then be reviewed with a person’s healthcare provider to avoid the cost of higher lab fees. By tracking your own health screening numbers you can be proactive with your own healthcare. According to the American Heart Association, numbers that an individual should pay attention to include blood pressure, fasting glucose, cholesterol – HDL and LDL, triglycerides, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, minutes of physical activity, diet and nutrition (i.e. number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day), tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Fasting is recommended prior to testing but participants are encouraged to drink water the evening and morning before the lab testing. For additional information contact PVCH at 620-285-8840.