New Piedmont Newnan Hospital: Patient safety is top priority
By ALEX MCRAE
alex@newnan.com
Construction work is complete on the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital. A March 24 open house celebration attended by more than 3,000 people was a huge success, and all over Coweta County, the buzz is building as Georgia’s newest hospital prepares to open its doors on May 8.
But between now and then, administrators, staffers, nurses and physicians who will call the new facility home are busier than ever with final preparations designed to make sure that even the smallest detail has not been overlooked.
Storage spaces are filling with supplies and equipment, mechanical systems are being inspected and tested and even the landscaping at the helicopter landing pad is being groomed to perfection.
Throughout the process, hospital officials are determined that patient safety is a top priority both for current patients at Hospital Road and future patients at the new hospital.
Patient safety—partnered with service excellence and operational efficiency will assure that each patient treated at PNH receives the best possible care from the best medical professionals in the finest facility available anywhere, officials say.
That effort is planned around the patient experience and follows a set of guidelines aimed at making the transition between facilities patient-centered. Officials say for the transition to go as planned it must be:
• Efficient: minimizes waste and duplication
• Safe: minimizes the possibility of errors
• Effective: evidence-based, reliable
• Timely: no unnecessary waiting, and
• Equitable: sensitive to the diversity of patients’ needs
“We have a great deal of activity currently occurring at Poplar Road,” said Anna Ivory, PNH vice president of Organizational Quality and executive sponsor of the transition to Poplar Road. “Our staff and contractors are doing a tremendous job of completing punch list work, installing equipment, stocking supplies and testing technology in preparation for our upcoming state inspection and opening,”
“We are also in the midst of department-specific training, including an upcoming vendor fair, where our staff will receive training on our new technology and equipment, and we are preparing for a series of simulations and drills to prepare our staff for emergency situations at the new hospital.”
“Our staff members are eagerly anticipating the opening of the new Piedmont Newnan and being able to provide excellent healthcare to our patients there. I could not be prouder of their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm towards opening our new hospital next month.”
The drill and simulations Ivory mentions are extensive.
In coming weeks, physicians, nurses and technicians will hold surgical simulations in the operating rooms to ensure all equipment is operating properly and to familiarize themselves with working in a new environment.
Another big concern is moving patients from Hospital Road to the new facility. To make sure all goes as planned, “simulated” patients wil be moved by ambulance from the old facility to the new hospital to practice the procedure. This will allow staffers to practice patient loading and unloading procedures and check all systems involved to ensure each patient’s health and safety is not adversely affected during transport.
The move procedure even calls for specially trained PNH safety counselors to ride with each patient being transferred to make sure things go smoothly and the patient’s concerns are addressed immediately.
Before the new facility opens, staffers will also undergo simulated emergency and disaster drills to prepare them to deal with everything from tornadoes to fires to infant abductions.
Training exercises are scheduled daily in the weeks leading to the May 8 opening. Staffers will be busier than ever making sure the new hospital’s performance matches the public expectations.
“Part of the excitement of moving into our new hospital is the outpouring of support we are receiving from our entire community,” said Michael Bass, president and CEO of Piedmont Newnan Hospital. “Approximately 3,000 guests attended our recent preview celebration and shared compliments and excitement regarding their tour of the new hospital. Local restaurants and caterers are setting up in our hospital each day until our Bistro 745 opens so that our staff members and contractors working there will be able to purchase lunch. Church groups and other local organizations are contacting us inquiring how they may be of service to the hospital. People are interested in volunteering or making financial contributions to further our mission in the community. Our entire hospital is certainly very appreciative of this community support.”
