HJAR Mar/Apr 2024

64 MAR / APR 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds expansion project focuses on delivering better access, exceptional outcomes, and improved on-campus experiences at the state’s nationally- ranked pediatric health system. “We’re building an easier-to-navigate campus, bright, beautiful spaces, and more elements of discovery and delight,” said Arkansas Children’s President and CEOMarcy Doderer, FACHE. “This is part of our dream of making a healthier tomor- row for the children of Arkansas. It is becoming a reality because we live in a dedicated and philan- thropic community that is passionate about pedi- atric health. We truly appreciate your relentless support.” CHI St. Vincent North Given Stroke Care Performance Diamond Award by ADH CHI St. Vincent North, the home of the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute, has been awarded the prestigious Stroke Care Perfor- mance Diamond Award by the Arkansas Depart- ment of Health. The award honors CHI St. Vincent for excellence in stroke patient care in the cate- gory of stroke band documentation for medium- sized hospitals. “When a stroke happens, every second counts, and our dedicated team of healthcare profession- als is committed to delivering exceptional service while meeting the minute-by-minute needs of those patients,” said CHI St. Vincent Market CEO Chad Aduddell. “We are proud to be acknowl- edged for this award as we continue to work to provide the highest quality of care, ensuring the best outcomes for our patients and their families.” Receiving the Diamond award signifies that CHI St. Vincent demonstrated more than 95% adher- ence to stroke band documentation. Stroke bands are wristbands placed on potential and confirmed stroke patients, which include a unique number that is logged within the Arkansas Stroke Registry. The numbers logged help collect real-time data on stroke treatment from Arkansas hospitals. The data is then used to help optimize the quality of stroke care in Arkansas, decrease death and dis- ability associated with stroke, and reduce dispari- ties in stroke patient care. Additional data shows that stroke bands are associated with an average reduction in the door-to-diagnosis time for both EMS and private vehicle patient arrivals. CHI St. Vincent is a regional health network with a history of providing the highest quality of advanced and rapid stroke care. This year, CHI St. Vincent North received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines Stroke Quality Achievement and Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy Award. American Association of Critical- Care Nurses Recognizes Arkansas Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with Gold- Level Beacon Award for Excellence The Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has received a Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), distinguishing the unit’s exceptional patient care and healthy work environments. It is one of just 11 NICUs in the nation to achieve the honor. The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. For patients and their families, the Beacon Award sig- nifies exceptional care in a unit that puts patients first. For nurses, this award can mean a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration, higher morale, and lower turnover. Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s NICU, Cardiovas- cular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU), and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) are the only intensive care units in the state to receive Beacon honors. The ACH CVICU received the Gold-level Beacon Award in 2022 and the PICU received the Silver- Level Beacon Award in 2021. The ACH NICU, which provides comprehensive surgical and intensive care for newborns and pre- mature infants, is Arkansas’ only level 4 NICU, the highest designation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the ACH NICU signifies an effective approach to policies, procedures, and processes that includes engagement of staff and key stake- holders. The unit has evaluation and improve- ment strategies in place and excellent perfor- mance measures when compared to relevant benchmarks. DrewRodgers, MD, FASA, Achieves Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology Board Certification Drew Rodgers, MD, FASA, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist with Premier Anesthesia of Arkansas and a member of the medical staff at Washington Regional Medical Center, is the first anesthesiologist in Northwest Arkansas to achieve board certification in adult cardiac anesthesiology. Adult cardiac anesthesiology is a new certifica- tion offered by the American Board of Anesthe- siology in cooperation with the American Board of Medical Specialties. Board certification is the highest level of accreditation awarded and rec- ognizes expertise within a specialty or subspe- cialty. Earning the designation means that a doc- tor has spent significant clinical time dedicated to the management of patients undergoing cardiac procedures and has passed a specialty-specific exam that tests their clinical knowledge, medical expertise, and diagnostic skills. Rodgers is also a board-certified diplomate in anesthesiology and transesophageal echocardiography and is a fel- low of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Rodgers, a Fayetteville native, joined Washing- ton Regional in 2015. He earned a medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences (UAMS) and completed an anesthesiology residency at West Virginia University Hospitals and a cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He serves on the board of direc- tors for Washington Regional Medical System and is a UAMS adjunct clinical associate professor. n Drew Rodgers, MD, FASA