Fort Campbell, KY – Moralisa Resto thought her son Jose had outgrown his childhood asthma. After the Resto family moved to Fort Campbell, Jose was in and out of the Emergency Room. The 13-year-old’s multiple visits to the ER were caught by Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s population health nurses and nurse case managers who referred Jose and his mother to the Asthma Educator.
The Army Surgeon General recently recognized Blanchfield Army Community Hospital for using systems and initiatives like this to help patients partner in their health and wellness.
BACH also received the Army Surgeon General’s Excalibur Award in 2009 for a mammography initiative. Staff members throughout the hospital work together to identify and educate patients who are due for mammograms, colonoscopies, women’s health and well-child screenings, diabetes, lab work or asthma medication changes. They also reach out to patients whose hospital visits could be reduced by focusing on the whole patient rather than just the immediate issue.
“Every time we teach patients the importance of regular health and wellness checkups, we are helping them partner in their healthcare,” said chief of Medical Management and Outcomes Division (MMOD) Mary Arrington. She explained that the education is noted in patient records just as a regular visit to the doctor would be noted. Arrington’s team of population health nurses and nurse case managers in MMOD focuses on patients with diabetes and asthma who do not follow the recommended healthcare guidelines or visit the hospital for reasons that could be helped. “We contact patients and teach them the recommended guidelines to help them live healthier lives,” she said.
After meeting with the asthma educator, Jose’s mother knows the importance of keeping him on a long-term asthma controller medication. “Now I know that Jose’s asthma didn’t go away but we can control his asthma and he doesn’t have to go to the ER anymore,” said Resto.
Focusing on wellness is an Army Healthcare mission. “Not only is it the right thing to do, staying healthy can improve mental clarity and emotional health,” said BACH Commander Col. John P. Cook. “Soldiers and their Families deserve the best healthcare possible and we strive to offer them the best by partnering in their healthcare through education initiatives like the ones our healthcare team has in place.”
The Army Surgeon General presents Excalibur Awards annually to Army medical facilities who meet stringent guidelines for healthcare effectiveness. “The BACH team continues to increase efficiency and effectiveness by finding innovative ways to encourage patients to take part in their wellness,” said Cook.
