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KINGSPORT, Tenn. – As Ballad Health continues investing in the expansion of high-quality healthcare throughout the Appalachian Highlands, its physical medicine clinic is moving to a more convenient location. Now open and serving patients on the campus of Indian Path Community Hospital, Ballad Health Spine and Rehabilitation specializes in bringing physiatry recovery services to people in the Kingsport community. “We have listened to the patients and communities of the Appalachian Highlands, and it’s immensely exciting and gratifying to bring this service to the Indian Path campus,” said Rebecca Beck, chief executive officer of Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path. “We’re developing our access points to make best use of our resources while meeting patients where they need us.” Ballad Health Spine and Rehabilitation will operate within Indian Path and is housed at 2205 Pavilion Drive, Suite 100, in Kingsport. The clinic also has satellite locations in Rogersville and Morristown in Tennessee and in Big…

As part of Ballad Health’s digital transformation, we’ve established a Clinical Command Center that combines the responsibilities of what we previously called the transfer center (MD Link/Connect), enterprise call center and the Regional Communications Center (RCC). The Clinical Command Center operates 24/7 with a goal of improving patient outcomes through centralized coordination of care. The team at the command center takes into consideration the acuity of the patient, where they are and what care services are needed, and then coordinates resources as appropriate. It’s a critical service for our health system. Getting a patient access to the appropriate care services as quickly as possible can save lives and improve patient outcomes, as well as increase efficiency at our hospitals. The Clinical Command Center serves almost like an air traffic control tower does for airplanes – coordinating patient care in the most efficient manner. The center handles several crucial responsibilities, including: Communication with emergency medical air…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.— Northeast Tennessee’s Bright Start plan has officially launched, beginning a three-year campaign to increase reading and math levels for children in 10 target counties. Bright Start is a statewide initiative driven by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE) designed to close achievement and opportunity gaps for Tennessee children birth through third grade. Backed locally by the STRONG Accountable Care Community (STRONG ACC), Bright Start NETN is one of six Bright Start communities in Tennessee and one of two focused on rural areas. “STRONG ACC’s mission to align regional partners around improving physical, social and economic health, especially for underprivileged children and their families, made it an excellent choice to serve as the convening entity for the Bright Start Northeast Tennessee partnership,” said Mark Cruise, director of STRONG ACC. “We are excited to implement the Bright Start Northeast Tennessee plan and unveil our three-year strategic plan with the help of many program partners…

Marsh Regional Blood Center is in urgent need of type O-negative blood! The center, which supplies blood to all Ballad Health hospitals, is at “system alert” level for the current O-negative supply, which means at this point it is not able to supply the hospitals with the blood orders they’ve requested. Patients in Ballad Health hospitals, all regional cancer centers and those needing in-flight transfusions depend on the generous hearts of donors in our region. All eligible donors – including Ballad Health team members – are encouraged to make a blood donation before the supply gets any lower, with an emphasis on the critical need for O-negative donors as soon as possible. “O-negative blood is extremely important because it can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type,” said Evan Kulbacki, MD, medical director for Marsh Regional. “Because it is universal, it’s what hospitals use in trauma cases, and it is carried on rescue aircraft…

The Ballad Health Neurosciences Symposium will take place on Friday, March 3, at the Millennium Centre in Johnson City. Continuing medical education credits are available. To register, visit www.balladhealth.org/neuro23 or email Crystal.wampler@balladhealth.org.

Facility’s newest addition follows national nursing excellence award JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.— Ballad Health is bringing crucial behavioral health services to the region, with the addition of a brand new Walk-In Behavioral Crisis Center at Woodridge Hospital. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Walk-In Behavioral Crisis Center is intended for patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies such as suicidal or homicidal ideation, acute psychosis, auditory and/or visual hallucinations or any other extreme mental or emotional crises. It does not provide care for physical illnesses and injuries. “The Woodridge Hospital Walk-In Behavioral Crisis Center is one of the most important steps we’ve taken to address the health needs of our community,” said Tammy Albright, chief executive officer of Ballad Health behavioral health services. “Immediately, this clinic creates a much-needed access point for behavioral healthcare, thereby enabling people who need intervention to reach experts and services that can help. However, the far-reaching effects of this…

Ballad Health is accepting applications through March 10 for the 2023 Nurse Intern II Program, which will kick off on June 5. The seven-week program is offered annually during the months of June and July. During the program, RN nursing students preparing to graduate in the next 12 months are paid to participate in educational offerings and a preceptorship in a chosen clinical area of the organization. The goal of the Nurse Intern II Program is to assist nursing students in the process of bridging the gap between theory and clinical practice, while also working to attract and maintain the highest quality healthcare professionals to work for Ballad Health. The program is a collaborative effort of the corporate human resources department, the corporate clinical education department and the individual Ballad Health facilities. Last year, Ballad Health hosted 90 nurse interns, providing them the opportunity to experience a nursing internship with an RN preceptor. Upon completion…

The annual Diabetes Symposium is set for April 28 in the Monarch Auditorium at Bristol Regional Medical Center. There will also be a virtual option. This event could be of interest to physicians, NPs, RNs, LPNs, PTs, registered dietitians and pharmacists, among others. More information to come as details are set.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health Medical Associates is further expanding access to care through new digital and virtual options to help people find primary care when and where they need it. A full range of primary care options includes in-person visits at a primary care clinic or urgent care clinic, virtual visits with a patient’s physician or a fast and easy online service that allows patients to describe their symptoms and receive a diagnosis and treatment recommendation within an hour by email. “We are listening to our patients and working to improve their access to care,” said Mark Patterson, MD, president of Ballad Health Medical Associates. “Our new digital options make it easy for patients to schedule appointments and receive the appropriate level of care without sacrificing the quality of care.” Virtual healthcare options are accessible by visiting www.balladhealth.org, the Ballad Health app or calling 833-8-BALLAD (833-822-5523). The health system can provide immediate access…

We follow evidence-based practice to make the best clinical decisions for our patients – a key to improving patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. To make the latest evidence-based practice resources accessible for all team members, Ballad Health offers EBSCO (Elton B. Stephens Company) on the Ballad Health intranet main page and within Epic. With a single click, team members can access medical databases, expert-based clinical decision support content and also a nursing resource called Dynamic Health. Dynamic Health for nurses Dynamic Health is designed to help nurses and allied health professionals master skills, obtain fast answers to questions and foster a culture of evidence-based practice and critical thinking, with opportunities for continuing education. It is an evidence-based system with patient skills videos, information about nursing skills and resources on tests, labs, disease processes, conditions and treatments. There’s also a detailed drug guide for health professionals and resources about physical/occupational therapies, speech, nutrition and social…

More than 9,000 of our team members are using Ballad Teams, our mobile team member app. Have you downloaded it yet? Ballad Teams offers important system news, B-Well powered by Sharecare and easy access to an array of other useful resources like your pay statements, PTO balance, team member discounts, IT support and benefits, as well as a link to log into Smart Square scheduling. We continue to add new features. For any team members who downloaded Ballad Teams previously but have since lost the app – perhaps from updates to your phone, or you may have a new phone altogether – or if you’ve never had the app before, here’s how to get it. Installing or reinstalling the app To do so, follow this link for instructions. For iPhone/Apple devices, you will need a code to download the app. The code is provided by following the above link. NOTE: Only one code should be needed per Apple…