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Sepsis is a medical condition that can cause death or serious long-term effects. The impact is so great that we’re putting a special focus on it during September, which is Sepsis Awareness Month. Caused by the body’s response to infection, sepsis remains a significant healthcare challenge. It is responsible for many deaths in all age ranges – from infants to elderly patients. Serious cases of sepsis can require a long stay in the hospital, often in the intensive care unit, and then a long recovery period. This can be difficult for the patient, both physically and emotionally, and tough on the person’s caregivers and loved ones. Integrating palliative care into sepsis treatment There is increasing support for the integration of palliative medicine into sepsis care. For patients facing this serious illness, palliative care offers a holistic approach to pain management and relief from other symptoms – with the aim of honoring the unique values and…

Attention, Ballad Health nurses — a fun day of education and inspiration is coming Nov. 2-3 at Bristol Regional Medical Center! All Ballad Health RNs and LPNs are invited to a nursing symposium called “Reignite, Renew, and Recognize,” set for Thursday and Friday, Nov. 2-3, at Bristol Regional’s Monarch Auditorium. For nurses, this will be a fun day of education to reignite your passion for the nursing profession! Attendees will hear from nursing experts on national and international levels. NOTE: This is a one-day event, with the same program being given both days to give nurses two options to attend. The event does not include contract nurses. Online registration is required, with a registration deadline of Oct. 20. Registration fee is $10 and lunch is provided. Click here to register, or use the QR code in the flyer below. Check-in starts at 8 a.m. with the program opening at 8:30 a.m. and lasting until 3…

Sepsis is a medical condition that can cause death or serious long-term effects. The impact is so great that we’re putting a special focus on sepsis during September, which is Sepsis Awareness Month. One of the key things you can do to help prevent sepsis is to prevent infections. Not all infections can be prevented, so not all cases of sepsis can be prevented. But by following some basic rules, you can decrease your risk. It’s also important to know the symptoms of sepsis and to act fast to get medical care if someone has an infection that is getting worse or is not getting better. About sepsis Sometimes incorrectly called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body’s potentially deadly response to infection or injury. Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as pneumonia, influenza, or urinary tract infections. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis die. Many who…

As part of an effort to standardize chemistry equipment across Ballad Health, the laboratories at Norton Community Hospital, Dickenson Community Hospital, Indian Path Community Hospital and the Regional Cancer Center at Indian Path are transitioning on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 8 a.m. to the Ortho Vitros 7600 platform. For facilities that send chemistry testing to these four hospital labs, PLEASE BE AWARE of expected delays in turnaround time for test results. The transition period is expected to last 6 to 8 weeks. The new instruments have been set up in a temporary location separate from the main labs. This means a challenging interim stage that will result in longer turnaround times. Every attempt will be made to minimize delays, but an increase is unavoidable. Who and what will be affected? Laboratory teams at the impacted facilities will stop running specimens on their current chemistry equipment at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and anticipate being back up…

Ballad Health is offering an Academic and Research Summit – with a theme of “Creating a Path Forward” – scheduled for Friday, Oct. 6, at Bristol Regional Medical Center, starting at 9 a.m. It will take place in the Monarch Auditorium, located on the lower level next to the cafeteria. The event will be of interest to Ballad Health team members, academic partners and student learners in our facilities. Attendees can learn more about our academic and research programs and develop potential partnerships within our system. The event is free and lunch will be provided. Note: The maximum attendance is 297. Click here to register and for more information. Speakers and sessions include: “Engagement in a Digital Era” by Taylor Hamilton, Ballad Health Chief Consumer Officer – How do we encourage and recruit young adults to pursue careers in healthcare? Taylor Hamilton breaks down how to engage students and young professionals in a digital world….

We’re into football season now, and to celebrate, Ballad Health team members are now permitted to wear polo shirts with their favorite college, professional team branding on Fridays. Football Fridays will be in effect through the end of the week of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, Jan. 8. Remember, team members still need to follow our dress code and personal appearance policy. Western-style jeans of any color, blue or other color denim pants, and jerseys will not be allowed during Football Fridays. Polo or other collared shirts need to be in good condition (free of wrinkles, stains, tears, frays and rips) and appropriately sized and fitted to the wearer. If you have questions about the dress code or personal appearance policy, consult our Ballad Health dress code policy (located on the intranet) or email Human Resources at HR4U@balladhealth.org.

As we approach the season when respiratory viral illnesses increase, we want to provide you with an update of what we are experiencing and how best to prepare for the months ahead. Our region, like the rest of the nation, is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases. We are experiencing this in our Urgent Care clinics as well as in emergency rooms, and hospitalizations due to COVID are up. While this is nothing like the increases we had during the Delta and Omicron waves, it’s a definite uptick from what we were experiencing over the last few months, and it’s important that we’re aware of this increase and take the proper precautions. To provide context, during the summer, our infection prevention team would work, on average, 25 or fewer cases of COVID per day, with most of those being tested at our outpatient locations. Now we’re seeing 100-150 new cases per day, with an increase…

As we recognize Sepsis Awareness Month throughout September, we’ve put together a Q&A from Dr. Lauren Py, emergency room physician and system chair of Ballad Health’s sepsis committee. While it’s our clinical teams who deal with patients who develop sepsis, all Ballad Health team members should be aware of what sepsis is, why it is a critical issue and what part they can play to try to reduce the number of sepsis cases. Be sure to take a look at the info at the bottom of the Q&A, as well. Q: What is sepsis and why it is such a critical issue for Ballad Health? A: Sepsis is a medical emergency and the leading cause of death in hospitals. Sepsis and septic shock arise from the body’s overwhelming response to infection, which can lead to organ failure and even death. It is a critical issue not just for Ballad Health but for all of our community,…

Many Ballad Health team members may not be aware of a free educational resource available to them – the Ballad Health Medical Library located at Johnson City Medical Center. It is known to some as the Learning Resources Center (LRC). The library databases are freely available to all Ballad Health team members through the library’s site on the Ballad Health intranet. Team members are also able to make article requests through the library — a valuable resource for many of our clinical team. The medical library is also accessible to team members in-person during operating hours (Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). What resources are offered? The medical library collection includes over 2,000 items in a variety of genres, including medical and nursing books, leadership books, cultural diversity books and audiovisual materials. Team members can take advantage of the 300 individual journals available. Also available at the library: Access to numerous databases, eBooks…

To improve efficiency of patient flow and bed management across Ballad Health, we are transitioning to centralized bed management across the health system. Instead of bed assignments being managed at the facility level by multiple teams, these services will transition to a central team at the Ballad Health Clinical Command Center. This team is responsible for managing the availability and allocation of hospital beds across the entire health system. It will work closely with our teams in the hospitals and use information about acuity levels, bed availability and patient flow to ensure patients are placed in the right bed, at the right time, to support their medical needs. Along with this change, there will be a more robust dashboard and criteria for supporting patient throughput using Epic best practices and tools. Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about the transition. This is a pivotal process, as one inefficiently handled case can…

We recognize sometimes people need help paying their bills, which is why Ballad Health offers financial assistance to qualifying patients who could use support during an emergency or scheduled medical care. In fact, nearly 50% of patients in the Appalachian Highlands qualify for financial assistance at Ballad Health. It’s important for our team member population to be aware of this, and to let any patients or potential patients know they may have options to help them with medical expenses. When paying for medical bills, knowing what assistance options people may qualify for can reduce financial stress. How do patients find out if they are eligible for financial assistance? There are several options, including: Letting our Patient Financial Services team know at registration that they’re interested in getting financial assistance Visiting our website and downloading the application for financial assistance, then filling it out and mailing it back to us Calling us at 888-288-5174 To learn…

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…