A new name for a great service

The name might be changing, but the dedication to children is only getting better. Many of you are probably familiar with our program called Health Reach. It’s been around since 1996, and the employees who run it have countless heart-warming stories about the children touched by their efforts to keep them healthy and in school.

Due to some internal Tuomey changes in structure, and the way the program is funded, we have to change the name. It will now be called Care Reach. But for folks in the community, that’s about the only thing you’ll notice that’s changing. Chris Watson is still going to run the program for us – and when it comes to caregivers, they don’t come with a bigger, more compassionate heart than Chris.

It’s such a tremendous program! They connect children in Sumter and Lee counties with the medical and dental care they need. And in case you’re wondering, Care Reach has no generated income and no billable services, nor does it ever charge a child for care. In 2007 alone, Tuomey spent more than $260,000 serving children through this program.

Protecting the health of our children, regardless of their family's financial capabilities, is the sole purpose of Care Reach. This program stretches deep into the heart of Sumter and Lee counties and connects children with the doctors and dentists they need. Typically, these children are referred by school nurses and have problems that could affect educational outcomes. The nurses and providers in the program take a holistic approach to helping children, including enrolling them in Medicaid and addressing their behavioral issues, as well as their physical health problems.

Sometimes, as Chris has explained to me so many times, one cavity can turn into many more, and then there’s the oral surgery they’ll need or the additional visits to check out issues now related to their gums. And if your teeth hurt, you are not going to learn. It’s that simple.

It’s an incredible program that has served our community for more than a decade, and one that we feel should continue. When you’re helping thousands of children – more than 3,000 in the first decade – it’s a program you need to support. And we’re doing our part to make a difference in the lives of children.

If you need more information on Care Reach, or would like to help support the program – call Chris Watson at 774-9009. You’ll be proud of the work they do!

Ten things for 2010

OK, I’m not going to call them resolutions! Just 10 things to think about for 2010. Ten things that we can all do – realistically – to make our lives better. We all start out with great intentions in January, but sometimes we make our goals a little too high. So we are going to be realistic here. We are going to make 2010 great by following these simple rules (at least most of the time).

1. Be realistic. That’s my first promise to myself this year. What’s the saying: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And it wasn’t. So whatever bad habits we have, we are going to change them slowly. We can’t fix everything today. Give yourself a break.



2. Make a plan. Stick to it. And prayer does help.



3. Get out and move. Exercise is great for everyone and it makes us feel better. And we’ll get healthier along the way. Walk a few extra feet in the parking lot, take the stairs, ride a bike with your child, golf with your son, go swim at the lake this summer. Just move!



4. Manage your stress. I know, I know. This one is easier said than done. But we should all try. Make a list, think about what’s important, set goals, prioritize. When you can check things off a list, you will feel better. Breathe. Take a yoga class.



5. Cut out some salt. And some sugar. Take small steps, but know that these two things aren’t all that great for you. And salt raises your blood pressure.



6. If you haven’t quit smoking, DO IT NOW! It’s time. I know it’s hard, but do it. Now! There are doctors out there who can help.



7. Get a physical each year. It’s important to know what’s going on with your body. Find a good family doctor and visit him or her. There are so many reasons to take good care of you.



8. Control your portions. Use a smaller plate and a smaller bowl. I know that sounds simple, but nutrition experts say it really works. Eat your fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, and lean proteins.



9. Do something for you. Especially you moms out there. You do so much for your families, that you sometimes neglect yourself. Go to a movie with a friend, have a small piece of (dark) chocolate. Get a manicure.



10. Help others. This one is probably the most important, and will make you feel better than most anything. Whether it’s donating blood, supporting the SPCA, giving canned food to a needy cause or money to United Ministries, you should make a difference. Knowing that you have helped someone who really needs it, that’s making a change!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all your friends at Tuomey Healthcare System.

See you all in 2010!

The Lights of Christmas

If you haven’t stopped by Tuomey lately, now’s the time to visit. The main hospital lobby, the Women’s Pavilion, the Outpatient Surgery Center and our Calhoun Street entrance are beautiful right now, thanks to the Christmas trees decorated and sponsored by so many friends of Tuomey. The decorations are incredible – handmade ornaments, traditional bright red balls, beautiful white lights – these trees have it all!

And the best part? In addition to brightening up the hospital, all proceeds are going toward Tuomey’s Hospice program. More than $50,000 has been raised this year alone through our Festival of Trees program. The Tuomey Foundation does an incredible job with this event each year, and the chairman of this event, J. Grady Locklear, gives his heart and soul to this festival, year after year. Thank you Dr. Locklear – it’s an understatement to say that we could not do this without you.

Each year, as we kick off the Festival of Trees and Circle of Lights program, we have a special Hospice family who turns on the lights at the opening program. They really get the event started, and help us to all remember why we do what we do. This year we were so proud to have the Moses family with us to do the honors. I cannot begin to tell you how much this family means to me personally, and to the history of this hospital (and entire community). The lights were turned on this year in memory of Tat Moses, one of our long-time employees who recently passed away from cancer. On hand were her husband, Richard Moses, and children, Dr. Henry Moses, a surgeon, and Mary Deakin, an RN at Tuomey. Richard served on the Tuomey board for more than 25 years, and has remained such a dedicated supporter of this hospital. We’re so blessed to have this family in our community.

If you can’t make it down to visit the trees, check them out on-line. There’s a great slide show at www.tuomey.com, showcasing the opening night’s event. It’s worth a visit.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tuomey Home Health Wins BIG

When it comes to Home Health care, I’ve always known we have the best in the business. Now we have the national accolades to prove it. If you didn’t get a chance to read Belton White’s article in last week’s Item, click here to read the article.

Headed up by Kathy McMaster and Kim Price, you won’t find a more comprehensive program anywhere. If it can be done with a doctor’s order in your home, we can take care of it. And apparently better than just about anyone. Tuomey’s Home Health team was recognized recently with a 2009 Summit Award from Press Ganey, a company that partners with more than 10,000 healthcare facilities to rate and survey customer satisfaction.

Tuomey was one of only 74 winners at the national meeting, and the ONLY one who provides in-home services. The Tuomey program was recognized for maintaining an extremely high level of patient satisfaction over a three-year period. In fact, their patient satisfaction scores were in the 95th percentile or higher for those three years.

In addition to this incredible honor, the Home Health team was also named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top performing home health agencies in the U.S. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and then highlights the top 500 within that group. Winners are ranked by an analysis of quality outcomes and improvement, as well as financial performance.

Manager Kim Price gives all the credit to her staff, but I want to take this time to applaud everyone – from the top of this department down. You give incredible clinical care, obviously, but that extra touch is really what makes you all shine. You are focused on the patient and his or her family; you always seem to work with a joyful spirit; and the patient comes first –every single time.

If you’re not really sure what all Home Health can do, check us out at www.tuomey.com/outreach/inhomeservices. I promise – you won’t find anyone who can do it better!

Being thankful

We all know the tradition. You sit around the table telling everyone what you’re thankful for this year. A good job. Some savings. Healthy children. Most of us have some sort of tradition that goes that way, me included. And one of the things that I am thankful for is our wonderful hospital. The people that work at Tuomey are incredible. Let me tell you a quick story, and I think you’ll agree just how incredible they really are.

We had a case last year that was heart-breaking. One of those gut-wrenching stories that brings tears to your eyes. We had a lady on our oncology floor who had terminal cancer. She was going to die, and it was going to happen soon. Unfortunately, sometimes when people get cancer, no one can cure them. They die. And that in itself is heartbreaking. But you see, her husband was in ICU – and his prognosis at the time was not very good either. And they had two boys – 18 & 15.

Can you just imagine? Being that young and watching both of your parents slip away, on separate floors in a hospital – and you are not even out of your teens. Heart-breaking.

Members of the nursing staff and some of our case managers wanted to do something. Anything. The boys just wanted their family together. So that’s what they did. In her final hours, staff members pushed the mom’s bed into the ICU and placed her beside her husband. There they would lie beside each other – one last time, and the boys would have their family together. The staff took pictures. One last family portrait.

The mom died soon after that, and the oldest son was joining the military to help support his younger brother. And our staff couldn’t change the outcome, but they could bring that family together one last time. One last memory.

That’s the kind of people we have here at Tuomey. I hope we never have to repeat the events in this case, but if we do, that’s what I’m thankful for this year. People like this. People who really care.

I also want to give thanks for this special place that we call home and for all the people who make it special. We give thanks for a baby’s cry and for a family’s happy tears because of a talented, caring team of doctors and nurses.

We give thanks for a life saved and the technology – and the technician – that allowed it to be so. We give thanks for a therapist that helped a loved one return to being the person they were – and better.

We give thanks for allowing us to be a shoulder to cry on, a hand to lift you up and a heart to care about your path ahead. We give thanks for a single heartbeat, because in that brief moment resides the difference that makes miracles.

We give thanks for the miracles that happen at Tuomey every day, and for Sumter and her citizens, as you allow us to be a part of your lives.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Tuomey.

Home of the Brave

Since Veteran’s Day was last week, I started thinking about the military and what a great service they do. We are so blessed as a country to have the freedoms we enjoy. We live our lives – mostly – in peace. We go to bed at night, wake up the next day, send the kids out the door, head out to the office and go about our business. We don’t think much about our safety, our borders, our country. It’s just expected. You know, we Americans in general are a little spoiled. And I like that. I like knowing that I don’t have to worry about bombings in my city. And I’ve never had to worry about someone strapping themselves with dynamite and driving into the restaurant I’m sitting in. It’s a good feeling, and one that most of us take for granted.

So for today, I am not going to take it for granted. I’m going to look around the town and appreciate it all – if only for today, I hope you’ll do the same. Think about the stories we hear on the news. Look at what’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. And know for today that someone is looking out for you. Someone is wearing armor and helping to keep terror from our shores. Soldiers and airmen are fighting and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free.

I am so proud of Shaw Air Force Base, and the men and women who serve there. I have known some incredible individuals who have come through Shaw. And there are plenty more who will serve there in the future. We talk about the economic impact Shaw brings to our community, and that is important. Their fiscal impact is real. They buy homes, cars, groceries in our community. They send their children to school here and they pay taxes too. But the real impact is their service. Their service to us, our community, our country. They keep us safe.

And soon, we’ll have the Third Army here as well. We’ve already started welcoming some of their members to our community, and we are looking forward to meeting more over the next two to three years. We’ve always had a great relationship with our Air Force neighbors and I’m sure we’ll make the Army feel just as welcome. It’s the least we can do.

Also, I can’t write a blog like this without mentioning our very own General. We have been so blessed to have retired Gen. Tom Olsen as the chairman of our Tuomey Foundation board since it began in 1995. He was a true American hero and leader in Desert Storm. And he’s absolutely committed to the Sumter community and Tuomey today.

So, if only for today, remember how lucky we are to live, work and play in this great country. God Bless America!

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” ~Elmer Davis