Pacific Hopsital of Long Beach

Monday, July 1, 2013

Pacific Hospital Long Beach Reveals Tips for Summer Skin Safety

The summer is prime time for barbecues, beach trips, and other outdoor festivities. Unfortunately in the midst of enjoying these activities, many people forget about protecting their skin and their health. There are many strategies and steps that are effective in helping people to stay safe and still have fun.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Travel Safety Tips from Pacific Hospital of Long Beach


Vacation Time! Travel Safety Tips from Pacific Hospital
The team at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach focuses on patient comfort and safety above all else, and enjoys providing education for those who visit the hospital on how they can maintain their health as they travel. Unfortunately, even a carefully planned trip can become chaotic should an unexpected medical situation arise. The team at the hospital is offering guidance for those looking to stay safe as they head out on vacation.

Read the entire article here: Pacific Hospital Long Beach On Medical Tips While Traveling

According to Pacific Hospital Long Beach, Proper Communication with Hospitals Is Essential - WSAV: News, Weather, and Sports for Savannah, GA

According to Pacific Hospital Long Beach, Proper Communication with Hospitals Is Essential - WSAV: News, Weather, and Sports for Savannah, GA

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Customer Service Employee of the Month: June 2013

Nominated by nominated by Kathryn McLaughlin

Janet H. is the Customer Service Employee of the Month for June, 2013.  Janet works in our Behavioral Health Unit and was nominated for performing with distinction, as evident from a letter received by the hospital.

The letter details her exemplary devotion to customer service, patient care, and a very pleasant demeanor. Her kindness and attentiveness to our patient and their loved one made a world of difference in their stay here at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach.

We are proud to acknowledge Janet as the Customer Service Employee of the Month. Thanks for a job well done.


Monday, June 17, 2013

Winners of May's "WHO'S GOT GAME" Award

Winners of May's "WHO'S GOT GAME" Award


Med/Surge
 
Congratulations to Med/Surge for having the most improved patient satisfaction scores over the prior month. Keep up the great work!


Monday, June 10, 2013


Pacific Hospital of Long Beach - Internal Medicine Residents
Number One in the Nation!

Congratulations Internal Medicine Residents On Your National In-service Examination!

PHLB is a teaching hospital and excels in operating the oldest osteopathic postgraduate training program in California. The program is approved for 26 interns and residents, and we have consistently graduated prominent physicians.

Offered internships are in family medicine, internal medicine and transitional medicine. Residencies offered are family practices, internal medicine and dermatology. The program offers rotations for 3rd and 4th year medical students that include all of the hospital services provided.

Each year there are a total of 100 residency programs that take the National In-Service Training Examination; the test is 4 hours long and consists of 200 questions.

In recent years, we have done exceptionally well. However, it is a great pleasure to announce that our Internal Medicine Residency Ranks # 1 on the National In-service exam. In addition, we had five of our seven residents score in the 95th percentile or higher.

We are very proud of our Residents:

Jeffrey Chang, D.O.
Hebert Claude, D.O.
Zakiat Darojat, D.O.
Sara Ghazi, .D.O.
Raffi Ghurabi, D.O.
Jennifer Lizcano, D.O.
Brett Schweizer, D.O.
Congratulations, you have done an excellent job and the recognition is well deserved.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections Across the Board

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach - Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections Across the Board
Over the last few years, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach (PHLB) has enjoyed an astounding record in its fight against several deadly hospital-acquired infections and superbugs. Francisco Floressantos of PHLB explains how we are doing it in "Pacific Hospital Long Beach – Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections Across the Board."

Read this informative local success story here:
 
www.cahcnews.com: Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections Across the Board

Take a look at this Fox News story here: Dr. Clean  

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Eliminates Dangerous Infection

Hospital-Acquired Infections have been a recent topic in the news, world-wide. Heart wrenching stories about the damage from superbugs such as MRSA and C diff, the preventable loss of life, and their financial burden on our economy are frequently highlighted in our nation’s media.

At PHLB, we are fortunate to have developed excellent infection control measures many years ago, allowing us to be leaders in the fight against these devastating infections. In our latest recognition, a team led by Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, Dr. Luke Watson, and Karen Scott managed to completely eliminate Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI). According to the CDC, a urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection involving any part of the urinary system, including urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidney. UTIs are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Among UTIs acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine.

This past May, the California Hospital Association’s California Hospital Engagement Network congratulated PHLB for maintaining a rate of zero CAUTI’s from January 2011 to February 2013.

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach - Committed to Quality and Best Patient Care Practices


Becker’s Hospital Review, the leading source of cutting-edge business and legal information for hospital leaders and owners, and the Seattle PI have published our recent NIAHO and ISO 9001:2008 accreditations.

As you may recall, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has been recently accredited by NIAHO and designated as ISO 9001:2008 compliant by DNV Healthcare Inc. ISO 9001:2008 designation or certification indicates that a medical facility operates under the highest quality management standards. DNV Healthcare is the leading accreditor of US hospitals integrating ISO 9001 quality compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

NIAHO’s standards address patient care and decision-making by health care professionals and hospital management.

 While these important accreditations have put us through a vigorous journey, the results are met with increased satisfaction.

 See the articles here:

•beckersasc.com: NIAHO & DNV Healthcare Accredits Pacific Hospital of Long Beach

•seattlepi.com: Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Accredited by NIAHO, Becomes ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Compliant

Monday, May 13, 2013

Congratulations Hanna Tran, May 2013 Customer Service Employee of the Month!

PHLB would like to congratulate Hanna Tran of Accounting as our May 2013 Employee Of The Month.

Hanna did her best to accommodate the mother of a BHU patient needing to visit her son early. She translated for her and even made sure she had a ride back to Orange County.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Free Health Fair at Jackie Robinson Academy - May 13th to 17th

As part of our community outreach efforts, we will be teaming up with the Jackie Robinson Academy to provide much needed health screenings to the students and their families at no cost. Special thanks to the Medical Education Department for making this happen.

Spread the word about our upcoming health fair on May 13th - 17th:




Health Fair May 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th

7:30am to 10:00am and 12:30pm to 3:00pm

Free medical services include:

  • Pulse/blood pressure
  • Sugar
  • Heart/Lung
  • Basic Physical Screening
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Ask a Physician

No appointments necessary!

The health fair will be located at:

Jackie Robinson Academy

27540 Pine Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 492-6003

The Scoop on Nursing Pins, PHLB’s Newest Tradition

Nurses make a huge difference in our hospital because of their uniquely challenging and multi-disciplined role. The word nurse comes from the Latin word "nutrire" which means to nourish. Indeed they do. They use their varied knowledge of anatomy, first aid, nutrition, physiology, medicine practices, and others in order to heal with compassion and perform with distinction.

As we celebrate their passion for the profession and their strong commitment to patient safety, we have started a new tradition at PHLB. We have designed and gifted a custom made nursing pin as a symbolic reminder of their accomplishments. This "pinning" tradition will be done every year during Nurse’s week going forward. We will make every effort to come up with a new and unique design every year to make these pins special, and perhaps even collectible.

In the Nursing world, a pinning ceremony is a symbolic welcoming of newly graduated nurses into the nursing profession. These pins often represent the history of the individual nursing program or school. The new nurses are presented with nursing pins by the faculty of the nursing school. Often the nurses recite the Nightingale Pledge.

Some nursing schools have stopped holding the pinning ceremony, claiming it is an outdated ritual. The pin is still worn as part of nurses' uniforms today, in such cases, before or even after they graduate from their respective nursing schools and work for medical institutions, such as hospitals and health and wellness centers.

It’s our hope that our small gesture will help re-energize that big nursing heart as we pause and reflect on last years accomplishments, challenges, hugs, tears, and smiles that are inherent of the nursing profession.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

May is Mental Health Month: 31 Ways to Wellness Calendar

Check out this calendar/to-do-list provided by Mental Health America:

For each day during the month of May, it gives you a task to complete to help you move forward on the road to wellness.

For example, on May 1st:

You can download the whole calendar below:

31 Ways to Wellness

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

May is Mental Health Month: Pathways to Wellness

For more than 60 years, Mental Health America and our affiliates across the country have led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media, local events and screenings. This year's theme is Pathways to Wellness.

Key Messages

  1. Wellness - it's essential to living a full and productive life. It's about keeping healthy as well as getting healthy.
  2. Wellness involves a set of skills and strategies that prevent the onset or shorten the duration of illness and promote recovery and well-being. Wellness is more than just the absence of disease.
  3. Wellness is more than an absence of disease. It involves complete general, mental and social well-being. And mental health is an essential component of overall health and well-being. The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health.
  4. Whatever our situation, we are all at risk of stress given the demands of daily life and the challenges it brings-at home, at work and in life. Steps that build and maintain well-being and help us all achieve wellness involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and community.
  5. These steps should be complemented by taking stock of one's well-being through regular mental health checkups and screenings. Just as we check our blood pressure and get cancer screenings, it's a good idea to take periodic reading of our emotional well-being.
  6. Fully embracing the concept of wellness not only improves health in the mind, body and spirit, but also maximizes one's potential to lead a full and productive life. Using strategies that promote resiliency and strengthen mental health and prevent mental health and substance use conditions lead to improved general health and a healthier society: greater academic achievement by our children, a more productive economy, and families that stay together.

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

U.S. Asthma Capitals

Today more than 300 million people worldwide are living with asthma, and nearly 25 million of them live right here in the U.S. But for all the talk of the global asthma epidemic, there are plenty of everyday reminders that asthma problems – and solutions – are local. There is no place free from asthma triggers, and some cities are more challenging places to live than others, like Memphis, TN, which has just been named the new top "Asthma Capital" for 2012 by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

It's Not Just About Air Pollution

Air pollution isn’t the only trigger for asthma, so to determine the rankings, researchers look at 12 sets of data for the 100 largest U.S. cities including prevalence factors, risk factors and medical factors. Memphis has appeared on the Foundation's list for several years, including as #3 on last year's list. Factors such as high pollen counts, poor air quality, frequent ozone days, no public smoking bans, high use of asthma medications all contributed to Memphis' rise on the list to the #1 spot this year.

To create the rankings, AAFA assesses the 100 largest U.S. cities based on air pollution, ozone days, pollen counts, medication utilization, poverty rates and even public smoking laws – 12 factors overall – to produce a truly intimate profile of each city illustrating how challenging it is for people with asthma. Then, AAFA scores and ranks the cities based on the factors.

Asthma Triggers: Gain Control

Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors. Indoor allergens and irritants play a significant role in triggering asthma attacks. Triggers are things that can cause asthma symptoms, an episode or attack or make asthma worse. If you have asthma, you may react to just one trigger or you may find that several things act as triggers. Be sure to work with a doctor to identify triggers and develop a treatment plan that includes ways to reduce exposures to your asthma triggers.


Resources:

Friday, April 26, 2013

Congratulations Sylvia Robledo, April's Customer Service Employee of the Month!

PHLB would like to congratulate Sylvia Robledo as our April 2013 Customer Service Employee Of The Month.

Here's an excerpt from a voicemail that a patient left about Sylvia's fine work:

"I just wanted to call to let you know that Sylvia was so professional and so nice in taking care of me; and even though it’s her job to take care of me, she made it seem like it was something she really wanted to do. She made me comfortable; she made sure I had everything; and she was so pleasant that I just thought that I would take a few minutes to let you know that Sylvia was extremely good."

Congratulations Sylvia!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

New Fluoroscopy Suite Coming Soon!

Did you know that our new Toshiba Kalare Fluoroscopy suite is close to completion? This suite is located in radiology and will soon be fully operational.

With the Kalare system, PHLB imaging technologists will have the ability to use a single X-ray system to capture images within a matter of minutes for a fast, accurate diagnosis. The system can accommodate numerous studies including general diagnostic, gastrointestinal exams, myelography and nonvascular interventional radiography.

The benefits of the new fluoroscopy suite and equipment include:

  • Efficiency and Productivity: The speed of the new Toshiba Kalare system can increase productivity by allowing the technologist to perform more procedures than in the past.
  • Exceptional Digital Images: High-quality, digital images produced by the Toshiba Kalare X-ray system increases clinical capabilities with state-of-the-art digital imaging.
  • Versatile and User-Friendly: Toshiba Kalare’s user-friendly design makes it easy and comfortable for technologists to perform multiple exams on a single day with ease.

In addition to expanding clinical capabilities with efficient X-ray procedures, PHLB expects to significantly increase its exam capacity – which means more patients can be treated faster with greater diagnostic confidence.

Stay tuned for more on this developing success story.

Pacific Hospital’s CAT Scan Department Granted ACR Accreditation!

We are proud to announce Pacific Hospital’s CAT Scan Department has been granted a three year accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR). This accreditation has been awarded in all areas, including Adult, Pediatric, and Cardiac Imaging. The CT department has undergone a rigorous review by the ACR to ensure it meets national accepted standards of care.

We would like to thank Clara Cedillo and Linda Page who have worked diligently in obtaining this accreditation. This process took approximately 6 months to complete and demonstrates our commitment to the highest quality of patient care and safety.

California Hospital Association Lists PHLB in Success Stories this Month!

California Hospital Association (CHA) has included Pacific Hospital of Long Beach in their list of success stories this month for our work combatting Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia. See the full list here: CHA Success Stories

Seattle PI: Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

This morning, Seattle PI, a Washington-based newspaper, published a story on Pacific Hospital and our successful efforts in bringing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) incidence down to zero.

You can read the story here:

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Pacific Hospital Receives Award from Southern California Patient Safety First

In its ongoing fight against these potentially deadly infections, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has recently received an award from the Southern California Patient Safety First (SCPSF) for reducing sepsis mortality and hospital associated infection rates from 2010-2012. While Pacific Hospital has gained national attention for its success in reducing these deadly hospital-acquired infections, this latest recognition highlights the significant impact on the safety and quality of care for its local Southern California community. Thanks to simple, yet innovative control measures, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has achieved outstanding results. Pacific Hospital has the lowest incidence of MRSA and Clostridium difficile in California.

Read the Press Release: Long Beach Hospital Winning the Fight Against Deadly Super Bugs

Advanceweb.com Explains Pacific Hospital's Algorithm to Eradicate Infection.

Advanceweb.com, a website dedicated to serving the healthcare community, published an article outlining Pacific Hospital of Long Beach's strategy for infection control. The article is written from a nursing perspective and goes into details about the measures taken at Pacific Hospital that differ from other hospitals.

Read the article on advanceweb.com: Eradicating Infection

Pacific Hospital mentioned in Hospital-Associated Infection Article on CNN Health

CNN published an article about the C. diff infection and its spread throughout hospitals. The article mentions Pacific Hospital of Long Beach who got it's C. diff infection rate down to zero. PHLB's Epidemiologist, Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, is also featured in the article voicing his frustrations with all too common attitudes toward the C. diff infection.

You can read the article on CNN Health: Don't let a hospital kill your child

Fox News Covers Pacific Hospital's Infection Control Efforts

Fox News covers an astounding story shedding light on patients contracting infections during their stay in the hospital. The CDC reports up to 99,000 die each year from hospital-associated infections and almost two million are sickened by hospital germs! Pacific Hospital's Head of Infection Control, Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, is featured during the report pointing out how Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has upped the ante against hospital-associated infections. Some of the strategies employed included technology upgrades like UV-filtration systems, consistent use of best practices, and several measures taken for both the staff and the patients. Check out the Fox News video below:

Or, watch it on youtube:
Infection Control Report featuring Pacific Hospital's Dr. Torress-Cook

Pacific Hospital Receives Congressional Award for During International Infection Prevention Week

In 2009, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach received special congressional recognition for bringing greater attention to the critical need to protect patients and the public from the risk of healthcare-associated infections

California Hospital Association Highlights Pacific Hospital

The California Hospital Association has launched a statewide public education campaign. The CHA Public Advocacy Program highlights our efforts for drastically reducing Clostridium Difficile (C. diff) Infections.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. diff causes approximately 14,000 deaths each year in all types of medical facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient facilities. In recent years, C. diff infections have become increasingly frequent, severe and difficult to treat. This has created additional challenges and opportunities for hospitals to review and change the way they treat patients who have been identified as having C. diff.

Read about our success here!

Our Infection Control Efforts are Noticed

The California Report provides daily coverage of issues, trends, and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population. Their report, which was featured on KQED Radio, focuses on our continued strides in reducing infections at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach.

The reporters were given a tour of our facilities and had a first-hand look at the measures we take to increase your safety.

Please take some time to listen to the report and view the interactive report.

Listen to the report here:



Watch the interactive report here:

PHLB Earns Excellence Award from Cerner Corporation

Our hospital recently made the journey from a predominantly paper based workflow to an electronic medical records system (EMR) with Cerner Corporation, the largest provider of electronic medical systems in the United States. We selected Cerner to improve patient safety and quality of care, increase hospital revenue, and achieve stage one of Meaningful Use within a short time frame. Our small California hospital took on a big challenge as it sought to kick off 35 clinical and financial solutions and interfaces within 12 months.
This was one of the largest solution implementations in the West Coast for Cerner. Despite the daunting task, the outcome was a complete success, prompting Cerner Corporation to award PHLB with their performance Excellence Award. The hospital and Cerner formed a strong partnership which was demonstrated in the joint objectives for the EMR system, later named PEARL for Patient Electronic Access Records Live.
Learn More Here