Cardiac Rehab Patient Turns 94

After suffering two heart attacks 10 years ago, Buck Fagan became a regular fixture in the Providence Heart & Vascular Institute’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation classes.  Buck works out at this facility several times a week and has made numerous friends in the program over the past decade.  His pals collected money to throw Buck a surprise 94^th birthday party on Monday, February 1 – coincidentally the first day of American Heart Month.  WACH Fox came out to cover the story.  Check out the video below! 

Red Dress Rally a Success

Providence Heart & Vascular Institute’s annual Red Dress Rally, held Tuesday, February 2, at the Statehouse was a rousing success.  Despite the dreary weather, women turned out in droves to raise awareness about the dangers of heart disease.  Check out WIS-TV’s coverage for video of the event and make plans to join us next year!

It’s Time to Rally!

Providence Heart & Vascular Institute invites women to attend its annual Red Dress Rally on Tuesday, February 2, at noon in the Statehouse first floor rotunda.  The rally is intended to draw attention to the issue of heart disease and women.

Women are encouraged to wear red dresses to this event as a show of support for this important cause.  University of South Carolina First Lady Patricia Pastides, representatives from the American Heart Association and Providence Red Dress Ambassadors, women who have volunteered to spread the word about the importance of this critical health issue, will all be on hand to share their personal experiences.

The annual Red Dress Rally is one of several activities associated with the hospital’s Red Dress Campaign, which helps to demonstrate that heart disease is not just a man’s disease. While most women assume that breast cancer is their chief health threat, heart disease actually kills nearly 12 times as many women as breast cancer.  Nationwide, heart disease kills half a million women each year, compared to 42,000 for breast cancer.

Baby Born to South Carolina’s Bravest

After being stationed in Afghanistan for five months, a sailor with the United States Navy made it home just in time to see the birth of his child.  Three hours after returning home, Paul Randall and his wife Katie welcomed their first baby, a son, at Providence Hospital Northeast.  Blessed to share this monumental occasion with one other, the Randall’s are also thankful to a special lady Paul met during his travels.  Check out the video for the full story. 

Arbor Day Baby Honored

Yolanda Geiger cradles her new daughter, the official Richland County 2009 Arbor Day Baby.

Charles and Yolanda Geiger welcomed their new baby girl at Providence Hospital Northeast at 7:56 a.m. this morning, December 4.  Weighing in at seven pounds and four ounces, baby Geiger was named the official 2009 Arbor Day Baby by Richland County.  The parents’ of the newest resident of Richland County were presented with a gift basket donated by the Richland County Appearance Commission.  The Geigers will also receive a tree that will be planted in their yard (at a later date) in honor of their Arbor Day Baby. 

Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April, with South Carolina celebrating its state Arbor Day the first Friday in December.

Furry Face Bring Smiles

You don’t normally expect to see a dog walking the halls of a hospital, but at Providence Hospital, visits from a furry friend will be a weekly occurence.  Annie, a labradoodle, and her handler will visit patients each week as part of the hospital’s new pet therapy program.  Research has shown that pet therapy can help lower patient’s blood pressure and can help decrease anxiety, depression and loneliness. Watch the video to learn more about Annie.  We’re glad that we are able to bring smiles and comfort to our patients.

In Pursuit of Cool Careers

Providence Hospitals is hosting high school juniors and seniors that are interested in finding out if their futures might lay in the field of healthcare.  These students spend their days shadowning physicians, nurses and other medical staff members, getting a true hands-on experience in the world of medicine.  Take a look at the attached news story and see what the Pursuit program is all about.

Awards & Honors – What do they mean?

Amidst all the talk about which hospital offers what service and where you can find the best patient care, isn’t it wise to take a look at what health care peer groups have to say about health care organizations?  After all, if you’re doing a good job in providing health care services that have good outcomes, other organizations will take note.  Take for instance, recent awards that demonstrate the hospitals’ commitment to quality outcomes for patients. Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care  (designated by Blue Cross Blue Shield) demonstrate hospitals’ commitments to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for cardiac patients. Providence Hospitals meet evidence-based clinical criteria, developed in collaboration with expert physicians’ and medical organizations, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).  Along those same lines, Providence Hospitals recently received accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPS).  The hospitals’ accreditation as a chest pain center goes above and beyond the required standards for a Chest Pain Emergency department to include a PCI designation to treat blocked arteries of the heart. “This designation means that within minutes of arriving at our Emergency department with a heart attack, our goal is to get you into a cardiac cath lab to receive an intervention. There’s also the recent acknowledgements of the Gold Performance Achievement award from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG–CAD) program and national rankings for quality outcomes by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons.

Providence Hospitals’ also was recently recognized for achievements in improving supply chain performance and being good stewards of the hospitals’ funds. The GHXcellence Award is presented by GHX Supply Chain Summit—the largest forum in the U.S. focused on both the buy and sell side of the health care supply chain.  That means Providence Hospitals has done a great job at reducing operating expenses and increasing knowledge-based decision making.

Taken individually, each of these awards is significant.  But it becomes even more apparent, when combined as a whole, how important these designations are to you, the patient, when focused on making the best decisions of where to seek your health care.

Welcome to Providence Hospitals

We’re glad that you’re taking a moment to visit our Web site and our new blog.  Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date information to allow you to better participate in making the right health care decisions for you and your family.  You will find information here about events, services and new technologies available at Providence Hospitals.  We welcome your comments on our topics and would like to hear back from you on the types of information about which you would like to know more.