Growing with Our CommunityLearn about our hospital expansion

and renovation plans

Robotic Hernia RepairQuick and precise surgery

Rehab for ResidentsComputerized strength and power equipment now at The Neighborhoods

Inspiring HealtHSPRING 2015

We Want to Hear From You!Did you have an outstanding experience with Brookings Health System? Don’t just keep it to yourself!

By liking us on Facebook®, following us on Twitter®, or viewing us on YouTube®, not only can you learn about upcoming health system events and technology advances, but you can also leave your feedback and learn about the experiences of others.

Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/BrookingsHealth, on Twitter at twitter.com/BrookingsHealth, or on YouTube at youtube.com/BrookingsHealth.

Pasco Promoted to Food Service Director

In thIs role, Pasco is responsible for providing team leadership, overseeing expenses and directing daily food service operations at both Brookings Health System’s hospital and nursing home. He also oversees menu evaluation and planning, kitchen and storage facility sanitation, and food safety.

Pasco spent the past three years as the chef manager at Brookings Health System. His prior experience also includes two

years as Sodexo’s chef manager at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa and three years as the assistant kitchen manager at Gateway Casino and Lounge in Sioux Falls. He holds an associate’s degree in culinary arts from The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles and also is a certified dietary manager.

For more information on Brookings Health System’s dietary services, please visit www.brookingshealth.org.

Matthew Pasco was recently promoted by Sodexo, the managing food services company at

Brookings Health System, to the food service director position.

the easter Bunny will soon make his rounds, and that means dying Easter eggs, egg hunts, and eating eggs. But you want to safely prepare and handle eggs to avoid foodborne illnesses, like Salmonella.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, keep eggs refrigerated and cook eggs until yolks are firm. Other tips include:

Buy only refrigerated eggs and open the carton to check eggs are clean with no cracked shells.Do not let cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, sit out longer than two hours. Within two hours, either reheat or refrigerate. Use hard-cooked eggs, either in the shell or peeled, within one week after cooking.Pack cooked eggs for a picnic in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold.

Remember, bacteria can multiply in temperatures from 40° to 140° F. Thorough cooking and proper serving are key to making eggs safe.

Safe Egg HandlingSafe Egg Handling2

brookingshealth.org

Robotic-Assisted da Vinci Hernia Repair

Robotic-Assisted da Vinci Hernia Repair

As much as 10% of the population, mostly men, will develop an

abdominal hernia in their lifetime. Many people with hernias do

not seek treatment, but if a hernia isn’t repaired, it can become a

larger medical issue. The da Vinci robotic surgical system enhances

surgeons’ capabilities to precisely and quickly repair hernias.

a hernIa Is a defect or hole in the abdominal wall’s muscle layer, causing the layer behind it to bubble through the hole. Generally these occur due to tension placed on scars, including natural scars such as the navel or inguinal canal (groin) in men, or healed scars created from previous surgical incisions.

“The most common symptom is a bulge,” says General Surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Johnson of Avera Medical Group.

“Patients notice something bulging out below their skin. Generally they don’t have too much pain unless the hole is too small for the bubble to go in and out of. Then we need to do something about the hernia.”

A hernia will not heal on its own and requires a surgeon to “patch” it, much like a leak in a tire.

“If the defect is too large, it can’t be simply sewn closed because it will create tension again, and tension is what caused the hole in the first place,” says Dr. Johnson.

To repair a hernia, a surgeon places a mesh patch behind the hole and sews it into place to prevent the bulge from

ballooning through. Compared to other surgical methods, robotic hernia repair gives the surgeon the advantage of superior vision and enhanced dexterity while using small incisions for minimal scarring and quicker patient recovery. During the procedure, the surgeon sits at a console, viewing a 3-D, high-definition image of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses controls below the viewer to move the instrument arms and camera. In real-time, the system translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into more precise movements of the miniaturized instruments inside the patient. Every surgical movement remains under the surgeon’s direct control.

Because robotic-assisted hernia repair is a minimally invasive procedure, patients typically go home the same day, experience minimal pain, have less blood loss, and have less risk of infection. Patients also can return to work and normal daily activities faster although they will have some restrictions.

“When we fix a hernia, a patient’s body scars into the mesh,” says Dr. Johnson. “The mesh is like rebar and the body puts concrete down. That has to cure for a period of four to six weeks before we want any stress or strain on the repair.”

Once repaired, a patient’s hernia discomfort ends and further medical complications are prevented.

To learn more about hernias and daVinci hernia surgery at Brookings Health System, visit www.brookingshealth.org/hernia.

Dr. Jeffrey Johnson sits at the control console of the da Vinci surgical system at Brookings Health System.

spring 2015

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The Neighborhoods at Brookview performed strongly again on the skilled nursing home facility’s latest family/resident survey

conducted by independent research firm, My Innerview, outperforming peer groups from across the nation.

accordIng to the survey, overall satisfaction for the facility ranked at 95%. In addition, 93% of family and residents interviewed indicated they would recommend The Neighborhoods to others.

“These high scores reflect the tremendous care that we deliver on a daily basis,” said Administrator Jason Hanssen.

“Our team of care givers go above and beyond to ensure that the residents are happy and well cared for. Our survey reflects this, and we are all very proud of these scores.”

The Neighborhoods outperformed peer groups across the nation on the survey, scoring extremely well in all 24 ranked areas and improving in almost every survey category.

Brookings Health System’s hospital quality ranks second

in South Dakota according to the Center for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) 2015 quality-based

reimbursement programs.

High-Quality Care Continues at The Neighborhoods at Brookview

June 2013, residents and staff moved from Brookings Health System’s old nursing home, Brookview Manor, to The Neighborhoods at Brookview. It offers short and long-term care to residents. The facility embraces the household model of care which aims to create a homelike, social setting for residents. Staff incorporates the five person-directed values in care: Choice, Dignity, Respect, Self-Determination and Purposeful Living.

Want to learn more about the high-quality care at The Neighborhoods? Please visit www.brookingshealth.org/Quality.

Hospital Performs Strongly on Quality-Based Reimbursement Programs

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2.09% Highest National Score

-4.44% Lowest National Score

Avera Heart

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Avera McKennan

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Performance IndIcators Place Brookings Health System a mere 0.01% behind the top-performing Avera Heart Hospital. CMS’s reimbursement programs rate hospitals based on quality measures such as patient readmissions, hospital acquired conditions, clinical care, patient experience, care outcomes, and hospital efficiency. Medicare ties hospital reimbursements to the quality performance ratings.

Overall, South Dakota hospitals performed very strongly, collectively ranking second in the nation. The chart at right shows how South Dakota hospitals along the I-29 corridor performed compared to other hospitals in the nation. More information on the CMS quality-based reimbursement programs can be found at www.cms.gov.

To learn more about the high quality care at Brookings Health System, please visit www.brookingshealth.org/Quality.

1.14% 1.13%

0.12% -0.91% -1.08%

Performance for Quality-Based Reimbursement Program

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brookingshealth.org

Regular physical activity and exercise benefits everyone,

but studies indicate older adults may have the most to gain.

According to the National Institute on Aging, exercise and physical

activity help maintain and improve physical strength and balance and

help manage and prevent disease. New state-of-the-art rehabilitation

equipment at The Neighborhoods now allows residents to work on

their health while providing them stats on their progress.

State-of-the-Art RehabilitationState-of-the-Art Rehabilitationthe neIghBorhoods at BrookvIew is the first skilled nursing facility in South Dakota to integrate computerized HUR strength and power equipment to its rehabilitation services. The new equipment helps both short- and long-term residents to maintain their physical health and independence.

The facility acquired five new pieces of therapy equipment designed specifically for seniors to help residents improve balance and strengthen muscles while capturing data that shows individual progress. Therapists can use the equipment to tailor individualized training programs for residents. The goal for many residents is to remain independent.

“Short-term residents in the Maple Ridge transitional care unit who are recovering from surgery, such as joint replacement, can use this equipment to retrain their body, helping them return to their home,” said Director of Rehab Shawn Even of Aegis Therapies, the managing therapy company at The Neigborhoods at Brookview. “For long-term residents, the equipment can help prevent falls and maintain independent mobility.”

The new balance analysis system is a computerized posturography machine that enables therapists to screen, assess, test and train for balance disorders. The system includes a balance platform that a resident stands on. The platform detects a person’s stability and risk of falling. Based on testing data, therapists can customize video game-like training modules to help a resident with neuromuscular re-education and balance coordination.

For strengthening, the new dual function hip abduction/adduction machine and leg press helps a resident build lower extremity muscles. The lat pull and dig/shrug machines allows upper extremity strengthening. All strengthening equipment has independent left and right movements, meaning therapists can help resident correct weak, imbalanced muscles. The machines also allow for speed training to develop fast twitch muscle fibers that are essential for balance recovery.

All pieces of new equipment allow therapists to read progress data for each resident. Progress reports can be used to show productivity to residents and family and to justify therapy to insurance companies.

By adding the new therapy equipment, The Neighborhoods aims to help residents maintain their health and add to their quality of life.

Interested in learning more about rehabilitation services and short- and long-term stays at The Neighborhoods? Please call (605) 696-8700 or visit www.brookingshealth.org/Neighborhoods.

spring 2015

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Fighting the Fear of FoodFighting the Fear of FoodEating and drinking and are necessary skills most people take for

granted. For people who lose those capabilities, reacquiring those

skills becomes priceless. VitalStim, a therapy program offered

at Brookings Health System, is helping Brookings resident Allan

Jones relearn to swallow so he can eat and drink again.

In June 2014 Allan learned he had a viral form of throat cancer. The retired SDSU IT director had the lymph nodes in his neck surgically removed and began a treatment regimen, including radiation and chemotherapy.

Knowing Allan would experience difficulty swallowing after surgery and radiation, his care providers inserted a feeding tube to provide primary nutrition for nearly six months. Surgical trauma and the inability to swallow caused muscle atrophy. When Allan tried eating regular foods again in December 2014, he experienced choking episodes and became afraid to eat.

“About the only thing I could eat was anything in liquid form,” said Allan, who started with pureed and soft foods like applesauce and pudding.

Allan’s doctors knew he needed help regaining his swallowing function. Allan didn’t want to drive to Sioux Falls for therapy in winter weather. He was already seeing a Brookings Health System physical therapist for lymphedema treatment, and she recommended he ask his physicians to refer him to Brookings Health System’s VitalStim program.

In January, Allan began working with Speech-Language Pathologist Amy Paulson three times a week to treat his dysphagia, the medical term for swallowing difficulty. She uses VitalStim therapy to help Allan’s brain remap swallowing control and strengthen muscles.

“I had results immediately. My feeling of choking lessened dramatically and I was able to eat some solid foods.”

VitalStim therapy applies neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the patient’s swallowing muscles. A therapist applies electrodes to the patient’s neck and turns on the VitalStim device which provides stimulation to the target area. The patient then performs conventional swallowing exercises. In Allan’s case, some exercises include eating foods of varying consistencies.

Allan’s goal: regain the ability to take in all nutrition by eating and drinking and remove the feeding tube. His swallowing improved so well after only four weeks of treatment he went from taking 1800 calories a day through his feeding tube to only 600 calories a day, eating his remaining calories. He strives to try a new food challenge daily. With Amy’s encouragement, he’s started eating foods with difficult textures to swallow, such as goulash and scrambled eggs.

“She cares about me as a patient. You can’t ask for it better than that,” said Allan. “I was very pleasantly surprised to find we had good, talented care givers right here at Brookings Health System.”

To learn more about VitalStim and speech-language pathology at Brookings Health System, please visit www.brookingshealth.org/Speech.

Speech-language pathologist Amy Paulson applies electrodes to Allan Jones’ neck, preparing him for a session of VitalStim therapy.

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brookingshealth.org

Hospital Expansion & Renovation ProjectHospital Expansion & Renovation ProjectThis spring Brookings Health System plans to break ground to

expand and renovate the hospital. The project’s purpose is to

create a healing environment that will meet today’s health care

needs and build for our community’s future.

the current hosPItal was built in 1964. Since then, Brookings County’s population has grown by 60% and health care has changed radically. For example, in 1964 70% of patients were seen on an inpatient basis. Today, 70% of patients are seen on an outpatient basis. The expectations associated with how people choose to access care are drastically different, too.

The planned hospital expansion and renovation project will enable Brookings Health System to meet the health care needs of our growing community. 62,500 square feet of new hospital space will be added to the east and 17,550 square feet of existing hospital space will be renovated. In addition, a new medical office building will be built on the west side of the hospital and the front lobby entrance will be remodeled.

Goals of the construction project include:

Grow with the community’s health care needs. The additional space will allow Brookings Health System to increase capacity, meeting today’s needs and growing with the community in the future.

Attract new medical specialists for local care. Constructing a medical office building with connected access to a new, state-of-the-art hospital will attract new providers to serve Brookings, including those who choose to locate to Brookings full time and those who wish to perform outreach.

Give patients easy, direct access for outpatient care. Same-day surgery and imaging areas will be built with easy patient access. Same-day surgery will also have a dedicated prep and recovery space separate from inpatient care.

Allow staff more time for patient care. Building new patient care areas designed to flow together with lean principles in mind will allow nursing and other medical staff to work smarter, not harder, and to have more time for patient care.

Increase patient privacy, comfort and total experience. Privacy measures will be designed in care areas, such as private rooms and private patient transport corridors. Updated building systems, such HVAC, and larger rooms will add to patient comfort. The combined effect will help increase the overall patient experience.

Create an exterior reflective of high-quality care. Updating the front façade, entrance and lobby will reflect the high-quality care already happening inside the walls.

The project is currently projected to be completed February 2017. Construction will happen in a phased approach to guarantee a continuity of medical services. Once completed, the expanded and renovated hospital will add to Brookings’ quality of life.

Visit www.brookingshealth.org/expansion to learn more about Brookings Health System’s hospital expansion and renovation project.

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PROGRESS LIVES HEREIn 1907, two local businessmen and two local physicians funded the first Brookings Hospital. The city purchased this facility in 1935. Our current hospital was built in 1964 and the enterprise evolved to what we know now as Brookings Health System.

Today we stand in a unique position to continue this legacy and further our community’s vision for caring for our own close to home. We must address three major changes which have occurred since our current hospital was built 50 years ago:

1. Ourcommunityhasgrownsignificantly

2.Healthcarehaschangedradically

3. Patientexpectationsaredrasticallydifferent

It is our responsibility to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us in support of a vibrant medical community. Brookings Health System is committed to a hospital expansion project providing solutions to meet these changing needs now and into the future.

Brookings Health System Foundation is conducting a community assessment regarding support for this project. The assessment results will provide information necessary to determine the scope of a capital campaign.

Let’s rally to help achieve the next level of health care for our community. Let’s prove that PROGRESS LIVES HERE.

For more information contact Brookings Health System Foundation at (605) 696-8855 or email foundation@brookingshealth.org.

Inspiring people to support Brookings Health System through philanthropy.

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Inspiring Health is published by Brookings Health System. This publication in no way seeks to serve as substitute for professional medical care. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines.