Dr. Rosie Dhillon is joining the North Valley community as a General Surgeon after completing her residency at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Dhillon is now seeing patients and specializes in laparoscopic procedures.
Welcome Rosie!
OTHELLO, Wash., Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- D.G. Sebesta, MD, FACS is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Achiever in the field of Medicine as a Surgeon at Othello Community Hospital and North Valley Hospital.
A frontrunner in healthcare, Dr. Sebesta has over fifty-six years of surgical experience. Between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, he worked for a veterinarian performing animal surgery. When he told his employer that he wanted to become a veterinarian surgeon, his employer said that he was too smart for the field, encouraging him to become a human surgeon. People say that Dr. Sebesta has charm and warmth; he receives hugs at any Walmart in Washington State.
Throughout his education and training, Dr. Sebesta earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Outside of work, Dr. Sebesta enjoys writing memoirs and hunting all over the world. As a testament to his passion for hunting, Dr. Sebesta founded the Lasting Legacy Wildlife Museum, a hunting museum located at 1729 E Weber Rd, Ritzville, WA.
Dr. Sebesta dedicates this recognition in memory of Chester V. McVey MD, creator of the McVey Herniaplasty.
Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 pr@continentalwhoswho.com
Please join us at our two upcoming Town Hall Meetings to discuss the recent changes to OB services and the impact on our Hospital and Community.
Tonasket on Thursday, July 18 at the Tonasket Seniors Center from 6:30 to 8PM
Oroville on Tuesday July 23 at the Oroville Seniors Center from 6:30 to 8PM.
Confluence Health has announced to North Valley Hospital their intention to stop providing Hospital services at North Valley Hospital as of September 1st due to physician staffing challenges. This announcement follows previous communication in which Confluence Health informed the Hospital that it couldn’t support the Hospital’s Obstetrics program due to shortages of physicians.
Confluence Health will continue to provide outpatient care in their Tonasket and Oroville clinics.
Following Confluence’s first communication, NVH began recruiting for family practitioners who would also take care of obstetric services in the hospital.
With the departure of another Confluence Health Family Practitioner, NVH faces more difficulty with recruiting providers to support the Hospital’s OB Program. NVH’s primary focus will be to recruit physicians who can provide in-patient coverage after September 1. NVH is aggressively exploring temporary and long-term arrangements with physicians to allow uninterrupted services.
The North Valley Hospital Board of Commissioners will discuss these developments on June 20th and welcomes members of the public. Confluence Health representatives will also be present to answer any questions.
The Board and Administrative Team has worked to create the goals to support progress on our Strategic Plan. These items represent the big picture ideas, and are supported with several subtopics and tasks.
Participate in the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment by completing the survey linked below. The data is used to focus the efforts of health care organizations in the region on the most pressing needs in our community.
At the Board meeting on December 13th the Commissioner endorsed four strategic pillars of Quality, Satisfaction, Stewardship, and Collaboration. Communication was identified as the foundation for each pillar. Read more at https://www.nvhospital.org/strategic-plan/
In 2018, the A.Z. Wells Foundation continued their generous support of North Valley Hospital and many other organizations in our region. NVH wanted to take this opportunity to thank the foundation for their ongoing support. The funding they provided in 2018 helped purchase new vital sign monitor carts.
The Board of Commissioners launched the Strategic Planning Process on November 15th with a stakeholder meeting and planning session. Follow their progress on developing the plan:
With the support of the North County Accountable Community of Health North Valley Hospital has purchased and installed a drug disposal kiosk in the main lobby of the Hospital.
The Tonasket Police Department, Tonasket School District, Family Health Centers and Confluence Health all pledged their support to fighting the opioid epidemic by preventing drug diversion. The proper disposal of unneeded medication can prevent drug abuse.
Request for Proposals and Qualifications for Architectural Consultants and Engineering Services for Evaluation and Preparation of Plans for North Valley Hospital’s proposed X-Ray Relocation
Scope:
The owner operates a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital and is seeking architectural, engineering, and planning services for a remodel project. North Valley Hospital’s Radiology Department is upgrading their X-Ray technology and relocating the department within the facility.
At this time North Valley Hospital is requesting proposals for design work necessary to complete a remodel on a prior CT room to house a Siemens Luminos Agile Max R&F unit.
All architectural firms interested in providing these services to North Valley Hospital are invited to respond to this Request for Proposal by submitting a RFP proposal. North Valley Hospital encourages firms submitting a proposal to also include a statement of qualification and performance data.
The project should include: • Finishing the R&F room to Siemens specifications • Including shielding, water, HVAC, electrical, sewage, nurse call, oxygen • Meeting all DOH safety requirements • Submission to DOH Construction Review • Permitting process including lead shielding certification
Submittal Requirements:
Submit qualifications including recent hospital project experience of the firm, including work performed for small/rural hospitals; reference for recent hospital projects; names, experience and references for individual members of the proposed project team.
Minority and women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond to this Request for Proposal and Qualifications. North Valley Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Direct request for the RFP packet to John McReynolds, Interim Administrator, North Valley Hospital, 203 S. Western Ave., Tonasket, WA 98855. 509-486-3170
Deadline for submittals to arrive no later than April 1st 2018.
North Valley Hospital (NVH) has recently been recognized for their commitment to Antimicrobial Stewardship by the Washington Department of Health. Antimicrobial Stewardship refers to coordinated interventions designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antibiotics by promoting the selection of the optimal antimicrobial drug regimen, dose and duration of therapy and route of administration.
The prompt initiation of antibiotics to treat infections has been proven to save lives. However, 20-50% of all antibiotics prescribed in US acute care hospitals are either unnecessary of inappropriate. Patients who are unnecessarily exposed to antibiotics are placed at risk for serious adverse events with no clinical benefit.
The goal of the NVH Antimicrobial Stewardship Program is to optimize the treatment of infections and reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use. Further goals of the program are to help clinicians improve the quality of patient care and improve patient safety through increased infection cure rates, reduced treatment failures and increased frequency of correct prescribing therapy and prophylaxis. Significant reductions in hospital rates of Clostridium difficile infections and antibiotic resistance are more goals of this program.
To be considered for the DOH Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll NVH has proven that they meet or exceed the core elements of a hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Program as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
During the last Board Meeting of 2017, outgoing commissioners Helen and Clarice reflected on their time serving the community and this hospital.
The new commissioners Jean Pfeifer and Jerry Bradley, as well as returning commissioner Adam Tibbs, were sworn into office.
Welcome to Jean and Jerry, and thank you to Helen and Clarice for their many years of service.
The Community Needs Assessment has been updated with the progress that has occurred since 2016. This process is used to identify gaps in the community that relate to health care, whole person care, and the social determinates of health. It is North Valley Hospital goal to improve the health of our community through a multifaceted approach. The Community Needs Assessment provides a roadmap to providing better care.
Just in time for the cold front!
Ken Archer (NVHD CEO) & Ray Davis (NVHD Plant Services Manager) completed the final walk-through with the roofing company on October 12th. We are all more than excited for our residents, staff and integrity of the building!
NVH is choosing to join the Washington Rural Health Access Preservation pilot project to gain access to funding for care coordination and behavior health support. This project should allow us to create a new position of a Care Coordinator and provide resources for telehealth in the ED for crisis intervention and psych consults.
About the WRHAP Program:
The threat of rural hospital closure presents a serious challenge to the health and vitality of Washington’s rural communities; especially within many of the state’s most remote or rural areas. The current CAH model is based on the delivery of acute care services, but in practice, Washington’s rural hospitals function much more like community health systems that have some combination of primary care, prevention, EMS/ambulance and long-term care services. These rural communities need a new model of care. The ideal model would deemphasize acute care, ensure core health services for all residents, and be flexible enough to meet community needs within existing resources. This may not look exactly the same in every community; however, access to a baseline of essential health services must be available.
The model discussed below represents the generally agreed upon framework, but more work is needed to refine both the delivery and payment mechanism before we can move to the testing and piloting phase.
Moving Toward a Flexible Delivery System Every community in Washington requires essential health care services, initially defined as:
• Primary Care (including basic mental health and prevention)
• Emergency Care
• EMS (including prehospital and interfacility transport)
• Pharmacy
• Lab and Diagnostics
• Observation Beds
• Care Coordination
• Long-term Care Some services may be accessed or augmented in the local community through telehealth. A set baseline of essential services may be the appropriate level of services needed in remote, extremely low volume communities. However, many rural communities need a broader set of services (e.g. labor and delivery or general surgery, long term care). The WRHAP group envisions the services as “Tier 2” services that could be provided according to community need and desire. This delivery model would ensure essential services while beginning to align local delivery with community need. Payment Models The WRHAP group proposes to explore the feasibility of multiple payment options and select those models that hold promise; WRHAP is an opportunity to use data to test payment models and see what works. While the specific payment methodology is still to be developed, the WRHAP group has proposed general principles that provide a framework for the work ahead. WRHAP proposes a payment methodology with two components: 1) a base payment that incorporates the cost of delivering essential health services and associated infrastructure, and 2) a value component. The value component of the payment model could take a variety of forms, including such approaches as quality incentives or a per-member, per-month payment. Need for Federal Action In the coming months, we will be working with HCA and CMS to get the data necessary to model and test payment options. Once a payment model has been selected, we will move forward with a few recruit sites to pilot for Medicaid. We will also work with the state to provide a regulatory framework to allow for innovation in care delivery. CMS must act to provide a pathway to design and test new models that will sustain our rural health care system. A federal demonstration program through CMMI would allow states to test ideas for a sustainable solution. WSHA is reaching out to our federal delegation and working with other state hospital associations to push CMS for action.
What is an ACH?
Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs) bring together leaders from multiple health sectors around the state with a common interest in improving health and health equity. As ACHs better align resources and activities they support wellness and a system that delivers care for the whole person. See our video.
There are nine ACHs. Their boundaries align with Washington’s Medicaid regional service areas.
What are the goals of the ACHs?
- Promote health equity throughout the state.
- Create, support and collaborate on local health improvement plans.
- Support local and statewide initiatives such as the Medicaid Transformation Demonstration, practice transformation and value-based purchasing.
- Align resources and activities that improve whole person health and wellness.
View, download, or print the full-size ACH regions map.
How can ACHs serve the health needs of their regions?
Health system transformation depends on coordination and integration with community services, social services and public health. ACHs provide the necessary links and supportive environments to address the needs of the whole person.
How are ACHs involved with Medicaid transformation?
Each region, through its ACH will pursue projects aimed at transforming the Medicaid delivery system. Demonstration projects will focus on health systems capacity building, care delivery redesign, prevention and health promotion, and increased use of value-based payment (VBP) models that reward providers for quality of care rather than the volume of services and procedures provided.
A Water Management Team has been created to help protect the facility from waterborne pathogens. A new Water Management Policy has been implemented.
The Policy states:
The initial Facility Risk Assessment took place on 9/5/2017. Follow-up Assessments will occur in the event of an outbreak, significant modification to the facility, or as needed. Documentation is attached.
During the Facility Risk Assessment, several areas were designated as high-risk and noted on the Facility Map with a red star. Test and control limits were established with a protocol for intervention.
Tables are used to describe the scheduled monitoring locations, methods, and cleaning schedule of locations that were identified on the latest Facility Risk Assessment.
Cleaning at risk areas will be done according to Manufacturer Guidelines and CDC recommendations when available.
In addition to the scheduled monitoring the following reported events will trigger additional testing and intervention protocol in the impacted area: quality issues in water such as coloration or taste, reported observations of biofilm or algae growth in water system, or environmental factors that increase risk level such as major construction projects.