Points of Pride
Rusty Kimball
Hartford HealthCare launches new Access Center
by Chris Wojcik
On August 24, Hartford HealthCare launched its new Access Center, a centralized hub created to quickly and easily connect the right people to the right care at the right time. With a single call, new or existing patients can schedule individual or multiple appointments with a number of healthcare providers — from primary care to specialists — across the entire system, all at once. More than just a standard “call center,” our Access Center creates an easy, centralized patient scheduling experience, and maximizes the efficiency of providers’ schedules. The Access Center is located in downtown Hartford, in the system’s newly-renovated space at 100 Pearl St.
Photo by Rusty Kimball: The Access Center is a centralized hub connecting the right people to the right care at the right time.
Tim Lebouthillier
CHH donates life-saving chest compressors to first responders
by Tim Lebouthillier
Understanding that local first responders are on the front lines for cardiac arrests, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital purchased and donated four life-saving LUCAS chest compression systems to departments that did not have the device.
The device is placed on patients experiencing cardiac arrest to help deliver safe, effective chest compressions. Used in the field and during ambulance transport to hospitals, they allow for fewer interruptions compared to manual CPR, leading to higher compression ratios and increased blood flow to the brain. The devices also utilize Wi-Fi® connections and have data integration capabilities to enhance post event analysis. They also deliver post-event reports and asset notifications by e-mail to help with quality improvement efforts.
“The state-of-the-art devices are a critical part of the continuum of care for our patients and support our mission to improve the health and healing of the people and communities we serve.” said Fred Rosa, emergency medical services manager at CHH.
Photos by Tim Lebouthillier: Charlotte Hungerford Hospital donated and provided training on a Stryker LUCAS chest compression device to the Torrington first responders.
Partnership delivers food to Hartford HealthCare at Home clients in need
by Ken Harrison
Hartford HealthCare at Home partnered with Greater Hartford’s regional food bank, Foodshare, to offer pre-packaged food pantry boxes to clients in need. These boxes contain enough nonperishable food items to feed one person for up to one week. The boxes also include information on resources such as Meals on Wheels, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and HHC Center for Healthy Aging.
“The vulnerable elderly population greatly benefits from increased collaboration with health and social service entities such as Foodshare, along with the Department of Social Service’s Protective Services for the Elderly Program, to help them age safely in place across the state,” said Laurel Reagan, director of behavioral health services for Hartford HealthCare at Home.
Reagan explained that, during home visits, HHC staff noticed that many seniors lacked basic food necessities. This and concerns about behavioral health issues led to the partnership. “Many clients didn’t have enough food or, worse, the food that was there was spoiled and inedible,” Reagan said. “Staff started flagging the issues and reached out to Foodshare. They were able to help by providing these pre-packed boxes of food for our staff to bring into patient homes. It’s been a wonderful program and we could not be happier with the results.”
Photo: Boxes of foods are assembled to deliver to senior clients of Hartford HealthCare at Home.
Correction
In the Summer 2020 issue of Moments, we accidentally omitted the names and photos of some nurses honored as Nightingales in the East Region.
East Region Nightingales this year are:
Jennifer Clachrie
Backus Hospital
Pamela Kelley
Backus Hospital
Amanda Lester
Backus Hospital
Terry Rankin-Carle
Backus Hospital
Pamela Harazim
Windham Hospital