Lourdes Health Network: 2016 is a year of celebration
Celebrating Past
It has been 100 years since the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived in Pasco to offer medical services to our community. They faced considerable challenges in their mission to establish a 15-bed hospital in Pasco’s Montana Hotel. Our ability to embrace challenge and change is a trait woven into the fabric of Lourdes’ culture — it’s something we’ve been doing since 1916 with faith, courage, collaboration and innovation.
Celebrating Present
This past year, Lourdes Medical Center was recognized nationally for our exceptional performance and outcomes in several areas. We’ve always considered our dedicated providers and staff to be highly skilled and among the best, but it’s nice to be recognized by such reputable sources as Healthgrades and The Joint Commission.
Lourdes recently received Healthgrades’ 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award, a designation that honors hospital performance in the prevention of serious, potentially preventable complications during hospital stays. This distinction places us among the top 5 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient safety. We are the only hospital within a 150-mile radius to receive this honor.
In addition, Lourdes continues to be a leader in orthopedic surgery. We consistently perform more knee replacements than the other local hospitals combined. And, according to Healthgrades, Lourdes is among the top 100 hospitals in the nation for joint replacement and overall orthopedic surgery.
In addition to Healthgrades’ 2016 Awards of Excellence, Lourdes also received 5-Star ratings for spinal fusion, total knee replacement, total hip replacement and hip fracture treatment.
This fall, Lourdes’ surgical team was humbled by additional recognition from The Joint Commission naming Lourdes a 2014 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures. Our hospital received this honor based on excellent performance in surgical care. In order to be named a Top Performer, hospitals must earn a cumulative performance of 95 percent or higher in several criteria.
Celebrating a Bright Future
New da Vinci Surgical System
In October, Lourdes acquired a da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. This system provides cutting-edge, minimally invasive technology designed to significantly improve the patient experience for several specific surgeries. The da Vinci has 3D high-definition optics and mechanical wrists that allow surgeons to operate with greater dexterity with small, extremely precise movements.
Expanding Behavioral Health Services
As the largest provider of mental health services in our community, we feel a responsibility to continue leading by innovation and finding creative solutions to the challenges we face statewide.
Lourdes’ Transitions Short-Stay Unit was established to serve people in crisis who often end up in emergency rooms or, possibly, jail. We’ve built a strong team of specialists who focus on transitioning individuals in crisis to the appropriate venue of care at the right time — helping them move forward in a positive way. The 16-bed unit is open 24/7 and averages 85 to 90 admissions per month. A typical length of stay is around four days.
The need in our community for qualified, licensed mental health counselors is growing. In response, we’re expanding our team of licensed counselors to help with solutions for depression, anxiety, PTSD and skill and relationship building. Lourdes’ Counseling Center will also be renovated this year.
Our community’s only drug and alcohol detox facility closed its doors last summer. This service is crucial in helping those struggling with addiction on the path to recovery. Lourdes is opening Desert Hope Services this month in the same location. This 12-bed facility will offer social detox for alcohol and drugs, with an average stay lasting three to five days.
Lourdes has much for which to be thankful; 100 years is no small milestone. But at Lourdes, we don’t believe we are good simply because we’ve been around the longest. … It’s our assertion that we’ve withstood the test of time because of our enduring faith in God to lead us in caring for our community.
We treat people, not patients; mind, body and spirit.
This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Lourdes Health Network: 2016 is a year of celebration."