Owatonna Hospital wins Innovation of the Year in Patient Care Award second year in a row
Minnesota Hospital Association recognizes three other Allina facilities
OWATONNA, Minn 05/12/2009--Allina Hospitals & Clinics is proud to be associated with employees and physicians responsible for receiving four awards from the Minnesota Hospital Association Friday, May 8. They received Caregiver of the Year, Innovation of the Year in Patient Care (small hospital), Patient Safety Improvement and Community Benefit.
Owatonna Hospital won the Innovation of the Year in Patient Care Award by making several small changes in the care process for patients undergoing colon surgery and hernia repairs. The European-based enhanced recovery protocol has reduced by half the time these patients are in the hospital—from six to seven days down to three. This is the second year in a row that Owatonna Hospital has been recognized with this award from the Minnesota Hospital Association. Last year, Owatonna Hospital was recognized for its Congestive Heart Failure initiative, which involved putting into place new methods for delivering enhanced care for patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure to reduce readmission to the hospital.
"These are amazing results that are making a difference in people’s lives," Sharon Kapp, RN and Medical Surgical and Special Care Unit manager said. "We could not have done this without the combined efforts of our nurses, dietitians, anesthesia, physicians and pharmacists across the Owatonna Hospital and Owatonna Clinic campuses."
Karine (Chip) Zakroczymski, coordinator of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at Unity Hospital was named Caregiver of the Year. SANE nurses are specially trained to examine sexual assault victims, and they see about 200 each year at six area hospital emergency departments. They treat physical injuries, gather forensic evidence and provide emergency contraception and sexually-transmitted disease prevention.
Buffalo Hospital earned the Patient Safety Improvement Award by reaching zero retained objects after newborn deliveries. The Birth Center staff had been faithfully practicing sponge counts before and after deliveries, but still had two events in 2007 in which gauze was left behind in patients. Multiple efforts to change its processes paid off, and the hospital had no such retained objects in all of 2008 or so far in 2009.
Phillips Eye Institute was awarded the Community Benefit Award for its Early Youth Eyecare community initiative to remove vision problems in children. Since 2007, nearly 9,000 Minneapolis School District students have been screened and nearly 1,400 students needed further evaluation. The organization has provided more than $200,000 to fund treatment costs, interpreters and transportation.
Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at www.allina.com.
About Owatonna Hospital
Part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Owatonna Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves in and around Steele County. Owatonna Hospital provides a full range of health care services including a birth center, emergency care, surgery and rehabilitation.
Allina is building a replacement hospital in Owatonna, off Interstate 35 and will open Oct 17, 2009. The facility is being designed to create an environment for providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care for residents in the region.
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