WakeMed is home to two Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Centers in Raleigh and Cary, and once again, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are honoring these 24/7 dedicated stroke teams with national Get With The Guidelines® awards for the high-quality care they provide to stroke patients.
• WakeMed Cary Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus
• WakeMed Raleigh Campus – Stroke Silver Plus & Target: Stroke Honor Roll
These awards mean that the WakeMed Primary Stroke Centers team – the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, EMS providers and therapists who care for you – uses the latest proven technology, medications and techniques to help save your life and prevent permanent disabilities that can result from stroke.
Free Stroke Screening As part of the Life + Style healthy living campaign, the WakeMed Primary Stroke Centers team is bringing stroke screening to the sidewalks of Cameron Village. Featured are free blood pressure screenings, stroke risk assessments and stroke awareness education.
Come see us at three locations on the sidewalks of Cameron Village (maps & directions):
* In front of Fresh Market
* In front of Fifi’s
* In front of Palm Avenue
Thursday, May 23
Cameron Village, Raleigh – 11 am to 2 pm
Today, we officially launched a new website. The site is designed to offer consumers candid dialogue about what works in healthcare, where there are opportunities for improvement as well as how WakeMed is addressing problems inherent in the current healthcare system.
The site presents issues that can be solved by hospitals, healthcare providers, insurance companies, consumers, and the government working together to enhance care for patients by making it more efficient, affordable, transparent, accessible and of the highest quality.
Consumers deserve a straightforward dialogue – and meaningful answers – about the current state of the healthcare system in our country. There is a lot that works, but there is also a lot that does not. At WakeMed, we want to do more than talk about the problem. We want to fix it.
Fixing the problems will require dedication and coordination across the healthcare continuum. This means patients, insurance companies, lawmakers, physicians, caregivers, government and hospitals will have to be engaged in the process. No one believes making changes to the system will be an easy journey, but it is necessary for the country to redirect its approach to healthcare. Costs alone are impacting not only patient access but also the nation’s ability to compete economically.
One of the first areas of opportunity for hospitals is to be more transparent about healthcare costs and provide consumers with easy-to-understand bills. At WakeMed, we are working toward that goal, and we will be detailing our journey as well as soliciting consumer feedback via the Let’s Fix This site.
Every single day, when we need them most, EMS is there. Without fail, they are ready, willing and able to take lifesaving action. During National EMS Week (May 19-25), and every week of the year, WakeMed acknowledges and honors the hard work and devotion of all the EMS providers serving to help keep our communities safe. From all of us at WakeMed, thank you.
Celebrate with Wake County EMS at their Open House. Saturday, May 18, 10 am to 3 pm. EMS Station 1, 120 W. Davie Street, Raleigh.
Kids big and small will enjoy the vehicles on display, and CPR demonstrations.
In 2006, WakeMed first earned Level 1 Trauma Center designation, and remarkably was the first hospital in the state to move from a Level II to a Level I Trauma Center in 16 years.
Yesterday, the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services renewed the Level 1 Trauma Center designation, citing:
The excellent collaboration among area EMS providers, Trauma Service, Emergency Department and all the sub-specialty team members who care for trauma patients, including clinical team members, physicians, researchers and support staff
A strong commitment to injury prevention, education and outreach
“Delivering superior trauma care is not only our responsibility, but our privilege,” commented Dr. Bill Atkinson, president and CEO. “This re-designation exemplifies WakeMed’s commitment to trauma care and validates our expertise, experience and teamwork as a leader in this field. Congratulations to all of our clinical team members, physicians, researchers, support staff and area EMS agencies who continue to set the standard in caring for trauma patients.”
WakeMed Raleigh Campus features Wake County’s only trauma center. WakeMed’s trauma patient volume has increased by 93 percent during the past 10 years.
Thanks to Carolina Mudcats for visiting patients in the WakeMed Children’s Hospital today. Later this summer, WakeMed and the Carolina Mudcats will partner for a special Families First event. Stay tuned for details.
By partnering with The Diaper Train, a local not-for-profit diaper bank, diapers and wipes are distributed to organizations serving low-income families in Wake County.
Diapers in any size, pull-ups and baby wipes will be collected in bins located in the Women’s Pavilion & Birthplace lobby at Cary Hospital.
Anterior hip replacement is gaining in popularity because of its benefits to the patient. Only a handful of physicians in Wake County are certified in the anterior approach, including Dr. Timothy Harris and Russell Norris with Wake Orthopaedics.
The anterior approach to total hip replacement surgery means that doctors make the incision on the front of the hip rather than the side or back of the hip. It also makes it possible for the surgeon to spread the muscle instead of cutting it and separating it from the bone to replace your hip joint. This can reduce the pain patients feel during recovery. In addition to being a less painful approach, anterior hip replacement surgery offers the potential for less scarring, fewer restrictions during recovery, faster recovery and less chance of joint dislocation.
WRAL recently featured a story and interview with Dr. Harris. The New York Times also ran a story about the procedure and its benefits.
WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital each received a Hospital Safety Score of ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization that works to initiate improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care.
WakeMed recently began participating in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. This participation positively impacted the system’s ‘A’ scoring at both hospitals.
The score also reflects quality and safety efforts WakeMed has implemented, including the hospital system’s Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), the nursing program’s robust leadership and, integrated patient safety and risk management programs, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention, hand hygiene efforts and the establishment of the eICU, among others.
“We are pleased with the ‘A’ grades and will continue to strive for improvement in both our processes and safe patient outcomes. Leapfrog is only one of several quality rating organizations which assess patient safety, but the process of review and data submission allows us to benchmark ourselves against other institutions,” commented West Paul, MD, vice president of Quality & Patient Safety. “At WakeMed, we are committed to keeping our patients as safe as possible, from the time they enter our facilities until the time they leave, and to ensuring they receive the highest quality of care while they are here.”
This morning, my daughter was almost run over by a car that did not stop when the bus stopped. So, today I am compelled to share a safety message that came a little too close to home.
Every day kids at bus stops are endangered by drivers going too fast, not stopping at the stop signs and generally not paying attention. When these children are hit, they are rushed to the WakeMed Trauma Center frequently with severe injuries. Tragically, sometimes these children don’t even make it to the hospital.
Let’s PLEASE be good citizens and not injure or kill children because we are in a hurry or choose not to follow the traffic laws.
Stop signs are not suggestions.
It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus.
Even kids under the best supervision may sometimes dart into traffic.
The speed limit stays the same even during rush hour.
SafeKids Wake County also provides tips for bus stop safety. Please review these with your child this afternoon to ensure their safety.
While waiting for the bus, stand 5 giant steps back from the street.
When at the bus stop, pay attention. Playing children are distracted children who can accidentally end up in traffic.
When the bus stops, line up in a single-file line.
When getting on the bus, hold onto the handrails, and be careful that your clothes or other objects don’t get snagged.
If you drop something near the bus, do not pick it up. Tell an adult.
When crossing the road, look both ways before you cross and walk 5 giant steps in front of the bus.
