What’s ahead in 2023 at Newport Hospital

Crista Durand, Dr. Jeffrey Gaines and Dr. Orla Brandos
·3 min read

The turn of the calendar provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and set goals for the 12 months ahead. In 2022, Newport Hospital expanded access to essential healthcare programs by welcoming new providers across several specialties, including cancer care, psychiatry, neurosciences and spine services, cardiology, and physiatry. Our priority in 2023 is to continue providing the best healthcare and medical advances on Aquidneck Island and remaining very accessible to the community.

This year is particularly exciting for Newport Hospital, as 2023 marks its 150th year in operation. We kicked off our celebrations of this milestone with a highly successful fundraising gala last July that benefited the Norman Prince Spine Institute at the hospital. We also held a beach cleanup event, participated in the Broadway Street Fair, and collected backpack donations for local students returning to school. This year we will hold mini celebrations, and our capstone event will be our gala on July 12 where we will celebrate the unwavering support from the community that has made us the award-winning hospital we are today.

Newport Hospital.
Newport Hospital.

Our mission has always been to take care of the health and well-being of our community, and we feel fortunate to do so. Some of the priorities and plans for this year at Newport Hospital include:

• Health maintenance: We will focus on helping patients stay healthy through preventative measures such as screening and making it easier for patients to access care.

• Preventative and primary care: Coastal Medical is now part of the Lifespan system, which provides additional options for primary care, and the Lifespan Urgent Care Center in Middletown is open seven days a week for treating minor illnesses and injuries.

• Behavioral health: We are planning to increase our capacity in behavioral healthcare as this is a significant need in the community and state at large.

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• Access: Services such as the Norman Prince Spine Institute and the Lifespan Cancer Institute will increase their presence at Newport Hospital. The beauty of being part of a larger healthcare system is that expertise is available and connected to us. You don’t have to switch care teams, rather your care team expands to include the tertiary service providers throughout Lifespan.

• Pet therapy: We re-introduced and expanded our pet therapy program because a lot of our patients have pets at home and enjoy having access to one in the hospital. We started with three dogs and are hoping to add a fourth one to our cadre in 2023. The pet therapy benefits both our patients and staff who continue to provide much positive feedback on the program.

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• Technology: We will install new equipment in the Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center and the Norman Prince Spine Institute at Newport Hospital that brings state-of-the-art technology to patients having surgery or recovering from it. We are also working with Hicuity to add tele-ICU support for our highly skilled team in the Intensive Care Unit.

• Recruitment and retention: Staffing is a major focus for us since it directly impacts patient experience. We plan to visit area high schools and encourage students to get interested in healthcare and provide them with pathways such as on-the-job training.

• Magnet accreditation: Magnet designation is the highest honor of nursing excellence a healthcare organization can receive. It is very difficult to achieve and sustain because we are required to meet and adhere to numerous rigorous standards. This year we will seek our fifth magnet accreditation. We take great pride in this designation as we have held it since 2004.

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We are constantly looking ahead and being strategic in what we do. Newport Hospital is blessed and fortunate to be thriving, and we couldn't do it without the support of the community. We are looking forward to another great year in 2023, and to the next 150 years ahead.

Crista Durand, MBA, is president of Newport Hospital. Jeffrey Gaines, MD, is vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Newport Hospital. Orla M. Brandos, DNP, is vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Newport Hospital.

Health Matters appears monthly on newportri.com and in The Newport Daily News.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport Hospital celebrates 150th anniversary, look ahead at 2023