County healthcare organizations continue high marks in 2022
Sep. 27—Perhaps one of the biggest pieces of news in the health care sector of Cass County came in early August when Four County, or 4C Health, announced a transition to a four-day work week while allowing employees to retain their pay and benefits.
With the pandemic seemingly waning and cases trickling down, the nonprofit health center said the shift was meant to help reduce the pre-pandemic staff burnout rate of 30 to 70%. Chief Executive Officer Carrie Cadwell said the move will improve the care the organization provides by retaining staff and thus building better relationships with the people they serve.
And the number of people they care for has only grown. Since 2015, the group has gone from serving Cass, Fulton, Miami and Pulaski counties to 14 rural counties in the state. Also notable, Four County announced a shift in branding to 4C Health — which comes from the expansion to those counties.
"The change to 4C Health is reflective of the next evolution to ensure we continue to be here for all of our rural communities and move with the changing federal and state landscape for behavioral health," Cadwell said in a release.
With this in mind, Four County was one of four groups selected for the Mobile Crisis in the State of Indiana pilot. The grant will allow the expansion of its mobile crisis teams that work hand-in-hand with law enforcement, hospitals and schools. The teams' main services include verbal de-escalation, crisis planning, providing rapid access to treatment, utilizing our Crisis Stabilization Unit or facilitating the transition of care to an inpatient hospital, according to Chief Clinical Officer Nicole Hiatt-Drang.
The teams were formed in the Fall of 2020 and have since had more than 2,200 successful mobile deployments.
Nearby, Logansport Memorial Hospital also celebrated a successful year.
As the effort to combat COVID continues, LMH continued its best efforts to provide care to the people of Cass County and beyond. That effort didn't go unnoticed as Dr. Benjamin Anderson was awarded "Hoosier of the Year" by the Indiana Society of Chicago Foundation for "his hard work and dedication to keeping patients, and the community, safe during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to LMH.
"We counted on him, as a hospital, community, and county," said Logansport Memorial Hospital CEO Perry Gay in a release in February. "He was our expert from the beginning, and he really took on the responsibility of being the medical leader and spearheading decision-making. He played a key role in helping the hospital and the community make the right and prudent decisions. We are proud, but not surprised, that he received this recognition."
The hospital, along with the county health department, also began its efforts in July to get the youngest of our community vaccinated and protected from COVID. The next opportunity for those ages 6 months to five years to get their first or second dose will be Sept. 29 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services, also gave its Center of Distinction award to LMH's Wound Care Center — which provides care for wounds that have not begun to heal in two weeks or have not completely healed in six weeks. The care center is one of more than 600 centers in Healogics network.
According to LMH, the care center achieved "outstanding clinical outcomes for twelve consecutive months, including a patient satisfaction rate higher than 92 percent."
The hospital's Peru Medical Center also received an upgrade after the completion of the new Miami County YMCA.
The amenities in its new home include new imaging equipment for ultrasounds as well as the availability of x-rays and lab work which can be completed before the patient leaves their appointment. It also allows for the expansion of therapy services.
