Health briefs: EMS, Pardee Sports Medicine team up; AdventHealth recognized

The weekly area Health Roundup features news and events from our area health providers and services. This week's edition highlights Pardee UNC Health's Sports Medicine athletic trainers learning valuable tools from Henderson County EMS, AdventHealth earning national recognition and the Henderson County Health Department announcing oral health screenings.

Pardee Sports Medicine trainers learn from EMS

Pardee Sports Medicine athletic trainers participated in training from Henderson County EMS in a course called STOP THE BLEED®, according to a press release. The course is designed to teach people like athletic trainers, teachers, school nurses and others how to assist in the unfortunate situation of an emergency event on one of the many school campuses in which they are based throughout Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania, Polk and Haywood counties.

“This event exemplifies the shared commitment and collaboration that Pardee and Henderson County EMS have in keeping students and teachers safe,” said Dwayne Durham, director of Pardee Sports Medicine, in the release. “We’re grateful to Henderson County EMS for partnering with us to make sure we have every resource available in the unfortunate circumstance of an emergency on one of our many school campuses.”

“The No. 1 cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding,” said Mike Barnett, EMS Manager, Henderson County EMS. “The goal of this training is to help athletic trainers be able to recognize life-threatening bleeding and teach them the skills they’ll need to act quickly and effectively to control the bleeding and help save a life.”

The course, led by Henderson County Paramedic David Lee, utilized training materials specifically designed to teach bleeding control techniques and identifies three quick steps to render aid during an emergency:

● How to use your hands to apply pressure to a wound

● How to pack a wound to control bleeding

● How to correctly apply a tourniquet

The American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED® program has prepared over 2.4 million people worldwide on how to stop bleeding in a severely injured person, the release said. Henderson County EMS provides prehospital emergency medical care in Henderson County. Operating from six stations throughout the county, paramedics and advanced emergency medical technicians are available at all times to respond to assist with emergency medical needs.

AdventHealth Hendersonville earns national accreditation

AdventHealth Hendersonville's Cancer Services team recently earned renewal of its three-year accreditation through The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care, according to a press release.

As a CoC-accredited cancer center, AdventHealth Hendersonville Cancer Services takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer as a complex group of diseases that requires consultation among surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary partnership results in improved patient care for the people across Western North Carolina and nearby regions who choose AdventHealth for their care, the release said.

“The renewal of the CoC accreditation is the result of the incredible dedication of every member of AdventHealth’s multi-disciplinary team that provides access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer care,” said Christy Sneller, MBA, Vice President of Physician Services and Chief Practice Officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville. “Having the option to receive this CoC-accredited care close to home is an added benefit of the whole-person care patients can expect and trust from AdventHealth.”

AdventHealth receives 'A' Safety Grade for 13th straight time

For the 13th consecutive time, The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, awarded AdventHealth Hendersonville an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for achieving the highest national standards in patient safety, according to a press release.

The Leapfrog Group assigns A-F grades to all general hospitals across the country. The grade uses more than 30 measures of safety data including rates of preventable errors, injuries and infections, while also accounting for whether hospitals have systems in place to protect patients from harm.

“I am so proud of the entire team for making safety the focus of every aspect of their roles in providing whole-person care – body, mind and spirit. Together this team makes sure people choosing AdventHealth for their health care know they are getting this exceptional level of care,” said Brandon Nudd, President and Chief Executive Officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville, in the release. “To have The Leapfrog Group recognize this consistent commitment to safe, quality care in their regular surveys of our hospital is a great honor.”

Pardee physicians honored by National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program for Clinical Research

Pardee UNC Health Care recently announced that four of its oncologists were honored by the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) for their commitment to cancer research and the number of patient enrollments in clinical trials.

Praveen Vashist, M.D.; John Hill, M.D.; Navin Anthony, D.O.; and Alexander Treemont, D.O. were presented with their awards at the 2022 NCORP National Meeting.

Dr. Vashist received a Gold Certificate of Excellence for accruing between 10 to 39 patients to clinical trials in the past year. Drs. Hill and Anthony both received Silver Certificates of Excellence for accruing between five to nine patients in the past year. Dr. Treemont received an Honorable Mention for accruing between one to four patients to clinical trials in the past year.

Health Department now offering oral health screenings

The Henderson County Department of Public Health has begun oral health education and screenings in the community, which aim to eliminate health disparities through prevention and education, according to a press release.

The new program covers education for students, parents, teachers, healthcare providers and caregivers interested in maintaining oral health. It also covers dental screenings and referral support. April Brown serves as the program’s dental hygienist, and she said her initial goal is to provide age-appropriate lessons and screenings for ages 2½-kindergarten at preschools and elementary schools in Henderson County.

“Oral health has a major impact on overall health, medical costs and quality of life,” said Brown. “Regular visits to the dentist can help prevent oral diseases and related issues. However, access to care is difficult for many due to availability, cost and other factors.”

Equipped with story time books, an oversized toothbrush and her puppet named Max, Brown visits classrooms teaching students about brushing, flossing and basic dental hygiene in a way that’s fun and memorable. Students come home with a new toothbrush, toothpaste and a resource sheet for parents interested in learning more about dental care.

Brown also provides dental screenings at the schools. The screening is a quick look with a flashlight and tongue depressor, but it can reveal a lot about a child’s oral health. Brown looks for any untreated decay, broken teeth, infections and other tooth and gum-related issues.

Education is available for groups such as schools, nonprofits and churches that includes training, interactive demonstrations and printed educational materials. More information about the Health Department’s oral health program is available at www.hendersoncountync.gov/health/page/oral-health.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Health briefs: EMS, Pardee Sports Medicine team up; AdventHealth recognized