Highlands-Cashiers Hospital's CEO provides update on current state of the hospital, Part I
This month, in the second installment of my State of the Hospital report, I am pleased to talk about additional exciting things going on at Highlands-Community Hospital (HCH), and others we’re planning and anticipating. As always, our wonderful team drives our work, facilitates change, and nurtures our growth.
First, I would like to highlight the role that HCA Healthcare’s Hope Fund played in offering critical emergency financial assistance to our HCH team members who faced hardships and loss from the unprecedented natural disaster that our community faced last fall and is still dealing with in many ways — Hurricane Helene.
The Hope Fund exists to help HCA Healthcare colleagues who experience crises, from an extended illness, domestic violence, or the death of a loved one to, in our case, the upending effects of the storm. Since it was established in 2005 to July of last year, the Hope Fund has helped over 55,000 colleagues and their families get through the toughest of times. Funding comes from team members themselves and is matched by HCA Healthcare. In addition to colleague contributions and matches, affiliated physicians, vendors, patients, and members of the general public can make tax-deductible donations. These combined sources of aid have raised and distributed $107 million since the Hope Fund began.
I’m grateful we have had this resource that our team members can turn to.
Another important consideration in the life and future of HCH is growth, and capital investment from HCA Healthcare is what nurtures this. Since January of this year, construction for the addition of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) suites has been ongoing. As part of this project, we have also been building a new therapy gym that patients will get much use from, and an expansion of our lab. Our new CT suite is slated for completion in August, while the new MRI suite and therapy gym are due to be done in September.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to highlight our sister facility, the Eckerd Living Center. Our 80-bed skilled nursing facility offers top-notch care to residents, and HCH is right here to provide more care if a resident needs it. An interdisciplinary team that includes administrators, physicians, nurse managers, social workers, dieticians, and therapists all collaborate to deliver excellent, personalized care to residents. This includes customized medical treatment plans, therapeutic services, and medication management. Residents’ chronic conditions and overall health are well managed, and everything is done to keep residents independent and connected to each other, since emotional health is every bit as important as physical health. To achieve this, we offer a wide variety of on-site activities and outings to residents, and our facility is also equipped with a serene, wheelchair-accessible garden.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that HCH has received HCA Healthcare’s Unit of Distinction and Press Ganey’s Guardian of Excellence awards for 2024. Press Ganey is a healthcare company that helps facilities measure patient experience, physician satisfaction, and other important industry metrics. The HCA Healthcare Unit of Distinction award recognizes the top ERs in HCA Healthcare for quality, patient experience, and team satisfaction. We are so proud of our ER nurses, doctors, and support staff for attaining this high mark for outstanding care.
The Guardian of Excellence award is coveted and recognizes healthcare facilities that provide unmatched care, leading to superior patient experiences. This is the third year our Emergency Department has received the Guardian of Excellence award. Our ER’s patient experience scores consistently rank in the 99th percent of all ERs.
With a talented team, abundant community support, and an eye toward the future, HCH is poised to continue to soar, while we provide excellent care that you can count on.
Tom Neal, RN, MBA, MHA, is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. Neal is a proven leader with more than 30 years of progressive healthcare experience. Prior to his role at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, he served as Chief Executive Officer of both Berwick Hospital Center in Berwick, Pennsylvania, and Greenbriar Valley Medical Center, Ronceverte, West Virginia, which are each part of Community Health Systems (CHS). Tom has an MBA from the University of Louisville, MHA from the California College of Health Sciences, BSN from Regents College of New York and an ADN from Jefferson Community College.