|
Department Showcase - October |
|
|
|
|
The NSRC is proud to present this month’s Respiratory Showcase, Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital-Cardiopulmonary Services.
Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital is located in south central Nebraska’s Adams County in the town of Hastings, population nearly 33,000. Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital was established over 85 years ago by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Lanning after their only child, Mary, died of pneumonia at the age of 21. Because of this tragedy, the Lanning’s felt that people needing medical care should be able to obtain it from a hospital close to home. Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital has continued the Lanning’s goal throughout the years continuing expansion of the facility and services and providing the best, most advanced medical care to our region.
Though the department consists of four specific divisions: Respiratory Care, Cardiology, Neurology, and Sleep Medicine; the RT Department boasts a staff of 21 full-time therapists and 4 supplemental staff. The unique aspect of this division is found in the therapists’ commitment to providing diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients of all ages. The staff maintains the skills necessary to manage the needs of newborn infants suffering from a variety of respiratory insufficiencies to the aging adult suffering from COPD couple by a variety of comorbidities.
The History of the Respiratory Divisions Development:
The responsibility of providing respiratory care services at MLMH was forever changed when in August 2005 Dr Kalpesh Ganatra, Pulmonologist, Intensivist, & Diplomat of Sleep Medicine joined the medical staff. Dr. Ganatra was the first full-time pulmonologist that the hospital had ever had. A week before his official start date, the organization contacted Dr Ganatra to inform him that his assistance was needed to assess a serious respiratory failure case involving a young female. The Respiratory staff was quickly called into action to assist in the treatment of this patient. After providing extensive treatment and care, the patient’s condition improved. Since then the staff have been given the opportunity to provide some of the most advanced pulmonary care available in the area.
In July 2006, the organization welcomed an additional pulmonologist to the medical staff. Dr Francisco Almeida was a Pulmonologist, Intensivist, and the only interventional pulmonologist in the state of Nebraska. His addition to the medical staff brought increase therapeutic services, but also the opportunity for the respiratory therapist to assist in the performance of therapeutic bronchoscopies that involve flexible and rigid airway assessment, tumor legation, tumor debulking, airway lasering, balloon dilation, and stent placement. The staff is also allowed to perform suturing after the placement of an indwelling pleural catheter. These advancements in care are now once again prevalent with the addition of our third pulmonologist Dr Sugata Sensarma who joined the medical staff in August 2008. The staff has already begun to embrace the expectation of Dr Sensarma as he focuses his efforts in the management of patients within the ICU unit of the organization.
A day in the life of a therapist at MLMH involves the regular preparation of a routine patient workload where the staff perform one on one therapeutic and diagnostic services, but also arrange their assignments to address the variety of scheduled and nonscheduled procedures that make the hours “fly by”. The staff is a valued member of the Rapid Response Team, Code Blue, and many other critical functions of the organization. The Cardiopulmonary Services department has also established Camp Cool Kids. Camp Cool Kids is a camp for children ages 6-13 diagnosed with asthma. The respiratory therapists play a vital role in the education and activities of camp. We are proud to have had 29 attendees this year participate at Camp Cool Kids-Safari Adventure 3 day camp.
At MLMH, the staff is paid to fully utilize their knowledge of the field of Respiratory Care as well as be a valued member of the multidisciplinary team. We strive to be the provider of choice for pulmonary medicine within central Nebraska.
Disclaimer:
The information and pictures in the Respiratory Showcase are provided
with the permission of the submitting hospital.
|
