Your Good Help - Bon Secours Richmond Health System

Exceptional Heart CareBon Secours Richmond Community Hospital is committedto providing patients in the East End and Church hillarea with excellent cardiac care close to home.CloseThe Heart & Vascular Institute atRichmond Community Hospital providesa full spectrum of non-invasive cardiologyservices, including diagnostic testing,assessment and evaluation, and intensivecare. Patients who need more invasiveservices, such as cardiac catheterization —a procedure used to identify and removeblockages in blood vessels that couldcause serious complications, such as heartattack or stroke — will be triaged andtransferred to another facility in theBon Secours Richmond Health System.“Patients experiencing a wide rangeof cardiac events come through ourEmergency Department, and we havein place a very effective system forpatient evaluation and transport of thoseneeding invasive medical intervention,”said Michael Kelly, MD, FACC, Chief ofCardiology at Richmond CommunityHospital, Bon Secours Heart & VascularInstitute. “Because we have the expertiseto quickly and efficiently evaluatesymptoms, the time between the patient’sarrival at Richmond Community Hospitaland catheter-based intervention isconsistently under 90 minutes.”At Richmond Community Hospital,the Emergency Department staff makesit a priority to see each patient within30 minutes of arrival, and personalizedattention is given to all patients in need ofmedical attention.“Richmond Community Hospital is amuch smaller facility than other hospitals,which allows us to provide individualized,personal care,” said Dr. Kelly. “This enablesus to spend more time with each patientand provide the specialized attention he orshe deserves.”Enhancing Community OutreachBecause preventive care is vital for hearthealth, Richmond Community Hospitalis committed to providing communitymembers with information, assessmentsand presentations designed to4 richmond.bonsecours.com/yourgoodhelpenhance overall well being. Free strokescreenings have been held at RichmondCommunity Hospital, and staff membersregularly speak to local church groupsand community organizations about heartdisease and preventive measures.“Preventive care has traditionally beenlacking in the East End and Church Hillarea,” said Dr. Kelly. “I have seen manypatients whose first point of contact withthe health care system is an emergencysituation. People can take steps to preventheart disease, so it is gratifying to be ableto educate them about what they can do.”Dr. Kelly and his staff are also currentlyworking with other Bon Secours Richmondfacilities and community physicians todevelop a Pacemaker Registry Program forall patients who have implanted devices, sothat physicians will be better able to assistthem when they present for medical care.“Many patients in this area with apacemaker or other device are notcurrently under the care of a physician,”said Dr. Kelly. “Pacemakers requireDiabetes affects more than 23.6 millionAmericans. Because adequate managementof diabetes is essential to cardiovascularhealth, the Diabetes Treatment Center atBon Secours Richmond Community Hospital,which is accredited by the AmericanDiabetes Association, provides acute careinpatient glycemic control and outpatientdiabetes self-management education.When patients are first referred to theDiabetes Treatment Center at RichmondCommunity Hospital, they participate in aseries of three classes to learn more abouttheir disease and steps they can take tomanage it. These classes provide patientswith a blood sugar meter that is coveredby their insurance, as well as informationabout nutrition and medication use.Educators Wendy Bayless, RN, MS, CDE,routine observation to ensure the deviceis working properly. In an emergency,patients often arrive without theidentification card or registry for theirdevice, making it hard for those of uson staff to determine if a pacemakeris malfunctioning. Registering everypatient with a pacemaker and creating anelectronic database of which patients havewhat device will greatly improve the safetyof all patients.”To learn more about the cardiologyservices provided at Bon SecoursRichmond Community Hospital, pleasevisit richmond.bonsecours.com.Take Control of Diabetesand Carol Carr, RD, MS, CDE, also seepatients on a one-to-one basis when thediagnosis warrants or patient needs dictatethat a class is not the best delivery of care.Richmond Community Hospital also hasaccess to transportation resources forpatients who need that assistance.“At first, a diagnosis of diabetes can feeloverwhelming,” said Christine Kelly, MBA,Program Director of the Diabetes TreatmentCenter. “Arming patients with the knowledgeand means to manage their disease givesthem a sense of control and lessens anxietyabout the treatment process.”To learn more about the DiabetesTreatment Center at Richmond CommunityHospital, please call 804-545-3232 to speakwith Wendy Bayless, RN, MS, CDE, orCarol Carr, RD, MS, CDE.