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Page 6A THE BEACON February 2019
Hospital Grows for a Healthier Community
By Nicole Williams
Highpoint Health may not
be a name one recognizes at
first glance. Previously known
to residents for fifty-nine
years as Dearborn County
Hospital, the county-owned
hospital is located in Lawrenceburg,
Indiana. Along
with a new name and logo, the
63-bed community hospital is
making huge strides in providing
a growing range of care
options close to home. Having
just celebrated her thirty years
of employment at Highpoint
this past July, the current
Chief Nursing Officer, Angela
Scudder, MSN, CENP, is the
best witness to these changes.
Ms. Scudder is described
as an energetic leader and passionate
nurse by all who know
her. She obtained her Diploma
of Nursing from Good
Samaritan Hospital School of
Nursing in 1987. If you ask
Ms. Scudder if she knew at
that time that she would continue
on to receive her Master
of Science in Nursing in 2006
from Ball State University,
her answer will shock you.
“Goodness no. But it was my
second year working in the
ICU when I met one of my
biggest mentors, Gale Laws. I
watched the way she worked
with the patients and had the
power to control the room in
a positive way. I realized I
wanted to be her someday. I
wanted to be the manager.”
And that is precisely what
she did, now having sixteen
years of successful history
developing new processes that
improve patient safety and
outcomes.
Ms. Scudder helped lead the
initiative on improvements to
the emergency department,
which she considers the “front
door” to the hospital. In 2012,
Ms. Scudder’s daughter broke
her nose. She felt hesitant
about where to take her for
care. That alone was a clear
indication that the time had
come to make improvements.
Ms. Scudder recognized that
changes would be challenging,
but she started with the
medical staff. The transition
was difficult for some, but
management worked hard to
rebuild the team with only
the best. The new medical
staff was then given extensive
training in both education
and customer service. Press
Ganey, a well-respected patient
experience company, had
rated the overall emergency
department satisfaction in the
twentieth percentile at that
time. By 2015, the percentile
had jumped all the way to the
ninety-fifth percentile. The
ED was noted as one of the
most improved in the country.
Ms. Scudder was invited to
speak in Orlando to share the
success story.
The rebranding of Dearborn
County Hospital to Highpoint
Health took place in February
2018. Highpoint worked for
nearly a year with a design
firm that specializes in brand,
creation, and implementation.
The hospital was searching
for a new name that more
accurately represented the
Highpoint Health is one of the few independent hospitals
in the region
hospital and providers along
with all the services offered.
Ms. Scudder explained that
the local community was very
involved in the transition
through focus groups. The
community even voted on the
hospital’s new name and logo.
Highpoint Health continues
to grow, with more than fortyfive
specialist and primary
care and providers along with
numerous outpatient services
located in Dearborn, Ohio,
Ripley, and Switzerland counties.
Highpoint Health is continuously
advancing state-of-theart
healthcare technology to
improve the care that is given.
The electronic medical record
system now helps a patient’s
physicians communicate more
effectively with each other. A
new monitoring system was
recently installed throughout
the hospital, as well as a new
cardiac monitoring system.
One of the most exciting
aspects of the ongoing
acquisition of new diagnostic
equipment is more effective
cancer detection capabilities
and related oncology services.
Highpoint Health currently
owns an in-hospital, dedicated
PET/CT scanner, which is
considered the gold standard
in the detection and staging of
cancer. Nuclear Medicine is
now available which allows
the Department of Imaging
to use minimal amounts of
radioactive material (isotopes)
to diagnose disease. A 4D
MRI (magnetic resonance
imaging) is also available. An
MRI of the breast can detect
lesions that may not appear on
regular mammograms.
Community outreach
programs can be found
throughout the community.
Not only is the hospital reaching
out to students in nearby
schools to provide education
on substance abuse, but it is
also working with the City of
Lawrenceburg on a substance
abuse initiative. Highpoint
Health has partnered with the
Rising Sun School Corporation
to provide telehealth,
which will lead to better care
for the youth in the community.
It also provides free
health screening. The community
is invited into the facility
for educational classes, such
as diabetes education, birthing
classes, and support groups.
“This past year, we have
received more and more
recognition and positive
Chief Nursing Officer, Angela
Scudder, celebrated her
thirtieth anniversary working
at Highpoint Health.
The rebranded logo for
Highpoint Health was voted
on by the local community.
With the rebranding efforts
are three words the hospital
shares as part of their
brand promise: hearing,
helping and healing.
feedback from our patients,
visitors, and even our employees.
Highpoint Health is an
integral part of this community.
If we are not here… then
where?” she asked. Ms. Scudder
is very excited about what
the future holds. “We are like
family here. I am very proud
of the team here at Highpoint
Health. Their dedication to
providing an outstanding
patient experience is second
to none.”
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