Overlake Hospital in Bellevue is the first medical care center in the Puget Sound area to implement the Care Transitions Intervention program. The program is designed to reduce patient readmission. The program is nationally recognized and was developed by 2003 by Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver.
Care Transitions is a 30-day program conducted by a registered nurse, initially just for patients over 65 who have suffered from heart failure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid encourages the implementation of such programs to improve care quality, reduce preventable readmissions within 30 days of discharge and reduce overall healthcare costs for Medicare patients.
Click on the links below to see what the Bellevue Reporter and the KOMO News Bellevue Community Blog published about the program and Overlake Hospital.
The Keller Group's very own James McIntosh ventured to Guatemala this week to work with Medical Teams International. As a part of the volunteer team in Guatemala, James has been helping to improve community health through the construction of water and sanitation systems. Below are a few pictures he e-mailed us of his trip so far.
The Take Back Your Meds campaign posted the first of their "Pill Guy" videos on YouTube. The video advocates proper and safe disposal of unused, leftover prescription drugs. Pills should never be flushed down the toilet, as the video says, or even left in a medicine cabinet because they can be abused by teens, or accidentally taken by children or seniors. Check out the video below!
KING 5's Evening Magazine and host Meeghan Black filmed at the Museum of Flight today for an upcoming show. The Museum of Flight is one of around 20 institutions from all over the country vying for one of three retiring U.S. Space Shuttles. The retired shuttle will be housed at the Museum's new Space Gallery, which is still under construction.
Medical Teams International is sending a team of eight volunteers from Seattle and Portland to Haiti to aid with the cholera outbreak which was made worse after Hurricane Tomas last week. As of Monday, Medical Teams International volunteers had been treating an average of 10 new patients each hour. The team, consisting of one MD, three RNs and four paramedics, leaves this afternoon from SeaTac Airport.
The Medic One Foundation is facing an unfamiliar crisis. The Foundation, which funds paramedic training and keeps the greater Seattle area's Medic One programs up-to-date and with the most advanced equipment, is struggling financially. In the thirty-six years the program has been running, they've rarely had to turn to the public to ask for donations.
Now, because of the down economy and fewer funds coming in, they need the public's help in order to continue to enable our paramedics to save the lives of people all over the region. Without the extra support of the Foundation, our paramedics wouldn't receive the unparalleled training they do, which includes 2,500 hours of training (more than twice the national average). The Seattle area boasts one of the nation's highest resuscitation rates for sudden cardiac arrest, at 46 percent.
KOMO 4 News put together a feature segment on the Medic One Foundation's "money crisis" which aired four times on November 4th and 5th. Jan Sprake, Medic One Foundation's Executive Director, was interviewed, as well as Sue Nixon, who had her life saved by Medic One Foundation paramedics after her heart stopped while she was driving. Supporting this cause is easy for the public to do, with the Medic One Foundation's new "text to give" program. Text "MEDIC" to 20222 to donate $10, or log onto www.mediconefoundation.org and help save lives!
KOMO News Radio also ran a segment discussing all the Foundation does to enable local paramedics to better serve our communities. Ken Schram interviewed Jan Sprake about the nonprofit Medic One Foundation and the importance of continuing to donate to "keep the beat alive."
Q13 FOX showed their support for the Medic One Foundation with a nearly seven minute in-studio feature, aired the morning of Wednesday, November 10. Jan Sprake, paramedics Brian and Marcy from the Seattle Fire Department and Sue Nixon.
