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Despite the continued visitor restrictions, we are staying busy here at BSMC. The warmer weather has allowed for much needed and greatly enjoyed time outside. The flowers were planted in May; with this rain and sunshine, they are looking beautiful and we enjoy being on the patio with them. The Grace Lutheran Church, paired with an anonymous donation, funded the purchase of two outdoor rocking chairs for the patio. They have been a great addition that are enjoyed by the residents. If the weather...
Congratulations, Class of 2020! This is a great accomplishment; and although the year has not ended how you'd hoped, nothing can ever take away your education. You've earned it! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see where life takes you! We asked the folks here some questions in your honor as their life experiences are far greater than yours and ours. May you take it to heart; enjoy their words of wisdom. What advice would you give to the high school seniors? A. If you have some idea of...
Happy Hospital Week! May 10-16 is National Hospital Week 2020. This is a chance to recognize each hospital for the service they provide to the community. You know about the clinic; you know about the behind-the-scenes staff; you know about the "patient people"; now it's time to introduce you to the rest of the staff! In every facility, teamwork is what makes the dream work. Each job is essential. Each member of our staff is vital to the well-being of the facility. Some staff members like Lisa...
HAPPY NURSE'S DAY! Today marks the beginning of National Nurse's Week; it ends on May 12, in honor of Florence Nightingale's birthday. She is said to be the founder of nursing. National Nursing Assistant Day is celebrated in June; but our CNA's deserve recognition every day of the week. It is often said that nursing staff is the heart of healthcare; the eyes and ears of the providers; the frontline. The World Health Organization has dubbed 2020 the Year of the Nurse, and it's fair to say that...
Every business is successful because of how they operate behind the scenes. Here at Big Sandy Medical Center, we have some of the best working hard to make sure that your experience here is the best that it can be. It takes a village, a team, a work family; and that is exactly what we have here at BSMC. As we prepare for National Hospital Week, we tip our hats to everyone who keeps this place up and running. BSMC is a small facility, employing less than 50 people. This small but mighty crew is...
Big Sandy Medical Center has been in the community since 1965. Over that time the staff, the services, and the look of the facility have changed greatly. Today, BSMC is a 22-bed Critical Access Hospital, serving Long-Term Care, Swing Bed and Inpatient needs, as well as a Rural Health Clinic. Physical Therapy is also offered through Strutz On Physical Therapy. The patients at the facility are cared for by two mid-level providers, Krystyl Kulbeck, PA-C, and Zane Bendig, NP-C. The Medical...
National Lab Professionals Week is April 19-25. Our lab professionals are a vital part of your care here at Big Sandy Medical Center. We are so lucky to have Maricel Bachoco and Carla Gilman on our staff. These ladies are the ones that draw your blood, swab your nose or throat, and investigate all the other samples you may provide! Our lab professionals are the detectives of your healthcare team. They look at the smallest of cells in your body and determine which ones are functioning like they...
Did you know that National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is April 16? NHDD was first designated in 2008 with the goal of educating and empowering the public, as well as healthcare providers about how important advance care planning is. If you have had an overnight stay in a hospital recently, you may have been asked your wishes regarding heroic measures if your heart were to stop or you were to stop breathing on your own. A Do Not Resuscitate wrist band may have placed upon your wrist. You may have heard the words, “full code.” These are all...
As you know, we have not been allowing visitors into the facility for weeks. First, it was to protect our residents from influenza, now to protect them from Covid-19. We are happy to report that at this time, there has been no influenza cases or Covid-19 cases among our residents. We are so grateful for your continued patience and understanding in keeping your distance for their sake. We are also taking measures within the facility to keep them safe. For instance, group activities and group...
Influenza seems to be at its best this last couple of weeks, which means many of us are feeling at our worst. Influenza A and B have both been prevalent in our community for several weeks now, but we have seen a steep increase recently. Reportedly about 1/3 of the students in the grade school were out sick last week and those numbers are expected to linger. Influenza A and/or B is commonly referred to as “the flu.” It is important to note that influenza is not a typical “stomach bug” and is usually not associated with nausea, vomiting or diarrh...
Another year is coming to an end and with it the start of a whole new decade. It has been a whirlwind of a year here at BSMC; and we are so grateful you have allowed us to be a part of your healthcare team. Thank you for continuing to support our local facility. Whether through your patronage, visiting our patients and residents, donating to the Guild or Foundation or serving on the Board of Directors, we are blessed to have you. Not only do we appreciate all of you, but we appreciate all our...
A big CONGRATULATIONS to the Nursing Staff for winning the third Annual BSMC Staff Costume Contest! Halloween is a big deal around here, and the 2019 holiday did not disappoint. The nursing staff dressed as the Addams Family; Ashley Allderdice, RN, as Morticia; Morgan Simpson, CNA, as Gomez; Jessica Dooley, RN, as of Wednesday; Lorraine Hanson, RN, as Pugsley; Donna Fetsch, CNA, as Uncle Fester; and Lynn Faber, CNA, as Cousin It. EVERYONE else in the facility dressed as Smurfs. The kitchen...
We are batty for Halloween here at the Medical Center! This is such a fun event for our staff and our residents. We encourage everyone to join us in the festivities. It all started in early October when the staff began planning their Halloween costumes. It has become quite an inter-department competition over the last few years. This will be the third-annual costume contest within the facility, and everyone is out to get the nursing staff! Each department plans their costumes then on Halloween...
The last couple of months at the Medical Center have been filled with productivity! We spent countless hours preparing for the conversion, hired new staff, prepared for the Guild Rummage Sale and even had some landscaping done! We said good-bye to our Clinic Manager, Shayla Vroman this month. She will be missed here at BSMC! Be sure to say your farewells soon, they will be moving to Wisconsin! We have also welcomed Savanna Echols as our Clinic Administrative Clerk. She has been working hard to l...
For the last eight weeks we have been working diligently to get everything ready for this conversion. Most of this work is done "behind the scenes," as a majority of what is changing has to do with licensing, billing, and documentation. Last week the conversion team from Alabama arrived to train our staff in their respective departments. They were surprised with how versatile our staff is, making multiple comments about all the "hats" our staff wear. We truly do have the best here at BSMC. As of...
Big Sandy Medical Center was built in 1965 by the great community we all live in today. It was a fully functioning clinic and hospital at that time and babies were even born in the facility until 1985. Also, in 1985, the Long-Term Care center was added to help meet the needs of the aging community. As medicine has evolved, the facility has evolved. For the last 34 years it has operated as a full medical center. Today BSMC offers care to patients of all ages; in the Clinic, Emergency Department,...
Surveys... surveys...and more surveys! The facility State Survey was completed at the end of June. This survey is conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services and is designed to monitor our Long-Term Care facility. The goal is to assure that we continue to provide safe, effective care to our residents, providing them with dignity and respect in the process. In order to continue to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs these surveys must take place at least once very 4 years. The arrival of the survey team is always a...
The tournament was a huge success! We had 22 teams register and it took about 4 hours to play through the bracket. It came down to an intense and close game with the team "The Hole Enchilada" Mica Griffith and Andy Verhasselt, winning the day and taking home the $200 prize. The second place team was the team "Mint Bar, Larry Jappe and Ryan Harber, $100 prize. $50 prize to the third place the team "Airmill." Jase Stokes and Nate Rismon. We were able to raise roughly $5000 and are very grateful!...
A lot of exciting things are happening around the medical center this spring! New faces and new equipment can be seen around the facility, as well as some new events coming soon! We are so excited that Zane Bendig, NP has joined our team! He is already seeing patients in the clinic and getting settled in at our facility. We are thrilled to have him here. The BSMC Foundation and the Medical Guild purchased a new tub and bath chair for our residents. It has finally arrived and been installed in our tub room. The bath chair is so much more...
