Top 5 Stories of 2011
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Backus made lots of headlines in 2011, which made picking top stories of the year particularly difficult. Here are five of the biggest newsmakers:
1. Plainfield Emergency Care Center
The new Plainfield Emergency Care Center began to take shape, and before the year ended the Backus Auxiliary pledged $250,000 toward the project. The satellite Emergency Department off Route 12 features 3,000-square-feet of space to house 12 treatment rooms, a triage area, convenient care, laboratory, diagnostic imaging and more. The facility will be open around-the-clock beginning this summer.
2. “Most Wired Hospitals”
Backus
was the only healthcare organization in eastern Connecticut to receive a “Most Wired Hospitals” award, which is
given to only the most technologically advanced hospitals in the U.S. Awarded
by the American Hospital Association, the Most Wired designation recognizes
hospitals that effectively implement technology to enhance patient safety,
clinical quality and customer service. Only seven hospitals in Connecticut
achieved this milestone.
3. Blizzards to hurricane and even an earthquake, Backus was in the middle of it all
What a year it was for weather. From blizzards to hurricane and even an earthquake, Backus was in the middle of it all. During the winter, several major winter storms battered the region with near record-setting snowfall. Then came a rare earthquake, which rattled peoples’ nerved but did no damage. Then came Hurricane Irene, which put the hospital in disaster mode for several days because of downed trees and long-term loss of power. As usual, staff was up to the challenge, doing what it took to take care of patients even when the rest of the region was virtually shut down.
4. The Backus Critical Care Unit
The Backus Critical Care Unit went more
than 1,000 days without a Central Line Infection, part of an ongoing focus
on patient safety and quality. The milestone was achieved by a combination of
teamwork among many departments and strict adherence to evidence-based
protocols, which is a model moving forward with other patient safety projects.
The Connecticut
Hospital Association honored Backus for its community outreach efforts,
specifically the Enjoy LIFE.
5. The Community Service Award
(Lifelong Investment in Fitness in Exercise) program that was established in Plainfield. The Community Service Award is given by the Connecticut Hospital Association and the state Department of Public Health to one hospital in the state each year for making “an outstanding contribution to its community, particularly for a program or service targeted toward a particular segment of the hospital’s community.”
