October 2016 Monthly Report from the Director VA VA ... · event, which will be held at VA’s...
2
October 2016 Monthly Report from the Director Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center VA Scott R. Isaacks, FACHE Medical Center Director Savannah VA Outpatient Clinic Grand Opening Friday, October 28, 11 a.m. 1170 Shawnee Street, Savannah, VA Veterans Day Parade Sunday, November 6, 2 p.m. Downtown Market District, Charleston Vietnam Veteran Symposium Honoring Our Heroes: The Ongoing 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m. USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point Fisher House Charleston Ground- breaking Ceremony Friday, November 18, 11 a.m. 150 Wentworth Street Charleston, SC 29401 A s Hurricane Matthew roared up the coast, our VA team sprang into ac- tion planning the transfer of 59 inpa- tients with 20 staf accompanying them to our sister VA medical centers in Columbia, Augusta and Dublin, Georgia. We canceled approximately 6,000 outpatient appoint- ments rescheduling as many as possible on the spot, and ensured continuity of care for all Veterans in our care all while secur- ing the facility and supporting one another through the storm. This was a truly heroic efort that was a Herculean undertaking by everyone involved, and our leadership team was privileged to roll up our sleeves working alongside our team, and sheltering in place at the hospital with them through the storm. From our Emergency Manager Charlie Tupper and his right hand Denis Woods, to Inpatient Nursing Manager Tam- my Sullivan, Deputy Associate Director for Nursing John Goldizen and the Patient Care Coordinators, to our EMS, Engineering, Nu- trition and Food Service, Health Administra- tion and VA Police teams, everyone came together to ensure our Veterans were safe and our staf was cared for. This is the frst time in more than 25 years that we have evacuated patients from our VA, and it was a seamless process thanks to VA being a fully integrated healthcare system – the only one of its kind in the U.S. The same was true for the return of our Vet- eran patients which was completed one week later. We utilized dual-use vehicles from Charleston, Augusta and Dublin VA medical centers to transport the majority of the patients. The dual-use vehicles can be confgured for stretchers, wheelchairs and ambulatory patients. Patients requir- ing ambulance transfer were transported via that mode. Not only did we successfully evacuate inpatients; we assured vulnera- ble Veteran populations such as homeless Veterans, spinal cord injury patients, home- bound patients, etc. were provided the opportunity to evacuate, were accounted for, and had a plan to weather the storm. Charleston VAMC and its sister facilities coordinated the transfer of four homeless Veteran outpatients in need of grant & per diem housing in Columbia, and more than 10 spinal cord injury outpatients were evac- uated to either Columbia VAMC or Augusta VAMC’s Spinal Cord Injury unit. I am amazed at the incredible work of our team and our VA medical centers coming together, sharing resources and stafng to ensure the safety of our heroes. Overall, we had some 125 employees who served as essential personnel, many others who vol- unteered to work through the storm, those who evacuated with our patients, and all the team members who worked virtually 109 Bee Street | Charleston, SC 29401 | www.charleston.va.gov | (843) 577-5011
Transcript of October 2016 Monthly Report from the Director VA VA ... · event, which will be held at VA’s...
October 2016
Monthly Report from the Director Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center VA
Scott R. Isaacks, FACHE Medical Center Director
Savannah VA Outpatient Clinic Grand Opening
Friday, October 28, 11 a.m. 1170 Shawnee Street,
Savannah, VA
Veterans Day Parade Sunday, November 6, 2 p.m. Downtown Market District,
Charleston
Vietnam Veteran Symposium Honoring Our Heroes: The Ongoing 50th
Commemoration of the Vietnam War Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m.
USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point
Fisher House Charleston Groundbreaking Ceremony
Friday, November 18, 11 a.m. 150 Wentworth Street Charleston, SC 29401
As Hurricane Matthew roared up the coast, our VA team sprang into action planning the transfer of 59 inpa
tients with 20 staff accompanying them to our sister VA medical centers in Columbia, Augusta and Dublin, Georgia. We canceled approximately 6,000 outpatient appointments rescheduling as many as possible on the spot, and ensured continuity of care for all Veterans in our care all while securing the facility and supporting one another through the storm. This was a truly heroic effort that was a Herculean undertaking by everyone involved, and our leadership team was privileged to roll up our sleeves working alongside our team, and sheltering in place at the hospital with them through the storm. From our Emergency Manager Charlie Tupper and his right hand Denis Woods, to Inpatient Nursing Manager Tammy Sullivan, Deputy Associate Director for Nursing John Goldizen and the Patient Care Coordinators, to our EMS, Engineering, Nutrition and Food Service, Health Administration and VA Police teams, everyone came together to ensure our Veterans were safe and our staff was cared for.
This is the first time in more than 25 years that we have evacuated patients from our VA, and it was a seamless process thanks to VA being a fully integrated healthcare system – the only one of its kind in the U.S.
The same was true for the return of our Veteran patients which was completed one week later. We utilized dual-use vehicles from Charleston, Augusta and Dublin VA medical centers to transport the majority of the patients. The dual-use vehicles can be configured for stretchers, wheelchairs and ambulatory patients. Patients requiring ambulance transfer were transported via that mode. Not only did we successfully evacuate inpatients; we assured vulnerable Veteran populations such as homeless Veterans, spinal cord injury patients, homebound patients, etc. were provided the opportunity to evacuate, were accounted for, and had a plan to weather the storm. Charleston VAMC and its sister facilities coordinated the transfer of four homeless Veteran outpatients in need of grant & per diem housing in Columbia, and more than 10 spinal cord injury outpatients were evacuated to either Columbia VAMC or Augusta VAMC’s Spinal Cord Injury unit.
I am amazed at the incredible work of our team and our VA medical centers coming together, sharing resources and staffing to ensure the safety of our heroes. Overall, we had some 125 employees who served as essential personnel, many others who volunteered to work through the storm, those who evacuated with our patients, and all the team members who worked virtually
109 Bee Street | Charleston, SC 29401 | www.charleston.va.gov | (843) 577-5011
PAGE 2
to ensure continuity of care and operations through this event. What an honor it is to work with such an incredibly dedicated and motivated team!
Stand Down Against Veteran Homelessness Events
Here at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, our goal is to completely eliminate Veteran homelessness within our communities - ensuring every Veteran has access to safe, affordable housing. While the Savannah and Myrtle Beach VA Outpatient Clinics hosted their annual Stand Downs Against Homelessness in September, we had to postpone our Charleston Stand Down due to Hurricane Matthew. We will announce the new date in the near future for the event, which will be held at VA’s Community Resource and Referral Center, located at 2424 City Hall Lane in North Charleston.
ParkingEarlier this month, we opened 200 addi
tional parking spaces for Veterans immediately adjacent to the West Entrance of the hospital, which is the entrance closest to the Emergency Room and other highly utilized patient care areas. We also added a shuttle cart service to transport Veterans and guests who may need assistance to the West Entrance door. I am pleased to report that the convenience of this parking area has been very well received by our patients, and so far there are open parking spaces available every day for Veterans.
Mark Your Calendars – Vietnam Veteran Symposium & Fisher House Charleston Groundbreaking
We are thrilled to host two very special events in November – “Honoring Our Heroes: The Ongoing 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War” symposium on November 17 aboard the USS Yorktown; and the Fisher House Charleston Groundbreaking on November 18 at 150 Wentworth Street. The symposium features a panel discussion with Vietnam Veterans LT Clebe McClary, USMC (ret.), PFC Ralph H. Johnson’s platoon mate Alex Colvin, Air Force Flight Nurse Jackie Hall, and Army Helicopter Pilot Frank Wall as they share their stories of service and sacrifice. The event, co-sponsored by Patriots Point and ABC News4, is free and open to the public. It will also be broadcast live on ABC News 4 at 7:00 p.m. on November 17.
The Fisher House Charleston Groundbreaking is a tremendous milestone as we move forward with building a home-awayfrom-home for the families of Veterans in our care. Mr. Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of the Fisher House Foundation that has built some 70 Fisher Houses located at U.S. military and VA medical centers in the U.S. and Europe, will serve as guest speaker for the ceremony. We look forward to having many Veterans, community partners, and special guests join us for this public event, and we trust you will begin thinking about volunteering at Fisher House Charleston in support of these families once it opens.
As we continue to grow, we renew our commitment to serving those who served. Ours is not just a job … it is a privilege to care for our heroes, and to have the opportunity to honor them each and every day. Thank you for your continued partnership in fulfilling our noble mission.
With deepest respect,
Scott R. Isaacks
109 Bee Street | Charleston, SC 29401 | www.charleston.va.gov | (843) 577-5011
