Nash UNC Looks Back on a Year Filled with Improvements and Accolades 

It was a busy year for Nash UNC Health Care, as the hospital continued to focus on improving quality, safety, and patient experience metrics in order to better fulfill its mission of improving the health and wellbeing of the community. Multiple national organizations noted those improvements, as the hospital earned several awards and accolades for quality of care and safety.

Nash UNC was one of only 32 hospitals nationwide to earn a “Top General Hospital” designation, the highest and most competitive recognition for excellence in hospital safety and quality by The Leapfrog Group, Leapfrog is a national nonprofit organization that collects and reports hospital performance data. Top hospitals were selected from more than 2,200 eligible hospitals across the country, based on standards and performance with infection rates, medication safety and surgery outcomes, among other quality and safety metrics.

“The hospital board of commissioners wants the community to know that this award is a really big deal, and our citizens should be extremely proud of the quality of healthcare our community hospital provides,” said Bill Lehnes, chairman of the Nash UNC board of commissioners.

Earlier in 2022, Nash UNC was named among the Best Hospitals in the State by Business North Carolina, based on patient satisfaction scores and other quality of care metrics. Nash UNC also earned a Leapfrog “A” Safety Grade and  six national awards for heart and stroke care this year. The hospital was reaccredited by The Joint Commission and received honors from Newsweek for physical therapy and maternity care.

“These recognitions are a testament to our entire team’s dedication to the highest standard of patient care,” said L. Lee Isley, President and CEO of Nash UNC. “It also shows we have a strong vision and strategic plan, as set forth by our board, as well as strong leadership and collaboration with medical staff in regards to quality, safety, and patient experience. I am very proud of all that our team has accomplished together for our community.”

Focusing on quality, safety, and patient experience improvements helped the hospital identify four core values in 2022: Trust in Compassion, Above & Beyond, Committed to Connections, and Service Leadership.

“These values drive our teams to be successful by reminding them to focus on what is important for our patients, families, and community,” said Maggie Rogers, Executive Director of Experience. “We have seen a lot of growth in our patient experience scores and quality improvement metrics since rolling out these values.”

Improvement to the patient experience in the emergency department was also a focus in 2022, as a new nurse-paramedic team model was implemented to help reduce wait times when possible and treat a higher volume of patients. The model relies on the assistance of paramedics, who work in conjunction with physicians, nurses and other teammates, to provide patient care.

The hospital also celebrated the addition of new medical staff and providers in urology, general surgery, primary care and cancer care, just to name a few.

“Our recruitment of new providers has been successful thanks to the engagement of our medical staff and board of commissioners,” said Isley. “These new providers live and get involved in our community, and have the credentials and experience to provide world-class care right here at home.”

Nash UNC is in the midst of developing a new strategic plan, having launched most of the groundwork and planning process in 2022.

“The strategic planning process involves gathering input from a wide variety of stakeholders – patients, community leaders, staff, medical staff, faith and other non-profit organizations, etc. – as well as detailed data analysis and a provider needs assessment,” said Dorsey Tobias, Vice President of Strategy and Communications. “We made great strides this year in developing our new plan, which will debut in July of 2023. The plan will ensure Nash UNC remains well-positioned to continue providing the services our patients need and the quality of care they deserve for years to come.”

A variety of grants and generous donations to the Nash UNC Health Care Foundation also helped expand the hospital’s Community Paramedic Program and Inpatient Food Pantry. Both programs are designed to provide needed resources to the most vulnerable patients, contributing to reduced readmissions and better health outcomes.

“We have been fortunate to receive generous donations from area partners, businesses, and community members, as well as national, state, and local grants,” said Kathleen Fleming, Director of the Foundation. “We also raised $96,316 total during our annual Employee Giving Campaign, $83,906 for the Foundation and $12,407 for United Way, to help provide the resources our patients need to stay healthy.”

Those resources include disease-specific food boxes for food insecure patients through the food pantry, home visits by paramedics to help high-risk patients better care for themselves at home, and patient assistance funds for those who need help getting to appointments, purchasing medications, and more.

And while Nash UNC looks back on 2022 with pride for what it accomplished for the community, hospital leaders are excited for what is to come.

“We have accomplished so much together this year, and I am truly thankful for and appreciative of every single team member for working hard to provide our patients and community with exceptional care,” said Isley. “I look forward to next year as we continue to raise the bar while we improve the health and wellbeing of our community. Our new strategic plan, coupled with our mission, vision, and values, will ensure we continue to meet the needs of our community well into the future.”

If you would like to learn how you can be a part of Nash UNC’s impact on our community, please visit nashuncfoundation.org. Financial contributions to the Foundation help provide the resources necessary to maintain the highest level of patient and family support, while also investing in medical technology and equipment, facilities and community health resources.  You can also donate your time by volunteering at the hospital.  To volunteer, visit nashuncfoundation.org or call 252-962-8143.