Over the last year, Hialeah Hospital celebrated many achievements both inside the hospital and out in the community. The year kicked off with the opening of the new Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine at Hialeah Hospital, which gives patients access to state-of-the-art treatments and protocols to help heal chronic wounds. The center offers patients advanced treatment options such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy via two hyperbaric chambers, negative pressure wound therapy and bio-engineered skin substitutes, among others.
In early spring, Tenet Healthcare Corporation named Hialeah Hospital as a 2015 Circle of Excellence winner. The award was given to Tenet hospitals that demonstrated impressive operational and financial performance and provided exceptional care in 2014. Also in April, Hialeah appointed Gary Nymoen as chief financial officer. With more than 27 years of financial health care experience, Nymoen previously served as CFO of sister hospital, Florida Medical Center, a campus of North Shore.
In July, Hialeah Hospital earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The distinction recognized the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment. Another summer milestone, Hialeah Hospital’s gastroenterologists acquired the technology to perform a new procedure that may eliminate the need for major surgery for many patients. Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) provides an alternative option for the removal of certain rectal polyps and early stage rectal tumors. Benefits for patients may include no abdominal incisions, reduced blood loss, a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery time.
Also in summer, Hialeah Hospital announced the promotion of its chief nursing officer, Lourdes Camps, RN, MHSA, to chief operating officer. With 30 years of health care expertise, her responsibilities as COO include developing and implementing the hospital’s daily operations and overseeing the overall direction of licensure and regulatory agency accreditation. Soon after, Hialeah Hospital named Silvia Rodriguez, RN, BSN, MBA-HA, as its new chief nursing officer. She has over 20 years of health care experience in the South Florida region and is responsible for ensuring that the hospital maintains high quality patient care.
Before the beginning of the new school year, Hialeah Hospital hosted an internal back-to-school drive, in collaboration with the Jessie Trice Community Health Center, to benefit young students in the area. Hospital employees donated dozens of new backpacks and school supplies to students in need to help them successfully begin the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, the hospital collected food and toys through its yearly drives and donated all items to the Jessie Trice Community Health Center.
In October, Hialeah Hospital hosted its Breast Cancer Awareness “Lighting Up Pink” event along with the City of Hialeah. The hospital was lit pink and featured it’s logo on the first ever City of Hialeah pink fire rescue truck. Hialeah Hospital also made a $2,500 donation to the American Cancer Society.
Rounding out the year, Hialeah Hospital was awarded an “A” for the Fall Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog Group assigns grades to hospitals around the nation on a bi-annual basis. This fall, more than 2,500 hospitals were evaluated, and only about 30 percent received an “A” score.
As 2015 comes to an end, the hospital has its sights set on 2016 and is consistently working to expand its long list of achievements.
