Mark Reed
2010 News Archive
"Mayor wants Mark Reed to Stay in the Community", The Daily World, 1/25/2010
"County, Hospital Officials Meet on Oakhurst", The Daily World, 1/19/2010
"Is Hospital Headed for Oakhurst?", The Daily World, 1/10/2010
Mark Reed Health Care District Receives ACR Accreditation
Mark Reed Health Care District in McCleary, WA has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
The ACR, headquartered in Reston, VA., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.
The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.
Mark Reed currently offers film screen mammography services at their facility. The District is in the process of sourcing funding for digital mammography which will increase the access to quality breast health services for East Grays Harbor and surrounding areas.
February
"Board chooses Oakhurst", The Daily World, 2/26/2010
* Note: Oakhurst was only chosen for the feasibility study at this point. Not yet as the site to build upon.
"$1 Million for Oakhurst", The Vidette, 2/25/2010
"McCleary Residents Oppose Move", The Vidette, 2/11/10
"Study: Mark Reed should move to Elma", The Vidette, 2/4/2010
"Analyst picks Elma for hospital", The Daily World, 2/4/2010
March
"District officially moves forward with Oakhurst site for new hospital", The Daily World, 3/27/2010
"Mark Reed may move on Oakhurst site", The Vidette, 3/25/2010
"McCleary not ready to give up hospital", East County News, 3/17/2010
"Mark Reed pursues Oakhurst", The Vidette, 3/4/2010
"Oakhurst site chosen for Hospital", The East County News, 3/3/2010
* Note: Oakhurst was only chosen for the feasibility study at this point. Not yet as the site to build upon.
April
"Mark Reed OKs Oakhurst", The Vidette, 4/1/2010
"Oakhurst to be sold to Mark Reed", The Vidette, 4/22/2010
"Former McCleary Mayor Says Elma 'Saved' Hospital", The Vidette, 4/29/2010
May
"McCleary Threatens to Pull Out", The Vidette, 5/13/2010
"County sells Oakhurst for $900k", The Daily World
"Mark Reed OKs Oakhurst", The Vidette, 4/1/2010
Mark Reed Proudly Flies Flag-
Thanks to the efforts of an Eagle scout and his troop, the Mark Reed Health Care District now has a brand new flag pole and a bright new American flag proudly displayed on its front lawn. Eagle scout Grant Munson chose to install a flag pole at Mark Reed as his final project with the Boy Scouts of America. Though Grant's troop hails from Thurston County, Grant said that he chose the Mark Reed site because his father, Dr. Kelly Munson, works in the Emergency Department at the hospital, and they both felt that it was important for the hospital to have a flag to display.
Several hospital employees and McCleary community members, including local veterans and former scouts, came out to attend the ceremony to show their support and patriotism on Memorial Day. The campus recently underwent a makeover with new landscaping, new signage and a fresh coat of paint. Yet, even with all the upgrades, one thing that was still noticeably absent on the property was an American flag so the hospital was very excited that Grant chose Mark Reed for his project.
Simpson Door Company, Bayview Building Supply, ABC Welding, The Dennis Company, Ace Hardware and Lew Rents all were recognized for contributing materials and resources to assist with the implementation of the flag pole.
To view some photos of the event, click here.
"Mark Reed Hospital Loan Approved", The Daily World, 9/30/2010
July
Mark Reed Welcomes New Emergency Medical Director
Mark Reed Health Care District is bringing Dr. William Hurley on board as its new emergency department medical director.
Hurley is certified in medical toxicology and emergency medicine. Hurley will be working in the emergency room at the hospital as well as overseeing it, and bringing in new equipment and recruiting new physicians to the district.
He studied at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has been the emergency medicine director and toxicologist at the Washington Poison Control Center, an emergency doctor at Harborview Medical Center, an assistant professor at the University of Washington and served a term on the governor’s Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Steering Committee.
Hurley served in the Army during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
August
Check out our newest edition of our Community Report. This quarterly publication has the most recent updates of the new facility project and other healthcare initiatives and happenings at Mark Reed.
September
The Mark Reed Health Care District Board of Commissioners signed the Resolution to purchase the Young Street property in Elma (formerly known as the Oakhurst property) to use as the site for the new hospital project. Picutred from left are Commissioners Amy Thomason, Louie Figueroa (seated), Brent Meldrum, Dean Schwickerath, Andrew Hooper, and CEO Renee Jensen.
USDA FUNDS NEW HOSPITAL PROJECT FOR MARK REED
McCleary, WA- September 29, 2010- Mark Reed Health Care District is excited to announce that the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Office has agreed to finance Mark Reed’s facility replacement project in the amount of $21,126,500. This loan will be secured by two bonds, each in the amount of $9,505,500 via the USDA’s Community Facilities Program. The loan will be scheduled for a repayment period of 30 years with a 4% fixed interest rate for that entire period. The district has reserved over $2.1 million of income from operations to assist in funding this project.
At the September 23, 2010 Board of Commissioners meeting, the hospital district’s commissioners passed a formal resolution to sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement with the Grays Harbor County Commissioners for the Young Street property. That property was officially acquired by the hospital district on Monday, September 27th. The District will make its first of three payments to Grays Harbor County for the Young Street property in October.
“This is a huge first step in realizing our goal to build a new, state of the art facility that the citizens of East Grays Harbor County need and deserve.” said Renée Jensen, district chief executive officer. Jensen also stated that the hospital district’s next step in the project will be to work with the architect team to complete design phase. “It’s important to us that the public be informed about the status of the financing and the project. We have posted all of our current project information on our website at www.markreed.org and we have been fielding calls at the hospital as well to try to clarify the terms of the loan and the status of the project.” said Jensen. The groundbreaking for the new facility construction is slated for early Summer 2011.
"Mark Reed Hospital Loan Approved", The Daily World, 9/30/2010
October
MARK REED TO HOST FREE WOMEN’S HEALTH EDUCATION WORKSHOP
McCleary, WA- October 8, 2010- On Saturday, October 23rd, Mark Reed Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Department will host their second annual Women’s Breast Health & Wellness Workshop from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the McCleary Community Center on Simpson Avenue in downtown McCleary. This free workshop will feature educational speakers who specialize in women’s health issues, specifically breast health and cancer prevention. The focus will be geared toward preparing young women on what to expect when they begin receiving annual mammograms, however women of all ages are encouraged to attend and learn about healthcare options that are available to them in their area and the newest industry information on breast health.
Mothers and daughters, sisters, and friends are invited to join together to help promote education, awareness of women’s health issues, and cancer prevention. An hors d’ oeuvres buffet will be served and there are door prizes, raffles, and giveaways for attendees. People interested in attending the event can RSVP by calling Sylvia or Tiffany at Mark Reed Hospital, (360) 495-3244. This event is co-sponsored by the Mark Reed Hospital Foundation, Castle & Coleman Logging and Northwest Underwater Construction.
To view picutres of 2010's event click here!
EAST GRAYS HARBOR HEALTH FAIR MAKES AN IMPACT ON COMMUNITY’S HEALTH
McCleary, WA- On Saturday, October 30th, Mark Reed Health Care District sponsored the second annual East Grays Harbor Health Fair at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds’ Borden-Seabert Exhibition Hall. 331 visitors from around the county were in attendance and took advantage of the free health services and information being offered by the 50 different vendors. Fair coordinator, Joy Iversen, reported that the Red Cross received 24 donations for their blood drive and also 14 flu shots were administered by the Get a Flu Shot group. The Lion’s Club returned this year with their hearing and vision van and screened 64 people, three of whom are being assisted to receive glasses that they previously weren’t able to afford.
Each year, the health fair focuses on bridging the gap in healthcare disparities and educating east county Harborites on the opportunities and services available to them. This year’s fair strongly emphasized outreach to the Hispanic community and Iversen reported that approximately 10% of this year’s attendees were from the Hispanic community. The fair had volunteer interpreters working full speed, taking the Hispanic families around to each of the booths and educating them on healthcare services that are available. CHOICE Regional Health Network, a nonprofit organization based in Olympia, was also at the fair to assist people with signing up for Basic Health insurance and referring them to regional health and living assistance programs. Ed Stanley, CHOICE’s community development program manager, stated that he had at least a dozen people fill out referral cards for assistance and half of them were Hispanic.
Mark Reed sponsored free lab work and consultations with the healthcare clinic providers. Nona Crane, a Medical Laboratory Technician at Mark Reed Hospital, said that she performed 56 lab tests. Crane noted that she tested several repeat Hispanic people who were identified last year as having dangerously high cholesterol levels. She stated that these people told her that they had been working on lowering their cholesterol levels all year long and their tests came back this year with normal cholesterol levels. Mark Reed Hospital Foundation also sponsored a free bicycle helmet booth, which fitted an astonishing 62 people for new helmets.
“We are always so excited when we find out how many people we helped!” said Joy Iversen. “It is a lot of work to coordinate an event of this size and we could not have done it without our numerous volunteers, especially the local Boy Scouts of America group who came out again this year to help set up the room and tear it down afterward.” Iversen confirmed that the hospital district intends to sponsor the event again in 2011 and that they are looking for a larger site to be able to expand the fair and offer additional free healthcare services.
November
MARK REED FINDS SUCCESS WITH NEW FLU VACCINATION POLICY
McCleary, WA- November 4, 2010- Since implementing the new board-approved “Influenza Vaccination for Health Care Workers” policy in August of this year, Mark Reed has had over 93% compliance rate so far with employees and commissioners receiving flu shots before the start of flu season. The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) began a campaign to push all hospitals in the state to implement this policy, which the WSHA board adopted in July of this year. The Mark Reed Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to support the district’s adoption of the vaccination policy. Workers who choose not to receive the vaccination are required according to policy, to wear surgical masks while in patient care areas to avoid transmitting the virus. This policy will be in effect for the period of time during which influenza is “active in the community” as determined by hospital infection control in consultation with local public health officials.
“This was not difficult to get on board with.” said Brenda West, Mark Reed’s chief nursing officer. West stated that larger hospitals have had great success with the program, including Virginia Mason whose vaccination success rates reportedly jumped from 40% prior to the policy being in effect, to 99% afterwards. They also reported a significant drop in flu cases for both patients and staff members. WSHA has approximately 95 hospital members participating in this policy state-wide. “As a healthcare provider, we have an opportunity and duty to protect our patients and community from the flu, especially the H1N1 virus.” said West. Mark Reed’s CEO, Renée Jensen, led the way by receiving her annual flu shot from infection control nurse manager Marnie Riedle, as shown in the photo above.
December
Mark Reed Healthcare Clinic Receives Award for Improving Health Communication
Mark Reed Healthcare Clinic will celebrate the New Year with a $1,500 award presented by a statewide health improvement program. The clinic is one of 10 clinics to be honored for improving health literacy for patients and families. Award-winning clinics showed improvement in patient understanding of medical advice and treatment.
Mark Reed Healthcare Clinic is part of an intensive two-year program called the Washington Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative. The program is jointly sponsored by the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Academy of Family Physicians. The awards are made possible by a grant from the Aetna Foundation.
Clinics are free to spend the award on anything. Our clinic will put these funds toward Medical Home projects.
“We are committed to excellent care for our patients and our community,” said Patrick Olgilvie, Chief Medical Officer. “We know that when our families truly understand the advice and treatment we are giving, we can keep them healthy.”
The Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative is a learning process for medical teams to improve primary care for their patients. Through 2011, 32 teams in Washington will create patient-centered medical homes. In a medical home the physician and care team build strong relationships with the patient and the patient’s family. The team coordinates care with specialists or other health providers. Patient-centered care makes the patient a partner in health care decisions.
For more information, visit the Department of Health’s website: www.doh.wa.gov, then type medical home in the online search tool.