BGH expanded services, range of care during '07
Things were busy at Bonner General Hospital in 2007. As a small community hospital, BGH has always been known for providing personalized care, and our staff takes pride in the fact that we don't treat our patients as statistics.
When our CEO, Sheryl Rickard, shared some 2007 patient data with the hospital staff recently, I was keenly reminded of the important role that everyone at the hospital plays in helping to meet our community's health needs.
Here are a few interesting 2007 statistics:
n BGH admitted 2,881 inpatients.
n Our patients stayed a total of 7,345 days.
n A patient's average length of stay was 2.3 days.
n We saw 55,259 outpatients and performed 57,209 outpatient procedures.
n The maternity unit delivered 399 babies.
n Home Health and Hospice saw about 8,450 patients in their homes.
n Priest River Medical Clinic had 7,662 patient visits.
n Bonner General Immediate Care had 5,749 patient visits.
BGH also expanded the capacity and scope of services it provides to our community during 2007, thanks in part to partnerships with other health care and service-provider organizations. Here are a few of those additions:
n BGH partnered with Kootenai Medical Center to bring the Kootenai Cancer Center at Bonner General Hospital to Sandpoint.
n The hospital partnered with Westside Fire District to create a critical care transport service.
n Two new emergency room physicians joined the BGH medical staff: Dr. Robyn Hitchcock and Dr. Sam Uzabel.
n The hospital opened Performance Physical Therapy & Hand Clinic in Ponderay to provide physical therapy and specialized hand therapy services to patients.
n The hospital established Bonner General Hospital Foundation, a fundraising entity that will focus on developing financial resources to help fund the hospital's equipment and technology needs.
Our goal for 2008 is to continue to expand and strengthen the hospital's programs and services and to ensure that we always provide the very best in health care to our community.
Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital.