 |
Jordan Valley Medical Center Brings Two New Services To The West Side
Special Ceremony To Unveil Level III NICU And Automated Laboratory
WEST JORDAN, Utah (Sept. 1, 2009) – Jordan Valley Medical Center now offers the first Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and automated laboratory on the valley’s west side. A community-wide celebration tomorrow will officially unveil the hospital’s latest expansion projects.
Created with family comfort and privacy concerns in mind, JVMC incorporated state-of-the-art technology with a unique layout concept that makes its 7,000 square-foot NICU one of the area’s most innovative hospital designs. The new NICU, located on the second floor of the hospital’s Women’s Center, features 11 individual rooms. As a departure from the more traditional open nursery environment where babies are clustered together, these private suites not only protect their tiny patients from outside stimuli, but also offer their families defined spaces they can call their own. Each of the rooms includes sound-absorbent ceilings and floor tiles, dimming lighting systems and sliding glass doors.
In addition to the peaceful ambiance, the NICU is equipped with advanced technology that offers up-to-the minute specialized care. Call lights that are directly connected to the babies’ heart monitors and ventilators provide immediate notification of changes in a baby’s condition to the nursing staff. The central monitoring system and the built-in walkways between the rooms also allow for the medical staff to move quickly through the unit. Other technology highlights include special incubators that provide monitored heat and humidity, in-bed scales and Omni beds that allow the babies to be moved from the warmers to the isolets without physically disturbing the baby and a medication guardrail system that ensures each baby is given the proper medication in the best possible way.
For the families, the unit provides a private room for breast pumping, a designed area for gowning and an in-unit restroom so parents can remain close to the their babies at all times. One of the most unique features is the transition room that allows parents to “live in” with their babies who are still housed in the NICU. This process helps alleviate the fear and apprehension parents often experience before taking their babies home for the first time.
The new JVMC automated laboratory features a sophisticated tube system that is connected to all patient care areas and allows for rapid and efficient transportation of a variety of different types of specimens. The track-system configuration currently handles large volumes of routine and STAT blood, urine and body fluid specimens from both inpatients and outpatients which allows for faster laboratory result turn around times. The specimens are placed in an automated sample manager which reads a barcode label on the specimen container to determine which laboratory tests are ordered. The sample manager then places the specimens on an automated track system which delivers the specimens to the appropriate analyzer. There are several specialized laboratory analyzers connected to the track system. These include general chemistry, specialized chemistry, hematology, and urine analyzers which perform testing for blood glucose, cholesterol, liver function, kidney function, thyroid function, bladder infection, etc. The system will soon expand its capabilities to include a coagulation analyzer which performs tests to measure blood clotting effectiveness, monitor anticoagulant medication, rule out blood clots, etc. In addition to the innovative technology it uses, JVMC’s new 4,900 square foot lab is spacious enough to accommodate large volume levels and provide patients with more comfort and privacy.
“As the west-side community continues to grow, Jordan Valley Medical Center is proud to be the first hospital in the area to offer these new, life-changing services,” said Jordan Valley Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Bryanie Swilley. “The Level III NICU will have a profound impact on the healthcare provided to the women and children in our community and the new automated lab will make the entire process of collecting and testing specimens much more efficient for all Jordan Valley patients.”
Swilley added, “These two new projects further demonstrate our commitment to continually embrace innovative technologies as part of our mission to provide quality healthcare to our neighbors on the west side of the valley.”
A community ribbon cutting ceremony is set for Sept. 2 at 1 p.m. in the new NICU, located in the Women’s Center on the second floor. Ceremony participants include Bryanie Swilley, CEO, Jordan Valley Medical Center, Arlen Jarrett, M.D., South Valley Women’s Healthcare, the Honorable Mayor Newton, West Jordan City. Tours of the new NICU and lab will begin after the ceremony and continue until 5 p.m.
Jordan Valley Medical Center (JVMC) has been serving the health care needs of the southwest valley for more than 25 years, and currently has 172 licensed beds. The hospital specializes in family-centered maternity care, orthopedics, general surgery, emergency care, cardiology services and many other specialties. JVMC is part of the IASIS Healthcare® system that owns and operates 15 acute care hospital facilities and one behavioral health hospital facility spread across six states: Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas and Utah.
|
|
