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Cassidi Roberts, RN, BSN, CEN, has been named the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for Medical Center of McKinney.

 

Roberts has been with Medical Center of McKinney for 10 years in a variety of positions including staff nurse and clinical supervisor of the emergency department, executive director of critical care services and assistant chief nursing officer. She served as the interim chief nursing officer since February.

 

“I am excited to announce the promotion of Cassidi to Chief Nursing Officer,” said Ernest C. Lynch, III, FACHE, Medical Center of McKinney CEO. “Cassidi has served in a number of very important leadership roles in the organization, and is well-respected by our physicians and clinical team. As CNO, she will continue to lead our nursing teams forward in providing quality care to our patients.”

 

 

Roberts has been a nurse for more than 14 years and is committed to creating an environment that allows nurses to thrive and excel in their profession, while fostering a positive, unified team to further enhance ethical, safe and effective patient centered care.

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We’ve all heard the proverb, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But, did you know that laughing every day may also keep the doctor away?

Laughter has been proven to provide significant health benefits that can positively influence your physical and mental well-being. As the physical response to humor, laughter can uplift your mood and remove stress.

“Laughter reduces the stress hormone, cortisone, and boosts the immune response by increasing the immune cells and antibodies in the body, thereby increasing your ability to fight infection,” said Aditya Sharma, MD, a psychiatrist with Medical Center of McKinney.

Researchers are exploring the positive benefits of laughter and have found that there is a feedback loop between the muscles in your face and your brain. So, a scowl or frown sends a message to the brain causing it to lower the neurochemicals that make your feel happy. Laughter, on the other hand, sends an opposite message that leads to an increase in these neurochemicals that lift your mood, explains Dr. Sharma.

 “Laughter releases the natural feel-good chemicals in the brain, which in turn, improve your mood, reduce anxiety and improve your ability to handle stress.”

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Medical Center of McKinney Occupational Therapist Mel Rubio watches rehab patient Joyce Ripperda plant the garden provided by the Collin County Master Gardeners.

Playing in the dirt brought on new therapeutic meaning for patients at the Medical Center of McKinney Inpatient Rehab unit when the Collin County Master Gardeners worked one-on-one with inpatient patients to help them build small container gardens.

“Gardening is good for the soul and mind,” said Master Gardener Kay Morris. “There is no right or wrong way to put a succulent garden together. What we did today was a fun, creative way to incorporate physical and mental aspects of gardening into their therapy.”

Patients dug in the dark, rich potting soil, placed glass marbles as pathways to miniature gnomes and planted beautiful succulent plants in brightly colored plastic containers they will be able take home to enjoy, once they are ready to leave inpatient rehab.  Several patients recalled fruit and vegetable gardens they’ve planted in the past and enjoyed learning about the different types of plants and how to care for them. 

Occupational Therapist Lakita Moore explained how the exercise, which focused on gross and fine motor skills, problem solving and sequencing served as a functional therapy activity.

“Gardening is fun and functional,” said Moore, “And this exercise allowed patients to use their brain and body together.”

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Medical Center of McKinney celebrated Certified Nurses Day on Tuesday, March 15thby honoring its 92 board certified nurses for their professionalism, leadership, and commitment to excellence in patient care. Nurses honored included:

Cassidi Roberts, Nursing Administration; Elizabeth Jacobs, Eunice Ontita, Carlene Headley-Obansa, Rodrigo Casenas, Michelle Craven, Anabelle Chan, Tinu George, and Marizza Olivares, Medical/Surgical ; Mark Lisonbee, Thomas Brewer, Sara Jaquay, Paul Shin, Mary Murphy, Orthopedic/Surgery/Trauma; ReneeFrancis, Bindu Devasia, Criselda Bashu, Junu Varghese, Meryline Gerone, Susan Thomas, Lee Harvey-McCord, Romel Abeleda, Carla Lewis, and Susan Oolamakal, Progressive Care Unit; Laura Keller, Justin Nickel, Emily Perez-Reyes, Ann Oparaeke, and Dustin Little, Intensive Care Unit; Ericka champion, Donna Free, Heather Gilbreath, Julia Bell, Peggy Bain, Sarah Congleton, and Sheryl McNeeley, Postpartum; Laura Nix, Thomas Lesnick, Kimberly Oberhelman, Adele Metters, Cheryl Youngblood, Rhoda Madamombe,  and Linnea Johnson, Psychiatric Services; Amanda Johnson, Cindy Hoffman, Nursery; Elsie Akanno, Rachana Patel, Robin Turner, and Tammy Stroman, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Sara Lee and Maita Cruz, Rehab Services; AshleyLarsen, Christina Pareja, Isreal Obansa, Susan Points, Tammie Walter, Victoria Miller, Surgical Services; Amanda Faggart, Denise Price, Hilary Smith, Maria Palmer, Sarah Thetford, Shelly Morris, Sibi Joe, and RimmaPavlik, Women’s Services; Craig Turner, Jennifer Summers, and Brent Croom, Cardio/Vascular Lab; Jeanine Thompson and Anne Benard, Wound Care; Cynthia Welborn, and Mary Fallahian, Lactation Services; Myra Codoy, Joy Stucki, and Melinda Desquitado, Clinical Decision Unit; Lise Van Pelt, Troy Wroe, Misti Heckaman, Donald Morrow, Renee Smith, Emergency; Allison Butler, Bonnie Honigsfeld, Christian Cannaday, and Sandra Day, Administrative Support Services; Jean Biros, Debra Miller, and Kathleen Galt, Education; Gary Huey, Grow Your Own Instructor; Alisha Grubbs, John Summers, Lisa Kenner, Linda Linnig, Olivia Bussey, and Kathy Meador, Quality.

Board Certification of nurses plays an increasingly important role in the assurance of high standards of care for patients and their loved ones. Nursing, like health care in general, has become increasingly complex. While a registered nurse (RN) license provides entry to general nursing practice, the knowledge-intensive requirements of modern nursing require extensive education, as well as a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse.

 

Medical Center of McKinney encourages national board certification for all its nurses. Patients are encouraged to inquire whether there are certified nurses on staff when they visit a hospital or their primary care provider. There are many nursing certification specialties such as medical-surgical, pediatric, pain management, cardiac vascular, oncology, hospice, case management, emergency nursing, critical care and many others. Many nursing certification bodies exist to serve the full range of specialized nursing care offered in the contemporary health care system. National nurse-certifying bodies should be accredited by either the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) or the National Organization for Competence Assurance (NOCA), or both.

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Expectant mother Jenny Hanson was given a choice of days for the induction of her third child. She chose Monday, February 29 – Leap Day.

Baby Harper arrived at 12:15 p.m. and was one of four Leap Day babies delivered at Medical Center of McKinney. The babies are considered “forever young” because their actual birthdate only comes around once every four years.

“Every kid wants their special time and this makes her unique,” said Hanson. “She may be mad at me later on, but I think it’s cool.”

Hanson says whichever day they pick to celebrate Harper’s birthday will be a special day.  

“We will celebrate her birthday every year,” said Hanson, “But will likely celebrate on March 1st as that gives 365 days between birthdays.”

Twenty-eight babies were born at seven HCA North Texas hospitals on Leap Day 2016.

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Medical Center of McKinney has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

About 700 hospitals or approximately 15% of hospital in the United States have applied for and received this award.

The QRCR program was started by the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing the respiratory care services.

To qualify for the recognition, Medical Center of McKinney, provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:

  • All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the CRT or RRT credential.
  • Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours a day.
  • Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
  • A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.
  • Hospital policy prohibits the routine delivery of medicated aerosol treatments utilizing small volume nebulizers, metered dose inhalers, or intermittent positive pressure treatments to multiple patients simultaneously.
  • Use a process that periodically compares performance of respiratory department on efficiency and quality metrics with similar departments for the purpose of identifying an achieving best practice.

 The AARC’s ARCR program grew out of growing concern among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of health care series provided to patients. Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.

Medical Center of McKinney (MCM) is a 260-bed, acute care hospital that offers comprehensive services including a Level III trauma center, cardiovascular, neurological services, general surgery, orthopedics, women’s services, a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and psychiatric services. MCM is a primary stroke center and achieved the Joint Commission’s prestigious Top Performer recognition for sustaining excellence in heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. Medical Center of McKinney is an affiliate of HCA.  For more information: www.medicalcenterofmckinney.com.

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McKinney, Texas – Medical Center of McKinney (MCM) and its medical staff donated $30,000 to three local charities – The Community Food Pantry of McKinney, the Community Health Center of McKinney and Community Lifeline.

Both MCM and its medical staff donated $5,000, for a total of $10,000, to all three charities. 

 “In the spirit of Christmas giving, Medical Center of McKinney and our medical staff are pleased to support these three deserving organizations,” said Ernest C. Lynch, III, MCM CEO. 

Rashid Rahman, MD, president of the Medical Center of McKinney medical staff added,.  “We see a number of patients that rely upon these local charities, and we are proud to support these organizations that bring so much to our community.”

The Community Health Clinic (CHC) provides no-cost, basic healthcare to the underserved members of McKinney and Northern Collin County.  While part-time nurse practitioners provide medical care in the day clinics, volunteer physicians, nurses, student nurses, diabetes educators, translators and office staff fulfill roles in both day clinics and the evening clinics.

“This donation allows us to continue to provide our patients with basic healthcare so that they may be able to have a better quality of life, provide for their families and contribute to the community in a positive way,” said Sarah Mitchell, Community Health Clinic board chair.

“This year, we have made more than 2,100 patient appointments with our 825 adult patients and 300 pediatric patients. We continue to grow weekly and have added an additional 75 patients since September.”

The Community Food Pantry of McKinney is a non-profit outreach program that provides food to families and individuals in need and has been a vital part of the Northern Collin County community for more than 30 years.

“Medical Center of McKinney has supported the Community Food Pantry since 2006, and is our largest single donor. In 2014 we spent about $32,000 purchasing food for the pantry, and in 2015 we have had to increase that spend by $6,000 to $38,000 in order to meet the community’s needs. This donation will help substantially in covering this increase,” said Carol Bodwell, director and board president of the Community Food Pantry.

Last year, the Food Pantry provided 5,847 families with groceries to prepare more than 168,470 meals. This helped feed 8,375 children. “This donation helps us keep our shelves full so that no one goes to bed hungry,” Bodwell said.

The Community Lifeline Center helps local residents manage short term crises situations to regain self-sufficiency by providing assistance for housing, utilities, medical expenses and food.

“This donation is critical to stabilizing our fund for eligible clients’ medical and related expenses,” said Brian Marques, executive director of Community Lifeline. “We are grateful for this generous contribution by the Medical Center of McKinney and the physicians on their medical staff because it ensures that we are able to begin the New Year with funding already in place to meet this critical client need.”

Medical Center of McKinney (MCM) is a 260-bed, acute care hospital that offers patients the most comprehensive services including emergency care, cardiovascular, neurological services, general surgery, orthopedics, women’s services, including a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and psychiatric services. By placing quality patient care as a foremost priority, MCM achieved the Joint Commission’s prestigious Top Performer recognition for the third time for sustaining excellence in heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. This year, MCM expanded its emergency services by opening a 12-bed provider-based emergency room, the ER at Stonebridge, located at the corner of Hwy 380 & Custer. For more information go to www.medicalcenterofmckinney.com.

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Medical Center of McKinney today announced it has been recognized as a 2014 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States.

Medical Center of McKinney was recognized for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, stroke and perinatal care, and is one of 1,043 hospitals out of more than 3,300 eligible hospitals in the United States to achieve the 2014 Top Performer distinction.

The Top Performer program recognizes hospitals for improving performance on evidence-based interventions that increase the chances of healthy outcomes for patients with certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children’s asthma, stroke, venous thromboembolism and perinatal care, as well as for inpatient psychiatric services and immunizations.

This is the fourth year Medical Center of McKinney has been recognized as a Top Performer. Medical Center of McKinney was recognized in 2012 for heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia and surgical care; 2011 for heart failure, heart attack and pneumonia; and in 2013 for heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia and surgical care. For more information about the Top Performer program, visit http://www.jointcommission.org/accreditation/top_performers.aspx.

About the Medical Center of McKinney

Medical Center of McKinney (MCM) is a 260-bed, acute care hospital that offers patients the most comprehensive services including emergency care, cardiovascular, neurological services, general surgery, orthopedics, women’s services, including a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and psychiatric services. By placing quality patient care as a foremost priority, MCM achieved the Joint Commission’s prestigious Top Performer recognition for the third time for sustaining excellence in heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. MCM has expanded its emergency services by opening a 12-bed provider-based emergency room, the ER at Stonebridge, located at the corner of Hwy 380 & Custer.