Blog Posts

PCA Student Nurses Learn and Earn

9/3/2020

Ariel McCreary (R) and Sydney Swan (L) are just two among a group of bright and talented PCA student nurses at Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. who are headed back to the classroom this fall. Working as a PCA student nurse at BTLC offers a unique opportunity for nursing students to work in their field while still attending school.
“It’s a win-win situation”, states Brian Pitts, director of acute care nursing. He added, “PCA student nurses are typically very motivated and conscientious about their work. At the same time, the nature of the position allows them to

float among departments, so they get to learn which areas of nursing they like before landing their first job out of nursing school…preferably, at Brooks-TLC”

The coordinated human resources and nursing concept is to pipeline nursing students into the hospital’s workforce, so when they pass their nursing board exams, they’re already on staff. Until that time, they work per diem, and the hospital works around their school schedule when they return home during school breaks.

Sydney, a senior at St. John Fisher College and Ariel, a senior at Mercyhurst University, along with their cohorts, have the opportunity to work directly with nurses, seeing all aspects of care in the hospital. “Depending what department I’m assigned to, I might perform EKG’s, take vitals, draw blood, or help feed patients,“ Sydney shared. As she heads back to Rochester, NY for her final clinical rotation, she’s already equipped with the experience to know she likes the fast pace of the emergency room.

For information about PCA student nursing jobs at Brook-TLC Hospital System, visit www.brookshospital.org/careers or call 716-363-7262.

Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. Certified to ISO 9001 Quality Management System by DNV GL

8/6/2020

Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. has been awarded by DNV GL Healthcare full certification to the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001 Quality Management System.

“Brooks-TLC is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective healthcare services possible,” says Jodi Witherell, vice president of quality services. “ISO certification not only reflects that mission, but helps to empower it. The certificate is just a piece of paper, but the effort required to achieve it fundamentally transforms the way we do business. ISO 9001 is ideally suited to the complex, people-intensive challenges of running a hospital.”

Photo caption left: Michelle Procknal, director of quality, was instrumental in the hospital achieving the coveted certification.

Brooks-TLC CEO, Mary LaRowe, added, “I’m so incredibly proud of the teamwork it took to earn this certification and how every employee played a big part in achieving it.”

ISO 9001 is the most widely-accepted quality management system in use around the world, and is quickly gaining acceptance among US healthcare providers as a foundation for their quality and patient safety programs.

“Brooks-TLC has worked hard to achieve this certification, and they have done so with unwavering commitment from their top leadership to make their hospital the best it can be,” says Patrick Horine, President of DNV GL Healthcare. “ISO certification isn’t just an award or trophy for something you’ve done, its public evidence that you are at the top of your game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an everyday objective.”

ISO 9001 brings science to the art of caregiving; it helps to standardize processes around things that are proven to work, by the people doing the work, thus empowering frontline workers while creating an environment of predictability for the entire organization. The ultimate impact of ISO within hospitals is the reduction or elimination of variation, so that critical work processes are done consistently and the “best ideas” aren’t held by one person or one department, but are ingrained in the organization itself.

Businesses that implement ISO do so for both the internal and external benefits. Internally it helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care, and ensure that progress is constantly being made toward specific quality objectives. Externally, it tells the public, as well as insurers and regulatory agencies, that the hospital is not only talking about quality, but is pursuing it with discipline and transparency.

“ISO 9001 is like sheet music for an orchestra; it gets everyone on the same page and helps us achieve our objectives,” says Witherell.

Dunkirk Police and Fire Salute Hospital Workers

4/9/2020

In recognition of the tenacity, strength and resilience of hospital staff and physicians during this time of crisis, the Dunkirk Police and Fire Departments honored their efforts April 9. A parade of police and fire vehicles began down the street at The Chautauqua Center and made their way up Central Avenue to the hospital while flashing their lights and cheering.

Photo 1: Dunkirk City Fire Chief Mike Edwards leads the salute of hospital workers despite an unexpected snowfall.

Photo 2: A view from inside. Hospital staff was asked to enjoy the parade from inside the facility so as to avoid having to rescreen on re-entry to the hospital.

Deaconess Hospital: How to make a mask for doctors, nurses and health care workers for COVID-19

3/23/2020

Looking for a way to help? According to the CDC, fabric masks are a crisis response option when other supplies have been exhausted. If you have sewing skills and access to a sewing machine, follow these easy instructions courtesy of Deaconess. To donate completed masks, contact Community Relations at myhealth@brookshospital.org or call 716-363-3313. Thank you!

GI Docs Spread Colorectal Cancer Awareness

3/4/2020

On any given day, the GI Lab at Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. is a busy place. Familiar faces, gastroenterologist. Hyder Alam, MD and general surgeon, Joe Askar, MD, are on site almost daily, and can be seen working a well-oiled machine with GI nurses at the hospital. In recognition of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, both physicians discuss the importance of colonoscopy in cancer screening.

According to New York State (NYS) Department of Health, colorectal cancer – which is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum - is the third leading cause of cancer death for men and women in NYS. There are approximately 9,000 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed each year in NYS. Early detection of colorectal cancer through regular screening can improve survival rates.

Dr. Askar references the NYSDOH Information for Action Report 2019 regarding screening rates in Chautauqua County. He states, “The rate of adults ages 50-75 screened for colorectal cancer in Chautauqua County is 77.5%.” He adds, “That figure places us in the top quartile across New York State. I think that shows we’re doing a great job, but we can always do better.”

He adds, “The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. Screening can either be a stool-based test, such as the highly sensitive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every year or a visual exam of the colon and rectum by way of colonoscopy every 10 years.”

Joe Askar, MD sits for a photo between cases during his full schedule at the Brooks-TLC GI Lab at the Dunkirk campus.

Factors which help reduce the risk of colon cancer include losing weight, getting regular exercise, consuming a healthy diet with limited red meat and fats, and quitting smoking.

For information on colonoscopy or to schedule an appointment, contact Dr. Askar at 716-366-4545 or 716-366-4537.

Stay tuned later this month for tips on an easier prep before colonoscopy with gastroenterologist Dr. Hyder Alam.

Brooks-TLC Provides Unique Clinical Rotation Opportunity

2/28/2020

Over the past decade, the Affordable Care Act placed an emphasis on accessible healthcare for all. Still today, Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. is helping to ensure the next generation of nurses are prepared for the unique challenges facing rural populations relative to healthcare accessibility.

Through its academic affiliations with Jamestown Community College, Erie II BOCES, Job Corp and now Trocaire College, the Brooks Campus in Dunkirk provides clinical rotation opportunities for LPN and RN students in its Med-Surg Telemetry department. In addition to learning clinical skills in cardiac monitoring, nursing students at Brooks are exposed to competencies in community health.

(front L to R) Melanie Leuer, RN, Sheila Cole, RN, (back L to R) Julie Morton, RN and Brian Pitts, RN, set up the medical library in preparation for their nursing students

According to Melanie Leuer, RN, BSN, Brooks-TLC clinical education coordinator, “A rotation experience at Brooks provides students with meaningful engagement in service of a rural population. The practical hands-on experience with a cross section of our population demonstrates how access to healthcare services is critical to good health.”

With a high percentage of Medicaid population, many patients in this type of rural setting face a variety of access barriers including financial challenges to pay for services, lack of transportation, communication barriers, and more.

Melanie and clinical nursing instructors are working to incorporate critical thinking into lessons that focus on establishment of trust with patients, active listening, patient empowerment, etc. Ultimately, the end goal is to provide students with an immersive clinical experience in a culturally diverse setting.

The current clinical rotation began on January 22 and extends through May 2020.

A Letter to Our Community

2/24/2020

By Mary E. LaRowe and Christopher Lanski

Efforts to preserve healthcare in the Chautauqua region by the Brooks-TLC Hospital System Board of Directors have come under fire. The board recognizes the loss of any health service wounds the community, and we understand the emotional reaction.

On behalf of all our board members, however, our focus now must be on the future and working collaboratively to make sure that a new hospital is built in Fredonia, preserving regional services. We face extraordinary, generational challenges. According to the August 2019 Becker’s Hospital Review, 113 rural hospitals closed in the past decade in 27 states. And some 21 percent of rural hospitals – 700 in all – are at risk of closure in coming years.

As we work with the state Health Department [DOH], our elected representatives, union leaders and all stakeholders to move this $67 million hospital to ground-breaking, we seek community support. One pillar of the new hospital funding and approval process will be to demonstrate community commitment and economic viability. To that end, we want to present some facts and clarify a few misconceptions.

In regard to the TLC closing, the hospital and the DOH months ago coordinated numerous prerequisite steps necessary for closure. The planning was very well thought out and carefully considered. Relative to Kaleida Health’s role, Kaleida is not a source of bailout funds or additional revenue nor does it direct operations or make decisions at Brooks-TLC. Our management agreement with Kaleida Health provides resources at reasonable cost.

Next, our leadership team continues to work closely with DOH, as we have for the last four years. Our financial position is crucial in procuring funding to transform to a replacement hospital for the aged Brooks campus, now more important with the closure of TLC.

Hospital leaders worked diligently to reduce expenses by $8 million in recent years and maintain services at TLC, but inpatient volume fell in response to economic pressures from insurance companies; implementation of new technologies for outpatient care; and declining regional population. These factors further eroded revenues. We face similar issues at Brooks, and closings also recently occurred in Lockport, Newfane and North Tonawanda.

We fought hard to keep services viable at both campuses, but market forces and a litany of other factors made it impossible to maintain both. Nonetheless, with DOH and state Office of Mental Health guidance, we are monitoring community members with mental health challenges, and re-training staff at Brooks to care for these individuals.

Board members also faced invalid criticism as “outsiders.” Every one of our board members works locally. They serve as unpaid volunteers because they care about preserving healthcare for our communities. To provide that quality healthcare into the future, we must have the cooperation and support of the community and its leaders. That is why we’ve briefed newly elected officials.

For months, we knew that a transformation plan involved making difficult decisions. There will be more to be made. But all decisions are made to ensure that our communities have access to necessary care.

Mary E. LaRowe is president and CEO and Christopher Lanski is board chair of Brooks-TLC Hospital System Inc.

FREE Blood Pressure Screening

2/21/2020

In recognition of February as Heart Health Month, together with Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., Thomas Smith, MD, Cardiologist, will offer FREE blood pressure screening at Walmart in Fredonia on Thursday, February 27 from 4 – 7 p.m. Dr. Smith will be joined by students from Erie II BOCES who are enrolled in the LPN program. Screenings will be conducted at the front of the store, located at 10401 Bennett Rd, Fredonia, NY 14063.

Dr. Smith is part of Great Lakes Cardiovascular, a practice of General Physician PC, with a clinic at Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. Dunkirk Campus offering Stress Testing, Echocardiogram, and Stress Echo testing.

Cardiac Rehab Week

2/12/2020

February is Heart Health Month

2/4/2020

The month of February is the perfect time to start loving your heart! Heatlhy individuals can follow these easy steps to begin a commitment to a heart-healthy lifestyle.

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