Saint John Hospital is excited to announce the opening of a new Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) to provide exceptional critical care for residents in Leavenworth and surrounding communities.
This unit not only provides comprehensive in-person services, but also incorporates telemedicine for virtual consults, offering patients greater flexibility and timely access to specialists. With this technology, patients can have virtual consultations with expert pulmonologists and other specialists, giving them access to expert care close to home.
“This new unit allows many patients to remain in their own community for critical care,” said Billie Leonard, DNP, MSN, RN, Administrator/Chief Nursing Officer. “With the expansion of telemedicine, we are able to reach more people and deliver expert care where and when our patients need it the most.”
Telemedicine that will be used on the new unit allows specialists to monitor patients with chronic medical conditions, ensuring timely intervention when necessary.
According to Angelia Vargas, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager of Inpatient Services, the six-bed unit is staffed by specially trained nurses who in the past year have completed extensive, critical care training. “This course was optional; seven nurses voluntarily completed the training.”
“We even had a former nurse return to Saint John after learning about the new unit,” she added.
Patients cared for on the CCU unit include those who need tools and services with more in-depth levels of care. Examples include those with cardiac concerns like high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and/or heart rates that need to be closely monitored, someone recovering from a stroke, someone with serious pulmonary conditions, patients with drug/alcohol withdrawal, as well as suicidal patients.
During the past year staff have reviewed Emergency Department and Medical-Tele unit patients and why they are sometimes sent to other hospitals.
We found out by opening this unit that we are now able to keep patients that would have been transferred to other facilities here which in turn keeps the patient’s family closer by for visits and support,” Angelia said.