Acadia General Hospital Celebrating One-Year Anniversary

Acadia General Hospital (AGH) will celebrate its one-year anniversary under Lafayette General Health management with an activity-filled celebration. The anniversary party, titled “All in Good Health,” will be held the afternoon of June 5 from 1-3 p.m.

As a public “Thank You” to the people of Acadia Parish, the hospital will offer free health checks regarding height and weight, body mass index, blood pressure and blood sugar, and will provide free nutritional information.

Activities include singing “Happy Birthday” to the first baby born at AGH after the change in management. Snacks and refreshments will be served. A short ceremony will recognize AGH physicians and patient testimonials will be read.

Since joining Lafayette General Health, AGH has seen many positive changes. One avenue to improvement was the creation of a dedicated Quality and Outcomes Department, which oversees standards of quality for the hospital. Two clinical analysts in the department conduct risk assessments and produce action plans to improve processes. Infection prevention has also been an area that AGH has dedicated resources. An Infection Preventionist oversees implementation of best practices, including good hand hygiene, employee monitoring, as well as working with the Environment of Care staff to keep the hospital clean and sanitary.

The results are clear in the statistics. Outpatient utilization has increased 16%, ER visits are up 20%, 14 of 14 Quality Measures were achieved, and the hospital is up to the 84th percentile in patient satisfaction.

One of the more exciting prospects is the proposed construction of a new ER for the hospital. Funds are being raised to facilitate construction of a 9,768 square-feet addition at a cost of $2.8 million. An additional $1 million would also be raised to purchase new equipment, bringing the total project cost to $3.8 million. A model of the new ER will be on display at the anniversary celebration.

The proposed ER would feature 16 exam rooms, expanded nursing stations, a “fast track” area for less critical patients and two psychiatric holding rooms. The addition would create an expanded surgery area, a new waiting and consulting area for the surgery department, a new breast center, a new registration area and new outpatient diagnostic entrance. It would also have the potential to add two floors at some point in the future. The current ER will be reallocated for Operating Room use.

Patient volume at Cancer Center of Acadiana at AGH has increased by 70%, which now has Oncologist Rebecca Davis, M.D., on-site in a full-time capacity five days a week, compared to just two days a week when the facility first opened in 2013.

Other programs aimed at improving hospital services include efforts by the Clinical Education Department to continually educate staff; utilizing Schumacher Group to staff its Emergency Room providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants; the “Nurse First” program, to provide quicker access to licensed professionals in an emergency situation (40% decrease in door-to-provider time); and the NP Program aimed at improving efficiency and timely access to highly trained providers.