Weems officials say the proposed $10 million renovation will take between 18-24 months to complete.
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Weems To Begin $10 Million Renovation Weems Memorial Hospital received the green light recently to begin a $10 million renovation to replace aging infrastructure in the Apalachicola facility’s emergency, radiology and inpatient nursing departments. The Franklin County Commission approved the hospital board’s plans to move forward with the major hospital renovation during its October 5 meeting. Now, hospital officials say they are ready to proceed with the details of the major overhaul of the 56-year old facility. “We’re happy that the commission has allowed us to move forward,” said Weems CEO Mike Cooper. “We know there’s alot of work to do but we look forward to creating the best healthcare situation for Frankln County.” Franklin County Commissioners originally lent their support to building a new hospital during June when Weems Memorial officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced to Franklin County Commissioners that the county’s $10 million loan application was approved thus clearing the way to renovate the county’s existing 56-year old facility. The board was reluctant to pull the trigger on the loan in June because of worries over the financial viability of the hospital. Those concerns were allayed however with positive financial reports from the hospital CEO Cooper and approval was granted at the October 5 meeting to move forward on the project which is estimated to take 18-24 months. Click here to read more.
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Weems Hospital Sports Impressive Record
Service Aug 2014 – July 2015
Patient Days………………………………… 1,659
ER Visits…………………………………….. 6,462
Clinic Visits………………………………….. 9,329
Radiology Procedures……………………... 3,420
Lab Tests…………………………………… 26,009
Colonoscopies………………………………. 52
FACT: Weems has had ZERO Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs)in the past three years! According to the Centers for Disease Control the national average is over 4% and accounts for over 75,000 deaths a year.
FACT: The average Length of Stay (the time from entry to discharge) in the Weems ER over the past 12 months is 1.43 hours. According to a 2012 study by Boston University Medical Center, the national average is 3.87 hours.
FACT: Weem’s Readmission Rate (within 31 days) has varied between 0 and 7 percent over the past year. According to the American Hospital Association, the national average is 13.8%.
FACT: Weem’s has had 2.41 patient falls per 1000 patient days compared to the national average of 4.75.
FACT: Weem’s policy and commitment is to have EVERY employee be certified in CPR. We have a compliancy rate of over 95%.
FACT: Weems Memorial Hospital employs 120 people; 80 of which are full-time.
FACT: Weems has an annual payroll of 3.6 million dollars.
FACT: The economic impact of Weems payroll in Franklin County is $10,080,000 annually.
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November is National Awareness Month
Catch Diabetes Early
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. If it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems.
One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The good news? People who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy changes. These changes include: eating healthy, increasing physical activity, and losing weight.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, or are age 45 or older, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that making healthy changes can greatly lower your risk.
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Preventing Diabetes:
Questions for the Doctor Visiting the doctor can be stressful. It helps to have questions written down before your appointment. Print out this list of questions, and take it with you the next time you visit the doctor. Take notes to help you remember your doctor’s answers. Questions To Ask• Am I at risk for pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes? • How can I find out if I have diabetes? • Are there any warning signs of diabetes I should watch for? • Does my weight put me at risk for diabetes? • If I’m overweight, how many pounds do I need to lose to prevent or delay diabetes? • How much physical activity should I get to prevent or delay diabetes? • What changes can I make to my diet to prevent or delay diabetes? • What are some healthy ways to lose weight and keep it off? • What are my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels, and what should they be? • Do my blood pressure numbers and cholesterol levels put me at risk for diabetes? • Is there any information about preventing diabetes that I could take home? • Are there any local diabetes prevention programs that you could recommend? For more information on lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes, visit: www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.htm
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Breast Cancer AwarenessOctober is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - a chance to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point.
A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get mammograms.
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Weems Hosts Free Overeaters Anonymous MeetingsOvereaters Anonymous Meetings are held each Sunday from 5-6 p.m. in the Weems Memorial Hospital Cafeteria. No dues, no fees, no weigh-ins, no diets. Call 850-385-8421 or email: OA.Apalach@gmail.com for details.
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Give Blood Nov. 3You can give blood this fall during a blood donor event at Weems Memorial HospitalTuesday, November 3. The blood mobile will be at Weems Memorial Hospital in Apalachicola from 11am to 4pm in front of the main hospital building.
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Free Quit Smoking Classes
There will be two free Tobacco Cessation classes held in Eastpoint and Carrabelle this month. The Eastpoint Iquit class will be held Thursday, Oct. 22 from 5-7 p.m. The Carrabelle IQuit lcass will be held Saturday Oct. 24 from 10-Noon at the Carrabelle Public Library. The Tools to Quit program is a free two-hour tobacco cessation program held to assist those using any form of tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, snuff, dip, etc.) with quitting. Nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches, gum, etc.) are FREE to active participants.
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Weems Links to
FloridaHealthFinder
Weemsmemorial.com now features a link to the FloridaHealthFinder.gov, a comprehensive collection of help and information links for consumers. On FloridaHealthFinder.gov you can learn about medical conditions, symptoms, procedures, tests and more. You can compare prescription drug prices, compare insurance programs, and even download an ap to look up medical information on your mobile device.
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Weems Chronic Pain Treatment PolicyAn Open Letter from Dr. Patrick Conrad, Weems Emergency
Department Director For several years questions from the community and local elected officials have continued regarding the ability of the Weems clinics to treat chronic pain with controlled prescriptions. These are valid concerns that deserve some update and clarification as we work to improve our regional care. Chronic pain is real, it is distressing to patients and their families, and also to the physicians who care for them. In the classic tradition, treatment decisions would be left up to the attending physician and the patient, both of whom would rely on the clinical presentation and the doctor’s best judgment. Candidly, those days are gone in a tangle of lawyers and legislation that cannot be ignored. It is also true that there is a nationally a serious epidemic of prescription medication abuse from which we are not immune. Click here to read more
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