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award

WRITE Excellence in Teaching Award

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Congratulations Dr. Merrill-Steskal for being awarded the WRITE Excellence in Teaching Award for the Eastern/Central Washington region.

“This award aims to recognize and honor preceptors with a track record of excellence in teaching medical students as well as those that serve as a leader in their community. Nominations were collected from WRITE students across WWAMI. A selection committee then reviewed all nominations based on five criteria: commitment to student success, effective teaching methods, positive impact in the community, excellence as a role model for students, and commitment to continuous improvement. You have clearly demonstrated the qualities we look for in outstanding preceptors and recipients of this award.” – University of Washington School of Medicine

Get With The Guidelines® Award

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Kittitas Valley Healthcare has been nationally recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality stroke care

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care

Kittitas Valley Healthcare has received the American Heart Association’s 2022 Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

The Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us ensure more people in central Washington experience longer, healthier lives.

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.

KVH awarded for practice transformation activities in Kittitas County

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Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) came home from the Provider Recognition Awards with four awards from the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health on Wednesday evening, October 30.

KVH Hospital, KVH Family Medicine – Cle Elum and KVH Family Medicine – Ellensburg were each presented with the “Fighting for Change/War Room” Award by Jenna Shelton, GCACH’s Practice Transformation Navigator. This award recognizes the collaborative work being done by KVH and the other safety net organizations in our community towards practice transformation and the implementation of a Patient-Centered Medical Home. KVH also received the “Kittitas Beginner Opioid Resource Network (ORN) Award for work being done to reduce opioid abuse throughout the county.

“KVH has a team that brings nothing but excellence and dedication,” stated Jenner Shelton. “They have committed a space labeled as their ‘War Room’ where all of the practice transformation ideas and workflows have been built. They are a highly committed group.”

The GCACH’s mission is to advance the health of our population. The GCACH region includes nine counties and over 710,000 lives. Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is the strategic foundation for Greater Columbia’s work and puts the patient in the center of care. The result is better patient care, improved population health and lower healthcare costs. The PCMH acts as an “umbrella” that incorporates the majority of the work from the four project areas below:

  • Bi-Directional Integration of Physical & Behavioral Health – The focus is to address physical and behavioral health needs through an integrated network.
  • Addressing the Opioid Public Health Crisis – The focus is to reduce opioid related morbidity and mortality through prevention, treatment and recovery supports.
  • Chronic Disease Prevention & Control – The focus is implementation of the Chronic Care Model, a cornerstone of PCMH, with the goal being planned prevention and treatment strategies for individuals with chronic illnesses.
  • Transitional Care – The focus is to reduce avoidable admissions/readmissions to intensive care settings such as hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and prisons or jails. The goal of transitional care is getting the right care, at the right time, and the right place.