St. Vincent Hospital and Centura Health Bring Telestroke Program to Leadville Community

May 4, 2014

Collaboration on telehealth program provides additional access to stroke services

LEADVILLE, COLO. (MAY 5, 2014) St. Vincent Hospital and Centura Health, the regions health care leader, have collaborated to provide patients in St. Vincent Hospitals emergency room who present with stroke-like symptoms greater convenience to health care services and expertise through Centura Healths telemedicine program, telestroke. Through this collaboration, St. Vincent Hospital and Centura Health are meeting the increasing need of consumers in Leadville to have greater access to services locally for delivery of high-value stroke care.

St. Vincent Hospital signed an affiliation agreement with Centura Health in July 2013 to expand the system of care for St. Vincent Hospital and provide specific resources and services that support development of shared programs that can help expand clinical services available to consumers in their local community. Through this agreement, Centura Health is able to extend its telehealth program to St. Vincent Hospital. Based on population health needs, St. Vincent Hospital is implementing telestroke to provide additional resources in the delivery of stroke care to residents and optimizing the value of health care delivered in the community in collaboration with Centura Health.

BENEFIT OF TELEHEALTH PROGRAMS

  • Telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Read more.
  • For consumers, telehealth programs provide additional access to health care services in the local community, keeping consumers and their families close to home as well as minimizing travel and associated costs.
  • Through telehealth programs, St. Vincent Hospital and Centura Health can work together to further support primary care providers, offer specialty health care services, transmit real-time patient data and images and improve quality and convenience of patient care delivered in the local community.

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE VALUE

  • Both St. Vincent Hospital and Centura Health believe health care should be delivered locally whenever possible, and through their affiliation have provided specific resources and services that support development of shared programs that can help expand clinical services.
  • Keeping health care local contributes to a communitys livability and economic viability and is a critical consideration for the rural provider.
  • By sharing best practices across our integrated delivery network, Centura Health and St. Vincent Hospital elevate the level of care provided to meet the increasing need to offer convenient, integrated, high-value care when and where it is needed.

QUOTES

  • Together, we are leveraging our shared strengths to improve health care value through innovation and technology while keeping health care local, said Russ Johnson, senior vice president, outreach health, Centura Health. Through strategic implementation of telehealth programs with our Affiliate Hospitals, we are meeting the health care needs of consumers living in more rural communities and ensuring they have continued access to high-value care.
  • Adding telestroke to our services at St. Vincent Hospital is a huge step forward as we fulfill our mission to provide access to quality health care for our patients, commented Joyce Beck, CEO, St. Vincent Hospital. It is our privilege to offer this service in conjunction with Centura Health. Together we can make a difference for our patients.

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About St. Vincent Hospital

St. Vincent Hospital strives to provide quality, cost-effective and accessible health care to meet the needs of our rural mountain communities. In 1879 the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas opened Leadville, Colorados first hospital to care for the hardscrabble miners that were drawn to the community. Now celebrating 135 years, St. Vincent Hospital continues the tradition of caring for the residents and visitors of Lake County and surrounding areas. As a 25 bed Critical Access Hospital, services at St. Vincent Hospital include: Ambulance and Emergency Department, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Home Health Care, Home Oxygen, Imaging, Laboratory, Long Term Care, Out Patient Clinics and Physical Therapy. For more information on St. Vincent Hospital, please visit www.svghd.org.

About Centura Health

Centura Health connects individuals, families and neighborhoods across Colorado, Utah and western Kansas with more than 6,000 physicians and 17,100 of the best hearts and minds in health care. Through our 15 hospitals, six senior living communities, health neighborhoods, physician practices and clinics, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life Colorado, we are making the regions best health care accessible and affordable in every community we serve. We believe you can inspire the people you care about to live healthier lives by encouraging them to do the little things that can make a big difference. Were Centura Health, and were here for your health. For information on Centura Health or any of the facilities in our network, please visit www.centura.org.

Media contact:

Jennifer Wills
Centura Health
[email protected]
303-804-8222