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(L-R) Tracie Allen, RN, Sentara Home Care Services, assists Mrs. Catherine Daniels in her home.

Sentara Home Care Services Expands in Bath County     —
In July, Sentara Home Care Services acquired the home care division of Bath County Memorial Hospital in western Virginia.

“We are proud to work with such a well-established, award-winning healthcare system,” said Debbie Lipes, Bath Community Hospital’s CEO. “Sentara Home Care Services has a great reputation throughout the state. They are experts in what they do because their sole focus is home healthcare.”

Sentara offers physical therapy, skilled nursing care and infusion therapy, which is the administration of intravenous medications. Wound care nurses, specially trained in all types of wound and ostomy care, are also available as consultants to patients.

Sentara Home Care launched a telehealth program in several of its branches in eastern Virginia a couple of years ago that allowed nurses to conduct virtual visits to patients’ homes, in addition to regular home visits. This service helps manage chronic illnesses and can help determine if a patient’s condition is worsening in order to avoid rehospitalizations.

“Our goal is to eventually offer this service in all our branches,” said Sabine Brent, regional director of sales and marketing for Sentara Home Care Services. Sentara Home Care Services currently has nine branches around the state, one of which is in Covington, Va., the branch office for Sentara Highlands Home Health, servicing both Bath and Highland counties.

For more information, visit Sentara Home Care.

Sentara ‘PACE' Site Receives Final Zoning Approval
Portsmouth City Council has approved a use permit for a second Sentara ‘PACE’ site in Hampton Roads. The new facility will be at Churchland Shopping Center and will accommodate up to 130 new participants. The current facility on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach will continue to operate as well.

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provides morning and evening transportation, meals, medical care and socialization for seniors living with their families, who would qualify for nursing care under Medicaid. As the first full PACE provider approved in Virginia, Sentara can also serve PACE participants under Medicare. PACE providers receive a set amount each month for each participant from Medicaid or Medicare. All services are provided within that budget, including routine medical care and even hospitalization and rehabilitation, if required.

Work will begin to transform a former Rite Aid store at Churchland Shopping Center in Portsmouth to a PACE site, including large spaces for dining and activities, a kitchen, clinic and physical rehabilitation room. Opening for participants is scheduled for early 2010. The central location at 5788 Churchland Boulevard allows easy access for participants from Portsmouth, Chesapeake and parts of Suffolk.

For more information on PACE, call Sentara Life Care at 757-892-5400, or read a press release.

—     Medical Transport, LLC, Rolls into Christiansburg
Medical Transport, LLC, recently purchased an ambulance and equipment from a medical transport company in Christiansburg, Va. Now, with the addition of 18 employees, Medical Transport is serving the Christiansburg area.

Medical Transport, LLC, is the premier commercial EMS agency and ambulance transport service in Virginia, with its home office located in Virginia Beach. Medical Transport is dedicated to serving its patients with outstanding customer service utilizing the largest fleet of ambulances in the commonwealth of Virginia. 

Read more about medical transport at Sentara.  

Sentara Receives COPN Approval
Sentara Healthcare recently received approval for a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for the development of the CarePlex Orthopaedic Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) from the Virginia Health Commissioner. This outpatient surgical center is dedicated to orthopedic surgical procedures and is scheduled to open in June 2010. 

Pictured at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Sentara Leigh Hospital Emergency Department improvements are: (L-R) Scott Miller, MD, Genemarie McGee, Terry Wallace, Doug Browder, MD, David Madison, Sandy Hurley, Deloris Hampton, Mike Harkins, Leon Ransome and Terrie Edwards.

Sentara Leigh Hospital Emergency Department Phase 1 Complete   —
There’s an attractive new entrance and waiting room for ambulatory patients at the Sentara Leigh Hospital emergency department, as of Aug. 6. Hospital staff are also using a quick triage process in which patients provide basic information simultaneously to a registration associate and a triage nurse, after which patients are taken directly to a bed, as one becomes available.

Also, the hospital recently started using the new drive-through covered ambulance entrance, which will soon include a plasma screen monitor inside the entrance telling Emergency Medical System (EMS) crews which bed is assigned for each patient. The completion of the Emergency Department renovation will be completed in about a year. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Aug. 5 to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the renovation.

Learn more about Sentara Leigh Hospital


About to Turn 65? Take Advantage of Early Medicare Enrollment
People who are about to turn 65 may be interested in Optima Medicare, a Medicare Advantage plan from Optima Health that offers benefits not typically offered with original Medicare alone. The plan provides quality coverage and more flexibility with low out-of-pocket expenses.

For information, call toll-free 1-866-659-0864 or visit Optima Health.

Sentara BelleHarbour

—     Sentara BelleHarbour Reaches First Anniversary Milestone
Since opening in June 2008, Sentara BelleHarbour has caught the attention of local residents in Suffolk, Chesapeake and Western Branch. Sentara staff and partnering physicians served the community with more than 27,500 outpatient visits and another 16,000 office visits in the first year.

“We’ve been really pleased with the community’s response to our services,” says Robert Firestone, director of Sentara BelleHarbour.

The 24-hour a day, seven-day a week emergency department has grown in the number of visits per day each month, which Firestone attributes to increased public awareness and quality of service provided by the staff and the physicians affiliated with Emergency Physicians of Tidewater. Other services of Sentara BelleHarbour include: lab services and advanced imaging featuring a 40-slice CT scanner, mobile MRI, digital mammography, bone density, digital X-ray and ultrasound.

Occupational Medicine offers pre-employment physicals and non-urgent medical care and The BelleHarbour Therapy Center features physical and occupational therapy services for patients of all age groups. The Sleep DisordersCenter provides sleep studies for the residents of the tri-city area. MyChart, a Web-based personal electronic medical record, is now available to patients of Sentara Family Medicine Physicians at Sentara BelleHarbour. MyChart allows patients to review their personal test results, request a prescription renewal, schedule appointments, or e-mail non-urgent questions to the physician for a response. Program development and bringing additional physician specialists to the community are key focus areas for the campus moving forward.

Learn more about Sentara BelleHarbour.


Sentara Reaches Out to Community with Health Screenings
Throughout the summer, Sentara hosted many marketing events, including health screenings and health fairs throughout the community, all designed to provide exposure to the newest Sentara services and facilities. Here is a recap of a few of the events that have taken place.

August 15: Sentara sponsors a foot screening with Peninsula Foot and Ankle Specialists at Sentara Gloucester Medical Arts. Thirteen people are screened and seven follow up appointments are made.

July 24-25: Sentara participates in Mathews 25 Ministries community fair in Mathews County for businesses and religious organizations in Gloucester and Mathews County. Staff from Sentara Gloucester Medical Arts and Mathews Family Practice answer questions and display information.

July 21: Sentara hosts a blood drive with the American Red Cross at Sentara Gloucester Medical Arts. Eighteen people donate blood, including many first time donors. Plans are underway for future blood drives to be held at the same location.

July 9: Sentara participates in an employee health fair at Canon in Newport News and distributes information about Sentara including Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Sentara Port Warwick, Sentara Gloucester Medical Arts and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.

June 29: Sentara sponsors the Sentara Living Health Fair at Bayside Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach for 400 participants. Physicians answer questions and participants take part in 40 foot screenings, 50 sleep apnea assessments and 50 pulmonary function tests.

June 25: Sentara sponsors a screening for male incontinence at the Sentara Advanced Urology Center in Hampton. Sentara Urology Specialists provide free screens for 9 participants and schedule three follow-up appointments.

June 20: Sentara participates in the Canon Picnic in Newport News and distributes information about the Sentara Cancer Network, as well as services available at Sentara Port Warwick and Sentara CarePlex Hospital to program participants.

June 16: Sentara sponsors a second sleep screening at Sentara Obici Hospital for 19 people and schedules 17 appointments at the Sentara Sleep Disorders Center.

June 9: Sentara sponors a sleep screening at Sentara Obici Hospital for 21 people and schedules 16 appointments at the Sentara Sleep Disorders Center.

June 6: Sentara participates in a community health fair at Norfolk State University for more than 200 participants. Sentara hosts physician meet and greets and provides 48 hearing screens and 18 referrals for the Sentara Hearing and Balance Center. Sentara Princess Anne information about services and physicians is available.