Albany State Opens Nursing & Health Sciences Simulation Center
This week Albany State University held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the school’s new Nursing & Health Sciences Simulation Center (NHSSC).
Beginning this fall, the new, 16,000-square-foot simulation lab will become a state-of-the-art training space for over 900 nursing, health science and medical students enrolled pursuing degrees in ASU’s 13 medical career fields.
In addition to a simulated hospital and rehab facility environment, the NHSSC will include active learning areas with simulated environments in clinic and home healthcare settings and administrative offices.
Chancellor Sonny Perdue attended the ribbon cutting cermony and spoke about the significance of the new facility to Albany State and the local community:
“This facility and university are important to Southwest Georgia. It’s modern, futuristic, and a real icon edifice for the type of education Albany State provides to our healthcare fields,” – Chancellor Sonny Perdue
NYU Langone Health Continues Palm Beach County Expansion
NYU Langone Health continues to expand its award-winning health network in Florida and Palm Beach County in particular with the addition of a new cardiology location and a distinguished team of providers.
The new NYU Langone Cardiology Associates-Atlantis/Lake Worth location will offer both full-time and seasonal residents a wider range of diagnostic services and consultative cardiac care.
The new Atlantis/Lake Worth practice complements the existing Julia Koch Family Ambulatory Care Center in nearby West Palm Beach which will be replaced in 2026 by a state-of-the-art, 8-story facility (Artist’s Rendering above) with space for 50 physicians.
Encompass Health & Piedmont Announce Augusta Joint Venture
Piedmont, the leading healthcare system in Georgia, and Encompass Health have announced the expansion of their joint venture agreement to include Walton Rehabilitation Hospital in Augusta.
Purchased by Encompass in 2013, the 70-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital on Independence Drive helps patients recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations and other complex conditions. Walton Rehabilitation Hospital becomes the sixth facility under the Piedmont/Encompass care umbrella.
The joint venture currently operates rehabilitation centers in Atlanta, Columbus, Henry, Newnan, and Phenix City, Alabama. Looking forward, Piedmont and Encompass Health have also announced plans to build new hospitals in Athens and Loganville.
Baptist Health Miami Is First To Perform Aortic Arch Replacement
Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute is the first health care provider in Florida to perform aortic arch replacement, a revolutionary procedure that eliminates the need to lower a patient’s body temperature and reduces total surgery time from eight to three hours.
The landmark procedure called a normothermic Total Arch Replacement (TAR) was performed by Mehrdad Ghoreishi, M.D., the medical director of Cardiac Surgery Research at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.
Prior to joining Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute earlier this year, Dr. Ghoreishi had performed more than 100 Total Arch Replacements in France and other parts of Europe. Following the first successful TAR in Florida, he reflected on the evolution of cardiac care and what it means for patient outcomes:
“Because aortic surgery has evolved, both open surgery and endovascular (minimally invasive) operations at the Institute can be offered for patients safely, with a lower risk of stroke and a lower risk of mortality,” – Mehrdad Ghoreishi, M.D.
UGA Develops New Digital Health Experience For Fitness Watch
Korean electronics giant Samsung called on researchers at The University of Georgia to help develop a new digital health experience for the company’s upcoming Galaxy Watch.
Samsung Research collaborated with Patrick O’Connor, a UGA kinesiology professor, in the development of a new personalized measurement that records energy as a score.
According to the authors, the new “Energy Score” estimates the amount of activity one can sustain relative to a person’s total capacity, both physically and mentally. If people substantially exceed their typical physical or mental load on one day, their energy is reduced in the short-term.
“From a scientific perspective, the Energy Score reflects predicted variation in the ability to perform brief cognitive tests of attention across a day based on objective information obtained from the smart device sensors across multiple prior days.” – UGA Professor Patrick O’Connor
In addition to UGA’s research, Samsung employed AI technologies that use factors like age and gender to determine optimal weights for an individual Energy Score. Ultimately, brief daily health suggestions are provided to users based on each day’s Energy Score.
The new Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra will hit stores on July 24.
9 Florida Nursing Centers Earn Prestigious Quality Care Award
This month Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) announced that nine Florida long term care providers have earned the prestigious 2024 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NACL).
The annual award recognizes providers nationwide that have demonstrated high quality outcomes for staff and residents in long term care. Earning the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award requires a long-term care center to first achieve the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award prior to moving to the Silver level.
Florida’s 2024 Silver Award recipients are presented in alphabetical order:
- Avante at Leesburg
- Edward J. Healey Rehab & Nursing Center (Riviera Beach)
- First Coast Health & Rehabilitation Center (Jacksonville)
- Flagler Health and Rehabilitation Center (Bunnell)
- Hazel Cypen Tower (Miami)
- Lee Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing Unit (Fort Myers)
- PruittHealth (Fleming Island)
- PruittHealth – Southwood (Tallahassee)
- Treasure Isle Care Center (North Bay Village)
Florida is now home to 46 Silver National Quality Award recipients. In addition, there are a total of 126 long term care centers in Florida that have achieved Bronze National Quality Award status. Three Florida nursing centers have achieved Gold, the highest award distinction.
For more information, you can search the entire database of award recipients on the AHCA/NCAL website.
SGMC Health's Hospitalist Group Named Program Of The Year
The hospitalist group at SGMC Health, Apogee Physicians, has been honored by Apogee national leadership as the Program of the Year. Apogee is the largest entirely physician-owned hospitalist organization in the country.
The Program of the Year Award is a significant milestone for Apogee Physicians at SGMC Health, underscoring their role as leaders in hospitalist care. The team’s achievement reflects their commitment to improving patient outcomes and setting a benchmark for hospitalist practices across the nation.
SGMC Chief Medical Officer Pankaj Agrawal applauded the hard work and dedication of the hospitalist group:
“We are incredibly proud of the entire Apogee Physicians team. Their unwavering focus on patient-centered care and clinical excellence has set a new standard in hospital medicine. This award highlights their outstanding contributions and the positive impact they have on our community.” -Pankaj Agrawal, M.D.
With 418 licensed beds and more than 600 providers and 2,900 employees, SGMC Health, its campuses, and its affiliates provide a broad range of high-quality healthcare services. SGMC Health is located in Valdosta and serves 400,000 residents across a 15-county service area.
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