Newsroom Archive

It’s not a shiny new car. It’s a dishwasher.

But if the new JPS Health Network dish machine was an auto, it would certainly be fuel-sipping hybrid with all the latest safety features compared to the worn out Edsel it replaced.

Every day, people arrive at JPS for the first time and need a little help finding their way.

Their first stop – the information desk on the first floor of the main campus.

There, they are likely to meet Carla Hunter-Tomlinson, one of the Patient Care Ambassadors who help make sure that their visits start out right. Carla greets JPS guests and gives them directions. This patient stops by to locate radiology. Another patient has an appointment in the lab. Another visitor is here to see a newborn nephew.

A change in the way JPS Health Network processes Medicaid billing for some of its most vulnerable patients could save Tarrant County taxpayers about $45,000 a month providing necessary care.

According to JPS Manager of Clinical Nutrition Meradith Harris, 1,009 patients suffering from chronic malnutrition walked through the doors at JPS in 2017. In the first three months of this year, 312 malnourished patients came to JPS for care, a pace for 1,248 over the course of the year. A technicality in Medicaid rules made it difficult to bill for treatment of their dietary issues.

Nurses are always learning something new.

Their never-ending education comes both on the job and in the classroom where they study the latest life-saving techniques that benefit their patients every day while also giving nurses a chance to advance their careers, said Carin Adams, Manager of the Nurse Residency Program at JPS.

Leslie Haas, 2017 JPS Nurse of the Year, tearfully recounted the story of a soldier who was mortally wounded in a car accident Wednesday to illustrate the remarkable compassion of her successor, Intensive Care Unit RN Charis Blassingame.

Teryl Dorham calls JPS nurses “angels with stethoscopes.”

Ms. Dorham, of Fort Worth, spent eight months in the JPS oncology unit on Tower 7 as she underwent treatment for central nervous system lymphoma —eight days of chemotherapy, then off for a week, then back to the hospital.

During her long stay, she made a special connection with most of the nurses on the unit, who made an effort to make it feel like her home away from home. They held her hands. They took time to talk during their breaks. They listened.

The weather is suddenly warm, the grass is growing and suddenly people are getting the urge to tackle the projects that have been stacking up all winter.

But, before you go all out with the yard work, home repairs and spring cleaning, remember that this is a time of year when people are prone to injuring themselves. If you suddenly over-do it after three or four winter months of sitting on the sofa, bad things are going to happen and you could miss work – or worse – with an injury.

Joe Lopez has worked as a driver in the Transportation Department at JPS Health Network since 1993. He’s a person teammates look to when it comes to handling the toughest assignments.

“I have a way of calming people down when they’re upset,” Lopez explained. “I guess that’s because I like people and I like to help them if I can.”

JPS Health Network continues to see improvement in its patient safety scores, earning a B rating in the Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade rankings.

JPS Health Network is looking ahead to the future of patient care with the appointment of Dr. Timothy Kremer, MD, as Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Timothy Niacaris, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Information Officer.

Both doctors said they’re excited about the chance to make JPS an even better place for patients to receive care and for healthcare providers to hone their skills.