NSMC News

Many older people grew up in a time when mental health wasn't discussed as openly as it is today. But growing older often means adjusting to big changes in life. That can include everything from depression and anxiety brought on by the loss of a loved one, to issues like Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder or dementia. Our goal here at North Sunflower Medical Center is to provide the best health care services you can get anywhere. Because of that, we have worked hard to become one of the leading centers for behavioral health for the Delta’s aging population. North Sunflower's Senior Care Unit is a program that works with Medicare patients who may be having some form of mental health issue.  They treat seniors going through any diagnosis that would affect mood, behavior or state of mind. Celeste Lofton, who is a community educator in the Behavioral Health Department, told us that when people are experiencing behaviors that they do not typically exhibit, they bring them into the hospital for a sound medical evaluation to see if there is something that can be changed to make them feel better.  “Many times, there is something that hasn’t been diagnosed that is causing the change – like a urinary tract infection, anemia, decreased social function, or just a change in medication that is causing them to be off-balance. Is there an adjustment we can make that will make this person’s quality of life better?” If the issue can’t be solved with surgery or medication, Senior Care provides a range of services to help get patients on the right path.  That includes group therapy, so they talk about things that are going on. Activities that are fun and good food. “We work towards getting them into a routine.  When you’re older and you have something like Alzheimer’s, they do a lot better when they are in a routine.  It is a neat program and it gives families a relief knowing that we are looking after them,” Celeste said. Celeste works with Susan Gilbert, also a community educator, to evaluate patients. Together they serve as our NSMC senior care ambassadors in the community.  But getting patients to seek out their services isn’t always that easy. There was such a stigma to mental health issues a long time ago.  It is getting better, but it is still there.  A lot of people don’t want to admit that they are having a mental health problem.  Most people say they don’t think they need a psychiatrist.  They don’t want that stigma,” she told us.  “We find a way to work through that with them.  You’re not alone in this.  So many people suffer from these very same things.  Let’s see if we can get you in and get you feeling better so that you can go on with your life.” In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Even still only 41 percent of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services. What does Celeste think makes our inpatient behavioral health department unique? “Not everyone realizes what a wonderful psychologist we have.  There aren’t a lot of psychiatrists in our area who work exclusively with the senior community.   Dr. Cassada  is very knowledgeable and that’s rare.” But the admiration for fellow co-workers goes both ways.  Dr. Margaret Cassada, a board-certified psychiatrist, and behavioral health superhero, went out of her way to sing praises of the entire behavioral health team at North Sunflower. “People come from 200 miles away because the staff is great.  They have invested in that area to make it the best it can be.”

By Robyn Marlow This year is our 70^th anniversary here at North Sunflower Medical Center.  So we understand that when you’ve been together so long, it gets a little hard to find new and exciting ways to make that special someone’s heart flutter. We get it. For us, there’s no better way to celebrate Valentines' Day than $125 heart checks. 

$125 Heart Healthy Screenings for February

Some people like roses and chocolates.  We prefer CT Calcium Scorings, Abdominal Aortic Ultrasounds, ABI’s and Carotid Ultrasounds at one reasonable price. No, we’re not kidding! Saying “I Love You” is almost as wonderful as saying, “I want to be around you for a long, long time.” And since February is National Heart Month, we’ve made a tradition of offering heart-healthy screenings for just $125. Heart disease is no joke.  Many of the patients who have taken advantage of our February Heart Month special have been able to detect serious heart conditions before they became life-threatening problems. We want everyone to better understand their own health.  We know that by making these checks more simple and easier to get, we are helping our friends, family members, and loved ones live longer and healthier lives. Nothing says ‘I Love You’ quite like that.

Simply the Best Place to Get Valentine’s Day Happys

If you are looking to get that special someone something special – in addition to a $125 heart check – call or come by Simply Sunflower Gift Shop.  It is simply the best place in the delta to get anything that would make your Valentine’s heart melt. Flowers, Teddy Bears, Balloons, Candy, Candles, Gift Baskets, Jewelry, Home Décor and more. And free delivery within 20 miles of downtown Ruleville.  Call (662) 756-4438.

More News About the Lilypad Award

Last week we told you about Rural Sunflower Health Clinic receiving the Lilypad award, designating it as one of the top 50 rural health clinics in the country.  Well, news travels fast around here.  The Enterprise-Tocsin carried a story about the big news that you can read here. DeltaNews.TV also ran a story that you can read here.

By Robyn Marlow It’s awards season. Right in between the Emmys, Golden Globes and Oscars, Lilypad – a healthcare analytics firm – announces the Lilypad Awards. And it’s a big freaking deal. This week, Sunflower Rural Health Clinic in Ruleville was honored to receive a Lilypad Award, designating it as one of the top 5 provider-based rural health clinics in the Southeast -- and one of the top 50 rural health clinics in the country.

Lilypad Award

The Lilypad Award analyzes data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid program to calculate the top-performing rural health clinics in the nation. Data is taken from the 4,400 rural health clinics across the country that are reviewed in the December 2019 Medicare Cost Report. Gregory Wolf, founder and President of Lilypad, LLC said in the press release announcing this year’s winners, “The Lilypad Awards seek to fill this data gap and shed new light on the relative performance among Rural Health Clinics. We feel it is time to recognize high performing clinics as a catalyst for future improvement and investment. Our rural healthcare delivery system relies on affordable access to high-quality primary care services and Rural Health Clinics play a vital role in strengthening our rural safety net.” Obviously, we agree. “We try every day to provide our patients with the best care anywhere,” said Billy Marlow, Executive Director of North Sunflower Medical Center, which operates the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic. “We are proud to have this recognition, and will remain focused on our number one goal – excellent patient care.” Lilypad also recognized Mississippi as one of five top-performing states rural health care states, joining Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana. According to Lilypad, “The clinics in these states represent the top performing clinic cohorts in terms of cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency". Chant along with us, S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C! All of us are extremely proud of our dedicated employees and team leaders at Sunflower Rural Health Clinic. They all give us so many reasons to say “Take me to Ruleville.”

By Robyn Marlow As the classic song goes, “Should old acquaintance be forgot…” But we remember 2019 was a really great year around North Sunflower Medical Center!

Ruleville Little Free Library

One of our favorite stories of the year was the Little Free Library Conner Seeley built right in front of the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic on N. Oak Avenue. The Little Free Library [LFL] in Ruleville is part of a network of four that Conner built and stocked as part of his Eagle Scout Project this year. The Ruleville Little Free Library is still going strong. Conner and his family are taking donations from families all over the Delta to keep the Ruleville location replete with a plethora of fine literature.

P.R.O.M. Promise

In March, NSMC worked with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to host a P.R.O.M. Promise event designed to remind local high schoolers of the consequences of drinking and driving. The emotionally gripping staging of a “prom night” auto accident served as a powerful reminder of how split-second decisions can have life-ending consequences.

3D Mammograms

In June, the Sunflower Diagnostic Center went HIGH-TECH. North Sunflower Medical Center became the first hospital in the Delta to offer 3D Mammograms. “We invested in state of the art tomosynthesis imaging, “Alice Pyles, Director of Radiology at North Sunflower, said. “With the new 3D mammograms, they are able to see it well enough that most cases do not need a second or third visit. That saves the patient time, money and needless stress of coming in for additional visits.”

Take me to Ruleville ... all the way from Honduras!

Members of the NSMC family take pride in giving back to the community. Even if that community is half a world away. This year, NSMC Pharmacy’s Angela Lang and Emory Davis (daughter of North Sunflower Foundation’s Stacy Davis) traveled to Honduras to care for patients in need.

CNA training right here in Ruleville

2019 was the beginning of something we hope will lead to an exciting future for nursing students here in Ruleville. This year we began working with the Mississippi Delta Community College to offer Certified Nursing Assistant training right here at North Sunflower Medical Center. This is part of the New Pathways to Health Program. The collaboration between the Dreyfus Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation supports the workforce in the Delta. As we like to say, C.N.A.’s are angels who wear scrubs.

Aster Awards

2019 was also a big year for the Aster Awards for Excellence in Healthcare Advertising. North Sunflower was recognized for seven Aster Awards, including four Gold Awards for Logo Design, Newspaper Advertising, Special Events, and Special Video Production—for our Ruleville Police Department/NSMC LipSync production. We talk about the Aster Awards just so we have an excuse to show you this awesome video (again).

By Robyn Marlow If you’re looking to watch action heroes this Christmas, you might check out the newest Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker. Or you can skip the multiplex and have someone Take You to Ruleville to see some real heroes in action. This week North Sunflower Medical Center named its Heroes of the Year. And while everyone who commits themselves to providing care as part of the North Sunflower family is a hero, two of our own stood out for special recognition. Martavis Daniels was named the NSMC Hero of the Year. Martavis – or Tay as he is known around here – works in Dietary.  And to hear Marchelle Auberg tell it, Tay has a uniquely positive outlook. “I’ve never seen him in a bad mood.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him when he’s not smiling.”   Tay started in housekeeping, and his quick intelligence and his willingness to help others got him noticed. “When we moved him over to Dietary, we trained him on taking inventory and he picked it up almost immediately,” Auberg said. “Now he’s already cross-training others and is always looking for ways to help people around him do their jobs.  He just works ... and works ... and works.” Martavis told us he tries to keep an upbeat positive attitude. "I believe in going around smiling. Keep a good attitude and you can get others to do the same." Martavis’ mother, Martha Daniels, is excited he has found a place with the North Sunflower family. “When he told me, I felt so outdone.  I’ve been a CNA over in Greenville for 16 years, and he’s already gotten more recognition than me!” Ms. Martha told us.  “I’m just so proud he’s following in his mother's footsteps.” We're proud of him too. The Clinical Hero of the Year is someone who needs no introduction. Back in March, when he won Clinical Hero of the Month, Tyler Slaughter proved to be a Social Media Rockstar. The Facebook announcement of his award has been shared 156 times and seen by over 25,000 people. The total population of Ruleville is just over 3,000. Tyler told us back in March that he was surprised to get the award at all. “Working night shift, not a lot of people see what you do.” Tyler was quick to recognize the people who work with him. “There are a lot of very deserving people who have worked very hard here for several years. Just to get noticed for your hard work is a real accomplishment. It was awesome.” There are over 550 dedicated professionals in the North Sunflower Family – and every single one of them are superheroes. We recognize two of them at the end of every year, but that does not make the hard work, dedication, and compassion of everyone who works here any less worthy of our recognition. To each and every member of our family, we say thank you. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and now it's on to an incredible New Year.

By Robyn Marlow If you hadn’t noticed, something is going on at the “One Call Center” Scheduling Department at North Sunflower Medical Center. The “One Call Referral Line" is just what it sounds like.  When you call NSMC, you get what you need in one call.  They schedule appointments, answer questions and get you connected to a live person (never a voicemail) to help you get exactly what you need. People outside the North Sunflower Medical Center family of doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff have always taken notice of the friendly voices and accommodating professionalism at “One Call”. Why? Because, well, they had to.  Their phone number is plastered on TV ads, radio commercials, websites, and billboards across the Delta. “One Call” is the first touchpoint anyone in the outside world has with our bustling little hospital.  And that is a responsibility Stephanie Ray and her team takes very seriously.

Heroes of the Month

“We are the information center of the hospital,” Stephanie told us. “It’s our job to make sure your first experience with North Sunflower Medical Center is a good experience.” The North Sunflower Medical Center Family has noticed their hard work as well. North Sunflower has honored FOUR One Call Center team members as HEROES OF THE MONTH over the past year. Michelle Floyd (April), Vanessa Stovall (July), Olivia Summers (August), and Courtney Burchfield (October). What’s the secret? Stephanie said, “Hard work and dedication.” Yeah, thanks Ms. Stephanie, but that’s not exactly a secret. EVERYONE at North Sunflower works hard. We are dedicated to the patients and families we serve. “I try to make sure everyone on our team – all 10 of us – are happy to come to work each day. It’s a stressful job and each person has their area of responsibility, but we depend on each other, try to spread the stress around and work like a family.” [caption id="attachment_4280" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Olivia Summers, Courtney Burchfield, Stephanie Ray, Michelle Floyd, and Vanessa Stovall[/caption]

The One Call Team

“One Call” started as a one-person shop 10 years ago with a single person keeping appointments for the entire hospital on a single Outlook account. Now they have 10 people, each with their area of specialty. “We can tell you who is the best doctor in each specialty from Jackson to Memphis and which one can see you the fastest.” "One Call" connects you to a live person without ever having to go to voicemail. The “One Call” team is also responsible for making sure insurance covers each procedure, how much a co-pay will cost, and everything a patient needs to know before coming in for a procedure. “It gets very emotional. When each person on this team received an award, they cried,” Stephanie told us. “My goal is for every member of this team to be honored as Hero of the Month”. With four out of ten already holding the hardware, they are almost halfway to their goal. Place one call to our Scheduling Specialist to take care of all your scheduling needs at North Sunflower Medical Center: 662-756-4000.

October is a busy month around the North Sunflower Medical Center Pharmacy. Last week was National Pharmacy Week, so we asked Dr. Tracy Portner at NSMC Pharmacy how they were celebrating. Turns out, they don’t have much time to do any celebrating. “We are a full-service pharmacy that focuses on patients. We try to get them in and out of here as quickly as possible,” Dr. Portner told us. “We recognize they frequently have been in the clinic for a while, or they aren’t feeling well. Sometimes they have a long way to drive home, so getting them the prescriptions they need right away is a big-time priority for us.” To help make this happen, the North Sunflower Medical Center Pharmacy is a High Tech operation. When the pharmacy opened, they invested in a Prescription Robot, pre-programmed to fill the 200 most filled prescriptions. This cuts down significantly on the old-time method of counting out pills one at a time. What’s the robot’s name??? Phil.

Phil the Robot

Dr. Portner told us, “Phil takes a photograph of the inside of the vial to ensure the count, weight, and dosage are all correct. If the patient has any questions, we can go back and see exactly what happened. If it is a different color, we can tell if it’s a new generic or something different that we can explain.” Not only does Phil, the prescription filling robot, fill prescriptions safely and quickly, he also works nights and weekends. Patients can call into the pharmacy after hours (open weekdays 8 am to 8 pm, Sat 8 to 6, and Sun 9 to 6). Through a series of prompts, they can order refills that will be waiting for them in the morning.

North Sunflower Medical Center Pharmacy's Network

But it’s not just waiting-times and high-tech robots that are keeping Dr. Portner busy. The NSMC Pharmacy is part of the community Pharmacy Enhanced Network. This program works to ensure that our patients are in adherence with all their prescriptions. That means all our patients are taking their medications as they have been prescribed. “When a doctor or nurse practitioner prescribes a medicine, everything is based on the patient taking the medication exactly as it is prescribed. When a patient gets off schedule, that throws everything off,” Dr. Portner said. “Because we are right here next to the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic, we are completely connected to their physician. We get a print out if we see a patient that is off schedule on their medication, so we can see if they are out, if they need a refill or if there are some other issues that we can help to get them to get back on schedule with their medication.” Dr. Portner said she is proud of the investments North Sunflower Medical Center has made, not just in the technology for the pharmacy, but also the investment in her time to follow up with patients and ensure they are getting the best care available. So as we said, things are a little too busy to slow down for National Pharmacy Week. And did we mention, they also deliver?

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, North Sunflower Medical Foundation has generously donated a month’s lease payment to the Sunflower Diagnostic Center’s NEW 3D Mammographic machine which was over $8,600.

Stacy Davis, Associate Executive Director, of North Sunflower Medical Foundation (NSMF) explains, “Although breast cancer receives the most attention during the month of October, it is important to support patients and families in treatment and recovery, while searching for a cure.”  Stacy added, “the mission of North Sunflower Medical Foundation is to promote health and wellness for the residents of Sunflower County and surrounding areas by assisting with the enhancement of quality healthcare. As well as to partner with local government agencies in matters related to healthcare.”

Although prevention, research, and treatment have made tremendous strides over the past two decades, breast cancer continues to be a major threat to women throughout the world.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, no matter their race or ethnicity.

In addition each year, the NSMF donates $10,000 in educational grants and $10,000 in equipment grants to the North Sunflower Medical Center.  These grants help to ensure the availability of healthcare professionals, new equipment and better services.

“People give to the foundation for numerous reasons but more often than not they believe that they are contributing to a better health care in their community,” explains Stacy Davis.    

NSMF raises money in several different ways, including:

• Annual Gifts: support through a variety of programs which encourage entry level giving. Approximately 380 employees give an annual percentage of their salary to the foundation.
• Gifts of Tribute: provide an opportunity to remember those, living or deceased, whose kindness and love have touched our lives. A gift could be made in memory of someone who has passed away, or in honor of someone celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding or retirement. The honored person or family will be notified of the tribute in their honor or memory.
• Planned Gifts: when a person leaves part of his or her estate for the hospital foundation in a will, or establishes a charitable gift annuity or trust.
• Corporate Gifts: businesses joining hands to improve the healthcare of tomorrow.
• Programming: Special events, such as golf/tennis tournaments, Breakfast with Santa, Relay for Life and galas.
• Special/Signature Gifts: large one-time donations from individual donors. Naming opportunities are available.