HEALTH
Extra dose of TLC
BY GREG GARDNER
St. Lucie Medical Center goes the
extra mile for geriatric ER patients
Patients older than 65 are getting extra-special care at
St. Lucie Medical Center’s Senior Emergency Department
with a shift in culture and the addition of six
rooms designed for comfort.
“We recognized we serve a geriatric population and we
want to do right by them,” says Dr. Andres Sasson, medical
director at the Port St. Lucie ER. “We were low performing
for satisfaction scores and we launched a senior-friendly
training initiative and a push for improvement. Of 107 (Hospital
Corporation of America) hospitals I am proud to say we
went from the bottom 5 percent to the top 5 percent.”
With 118 assisted-living communities within 30 minutes
of the ER, senior citizens make up 60 percent of the 43,000
yearly admissions. Silver paint marks the six rooms where
senior patients stay while the ER team determines if they
should be admitted.
When a senior patient arrives at the ER, the first two questions
are: “What is wrong?” and most importantly, “What
medication are you taking?” Family members are located and
any updates or medication reminders can be texted to them. >>
16 Port St. Lucie Magazine
GREG GARDNER PHOTOS
Barry Reid, a volunteer at St. Lucie Medical Center’s emergency room, discusses the comfort of the extra-padded bed with Rebecca Armstrong, R.N., nurse manager.