Available to all Norton Healthcare employees, Papa is an innovative service connecting older adults and families with compassionate Papa Pals for companionship, assistance and peace of mind.

“She was worried about my carpal tunnel surgery, and how I was going to get around,” Sheila said. “You can’t exactly drive as well.”

Sheila elected to use the benefit after her wrist surgery. She could not drive so she had someone from Papa take her and her father, Merl, to doctor appointments. Sheila’s husband, Tom, was really busy at work and could not take time off.

“Merl, my dad, is 89 but very independent. At first, he and my husband, Tom, had some pushback to the idea of using Papa. Tom had concerns with having a stranger drive me, and my dad did not want the help of a stranger,” Sheila said. “I assured them it was through Norton Healthcare, and that it was safe. They eventually relented, and it turned out to be a huge benefit to us as a family.”

According to Sheila, the Papa Pals who showed up to help them were excellent. Every Papa Pal undergoes vigorous background checks and motor vehicle reports. For Sheila, they were on for scheduled pick-ups, accommodating and even early for the appointment. Everything was done in less than two hours, with no hassle.

Hans Buhts, a manager in the benefits department at Norton Healthcare, said the partnership was designed to benefit all employees.

“We know it can be difficult to manage work when you have additional responsibilities at home. Whether it’s taking care of an older parent, assisting kids with homework or needing to get ahead on household chores, we hope this benefit will help shift the load and reduce stress for our employees and their families,” Hans said. “We were excited to partner with Papa to provide companionship and assistance to our employees who may need help outside of work.”

According to Sheila, Tom and Merl were very grateful for their Papa Pal experience. Merl was happy he did not have to reschedule his appointment, and Tom was very relieved it all worked out so that he did not miss any time at work.

“I have already told so many people about this. I know another nurse in my unit who could benefit from it because she has a hurt knee,” Sheila said. “It is easy to sign up for. I am not tech savvy; if I can do it, anyone can! We have so many excellent benefits at Norton Healthcare — it is a perk of the job and a reason why I love working here.”

By the end of 2024, Sheila had used all 10 free hours available under the employee benefit. And she is looking to use more in the future to visit Merl at his nursing home.

About Papa

Whether it is for grocery shopping, watching your kids, a ride to a doctor’s appointment or assisting with nonmedical care, the Papa program extends a helping hand — when, where and how you need it most.

This benefit is available to all employees as part of our commitment to your well-being and work-life balance. All employees can use up to 10 hours of service, at no cost to you. Here’s how to get started:

• Visit Papa.com to verify your eligibility and create an account.
• Select who will be using your Papa benefits — you or your loved one(s) — along with the primary ZIP code where you would like assistance.
• Download the Papa Care app from the Apple or Google app stores and follow the steps to schedule your next visit.

If you are interested in using Papa, click here to learn more about the program and how to take advantage of it.

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Shelby’s career journey began on the food and nutrition services team, where she delivered meals to patients on the same ICU where she now provides lifesaving care.

That was June 2020, when Shelby already had her eyes set on a career path as a nurse. Along the way, Norton Healthcare would bring her so much more.

“I sought out Norton [Healthcare] solely for the Norton Healthcare Scholars Program,” Shelby said.

The Norton Healthcare Scholars Program offers financial assistance to students pursing designated health care related degrees. In exchange, students sign a contract agreeing to work at Norton Healthcare upon graduation.

Shelby thought she needed to be a Norton Healthcare employee to participate in the scholars program. She later learned that was not but case, but her role in food and nutrition services opened the door for her to take her first of many steps in her career journey.

During her time in food and nutrition, Shelby delivered meals to patients in the Norton Hospital neurosurgical intensive care unit, where she met and got to know Belinda Davis, patient care associate and unit coordinator.

Shelby shared her aspirations of one day becoming a nurse with Belinda, who noticed how willing Shelby was to go above and beyond for every patient she encountered. According to Belinda, Shelby would carefully prepare and cut the food for patients when she delivered their meal trays.

Belinda shared what she saw in Shelby with Rachel Farison, R.N., nurse manager on the neurosurgical ICU.

According to Rachel, Belinda spoke highly of Shelby, describing her as “really willing to help and very interested in the patients.”

One day, Shelby stopped by Rachel’s office and introduced herself.

“She came to my door and knocked. She said, ‘I’m going to be a nurse on your unit.’ I was like, OK, come on in, let’s talk about it,” Rachel said.

While they talked, Rachel shared all of the opportunities and options with Norton Healthcare that were available to help Shelby achieve her goal. The next step along her path would be to become a patient care associate.

“At that point in time, I’m almost positive I didn’t even have a [patient care associate] position. But I could tell how driven and special she was. I wanted to give her this opportunity. So I thought, I’m going to make one. Which I did, and I was able to get her into that position,” Rachel said.

Shelby began working in the new role in November 2021.

“She grew as a patient care associate and always took such great care of our patients,” Rachel said. “They were always clean, turned and bathed. A lot of that skill set has made her into an excellent nurse.”

An apprenticeship as the next step

By February 2023, Shelby was beginning a new chapter in her Norton Healthcare story by participating in the Student Nurse Apprenticeship Program (SNAP).

The first prelicensure nursing apprenticeship program in the U.S., SNAP is paid apprenticeship providing educational and clinical experiences.

With every step along her journey, Shelby “really tapped into all the great resources that Norton has to offer,” Rachel said.

One of the more challenging hurdles for any full-time student who is also working full time is balancing two — often conflicting — schedules. Rachel worked to ensure Shelby was able to maintain a full-time schedule and fit in all of her classes.

“She had a lot of scheduling restrictions with school that I was more than happy to accommodate. I was 100% willing to do what was necessary to make sure that she had what she needed to be able to get through school successfully. With going to school full time and working full time, there were hard days, I’m sure. But I could tell she was going to do it,” Rachel said.

A debt-free education, and becoming a homeowner — and a nurse

“I graduated school debt-free. That alone has allowed me to flourish in many ways,” Shelby said.

In the midst of completing nursing school, Shelby was able to participate in an employer-assisted housing program for Norton Healthcare employees who are first-time homebuyers. She becoming a homeowner at age 22.

Norton Healthcare works through The Housing Partnership Inc. to help prepare first-time homebuyers before purchasing a home. The program helps with navigating the buying process, identifying opportunities to save money and, finally, closing the deal. Budgeting, counseling, home buying education and financial assistance are all part of this program.

All of Shelby’s hard work and dedication led her to begin her career as a registered nurse in the Norton Hospital neurosurgical ICU in January 2024.

“She passed her [nursing licensure] exam on the first try and is now practicing as a full- time nurse on night shift with me and handling some of the most complex patients with ease,” Rachel said.

It is clear that Shelby is no stranger to hard work when it comes to chasing her dreams. In under four years she went from providing nourishing meals for patients to providing compassionate care at the bedside in a specialized intensive care unit.

“She’s a fantastic nurse, and I think a lot of it stems from the growth that she had on my unit from her patient care associate days,” Rachel said. “She was always so eager to learn, ask questions and see things and do things from a very early phase. So we couldn’t be prouder of her.

“All my assistant nurse managers on night shift are so proud to see how much she’s grown. We all love having Shelby on our unit. We all love her and our patients love her too.”

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The U.S. News Best Hospitals for Maternity Care methodology is based on objective measures of quality around outcomes, process and structure. To be ranked as high performing, hospitals and health systems need to score significantly higher than average on eight quality measures. These are low number of avoidable cesarean sections, rare newborn complications, rare/never scheduled early deliveries, episiotomy rates less than 5%, tracking and reporting race- and ethnicity-specific performance measures, strong breastfeeding rate and high support of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. The survey also looked at whether a hospital meets federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices.

Of the 680 hospitals in the country that submitted information for evaluation by U.S. News & World Report, only 311 were ranked high performing.

“The goal of our Norton Women’s Care team is to provide all patients with a safe place for childbirth,” said Mary L. Schubert, DNP, MSN, NEA-BC, FAWHONN, system vice president, women’s services, Norton Healthcare. “This means looking at physical needs during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond, while also treating everyone with dignity and providing compassionate care.”

“Hospitals that receive a High Performing designation as part of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care meet a high standard in caring for parents with uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist, U.S. News. “These hospitals have C-section rates that are 26% lower and newborn complication rates that are 37% lower than unrecognized hospitals that participated in the survey. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals’ performance metrics for free at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby.”

“Receiving this High Performing award for the third time shows that our care matches our high standards,” Schubert said.

Caregivers at Norton Healthcare’s two Norton Women’s Care birthing locations deliver more than 8,000 babies a year. While many of those deliveries are uncomplicated, Norton Women’s Care also specializes in high-risk deliveries, with a specialty maternal-fetal medicine program and connection to specialists in two neonatal intensive care units. A Level IV NICU at Norton Children’s Hospital offers the highest level of care to critically ill and premature infants. A Level III NICU is at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital.

Norton Healthcare ranks as High Performing for eight other procedures and conditions: heart attack, heart failure, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, stroke, prostate cancer surgery, hip replacement and knee replacement.

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The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems that hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This ‘A’ ranking at our hospitals is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated providers and employees, who consistently strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to our patients,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare.  “In addition, numerous others throughout the organization provide essential support and resources to our providers and caregivers.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to nearly 3,000 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year, in the fall and spring.

To see full grade details for each of Norton Healthcare’s four Louisville adult-service hospitals and get patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.

The post Norton Healthcare’s four Louisville-based adult-service hospitals nationally recognized with an ‘A’ for fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

This kind of heart attack is called an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (my-oh-CARD’-ee-ull in-FARK’-shun), or STEMI. Often also called a widow-maker, this is the deadliest form of heart attack. That’s because it is caused from a complete blockage in the heart, and no blood is able to pass through. Restoring blood flow is all that matters, and the faster it’s done, the better the chances of recovery and preventing long-term damage to the heart muscle. In this situation, time is muscle.

Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. An infarction is a blockage of blood flow to the myocardium (my-oh-CAR’-dee-um), the heart muscle. That blockage causes cells in the heart muscle to die.

A STEMI is a heart attack that causes a distinct pattern on an electrocardiogram (abbreviated either as ECG or EKG). This is a medical test that uses several sensors (usually 10) attached to your skin that can detect your heart’s electrical activity. That activity is then displayed as a wave pattern on a paper readout or a digital display. Certain patterns of heart activity mean there’s a total blockage of one of the heart’s main supply arteries.

During a heart attack, those patterns can mean the heart muscle is dying. At this point, the key goal is to reopen that artery and restore blood flow as soon as possible. This may prevent permanent damage, or at least limit the severity of the damage. If there’s too much damage to the muscle in the ventricles, your heart can’t pump enough blood to support your body. The heart muscle cannot repair itself. That’s why STEMI heart attacks are so dangerous and why restoring blood flow quickly is so critical.

Chest pain or heart attack?

Despite what you might have seen on TV or in movies, a heart attack does not always come on suddenly or include clutching one’s chest in agony. Many times, a heart attack feels like pressure, heaviness or other discomfort in the chest, neck, jaw or down the arms. Though men and women both have heart attacks, they often report different sensations in the body.

STEMI symptoms include:

• Tightness, squeezing, pain, or pressure in your chest that doesn’t go away after a few minutes, or stops and returns
• Pain or discomfort in your arms, neck, jaw, back, or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea and vomiting
• A cold sweat

There are several conditions that can feel like a heart attack, including anxiety, gas and muscle strain. You always should err on the side of caution when it comes to chest pain, and visit a health care provider to see what the cause of your pain is.

STEMI treatment

Treatment options for STEMI will depend on several factors, including:

• Where the blockage is in your heart
• Results of tests such as ECG/EKG
• Age, general health and lifestyle factors

No matter what, treating a STEMI is time-sensitive. Faster treatment can mean better outcomes. If your blood oxygen levels are low, treatment may include supplemental oxygen. There are also several different potential treatments for heart attack, several of which may happen in sequence or at the same time.

Other treatments include:

• Percutaneous coronary (per-kew-TANE’-ee-us COR’-oh-nar-ee) intervention  (PCI) — this procedure uses a tiny balloon that inflates to clear the blockage in the artery. A stent may be used, which is a scaffold that unfolds to hold the artery open.
• Medication — several medications are usually given early on in the treatment of heart attack, including beta blockers and statins.
• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery — CABG (pronounced like “cabbage”) means a surgeon takes a blood vessel from somewhere else in your body and uses it to make a new blood vessel that bypasses the blockage. CABG is often called bypass surgery or open heart surgery.

STEMI heart attack care network

Norton Healthcare has worked with Louisville-area health systems, emergency medical services (EMS) providers, air transport providers and affiliates to build the area’s first regional STEMI network. Like a top-notch pit crew for a race car, everyone on the team has a specific role: From the time you first seek medical care to the time the blockage is cleared, the STEMI network has your care covered.  

Part of the network’s purpose is to equip EMS crews with EKG equipment that can detect a STEMI heart attack. When a 911 call is made and EMTs arrive to provide care, the EKG taken in the first moments is sent to the STEMI network, activating a team that begins to prepare for the arrival of a patient. In some cases, the crew can save time by skipping what may be the closest hospital and heading directly to an accredited chest pain center where staff have been trained in heart attack care.

The goal is to get blood flowing within 90 minutes or less. Norton Heart & Vascular Institute and its partners in the STEMI network — which reaches into rural parts of Kentucky and Southern Indiana — beat the goal nearly 100% of the time. In 2022, Norton Healthcare had a median time of 56 minutes.

Norton Healthcare partners with other providers and emergency personnel who encounter STEMI patients to conduct drills and improve processes. This partnership was instrumental in the American Heart Association awarding its Mission Lifeline: Trailblazer designation to Norton Healthcare, thus recognizing the pioneering work done to create network of care to treat STEMI hear attacks.

The post A STEMI is one of the most dangerous forms of heart attack — here’s what you need to know appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Overall “high performing” ratings were given in the following care and procedure areas:

• Heart attack
• Aortic valve surgery
• Heart bypass
• Heart failure
• Stroke care
• Maternity care (uncomplicated pregnancy)
• Hip replacement
• Knee replacement
• Prostate cancer surgery

“We’re pleased to see that the hard work of our care teams and support staff has resulted in a No. 1 ranking in Louisville as well as high performance rankings in nine procedures and conditions,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare. “We know our work is never done, and we will continue to improve so that our community has access to the care they need.”

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Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, and Norton Hospital all are recognized for ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI accreditation; Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital is recognized as an ACC Chest Pain Center. Norton Healthcare has the most facilities across the city of Louisville with the ability treat a life-threatening heart attack.

“This accreditation is based on national standards ensuring patients receive specific treatment in a timely manner, a task that takes teamwork across multiple areas of the hospital — including the emergency department, radiology, cardiac catheterization, laboratory and many more,” said Joseph A. Lash, M.D., cardiologist and medical director of Norton Heart & Vascular Institute and Rounsavall Family Foundation endowed chair. “Achieving this accreditation is a testament to the entire team both within the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, but also at each of the hospitals.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 730,000 Americans experience a heart attack each year. The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort. However, women are more likely to have atypical symptoms. Other heart attack symptoms include, but are not limited to, tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, cold sweats, unusual tiredness, heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness, and fainting.

Hospitals that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is also known as coronary angioplasty. It is a nonsurgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.

As required to meet the criteria of the accreditation designation, these hospitals comply with standard Chest Pain Center protocols.  These facilities also maintain a “no diversion policy” for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Hospitals receiving Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation from the ACC must take part in a multifacetedclinical process that involves: completing a gap analysis, examining variances of care, developing an action plan, a rigorous on-site review and monitoring for sustained success. Improved methods and strategies of caring for patients include streamlining processes, implementing guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the care of patients experiencing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians and other administrative staff that earnestly supports the efforts leading to better patient education and improved patient outcomes.

Norton Heart & Vascular Institute is the area’s leading provider of cardiovascular care, from general cardiology to subspecialty care that includes vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery, electrophysiology, advanced heart failure, structural cardiology and interventional cardiology.

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This is the seventh consecutive period (fall 2019, spring 2020, fall 2020, spring 2021, fall 2021, spring 2022 and fall 2022) that the four hospitals have received an “A” grade.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems that hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“By working together and keeping the safety of our patients — and each other — at the center of all they do, Norton Healthcare’s employees consistently do the hard work that is necessary to receive ‘A’ Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare. “Our talented and dedicated providers and caregivers consistently deliver safe, high-quality care to our patients. In addition, numerous team members throughout the organization provide essential support and resources critical in today’s complex health care environment. Seven consecutive ‘A’ grades is no small feat, and I am honored to lead this exceptional team.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year, in the fall and spring.

To see full grade details for each of Norton Healthcare’s four Louisville adult-service hospitals and get patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

The post String of seven: Norton Healthcare’s four Louisville-based adult-service hospitals once again nationally recognized with an ‘A’ for fall 2022 in Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

To be recognized among the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, hospitals had to excel on multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, cesarean sections, whether births were scheduled too early in pregnancy and how successfully each hospital supported breastfeeding. Only one-third of the hospitals evaluated by U.S. News for maternity care earned a “High Performing” rating, the highest rating for this type of care. Participation in the survey was voluntary.

Unique to the U.S. News site, participating hospital profiles are a “one-stop shop” and include a variety of relevant offerings for parents-to-be, including key measures of safety along with services and amenities, such as private rooms, valet parking and availability of child birthing classes.

“Our goal at Norton Women’s Care is to provide our patients with a childbirth experience that is  safe and meets all of their health needs,” said Mary L. Schubert, DNP, NEA-BC, system vice president, women’s services, Norton Healthcare. “This includes our vision to look at the whole patient’s health, treat everyone with dignity, provide compassionate care and support health both during pregnancy and well into the future.

“We’re pleased to see that U.S. News & World Report has given us a High Performing rating, as it affirms all of the data we continually review to ensure the care we deliver is up to our high standards.”

Caregivers at Norton Healthcare’s two Norton Women’s Care locations deliver more than 8,000 babies a year. While many of those deliveries are uncomplicated, Norton Women’s Care also specializes in high-risk deliveries, with a specialty maternal-fetal medicine program and connection to specialists in two neonatal intensive care units. The Level IV NICU at Norton Children’s Hospital offers the highest level of care to critically ill and premature infants. A second NICU at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital is Level III.

Norton Healthcare is ranked as High Performing for eight procedures and conditions: heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hip and knee replacement.

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The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harm to patients in their care.

“The hard work of our dedicated providers and employees, who consistently strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to our patients, is the reason each of our adult-service hospitals continue to get this ‘A’ ranking,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare. “The past two years have been a challenge for everyone working in health care. I am incredibly proud of our team, who continues to keep the safety of our patients — and each other — at the center of all they do.”

“An ‘A’ safety grade is a tremendous achievement, of which this community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce of Norton Healthcare for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

To see full grade details for each of Norton Healthcare’s four adult-service hospitals and get patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

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