(L-R) Dede Arnau, R.N., M.S.N., Chief Nursing Officer; Kathie Scott, R.N., Nursing Supervisor; Lindsey Williams, R.N., Heather Hill, R.N., Cindy Burden, L.P.N., and Becky Smith, R.N., M.B.A., Chief Quality Officer.

Avatar Solutions has announced that Elbert Memorial Hospital has won two Avatar Awards for 2014 in the following categories:

HCHAPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Best Performer - Communication with Nurses - Medium Hospital (300 beds or less): Awarded to the facility with the highest top box rating for each HCAHPS composite, in each bed size category. All hospitals who administered the HCAHPS survey for 12 consecutive months in the prior year are eligible.

HCHAPS Most Improved - Communication with Nurses - Medium Hospital: Awarded to the facility that demonstrated the most improvement for each HCAHPS composite, in each bed size category. All hospitals who administered the HCAHPS survey for 24 consecutive months, through December of the prior year, are eligible.

"Elbert Memorial Hospital has developed a culture that drives our staff to always display 'Elbert Excellence,'" said Dede Arnau, Chief Nursing Officer at EMH. "One of the foundations for a positive patient experience is communication. The tools we have in place to improve communication include bedside shift reports involving patients and families, communication boards in each patient room, leadership rounding and discharge follow-up phone calls." 

HCAHPS Composites include Overall Rating, Willingness to Recommend, Communications with Nurses, Communications with Doctors, Communications about Medications, Responsiveness of Hospital Staff, Discharge Information, Pain Management, Cleanliness of the Hospital Environment and Quietness of the Hospital Environment.

(L-R) Lynne Munumer, Lenette Burrell, Karen Beth Hill and Janet Wiley.

The  2015 Burrell Endowment Scholarship Committee composed of Lenette Burrell, Lynne Munumer and Janet Wiley announced the recipient of this 2015 Scholarship is Karen Beth Hill.  She will receive a $1,000 scholarship that is offered through the Burrell Endowment with the Elbert Memorial Hospital Foundation.  The Endowment was established in 2007 by Zeb Burrell, M.D., and his wife, Lenette Burrell, R.N., M.S.N., Ed.D.

Mrs. Hill states that since she was a child, she has enjoyed caring for a person or animal in need.  She would take stray animals home, feed them, and nurse them back to health.  When she was a teenager, she saw the nursing staff take care of a family member and realized that she wanted to pursue a career in nursing.  She got a late start toward this goal with raising a family but no regrets, because she could be with her husband and be present for her children's performances and activities.        

In 2006 she earned her diploma in Practical Nursing at Athens Technical College.  She worked in Hartwell as an L.P.N. from March, 2007 until April, 2010 at the Hart Care Center and Hart County Hospital.  Since April, 2010 she has been employed as an L.P.N. at the Elbert Memorial Hospital.  She has worked on the various units where she is needed, including the intensive care unit, emergency department, and acute care unit. 

In May, 2014 she began taking courses at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, S.C., toward an Associate Degree in Nursing.  She has continued to work part-time at Elbert Memorial Hospital.  She will complete this degree in May 2016.  Her future plans are to continue studying to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.  She states that nursing is her passion and she can't think of anything else she would rather do than be a nurse.

The purpose of the Burrell Endowment is to provide scholarships for the support of individuals' initial or continuing education in a health-related field in an accredited technical school, college or university.  This annual scholarship of $1,000 for tuition, books, or fees is awarded to an individual age 30 and older who is a resident of Elbert County and/or employed full- or part-time at a health care facility in Elbert County. 

For additional information about the Burrell Endowment, please contact the Elbert Memorial Hospital Foundation office at 706-213-2558 or email  nseymour@emhcare.net.