Staff Report

The emergency departments at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital have achieved the Silver Level 2 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

The GEDA program recognizes emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults, defined as age 65 and up. The voluntary designation, valid for three years, acknowledges that all three Cottage emergency departments have successfully met or exceeded specific criteria and benchmarks for providing outstanding care to older patients.

Approximately one out of three patients visiting a Cottage emergency department is age 65 and up. In addition to common reasons to visit the emergency department, older adults frequently need emergency care for issues such as falling, confusion, weakness or problems with their medications, according to Dr. Patrick Glynn, who specializes in emergency medicine at Cottage Health.

“An emergency department visit for an older patient often brings about significant life changes that require attention beyond treating the illness or injury,” Dr. Glynn said. “Our emergency team considers a patient’s physical, mental and social needs to provide the highest standards of care. ACEP’s GEDA program recognizes that our policies are directed at the evolving needs of our geriatric patients, to keep them comfortable and safe.”

The Silver Level 2 designation means Cottage provides expertise in geriatric care, has geriatric-friendly equipment and supplies, and screens for vulnerabilities such as delirium, dementia and fall risk. Cottage emergency staff also help with resources needed to assure geriatric patients are able to return home safely or transition to different levels or locations of assisted care.

A team of physicians, nurses, emergency department technicians, social workers and community emergency medical services personnel worked for over two years to create and perfect protocols and policies to develop the Geriatric Emergency Department program.

The post Cottage Hospital recognized for emergency geriatric care efforts appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Though this is the healthcare challenge of a lifetime, Cottage Health has long made efforts to be ready and prepared for emergencies, with ongoing training for staff and close monitoring of medical supplies and staffing needs.

At Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, a number of important protections are in place to ensure safety for patients, health care workers and the community: 

• Access to the hospital has been consolidated to one entrance, where all are screened and provided with masks before entering.
• The hospital has protections in place to prevent the spread of germs and ensure patient safety.
• Diagnostic and radiologic exams continue to be available with a physician order.
• Emergency Department patients are triaged by clinical staff:

All patients with COVID-19 symptoms are screened in rooms prepared with isolation precautions.

Potential COVID-19 patients who need hospital admission are transferred to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for inpatient care on a specialized isolation unit.

• Urgent procedures are done with appropriate safety precautions.
• Elective procedures and screenings are being rescheduled, to resume in phases starting next week.
• Hospital visitors are restricted in compliance with public health officer orders, but SYVCH has technology available to keep patients and families connected.

Fortunately, quarantines and social distancing are slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the community, so please continue to:

• Stay home as much as possible
• Wash hands often with soap and water
• Wear masks around others
• Practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from others

I am thankful to be part of this community.  Your outpouring of support and gratitude is a constant source of encouragement for healthcare workers at our hospital, and Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital thanks you for your collective efforts to keep our community and our hospital safe. We also extend thanks to the many community members and local business who have made generous donations including medical supplies like face masks.

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital looks forward to getting through this challenge with you. It is a great honor to be trusted to care for you. 

Sincerely,

Wende Cappetta

The post A Message from Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital to Our Community appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.