2021
Annual Report
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FH Logo
Our Mission Do what is best for the patient.
WE C.A.R.E
Values .
Together We… C – COMMUNICATE with COURTESY and COMPASSION A – ACKNOWLEDGE and take ACTION R – RESPECT and REASSURE E – EMPATHIZE and EXPLAIN
Our Facilities
Asbury Hospice House Forrest General Hospital Highland Community Hospital Jefferson Davis Community Hospital Jefferson Davis Extended Care Facility Marion General Hospital Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home Perry County General Hospital* Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services The Orthopedic Institute Walthall General Hospital * acquired January 2022
For a complete list of Forrest Health facilities and clinics, visit forresthealth.org
Table of Contents
A Letter from the President & CEO.............................................2 Forrest County Board of Supervisors.........................................3 2021 Board of Trustees..............................................................4 2021 Medical Executive Committee...........................................5 In Memoriam..............................................................................6 2021 Milestones.........................................................................7 2021 Awards and Recognitions..................................................8 2021 Employee Awards..............................................................9 Q & A with Employee of the Year...............................................14 Q & A with Nurse of the Year......................................................15 Forrest General Hospital Service Lines......................................16 Forrest General Hospital Additional Services............................25 Forrest Health Hospitals’ Statistics............................................29
From the President & CEO
A
As I started compiling this letter, I was reminded of a quote by Walter Elliot, “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.” Reflecting on the last two to three years in healthcare, this quote seems very fitting. We have definitely found ourselves in one race after another. Through no choice of our own, we entered the race and continued to persevere; not always winning, but enduring to the finish. Everyone’s world changed due to something called COVID. Most of us would like to erase this word from our vocabulary. It has robbed us of loved ones and friends and has turned our environment upside down. But again, we must persevere and look forward to a future of hope. The COVID vaccine was released in December of 2020. In 2021, we introduced the vaccine while navigating new territory regarding mandates and funding. Forrest Health facilities set up vaccine and immunotherapy access through multiple sites. The HealthWorks Immunization Clinic, a service of Forrest General and Hattiesburg Clinic, administered 51,305 vaccines as of December 16, 2021. Forrest General’s Family Medicine Residency Clinic provided an additional 3,100 vaccines to members of our community, and our Home Care Services administered 514 vaccines to homebound patients. We joined with our cities, counties, and physicians to provide vaccine clinics at various community centers. Together, we were stronger and provided access for the people we serve. Despite the trials, we also prepared to add Perry County General Hospital to the Forrest Health system. We know that even during hard times, we must continue
to grow and help the communities we serve. We also expanded our Trauma Services by adding two highly-trained orthopaedic trauma surgeons. This addition, along with our trauma surgeons, continues to make our Trauma program one of the premiere programs in the state and beyond. We also continued to be recognized nationally with awards commending our cardiovascular care. This included recognition for outstanding treatment of heart attack patients. We continue to be on the cutting edge of cardiovascular technology as we performed the 200th Watchman™ procedure for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) which offers an alternative to long-term blood thinners. We were also once again awarded the “Baby Friendly Designation” for our Women and Children’s Services. This prestigious designation is given to hospitals upholding the highest standards of infant feeding care. Forrest General was the first in Mississippi to receive the designation in 2016. We still have challenges ahead. Nationwide, every sector is faced with staffing shortages. It is the most pressing issue with hospital CEO’s. We must find ways to staff our facilities and care for those who look to us as their health partner. We regret that waits have been longer and the processes not always easy to work through, but we will get past this time and move forward. Healthcare environments have changed since the pandemic, and we must refocus to embrace these changes for the future. The story of Forrest Health has been one of courage, determination, persistence, and strength. I am so proud of our Forrest Health staff, our physicians, and those
who have not given up. Even though at times discouraged, they pushed through days that seemed impossible. They took small steps that accomplished big things. Most people who know me know that baseball was a big part of my life growing up. It taught me teamwork and the importance of every player. As we move forward, I would like to end with this quote from baseball legend Babe Ruth, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” We must think positive and rally together to win the game. I know that our team will again hit it out of the park, and our foundation will only be stronger due to perseverance and the lessons we have learned.
R. Andy Woodard, Forrest General Hospital President & CEO
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2021 Forrest County
Board of Supervisors
Forrest General Hospital (FGH) is a Level II Trauma Center and a 547-bed short-term, general acute care, public hospital which is not-for-profit and tax-exempt. Located in Hattiesburg, the hospital is owned by Forrest County and was established in July 1952. The hospital is governed by a Board of Trustees. All citizens of Forrest County are eligible to serve on the Hospital Board of Trustees which are appointed by the Forrest County Board of Supervisors. David Hogan | Sharon Thompson | Burkett Ross | Roderick Woullard | Chris Bowen President
Ward 2
Ward 3
Vice President
District 5
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2021 Board of Trustees
The Forrest Health Board of Trustees is made up of five members, currently overseen by Richard L. Preusch, chairperson. The board is appointed by the Forrest County Board of Supervisors and is charged with the oversight of Forrest Health, a completely selfsufficient system. Overseeing all aspects of the health system, its flagship facility, Forrest General, and its six regional facilities, the Board of Trustees makes decisions important to ensuring that patients are a top priority and receive the best possible care.
Lynn Cartlidge | Eric K. Steele | Richard W. Preusch | John M. Keene, CPA | Marcus Hogan, MD Secretary
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
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2021 Medical Executive Committee
From Left to Right: Lisa Leek, MD, Emergency Services | Neal T. Holm, MD, Surgery Sriharsha Athota, MD, Medicine | Luis Irizarry, MD, Anesthesia | Brian Rifkin, MD, President W. Brent Bowling, MD, Pediatrics | Leigh Anne Strong, MD, Pathology | Scott Keeler, MD, Radiology Not pictured: Amanda Sellers, DO, OB/GYN | Peter Kamp, MD, Psychiatry
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In Memoriam
In Memoriam During 2021, Forrest Health lost three heroes who had served our
facility and our community. They were all special in their own way.
Wade Spruill 1948-2021
Wade Nelson Spruill, Jr., founder of emergency medical services and trauma systems in Mississippi, died January 10, 2021. “Wade was a pioneer in the EMS world with over 50 years of experience. He was also a true friend who will be sorely missed,” said Andy Woodard, President and CEO, Forrest Health. Spruill retired after 30 years with Mississippi State Department of Health and in 2000 became chief executive officer for AAA Ambulance Service, Mississippi’s first and longest-standing pre-hospital emergency care provider, jointly owned by Forrest General Hospital, Forrest County, and the City of Hattiesburg. He was instrumental in the development of the EMS Program in Jackson and went on to become the state’s longest-serving EMS director as he conceptualized and authored the original EMS Plan for Mississippi.
Richard Clark
Madalene Daniell
Richard H. Clark, Jr., MD, Forrest General surgeon, the last surviving founder of Hattiesburg Clinic and one of the founders of the Southeast Mississippi Air Ambulance District (SEMAAD), died September 5, 2021.
Madalene Daniell touched the lives of countless women and their babies during her 44 years overseeing Forrest General Hospital’s Spirit of Women’s “Fitness for Two” classes. Daniell passed away on August 5, 2021.
Clark, and a group of men, recognized the need for an efficient emergency services system in south Mississippi, especially in rural areas. In 1970, the men formed SEMAAD. Clark served the organization for the next 25 years as offline medical director.
Through Madalene’s classes, she introduced ground-breaking concepts, cultivated relationships, and created memories for mothers and children alike.
1929-2021
“He was a great man, and I will always be grateful for his vision and his guidance,” said Forrest Health Vice President, Millie Swan, who remembered Clark for his contributions to health care throughout the Hattiesburg community. “He will be terribly missed and never forgotten.”
1954-2021
“Words cannot truly express what Madalene meant to our Women and Children’s Services,” said Millie Swan, Forrest Health Vice President. “For the past 44 years, she touched so many lives. I can see her vivacious smile and hear her laughing now. She had such a gift that gave way beyond what she even realized. She was so loved and will never be forgotten.”
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2021 Milestones Cardiologists performed the 200th WATCHMAN™ procedure for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). This procedure offers an alternative to long-term blood thinners.
The hospital’s Family Birthplace was recertified, achieving the highly-prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation once again. Forrest General was the first hospital in Mississippi to achieve BabyFriendly designation.
Announced a new treatment option for patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease. The new technology is a novel application of lithotripsy, an approach that uses sonic pressure waves to safely break up kidney stones.
Forrest General Hospital’s fifth group of doctoral students completed their three-year residency with the hospital’s Family Medicine Residency and have accepted fulltime medical positions.
Made a $90,000 investment in a new LPN to RN bridge program at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County campus. The program will help licensed nurses become registered nurses.
Forrest General Hospital and Hattiesburg Clinic announced the opening of HealthWorks Immunization Clinic, in an effort to combat COVID-19.
The Forrest General Cancer Center was the first in the state to provide Varian HyperArc™ high-definition radiotherapy treatment for patients with brain tumors. Announced the opening of Forrest Health Outpatient Rehabilitation located in Marion County in October. The clinic services physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy patients.
Offered monoclonal antibody infusions to eligible COVID-positive patients at Forrest Health’s regional hospitals.
Two orthopaedic trauma surgeons, Joseph M. “Joe” Radley, MD, and Jonathan Andrew “Jon” Copp, MD, joined Forrest General’s staff. They will lead the new Orthopaedic Trauma Program and Clinic. Asbury Hospice House celebrated its fifth anniversary in November. More than 2,100 patients and their families have taken a journey of care and compassion with the Asbury staff. Forrest General Hospital’s cardiovascular/ pulmonary rehabilitation program was re-certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. This certification is recognition of Forrest General Hospital’s commitment to improving the quality of life of patients by enhancing standards of care.
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2021 Awards & Recognitions • Featured in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” guidebook, Forrest General Hospital received a platinum designation. • Recognized by the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2021. • Forrest General Hospital’s cardiovascular/ pulmonary rehabilitation program was recertified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). This certification is in recognition of the hospital’s commitment to improving the quality of life of patients by enhancing standards of care.
• Forrest General Hospital received bronze level recognition in the American Heart Association 2021 Workplace Health Achievement Index.
• Forrest General Hospital’s
ongoing commitment to the health of its employees earned it CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ re-accreditation for the tenth year. In 2021, 34 employers across the country marked this momentous anniversary for leading the way in workplace wellness and satisfying the latest comprehensive requirements of the Gold Standard.
• Forrest General Hospital received two of the American Heart Association’s top awards: • Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Achievement Award. • Mission: Lifeline® NSTEMI Gold Achievement Award.
• Forrest General Hospital was recognized in the Labor and Delivery category in a special issue of Parents & Kids Magazine’s Family Favorite voting.
• Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services took top honors for its Counseling services category in a special issue of Parents & Kids Magazine’s Family Favorite voting.
• Forrest General was awarded the American College
of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2021, recognizing success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. Best of the Pine Belt Awards
• Best Hospital, Forrest General Hospital • Best Home Care, Forrest General Home Care • Best Hospice, Forrest General Hospice/ Asbury House • Best Non-Emergency Medical Transportation, AAA Ambulance 8 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Nurses of the Year
Betty Bly Hatten, RN
9T Nursing Unit, Team of the Year
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Clinical Nurse of the Year
MaeLang Lowe, RN
Rosa Byrd, RN
Brandy Bruce, RN
Bethany Johnson, CNA
Leader of the Year
Mentor of the Year
Preceptor of the Year
Tech of the Year
PATIENT CARE SERVICES
CATH LAB
Surgical Services, Team Innovator of the Year
RADIOLOGY
HOME CARE
Nastassia Moore, RN CRITICAL CARE UNIT
Rookie of the Year 9 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
We C.A.R.E. Awards
Andrea Butler, MSW HOME CARE & HOSPICE
Jason Gholar
Cami Cox
REHABILITATION
Monetta Wade
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, SURGERY
Manson Tarbin
Victoria VanEllis
FOOD & NUTRITION
FOOD & NUTRITION
Mackenzie Crutchfield REHABILITATION
Lee Whaley
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Deborah Davis
HOSPICE SOCIAL SERVICES
Herbert Durr
INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY
Robert Collins FOOD & NUTRITION
April Brown ICU
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We C.A.R.E. Awards and Employee of the Year
Kaitlyn Peden, RN PATIENT CARE UNIT 5T
Annual DAISY Award
Richard Preusch
FORREST HEALTH BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 20+ YEARS
Special We C.A.R.E. Award
Kecia Jones RADIOLOGY
We C.A.R.E. Leadership Award
Lauren Bethea, MD LABOR AND DELIVERY
We C.A.R.E. Physician Award
Josie McKorkle
CASE MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Employee of the Year
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Philip W. Rogers Award Winners
Mark Borganelli, MD, FACC Innovator
Bo Hrom, MD Advocate
Lewis Neese, MD Leadership
Muhammed Sattar, MD Mentor
David Bullock, MD Advocate
Catherine Hulsey, MD Humanitarian
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Doctors C.A.R.E. Awards Physician Communication Champion
Calvin Washington, MD QUARTER 1
Mark Borganelli, MD, FACC QUARTER 2
Charles Randall Griffith, MD QUARTER 3
Georgia Wahl, MD QUARTER 4
Physician Efficiency Champion
Mary Assaad, MD QUARTER 1
Cherie Papizan, MD QUARTER 2
Orlando J. Andy, Jr., MD QUARTER 3
Keith Jones, MD QUARTER 4
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Employee of the Year Josie McKorkle Case Management Director What’s your background in the medical field? I am a Registered Nurse. I have been employed at Forrest General for 36 years. I have worked as: • Staff Nurse – Neurosurgical unit • Charge Nurse – Neurosurgical unit • Patient Care Manager – Inpatient Rehabilitation unit
and Continued Care Center (Skilled Nursing Unit) • Assistant Director of Health Information Management • Director of Case Management
What prompted you to seek a job in the healthcare field? Having the experience of watching my father succumb to an illness inspired me to want to become a nurse.
What do you think is special about working at Forrest General Hospital? Forrest General has visionary leaders who seem to value advanced technology and growth opportunities. Forrest General provides opportunities for advancement to their employees who want to take advantage of them.
What encouragement or advice would you have for someone who might be considering a job in healthcare or particularly the nursing field? An individual who works in the healthcare field must have a passion for serving others.
In your job as a nurse, what does it mean to serve others? Serving others means having compassion, empathy, and patience; saying to yourself, “the person that I am serving today is someone’s loved one/family member.”
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the healthcare field?
What has working during a worldwide pandemic for the past two years been like? During the pandemic, I have seen more teamwork and creativity. For example, due to advanced technology, more employees were able to perform their work duties from home, which made it possible to reinforce and maintain social distancing.
An individual who works in the healthcare f ield must have a passion for serving others.
Technology 14 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Nurse of the Year Betty Bly Hatten Emergency Department, RN What’s your background in the medical field? I have been a Registered Nurse for 52 years. I graduated from The University of Mississippi School of Nursing (UMMC) in 1969. I worked at UMMC in the Emergency Room and Outpatient Clinics for five years before moving to Hattiesburg in 1979. I began working at Forrest General in April 1981.
What what prompted you to seek a job in the healthcare field? From childhood through my early education, I always wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. I have always wanted to be able to help people.
What do you think is special about working at Forrest General Hospital? Working at Forrest General is special to be able to serve and help persons in need of medical care. It is a special place to be able to be in a Level II Trauma Center and all services that Forrest General has to offer. As my family and I can attest to, we’ve been recipients of all the fine services – Labor/Delivery, Emergency, Cardiac, Cancer, Radiation, Vascular, Home Health, Inpatient, and NICU.
What encouragement or advice would you have for someone who might be considering a job in healthcare or particularly the nursing field? Forrest General has good benefits and is able to help develop nursing job skills. You are able to follow your dreams of helping others through nursing.
In your job as a nurse, what does it mean to serve others? Serving others brings me joy and happiness, and I am able to give honor to God for the ability to serve.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the healthcare field? All the technological advancements. The change that the computer has placed on the medical field and the amount of time that is involved on the computer versus the amount of time with patients.
What has working during a worldwide pandemic for the past two years been like? Very challenging.
Serving others brings me joy and happiness, and I am able to give honor to God for the ability to serve. 15 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Service Lines
Behavioral Health.............................................................. 17 Emergency & Trauma......................................................... 18 Cancer Services (Oncology)............................................... 19 Medicine Services............................................................. 20 Heart & Vascular................................................................ 21 Surgical Services............................................................... 22 Orthopedics....................................................................... 23 Women & Children’s.......................................................... 24 16 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021 16 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Christina Williams, PhD, is clinical director of Pine Grove Outpatient Services. Pine Grove has a reputation as one of the nation’s most comprehensive treatment campuses in the country.
Behavioral Health One Place. Many Solutions. Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services understands lasting recovery and healing begins at the roots of who we are. Transformation is deeply woven into the core of each individual through broad reaching treatment options. As a result, Pine Grove has gained a reputation as one of the nation’s most comprehensive treatment campuses. Since its opening in 1984, Pine Grove has gained a reputation as one of the country’s premier centers for the treatment of substance use disorders, sexual addiction, and psychiatric disorders.
Levels of Care at Pine Grove include: Inpatient Services, Residential Treatment, Partial Hospitalization Program, Outpatient Services, Intensive Outpatient Program, Detoxification
Pine Grove is Mississippi’s largest drug and alcohol treatment center for psychiatric and addictive diseases with a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and residential programs. Specialty programs include: Professional Enhancement Program, Men’s Next Step, The Women’s Center, Legacy Program, and Gratitude programs, all located in the Hattiesburg area.
Pine Grove delivered inpatient psychiatric care to 3,248 patients.
Pine Grove’s outpatient department provided 9,220 patient visits, and more than 500 patients received specialized addiction treatment. 17 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021 17 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Around the clock, Trauma teams in Forrest General’s Emergency Department are on standby and ready to handle whatever medical problems come through its doors.
Emergency & Trauma You can’t be ready or prepared when the need for trauma care arises, but Forrest General Hospital’s Trauma Center is always ready. Our Level II Trauma Center provides an immediate, organized response by a highly-specialized team, 24/7, 365 days a year. Forrest General’s Trauma Services Department is continuously working to elevate the quality of care its patients receive. One such way is through participation in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP), where it was recently ranked in the Top 1 percent, Top 10 percent, and Top 25 percent across the nation in a majority of areas.
Forrest General Hospital is proud to have affiliations with two of the state’s three winners in this year’s recognition of outstanding trauma leaders. AAA Ambulance, Chief Executive Officer Chuck Carter, and retired FGH Trauma Surgeon, Kate Aseme, MD. Forrest Health’s Emergency Centers provide around-the-clock emergency coverage for major trauma, general medical treatment, and all other emergency care. Trauma patients that need a higher level of emergency care are transferred to Forrest General Hospital’s Level II Trauma Center. The Emergency Department is responsible for the immediate treatment of any medical or surgical emergency and for initiating life-saving measures, including chronic medical problems, minor injuries, and illnesses.
Forrest General Hospital’s Level II Trauma Center serves 19 counties
across South Mississippi, and
is the only Level II trauma center in the Pine Belt.
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Radiation Oncologist, Sophy Mangana, MD, makes sure everything is in place before cancer patient, Mary Arlene Esser, gets treatment via the Edge Linear Accelerator, one of three at the Forrest General Cancer Center.
Cancer Services (Oncology) Forrest General’s Cancer Center, which ranks among the largest and most sophisticated regional cancer centers in south Mississippi, offers a place where patients can receive technologically-advanced care in an environment of beauty, caring, and compassion. The Oncology Service Line provides a continuum of compassionate, high quality, state-of-the-art services for the detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer through a well-trained multidisciplinary team that maintains a personalized focus on the needs of the individual. There were 1,472 new cases entered into the cancer registry. The top sites were Lung (254), Prostate (255), Breast (255), Colorectal (98), Lymphatic/Hematopoietic (110), and Head and Neck (21).
Forrest General Hospital’s Cancer Center is one of the first programs started in the state of Mississippi and the only comprehensive community Cancer Center in the hospital’s 19county service area. It is accredited by the College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Forrest General’s Oncology Services strives to improve the quality and length of life for the cancer Forrest General has patient and to further research on the cause, prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer. We value clinical trials for a compassion, respect, integrity, creativity, teamwork, commitment, and excellence in all variety of cancer types that we do. The FGH Cancer Program is accredited through the American College of Surgeons open for enrollment. Commission on Cancer. 19 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021 19 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Hospitalist, Cheree Papizan, MD, confers with Patient Care Manager-ICU/CCU, Heather Keys, regarding a patient’s care.
Medicine Services Forrest Health’s medicine services include several specialties, the largest being the Hospital Care and Intensive Care programs. These services, and the highly-qualified staff and physicians who provide this care, are dedicated to helping primary care physicians and their patients during stays in our hospitals and are committed to improving critical care services to Forrest Health’s patients. The Intensive Care Unit is a multipurpose unit designed for the intensive treatment of critical needs patients. Intensivists are board-certified specialists who are additionally trained and board certified in the subspecialty of Critical Care Medicine. This training makes them more familiar with complications associated with critically-ill patients, providing more accurate and thorough care for each patient, and ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes.
Medical specialties include: Critical Care Medicine, Family Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Pulmonology, & Rheumatology. Hospital Care Services features the expertise of internal medicine physicians – known as hospitalists – who care for most non-specialist inpatients, as well as the majority of “short-stay observation” patients. Hospitalists are full-time, hospital-based physicians who are available 24 hours a day to ensure patients are admitted quickly, tests and treatments are ordered promptly, and the patient’s regular physician is informed of progress, regardless of how far away they may be. Hospitalists give the patient the benefit of having a doctor readily available at all times, and gives the patient’s regular physician a direct link to the patient during his or her time in the hospital. 20 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021 20 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Cardiologist, Christopher Douglas, MD, FACC, works with a cardio patient in one of Forrest General’s five heart catheterization labs.
Heart & Vascular Heart and Vascular care and treatment through Forrest Health is available at Forrest General Hospital, The Heart Care Center in Laurel and seven cardiology outreach clinic locations throughout the Pine Belt. The medical professionals in these facilities combine the latest technology with the experience and compassion of the heart and vascular specialists to give your heart the care it needs.
Heart & Vascular introduced two new procedures – Coronary Shockwave for calcified lesions and Pulmonary Embolism Treatment via mechanical aspiration device.
Forrest General offers an assessment to see if you could be at risk for heart disease or a heart attack. Take the assessment at forresthealth.org/heart
For more than 60 years, Forrest Health has cared for hearts and blood vessels across Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt, and South Mississippi. From diagnosis to treatment, and through rehabilitation, our Heart & Vascular services team is committed to helping you return to your lifestyle. Forrest General offers a Shockwave treatment option for patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease which can reduce blood flow in the heart.
Forrest General provides interventional and surgical treatment options for a variety of structural and valvular heart disease including: • TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) • LAAO or Watchman™ Procedure (Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion) • Mitraclip/TMVR (Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair)
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Urologist, Sean Douglas, MD, uses the da Vinci surgical system during a minimally invasive procedure.
Surgical Services Forrest General’s team of experienced surgeons offers a wide variety of options for minor or complex surgeries. At Forrest General, you’ll receive comprehensive care close to home in south Mississippi.
Forrest General Hospital is home to two da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical Systems, which enhance surgical services and offer more opportunity to patients for minimally invasive procedures. The da Vinci® Xi™ System can be used in the areas of gynecology, urology, thoracic, cardiac, and general surgery. Forrest General offers both Outpatient surgical services where a patient can go home the same day as treatment, or Inpatient surgery where the patient stays overnight in the hospital for observation and care.
In addition to your surgeon, you’ll receive care from an anesthesiologist (doctor) or nurse anesthetist who provides medicine to relax you and prevent surgical pain, and nurses who specialize in caring for people before, during, and after surgery.
Patients who have minimally invasive surgery benefit from quicker recovery times, and typically experience significantly less pain and blood loss than in conventional “open incision” procedures. Patients also tend to have a much shorter stay in the hospital, allowing them to recover comfortably at home. While every case is unique, with robotic-assisted surgery, patients can return to routine, everyday activities in as little as two to three weeks. 22 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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At The Orthopedic Institute, Brian Wallace, PT, helps former University of Southern Mississippi football player, Harmon “Bull” Brannan, rehab his shoulder following surgery.
Orthopedics As the premier orthopedic and sports medicine provider in the region, we strive to exceed all expectations and redefine the orthopedic care experience. Most orthopedic care is provided at The Orthopedic Institute — the region’s only stand-alone orthopedic hospital. However, trauma procedures and some inpatient procedures may be performed at Forrest General Hospital. The Orthopedic Institute combines the latest technology with expert, caring physicians and staff to offer services that match the highest levels of orthopedic care delivered across the country.
Unique features include spacious rooms with wider doorways, beds and chairs designed for orthopedic patients, more space for family and belongings, convenient parking, windows for natural light, and elegant decorative touches that make it feel more like home. When you’re a patient at The Orthopedic Institute, you’ll experience the convenience of having everything in one place. The facility features dedicated orthopedic operating rooms, pre-operative and recovery rooms, as well as support services such as laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. Rehabilitation can also be done at The Orthopedic Institute with specialized therapists.
The Orthopedic Institute saw 2,653 cases and performed more than 500 MAKO robotic joint replacements. Since opening in 2012, physicians have performed
25,036 procedures.
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Michelle Roberts, RN, talks with Maveryck Fox’s proud parents just hours after he was born. Forrest General’s Family Birthplace provides a wonderful experience for new parents and families.
Women & Children’s Since 1952, Forrest General’s Women & Children’s Services has been delivering superior care in an extensive range of services with personal attention and highly-skilled physicians and nurses. This is why South Mississippi families have trusted their health and future to Forrest Health for more than half a century. No matter your age, no matter your needs, we offer services designed especially for you. The Forrest General Neonatal Transport Team has the great responsibility of traveling to outlying facilities in the hospital’s 19-county area to bring at-risk infants back to Forrest General, which has one of the Pine Belt’s family-centered NICUs. To meet the special needs of our tiniest patients, Forrest General has a specially designed NICU transport ambulance.
Forrest General became the first and only hospital in Mississippi in 2016 to achieve Baby-Friendly designation, which recognizes hospitals that offer the highest level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding. In 2021, Forrest General achieved the highly prestigious international BabyFriendly designation once again following a rigorous review. In 2021, Forrest General Family Birthplace staff delivered 2,456 babies. There were also 326 NICU admits.
Each NICU bed is equipped with a webcam so parents can stay connected with their newborns. The secure service is free to NICU families.
In July 1952 when Forrest General opened its doors, the first patient delivered the hospital’s first baby. Dr. Ramsay O’Neal was the obstetrician.
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Additional Services
Home Care & Hospice........................................................ 26 Stroke Care....................................................................... 26 Occupational Health Services............................................ 27 Radiology/Imaging............................................................ 27 Rehabilitation Services...................................................... 28 Wound Healing Center....................................................... 28
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Home Care & Hospice Hospice is a special way of caring for the terminally ill and their caregivers. Focusing on the whole person and not the Forrest disease,General Hospiceoffers strivesatocomprehensive take care of the patient’s physical, approach for patients suffering from as well as the needs of emotional, social, and spiritual needs, strokes or Hospice other nervous disorders. the family. takes asystem team approach with each member Care and treatment ranges from of the team, offering a specific set of skills. We are so lucky decompression of nerves to spine andto our patients and to also offer the Asbury Hospice House brain surgery. community members, a home away from home. Celebrating 5 years this year, the Asbury Hospice House has provided care Forrest services for moreGeneral’s than 2500Neurology patients and families during their time includes a designated stroke unit, of need. The memories shared by patients’ families are what which hasAsbury been certified by the aDNV make the Hospice House home. accreditation agency as an Advanced Primary Care Center. Nurses, like Stroke Home Care and Hospice Nurse, Heather Yarborough, RN, make hundreds of visits to home-bound patients on a weekly basis.
Radiology Stroke Care Forrest General neurologists work with patients to develop the best plan of care for those suffering from neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Headaches, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, Brain and Spinal Tumors, Multiple Sclerosis, and Muscular Dystrophy.
Forrest General is home to several neuro Offering a full spectrum of radiological hospitalists who work with patients and are services, both diagnostic and treatment available in-house to attend stroke codes and procedures, Forrest General uses consult on neurology patients. Care and treatment some of the most advanced technology ranges from decompression of nerves to spine and available. Our licensed technologists brain surgery. Forrest General’s Neurology services and radiologists are committed to includes a designated stroke unit, which has been exceptional patient care while working certified by the DNV accreditation agency as an to provide efficient, convenient, and Advanced Primary Stroke Care Center. accurate diagnoses. Neurohospitalist/Medical Director of Stroke, Keith Jones, MD, evaluates a patient26 during a CT scan.HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021 | FORREST
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Neurology Occupational Neurosurgery Health Services Forrest Health and Hattiesburg Clinic integrated Forrest General offers a comprehensive their occupational medicine servicesfrom to provide approach for patients suffering a comprehensive package corporate health strokes or other nervousofsystem disorders. management services known HealthWorks. Care and treatment rangesasfrom Thisdecompression affiliation provides companies withand a fullof nerves to spine range of surgery. services, for convenient access brain and the ability to manage the overall health risks and services needed by large and small Forrest General’s Neurology services businesses. includes a designated stroke unit, which has been certified by the DNV Nurse Practitioners, Jonathan Whitehead, left, and Kelly Morris, accreditation agency as an Advanced right, assist a back pain patient in Occupational Health Services Primary Stroke CareResidency Center. Clinic. located at the Family Medicine
Radiology/Imaging Radiology Forrest General neurologists work with patients to develop the best plan of care for those suffering from neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Headaches, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, Brain and Spinal Tumors, Multiple Sclerosis, and Muscular Dystrophy.
Offering a full spectrum of radiological services, both diagnostic and treatment procedures, Offering a full spectrum of radiological Forrest General uses some of the most services, both diagnostic and treatment advanced technology available. Our licensed procedures, Forrest General uses technologists and radiologists are committed some of the most advanced technology to exceptional patient care while working to available. Our licensed technologists provide efficient, convenient, and accurate and radiologists are committed to diagnoses. The radiology team is essential for exceptional patient care while working patient care here at Forrest General. to provide efficient, convenient, and accurate diagnoses. Radiology Interventional-Special Procedures Supervisor, Herbert Durr, and diagnostic Radiology tech, Caroline Stuart, look over a patient’s X-rays.
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27 | FORREST HEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021
Neurology Rehabilitation Services Neurosurgery Specialized Rehabilitation teams offer a wide variety of personalized therapy and care. Rehabilitation Service teams Forrest Generaland offers a comprehensive consist of Physical Occupational Therapists as well as Speech approach for patients suffering from Language Pathologists who work in Acute Care, Skilled Nursing or other nervousCenter system(F.G.R.C.), disorders. Unit,strokes Inpatient Rehabilitation Home Care and Care and treatment ranges from Outpatient (Adult and Pediatric Clinics). Specialized services decompression of nerves spine andCertified Outpatient offered include Certified Stroketotherapies, brain therapy, surgery. Balance and Vestibular therapy and Rehab Pediatric Barium Swallow studies for both adults and children. The Inpatient Forrest General’s services Rehabilitation Center isNeurology one of a few rehab facilities equipped with includes a designated stroke unit, the ZeroG © Gait and Balance System which protects patients has been certified by the DNV fromwhich fall while providing dynamic body weight support as patients accreditation agency as an Advanced practice walking, balance, sit-to-stand maneuvers, and even stairs. Primary Stroke Care Center. Michelle Smith, LPTA, works with a patient who sustained a leg injury.
Wound Healing Center Radiology Forrest General neurologists work with patients to develop the best plan of care for those suffering from neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Headaches, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, Brain and Spinal Tumors, Multiple Sclerosis, and Muscular Dystrophy.
Forrest General’s Wound Healing Center specializes in the treatment of patients with serious injuries and conditions Offering a full spectrum of radiological that could lead to amputation if not treated and properly services, both diagnostic and treatment managed. Some of these wounds include diabetic foot or leg procedures, Forrest General uses ulcers, leg ulcers due to poor circulation, soft tissue infections, some the most advanced preservation of skinofgrafts, burns, and crashtechnology injuries. For available. Our licensed technologists certain medical conditions, The Wound Center also utilizes and radiologists areiscommitted to Hyperbaric oxygen therapy which a special treatment patient 100% care while working that allows theexceptional patient to breathe oxygen while under to provide efficient, convenient, and pressure in a hyperbaric chamber. accurate diagnoses. Hyperbaric nurse, Catrina Reid, LPN II, monitors patients using Hyperbaric Chambers during the healing process at Forrest General’s Wound Healing Center.
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2021 Financials
FORREST GENERAL HOSPITAL INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
CANCER RADIATION THERAPIES
BIRTHS
EMPLOYEES
26,022
$76,106,000 Total Community Service Mission
17,256
2,489
3,301
ER VISITS
INPATIENT SURGERIES
OPEN HEART SURGERIES
OUTPATIENT SURGERIES
68,357
$394,703,000
Total Economic Benefit
4,439
345
4,355
MARION GENERAL HOSPITAL
$2,995,000 HIGHLAND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
$7,453,000 $29,537,000 Total Community Service Mission INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
1,941
BIRTHS
223
ER VISITS
21,849
Total Economic Benefit EMPLOYEES
316
INPATIENT SURGERIES
229
OUTPATIENT SURGERIES
805
INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
560
Total Community Service Mission
ER VISITS
11,579
$11,959,000
Total Economic Benefit
EMPLOYEES
127
WALTHALL GENERAL HOSPITAL
$1,376,000
INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
186
Total Community Service Mission
$6,011,000
ER VISITS
6,037
Total Economic Benefit
EMPLOYEES
98
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2021 Financials JEFFERSON DAVIS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
$1,376,000
Total Community Service Mission
$6,011,000
Total Economic Benefit INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
560
FORREST HEALTH COMBINED STATISTICS $91,200,000
9%
ER VISITS
11,579
EMPLOYEES
24%
127
52%
15% PEARL RIVER COUNTY HOSPITAL & NURSING HOME
$1,905,000
Total Community Service Mission
$11,959,000
Total Economic Benefit
MEDICARE COMMERCIAL
Total Community Service Mission
$394,703,000
Total Economic Benefit MEDICAID OTHER
INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
CANCER RADIATION THERAPIES
BIRTHS
EMPLOYEES
ER VISITS
29,433 2,712
17,256 4,188
INPATIENT ADMISSIONS
116,611
INPATIENT SURGERIES
ER VISITS
OPEN HEART SURGERIES
OUTPATIENT SURGERIES
154
4,333
345
5,162 7,319
EMPLOYEES
231
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