Pneumonia project puts risk down
The risk of developing pneumonia has plummeted in Boundary County thanks to quick thinking at the local hospital.
Boundary Community Hospital was one of nine health care institutions in Idaho to receive a Qualis Health Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality this week. Qualis Health is a nonprofit organization that works to improve health care in Idaho, Washington and Alaska. It also provides technical services to Medicare and Medicaid.
The Boundary hospital was recognized for a community Web site it developed to collect and track immunization information on local residents. Information technician Mike Listman designed the Web site based on information from Geri Garten, the hospital’s director of patient services.
Listman developed the Web site because the hospital staff wanted better information on which patients were vaccinated for pneumonia, said Craig Johnson, hospital CEO. Pneumonia is a common risk among hospital patients whose defense systems already are stretched thin.
“If we can vaccinate them, we can give patients some immunity and if they do contract pneumonia it probably wouldn’t be too bad,” Johnson said.
A large number of Boundary Community Hospital’s patients are seniors and don’t remember if they were vaccinated, he said. Patients rushed to the emergency room also have trouble remembering, and health care workers don’t want to over-vaccinate.
The special Web site is secure and open only to the hospital and community doctors. It went online a few months ago and already lists vaccine information for more than 300 area residents.
“There was high interest in it at the (recent) rural health conference,” Johnson said. “I think it’s exciting that a small hospital came up with this idea and actually made it happen. It shows there’s a lot of talent in these smaller facilities.”
Pneumococcal disease kills more people in the United States each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in 20 people who contract the disease dies. The vaccine protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria.