As we embark on a new year, we want to take some time to look back on 2024.
Throughout the last 12 months, Catawba Valley Health System has experienced
a tremendous amount of growth throughout many areas such as expansion,
recruitment, awards and recognitions, and technology. During the last
days of this year, we would like to take time to celebrate these achievements
with each of you – our patients and staff who have been instrumental
in our growth and success.
Expansion:
- CVMC officially completed its three-year Emergency Department and Heart
Center expansion and renovation project. The expansion and renovation
project coincided with the addition of the area’s newest Heart Center,
which was completed in March 2023. The Heart Center adjoins the expanded
Emergency Department to improve efficiency for patients suffering from
cardiac emergencies.
- In April, we announced the merger of Safe Kids Catawba County and CVMC
Women and Children Services. The Safe Kids Coalition began operating out
of The POD, which is located at the entry level of the Pavilion Center
for Women and Children. The POD is the Women and Children’s Maternal
Education Center at CVMC and offers a wide array of services to our community.
This merger with Safe Kids expanded the services offered and the families served.
- In July, Catawba Valley Health System’s Occupational Health Center
moved to a new location. This move helped provide our patients with extended
hours of operation, larger clinical spaces, additional exam rooms, additional
trauma rooms, and more.
- In July, Catawba Valley Health System announced the addition of Catawba
Valley Surgery & Cancer Center to its medical group, formerly named
Carolina Surgery & Cancer Center.
- In September, Catawba Valley Health System announced the addition of Catawba
Valley Vascular Surgery – Horizon in Lenoir to its medical group,
formerly named Horizon Surgical Specialists.
- In November, Catawba Valley Medical Group officially announced the opening
of Catawba Valley Family Medicine – Conover!
Recruitment & Retention:
- In January, CVHS promoted five long-time staff members as members of our
executive team. Nadin Knippschild was named Assistant Vice President/Chief
information Officer. Stephanie Chapman and Jackie Miller both assumed
the role of Assistant Vice President of Nursing. Chuck Scronce was named
Assistant Vice President of Clinical Support. Ava Taylor was appointed
Assistant Vice President of Operations.
- In October, CVHS announced the hiring of Mariane Carna as the new president
of its Catawba Valley Medical Group.
- In November, CVHS welcomed Kashif Chaudhry, M.D. to Catawba Valley Cardiology.
He began serving as the Director of Electrophysiology (EP) at Catawba
Valley Medical Center.
- Throughout the year, Catawba Valley Health System hired 34 new providers,
and 718 staff members. This brings the total number of CVHS employees to 2,488.
Awards and Recognitions:
- In March, CVMC was named as the sole recipient of the 2023 Perinatal Quality
Collaborative of North Carolina (PQCNC) Quality Improvement Award! PQCNC
and the clOUDi Initiative work to address neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome,
which is a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns following birth.
- In May, CVMC received an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The
Leapfrog Group for Spring 2024. This national distinction recognizes CVMC’s
achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error in
the hospital, as well as meeting the highest safety standards in the United
States. CVMC earned the only ‘A’ grade for the Unifour region
(Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba).
- In May, CVMC presented the DAISY Award for the first time. The DAISY Award
is designed to recognize exceptional nursing care. The award is now presented
quarterly to a nurse within our organization.
- In June, Catawba Valley Health System received a Gold Level recognition
for 2024 in the American Heart Workforce Well-being Scorecard. The American
Heart Association has defined best practices for employers to use to build
a culture of health and well-being for their workforce. The American Heart
Association’s Workforce Well-being Scorecard measures the extent
to which the company has implemented those best practices.
- In July, Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Surgical Weight Management
program was named a Surgical Quality Partner by the American College of
Surgeons. This designation showed that our institution is dedicated to
maintaining the highest standards in surgical care for our surgical weight
loss patients.
- In August, Catawba Valley Medical Center received the only 4-star rating
for a hospital within the Unifour region, which encompasses Alexander,
Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties. Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings
are given annually by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS), a federal agency that manages healthcare programs for the United States.
- In October, CVHS was voted as a Hickory Daily Record ‘Best of Catawba”
winner in three categories! Our organization was voted Best Hospital,
Best Healthcare Organization, and Best Vascular Care.
- In November, CVMC received an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from
The Leapfrog Group for Fall 2024. This marked the 16th ‘A’
grade for safety that CVMC has received in Leapfrog’s last 17 reporting periods.
- In December, CVMC was named as a High Performing Hospital for Maternity
Care by U.S. News & World Report. CVMC was the only hospital in the
Unifour region to earn this distinction.
- In December, CVMC was recognized by Women’s Choice Award as a Top
100 Hospital in America for Patient Experience. We received nine other
rewards for excellence in Bariatric Surgery, Cancer Care, Heart Care,
Minimally Invasive Surgery, Obstetrics, Orthopedics, Outpatient Experience,
Patient Safety, and Stroke Care.
Technology:
- In January, we announced the use of Higinsights, a new mixed-reality technology
that aides in total hip replacement surgeries. CVHS joined Duke University
Health as the only other organization in North Carolina to use this technology.
- In January, Catawba Valley Imaging Center announced new technology that
helps doctors find breast cancers earlier. The technology, which is called
Profound AI, maximizes the benefits of a woman having a 3D screening mammogram.
ProFound AI acts as another pair of eyes along with the radiologists reviewing
3D mammography images. The most state-of-the-art software available, it
rapidly analyzes each 3D mammogram image, detecting cancers with unprecedented accuracy.
- In March, our medical center announced the use of the MazorX Robotic Guidance
Platform to conduct robotic-assisted spine surgery, allowing orthopedic
surgeons to use 3D planning, guidance, and visualization techniques to
improve outcomes and provide personalized care for spine surgery patients.
- In April, we announced a new partnership with Charlotte-based manufacturer
Terraloam, a company that makes fully compostable medical supplies, including
medical isolation gowns and patient belonging bags. CVMC is the first
medical center to partner with Terraloam to implement these compostable
and sustainable options. This transition reduced CVMC’s carbon emissions,
as well as more than 580,000 pounds of waste per year.
- In April, our Women and Children’s Center began the used of billiblankets,
a technology that provides a way to decrease length of stay for infants
with hyperbilirubinemia, or jaundice.
- In April, CVMC and Catawba Valley Cardiology performed the first procedure
with the FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System. The innovative
technology is described as a catheter device that uses electric fields
during an ablation procedure to treat specific tissue areas around the
heart that cause potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. CVMC was the
first in the region to use such technology.
- In July, CVMC announced the launch of its ION Robotic Lung Biopsy Program,
the latest technology for lung cancer care in the Catawba Valley region.
This minimally invasive robotic-assisted technique to biopsy a suspected
lung cancer represents a major step forward in the diagnosis and treatment
of lung cancer.
- In October, CVHS introduced the latest advancement in surgical technology
by acquiring the da Vinci 5 Surgical Robot. This state-of-the-art system
represents a significant leap forward in minimally invasive surgery and
underscores the CVHS commitment to providing patients with the highest
standard of care throughout North Carolina.