News in brief – 5/9/11

Published 10:44 am Monday, May 9, 2011

AAA7, SOMC partnership ‘bridges’ discharge process

PORTSMOUTH — After a hospital stay from a brief or extended illness, surgery, or injury, patients often look forward to going home for recuperation around familiar things and comfortable surroundings.

For some older adults, the thought of going home might be accompanied sometimes with unsettling feelings. Individuals may require assistance upon their return home in order to continue with their recuperation and extended care, and might feel scared or concerned once they are removed from the hospital care environment.

A system to help make this transition a little easier is in place at Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) in Portsmouth through a partnership with the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) which covers ten counties in Ohio.

The “Bridges” program, which began in 2004, focuses on those specific patients who may benefit from follow-up by the AAA7 upon their discharge home. These patients, who are identified by SOMC social workers and express an interest in learning more, have care needs that are expected to increase once they return home. Typically, these arrangements can be made through the AAA7 by the hospital through the telephone or fax, but having the benefit of someone onsite allows the opportunity for the AAA7 staff member to work directly at the hospital with SOMC social workers and the family so that services can be arranged in a more timely manner to benefit the patient.

Through the partnership, the AAA7 staffs a specially-trained registered nurse on-site at SOMC who works directly with hospital social workers, providing them with immediate access to PASSPORT services, valuable resources, and reliable methods for patient follow-up in the community. “Bridges” provides patients and their families with direct access to the AAA7 network for education and community resources that can prove a big advantage in post-discharge care and possibly aid in the reduction of re-admissions or recurring health issues.

Services the AAA7 can provide to assist with this process include personal care/homemaking, care management, transportation, home-delivered and community center meals.

ORVJCF honored as ‘Teacher of Year’

FRANKLIN FURNACE — Mary Latorre, English teacher at the Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility has been chosen as the 2011 Correctional Education Association Region III Teacher of the Year.

The selection was made at the annual conference recently held in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Mary has been teaching at ORV for the past three years.

Mary holds a B.S. in Education from Youngstown State University. In addition to teaching, Mary is a member of the Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) and is commandant of the OHMR training academy.

Mary will be representing the Region III Correctional Education Association at the CEA National Conference to be held in Charlestown, W.Va., this July.

Proctorville student recognized by Brevard College

BREVARD, N.C. — Brevard College recently held its annual Honors and Awards Ceremony to honor student, faculty and staff achievement in academics and leadership.

In addition to the campus-wide honors and awards ceremony, students were also recognized during special events hosted by each of the College’s academic divisions.

Grace Skiles of Proctorville received recognition for having the highest grade point average among freshmen within the Art Department.

Brevard College’s Honors and Awards Ceremony honor those students who have excelled in their academic pursuits or have been honored by induction into one or more of the honor societies in their chosen field of study.

The ceremony also honors those outstanding members of the faculty and staff who have been recognized by the students and their peers as exemplary members of the Brevard College community.

Brevard College offers a range of distinctive baccalaureate degree programs on a beautiful residential campus in Brevard, North Carolina.

Curriculum at Brevard combines small-classroom instruction with creative internships and immersion experiences, provides a strong core in the liberal arts and offers great strength in fine arts as well as in interdisciplinary programs that educate for leadership and service and draw on the natural resources of the college’s mountain setting.