Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Community Hospital-Fairfax Patient Tells Her Story with a Handwritten Note

Statistics show that the average American household receives a handwritten note just every two months. In this day and age, a letter or card among the avalanche of advertisements and bills is a rare and precious find.

This last June, Community Hospital-Fairfax (CH-F) was the recipient of not just one hand-written letter, but three delightfully written notes by Mary Just of Mound City, Mo.

Mary had experienced a broken ankle and wrist. Her orthopedic surgeon recommended that she receive therapy just down the street from her home at the CH-F Holt County Outpatient Clinic in Mound City. Mary began seeing Kylie Miller, PTA, Yoli Ackerman, OT and Beth Derrossett, OT two times a week. She explained that her time with the CH-F team was so pleasant it became a social outing for her.

“Kylie always greeted me with a smile and encouraging words and made my therapy a pleasure. Throughout my exercise regimen, Kylie demonstrated and explained each exercise, what they were for and how I would benefit from them and upheld her patience with me when I would get frustrated,” Mary explained.

Mary has completed her therapy at CH-F and now continues with her exercises at home. While she is not back to 100%, she is well on her way. She is looking forward to walking longer distances and doing some occasional jump roping for exercise.

Mary Just is not alone in recommending the services provided by CH-F. CH-F continues to outperform state and national averages in patient engagement in surveys conducted by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.) In fact, patients are recommending CH-F at higher rates than hospitals in neighboring towns.

“Engagement is so important to a good outcome for our patients,” explains Shannon Pruitt, PT and Director of Therapy Services. “That is why we make it a top priority at CH-F.”

Community Hospital-Fairfax (CH-F) is a non-profit, critical access hospital serving acute, skilled and obstetrical patients since 1949. In addition to inpatient services, CH-F is proud to provide therapy, radiology, lab, respiratory therapy, specialty clinics and surgery to northwest Missouri. More information can be found at www.FairfaxMed.com