In January, Grays Harbor Community Hospital (GHCH) hosted the first in a series of talks open to the public. Once every month, members of the public can come to the hospital to learn about a variety of subjects, from rehabilitation services and tissue donation to diagnostic imaging.

Dori Unterseher presented the first installment of the speaker series in January, discussing educational resources at the hospital. Photo courtesy: Grays Harbor Community Hospital

“We want to be an educational resource for the community,” explains Nancee Long, director of marketing and public relations. “This speaker series allows us to provide resources that enhance their health instead of just being a place that they visit when they are sick.”

All events in this series are free and open to the public. The talks are held at 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month in Conference Room C at the GHCH main campus. No RSVP is necessary. Each talk includes a question and answer session at the end.

Health Care Education

In January, Dori Unterseher, Director of Education, spoke about ongoing education at the hospital. The Education Department provides a host of resources for the employees who provide hands on care for patients.

As a designated American Heart Association training center, the Education Department offers certification courses in basic life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS). These courses are free for GHCH employees and offered at a discounted fee to paramedics and healthcare providers.

The department also offers over 2,000 online courses in topics from communication to acute alcohol withdrawal, available 24/7. Last year, employees and providers completed over 8,400 hours of education through these online courses.

In addition, Unterseher and her team work closely with community partners to increase healthcare education within the community at large. A prime example of this is the Professional Medical Careers partnership with a consortium of 10 local high schools. Through this program, high school juniors and seniors can qualify to take the national Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) exam upon graduation.

Preview of Upcoming Events

Long has lined up a wide range of speakers for the coming months. Some of these include:

  • Steve Norman, Director of Rehabilitation Services – On February 20, Norman will give an introduction to the Rehabilitation Department at GHCH. His group offers occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language pathology services.
  • David Bain, Director of Plant Services – In March, Bain will discuss the contribution of environment to phenomenal care and healing. Join us as we explore the impact that non-clinical support teams play in the health and healing environment of your hospital.
  • Charles Skorzewski, Director of Laboratory Services and Diagnostic Imaging – In June, Skorzewski will discuss the wide range of imaging and laboratory services offered at the hospital. He will also give a preview of exciting new technology coming soon to GHCH.
Grays-Harbor-Community-Hospital-Speaker-Series-West-Campus
Grays Harbor Community Hospital now offers monthly educational events on a variety of topics. Photo courtesy: Grays Harbor Community Hospital

Upcoming Grays Harbor Community Hospital Talks Schedule

February 20 – Rehabilitation Services at GHCH

March 20 – Healing in a Fish Bowl

April 17 – The Importance of Tissue Donation

May 15 – Pharmacy: Helping Doctors, Protecting Patients

June 19 – Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory Services

For more information on any of these topics, or to request a topic for later in the year, contact Nancee Long 360-537-5136 or nalong@ghcares.

“We are opening our doors,” says Long. “We owe this to the community, not only in terms of transparency but also in terms of demonstrating what we can do for the community to make patients and their families more comfortable utilizing our vast amount of services.”

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