Hardin County General Hospital

TAS::89 0321::TAS NEW AWARD, DE-EE0003530, TITLED, "HARDIN COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES (IL)"

RURAL HOSPITAL PROVIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM - FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: HRSA-26-105 ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 93.811 APPLICANT NAME: HARDIN COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL DBA HARDIN MEDICAL CENTER DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT’S PROJECT: SUSTAINING ESSENTIAL ONCOLOGY SERVICES IN HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE HARDIN COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL DBA HARDIN MEDICAL CENTER (HMC), A RURAL HOSPITAL SERVING HARDIN COUNTY AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE, REQUESTS FUNDING THROUGH HRSA’S RURAL HOSPITAL PROVIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO SUSTAIN THE SALARY OF ITS CURRENT MEDICAL ONCOLOGY STAFF TO PRESERVE LOCAL ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL CANCER CARE. HMC’S SUSTAINING ESSENTIAL ONCOLOGY SERVICES IN HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE PROJECT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE RURAL HOSPITAL PROVIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM’S GOAL OF MAINTAINING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND CRITICAL SERVICES IN RURAL HOSPITALS WHERE FINANCIAL PRESSURES AND WORKFORCE SHORTAGES CAN JEOPARDIZE CONTINUED ACCESS TO SPECIALTY CARE. ACCORDING TO COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS & ROADMAPS, HARDIN COUNTY IS HOME TO 27,229 RESIDENTS, INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIAL OLDER ADULT POPULATION, WITH 24% OF RESIDENTS AGED 65 OR OLDER. WOMEN COMPRISE 51% OF THE POPULATION AND MEN COMPRISE 49%. APPROXIMATELY 35% OF RESIDENTS REPORT A DISABILITY INVOLVING FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, WHICH CAN MAKE LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL FOR SPECIALTY CARE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT. THE COUNTY ALSO FACES A HIGH PREVALENCE OF CANCER-RELATED RISK FACTORS AS 13% OF ADULTS HAVE DIABETES, 38% ARE OBESE, AND 24% ARE CURRENT SMOKERS. WITH A MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF $49,100, MANY RESIDENTS HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES TO ABSORB THE COST OF TRANSPORTATION AND REPEATED TRAVEL REQUIRED FOR ONCOLOGY TREATMENT OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY. THE NEED TO SUSTAIN LOCAL ONCOLOGY SERVICES IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY TENNESSEE’S SIGNIFICANT CANCER BURDEN. ACCORDING TO THE TENNESSEE CANCER COALITION, TENNESSEE HAS THE 6TH HIGHEST CANCER MORTALITY RATE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND CANCER IS THE STATE STATE’S 2ND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. TENNESSEE ALSO HAS THE 9TH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE. OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL FORMS OF CANCER, AND APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF CANCER DEATHS ARE LINKED TO DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND WEIGHT. THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S TENNESSEE CANCER REGISTRY REPORTS THAT TN HAS THE 2ND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF SMOKERS IN THE NATION, THE 3RD HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF CANCER DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO SMOKING, AND THE 5TH HIGHEST LUNG CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY RATES. GRANT FUNDING WILL SUPPORT A PORTION OF THE SALARIES OF HARDIN MEDICAL CENTER’S EXISTING RN NURSE NAVIGATOR AND RN CHEMOTHERAPY NURSE, ALLOWING HMC TO MAINTAIN UNINTERRUPTED ONCOLOGY SERVICES FOR PATIENTS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE FACE GREATER TRAVEL BURDENS AND REDUCE CONTINUITY OF CARE AS THE NEXT NEAREST CANCER CENTER, LOCATED IN JACKSON, IS MORE THAN AN HOUR (APPROXIMATELY 65 MILES) AWAY. THE RN NURSE NAVIGATOR WALKS ALONGSIDE PATIENTS FROM THE TIME OF DIAGNOSIS THROUGH TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP CARE. SHE HELPS PATIENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT COMES NEXT, COORDINATES APPOINTMENTS AND REFERRALS, CONNECTS THEM WITH MEDICAL AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES, AND REMOVES BARRIERS THAT COULD DELAY TREATMENT. THE CERTIFIED CHEMOTHERAPY NURSE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFELY ADMINISTERING CHEMOTHERAPY AND MONITORING PATIENTS THROUGHOUT EACH INFUSION. SHE WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE ONCOLOGIST TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO SIDE EFFECTS AND PROVIDES EDUCATION THAT HELPS PATIENTS MANAGE TREATMENT AT HOME. SUSTAINING THESE POSITIONS WILL HELP PATIENTS REMAIN ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF CARE AND CONTINUE TO RECEIVE ONCOLOGY SERVICES CLOSE TO HOME. HMC’S PROJECT WILL PRESERVE AN EXISTING ONCOLOGY PROGRAM THAT RURAL RESIDENTS ALREADY DEPEND ON. BY SUSTAINING THESE NURSE SALARIES, HMC WILL MAINTAIN AN ESSENTIAL SPECIALTY SERVICE AND STRENGTHEN THE HOSPITAL’S CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO THE ELEVATED CANCER RISK AFFECTING HARDIN COUNTY AND RURAL SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES LOANS AND GRANTS - ARRA

PURCHASE A MUSE NX TELEHEALTH SYSTEM AN EKG SOFTWARE TO ENHANCE SERVICES IN CARDIO PULMONARY AND RADIOLOGICAL DEPT

HOSPITAL WILL UPGRADE TO A DIGITAL INTERFACED PHONE SYSTEM AND TO REPLACE THE NURSE CALL SYSTEM

PURCHASE A MUSE NX TELEHEALTH SYSTEM AN EKG SOFTWARE TO ENHANCE SERVICES IN CARDIO PULMONARY AND RADIOLOGICAL DEPT