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Lakeland News
| Donor Funds New Technology for Lakeland Community Hospital in Niles |
| (NILES) – Tammy Jerz, Manager of the BirthPlace at Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles, remembers that when her nurses needed extra help in the past, one of them would have to step away from the patient’s bedside to look for other staff members in the department. Today, however, the BirthPlace team can quickly communicate with one another simply by speaking into small badges worn around their necks, thanks to a new wireless communications system called Vocera. “With Vocera, we can talk to staff members in the BirthPlace, as well as all other departments throughout Lakeland, without missing a beat,” said Tammy. “Our staff already loves this technology, and we’re excited that it will help us provide a safer, more efficient patient experience.” The Vocera communications system enables instant, wireless voice communication that users control with naturally spoken commands. Using voice prompts, the Vocera system immediately connects users to the people they need, thereby reducing phone tag, paging, overhead paging, or the need to physically search for a person. Vocera users can also make and receive outside telephone calls and pages and can transmit or receive emergency announcements or alerts, all by saying a name or a number. For the convenience of caregivers, Vocera users can call fellow team members by name, job function, or department group. In the future, patients and their family members can reach their nurses directly by pushing the call light button next to their beds, which immediately connects them directly to the nurses’ Vocera badges. The purchase of this technology was made possible through a grant to the Lakeland Health Foundation, Niles. As a group, the Board of the Lakeland Health Foundation, Niles, talked with the hospital’s care team about the possibility of the Foundation donating needed equipment not provided in the organization’s capital budget. After learning about how the Vocera communication system could benefit the Niles campus, the Board decided to “adopt” the technology as its project. Through an anonymous friend in the Niles community, the Board secured a generous donation to purchase Vocera devices for caregivers throughout the hospital. “It was important to our entire Board that we chose a cause that would be supported by Lakeland’s nurses, staff members, physicians, and our entire community,” said Doug Law, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Lakeland Health Foundation, Niles. “Our thoughtful donor’s gift will make a significant impact on patient care at the Niles hospital, now and for years to come.” The Vocera wireless communication infrastructure was installed throughout Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles, earlier this year. In recent weeks, staff from the BirthPlace, Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Medical Cardiac Unit, and Medical/Surgical Unit have been trained on the system and are now using the devices as part of patient care. A number of other departments throughout the hospital, including ancillary and support staff, will also be added to the network. Vocera users at the Niles campus will be able to communicate quickly and easily not only with one another, but also with team members at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph. The Vocera network will soon have a total of about 1,800 users throughout the Lakeland system. “The response from associates on the Vocera network has been outstanding,” said Deb Akins, Vocera Systems Analyst for Lakeland HealthCare. “Although the system is high-tech, the commands are very logic-based and so simple you don’t have to be high-tech at all to use it.” To learn more about the Lakeland Health Foundations, call (269) 687-1401 in Niles or (269) 927-5143 in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, or visit www.lakelandhealth.org. 
Deb Akins (left), Lakeland’s Vocera Systems Analyst, and Tammy Jerz, Manager of the BirthPlace in Niles, wear Vocera wireless communication devices to instantly connect with other team members throughout the Lakeland HealthCare system. Deb wears a Vocera device on a lanyard, while Tammy’s is pinned to her lapel. |
