Brewer reviews improvements at WRH over the past three years

Tracing where it was, where it is now and where it hopes to be, CEO/Administrator Doug Brewer gave an update on the progress at Whitfield Regional Hospital over the past three years to the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday.

“Working to be the best hospital in the country that does what we do,” Brewer gave a brief overview of how the hospital has gone from limited amenities to a regional institution that offers a myriad list of services to its customers.

Along the way it went from struggling to make ends meet to being in the black for the first time in 20 years.

Since he stepped into his role, Brewer said the three main goals of the hospital have become clinical quality based on best practices; patient safety requiring engagement, and patient experience, showing empathy to patients and their caregivers. While the WRH isn’t where it should be, it has made great strides in each area, he said.

The pandemic made it very difficult to be compassionate. “There’s no way to give empathetic care when you’re in lockdown.”

It’s all part of the “100/0” philosophy: 100 percent accountability and 0 percent excuses. “Are we there yet? No,” he said, but the hospital is working toward it.

“Early on we had a lot of challenges,” Brewer said. Employees hadn’t had a raise since 2007. Hospital services such as labor and delivery had been cut. Reimbursements from Medicaid didn’t cover costs since the sickest patients were transferred to other facilities. Medicaid pays more for sicker patients, he explained, so the goal was to keep patients here.

Now the hospital is in a position to treat chronic conditions. Patients are coming from outside the county to seek treatment.

With the partnership with UAB, the Demopolis hospital now is a regional stroke clinic. The Wound Care Clinic has treated 183 patients so far this year. Two rural health clinics are part of the hospital outreach, along with the mobile unit.

A Specialty Clinic brings medical specialists from Tuscaloosa and Birmingham to treat patients locally. Included are a Breast Clinic, UAB surgery, gastroenterology, anesthesiology and pain clinic and, beginning in September, cardiologist and orthopedics.

All the hard work is paying off, he said. “We’re starting to see the results of the past three years.”

The hospital has been recognized nationally for its care and treatment. What Brewer is most proud of is the Top 10 listing for its surgery. WRH has not recorded a single infection in its surgical units.

“I’ve never been in a hospital that has a cleaner infection rate,” he said.

Since Marengo County residents voted on the 4 mil property tax in December 2019, the hospital was able to float a bond for $15.5 million. Things have moved rapidly since then.

Brewer began a rundown of all the capital improvements completed, underway or planned.

The ICU expanded to eight units and was the first to display the new décor to be used throughout the hospital. Along with the renovation, “Our ICU is about to become a proactive ICU,” the first in the state not on the UAB campus. Each unit will be watched in real time by doctors at UAB who will be able to give immediate instructions to ICU nurses and the WRH hospitalist.

When upgrades are finished, they will include a new Emergency Department, new roof and flooring, repaved parking lot, replaced furnishings, new surgical and diagnostic imaging equipment, complete replacement of the IT infrastructure, a turbo electrical system for the hospital to generate its own power, LED lighting throughout and Omnicell purchase for safe distribution of drugs.

Purchases also include everything to equip the reopened labor and delivery suite. Brewer said it is hoped the unit will be opened in the spring. Two young female doctors will head up the OB ward.

In a somber note, Brewer updated Rotarians on the current COVID-19 situation. After going for several weeks without a single patient, the hospital, like most others around the country, is seeing an uptick in patients admitted for coronavirus treatment. Three currently are hospitalized, and WRH has noted 10 positive tests since last Friday.

He grimly said that not only is there a rise in cases, but there is a rise in cases among those vaccinated, including two hospital employees.