After months of planning, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital’s Nursing Department proudly unveiled their new Infusion Center on December 1st and welcomed their first outpatient. Susanne Rimm, of Arbovale, is thrilled to be able to now receive her critical saline IV therapies at PMH, instead of having to travel out of county.
Susanne loves PMH’s new Infusion Center, not only because it is closer, but because of the ease of making appointments. Previously, she would have to schedule treatments through a larger hospital’s Day Surgery Unit. Even with an appointment, if the unit got busy with emergencies or surgeries, she would often have to wait one or two days to receive therapy. “At PMH, if I have to have treatment I could do it today if there’s space. That wasn’t even a possibility before,” Susanne says.
Infusion Center services require the assistance of a nurse, but not the presence of a physician. Like Susanne, until now, community residents have had no choice but to travel to larger facilities in Greenbrier or Randolph Counties to obtain such treatments. Someone visiting the Infusion Center does not have to be admitted or stay overnight, but simply registers as an outpatient to receive therapy. Some of the services available include:
- IV therapies
- Blood and medical transfusions
- Wound care
- Port flushes
- Allergy injections
- Cancer Adjunct therapies such as neulasta and neupogen
- Routine medication injections
- Dressing changes
Susanne actually worked as a nurse at PMH when she first moved to the county twelve years ago and she says that while many of the faces have changed, the smiles and the friendliness of our little county hospital are the same. “The Infusion Center is a great service – it’s wonderful that the people of Pocahontas County can use this,” she says. And the people of Pocahontas County are quickly taking advantage of the new Infusion Center. According to Ronda Shaw, Acute Care Coordinator, the center had already served over 20 patients in its first 11 days.
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is committed to excellence in delivering compassionate health care and promoting healthy lifestyles. Judging from Susanne’s experience, PMH is fulfilling that mission quite well.
For referrals or more information about the Infusion Center, please contact Lori Riggsby or Ronda Shaw at 304-799-1303.
