With Gary Scott’s sudden passing last month, a huge hole was left in our hearts as well as a void in our team. As we evaluate our current leadership needs in the Department of Surgery, we’ve asked a familiar face, Stephen Lovern, to take on the role of interim vice president. We’re grateful for Stephen’s willingness to step into this position, particularly during this difficult time.

CRMH is the region’s only designated Level I Trauma Center for adult and pediatric patients, providing the most critical care possible during emergency situations.  

There are four levels of trauma centers, but the classification system is not a ranking of medical care. Instead, it represents the resources available to care for patients—from the most complex multi-system trauma patient to those with mild or moderate injuries.

We have received a $1 million gift from Roanoke businessman and longtime community benefactor Maury Strauss. He made the gift in honor of his late wife, Sheila, to support the expansion of our cancer program.

The cause is close to Maury’s heart after losing his wife of 65 years to cancer in 2016. Expanding the number and scope of clinical trials available locally was the primary motivation for his gift.

Lisa Sprinkel has been promoted to vice president of Home Health and Hospice. Those of you who know and have worked with Lisa know just how dedicated she is to her work, her team and her community.

With the continued downward trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases in our community and a welcomed return to normalcy, it might seem like we could loosen up on hand hygiene. The truth is, exercising good hand hygiene is as important now as ever!

There are a number of reasons why all of us—whether we work in a clinical or non-patient-facing environment—should keep hand hygiene top of mind. Reducing the risk of infection tops the list.

In 2020, our EDs saw 7,500 patients for head trauma. AT CRMH, 1,000 of those patients were admitted to our trauma center to be treated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Remember when going to the doctor meant reading magazines and playing with toys in the waiting room? These days, those things introduce infection control challenges and create work for staff who have to frequently clean them—so we found an alternative.

Our patients have the right to receive safe care, free from abuse or discrimination. That’s why it’s important to review our policies related to these topics.

Patient Non-Discrimination Policy

This systemwide policy states that we will provide respectful, appropriate and professional treatment to all patients. Some of the ways we do this are by:

When it comes to our patients’ health care needs, those who work one-on-one with our patients know best. That's why the MyChart steering committee is asking for input from our clinical departments to help update and create new patient questionnaires in MyChart. 

We use questionnaires to assess patients prior to visits, giving our care teams a better look at patient health before appointments. The questions that each patient receives vary based on the type of visit. 

Our Rewards of Research series features physician researchers and other notable members of the medical community who are enthusiastic about the impact research has on finding better treatments and developing better recommendations for patients.

Some research may immediately benefit patients, but often patient participation is the foundation for future breakthroughs and recommendations—a gift to the future of medicine.