PERRY COUNTY HOSPTIAL ADAPTS TO NEEDS OF COMMUNITY, REGION

PERRYVILLE -- When you think of hospitals in this area, one is generally drawn to Cape Girardeau -- a mecca of hospital services for the region.

But in recent years, the Perry County Memorial Hospital has grown to serve not only the people of Perryville, but to also function as a regional health facility in its own right.

Patrick Bira, hospital administrator, describes his facility as a "large/small hospital in a `rurban' area."

"We would be considered small in comparison to hospitals in St. Louis or Memphis," said Bira. "But we have 87 licensed beds at our disposal and monthly clinics which serve people all over the region. We consider that to be rather significant."

In its mission statement, the hospital purports being able to "provide, to the greatest degree of accessibility possible, appropriate, quality primary and secondary level health care to the patients of Perry County and surrounding counties."

In 1993, the hospital went about fulfilling that mission.

On April 20, the hospital's ambulance service headquarters was moved from a small house near the hospital to a functional dispatching center just down the street, at the corner of Highway 61 and North West Street. The facility was designed to house four ambulances and their crews.

The hospital has owned the ambulance service for the past 14 years.

"We prefer having an ambulance service which is directly linked with our hospital," said Shirley Meyer, director of physician services for Perry County Memorial Hospital. "We can regulate the standards by which our emergency medical personnel are trained and have the service solely at our disposal."

In the past year, the Perry County Memorial Hospital has also contracted the services of a mobile kidney stone crushing unit to visit the hospital on an as needed basis.

The machine, called the "Lithostar" was made available to the area in May 1993. The procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis with little or no anesthesia.

"This is the kind of service you would typically have to wait months to receive in places like Cape Girardeau, St. Louis or Memphis," said Bira. "But we can schedule appointments for area residents right here on a regular basis."

Also in the past year, the hospital purchased, installed and decorated a state-of-the-art mammography unit. The hospital's Womens Exchange organization renovated room to give it a personal appearance, Meyer said.

Perhaps the most profound expansion project in the past year for the hospital has been the construction of the 14,000 square-foot medical office building, the ground floor of which will be open March 3; the second floor will open in July.

In 1990, the hospital completed a 7,000 square foot medical office building which paved the way for some area doctors to relocate near the hospital.

"Having the doctors near the hospital benefits the patients, the doctors themselves the hospital," said Bira. "Being right across the street from the hospital allows doctors to come over and check on patients between office visits, not to mention being handy when an emergency occurs.

"We are now actively recruiting doctors -- especially family practioners," he continued. "We hope to welcome a few new doctors to the hospital by the spring."

Most doctors in Perryville are still accepting new patients.

"We are trying to create a medical campus -- a center of medical activity for the area," said Bira. "We rent out office space to the physicians for their convenience and for our own."

The hospital auxiliary donated monies in 1993 to renovate the waiting rooms in the intensive care unit and surgery areas of the hospital. The new furnishings provide a more homelike waiting room atmosphere for the families of such patients.

Dr. Daniel Duick, an endocrinologist, joined the hospital staff in 1993. He is currently consulting with patients with diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, cholesterol and blood lipid disorders along with pituitary and adrenal problems.

In areas where Perry County Memorial Hospital lacks specialized physicians, it invites doctors from St. Louis, Cape Girardeau and Memphis to hold one-day clinics to see patients and educate others.

In 1993, the hospital held programs on babysitting, free tax help for senior citizens, CPR and ACLS, prostate screenings, caring for aging eyes, breast cancer and osteoporosis.

The hospital also offers clinics and on-site consulting services in cardiology, chemotherapy, dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology, ophthalmology, oral surgery, orthopedic, otolarynogology, podiatry, psychiatry, pulmonology and vascular services.

"Since we are a small hospital, we cannot afford to operate with the full services provided by major hospitals," said Bira. "But with the clinical programs, we are able to invite experts into the area sometimes on a weekly basis, making them in some cases more accessible than they are to major metropolitan areas with major health care centers.

"We would rather the people in our area be able to come to us with their medical needs than have them drive to St. Louis or Cape Girardeau to seek medical treatment," said Bira. "This is a community hospital above everything else."

To promote health care in the community, the Perry County Memorial Hospital recently opened a health library, where citizens can access health care video tapes, books and pamphlets.

During 1993, the hospital contributed $10,000 to the construction of the Community Track to further it's mission of promoting wellness in the community, Meyer said.

Like several other hospitals, Perry County has adopted a Total Quality Management style of administration, which all employees will be exposed to by the close of 1994, Bira said.

Unlike other hospitals, Perry County has taken an active role in adult day care and nursing home management. In the long term, the hospital wants to remodel the current Perry County Nursing Home, providing "swing bed" service for those who need it.

In addition, Bira hopes the hospital can play a vital role in the planning and construction of a community health and fitness facility, much like the one built in Caruthersville after the passage of a local sales tax hike.

"Hospitals by their very nature should be health care promoters in the community," said Bira. "We are committed to the health and wellness of this community. This is a center for health; not a center of illness."