Blood Drive Tuesday, September 16, 1-6 pm at Wayne Memorial Hospital
$40 in Rewards for Donors
Jesup, GA – The Blood Connection (TBC), a supplemental blood provider for Wayne Memorial Hospital in Jesup, is holding a blood drive in the hospital parking lot Tuesday, September 16 from 1 to 6 p.m. All donors will receive $40 in rewards via eGift cards from The Blood Connection. E-gift cards may be redeemed at places like Amazon, Domino’s, Papa Johns, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Starbucks, GameStop, Dunkin’ Donuts, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shop, Ulta, TopGolf and more. Rewards may also be redeemed for a Visa Gift card that may be used anywhere that accepts Visa. Additionally, all blood donated from this drive returns to Wayne County, an aspect unique to The Blood Connection and this drive.
The bloodmobile will be located on the right side of the main parking lot, near the cafeteria. To make an appointment to donate blood, log on to thebloodconnection.org and type in Jesup, or the sponsor code 7980. Appointments are prioritized but walk-ins are welcomed. Donors need to be at least 16 years old (16-year-olds need a signed parental consent form), weigh at least 110 pounds, have a photo ID and be in general good health.
Since the need for blood never stops, donors are always appreciated. Since blood cannot be replicated, it must be donated well in advance of any need. All eligible donors are encouraged to donate blood to ensure hospitals’ needs for blood are uninterrupted for all patients and each blood donation saves up to three lives.
Wayne Memorial Names WCHS Varsity Football Players of the Week
Jesup, GA – Wayne Memorial Hospital is proud to announce its Wayne County High School Varsity Football Players of the Week.
Tyrese Wright-Shelman was selected on Offense, as he led the team in rushing yards. Wyatt Hickox was selected on Defense, as he led the team in tackles and in tackles for a loss. 
Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a three-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.
Wayne Memorial Names WCHS Varsity Football Players of the Week
Jesup, GA – Wayne Memorial Hospital is proud to announce its Wayne County High School Varsity Football Players of the Week in the contest versus Appling County High School.
Jaylen Jones was selected for Offense. He had a 27-yard touchdown catch and led the team in receiving yards. Jarvis Fullmore was selected for Defense, with a fumble recovery and 21-yard return for a touchdown. He also had a key tackle on a 4th down, giving the Offense the ball back.
Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a three-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.
Community Home Care has earned the 2024 SHPBestTM “Premier Performer” Patient Experience Award
Jesup, GA – Community Home Care has been recognized by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) as a “Premier Performer” for achieving an overall patient experience score that ranked in the top 5% of all eligible SHP clients for the 2024 calendar year.
The annual SHPBest™ award program was created to acknowledge home health agencies that consistently provide high quality service to their patients. The 2024 award recipients were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall experience score for more than 3,200 home health providers. With the largest HHCAHPS benchmark in the nation, SHP is in a unique position to identify and recognize organizations that have made patient experience a priority and have been rewarded for their efforts with high marks on the HHCAHPS survey.
“SHP recognizes how much hard work is involved in providing excellent patient care, and we are proud to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our top-performing customers through our annual SHPBest award program. These organizations care deeply about the patient experience, and they never stop striving to improve every single year”, said Kevin Vogel, President of SHP.
“We are truly honored to receive this award from SHP and deeply grateful for their recognition of the dedication and compassion our Community Home Care Division brings to their work every day. Our team continually reminds us that world-class healthcare doesn’t stop at the hospital doors — it reaches into the homes and hearts of our community,” said Joe Ierardi, CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital.
Read more about the SHPBest awards program, including methodology and award recipient lists at https://www.shpdata.com/home-health/shpbest-hhcahps.
History Combined with Modern Day Tools Equals Innovation in Wound Care
Jesup, GA –Fronting Highway 84 and tucked away in the left corner of Jesup’s Wayne Memorial Hospital campus, lies a little bit of history. Yet what occurs inside this stand-alone building that houses that bit of history is anything but historical. The outpatient rehabilitation building, which contains the physical therapy, medication management and wound care areas, was once the “newer” portion of the “old hospital” that held the labor and delivery unit. When the “new” hospital was built in 2007, this portion of the building was saved and repurposed for outpatient therapies.
As the wound care department conducts approximately 60 appointments a week (and not all of those patients hail from the Jesup area), the employees typically see chronic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, lacerations, large skin tears, minor burns, pressure ulcers and perform wound vac dressing changes. Clare McCarn, RN, WCC, shares, “Sometimes a patient comes to us with an issue he or she has been dealing with for a long time, not realizing there may be a path to quicker healing through proper wound care.” Dr. Howard Bowers, General Surgeon, adds, “The basic principles of wound care and post-surgical care from an incision are essentially the same. Adequate blood flow and good nutrition add to that healing.” One particular goal that Dr. Bowers has regarding chronic wounds is “to optimize a patient’s condition so that we can get chronic non-healing wounds to heal.” The treatment plan may include improving blood flow or wound debridement in the Operating Room. One such tool in the emerging wound care market that has been procured for the hospital’s Operating Room is a Versajet, a hydrodebridement tool, which irrigates and cleans wounds. As Dr. Bowers explains, “Debridement speeds up the process of growing new and healthy tissue.” Bowers estimates he has used the Versajet in hundreds of cases during his career.
Appointments are made at the wound care clinic by physician referral, with patients working through their primary care provider to do so. The clinic is open five days a week, Monday through Thursday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Friday (8 a.m. to 12 p.m.). McCarn’s 20 years of experience working in wound care, 18 of those as Wound Care Certified, plus another Licensed Practical Nurse Melissa Cartrette’s 10 years of experience added to Dr. Bower’s 15 years of experience in wound care.
Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a three-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.
Da Vinci Robot arrives at Jesup’s
Wayne Memorial Hospital
Jesup, GA – Within a sanitized operating room at Wayne Memorial Hospital lies a masterpiece. Although not a piece of art, the da Vinci surgical system could be considered a work of art, medically. The da Vinci Xi is already in use, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Kennedy, General Surgeon. Regarding the benefits of the system, Dr Kennedy shares the da Vinci results in “a smaller incision, less pain and quicker recovery for the patient.” With decreased pain, there is “less narcotic use post-op and a quicker return to work for the patient.” From a physician standpoint, this robot-assisted surgery via da Vinci offers “a better visualization of the operative scene,” Dr. Kennedy said.
Other stakeholders see benefits as well. The hospital’s Director of Surgical Services, Heather Elliott, RN, BSN,
says, “I do think that robotics are the future for minimally invasive surgery. The robot is an extension of the surgeon and allows for better accuracy and control. The da Vinci robot works with ease and precision and results in better outcomes for the patient. I do think this will shorten surgery recovery time and shorten hospital stays.” Procedures the da Vinci Xi system will be used for include cholecystectomies (gall bladder removal), appendectomies, and hernia repairs, with perhaps more to come. Both Elliott and Dr. Kennedy have been working with Intuitive for their da Vinci training and rollout in the Operating Room.
About the da Vinci Surgical System
There are several models of the da Vinci surgical system. The da Vinci surgical systems are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery. Da Vinci systems offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance. They use specialized instrumentation, including a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels and forceps) that are designed to help with precise dissection and reconstruction deep inside the body.
About Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Intuitive (Nasdaq: ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and a pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery. At Intuitive, our mission statement is we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints. Intuitive brings more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted surgical technology and solutions to its offerings, and develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci surgical system and the Ion endoluminal system.
Wayne Memorial Hospital, whose mission is to provide high quality health care services to all patients, built a state-of-the-art facility in 2007. It is the third largest employer in Wayne County with 500 employees, 84 beds and is a three-time winner of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals Small Hospital of the Year Award.
