Registered nurse didn’t take direct route to her profession

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 7/17/2010

Jackie Wofford’s motto is a quote attributed to late author Erma Bombeck: “Seize the moment. Just remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.”

When a bout with breast cancer forced her to choose between teaching and nursing, two professions she loved, she went with the one that was more of a calling.

“This fulfilled me. I always liked working with patients,” she said of her career as a nurse. “I felt like that was what God was saying. I feel like I make a difference.”

Wofford has been a registered nurse in The Medical Center at Scottsville’s emergency room for a little more than two years. She does triage, meaning that she sorts patients based on medical need and treats them.

“In a small ER like this, you see everything. Not everything is an emergency, but it’s important to the people who come here,” she said. “Allen County has a lot of heart attacks. We also see pain, car wrecks and trauma.”

Although she had always wanted to be a nurse, Wofford said she didn’t take a direct route there. When she was 22, she became an emergency medical technician and then a paramedic. She was one of the first female paramedics in the region. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from McKendree University and a master’s degree from Spalding University, both in Louisville. As a student, she also worked and raised a family.

“I worked in Louisville for several years,” she said. “I worked in long-term care mostly. I also worked for a psychiatrist.”

For more than a year, she taught in the associate’s degree nursing program at Western Kentucky University’s South and Glasgow campuses and worked at The Medical Center at Scottsville at the same time. She had worked at the hospital years ago when it was called the Allen County War Memorial Hospital.

“We did everything there,” she said of the old hospital. “Everyone wore a cap. We did labor and delivery. We mixed medicine.”

Doctors and nurses seemed to be on different levels then, but now things seem different, Wofford said.

“It’s much more of a team concept,” she said. “We’re more partners in care. It’s a really good trend.”

Her battle with breast cancer last year made her realize she couldn’t keep up the pace of nursing and teaching. Wofford received radiation for six weeks while working both jobs.

“I never missed work. I never dread coming to work,” she said. “That’s a real blessing. I really love it here.”

Some of her favorite things about being a nurse are making people feel better, working with families and problem-solving when outcomes are going in a different direction than the wishes of the medical staff. She said she believes Commonwealth Health Corp., the parent company of The Medical Center at Scottsville, and the hospital itself are patient-oriented.

“They want good patient care, good outcomes and want to help you get there,” she said.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Medical Center at Scottsville to open clinic

The Daily News, originally published on 6/1/2010

The Medical Center at Scottsville is opening a new health clinic today designed to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries and provide preventive health screenings.

The Fountain Run Rural Health Clinic is at 47 Akersville Road in Fountain Run and will operate from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The clinic will be staffed by Jason Shuffitt, a board-certified family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He earned a master’s degree in nursing from Western Kentucky University and is pursuing a doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Arizona to be completed this fall.

— For appointments, call (270) 434-4857. Walk-ins also are accepted.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Clinic operation changes ownership

by Gina Kinslow, Glasgow Daily Times, originally published on 5/27/2010

The Medical Center at Scottsville will open a rural health clinic at Fountain Run, beginning June 1.

The clinic, which was formerly operated by T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow, will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays form 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will provide services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, as well as providing preventative health screenings.

Jason Shuffitt, ARNP, will manage the clinic. Shuffitt earned his master’s degree in nursing from Western Kentucky University and is pursuing his doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Arizona to be completed in the fall. He is board certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, according to Doris Thomas, spokeswoman for The Medical Center at Scottsville in a press release.

The Medical Center at Scottsville was first approached about reopening the clinic by Fountain Run’s former mayor, the late Eldon Veach, said Eric Hagan, administrator of The Medical Center at Scottsville.

The hospital had recently hired Shuffitt, and Hagan said reopening the clinic in Fountain Run seemed like a good fit for the hospital, plus it would meet the needs of the community, Hagan said.

Officials with T.J. Samson Community Hospital made the decision to end its affiliation with the clinic in 2009. T.J. Samson had operated the clinic since 1997.

“The decision to divest the Fountain Run Rural Health Clinic allows T.J. Samson to re-allocate resources for services that met our strategic vision for the future health care needs of the people in southcentral Kentucky,” said Bart Logsdon, spokesperson for T.J. Samson Community Hospital. “T.J. Samson is grateful that the Fountain Run Health Clinic will continue to operate and offer services to the people in the Fountain Run community. It was a pleasure serving the healthcare needs of the people of Fountain Run and the surrounding communities.”

The Medical Center at Scottsville also operates the Scottsville Rural Health Clinic in the Scottsville Medical Plaza next to the hospital.

Shuffitt also will see patients at the Scottsville Rural Health Clinic alongside Grover Dils, MD, Michael Lang, DO, Lynetta Stiltner, DO and Gwen Wright, ARNP.

Copyright 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.

Drug fight gets boost in Allen: Grant helping with purchases, investigations into abuse problem

by Justin Story, The Daily News, originally published on 4/14/2010

Allen County is looking for help from outside law enforcement agencies in the fight against drug abuse.

Formed early last year, the Allen County Prescription Drug Initiative has sought to raise community awareness of prescription drug abuse and aims to complement recent grant-aided law enforcement efforts to combat illegal drugs.

Allen County Sheriff Sam Carter said prescription drug abuse, trafficking and doctor shopping are problems with which his office has to contend regularly.

The challenge comes with addressing a problem originating from a product that most people are obtaining legally for legitimate purposes, Carter said.

“One of the biggest concerns is that kids are getting prescription drugs from ma and grandma ... and it’s just dangerous,” Carter said.

The sheriff’s office was awarded a $469,199 federal grant last fall by the U.S. Department of Justice that consists of two components.

The first component has dealt with enforcing local drug laws and improving criminal investigations, and has helped pay for a detective, deputy and project director and the purchases of four trucks and all-terrain vehicles to aid in investigations in isolated, rural areas of the county.

The second leg of the grant, dealing with drug prevention programs, begins this month.

A community youth drug prevention event is being organized by the sheriff’s office, Community Development Alliance and Scottsville Faith Coalition for April 24, to coincide with Scottsville’s annual Jacksonian Festival.

Long term, the grant will fund a series of community policing meetings, held at volunteer fire departments throughout the county, to educate people on crime prevention techniques and personal safety.

“What we have to do is prevention, education and, honestly, rehabilitation,” Carter said. “If 10 percent of Allen County has some sort of dependency problem, that’s 2,000 people in a small county. Our jail only holds 120, and we can’t put 2,000 people in jail.”

The county prescription drug initiative has brought together law enforcement, medical providers, pharmacists, judges and educational and community leaders to assess prescription drug abuse in the community and formulate ways to raise awareness and prevent further abuse.

Eric Hagan, administrator for The Medical Center in Scottsville, said the work of the initiative at this point involves marshaling community support and informing the public about their work.

Several discussions among committee members about drug abuse going back a year have been illuminating, though.

“I think one of the biggest things we’ve identified with prescription drugs is that people see this medicine as their medicine and they have a right to do what they want with it,” Hagan said. “I guess from the younger population’s perspective, they see it as a legal way of getting high.

“That’s the two big obstacles we have to get past to get people to understand, just because you were given a prescription doesn’t mean you can just give someone in your family who has pain your prescription.”

Hagan said that health care providers participating in the initiative see as their responsibility educating the community about the appropriate use of controlled substances.

Relying on prescription drugs to treat chronic pain, for instance, can be dangerous because chronic use can lead to addiction, Hagan said.

“If pain continues, you really need to consider other alternatives (for treatment),” Hagan said.

A public forum in 2008 to address methamphetamine attracted more than 600 attendees at Allen County-Scottsville High School.

The work of the county prescription drug initiative goes on in the hope that discussions of controlled substance abuse become just as prevalent.

“As much focus as we have on meth, really we should have as much if not more focus on prescription drugs,” Hagan said.

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Rehab goes digital: Medical Center at Scottsville uses Wii to improve mobility, coordination and balance

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 3/06/2010

Julianne Smith stared intently at the large-screen television, moving her body in sync with a tilted table on-screen.

The 15-year-old Scottsville girl was playing the Nintendo Wii game “Table Tilt,” which requires the player to get some video balls to go into a video hole in the video table.

“It’s awesome,” she said of the Wii. “When I work with it, I don’t want to get off of it.”

The teen wasn’t working on it solely for fun, though. It’s part of her therapy at The Medical Center at Scottsville, which has been using the gaming system for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation therapy at the hospital and its Cal Turner Extended Care Pavilion for about six months.

“We’ve been using it more for our long-term care patients, but we’re also trying it with our outpatients,” said Lisa Cummings, rehabilitation manager at The Medical Center at Scottsville. “As it becomes easy, you can increase the difficulty just like with any other exercise.”

The hospital uses a variety of games from Wii Fit and Wii Sports.

“It depends on what we’re trying to achieve,” Cummings said. “(For example) to improve shoulder range of motion, we do a sport that requires that motion.”

In Julianne’s case, she is working to improve her balance, which can be off because of cerebral palsy.

“We focus on balance and core stability,” said Tracy Holland, a physical therapy assistant who works with Julianne. “We work two days a week with 15 minutes on the Wii at the end of treatment.”

In the three weeks that Julianne has been using the Wii, her balance and body awareness have improved, Holland said.

“If I let her, she’d do it the whole hour,” she said, smiling as she watched Julianne play a game that simulated her walking a tightrope.

Studies show that using Wii for physical therapy can help with different conditions, including cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and muscle and joint injuries, Cummings said.

“It helps with functional mobility, mood, coordination and visual and perception skills development. It can be used with patients of all ages,” she said. “It does not replace traditional therapy. We do a majority of traditional physical therapy treatment, and then we may do 15 minutes or so of the Wii.”

Cummings persuaded the hospital administration to purchase a Wii after she read about the benefits that have been seen in nursing home patients who used it.

“I thought it would be good mentally and physically. It’s something they can continue at home,” she said. “It’s fun to do and it benefits them. We hope to use it more.”

Julianne hopes to continue using it. She notices that her balance and walking have improved.

“I used to walk with a limp, and now I’m walking straight,” she said. “I used to walk on my toes, but I’m not walking on my toes now. I think Wii Fit is helping.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Holderfield ‘honored’ to be involved with foundation

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 2/06/2010

When Laura Holderfield goes to her job as Commonwealth Health Foundation executive director, she feels like she’s with family.

“I feel like when I’m coming to work, I’m coming home,” she said.

For four years she has been in charge of the philanthropic arm of Commonwealth Health Corp., the parent company of The Medical Center.

“Any fundraising that goes on for CHC or its entities comes through our office,” she said.

Since the foundation started in 2000, it has coordinated various campaigns, including the Charity Ball and the “Make the Season Bright” program, both of which are designed to raise awareness and financial support for the Commonwealth Free Clinic. The foundation recently kicked off the public capital campaign “Extending Home,” which will be used to help build, furnish and staff a 12,564-square-foot Hospitality House on The Medical Center campus. The building will be a home away from home for the family of seriously ill patients at The Medical Center and Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital.

“It’s the first capital campaign we have coordinated,” she said. “We’re offering people an opportunity for investment. We’re going to be able to see a building being constructed.”

Holderfield, a Bowling Green native and mother of two sons, didn’t set out to work in health care when she was thinking about a career. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University, respectively.

“My goal was to manage a business and to be in some large corporation to use the skills I learned in school,” she said.

Holderfield has been able to use what she learned in past jobs, which include working with United Way and St. Joseph Catholic School, and her current job. She manages the foundation and its activities and projects.

“We spent January closing out our fundraising year and planning for the next year,” she said. “It’s different every day.”

She has helped the foundation garner grants, including a nearly $25,000 grant from Kohl’s Cares for Kids, which is being used for safety items for parents in The Medical Center’s Newborn Care and Safety Class and to bring additional Newborn Care and Safety Classes to the community. One class is scheduled at the Housing Authority of Bowling Green later this month.

“It has been a goal for several years for the obstetrics department,” Holderfield said of the new class.

A $362,675.25 grant from the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation was used for new electric beds and a new nurse call system for Cal Turner Extended Care Pavilion in 2007.

“It was exciting because it was something that helped patients,” she said. “It gave them more independence.”

Holderfield said her favorite part of her career is that it combines the business side with getting to know other people.

“I love to get to know new people that I would never get to meet otherwise and being a part of an organization that has done so much for the community,” she said. “I feel blessed to be able to do what I do. I feel honored to be a part of it.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)

Nurse practitioner enjoys variety of working in the ER

by Alyssa Harvey, The Daily News, originally published on 1/9/2010

Jason Shuffitt’s love for the medical field started with an injury.

When he was 3 years old, he was taken to what was then Bowling Green-Warren County Hospital after he had run through a storm door. Although his visit required 250 stitches, the care he received left a more lasting impression on the young boy.

“It was the staff and the fact that somebody could take care of it at that moment,” he said. “It was soothing.”

The Bowling Green native also has taken care of family members, including his brother who died of cancer while Shuffitt was in nursing school several years ago.

“That’s how I got intimately involved with The Medical Center,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to be an employee here.”

Shuffitt took his experiences into his career choice. He has been a nurse practitioner in The Medical Center’s emergency room for two years, but has worked for Commonwealth Health Corp., the hospital’s parent company, for eight years in other positions, including as a technician and nurse.

“I’ve been in the emergency room the whole time,” he said. “I do anything that needs to be done.”

Shuffitt’s duties include assessing, treating and diagnosing patients.

“I tend to see more minor things like flu, lacerations and orthopedic-type injuries, but I try to experience things that are teaching cases,” he said. “You see some unusual things here. The good thing is that if I run across something I’m not comfortable with, I can consult with the physicians.”

Shuffitt earned associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at Western Kentucky University. After he graduated from nursing school, he worked for a few years as a nurse. The difference between a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner is in the amount of education.

“A nurse practitioner gets two additional years in how to diagnose and treat illnesses,” Shuffitt said.

He recently finished course work for a doctorate of nursing practice degree at the University of Arizona.

“I go to Tucson a couple of times a year for the program. Everything else is online,” he said. “I should have it in August. I have to do a project.”

His degree is a clinical and research one. He is examining nurse practitioner experiences and the types they should have.

“The program is phenomenal,” he said. “I have seen things I had no idea existed.”

Shuffitt keeps busy in his field. He teaches registered nursing students at Bowling Green Technical College in Glasgow and sometimes works as a nurse practitioner at The Medical Center at Scottsville Rural Health Clinic. He enjoys his career.

“The ER was the logical place for me. You never know what’s going to come through the door,” he said. “That’s why I like it – the variety.”

Copyright 2010 News Publishing LLC (Bowling Green, KY)