As the Baby Boomer generation is getting older and living longer, it’s important that health care systems provide appropriate care to older adults.

Knowing this, the Emergency Department staff at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital underwent a rigorous process to earn the bronze standard — Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation, also called GEDA. To date, SNLH is the only ED in the entire Pacific Northwest to earn this geriatric certification.

“Older people visit emergency departments at a comparatively higher rate than others,” Rick Rhoton, RN, Emergency Department manager at the Lincoln City hospital said. “They often present with multiple chronic conditions, may use multiple prescribed medications, and can suffer from complex social and physical challenges. So, we decided to embrace the idea of becoming a ‘geriatric emergency department,’ with our staff learning and demonstrating specialized skills and understanding of seniors’ special health care needs.”

The accreditation effort was led by an interdisciplinary team, including Erling Oksenholt, DO, and Megan Fender, RN.

A bronze standard emergency department, such as the one at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing interdisciplinary geriatric education, creating comprehensive new policies, and having geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.

The GEDA program was launched by the American College of Emergency Physicians to ensure that older patients receive well-coordinated, quality care at the appropriate level at every emergency department encounter. Several professional medical societies worked together to develop geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screening for delirium, dementia, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.

The voluntary GEDA program, which includes three levels similar to trauma center designations, provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. The accreditation process provides more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care and the level of GEDA accreditation achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department can meet.

Beginning June 24, the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital will offer expanded hours for ultrasound: 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with emergency on-call service available at all other times.

Previously, ultrasound services have been available from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays only, with emergency on-call.

“We are excited to offer expanded hours,” said Trindee Coleman, department manager. “It’s difficult for patients to take time off from work for a medical appointment so we hope these new hours will provide more flexibility for scheduling.”

“Imaging is an important tool in diagnosing and treating injury and illnesses,” Coleman continued. “Also, with the addition of another Interventional radiologist, we will also be able to offer image-guided needle biopsies and an assortment of other interventional procedures every week in the near future.”

With an image-guided needle biopsy, clinicians can obtain a small sample of cells from inside a patient’s body, for example, the liver or the breast, for analysis.

Coleman said expanded hours are possible because of the addition of another staff member to the ultrasound team.

Diagnostic Imaging services offered at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital include bone density testing/DEXA, CT scan, 3-D digital mammography, echocardiography, MRI, PET scan, digital X-ray and ultrasound with 3-D capability.

For more information about Diagnostic Imaging Services, call 541-996-7145.