It’s easy for some people to think of an institution as a building.
A school, a college, an office building.
A hospital.
But all institutions are much more than the building that represents them. They are always about people.
Despite the advances in technology, pharmaceuticals or techniques, for a hospital, the people that work there and serve the patients and the community are still the key ingredient in providing an area with good and dependable health care.
“When it comes to talking about the people who work here and provide services, it is very hard to know where to start,” says Jeff Manley, the CEO of Castleview Hospital. “There are so many that are outstanding.”
Manley, who has watched over Castleview Hospital for the last four years knows what it is like to work in good and not so good situations, He spent time being everything from an executive housekeeper to a CEO in hospitals in the Salt Lake area. He has climbed the ladder and has seen the problems and the strengths of all kinds of organizations. He says that the hospital in Price, is one of the best he has been around. And what makes it the best is the people he works with every day.
“We’re not perfect,” he says. “In fact health care in general isn’t perfect. But when something goes wrong here, we study it to try to make sure it won’t happen again.”
| Hospital administrator Jeff Manley goes over a hospital census with nursing director Terri Watkins. In a hospital many disciplines must work closely together for the good of the patients, |
Manley says that by being a hospital located in a small town, when something does go haywire, everyone in town knows about it.
“If something happens at the University of Utah Hospital, it gets somewhat diluted because there are so many people and so many hospitals along the Wasatch Front,” he states. “But here we’re the only one. I think because of that we are often held to a higher standard.”
But the center of attention isn’t all bad, in fact many, if not most in the community feel that Castleview Hospital is a gem that shines brightly. And Manley says that is due to the people that work there.
“When one looks at what we offer and with the level of expertise that exists here, it’s very satisfying,” he says. “We offer a lot. And the best part of that is the employees and doctors that work here.”
Manley had a long list of duties, departments and names he could rattle off without any hesitation.
•Castleview Hospital has won the Relay for Life for the last two years and was, for the size of town it is located in, named the best in the region for its efforts. Manley credits nurse Sherry King for much of that success.
•Each year for 28 years the hospital has hosted a medical symposium. Next week they will host number 29. Dr. Max Morgan has been running that educational program the entire time.
“The best thing is that it is a fully accredited program by the Utah Medical Association,” says Manley.
•The hospital has a modern sleep studies program headed up by Dr. David Nichols and Dr. Daniel Monahan.
“The sleep study program here has literally changed many peoples lives,” says Manley. “One guy told me that he not only sleeps better because of what they have done with him but that he also lost 20 lbs. in the process.”
•With diabetes on the rise in our society, it is important to have people and a program that is on top of that health issue. Manley says that Pam Konakis, the nurse who runs the program is a lifesaver to many in the community.
“Diabetes is an increasing problem everywhere and those that Pam work with know she is a lifesaver,” stated Manley.
•The pharmacy that dispenses therapies to patients in the hospital is second to none. Under the leadership of Ken Gagnon, a Mayo Clinic training pharmacist, the hospital has a great program.
| Castleview nurse Belle Wilson looks down at little Ryker Butler, along with his parents Brittanie and Brett. The nursery is often said to be the happiest place to work in a hospital, but the personnel in pediatrics also work toward making sure babies and children are safe and happy when they go home too. |
“I think Ken has given our pharmacy a level of sophistication it hasn’t had for a very long time,” states Manley. “One of the things he has done is to work with doctors so that we can understand the role of supplements (herbs and vitamins) when it comes to interaction with anesthesia and other drugs that physicians may be prescribing for patients.”
•An emergency room that handles a myriad of cases, many of which are serious in a professional manner.
“Almost everyone that lives here has an emergency room story,” says Manley. “That is a tough department to work in. They get cases ranging from sore backs to fatal injuries. The most complaints that come to a hospital come from an emergency room for a lot of reasons. A few are justified, but most are not, Our staff in the emergency room such as Glori Allen, Joseph Dinkins, Kurt King, Jon Middleton, Douglas Perkins, Patrick Scherer and Cam Williams are very, very good and handle things well there. I’d put that staff up against any I’ve ever worked with.”
•An x-ray department that has not only the latest technology, but also technicians who are highly rated.
“We have people in that x-ray room that have been there a long time and seen a lot,” says Manley. “They also update their skills continually. Take Cindy Price for example. She has five or six certifications in ultrasound, while most people who perform those services elsewhere have one.”
• A nuclear medicine unit that has new equipment and highly trained people.
“Debbie Poloni is an outstanding CT technician,” says Manley. “Our new $1.1 million dollar machine can do in 30 seconds what it used to take 30 minutes to do. But it still takes the people to operate them correctly and to handle patients with care and consideration.”
•A nursery where the people in the department not only care for the babies while they are in the unit, but also extend their reach into the community.
“Julie Sprague who works in that department has been untiring in her work to get car seats into cars for every child that leaves the facility,” stated Manley. “She is always working on some grant or another to get money to make sure everyone has one. She also does a lot of outreach to the community on car seats and safety for children as well.”
•An engineering department that has won state awards. Clay Larsen who leads that department, won the hospital engineer of the year award last year from the Utah chapter of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers.
“I sometimes think that the average person in Carbon County doesn’t realize how lucky we are to have this hospital here. Just look around southeastern Utah and there is nothing else like it in the area,” concluded Manley.