Caring for the whole patient often means caring for a patient’s spiritual needs. At Coulee Medical Center in Grand Coulee — where about a third of the patients are American Indian — various practical reasons kept many patients from being able to take part in spiritual practices such as cleansing ceremonies inside the walls of the hospital. While drumming and singing had been done quietly in the hospital, practices such as smudging the air with the smoke of sweetgrass was unable to take place inside.... Read More >>

WSHA staff testified at an October 3 Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) stakeholder hearing and submitted written comments to OIC’s stakeholder draft rules regulating alternative authorization processes, otherwise known as “goldcarding.”... Read More >>

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released Core Elements for Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Core Elements at Small and Critical Access Hospitals.... Read More >>

The American Hospital Association’s (AHA’s) Physician Leadership Forum will host a webinar from 10-11 a.m. Thursday, November 9 on improving care for adults hospitalized with substance use disorder, focusing on understanding needs, engaging leaders and changing systems.... Read More >>

Welcome WSHA’s newest affiliate member Parker, Smith & Feek! Parker, Smith & Feek’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice Group focuses on segments within the health care and biomedical industries. They collaborate with health care organizations and providers to identify areas of risk and assist in facilitating solutions to meet risk financing needs.... Read More >>

Membership updates from the October 12, 2017 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

Recent member news from the October 12, 2017 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

No One Dies Alone (NODA) consists of caring volunteers, many of whom double as hospital employees, who generously donate their time and presence to provide bedside companionship to dying patients who would otherwise be alone during the end of their lives. These thoughtful, respectful volunteers are often referred to as the hospital’s “compassionate companions” due to the comfort they bring to patients in their last hours and moments of life.... Read More >>

Last weekend’s mass shooting in Las Vegas is officially the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s history, with at least 59 people dead and more than 520 injured. This horrible display of violence was as shocking as it was tragic. Our hearts go out to the victims, loved ones and caregivers in Las Vegas, and we know we are not immune from such violence here in Washington State.... Read More >>

PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is a rural Critical Access Hospital that created an integrated behavioral health care program in response to its community health needs assessment.... Read More >>