Medical cardiology services and outpatient cardiology clinic to remain open at Indian Path

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – As Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Medical Center begin working collaboratively to care for the residents of Kingsport and surrounding areas, the hospitals have begun the process of integrating all Kingsport-based invasive and advanced cardiology services to Holston Valley Medical Center.

Community stakeholders in Smyth County are taking a leadership role in addressing the national opioid crisis at the local level, thanks to a $737,000 federal grant from the Rural Health Opioid Program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The three-year grant will be used to form a multi-disciplinary opioid consortium, with Smyth County Community Hospital serving as the lead organization. 

Ballad Health nurses stood ready to help Victoria through a difficult and complicated labor – for the second time that week.

Victoria isn’t attempting a world record. Her real name is Victoria® S2200, and she’s a high-tech childbirth simulator that helps healthcare workers prepare for labor and delivery events, including early labor complications, high-risk deliveries and postpartum emergencies.

AnewCare Collaborative – Ballad Health’s accountable care organization – is one of only 21 accountable care organizations in the country to generate savings for the fifth year in a row, according to results released recently by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

As the region’s first accountable care organization, AnewCare has generated more than $46 million dollars in total savings since its creation in 2012.

Ballad Health Foundation is partnering with local optometrists and opticians to provide free vision care – which includes glasses – to qualifying community members. Anyone interested in participating in the program has until October 10 to pick up an application at Laughlin Memorial Hospital’s main lobby or the Greene County Health Department.

All applications need to be turned in on October 11 at Laughlin’s main lobby between 8-11 a.m. 

Alan Levine, executive chairman and CEO of Ballad Health, spoke on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 25, to a subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). The subcommittee hearing is titled “Health Care in Rural America: Examining Experiences and Costs.”

Two organizations are coming together to provide a local elementary school with a bolstered physical education program.

Ballad Health Foundation and Prevention Connections have partnered with Project Fit America, a national nonprofit, to provide Norton Elementary School with a grant for fitness education that includes new gym and playground equipment.

 Ballad Health has been chosen for a national initiative that has the potential to improve the value of care patients receive while reducing healthcare spending nationwide.

The High-Value Care Collaborative, a partnership of the American Hospital Association, the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, and the Costs of Care organization, brings together participants to improve efficiency in health care, decrease cost and improve quality. 

Since 2014, Niswonger Children’s Hospital has been reaching outside the hospital walls and into the community to improve child literacy through the B.E.A.R. Buddies reading program, which pairs volunteer mentors with elementary school students who need a boost in their reading skills. When five new schools recently requested to join the program, it became apparent that a lot more volunteers would be needed to help fill the gap. That’s when Chairman and CEO Alan Levine issued a call to Ballad Health team members for help.

The Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Service substation building on Coolidge Street has a new owner. Official documents were signed today that transferred ownership of the building – and an adjacent property – from Takoma Regional Hospital to EMS.