Gaston Memorial Hospital Gets High Marks
economic development, gaston memorial hospital, health care, nurses, workforce developement,
Gaston Memorial Hospital has no shortage of jewels in its crown.
The 435-bed facility boasts a world-class birth center that attracts families from outside the county to its labor facility and neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital’s other “Centers of Excellence” are in cardiology, cancer care, orthopedics and neurosurgery.
“We’re probably the most important player west of Charlotte in this particular region,” says Jean Waters, director of marketing and public affairs for the hospital. “We’re certainly the largest hospital in that Western Charlotte region. So we’re pretty critical to the health care of folks in this region. We have a strong market share.”
The hospital also holds the designation of being a Magnet Hospital, an honor given by the American Nurses Credentialing Association, which is
a division of the American Nurses Association. This means GMH is one of only approximately 5 percent of hospitals in the country to be named an excellent place for nurses to work. The hospital worked very hard to receive the nod, according to Waters.
“It’s not just something you send in a form and a hundred bucks and you get,” she says. “It’s a very, very strenuous kind of process.”
The hospital staff submitted a stack of documents 15 inches tall (yes, they measured) and hosted a weeklong site visit as part of the effort.
“The Magnet designation is an indication that this is a good place for nurses to work,” Waters says. “So that’s really important, especially given the shortage of nurses and the competition for nursing staff.”
Waters says the award is also a sign of excellent health care.
Despite the accolades, GMH isn’t resting on its laurels. The birth center was the facility’s most recent major construction project, and a redesign of the emergency department wrapped up in February 2008. They are also working through a unit-by-unit renovation of their inpatient nursing unit, which is likely to be complete by the end of 2009.
Story by Michaela Jackson
