Potomac Hospital, Sentara Healthcare Affiliation Finalized

The affiliation of Potomac Hospital and Sentara Healthcare is official. Potomac Hospital is now Sentara Potomac Hospital, having received approvals from the Federal Trade Commission and the Virginia Attorney General.

“We’re extremely happy to be a part of the Sentara Healthcare System,” says Potomac Board Chairman Marion Wall. “This partnership will help Potomac continue to provide high quality care to our community. We’re joining an organization that is working toward being among the top ten percent in the nation and we here at Potomac can help make that happen.”

“We are thrilled to be part of the Prince William community and to serve northern Virginia,” says David L. Bernd, CEO of Sentara Healthcare. “We are looking forward to helping Sentara Potomac Hospital continue its community mission.”

“Sentara shares our focus on patient safety and quality and is committed to helping us expand our programs and services,” says Bill Flannagan, president and CEO of Sentara Potomac Hospital. “Sentara is also an Employer of Choice® with high employee satisfaction, low turnover and a culture that fosters excellent patient care and customer service, so I think we’ve picked a great partner.”

Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare will safeguard Potomac Hospital’s future with investments in infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing community.As part of the agreement, Sentara will invest $92 million in a healthcare foundation to help address unmet and underserved healthcare needs of Prince William area residents.

“This new monetary support from Sentara allows the Potomac Health Foundation to focus on creating partnerships with community groups and grants for solutions to health needs,” says Bill Moss, executive director of the Potomac Health Foundation. “We can make a real difference in people’s lives.”

Conclusion of the agreement marks the beginning of a transition period which could take up to a year as Sentara Healthcare and Potomac Hospital integrate operations, IT technologies, business practices and workplace cultures.

“This will be an exciting time for all of us,” says David Bernd of Sentara. “We’re looking forward to having Potomac Hospital in the Sentara family.”

Potomac Hospital Nurse Receives Forensic Nursing Excellence Award

Rhonda Boyett, R.N., SANE-A, Potomac Hospital’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Team Coordinator, has been awarded the 2009 Forensic Nursing Excellence Award and the 2009 Dream Team Award from the Virginia Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is a professional who works in cooperation with law enforcement officials to gather evidence in sexual assault crimes. A member of Potomac Hospital's SANE team is on call 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, through Potomac Hospital's Irene V. Hylton Emergency Care Center. Each is an experienced registered nurse who has also completed a rigorous training program in forensics and courtroom procedure in order to achieve SANE certification.

The International Association of Forensic Nurses is in its 17th year of providing education and support to forensic nurses throughout the United States, Canada and 22 other countries.

Potomac Hospital Foundation Executive Director Receives Prestigious Honor

Bill Moss, executive director, Potomac Hospital Foundation, received the 2009 Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the VHHA Annual Meeting at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. Moss was the president and CEO of Potomac Hospital for 31 years before accepting his new role in the Potomac Hospital Foundation in July of this year.

If leading by example is a virtue, it’s one that Moss has demonstrated for the more than 30 years as president of Potomac Hospital. Since his arrival at Potomac in 1978, he has shown leadership and a steadfast work ethic that is still evident years later.

Influenced by his mom -- who was a nurse -- he received his undergraduate degree at the University of Richmond and his master’s degree in healthcare administration at the Medical College of Virginia. He began his career at Roanoke Memorial Hospital as an assistant director and then served as the administrator at Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham, North Carolina, for eight years. In 1978 he stepped into Potomac Hospital, which he thought looked similar to an elementary school.

Over the years he has realized many professional accomplishments including: Life Member of the American Hospital Association; Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives; member of the Prince William County Health District Advisory Board and member of the Medical Malpractice Review Panel of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He served as the chairman of the Prince William Partnerships for Health, which received a Turning Points Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and served as a director of the Prince William County Schools Education Foundation. He was also the co-recipient of the Thomas C. Barker Outstanding Preceptor Award from the Department of Health Administration of Virginia Commonwealth University.

He served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Prince William United Way and director of the Prince William United Way and United Way of the National Capital Area; is a current member and former president of the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce; and has served on the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Lions Eye Institute Foundation.

During the 31 years he served as president and CEO, Potomac Hospital has grown by leaps and bounds, which is a testament to his vision, hard work and dedication to continued improvements. During his tenure Potomac has seen the addition of new hospital services, major expansion of the facility, and the continued dedication to provide the best care possible to the community.

Potomac Boulevard Receives Interior Design Award

Potomac Hospital and Huelat Parimucha Ltd. were awarded an honorable mention award by the American Society of Interior Designers for the Potomac Boulevard project. The 2009 Interior Design Competition Award, Healthcare/Long-term Care/Clinic Category, was presented during the ASID Washington Metro Chapter’s 2009 Celebrate Design Awards Celebration at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

Potomac Boulevard is a wide, spacious corridor that leads visitors and patients from the front entrance through the hospital with several stops on the way -- a new gift shop, Worship Room and Jazzman’s Café, a coffee and snack bar. Potomac Boulevard is not only a renovated space. It’s designed to help visitors find their way through the hospital with ease.

“The Boulevard was designed with the same wayfinding elements that are present throughout the hospital,” says Barbara Huelet of Huelet Parimucha Healthcare Design. “We’ve incorporated colors and design elements that gently guide visitors to their destinations.”

“The most important element,” says Huelet, “is the fact that the Boulevard is essentially a straight line to the new patient care building – no more twists and turns.”

Potomac Physician Receives Prestigious Award

The Medical Society of Virginia presented William C. Reha, M.D., MBA, a urologist on Potomac Hospital’s Medical Staff, the 2009 Clarence A. Holland Award at its annual meeting at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

The Holland Award is presented annually to a Virginia physician for outstanding contributions promoting the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health through political service.

Dr. Reha has been a physician and patient advocate for over 25 years. He has been a tireless proponent of organized medicine, serving as a Delegate, Associate Director, Director and member of various committees of the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) over the past fifteen years. He has also served as the Vice-Speaker of the MSV since 2007.

In addition, he has served as President of the Prince William County Medical Society, President of the Potomac Hospital Medical Staff, and a MSV Foundation Claude Moore Physician Leadership Institute Fellow.

H1N1 Preparedness Summit to be Held at Potomac Hospital

In an effort to educate community healthcare providers on the latest H1N1 preparedness plans and strategies, Potomac Hospital is holding an H1N1Preparedness Summit for Community-Based Physicians on Monday, October 26, at 6:00 p.m. An expert panel will discuss strategies to minimize effects of the Novel H1N1 Virus.

Expert Speakers & Panel Participants:

• Mark J. Levine, M.D., MPH, Deputy Commissioner for Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs, Virginia Department of Health
• John Symington, M.D., Infectious Disease Specialist
• Alison Ansher, M.D., MPH, District Director, Prince William Health District
• Jasmine Matheson, MPH, Epidemiologist, PWC Health Department
• Frankie Picard, Vice President, Emergency Preparedness, Potomac Hospital
• Wendy Atkinson, R.N., MSN Associate Director of Nursing, Emergency Preparedness, Potomac Hospital

Attention Editors: If you are interested in covering the summit or interviewing panelists, please contact Charlene Wilkins at 703-670-1236 or charlene.wilkins@potomachospital.com. *This event is not open to the public.