Last week, Highland Community Hospital received a Certificate of Need to establish swing bed services at the facility.
The Certificate of Need is a mandated process as part of the state’s health planning and regulatory activities to ensure there is a need for the specific program in a given community, preventing unnecessary duplication of health resources and increasing accessibility, acceptability, continuity and quality of care for residents, a Mississippi Department of Health release states.
Mark Stockstill, Highland Community Hospital Administrator, said the swing bed program provides more versatility in the care the facility provides to patients in that it allows the hospital to treat acute or skilled nursing facility-level care in the same bed. Although the swing bed services will not be available until about October, he said the staff is optimistic about the swing bed program and the quality of care it will provide to patients.
“Swing bed services will ease the worries of many patients and their families. We will no longer have to transport certain patients around different units in the hospital. With this program, they can be treated in the same room,” Stockstill said.
The services also provide a “home-like environment” for patients, allowing them to bring items from home to their hospital room without worrying about being shifted around the hospital, Suzanne Wilson, Highland Community Hospital director of quality, said.
According to the MSDH release, there will be no capital expenditure for this project.
“We want to make our patient’s experience here better any way we can. This program is bringing a lot of versatility to the hospital,” Stockstill said.
The program is intended for patients who stay longer than average. Wilson said the program will focus on patients who are being treated and progressing, but are not able to be released.
“This is another great stride for our community,” Stockstill said.