The Russell County Project Development Board met a week ago Monday afternoon in a special called meeting to tie up some loose ends before the Russell County Judicial Center opened for business on Tuesday, September 6.

A dedication ceremony has been set for Tuesday, September 27 at 1 p.m., allowing the new occupants three weeks to get offices in order as the opening of the various courts and offices begin.

At the upcoming dedication ceremony there will be various speakers, possibly including former Chief Justice Joseph Lambert, 1998-2008, who was instrumental in implementing many improvements in the Kentucky court system during his tenure, and was a strong advocate for the new judicial centers appearing throughout the state.

Current Chief Justice John D. Minton will also be speaking at the event along with others.

Judicial center rules were handed out at the meeting. The rules are as follows: All people entering the facility are subject to search of themselves and their personal items. Any illegal or banned items are subject to confiscation.

Proper decorum must be observed in the judicial center at all times. This includes no use of profanity and being quiet in the hallways when court is in session.

No offensive, provocative or gang-related clothing will be permitted. Upon entering any courtroom, any cell phones or other personal communication devices must be turned off or placed on silent mode. Failure to follow this directive may result in confiscation of the device.

The following items are prohibited anywhere in the center: tobacco products, illegal substances and alcoholic beverages. The following substances are prohibited: drinks of any description except water, food of any description and chewing gum.

No family, friend or other member of the public, may approach or visit any prisoner at the center or on the adjacent grounds or parking lots.

After some discussion, the board voted to contact architectural firm Brandstetter Carroll Inc. about what types of seating could be installed outside of the family courtroom. Sometimes on court days there are more than 100 people come through the facility that will need seating accommodations.

Sheriff Larry Bennett announced that Jerry Melton would serve as head of court security at the new facility. Bennett also told the board the security personnel is currently in training and has a good balance between newcomers and those with experience.

The board discussed how big a framed photo of the late Judge Jack B. Miller should be but no decision was made just yet. A photo of Miller will be placed in the courtroom named in his honor, the Jack B. Miller Courtroom.

A sign will be placed on the outside of the building to remind anyone that no skateboarding will be permitted on the grounds of the new judicial center, including all outside steps and sidewalks.

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The Russell County Hospital rolled out an anticipated new program in patient care on Monday, September 5 as they introduced the position of “Hospitalist.”

Hospitalists are a relatively new position in the hospital setting but since the position was first coined in 1996 by Lee Goldman in a New England Journal of Medicine article the new development in patient care has become the norm in hospitals across the country.

A hospitalist is a medical specialty dedicated to the delivery of comprehensive medical care to hospitalized patients.

In practice, the Russell County Hospital will have an attending physician or nurse practitioner dedicated to working shifts, evaluating and admitting patients and overseeing day to day care for inpatients.

The program allows for a number of efficiencies in the way medicine is practiced, with one of the most practical results being that a patients primary care physician does not have to be “on call” 24 hours a day for his or his list of patients when one is being admitted to the hospital or having to make daily rounds at the hospital.

The increasingly obsolete system in which a community’s physicians make morning rounds at a hospital before going to their office to begin seeing appointments, as well as the logistical problems of having to be available to make a run to the hospital in cases where a hospitalized patient has become increasingly sick, thereby having to make waiting appointments at their office wait that much longer, predicated the change in philosophy of patient care.

“It’s worked for many, many years,” said David Rasmussen, CEO of Russell County Hospital, speaking of the old system. “But, the environment has changed.”

He explained that the tradition of doctors working 70 or 80 hours a week is becoming increasing unacceptable to a new generation of physicians.

The idea of bringing the hospitalist program to the hospital predated Rasmussen’s taking over the role of CEO in January of this year. “They had discussions about it for the last couple of years,” Rasmussen said, “but I think the timing wasn’t right,” but with changes in personnel and a decreasing number of doctors willing to be on call “It started to make them think we’re doing to many nights, to many call-ins for people coming to the emergency room. It was just kind of a ground swell and when I came they brought the interest up and so we started researching.”

There are established Hospitalist programs offered by outside companies but it was decided to draw upon the experience of Dr. Richard Perkins who had been involved in and helped establish the program at London Hospital and with his experience it was decided to develop the program in-house, saving the hospital well over $100,000 a year in costs.

The program has the overwhelming support of community doctors and physicians, according to Rasmussen, and while some patients may be discomforted by not having their primary care physician follow them through all their medical care needs, studies have shown that a dedicated hospitalist program can, and does, provide for adequate, efficient and faster patient care.

To begin the program, three personnel have been chosen to head up the effort: Dr. Perkins, a 10-year veteran of the hospital, Dr. Sam Bradley who recently finished his interning at the hospital and currently works in the ER and Nurse Practitioner Kim Myers.

The three will work regular shifts of on-sight and on-call and will work with patients primary care physicians in keeping them abreast of treatment as needed.

According to the Society of Hospital Medicine, the hospitalist program offers benefits to patients through; Prompt and complete attention to all patient care needs including diagnosis, treatment, and the performance of medical procedures (within their scope of practice); Employing quality and process improvement techniques; Collaboration, communication, and coordination with all physicians caring for hospitalized patients; Safe transitioning of patient care within the hospital, and from the hospital to the community, which may include oversight of care in post-acute care facilities and efficient use of hospital and healthcare resources.

Research shows that hospitalists reduce the length of stay, treatment costs and improve the overall efficiency of care for hospitalized patients. Hospitalists are leaders on several quality improvement initiatives in key areas including transitions of care, co-management of patients, reducing hospital acquired diseases and optimizing the care of patients.

The program being introduced to the Russell County Hospital will be a unique hybridization that will also act as primary Emergency Room physicians. According to Rasmussen, the combination of duties will work because of the pattern of patient flow, with the emergency room being least utilized most often during times in which the hospitalist can make inpatient rounds in the early morning.