What does “exceptional care” look like?

Exceptional care looks different through the lens of each Blessing Health System affiliate. At Illini Community Hospital, exceptional care is being in the top 10% of critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the country for exceptional care transitions for all emergency department transfer patients, as recognized by the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP).

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Blessing nurses on the COVID battle: “We adapt and we overcome”

Every Blessing Health System nurse played a vital role in responding to the COVID pandemic. However, care delivered in two locations drew a high level of attention – the Blessing Hospital Emergency Center and the Blessing Express Clinic. In both places throughout the pandemic, crowds of people arrived daily for testing or care, or both.

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Surviving stroke - together

On a Saturday morning, Barb and Rich Schmidt were getting ready to attend a swim meet featuring one of their grandchildren. “Normal morning,” Rich recalls. “Showered and shaved and began combing my hair.”

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Man discovers age doesn’t have to hurt

James Allan Olson thought what was happening to his body was natural, the results of aging. He was in his 70s, weighed 275 pounds, was diabetic, had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, edema (swelling) in his legs, was feeling tired all the time and often short of breath.

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This gardener wears a lab coat (sometimes)

April 14 is National Gardening Day. What do you get when you mix a love for the land with a passion for helping people? You get Sara Martin, APRN-FNP, Nurse Practitioner, in Blessing’s Family Medicine Department.

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