Marcum Wallace Memorial Hospital Honored with Quality Award

Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital (MWMH) was recently honored with the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Quality Award. This award is presented to honor hospital leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment in patient care.
In the Critical Access Hospitals (acute care hospitals with 25 beds or less) Category, MWMH was chosen for the hospital’s Project HOME Network Community Lung Cancer Screening Program.

The Project HOME (Helpful Opportunities for Medical Care Enhancement) Network is a rural health network comprised of 14 agencies in two counties. The aim of the network is to improve the health of the community through collaboration with other health care agencies.

“We are dedicated to improving the health of our community,” said Susan Starling, MWMH President & CEO. “One way we can do this is through cancer screening and early detection. It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts.”

In 2013, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) developed recommendations for annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography.

Kentucky has one of the highest death rates from lung cancer in the nation, and the area that MWMH serves has an even higher lung cancer death rate, so lung cancer screening is even more important for the community. Because of this project, patients living in the rural area can receive a high quality, comprehensive lung cancer screening without the need to travel to a large urban hospital.

“As of March 2015, 43 patients have been accepted into the program,” said Sharon Whitaker, MWMH Director of Radiology. “Of those patients, two were positive for cancer and referred to the cancer team at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.”

Marcum & Wallace Hospital (MWMH) in Irvine became a designated CT Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR) in October in 2015. For more information about a lung cancer screening, speak to your primary care provider.

Founded in 1956, MWMH is a licensed 25-bed Critical Access Hospital providing inpatient acute care, outpatient services, emergency services with a Level IV Trauma Center, and primary care with clinics in Irvine, Beattyville and Clay City. MWMH is characterized by its family-centered care, community involvement, and progressive ideas in healthcare. MWMH is recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a top “100 Great Community Hospital” and “6th Cleanest Hospital in Kentucky.” MWMH has extended the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our communities for more than 50 years and is a major source of jobs for the region. MWMH has modern facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, highly-skilled professional personnel and a medical staff that offers primary care and a wide range of specialty services. MWMH is a member of Mercy Health, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the nation.