United Helpers to Offer IV Therapy

Ogdensburg –Beginning January 1, 2015, United Helpers’ Maplewood Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center will become the first skilled nursing facility in St. Lawrence County to offer Intravenous or IV Therapy.

 “Avoiding hospitalization and re-hospitalizations is goal that all hospitals and healthcare providers strive to achieve,” said Dr. Gregory Healey, Medical Director for Maplewood Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. For those who are medically frail and unable to communicate symptoms, special dietary restrictions, medication allergies, or even general needs, it is even more important for the care team to be familiar with a patient. “The team here (at Maplewood) not only provide care for their residents, but they get to know them personally, as they spend each day with them. Someone who is ill and in need of medical attention is the staffs’ number one priority and the resident gets the benefit of having their care managed in their home.”

Intravenous therapy is, quite simply, passing a needle through a person’s skin to access a vein. IV Therapy is used for many medical reasons, to replenish fluids when a patient is dehydrated, to administer medication quickly into the body, and to administer other medications as needed.

“In the past, if a resident became dehydrated during an illness that would mean scheduling a medical transport and taking the person to the Emergency Room,” said Warren Franklin, RN, Director of Nursing for Maplewood. “From the Emergency Room, the patient could be looking at a 3-5 day hospital stay for IV therapy until they were well enough to return home. By offering IV Therapy here at Maplewood, the patient can remain here in their home and be cared for by the staff that care for them each day and know them best.”

The decision to offer IV Therapy services is one that has been researched and developed over the course of several years. “In order to offer this service, we needed to develop policies and procedures, train staff and develop competencies to ensure quality and safety,” Franklin said. “Our research and the support of Dr. Healey, told us that the service is needed.”

With the help of MaryAnne Healey, RN, Clinical Trainer, Franklin and the Maplewood team developed a comprehensive training program and members of the staff have been trained and are ready to start the program. United Helpers will also offer IV Therapy services at RiverLedge Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Ogdensburg.

“It is a good feeling to know that I can help to keep our residents out of the hospital,” said Julie Clifford, RN.

Maplewood and RiverLedge Health Care and Rehabilitation Centers are part of the United Helpers family of services. To learn more about United Helpers, please visit www.UnitedHelpers.org or follow United Helpers on Facebook.

Pictured from left to right are: Warren Franklin, RN, Director of Nursing; Mr. John Barrick; and Julie Clifford, RN.