Partners
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Barbara Bossie
Building Networks
Imagine you are responsible for the emergency department and all outpatient services of a small rural hospital; one that serves the largest county east of the Mississippi River. Although it's the sole source of care for many people who live there, your small hospital doesn't have a lot of resources - money to spend, buildings to use, technology to move ahead or colleagues for collaboration.
Welcome to Barbara Bossie's world.
As the Director of Outpatient Services and Regulatory Compliance for Houlton Regional Hospital, Bossie faces the daily challenges associated with delivering quality health care in a rural area. Her job provides an insider's view of the comprehensive health care needs of her community, and she knows first-hand how hard it can be to meet those needs.
Over the years, MeHAF has been a key partner for Bossie in building resources for Houlton Regional Hospital as it plans how to best address uniquely rural issues. In 2002, the hospital received a grant to provide three new services: hand therapy, a continence program for women and equipment needed for children with autism, brain injury and developmental disorders to help them communicate. These are minor changes on the surface, but for those who no longer have to drive over two hours each way for hand therapy, it is nothing short of life-changing.
The Foundation's investment in Houlton Regional Hospital and other rural hospitals has also strengthened Bossie's professional network. In 2008, her hospital participated in a statewide Safety Collaborative for Critical Access Hospitals in Maine. Together with the Office of Rural Health, the University of Southern Maine's Muskie Institute, and the Maine Quality Forum, MeHAF provided support for Bossie and counterparts from across Maine to take on the common denominators important to enhancing patient safety.
Bossie and her peers learned best practices and shared their experiences and expertise in a facilitated, open process that focused on common challenges and framed potential policy and practice solutions. "We were able to network, share ideas and knowledge, and provide support to each other as we worked to implement programs at our hospitals to promote medication safety," says Bossie. "As a result, we became a very cohesive group and continue to work closely together today."
The project helped Houlton Regional Hospital implement a new Computerized Physician Order Entry system, jumpstarting their use of electronic medical records. Used initially by physicians in the emergency room to manage medication, the system reduces variability in care, prevents drug interactions and ensures correct dosages. "It supports our hospital's mission to provide safe, high quality, compassionate care to the communities we serve."
Bossie still faces the day-to-day challenges of rural health care delivery, but her work with other small hospitals has made her feel better connected to the resources and support needed to address them.