Adena employees honored for Bright Ideas

CHILLICOTHE — Lometa Smith was honored this month for submitting the best of the brightest in last year’s Bright Ideas competition, which enables Adena Health System employees to suggest ways of saving money and improving service.

A gala was held in the PACCAR Medical Education Center to recognize the top winners in the 2010 competition. This marks the second year for Bright Ideas.

Smith, the Nurse Manager of 2A and CPCU, discovered that cardiac rhythms can be printed on ordinary printer paper, rather than on the special and more expensive cardiac strip paper that has been traditionally used.

It’s an especially notable discovery when you consider that cardiac rhythms are taken every four hours for each patient on 2 North/CPCU, where she works. Other floors also conduct cardiac monitoring.

“We spend about $48,000 a year on this (cardiac strip) paper,” she said. But if every unit with cardiac monitors was to use ordinary paper, and that’s now in the works, Adena could save a tremendous amount of money, she said with a smile.

Following close behind the first-place winner was Matt Hayes, a Maintenance Technician at PACCAR, for his idea to purchase fish that eat grass and insect larva for the center’s pond – eliminating the need for chemicals to be added each month. The one-time purchase of fish, at a cost of $900, resulted in a cost savings of $14,350 annually.

“We saw some fantastic ideas,” said Candice Kennedy, who oversees Bright Ideas. “And in this program, everybody is a leader.”

Here are the other winners: Karen Pearson, third place; Natalie Di Ionno: fourth place; Sherman Hawk: fifth place; Sarah Garrison, sixth place; Pam Ramsey, seventh place; and Sherri Cox, eighth place. Honorable mentions went to Stacey Clagg, Tobi Cox and Brian Young.

Visit “News & Events” at www.Adena.org to see other news releases.

About Adena Health System

Adena Health System is an independent, not-for-profit and locally controlled healthcare organization serving the needs of 13 counties in south-central Ohio and employing more than 2,400 people. Adena provides specialty services typically found in larger medical centers, like open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, cancer care and advanced orthopedic procedures, including reverse shoulder surgery, total joint replacement and minimally invasive spine surgery. The health system is based in Chillicothe, OH.