Since 1923, Parkway Medical Center has proudly served the citizens of Decatur. Today, I am ecstatic to announce that Parkway has been recognized as a Top 100 Hospital™ by the 2009-2010 Hospital Value Index™. Ranked #28 in the nation, this means in a study of 4,500 hospitals nationwide, Parkway is among the top 1% of hospitals in providing extraordinary healthcare at great value.

Read story in Decatur Daily.

The Hospital Value Index™ recognized Parkway Medical Center in the following categories:
• Top 100 Hospital™ (Parkway ranked #28 in the nation.)
• Hospital Value Index™: Best Kept Secret
• Best in Value™ : Quality, Affordability & Efficiency, and Satisfaction
• Best in Value™: Superior Quality Merit Award
• Hospital Value Index™: Best in Region
• Hospital Value Index™: Best in State

The Hospital Value Index™ – presented by Data Advantage, LLC, an independent, nationally recognized healthcare data company – is the first hospital recognition program to take a comprehensive view of the value of care hospitals like Parkway provide to their communities. The study, which analyzed expansive public data from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide, ranked 3,000 general acute-care hospitals according to success in the critical areas of quality, affordability, efficiency, patient satisfaction and overall reputation.

This designation places Parkway in the top tier of hospitals nationwide. It recognizes our employees, physicians and volunteers for not only the outstanding healthcare services they provide to patients everyday – but also the experience those patients have from the moment they walk through our doors. Parkway’s success is 100% due to each one of them.

We are committed to providing the highest quality healthcare close to where you live and work. This award is a great achievement for our hospital and for members of our community who have and continue to support the mission of Parkway Medical Center.

You can learn more about the study at www.hospitalvalueindex.com.

My name is Beth. I have worked at Parkway Medical Center for just over two years now. I moved 127 miles away from my family to Decatur in 2007. Since I have been here the people at Parkway have become my family and, little did I know, I was about to find out just how much that meant! In December 2008, I got married to a wonderful man, Brian. Exactly one week later, I went to the doctor and he found a large mass attached to one of my ovaries. Talk about a scary moment! When the doctor came back in and started saying things like cancer, I think my entire world just stopped in that moment. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I called my mom to let her know and, of course, we both cried.

I went back to work to let my boss know what was going on, and he and everyone else were so caring and supportive that it really touched me to know that I had a family here at Parkway. I then went to a specialist, Dr. Kelly, at Clearview Cancer Institute in Huntsville. There I learned that the mass was even larger than they first thought and that because of the size the possibility of it being cancerous was very slim, but not impossible. My new husband and I, along with my family back home, clung to this hope.

I had surgery on January 12th to remove the mass. Unfortunately, the mass turned out to be my entire ovary which was now the size of a football. My left ovary was removed and samples were sent to a pathologist to see if there were any signs of cancer. I remember everything about the moment Brian told me that it was cancer. It was the day after my surgery and the anesthesia had finally worn off enough so that I wasn’t sleeping anymore. Brian sat down on the bed beside me and told me what the doctor said. The cancer was in the early stages (Stage 1 Grade II) and the doctor was able to remove the entire tumor without it bursting so no cancer cells were able to get out. We knew that chemotherapy and or radiation were a possibility but because it was in the early stages they were not sure.

I was off work for about six weeks. During that time, I learned that my mom’s brain cancer had returned. This was a lot to process! She was my mom and I needed her right now, but I soon realized that she needed me to be there for her. She scheduled her surgery and was about to start a very long process while my own journey was only just beginning. After speaking with Dr. Kelly and another oncologist it was decided I would have 4-6 chemo treatments after my husband and I underwent IVF to ensure (since I only had one ovary left and we didn’t know how chemo would affect it) that we would be able to eventually have children. The process took about a month to complete and then I started my chemotherapy. I had a total of 4 treatments. Although they got me down for about 5 days afterwards, my side effects were minimal. I was glad to be finished though! Now I’m just waiting on my hair to grow back! I thought that losing my hair would be the hardest part because I always had such long, pretty hair. But after it started coming out, I just shaved it off! I couldn’t take it anymore! Finally, it’s slowly beginning to grow back…I can’t wait!

This whole ordeal has been a very lengthy process, and now it seems to finally be coming to an end. My mom had several chemo treatments before the doctors decided that they couldn’t do anything else. After being in and out of the hospital several times, she is now on hospice care at home. The last 7 months have been very difficult. I knew that I would be okay so my main concern was with my mom. I didn’t, and still do not, want to lose my mom. I take comfort in knowing that it is all in God’s hands and that, no matter what happens, He will take care of everything. Throughout everything, my family here at Parkway has been amazing. I am so thankful to have people around me that love and care about me.

Kim Johnston, a 10-year nurse at Parkway, was widely respected and loved by her patients, colleagues, supervisors – and Eagle Scout Troop 303.  When the 43-year-old nurse died in July 2007 of cancer, the Eagle Scouts of Trinity United Methodist Church wanted to honor her memory.  They hand made a toy box, and put treasures of Kim inside the box as a permanent reminder of their affection for her heart and soul.

Parkway is continuing to honor the heart and soul of our hospital by featuring a special staff member on this site.  While we posthumously honor Kim, we look forward to sharing more about the heart and soul of the people who serve others every day.