Rome Memorial Hospital launches educational television system

ROME — Rome Memorial Hospital has introduced a new television system to provide patient and staff education on the hospital’s 1500 N. James St. campus.

The Rome Hospital Foundation, the hospital’s fund-raising arm, secured a $50,000 grant from M&T Bank for the purchase of a nine-channel medical media-on-demand system. It delivers patient education on topics such as relaxation, diabetes, lung disease, surgeries, pregnancy and newborn care, lifestyle, and general health advice.

The programming, which will be selected by the hospital’s education department, will be broadcast through the existing local cable system in patient rooms and staff areas as closed-circuit channels.

“We are grateful to M&T Bank for their generosity and ongoing support of Rome Memorial Hospital,” Gregory Mattacola, board president of the Rome Hospital Foundation, said in a news release. “The new television system will help educate our patients and their families and enable them to learn more about their diagnosis while they recuperate in the hospital.”

With the help of this education program, patients are able to better understand their diagnosis, treatment, and be prepared to care for themselves properly at home, according to Gale Barone, director of education and employee health at Rome Memorial Hospital.

“Studies done on hospitalized patients show that only 50 to 60 percent of the information provided to them by health-care professionals is retained,” Barone said in the release. “Our patient education television system reinforces key information in a format that is easy to understand. This will improve patient outcomes and satisfaction and decrease re-admissions to the hospital.”

In addition to the patient education program, the hospital will also initiate a staff education channel through this television system.

“New medications, treatments, and technologies are developed every day,” Barone said. “Health-care providers need to constantly update their knowledge. The staff education channel is one more tool to help educate caregivers and employees, many of whom work various shifts.”

Rome Memorial Hospital has nearly 1,000 full and part-time employees, 181 physicians, 130 acute-care beds, 80 long-term care beds, and 6,000 yearly patient visits, according to its website. The hospital’s total operating budget in 2012 was $93 million.

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