Bladen Nurses Honored During Nurses Week

ELIZABETHTOWN – Two Bladen County nurses were recently honored by Cape Fear Valley Health System during national Nurses Week.

Jane Kinlaw, LPN, was one of 12 nurses named an Exemplary Nurse by the health system for 2012. The Bladenboro native works in Bladen Medical Associates’ Bladenboro Office.

The honor was bestowed upon Kinlaw for her consummate compassion both on and off the job. She recently came back to her clinic after hours to help a patient’s family after seeing them in a supermarket. A child in the family was out of asthma medication and the family could not afford a refill.

She also tirelessly reassures nervous patients about medication safety and provides financially strapped patients with the telephone number and address of the local Food Pantry. Kinlaw has worked at the Bladeboro Office for seven years and was nominated for her award by Pearline Grant, M.D.

Allison Strickland, RN, was named Bladen County Hospital’s Nurse of the Year for 2012. The Clarkton native won for her professional dedication and growth during the past two years. 

She chairs the hospital’s Nursing Policies and Procedures committees, as well as the Nursing Peer Review Team. Each committee’s goal is to identify opportunities to improve and enhance nursing care.

Strickland joined Bladen County Hospital in 2009. She works as a Charge Nurse on the hospital’s Surgical Services team and is cross-trained as an Emergency Department and Obstetrics nurse. Her focus is to provide excellent, safe care to patients using her strong clinical nursing background. 

BMA Clinics Earn Recognition For Patient-Centered Care

ELIZABETHTOWN – All three Bladen Medical Associates clinics have received Level 3 (highest level) designation as patient-centered medical home programs by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The three-year designation is provided through the Physician Practice Connections-Patient Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) program. It recognizes facilities that use evidence-based, patient-centered processes to address a patient’s entire range of healthcare needs, including disease prevention, early detection and care coordination.

The three Bladen Medical Associates clinics recognized are in Elizabethtown, Bladenboro and Dublin. Each demonstrated the ability to promote partnerships between patients and their clinicians, instead of emphasizing episodic office visits, which improves patient care quality and efficiency. 

Bladen Medical Associates Office New Location

BLADENBORO – Bladen Medical Associate’s Bladenboro Clinic has moved to a new, state-of-the-art location.  

The new primary care facility is located inside existing space at 1106 West Seaboard St., across from Bo’s Supermarket. Bladen Medical Associates-Bladenboro is leasing the 5,600-square-foot building and renovate it to offer new diagnostic services to area residents. The renovation began in late December and is expected to end in April. 

The project is a collaborative effort among the Town of Bladenboro, Bladen’s Bloomin Agri-Industrial, Inc., the N.C. Rural Center Foundation, the Golden Leaf Foundation and Bladen Healthcare, LLC. 

The leased space is completely renovated to accommodate the practice’s new services, including Obstetrics and Gynecology. A provider from Bladen Healthcare’s Women’s Health Specialists will have scheduled days at the facility.

X-rays, ultrasounds and blood draws will also be available at the practice for the first time. Local patients previously had to drive 20 minutes or more to obtain these services. 

“The staff and I are so excited about the new office,” said Pearline Grant, M.D. “It’s going to allow us to offer more services, which means we can provide a higher level of care to our patients. I just know that our patients are going to love the new building and services.”

The Bladenboro office also adds a new provider: Shelly Brown, FNP-C, a Bladenboro native. 

“I look forward to providing quality care,” Brown said, “not only to clients but to neighbors as well. This new building is to going to be great and the practice will continue to be an invaluable asset to our community.”