DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020127

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, STAFF WRITER     

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   45 lines

ALBEMARLE HOSPITAL GIVES SERIOUS TRAINING A TWIST A HALLOWEEN FAIR HELPS THE STAFF PREPARE FOR ACCREDITATION SURVEY.

A Halloween fair at Albemarle Hospital had the serious purpose of helping prepare the staff for its accreditation survey coming early next year.

Hospitals seek the three-year accreditation, but not all of them get it. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations inspects hospitals regularly and has toughened its standards in recent years. Hospitals have adjusted by intensifying staff training.

``We've looked at what we're doing and how we could do things better,'' said Joyce Sawyer, director of Quality Resources Management and hostess of the hospital fair with a Halloween flavor.

``When you come to work every day, you look at what your performance is and how you can make it better.''

The fair, held Thursday through Saturday, was mandatory for all of Albemarle Hospital's 800-plus staff members. Hospital employees could visit each table of 12 teams, play the games, gather the information, eat a piece of candy or two and be back to work within 30 minutes. The whole thing fit into one first-floor room.

``Our main goal is to have fun and to learn something at the same time,'' Sawyer said.

The hospital's 12 teams tackled various tasks, ranging from keeping hazardous materials off the floor to new and more careful methods of restraining disturbed patients.

The patient rights team recently solved one of the problems of communication between staff and patients by compiling a book of customs and languages of various nations and religions.

One section offers common questions in English and in other languages. The staff used it to answer requests by some Greek patients recently.

The book took seven months to put together, said Anita Lamothe, director of volunteers. There are also more volunteer translators available to the hospital.

Albemarle Hospital scored 98 out of 100 on its accreditation survey three years ago. Every hospital wants to score at least in the 90s, Sawyer said. Those that don't will receive only temporary accreditation.

The JCAHO has stiffened the rules considerably this time. The fair and the extra training are to make sure the staff is ready to earn another good score and three more years of accreditation.

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