Anna Saunders

New York will become the first state in the country to require insurance companies to cover cooling caps to minimize hair loss impacts for breast cancer patient

Mary Johnson has been an LPN at Lakin Hospital in Mason County since 2007. She was an aide there before that and started as a contractor there when she was 19 t

Dave ArmstrongKanawha County Emergency Management Deputy Director“I’ve been a responder in this county since 1984, started with the volunteer fire service. This

by ANNA SAUNDERS Mon, October 27, 2025 at 6:08 PM Updated Mon, October 27, 2025 at 6:26 PM peia

Background We have had a succession of cases involving significant delays in patient discharges from the inpatient unit. We identified several factors contributing to these delays and felt that as a specialist unit with a limited number of beds serving the county, this was a problem that would benefit from a quality improvement approach.Aim To reduce the length of stay of patients on the inpatient unit where discharge to an alternative place of care is appropriate. Target: 10% reduction in average length of stay (LOS) over six months from January 2025.Method We formed a team of multidisciplinary members involved in the discharge process. We met monthly from November 2024 to review change ideas and implementation. We audited data throughout 2024, identifying patients with a LOS >2 weeks, when discharge planning was involved. We then compared these with 2025 data, Jan-March, and plan to review again in June to assess the impact of the changes at six months.Multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle changes included:Results A repeat audit of the first three months of 2025 indicated a reduction average LOS from the initial audit of three days; from 23 to 20. There were fewer outliers in the data, with an average reduction in the maximum length of stay of 15 days.Conclusion We feel that the quality improvement approach as well as enabling changes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the discharge process, has improved team working and communication. The three – monthly data indicate improvements in the LOS figures, and we are optimistic that as we continue to develop and implement change, the six – monthly data will demonstrate further improvement.

The man charged in Friday's fatal Logan County stabbing no longer has a bond after it was denied on Tuesday. Brent Compton, 49, is now looking at a first-degree murder charge, following a stabbing that happened Friday that killed one and injured another. John Michael Fortuna, 29, passed away on Saturday as a result of the stabbing injuries.

Barboursville School, a psychiatric facility in Cabell County that serves children with complex mental health needs, is set to close in February.TRACK ONE: men

A woman who pleaded guilty in the death of 35-year-old Cheyenne Johnson, whose body was found in a Sissonville well in May 2021, was sentenced to prison Tuesday

The enforcement of the silica rule, designed to help prevent black lung disease in coal miners, has once again been delayed, but this time because the enforcing