Lexington, March 12, 2025 – Appalachian Regional Healthcare is proud to announce that several employees have been selected to present at the upcoming Kentucky Health Association (KHA) 2025 Quality Conference this month. The KHA Quality Conference is an event where healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing safety and patient care have opportunities to hear guest speakers and from colleagues across the state.

Jeneen Carman, System Chief Nursing Officer for ARH, says there are many benefits to presenting at state and national conferences. “As a clinician, having your project accepted at a conference signals that the project meets professional standards and can add to the learning of others.  It also gains exposure among peers, experts, and potential future collaborators.  The added benefits of being recognized help connect healthcare professionals to others that allow them to share experiences, build relationships and foster collaboration. Anytime a clinician can interact with peers, they’re able to learn innovative solutions first-hand.”

Rachel Barton, MBA, MLS(AMT), System Director of Laboratory and Pathology Services, and Ashley Johnson, MLS (ASCP) POC and Quality Coordinator of Laboratory and Pathology Services will present their project, Blood Culture Contamination, on how the contamination rate across the system was reduced. This contamination heavily impacts clinical decision making and patient length of stay.

Belinda Ritchie, DNP, RN, CPHQ, HACP-CMS, Director of Process & Performance for Whitesburg and Jessica Johnson, BSN, MBA, RN, Community Chief Nursing Officer for Whitesburg AHR Hospital, will present the Meds-to-Beds Program, a project centered on the delivery of medications to patients before they are discharged from the hospital. One goal of the project was to reduce readmission rates as two-thirds of readmissions are due to medication issues. The project was initiated at Whitesburg ARH Hospital but has now become a system-wide initiative to include all 14 hospital facilities in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia.

Dee Browning, DNP RN CNE EBP-C HACP-CMS, Assistant Vice President of Nursing Education & Professional Practice, will present a project on standardized nursing orientation for the healthcare system. The goal of the project was to develop an evidence-based approach to delivering a quality nursing orientation program that ensures nurses at every ARH facility receive the same information and competency expectations.

Carman says, “Encouraging clinical staff to participate in quality improvement projects within their hospitals and then to have their hard work recognized by others in the healthcare industry is a wonderful testament to the positive impacts that improving clinical care can have – not only for our patients, but also our employees’ professional development.”

“We are incredibly proud of our team for earning this opportunity to represent ARH on a state level. We look forward to seeing their insights contribute to meaningful discussions and learning at the conference,” Carman says.

The KHA Quality Conference will be held March 17-19 in Lexington, Kentucky.