SAN LEANDRO, Calif., July 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Scott Zeller, Chief of Psychiatric Emergency Services at Alameda County Medical Center's (ACMC's – www.acmedctr.org) John George Psychiatric Pavilion was honored today as a "Healthcare Hero" by the San Francisco Business Times. The annual awards recognize medical professionals and other care providers throughout the Bay Area for exemplary service and innovation.
In addition to Dr. Zeller's award, Cynthia "C.J." Johnson, a triage coordinator for ACMC's Highland Hospital Emergency Department, was recognized as a Healthcare Heroes finalist.
Dr. Zeller's work centers on patient communications, and in particular, verbal communications. For the past two years, Dr. Zeller has led a national multi-center project to create humane, patient-centered guidelines for treatment of agitated psychiatric patients in emergency departments.
The guidelines were published this spring in a six-article special section of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine and have drawn nationwide attention: the Journal publishers say Dr. Zeller's articles are the most downloaded in the publication's history. Dr. Zeller's work, already being implemented in many centers across the nation, calls for collaborative, rather than coercive, treatment of acutely mentally ill patients. The method keeps the patient involved in decisions around their own care, usually producing a calming effect that reduces agitation.
Dr. Zeller has proven that the use of verbal de-escalation of agitation and avoidance of restraints and compulsory administration of drugs in favor of collaborative treatments are very effective in reducing incidents of patient restraint and assaults on staff. Though other experts believe that restraints and compulsory medication equal a safer working environment, Dr. Zeller demonstrated with credible science and data that reductions in restraint and drug intervention produces no increase – and often major decreases – in staff injuries.
At John George, Dr. Zeller's work has had a tremendous and positive impact, says Guy Qvistgaard, hospital administrator at the facility.
"As a result of Scott's work, we have experienced a 50-percent decrease in instances of patient seclusion and/or restraint and a 50-percent decrease in assaults on staff by patients," Qvistgaard says, adding that the average length of stay by a patient has also decreased to align with national averages. "This data is better than we had hoped for and we are committed to Scott's methods as the path to delivering excellent care to our patients."
Dr. Zeller is also a co-founder of a program in Texas which provides on-demand psychiatric evaluation to remote and underserved locations via videoconferencing. The program won the 2011 American Psychiatric Association Gold Award for Innovation in Psychiatric Care.
'Waiting Room' star a finalist
In her job at Highland Hospital in Oakland, C.J. Johnson is often the first face that patients see when they arrive. She manages the waiting room traffic in Highland Hospital's Emergency Department – a job that is stressful and requires tremendous patience and an ability to communicate compassion and authority simultaneously to an endless and sometimes frustrated stream of waiting patients.
Johnson's incredible interpersonal skills are fully on display in a new documentary film about Highland Hospital called "The Waiting Room." The documentary, which offers an intimate look at a typical day at Highland Hospital and paints an unflinching portrait of what it is like to be sick or injured and without health insurance during an economic downturn, was featured at the recent San Francisco International Film Festival and received the festival's Golden Gate and Audience Awards for documentaries.
In one memorable scene, Johnson deftly calms a young man who had moments before been swearing and telling her to "shut up." Amazingly, by the end of their interaction, he is chuckling at himself, abashed, and no longer hostile.
"C.J.'s job may be the most challenging daily management role in America," says Dr. Barry Simon, chief of Emergency Medicine at ACMC. "We're so lucky to have someone with her skills because our waiting room is a nexus of many types of people from many different cultures; most of whom are in pain."
About Alameda County Medical Center
Alameda County Medical Center (www.acmedctr.org) is a nationally recognized public healthcare system with more than 2,800 employees, 500 physicians, and 475 accredited beds. ACMC provides comprehensive, high quality medical treatment and compassionate care to all residents of Alameda County.