Sabine County Hospital is licensed for 25 inpatient acute care beds, all of which may be used as “swing beds” or skilled nursing beds to meet the needs of Medicare patients who need extra time to heal and strengthen following an acute care stay. As a Level IV Trauma Center, the Emergency Department at Sabine County Hospital serves as the first responder for injured and ill patients living, working or visiting in the area. Other hospital services supporting the Hospital, Emergency Department and Clinic include: CT scanning, general x-ray and ultrasound; physical therapy and laboratory testing.
The Emergency Department at Sabine County Hospital is designated by the State of Texas as a Level IV Trauma Center. Open 24-hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year, the department is staffed by highly-qualified medical providers and nursing staff trained to deliver medical care at all levels from minor injuries and illnesses to major accidents and life threatening conditions.
These professionals are certified in Advance Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). Nursing staff members also receive advance trauma training.
Through the hospital’s affiliation with Avera eCare, the services of local providers are complemented by those of board certified emergency room physicians and critical care nurses immediately available through telemedicine. At the touch of a button, equipment installed in the hospital’s two trauma rooms is instantly connected by to eCare’s virtual hospital command center through a dedicated fiber optic line.
The purpose of any Emergency Department is to save lives. An emergency is any medical problem that could cause death or permanent injury if not treated quickly. Severe pain in some instances can also be a medical emergency, such as the pain associated with kidney stones or appendicitis.
Some examples of medical emergencies are:
What TO DO When You Have a Medical Emergency
What TO DO When You Have a Non-Emergency
The primary mission of Sabine County Hospital is to provide our patients the appropriate level of medical care in the fastest, most efficient manner possible. True medical emergencies should be treated in the Emergency Department. Often, patients come to the Emergency Department for care that could be provided by a primary care provider, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.
Some examples of non-emergencies are:
Since the primary focus of any Emergency Department is to treat the critically ill and injured first, patients seeking treatment of minor illnesses and injuries may have to wait longer to see a physician. Additionally, your health insurance plan may not cover treatment of non-emergencies in the Emergency Department.
There are other options for care that may be more convenient and appropriate. When a minor illness or injury strikes, you should first seek treatment by your primary care provider in his or her office.
Sabine County Hospital is licensed for 25 inpatient acute care beds. As a result, the hospital can care for inpatients with acute conditions such as heart attack, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and influenza, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, etc.
As part of the Swing Bed Program established by Medicare, all of the acute care beds may be used as skilled nursing beds for qualified patients.
At Sabine County Hospital, our nursing staff comprises the heart of our patient care programs. Our compassionate staff is highly-trained and certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC). Comprised of Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA), Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) and Registered Nurses (RN), our nursing staff provides a wide range of patient care and education services, as well as emotional support for our patients and family members.
Sabine County Hospital offers onsite a wide range of highly complex laboratory services including phlebotomy, hematology, chemistry, special chemistry, serology, immuno-hematoloy. Some of the more common tests help providers determine whether or not patients have diabetes, high cholesterol, or infections. But other tests can be critical to determining the cause of abdominal or chest pain.
The professionals who staff the laboratory sometimes go unnoticed, but the role they play is vital to the diagnosis and treatment of disease at the hospital, emergency department and clinics. While education requirements differ, MLTs (medical laboratory technicians) and MTs (medical technologists) perform overlapping functions, including preparation of specimens, operation of automated laboratory analyzers and performance of manual testing. Phlebotomists draw blood samples from patients and may also prepare specimens for medical testing.
The laboratory is certified through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Health Facility Compliance Group. We maintain compliance under the authority of the Public Health Services Act commonly known as Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA 88). These services include phlebotomy, hematology, chemistry, special chemistry, serology, immuno-hematoloy and reference laboratory availability.
Diagnostic X-rays
Diagnostic x-rays are routine diagnostic exams that are done by using electromagnetic radiation directed at a certain body structure to record an image onto a digital film plate. Digital radiography is a filmless x-ray image capture. Instead of using film, the x-ray image is recorded on a plate and made available as a digital file that can be saved as part of the patient’s medical record.
On an x-ray, the parts of your body appear light or dark due to the different rates that your tissues absorb the x-rays. Calcium in bones absorbs x-rays the most, so bones look white on the image. Fat and other soft tissues absorb less, and look gray. Air absorbs least, so lungs look black.
X-ray examination is painless, fast and easy. The amount of radiation exposure you receive during an x-ray examination is small.
CT Scan (Cat Scan or Computed Tomography)
A CT scan is a painless, sophisticated x-ray system that uses a computer and a rotating x-ray device to create detailed, cross-sectional images or slices of organs and other body structures. These images are then sent from the computer to the radiologist to make a diagnosis from these images.
CT imaging is considered a safe examination. While CT does involve x-rays, the diagnostic benefits are usually considered to outweigh the risks of x-ray exposure.
CT is often the preferred method for diagnosing head and spine injuries, lung and liver disease, cancer, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and other diseases and illnesses. The images allow the radiologist to confirm the presence of a tumor and measure its size, precise location and the extent of the tumor’s involvement with other nearby tissue.
Sabine County Hospital’s 16 slice CT machine decreased the average CT exam time and reduces the radiation exposure to the patient due to its enhanced collimation. This means that each patient undergoing a CT scan will experience a shorter exam which may lead to an even more rapid diagnosis. Due to its speed and sensitivity, CT is designed to secure detailed images of patients who may not be able to be imaged in MRI machines (due to metal or pacemakers).
Some CT exams require a contrast agent to enhance the pictures taken by the CT scanner. You will receive special instructions if your exam requires an oral or intravenous contrast agent in advance.
Ultrasound (Sonogram)
Ultrasound, also called diagnostic medical sonography, uses high-frequency sound waves to produce precise images of body structures. These images provide information used to diagnose and guide treatment. Ultrasound is used in many areas of medicine. It’s commonly used to look for subtle differences between healthy and unhealthy areas in the organs of the neck, abdomen and pelvis. It is also used to locate and determine the extent of disease in blood vessels, as well as for imaging small parts such as the thyroid gland, carotid arteries and testicles.
Some ultrasound exams require special instructions that will be discussed with you by your physician.
The Sabine County Hospital Physical Therapy Department provides inpatient and outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation services to patients with:
Physical therapy services are provided by certified physical therapists five days a week, Monday through Friday.
The role of the Pharmacy is to promote safe and effective medication therapy of hospitalized patients. The pharmacy ensures that medical, nursing and pharmacy staffs are provided with patient specific drug information in order to improve drug therapy outcomes. The pharmacy is equipped with software to alert staff of clinical interventions by providing drug information and clinical decision support to reduce the risk for adverse drug events.
The Medical Records or Health Information Management Department of the Sabine County Hospital is responsible for the maintenance and retention of all hard copy and electronic medical records. The department also maintains the records regarding advanced directives that patients have placed on file with the facility.
The department assists medical practitioners and other facilities on an immediate basis should the need arise for a copy of medical records which are vital to continued patient care. In addition, medical records may be requested by patients for legal or personal purposes, as well as the department processing requests from legal entities via subpoenas.
The Medical Records Department checks all records for completion and is responsible for completing several monthly statistical reports. The department is responsible for insuring that diagnosis and procedure coding is completed as well as transcription of all dictated medical records.
The credentialing of medical practitioners is also processed through this department. The final responsibility of this department lies in the precise filing of all medical records in order to assure ready access when the records are needed. The department is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Medical records requests can be faxed to: (409) 787-4987.
Our wound care team is nationally accredited in advanced wound, skin, and ostomy care, working under the supervision of our Medical Director. The wound care team has extensive knowledge and is proficient in all types of wound care including, but not limited to: pressure Injuries, vascular wounds, arterial wounds, neuropathic wounds, burns and amputations.
The Swing Bed Program at Sabine County Hospital is for Medicare patients discharged from Sabine County or any other hospital following an acute illness, injury or surgery, who still need time and physical therapy to heal and strengthen before going home.
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