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Alexis “Lexi” Smith, BSN, RN, Cardiovascular Unit, Blessing Hospital, has earned the national status of Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Certification requirements include 1,750 hours of experience as a critical care nurse within a two-year period and passage of an examination. The certification demonstrates the nurse holding it has the special knowledge and experience required to care for critically ill patients. A native of Carthage, Illinois, Smith is a graduate of Western Illinois University and worked as a certified nurse assistant and nurse student intern at Memorial Hospital in Carthage before joining the Blessing Hospital staff in 2024. She is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Mental health matters just as much as physical health. But finding timely care can be challenging when providers are in short supply. That’s why Blessing Health System’s Integrated Care team is here, providing support for patients facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and even thoughts of self-harm. From crisis calls to consultations across OB/GYN, family medicine, bariatrics, and oncology, these dedicated professionals make a life-changing impact every day. One mother recently shared how Integrated Care helped her child through a mental health crisis, turning fear into hope and progress. Read the powerful story here: https://bit.ly/48xeiBP.
Blessing Hospital is among the healthcare providers named to the recently-issued list of Forbes Top Hospitals 2026, was one of only 235 hospitals to receive the maximum 5-star rating and the only Tri-State area hospital to make the list. This inaugural quality ranking of U.S. general acute care hospitals analyzed data on outcomes, best practices, value and patient experience. Forbes assigned a star rating, from one to five, across four categories to calculate a hospital’s overall score. The outcome category included 25 publicly reported measures, such as surgical site infection after colon surgery and 30-day readmission after discharge. Patient experience had 14 measures, Best practices had 10 and value had seven. Outcomes carried a 55% weight in the overall calculation, followed by best practices at 20%, value at 15% and patient experience at 10%. “The highest weight in the Forbes program is relative to mortality, infections and readmissions which has been a focus at Blessing for the past few years,” explained Lance Privett, administrative director, Quality and Performance Improvement, Blessing Health System, “The Blessing Hospital team has performed extremely well compared to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services national average, especially with mortality and infections.” “This recognition aligns with and reflects the outcomes the Blessing Hospital team has been delivering. It’s always exciting to be recognized for exceptional performance,” Privett concluded.
Our Team💙 Blessing Hospital’s Blessed Beginnings maternity care team received five awards at the recent Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) 13th Annual Conference. The ILPQC is made up of hospital teams, perinatal clinicians, patients, public health leaders, and policymakers committed to improving health care and outcomes for mothers and babies across Illinois. Blessed Beginnings earned: 💙 The Path to QI Excellence and Promoting Vaginal Birth QI Excellence awards for improving quality and reducing disparities, including sustaining initiatives like promoting vaginal birth 💙 The Patient and Community Engagement Champion Award for actively involving patients and their communities in quality improvement efforts 💙 The Perinatal Maternal Health Outstanding Launch Award and the QI excellence in the Equitable Safe Sleep in Infants initiative for the successful launches of these two initiatives “This accomplishment represents the consistent commitment to quality and improvement of outcomes by an entire multidisciplinary team of people who desire to enhance Blessing’s ability to provide a safe space to receive quality, equitable care for birthing people and their families,” said Jamie Kane, Ambulatory Associate Chief Nursing Officer.
Patient Care success goes international! 🌎 Blessing's own, (Laura Weigand, BSN, RN, CCRN, TNS; Tracy Viers, APRN, AC-AGCNS; and Eydie Tipton, DNP, RN, CCRN, CNML, EBP-C), had their quality improvement initiative published nationally and presented it in-person at the 2025 American Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference earlier this month. More than 14,000 nurses from around the world attended the conference, which showcases excellence in nursing practice and innovation. Blessing Health is doing BIG THINGS! 💪 Ready to join an innovative, patient-centered organization? We look forward to welcoming you to the team! https://bit.ly/2ZmCl1c #BHSCareers #Magnet #ExperienceTheBlessingDifference
Breathe easy, right? “I envisioned what every mother does - a day in the hospital, the golden hours with our baby, then heading right home to settle in to our new life.” - Katie Elmore Read more about this little fighter's neonatal journey and how our team at Blessing helped everyone get a breath of relief.
If you’re lucky enough to meet Illini Community Hospital nurse Ashley Holland, you might notice a small gold brain pin on her uniform. That pin isn’t just jewelry—it’s a badge of honor. Ashley is the very first Illini nurse to receive the Blessing Health System Stroke Recognition Pin for her quick action and lifesaving role in helping 78-year-old Linda Smith of Pittsfield. Heroes don’t always wear capes—sometimes they wear scrubs and carry a heart full of compassion. Check out the full story https://bit.ly/4fRqzCW and join us in celebrating Ashley for her incredible impact!
If you’re lucky enough to meet Illini Community Hospital nurse Ashley Holland, you might notice a small gold brain pin on her uniform. That pin isn’t just jewelry—it’s a badge of honor. Ashley is the very first Illini nurse to receive the Blessing Health System Stroke Recognition Pin for her quick action and lifesaving role in helping 78-year-old Linda Smith of Pittsfield. Heroes don’t always wear capes—sometimes they wear scrubs and carry a heart full of compassion. Check out the full story https://bit.ly/4fRqzCW and join us in celebrating Ashley for her incredible impact!
We have a number of ways to recognize our coworkers who go the extra mile to deliver high-quality, safe care and an exceptional experience - there is Kudos, The DAISY and Honey Bee awards and the newest award - the Exceptional Provider award. Six providers recently received the awards: Drs. Salvador Sanchez, behavioral health; Mary Kussman, anesthesiology; Pierre Raad, pediatrics; Michael Kirkpatrick, family medicine; Arthur Ankeney, emergency medicine and William Andel, APRN-BC, orthopedics and sports medicine. More than 60 providers were nominated for the award in the areas of service, quality, patient experience, teamwork and access. Also, as part of our 2025 Doctors Day observance, we recognize providers celebrating services anniversaries. Employed providers recognized included Drs. Josue Acevedo, Mark Baker, Myron Jones, Darr Leutz, Barry Werries, Adnan Mushtaq, Luc Tchapnda, Mark Wavrunek and Chad Noggle, PHD, ABPP-CN, ABN for 5 years of service; Dr. Mary Frances Barthel for 10 years; Dr. Hammock for 15 years; Arif Bari, Gina Dietrich, Michael Kirkpatrick and Salvador Sanchez for 20 years and for 30 years of service - Dr. Stuart Pyatt. Congratulations and thank you to each provider nominated as an Exceptional Provider, the six who won the inaugural award and those recognized for service anniversaries. We are proud to work alongside you in our quest to be exceptional!
Our Mt. Sterling Clinic and Outpatient Behavioral Services have teamed up to expand clinic access through a new service. Destiny Craven, psychiatrics mental health nurse practitioner, has joined the Blessing Health Mt. Sterling clinic team, offering on-site behavioral care for the first time since the clinic opened in 2021. Destiny has a passion for removing the barriers of travel and access that can stop rural residents from seeking behavioral care. The Mt. Sterling clinic team has a passion not only for providing convenient access to healthcare for rural residents but also providing the type of healthcare services that are needed the most. That makes Destiny a perfect fit for this team. Thanks to our expanded Mt. Sterling Clinic team for helping us as we work towards reaching our Access to Care Goal!
