St. Vincent’s East continues to expand and enhance its offerings improves offerings

By David Lazenby
Editor

St. Vincent East Continues To Expand And Enhance Its Offerings

Andrew Gnann, president and COO of St. Vincent’s East, a part of Ascension, said community members who have not visited the Trussville hospital recently may be surprised to see all that is new at the facility since when the hospital was known as Medical Center East.

“I think, at a high level, St. Vincent’s East, over the last several years, has really changed,” Gnann said.

As a part of St. Vincent’s Health System and Ascension, we’re able to offer the knowledge, expertise and resources of the largest not-for-profit health system in the country. This allows us to bring some of the latest and most innovative technology to our patients close to home.

Among the improvements Gnann cites include the renovation of the hospital’s birthing suites, an investment in the hospital’s cardiology department and innovations in techniques used to treat patients with cancer.

In addition, the hospital continues to have a strong focus on orthopedics, offering highly skilled physicians and a wide range of services, including a nurse navigator to guide patients through the joint replacement process.

I want the citizens of Trussville to be confident, and feel lucky, that they have a hometown hospital that is here to serve them,” Gnann said. “

Gnann said St. Vincent’s East also offers to Trussville citizens convenience they won’t find in many downtown hospitals. In addition to being close to their homes, the hospital also offers a wide range of specialties, more than 200 active staff members and free parking.

More importantly, Gnann said the hospital’s staff prides itself on helping to provide patients with great outcomes to their health and wellness issues.

Gnann said he is particularly proud of St. Vincent’s East’s cardiology services.

“There are physicians from around the southeast including UAB, UMC in Jackson and Vanderbilt, who come here to train with our cardiologists and our cath lab,” Gnann said, adding he believes the hospital’s team of cardiologists is as good as any other in the nation.

However, the cardiology department is not the only area in which St. Vincent’s East shines.

Prior to 2007, the hospital was owned by Eastern Health System before it became a part of St. Vincent’s Health System.

In the decade that followed, Gnann said the hospital has seen significant growth in several areas of health care.

Because of the growth in community confidence in the facility, St. Vincent’s East now performs the most bariatric surgeries of any hospital in Jefferson County, according to Gnann who added the hospital’s emergency room, is second only to UAB in terms of volume.

“I think there’s a marked difference, especially when it comes to patient experience, at the hospital,” he said.

Gnann, who is from Birmingham, earned his master of science in health administration and master of business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his bachelor of science in business administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In 2012, Andrew participated in the Ascension Executive Ministry Leadership Formation program.

He has been at the local hospital since 2004 when it was still being run by its previous owner. This, he said, has allowed him to see first-hand how the hospital has evolved.

Gnann started at the hospital as an administrative resident. He was named the hospital’s president in 2016.

“I’ve been very blessed over 13 years to go from a role as a student to the president,” he said. “I love this hospital, and I love this community it serves. I think of the hospital as a hidden gem up on the hill.”

As we look to the future, our focus is on providing the right care, at the right time, at the right place. That means expanding access for people to receive our services and looking at new and innovative ways to deliver care – whether it’s online primary care booking options or virtual physician visits with our new St. Vincent’s On Demand offering. We want to be there when and where our patients need to access our services.

In addition, Gnann predicts offerings in the future, from all hospitals, will include an emphasis on care in an outpatient setting. A great example of this is the new state-of-the-art outpatient facility St. Vincent’s Health System will be opening in Trussville in late 2017. The facility will be located at 7201 Happy Hollow Road, off Deerfoot Parkway, and will include diagnostics, a primary care practice, after hours care, wellness services, physical therapy and a number of specialist physician practices.

“We want to make sure that the citizens in that area of town have a St. Vincent’s outpatient facility accessible to them,” Gnann said.

“Our emphasis on keeping people out of the hospital is an important piece, and that has so much to do with us focusing on getting people assigned to a primary care physician,” he said. “People need to have a primary care physician, and they need to go to the primary care physician at least once a year, or when they need to, so they are maintaining their health, they are addressing issues before they develop an acute care problem in which they have to come to a hospital. We want to encourage people to take care of themselves. We think seeing a primary care can help people stay on track.”

Gnann said St. Vincent’s East more immediate future goals include a stronger focus on endocrinology, which is the field of medicine that deals with the treatment of diabetes.

“We have a high prevalence of diabetes in Alabama, yet there is a definite lack of clinical providers across the nation,” Gnann said. “We want to provide better care for people with diabetes.”

Presently, Gnann said he is excited about the hospital’s new linear accelerator, a device used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer.

“That is the most current technology available for treating cancer,” he said. “We’re very proud to offer that.”

In addition, the hospital is committed to offering seminars and other resources to help educate and connect patients to the services that best meet their needs. Most immediately, St. Vincent’s East will be hosting a joint pain seminar on September 21 at 6 p.m. with board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Martin at the Trussville Civic Center. To register, call 205-939-7878. For information on the latest seminars and offerings, visit stvhs.com/east.

St. Vincent’s East is located at 50 Medical Park East Drive in Birmingham. To contact the hospital, call 205-838-3000.
“The future of health care may be uncertain, but the future of St. Vincent’s East is bright,” Gnann added.