Nursing officer has new role, expanded duties
Debra Casey is the new director of nursing at St. Luke Hospital. In December, she replaced Jane King as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
Casey came to Marion from Newman Hospital at Emporia, where she worked for two years in the emergency room and as night supervisor. She also spent a short time at Emporia Surgical Center.
Casey wasn't a complete stranger to the staff at St. Luke because during her time at Newman she spent two days a week in surgery in Marion.
"Employees were very welcoming and encouraging," she said. "The hospital has a nice patient population, which reflects well on the community."
As director of nursing, Casey is experiencing her first job as an administrator.
"You have to be independent and resourceful," she said. "I see it as a great opportunity and feel fortunate to have been provided this experience."
She primarily is responsible for nursing care during patient stays. She supervises the operating room and minor procedure room. She also devises ways to improve care and provide staff education.
It is her job to recruit, hire, and evaluate employees and ensure that their certification is kept up to date.
She said St. Luke has a high percentage of nurses with advanced training in such things as cardiovascular life support, obstetrics, and oncology.
"Staff members at a small hospital wear many caps," she said, which requires them to have expertise in more than one area.
As an example, she noted that the director of surgery also plays an active role in risk management and quality assurance.
One obstetrics nurse also is responsible for ordering pharmaceuticals. Oncology nurses work in the clinic and hospital and administer chemotherapy.
"We try to offer services that a small community needs," Casey said, explaining that the hospital provides a "huge" number of outpatient services. These include lab work, minor procedures such as colonoscopies, and mammograms.
Casey is proud of the fact that in a recent state inspection of the facility, no deficiencies were found. She said the hospital was given "critical access" status, which allows higher reimbursements.
St. Luke has a partnership with Via Christi hospitals in Wichita, making more benefits available.
"That is important to a small hospital's survival," she said.
As an employee of Banner Health Systems, which administers St. Luke Hospital, Casey implements new initiatives which Banner institutes throughout the year.
For example, a recent initiative requires that antibiotics be administered to patients who need them within at least two and one-half hours of admittance.
She and other staff members attend conferences at various times throughout the year to gain information and know-how in coordinating all departments.
Casey coordinates efforts of the living center, home health, and hospice in establishing plans for elderly residents after they leave the hospital.
She said she enjoys her job and interacting with people.
"I'm always available for concerns, requests, or suggestions," she said.
Casey is a graduate of Washburn University, Topeka, and worked for 15 years in her hometown of Lawrence in the surgical unit of Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
She has a Lincolnville address. She and husband Larry live on a ranch in the northwest corner of Chase County. They have one three-year-old daughter, Rebecca.
