When we hear the phrase “patient education” we often picture a patient watching a video on the hospital television or a nurse providing instruction at bedside. And those are perfectly valid images to be sure. But are they perhaps a bit limited?

Well some folks in Greenville, South Carolina have proven that if you’re willing to use your imagination and stretch the boundaries of “typical” patient education, the results can be truly extraordinary.

The Vision

When we first started talking about this, we thought how wonderful it would be to have one location with comprehensive heart disease information.

What if — instead of receiving education in bits and pieces, here and there — patients and their families could get all the information they needed through a single comprehensive resource? One stop shopping, if you will. And what if the public also had access to this resource, so that your educational efforts benefited not only your patient population, but the entire community?

That’s exactly the unique vision that has been brought to life by the brand new William Newton and Elizabeth Horton Turrentine Heart Education Center at Greenville Hospital System (GHS). Having just celebrated its grand opening February 22, 2007, this groundbreaking facility features 1600 square feet of space housing a myriad of learning opportunities on cardiovascular health. Its highlights include a 6-foot tall anatomical heart model, 14 interactive learning displays, computer workstations, a library, an amphitheater and a children’s corner – all designed to educate both patients and the public alike on heart disease treatment and prevention.

“When we first started talking about this, we thought how wonderful it would be to have one location with comprehensive heart disease information — primary prevention, secondary prevention — that would tie in all the information that we’re giving to our patients,” says Gina Turcotte, who serves as Director of Philanthropy and Partnership for Cardiovascular and Cancer Services at GHS and was the driving force behind the creation of the education center. “We do so many procedures here, but it shouldn’t just be about doing procedures. It’s about giving people the information and the means to make the right decisions.”

Now the center has finally become a reality, but it has been over 6 years in the making. Patrick Jansen, formerly of GHS and now Vice President of Cardiac Services at WellStar Health System, was the original visionary who foresaw the need for such a facility.

“Doctors, patients, and staff told me that heart patients and families really aren’t prepared for cardiac surgery, coronary angioplasty, pacemaker implantation, or other major cardiac procedures … and who would expect them to be?” says Jansen.  “Patients are not in a mental state to listen and comprehend the anticipated course of recovery and/or the recommended course of changing life habits.”

This truth hit home for him when his own father needed cardiac surgery. Jansen recalls feeling so overwhelmed while sitting in the cardiovascular surgeon’s office that when the doctor asked him and his father if they had any questions, they found themselves saying no.

“Months later, what I’d heard from doctors and staff began to resonate,” notes Jansen. “We weren’t ready to listen. We needed help, maybe even a place, like an interactive heart library, at GHS that was available to people on their own terms.”

That’s why the location of the Heart Education Center is one of its prime advantages – it’s situated right off the lobby of the Heart Institute.

“By having it on the first floor of our lobby, it’s a perfect place, “ says Turcotte. “A more comforting environment where someone can come and just sit and get away from that clinical area.”

Turcotte anticipates that patients scheduled for non-emergency procedures will be given “prescriptions” to visit the center in order to learn about their condition, its diagnosis, treatment and any preventive measures – all in a relaxed, friendly space. Families, too, will have ample opportunity to take advantage of the center.

“We have so many patients’ families who wait . . . and wait,” notes Turcotte. “We really wanted to make sure that the patients who were in our facility and their families would have a resource to go to while they were here, to learn about what was going on, to get prepared for going home.”

Anatomy of a Heart Education Center

One of the key features of this cutting edge facility is the large number of learning activities it offers. To get the picture, let’s take a virtual tour.

As you walk into the center, the first thing you’ll notice is the enormous anatomical heart model. Adjacent to the model are several panels which explain the structure and function of your heart. As you press buttons next to these explanations, the relevant portion of the heart illuminates so you can see exactly what is being described. There’s also a touch screen that allows you to access biographies of the hospital’s cardiology staff – so you can learn more about your doctor – as well as video footage of a beating heart.

Next you’ll look around and see the many interactive displays that fill the room. Each display is designed to teach about a disease process, diagnostic test or treatment, including the following topic areas:  Heart Attack, Cardiovascular Disease, Electrophysiology Studies, Heart Rhythm Devices, Echocardiogram, Heart Failure, Catheterization, Angioplasty, Bypass Surgery, Valve Surgery, Cardiac Wellness and Rehabilitation, and Other Diagnostic Tests.

This section of the center is referred to as the “museum space” because each display features a combination of textual and visual elements to illustrate a concept, just as you might find in a museum. But even better than many museums, these exhibits are highly engaging.

“We tried to make each display interactive in some way,” explains Turcotte.

GHS intends to use the facility as a hub for primary prevention, inviting students to participate in educational programs that explain the disease process and promote healthy lifestyle choices.

For example, the Angioplasty exhibit features actual artifacts of an angioplasty balloon, a stent and a rotoblator tip – each of which you can illuminate by pressing a button. The display also includes an interactive touch screen that enables you to access all of the following: an illustration of a blocked artery that depicts how a balloon or stent increases blood flow; a demonstration of an actual catheterization and angioplasty procedure; and a menu of related patient education videos from Milner-Fenwick which can be selected and viewed directly on the display.

Also in this part of the center is the Kid’s Corner, which you’ll be delighted to encounter if you have young children along. Aimed at pre-schoolers, this area engages kids in fun activities like coloring American Heart Association worksheets, designed to educate children on topics such as choosing a heart-healthy snack. Simple educational games are also available on a computer.

After thoroughly exploring the museum space, you might then wander into the library. Here you’ll find consumer-friendly books, magazines and videos on heart health, as well as smaller heart models and artifacts like pacemakers that you can actually touch and handle. You’ll also notice a large journal in which visitors to the center can write about their experiences. If you or a loved one is feeling stressed, you just might find an inspirational passage to brighten your day – or maybe you’ll add your own.

The library is also a great place to sit down and complete one of the available health assessments: Personal Wellness, Cardiac Risk or Diabetes Risk. Simply by filling out a questionnaire and feeding it into a scanner, you’ll receive an individualized evaluation of your health status, including any steps you can take to improve it. 

Just off the library you’ll notice some computer workstations. Here’s where you can view that DVD you found in the library that looked really interesting. You can also use the Internet to search for further information about cardiovascular conditions -- which the center makes easy by providing direct links to web sites with high-quality content.

Finally, you may find yourself in the amphitheater, a half-moon shaped room with bench seating and a 6 foot video screen, which is used for special presentations.

And that completes your tour. As you can see, the Heart Education Center provides many educational opportunities for both patients and their families.

Into the Heart of the Community

Yet the center’s impact is expected to extend even farther – well beyond the walls of the hospital, in fact.

GHS intends to use the facility as a hub for primary prevention, inviting students from elementary, middle and high schools to participate in educational programs that explain the disease process and promote healthy lifestyle choices. Not only can students learn onsite, but schools with distance learning capabilities will also have the opportunity to access the center’s educational programs remotely.

“We’re even in the process of building a curriculum for juniors and seniors in high school when they’re trying to decide what kind of career they want to have,” says Turcotte. In this program, students would have the opportunity to view live catheterization or surgical procedures and participate in simulated hands-on activities, giving them an opportunity to see whether they might be interested in related health care careers. 

Turning Dreams into Bricks and Mortar

So just how was such a grand vision ultimately achieved?  At the time Patrick Jansen left GHS for another position, his dream for an education center was still just that – a dream. But he left his hopes in capable hands.

“Fortunately I had hired a wonderful Coordinator of Patient and Community Education, Gina Turcotte, and delegated to her the task of making the center a reality,” says Jansen. “Gina’s enthusiasm for this project left me feeling entirely confident. Now a Philanthropic Director, she deserves the credit for keeping the flame alive, converting others, making it a reality.”

The first challenge was securing the space needed for the center. That opportunity came when the hospital began building a new tower and lobby for the Heart Institute. Turcotte had to convince the administration that the center – though not revenue producing – would add enough value to justify the precious square footage. And she did.

What finally sold them? “The importance of education and what it would mean for the community to have something like this,” says Turcotte.

Next she had to secure the finances to build out the space, since the entire room is philanthropically-funded. To underwrite various aspects of the center, naming opportunities were offered to potential donors. The anatomical heart, amphitheater, library, media center, children’s corner and the facility itself have all been sponsored by individuals or organizations and named accordingly – raising most of the center’s goal of $600,000.

In addition, a $1 million dollar endowment is being funded to support operation of the center, including a full time staff person. So far half the money has been raised. Meanwhile, the center will be staffed by interns and volunteers.

How did Turcotte manage to attract so much financial support? First she realized that whenever you want to raise money, people need to know why. “So I created a document that said who we were, what we were trying to do, what our vision was and how it would benefit the community.”

Next she found that having a member of the community who supports your cause is invaluable. “The thing that works best for us is finding a community champion and by word of mouth, invite people in small groups to talk about the benefits for the community, and give them that personal, behind-the-scenes tour.”

I definitely think philanthropy, as opposed to fundraising, is about building relationships one person at a time and taking them along with you.

She also found that a key to generating enthusiasm was to enable potential donors to truly see what the final facility would look like. “I think that really helped – the tour and bringing people in and showing them what was going to happen … so they could really visualize it with us.”

Then she also made sure that the donors were kept in the loop. “I definitely think philanthropy, as opposed to fundraising, is about building relationships one person at a time and taking them along with you,” she says. “Keeping them updated on what’s going on and all the strides that you make … really makes people feel like a part of the family.”

Mission Accomplished

Now that the center is at last open to the public, its original architect is elated. “This is a defining moment for me,” says Jansen. “It is such a source of joy because I know that patients, families, and the general public will benefit from the center.” He realizes that the facility will help GHS achieve goals far beyond the traditional concept of patient education.

“This center will serve the community in secondary prevention (preventing subsequent hospitalization) and primary prevention (preventing or ameliorating heart disease). Ultimately, the return on this investment will be greater to the community than just fixing hearts.” 

If you'd like to contact Gina Turcotte, she can be reached at 864 454-8317 or by e-mail at gturcotte@ghs.org. For more information on the Turrentine Heart Education Center, visit http://www.ghsgiving.org/