Hickory Sun

Catawba Valley Health System (CVHS) reflects on a year of significant growth and development in 2024, highlighting advancements across various sectors including expansion, recruitment, awards, recognitions, and technology.

The organization completed a three-year renovation project for its Emergency Department and Heart Center. The new Heart Center is designed to enhance efficiency for cardiac emergency patients. In April, the merger between Safe Kids Catawba County and CVMC Women and Children Services was announced, expanding community services through The POD at the Pavilion Center. The Occupational Health Center moved to a larger facility in July to provide better service hours and space. Also in July, the Catawba Valley Surgery & Cancer Center joined CVHS's medical group. September saw the addition of Catawba Valley Vascular Surgery – Horizon in Lenoir to the group. November marked the opening of Catawba Valley Family Medicine – Conover.

In terms of recruitment, CVHS promoted five long-time staff members to executive positions early in the year. Mariane Carna became president of Catawba Valley Medical Group in October. Dr. Kashif Chaudhry joined as Director of Electrophysiology at Catawba Valley Medical Center in November. Overall staffing increased by 34 providers and 718 staff members throughout 2024.

Awards were numerous: "In March, CVMC was named as the sole recipient of the 2023 Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina (PQCNC) Quality Improvement Award!" CVMC received an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for both Spring and Fall 2024—"This marked the 16th ‘A’ grade for safety that CVMC has received." It was also recognized with various accolades including a Gold Level recognition from American Heart Association's Workforce Well-being Scorecard.

Technological advancements included introducing Higinsights mixed-reality technology for hip replacements alongside Duke University Health—the only other institution using this tech in North Carolina—and launching Profound AI at Catawba Valley Imaging Center to improve breast cancer detection accuracy with mammograms.

Additional technological progress involved robotic-assisted spine surgery via MazorX Robotic Guidance Platform starting March; sustainable medical supply partnership with Terraloam; implementation of billiblankets for infant jaundice care; introduction of FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation System for heart arrhythmia treatment; ION Robotic Lung Biopsy Program launch; acquisition of da Vinci 5 Surgical Robot enhancing minimally invasive surgical procedures—all demonstrating ongoing commitment towards improved healthcare standards across North Carolina.