Crenshaw Community Hospital was among those across the country that celebrated “National Hospital Week” last week.

“We’ve had a number of activities for employees here at the hospital,” said Bonnie Trotter, director of public relations for CCH.

Throughout the week, door prizes were given away and employees took part in an ice cream social.

“We had a huge breakfast for all our employees Friday morning to end the week,” Trotter said.

Crenshaw Community Hospital is also participating in the Alabama Hospital Association’s Health Journey.

The initiative was launched earlier this year, and the first step was infection prevention.

The latest point of emphasis is improving communications.

“Hospital employees have been working on their communication skills for some time,” said J. Michael Horsley, president of the Alabama Hospital Association. “In fact, Alabama ranks eighth in the nation when rated by patients on their hospital experience, which includes communication with doctors and nurses.  However, we know there is more work to be done, which is why we’re emphasizing communication in the second phase of our Join the Health Journey state campaign.”

Things patients can do to improve communication include: making a list of things to tell your doctor (and current medications) before the visit, not being afraid to ask questions, sharing information with your doctor and being sure to understand treatment instructions.