Kenmore Mercy Hospital
Kronicle
News and announcements for Nursing Associates at Kenmore Mercy Hospital
July/August 2019
A Message from the CNO
Nurses Celebrate Changing of The Guard
As difficult as it was to say goodbye to Cheryl in June, we all were so happy for her to begin a new chapter in her personal life, travelling and focusing on creative passions. During her tenure at Kenmore Mercy as chief nursing officer, Cheryl acted as our professional counselor advocating for patient care and nursing as a whole. She taught us all to continually ask the question “what’s best for the patient?” And by following her lead, Kenmore Mercy nurses found out that what’s best for the patient generally leads to what is best for nurses. Compassionate nursing care has often been described as the rising tide that lifts all boats in patient experience meaning that nurses who deliver expert care with kindness and empathy have the power to change a difficult situation into something meaningful. I believe in that nursing power and I see it displayed here every day at Kenmore through our patient and family interactions. I’m proud to lead such an amazing team and I am confident that we will all continue to put what’s best for the patient first in all of our patient care decisions. Sincerely, Heather Telford
This past June, nursing associates bid a fond farewell to Cheryl W. Hayes, MS, ANP, NEA-BC, who retired from Kenmore Mercy. At the same time, they welcomed Heather Telford, MS, BSN, CEN, NEA-BC, as their new vice president of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer. Under Cheryl’s leadership, Kenmore Mercy won numerous quality and nursing awards, but her greatest achievement was Magnet recognition in 2017. It became the Buffalo area’s only Magnet recognized hospital, a testament to outstanding patient care and nursing excellence. With the torch officially passed, Heather is ready to put her more than 30 years of experience in nursing and healthcare administration to use in her new position. She has been with Kenmore Mercy since 2008, first serving as nurse manager of the Emergency Department. More recently, she was the hospital’s director of Nursing since 2013. She played an integral role in the opening of a brand new ER in 2013 and was also a key player in the hospital achieving Magnet status and the Beacon-silver award. “We welcome Heather’s experience, leadership to our nurses, and dedication to maintaining our commitment to clinical and patient-care standards,” Walt Ludwig, president of Kenmore Mercy said.
Kudos & Congrats! Beth Clark, MSN, RN, FNP, CWCN, is the new wound advisor at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, replacing Mary Applegate, who moved to a different Catholic Health site. Jen Earls, BSN, RN, TCRN, has been promoted to senior clinical advisor of the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit. She completed her nursing education at Duke University School of Nursing. Emma Heim, BSN, RN, from the 2 West Patient Care Unit, received the Daisy Award in June. This honor celebrates her kindhearted nature and extraordinary clinical skills. Emma has been praised by her peers for her positive presence and how she uses that to calm her patients. Stroke coordinator Joy MacNeil-Ennis, BSN, RN, SCRN, completed her Master of Science degree in Nursing Leadership and Healthcare Systems from University at Buffalo School of Nursing in May.
Performance Improvement Update Nursing involvement is essential to any significant healthcare improvement initiative. Therefore, it is important that we monitor performance improvement (PI) data such as falls, pressure ulcers, CAUTI, CLABSI, CDIFF, MRSA and patient satisfaction. Beth
We are always striving to make improvements to our practice and provide the best possible care to our patients while avoiding adverse outcomes such as a fall or nosocomial infection. Jen
You can find your unit specific PI data posted on unit nursing dashboards, which shows data with internal targets that we, as a hospital set. For Magnet redesignation in 2021, Kenmore Mercy Nursing has to show two years of data. Each unit needs to outperform the national average for 5 out of 8 of those quarters. If you have any ideas on how your unit can improve in any areas, collaborate with your unit based practice council or speak with your manager. The best ideas often come from our bedside leaders.
Emma
Nursing Teams Up for Community Events
Joy
Kenmore Mercy’s nurses seek out opportunities for community service involvement as part of their commitment to being a Magnet recognized hospital.
Maria Roberts, RN, from the Emergency Department, completed her Bachelor of Science Nursing degree from Chamberlain College in June.
Dedicated to our neighbors and community, the hospital was a sponsor of the St. Andrew’s Country Day School 5K Race in June. Maria
Kayla Thorn, RN, from the Emergency Department passed her CEN exam and is now a Board Certified Emergency Nurse.
More than twenty associates and their family members walked or ran in the race, supporting our Elmwood Avenue neighbor. On August 6, Emergency Department nurses teamed up with the Town of Tonawanda’s paramedics at National Night Out.
Kayla
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Magnet recognized hospitals must submit this PI data to vendors who compare Kenmore Mercy on a national level to other hospitals. It is expected that we outperform the national average the majority of the time.
They gave “check ups” to teddy bears and other special friends, giving local children a firsthand medical experience without a trip to the doctor. Thank you to all of Kenmore Mercy’s nursing team for their efforts on our continuing Magnet journey.
Cheryl Robinson, RN gave Ryan McClure’s bear some TLC.
Hospital Receives Stroke Award
Happy Retirement
Kenmore Mercy is proud to be recognized once again by the American Heart Association for its active involvement in Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke, a program designed to help hospitals make sure patients get the benefits of the latest scientific guidelinesbased treatment.
Happy retirement to Marcia Powers, RN, and Liz Allard, unit clerk, from our Emergency Department. Thank you for your 17 years of service Liz and 29 years of service Marcia!
The hospital received its fourth Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award this past spring. Kenmore Mercy earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions. “Kenmore Mercy Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Joy MacNeil, MSN, RN, SCRN, stroke coordinator. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
Nursing Helps Guide Local Students Kenmore Mercy Hospital and Catholic Health put on a Medical Academy of Science and Health Camp for Sacred Heart Academy students on July 31. M.A.S.H. camps are a creative way to give students interested in the healthcare field a close up glimpse into the careers they may be considering. Among the departments they toured were the 3 East Patient Care Unit, where nurse manager Elaine Schrutt, BSN, RN, NE-BC, shown above with one of the students, discussed the team approach to treating cardiac patients at Kenmore Mercy. She also demonstrated “Move With Care” equipment and the importance of safe patient handling, as seen in the photo above.
Welcome To Our New Nursing Associates From June - August Registered Nurses Alyssa Anderson, RN – 2 West Mary Coventry, RN – 3 East Jillian Christie, RN - MRU Molly Cryan, RN - ICU Caroline Ferenc, RN – 3 East Andrea Gaeta, RN – 2 South Marielle Gaglione, RN – 2 West Lindsey Guzdek, RN – 2 East Hannah May, RN – 2 West Joy Kline, RN – Emergency Department Jena Lang, RN– 2 East Michael Ly, RN – 3 East Revathi Venkatesan, RN - MRU Jay Zhang, RN – 2 West Nursing Attendants Lesly Alas – Emergency Department William Bronne – 3 East Rachel Cattoi – 2 East Courtney Day – Emergency Department Heather Haberman – 2 South Brooke Jones – 2 West Brittany Lajoie – 3 East Katherine Luibrand – Emergency Department Emily Maulucci – 2 West Erin Murray – 2 West Jared Murray – 3 East Connor Nichel – 3 East Chris Palumbo – 2 West Gabrielle Palumbo – 3 East Laquisha Patterson – 2 East Alexandria Rainey – Emergency Department Mirasol Wankasky – 3 East
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Reminders Palliative Care Champion Class Thursday, October 10 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Thursday, October 17 from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Join us in the Community Room for either session.
Helpful Tips for a Positive Patient Interaction
• Be familiar with the patient’s history this is especially important when they are cognitively impaired • Refrain from using abbreviations when talking to a patient or family members they may not understand • Refrain from calling a patient sweetie or honey • Do not make political references • Make sure the discharge paperwork is complete and accurate • Make sure communication is open and clear between departments to facilitate a smooth discharge
Neuro Checks
Bedside neurological checks on patients with acute neurological deficits need to be completed at any hand-off of care. This applies to ED nurses changing shifts, inpatient or medical nurses changing shifts, or nurses receiving a patient from another unit.
Yellow Socks and Blankets
Yellow socks and blankets should only be used for high fall risk patients. Their purpose is to alert all associates and family members of the patient’s increased need for assistance. Using them on patients who are not fall risks may lead to decreased recognition of those who are truly a high risk.
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Associates Celebrate Kenmore Mercy Night at Gateway Harbor Nurses and many others stepped out on July 31 to celebrate Kenmore Mercy Night at the hospital-sponsored Gateway Harbor Concerts at North Tonawanda Gateway Harbor Park. “The night was a fantastic way to have fun with work friends out in the community,” said Nurse of Distinction Chris Dowd, BSN, RN, CCRN, from the Intensive Care Unit. He was one of seven associates that joined Catholic Health’s Chief of Community Connections Kevin O’Connell on stage during intermission at the West of the Mark and Caitlin Koch concert. Other nurses recognized that night were Medical Staff Associate of the year Cheryl Tumia from 3 East, Summer 2019 DAISY Award winner Emma Heim, and Outstanding Staff Nurse Jason Meder from the Operating Room. “Our goal was to create a fun event for our associates while outside of the hospital,” said Walt Ludwig, hospital president. “Kenmore Mercy Night also gave us an opportunity to tell the community more about some of the extraordinary individuals that care for our patients each day.” Thank you to everyone who came out and to all of Kenmore Mercy’s associates for your dedication to excellent care, quality outcomes, and patient safety!