Kenmore Mercy Hospital Connections - May/June 1015

News, announcements, and vital information for associates, their families, and friends of Kenmore Mercy Hospital. ay /June 2015 Septem ber M201 3

Kenmore Mercy Shines in Quality & Safety Kenmore Mercy Hospital was recognized with an “A” grade in the Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score by the Leapfrog Group, the highest available rating for patient safety in the nation.

Go Green members Kathy McAlpine and David Vitka, accepted awards at a conference in Oregon this past May.

Sustainability Efforts Recognized Nationally

Kenmore Mercy Hospital recently received a 2015 Partner for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading environmental healthcare organization.

Practice Greenhealth promotes and enables efficiencies and environmental stewardship among its members while improving patient safety and care through tools, best practices and knowledge.

The Partner for Change Award recognizes healthcare facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction and source-reduction programs.

At a minimum, facilities applying for this award must be recycling 15 percent of their total waste.

Kenmore Mercy has consistently recycled at least 30 percent of its waste annually since 2013.

“We are proud to be a model of how health facilities develop and implement programs to improve the health of our patients, staff and community achievement,” said Kathleen McAlpine, chairwomen of the hospital’s Go Green Committee.

This year, all four of Catholic Health’s hospital campuses earned Practice Greenhealth’s Partner for Change Award as well as the “Making Medicine Mercury Free Award. Catholic Health was named a 2015 System for Change Award winner.

The Hospital Safety Score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families when faced with a hospital stay.

“Striving for, and achieving excellence in patient care and safety is a priority of Kenmore Mercy Hospital,” said Laura Verbanic, director of Quality & Patient Safety.

“We continue to make improvements in quality of care every day. This includes progress with reducing readmissions and best practices in patient care.”

For the first time, past grades are available alongside current grades on the

website so that patients can determine which institutions consistently achieve high standards of safety and have shown continued improvement.

Kenmore Mercy has consistently rated high, also receiving an “A” in the fall of 2014.

The score is calculated by top patient safety experts, is peer-reviewed, 100-percent transparent and free to the public. Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Score is the only tool available today that focuses exclusively on errors, injuries and infections.

Save the Date!

American Stroke Association Award Presentation Monday, June 15 at 2 p.m.

Refreshments will be served following a brief ceremony in the Atrium.

Catholic Health Day at Fantasy Island Saturday, July 18 from 11:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Tickets will be available in all Catholic Health Human Resources Departments starting June 15 through July 17.

Associate Appreciation Summer Picnic Wednesday, July 29 Join us in the south parking lot near the ER!

Catholic Health Day at Coca-Cola Field Monday, August 10 (pre-game picnic at 5 p.m.)

Reserve tickets by calling 846-2044 or email mmaddock@bisons.com.

One dollar of every ticket sold will go to support Catholic Health’s Friends of Night People Mission Campaign.

Associate Engagement

News from Jim Millard, President & CEO It’s hard to believe that we are already mid-way through 2015!

As we focus on our seven “Big Dots,” we are steadily working to accomplish our key goals for the year. As you read this newsletter, note that the stories highlight these main priorities: Associate Engagement, Patient Safety & Experience, Surgical Growth, Orthopedic & Musculosketal Campus of Excellence, Nursing Excellence, Operational Effectiveness, and Clinical Integration.

Katherine McCann, unit clerk on the 2 East and 2 South Patient Care Units, received the 2015 LOVE Award for first quarter of 2015.

Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services, received a chapter recognition award from Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Theta Chapter.

We had over 300 associates attend the spring Associate Forum sessions. These sessions provided the opportunity to learn firsthand about the many initiatives currently underway at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

McCann

Thank you to everyone who joined us! For those of you who were unable to attend one of the sessions, I would encourage you to review the electronic version that will be made available through NetLearning.

It’s wonderful to see the hard work of our associates, physicians and volunteers making a positive impact at the hospital and in the community.

This is evidenced by recent recognitions from Healthgrades, Leapfrog, the American Heart/Stroke Association and Practice Greenhealth.

All of this starts with your dedication to our mission: to reveal the healing love of Jesus to those in need. I’m proud to be part of an organization with such a strong focus on helping others.

Your commitment and dedication to our patients, to the hospital, and to the community truly does make a difference in the lives of those that we serve. Thanks to all of you.

Mission & Spirit Committee Commissioned

Hayes

Catholic Medical Partners recently elected James Rycyna, MD, a board certified cardiologist with Cardiology Group of Western New York, chairman of its board of directors. Other elected CMP officers who practice at Kenmore Mercy includes: secretary, David Serra, MD, hospitalist at Kenmore Mercy; assistant treasurer, and James Slough, MD, surgeon from Excelsior Orthopaedics.

Catholic Health recently commissioned members of its Mission Spirit Committee in special ceremonies at each ministry.

Kenmore Mercy Hospital honored these individuals with a Mass and luncheon on May 22, during which the committee members received pins that display an image of the Good Samaritan.

The theme of this commissioning was “Called and Missioned to Serve.”

According to Mary Pat Barth, vice president of Mission Integration, “This day was intentionally chosen because it is prior to the feast of Pentecost that is celebrated on May 24. It symbolizes the disciples’ call to serve and receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.”

This experience marked a unity among all Catholic Health Mission & Spirit committee members, who have indeed been called to serve.

Alexander B. Gelfer, MD has been reappointed to the Accreditation Committee of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Board of Directors.

Dr. Gelfer

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Mission and spirit committee members – Lynn Overbeck, Carole Aronica, Naheed AliSayeeed (second row), Jodi Scinta, Mary Pat Barth, Kathy Ashbery, Kathy McAlpine, Fr. Bob Schober, Jonathon Moran, Karen Ryan, and Sue Jandzinski – gathered to share their common calling to serve those in need.

Associates Put Skills To Use During Mission Trips Thousands of miles away from the comforts of home, Kenmore Mercy Hospital associates are making a difference to individuals in desperate need of their help.

Over the past year, staff from both the Case Management and Surgery Departments took part in medical mission trips.

Registered nurses from Kenmore Mercy’s Surgery Department — Jan Vosburgh, Jacob Walck, and Rachael Achtziger — as well as David Vogt, MD, anesthesiologist, traveled to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in March as part of a World Spine Outreach mission trip.

For Mary Scholten, RN, in Case Management, going on a medical mission trip has been a long time passion of hers. She was first introduced to the concept when serving in the military.

Earlier this year, she took her second medical mission trip, organized by Global Health Ministries, to Jamaica where she helped to set up primary care clinics, served patients in churches and community centers, and visited shut-ins at their homes.

“Because they are poor, they don’t get the respect and consideration from the Jamaican healthcare community,” said Mary.

Mary Pat Barth, Cheryl Hayes, Raquel Martin, DO, and Dee Sinicki, joined other Kenmore Mercy associates to serve food for families.

By Mary Pat Barth Vice President of Mission Integration This was the first mission trip for Jacob Walck, pictured here with a volunteer from Salt Lake City.

They were among 28 volunteers from throughout the United States who screened 35 scoliosis patients. Of them, 24 children received corrective scoliosis surgeries. Others had comorbities that prevented surgery from taking place.

“This is how I leave my stamp on the world,” said Jan, who is the founder of the World Spine Outreach. “I am helping children who would die otherwise.”

Medical missionaries are responsible for their own airfare. Many of them host fundraisers and seek donations, money, goods for the trip, including medical supplies, toys, and clothes to be distributed to the locals.

Mary Scholten wants to do all she can to help individuals like the woman she is consulting here.

She noted that she saw upwards to 110 patients a day during her twelve day trip, many of which suffered from cardiovascular issues. Her team spent a lot of time educating patients about proper diet and exercise.

Living Our Mission

They travel with very little personal belongings, instead packing necessary medication and medical equipment.

Medical mission trips are just one more way that Kenmore Mercy Hospital associates continue to live our mission to provide the healing love of Jesus to those in need.

Associates from Kenmore Mercy Hospital continue their support of Friends of Night People (FONP), Catholic Health’s charity of choice, in many ways, helping the homeless, destitute, and working poor in our community, In February and March, hospital associates filled FONP bins with new t-shirts, socks, and toiletries. These generous contributions attested to our commitment to the Catholic Health Mission, revealing the love of Jesus to those in need.

On March 6, nine associates from various departments volunteered to serve a meal to homeless men and women at FONP’s dining hall in Buffalo’s Allentown area. About eighty people were served.

Associates also distributed bread and other food items in the FONP’s food pantry on March 19.

For the next opportunity, associates have been asked to help collect 1,000 bottles or jars of condiments (mustard, mayo, hot sauce, relish, pickles, soy sauce, dressings, etc.). Donations can be dropped off in the bins located in the lobby and the outpatient entrance on the first floor.

FONP is also working to stock their freezer with meat. Associates can support this through $10 donations made online at catholichealthcares.com.

To learn about additional opportunities, call the Mission Integration Department at 4476360.

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Patient Safety & Experience

Nurse attendants Deborah Henderson and Denise Chatt frequently use this board to track details about patients.

MRU Meets the Challenge of Falls Reduction Preventing patient falls is top of mind for every caregiver at Kenmore Mercy. The hospital’s Medical Rehabilitation Unit met that challenge head on this past year with its “STOP Light” initiative.

This new strategy has proven successful on the unit. Fall data on the inpatient medical rehabilitation unit has demonstrated a dramatic decrease in both the number of overall falls and falls with injuries.

This has been a sustained improvement with both of these values remaining statistically below the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators benchmark line for like-sized hospitals.

A multi-dimensional, interprofessional team determined the best ways to identify patients at highest risk for falls, develop falls-prevention strategies, and implement the initiative.

The “STOP Light” uses three removable color dots - red, yellow, and green - to provide staff with immediate details about the patient’s level of fall risk and protocol that should be used. The concept was based on a model used

by Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

Falls are a major contributor to a patient’s functional decline and increased healthcare use. While not every patient fall is preventable, the “STOP Light” initiative demonstrates that the right combination of technology, care processes, and focus can reduce the number of falls significantly and, more importantly, the injuries to patients they often cause.

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Man’s Best Friend Helping with Patient Wellness Smiles and tail wagging are making a positive difference at Kenmore Mercy.

The hospital began working with Therapy Dogs International in late spring to offer pet therapy services to patients and associates.

The volunteer handlers and their pet therapy dogs check in at the nursing station to see if there are any patients or families who might like a visit from one of the dogs. Restrictions on visitations include isolation and individuals who may be allergic to dogs. Currently, the program is being piloted on the Medical Rehabilitation Unit.

“It’s well-known and scientifically proven that interaction with a gentle, friendly pet has significant physical and mental health benefits including, lowering blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health, diminishes overall physical pain, lifts spirits and lessens depression, lowers anxiety and reduces loneliness.“ said Lynn Overbeck, CAVS, director of Volunteer Services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital Lynn noted that the program has been met with positive reviews. The dogs help reduce anxiety and stress for

Tank, pictured above with his owner/handler Eileen Gramlich, RN, recently started visiting patients at Kenmore Mercy Hospital. The fouryear-old Labrador retriever was certified by Therapy Dogs International three years ago.

patients who may be missing their own pets at home or visitors who are worried about their hospitalized loved ones.

Catholic Health piloted this program at Sisters Hospital last September. It has since been introduced at the other hospitals.

Welcome to Our New Physicians Harshini Avula, DPM, joined the medical staff as a podiatrist.

Herbert Duvivier, MD, recently joined the medical staff. He specializes in internal medicine, oncology, and hematology.

Dr. Avula

Dr. Hussain

Jacobus

Jordan

Nadeem Hussain, MD, joined the medical staff as medical director of the Medical Rehabilitation Unit.

Christopher Jacobus, MD, joined the medical staff as hospice and palliative care physician.

Jeffrey Jordan, MD, joined the medical staff as a general surgeon.

Debra Luczkiewicz, MD, joined the medical staff as a family medicine physician.

Luczkiewicz

Interpretation System Removing Language Barriers Kenmore Mercy Hospital recently unveiled Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services to address the new wave of immigrants who have arrived in the Buffalo region throughout the past 15 years.

Today, seven percent of Buffalo’s city population consists of resettled refugees from places like Iraq, Bhutan, Burma, Somalia and Sudan.

The service is also available at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Sisters of Charity Hospital and its St. Joseph Campus.

“The first day we had the system, we had two pediatric cases, a four-year-old girl from Iran, and a Burmese family.

Because we had VRI, we were able to communicate effectively with these patients in the ER,” said Heather Telford, director of nursing for emergency and critical care services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

“It worked beautifully. Removing the language barrier keeps everyone safer and more connected about their care,” she added.

The system gives the hospital 24/7 access to interpreters in more than 200 languages, including American Sign Language.

Previously, the hospital used phone interpreting services and on-call Spanish interpreters, which often took longer to use and ultimately slowed down patient care.

Patient access specialist Imelda Petrina demonstrates how the interpretation system works.

VRI services are available through PC or iPad devices on portable carts that can be wheeled into the patient’s room. VRI allows hospital staff to use interpreters via a live, web-based video conference - similar to Skype - with medically trained and certified interpreters. At the push of a button, a healthcare provider is connected to a medically-trained interpreter within seconds.

“If there is not effective communication between the patient and the provider, it can delay care, which can be critical during an emergency. With video remote interpreting, we can offer our patients prompt, professional interpreting services any time of day,” explained Kathy Kanaley, patient care representative at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

The evolving field of virtual interpreters is helping to enhance patient care and ensure that patients are able to receive the highest quality care regardless of language barriers, cultural backgrounds or disabilities.

Hospital’s Committed Quality Stroke Care

Kenmore Mercy Hospital has once again received the “2015 Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award” from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, recognizing its success in implementing nationally recognized stroke care measures that result in high standards of stroke care.

The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success, ensuring that stroke patients receive optimal, evidence-based treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest research outcomes.

Clinical Integration

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all GWTG Achievement Measures for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures.

Kenmore Mercy Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care; implementing GWTG Stroke Measures ensures the hospital achieves this goal.

Amy Baker joins Harry McCrea, MD, Department Chairman of Cardiology, while reviewing a patient’s echo test.

Hospital Joins “Get With The Guidelines –AFIB Program”

Kenmore Mercy Hospital has joined the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–AFIB, a quality improvement program created to help hospital teams consistently provide the latest guidelinebased treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation, or AF, is a quivering or irregular heartbeat affecting more than 2.7 million Americans, and accounts for about one-third of hospitalizations for cardiac rhythm disturbance.

People with AF are at higher risk for other cardiovascular complications.

The program was developed to help healthcare professionals utilize a quality improvement blueprint for how best to care for AF patients using the most up-to-date research-based guidelines.

As a GWTG–Stroke and Heart Failure participating hospital, Kenmore Mercy is encouraged to develop a comprehensive system for providing rapid diagnosis and treatment of AF patients that includes appropriate use of safe anticoagulants to prevent stroke and heart-rate controlling medications to prevent heart failure.

“Kenmore Mercy Hospital is dedicated to helping our patients with atrial fibrillation have the best possible outcomes, and implementing the Get With The Guidelines-AFIB program will help us accomplish this by making it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis,” said Amy Baker, RN, BSN, cardiac clinical coordinator for Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

The hospital is also increasing its efforts to identify those patients who have AF, using GWTGAFIB protocols for treatment, monitoring tools, and patient education.

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Orthopedic Campus of Excellence

New Technology Helping With Minimally Invasive Spine Procedure Today, major back surgery is relatively common. Thanks to recent advances in surgical technologies and procedures, surgeons are now able to access most levels of the lumbar region and use minimally invasive techniques.

One of those advances is the OLIF, short for oblique lumbar interbody fusion.

Avoid Joint Injuries When Gardening May flowers and spring showers have finally arrived in Western New York, providing a great opportunity for gardening. However, creating that dream garden requires repetitive bending, kneeling, reaching, and twisting that can take a toll on your body.

Ross Sherban, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, is among the few surgeons nationwide who use this technique.

More recently, he has also used this method in conjunction with an interspinous clamp, the InterBRIDGE from LDR Spine, to stabilize the posterior vertebral column.

According to Joseph Baumgarden, DPT, Cert MDT, Catholic Health’s AthletiCare on the campus of Kenmore Mercy Hospital, “Spring time is a great time to get outside and do yard work. But, I can’t stress enough to make prevention a priority.”

This time of year, the rehabilitation facility sees an increase in patients who have suffered injuries from improper lifting, poor bending techniques, and overexertion.

This includes pain in the lower back, neck and shoulder from staying bent over for long periods of times; hand wrist, and elbow problems from repetitive use and digging; and knee and hip issues from squatting and kneeling.

Joe added, “Use the proper tool and body positioning when gardening. Just like any sport, it is also important to stretch.”

He offers the following tips: start with light stretching and walk to warm up your muscles; spread out your workload to avoid overexertion; kneel instead of bending to place less strain on your back; keep moving to avoid adding stress on your muscles and joints; and lift cautiously with your legs, not your back.

The image above shows the interspinous clamp.

This new technology allows for a unilateral approach that minimizes disruption of the muscles and soft tissues on the opposite side of the spinal implant.

Working in collaboration with Timothy Rasmusson, MD, FACS, general surgeon and approach surgeon, Dr. Sherban uses a pre-PSOAS approach to access the lumbar spine.

It minimizes disruption to muscles and lumbar nerves, thus preserving

The physical rehabilitation staff at AthleticCare commonly deals with pains and soreness caused from various activities, including gardening. With their help, patients are learning about posture, body mechanics, ergonomics and stretching.

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Dr. Sherban

the body’s strength, decreasing damage to tissue, and minimizing postoperative complications.

“The OLIF procedure is generally suitable for spinal fusion surgery candidates who suffer from degenerative disc disease (DDD), spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis in the lower back,” noted Dr. Sherban.

Unlike other spinal fusions this procedure can be performed as an outpatient surgery. Since the surgeon minimizes cuts through muscle and connective tissue to reach the spine, it only requires a single smaller incision.

Because the OLIF procedure is both minimally invasive and minimally disruptive, many surgeons are seeing their patients resume normal activities within weeks, instead of months.

Since the use of the advanced technologies in minimally invasive spine surgery procedures are relatively new in the United States, four of Dr. Sherban’s surgeries were filmed in May at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

The film will be used to teach the newest techniques to other medical professionals in the United States and throughout the world.

Wednesday, August 12 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Community Room To make an appointment, call 447-6189

Blood Drive

Kenmore Mercy First In Area Using Stryker’s New Spine Navigation System Kenmore Mercy is becoming the backbone of spine surgery in Western New York with its latest computer assisted surgery acquisition.

Surgical Services

It is currently the only hospital in Buffalo using the Stryker NAV3i® Navigation Platform. The latest technology from Stryker allows for computerassisted technology for neurological, orthopedic and now, spinal surgery.

“The use of image-guidance technology in all types of spinal surgery is rapidly growing,” said Tobias Mattei, MD, who has been using the technology for spine surgeries since late 2014.

The Stryker NAV3i Platform is an image-based technology that allows surgeons to use scans of a patient’s anatomy for enhanced visualization, and allows the surgeon to track the exact position of surgical instruments through the system’s navigation camera, allowing for more precise screw placement, among other benefits.

“Essentially, it’s like having a global positioning system in the operating room. It provides a comprehensive 3-D picture of each individual’s unique anatomy (an exact roadmap of that patient’s spine), enabling precise and safe placement of instrumentation even in the setting of severe spinal deformity,” Dr. Mattei, added.

The image above shows the Spinal Navigation System.

Minimally invasive spine surgery has traditionally been considered more challenging than traditional open procedures due to the necessity of complex surgical maneuvers near delicate spinal structures through small visualization channels.

Besides increasing the accuracy and precision of traditional spinal procedures, this new navigation platform has allowed more patients to benefit from minimally invasive surgery, which results in smaller incisions, less tissue damage, less bleeding and quicker recovery.

Additionally, with implementation of navigation-guided spinal surgery, Kenmore Mercy Hospital has become a reference center for complex spinal surgeries including severe scoliosis, traumatic spinal injuries and complicated revision procedures.

Kenmore Mercy Hospital has used the Stryker Navigation System II for neuro and orthopedic surgeries since 2005.

Staff from the Surgical Services team play an integral role in achieving repeat recognitions from Healthgrades. Pictured here are Michelle Weber, RN; Ellen Colan, RN; Grace Logie, RN, charge nurse; Jennifer McCarthy, surgical resource assistant; Dennis Incorvaia, operating room materials manager; and Margy Donofrio, nurse manager of ASU/PACU/PAT.

Healthgrades recognizes orthopedic excellence Associates gathered in May to celebrate Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s orthopedic success.

In the 2015: Healthgrades’ Report to the Nation – Kenmore Mercy Hospital continued a very successful nine year run receiving the Joint Replacement Excellence Award and Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award.

In addition, Kenmore Mercy was a Five-Star Recipient for Total Knee Replacement, FiveStar Recipient for Total Hip Replacement, and named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery and America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement.

Thank you to all of our physicians, nurses, rehabilitation team and staff who have received specialized training to provide our patients with this comprehensive care to encourage the best outcomes.

Dr. Mattei

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Nursing Excellence

Registered nurse Cheryl Tumia from the 3 East Patient Care Unit, helped present the Palliative Care poster.

Nursing Presents at Research Conference

The Kenmore Mercy Hospital Nursing team presented four research posters at the 2015 Research Day Conference in April.

The day long event, sponsored by the Professional Nurses Association of Western New York and the Nursing Honor Society “Sigma Theta Tau International” (Gamma Kappa and Zeta Nu chapters), brought together nursing colleagues from across the Buffalo area to share their contributions.

The four Kenmore Mercy research projects included: the Medical Rehabilitation Unit’s “STOP Light” fall prevention program, the Intensive Care Unit’s ABCDE Bundle, the Palliative Care Committee’s Champions Program and the Emergency Department’s tPa and ACE inhibitors case study.

The ABCDE Bundle, implemented by the ICU last year, follows national critical care guidelines to help get the hospital’s sickest patients up and moving, and off the ventilator quicker.

Kenmore Mercy Celebrates Nurses’ Week Nurses Week, May 6-12, is the time for celebrating the vital role all nurses have in communities spanning the U.S., including three individuals at Kenmore Mercy who were recognized for their caring and nurturing spirit.

2015 Nurse of Distinction Jessica Klug, RN, BSN, began her career at Kenmore Mercy Hospital as a medical-surgical nurse on the 2 West Patient Care Unit in the fall of 2012 after graduating from Genesee County Community College. She later earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of New York at Brockport. While a nursing student, she published an article on frontotemporal dementia in the August edition of Nursing2014, a well-known national nursing journal.

While relatively early in her nursing career, she has emerged as a leader among her peers, acting as a preceptor and serving on multiple committees, including the Shared Governance Practice Council, to contribute to patient care, satisfaction and safety.

As a member of the American Medical Surgical Nursing and Professional Nurses Association of Western New York, she fosters a positive public image of nursing.

Care Unit where she cares for patients following surgery.

Her attention to details, questioning attitude, and sensitivity to patients has earned her the respect of her peers.

She places a high priority on patient safety and customer service.

2015 Outstanding Nursing Attendant Nancy Gargas, NA, started her career at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in 1985.

She began in the Surgical Department, prior to moving to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit where she has worked ever since. Her nomination notes that she, “puts our patients first, has a positive attitude, and is always willing to help.”

“Our nursing staff is the backbone of our hospital system; the link between the patient and family, the physician and the organization,” said Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

Held annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and focuses attention on the diverse ways America’s 3.1 million registered nurses work to save lives and to improve the health of millions of individuals.

2015 Outstanding Staff Nurse Kathryn Scribner, RN, BSN, joined Kenmore Mercy Hospital in 1982. She currently works in the hospital’s Knee & Hip Center and on the 2 East Patient

The Palliative Care committee’s program, titled “Effectiveness of a Unit Based Palliative Care Champions Program,” was developed to improve the quality of life of patients who might benefit from inclusion in the outpatient palliative care program.

The Emergency Department’s case study reviewed the relationship between tPa and ACE Inhibitors and the potential for developing the life threatening airway condition of orolingual edema.

The posters were very well received with many requests for more information on the studies and how to start these projects in other settings.

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Nursing team members – Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services; Ellen Swan, 2 West nurse manager; Jessica Klug, RN; Mary Hojnacki, Knee & Hip Center nurse manager; Kathryn Scribner, RN; Nancy Gargas, NA; and Margy Donofrio, nurse manager of ASU/PACU/PAT – celebrated these special recognitions.