2023 Nursing Annual Report Final

Flourishes Innovation

A Message from Danielle

Dear Colleague,

ChristianaCare is an extraordinary place to practice nursing. I should know — I started here as a bedside nurse nearly 30 years ago. From then to now, it’s my colleagues who continue to inspire me: I am deeply proud to be part of such an outstanding team of caregivers.

Where innovation flourishes

Throughout the years, ChristianaCare nursing innovation has flourished — the theme of this fiscal year 2023 report — in remarkable ways. Our caregivers pioneer approaches to health care delivery that transform the profession and make all the difference for our patients and community. They drive the development and execution of Nursing and HomeHealth fiscal year strategic plans, which guide the Nursing team throughout the year and improve outcomes.

You’ll see recent highlights of caregiver vision, ingenuity and compassion on the coming pages of this publication. From using robotics to support patient care to developing evidencebased solutions for persistent health care challenges to going above and beyond every day for patients and each other, the report tells the story of love, excellence and innovation across ChristianaCare.

Where equity advances

I am also proud of our caregivers’ commitment to health equity. Earlier this year, we solidified our stance with a bold update to the ChristianaCare Way. Equitable care is now prominent in our mission.

The inclusion of equity in ChristianaCare’s enduring purpose is a vital element of nursing here — it’s yet one more way ChristianaCare is unique.

Enjoy this report. I hope you are as inspired as I am by the tremendous love for our profession exemplified in these pages. During a recent Joint Commission visit, one of our surveyors remarked that she’d like to work at ChristianaCare. High praise, indeed! My response was what I believe every day: ChristianaCare is truly a wonderful place to be a nurse.

Sincerely,

Danielle Weber

Danielle Weber, MSN, MSM, RN-BC, NEA-BC Chief Nurse Executive Chief Nursing Officer, Wilmington Hospital

Flourishes Innovation

ChristianaCare’s creative, talented Nursing and HomeHealth teams pioneer revolutionary health care that improve the experiences of patients and colleagues and the health outcomes of the people we serve every day. In fiscal year 2023, these caregivers led the implementation of new innovations and tracked the efficacies of others. These are some of the highlights.

Creating a Center for Nursing Innovation

Launched in FY 23, the Center for Nursing Innovation is a collaboration among four teams to drive and support nursing practice innovations

Nursing Excellence

Magnet® redesignation ~ nursing strategic plan and fiscal year report ~ professional practice model ~ nursing caregiver experience ~ nursing professional advancement and recognition ~ virtual acute care nurse

Nursing Quality and Safety

Performance improvement ~ quality metrics ~ nursing practice bundle ~ perfect care bundle ~ evidence-based practice program ~ nursing research

Clinical Informatics

Robotics integration ~ documentation optimization ~ artificial intelligence ~ electronic medical record integration ~ bar code medication administration

Professional Development

Orientation, residencies and fellowship ~ professional development ~ formal degree programs/certifications ~ academic affiliations

Virtual acute care nursing

Virtual nursing today calls for innovative, high-quality patient care delivery that also reduces the everincreasing burden on nurses. To advance this dual goal, ChristianaCare launched a Virtual Acute Care Nurse program, piloting it in one surgical unit and one medical unit. Nurses collaborated to design virtual and bedside workflows that promote optimal patient care and improve both caregiver and patient experiences.

Virtual nurses manage responsibilities that can be completed remotely, such as admissions, medication histories, discharge documentation, patient and family education about diagnoses and medications, pain reassessments and more. They communicate directly with patients and family members via tablets and with onsite nurses and providers. Nurses at the bedside are responsible for nursing care that can’t be completed virtually, including physical head-to-toe assessments, IV starts, wound care and more.

After only a few months of the pilot program, patient feedback in areas like symptom comprehension and care discussion at the bedside significantly improved in both pilot units. Additionally, readmission rates decreased in both units, while the average length of stay decreased in our medical unit. As of June 28, 2023, virtual acute care nursing had expanded to more than 500 beds, exceeding our goal of 500 beds by this time.

ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health continues to grow and expand. The center’s care team of nurse practitioners, physicians, specialists and pharmacists support even more patients with an ever-expanding list of services, including virtual primary care and 24/7 virtual care for college students.

3 million+ text messages sent and received

3,000+ virtual primary care visits

Linking vital information

20 virtual primary care patient “touches” on average per year per patient

Body, mind, spirit and attention to all

ChristianaCare’s Nursing Integrative Care program started in July 2022, led by Nursing Integrative Care Manager Stacy Noel, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, HTCP/I. The program offers information and classes to support caregiver well-being, including meditations, Healing Touch, mindfulness practices, information on self-hand massages, aromatherapy and other wellness resources.

The Nursing team wrapped up a fall 2022 pilot of VitalsLink, a technology that enables wireless import of vital signs into a patient’s electronic medical record The project is expanding to all campuses this year

39 minutes saved per day per nurse

High-quality, convenient care offered virtually

Moxi turns 1

Last year, ChristianaCare became the first health system in the Philadelphia region to pilot Moxi, a collaborative robot — or “cobot.” The cobot assists nurses on our Newark campus by making deliveries and performing other nonclinical tasks so that nurses and other clinical staff can spend more time focused on what they do best: caring for patients.

Robots helping at home

HomeHealth is testing Amazon Astro, a home robot, as part of an innovation research project that puts robots into patients’ homes to supplement caregiver visits. During the pilot project, the agency is working with patients to understand how this emerging technology can help them adhere to their care plans, in addition to elevating their mood and helping to combat social isolation.

4,000 caregiver hours saved for direct patient care

11,000 deliveries made, most within 30 minutes

Endless patient selfies and conversations with Moxi

A Century of Caring Where It Matters Most — at Home

Since its founding in 1922 as the Visiting Nurses Association, ChristianaCare HomeHealth has brought expert, skilled care to people’s homes as they recover from a hospitalization, live with chronic illness or seek to maintain independence as they age.

Annually, HomeHealth caregivers make more than 210,000 home visits and log more than one million miles of travel across the Delaware region. Staffed with nearly 450 highly trained caregivers who understand the unique needs of caring for people in their homes, ChristianaCare HomeHealth is the highest-volume home health agency in Delaware.

Exemplary Professional Practice

Nursing and HomeHealth caregivers are helpers, healers and visionaries through and through. They embody the tenets of nursing — care, compassion, excellence, intelligence and creativity — with patients, families, colleagues and our community.

Cancer care and primary care under one roof

ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute received the Association of Community Cancer Center’s 2022 Innovator Award for its person-centered model of care, which embeds a family nurse practitioner in the Cancer Center to offer primary care to patients undergoing treatment who otherwise do not have regular primary care. The Graham Cancer Center is among the first cancer programs in the nation to offer an embedded primary care program to patients.

“Primary care in oncology has been a longstanding challenge for cancer patients and cancer programs. Thankfully, we’ve been able to solve that challenge by addressing the whole person and promoting healthy living for the long-term.”

— Debra Delaney, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, FNP-BC, who provides primary care services at the Graham Cancer Center

Strategizing and innovating for a strong nursing workforce

ChristianaCare’s Nursing Workforce Strategy & Innovation Steer (NWSIS) leads efforts to strengthen our Nursing team workforce and ensure a healthy and safe work environment for our caregivers. Part of NWSIS, several workstream groups — recruitment, retention, scheduling/staffing, care delivery models and innovation — offer ideas and innovations on strengthening our workforce. Participation involves numerous disciplines, including human resources, finance, education and nursing leadership. Several frontline nurses are also members of the steer and contribute to workstreams.

Among NWSIS’s many FY 23 accomplishments are:

• Creating a MICU recruitment video to support external recruitment for MICU nurses.

• Developing a methodology with the Float Pool team to handle immediate and mediumterm staffing needs to better support HomeHealth and Hospital Care at Home.

• Creating a Weekend Incentive Program Nursing Model to reduce the percentage of open shifts.

• Producing a one-pager that shares a unit-based shift swap algorithm to help promote a more flexible schedule while also meeting unit-based needs.

• Lobbying for a reporting platform in Workday to identify the impact of Family Medical Leave Act/Leave of Absence on staffing and budget.

• Introducing LPNs in the team care delivery model on several nursing units to improve patient outcomes through an alternative staffing model.

Up with civility, down with violence

ChristianaCare caregivers are committed to giving and receiving respect from patients, visitors and one another. A Nursing–led interprofessional committee — including caregivers from inpatient, ambulatory and HomeHealth — are taking on workplace violence, aggression, discrimination and harassment and improving workplace civility for everyone. The committee employs diverse evidence-based practices for creating a culture of respect and safety, among them zero tolerance signage in public spaces, reporting, data transparency, counseling, caregiver de-escalation education and resources, caregiver feedback surveys and more. In FY 23, the committee advanced the work in numerous ways, including:

• Creating a comprehensive workplace violence dashboard that reflects unitand system-level workplace violence data.

• Increasing the number of certified Crisis Prevention Intervention instructors and resources for workplace violence prevention education.

• Developing verbal de-escalation job aids in English and Spanish.

• Implementing a Medical Group Behavior Contract and patient dismissal workflow.

• Expanding the implementation of staff duress badges.

• Measuring baseline staff perception of workplace violence in the Culture of Safety Survey.

• Deploying Lynx keyboard panic buttons in ambulatory areas.

• Developing HomeHealth-specific Workplace Violence Zero Tolerance signage for our HomeHealth patient guide.

• Creating new comprehensive Workplace Violence Prevention intranet site.

54% increase in caregivers trained in de-escalation skills, exceeding FY 23 goal

Expanding our primary care footprint in person and online

ChristianaCare continues to expand our primary care and specialty care offerings to new physical locations and through virtual care. Rehoboth, Delaware, residents now have access to our world-class traditional primary care and our My65+ practice, which provides personalized care for adults ages 65 and older. Nursing caregivers are key to both service offerings.

Patients now have the benefits of a long-term relationship with their primary care team along with the convenience of virtual care on a smartphone, tablet or other digital device. It’s all possible with ChristianaCare’s new Virtual Primary Care. Personalized care teams, which include RNs and advanced practice nurses, get to know their patients’ specific health needs and work closely with them to meet their unique goals.

Caring for caregivers

Above all else, caregivers are ChristianaCare’s most valuable resource. Without our caregivers’ love, excellence and service, the health system wouldn’t function at the extraordinary level we do every day. Caregiver mental health and well-being are a top priority. In FY 23, our Center for WorkLife Wellbeing launched and maintained new programs to support caregiver wellness:

• Psychological First Aid teaches leaders to identify early signs of stress in colleagues and to identify and employ the most effective support strategies.

• Vital WorkLife provides coaching and behavioral health support at no charge to caregivers. Nursing caregivers receive eight counseling or therapy sessions for themselves or family members, as well as eight free sessions of professional development coaching with a nurse peer coach.

• Our Thank You project helps patients and their families express appreciation to caregivers who touched their lives during a hospital stay. Caregiver-patient reunions (see photos) serve as a reminder of things that truly matter and reinforce for caregivers that their work makes a difference.

Zero Harm Awards

ChristianaCare’s Zero Harm Awards recognize patient care units or HomeHealth teams that have maintained zero cases of preventable harm in one of 10 harm categories for at least 12 consecutive months. This year, the program expanded to recognize ambulatory practices with zero hypertension or short-term complications of diabetes admissions. Perioperative Services is also now awarded for 0 errors, 0 patient burns and 0 retained foreign objects. From July 2022 through June 2023, 182 awards were earned, including 10 awards for 9 years (108 months) with zero harm. Since January 2017, 1028 awards have been given.

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)

12 Months: N 4E, N 5E, C SSU, C MSU, HH NC Team 4, W 5N, N 5B, N 3B, N 7E

24 Months: HH NC Team 3, N 6B, W CCU, N 6A, N SCCC

36 Months: N EAU

48 Months: W ICU, W 6W, N MICU, N TNU, C ICU, C PCU

60 Months: W 3M

72 Months: N 3A, W 6S

96 Months: N BMTU, W 4N/5W

108 Months: W 7S

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)

12 Months: W 8S, N 5E, N 5C

24 Months: N 6MS, W CCU, C MSU

36 Months: N TNU, W 6W, N EAU, W 4N/5W, N 3A, HH NC Team 5

48 Months: HH NC Team 6, C PCU

60 Months: W ICU, W 3M, W TSU, HH CD Team 1, HH CD Team 3, HH NC Team 2, HH NC Team 4, HH NC Team 7

84 Months: W 6S

96 Months: N 2C, N 7E, W 7S

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

12 Months: W ICU, W 6S, N 5E, C MSU, N 4B, N 5B, N NCCU

24 Months: N 6A, W 5N, W 4W, N 6MS, W CCU, C PCU

36 Months: N 5D, N 6B, N SCCC, N EAU, W 4W

48 Months: N BMTU, C SSU

72 Months: N 4D, W 3M, N TNU

96 Months: N 2C

108 Months: W 7S, W 6W

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)

12 Months: N CVCCC, N NCCU, N 6MS, W 5N, N 4D

24 Months: W CCU, C CDU, C PCU, W 3M

36 Months: W 7N, N MICU, N EAU

48 Months: N TNU, W ICU, C ICU

72 Months: W 6W

108 Months: W 7S

Falls with Major Injury

12 Months: N 5D, N CED, W 7S, N 4B, N 3B, N ED Obs

24 Months: N CVCCC, W 7N, C SSU, N 6E, W 4N/5W, W CCU, C CDU

36 Months: C

W

48 Months: N NCCU, N 2C, C ICU, C MIC, C BHU

60 Months: N 6C, N P6M, W 6S

72 Months: N 5A/4C, W 4W, N 6B, N SCCC, W 3M

108 Months: N 4D, N CSSU, M ED, N MICU, N 2M, W ICU

All Falls

12 Months: N P6M, N SCCC, C MIC, N LDR

24 Months: N OB Triage

84 Months: N NICU

Antenatal Steroids

12 Months: N OB Triage

48 Months: N 2M

Hypertension Admissions

12 Months: PC at Home; PC Greenville; PC Center for Hope & Healing; PC Linden Hill; PC Middletown West; PC Woodstown; Cardiology Consultants, New Jersey; PC Smyrna; PC Kirkwood; PC Springside; PC Hockessin; PC Whitehall; PC Jennersville

24 Months: PC Lantana, Center for Special Health Care Needs, PC Center for Hope & Healing, PC Woodstown, PC Middletown West

36 Months: PC Carney’s Point, Center for Special Healthcare Needs

Short-Term Complications of Diabetes

12 Months: PC Smyrna, PC Kirkwood, PC Whitehall, PC Middletown West, PC Kennett, PC Newark, PC Carney’s Point, Center for Special Healthcare Needs

24 Months: PC Greenville

36 Months: PC Woodstown, PC Smyrna

Perioperative Services/Complications

12 Months: W OR, C Surgicenter

24 Months: N GI Lab, W GI Lab, N PACU, W PACU, Wound Care Center

N = Newark Campus

W = Wilmington Campus

C = Cecil County Campus

M = Middletown

HH = HomeHealth

PC = Primary Care

Enhancing NEWS

NEWS (National Early Warning Score) is ChristianaCare’s system for identifying patients at risk for clinical deterioration. Calculated in Powerchart, ChristianaCare’s electronic medical record system, scores are based on patients’ vital signs and level of consciousness. Patients with higher scores are at higher risk of experiencing clinical deterioration.

In FY 23, we implemented enhancements that are designed to increase transparency of NEWS throughout the system and to target alerts to those patients at highest risk.

Among the changes is the addition of NEWS Delta. These scores are the difference between prior NEWS and current NEWS (for example, if prior NEWS equals five and current NEWS is nine, the NEWS Delta is plus four). NEWS Delta helps identify increasing or decreasing NEWS scores.

NEWS and NEWS Delta were made available in all hospital units, including the Emergency Departments, Intensive Care units and procedure areas (except Women & Children’s units).

On units with NEWS alerts, nurses will no longer receive an alert for single value scores but will continue to get medium and high alerts.

Bundling love and excellence

ChristianaCare is committed to leading patient experience improvements through Nursing Bundles, evidence-based practices that improve target areas when performed — or bundled — together. The Nursing Excellence and Patient Experience teams work systemwide to implement, expand and improve bundle adoption, helping teams roll out new bundles and strengthen engagement with bundles already in place.

HomeHealth Patient Experience Bundle

HomeHealth launched its Nursing Bundle in January with Leader Rounding. Clinical managers called more than 300 patients for feedback about their HomeHealth experience. Information gleaned is helping managers identify areas for improvement, as well as what’s already working — callers heard more than 160 compliments about caregivers. Within two months of launching Leader Rounding, patient experience overall had improved.

HomeHealth is also implementing Teach-back, its second bundle component, for all clinical caregivers and will identify and start its third bundle component in fiscal year 2024.

Nursing bundle support in acute care

ChristianaCare’s Nursing Excellence and Patient Experience teams, along with other key stakeholders, developed and executed an intensive strategy to improve Acute Care Bundle engagement. Focusing on bedside shift report and purposeful hourly rounding, they trained more than 50 acute care nurse managers and assistant nurse managers, offered in-unit coaching and assistance with bedside shift reporting and purposeful hourly rounding, developed resources related to patient and family communication and much more. In all cases the interventions resulted in positive results.

Nursing units at our Cecil County campus held a Nursing Bundle Board Battle while rolling out bedside shift reporting and purposeful hourly rounding. Caregivers made bulletin boards to showcase bundle best practices. Cecil County campus’s Chief Nursing Officer Joan Pirrung, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC (far left), chose the Clinical Decision Unit as the No. 1 Bundle Buster. She is pictured here with bulletin board creators

(left to right) Melissa Neri, BSN, RN, TCRN, Adelina Veseli, BSN, RN, Stephanie Forrest, BSN, RN, Dorene Zervas, ADN, RN, PCCN and Jessica Dickerson, MSN, RN-BC, CNL.

Ambulatory Bundle

The three-phase implementation of an Ambulatory Bundle began with AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation and Thank), HEAT (Hear, Empathize, Apologize and Take action) and Teach-back.

Getting inpatients AMPed to move

Patient mobility in the hospital helps reduce pressure injuries and lengths of stay, while also enabling more patients to discharge to their homes instead of a skilled nursing facility. Our Nursing and Rehabilitation Services teams worked together to launch the inpatient Activity and Mobility Promotion (AMP) program after a successful two-year pilot with Johns Hopkins Medicine. AMP’s goal is to promote safe patient mobility throughout our hospitals. AMP started at our Wilmington and Newark campuses in 2022 and expanded to our Cecil County campus in spring 2023.

Connecting for healthy communities

Making Black men’s health a priority

Nursing joined other caregivers from our Center for Virtual Health and collaborated with 100 Black Men of Delaware, a local chapter of an international organization dedicated to elevating opportunities for African Americans, to host the Man Up! For Better Health Fair. During the daylong event, our caregivers provided health screenings, vaccines and resources about health and wellbeing.

Vaccines, naloxone and screenings for our neighbors

ChristianaCare’s Brian Wharton, MSN, RN, CPEN, CPST, was part of a team that brought vaccines and health education to community members at Wilmington’s Beautiful Gate Outreach Center. The team and a local pharmacy provided 26 mpox vaccinations, 81 flu vaccinations and 48 COVID-19 vaccinations to attendees and distributed 63 opioid overdose reversal kits, along with a training on the use of naloxone. The health system and Beautiful Gate have partnered for 15 years to provide health education and care to community members, especially those at risk for or infected by HIV/AIDS.

Transformational Leadership

ChristianaCare Nursing and HomeHealth leadership help shape the health system’s vision for the future and build the systems and environment necessary to achieve this vision. These exemplary leadership teams empower caregivers to contribute to transformations that meet the future of nursing and health care.

Council Highlights

Administrative Council

Chair: Jamie Ayala, DNP, RN-BC, NE-BC

• Created a Follow the Leader page on Microsoft Teams to enable nurse managers and assistant nurse managers to connect and support each other across all campuses.

• Developed a Nurse Administration Council (NAC) newsletter to ensure communication and education gets out to all leaders.

• Initiated leader walking rounds with NAC members to support two-way communication.

• Promoted a simplified way to conduct stay interviews with frontline staff and share information back to senior leadership.

Education, Development & Advancement Council

Chair: Samantha Greenlaw BSN, RN, PCCN

• Assisted in creating a new clinical ladder promotion process.

• Awarded Preceptor Excellence Awards and Dot Fowler Award at the Excellence in Nursing Awards ceremonies.

• Distributed the Learning Needs Assessment survey and disseminated results to participating units.

Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice Council

Chair: Kate Shady, Ph.D., RN, OCN, CCLS

• Established a direct mentorship program with nurse residents.

• Created an evidence-based practice (EBP) database for inpatient and outpatient topics.

• Developed a strategy to increase unstructured EBP and research mentorship between Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Council and Unit Practice Councils, including establishing quantifiable goals for EBP and research output.

Off-Shift Support Council

Chair: Cathryn Minnich, BSN, RN, CCRN

• Piloted Lumify flashlights in three units with great success.

• Extended blood drive and flu vaccination hours overnight on the Wilmington Campus.

• Hosted a Paws to De-stress event for overnight shifts.

Professional Nurse Council

Chair: Michelle Metcalf, BSN, RN-BC

• Increased caregiver recognition with expansion of the DAISY and ROSE Awards across campuses.

• Coordinated inclusive Nurses Month celebration by expanding activities to additional areas throughout the organization.

Quality and Safety Council

Chair: Elizabeth Shearon, MSN, RN-BC

• Partnered with key stakeholders to increase quality and safety report visibility and availability on ChristianaCare’s Clinical Effectiveness Reports website.

• Provided Nursing feedback and decision making on numerous quality and safety initiatives to improve nursing practice and clinical outcomes.

• Partnered with IT to create a Vocera texting template for potential change in patient condition/National Early Warning System, to improve communication between Nursing and providers.

• Collaborated with Pharmacy on AccuDose override medications and therapeutic duplication/medication administration that impacts on nursing caregivers.

Technology & Innovation Council

Chair: Kira Hoefler, BSN, RN, GERO-BC

• Improved timely and accurate documentation of vital signs by implementing VitalsLink, a system that allows caregivers to upload vital signs with the tap of a button.

• Reduced the time that caregivers spend searching for lab results by adding lab alerts to Care Compass.

• Created a REDzone strategy to reduce and eliminate distractions at the AccuDose.

Workforce Connection Council

Chair: Jasmin Orange, BSN, RN, CCRN

• Included Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in holiday standardization plans.

• Successfully piloted Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression, a screening that helps nurses assess aggression risk in patients and maintain a safe environment.

Systemwide promotions to nurse leadership

• Patricia Blair, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN, CNML, LSSGB, nurse manager, Center for Surgical Optimization

• Maureen Boothby, MSN, RN, nurse manager, HVIS

• Courtney Cruz-Castaneda, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, nurse manager, 4C

• Tracy Curry, MSN, RN, OCN, nurse manager, 6E/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

• Joshua Gorman-Zolochik, BSN, RNC-NIC, nurse manager, Pediatric Care Center

• Brooke Groff, BSN, RN, CDP, director of marketing, Care Transitions and Adult Day Program

• Michelle Gibson, MSN, RN, director of clinical operations, HVIS

• Dennis Harris, MSN, MA Ed, NE-BC, clinical operations director, Capacity Management

• Stephan Jones, MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC, nurse manager, 8S ACE Unit

• Janet Kucera, BSN, RN, nurse supervisor, Private Duty Nursing, HomeHealth

• Nikkole Lee, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, nursing professional development manager

• Theresa Mead, MSN, RN, PCCN, nurse manager, 7S

• Stacy Noel, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, integrative care manager

• Angelique Ombam, BSN, RN, nurse manager, 5E

• Ashley Pezzullo, MSN, RN, PCCN, CPAN, nurse manager, Newark Campus PACU/CSAU

• Lauren Rogers, BSN, RN, CCM, manager care management, CareVio

• Dawn Setting, BSN, RN, CCM, manager care management, CareVio

• Jessica Tagliaferro, MSN, RN, PCCN, nurse manager, 3C

• Kaprie Tserkis, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager, HVIS

• Danielle Weber, MSN, MSM, RN-BC, NEA-BC, chief nurse executive

Structural Empowerment

ChristianaCare’s mission, vision and values are the foundation of Nursing’s and HomeHealth’s strategic plans, structures, systems, policies and programs. In this mission-based environment, caregivers build a strong professional practice that supports our broad community and transforms nursing and health care in general.

Magnet 4.0: leading excellence and advancing practice

ChristianaCare is Magnet-designated three times over because, day in and day out, our caregivers serve with love and excellence. No sooner had we finished celebrating our 2020 Magnet redesignation for Christiana and Wilmington Hospitals, Ambulatory Services and ChristianaCare HomeHealth than we began preparing for our 2024 redesignation journey.

Five Nursing Excellence Experts, formerly known as Magnet Masters, are steering the process, guided by Maria Brown, MSN, RN, PCCN, CNL, nursing excellence, manager. During FY 23, these experts, representing ambulatory care, as well as our Wilmington and Newark campuses and HomeHealth, held quarterly retreats for Magnet Ambassadors. Nurses from across the health system, our 90 Nursing Excellence Ambassadors are champions for the Magnet process who help their practice areas prepare for redesignation. Each retreat focused on a different aspect of the Magnet model and featured presentations and tools to help Ambassadors boost systemwide engagement in getting ready for 2024.

Today’s leaders mentoring tomorrow’s leaders

With a goal of providing caregivers with tools needed to perform at the highest levels, our APRN Council partnered with ChristianaCare’s Institute for Learning, Leadership and Development (or iLEAD) — led by Tamekia Chisholm, MSN, APRN, PCCN-K, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC — to develop MentorLead. A leadership mentoring program, MentorLead pairs novice APRNs with experienced APRNs and novice clinical nurses with experienced clinical nurses eager to help guide and support them. Currently, MentorLead is available for advanced practice clinicians, such as APRNs and PAs, leadership and clinical ladder nurses.

Cultivating an inclusive caregiving community and experience

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) enable our caregivers to bring their complete selves to work by finding support and allyship with colleagues who share a commonality or interest. ERGs focus on diversity and inclusion across age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, backgrounds and more.

11 ERGs

1,300 Caregivers

16% from Nursing

May, the most wonderful month of the year

For the monthlong May celebration of Nurses Month, our Professional Nurse Council developed a wonderful set of activities for caregivers across all our campuses and HomeHealth to enjoy. Some of the highlights: a blood drive, step challenge and Blessing of the Hands; cuddly visits from Paws to De-Stress; virtual guided meditations and an in-person Healing Touch; special snacks and much more.

Rising on the Clinical Ladder

Last year, a team of clinical nurses, nurse managers and Nursing leadership convened to create a more efficient promotion process for our clinical ladder professional advancement program.

RN IV

Deborah Wambold, MSN, RN, CEN

RN III

Christine Anderson, MSN, RN, PCCN

Sarah Barnett, BSN, RN, CNOR

Stephanie Caldwell, BSN, RN, CCRN

Jessica Callahan, BSN, BS, RN, CEN

Megan Campana, BSN, RN, SCRN

Melissa Gandolfo, BSN, VA-BC

Toni Gilley, BSN, RN, SCRN

Carley Griscom, BSN, RN, SCRN, CPAN

Brenda Hollingsworth, MSN, RN, CCRN

Paige Kafantaris, BSN, RN, CEN, FNE

Danielle Kennedy, BSN, RN, VA-BC

Doctoral Degrees

Stephanie Kwabi, DNP, RN

Clinical Nurse 4D

Doctor of Nursing Practice

University of Delaware

Kate Shady, Ph.D., RN, OCN, CCLS

Clinical Nurse 6E

Doctor of Philosophy

Medical University of South Carolina

Hannah Manzo, BSN, RN, SCRN

Loretta McAleer Jones, BSN, RN, CCRP

Kelly Michele McGraw, MSN, BA

Jaime McLaughlin, BSN, RN, CCRN, PCCN

Nicole Morrison, BSN, RN, C-OB, EFM

Lauren Murphy, BSN, RN, CPAN

Kerry Pierce, BSN, RN, Med Surg

Maria Poprik, MSN, RN, CEN

Lindsey Safian, MSN, RN, C-OB, EFM

Amy Stier, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A

Amanda Spence, BSN, RN-BC

Alexandra Troutman, BSN, RN, PCCN

Ruth Ann Woerner, MSN, RN-BC

Tara Woodside, DNP, RN, CALA Patient safety program manager, Medical Group

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Wilmington University

Jenna Shaw, DNP, RN

Clinical data coordinator, Heart & Vascular Center

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Capella University

Nursing Residencies and Fellowships

As a Magnet-recognized health system and the largest private employer in Delaware, ChristianaCare promotes a culture where quality and opportunity for nurses are plentiful.

Nurse Residency Program

Our Nurse Residency Program is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP). In FY 23, we offered three nurse residency cohorts, serving units across our three campuses that hire newly graduated RNs with fewer than 12 months of nursing experience.

10 primary curriculum tracks: Critical Care, Emergency, Float Pool, Labor and Delivery, Medical, Neonatal ICU, Perioperative, Postpartum, Progressive Care and Surgical

210 RN residents hired

Nursing Fellowships

96% retention rate overall 97.86% average first year retention rate across the program (compared to 83.99% for all residencies recognized by the ANCC’s PTAP®)

ChristianaCare Nurse Fellowships are for nurses with more than 12–24 months of experience who are transitioning to new workplace settings. Currently, practice settings that hire Nurse Fellows include Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Heart & Vascular Interventional Services, Interventional Radiology or Cath Lab, operating rooms and the Float Pool ICU team.

Advanced Practice Clinicians Fellowships

15 Nurse Fellows hired annually

ChristianaCare’s Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) Fellowships are for recently graduated APCs seeking to deliver high-quality, exceptional care experiences for our patients.

FY 23 new APRN Fellows

4 Primary Care

1 Behavioral Health

1 Critical Care

FY 23 APRN Fellow permanent hires

1 Behavioral Health

Educating future nurses

As the region’s leading health system, ChristianaCare steers the nursing profession’s future through numerous partnerships with top-rated nursing schools. We offer undergraduate and graduate students clinical hours with excellent clinicians, and we partner with local middle and high schools to spark early interest in the nursing profession.

1,000 undergraduate students spent 66,000 undergraduate clinical hours with ChristianaCare nurses and patients in FY 23.

Middle School

Middle School Programs Brandywine School District High School Collaborative Up to 20 students yearly

Perioperative Pathway

Cecil College

University of Delaware Delaware State University

ChristianaCare Licensed Practical Nurses to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Partnership with DelTech

Student Nurse Extern Program more than 100 hired each year

Delaware State University

Nursing Scholars Program

Up to 10 scholarships each year

Appoquinimink/Middletown up to 50 hours exploring surgical services

Patient Care Technician Residency Program targets underprivileged communities in Delaware

Job Shadow 18 or older more than 100 per year

New Castle County Vocational-Technical Cooperative Hodgson High School

Ruth Shaw Scholarship Junior Board sponsored

Cecil College

Nursing Scholars

Up to five scholarships each year

Professional Nurse

Stat! It’s a special kind of field trip

Approximately 30 students from Delaware’s Talley, Springer and P.S. duPont middle schools visited ChristianaCare as part of Brandywine Lifesavers, a Brandywine School District program that gives middle school students the chance to see what it’s like to care for patients as a nurse and to be part of a life-saving team. In addition to talking with nurses who specialize in different areas, students got an up-close and in-person view of nursing in action while visiting different floors in the hospital.

ChristianaCare’s Karen Brady, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, and Ashley Oncay, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, captured students’ imaginations with hip implants, screws, sponges, instruments and other surgical equipment.

Awards and Recognitions

DAISY Awards

The international DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses rewards and celebrates nurses exhibiting exceptional clinical skills and compassionate care. ChristianaCare’s Professional Nurse Council selects awardees from patient, family and colleague nominations. We are proud to honor our FY 23 DAISY nurses. Congratulations!

Marian Aikens, BSN, RN 4N, Wilmington Campus

Nichelle Belton, BSN, RN Kent/Sussex Team 3, HomeHealth

Chanelle Caple, BSN, RN CVCCC, Newark Campus

Casi Chandler, ADN, RN 4W, Wilmington Campus

Shelby Crawford, BSN, RN, CCRN 2A, Newark Campus

Lindsey Gaspar, BSN, RN-BC 5B, Newark Campus

Kira Hoefler, BSN, RN-BC 6A, Newark Campus

Hyang Suk Kim, RN (Private Duty) Smyrna Office, HomeHealth

Ponnamma Mathai, BSN, RN, RNC-OB Labor & Delivery, Newark Campus

Lauren Murphy, BSN, RN, CPAN

Perioperative nurse, Cecil County Campus

Kelly Souder, BSN, RN Camden Office, HomeHealth

Vanessa Vecore, ADN, RN Labor & Delivery, Newark Campus

2023 DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award

Maureen Seckel, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCNS, CCRN-K, FCCM, FCNS, FAAN

Medical critical care quality and safety nurse specialist and sepsis coordinator, Newark Campus

2023 DAISY Leader Award

Susan Mascioli, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, CPPS

Vice President, Nursing Quality and Safety

2023 DAISY Team Awards

The Center for Breast Reconstruction at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute

Emergency Department, Wilmington Campus

Same Day Surgery, Cecil County Campus

The Healer’s Touch arrives

Caregivers and leadership celebrated the unveiling of The Healer’s Touch sculpture in our Cecil County Campus’s Union Hospital. The Healer’s Touch is made by the Shona tribe of Zimbabwe for The DAISY Foundation and represents the bond between nurses and their patients. It’s a tribute to the hospital’s nurses for the extraordinary skill and compassionate care they provide to patients and families.

Magnet Nurse of the Year

ChristianaCare’s FY 23 Magnet Nurse of the Year is Kate Shady, Ph.D., RN, OCN, CCLS. Shady is a clinical nurse in the Hematology/Oncology Unit and chair of the Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice professional governance council. She has disseminated research in multiple publications, including the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, on various topics, such as the acceptability of nurse-driven aromatherapy for hematology/oncology patients and barriers and facilitators for accessing health care among autistic adults with communication differences. She is also a mentor and role model for clinical nurses.

“Kate exemplifies New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements as she strategically challenges the status quo, seeks to improve the quality of care provided to patients and ignites the spirit of inquiry in other nurses.”

— Tracy Curry, MSN, RN, OCN, nurse manager

Delaware Today Top Nurses

More than 100 ChristianaCare nurses, representing all care areas and levels of the nursing practice, were recognized in the Delaware Today list of Top Nurses for 2023. Congratulations to our honorees, two of whom were also the top “vote getters” in their categories (see * below):

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Brittany Anderson, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CCRN, CEN

Laura Dechant, DNP, APRN, CCNS, CCRN, RN-BC, FCNS

Christina DiMarco, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC

Jennifer Entrekin, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC

Eileen Evangelista, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP –BC

Breighanna Gray, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN

Cara Grove, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, AAHIVS

Christina Hendler, MSN, MHA, APRN, NNP-BC

Erin Mitchell, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNRN, SCRN

Jessie Powell, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, CEN

Juliana Rahmer, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CEN

Leasha Roy, MSN/MHA, APRN, ACCNS-AG, PCCN-K

Victoria Udealer, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC

Victoria Varga, MSN, APRN, FNP

Leslie Verucci, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC

Kimberly Vignola, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, CCRN

Kevin Wiley, MSN, APRN, FNP, ENP

Advancing & Leading the Profession

Brittany Anderson, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CCRN, CEN

Tammy Brown, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, OCN

Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB

Robyn Dougherty, MBA, MSN, RN, CCRN

Michael Knorr, MSN, RN

Susan Mascioli, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, CPPS

Bridget Remel, MSN, APRN, NEA-BC, AGCNSBC, NPD-BC, CCRN-K

Danielle Sarik, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC

Ambulatory Care Nursing

Stephanie Bolden, MSN, RN

Heather Grogg, BSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC*

Jennifer Knotts, BSN, RN, OCN

Steven Larrimore, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC

Case Utilization/Management

Ashley Burroughs, BSN, RN

Christine Cianfrini, BSN, RN, CCM

Dionisia Bello, BSN, RN, CCM

Clinical Educator

Lisa DiLuzio, MSN, MSM, BS, RN, CCM

Erin Hare, MSN, RN, CCRN

Theresa McVey, BSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC

Kendall Scott, MSN, RN-BC, NPD-BC

Sheri A. Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP

Lesley Tepner, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NPDBC, C-ONQS, RNC-OB

Michaelene Urban, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANPBC, AGACNP-BC

Jaime Zicafoose, MSN, RN-BC

Home Health/Hospice/Telehealth

Janet Kucera, BSN, RN

Jamieson Martin, BSN, RN

Kelly Souder, BSN, RN

Informatics

Raoul Fleming, MSN, RN

Debra Howard, MSN, RN-BC

Carmen Pal, MSN, MBA, RN

Dawn Robinson, MSN, RN-BC, MEDSURG-BC

Inpatient/Acute Care Nursing

Sarah Black, BSN, RN

Corrine Bowell, BSN, RN

Ellyn Bushbeck, BSN, RN

Jessica Callahan, BSN, RN, CEN

Erin Coulter, RN

Briar Dobson, BSN, RN

Shelli Doherty, BSN, RN

Samantha Doughty, BSN, RN

Kathleen Fetters, BSN, RN-BC, WTA-C

Christine Flanagan, MSN, RN-BC

Jennifer Flynn, BSN, RN, PCCN

Joshua Gorman-Zolochik, MSN, RNC-NIC

Amanda Griffith, MSN, RN, PCCN

Carley Griscom, MSN, RN, CPAN, SCRN

Ashley Harkness, BSN, RN, CCRN

Jamilia Harvey, BSN, RN

Ingrid Hausner, BSN, RN, PCCN

Oksana Iwaskiw, BSN, RN, CEN

Caroline Keegan, BSN, RN, CCRN

Marsha Krise, MSN, RNC-MNN

Joana Lapinid, MSN, RN, PCCN

Jaime McLaughlin, BSN, RN, CCRN, PCCN

Arlene Peirce, BSN, RN, PCCN

Angel Piecuch, BSN, RN

Tyesha Rodriguez-Gist, MSN, RN, CCRN

Kimberly Schoeffler, MSN, RNC-NIC

Amy Stier, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A

Gillian Tilley, BSN, RN, CEN, TCRN

Terry Vaughn, BSN, RN-BC, WTA-C

Jenna Wagner, RN

Gina Waithe, MSN, RN, CNOR

Deb Wambold, MSN, RN, CEN

Jennifer Wilcox, BSN, RN, CCRN

Amanda Williams, MSN, APRN, SCRN, FNP-BC

Michelle Zechman, BSN, RN, CCRN

Katie Zee, MSN, RN

Nursing Newcomer

Katie Carroll, RN

Michaela Dowling, MSN, RN

Charles Eppehimer, BSN, RN, SCRN

Lisa Harrity, RN

Amber Hiltner, BSN, RN, WTA-C, CCRN

Corinne Morgan, BS, BSN, RN

Melanie Moser, BSN, RN, CCRN

Ashley Prior, RN

Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing

Molly Bergamo, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, AGACNP-BC

Clarissa Bigelow, BSN, RN-BC

Heather Holt, BSN, RN

Ashley Kuriga, BSN, RN, PMH-BC

Quality/Safety/Risk Management

Mary Ciechanowski, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN-K

Kathleen Hackett, BSN, RN, CCRN

Karen Dudley, MS, BSN, RN-BC, NE-BC, CPHQ

Gwendolyn Ebbert, MSN, BA, RN-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB

Lynda Huselton, MSN, MSM, RN-BC, NE-BC

Rijo James, BSN, RN, CCDS*

Robin Revell, BSN, RN, CPHQ, C-ONQ

Shiann Smith, MSN, RN

Rehabilitation/Long-Term Care

Jamie Ayala, DNP, RN-BC, NE-BC

Volunteerism & Service

Adrienne Abrenica, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC

Irene LaVita-Harris, RN, CCRN, TCRN

ChristianaCare Way Awards

For our annual ChristianaCare Way Awards, caregivers partner across disciplines to identify opportunities for improvements and innovations that benefit our patients, caregivers and community. Groups of nurses, physicians and others develop solutions that promote optimal health, exceptional experiences and organizational vitality. Award-winning team initiatives with nurse leads, co-leads or team members are listed here.

Transformation

QI Initiative Expansion to Broaden Influenza Vaccination Coverage in People with HIV

Population Health

Community Health Worker Integration into Primary Care

Optimal Health Safety

Installing Guardrails® on the Fentanyl Infusion Freeway

Optimal Health Quality – Gold

Twiage: Prehospital Notification of STEMI

Optimal Health Quality – Bronze

Little Drops of Love: Implementation of Oral Care Best Practices for NICU Patients

Exceptional Experience – Silver

Focusing on Patient Needs through Timely Spiritual Histories

Organizational Vitality – Gold

Increasing Community Access to the Riverside Wound Care Center

Organizational Vitality – Silver

Reducing Click Burden through Optimal Conversion

Strategic Partnership

Delaware Food Farmacy: A Food as Medicine

Partnership Improving Chronic Conditions

Extraordinary People – Gold

No Experience Needed: Be a HomeHealth CNA!

Extraordinary People – Silver

Psychological Safety: A Foundation of Respect

Innovative Tools

Diggin’ In to Drop-em Down: Data to Decrease Smart Pump Alerts

Magnet Structural Empowerment

Patient Education Resource Support: A PERScription for Success in Patient Education

Magnet Exemplary

Professional Practice – Gold

Improving Validity of Hand Hygiene Surveillance

Magnet Exemplary

Professional Practice – Silver Dermal Defense

Magnet Transformational Leadership Taking the Thinking Out of Falls Screening

Magnet New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvement – Gold

Productivity Made Easy Tool Developed to Help HomeHealth Caregivers Meet Benchmarks

Magnet New Knowledge, Innovations & Improvement – Silver

Increase Compliance for Bone Density Testing

Good Catch Award

Daniel Zirolli, RN

Dot Fowler Award

The annual Dot Fowler Award honors an exemplary RN III or RN IV caregiver who demonstrates commitment to excellence in their practice area. Congratulations to our FY 23 recipient, Christina Hoddinott, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, pictured here with Chief Nursing Officer Danielle Weber, MSN, MSM, RN-BC, NEA-BC (second from right), Tamekia Chisholm, MSN, APRN, PCCN-K, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC (far right) and members of our Education, Development & Advancement Council, who presented the award.

Excellence in Nursing Awards

Every year in May, ChristianaCare’s Excellence in Nursing Awards shine a spotlight on exceptional nurses. In FY 23, we celebrated the awards with recipients on all our campuses. In total, 135 nurses received awards.

Making the grades — again

For the third year in a row, ChristianaCare has earned Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™ and is among the top 1% of more than 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for consistent, year-over-year superior clinical performance. Our Christiana Hospital and Wilmington Hospital are the only hospitals in Delaware to receive this recognition.

Welcoming babies with award-winning care

ChristianaCare earned U.S. News & World Report’s highest award for maternity care in the 2022-23 ratings for Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. Rated as a High Performing Hospital, ChristianaCare was the sole health system in Delaware to earn the esteemed honor. Christiana Hospital at our Newark Campus is the only high-risk delivering hospital in the First State offering Level III neonatal intensive care.

“Our nurses were absolutely fantastic — they anticipated every need and were kind and supportive, even celebrating my birthday, which is the day after Emelia’s.”

— Brooke Zicarelli, mom to Emelia

National and regional nursing awards

Deanna Benner, MSN, APRN, received the Stephanie Davis Waste Reduction Award and Scholarship from Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth.

Melanie Chichester, BSN, RNC-OB, CPLC, RNC-IAP, was named one of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses’ inaugural group of Fellows. She was also honored with the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, one of its most prestigious honors for those who have shown exemplary characteristics in the nursing care of women and newborns.

Mona Liza Hamlin, MSN, RN, IBCLC, received the Hamlin-Taylor Emerging Leader Award from the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. The committee re-named this award to honor Hamlin and a colleague, Emily Taylor, for their active involvement in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding and human milk feeding.

Lija Gireesh, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, COHN-S, earned the Luminary Award 2022 from the National Indian Nurse Practitioners Association of America.

Maureen Seckel, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCNS, CCRN-K, FCCM, FCNS, was named to the American Academy of Nursing’s 2022 Class of Fellows.

Our Forensic Nurse Examiner team received the Outstanding Organization award from the Delaware Victims’ Rights Task Force for providing exemplary service, improving the quality of services to victims and influencing long-term change in the victim services field.

ChristianaCare is the only health system in Delaware to hold Beacon Awards for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The health system’s Transitional Medical Unit/Intermediate Medical Unit earned a silver award this year. They are two of five Delaware Beacon awardees — the others who received awards in past years are our Newark Campus’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (gold), Surgical Critical Care Complex (silver) and Transitional Surgical Unit (silver).

Development Support

A gift that helps save lives

Susan Katzin recently completed treatment for lung cancer. A nonsmoker, she was lucky to catch the cancer early during a regular, life-saving screening. Inspired by their personal experience, Susan and her husband Dan are committed to raising awareness about lung cancer and recently made a $500,000 gift for lung health initiatives at ChristianaCare Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

With the Katzins’ generous support, ChristianaCare will hire a nurse to focus on lung cancer screening in the community. Based at our Wilmington Campus, the caregiver will partner with ChristianaCare’s primary care providers and community outreach partners to encourage community members to have annual low-dose chest scans and enroll in smoking cessation programs if they smoke.

New Knowledge, Innovations and Improvements

ChristianaCare nurses act and think locally in their practice areas and globally to influence health care and nursing. They are committed to advancing the science of nursing and developing evidence-based interventions and new models of care.

Challenge accepted: Innovating to prevent CAUTI

The ChristianaCare Innovation Challenge invites caregivers to showcase their ideas for technologies, digital health solutions or inventions that will help us better care for our community. In FY 23, nurses Bridget Remel, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, and Gwendolyn Ebbert, MSN, BA, RN, CPHQ, RN-BC, LSSBB, shared their novel approach to reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).

CAUTI is dangerous for patients and costly for health systems. It is also highly preventable with the right training, and practice, but not all nurses have the opportunity to practice catheter insertion, especially in units where catheters are infrequently used.

Remel and Ebbert’s innovation is a cost effective, creative approach to training nurses in catheter insertion to help reduce CAUTI. Typical training processes use simulation on expensive, heavy, and cumbersome mannequins. Currently in development, Remel and Ebbert’s idea is a low-cost Urinary Catheterization Training Kit with a complementary virtual training. Available on-site, the kit and training will enable on-the-spot practice and demonstration, increasing caregiver confidence and improving patient satisfaction. The kit and supplemental training will be replicable for settings like skilled nursing facilities.

Getting mORe intelligent

Nurse Manager Heather Pelkey, MSN, MSM, RN, CNOR, took the lead in identifying transformational, cutting-edge software for our Newark Campus operating room (OR).

The augmented reality technology ORtelligence supports surgical teams by providing the right information, equipment and support for surgical cases. It digitizes and optimizes the OR supply chain with software that provides all team members with the right information and support needed for the best possible care for patients. It benefits OR nurses by enabling surgeons to create personalized plans for every patient, laying out for nurses the needs for each procedure. After a successful pilot, the solution will soon expand to our Wilmington campus.

Transforming Cecil County Campus’s EMR Platform as a team

Our caregiver compassion and generosity don’t start and stop with the people we serve, but extend to our colleagues as well. When our Cecil County Campus implemented its new Cerner EMR platform, the team effort crossed state lines as caregivers from across the health system offered guidance and support. The rollout has been overwhelmingly positive among caregivers, who notice a tangible improvement to their workflow.

Creating a culture for pressure injury prevention

An interprofessional group of ChristianaCare caregivers has made tremendous strides in developing and implementing approaches to preventing hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI). Catherine Shull Fernald, DNP, RN, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, FACHE, Susan Mascioli, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, LSSBB, CPPS, and Lindsay McGrath, MSN, RN, CWOCN, along with Daniel M. Grawl, MBA, PA-C, FAAPA, FDAPA, EMT-P, presented their work to the Pressure Injury Safety Collaborative in June. The collaborative was hosted by ECRI, a global, independent authority on health care technology and safety, and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit devoted entirely to preventing medication errors. The ChristianaCare team shared how it has helped improve HAPI Stage 3+ rates by 88% — from 3.81 to 0.47 — since 2019. In FY 23, their HAPI reduction initiative reduced HAPI incidents by 26% compared to FY 22, in part from:

• Using machine learning to identify patients at highest risk for pressure injuries.

• Creating videos for offloading and positioning education for caregivers.

• Sharing lessons learned monthly.

• Transitioning to a new pressure redistribution mattress and replacing hundreds of mattresses.

• Piloting and transitioning to new moisture management products.

Publications and Presentations

Publications

Melanie Chichester, Lesley Tepner and Denise Cote-Arsenault. (2022, September). “Nursing Care of Childbearing Families after Previous Perinatal Loss.” Nursing for Women’s Health. 26(5):379-388.

Michelle Collins and Maria Brown. (2023, March-May). “Virtual Acute Care Nurses: Implementing Successful Change.” DNA Reporter. 48(2):10.

Shannon Connolly. (2022, December). “A New Nurse’s Unexpected Discovery.” Nursing for Women’s Health. 26(6):485-486.

Odai Dweekat, Sarah Lam, and Lindsay McGrath. (2022, December). “A Hybrid System of Braden Scale and Machine Learning to Predict Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (Bedsores): A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study.” Diagnostics. 13(1)31.

Odai Dweekat, Sarah Lam, and Lindsay McGrath. (2022, December). “Machine Learning Techniques, Applications, and Potential Future Opportunities in Pressure Injuries (Bedsores) Management: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 10(1):796.

Catharine Kelly, Amanda Latina, Tara Babe, Paige Fox, Megan Nucifora and Abigail Walker. (2023, April). “An Interdisciplinary Approach to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries Using a Manual Tilt-in-Space Wheelchair and Seating Protocol.” Nursing 2023 53(4):49-52.

Paula Klemm and Hason Jafrey. (2022, November). “Recruitment of Minorities into Nursing, Best Practices: A Scoping Review.” Open Journal of Nursing 12:683-701

Maureen Seckel and Dannette Mitchell. (2022, October). “What Is the Preferred Method for Endotracheal Tube (ETT) Securement When Prone Positioning to Prevent Pressure Injury.” Critical Care Nurse 42(5):77-79.

Presentations

Susan Birkhoff and Kat Collard. (2023, March). Innovative Robot Collaborates with Nurses to Improve Care Delivery. Podium presentation at ACHE in Chicago, IL.

Susan Birkhoff and Cynthia Waddington. (2022, October). Virtual Reality: Nurses Innovating to Enhance Patients’ Experiences. Podium presentation at Magnet conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Karen Clarke, Brian Matson, Rebecca Brockson, and Hayley Sweetser. (2023, April). Excellence in Practice-John Hopkins Activity & Mobility Promotion (JH-AMP) at ChristianaCare: Sustainable Education, Promotion & Awareness. Podium presentation at Johns Hopkins 6th Annual Activity & Mobility Conference in Baltimore, MD.

Kat Collard, Debbie Howard, and Lindsay McGrath. (2022, October). Pressure Injury Identification Process Utilizing Camera Capture. Podium presentation at Oracle Cerner Health Conference, virtual.

Kat Collard. (2022, October). The Robot Next Door: ChristianaCare’s Experience with Robotic Assistants. Podium presentation at the HealthCare Academy CNIO/CIO Conference in San Francisco, CA.

Kat Collard and Greg Springan. (2023, April). Supporting and Evolving the Delivery of Patient Care: Collaborative Robots and Healthcare. Podium presentation at HIMSS Nursing Informatics Symposium in Chicago, IL.

Kat Collard and James McAdams. (2023, April). ChristianaCare’s Experience Integrating Cobots. Podium presentation at HIMSS Global Conference in Chicago, IL.

Michelle Collins. (2023, March). Elevating the Workforce Collaborative Knowledge Transfer. Virtual webinar with Vizient.

Michelle Collins. (2022, September). Making the Most of the Magnet Conference. Virtual webinar with Tipton Communications.

Michelle Collins and Maria Brown. (2023, June). Speaker for Policy Development Session. Podium presentation at American Nurses Association Membership Assembly in Washington, DC.

Michelle Collins and Maria Brown. (2023, April). Virtual Acute Care Nurses: Implementing Successful Change. Poster presentation at 27th Annual Research Evidence-Based Practice, Performance Improvement Conference, virtual.

Michelle Collins and Ric Cuming. (2023, April). From Pilot to Scale: Making the Business Case for Nursing Technology Adoption. Podium presentation at HMA CNO Academy in Palm Beach, FL.

Michelle Collins, Maria Brown, Marybeth McMahon, Melanie Ries, Denise Lottero, Bonnie Osgood, Justin Bartels, and Lauren Klein. (2023, April). Virtual Acute Care Nurses: Implementing Successful Change. Poster presentation at 27th Annual Research EvidenceBased Practice, Performance Improvement Conference, virtual.

Emily Colonna and Leasha Roy. (2022, September). Stay on Target: Optimizing TTM Outcomes. Podium presentation at Diamond State Chapter American Association Critical Care Nurses Conference in Lewes, DE.

Ashley Connell and Lisa Katrowski. (2023, April). Career Day presentation at William Penn High School in New Castle, DE.

Laura Dechant. (2023, May). Game Changers in Structural Heart Care: TAVR and MitraClip. Podium presentation at National Teaching Institute in Philadelphia, PA.

Catherine Shull Fernald. (2023, April). Telehealth, Remote Care and What Clinical Leaders Still Need to Succeed. Panel presentation at Becker’s Hospital Review: 13th Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

Catherine Shull Fernald. (2022, September). The Focused Leader: Embracing Vulnerability, Risk Taking, and the Potential to Succeed. Guest lecture presentation at Delaware Organization for Nursing Leadership, Leading Nursing into the Future Annual Summit in Wilmington, DE.

Edna Green. (2023, April). Hypertension Medication Management Protocol for Nurse-Led Visit. Poster presentation at American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Conference in Orlando, FL.

Lija Greesh. (2022, November). Research, EBP and QI: How Does It Help with Innovations in Nursing. Podium presentation at National Indian Nurse Practitioners Association Nursing Conference in New York, NY.

Nancy Homan. (2023, April). Too Sweet for Surgery — Implementing Perioperative Hyperglycemia Pathways to Optimize Outcomes. Poster presentation at ASPAN National Conference in Denver, CO.

Stephanie Kwabi. (2023, March). Promoting Prediabetes Screening Within the Primary Care Setting: An Evidence-Based Approach Utilizing the Diabetes Prevention Toolkit. Podium presentation at the UD School of Nursing DNP Program in Newark, DE.

Denise Lottero and Kelly Moyer. (2023, May). Self-Surf: Increasing Patient Portal Enrollment. Poster presentation at Jefferson’s Health Equity and Quality Improvement Summit in Philadelphia, PA.

Lisa Markiewicz. (2022, October). Innovative Governance Council Improves Nurse Satisfaction. Poster presentation at Magnet Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Brian Matson, Karen Clarke, Rebecca Brockson and Hayley Sweetser. (2023, April). Excellence in Practice – JH-AMP @ ChristianaCare. Podium presentation at the Johns Hopkins Activity and Mobility Conference in Baltimore, MD.

Julie McCulloh Nair and Alex Waad. (2023, March). Limited English Proficient Patients’ Healthcare Experiences with Interpretive Services. Podium presentation at Eastern Nurses Research Society in Philadelphia, PA.

Steven McPherson. (2023, May). Impact of Integrated, Automated, Traveling Cobot Assistance on Time and Motion of Nursing Care Delivery. Poster presentation at American Nursing Informatics Association in Louisville, KY.

Paige Merring. (2023, April). Who Are You Tapping? Harnessing Nurse Engagement through Development and Mentorship. Podium presentation at Delaware Organization of Nurse Leaders monthly meeting, virtual.

Paige Merring. (2022, September). Who are You Tapping? Harnessing Nurse Engagement through Development and Mentorship. Podium presentation at Diamond State Chapter American Association Critical Care Nurses Conference in Lewes, DE.

Ryan Miller, Sarah Delgado, Andrew Benedict-Nelson, Linda Cassidy, and Cheryl Peterson. (2023, May). Let’s Start Now: Designing Strategies to Promote Appropriate Staffing. Podium presentation at NTI in Philadelphia, PA.

Greg O’Neill. (2022, October). I See You! Equity, Health Literacy, and Empathy. Panel discussion at University of New Mexico Hospitals Webinar Series, virtual.

Greg O’Neill. (2022, October). Make Your Research Count: Learning from Health Systems What Is Useful and What They Need. Panel discussion at 2022 Health Literacy Annual Research Conference, virtual.

Greg O’Neill. (2023, April). Patient Experience Forum: The Quest for Patient Transparency & Trust. Panel discussion at HIMSS23 in Chicago, IL.

Greg O’Neill. (2023, April). Patient Education Partnerships with IT Are Crucial for Success. Podium presentation at HIMSS23 in Chicago, IL.

Greg O’Neill. (2023, May). Patient Education Partnerships with IT Are Crucial for Success. Podium presentation at Delaware Valley HIMSS in Philadelphia, PA.

Greg O’Neill. (2023, May). Building a Health Literacy Statewide Coalition: Lessons Learned from 5 States. Panel discussion at IHA Health Literacy Conference, virtual.

Teresa Panchisin. (2023, March). The Peer Review Process Can Be More Effective: Optimizing the RL6 Peer Review Module. Podium presentation at RL Palooza in Orlando, FL.

Kristin Papiro and Vince Burch. (2023, March). Let the Data Do the Talking: Preventing Workplace Violence through Data Transparency. Podium presentation at RL Palooza in Orlando, FL.

Joan Pirrung and Joan Realdine. (2023, March). Interactive Discussion on Leadership Journeys. Lecture at Cecil College Leadership Institute in Elkton, MD.

Jessie Powell. (2022, October). A Case Study: Successful Early Autologous Skin Grafting After Significant Debridement of Skin Necrosis from IV Xylazine and Fentanyl Abuse. Poster presentation at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care in Las Vegas, NV.

Jessie Powell and Kathy Gallagher. (2022, October). Expediting Acute Wound Healing by Integrating Multiple Therapeutic Strategies. Poster presentation at The Symposium on Advanced Wound Care in Las Vegas, NV.

Juliana Rahmer. (2023, March). Use of Virtual Attendings to Support APCs to Increase Patient Coverage and Manage Provider Shortages During COVID-19 Pandemic in a Hospitalist Group. Panel discussion at Vizient Clinical Workforce Conference in New Orleans, LA.

Danielle Sarik and Patricia Pawlow. (2022, October). A Sum Greater Than the Parts: An Innovative Nurse Scientist Model. Podium presentation at ANCC Research Symposium in Philadelphia, PA.

Christine Schrei and Deborah Wambold. (2022, October). Escape the Room — Escaping Traditional Education in Nursing. Podium presentation at the Emergency Nurses Association Conference in Denver, CO.

Christine Schrei and Deborah Wambold. (2022, October). Escape the Room — Escaping Traditional Education in Nursing. Poster presentation at the Magnet Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

Maureen Seckel. (2022, November). All About Sepsis for APRNs. Podium presentation at NCNP 2002 Fall Virtual National Conference for Nurse Practitioners, virtual.

Leslie Verucci. (2023, March). Providing Care to Prevent ED/Hospital Admissions and Delay in Treatment: Care Model Redesign Oncology Express Unit. Podium presentation at Vizient Strategies for the Advanced Practice Provider Workforce Conference in New Orleans, LA.

Colleen White and Mary Stanfill. (2022, October). Accurate Population Health Data: A Success Story. Podium presentation at AHIMA22 Global Conference in Columbus, OH.

Bolded names are ChristianaCare nurses.

ChristianaCare nurse-led conferences

17th Annual Nursing Research Conference

In partnership with other Delaware health systems and universities, ChristianaCare held its 17th Annual Nursing Research Conference, Moving Forward: Sustaining a Spirit of Inquiry. The convening brought together professional nurses and students seeking to use research and evidence-based practices to improve patient outcomes.

10th Annual Pharmacology & Evidence-Based Review Conference

ChristianaCare’s APRN Council hosted the Annual Pharmacology & Evidence-Based Review Conference designed for specialty physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, physician assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners. The event looked at current and new pharmacological and clinical approaches with the goal of achieving safe prescribing practices and optimal clinical outcomes.

The ChristianaCare Way

We serve our neighbors as respectful, expert, caring partners in their health. We do this by creating innovative, effective, affordable and equitable systems of care that our neighbors value.

We Serve Together Guided by Our Values of Excellence & Love

Love

We anticipate the needs of others and help with compassion and generosity.

We embrace diversity and show respect to everyone.

We listen actively, seek to understand and assume good intentions.

We tell the truth with courage and empathy.

We accept responsibility for our attitudes and actions.

Excellence

We commit to being exceptional today and even better tomorrow.

We seek new knowledge, ask for feedback and are open to change.

We use resources wisely and effectively.

We are curious and continuously look for ways to innovate.

We are true to our word and follow through on our commitments.