Separating for Growth

After each cardiac procedure, our patients are recovered in Cardiac PACU and can be discharged the same day.

The Adult Cardiac PACU was created to specifically care for patients before and after their cardiac procedure until they receive a private room or can be discharged home. With compassion, excellence, and wholeness, our Cardiac PACU team encompasses whole patient care throughout the patient’s visit. The Adult Cardiac PACU opened with 15 new private bays and an experienced staff consisting of RNs, PCAs, and a Unit Secretary who provide cardiac-specific care to ensure the quality and safety of care is exceeded.

The opening of these combined departments is a testament to Loma Linda University Health’s dedication to continuously grow as healthcare providers. The Cardiac PACU seeks to create a more efficient patient intake and discharge process while simultaneously improving the patient experience with timely access to care and decreased wait times for patients. With the focus on both patients and many interdisciplinary healthcare providers, our organization benefits from the decrease of costs, improvement in patient satisfaction, and the increase of the community’s health outcomes.

When we think of embracing all things new, Unit 4700 Pediatric Step-Down Unit is a unit that embraced its advancement in patient care service while boosting morale. Prior to the move into the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus, in Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, our Leonard L. Bailey Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit shared space with the Pediatric Step-Down unit. Due to the pandemic and increasing census numbers, plans came into place to move the step-down unit to the newly renovated Unit 4700 space to accommodate the increased services. After much planning and communication, it was believed that this move could allow both units to provide private patient rooms. Planning included collaboration with physician teams, patient throughput, residence space, and communication with patients and patients’ families related to the upcoming move. The ancillary teams, Dispatch, Information Services, Central Supply, Child Life, Bioengineering, Construction and Patient Experience were critical to the success of this move.

Sunday, October 17, 2021 marked the big move. On opening day, the new unit was decorated with an under-the-sea theme to welcome the patients, and a special worship service was provided by Loma Linda University Health spiritual leaders. Transferring the patients that were admitted was a smooth process, and the staff was filled with joy to see patients and their eyes open wide at the new decorations and surroundings. During and after the move, children would ask for the sparkly balloons which clinical staff was ready to provide for the blessing of seeing the happiness in the patients’ faces, a sweet reminder of why we do what we do.

After the move, it was apparent that the new space did require some adjustments for staff, which were addressed with enthusiasm, with staff taking ownership of their space. Some of the needed changes included adjustments for the organization of supplies, staff engagement, and stress reduction.

The unit professional governance (PG) council worked together, under the leadership of Amanda Vander Molen, BSN, RN, CPN, to design the two-bin system for the supplies and organized it in a fashion to enhance a nurse’s workflow that would be feasible for the unit. The PG council also educated the staff on the modified process. Step-Down is now the first unit in the LLU Children’s Hospital to pilot the two-bin system.

In addition, the nurse leaders looked for further ways to engage patients and staff. For the patients, Child Life involved the PAWs program (Pet Therapy) so our volunteer dogs could visit and bring a fun atmosphere to the patients. To engage the nurses, leadership joined with the staff to create a stress-free culture by participating in Zumba sessions during break times. This small but simple addition to the routine has allowed the staff to come together and create a stronger family unit.

The successful expansion was made possible due to the collaboration of nursing leadership, physician leadership, the space planning team, and so many others. We are excited to see what else the Lord has planned for His teams at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.