WHAT’SNEW P E N N S Y L VA N I A H O S P I TA L
MARCH 2017
C E L EB R ATING PAH’S L E GA CY O F
Women in Medicine March is Women’s History Month and to celebrate, we are taking a look back at some of the remarkable female leaders who have walked the halls of Pennsylvania Hospital.
“Her energetic personality combined with her courage and ready wit made her well suited as a war nurse,” Peeples said. For her services overseas, Dunlop was awarded the Royal Red Cross, First Class British and received a citation from Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. She was also the first woman to have her portrait commissioned by PAH. As director of the School of Nursing, Dunlop greatly expanded the training program, building a new nurses’ home on campus and increasing the amount of training and work hours her students received. She also increased the nursing staff from 60 to 115 students with 20 affiliate nurses and 38 head nurses. By 1931, a total of 786 nursing students had graduated from the school. Of these, 528 had been pupils of Dunlop.
PAH’S NURSING ELITE Lucy Walker Lucy Walker transformed nursing education not only at Pennsylvania Hospital but nationwide. As matron and superintendent of Nurses (1895-1907), Walker created a new era of discipline, efficiency, and nursing autonomy at PAH. She reorganized the hospital wards and developed a new training system for student nurses that included regular class schedules and lectures, and increased the course of training from two years to three years. “Perhaps one of Walker’s greatest accomplishments was organizing an alumnae association,” said Stacey Peeples, lead historian and curator at PAH. “She recognized the need for an organization that would elevate and protect the character and interests of the nursing profession and would also promote feelings of unity and camaraderie among the Training School’s graduates.”
Margaret Dunlop Margaret Dunlop, director of Nursing from 1909-1993, is best known for her heroism during WWI. When the war broke out in Europe in 1914, Dunlap was among the first nurses to respond to the American Red Cross’ call for volunteers.
Helen Grace McClelland “Helen Grace McClelland perhaps more than any other single person, shaped the nursing school and nursing services at Pennsylvania Hospital,” Peeples said. As director of nursing from 1944-1956, she instituted shorter working hours for nurses, developed accelerated nursing courses to meet nursing shortages, and broadened courses of study for four-year college programs. Under her leadership, the school became a nationally accredited program and its consistently high standards reflected her leadership. McClelland is also widely recognized for her accomplishments as a WWI nurse. She served with Margaret Dunlop in both Paris and Le Treport, France. In 1917, she was sent forward for duty at No. 16 British Casualty Clearing Station near the Belgian front.
the United States. At that time, she was one of only three women to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, America’s second-highest medal. While McClelland didn’t return to the front during WWII, in 1940 she organized the nursing component of Evacuation Hospital No. 52, and recruited 43 nurses, mostly from Pennsylvania Hospital, to serve in New Caledonia, a French island in the Coral Sea. She also studied ways to relieve nursing shortages during WWII and created professional and educational opportunities for minority women well before such practices became the norm. Today, the McClelland conference room is dedicated to her many contributions to nursing at PAH.
AUXILIARY WOMEN From its roots that began with the formation of the Board of Assistants for the Internal Management of the Hospital in the 1820s to its rebirth as the Ladies Committee in 1865 to its final iteration as the official Women’s Auxiliary of the Pennsylvania Hospital formed in 1947, these committees of women have dedicated countless volunteer hours to fundraise for construction projects and other hospital improvements, inspect and expand the grounds, offer social services, and establish a library and distribute literature to patients. The Auxiliary disbanded in 2015, but there is no mistaking the dedication and commitment so many individuals have made over the years to the group.
During a German air raid in August 1917, McClelland saved the life of her tent-mate, Beatrice MacDonald, the first American nurse to be wounded in WWI. Under heavy enemy fire, instead of seeking shelter for herself, McClelland acted quickly to stop the hemorrhaging of her colleague’s wounds. For this act of bravery, she later received a citation from General Sir Douglas Haig, the Royal Red Cross First Class from Britain, and the Distinguished Service Cross from
SNEAK PEEK: IN THIS ISSUE »» Safety Week: Charting the Path for PennChart
»» Running the Show: Reflections from Female Senior Leaders at Penn
»» Congratulations to Our Latest CAREs Grant Recipients
»» Harrison Memorial Fund Now Accepting Grant Applications
WWI Exhibit Coming in November 2017 A new exhibit at PAH will highlight the hospital’s involvement in World War I, including the pivotal role our nurses played in both our success abroad and our continued efforts to care for those on the home front. While PAH nurses and physicians were in Europe, the hospital staff in Philadelphia was at about half-strength. With limited staff, the hospital was still responsible for caring for its usual patients, as well as a large number of
convalescing sailors filling the wards. In October 1918, the worldwide influenza epidemic struck the hospital. The already depleted nursing staff was hit hard — 52 nurses became ill and four died. Through all the drama, Pennsylvania Hospital continued to care for those in need and came through the experience stronger. The exhibit will be on display inside the PAH Historic Library beginning in November 2017.
SAFETY WEEK:
Charting the Path for PennChart
Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman in the United States to graduate from medical school.
Thanks to all of the panelists who shared their insights and experiences about the PennChart transition.
The Journey to PennChart Safety Week Panelists • S arah Kraus, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, Hematology/Oncology Clinical Pharmacy Specialist • K atherine Dimedio, BSN, RN-PCCN, Performance Improvement Advisor • T risha Sterlicchi, DO, Senior Resident Safety Week at PAH is designed to encourage staff members to talk and learn more about keeping patients safe while they are in our care. This year’s focus was on the recent transition to PennChart and the hard work of everyone at PAH to ensure that patient safety remained a top priority during the launch of the new electronic medical records (EMR) system. In fact, PAH hosted safety week the first week of February, a month ahead of National Hospital Safety Week, in order to have more time to help other Penn Medicine entities prepare for the switch to PennChart in March.
• A nnette Tantillo, RN, MSJ, Senior Director of Clinical Financial Services • C arrie Marvill, MSN, RN, AOCNS, Clinical Nurse Specialist IV
“The PennChart transition really is all about department collaboration and communication,” said Kwon Lee, entity information officer at PAH. “Technology cannot replace critical thinking skills.”
Congratulations
Harrison Memorial Fund Now Accepting Grant Applications
Improving lives and health in underserved communities throughout the Philadelphia area is among Penn Medicine’s highest priorities. Every day, staff and faculty at Pennsylvania Hospital volunteer their knowledge, skills, and time to benefit the community. To help with these efforts, the Penn Medicine CAREs Grant program was established to offer institutional support to these individuals and programs in the form of grants — awarded quarterly — that can be used to purchase supplies and other resources needed to perform this important work in the community.
First created by the Deed of Trust of George L. Harrison in 1922, the Harrison Memorial Fund supports PAH staff projects that benefit underserved patients in our community. Funding can range from $5,000 to $20,000 for various community-centered projects.
This quarter, two employees from Pennsylvania Hospital were awarded grants:
The Harrison Fund Committee is accepting proposal submissions for FY18 ( July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.)
St. Wilfrid’s Clinic in Camden, NJ. St. Wilfrid’s Clinic offers health screenings as well as clothing and food bags for clients. Volunteers include medical staff and translators from many different organizations that provide health checks and medication review and a chance to speak to a doctor or nurse practitioner as well as resources for social services.
Zoe Soslow, RN, to support Project Sleep Safe, a new initiative Soslow developed to purchase items for a baby box, including a waterproof baby mattress cover and sheet, a tote bag and gift card, as well as educational materials and resources regarding LIHEAP, CAP, and Medicaid. These baby boxes will be given to Medicaid-eligible families delivering babies at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Learn more about applying for a Penn Medicine CAREs grant for your community outreach at http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/community/ CARE/grant.html.
This quote from Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States, set the tone for a lively discussion about the role of female leaders in medicine that took place earlier this month. The panel discussion, co-hosted by CEO Theresa Larivee and Penn Medicine’s FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women (FOCUS) committee explored topics from how to balance work and family life to building the confidence to take on leadership positions to the important role mentors can play in shaping career paths for other women.
“Never say never and always have the confidence to know you can go after what you want both professionally and personally,” added Iris Reyes, MD, a professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and head of the UPHS-CHOP Alliance of Minority Physicians (AMP).
Poster presentations related to various safety stories and successes were also on display throughout the week. Topics included reducing patient falls, new code status terminology awareness, and of course, PennChart training.
Melinda Lamb, RN, to purchase food, hygiene products, and diapers for clients of
“It is not easy to be a pioneer — but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”
“The best advice I can give to women working in health care today is to always follow your passion, if you follow your passion, you will find success,” said Dahlia M. Sataloff, MD, FACS, chair of the department of Surgery at PAH.
Safety week events included a panel discussion about PennChart and how teams were able to manage and prevent safety issues while getting used to the new system.
to our Latest CAREs Grant Recipients!
Running the Show: Reflections from Female Senior Leaders at Penn
To request additional information or to submit a proposal, contact: » Frederick Nunes, MD Chairperson of the Harrison Memorial Fund Committee Frederick.Nunes@uphs.upenn.edu All proposals should be submitted electronically to Nunes and should also include: » Alicia Potter Alicia.potter@uphs.upenn.edu and
» Bernadette Muccie Bernadette.muccie@uphs.upenn.edu
Other panelists included Jody Foster, MD, chair of the department of Psychiatry at PAH, Karen Puopolo, MD, PhD, medical director of CHOP Newborn Care at Pennsylvania Hospital; and Madeline Bell, RN, CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
WHAT’SNEW EDITORIAL STAFF Johanna Harvey Editor
Lisa Paxson Graphic Designer
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Corporate Director of Communications Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications
CONTACT WHAT’SNEW AT: Department of Communications Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia, PA 19106
phone: 215.349.8062 email: Johanna.Harvey@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew is published biweekly for PAH employees. Access WHAT’Snew online at news.PennMedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.