Time To Reflect On Our Outstanding Nurses

This week is National Nurses Week (May 6 – May 12) – the time of the year where we thank our nurses for all that they do. Being a nurse is very taxing work. It is physically demanding and the expectations on them get greater all the time. We expect our nurses to maintain their competency with ever increasing diagnostic and treatment options that get more and more complex by the year. We also expect them to treat everyone with kindness and compassion even in the most challenging situations- like an Emergency Department full of behavioral health patients who can’t get out because there is no place for them to safely go.

GBMC HealthCare nurses meet this challenge daily and I’m always amazed at how they keep coming back. Why?  Because of their dedication to helping others in their time of need.

In honor of Nurses Week, a former patient posted words of gratitude, on her Facebook page (pic right), on how the nurses cared for her during a near death experience. This is just one, of the many patient stories, that reminds me how fortunate we are to have a remarkable and dedicated nursing staff, in the hospital, in our physician practices, in patients’ homes, and in our inpatient hospice units. Please join me in thanking them.

Sunday also marked the beginning of National Hospital Week, the celebration of which dates back to the early 1920s. According to the American Hospital Association, the week is “a celebration of the history, technology and dedicated professionals that make our facilities beacons of confidence and care.” At all hours of the day and night, all year long, our team of parking lot attendants, grounds crew, patient access reps, and billing staff, to transporters, environmental services workers, food service workers, security personnel, social workers, care managers, advanced practitioners, physicians, nurses, therapists, volunteers, and all other non-clinical and administrative employees to serve our community in our mission of health, healing and hope.

So, as we observe National Hospital Week, I want to sincerely thank all the members of our staff, Board of Directors and volunteers and everyone who has helped us improve our care and make our system more reliable to move us closer to our vision: to every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones.

PARTY ON!!!!
Last night, I had the privilege of attending the second annual Art of Nursing celebration. This was a special evening for our nursing staff, as we formally celebrated all that our incredible nurses give to GBMC and our patients. We highlighted the seven winners of the 2017 Art of Nursing Awards. They are:
Diversity in Nursing Award – Anton Panuela, BSN, RN
Clinical Assistant Support Award (Inpatient Award) – Dorothy Alexander, NST
Clinical Assistant Support Award (Outpatient Award) -- Irene Irby, CNA and Shartiya Boykin, Lead MA
Patient-and Family-Centered Care Award – Alexis Schultz, BSN, RN
Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Award – Rosalyn Berkowitz, BSN, RN, FNE-A/P
Mrs. H. Norman Baetjer Jr. Nursing Graduate of the Year Award – Almina Hrbinic, RN
Nurse Clinician of the Year Award – Rachel Ridgely, BSN, RN, CCRN

Congratulations to the winners and all those who were nominated!

I also would like to thank everyone involved in our very successful Art of Nursing celebration, especially our Marketing and Communications team and our Philanthropy team.

America’s Most Amazing Nurse Is In Our Hospital!
Speaking of our great nurses, and one who truly incorporates our vision is Laura Clary, manager of our Sexual Assault Forensic Examination & Domestic Violence Programs. Earlier today, during a very festive occasion in our Yaggy Atrium, Laura was announced, on The Doctors TV Show, as the winner of Prevention magazines nationwide search to find America’s Most Amazing Nurse.

Since November, Prevention magazine and The Doctors have joined efforts in a search across the country to find America’s Most Amazing Nurse. Each entrant or nominee had to have an active RN license or advanced nursing credential and must have been currently working in the nursing field. Laura was nominated by her husband and selected over hundreds of applicants and four other finalists because of her compassion, commitment, and expert care.

Our SAFE program cares for patients across the lifespan, with our oldest patient being 98 and our youngest under one-year-old. We have expanded the program, thanks to Laura, to not only care for adult victims of sexual assault but also victims of child abuse, human trafficking, intimate partner violence and non-fatal strangulation.

Barbara O'Dair, editor-in-chief of Prevention Magzine, said this about Laura: "Her extraordinary work embodies the true spirit of nursing." Laura is truly an example of how powerful nurses really are and how they're strong advocates in addition to being devoted and comforting caregivers.

We hope Laura’s honor inspires people in our community to acknowledge and appreciate the incredible contributions nurses, like Laura and her team, make in our communities every single day.

Congratulations Laura!  This recognition is truly well deserved!

Golfing for a good cause…
On Monday, the sun made an appearance and the weather was just right for the 29th Annual GBMC Golf Classic at the Turf Valley Country Club.  Over 200 golfers teed up to help raise funds for the GBMC HealthCare system.

I had a great time playing with John Maroon, CEO and founder of Maroon PR; Harry S. Johnson, former chair of the GBMC HealthCare Board of Directors, and an attorney with Whiteford, Taylor and Preston and Ronald M. Cherry, Esq, a partner in the law firm of Bonner Kiernan Trebach & Crociata LLP.

It was clear that countless hours were spent preparing for this great day that grossed approximately $200,000 to benefit GBMC. Money from this year’s event will aid various initiatives including the John E. Savage Medical Library which provides the medical staff, patients, visitors, and members of our community the most up-to-date medical information; and the Continuing Medical Education Department which provides programs offering medical education for our attending physicians, nurses, resident physicians and allied health professionals.

A great time was had by all and it was evident that so many community members and supporters of GBMC are truly dedicated to our future success. I’m very grateful to everyone who helped us raise the money and everyone who came out to play. Kudos to the entire golf committee, led by Chairs Rob Stoltz MD and Lisa Goodlett, our Chief Financial Officer and to Jenny Coldiron and the GBMC Foundation staff, and many of our nurse leaders all of whom worked together for a great event!