MDNews - Long Island

NEWS On Feb. 19, a celebration was held by Nassau University Medical Center's nursing leadership to thank the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurses for their exceptional care of infants. NICU has been central line- associated blood stream infection-free for more than 26 months. From left: Kathy Skarka, CNO; David Fagan, MD, Chair of Pediatrics; Marjorie Ciaccio, RN; Harriet Boxer, MD, Director of Neonatology; Gabriel Bleiberg, RN; Patricia Leggio, nurse manager; and Laura Kyrillidis, RN, Director of Nursing Unit 1 West at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center has received the prestigious AMSN PRISM Award for nursing excellence. This is the second time this year that one of the hospital's medical-surgical units has been awarded the new national recognition for exceptional nursing practice, leadership and outcomes. St. Francis now holds half of the PRISM Awards given so far to hospitals across the country. Its 2 East unit received the award earlier this year. The award, which stands for "Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Med-Surg," is the first of its kind honoring med-surg nursing units in the United States. It is cosponsored by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB). The award is given to outstanding acute care/med-surg units or adult/pediatric units classified as med-surg. The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced it has been recognized as one of the six Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) Initiative Foundation's exemplars for the health system staff's use of a technology system that helps streamline efforts to provide better patient care. In 2009, the health system began implementing Knowledge Based Charting (KBC) throughout its facilities. This system allows multiple patient caregivers — from nurses to respiratory thera - pists to chaplains — to plan and document care in a patient's chart in real time and has improved patient care. KBC also lets a health profes- sional highlight a certain aspect about a patient, such as heart disease, for each of the various caregivers to focus on. One of the examples highlighted by TIGER was the health system's use of findings from more than 330 North Shore-LIJ collaborative care councils to adopt KBC. The staff members at each health system site that is using this technology went through approximately 32 hours of training. NuHealth System announces that Nassau University Medical Center's Pediatrics Department will be the recipient of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce Walk, Ride, Read for Success event — a fun activity for the entire family to support the launch of the Reach Out and Read program. Walk, Ride, Read for Success takes place May 18 from 1–4 p.m. at Field 1, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow (rain or shine, no rain date). Participants in Walk, Ride, Read for Success will walk or ride their way around the park's 3-mile, paved circuit. No motorized convey - ances other than wheelchairs will be allowed. There will be educational and fun stops along the way. The goal is for the community to have a healthy, enjoyable time while supporting Reach Out and Read, an important new initiative in East Meadow for the benefit of children. Becker's Hospital Review has named South Nassau Communities Hospital to its 2014 listing of "100 Hospitals with Great Women's Health Programs" in the United States. South Nassau was selected based on its clinical excellence, quality care and awards for women's health services. The list was developed through extensive research and a rigorous review with peer organizations. Becker's Hospital Review is a bimonthly magazine published by ASC Communications, located in Chicago. The magazine is read by many of the nation's lead - ing healthcare executives and policymakers. South Nassau offers a comprehensive scope of women's healthcare services, including breast health, obstetrics and gynecology, women's imaging, and gynecologic +++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + +++ +++++++++++++++++++ LOCAL NEWS 2 2 | Long Island MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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