NURSING NEWS
By Mary Yenesel, M.B.A.
Dean Hansell Appointed to Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission In June, Phyllis Shanley Hansell, dean of the College of Nursing, was appointed by Governor Chris Christie and confirmed by the NJ Senate to the State of New Jersey’s Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund (CICRF) Commission. Under the executive branch, the fund provides financial assistance to families with costly medical bills associated with their children’s illnesses that are not covered by health insurance. CICRF was established by law in 1988 and has distributed more than $141 million in grants to more than 6,000 families. Nearly $5.5 million was distributed to deserving families in fiscal year 2011. Families with children who have uncovered medical expenses apply for grants to reimburse specific, documented, medically related costs. Applications are investigated, authenticated and reviewed by the fund’s commission for grant disbursement. Dean Hansell, Seton Hall University’s 2012 Woman of the Year, is one of 12 commission members, seven of whom are appointed from the public and are non-salaried. The other five members of the commission include the NJ Commissioners of Human Services, Health and Senior Service, Banking and Insurance, Children and Families, and the State Treasurer. This relief fund is a dedicated, revolving, non-lapsing trust fund. It is collected from an annual assessment of $1.50 per employee levied on all employers who are subject to the New Jersey unemployment compensation law.
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SETON HALL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING
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Anniversary FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2012 4 P.M. CHAPEL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SOUTH ORANGE, NJ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2012 G A L A , 3 P. M . PLEASANTDALE CHATEAU WEST ORANGE, NJ
For more information about our anniversary year, please contact Shonda Levine-Ouji at shonda.levine-ouji@shu.edu
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Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) Conference Ph.D. student Connie Kartoz delivered a poster presentation titled “Intergenerational Solidarity: Rethinking Family Support”at the renowned Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) Conference in March 2012.
National Magazine Article Features CNL Student
Serge Wandji, a Clinical Nurse Leader graduate, shared his plans for a career change with U.S. News & World Report in its March 14, 2012 issue. The article quoted several “midlifers,” or middle-aged professionals, who had gone back to school for graduate degrees. It noted that “career counselors and recruiters suggest midlifers have a clear and specific goal in mind before taking the plunge.” Wandji, 40, who had an insurance brokerage firm in Atlanta, came to Seton Hall College of Nursing in September 2010 to pursue his M.S.N. through the Clinical Nurse Leader program as a second-degree student. He explained that volunteering with his church at a local hospital helped him realize he had another calling. While volunteering, he talked with patients about their insurance problems. He told the magazine that he plans to draw heavily on his business experience after he graduates. “I’ll be able to use my leadership and financial skills. If you have that knowledge, you can educate patients and make their lives easier,” he said. Clinical nurse leaders, the article notes, serve as “a liaison between patients and the rest of the healthcare team, including hospital administrators and insurance companies, with the aim of improving patient outcomes.”
New Student Group Hosts Renowned Speakers Leaders in Healthcare (LHC), the first student group on the Seton Hall campus to integrate students from all health science fields, hosted speakers from around the country. LHC was formed in Fall 2011 and was originally led by officers who were all clinical nurse leader (CNL) students: Heather Heil, Peta-Kaye Johnson, Kristyn Rotolo and DjennyAnn Marcelin. LHC fosters leadership, the use of evidencebased practice and patient advocacy among students. In Fall 2011, LHC hosted a discussion with NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” Season 11 Green Team, Jennifer and Jay Jacobs. The father-daughter team shed 295 pounds on the show. Jay is a resident of West Orange. Laura Tauscher ’00, R.N., CHPN, a hospice coordinator from Barnabas Health, spoke about praying with patients and how to incorporate spiritual care into practice in January 2012. In February, Sorrel King, author of Josie’s Story and a woman whose child passed away due to a series of medical errors, spoke about how to facilitate communication between the family and the healthcare team. More than 300 students and faculty attended the talk, which was co-sponsored by the College of Nursing. The issue of healthcare reform was addressed by guest speakers Jaime R. Torres, D.P.M., from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Barbara Wright, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, former state assemblywoman and Seton Hall professor, in March 2012. The semester closed Sorrel King (center) is one of several guest speakers who have teamed up with Leaders with an event co-sponsored in Healthcare to discuss trends and issues in by the Marriage and Family the healthcare industry. Therapy Group entitled “Dealing with a New Diagnosis.” Also in Spring 2012, Leaders in Healthcare partnered with South 17th Street Elementary School in Newark to bring Play 60, the National Football League’s campaign to fight childhood obesity, into the school. Over 50 volunteers and 60 students filled the school’s gymnasium for three Saturdays, learning about the importance of daily physical fitness and how to incorporate daily exercise into families’ routines.
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