Nurse Accomplishment Booklet 2022

ABOUT HENRY MAYO NEWHALL HOSPITAL

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has been providing quality healthcare services to Santa Clarita Valley residents since our founding in 1973. Our purpose is to be the trusted regional leader to inspire and deliver optimal health and wellness through our values – Quality, Safety, Teamwork, Accountability, Integrity and Respect.

A 357-bed, nonprofit community hospital and trauma center, we offer an array of patient services. These include a maternity department, lactation support and childbirth education program; comprehensive cancer program; advanced primary stroke center; spine and joint program; acute rehabilitation unit which helps individuals regain their independence; cardiovascular services; outpatient wound care; physical and occupational therapies; and a wide range of inpatient and outpatient surgical services.

Henry Mayo's affiliated medical staff is comprised of physicians whose expertise ranges across more than 70 specialties and subspecialties. Our physicians and nurses, along with hospital clinical and support staff, are adopting new information technologies and continually enhancing care to improve outcomes and service for patients and their families.

In 2019, the hospital opened a new patient tower that includes 90 private patient rooms and a new Center for Women and Newborns.

Every day, nurses at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital provide quality care to our patients while fully embracing our motto and core tenets — Caring. Compassionate. Committed.

Whether they are delivering newborns, treating traumas, caring for patients for pre- and postsurgeries, or providing support and words of encouragement to patients and their families, our nurses work tirelessly to provide compassionate care during a difficult and challenging time in our patients’ lives.

In this report, we highlight some of the hospital’s nursing accomplishments in 2022 and the nurses who make a difference – one patient at a time.

OUR NURSES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF NURSING OFFICER

Iam writing this message to you -our nurses -- with deep gratitude. We as nursing professionals have proven we can take care of patients before, during and after a pandemic with courage and strength. Yes, we are rooted in strength, especially in these times of uncertainty and extraordinary change. You have stayed committed to keeping our patients’ best interests at heart with everything you do every day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought terrible hardships to thousands. Healthcare providers have been at the forefront of supporting people as they work through these hardships. You amaze us by standing strong and continuing to provide care to our community in a compassionate and special way.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER

The dedication you have demonstrated at all levels of our nursing profession is truly inspiring. During the past two years, you have been there for patients, you have been there for each other and you have been there for this community. At every step, you have risen to the calling of being a nurse.

As we continue to face unknown challenges, let us be kind and understanding to one another. It’s truly an honor to be your leader and I am profoundly grateful and proud to be a Henry Mayo nurse. I hope you are too!

On behalf of our nursing leadership team, we send you our deepest thanks. You have made the world better in the most humbling, meaningful and rewarding ways. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

Sincerely,

Evelyn Ku, MSN, RN, NEA-BC Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer

This yearbook is a wonderful way to memorialize the successes of the past year and an exciting way to bring focus to the certain achievements of the year ahead. On behalf of the physicians at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, I wish to thank you for the hard work and dedication you show the patients and their families as we care for our community. In all we say and all we do here at Henry Mayo, a shared value of teamwork is at the foundation of our efforts, and the nursing staff is the very heart of this team.

Sincerely,

Robert Pretzlaff, MD, MBA SVP, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Clinical Officer

NURSE DIRECTORS

"This has been a rewarding year full of challenges, hard work, and successes; Looking forward to a new year of Growth and Development."

- Tina Celifie, MHA, BSN, RN, CNOR Sr. Director | Perioperative Services, Spine & Joint Program

"Thank you for your commitment to this organization, your compassion, to the comminity and exceptional care. I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to serve with you."

- Monica Goodwin, MSN, RN, NE-BC Director | Nursing Administration

"I deeply admire our nurses who tirelessly cared for patients with an illness they had never seen before, often at the expense of their own needs. I have never been more proud to be a nurse than during these past few years."

- Dr. Joe Greene, DNP, RN Director | Staff Development

"Reflecting back on the last year I want to say how grateful I am for your dedication, compassion, and commitment to your professions. I value and appreciate you all."

- Lori Matzner, MSN, RNC, LE Director | Center for Women and Newborns, and Maternal and Child Health Services

"Your selfless and compassionate work to care and advocate for patients has not gone unnoticed. You are appreciated and admired. I am in awe of you!"

- Melinda Nims, MSN, RN, PHN, CMSRN Director | Medical Surgical Telemetry Services, Acute Rehabilitation, Dialysis, and Wound Care Services

"As a new addition to Henry Mayo team, I would like to acknowledge and put into spotlight many of you who I have met and have shared their commitment, dedication, resilience and teamwork. Your contributions prove that you continue to be the organization’s most valuable asset. Looking forward to a great year ahead! Thank you."

- Aldrin Ibay, RN,MHA Director | Critical Care Services

"There are no words that can express the dedication you have shown to our community and to our profession over this last year. You are the heart of Henry Mayo and I am grateful to serve alongside each one of you."

- Sarah Stoddard MSN, RN, TCRN, MICN Director | Emergency and Trauma Services

"I am sending a little heartfelt appreciation your way. My deep gratitude for the dedicated work you do day after day. Your expert caring makes lives better. Many blessings to you and your family. 2023 is going to be our year!! Warm hugs and thanks."

- Karen Warmack RN, MSN,PMH-BC,CPHN Interim Program Director | Behavioral Health

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH UNIT HENRY MAYO AT A GLANCE

Established: 1975

Beds: 357

Staff: 1,799

Physicians: 598

Nurses: 576

Inpatients: 11,566

Outpatients: 124,763

Emergency department visits: 64,855

Babies delivered: 1,582

Community volunteers: 200+

Henry Mayo’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) provides high quality care to patients with acute psychological distress. The BHU treats a wide range of acute psychiatric illnesses, including major depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, and is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of specially trained health care professionals.

In 2022, Henry Mayo nurses continued to work closely with psychiatrists, clinical social workers, recreational therapists, patient care technicians, case managers and a chaplain to develop an individualized treatment plan to best meet patients’ needs, with a multi-faceted approach to recovery and symptom management.

From the time patients walk into Henry Mayo’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) to the time they leave, Justin Muszalski, RN, PMH-BC, is hopeful their lives will undergo a transformative change.

As clinical coordinator of the BHU, Muszalski oversees more than two dozen nurses providing mental health services to adult patients with conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. Most of them are admitted through the emergency room.

“The thing I like the most is seeing how these patients can change. They come in at their worst and by the time they discharge, they've completely changed,” he explains. “They're able to care for themselves and function. It’s even possible we’ve saved their lives.”

Before joining the hospital staff eight years ago, he worked in group homes and with day treatment programs for preschool children. “I’ve always been in mental health and transitioning into psych nursing allows me to use that experience,” says Muszalski, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is completing an accelerated BSN program.

CENTER FOR WOMEN AND NEWBORNS

Our Center for Women and Newborns cares for pregnant women throughout their pregnancy, from delivery to discharge, with a focus on family-centered care.

He often provides mental health support services on the hospital floor and as part of a current initiative, which provides all licensed staff with on-thespot training in diagnosis, medication management, and psychotropic medication side effects.

“Empowering staff to improve themselves as nurses and encouraging them to continue their education and pursue psychiatric nurse certification improves our ability to help our patients.”

The 29-bed department — with seven labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum beds and 22 prenatal beds – delivered a record 1,582 babies in 2022, a 12% increase over 2021. In July 2022 alone, the unit delivered 163 babies.

The center also gave new moms a special package comprised of flip-flops, newborn T-shirt, in-house massage, special lunch or dinner for two, free pelvic floor consultation, complimentary bra fitting, three months free membership to the Henry Mayo fitness center and a certificate for Bella Baby photography.

Carli Broyles

A 26-year nursing career comes full circle

Other accomplishments included collecting over 400 ounces of breast milk during the Donor Breast Milk Drive; completing the second Transition Program for Labor and Delivery; receiving the Cal Hospital Compare Honor Role for Maternity Care for Caesarean Section Rates; and successfully completing a Joint Commission Survey, Regional Perinatal Program of California (RPPC) virtual visit and California Newborn Hearing Screen in-person visit.

Both the center and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) received an 80.6% NRC “likelihood to recommend” score, above the organization’s average rate of 72.8%.

Justin Muszalski, RN, PMH-BC

When Carli Broyles, RNC-OB, CCE, BSN, joined Henry Mayo in 2011, her nursing career had come full circle.

“I came back to the hospital where I volunteered as a teen,” says Broyles, clinical coordinator for the Center for Women and Newborns. Her time as a high school volunteer in that department proved transformative. “Interacting with nurses and seeing how they worked with moms and babies is when I decided what I wanted to do.”

She is one of two day-shift coordinators overseeing the labor and delivery unit, which includes two operating rooms for Cesarean sections, an obstetric Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and a nursery. Staff triage women experiencing obstetric-related issues, treat highrisk antepartum patients and women in labor and provide mother-baby postpartum care.

“Helping parents through the process of birth is very rewarding. We work hard to help families have healthy deliveries and support their wishes,” says Broyles, who’s worked in the specialty since 2000. It can also be challenging.

“It’s really important that we also support families emotionally, especially those experiencing perinatal loss and maternal mental health issues,” she adds. “We know how to support moms. We try to provide the resources they need and prepare them for what to expect when they go home.”

In 2020, Broyles became an instructor in Henry Mayo’s first transition program for nurses wanting to work in labor and delivery. It’s the same type of training she completed while employed at another hospital.

“It's been a very successful program,” says Broyles, who’s participated in all three programs conducted so far. “The nurses from our first group all continue to work here. We’re training a new generation of labor nurses. They’re the future.”

KIM AND STEVEN ULLMAN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

The Kim and Steven Ullman NICU provides world-class care with advanced technologies to our tiniest patients.

The 11-bed unit has central monitoring, a virtual window for parents to view their infants, an Arctic Sun temperature device to provide cooling measures, Giraffe OmniBed with innovative technology and thermal support and other devices to help provide safe care.

In 2022, the unit completed its first New Grad NICU RN program; held weekly multidrug resistant (MDR) rounds, which include a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, recreational therapists and

lactation staff; and conducted successful Joint Commission Survey, RPPC virtual and California Newborn Hearing Screen in-person visits.

In addition, the Unit Based Council (UBC) team helped create the unit’s skills fair and revised many standardof-care- interventions based on evidencebased practices.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

The Emergency Department (ED) – which treats trauma, stroke and cardiac patients among others -- is a fast-paced and dynamic unit with a wide range of patients.

In addition to a nursing degree, ED nurses at Henry Mayo must hold certifications in pediatrics, advance cardiac life support, management of assaultive behavior and take several trauma courses. Many of the ED nurses are also trained as mobile intensive care nurses, or MICNs, who give orders by radio or phone to paramedics to treat patients in the field before they arrive at the hospital.

In 2022, the ED gained several new graduate and transition nurses. The department also continued updates to the physician and nursing stations. Future plans include a lobby redesign to enhance patient flow, security and patient privacy.

Ray Spaid, BSN, RN, CCRN, Emergency Department, has been a longtime fixture at Henry Mayo. The trauma nurse, who has worked in healthcare long before there was hospital in the Santa Clarita Valley, recently celebrated his 48th year of service to the community.

Known for his compassion and calm presence, Spaid, a Canyon High graduate, became a nurses’ aide in 1974 after graduating from the first class of the new Regional Occupational Program. He had a stint in the military and went to school to advance his education before becoming a Med-Evac nurse.

Spaid was among the first employees to work at Hillside Hospital, which eventually became Henry Mayo. He has watched the Emergency Department grow (not to mention witnessing the area’s transition from a sleepy suburb to the third-largest city in Los Angeles County) from four beds to its current 36 beds and saw the hospital become a Level II Trauma Center.

“Ray is known for his pillow therapy – ensuring his patients are as comfortable as possible during their hospital stays,” says Henry Mayo Director of Development Joe Greene, DNP, RN.

“Many patients in the valley have been cared for with his pillow

therapy, and many more have been impacted by his compassion,” he says, noting Spaid has also imparted his knowledge and wisdom to new nurses as a preceptor. Spaid has said on more than one occasion that the most important thing to is to make sure “I’m doing what I am called to do.” With his passion for nursing, he has left his mark on the Emergency Department and Henry Mayo.

Ray Spaid, Serving SCV patients for nearly five decades!

Michael Barcenai, RN, Good Catch Award Winner

Ray Spaid, BSN, RN, CCRN, Healthcare Hero

EDUCATION

The Education group assesses and identifies training needs and establishes a collaborative plan to achieve desired learning outcomes aligned with Henry Mayo’s mission and core values.

The team implements learning theories/ principles and effective and pertinent strategies, particularly in onboarding nurse residency and preceptorship programs. Additionally, the group maintains training activities that meet professional, regulatory, licensing and accreditation requirements.

Achievements in 2022 included:

• Redesigning the Nurse Residency Program by expanding didactic hours with emphasis on reflective practice, simulation exercises and ‘escape room’ learning strategies

• Expanding the Preceptor Development Program by offering more RN preceptor classes to assist in onboarding newly employed RNs and new graduate nurses

• Formally adopting a framework that increases staff competency, streamlines online modules and helps ensure continuous learning

INPATIENT WOUND CARE

By the numbers:

1. 44 nurse residents graduated in 2022

2. 44 RNs attended formal preceptor class

3. 44 simulations in new graduate programs, Intensive Care and Definitive Observation Units (DOU) transition programs and Mock Code Blue Simulation/Training at BHU, Med/Surg 4, Radiology, Main Operating Room (OR) and Outpatient Surgery Center (OPSC)

4. 820 employees onboarded (permanent staff, travelers and contracted employees)

The Inpatient Wound Care team expanded its knowledge base and focus in 2022 and integrated a more patient-centered approach around the maintenance of overall skin integrity and health. This approach led to better patient outcomes and a decreased hospital acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rate.

Achievements in 2022 included:

• Successful trial for Stryker Isoflex Mattresses with attachment of low air loss pump

• Addition of new skin care line from Medline with in-services

• Wound Care Wednesday relaunch with flyers

• Data gathered on HAPI information with help from Stryker to evaluate not only quantity but quality of patient turning and offloading practices

• Healthy skin class provided in April and September for the Med-Surg/Telemetry Service line as well as the Residency Program for New Grads in May and November

• In-services for the OR/Perioperative (Pre-Op) department on applying Mepilex dressings (i.e., prevention of wounds in the pre-op setting)

• Advanced wound care services in the OR

• Wound Care Reminder of the Month

• Bed huddles to address current educational gaps

• Weekly new hire orientations

• Rounds with a physician to expedite wound consultation, if needed, and promote outpatient clinic follow ups

INFECTION PREVENTION

Henry Mayo’s infection preventionists (IPs) help protect patients and staff from healthcareassociated infections (HAI). IPs are specially trained professionals, leaders, educators and collaborators from diverse backgrounds, including nursing, public health, laboratory and allied health fields who promote a culture of safety and impact the health of patients, workers, staff and community members.

In 2022, IPs stayed abreast of the ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines for testing and isolating for both patients and staff. They discontinued the cohorting of COVID-19 patients to provide the most optimal care and began using RL6 reporting – the system Henry Mayo uses to report medical errors or near misses -- for employee COVID-19 reporting.

MEET OUR IPS

JEANNETTE SHARAR DEFINITIVE OBSERVATION UNIT

In addition, they created an easy-toread reference for positive respiratory panel results, rolled out disinfectant caps (SwabCap and SwabTip) and external urinary devices (Prima and Primofit) throughout Henry Mayo.

The team also maintained a consistent approach to HAI surveillance according to Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, rounded on isolated patient on a regular basis along with participation in ICU multidisciplinary rounds and successfully passed the 2022 Joint Commission survey with only one finding that was fixed immediately.

• Marirose Morris, RN – An RN for 35 years, she worked not only in Infection Prevention but also Community Health, Recruitment and OB/GYN services. Certified in infection prevention for nine years, she joined Henry Mayo in August 2020.

• Aura Cuevas, RN – Worked in healthcare for 33 years, of which 10 has been as an RN specializing in long-term, sub-acute care, education and infection prevention. She joined Henry Mayo in May 2022.

The Jeannette Sharar DOU expanded from 17 beds to 30 beds to increase the capacity and help support the growing needs of the community by caring for patients with cardiac arrythmias, motor vehicle accidents, pneumonia, post-op open heart patients, heart failure, dialysis and patient on chronic ventilators.

The unit plans to continue to grow its service line caring for atrial fibrillation ablations, and post cardiac catheterization patients with coronary stents. It is implementing the “It Takes 3” physician and nurse rounding, medication side effect teaching, daily leadership rounding with the director and manager, and white board communication tool to enhance patient experience.

WAYNE AND CONNIE SPEARS INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

The past several years have been challenging for the Wayne and Connie Spears Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team as it faced multiple waves of COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Through it all, the team emerged stronger, with many staff members continuing their nursing education and receiving additional certifications.

In 2022, the unit cared for 50 open heart surgery patients, saved 14 lives through organ donation and 675 lives through tissue donation and restored eyesight for 13 patients through cornea donation.

The unit is currently working on charge and resource nurses’ training in ultrasound guided IVs.

For Kathy Brady, RN, BSN, a career in nursing was preordained.

“I come from a large family of nurses and doctors, and I realized early on that I’m sort of a ‘natural nurturer.’ I like taking care of people and nursing seemed like a perfect fit.” It’s why she’s spent three decades working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

For the last 15 years, Brady has been a senior clinical registered nurse in Henry Mayo’s ICU where she’s the relief charge nurse. In addition to caring for trauma, stroke, heart attack and surgical patients, she oversees the unit’s nurse education and training, particularly in open-heart surgery recovery. She also serves as a rapidresponse nurse.

“We see people at their lowest moment and help them get through it,” says Brady, who was also a charge nurse in the COVID unit and was the first hospital employee to be vaccinated against the virus. “Watching patients and families get better and knowing you’re part of that is very gratifying.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

“We’ve weathered the storms of COVID and I think we're a very resilient team that collaborates well with physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists. There's something to be said about working with a team you can trust. I've found that people who have left the unit eventually come back. They recognize this is a great place to work.”

Kathy Brady, RN, BSN, receiving the first COVID vacination at Henry Mayo

ICU leadership

MEDICAL-SURGICAL TELEMETRY AND ACUTE REHABILITATION UNIT SERVICE LINE

The Med-Surg Telemetry (MST) and Acute Rehabilitation Unit (ARU) Service Line has 155 inpatient beds with specialty nursing care delivered to cardiac, oncology, joint replacement, rehabilitation, observation, stroke, post-operative and general medical patients. The MST service line also includes the inpatient wound care and dialysis teams.

The Med-Surg Service Line has countless patient stories that demonstrate the influence nursing has on the lives of Henry Mayo patients. One of these stories involved a patient who was encouraged by the care team to write notes to each family member while hospitalized. Family members shared the lasting impact these notes had from a loved one who did not often speak the words they wrote.

MEDICAL-SURGICAL/ TELEMETRY UNIT-BASED COUNCIL

In 2022, the group worked on enhancing quality patient care and continuous improvement, including a focus on patient communication, mobility and skin health and physicians and nurses joining together for patient rounds.

The Med-Surg Unit-Based Council (UBC) is one of the many nursing accomplishments the Medical-Surgical/ Telemetry Service line pushed forward in 2022.

It started with a small group that wanted to elevate the clinical practice in the service line. The team worked hard to bring staff into monthly meetings. One of its proudest accomplishments was creating the Unit Champions, which promoted staff involvement and shared governance.

Erwin Gallardo Preceptor shares his wisdom and knowledge

“In September 2019. I started my journey to become a nurse practitioner. Little did everyone know that there would be a global pandemic that would change everybody’s lives the next year. However, I still pushed through, studied hard and in August 2022, I completed my studies and graduated with a master’s nursing degree concentrating on the Family Nurse Practitioner program.”

— Michael Sinfuego

In addition, the council assisted in auditing charts, staff education to reduce patient falls, HAPIs, central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and early mobility. As a result, the group has seen an increase in staff engagement and empowerment. The group also created a Standardized Visibility Board on each unit highlighting UBC’s activities.

Of all the relationships a new nurse has in the first year, the most important is the relationship with the person who is onboarding. At Henry Mayo, that person is a preceptor, an experienced nurse who supervises nursing students during their rotations and helps them gain clinical competence.

In 2022, Henry Mayo gave its Preceptor of the Year Award to Erwin Gallardo, a senior clinical RN on Tower-5, who joined the hospital in 2006 and started precepting that same year.

“Erwin has all the qualifications of a great preceptor: excellent in his own practice, a calm demeanor and realistic expectations of what new nurses should be doing,” explains Henry Mayo’s Director of Staff Development Joe Greene, DNP, RN. “Those who have benefitted from his onboarding style have noted how organized he was, with a very well thought out plan before every shift.”

ONCOLOGY COUNCIL

Preceptors must demonstrate effective leadership and clinical competency. Precepting is not easy; just because a nurse is an excellent practitioner does not mean they will be able to translate this to a new nurse.

“The highest form of competence is the person who is reflectively competent – they are so competent they do not have to think about what they are doing, and yet they can instruct others,” according to Greene.

The Unit-Based Oncology Council’s (UBC) goal is to advocate for safety and provide the best care to patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The council’s creation led to:

• Collaboration with the Education department regarding the handling of hazardous drugs that allow nonchemo certified RNs to administer medications ordered for noncancer related treatment

• A comprehensive Chemotherapy Administration Policy that was approved in October 2021. The Council is working on the Chemotherapy Consent as per The Joint Commission and Oncology Nursing Society recommendations.

• A staffing ratio of 1:3

• Standard workflow for admission of chemotherapy or immunotherapy infusion patients (oncologist must fax a written order to the nursing admission staffing office, T5 and the pharmacy at least three days prior to infusion)

• Differential pay with an Oncology Certification, which helps the retention of chemotherapy nurses.

• A campaign to encourage staff to complete a chemotherapy certificate during Oncology RN month

Med-Surg Unit-Based Council (UBC)

Erwin Gallardo, RN, with retired Henry Mayo president and CEO Roger Seaver

NURSING ADMINISTRATION OUTPATIENT SURGERY OPERATING ROOM RNS

The Nursing Administration team is comprised of a nursing director, house supervisors, patient placement coordinators, staffing coordinators, nursing float pool, video monitor technicians, a business analyst and data coordinator.

Together, they work to ensure patients receive the care they need by placing them with a team that will provide the best possible care. The team accomplishes this by reviewing staffing, providing float pool, travelers and registry staff to all units.

The group identifies the appropriate placement for patients, minimizing the need for sitters by utilizing video monitor technicians and collaborating with teams throughout the house to identify solutions for challenges in the system. In 2022, video monitor techs reduced falls on floors.

Located on Henry Mayo’s campus, the OPSC provides patients with access to sameday surgery for a variety of conditions. Eighty-three percent of the RNs are certified perioperative nurses who have received specialized training to care for patients before, during and after surgery.

After being closed for two months during the pandemic, Henry Mayo’s OPSC performed approximately 2,100 surgeries in 2022. Last year, the team added microdiscectomy surgery to its outpatient procedure offerings. They also successfully pioneered the “first case on time starts” (FCOT) initiative, which measures OR efficiency. It’s critical to avoid delays with the first OR patient as this can have a domino effect for the rest of the day’s surgery schedule.

OUTPATIENT SURGERY RN PREOPERATIVE POST ANESTHESIA CARE UNIT

The center rolled out its FCOT starts and hit a goal of 70% during the first week and continued to maintain an 80% or greater record. In November, the center went live with its Keck USC Urology joint venture.

Following the implementation of its telephone etiquette and Helping Us Support Healing initiatives, the center’s patient satisfaction score rose to 95.8%.

Play the ball that’s been hit. It’s one of the lessons Nicole Brown, RN, BSN, applies to her job as clinical coordinator of Henry Mayo’s main operating room (OR). The former college softball third base player supervises every aspect of the OR’s daily operations, from patient, physician, anesthesiology and nurse scheduling to equipment and supplies to surgical nurse training. The unit serves cancer, cardiac, neuro, OB-GYN, plastic surgery, trauma and

urgent/emergent patients, everything short of transplant surgery. It’s a job that demands agility and quick reflexes.

“It’s a dance in the OR and things change all the time,” explains Brown, whose interest in nursing began with caring for her mother who had undergone several back surgeries.

Nicole Brown Staying in control helps OR patients

“You need to be on your toes working with the surgeon, technicians and the anesthesiologist while anticipating the next steps in the surgery.”

Brown, who joined Henry Mayo eight years ago and assumed her role last year, previously worked on the hospital’s main floor where she cared for several patients simultaneously. Now, she can focus on helping one patient at a time get through what might be the most uncomfortable part of their hospital stay.

“Before patients go under anesthesia, you get only 3-5 minutes to talk to them and get them to trust you. What I love about my job is being able to make them comfortable enough to put their lives in my hands. You squeeze their hand and they squeeze yours back. You don’t need words to tell them ‘I got you.’”

Nicole Brown, RN, recieving the Healthcare Hero Award

GASTROINTESTINAL LABORATORY SERVICES

MAIN SURGICAL SERVICES

As the department looks forward to moving into the new advanced operating rooms in the tower on the first floor, it is preparing nurses to deliver the highest quality of care. The group has had several perioperative 101 RN training programs, one completed in 2022 and another one to be completed in 2023.

The Gastrointestinal (GI) Lab went through a restructuring to enhance and revitalize operations. The team welcomed new members, and today, it is a well-oiled machine with team members attending education in-services, reorganizing and redesigning processes and procedures.

MAIN PREOPERATIVE/POST ANESTHESIA CARE UNIT

PRE-ADMISSION TESTING

The Pre-Admission Testing (PAT) clinic performs labs, EKGs and COVID-19 testing for patients who are not going elsewhere for their testing.

The clinic was open for preoperative testing, but with the pandemic came the need to perform COVID testing on anyone who was scheduled to have a procedure at Henry Mayo – inpatient or outpatient. The policy for COVID testing changed in September/October 2022. Today, it is only required for patients scheduled to be admitted after surgery, labor and delivery, Cardiac Cath Lab and some radiology patients.

COVID-19 Testing by the numbers:

• 2020: 3,366

The Pre-Op/Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nursing is a highly qualified discipline area that requires years of working experience and additional certifications. Pre-op nurses provide care for patients before and during surgery while PACU nurses care for patients after surgery and as they recover from the effects of anesthesia.

Many team members come from a critical care background and all have strong decision-making abilities with excellent communication skills.

The clinic also creates charts for all surgical cases for OPSC and the main hospital, performing the preadmission screening assessment, reviewing all orders and testing, contacting physicians and anesthesia for abnormalities to create a seamless perioperative process focused on patient safety and satisfaction.

• 2021: 6,159

• 2022: 4,117 as well as 904 blood draws and 300 EKGs

ROBERTA G. VELOZ CARDIOVASCULAR SERVICES STROKE AND DIABETES PROGRAM

Henry Mayo’s cardiovascular services continue to grow. In 2022, the team hit 50 transaortic valve replacement patients (TAVR), 500 open heart surgeries and over 10,000 total procedures.

In a joint venture with Special Procedures, the team successfully developed a pulmonary embolism (PE)/ deep vein thrombosis (DVT) program to service this critical population of mostly young patients. The unit is working on its next program – Watchman, which is the left atrial appendage device for atrial fibrillation. This will eliminate the need for anticoagulation in the setting of atrial fibrillation, for which many patients are contraindicated.

The group is also working on funding for a second cath lab and interventional radiology suite to keep up with patient demand.

Throughout the pandemic, frontline nurses continued to provide quality care to all stroke and diabetes patients with compassion. Their hard work gave these programs and the hospital the recognition and respect of many medical professionals, healthcare facilities and a national association.

DIABETES

Henry Mayo’s diabetes program was recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) for its best practices in caring for hospitalized patients with diabetes. In 2022, Stroke and Diabetes Navigator Melody Halio, RN, was invited to present the hospital’s best practices at an international AHA conference.

The hospital was also awarded the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll by the AHA for the third year in a row. The program relies heavily on the outstanding work done by bedside nurses, who continued to provide excellent care to patients with diabetes, which is around one-third of the hospital’s patient population at any given time.

STROKE

Henry Mayo provides the highest level of evidence-based care to its stroke patients. The stroke program was redesignated as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission at the end of 2022, and has received awards, including the Stroke Gold Plus Award, for 10 consecutive years. ED nurses responded to approximately 550 code neuros in the last year and the inpatient units cared for over 400 stroke patients and many more patients who were being ruled out for stroke. Henry Mayo’s code neuro nurses are highly trained to treat stroke patients when time is of the essence.

Melody Halio, RN, BSN, SCRN, CCRN-K, Manager for Stroke and Diabetes Programs.

PALLIATIVE CARE

Palliative care is a medical specialty for all patients facing serious, life-threatening or terminal illness. Henry Mayo’s palliative care nurses are specially trained to support patients and their families who face challenging decisions through end of life.

They provide emotional support, assess for uncontrolled symptoms and pain, clarify difficult to understand medical terminology and initiate difficult discussions about advanced care planning and end of life decision making.

The Palliative Care Program was recently recertified by the Joint Commission for another full two-yearcycle and palliative care nurses are essential to the program’s success.

CLINICAL INFORMATICS NURSES

Henry Mayo’s clinical informatics nurses are RNs who use their clinical knowledge to support the use of technology in patient care. As electronic health records have become more sophisticated, these nurses are key to how healthcare is managed and delivered.

Achievements in 2022 included:

• Setting up a system to enter vital signs directly into MEDITECH, Henry Mayo’s electronic medical record system

• Establishing a process to load wound photos to MEDITECH

• Measuring “left without being seen” percentage to gain a better understanding of how many people leave without receiving care due to long wait times

• Implementing the Cerner system in primary, urgent and wound care

• Documenting how often patient restraints are used

• Evaluating patients who come to our ARU to ensure proper evaluation and documentation for payers, such as Medicare, to pay the hospital

• Updating billing codes

• Revising practice guidelines to reflect updated palliative care practices

• Improving the process for medical transcriptions

• Adding a module to MEDITECH to track whether patients have been immunized against COVID-19

QUALITY & PATIENT SAFETY DAISY AWARD WINNERS

The DAISY Award recognizes excellence in nursing. Nurses are nominated by patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, other clinicians and staff who experience or observe extraordinary compassionate care being provided by a nurse. The following are excerpts from 2022 nomination forms.

Henry Mayo’s top priority is the health and safety of our patients and we are always looking at ways we can better serve the community and improve patient outcomes.

The Quality and Patient Safety department helps ensure Henry Mayo gets credit for all the hard work we perform by abstracting our CMS/TJC measures and submitting them for public reporting. Among other things, they also investigate and facilitate our quality reviews, process all incident reports, promote Just Culture across the organization, perform Root Cause Analyses, implement Performance Improvement projects, and analyze data related to industry measures such as readmissions and mortality. The department also helps

out with regulatory surveys, CDPH visits, and investigates adverse events.

In 2022, Quality and Patient Safety launched two patient safety projects. One was to reduce central line acquired blood stream infections (CLABSIs) by creating a consistent procedure for “capping” the line ports. As a result, there were five CLABSIs in 2022, down from 15 in 2021.

The other project was to reduce hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) by ensuring nurses turn patients on a regular schedule. The number of HAPIs decreased from 16 in 2021 to six in 2022.

Tim Hogan, RN, T-5 (January 2022)

“At one point, I just couldn’t make my NG (nasogastric) tube comfortable in my nose. I was ready to give up and I was going to just be uncomfortable. Tim wouldn’t have it. He pulled up a chair, looked me in the eyes, and held my hand and said, “No, we are going to get this right...” Tim was compassionate, reassuring and addressed all my concerns, and I appreciate everything he did for me.”

Patrick Currid, RN, ICU (February 2022)

“Patrick reassured me that my dad was going to be okay and reminded me to take care of myself as well. I was a mess, crying every day, every call except when Patrick was there! Even though I told him several times I appreciated him, and how much it meant to me that he was so hopeful, I don’t think he realizes how he changed my life during that time.”

Kathy Mink, RN, Center for Women and Newborns (March 2022)

“Kathy made me feel calm and reassured that I was in good hands and that me and my baby would be fine. Any time I had a question or concern, she was right there! She made everything easy for me and my husband to understand, concerning my condition and medications. She is truly the embodiment of what it means to be a nurse. We were lucky to have her through this journey!”

Rahina Chester, RN, ICU (April 2022)

“I had COVID pneumonia and respiratory failure plus sciatica pain, which was so bad that I couldn’t concentrate on my breathing. Rahina shared her knowledge on what to expect and how to manage sciatica pain. She did the MAGIC with offering a hot pack and the pain was forever gone. She checked on me frequently to make sure I didn’t have pain…We need more nurses like Rahina on this universe.”

Janice Prettyman, RN, Center for Women and Newborns (May 2022)

“We would like to thank Janice for being so patient and selfless in teaching the student nurses how to provide above and beyond quality patient care. Regardless of how busy Janice was, she provided the best care for her patients…Janice also ensures she takes time to explain to the students what she is about to do or the rationale of what she did so students will fully understand…Janice made everyone feel welcome and she embraced the students to help them learn.”

NURSING EXCELLENCE AWARD 2022

The Nursing Excellence Award honors nurses who deliver compassionate care and healing to the patients they serve every day.

April 2022

Leilani Chacho-Haskins, OPSC

Sheila Tesiny, OPSC

Lori Matzner, CWN

Christina Navaez, T5

Theresa Mackey, ARU

Yonna Guerra, ARU

Janie Lange, T4

Robert Ryken, ED

Rebecca Gueverra RN, ICU

Lynn Kalustian, MS 1/2, T4

Shelley Moore, RN, 1/2, T4

Jennifer Disaro, IR/Specials

June 2022

Karlee Bickford, ER

Heidi Ruff, Pre-hospital

Kristine Nelson, CM

Lindsey Lucero, NICU

Duke Olbes, ED

Katherine Fisher, BHU

Alex Antony, T3

Marites Bustalino, CM

Sept 2022

Erica Mauricio, RN, T3

Terence Almaria, RN, ER

Amy Cash, RN – MS 3

Agnes Bareng, RN, MS 1

Florita (Paulette) Buencamino, RN, MS 1/2

Carlos Delgado, RN, ICU

Nov 2022

Sian Durham, Outpatient

Susie Trikha, QPS

Emily Lloyd, NICU

Madison Ladanyi, MS 4

Justin Muszalski ,BHU

Faye Crampton, ED

Erwin Gallardo, T5

Clarissa Simpson, Palliative Care

HEALTHCARE HERO AND GOOD CATCH AWARDS

Good Catch Award

• Michael Barcena

• Patricia Debeaulieau

• Laarni Guingab

• Michael Martini

• Kathleen Mink

• Lacie Pinheiro

• Debbie Rheinfurth

• Eric Shaprio

• Samantha Tapanes

Healthcare Hero Awards

• Evan Abril

• Terence Almaria

• Duke Olbes

• Jennifer Whitcomb

QUIETNESS CHAMPIONS

H.U.S.H.

Help Us Support Healing

Med-Surg 1 and Med-Surg 2 won the Quietness unit competition in the third quarter. MedSurg 1 and Med-Surg 2 had the greatest percentage increase on the HCAHPS survey for the dimension of Quietness.

Quietness Champions in 2022 included:

MS1 and 2:

AM: Berenice Leon, PCA; Petra Bautista-Martinez, PCA

PM: Ailene Basanes, RN; Vanessa Canono, RN

MS4:

AM: Genesis Arteaga, WC; Pauline Mendez, PCA

PM: William Watford, WC; Paola Urquieta, PCA

T3:

AM: Marie Mercado, RN; Ritztophen Calvo, MT

PM: Partiksha Dhanda, RN; Eddie Smith, RN

T4:

AM: Zachary Mcgraw, MT

PM: Lynn Kalustian, RN; Marcella Nau, RN

T5:

AM: Pam Victo, PCA; Jessica Kolacinski, RN

PM: Joeffrey Caminade, PCA; Christine Beck, RN

CWN:

Day Shift: Janice Prettyman RN

Night Shift: Natali Bautista OBT