At ChristianaCare, excellence is at the foundation of our nursing practice, having recently secured a fourth consecutive Magnet® designation - the gold standard and ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet designation signifies belonging to an elite group representing just 10% of hospitals nationwide, and ChristianaCare is the first health system in Delaware to achieve a four-peat.
To explain the significance of this milestone, we're joined by Michelle Collins, Vice President of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare, and Paige Merring, ChristianaCare Nursing Excellence Manager. Michelle and Paige unpack what makes ChristianaCare unique, including the use of a comprehensive system-wide approach; a transformation to a professional practice model that has led to an increased BSN rate to 83% and an increased certification rate to 65%; and a collaborative spirit that encourages teamwork across all disciplines.
Ready to experience the difference nursing excellence makes? Listen now to discover how ChristianaCare is shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, advanced education, and unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care.
Michelle L. Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, leads ChristianaCare's systemwide efforts to support nursing practice innovation and problem-solving. She also has led ChristianaCare to achieve its fourth Magnet designation, a preeminent excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Paige Merring, MSN, RN, CCRN, is the Nursing Excellence Manager at ChristianaCare. In this role, she facilitates strategic planning for nursing, supports professional governance councils to empower nurses, and leads teams to improve patient experience.
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According to the National Institute of Health, there are more than 500,000 clinical trials happening right now around the world. ChristianaCare has been nationally recognized for contributions to this work, as clinicians and scientists at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute collaborate to turn laboratory discoveries into real world therapies.
On this week's episode of For The Love of Health, we're joined by Dr. Greg Masters, ChristianaCare’s National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Principal Investigator. Dr. Masters explains how these vital studies work and why they matter - from testing new medications to exploring innovative treatment combinations, each trial represents hope for patients facing difficult diagnoses.
We're also joined by Robert Robinson, a prostate cancer survivor who himself participated in a clinical trial at ChristianaCare. He shares how his clinical trial not only saved his life, but sparked his mission of talking about men's health.
For its excellence in clinical trials, the Delaware/ChristianaCare NCORP in 2024 earned the prestigious Platinum Award for Exceptional Achievement from the NCI/NCORP.
Gregory A. Masters, M.D., has been a ChristianaCare lung cancer specialist since 2003. In addition to his investigative work with NCORP, Dr. Masters serves as an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School in Philadelphia, and is a highly published expert and a reviewer for many of the leading oncology clinical publications.
Links
- ChristianaCare Cancer Clinical Trials
- ChristianaCare News - National Leader in Cancer Clinical Trials: ChristianaCare Advances Pioneering Therapies
- National Institute of Health Clinical Trials Database
- Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy or Conventional Radiation Therapy After Surgery in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer (Robert's clinical trial)
- Robert Robinson's Podcast, The Lions Den
Have you heard of the term "health care pollution"? It refers to the waste that hospitals produce while providing patient care, as well as hospitals’ carbon emissions.
Nurse Practitioner Deanna Benner and Nursing Professional Development Specialist Ashley Oncay discuss how they found ways to decrease ChristianaCare's carbon footprint. What started as a grassroots initiative has transformed into a $1 million sustainability movement. Through the Medical Supply Donation Program and the Landfill Diversion Project, ChristianaCare is helping the community while reducing waste.
Whether you're a ChristianaCare caregiver or simply someone concerned about the environment, this episode offers practical inspiration showing that one person's trash truly is another's treasure.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - Environmental Sustainability Initiatives Keep 7.7 Tons of Medical Supplies Out of Landfills
- ChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Team Wins Environmental Excellence Gold Award
- Environmental effects of surgical procedures and strategies for sustainable surgery
- Project CURE
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore Goods Donations
Improving quality of life is a goal in both healthcare and policing. ChristianaCare and the New Castle County Division of Police are working together to change lives in our community.
The collaboration is called the Behavioral Health Unit, a groundbreaking partnership that pairs officers with social workers to transform crisis response. When 911 calls with mental health components come in, these specialized teams respond together. Officers ensure safety while social workers conduct comprehensive assessments to determine appropriate care possibilities beyond the limited options of jail or emergency rooms.
On this episode of For the Love of Health, New Castle County Division of Police Corporal Colleen Kearns and ChristianaCare Social Worker Delilah Colon describe the issues that led to the formation of the Unit, share facts and statistics about the people and families the program has impacted, and look forward to how this partnership is serving as a template for the future of policing around the state.
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According to the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 13 million.As Delaware's aging population is expected to grow, the need for memory care is also increasing.
On this episode, Dr. Steven Huege endowed chair of ChristianaCare's Swank Center for Memory Care reveals how a multidisciplinary approach makes all the difference for patients and their families. You'll hear about the different conditions addressed by the Swank Center, their participation in the innovative GUIDE Program to assist caregivers, and what the future holds for memory care in terms of medications and cutting-edge treatments. If you're concerned about memory changes in yourself or a loved one, this is an episode not to be missed.
Steven Huege, M.D., MSEd is The Swank Foundation Endowed Chair in Memory Care and Geriatrics at ChristianaCare. He brings over two decades of experience to his clinical practice as a compassionate, dedicated board-certified geriatric psychiatrist. Dr. Huege sees older adults with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms related to neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body Dementia, and FTD.
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For most high school students, field trips are an excuse to just get out of the classroom. But thanks to ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute, some students in our region are getting an opportunity to edit their futures.
On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Education Program Manager Amanda Hewes and Education Program Coordinator Sarah LaTorre take a deep dive into the Gene Editing Institute's Learning Lab and the CRISPR in a Box educational kit to share how they are inspiring students and promoting equity in science education.
Amanda Hewes, M.S., is responsible for designing and creating an outreach program surrounding the Gene Editing 360 platform. The platform is designed to engage people in STEM from various levels of education including high school, college, and the public. Being one of the founders of the in vitro gene editing reaction, which is the basis for the CRISPR in a Box™ educational kit, she can provide expertise to those using the kit with a focus on helping others understand the important concepts surrounding gene editing and CRISPR technology.
Sarah LaTorre is an alumna of Wilmington University, where she pursued her B.S in Biology in 2024. After participating in the Gene Editing 360TM Learning Lab, she joined the Education & Outreach team during Summer of 2023. Sarah has a background in biodiversity and conservation research.
Links
- ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute
- Gene Editing 360™: Tools for a Journey of Discovery
- For the Love of Health - Patient-Centered Gene Editing with Eric Kmiec, Ph.D.
- ChristianaCare News - The Scientist Names CRISPR in a Box™ Among the Top 10 Innovations for 2024
- ChristianaCare News - Gene Editing Institute Partners With Carolina Biological Supply Company to Launch CRISPR in a Box™ Kits for High School Science Labs
Choosing your profession can be difficult no matter what path you choose. But when medical school is part of that path, life can get a little more complicated.
Sometimes fate can step in, in the form of a mentor. On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Marshala Lee-McCall, Director of the iREACH Harrington Community Partnership Fund, and ChristianaCare OB/GYN resident Dr. Kristyn Mitchell share how their mentor/mentee relationship became so much more and discuss how mentorships are important for achieving equity and representation in healthcare
Marshala Lee-McCall, M.D., MPH serves as the Harrington Trust Physician Scholar and Director of iREACH's Harrington Community Partnership Fund. In this role she is responsible for strengthening community partnerships and developing new models of patient-centered health care delivery and methods for addressing the social determinants of health.
Kristyn Mitchell, M.D. is a first year resident in ChristianaCare's Obstetrics & Gynecology program.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - Mentorship Matters: Kristyn Mitchell, M.D., Returns to ChristianaCare to Serve Her Neighbors
- ChristianaCare Mentorship and Teamwork
- ChristianaCare Institute for Research on Equity and Community Health
- ChristianaCare Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine
- ChristianaCare Office of Inclusion and Diversity
- Contact the Harrington Trust: [email protected]
Chronic hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can be life-threatening for pregnant women. According to the National Institutes of Health, the prevalence of chronic hypertension in pregnancy in the United States doubled between 2007 and 2021.
Research being done at ChristianaCare could change the lives of women around the world. Leading that research is Dr. Matthew Hoffman, the Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at ChristianaCare, who joins us to talk about the results of those studies, changes in how health providers approach pregnancy care, and what the future may hold for maternal and fetal medicine.
Dr. Matthew K. Hoffman, M.D., MPH is the Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology for ChristianaCare. He has spearheaded national improvements in OBGYN care and has helped guide the health system to provide greater quality and value.
Links
- ChristianaCare News - Pivotal Study of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Likely to Change Prenatal Care for Some Women
- ChristianaCare News - Low-dose aspirin therapy may help prevent premature birth
- New England Journal of Medicine: Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy
- ChristianaCare Women's Health
- ChristianaCare Babyscripts mobile app
'Tis the season... to be sick. And as we say goodbye to 2024, we want to avoid saying hello to respiratory illness.
On this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Chief Infection Prevention Officer Dr. Marci Drees gives us tips on how to keep the uninvited germs away from your holiday gatherings.
Marci Drees, M.D., MS, is the Chief Infection Prevention Officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare. Dr. Drees serves as a councilor on the Board of Trustees of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and previously served as SHEA's liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). She is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.
Links
- Make a Plan to Get Your Flu Show
- COVID-19 - Details, Prevention and Treatment
- Delaware.gov - Current Delaware Flu Infection Rates
- Delaware.gov - Current Delaware COVID Infection Rates
The donation of an organ or tissue is perhaps the greatest gift of life and health a person can give. More than 100,000 men, women, and children are on the national transplant waiting list right now.
ChristianaCare has earned the highest level of national recognition from the US Health Resources and Services Administration for its outstanding support of organ and tissue donation. ChristianaCare's Kidney Transplant Program is the only adult transplant center in Delaware. Lead Transplant Social Worker Kealey Johnson delivers insights into the life-changing work happening with the program, while kidney transplant patient Bill Wilson shares his own personal story of going through the transplant process.
Kealey Johnson, MSW, LMSW, CCM, has a strong desire to help others through challenging moments in their lives always expressed with her bright and genuine smile. As a transplant social worker, she looks forward to working with the team to serve our kidney transplant patients with care and compassion.
Links
- ChristianaCare Kidney Transplant Program
- ChristianaCare News - The Beat Goes On for Bill Wilson
- American Kidney Fund Transplant Waiting List
- United Network for Organ Sharing
- Donate Life Delaware Organ and Tissue Donors
