Los Altos Hills, CA - More than 200 leaders, physicians, and nurses from the Daughters of Charity Health System (DCHS) gathered at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel July 9-10 to kick off the Clinical Advancement in Research and Education (CARE) program, an 18-month plan to create nursing leadership at the bedside while reducing sepsis at Seton Medical Center and two other Daughters of Charity Health System hospitals.
“This is an investment in our associates and physicians that will benefit our community,” says Lorraine P. Auerbach, FACHE, president & CEO, Seton Medical Center in Daly City. “I fully support the CARE Council as it makes its recommendations, and will do everything I can to assist team members in gaining access to the resources that will ensure their success.”
The CARE program is based on the Integrated Nurse Leadership Program (INLP) created by Julie Kliger, RN, MPA, president of the Altos Group. “Our research shows that front line clinicians deliver tremendous results when equipped with the right skills, authority and executive support,” she says.
Edward O’Neil, PhD, professor and director of the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), presented a leadership keynote to prepare DCHS executives. “It is imperative that leadership embrace their role in creating change. Their understanding of the communication and processes necessary for systemic change is vital to the success of this project, both for the nursing leadership initiative and in reducing the incidents of sepsis.”
Sepsis is defined as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) resulting from a bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic infection. According to www.sepsis.com, an informational site, an estimated 750,000 patients nationwide develop severe sepsis annually. As many as 215,000 patients die as a result of the acute infection. Costs associated with sepsis treatment in U.S. hospitals are estimated at 17 billion dollars annually.
“Developing leaders is what this program is all about,” cited Thomas Sappington, PhD, who opened the 2-day meeting with a session on leadership and team building. “Leadership is getting groups of people to invest in a vision or a new direction.” More than 120 staff nurses from the three participating DCHS hospitals have been selected to serve on the
CARE Council. These frontline nurses will partner with physicians, managers and clinical teams to ensure success. Throughout the 18 months, hands-on training to maximize leadership skills and promote change leading to quality patient care will be delivered to the participants.
Also presenting at the meeting were Theresa Manley, director of clinical operations and patient safety officer at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation; Sean Townsend, sepsis expert; Martie Mattson, RN, CARE program consultant; Ali Bassiri, MD and Brian Saavedra, MD, both from O’Connor Hospital in San Jose.
“The development of frontline nurses as leaders in providing safe patient care is the heart and soul of the mission of the Daughters of Charity,” states Nancy Caragee, RN, MS, director of Quality for DCHS. “Combating sepsis is just the beginning.”
The CARE project was made possible by a 2.2 million dollar grant received from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, along with matching funds from the CEOs from the three participating DCHS facilities: Seton Medical Center, Daly City; O’Connor Hospital in San Jose; and Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy.