Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital Emergency Nursing Team Named the Best in Florida

Monday, May 19 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


(Hollywood, Fla.) — They work different shifts to provide round the clock critical care to the most precious little patients – the children. In addition, they have an elaborate outreach program that educates mothers, fathers and caretakers on various topics such as drowning prevention, first aid and poison response and control. And this year, they are being recognized as Florida’s top nursing team by Advance for Nurses, an industry publication.

“This recognition is truly an honor and a testament of the care we provide within our emergency department and the education that happens beyond the walls of the hospital that aim at reducing critical incidents,” said Marie Hankinson, director, pediatric emergency department at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

The magazine recognized the emergency team for its unique mix of outstanding patient care and superb outreach efforts to educate the community on many injury-prevention topics. One of their greatest undertakings occurred in 2007 when two of the nurses became certified as Pediatric Emergency Pre-Hospital Provider Instructors (PEPP) by the American Association of Pediatrics. The certification allows the nurses to educate emergency medical personnel on how to apply pediatric protocols to young patients being transported to the hospital. Armed with their certification, they began teaching the class to area paramedics and to date more than 150 participants have been certified. The class is now offered six times a year.

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital ER nurses also created a team of Car Passenger Seat technicians, with two nurses certified as Special Needs Car Seat Technicians. Through community partnerships and grants, the car seat program has flourished to include a loaner seat program for special needs kids and the creation of the Safe Kids Chapter in Broward County, which offers the team additional training opportunities and a broader community reach.

“This dynamic nursing team has demonstrated a commitment to improve pediatric emergency care by establishing programs where they share their pediatric knowledge,” Hankinson adds. “They demonstrate initiative by elaborating on their ideas and developing learning strategies that have been enormously successful at making it safer for kids. They are simply the best.”

Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital at Memorial Regional Hospital is a 133-bed patient and family-centered care facility that meets the complex needs of children by providing a comprehensive scope of inpatient and outpatient pediatric services. For more information, visit www.jdch.com.

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