Attracting and retaining talent is a struggle for many organizations, so strengthening benefit offerings can make an organization stand out.
In today’s competitive job market, it's crucial that organizations differentiate themselves from others, but also that they cater their benefits to the needs of their employees.
“So much has changed in the workforce, even just with the hybrid working arrangements. Everybody had to rethink their offerings to associates to attract and retain,” Lesley Delaney, director of benefits at BlueCross BlueShield Massachusetts (BCBSMA) said.
Changes like these, Delaney said, are the future of employee benefits. Organizations can’t just think of their employees' needs; they must consider their families' needs as well.
BCBSMA has made changes within their own offerings that emphasize wellness and employee well-being. This change came after seeing how the stress and strain of the pandemic affected associates.
“It’s not just your traditional medical, dental, vision, 401(k) plans,” Delaney said. “It’s asking what other benefits we can offer associates to meet them where they are. How do we take care of working parents? How do we take care of associates who may have caregiving responsibilities? How do we take care of associates who are nearing retirement and not sure where to start?”
In the past few years, BCBSMA made the decision to rebrand associate sick time, now referring to it as “wellness time.”
It was no-cost change that went a long way, Delaney said.
“I think when we rebranded [sick days], the message really had to come from leadership, because we were finding that people weren’t taking time off or that they felt guilty or weren’t sure how to tell their manager that they were taking a ‘sick day,’” she explained. “This takes away that stigma, that this time is there for you to take, and we expect people to take their earned time off.”
BCBSMA also offers a financial well-being benefit, which offers free coaching for associates on several topics, including buying a house, retirement options, and paying down student loan debt. For student loans specifically, the organization has a repayment benefit, which Delaney said is attractive to talent just entering the workforce.
For family care, BCBCMA added virtual tutoring as part of its backup childcare benefits, which has taken off with many associates' children learning virtually during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, there was a 20-day cap on backup care but is now unlimited.
“We’re really promoting all the well-being offerings that we’re offering to our associates and just acknowledging that people have priorities outside of work,” Delaney said. “[We want to] help them care for those priorities in order to make them more productive at work.”
Other well-being benefits include reimbursements for gym memberships and home workout equipment, massages and acupuncture treatments, and subscriptions to a [mental health] app. Associates who work remotely can even be reimbursed for purchasing ergonomic or standing desks.
“I think for BlueCross, we’ve always but our members first. We put our associates first as well,” Delaney said. “So, we’re always looking for ways to take care of our own.”
For a provider unfamiliar with the transgender/nonbinary community, having conversations with patients can be difficult, Ferris acknowledges.
Bailey Ferris was 19 and working as an EMT when he noticed a disconnect in how providers around him delivered care to transgender or nonbinary patients.
Ferris identified with the patients because he, in fact, was transitioning at the time.
Now, as one of three fellows for the Emergency Nurses Association’s (ENA) ENDVR fellowship, Ferris plans to center his research around how lack of guidance for emergency nurses providing care to transgender or nonbinary patients leads to distress and a decrease in quality of care.
“While it’s gotten better over time, there’s still a really serious, considerable disconnect between what we know about basics that people need to feel safe in a healthcare environment, and what most people are comfortable with and able to handle,” he explained.
For example, paramedics or emergency room nurses may ask a patient what their pronouns are and see the patient’s legal name but not ask whether there’s another name they’d prefer to be called.
Ferris said the disparity between what providers perceive the transgender/non-binary community’s needs to be and what those needs really are, is “astounding.” He also acknowledges that for a provider who’s not familiar with the community and doesn’t have the vocabulary, it can make having conversations with patients difficult.
“I think that training for people to, at minimum, be comfortable with pronouns, comfortable with body questions, understanding what the appropriate limits are for what to ask, and when, should be an interactive process, because what we’re doing is talking to patients,” Ferris said.
In doing so, he hopes to establish the benefits of that kind of training as evidence-supported fact, or move forward with better practice guidelines about the value of having those kind of conversations before they’re put in a situation where they would need to use that knowledge.
“In terms of research, I also think there’s some questions that we haven’t been addressing because a lot of that has been built on assumptions from people who aren’t trans, saying, ‘Oh, this is the best way to take care of trans people.’ And that’s not necessarily true,” he said.
Ferris sees the ENDVR fellowship an opportunity to explore in-person provider training for providing care to transgender/nonbinary patients.
Other topics he hopes to explore in his research are the assumptions around providing care for this community. , such as lack of knowledge about hormones and how they affect people’s bodies and lack of awareness about medical versus psychiatric needs. Sometimes, he said, a provider will assume the patient has a mental health need when, in fact, they need medical assistance.
Ferris hopes to produce multiple pieces of research during his fellowship period, interviewing transgender and nonbinary individuals about their healthcare experiences to get a more informed perspective.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we do in healthcare either from the patient interview aspect or even from the aspect of medical care that are based around the assumption that you look like a woman, you have these parts, you have this hormone balance, you have these medical needs. And some of that is true,” he said. “But I don’t feel like we’ve really done diligence in examining where that line should be.”
Aging skin decreases in elasticity, decreasing in strength, making it prone to potential tears.
Fragile skin of the elderly may be more susceptible to tearing depending on medication, comorbidities, and other factors, but care providers can take steps to manage skin tears and implement prevention strategies.
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Wound Care found a skin tear prevalence of 20.8% among 380 long-term care residents, and an incidence of 18.9% within four weeks.
An article in Home Healthcare Nurse noted the risks and contributing factors to skin tears. While they can occur anywhere on the body, arms and hands are the most vulnerable.
“There’s these structures that kind of attach the different skin layers, most structures get a little thinner or narrower, so the skin layers don’t really adhere together as well,” Bonnie Thompson, RN, CWOCN, one of the article’s authors told HealthLeaders. “They’re a little looser, so that strength is impaired because of that and blood supply can be reduced, and they can have different nerve sensations, so they don’t know when they have damaged their skin.”
These patients can also be prone to bleeding and if they regularly take aspirin or blood-thinning medication, they’re likely to bleed even more easily, Thompson said.
The changes that occur in aging skin vary depending on their comorbidities, vascular status, blood sugar, and even the medication they take, she said.
“Cell growth and turnover rate is decreased, so you have drier skin,” Thompson explained. “The oil glands have kind of decreased production, the sweat glands have less production, the immune system is weaker, so with all of those things it can affect the integrity of the skin.”
There are two types of skin tears: Partial-thickness is where the epidermis is separated from dermis secondary to friction or shearing force trauma; and full-thickness, where both the epidermis and the dermis separate from the underlying tissue.
Skin tears don’t necessarily result in serious wounds, but they can lead to discomfort and infection if not treated in a timely and efficient way, according to Thompson.
Caring for skin tears is like caring for other wounds, beginning with an assessment by a nurse, Thompson said.
There must be a good balance of moisture in the wound and the skin around it must be protected, she said. When dressing the wound, providers must be careful not to use anything with an aggressive adhesive to avoid tearing the skin further during dressing changes, she said.
“The big thing is just realizing that your patient is at risk. If they’re an older adult, you’re looking at their age, their comorbidities, their medication, their nutrition status,” Thompson said. “Depending on what setting you’re in—acute care versus home care—you look at if they have a safe environment as far as not falling, not hitting their arms on the sides of things, [and] taking care of their skin every day.”
Educating patients and their caregivers on how to maintain good skin integrity is the best way to keep the skin it the best condition, Thompson said. This includes:
Ensure optimal nutrition, tailoring plans to any food sensitivities the patient may have.
Make sure the patient stays hydrated throughout the day; 2-3 quarts of fluid is recommended.
Use hypoallergenic and gentle moisturizers twice a day, with special attention to hands and arms to moisturize skin.
Limit bathing and use a mild pH-balanced soap; refrain from using perfumed, alkaline soaps.
Protect arms and legs with long sleeves and pants, and thick socks to protect feet.
Basow made the switch to digital innovation when she began working for UptoDate, when it was a startup.
Long before the healthcare industry embraced digital innovation, Denise Basow, MD, was riding the first wave. After working as a physician for four years, she made the switch after meeting the founder of a healthcare IT startup, UptoDate.
“Back when this started, which was the mid- to late-90s, there wasn’t a good way to get updated medical information. You had textbooks, you had research articles, you could call people, but if you needed something while you were treating patients, there wasn’t a good way to do that,” she explained. “The idea was to create an updated resource that was evidence-based for physicians where they could find answers to clinical questions from the point of care.”
Basow joined UptoDate as its deputy editor in 1996. Though she worked more hours than with her practice, her new role offered more flexibility, which she appreciated, having young children at the time.
“As we were growing this startup, as you get bigger, a lot of people that begin in startups are really innovative and have great ideas but aren’t necessarily great at management,” she said. “So, I started taking on management roles because I was there a long time and seemed to have an aptitude for that.”
As one leadership role led to another, Basow ended up learning the entire business, from marketing to customer service. By the time UptoDate was a sold to another company in 2008, Basow was its editor-in-chief.
When the CEO at the time left after the acquisition, there was no succession plan in place. Noting her aptitude and knowledge of the company, the new CEO asked Basow to take over running the business. To supplement the knowledge she already had of the business, she learned about the finance side by having discussions with the chief financial officer and made sure to hire individuals who could fill the gaps.
While knowing the business thoroughly is an advantage for any leader, that leaders must give their employees the space to do their jobs to the best of their ability, Basow said.
“In a leadership position you have to be able to hire people that are really good and that challenge you,” Basow said. “It’s easy for me to say that now. I wouldn’t say that that came naturally at the beginning, but I think over time that became very clear.”
She admits that this stage of her career was “uncomfortable,” mainly because of the new territory she was exploring and all that she was learning—which is something that women feel anxious about doing.
“Women more than men feel they have to be perfect for their role,” she said. “They have to build their resume, be perfect for whatever they’re doing. I was willing to take a chance on myself to figure out the things I didn’t know, and then also take a chance that I could hire a team that could put all of that together.”
After 13 years with UptoDate, Basow joined Ochsner Health system in January 2022 as its chief digital officer. Having worked with healthcare systems in the past, and noticing the way technology has disrupted the industry, she believes the disruption should instead come from within systems.
“I still feel that the best way to innovate in healthcare is to have a combination of technology and data for sure, but also the process and the people that go along with it,” Basow explained. “And no one understands those processes better than the healthcare systems. Nobody has the people to solve it like healthcare systems do.”
As chief digital officer, she’s tasked with continuing the system’s efforts to innovate how digital tools are used to improve care within it. She will also work to develop ways to commercialize those same tools externally, as she did with UptoDate.
However, doing so with the resources of a health system brings different challenges in finance and staffing.
For example, figuring out how to employ digital tools within the system has required a deeper understanding of healthcare finances and payment, which she has had to learn.
“I’m still in the learning phase but having to navigate some of the complexity of a health system and figuring out how to build businesses in a different way,” Basow said. “There are some things that resonate with a previous role but also some new challenges.”
The company hopes to hire approximately 220 people by the end of the year.
Humana has announced plans to bring its home care model, onehome, to Virginia.
Collaborating with existing home care providers in the market, onehome will oversee the coordination of in-home care services for Humana’s Medicare Advantage plan members in Virginia. Such services will include post-acute needs such as infusion care, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, and durable medical equipment (DME) services.
“Humana’s acquisition of onehome in 2021 and expansion into Virginia this year further advances the company’s commitment to building our Home Solutions business and value-based offerings,” Andrew Agwunobi, M.D., MBA, and president of Humana’s Home Solutions business said in a statement.
There’s a “tremendous” need for a care model that provides quality, fully integrated care at home at a reduced cost, Agwunobi added. With onehome, there’s a singular point of accountability, considering the needs of patients, physicians, hospitals, and health plans for at-home care—which are usually delivered through a network of local providers.
As it arrives in Virginia, onehome’s model will first be utilized in Richmond, Roanoke, and Southern Virginia counties. Onehome should be available to coordinate home care services for Humana Advantage plan members throughout the state, as well as North Carolina; reaching more than half a million people, according to a press release from Human.
The expansion of onehome will also bring job opportunities to both Virginia and North Carolina, with Humana hoping to add approximately 220 employees by the end of the year. This will bring the company’s total employment in the region to more than 2,000.
Additional plans include onehome’s services being payer agnostic, with it accepting Medicare health insurance plans other than Humana in Virginia and North Carolina.
“onehome’s value-based approach relieves patients and physicians from the burden of dealing with multiple providers of home health services, including medication and equipment, which is the common experience for those currently navigating the extremely fragmented home health industry,” Ramon Falero, chief executive officer and co-founder of onehome, said in a statement. “There’s a tremendous benefit for seniors in receiving better coordinated home care services that improve their health and their quality of life.”
Humana expects 50% of its Medicare Advantage members to have access to onehome.
Trusted healthcare providers can use social media platforms to encourage factual dialogue to help address vaccine hesitancy, new study says.
Though healthcare workers are among the most trusted messengers of COVID-19 vaccine information—indeed, nurses have been ranked the most trusted profession for 20 years—many are not leveraging that trust on social media to encourage vaccination, says a first-of-its-kind study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
The study looks at the motivations and hesitancies among healthcare workers and how they’re shared on social media. As the first round of COVID vaccines were being developed and approved by the FDA, opinion on their effectiveness was mixed by both the public and some healthcare workers.
Providers can use social media platforms to encourage factual, constructive dialogue with patients to help address vaccine hesitancy, according to the study’s findings, published in the Journal of Community Health.
“In the survey, healthcare workers gave us really compelling, heartwarming reasons why they got vaccinated, but we didn’t see a lot of that data on social media,” said lead author Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH. “It speaks to the importance not only of healthcare workers sharing their stories, but also providing them support to do so. It’s not enough to say, ‘You should share your story.’ We need to offer training on how they can do that.”
“Many people turn to social media to get information,” Hoffman told HealthLeaders. “As we saw with COVID-19, the absence of reliable, trustworthy information from healthcare workers on these platforms creates a void that can be filled by those propagating anti-vaccine mis- and disinformation.”
Hoffman, a postdoctoral associate with Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at Pitt Public Health, and senior author Jaime Sidani, PhD, MPH, CHES, collaborated with scientists from the Department of Psychiatry at Pitt’s School of Medicine to survey healthcare workers at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital about vaccinations for COVID-19.
For their study, they defined a healthcare worker as anyone working in the hospital caring for patients, from providers to cafeteria staff and security personnel. The survey results were particularly insightful since the patients the hospital serves are often stigmatized, said coauthor Antoine Douaihy, MD.
“COVID-19 vaccination uptake among our patients is low because of historical and cultural issues that get in the way of people accepting the vaccine,” he said in a statement. “Learning about the motivations of the healthcare workers who interact with them can teach us how to connect and build trust with patients.”
‘Freedom’ a powerful motivator
The 511 responses were recorded from April to June 2021, with 93.2% claiming to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A third of the respondents in this group said they’d posted about it on social media.
In both the social media analysis and the healthcare worker surveys, the researchers identified “freedom” as a powerful motivational theme, which suggests that emphasizing “freedom from fear” once vaccinated could be effective at reducing vaccine hesitancy.
Addressing misinformation related to reproductive health and vaccination, as well as making vaccine clinics accessible and convenient, were other insights the scientists gleaned from the research.
From a random sample of almost 2,300 tweets about the COVID-19 vaccine, the research team found that 1,863 were posted by individuals—6% of which were authored by individuals who identified as a healthcare worker or health sciences student. Some 95% of the tweets were positive or neutral in their testimonial, yet only 14% of them included a personal narrative.
“Social media is where patients spend a lot of time and see a lot of health information,” Hoffman said. “So, in addition to talking to patients face-to-face, healthcare workers can use social media to share their reasons for getting vaccinated and communicate about other important health issues.”
COVID-19 has shown providers the value of using social media for health communication, Hoffman said, and she believes they will continue to use it going forward for other health topics.
Financial incentives and staff's commitment to residents has helped the community continue to thrive.
While the healthcare industry struggled with a shortage of workers that persisted through the pandemic, nursing homes and long-term care facilities were hit the hardest.
"In healthcare when you’re talking about licensed staff—RNs in particular—long-term care has never been the preferred site for care for nurses," Mary Knapp, director of health services for Foulkeways at Gwynedd, told HealthLeaders.
Foulkeways has offered continuing care for more than five decades, with a licensed nursing facility and pharmacy, assisted living capabilities, Medicare certified hospice agency, and outpatient rehabilitation center included on its campus.
The community has affiliated physicians that come on site occasionally, but has its own staff of certified nurse practitioners (CNAs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), RNs,and nursing assistants that provide primary care to residents.
Now in its 55th year of operation, Foulkeways has never used an outside nursing agency to supplement its staff, which already sees a minimal amount of turnover, Knapp said.
"We have staff who are CNAs that retire at age 70 from Foulkeways," she said. "However, with COVID, we experienced a lot of staff retiring because we had a lot of nurses and LPNs who were working past age 65. Because of the positive work environment and very little turnover they continued to work, but COVID puts a strain on people."
Like most CNAs, those who worked at Foulkeways also worked at other nursing facilities to supplement their income. Those CNAs, Knapp said, struggled with the long hours, carrying out their responsibilities while wearing heavy personal protective equipment, and bearing the risk of contracting the virus or bringing it home to their family.
“For organizations like ours, there was a commitment to their residents. So many of the nurses’ aides, that are really professional nursing assistants, have been doing the care for a long time. When you talk to them about how good they are about providing care they often say, ‘It’s like taking care of my grandmother; of course I’m going to give them good care,’ Knapp said.
Staff who had been with Foulkeways for a long time consider the residents like family, where, with other organizations the commitment can vary, she said.
In the early days of the pandemic, nursing homes and communities such as Foulkeways were hot spots for the virus. Hired companions for residents stopped coming in. Staff who’d been planning on retiring in a few years decided to retire early.
"The people who didn’t exit, who remained, most got salary increases and possibly bonuses along the way during the pandemic," Knapp said, adding that financial incentives like these were common throughout the industry.
Similar incentives such as sign-on bonuses, according to Knapp, are improving and helping with staff retention. However, because of the competition in less-stressful environments, like food service or even retail Knapp said, facilities such as Foulkeways are just managing to keep up with the market.
Knapp added that because CNAs could potentially make just as much, if not more, working in those industries, in addition to their diminishing role in acute care and being pushed into long-term care, the temptation to make the switch is strong.
Supporting staff with educational benefits, such as programs that enable them to pursue higher industry certification, or a degree also help with staff retention. To supplement its staff, Foulkeways works with 17 schools, allowing their students to come to the facility for clinical training.
"I have talked to other organizations about doing the same because your colleges and universities, your community colleges, your technical schools, they have a really hard time finding clinical sites," Knapp said. "If you can get a school or university to come into your nursing home, providing an instructor with the students, then that can really lift some of the workload for the staff—particularly the CNAs."
90% of systems surveyed said they plan to focus on reskilling and upskilling current employees.
The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) recently released its second Health Systems' Climate Study with Guidepost, which shows systems putting more effort into strengthening their workforce and recruiting efforts.
Over 130 health systems CEOs participated in the study which provides a closer look at current industry trends. While all systems expressed hopes of expanding services by 20%, workforce resiliency and recruiting talent may hinder their progress.
According to the survey, 90% of the CEOs said they'd be focusing on reskilling and upskilling current employees to address these issues. 87% of the CEOs said are focusing on hiring a broad range of talent, with 84% agreeing that improving diversity improves the system's brand, reputation, and consumer satisfaction.
"We want people who have differing ideas, experiences, and opinions because we need to grow and accelerate our thinking to achieve what is best for our community," Ashley Vertuno, FACHE, CEO of HCA Florida JFK North Hospital, said in a statement. "Diversity and inclusion will make us more competitive in the marketplace, but, more importantly, it will help us align with and live up to our mission."
Strategic partnerships like those with supply chain and logistics organizations, consultancies, and even academic systems were also revealed to be a critical to system's post-COVID growth. 13% of CEOs have increased interest in pursuing new partnerships and alliances in 2022.
Digital transformation
The pandemic's impact on health systems over the last few years was noted, with 82% of CEOs having financial concerns and struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing telehealth market. Compared to 2021, the number of CEOs who see telehealth as a disruptor has grown by 22%.
To combat this trend, many systems are considering digital transformation, with an emphasis on virtual care being the most important growth strategy for 2022.
"Digital technologies are powering value-based care as well as improving the workflows and processes that support this paradigm shift," Rulon Stacey, PhD, and director of Programs in Health Administration at CU Denver, said in a statement. "Pacing consumer expectations – not chasing them – is everything."
While remote and telehealth service options increase patient's access to care and are sometimes more affordable, they're not without their risks. Cyberattacks such as data breaches and ransomware can access sensitive patient information and even prevent staff from accessing it themselves. The study suggests that systems should have a cybersecurity infrastructure in place.
Taking action
Jiban Khuntia, PhD, associate professor and director of the Health Administration Research Consortium at the Business School at CU Denver shared three things hospital and health system executives should adopt if they have not done so already
Engage with consumers
Treat your workforce like you treat your patients, and have a plan to achieve a diverse workplace through proactive recruitment strategies and employee relationships
Use innovative digital strategies across the organization
Maureen Schneider, PhD, MBA, RN, has served as interim president of the hospital since November 2021.
Atlantic Health System has named Maureen Schneider, PhD, MBA, RN, president of Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, New Jersey. She has served as the hospital's interim president since its previous president, Stephanie Schwartz, moved to Overlook Medical Center in November 2021.
"Maureen is leading the Chilton team with the passion and vision she has exemplified since joining Atlantic Health System," Brian Gragnolati, president and CEO of Atlantic Health System, said in a statement. "Through her collaborative leadership and dedication to our patients and caregivers, Maureen is ensuring Chilton's forward momentum while advancing our mission to build happier communities."
Schneider has served as interim president of the hospital since November 2021, following the previous president, Stephanie Schwartz's, MHSA, FACHE, transition to serve as president of Atlantic Health's Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey.
In her new role, she will continue to work closely with hospital leadership and staff, maintaining her patient-centered focus.
Schneider began her career at Atlantic Health in 2014 as Chilton Medical Center's chief nurse and operations officer. Through her leadership efforts, the hospital received an "A" grade for safety in the Leapfrog Group's Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades. The hospital, along with Morristown Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center, and Newton Medical Center, have consistently received A grades, with Chilton Medical Center maintaining an "A" since fall 2018.
The hospital has also been acknowledged as a high-performing hospital in several specialties by U.S. News & World Report.
Notably, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Schneider led the hospital to receiving the Magnet Accreditation Recognition for Nursing Excellence, making Atlantic Health the third health care organization where she has received this award.
"I'm honored and excited to continue my journey at Chilton Medical Center, and as a president, contribute to its ongoing commitment to clinical excellence and support teams who make Chilton the hospital our community looks to for high quality care," she said in a statement.
A new study has found these room reduce stress, anxiety, and burnout among nurses.
For healthcare systems looking to improve the well-being of their nursing staff, a first step may be as simple as bringing in a massage chair. A recent study, co-authored by a group of Cedars-Sinai nurses, found that using a massage chair in quiet room for 10 minutes helped nurses' mental and emotional health.
One of the authors, Florida Pagador, MSN, came up with the idea for the lounges prior to the pandemic when she was looking for a place to relax for a break. Thinking other nurses would appreciate it, she approached her manager and one of her co-authors, Melanie Barone, MSN, to help her find an underutilized space they could use.
"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I know that, personally, I hadn't seen that many people pass away in a long time," Barone said in a statement. "For many of us, it was just very challenging and emotionally exhausting seeing so many families struggle. Just knowing the Serenity Lounge was there if I needed it was important."
Nurses in Barone and Pagador's unit came together and furnished the space with items from their homes, including aromatherapy oils and personal artwork. Ground rules were also established for the space, such as no cellphone conversations, loud music, or crowding.
For the study, nurses were asked to fill out brief surveys before using the lounge, and once more after leaving. The surveys asked participants to report levels of different feelings they were experiencing, including frustration, stress, and anxiety.
Participants who used the message chair for 10-20 minutes reported a lower level of emotional exhaustion, weariness, and anxiety afterward. For those who used the chair longer than 20 minutes, their anxiety levels were reduced even further.
Ten units in the hospital now have Serenity Lounges, accommodating two to three people at a time.
"We know that our nurses can't pour from an empty cup," David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, FAAN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive for Cedars-Sinai, said. "This study highlights the critical importance of caring for our nurses so they can provide the best care at the bedside and demonstrates the widespread impact our nurse researchers can have on the worldwide medical community."
Cedar-Sinai's leadership supported the Serenity Rooms from the beginning, Barone said.
"We didn't have to beg to make this happen," she said. "Instead, our leaders came to us and asked, 'What can we do?' They've established a culture where it is okay to take a moment for yourself."
