JPS Health Network will dedicate its newest health center, the Gertrude Tarpley JPS Health Center at Watauga, on Thursday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. An open house and reception will follow the dedication until 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.

The new facility, located at 6601 Watauga Road in Fort Worth, has three staff physicians specializing in family medicine and internal medicine, including medical director for the facility, Rajbir Sandhu, M.D., as well as a nurse practitioner. Debbie Craig will serve as health center director and will oversee a staff of approximately 30-35 employees, a majority of which live in Northeast Tarrant County, where the facility is located.

With 19 exam rooms and two special procedure rooms, this newest addition to JPS expects to see more than 16,000 patient visits in the first year of operation. Tarrant County Public Health will open a new location adjacent to the facility and tours will be available during the open house.  

Gertrude Tarpley, for whom the facility is named after, founded the Northeast Chamber of Commerce and led the group for 23 years. Often referred to as the "Queen Mother of Northeast Tarrant County," Tarpley died in 1994 at 90 years old. Her daughter, Linda Kay Peterson, is scheduled to speak at the dedication.   

The Gertrude Tarpley JPS Health Center at Watauga expects to start seeing patients by the middle of July and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center accepts Medicare, Medicaid, JPS Connection and most insurance.

Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (HMFW) officials named Karen Robeano, MS, RN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer.  With more than 20 years of experience in clinical nursing and nursing leadership, Robeano has spent the majority of her career in nursing leadership positions, but maintains her clinical certification in neonatal intensive care. 

In her new role, Robeano will be responsible for the overall strategic, operational, clinical, regulatory and financial performance and success of the nursing services at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital.  Her role will be integral in the development and implementation of strategic and operating plans, policies and procedures.  She will also be a key leader in the hospital's Magnet re-designation process.  

Prior to coming to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, Robeano served as the chief nursing officer at Mount Carmel Health in Columbus, Ohio 2004 - 2008. She also filled the position of interim chief operating officer at St. Ann's from 2005 - 2006. In her 20 years of nursing experience, she has also served as the director of perinatal services at Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital and the nurse manager of the neonatal intensive care unit at Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas (PHD) and Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (HMFW) are the only two hospitals in Texas participating in a major, new safety initiative to change how U.S. hospitals treat high-risk pregnancies.

Throughout the 21-month national collaborative, called the Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative, PHD and HMFW are among 16 of the country's leading hospitals working to redefine perinatal care and eliminate preventable birth injuries.

Ranked near the bottom of industrialized nations in infant mortality, the United States averages five deaths per 1,000 deliveries. Additionally, U.S. infants experience close to three birth injuries for every 1,000 births, many of which are preventable, experts say.

"Looking at national statistics on infant mortality and preventable birth injuries, we saw an opportunity to lead the nation in change," said Deb Maitre, director of women's and infants' services at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.  "Our hospital's participation in this initiative will ultimately provide higher standards of care for patients in North Texas and throughout the country."

With the goal of eliminating preventable birth-related injuries and deaths, PHD and HMFW have begun making changes in many areas by creating protocols for: nurse/ physician communication; timing protocols for cesarean births; perinatal documentation with electronic medical records and patient simulated drills with the Perinatal Rapid Response Team.

"We are implementing strategies to move women's healthcare away from a business mindset and more towards true healthcare," said Amy Hailey, director of the Center for Women and Infants Health at HMFW.  "In the past, there have been requests from both physicians and patients to schedule a c-section around what is most convenient for either the patient or physician. Both hospitals are creating cultures that are moving away from what is most convenient to what is best for the health of mom and baby."

About the Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative

Perinatal team members at PHD and HMFW will participate in patient simulated drills for certain high risk protocols. Data from participants will be collected and results measured against benchmarks from similar hospitals.

• Baptist Hospital East (Louisville, KY)
• Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, MA)
• Bethesda North Hospital (Cincinnati, OH)
• West Virginia United Health - East City Hospital (Martinsburg, WV)
• Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati, OH)
• Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (Forth Worth, TX)
• Indian Path Medical Center, Mountain States Health Alliance  (Kingsport, TN)
• John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital (Phoenix, AZ)
• Methodist Medical Center of Illinois (Peoria, IL)
• Presbyterian Hospital (Albuquerque, NM)
• Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas (Dallas, TX)
• St. Joseph Hospital (Bellingham, WA)
• Univ. of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview (Minneapolis, MN)
• Fairview Ridges Hospital (Burnsville, MN)
• West Allis Memorial Hospital, Aurora Health Care (West Allis, WI)

Beginning on March 1st, Cherokee Uniforms will be accepting nominations for the 2008 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. 
         
Peers, friends and colleagues can nominate healthcare professionals demonstrating exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation March 1 - May 31, 2008


Nominations are being accepted March 1 - May 31, 2008 for this year's awards program.

The program provides a meaningful way for peers, friends and colleagues to acknowledge healthcare professionals for their significant contributions to patients and medical care.  

"The nominations that we have received throughout the years are a true testament to the immense dedication that healthcare professionals display on a daily basis," said Michael Singer, president and CEO of Cherokee Uniforms. "We are proud to recognize those individuals who have made the healthcare industry what it is today by providing care and compassion to their patients at times when they need it the most."  

To nominate a healthcare professional, visit www.CherokeeUniforms.com or pick up a nomination form from a Cherokee Uniforms retailer. Candidates may be nominated in two of the following categories but can only win in one: Registered Nurses (RNs); Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs); Licensed Practical Nurses/Licensed Vocational Nurses (LPNs/LVNs); Students enrolled in schools of nursing; and other Non-Physician Healthcare Professionals.  



Nominations must contain an accurate description (100 words or more) of the candidate's exceptional service, sacrifice or innovation. Random drawings will be held during March, April and May, giving nominators a chance to win prizes, such as an iPod or a set of Cherokee scrubs. Additionally, all nominators will receive a gold pin etched with the award's emblem.


Cherokee Uniforms will make a donation for every healthcare professional who is nominated for the award through May 31, 2008, to Nurses House, a national fund that provides short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing serious hardship.
A panel of nurse leaders, Cherokee professionals and former award recipients will choose winners who best meet the program's criteria: exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation.


The grand prize winner in each category will receive an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two. Additional winners in each category will receive all-expense-paid trips to a 2009 U.S. medical conference of each winner's choice, an annual membership to their preferred clinical association and a donation of $500 to the nonprofit organization of their choice.


Every award winner will receive a trophy, a medical wardrobe of Cherokee scrubs and Rockers footwear worth more than $1,000, and a profile in the nationally distributed Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award 2009 calendar. Additionally, those who nominated the grand prize winner in each category will each receive a Cherokee medical wardrobe and a donation of $500 to the nonprofit organization of their choice. Nominations are due by May 31, 2008. Winners will be announced in September 2008.

Nurses' Lounge magazine is pleased to announce that its editorial and design department has been awarded the 2008 American Inhouse Design Award from Graphic Design USA.

The award recognizes in-house graphic design departments for their excellence and creativity in design. Of the 5,000-plus entries, only the top 10% were honored with this recognition.

"We are honored to receive this award," says Tim Armes, CEO of The Nurses Lounge. "We are committed to giving back to the nurses who contribute so much to our communities, and this award confirms the quality and professionalism of our design team's efforts."