Northwest Community Hospital joins in nationwide AgeWISE Pilot
Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) is one of 12 hospitals in the nation (and only two in Illinois) participating in a patient-centered care pilot program called AgeWISE. This six-month nurse residency program prepares registered nurses to meet the needs of hospitalized older adults, especially those who are frail, suffering from chronic illness or an age-related condition. Twenty-four NCH nurses are participating in the program; with the first group of 12 nurse residents graduating from the program on Aug. 23, 2012. The next session begins this fall.
Traditionally, most nurses have had minimal geriatric training, a specialty that focuses on caring for the elderly, and many nurses have not been exposed to the benefits of palliative care, which is a newer specialty that helps alleviate suffering and improve quality of life.
The AgeWISE program, which focuses on “geropalliative” care, helps to fill these gaps by training nurses to recognize the special needs of elderly patients. Symptom management, issues related to progressive or age-related conditions, and physical, psychological and practical burdens of illness are all concerns addressed through this program.
“AgeWISE focuses on providing the best possible care to our older adults – our most vulnerable population,” says Donna Boyd, RN, MS, CHPN, APN, clinical nurse specialist, Gerontological Nursing at NCH. “Much of what occurs is preventable and, with this program in place, more of our elderly patients will have access to the specialized care they need resulting in fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.”
In order to be selected to participate in this pilot, hospitals had to meet several criteria that reflected the high level of quality care they provide, including Magnet® hospital designation for nursing excellence and hospital membership in NICHE (Nurses Improving Care to Healthsystem Elders). NCH has been a Magnet designated hospital since 2006. Only six percent of hospitals nationwide achieve Magnet status.
Congratulations to the following nurses who recently graduated from the AgeWISE pilot program:
- Pam Amatore, RN, Oncology
- Vicki Bauer, RN, Medical-Pulmonary
- Lisa Consolazio, RN, Oncology
- Jennifer Fallucca, RN, Float Pool
- Sophia German, RN, Medical-Pulmonary
- Christa Goldberg, RN, Medical-Pulmonary
- Velina Maximova, RN, Medical-Renal
- Janet Perry, RN, Medical-Pulmonary
- Shiny Shibu, RN, Float Pool
- Jean Ugarte, RN, Oncology
- Jessica Vargas, RN, Oncology
- Jessica Wirtz, RN, Medical-Pulmonary
About Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH)
Serving Chicago's northwest suburbs since 1959, NCH is a comprehensive, patient-centered system of care that serves more than 350,000 outpatients each year, as well as nearly 30,000 inpatients treated annually at the 496-bed acute care hospital in Arlington Heights. The award-winning hospital holds the prestigious Magnet designation for nursing excellence, is designated as a Primary Stroke Center and earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval in 2011. NCH has four Immediate Care locations in the northwest suburbs and operates a FastCare Clinic in Palatine. NCH has a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians, which includes the board-certified primary care doctors and specialists of the NCH Medical Group. For more information or to find a doctor on the NCH Medical staff, visit www.nch.org.