HJNO Jan/Feb 2024

64 JAN / FEB 2024  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds Teresita McNabb, RN with newborn nursery and neonatology rotations at Ochsner Baptist. This newly ACGME-accredited pediatrics res- idency program will expand existing Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. Currently, Ochsner sponsors 33 residency and fellowships, and trains approximately 330 physicians across multiple core and subspecialty services each year. With this pediatrics residency program, Ochsner Hospital for Children will train pediatricians in an integrated healthcare system. Applications for the inaugural 2024 intern class have been received from 566 potential partic- ipants. Between November 2023 and January 2024, 150 interviews will be conducted for 10 intern positions available in year one. Pediatrics residency is a three-year training program, which means Ochsner will have a 30-resident program once at full complement. John Carlson, MD, program director, pediatrics residency, Ochsner Hospital for Children said, “We are committed to training exceptional pedi- atricians and specialists through an innovative pro- gram that allows residents to care for patients with complex health needs and those with common health concerns. Our approach to training will be truly innovative, ensuring comprehensive expo- sure to self-selected clinical material and special- ized skills along with mentorship in the trainee’s chosen area of study.” Ochsner Hospital for Children offers the only pediatric heart and liver transplant program in the state. Terrebonne General Health SystemSenior VP of Clinical Services Honored Terrebonne General Health System Senior Vice President of Clinical Services Teresita McNabb, RN, was honored by the LSU Health Science Cen- ter School of Nursing as an Outstanding Alum- nus as part of their 90th anniversary celebration. The Outstanding Alumnus Award comes as a recognition of McNabb’s contribution and achievement to the nursing profession in ways that advance the occupation and improve over- all healthcare for the state and community. This award values stewardship, organizational leader- ship, innovation, professionalism, respect, integ- rity, diversity, and excellence in nursing. McNabb has been with Terrebonne General Health System for more than 38 years. She began her career as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff nurse and worked her way up to her most recent role. As senior vice president of clinical services, she has driven many clinical initiatives to imple- mentation and shown creativity and innovation to achieve high standards even amid the difficult situations that the healthcare industry presents. Ochsner Health Pharmacy Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Innovation by Vizient Ochsner Health recently received a 2023 Vizient Pharmacy Vision Award. Ochsner is recognized for Excellence in Innovation, which honors teams who have implemented novel approaches to com- plex patient care in conjunction with other depart- ments. The Ochsner team, represented by Lisa Boothby and Kellee Brown, was recently recog- nized at the Vision Awards Reception hosted by Vizient in Las Vegas. Ochsner received the Excellence in Innovation award for its Inpatient Interdisciplinary Care Teams – Integration of Medication Administration Phar- macists program. This program was designed and implemented as a direct response to the nursing shortage impacting Ochsner and many other health systems nationwide. To combat the nursing shortage while minimizing contract labor expenses, medication administration pharmacists were deployed at two hospitals within the health system. “Pharmacists have been integral to the patient care interdisciplinary team in acute care settings for years,” said Deborah Simonson, vice presi- dent and chief pharmacy officer, Ochsner Health. “Through this program, the medication adminis- tration pharmacists focus on medication adminis- tration and education, discharge planning, medi- cation counseling and reconciliation, all of which are tasks routinely performed by nurses.” This unique approach to staffing challenges has proven successful on many fronts. Within the program, pharmacists administered 99% of med- ications for assigned patients and late medica- tion administration decreased from 15% to less than 3% with no medication errors. Additionally, patient satisfaction scores showed a 37% increase in patients understanding side effects of medica- tions and a 44% increase in patients understand- ing the purpose of their new medications. Nurses demonstrated overwhelming support, with all recently surveyed nurses requesting pharmacist assistance moving forward. Terrebonne General Health SystemOpens Pharmacy on Campus Terrebonne General Health System and Prox- sysRX announced the grand opening of the Terre- bonne General Pharmacy, held on Nov. 16 at 8:30 am in the Terrebonne General Medical Atrium. The full-service retail pharmacy provides a variety of services, including the "Meds to Beds" pre- scription delivery service, which allows patients to be discharged with their needed prescription medications. “We are thrilled to offer this level of service to our patients and community,” said Phyllis Peo- ples, president and CEO of Terrebonne General. “Many patients lack access to get their prescribed medications and therefore are not able to fully recover. Now with our “Meds to Beds” program in place, patients will leave the hospital with their needed medications in hand so their post hospi- tal recovery can start immediately.” George Salem, CEO of Birmingham-based Prox- sysRx — which owns and/or operates 26 hospi- tal-based retail pharmacies across the country — noted, “Terrebonne General Pharmacy has the largest retail space of any pharmacy we’ve opened to date, and we’re thrilled by the leadership we have in place. Our Pharmacist in Charge, Derel Smith, came to us from a regional grocery chain