Like many health care organizations across the nation, ECU Health is facing an immense challenge: solving the growing health care workforce shortage.
Through community partnerships, the health system is doing its part to grow its workforce, starting right here in eastern North Carolina.
On March 14 at ECU Health Medical Center, students from several local high schools participated in the Health Sciences Academy event “Chat with a Doc.” Nine physicians from various specialties within ECU Health spoke to the students about their responsibilities, the diverse opportunities in the health care field and the rewarding experiences that come from caring for the people of our communities.
Each physician gave a brief overview of their specialty, and students had the opportunity to ask questions along the way. Dr. Matthew Ledoux, Pediatrician in Chief at Maynard Children’s Hospital, shared his insights as a health care provider with the students.
“I was so excited to participate in ‘Chat with a Doc’. I loved talking about the amazing and incredibly diverse opportunities in medicine. I hope the students were just as excited to hear about the opportunity to spend the rest of their lives helping, supporting and healing members of our community. I can’t imagine doing anything other than practicing pediatrics here in eastern North Carolina.”
The students also had the unique opportunity to tour several areas of the hospital and learn first-hand how they all work together to offer high-quality care for patients. The tours included the echocardiography, electrophysiology and catheterization laboratories at the medical center. Students also got to experience the emergency department, a mock operating room and trauma bays.
Lisa Lassiter, workforce development director for ECU Health, was one of the tour leaders. She expressed her excitement about the potential opportunities that an event like this could bring. “Students are our future, and we want to expose them to as many areas and roles throughout health care as possible so they can make an informed decision on their future career path. We are thankful to the physicians and departments who have given their time to make this event possible and help educate our youth.”
Melanie Thompson, a junior at J.H. Rose High School, shared her takeaways from the “Chat with a Doc” event. “It was great to see the doctors so passionate about what they do in their specialties. It was really nice to see that even though they have a stressful job, they love what they do and are passionate about treating patients here.”
Caleb Spruill, a senior at Pitt County Schools Early College, added that it was exciting to connect with the doctors on a real and personal level. “Not only are they passionate about treating patients, but they’re also just normal people. I’ve always put them on this pedestal, but they are normal people, just like us, who went to medical school and worked hard to achieve their goals. That’s inspiring to see.”
Both Melanie and Caleb shared their gratitude for the opportunities they received from the Health Sciences Academy. Melanie mentioned that the Academy has exposed her to a whole new world of medicine that she was previously unaware of, and it helped her realize that anyone can pursue a career in health care as long as they put in hard work. Caleb emphasized that it’s an excellent way to figure out which career path to take. “It’s a great opportunity for people who aren’t sure if they want to go into medicine. Events like this are foundational for understanding what health care is and learning about all of the different careers in this field. Everyone thinks it’s just doctors and nurses, but there’s so many things you can do.”
The “Chat with a Doc” event is another representation of ECU Health’s commitment to growing health care talent locally. Through the Health Sciences Academy, ECU Health partners with public schools to provide eastern North Carolina’s youth with the education and resources to pursue exciting and fulfilling futures in health care. During high school, Health Sciences Academy students complete a minimum of six courses that expose them to potential health care careers and prepare students to pursue college-level health science programs upon graduation. They participate in job shadowing, mentoring, internships, medical research opportunities, career exploration and volunteering.
The Pitt County Health Sciences Academy offers high school students the opportunity to explore different careers in health care and receive real experiences in the health care setting.
The program is a partnership between Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Nursing at East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University, the Eastern Area Health Education Center and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.
Nurses and child life staff from ECU Health went to Pactolus Global School on Tuesday, March 19, to host the Teddy Bear Hospital event as part of Pitt County Health Sciences Academy. This fun, interactive event aims to familiarize elementary-aged children with health care workers in a friendly environment.
Elementary school students donned scrubs and personal protective equipment (PPE) to bring their favorite stuffed animals to the Teddy Bear Hospital. Students assumed the role of parents responsible for the toy’s care, starting with checking their stuffed animal into the waiting room to be triaged. ECU Health nurses then examined the stuffed animals and gave them a diagnosis. Nursing staff provided a treatment plan to help the stuffed animal get better. Through this interactive process, ECU Health nurses and child life team members engaged with the children, fostering valuable interaction and promoting health during workshop sessions.
According to Reed Potts, coordinator of Pitt County Health Sciences Academy, the event serves a number of purposes including to increase the awareness of health care, reduce anxiety around doctor’s visits and introduce students to different health care careers.
“They’re having an absolute blast,” said Potts. “You never know, we may have a couple of nurses and doctors in here who wind up taking care of us one day.”
Nancy Turner, workforce development consultant, ECU Health, said students have really been engaged with the event and enjoyed the process.
“Students are learning all about health care process as if they are at a doctor’s office or even a hospital,” said Turner. “The students have been great. We’re talking to them after their rotations, and they’re excited to share how our nurses helped their stuffed animals ‘get better’ whether it be with a cast or a band-aid.”
While this may be the first exposure to health care careers for some students, it will not be the last. ECU Health team members, in partnership with Health Sciences Academy, participate in a number of career exploratory events with middle school and high school students including job shadowing, career fairs and “Chat with a Doc.”
“The most important thing is we are able to reach out to students of all ages,” said Turner. “We expose students to health care careers starting in elementary school and continue in middle school and high school letting them know that there a lot of different careers in health care. We’re letting students know there is a health care role for anybody and everybody.”
The Pitt County Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between ECU Health, Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Nursing at East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University, the Eastern Area Health Education Center and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.
A standing-room-only crowd packed the Bertie County Community Meeting Space for a robust event on March 19, aimed at getting Medicaid-eligible community members in Bertie and Washington counties enrolled to receive the health insurance they need to live their healthiest lives.
With voices like Gov. Roy Cooper, NCDHHS Sec. Kody Kinsley and ECU Health Bertie, Chowan and Roanoke-Chowan hospitals President Brian Harvill and others providing insight and perspective into the importance of Medicaid expansion, the message was consistent and clear: Medicaid expansion benefits rural communities.
“I know rural North Carolina, and I know what a room full of people who are on a mission looks like,” Gov. Cooper said. “People in rural North Carolina are benefitting from Medicaid expansion and what you’re doing is making a difference.”
The event was hosted by Care4Carolina, a statewide community coalition-building organization that has worked toward shrinking the insurance coverage gap for more than 10 years.
With Medicaid expansion now a reality in North Carolina, Care4Carolina is partnering closely with community organizations in eastern North Carolina, including ECU Health, to help spread the word, provide resources and increase Medicaid enrollment, which helps community members get the comprehensive care they need to better manage their health and overall wellness.
Since Medicaid expansion launched Dec. 1, 2023, nearly 400,000 people have enrolled, providing them and their families affordable health care coverage. Access to coverage ensures patients can receive important medications, access to care and peace of mind needed to live vibrant lives. The impact of Medicaid expansion is even more profound in rural communities where 40% of North Carolina’s population lives. Those living in rural communities face disproportionate incidences of chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes and heart disease, which worsen if not treated. With coverage, these impacted individuals can better manage their conditions.
“Medicaid expansion, more often than not, is here to help rural North Carolina,” said Sec. Kinsley, noting that 70% of those who benefit from Medicaid expansion come from working families. “People in rural communities are 3-to-4 times more likely to be uninsured. Now, with Medicaid expansion, people aren’t just getting covered, they’re getting care.”
Medicaid expansion has long been a priority for ECU Health, which serves 1.4 million people throughout the 29 rural counties that comprise eastern North Carolina. As a mission-driven organization, it proudly serves all community members regardless of their ability to pay. Still, at a time when rural hospitals across the country are struggling to maintain services, ECU Health’s priority is ensuring access to health insurance and access to high-quality care that drives healthy outcomes. That is why ECU Health leaders like Harvill are committed to community partnerships that help drive the mission of improving the health and well-being of the region.
“Sustainability in rural communities is a constant discussion in our organization,” said Harvill. “When you think about Medicaid expansion, think about access to care, which leads to better overall community health in rural areas. When residents are healthier, they are more likely to participate actively in the workforce, contributing to the economic and social well-being of the community. Our work to help improve the communities we serve is rooted in partnerships. We are so thankful for the opportunity to add to the conversation alongside the important state leaders who helped Medicaid expansion a reality and the local leaders who are helping make sure it benefits those right here in our rural communities.”
ECU Health leaders joined Care4Carolina, a coalition of organizations across North Carolina working together with the goal of bringing affordable health care to North Carolinians, for a Medicaid expansion event March 18. Partners from Pitt County Community College, Pitt County Social Services, and local representatives and leaders teamed up to bring Medicaid registration resources to local community members.
Health care access and delivery in rural areas often differ significantly from their urban counterparts, and this reality is apparent in eastern North Carolina. Every year, approximately 140,000 individuals turn to ECU Health Medical Center for emergency department services alone. Historically, uninsured patients have sought primary care in emergency departments due to their inability to afford preventive care. Medicaid expansion holds promise in bridging the gap, connecting people in the East and beyond with essential preventive and primary care services, ensuring their well-being is prioritized before the need for high-acuity care.
With 40 percent of Americans residing in rural areas, ECU Health plays a crucial role in providing care to some of the region’s most medically vulnerable individuals through its network of nine hospitals and 185 primary and specialty care clinics across eastern North Carolina.
Brian Floyd, chief operating officer of ECU Health, said partnerships are among the most important elements in delivering health care to the community.
“ECU Health has been a strong proponent of Medicaid expansion for six years,” Floyd said. “It is a necessary component to solve the complexities of rural health care delivery. Medicaid expansion allows us to have the resources to continue to invest in our communities and help us render high-quality care to those most in need. We finally have reached the point where historic access to Medicaid is available, and it becomes incumbent upon all of us to encourage everyone eligible to sign up to transform their lives. I want to thank the General Assembly for taking a bold step to move us forward in taking care of the people in our communities.”
Learn more about Brian Floyd and his role at ECU Health on his Thought Leadership page.
At ECU Health, we understand that partnerships and collaboration are at the heart of how we will solve the complex challenges facing rural health care. That is why ECU Health leaders joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers, health care professionals and leaders at the North Carolina Healthcare Association Meet and Greet event hosted at Pitt Community College Thursday, Feb. 29.
With a busy agenda covering topics that included the importance of building a strong workforce, improving access to care in rural communities and the battle to ensure insurance coverage for basic medical needs, ECU Health was honored to take part in the dialogue on behalf of the communities it proudly serves.
Brian Floyd, chief operating officer of ECU Health, said the opportunity for a health system to connect with the community it serves is crucial to meeting its mission.
“Make no mistake, rural health care is difficult. But we are fortunate to have experts here at ECU Health helping us build the national model for sustainable regional health care,” Floyd said. “These forums provide us a great opportunity to share our expertise, engage other health professionals and partner with community leaders and businesses alike to help bridge gaps and ensure we can be successful in our mission to improve the health and well-being of the region. With teamwork, collaboration and partnership, we can help create healthier lives and communities in rural communities across North Carolina.”
Learn more about Brian Floyd and his role at ECU Health on his Thought Leadership page.
Eight students in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University have been named to the North Carolina Medical Society Kanof Institute of Physician Leadership’s 2024 Future Clinician Leaders College (FCLC).
Noor Baloch, Nolan Davis, Michael Denning, Charles Johnson, Hannah Rayala, Emmalee Todd, Ben Wise and Michael Wright will join students from other colleges and universities across the state who are interested in leadership and professional growth.
“The FCLC program provides us with a unique, structured ability to engage with our future colleagues on community-level projects that address the varied landscape of health, health equity and health care,” Denning said. “Gaining intense leadership training alongside other health professions students will allow me both introspection and outward reflection on my future role, as well as mechanisms to ensuring our patients are excellently and compassionately cared for.”
Prospective students are referred and nominated to the program by faculty, mentors and others at their respective colleges. The 2024 class includes 27 students representing disciplines including medicine and pharmacy from ECU, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke, Campbell, Wake Forest, Western Carolina and Wingate universities in North Carolina, as well as St. Georges University in Grenada.
FCLC is a partnership with North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to provide opportunities of leadership in an interprofessional health care environment and networking across institutions. The one-year program is designed to enhance health care experience through advocacy, change-driving and individual leadership skills.
Baloch said she wants to be a leader when it comes to ensuring proper care for her patients.
“I felt that in order to be the best leader I could be, I needed additional training alongside other health care professionals to really understand my role as a physician in a health care team as well as establish how I can best serve my patients in that way,” she said. “Through this program, I am able to understand my own leadership style as well as my faults so that I can work on them and ensure I am self-aware regarding how I lead interactions with my patients.”
The program emphasizes leading in interprofessional health care environments and networking across institutions. The interactive learning format encourages participants to engage with their peers and program leaders, faculty and speakers. They also participate in a project that gives them exposure to some of the major health policy challenges relevant to North Carolina.
“This is an incredible opportunity for these eight students to work with other interprofessional students across the state to develop the skills necessary to be a leader in health care tomorrow,” said Dr. Amanda Higginson, Brody’s associate dean for student affairs. “We know our Brody graduates go on to do amazing things; this wonderful program will further develop these students to both improve the health and well-being of the region, but also to augment the already great training they receive here to prepare them to become physicians who will meet the health care needs of the state, both critical mission goals of the school.”
The students will have hands-on experience cultivating leadership skills including team-leading, communication and career development.
“The purpose is to build leadership that centers on self-awareness and fosters authenticity that allows each student to act in alignment with their core values as a leader, encourage and assess information from different perspectives, and balance transparency,” according to the program website. “With the individual core as a foundation for leadership development, this course prepares students for the leadership journey, allowing the individual to establish a strong sense of purpose and understanding of who they want to be as a leader.”
Todd said the nature of medicine as a “team sport” necessitates the ability to collaborate with other health care professionals at any given time.
“In order to do this, it’s important to understand your own teamwork preferences and leadership style and be able to refine them to better suit your purposes,” they said. “I believe my participation in FCLC is providing me the opportunity to do exactly that, which will hopefully lay the groundwork for not just my own success in residency and beyond, but the success of the health care teams of which I will be part.”
Todd said the unique experience to explore a current health-related policy issue in North Carolina is valuable because it gives students a chance to propose potential solutions.
“So much of what impacts our patients’ health are factors that we can’t necessarily do anything about within a half-hour annual physical — their housing situation; the ease of their transportation to work or school; the accessibility of nutritious food, clean water and green space where they live,” they said. “Working towards policy change is one way that physicians can make an impact on these broader societal factors, and it’s something that I would like to be involved in throughout my career. FCLC is equipping me with the experience and skillset I need to begin to pursue this goal.”
Read more from ECU News Services.
Like many health care organizations across the nation, ECU Health is facing an immense challenge: solving the growing health care workforce shortage.
Through community partnerships, the health system is doing its part to grow its workforce, starting right here in eastern North Carolina.
More than 200 high school students from Pitt County, Duplin County and other surrounding communities spent the day learning about various rural health care career opportunities at ECU Health’s Health Sciences Academy career fair Tuesday, March 5.
The event featured 30 hospital departments and exhibitors from partners including Pitt Community College and Beaufort County Community College hosted interactive and creative booths to educate students on different health care careers.
“It is such a joy to host these students and to expose them to so many interesting and important health care career opportunities available to them right here in eastern North Carolina,” said Nancy Turner, workforce development program coordinator, ECU Health. “Our students are our future workforce at ECU Health and partnerships like this are essential to ensuring we can care for our region. There are so many exciting and fulfilling opportunities to make a difference right here in their community, and we hope that today served as inspiration for them as they make important decisions about their future.”
The career fair is another representation of ECU Health’s commitment to growing health care talent locally. Through the Health Sciences Academy, ECU Health partners with public schools to provide eastern North Carolina’s youth with the education and resources to pursue exciting and fulfilling futures in health care. During high school, Health Sciences Academy students complete a minimum of six courses that expose them to potential health care careers and prepare students to pursue college-level health science programs upon graduation. They participate in job shadowing, mentoring, internships, medical research opportunities, career exploration and volunteering.
The Pitt County Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between ECU Health, Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Nursing at East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University, the Eastern Area Health Education Center and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.
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Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Medical Center has been nationally recognized in Becker’s Hospital Review as the top hospital in the country for patient experience, according to a new ranking from PEP Health. PEP Health analyzed more than 30 million online patient reviews from hospitals across the country in 2023.
According to Becker’s, PEP Health extracts behavioral insights data from patient comments shared on multiple social media and review platforms. Hospitals with at least 300 staffed beds and at least 250 patient experience comments were assessed across seven domains: fast access, effective treatment, emotional support, communication & involvement, attention to physical and environmental needs, continuity of care, and billing and administration.
“At ECU Health, creating positive patient and team member experiences is at the heart of who we are as a mission-driven organization,” said Dr. Julie Kennedy Oehlert, chief experience officer, ECU Health. “Our continuous journey toward excellence in patient care is informed by the perspectives of our patients and driven by the hearts of our team members. Our patients know that ECU Health team members are here to care for them with compassion and respect. It is gratifying to know our intentional focus on creating safe, healing environments is affirmed by the feedback of those we are honored to serve. We are incredibly grateful to our patients for their honest review of the care we provide.”
ECU Health’s commitment to creating positive patient experiences can be seen across the health system. The Outer Banks Hospital achieved 5-star status in overall patient experience in 2023 and ECU Health Bertie Hospital met requirements for 5-star status as well from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) utilizes these star ratings to summarize the patient experience, which is one aspect of hospital quality. The ratings are based on surveys that patients fill out after their inpatient stay and are designed to help patients choose excellence in health care. The HCAHPS survey captures the patient’s experience of communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, communication about medicines, cleanliness and quietness of the hospital, discharge information, transition to post-hospital care and overall rating of the hospital.
ECU Health’s providers also play an important role in supporting excellence in patient experiences. In the clinic setting, 99% of ECU Health providers are rated by their patients as 4.0 or higher out of 5 stars, with 96% of those providers being 4.5 stars or higher, according to Press Ganey LLC. ECU Health’s providers’ overall ranking as a medical group for excellence in care is 4.7 out of 5 stars based on patient reviews from Healthgrades, Google, WebMD, Wellness, Vitals and more.
“I am proud of the doctors, nurses and all team members who work tirelessly to deliver highly-reliable, human-centered care to eastern North Carolina,” said Brian Floyd, chief operating officer, ECU Health. “The experiences we create within our health care settings can leave lasting impressions on those we serve. I am fortunate to witness ECU Health team members in action every single day, and their role in compassionately caring for our community members – often during their most difficult moments – is central to our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.”
Tony Parker has always been an active runner and has long supported the Greenville running and biking community. When he collapsed near the finish line of a 5K road race due to cardiac arrest, quick action saved his life.
Tony was scheduled to run the half marathon that morning back in March of 2021, but backed down to the 5K after his knee started bothering him. It also gave him the chance to run alongside his wife, Delia. It turned out to be a life-saving choice.
“If it weren’t for Delia and the fact that she knows CPR, I wouldn’t be here today,” Parker said. “And if it weren’t for the city of Greenville and the rescue paramedic squads with their AED (automated external defibrillator), I wouldn’t be here today.”
He said he remembers running ahead of his group, including his wife, in the last stretch of the run since his knee was feeling better than anticipated. He patted a young runner on the back to encourage them and then he collapsed.
Delia, a dental assistant with the Department of Veterans Affairs, was required to take CPR courses every three months as part of her job training. That morning, her training paid off in a way she never imagined.
“I got up to the corner and I heard somebody shouting, ‘Man down.’ And when I turned the corner, I was like, that’s Tony,” Delia said.
Delia yelled for someone to call 911 and checked her husband for a pulse, but found none. So she started CPR.
“No one tells you when you’re training on a mannequin that you’ll hear crunching. No one tells you on a mannequin that it’s a different feeling when you’re pushing on somebody’s chest. And it was a little freaky when I first did it, but I was able to stay where I was and to do the compressions,” Delia said. “Someone, ‘Angel,’ as he liked to call them, came up and said, ‘Can I help you?’ They took over and I did some breaths for him.”
Tony and Delia still have not been able to track down the mystery “Angel” from that morning who helped them with CPR.
Shortly after, paramedics arrived and took over. They told Delia that Tony had been revived and he was on his way to ECU Health Medical Center. Paramedics could quickly identify Tony and his wife because he was wearing a road ID, which gives paramedics information on a person, should an emergency event occur. Tony and Delia said they encourage people in their running and biking groups to wear a road ID for these situations.
Delia met Tony at the hospital and some tension was relieved when Tony greeted her with his nickname for her – “Hiya, toots.”
Tony spent about a week at the hospital while the care team ran tests and navigated next steps for the Parker family. They said their time at the hospital and in clinics since has been reassuring and helpful as Tony adjusted to his new normal.
“The care there was incredible. When I say care, I mean that as the word of choice. They really care about what they’re doing and they make sure that they take care of you,” Tony said. “For somebody with a personality like mine, they make sure I don’t try to overdo it right away. The follow up has been spectacular. They stay in contact with my primary care doctor so we’re all on the same page as to what’s going on. ECU Health has been incredible.”
Dr. Christopher Gregory, an interventional cardiologist with ECU Health, said cardiac arrest can come on with no symptoms in some patients and out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are very uncommon to survive due to how quickly care is needed in these cases. Though they may seem similar, Dr. Gregory said it’s important to know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest.
“Heart attacks are when the blood flow to the heart, because of blockages in the arteries, generally speaking, that feed the heart, is impaired,” Dr. Gregory said. “That causes the heart muscle to be stressed, strain or even die – that’s a heart attack. Cardiac arrest is when the heart itself stops. Sometimes heart attacks cause cardiac arrest, but they are completely different.”
Today, Tony is back out walking, running and biking as often as possible. He’s involved in groups of athletes that have experienced heart attacks, cardiac arrest or other heart health challenges and he said this has given him a great perspective on his own journey. As an advocate, Tony meets with groups around the state to stress the importance of road IDs, greater access to AEDs and the need to stay active throughout your life.
“I would rather be an active participant in life than a passive participant and I’ve seen the difference it’s made in the lives of people around me,” Tony said. “My father was very active and his quality of life was excellent. He did have a stroke that impacted him, but he was still walking and getting out there. He played senior games basketball at 86 years old. So when you see the difference, you understand.”
Learn more about ECU Health Heart & Vascular Care.
Each year, the ECU Health Quality Improvement Symposium brings together a diverse group of academic and community physicians, health professionals, health care teams, residents, fellows and students from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University to present their work to an audience of peers and health system leaders.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, ECU Health and ECU’s Brody School of Medicine hosted the eighth annual event at Eastern AHEC. This year’s event was held in-person and virtually, and showcased more than 40 projects related to quality improvement, patient safety, population health and interprofessional practice.
The day kicked off with opening remarks from Dr. Mike Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and Dean of Brody School of Medicine. After welcoming attendees to the event, Dr. Waldrum expressed his pride in the symposium’s contributions, highlighting the collaborative efforts of teams in addressing regional challenges.
“When I look at these posters and our presenters, I see multidisciplinary, diverse teams coming together to educate, engage in dialogue and drive quality improvement for ECU Health and the patients we serve. I am incredibly proud of our team members and students for their commitment to addressing the immense challenges we face as a region,” Dr. Waldrum said.
Following the opening remarks, selected presenters who were chosen from an application process that took place in late-2023, shared their work with the audience of 178 in-person and virtual attendees.
Presentations were categorized into podium presentations, poster presentations, and works-in-progress poster presentations. Awards for the top three podium and poster presentations were announced in the early afternoon.
PODIUM PRESENTATION:
- Outstanding podium presentation: Erin Atwood, MD, MEd, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Brody School of Medicine, “Increasing Counseling about the Risk of Hypoglycemia Associated with Alcohol Consumption and Insulin use for Adolescent Patients with Diabetes at the ECU Health Pediatric Diabetes Clinic”
- Honorable mention: Jennifer Stahl, MD, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, “Right Care at the Right Location: Tele ICU Project”
- Honorable mention: Benjamin Copeland, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Brody School of Medicine, “Improving Mental Health Access for Children in Foster Care in Eastern North Carolina”
QUICK SHOT PODIUM PRESENTATION:
- Outstanding quick shot podium presentation: Juan Guillen-Hernandez, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Brody School of Medicine, “Reducing Unplanned Extubations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit”
- Honorable mention: Juli Forbes, MSN, RN, ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, a Campus of ECU Health Medical Center, “Improving Efficiency and Staff Satisfaction in the Operating Room Through a Revised Block Scheduling Framework at a Rural Community Hospital”
- Honorable mention: Titilola Babatunde, BS, MS4, LINC Scholar, Brody School of Medicine, “Improving Documentation of a Pediatric Early Warning Score in the Electronic Health Record”
- Honorable mention: Kate Knowles, MSN, RN, CNL, Management, ECU Health Duplin, “Back to the Basics: Hand Hygiene”
POSTER PRESENTATION:
- First place: John “JC” Rowe IV, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brody School of Medicine, “Optimizing Outcomes for Patients with First Trimester Bleeding”
- Second place: Gabriella Boccia, MHA, Administrative Fellow, ECU Health, “Improving Sick Visit Clinic Access at ECU Health Physicians Adult and Pediatric Health Care”
- Third place: Stephanie Smith, MSN, RN, ACM-RN, Maynard Children’s Hospital, ECU Health Medical Center, “Improving Fall Risk Identification in Pediatric Patients”
With a total of 15 podium presentations and 29 poster presentations, symposium attendees gained insights into a variety of Quality-related projects. Dr. Waldrum emphasized the importance of what these presentations can offer.
“These presentations cover complex health care problems and this symposium enables us to think deeply about how we can tackle important issues facing our region,” Dr. Waldrum said. “It is always gratifying to see our team members and students come together to demonstrate their expertise and showcase the passion they have for the work they do.”
The symposium closed with two concurrent education sessions led by ECU Health team members:
- Patient Safety, Reliability Science and Root Cause Analysis Application presented by Susan Ingram, MSN, RN CPHQ, Director of Patient Safety
- Fostering Psychological Safety for Team and Quality Outcomes presented by Randy Cobb, DSL, ACC, CPCC, Director of Organizational and Leadership Development
To learn more about the symposium and view a list of presentations, click here.