TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP focuses on nursing’s involvement in strategic planning, advocacy, influence, visibility, accessibility, and communication.
Valley Home Care Celebrates First Nurse Graduate Program Graduates
Valley Home Care welcomed its first graduating class for its nurse graduate program in 2023. The program is a year-long transition to practice program that serves as a bridge to support and enhance the professional nurses who enter the home care practice. The only program of its kind in New Jersey, it follows the married state preceptor model, where the new graduate is partnered with an experienced mentor who assists with obtaining the skills needed to be successful. The program incorporated patient care, simulations, classroom lectures, and skills labs to provide a rich learning experience.
Four nurses graduated in their first class, and Valley Home Care is excited for upcoming classes.
Mary Costa and David Rivera Recognized by the Organization of Nurse Leaders of NJ
Congratulations to Mary Costa, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Director of Population Health, and David Rivera, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, Assistant Vice President of Medical-Surgical Services for recently being awarded by the Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey (ONL NJ).
Mary was awarded ONL NJ’s 2023 Innovations in the Continuum of Care Award and David was awarded ONL NJ’s 2023 Professional Recognition Award.
Graduate Nurse Residency Program Awarded Accreditation with Distinction for Second Time
The Valley Hospital’s New Graduate Nurse Residency Program was awarded Accreditation with Distinction, the highest recognition possible, by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)’s Practice Transition Accreditation Program, in 2023 for the second time.
This recognition is awarded to programs that excel in offering a collaborative learning environment and the opportunity to work with experienced staff in real-life settings.
New in Discharge: The Discharge Nurse Role and Discharge Lounge
In March 2023, the float pool implemented the role of a discharge nurse as a response to the need to develop strategic initiatives for capacity management. The discharge nurse begins their day by reviewing the Inpatient Unit Dashboard and highlighting patients with discharge orders and the anticipated date of discharge of today. They will discuss the patients identified for discharge with the patient flow coordinator in the hospital operations resource center, and then will meet with unit clinical shift supervisors to review discharge lists. They complete discharge documentation, assist with patient education, and review discharge instructions.
A second barrier to discharging patients safely and early in the day were patients who were suitable to go home but were awaiting a ride. This prevented patients from leaving a bed unoccupied for another potential admission. A discharge lounge was implemented in September 2023 and offered an evidence-based solution to throughput delays. The discharge lounge allowed for safely discharged patients a space to wait for their family member or loved one. Within the first 90 days of operation, there were 291 patient visits from 15 separate departments, saving 185 hours and 6 minutes of total bed hours. The average stay per patient was 38 minutes.
Preparing Pediatric Patients for Surgery Through Video Education
After finding that Valley did not have sufficient educational information for the pediatric population and family members regarding preparing the pediatric patient and family for surgery, a solution was found by creating a perioperative pediatric video. Before COVID-19, this was done through Teddy Bear Surgical Tours.
To better prepare pediatric patients and enhance the pediatric education, Kathryn Amaisse, BSN, RN, CMSRN, pre-surgical screening supervisor, and Hannah Hughes, RN, CNOR, pre-surgical screening nurse, worked together on better preparing pediatric patients and their families. Patient satisfaction of pediatric patients and their families had declined due to higher anxiety about the experience and lack of age-appropriate information provided to the child.
The goal was to reintroduce the use of online videos for pre-surgical preparation for pediatric patients and their families. To measure the effectiveness of this intervention on the pediatric patients’ perception and anxiety Kathryn and Hannah asked patients to take a survey after watching the video. They reviewed the results of the surveys, which were very positive, showing a reduction in pediatric patient anxiety.
The project was submitted by both Kathryn and Hannah, who achieved Career Advancement Program recognition from The Valley Hospital in 2023.
Watch the videos below!
Pediatric Same-Day Surgery at the Luckow Pavilion
Pediatric Same-Day Surgery at The Valley Hospital
Valley Initiates Care and Retention Rounding
In 2023, Care and Retention Rounds (CARR) were launched by the Healthy Work Environment and Staffing Committee in Patient Care Services at The Valley Hospital. CARR allows for discussion between leadership and employees to provide attention and guidance. CARR also offers a proactive and strategic approach to employee engagement and retention.
CARR takes place at minimum once a year for all employees. CARR provides dedicated time for leaders to identify ways to support and encourage employees in their current workplace, learn why employees stay so we can continue to “get it right,” help employees develop professionally and advocate for their career goals, and keep employees engaged and encourage them to recruit for Valley.
From April to December 2023 there were 1,509 employees involved in CARR. In 2022, the all-employee turnover rate was 17.80, and from January to December 2023, after instituting CARR, the all-employee turnover rate was 14.79, a 3% reduction in all-employee turnover
In 2022, the all-registered nurse turnover rate was 17.09, and the January to December 2023 turnover rate was 14.74, a 2.35% reduction in all-registered nurse turnover rate.
By actively listening to employees' feedback, addressing concerns, enhancing job satisfaction, building trust, and retaining top talent, organizations can reduce turnover rates.
ColigoCare Achieves Highest Quality in Our Accountable Care Organization
ColigoCare is Valley Health System’s physician-led, professionally managed clinically integrated network (CIN). In 2023, Valley ranked 
first in New Jersey for the second year in a row for the highest quality Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO). ColigoCare also ranked 19th out of 482 ACOs in the entire country for quality score, which is a significant improvement from a ranking in the 70s in 2022. ColigoCare’s Population Health Nurses work diligently to provide telephonic care management to attributed patients, addressing gaps in care, and facilitating timely and appropriate care with providers to improve quality outcomes.
These scores reflect the high quality of care delivered by Valley’s teams, including physicians, advanced practice providers, and nursing staff in the ambulatory practice setting.
Valley Launches Ambulatory Practice for LBGTQ+ Care
Valley’s LGBTQ+ Steering Committee is led by nurses and comprised of nurses and employees from all entities within Valley Health System who are committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ patients and employees.
Throughout the past year, the committee worked collaboratively to identify gaps in policies and services and envision the future of LGBTQ+ care within the organization. The committee identified the need for comprehensive primary, reproductive, and sexual health care for LGBTQ+ people.
Nursing leaders of the committee have also been fortunate to work alongside the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, which has created a shared learning environment and allowed Valley and Mount Sinai to exchange best practices. As a result, Valley Medical Group hired Raffaele Bernardo, MD, and in 2024, will open a comprehensive center for LGBTQ+ Care in Paramus to serve the needs of the community. In this model, patients will receive comprehensive LGBTQ+ services under one roof, including primary care; gender-affirming hormone therapy; HIV prevention and treatment; gynecological care; sexual health care; behavioral health care; and care coordination.
Valley hopes to continue to expand service offerings to implement a medical home model for LGBTQ+ people to remove barriers and improve health equity. This clinic model would not be a reality without the voice and advocacy of nurses and other health professionals throughout Valley Health System.
Recovery and Wellness Unit Opens
In 2023, The Valley Hospital opened the Recovery & Wellness Unit, a place in the hospital for medical detoxification for individuals who are dependent on a substance, such as drugs or alcohol. The unit offers a comprehensive detoxification treatment experience that provides patients with the best opportunity to heal. A medical detox unit offers a safer, more effective recovery than if patients attempted to detox on their own. The unit offers a team of professionals, who, in turn, offer treatments and therapies that have higher success rates and outcomes. Patients can be in the unit for five to seven days.
Ten nurses work in the unit and an additional 10 have been trained. All staff have special training in substance use disorders and are provided with didactic and hands-on learning.
Career Development Program Celebrates First Graduating Class
In 2023, Valley Health System, in partnership with The Social Equality Council, celebrated the graduation of its first class from the Career Development Program. This program was created to assist Valley employees who would like guidance, mentorship, and sponsorship on their career paths. The mentor and employee worked together two hours a month to define career goals and identify/develop skills that align with their career objectives. Participants also attended monthly didactic sessions.
The class included 17 nurses, with two nurse mentees and 15 nurse mentors.
Congratulations!
Recognizing Newly Appointed Leadership at Valley
Congratulations to the following employees, who were promoted in 2023 to key leadership roles!
Jordan Minnema, MSN, RN-BC, LSSGB - HC
Director of Patient and Family Experience
In 2023, Jordan Minnema was promoted to Director of Patient and Family Experience.
Jordan has been an invaluable part of Valley Health System since 2010, where he served as a staff nurse, clinical shift supervisor, Quality and Performance Improvement Coordinator, and nurse manager of the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU).
In his new role, Jordan assumed responsibility for overseeing the patient and family experience at the system level, while also providing direct oversight of Pastoral Care and Patient and Family Relations.
Priya Garehgrat, BSN, RN, NE-BC, CPHQ
Director of Quality/Performance Improvement and Patient Safety/Regulatory Compliance
In 2023, Priya Garehgrat was promoted to Director of Quality/Performance Improvement and Patient Safety/Regulatory Compliance.
Priya began her journey with Valley in 2016, serving as a bedside nurse within the Neuroscience Department. Her most recent role was Manager of Quality and Clinical Operations for both Valley Medical Group and ColigoCare.
In her new role, Priya directly oversees the Quality/Performance Improvement Department. Her responsibilities encompass quality, process improvement, regulatory compliance, survey readiness, and the enduring enhancement of patient safety.
Brianna Tremblay, RN, MS, ACNP-BC
Associate Chair of Advanced Practice Services
In 2023, Brianna Tremblay was promoted to Associate Chair of Advanced Practice Services.
Brianna joined Valley in 2019 as one of the first advanced practice practitioners (APPs) in the ICU/IMC units, where she helped build the 24/7, 365 day/year program we have today. In 2019, Brianna was promoted to Lead APP for Critical Care.
In her new role, Brianna works collaboratively with the Chair of Advanced Practice Services and Valley Medical Group leadership and delegates responsibility for the delivery of clinical services, including clinical cost management, utilization, quality assurance, evidence-based medicine initiatives, medical protocol development, and System-based practice initiatives across service lines and departments.