Women & Infants Hospital recently presented its annual customer excellence awards at the sixth annual Patient, Family, and Community Centered Care Summit, “Celebrating the Patient and Family Experience,” held on Wednesday, January 24, 2018.
Receiving the awards were Edie McConaughey, CNM, of Warwick, clinical winner of the Richard P. Welch Award; Lori Bailey of North Providence, non-clinical winner of the Richard P. Welch Award; and Jennifer Silva of Rehoboth, MA, winner of the Noreen Mattis Award for Excellence in Patient and Family Centered Care.
Edie McConaughey, a certified nurse midwife in the Midwifery Department who has worked at Women & Infants for more than 25 years, was nominated by department director Elisabeth D. Howard, CNM, PhD, FACNM, on behalf of the entire department. In nominating her, Howard said, “On a daily basis, Edie has shown herself to be exemplary in patient care, teaching, and collaborating with nurse and physician colleagues. Edie always places the woman and family she is caring for at the center of the obstetric team.” She cited a particular patient encounter with a patient whom Edie had never met before, saying, “While the woman had never met Edie before, the short time that Edie spent with the woman: coaching, reassuring, delivering the infant, then placing her immediately skin-to-skin, was life changing … this woman was so inspired by her delivery experience, she started a business creating special shirts for women to wear that assisted with skin-to-skin contact.”
Lori Bailey, who works in Food and Nutrition, was nominated by a colleague in Women & Infants’ Carter Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who wrote about Lori’s involvement with a lunch delivery program for families who are caring for their baby in the NICU. The program was established through a partnership with the Philanthropy Department and the NICU Family Advisory Council. She wrote, “Where do I begin? Perhaps I begin with her warm smile and the kind words that she has for every family that she comes in contact with, or the fact that after she sets the lunch out she goes out of her way to seek out any NICU parent in the area to let them know that lunch is ready. Shortly after Lori became our NICU ‘lunch lady,’ she took it upon herself to start bringing up a fresh table cloth every day to make the area more inviting, even purchasing one on her own once for a special holiday. Mindful to the challenges our families face, Lori is sure to place any leftover sandwiches in ‘to go’ containers in the refrigerator for families to be able to enjoy after hours … Lori treats our NICU families like they are guests in her home.”
Jennifer Silva, a member of the NICU Family Advisory Council (NFAC), was nominated separately by two council members. One wrote, “Jenn is more than just a council member, she is an advocate for families who is always willing to do what it takes to make sure NICU families have what they need … Her passion and dedication shows as you walk through the NICU family room which she has taken as her personal project to keep comfortable and welcoming … The NICU is a better place because of Jenn, and our NFAC is beyond blessed to have her.” The other wrote, “Jenn Silva has shown infinite dedication to the March of Dimes, the NICU, and the NICU Family Advisory Committee. She has served in leadership roles, spearheaded our ‘Feeding Families’ initiative, and has become a wealth of knowledge about the hospital.”
About the awards
In December 2006, the family and friends of Richard P. Welch established an award in his memory. The wish was to honor his unwavering commitment to excellence in patient and family centered care. Richard (Dick) Welch spent 35 years serving Women & Infants Hospital as a trustee, chairman of the board, and chief operating officer. He passed away in 2005. Annually, the Welch family presents awards to both a clinical and non-clinical staff member. The theme of the award is “Stories That Make Us Proud” because Dick believed in the power of stories to teach, inspire, and celebrate excellence. Each nomination – submitted by a co-worker, supervisor, hospital trustee, patient, family member, or community member - includes a story that demonstrates the employee’s commitment to the principles of patient and family centered care.
The Noreen Mattis Award was created in 2016 to honor the tremendous contributions of the many members of Women & Infants’ Advisory Council and is dedicated to the founder of the Patient & Family Experience Department at Women & Infants. In 2006, Noreen embarked on the work of bringing the patient voice and incorporating patient and family involvement to the care experience. She made monumental strides in broadening Women & Infants’ culture to focus on the patient and family experience and, ultimately, drive care. This work continues to be embraced and guide how the hospital best meets the needs of those served. Her work included establishing four advisory councils and welcoming patients and families to join key committees, participating in policy formation and, most importantly, driving change. This award seeks to honor the contributions and dedication of one Advisory Council member each year who has gone above and beyond to support the advancement of council work.