This past year was a year of renewal for North Shore Medical Center as the hospital made several significant upgrades and received recognition for its effort to provide quality care to the community.
North Shore Medical Center kicked off the year with a grand re-opening ceremony for their newly renovated maternity unit featuring all-private suites and the all new Signature Birthplace Suites. The upgrades included concierge services, elegant modern furnishings, flat screen TVs and wireless Internet to offer patients all the amenities of a contemporary hotel. The Signature Birthplace Suites also include a comfortable sleeping area for family members, deluxe toiletries, a plush robe and gourmet room service prepared by an in-house chef.
Since more than 7,000 patients over the age of 65 came through the emergency room last year, North Shore opened a specialized Senior ER in spring to accommodate the needs of the aging community. The unit features focused care for senior patients and has the technology and equipment to increase patient comfort and provide greater aid for those patients with visual and/or hearing impairments.
The creation of the Senior ER also led to North Shore Medical Center’s designation as a NICHE Hospital. Through NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders), a leading elder care nursing program, North Shore is able to offer evidencebased, interdisciplinary approaches that promote better outcomes, positive experiences and improved care for older adults.
North Shore cares for the community’s youngest members as well. In late spring, the hospital held a special superhero themed party to reunite former NICU patients with the nurses and doctors who saved their lives shortly after birth.
The hospital received several accolades during the late spring and summer months beginning with the Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Silver-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation’s secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients.
North Shore went on to receive the “Partner Recognition Award” from Practice Greenhealth for having at least a ten percent recycling rate for the hospital’s total waste stream. North Shore participates in a recycling program that allows hospital employees to recycle batteries, cardboard, cans, pharmaceutical waste and radiological waste. By contributing to this program, the hospital reduces the amount of solid waste it generates. North Shore Medical Center also has energy management strategies in place to reduce electricity costs.
In August, North Shore earned five stars for maternity care from Healthgrades, which was featured in American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2014: Healthgrades Report to the Nation. The hospital also held a special baby shower event for the community to pay tribute to mothers during National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
Toward the end of summer, North Shore marked the one-year anniversary of the Comprehensive Breast Institute with a special open house that included tours of the spa-like environment and live entertainment. The institute offers a variety of services, such as mammography screenings, specialist consultations for a full-spectrum of breast conditions, access to breast cancer treatments and imaging services.
In the fall, North Shore Medical Center modernized its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to improve the patient experience in reaction to increased admissions to the ICU. Updates included new Quartz countertops, wood cabinets with self-closing mechanisms in the nurses’ station to reduce noise, electronic faucets, conveniently located water outlets for dialysis machine connections and freshly painted walls.
The hospital took the opportunity to celebrate loyal employees with a special recognition event in October. The Employee Service Awards honored staff who reached service milestones of 5 to 40 years and gave special thanks to those who were retiring after so many years of hard work and dedication.
North Shore was recently honored with the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. With this award, the hospital further demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that patients receive care based on internationally respected clinical guidelines.
It was a very busy year at North Shore Medical Center, and the team looks forward to keeping the momentum up going into the new year.
