Healthier Tomorrows: The Campaign for Baystate Health
In the past few years nurses have been under unprecedented pressure.
Across the country and here at Baystate Health, experienced nurses have left the field due to the demands and stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the health system recalibrates to these new realities, Baystate Health nurses have gone above and beyond to continue to fulfill their critical role in providing high-quality patient care, advocacy, and education.
If you’ve gone through the healthcare system, you know that nurses are at the core of your experience. From your comfort to your health, nurses play an important role on your journey. Baystate Health believes in the difference nurses make. Baystate Medical Center has achieved Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) four consecutive times, a distinction that places the hospital’s nurses among the finest in the nation in nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes.
And yet, with Baystate Health welcoming 250 new nurses annually, we must do more. Attracting, educating, and retaining excellent nursing talent is foundational to ensuring healthier tomorrows for everyone—and Baystate has a plan to support this need.
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The Plan
In a fast-evolving healthcare landscape, Baystate’s nurses and the patients they care for deserve the best in nursing education. Access to cutting-edge training is critical, whether a nurse has decades of experience, or is relatively new to the field.
High-quality onsite training allows for the quick dissemination of new information such as evolving pandemic-related protocols to help keep patients safe and ensure the best in care. It also allows nurses to practice new skills in a safe environment with feedback from colleagues and to practice the teamwork essential to quality care. And, a robust nursing education program is a powerful draw for recruiting new nurses to Baystate Health.
Baystate Health is excited to announce plans for the Center for Nursing Excellence and Innovation.
“The Center for Nursing Excellence and Innovation will become the hub for Baystate Health’s efforts to train current nurses and develop the next generation of nurses in western Massachusetts. When it comes to caring for patients, our nurses have received national recognition for their work. We want to provide our team with all of the resources they need to continue providing outstanding care to our patients," shared Joanne Miller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Baystate Medical Center & Chief Nurse Executive, Baystate Health.
Utilizing more than 2,900-square-feet of the Medical Library in the Chestnut Building at Baystate Medical Center, the space will be able to accommodate new clinical workflow, training opportunities, and technology as healthcare evolves. The Center will provide nurses with a dedicated learning and collaboration space, which will include simulation bays, a separate classroom, and adequate storage. The classroom will also be flexible—serving as an adaptable space to host lectures and group work to meet the needs of team members.
The central location inside of Baystate Medical Center will more easily allow nurses to attend trainings and get back onto the floor to implement their new knowledge. Additionally, this space is located adjacent to the Baystate Simulation Lab, which will open the door for interprofessional training.
To aid in the recruitment and development of the next generation of nurses, local colleges and universities with nursing programs will be invited to attend trainings and utilize the Center, creating a new pool of prospective Baystate Health nurses.
The nurses who will benefit are the future of your care. Helping to create a space where they can hone their skills is crucial to provide the care you and your loved ones receive today, tomorrow, and into the future.
How You Can Help
The Center for Nursing Excellence and Innovation requires an investment of $2.5 million: $1.5 million for construction and equipment, and a minimum of $1 million in endowed funds to support the ongoing needs of this innovative space.
This comprehensive investment will create an invaluable asset for Baystate Health’s already excellent nurses, enabling them to stay current on the most effective practices. Additionally, the investment will play a critical role in recruiting and retaining future generations of nursing talent.
Each of the 2,500 nurses who will utilize this space annually will receive high-quality, hands-on training, because of you. When they meet a patient at their bedside, they will feel confident in their care, because of you. Upon celebrating their 10-year anniversary of nursing, they will look back with appreciation on the training and education opportunities they’ve had throughout the first decade of their career, because of you.
The nurses who will benefit are the future of your care.
To learn more about the role you can play, including available naming opportunities, contact the Baystate Health Foundation team at 413-794-6414 or email Jennifer Gruszka, Stewardship Manager.