Baystate Health

Baystate Wing Hospital is preparing local high school students for their future while exploring the many career opportunities in healthcare with their first-ever Student Ambassador – Mini Medical School Program! The program is an intensive two-week “mini-medical school” where students learn just some of the many different roles. Nine local students spent two weeks in July at rotating through six different departments, attending educational sessions that were both hands-on and observation, and receiving some training like CPR, How to Stop the Bleed, and hand hygiene. Each day they experienced something new. “I heard about the Student Ambassador Mini Medical School program during morning announcements at school and decided to put in an application to attend,” said George Wheeler from Belchertown High School. “I’m interested in a career in healthcare and thought this would allow me to explore different fields of medicine. Every day was a great experience! During the two weeks at Baystate Wing, I rounded in so many different departments and enjoyed learning from everyone. I found it interesting to learn about all aspects of healthcare, from clinical to non-clinical members of the team, especially liked hearing from the finance department and the quality team; together everyone cared that all patients had a good experience. What I gained from attending Mini Medical School is that I have an interest in clinical rehab, particularly occupational health, and hope to pursue that in college after I graduate next year.” At the end of the two weeks, a graduation ceremony was held where each student had to give a 3–4-minute slide presentation about their experience and journey through the program to their family and BWH team members. As they shared the highlights of their hospital experience and journey, they also shared if they were about to determine or reaffirm a career path decision or if they wanted to delve into a particular area further. “The Student Ambassador Program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Not having had this kind of opportunity when I was in school brings me immense joy to be able to provide the first step in these students' career path,” said Michele LaPrade, volunteer coordinator for the hospital. “The launch of the Student Ambassador Program – Mini Medical School at Baystate Wing Hospital marks a significant step towards nurturing the healthcare leaders of tomorrow,” said Karli Barrett, chief nursing officer/chief administrative officer for Baystate Wing Hospital. “As the program progresses, it promises to not only enrich the educational journey of each student but also strengthen the bond between our hospital and the communities we serve.” Great job to all! We look forward to seeing where the future takes you.

Our Nursing Outcomes Improvement & Magnet® Department is thrilled to announce that Baystate Medical Center has reached a significant milestone in our Magnet journey by submitting the written document for Magnet #5, ten days ahead of the August 1st deadline! This achievement underscores our unwavering commitment to nursing excellence and patient care. The Magnet® document showcases the dedication and expertise of our nursing staff, highlighting their exceptional contributions to healthcare. The written document submission reflects a comprehensive overview of our nursing practice, emphasizing our focus on innovation, education, and evidence-based quality care. Of the 6,000-some hospitals in the United States, less than 1% have achieved five consecutive Magnet® designations. The Magnet® Document Writing team shared a total of 102 stories with 239 pieces of supporting evidence including the incredible Nursing Research taking place at BMC. Following the written submission, the document will undergo a rigorous evaluation process by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting journey towards achieving Magnet Designation for the 5th consecutive time, a prestigious accolade in the field of nursing. Thank you to our incredible nursing team for their dedication and commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients and to our talented Magnet writing team, photographed here.

We invite you to join us for a networking and learning event, Building Bridges in Nursing Together. We are excited to partner with the Western MA Black Nurses Association and fellow New England Minority Nurse Leadership members and colleagues. This event is open to all Baystate Health employees and community members. You will hear remarks from Baystate Health, WMBNA, and our keynote speaker and also have the opportunity to network and learn through our vendor tables. Continuing Education credits pending approval. Please join us as we connect and learn together! Register Here: https://bit.ly/46hsegq _____________________________ Meet our Keynote Speaker: Tonja Santos, MSN, CNM, FACNM (she/her) has worked caring for birthers and families in Springfield, Massachusetts and the surrounding area for almost 20 years. She has been on the faculty of the Baystate Midwifery Education Program during that time and has been Assistant Director of the Division of Midwifery at Baystate Medical Center for the last decade. Tonja has a great interest in quality initiatives and case review processes. She chairs the Racial Disparities and Health Equity Committee for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with the goal of improving maternal and infant outcomes for BIPOC populations through clinical, systemic and cultural change. She currently serves as member of the Massachusetts Maternal Mortality Review Committee of the Department of Public Health, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

End of life care can be difficult in all situations, but especially in the PICU where pediatric patients are cared for. Gina Bartolo, BSN, RN won the prestigious DAISY award by showing her patient and family exceedingly compassionate care. With previous experience in the Adult ICU, Gina had known about honor walks for donor patients and families, but it was not a service that was offered in the pediatric world. With fierce determination, Gina advocated for this patient and family, and was met with a memorable, touching ceremony. Gina was nominated for the DAISY award by her manager Kristy Parker: “I wanted to take a minute to nominate Gina Bartolo for the Daisy award for her compassionate perseverance that she showed when caring for a 17yo young man who was critically injured after a suicide attempt. Gina cared for this patient with focused expertise that was inspiring. She carefully managed the critical interventions needed to preserve his functioning and helped support and honor his and his family’s wishes for him to be an organ donor as he approached his end of life. Gina is a former adult ICU RN who had participated in numerous honor walks in the adult arena, but this is not a service that we have ever offered to our pediatric patients. Gina was instrumental in continuously advocating for an honor walk for this teen. She worked closely with the adult ICU and her Assistant nurse manager to coordinate the first PICU honor walk for a donor family and the result was breath taking. This patient’s family was so moved by the process that they made a significant gift of gratitude recognizing so many on our PICU team for the care that was provided at the end of his life. Although a terrible outcome, Gina helped to ensure that his last moments were beautiful and meaningful to all.” Thank you for honoring this patient and his family, Gina. The pediatric honor walk service will be continuing in the PICU with a newly formed team to help facilitate!

The New England Tuberculosis Consortium recently presented pulmonologist Dr. John Landis with the 2024 New England TB Hero award at Baystate Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center. This annual award recognizes an extraordinary contribution to the care or management of patients with TB and LTBI (latent tuberculosis infection), or an activity that greatly enhanced TB prevention and control efforts in a locality or in a state. Dr. Landis was honored for his more than 40 years of work in the TB Clinic. Congratulations, Dr. Landis and thank you for your tireless efforts over the decades caring for this patient population!

Our Baystate Medical Center Heart and Vascular team was the first in New England, and one of only 25 centers in the country, to use a next-generation transcatheter aortic replacement valve called Evolut FX+! Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a procedure for patients with severe aortic valve narrowing, or stenosis. This minimally invasive alternative to open-heart aortic valve replacement exchanges the diseased valve with a man-made one using the flexible tubing of a catheter to reach the heart. The newest iteration of the replacement valve technology used first by our team offers larger and easier coronary artery access, a benefit to patients who need angioplasty or stent procedure for chest pain or heart attacks in the future. This is especially beneficial for patients who already have coronary artery blockages but do not need any interventions before TAVR. Ashequl Islam, MD, MPH, FACC, FSCAI, associate chief, Division of Cardiology and Professor of Medicine and Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate, who performed the procedure along with cardiac surgeon Dr. Siavash Saadat, shared that “This new valve allows us to treat patients with coexisting severe aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease much easier than before.” Our Cardiac Surgery Program at Baystate Medical Center has earned a distinguished 3-star rating (the highest ranking) from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting, and mitral valve replacement and repair surgery. Our heart and vascular team performs more than 80% of all cardiac surgeries in western Massachusetts. When it comes to heart surgery, we are one of the top three highest-volume medical centers in our area. To learn more about our advanced heart and vascular care, please visit: https://bit.ly/4fdx5mM

On behalf of the Division of General Pediatrics and Community Health in the Department of Pediatrics at UMass Chan- Baystate is delighted to recognize Kathleen A. Cassidy CNP as the recipient of 2024 Excellence in Teaching award at the annual Baystate Advanced Practice Providers (APP) Appreciation Dinner. Baystate offers clinical rotations for advanced practitioner students from local and regional institutions, including graduate nursing programs with AIC, Elms College, UConn, UMass Amherst and UMass Chan School of Nursing for and physician assistant programs with Bay Path University, Westfield State, and Springfield College In 2023, Baystate hosted 89 NP student rotations and 233 PA rotations under the guidance and mentorship of 95 APP preceptors – many of whom take multiple students a year. This year, we will host even more rotations with 115 preceptors. Each year, Baystate asks these APP students who have rotated here to nominate preceptors that have exceeded expectations and shined in their roles as educators and leaders. Kathy serves as a lead preceptor for Nurse Practitioner students as well as FNP Residency Program at High Street Health Center. She practices pediatric primary care at High Street Health Center, provides medical services at Baystate Family Advocacy Center and serves as the APP supervisor for outpatient pediatrics, providing important advocacy and communication between Baystate APP leadership and the APPs in our department. Congratulations Kathy on this well-deserved honor!

Hi, I am Angelino Placanico. I have been at Baystate for nine years, spending four years as an ED technician and five years as a nurse. I grew up around health care and it always drew me in. My father has been a nurse at Baystate Health for 22 years. I remember hearing stories from his co-workers and thinking that it could be both interesting and fulfilling as a career. I further confirmed this interest while working as an EMT and an advocate for the YWCA during my undergraduate years. I started as a teaching adjunct for nursing programs in the spring of 2024 and enjoyed it. When the opportunity presented itself, I felt that a role in education would give me the opportunity to help prepare all team members to further their knowledge and practice. I feel that my work as a nurse educator allows me to ensure that our team gets the most up-to-date policies, guidelines, and evidence-based practices so that they can be as competent and productive as possible while they are at work. The team I work with is a very small and close-knit group. I spent most of my nine years at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, and I became the new guy on the block when I came to work at Baystate Wing Hospital in January of this year. My colleagues didn’t hesitate to make me feel like I had been here for years. I like the fact that I get to meet new people every day and make a difference in their lives. Having conversations with individuals who have a vast array of experiences in life can be very interesting and informative. You get to be social, compassionate, and interested in your job every day. Overall, I believe that it is most rewarding to have all the experiences I have had in healthcare and to have been able to meet and play a small role in the careers of individuals, as well as the care of the patients that come to the Emergency Department. The best part of my day is when I get home and get to see my fiancé and two dogs, Toby and Lola. I like to relax while catching a game or a movie on TV. I’m a big fan of sports and am a die-hard Boston fan. I love to watch any professional sports. I played baseball and softball in different leagues until a few years ago, when I transitioned to golf. Every day on the course is both the most exciting and miserable time of my life – if you know, you know. I think people would be surprised to know that healthcare is so much more than diagnosing and treating patients and that there is so much evolving and changing in healthcare. It takes a team, working tirelessly, from our leaders to our teams in the Med/Surg Unit, Radiology, the Lab, Food and Nutrition Services, and Environmental Services, to name a few, to care for our patients. Every employee is necessary to provide safe healthcare. #MyBaystateStory

We are honored to share that Jenny Cox, Director of Behavioral Health for Baystate Health will be transitioning from her current position to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Valley Springs Behavioral Health Hospital. Valley Springs, a joint venture between Lifepoint Behavioral Health, a business unit of Lifepoint Health, and Baystate Health, is a new 150-bed psychiatric hospital offering inpatient psychiatric treatment. Located in Holyoke, the facility was built to improve access to care, clinical and service quality, and safety for patients requiring psychiatric hospitalization. Since the ribbon-cutting ceremony this past August, Valley Springs has opened several units including a long-term unit for patients with severe and persistent mental illness and several acute units serving adults as well as children and adolescents. In the coming months, under Jenny’s leadership, Valley Springs will strive to continually improve the quality of its clinical services and expand access to specialized behavioral health care to our patients throughout the region. With our partners at Lifepoint Behavioral Health, we intend for the hospital to be an integral part of a comprehensive continuum of care that includes Baystate-operated hospital-based programs such as the Acute Psychiatric Treatment Unit (APTU) at Baystate Medical Center, the Mental Health Unit (MHU) at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, and our Child Partial-Hospital Program, as well as our array of outpatient, integrated behavioral health, emergency psychiatry services, and consultation/liaison psychiatry programs. We are honored to witness Jenny's career growth. Jenny, thank you for your dedicated leadership at Baystate Health.

Celebrating a Milestone in Maternal Health Equity! We're so excited to announce that the Birth Equity and Support through the Inclusion of Doula Expertise (BESIDE) Investment Program, supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, has received the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts’ Innovation Award! This initiative has been instrumental in addressing inequities in maternal health care, especially for Black birthing people. By increasing access to and the use of doula services, we've seen a impact on the care and patient experience in our community. Key Impacts: -Collaboration with Springfield Family Doulas to provide culturally aligned doula services. -Over 20 community events to spread awareness about doula care. -The training of nine new women of color to become doulas, increasing the local doula workforce. Doulas play a crucial role in achieving optimal outcomes for all birthing people, and their integration into our OB/GYN department has been a vital part of our efforts to combat racism and racial/ethnic disparities. On June 26, BESIDE’s Principal Investigator, Autumn Versace, CNP, DMP, Director of Baystate’s Division of Midwifery, proudly accepted the award at the PNQIN annual conference. Join us in celebrating this remarkable achievement & the dedicated team behind this transformative program! Read more about our initiatives to address black maternal health disparities: https://bit.ly/3LreJ4b