Women and Children’s Health

I would like to nominate the Women and Children's Health Team for the DAISY Team Award for their outstanding teamwork and collaboration, which supports the mission and vision of HFWH and the HF Enterprise, making a difference to patients, their families, employees, and the community. This is evidenced by their engagement in unit initiatives, adherence to best practices, and outcome metrics.

The WCH team members are involved in several multidisciplinary teams. The long-standing RN-led CUSP team, led by Shannon Peek, RN, includes RNs, an OB physician, OB Residents, ad hoc anesthesia partners, and an executive sponsor from Surgical Services. They meet monthly to address and resolve issues raised by team members in response to the question, "How is the next patient going to be harmed?"—a proactive strategy to keep patients safe. RNs also participate in daily multidisciplinary patient rounds, collaborating with two OB physicians, OB residents, OB nurse leadership, and social work when available, to communicate the status and plan of care for each patient. OB RNs are integral to the OB Quality Team, reporting quality metrics and reviewing RLs within the multidisciplinary team. UGC is chaired by a staff RN, Andrea Carlson, and attended by nurses and OB techs, who discuss clinical patient care concerns, with physicians being invited ad hoc.

A collaboration of Social Work, PR, Philanthropy, and WCH nurses solicited the community for much-needed supplies focusing on infant safety, such as car seats and portable cribs. These are some examples of collaborations and teamwork that have significant impacts on patient safety and engage nurses in clinical practices. The mission and values of excellence in the science and art of health care and healing are robustly embraced by the WCH RN team. They were intentional in their preparation for the TJC MLOC (Maternal Levels of Care) Level 2 survey, demonstrating meticulous charting and policy-driven care, resulting in the designation with zero findings.

The team is engaged in Bedside Shift Report, continuously exceeding the measurement and often leading the hospital in the patient "Always" response. The team has been recognized two years in a row by U.S. News & World Report for Best Hospital for Maternity Care (2024 & 2025) and has achieved MiAIM Platinum level quality improvement designation for multiple years. The team has excelled in the MiAIM safety bundle outcomes through careful and precise care, ensuring that at-risk patients have their follow-up appointment scheduled before discharge at a 97% (3-day) and 95% (7-day) rate, with a goal of over 80%, leading the HF Enterprise in this metric. Healing care is also preventative care. Two more MiAIM safety bundles the team excels in are timely treatment of sustained severe range blood pressures at a 100% treatment rate (goal >85%) and postpartum hemorrhage risk assessment pre- and post-delivery at 99% each (goal >85%).

Compliance with OBI (Obstetric Initiative statewide collaborative quality initiative) strategies, along with nursing interventions and physician and OB Resident collaboration, has decreased the NTSV rate from 31.9% in 2024 to 26.1% year-to-date in 2025. A nurse-led multidisciplinary team submitted a poster to the 2025 Quality Expo with this outstanding result and was one of ten winners, led by Lisa Fivecoat, RN! WCH nurses are continuously making an impact on lives through prenatal and breastfeeding classes, the infant safe sleep program and patient education, and infant loss/bereavement services, with their high patient engagement reflected in an 85% communication with nurses domain. WCH nurses are leaders and decision makers in a multifaceted and vigorous environment, embracing patient safety strategies with kindness and compassion.