Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Recognized for Excellence in Emergency Nursing

BENNINGTON, VT—July 16, 2024—The Kendall Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) has been selected as a recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association’s 2024 Lantern Award for demonstrating excellence in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research performance.

The Lantern Award showcases emergency department’s (ED) accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. As part of the application, EDs are encouraged to share stories that highlight a commitment to patient care, as well as the well-being of nursing staff. The award serves as a visible symbol of a commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.

“Being on the front lines of patient care in our community comes with unique challenges and triumphs,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at SVMC  “For our ED team to be recognized among just 94 departments, nationwide, demonstrates the level of excellence and commitment that has been fostered here.”

The Kendall Emergency Department at SVMC is also the first ED in Vermont to receive the award.

“This honor highlights the collaborative decision-making and shared governance within our ED,” said Jill Maynard, MSN, RN, CEN, director of Emergency Nursing at SVMC “This leadership model is a key attribute of our success, giving our team the tools and support they need to provide skilled and compassionate care to our patients.”

In addition to influencing care within the organization, SVMC emergency staff are empowered to be leaders beyond the health system, impacting nurses and other healthcare providers throughout the state and country. In the last three years, SVMC’s ED nurses have presented at local, regional, and national conferences on topics including cultural humility, harm reduction, design considerations for emergency psychiatric care, and orientation strategies for new emergency RNs.

SVMC President and CEO, Thomas A. Dee, FACHE congratulated the ED team on receiving the 2024-2027 Lantern Award, and noted that this prestigious honor is all the more impressive for being earned during a multi-phase renovation of the ED space, part of VISION 2020: A Decade of Transformation capital campaign.

“This team never wavered in their care and commitment to excellence during the renovation of the Kendall Emergency Department, approaching any impact with flexibility and resourcefulness,” said Dee. “They truly exemplify SVMC’s mission of providing exceptional care and comfort to the people we serve.”

SVMC’s Lantern Award will be on display in the emergency department. As a recipient, SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, will be recognized in upcoming ENA publications, on the ENA website and during Emergency Nursing 2024, the association’s annual conference in Las Vegas, Sept. 4-7.

For more information on this year’s Lantern Award recipients, visit the Emergency Nurses Association website.

PHOTO CAPTION: The nursing team at the Kendall Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), pictured here, recently received national recognition for excellence.

###

About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

SVMC Contact: Kathryn.Czaplinski@svhealthcare.org

 

About the Emergency Nurses Association

The Emergency Nurses Association is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With nearly 50,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines and guides emergency health care public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.

Print
5652

Theme picker


 

 

 

Interview with Jeff Silverman: 3D Printer

Jeff Silverman is a Wilmington native, a volunteer firefighter, and a business owner. From an addition to his Whitingham, Vermont, farm house, his company, Inertia Unlimited, develops camera technology for broadcast television.

"We make them out of thin air," he says.

Actually, he uses a 3D printer to make prototypes and one-of-a-kind cameras for very specific purposes, including those that sit in the dirt in front of a batter during Major League Baseball games and the ones built into NASCAR racetracks.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff has printed 463 face shields for first responders in the Deerfield Valley and healthcare workers at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and other places. He has delivered them free of charge.

When and how did you first become interested in printing shields for first responders? In one day, every job we had disappeared. We went from having 20 – 30 jobs to zero in one day. Our first thought was that we would use the materials and talent we typically use to sew the pouches for our cameras to make masks. But we quickly found that the proper materials and techniques were not available to make effective masks. Plus so many other people were making them. They had it covered.

On Sunday, March 22, I read in the New York Times that a company in Syracuse, NY, had made a design to 3D print face shields available online. By noon that day I was printing. Since then the printer has not stopped.

How does it work? The printer converts the design into a 3D object using filament that is the width of a human hair, adding layer by layer. The printer takes 2 hours to print one shield. I have produced 380 shields so far. That's 1000 hours of printing. I take from midnight to 5 a.m. off. We've done more 3D printing in the last month and a half than we had in the previous 5 years.

Describe the shields. It was important to me to produce something that was good quality. Sometimes the ones you buy don’t clean up very well. These can survive UV light and other sterilization. They are rough and tough.

Where have you distributed them? First I gave them to the firefighters in Wilmington and Whitingham, where I am a volunteer. Then I gave some to the Deerfield Valley Rescue. I have sent 324 to Southwestern Vermont Health Care, some to SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus; Golden Cross Ambulance Service and Sojourns Community Clinic, both in Westminster, VT; and Rescue Inc. in Brattleboro. I sent some to a dentist in Portland, ME, who asked, and 10 to North Central Bronx Hospital to a friend who works there.

What's your greatest accomplishment? I went to Wilmington High School in the late 70s, and Dave Larson, who was the social studies teacher and former longtime VT state representative, had a video camera. He let me borrow it to film field hockey games. At the end of the season, they gave me a varsity letter for my film work. I have won Emmys since, but that varsity letter is special, because it represented the beginning.

What's next? We look forward to reopening. For us, it's the easiest thing in the world. No client ever comes here. We didn't lay anybody off. We hired locals. All are full-time with benefits. We think Vermont is a great place for low-impact companies like ours, and we hope more companies discover Vermont and come here to provide well-paid jobs.

And I am really looking forward to turning the printer off.

On behalf of Southwestern Vermont Health Care's frontline staff, thank you to Jeff for his tireless efforts to provide vital equipment to our teams. We appreciate it!

Theme picker


Theme picker


Theme picker


Our Services

PARTNERSHIP IS POWERFUL MEDICINE

A commitment to excellence and a patient-centered approach sets Southwestern Vermont Health Care apart.

 Cancer Care
 Orthopedics
 Emergency
 Maternity
 Primary Care
 ExpressCare
 Cardiology
 Rehab & Residential Care
View All Services

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker

Theme picker