Nursing Consortium sets in-person conference for the 5th of November

Memorial Healthcare System to be Presenting Sponsor

Recovering from the Challenges of COVID-19; Revitalizing Nursing for the Post-pandemic Era will be the theme of the Nursing Consortium of South Florida's first in-person educational conference in two years. "The conference planning committee has been busy organizing a program that addresses the challenges endured in the era of COVID and explores best practices for healing and strengthening a workforce that was stretched and stressed as never before," remarked committee chair Jean Seaver who is also the Consortium's new president-elect.  Seaver added, "We are truly grateful to the Memorial Healthcare System for agreeing to be the conference presenting sponsor." Please click here for additional sponsor and exhibitor opportunities. 

Don’t miss what is certain to be a truly exceptional educational conference and networking opportunity. Register today and purchase your tickets at the best price! Our last in-person conference set an attendance record and this one will surely sell out early. You can register now for as little as $75.00.  Click here to make sure you don't get left out!  

Gulf Coast Medical Center and Cape Coral Hospital join Consortium

The Nursing Consortium of South Florida is pleased to welcome our newest member organizations Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers and Cape Coral Hospital.  "Both of our newest members are Lee Health facilities that have been using the CCPS to schedule student nurse clinical experiences since 2019," noted Consortium executive director Ralph Egües who added "we are delighted by their interest in becoming active members of our growing organization."  Candace S. Smith, PhD, RN, NEA-BC the VP, Operations & Chief Nurse Executive of Cape Coral Hospital remarked, “We here at Cape Coral Hospital are thrilled to join hands with the Nursing Consortium of South Florida. Our mutual goals of patient, family, and community-centered care is at the heart of our hospital’s mission. We believe that Consortium committees on advocacy, leader development, nurse recruitment and retention, and community and youth engagement all foster and empower the workplace to inspire hope and help us to be a national leader for the advancement of health and healing. The Consortium’s commitment to education for nurses and facilitation of leadership development among staff, aligns perfectly with our current model towards Magnet Excellence. We thank you for partnering with us and look forward to linking arms and are committed to making a positive difference in South Florida’s healthcare.”

Consortium member Chamberlain University will be hosting Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN on July 22 for Step Forward to 2030 a presentation on the National Academy of Medicine report The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Dr. Hassmiller is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's senior adviser for nursing.  Her distinguished nursing career began as a student at BCC, now Broward College, from which she earned an associates degree in nursing.  To register for this live webinar please click here. 

Nursing homes use of staffing firms soars during pandemic as workforce crisis deepens

According to recent article in Skilled Nursing News, skilled nursing facilities have increasingly relied on staffing firms during the pandemic.  Nursing homes have continued to turn to staffing firms this year due to employee burnout and labor pressure tied to worker shortages. Among the clients of SmartLinx, a workforce management solutions company, the number of shifts allocated to firm staff has risen 154%, from 145,423 in 2019 to 370,740 in 2020.  For this year, shift allocation is sitting at 218,589 and is on pace to increase year-to-year again. Seventy-eight SmartLinx operators have used staffing firms so far this year, compared with 103 in 2020.  That is for operators typically running more than one facility. Ninety-four percent of skilled nursing facilities continue to have staff shortages this year, according to a June survey by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.  Digital labor marketplace Kare forecasts that the skilled nursing space will lose approximately 15% of its permanent workforce due to pandemic burnout.

Baptist Health reports on CDC concerns over Delta Vairant’s potential dominance

A recent report from Consortium member Baptist Health discusses the growing concern among public health officials about the spread of COVID-19’s Delta variant for those who are unvaccinated. The Delta variant, first identified in India, could become a new public health threat, warned President Joe Biden and the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), primarily because it is more contagious and could be deadlier for the unvaccinated. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., said in a televised interview that the higher transmissibility of the Delta variant could make it the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. by next month. So far, the variant has spread to more than 80 countries as of June 16, according to the World Health Organization. It is estimated that the Delta variant currently represents up to 20 percent of cases in the U.S., researchers say. There is some good news: If you have been fully vaccinated, particularly with a two-dose vaccine (from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), you should be protected from the Delta variant, according to the CDC.  Please click here to read more.

Harnessing Fierce Self-compassion

Are you a compassionate mess?  At first blush, that may sound like a bad thing—but research suggests there may be an upside in expanding the notion of self-kindness, particularly for women at work practicing “gender judo.” Balancing fierceness and tenderness isn’t easy, but it can help you show up more authentically.  Please click here to read or listen to a commentary by author Kristin Neff on how an exercise in self-compassion can make you stronger and more resilient.

Cleveland Clinic identifies link between COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s Disease

A new study led by Consortium member Cleveland Clinic has identified mechanisms by which COVID-19 can lead to Alzheimer’s disease-like dementia. The findings, published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, indicate an overlap between COVID-19 and brain changes common in Alzheimer’s, and may help inform risk management and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19-associated cognitive impairment. Reports of neurological complications in COVID-19 patients and “long-hauler” patients whose symptoms persist after the infection clears are becoming more common, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) may have lasting effects on brain function. However, it is not yet well understood how the virus leads to neurological issues. “While some studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infects brain cells directly, others found no evidence of the virus in the brain,” says Feixiong Cheng, Ph.D., assistant staff in Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute and lead author on the study. “Identifying how COVID-19 and neurological problems are linked will be critical for developing effective preventive and therapeutic strategies to address the surge in neurocognitive impairments that we expect to see in the near future.” In the study, the researchers harnessed artificial intelligence using existing datasets of patients with Alzheimer’s and COVID-19.They measured the proximity between SARS-CoV-2 host genes/proteins and those associated with several neurological diseases where closer proximity suggests related or shared disease pathways. The researchers also analyzed the genetic factors that enabled SARS-COV-2 to infect brain tissues and cells. While researchers found little evidence that the virus targets the brain directly, they discovered close network relationships between the virus and genes/proteins associated with several neurological diseases, most notably Alzheimer’s, pointing to pathways by which COVID-19 could lead to Alzheimer’s disease-like dementia.  Please click here to read more.

Employers make enhancing the employee experience a top priority

As companies transition to new ways of work, the number of U.S. organizations making improvement to the employee experience a top priority has surged, according to a survey of 1,550 employers around the world—including 258 from the U.S.—by Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory, broking, and solutions company.  However, while employers recognize adapting to the new reality will take time and require a hybrid work model, many are not ready to meet the challenges.  More than nine in 10 employers (94%) said enhancing the employee experience will be an important priority at their organization over the next three years compared with just 54% that indicated it was important to their organization prior to the pandemic.  Most respondents believe a positive employee experience is a key driver of engagement (82%), employee well-being (79%), productivity (79%), and the ability to attract and retain talent (80%). Please click here to read more.

FAU offers new Degree Programs that combine nursing with AI and biomedical engineering

Beginning this fall, Consortium member Florida Atlantic University ’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science will offer two new combined programs in nursing and artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering.  This innovative, forward-looking and convergent curriculum design was conceived by Safiya George, Ph.D., dean, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Javad Hashemi, Ph.D., associate dean of research, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Karethy Edwards, Dr.PH, APRN, associate dean of academic programs and Joy Longo, Ph.D., assistant dean, undergraduate programs, at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.  The need for such a program was recognized through a number of research collaborations and discussions between the two colleges.  Dr. George said, “Nurses spend more time with patients in clinical settings than any other health care provider.  They are inherently problem-solvers and provide an invaluable perspective in the engineering industry.  Our joint programs in nursing and engineering are a ‘dynamic duo’ that will build the foundational skills to better position nursing students to participate as future health care innovators and inventors.”  Please click here to read more.

McKinsey advises healthcare industry on use of M&A for post-pandemic strategy

A recent article by McKinsey & Company discusses how healthcare organizations need to align on and begin implementing their strategic and operational plans for the post-pandemic era, including responding to the potential disruption of traditional business models. McKinsey says the trends that have been shaping the healthcare industry, such as consumer adoption of digital health platforms and tools, will likely accelerate in the wake of COVID-19. The crisis will likely impact growth rates across healthcare segments, specifically increasing growth for healthcare services companies (especially in virtual care platforms including telehealth, patient engagement, and wearable technologies) while payers’ and providers’ traditional core businesses may see declining earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth. As healthcare organizations look to evolve their business models, McKinsey sees increasing M&A activity among those seeking to add scale as well as diversify through new capabilities and services. Healthcare deal volume in Q4 2020 was 21 percent higher than in Q4 2019.  In addition, a McKinsey study of 700 organizations showed that one third  anticipated more M&A activity post-pandemic than planned prior to the crisis.  Please click here to read more.

Nicklaus Children's Hospital introduces new leading-edge treatment for Leukemia

Consortium member Nicklaus Children's Hospital is one of only a few hospitals in Florida, and the first pediatric hospital in South Florida, to offer the latest immune cell treatment for children and adolescents with certain types of leukemia. The treatment, known as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy uses a patient's own immune system cells to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B cell lymphomas. The Nicklaus Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center is an approved treatment facility to deliver the FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy to the pediatric population.  Dr. Jorge Galvez Silva, director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital said, “CAR T-cell therapy not only provides us with a more precise treatment option for children and adolescents with advanced types of cancers, but it also brings forth the opportunity for a tailored, less invasive, and perhaps less toxic treatment option to improve the quality of life for the patients in our care.” The FDA-approved Kymriah, a Novartis product, is the first gene-modified therapy available in the United States for pediatric and young adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B cell lymphomas. Please click here to read more.

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