SPRINGFIELD – Baystate Health is saluting the talents, dedication and achievements of its nurses with the publication of its first-ever Nursing Report, a compilation of real-life stories and experiences from the front lines of health care.

The 23-page report, titled “Baystate Health Nurses – Leaders in Practice, Partners in Care,” was mailed to nurses throughout Western New England during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. It is also available for viewing online.  Baystate Health is the largest private employer in Western Massachusetts and is regularly ranked among the leading health systems in the U.S.

“The report is a testament to the many successes of our talented and dedicated nurses in the areas of transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, and new knowledge, innovation, and improvements,” said Deborah Morsi, RN, PhD, vice president, Patient Care Services, Baystate Medical Center, and chief nursing officer, Baystate Health.

“Our nurses are true leaders in practice and partners in care, and this publication showcases their efforts and accomplishments, while reminding us just how much these efforts mean to the patients we serve. Our nurses inspire others to support and join in the delivery of quality patient care,” she added.

Story highlights of the 2009 Nursing Report include:

• Nurses using barcode technology at Baystate Medical Center to improve medication safety.

• Baystate Health’s Nursing Research Council assisting nurses in identifying clinically significant questions that arise in nursing practice, bringing change to the bedside with projects based on the best evidence.

• The Inpatient Telemetry Unit patient care team at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield regularly discusses patient satisfaction and how to improve their patients’ hospital experience, including a recent effort to help reduce noise.

• The Telehealth Program and Heart Failure Disease Management Program at Baystate Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice is helping nurses care for patients with heart failure in the comfort of their own home.

• To further improve patient care, Obstetrics at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware recently implemented a team model to ensure quality care. The approach involved multidisciplinary team meetings that allow clinicians and nurses to develop a shared vision of the patient’s care plan.

“It takes a special spirit to be a nurse, an uncommon balance of compassion and intellect, and the courage to connect with people during some of the most trying times of their lives. I am honored to work among some of the finest nurses in the country, and inspired by their dedication to our patients,” said Mark R. Tolosky, president and chief executive officer, Baystate Health.

A renewed emphasis on primary and preventive health care throughout the country will require better use of all of our nation's registered nursing resources, and more qualified registered nurses will be needed in the future to meet the increasingly complex needs of health-care consumers in our communities.

“The demand for registered nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the American population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technology, and the explosive growth of home health care services,” Morsi said.

Baystate Medical Center has been distinguished as a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization in the United States. A Magnet organization has demonstrated a commitment to high-quality patient care and creating an environment that supports excellence in nursing practice.

Visit baystatehealth.org to review nursing career opportunities throughout Baystate Health, including Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, and Baystate Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice in Springfield and Greenfield.