As 2015 comes to an end, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Palm Beach Children’s Hospital look back at a year of new staff appointments and national recognition for quality patient care.
The year started off with St. Mary’s Medical Center being the first hospital in Florida to participate in a new clinical trial to collect real-world performance data of the Stryker Neurovascular Trevo® Retrieval System. The minimally invasive technology is designed to restore blood flow in the brain by removing blood clots in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke. The study assessed the revascularization status of patients treated with the Trevo® Retriever at the end of the procedure and measured functional outcomes at 90 days post-procedure.
In April, Tenet Healthcare Corporation honored St. Mary’s Medical Center as a 2015 Circle of Excellence winner. The award was given to Tenet hospitals that demonstrated impressive operational and financial performance and provided exceptional care in 2014. Shortly after, St. Mary’s earned an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group. The Hospital Safety Score rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries, and infections and is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts in patient safety.
Also in late spring, Michael Leopold was appointed Associate Administrator. With 20 years of healthcare management experience, Leopold is responsible for providing administrative support for the 464-bed, acute care hospital and its departments. Additional appointments included Denise Marie Nieman, County Attorney, as the new governing board chair, and Dr. Lynda Bideau, pediatrician, as a new member of the board. The board is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the quality and safety of care at the hospital.
Toward the end of summer, St. Mary’s received the Healthgrades 2015 Labor and Delivery Excellence Award for its commitment to providing superior care for women during childbirth. The distinction, which was based on mortality and complication outcomes from 2011-2013, places St. Mary’s within the top 5% in the country for labor and delivery care. Around the same time, the hospital completed upgrades to its pharmacy to offer enhanced drug safety and patient care. The pharmacy consists of specialty rooms designed for sterile compounding intravenous prescriptions. Accessible only to personnel trained and authorized for compounding activities, the rooms are sterilized and have the equipment present to help maintain a high quality area.
In fall, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s was honored with two Kids Crown Awards for “Best Pediatric Emergency Room” and “Best Pediatric Hospital” in Palm Beach County. Kids Crown winners are nominated and chosen annually by the readers of South Florida Parenting.
Toward the end of 2015, St. Mary’s was honored yet again with an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group. The ratings were compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts in patient safety and are designed to provide the public information that can be used to protect themselves and their families.
Most recently, Gabrielle Finley-Hazle was named the hospital’s new chief executive officer. A South Florida native, Finley-Hazle has served as the chief executive officer of Florida Medical Center, a campus of North Shore, in Fort Lauderdale since 2012. She will begin serving in the new role at St. Mary’s Medical Center on January 1. As CEO, Finley-Hazle will be responsible for all operations of the 464-bed acute care hospital and trauma center.
Both St. Mary’s and Palm Beach Children’s Hospital are proud of this year’s many accomplishments and have high expectations for 2016.