Becker's Hospital Review

29 CMO / CARE DELIVERY need. And just as we can't build planes or train pilots overnight, our hospitals face the same strain with identifying new beds and training enough staff to care for patients. Tom Murray, MD, PhD. Associate Medical Director for Infection Prevention at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Children's Hospital: is is not the equivalent of COVID-19 in early 2020 and is the respiratory surge children's hospitals have been anticipating. Preparations involve identifying additional spaces and staff to see sick children and facilitate timely discharges, regional coordination of intensive care unit beds, coordination with the department of health on bed capacity, increased access to COVID-19 and influenza testing, and promoting the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Yale New Haven Children's Hospital had planning meetings back in 2020 and 2021 to address respiratory surge. We didn't know exactly when or how many children would be affected, but we knew the viruses and what would be needed to take care of them. e surge has arrived and dedicated groups of pediatric health care providers are working around the country to ensure every child receives the required care. Michael Ritchey, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Phoenix Children's: What we're seeing now in terms of multiple respiratory viruses is not uncharted water. e difference is that we typically see these spikes in the winter season, but due to the pandemic we have experienced this earlier in the year. It is hard to predict how the situation will evolve this season. However, we are used to seeing busy respiratory virus seasons and have plans in place to care for children facing these illnesses. Jim Versalovic, MD, PhD. Pathologist-in-Chief at Texas Children's Hospital (Houston): Current respiratory virus challenges are like tornadoes that appear rapidly, have severe impact and are so unpredictable. e "big three" respiratory viruses for children — COVID-19, influenza and RSV — are actively circulating and causing hospitalizations among children right now. Influenza A and RSV A are the headlines and the concern is whether we must handle all three viruses at the same time with even larger numbers of children hospitalized for pneumonia or lower respiratory tract infections. Fortunately, my colleagues including those here at Texas Children's Hospital know how to diagnose, treat and prevent these infections, but we must remain vigilant. n $5M gift creates chief caregiver endowment at Cleveland Clinic By Mackenzie Bean C leveland Clinic has received a $5 million gift that will support new caregiver wellness initiatives through an endowed fund, the health system said Oct. 25. Robert and Melinda Rich, the Rich Family Foundation and the Dreamcatcher Foundation made the joint donation, which will establish the Rich Family Chief Caregiver Chair. Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, who was named Cleveland Clinic's first chief caregiver officer in 2020, will be the inaugural chair holder. The fund will support initiatives overseen by Dr. Hancock to improve the caregiver experience and engagement. Mr. Rich has been a member of Cleveland Clinic's Board of Trustees since 2002. He was named chairman in 2011 and emeritus chair in 2019. n Woman accused of posing as RN in 7 South Carolina facilities By Molly Gamble A 37-year-old woman is accused of practicing medicine as a registered nurse without a license at seven South Carolina nursing and assisted living facilities over the course of 16 months. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Oct. 27 that his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit arrested Alyssa Beth Steele, who allegedly used a State of Georgia Board of Nursing license number that belonged to someone else to gain employment as an RN in the seven facilities from January 2020 to June 2021. Ms. Steele allegedly did not have the certifications, qualifications or training required of a registered nurse throughout her employment at Cascades Verdae Assisted Living Facility in Greenville, Iva (S.C.) Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Piedmont (S.C.) Post Acute, Brookdale Assisted Living Facility in Anderson, Condor Health in Anderson, Easley (S.C.) Place Assisted Living Facility and Fleetwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare Assisted Living in Easley, according to the attorney general's office. Ms. Steele faces charges on seven counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult, five counts of unlicensed practice as a registered nurse, one count of financial identity fraud to obtain employment, and one count of obtaining signature or property under false pretenses. "By holding herself out as having credentials she did not possess, [Ms.] Steele's conduct resulted in a failure to provide adequate medical care and services to vulnerable adults and presented a substantial risk of causing physical or mental injuries to the residents under her care," read the state attorney general's office news release. n

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