National Nursing Week

10 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016 #NNW2016 MAY 9-15, 2016 NATIONAL NURSING WEEK 2016 SPECIAL DELIVERY NURSES COLLABORATE ON WOMEN'S HOSPITAL BUILDING PROJECT Construction crew: From left, registered nurses and managers of nursing and clinical projects Nicolette Holling-Kostiuk, Lisa Merrill, Doris Sawatzky- Dickson, Heather Elands, Karen Bodnaryk, Jacquie Habing and Laurel Flaming Demler are eager to welcome the new Women's Hospital. PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY BY JENNIFER MCFEE for the Free Press A former labour nurse is now delivering in a completely different capacity, contributing to the birth of the new Women's Hospital. N icolette Holling-Kostiuk, manager of nursing and clinical projects, spent many years as a bedside nurse in labour and delivery while also putting her experience to use in the triage unit. In 2009, working groups began to gather information for the new Women's Hospital project, with a focus on clinical work. Based on her wealth of experience as a registered nurse, Holling-Kostiuk became the go-to nursing representative for the triage unit and eventually took on a permanent management position. "People say it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a nurse to be involved in building a new hospital in your career. It's quite rare and this is a particularly big project," she says. "It's very interesting, and I've learned a huge amount. At the same time, they don't know what I know about taking care of patients, so it's a relationship where everybody learns from the other person." Since 2010, construction has been underway to build the new $235.9 million Women's Hospital, which will span nearly 400,000 square feet at the northeast corner of the Health Sciences Centre campus. The current 65-year-old facility is cramped for space as it labours to accommodate more than 5,000 deliveries per year, as well as 7,000 annual gynecological surgeries and 29,000 ambulatory care visits to the outpatient clinic. The existing facility, located on the south end of the HSC campus, will be repurposed for another use. Construction is expected to be substantially complete this fall, with the HSC Women's Hospital slated to open one year later, subject to change as the project progresses. This 12-month period will allow much-needed time to move, train and orient staff to the new building so they can adapt to the systems and provide safe, expert care to families. As part of the planning process, Holling-Kostiuk asked front-line staff about their wants and needs, and then she relayed the information to the design experts. One of the main improvements in the new facility will be its private patient rooms. "From an infection-control point of view, it's really important. It's also really important from a confidentiality, patient privacy and recovery point of view," she says. "There are the occasional patients that benefit from having a roommate, but generally speaking, this is a very positive move." The new building will also enhance collaboration between the Women's Hospital and the Children's Hospital. The intermediate care nursery, neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) and a small neonatal unit will all be in close proximity in the new Women's Hospital, where the postpartum moms will be on the fourth floor while the NICU and intermediate care nursery will be on the second floor of the same building. "If you have a critically ill newborn, you want to be where your baby is. In the new hospital, it's just two floors down by elevator. On top of that, when they go to see their baby, they're in a private room," Holling-Kostiuk says. "Today, the NICU and the intermediate care nursery have large rooms with four or six babies in them. So if you're with your sick or dying baby or you want to breastfeed or cuddle with your baby, you can't do that privately because all the other babies and visitors are in arm's reach." Holling-Kostiuk is also pleased that the new building will focus on a comfortable environment with the added goal of achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver standards. "Sunlight beams into the building in many places, so it's being designed in a way that my generation has not been used to. The hospitals we work in now are square and boxy. They don't have a ton of windows and are pretty basic," she says. "The design of this new building has curved walls with windows wherever possible. It has the comfort of both staff and patients in mind. It will be beautiful in places." Once construction is complete, the integration work will begin in earnest. "Our group has grown because we're getting closer to being able to move in. It is a huge undertaking to move us in with all the people, the patients and the processes," she says, adding that four more clinical managers have been hired in term positions. "They're all actively involved in all of this as well. At the same time, they have to keep their units functioning on a day-to- day basis. It's an enormous project. It's extremely intricate and complex. There are so many systems that need to be working exactly correctly." ✚ CARING FOR OTHER CAREGIVERS We hear of many positive experiences from Grace Hospital patients and their families. Many times, patients are admitted as a result of trauma or critical illness, and families struggle with leaving their loved one alone. Such was the case for "Stephanie's" parents. Caring for their loved one had taken a significant toll on them. On the day they arrived for admission at Grace Hospital, when I met Stephanie's mother for the first time, she spoke of being exhausted and feeling unable to leave her daughter's bedside during her admission. Appreciating the fact that these parents have been caregivers to Stephanie her entire life, their lives revolved around her needs and schedule and they trusted very few to care for her the way they did. I was immensely proud to hear them say the next day (24-hours after admission) how they trusted the staff and how engaged they felt they were in caring for Stephanie. The team earned their trust within hours of admission. That is something to be proud of! Stephanie's parents felt they could visit for shorter periods each day, and they rested and began to take care of themselves in preparation for her return home. Never underestimate what it means to a patient when you take time to brush her hair or include her in a conversation and see her smile. Those are the memories that they, and their families, will take from here. I can't help but think of the impact the staff had on them. Stephanie smiled for the first time in months, her coccyx wound healed to the point she could sit again, she was nourished and she was cared for. They all were! Well done! Jodi Dusik Sharpe RN BN CNNC Patient Care Manager – 3E Palliative Care Riverview Health Centre A VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE One night recently I woke up at 3 a.m. in pain. I could not relieve it — in fact, it got worse. I have to admit, I was scared. I was worried that it could be a cardiac problem. Since women present with different symptoms than men, I decided to go to the emergency department. The ER team ordered a stat EKG, and an ultrasound, did blood work, and gave me some pain medication. Luckily, I found out that I was not having a heart attack! I will need to have some followup, but it's nothing serious. I am so grateful to have received such great care from the nursing team. It's very different to be on the other side … to be a patient. It gave me a very different perspective. I also have a wonderful partner who is a nurse and it feels so amazing to feel cared for, loved and safe. Back to work tomorrow, back to being a nurse — and I'm very proud of that. Yvonne Talbot – Psychealth Health Sciences Centre I HAVE … I have delivered a newborn baby who couldn't wait for the physician to arrive. I held the hand of a surgical patient, terrified he was dying. I advocated for a patient with mental health issues. I shaved a patient's face prior to his family coming to see him for the last time. I have cried with families. I have massaged backs. I have painted toes. I have encouraged and supported patients who needed to know that they are valued and worthy. I have been a resource to colleagues and collaborated with team members to improve the delivery of care. I have cared for others through all aspects in the continuum of birth, life and death — and I know I have made a difference. Lorena Thiessen BN RN Quality/Process Improvement Officer WRHA Surgery Program NURSING MOMENTS << Continued from previous Continued >>

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