Saint Vincent Hospital Honors 25 Graduates of the NICHE Program

Organization Moves to the Forefront of Elder Care

On Tuesday December 13^th 25 Saint Vincent Hospital employees will be honored for being the first class of NICHE designated clinicians to graduate from the program at Saint Vincent Hospital.  In attendance will be the Massachusetts Secretary of Elder Affairs, Alice Bonner. Saint Vincent Hospital received the designation as a NICHE Hospital earlier this year. The NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) designation indicates a hospital's commitment to elder care excellence.

"At Saint Vincent Hospital, older adults are often our most vulnerable patients, presenting with cognitive and functional impairment, polypharmacy, and recent transitions in care, and are therefore highly susceptible to serious adverse events, such as falls with injury, delirium, and pressure ulcers.” said Dr. Gary Blanchard, Geriatrician, and Saint Vincent NICHE Coordinator. “Our shared vision for implementing NICHE is to fundamentally transform the care that we provide at the bedside for our older patients, ensuring that every practitioner, across disciplines, is able to provide skilled, safe, and compassionate geriatrics care.”

“Saint Vincent Hospital shows a tremendous commitment to meet the most critical challenge of our times - quality care of older adults,” says Holly Brown, MSN, GNP-BC, NICHE program director. “The hospital’s dedication to drive continuous improvement processes and enhance care marks them as leaders in the field.”