PRESS RELEASES

Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals Launch Geriatric Nursing Initiative 

Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals Launch Geriatric Nursing Initiative
Nurses team up for new, unique nursing leadership program

(Beverly/Gloucester, MA) — After Addison Gilbert Hospital’s Senior Adult Unit received a designation as a Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders (NICHE) site--a national program to improve care for older hospitalized adults--Beverly and Addison Gilbert hospitals have taken another step to better address the specialized needs of the aging patient population. The hospitals have launched a system-wide geriatric nursing initiative, which will further improve the quality of healthcare for older adults and their families by identifying nurses’ competencies and comfort with treating this specific patient population and then developing targeted educational programs to help address areas that may need improvement.

The first phase of the initiative consisted of nurses at the hospitals completing a survey generated by the NICHE program to gain a sense of their competencies and knowledge in different aspects of elder care. Preliminary results from the survey already show the organization to be very “elder-friendly” with the competencies and attitudes of caregivers at both hospitals above other local and national healthcare facilities. Information from the surveys will now be used to develop targeted educational programs for nurses to even further improve the delivery and quality of care to the aging adult patient population.

“This geriatric nursing initiative is the first step in proactively addressing the needs of this increasing patient population,” said James Purdy, vice president of inpatient behavioral health for Beverly and Addison Gilbert hospitals. “Through this initiative, our nurses and healthcare professionals will be able to increase their knowledge and further improve upon the high-level of comprehensive care that we deliver to North Shore residents.”

According to the Boston Metropolitan Planning Council, the over 55 patient population in Massachusetts is steadily increasing. Projected numbers currently indicate that this specific patient population will grow by 75 percent over the next 20 years.

Beverly Hospital
Beverly Hospital is a full service, community hospital providing quality, patient-centered care to North Shore and Cape Ann residents. Services include maternity, pediatrics, surgical, orthopedics, cardiology, as well as other specialties. The hospital boasts a medical staff of more than 570 physicians and its service area includes some 13 communities. Beverly Hospital has been nationally recognized by Solucient Institute as a 100 Top Hospital five times in the past eight years.  Beverly Hospital is a member of Northeast Health System.

Addison Gilbert Hospital
Addison Gilbert Hospital is a full-service, 58-bed medical/surgical acute care facility.  The hospital provides inpatient and outpatient care to residents of the Cape Ann community in specialties such as cancer care, surgical day care, critical care and emergency medicine.  Addison Gilbert Hospital has been nationally recognized by Solucient Institute as a 100 Top Hospital five times in the past eight years.  Addison Gilbert Hospital is a member of Northeast Health System.