Bayhealth Announces Employees of the Quarter

Bayhealth Medical Center has announced its Employees of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2010.  Emergency Department Nurse Terra Beauchamp, RN is the Employee of the Quarter for Milford Memorial Hospital and Performance Improvement Specialist Donna Lozzi, RN, is the Employee of the Quarter for Kent General Hospital.

Each quarter, Bayhealth recognizes employees who have demonstrated outstanding service, team work, and commitment to patient care.  The winner receives a plaque, a $100 gift card to a local restaurant, and a special Employee of the Quarter Parking Spot!  The Employees of the Quarter are also eligible for Employee of the Year, announced in May of each year.

Terra Beauchamp, RN, CEN

Emergency Department Nurse

Milford Memorial Hospital

He emerged out of the frigid winter night, shoeless, shivering and shaken.  A frail homeless man hobbled through the doors of the Emergency Department at Milford Memorial Hospital, trailing a pool of blood from his right foot.

While it was more than five years ago, Emergency Department Nurse Terra Beauchamp, RN, remembers the night clearly.

"He had a laceration on his foot from walking around in the cold with no shoes.  It was the middle of winter, so I knew I couldn't just treat his laceration and send him back outside," said Beauchamp.

So, after the treating the homeless man, Beauchamp bought him a pair of new shoes from a local shoe store.  She made sure he found a shelter for the night.  She made sure he was safe.

"The reason I got into nursing is because I wanted to make a difference with people.  That's why I'm here," said Beauchamp.

"Terra goes above and beyond in caring for her patients," said Milford Memorial Hospital Trauma Nurse Coordinator Judi Graybeal, RN, who has worked with Beauchamp for eight years in caring for trauma patients.

"While much of modern nursing is high-tech, Terra has not forgotten how important the human touch is and she puts that very important aspect into her nursing care," said Graybeal.

Terra Beauchamp has touched many lives during her decade long career in nursing.  After graduating from Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown in 2000, Beauchamp joined the Intermediate Care Nursing Unit at Kent General Hospital.  She became intrigued by Emergency Nursing and earned credentials as a Certified Emergency Nurse.  When she transitioned to the fast-paced Emergency Department at Milford Memorial, it was clear that Beauchamp had found her calling.

"It takes a special nurse to work in the Emergency Department.  Many patients are facing a life altering crisis, families may be losing a loved one, and lives change in a moment.  When patients face their most difficult moments, Terra brings calm to the chaos," said Judi Graybeal.

In addition to helping to heal thousands of patients who've come to the Milford Emergency Department for help, Terra Beauchamp has also helped heal many in the community.  Notably, Beauchamp has spearheaded an annual Christmas toy and clothing drive for families living at a battered women's shelter in Georgetown.  Beauchamp personally collected donations from Bayhealth employees and delivered them to the families.  She helped brighten the hearts of children who otherwise would not have had toys.  She buoyed the spirits of women who had been abused and had nowhere else to turn.

"I'm not different from any of the other nurses in my department or in my hospital.  When there's a need, we try to meet it as best as we can," said Beauchamp.  "When people are hurt or frightened or need help, we're here to make it better."

Donna Lozzi, RN

Performance Improvement Specialist

Kent General Hospital

While she's no longer directly involved in patient care, Donna Lozzi plays a key role in ensuring that patients receive the best possible care and have the best clinical outcomes. 

As a Performance Improvement Specialist, Lozzi reviews patient charts to ensure that all patients have received treatment that is consistent with the highest standards for evidence-based care.  These are care specific protocols that have been documented as producing the best outcomes for patients.

From checking to see whether a heart attack patient has received aspirin within the first 24 hours of treatment, to making sure that heart function has been assessed in heart failure patients, Lozzi spearheads the chart review for congestive heart failure and heart attack patients.  She's the ultimate patient advocate.  And, she's there to make sure the odds are stacked in your favor if you're admitted to the hospital.

"Thanks to (Lozzi's) efforts, the Performance Improvement Department is better able to collaborate with physician and nurses to ensure we are following the best practice guidelines and meet our clinical care performance measures.  This translates to better patient care," said Bayhealth Director for Performance Improvement Jerry Fritts.

Fritts says Lozzi is also responsible for documenting Bayhealth's compliance with evidence-based standards in the heart attack and congestive heart failure patient populations that the hospital is required to report to government and national accrediting agencies for public reporting.  This gives the hospital opportunities to review and consider strategies for improving care using national data for comparison.  In addition, Lozzi serves on several key performance improvement committees which partner with specific departments to ensure evidence-based practices are continually updated and improved in each department.  Lozzi has served on committees which oversee standards for treating heart attacks, congestive heart failure, interventional cardiology, and many other areas.

"(Lozzi) has played a crucial role in coordinating with other departments, has been very adaptable, and has been a very strong team player," said Fritts.

Lozzi credits her own team for the success of her department.

"We all work together and we lean on each other's strengths," Lozzi said.  "We all support each other to make sure we meet our goals."

That team attitude epitomizes her entire Bayhealth nursing career which began on June 4, 1984, when she joined the Kent General Hospital Intermediate Care Unit as a Staff Nurse.  She later served as an IV Therapy Unit Nurse, a Special Procedures Nurse in Diagnostic Imaging, and a Nursing Informatics Nurse supporting and customizing clinical computer applications utilized at Bayhealth.

In August, 2006, Lozzi ascended to her current position as Performance Improvement Specialist, and has made it her top priority to help Bayhealth maintain the highest standards for care.

"We expect to provide the same standard of care as the larger, well-known healthcare facilities such as Johns Hopkins Hospital or the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  Our goal is to provide world-class care here at Bayhealth," said Lozzi.

Bayhealth Medical Center's mission is to improve the health status of all members of the Bayhealth community.  Central and Southern Delaware's largest healthcare system, Bayhealth is comprised of Kent General and Milford Memorial Hospitals, Middletown Medical Center and numerous satellite facilities.  Bayhealth was ranked Best in Delaware for Cardiac Surgery by HealthGrades 2009 and was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for the third year for providing an "Outstanding Inpatient Experience."  Bayhealth is a technologically advanced not-for-profit healthcare system employing over 2,900 with a medical staff of 458 physicians.  Bayhealth is a member of the Penn Cancer Network and is an affiliate of Penn Cardiac Care.  In the 2009 fiscal year, Bayhealth recorded 75,916 emergency department visits, 17,168 patients admitted to beds and 2,211 births.  Last year, as part of its mission, Bayhealth provided more than $33.6 million in unreimbursed care to patients.  For more information, please visit www.bayhealth.org.