SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Providing additional resources for seniors needing emergent care, Renown Health announces expansions to its NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) Program. As part of this continued commitment, Renown recently opened a dedicated senior lounge in the Emergency Room at Renown Regional Medical Center. Seniors now have access to a lounge in the ER that provides an environment and care geared specifically towards their needs.
This separate area will provide needed comfort in what is often a stressful and scary time for both the elderly and their families. On average, approximately 31 seniors a day enter Renown Regional’s ER. In order to ease tension and provide specialized treatment, Renown created this ER lounge to help seniors and their families feel more relaxed and receive the best medical care possible.
Earlier this year in May, Renown Health announced that it was the only health system in Nevada to earn the NICHE designation from The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing. NICHE is the largest national geriatric care program for hospitals and the only national designation indicating a hospital’s commitment to elder care excellence.
In addition to being the only NICHE designated organization in Nevada, Renown Health is also one of only 350 hospitals in the nation with a NICHE designation. Renown joins other prestigious hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Stanford Hospital who also have the NICHE-designation.
In addition to the senior lounge, Renown Health also retains the region’s only board-certified geriatrician and provides nurses with specialized geriatric education and training.
“This effort to provide quality, specialized care for seniors is integrated throughout the entire healthcare system, including areas like emergency rooms, patient transport, etc.” said Fran Stokes, director of nursing for the NICHE Program at Renown Health. “NICHE is the gold standard in terms of eldercare issues. We are so pleased to be a part of it.”
Additionally, Renown will offer a luncheon/lecture for seniors Tuesday, Dec. 20, to discuss how Renown Health’s commitment to provide quality care for seniors will benefit the elderly during any emergency room or hospital inpatient visit. The presentation will include a virtual tour of the new emergency room area, showing the specially designed features geared toward the senior patient.
NICHE Luncheon/Lecture details include the following:
· Tuesday, Dec. 20, doors open at 11:30 a.m., presentation from noon – 1 p.m.
· Center for Advanced Medicine C, Classroom 108, Renown Regional Medical Center, 1155 Mill Street, Reno.
· Lunch cost is $10.
· Call 982-6483 to RSVP.
For more information about Renown Health’s NICHE designation visit renown.org/seniors. For more information about Smart Health Connections, visit renown.org/shc.
About NICHE
NICHE nursing care models help hospitals improve care to better meet the needs of hospitalized older adult patients. These models have been implemented and tested at hospitals across the country and have been shown to be effective in improving clinical care and outcomes for elders during and following hospital admission.
Hospitals participating in NICHE report the following.
· Enhanced nursing knowledge and skills regarding treatment of common geriatric conditions
· Greater patient satisfaction
· Decreased length of stay for older adult patients
· Improved environmental design that enhances function and comfort for the aging population
About Renown Health
Renown Health is northern Nevada’s largest and Reno’s only locally owned not-for-profit integrated health network and a nationally recognized healthcare leader. Renown Health is one of the Top 100 integrated health networks in the country and the only Top 100 recognized integrated health networks in the state of Nevada. We proudly offer the region an integrated solution for all of the community’s healthcare needs.
