BENNINGTON, Vt. — The Kendall Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center has been selected as a recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association's 2024 Lantern Award for demonstrating excellence in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research performance.
The Lantern Award showcases emergency department's (ED) accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. As part of the application, EDs are encouraged to share stories that highlight a commitment to patient care, in addition to the well-being of nursing staff. The award serves as a visible symbol of a commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.
"Being on the front lines of patient care in our community comes with unique challenges and triumphs," said Pamela Duchene, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at SVMC. "For our ED team to be recognized among just 94 departments, nationwide, demonstrates the level of excellence and commitment that has been fostered here."
The Kendall Emergency Department at SVMC is also the first ED in Vermont to receive the award.
"This honor highlights the collaborative decision-making and shared governance within our ED," said Jill Maynard, director of emergency nursing at SVMC. "This leadership model is a key attribute of our success, giving our team the tools and support they need to provide skilled and compassionate care to our patients."
In addition to influencing care within the organization, SVMC emergency staff are empowered to be leaders beyond the health system, impacting nurses and other health-care providers throughout the state and country. In the last three years, SVMC's ED nurses have presented at local, regional and national conferences on topics including cultural humility, harm reduction, design considerations for emergency psychiatric care, and orientation strategies for new emergency registered nurses.
SVMC President and CEO Thomas A. Dee congratulated the ED team on receiving the 2024-2027 Lantern Award, and noted that this honor is all the more impressive for being earned during a multiphase renovation of the ED space, part of the VISION 2020: A Decade of Transformation capital campaign.
"This team never wavered in their care and commitment to excellence during the renovation of the Kendall Emergency Department, approaching any impact with flexibility and resourcefulness," said Dee. "They truly exemplify SVMC's mission of providing exceptional care and comfort to the people we serve."
SVMC's Lantern Award will be on display in the Emergency Department. As a recipient, SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, will be recognized in upcoming ENA publications, on the ENA website and during Emergency Nursing 2024, the association's annual conference in Las Vegas in September.
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Williamstown Fire Personnel Committee to Interview Six Applicants for Chief Position
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Twenty-four applicants from as far away as California applied to be the town's next fire chief, the Prudential Committee learned on Wednesday.
By the end of next month, one of those applicants could be named the replacement for retiring Chief Craig Pedercini.
At Wednesday's meeting of the committee, which oversees the fire district, member Joe Beverly, who also serves on the district's Personnel Committee, reported that the latter body had reviewed two dozen applicants who sought to lead the call-volunteer department.
On Thursday, Beverly said, the Personnel Committee will interview six applicants from that pool.
The hiring screening committee hopes to be able to present two or three finalists to the Prudential Committee to interview at its Feb. 26 meeting, Beverly said.
"We were all very satisfied with the number [of applicants]," he said. "We all had a chance to review them ourselves and pick out the top six or seven. We met last week and narrowed down the list. We're doing six interviews tomorrow, and then we'll whittle down to a second round [of interviews]."
The final interviews by the Prudential Committee, the hiring authority for the department's chief, likely will be conducted without one of the elected members of the body.
Williamstown Prudential Committee members, from left, Alex Steele, David Moresi, Lindsay Neathawk and Joe Beverly participate in Wednesday's meeting. click for more
Bryant co-founded Remedy Hall in 2023 to lessen the financial burden of community members in need by providing essential items that people may be lacking, including hygiene items, cleaning supplies, clothing, bedding, furniture, and other necessities. click for more
Around 40 people attended the community lighting for the first night of Hanukkah, which fell this year on the same day as Christmas. They gathered in the snow around the glowing blue electric menorah even as the temperature hovered around 12 degrees. click for more