Nurses honored by HHC

Two Queens nurses and one Queens nursing staff were recently honored for nursing leadership in clinical excellence by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC).
The nurses, Kumbe Shutsha, RNC, of Queens Hospital Center, Elmhurst Hospital Center’s Marlene Fussner, RN, MA, NP, and The Nursing Staff of the Emergency Department of Elmhurst Hospital Center were recognized at the May 17 awards ceremony held at Woodhall Hospital in Brooklyn.
Twenty-nine other awards were presented to nurses who work throughout the city in public hospitals, long-term care centers, and health centers.
Shutsha is a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. According to the HHC, she is highly valued by staff and patients for her knowledge in the neonatal medical field. Fussner, a cardiology nurse, was recognized by the HHC for organizing heart failure clinical activities and being the link between the medical and cardiology staff. The HHC said this led to fewer heart failure re-admissions.
The Nursing Staff of the Emergency Department at Elmhurst Hospital earned recognition for joining with the hospital’s application of a newly computerized Emergency Department Information System. The HHC is planning to install the system that aims for better patient safety and care and aims to get rid of problems that go along with paper charting in public hospitals’ Emergency Departments throughout the five boroughs.
The HHC has a nursing staff of 12,000, 7,000 of which are registered nurses. Last year, these nurses helped treat 200,000 inpatients and 5 million outpatient visits. They also helped deliver nearly 22,000 babies and cared for over 1 million emergency room cases.
“HHC is fortunate to have such extraordinarily talented and dedicated nurses who have been instrumental in transforming New York City’s public hospital system into one of the most patient-centered, safe and efficient providers of health care,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles.