Cooper News Plus

Cooper was proud to cooperate with Greater Camden Partnership for the first-ever “Camden Green-Up” Day on September 14, 2009.

The Green-Up program is designed to improve vacant lots in the city. On September 14, the Green-Up addressed 13 lots in the Cooper/Lanning neighborhood. Three additional Green-Up days are scheduled for October.

Cooper advocated for clean-up of several lots near the hospital, including those near the brand new Cooper Commons Park. These lots, lining 6th Street, one and two blocks south of the hospital, are now beautifully landscaped with grass, mulch, shrubs and trees, providing a green oasis.

Cooper’s Facilities Department provided storage space for equipment, and tables and chairs for the event. The first greening day turned out more than 50 volunteers, including several Cooper employees.

Fox 29, ABC 6, the Courier-Post, the Gloucester County Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer all covered the event.

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Leanne Mader, R.N., B.S.N., C.C.R.N. (L.C.D.R.), of the Critical Care Unit, has been selected as the new R.N. staff member on the Quality, Education and Research Committee of the Board of Trustees at Cooper University Hospital. She fills the vacated seat of Kathrina Edoo, R.N., who resigned from the position earlier this year.

All Cooper nurses were invited to participate in the nomination process to fill the vacated seat. Nomination criteria included:

• B.S.N. or advanced degree (desired but not required)
• 5 years experience
• Excellent communication skills
• Role model for patient/family care and customer service
• Demonstrated excellence in clinical care and a passion for the practice of nursing.
• Demonstrated leadership as evidenced by advancement on the Clinical Ladder; participation in research; and certification in specialty and community service (desired but not required)

Mader was selected from among five, excellent nominees. She will serve as a voting member of the Board committee, which reviews all quality and patient safety outcomes.

In addition, Mader will present nursing updates and data with Elizabeth Bobulski, R.N., M.P.H., Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.

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On September 15, Cooper University Hospital celebrated the grand opening of The Margaret L. Isaacs Chapel, located off the main lobby in the patient Pavilion.

The chapel is dedicated in memory of Margaret L. Isaacs by her husband, the late Harry H. Isaacs, Sr., and her son, Harry H. Isaacs, Jr.

Mrs. Isaacs was a long-time patient of Edward D. Viner, M.D., Chairman of the Cooper Foundation. “We are so grateful for the generosity of the Isaacs family,” Dr. Viner said. “This was a most fitting way to honor the memory of this wonderful woman by her family. This chapel is a gift for all who walk through our doors. The details and design are focused on the needs of our patients and their families,” he said.

“We are very happy to be able to dedicate this chapel in honor of my mother,” said Harry H. Issacs, Jr. “I know she would be very proud. Special thanks to Dr. Viner, as she always loved him. Even in her last days she would say, ‘If you could just get me to Dr. Viner, I know he could make me better.’”

Cooper’s non-denominational chapel is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, for quiet reflection and prayer. The interior of the chapel consists of several spiritual elements, including religious symbols, a running water feature, two stained glass windows from the former First Methodist Episcopal Church on 6th Street in Camden, and a “candlelit” wall.

Cooper’s Director of Simulation Operations Greg Staman thanked the Isaacs family saying, “Your gift is timeless because it is transformed by this chapel into the gift of hope.”

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Cooper University Hospital is pleased to announce its new, comprehensive Palliative Care Program for cancer patients.

The Palliative Care Program works to improve the life for seriously ill patients by expertly managing the pain and symptoms associated with their disease or treatment. Palliative care services can be incorporated into the care plan of patients at any stage of their illness and is offered in conjuction with aggressive treatment for their disease.

Cooper’s Palliative Care Program incorporates all available treatment modalities and multidisciplinary resources to help patients maintain their treatment plan by managing pain and resolving such symptoms as shortness of breath, nausea, constipation, loss of appetite, sleep problems and fatigue, which may otherwise interfere with treatment or a patient’s quality of life.

The program has been developed by Mark Angelo, M.D., F.A.C.P., Director of Palliative Medicine, and Barbara Sproge, B.S.N., R.N., O.C.N., Clinical Educator.

Dr. Angelo has been with Cooper for several years and has built a thriving internal medicine practice. He has had additional training in Palliative Medicine and is board certified in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine.

Ms. Sproge has been with Cooper for several years in various rolse within the cancer program. She has experience in palliative medicine, clinical oncology and has served as a Pain Resource Nurse for the cancer program. Most recently, she functioned as the Clinical Manager for the Cooper CyberKnife Center.

To learn more, contact Barbara Sproge by phone at 856-673-4215 or by email and sproge-barbara@cooperhealth.edu.

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Cooper joins hospitals and healthcare organizations around the world in commemorating Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month this October. Planned is an array of activities designed to empower patients, strengthen the hospital’s patient-centered practices and publicly proclaim our commitment to patient-centered care.

Some of the activities planned at the hospital and out-patient sites include patient hand massages, special desserts, gift bags, and a special “quiet campaign,” beginning on the night shift on October 21.

This year’s Patient-Centered Care honorees are Hospitalist Mark A. Thomas, D.O., named Cooper’s Physician Champion of the Year; Patient Representative Arlene Skelly, named Cooper’s Caregiver of the Year; and “Paddy Johnstone,” Cooper’s Therapy Animal of the Year.

Patient- Centered Care Awareness Month, now in its third year, is an awareness-building campaign to commemorate progress toward making patient-centered care a reality and biuld momentum for further advancing and expanding the practice of patient-centered care. Patient-center care is an approach in healthcare in which healthcare workers partner with patients and families to satisfy the full range of patient needs.

Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month is sponsored and coordinated by Planetree, Inc., a not-for-profit organization based in Derby, Connecticut, that partners with healthcare organizations around the world to advance patient-centered approaches to care.

Cooper has been actively engaged in implementing the Planetree model of patient-centered care for almost 3 years. The focus is on service excellence and providing meaningful opportunities for patients and families to be actively involved in their care.

To become involved in Patient-Family Centered Care at Cooper, please contact Diane Flaherty at flaherty-diane@cooperhealth.edu or 856-968-7857.

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