HJAR Nov/Dec 2022

60 NOV / DEC 2022  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS Hospital Rounds UA Little Rock Partners with CHI St. Vincent, Saline Memorial to Help Hospital Employees Go to College The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is part- nering with CHI St. Vincent and Saline Memorial Hospital to help hospital employees fulfill their educational goals. Full-time employees at Saline Memorial and CHI St. Vincent may receive 10% off tuition and fees at UA Little Rock. The discount is meant to help members of the healthcare industry start and fin- ish their college careers while keeping their full- time jobs. "We are fortunate to have a committed partner like the University of Arkansas at Little Rock that works consistently to support our nurses and help them find new ways to grow in their careers and healing ministry for our community,” CHI St. Vin- cent CEO Chad Aduddell said. “This kind of sup- port helps strengthen our entire community with the healthcare professionals trained to face what- ever tomorrow holds." The scholarship is open to up to 50 hospi- tal employees who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UA Little Rock. There is no minimum credit hour requirement to receive the scholar- ship. Students must start classes during the fall semester and remain full-time employees during the school semester. While hospital employees may select any major at UA Little Rock, Sloan Davidson, PhD, director of the School of Nursing at UA Little Rock, hopes this new partnership will encourage employees who are interested in becoming nurses to pursue their dreams. Those who already have an LPN, paramedic, or RN license have options to com- plete the BSN program. “We hope this discount will help those ready to complete a bachelor's degree get started towards the BSN in a more cost-effective way for work- ing nurses and paramedics. The School of Nurs- ing is so glad to have UA Little Rock support this request,” Davidson said. "A career in healthcare means constantly learn- ing and growing so that our nurses have the skills and support they need to thrive in this envi- ronment,” CHI St. Vincent Chief Nurse Exec- utive Angie Longing added. “It truly is a bless- ing to have that kind of support and educational opportunities so close to home." When they apply for admission at UA Little Rock, Saline Memorial and CHI St. Vincent employees should check the box to identify themselves as a hospital employee and use the code TRO- JAN2022 to waive the application fee. No addi- tional application is needed for the tuition and fee discount. Hospital employees who are interested in the scholarship may visit ualr.edu/admissions/partner- ship for more information. Arkansas Children’s Hospital Names Kris Maddalena, MSN, as Chief Nursing Officer Arkansas Children’s Hospital has hired veteran nurse leader Kris Maddalena, MSN, BSN, as its senior vice president and chief nursing officer. Maddalena, who brings more than 15 years of nursing leadership experience to the role, will lead the largest division of Arkansas Children’s Hos- pital’s workforce. Her experience will help build, support, and leverage a nursing team already cre- ating a new era of health for Arkansas kids. Mad- dalena began serving in the position earlier this month. “Kris has a track record of fostering a culture of ownership through accountability, respect, con- tinuous improvement, and shared governance,” said Arkansas Children’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jamie Wiggins. “As chief nursing officer, she will provide clinical and administrative leadership for planning, organiz- ing, directing, monitoring, and evaluating safe and high-quality patient care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. We couldn’t be more excited to see how her leadership further strengthens our commit- ment to delivering unprecedented child health.” Maddalena returns to the region from Advent Health in Tampa, Florida, where she served as assistant chief nursing officer. Under her leader- ship, the hospital experienced improvement in physician engagement, nursing care, and over- all quality of care. Before joining Advent Health, Maddalena held several leadership positions during her tenure at SSM Health in Missouri and University of Florida Health in Jacksonville. She made significant contri- butions to operational improvement, teammem- ber development, and implementation of stan- dard work to ensure optimal quality outcomes for patients. Kris holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences. She is certified Green Belt Lean Six Sigma and holds ANCC Nurse Exec- utive board certification and AONL certification in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP). She is regis- tered by both Florida and Missouri State Boards of Nursing. CHI St. Vincent North Recognized for High-Quality Stroke Care by American Heart Association CHI St. Vincent North, home of the CHI St. Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute, has received the American Heart Association’s Sil- ver Plus Get With The Guidelines stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensur- ing stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. “By implementing the latest treatment guide- lines and best practices, CHI St. Vincent consis- tently works to ensure our patients have access to the highest quality care,” said CHI St. Vincent North President Shawn Barnett. “These steps help our patients recover better with the goal of ensuring more Arkansans can experience longer, healthier lives.” CHI St. Vincent North also received the Ameri- can Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award by meeting specific cri- teria that reduces the time between an eligible Kris Maddalena, MSN, BSN