Amanda Hubbard, a recent nursing graduate of Kennesaw State University, has had a busy summer. In her weight class, she placed second in the USA National Weightlifting Championships and third in the World University Games.
Amanda Hubbard, a recent graduate of Kennesaw State University's nursing program, placed second in the 58-kilogram (128 pounds) class at the USA National Weightlifting Championships in Shreveport, La., last month. Because of her strong showing, Hubbard qualified for the world championships in October in the Dominican Republic.
In July, Hubbard, 23, took third place in weightlifting at the ninth World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. Hubbard achieved a snatch of 178 pounds and a clean-and-jerk of 218 pounds for a total of 396 pounds.
Hubbard has a national ranking of seventh in all weight classes.
NEW CNO: Susan Mitchell Grant, a career nurse and administrator with more than 20 years of experience, has been named chief nursing officer for Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.
Most recently, Grant served as senior associate administrator for patient care services and chief nursing officer at the University of Washington Medical Center and as assistant dean for practice at the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle. She was responsible for inpatient, surgical, emergency and patient care services and clinical information systems.
Grant served as a staff nurse in the coronary care unit at Emory University Hospital from 1984 to 1987.
"I am honored and very excited to have been selected as the chief nursing officer for Emory Healthcare," Grant said. "As a staff nurse at Emory, my ideas and image of professional nursing practice were shaped by the outstanding nurses I worked with who upheld high standards and excellence in nursing practice."
WELLSTAR HOSPITALS HONORED: Health care financial consulting firm Cleverley & Associates has recognized WellStar Cobb Hospital in Austell as one of the top 100 community-value hospitals in its State of the Hospital Industry 2006 report.
The report analyzes selected measures of hospital financial performance and discusses the critical factors that lie behind them. The publication focuses on the U.S. acute-care hospital industry during a three-year period (2002-04).
"A hospital's value to the community it serves is based on the cost and quality of the services provided. The physicians, team members and volunteers at WellStar Cobb Hospital focus every day on providing world-class health care to our patients, and I am delighted to see the hospital receive this hard-earned recognition," said Randy Cook, vice president and administrator.
WellStar Douglas Hospital in Douglasville also was cited in the report; it was named a five-star community-value hospital. The rating means that WellStar Douglas was ranked in the report's top quintile.
DMC THIRD-TIME WINNER: For the third consecutive year, DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur was named one of the 100 Most Improved and Most Wired hospitals in the country, according to the 2006 Most Wired Survey in the July issue of Hospitals and Health Networks magazine.
According to the survey, the most wired hospitals are those that help consumers take care of their health by providing more tools via the Internet. They also use information technology to improve care by streamlining business and clinical practice; reducing medical errors; and improving clinical outcomes.
"Being named to this prestigious list for the third consecutive year affirms DeKalb Medical Center's dedication to patient safety and quality of care through technology," said Cynthia Davis, vice president and chief information officer.
MCG EARNS BLUE DISTINCTION: The cardiovascular and transplant services at MCG Health System in Augusta have earned the Blue Distinction designation from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. The nationwide program that recognizes clinical excellence has two goals: to help consumers make more informed decisions and to collaborate with health care providers to improve outcomes and affordability.
"We selected each of the [Blue Distinction] centers based on rigorous evaluation of clinical data that provides insight into each facility's structure, processes and care outcomes. Participating hospitals and health systems must meet stringent requirements based on objective clinical and quality data — not claims or administrative data," said Caz Matthews, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia.
NURSING RESEARCHER: The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has appointed its first associate dean for research. Kenneth Hepburn, Ph.D., will develop the school's growing nursing research program and serve as education core director of Emory's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
"Dr. Hepburn played a major leadership role in developing a very vibrant research agenda during his tenure at the University of Minnesota," said Marla E. Salmon, Sc.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the nursing school. "This is an enormous achievement for the school that holds great promise for the advancement of nursing research at Emory."
NEW DIRECTOR: Tanya F. Hughes, RNC, MSN, is the new director of labor and delivery/antepartum care for Emory Healthcare/Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. Hughes has an extensive background in labor and delivery and high-risk perinatal care.
Hughes, who is certified in inpatient obstetrics, holds a master's degree in nursing with a specialization in advanced care leadership and management from Kennesaw State University, a bachelor's of science in nursing from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and an associate's of applied science in nursing from Phillips County Community College in Arkansas.
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