Two Saint Francis Healthcare team members were honored by the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) at the recent 80th Annual Meeting in Nashville. The Annual Meeting is THA’s largest membership meeting, which focuses on educational and networking opportunities for healthcare professionals. The three-day conference, which took place Oct. 17-19, kicked off with the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety’s Leadership Summit, a day that focused on quality improvement efforts in the states’ hospitals. The conference recognized the work of the industry and the integral role hospitals play in shaping individual lives and communities and culminated Friday with the 2018 THA Awards of Excellence.

Each year, the THA conducts the Awards of Excellence recognition program to honor individuals and organizations that have contributed toward the goals of the association or one or more of its institutional members. Awards are presented in six categories: distinguished service, meritorious service, nurse of distinction, healthcare hero, patient safety leadership and diversity champion. Within the meritorious service category, awards are presented to the following: chief executive officer, senior executive, department head, board member, medical staff and volunteer. Two other award categories are for patient safety leadership and the diversity champion.

This year’s award recipients for the categories of healthcare hero and nurse leader are two members of the Saint Francis Healthcare team – Dairn Zachary and Karen Hampton.

HEALTHCARE HERO Dairn Zachary Chest Pain Coordinator Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett Bartlett, Tenn.

Dairn Zachary performed CPR on a man she and her daughter came upon in a church parking lot one weekend. When paramedics arrived, she explained the situation and helped establish a heart rhythm before they took him to a hospital. She later learned the man had suffered a three-vessel occlusion and passed away. However, he never would have had a chance to survive without her willingness to stop and help a stranger.

NURSE LEADER Karen Hampton Director, Emergency Services/Chest Pain/Stroke/Sepsis Saint Francis Hospital Memphis, Tenn.

During her tenure at Saint Francis Hospital, Karen Hampton has reduced emergency department throughput times by 30 percent and saw a 35 percent reduction in walkout patients. In addition, she implemented cost reductions by purposefully decreasing registered nurse turnover and has nearly eliminated the use of agency contracted registered nurses. She also has implemented safety protocols that include processes for managing potential violence in the workplace.

“I am incredibly proud of these two ladies who both exemplify extraordinary character and limitless capability in their pursuit of delivering the highest quality care,” said Dr. Audrey Gregory, Market CEO, Saint Francis Healthcare. “I consider it a privilege to have these two individuals as members of our Saint Francis family, and these awards in recognition of their above and beyond service are well deserved.”