logo
Cooley Dickinson names new president, chief operating officer

Cooley Dickinson names new president, chief operating officer

Yahoo29-01-2025

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – A new president and chief operating officer (PCOO) has been named for Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH).
Coca-Cola bottling plant in Northampton extends operation
Starting on March 15th, Kevin Whitney, DNP, RN, of Southampton will begin his new role as PCOO. Whitney has over 34 years of experience in healthcare and is a seasoned clinician a leader in both community and academic medical center settings.
Whitney will oversee hospital operations, inpatient and outpatient clinical care including the VNA and Hospice, budgeting and operating performance in his new role. He is currently the vice president of Community Operations for the MGB Community Division. Since last May, he has also been serving as interim vice president, Patient Care Services (PCS) and chief nursing officer (CNO) for CDH.
Whitney served as the senior vice president, PCS and CNO for Newton-Wellesley Hospital from 2017 through 2022. From 2011 through 2017, he also served as the associate chief nurse for Surgical, Orthopedics and Neurosciences at Massachusetts General Hospital. Before going to MGB, he worked at Emerson Hospital for 20 years serving in clinical and leadership roles, including vice president, PCS and CNO.
'I am confident in Kevin's ability to lead CDH in delivering the safest, highest-quality care and an exceptional experience for patients,' said CarolAnn Williams, president, Mass General Brigham Community Division and senior vice president, Operations, Mass General Brigham.
His Doctor of Nursing Practice, Executive Leadership was earned at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, a Master of Arts, Health Care Administration, from Framingham State University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and an Associate of Science in Paramedic Technology from Northeastern University. Whitney is board certified as a Nurse Executive-Advanced (NEA-BC), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) and is a part of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

United Way hosts diaper drive to aid families in need
United Way hosts diaper drive to aid families in need

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

United Way hosts diaper drive to aid families in need

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region (UWFH) is sponsoring a diaper drive for families in need through June 30. SNAP and WIC cannot be used to buy diapers, and can cost as much as $100 per month per child, with prices continuing to rise. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont and the Greater Boston Food Bank, around 36% of Massachusetts families with young children could not afford enough diapers for their children. Youth in Springfield showcase mental health in photo exhibit UWFH is looking to collect 20,000 diapers to distribute to 14 local agencies in their service area for families in need. While they accept all brands and sizes, donors are asked to give larger diaper sizes for children that are often harder to come by at local pantries, specifically sizes 4, 5, and 6, as well as pull-up training pants. There will be a standout on Saturday, June 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Stop & Shop in Northampton and Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Stop & Shop in Greenfield, where donations will be accepted. Greenfield Savings Bank is sponsoring the diaper driver and is matching all monetary donations up to $10,000. Online donations can be made WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Youth in Springfield showcase mental health in photo exhibit
Youth in Springfield showcase mental health in photo exhibit

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Youth in Springfield showcase mental health in photo exhibit

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Local youth with the Gandara Center in Springfield use photography to spark conversations about mental health. Why is this attraction billboard on I-91 in Springfield blank? Called 'Rooted in Change, United in Growth,' the youth-led photo exhibit took place at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Springfield. The center invited the public to see powerful visual stories connecting underage gambling, health struggles, and peer pressure. Organizers told 22News that it's more than just an art exhibition, it's a call to action. 'And they are given the opportunity to take photos and captions about messaging in their community, so this is the showcase of the change they want to see in their community, what's happening in their community. It's all about youth voices and they matter,' said Priscilla Martinez-Munoz of the Gandara Center. if you missed the exhibit, you can continue to follow the work of these local young artists on Gandara's Instagram account. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nurse Practitioner Identity and Recognition Key to Success
Nurse Practitioner Identity and Recognition Key to Success

Medscape

timea day ago

  • Medscape

Nurse Practitioner Identity and Recognition Key to Success

Over time, the public has begun increasingly recognizing and embracing nurse practitioners as healthcare providers. Perhaps that's not surprising, with more than 385,000 licensed nurse practitioners delivering care in the United States. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics even includes nurse practitioners among what it says will be the top 20 fastest growing occupations in the United States from 2023 to 2033. And nurse practitioners are increasingly common in rural areas, where physician shortages persist. 'I think we've come a long way,' said Ulrike Muench, PhD, MSN, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco's School of Nursing. 'Patients are more used to seeing nurse practitioners now for their primary care needs.' She continued, 'But at the same time, I think many times that people are not aware if they are seeing a doctor or seeing a nurse practitioner.' Many experts agree there's still room for improvement when it comes to nurse practitioners getting recognized for their unique role. 'I think we should be recognized as nurse practitioners, practicing at the full scope of our licenses, practicing as an integral part of the healthcare team,' said Kelly Keefe Marcoux, PhD, CPNP-AC, PPCNP-BC, CCRN, an executive board member for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Creating a New Professional Identity The first people who must recognize the unique identity of nurse practitioners are the people who become nurse practitioners themselves. Although their role is informed by the nursing perspective, it's still a new role. And, as they transition into it, they have to make a mental shift. 'You're so invested as a bedside nurse. You're very competent at that point. You know what you're doing and the expectations and how to deliver on them,' said Keefe Marcoux. 'Then you become a nurse practitioner and all of a sudden, your responsibility shifts.' Marcoux, who has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for 30 years, remembers making that shift. For example, instead of maintaining central lines, Keefe Marcoux found herself inserting central lines. She was no longer giving antibiotics; she was deciding when antibiotics were necessary for patients and which antibiotics to prescribe. 'It's a very different perspective,' she said. Rhoda Owens, PhD, RN It does take some time to make that mental shift, noted Rhoda Owens, PhD, RN, president of the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing and an associate professor at the University of North Dakota. Her own research found that it took new rural nurse practitioners a year after finishing their formal education to begin to really feel like a nurse practitioner. Plus, as the authors of a 2021 study in Nurse Education in Practice noted, maturity in thinking and experience will continue to drive a nurse's professional identity over time. '[P]rofessional identity is a dynamic and flexible process leading to a growth in understanding about professional practice and a commitment to the profession,' they wrote. Finding a mentor can also help nurse practitioners as they develop and nurture their professional identity, according to Anne Derouin, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, vice dean of academic and student affairs and clinical professor at the Duke University School of Nursing in Durham, North Carolina. 'This mentor could be a physician colleague who says, 'I want you to come work with me.' But it can also be another advanced practice nurse who's already in that role,' she said. 'They should definitely think of their (nursing school) faculty as mentors, too.' 'We're Not Physicians' One challenge that has persisted: the comparison of nurse practitioners to physicians. Both are considered providers, in that they both provide patient care. But the training requirements are different, and the approach toward care is different. Carole Mackavey, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C 'We're not physicians,' said Carole Mackavey, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C, master's program coordinator and the post master's nursing education track coordinator at the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, Texas. 'We don't try to be physicians, and we don't think we are. But we can fill a role in primary care as a very valuable member of the healthcare team.' Added Keefe Marcoux, 'We are our own entity, providing a very valuable service.' Many nurse practitioners explain that they consider themselves partners with physicians, not replacements. 'We are in this together, and we have a unified goal of providing care to everyone who needs it,' said Derouin. She often explains that partnership to patients and families, letting them know if they want to see a physician, she can connect them with one. Healthcare system leadership can help alleviate some confusion and ensure that nurse practitioners are recognized for what they do — and that patients understand that nurse practitioners are educated and prepared to provide care. 'I think it's really important that the facility they work for portrays them as a provider,' said Owens. That includes making sure that everyone, from the leaders to the physicians to the medical assistants to the receptionists, understands and uses the appropriate language to refer to nurse practitioners. 'I think just using that terminology will help,' Owens said. Another Complicating Factor Another complicating factor is the lack of consistency for what nurse practitioners are legally able to do, noted Mackavey. 'There is no standard scope of practice,' she said. 'It varies from one state to another.' Nurse practitioners now have full practice authority in 28 states, meaning they're not required to work under a supervising physician. But even in those states, they are not guaranteed equal reimbursement for the same services as provided by a physician. In the wake of COVID-19, many began calling for reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners, noting that the pandemic illustrated how the temporary removal of restrictions to practice led to greater access to care for more people. For example, in 2022, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners issued a statement, saying, 'NPs are recognized as independently licensed providers of primary, specialty, and acute care and have demonstrated the ability to provide high-quality health care and incur the same overhead costs as physicians providing care to patients. Therefore, it is imperative that NPs be reimbursed commensurate with physicians for the services they deliver across all federal, state, and health care agency payers and settings, including telehealth.' Advocates continue to call for legislation to enable nurse practitioners to be able to practice at the top of their scope of practice and training, which research suggests is necessary to provide access to quality healthcare. Their education and preparation are what should enable them to have full practice authority, they say. 'It should not vary by state, but rather the education, certification, and experience of nurse practitioner practice (that) prepares them for full practice authority,' said Keefe Marcoux.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store