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Memorial Hermann Fort Bend Hospital Deemed “Nurse-Friendly”

Houston, Texas – Memorial Hermann Fort Bend Hospital recently became the first Houston-area facility to earn the Nurse-Friendly Hospital designation from the Texas Nurses Association (TNA). Only five other hospitals in the state hold this distinction.

The Nurse-Friendly program encourages hospitals to adopt and meet 12 criteria required for an ideal nursing environment. These measures emphasize the valuable contribution nurses make in providing safe, high-quality patient care.

“In order for our patients to continue to have the best possible clinical outcomes and exceptional experiences, we need the best nurses,” said Rod Brace, CEO of Memorial Hermann Fort Bend Hospital. “The cream of the nursing crop can get jobs anywhere. But they’re here at Memorial Hermann Fort Bend because we have successfully created a work environment that makes our nurses happy and encourages them to be the best they can be.”

The TNA presented the Nurse-Friendly recognition to Memorial Hermann Fort Bend Hospital during the recent Nursing Leadership Conference in Austin.

“A core team worked diligently to help us meet the rigorous criteria for this designation, because we know attracting and retaining exceptional nurses is a key to top-quality patient care,” said chief nursing officer Susan White, RN. Members of that team included: human resources director Patsy Jones; operations administrator Elfriede Salisbury, RN, MSN, CEN, CNS; director of quality and risk management Penny Warner, RN; director of perinatal services, Felicia Lane, RN; perinatal services nurse Denise Austin, RN; director of emergency services Pam Schaeper-Noe, RN; and hospital education resources specialist Christie Jacobus, RN, BSN, M.Ed LPC.

“ If every hospital in Texas achieved the Nurse-Friendly designation, we could make a significant impact on the nursing shortage by retaining more nurses in the workforce,” said Mary Wainwrite, MS, RN, deputy director of the East Texas Area Health Education Center.

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