Sparrow Health System President and CEO James Dover congratulates Sparrow Hospital Emergency Department nurse Jennifer Brandt on her MHA Keystone Center Speak Up! Award.
Sparrow Hospital Emergency Department nurse Jennifer Brandt (fourth from right) stands with members of her Sparrow Emergency Department family at a ceremony presenting her with the MHA Keystone Center Speak Up! Award.
Published: October 21, 2021
LANSING, MI – The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center honored Jennifer Brandt, an Emergency Department registered nurse at Sparrow Hospital, today (Oct. 21) with the quarterly MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award.
Brandt was caring for a pediatric patient scheduled to be discharged from the emergency department based on lab results. However, Brandt noticed that the patient’s condition appeared to be declining and suggested that the patient be admitted to the hospital. The physician assistant agreed with Brandt’s recommendation, and the patient was admitted to the pediatric unit with subsequent transfer to the pediatric intensive care unit, where the patient was treated for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C is a rare but serious condition that occurs after a COVID-19 exposure or infection that can lead to inflammation of vital organs.
“I’m extremely honored to receive this award, but even more so happy that we were able to correctly diagnose our patient and make sure the patient received the care that they needed,” said Brandt. “We have a culture at Sparrow Hospital that makes me comfortable to speak up, which helps ensure our patients receive the best care.”
Launched in March 2016, the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award acknowledges individuals or teams within MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization hospitals who speak up to prevent potential harm to patients or other staff members. The award fosters a culture within healthcare organizations that empowers staff to speak up about the quality or safety of patient care.
“What Jennifer did is what we want all members of our care teams to do if they feel like something may not be right,” said Karen Kent VanGorder, MD, chief medical and quality officer, Sparrow Health System. “The past few months have been extremely busy and taxing on the staff of Sparrow Hospital’s emergency department, but we are blessed to have healthcare heroes like Jennifer caring for patients every day.”
Additional award finalists for the third quarter of 2021 include:
- Logan Bixman, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital
- Shelah Perry, McLaren Health Care
- Carrie Schmoekel, Covenant HealthCare
“Establishing a safety culture that empowers staff to speak up is one very important way that hospitals throughout Michigan are improving safety and quality for their patients,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “We are thrilled to recognize Jennifer and Sparrow Hospital for her actions that ensured a child received the care they needed for a very serious disease.”
Specifics on the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award, including criteria and a nomination form, are available online.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Charlotte, St. Johns, Ionia and Carson City as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group, the Michigan Athletic Club, and AL!VE. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.