Nora R Hennecken
March 2023
Nora R
Hennecken
,
JD, BSN, RN, PMH-BC
Employee Health (current)
Western State Hospital
Lakewood
,
WA
United States
If you ask the staff about Nora she is recognized for her kindness, care, and sincerity.
It is my distinct honor to nominate Ms. Nora Hennecken, BSN, RN, PMH-BC for the DAISY Award for Leaders. Nora served as the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer of the old unified Western State Hospital from September 2019 to August 2020 when the hospital was split into two hospitals: the Gage Center of Forensic Excellence and the Civil Center of Excellence.
Nora became the Chief Nursing Officer for the Civil Center of Excellence a post she held from September 2020 to November 2022. During these times Nora gave back to the hospital and to the nursing staff in ways both big and small. If you ask the staff about Nora she is recognized for her kindness, care, and sincerity. She unfailingly sends Thank You cards for accomplishments big and small to all nursing staff. When the air conditioning goes out, she buys popsicles for patients and staff to help them stay cool. When an event happens and Incident Command needs to be instituted, she buys food for the people staffing Incident Command. This is important because the hospitals do not have a cafeteria for staff to buy meals.
Nora is one of the first people to round on wards after critical incidents have occurred. After identifying that Western State Hospital has lost staff to other hospitals that offer higher yearly salaries, she put together a document that highlights why the State of Washington Retirement System outshines other retirement plans in the private sector. Nora created Client Information Sheets a one-page, brief overview of each patient on the ward, their triggers, and their coping mechanisms. This increased safety by having all team members and those who float to the ward aware of the most up-to-date information about each patient.
She initiated RN4 oversight of seclusion and restraint paperwork: they now audit each episode and submit written findings. This has resulted in vastly improved reports from quality, and very few deficits in charting noted. She created a 3-week alternate plan of care for a violent patient, including off-ward intensive treatment and retraining of staff which resulted in improved patient behavior and less fear from staff when working directly with the patient. She was requested and presented at a national conference of Chief Nursing Officers on “Sustaining and Retaining the Nurse Workforce”, representing Western State Hospital. Nora Hennecken represents the highest caliber of leadership in nursing and is most deserving of this award.
Nora became the Chief Nursing Officer for the Civil Center of Excellence a post she held from September 2020 to November 2022. During these times Nora gave back to the hospital and to the nursing staff in ways both big and small. If you ask the staff about Nora she is recognized for her kindness, care, and sincerity. She unfailingly sends Thank You cards for accomplishments big and small to all nursing staff. When the air conditioning goes out, she buys popsicles for patients and staff to help them stay cool. When an event happens and Incident Command needs to be instituted, she buys food for the people staffing Incident Command. This is important because the hospitals do not have a cafeteria for staff to buy meals.
Nora is one of the first people to round on wards after critical incidents have occurred. After identifying that Western State Hospital has lost staff to other hospitals that offer higher yearly salaries, she put together a document that highlights why the State of Washington Retirement System outshines other retirement plans in the private sector. Nora created Client Information Sheets a one-page, brief overview of each patient on the ward, their triggers, and their coping mechanisms. This increased safety by having all team members and those who float to the ward aware of the most up-to-date information about each patient.
She initiated RN4 oversight of seclusion and restraint paperwork: they now audit each episode and submit written findings. This has resulted in vastly improved reports from quality, and very few deficits in charting noted. She created a 3-week alternate plan of care for a violent patient, including off-ward intensive treatment and retraining of staff which resulted in improved patient behavior and less fear from staff when working directly with the patient. She was requested and presented at a national conference of Chief Nursing Officers on “Sustaining and Retaining the Nurse Workforce”, representing Western State Hospital. Nora Hennecken represents the highest caliber of leadership in nursing and is most deserving of this award.