Joria's responsibilities tend to take her away from the bedside, but she still manages to provide direct patient care. While rounding on the unit, she does not hesitate to answer a call light or respond to an alarming IV pump. Outside of the inpatient unit, it is not uncommon for her to respond to the patient or family member who appears to be in need of assistance. On one occasion, Joria noticed an elderly couple who seemed to be awaiting transportation for an extended period of time. Without hesitation, Joria inquired if they were in need of assistance. The couple, who had been at our medical center for several hours, were quite relieved with her offer. They were fatigued and having difficulty contacting the transportation company with whom they had a reservation. Joria ensured that the transportation service was in route for this member and provided comfort and support until the transportation company arrived. The initiative that Joria took to provide for this patient and his wife were monumental during their time of need.
Joria's efforts impact the individual patient and also the larger community we serve. In the spirit of providing the best patient and family centered care, Joria continues to spear-head initiatives to improve the care of our hospitalized elders. She tirelessly seeks resources from the nursing community and evaluates their potential efficacy within KP. She has conducted training sessions for hundreds of nurses in the areas of delirium prevention, delirium assessment, pharmacological effects in the elder populations, and many other areas related to conditions of advancing aged patients. Within our facilities, Joria has generated change in the way a hospitalized patient of advanced age is provided care. These changes have resulted in a reduction of pressure ulcers, falls, foley catheter days, restraint utilization, readmission rate, and improved overall patient satisfaction rating. Through Joria's commitment and facilitation Kaiser Permanente Orange County has progressed their status as a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care of Healthsystem Elders) designated system.
Along with her great work with our elder population, Kaiser Permanente has experienced significant clinical improvements as a result of Joria's commitment to the prevention of pressure ulcer development. For the last 7 years, Joria has served as one of the nursing co-chairs of the Orange County Skin Champion committee. Through the work on this committee, an enhanced approach to risk stratification has been implemented with an emphasis of resource utilization for preventative measures. Joria has been crucial in solidifying the role of a champion and designating responsibility through an exemplar model. By taking an approach of empowering the frontline staff to be the experts of skin breakdown prevention and treatment of wounds, Kaiser Permanente Orange County has consistently outperformed the national benchmark for hospital acquired pressure ulcers.
As the Clinical Nurse Specialist for Orange County, Joria continues to represent nursing and the interest of the patients we serve in several committees including the Regional Nursing Research committee, the Pain Resource Nurse collaborative, the Hospital Re-admission team, the local Medication Safety sub-committee, Nursing Quality Council, and the Community Acquired Pneumonia committee. She participates in each endeavor with the same level of excellence, integrity, and professionalism exemplified above. Joria consistently challenges her colleagues to create systems that support the patient's autonomy and control of their health. Joria is the perfect representation of the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Vision: "Kaiser Permanente nurses advance the art and science of nursing in a patient centered healing environment through our professional practice and leadership. Extraordinary Nursing Care. Every Patient. Every Time."