Updated June 22, 2026
- CNO Corner
- News and Updates
- Awards & Recognition
- Quality Corner with VP of Nursing, Anna Gaeta, RN
- Spotlight on Women’s Health Day
- System Nursing News and Events
- Safety and Security
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CNO Corner
Posted 6/22/26
A Message from Denise Shepherd, MA, RN
Dear Team,
I want to take a moment to connect with you on an issue that touches each of our lives: nurse retention. As nurses we are the backbone of this organization, providing compassionate care and support to our patients. However, high turnover rates have the potential to disrupt the continuity of care, lead to increased stress for remaining staff and can potentially compromise patient outcomes.
It is our collective responsibility to create an environment where we all feel valued, supported, and engaged.
We recently held a series of listening sessions led by Anna Gaeta, VP of Nursing to better understand our opportunities for improvement as well as our current strengths.
While we still have much work to do to improve our daily huddles, nursing education, nursing supervision, and access to supplies and equipment; I was encouraged by the level of participation, and the strong commitment that we have to our patients, our community and The Beth.
I want to thank all the team members who participated in those sessions and provided honest, impactful feedback.
Your nursing leaders are committed to addressing the issues raised at these sessions starting with focusing on PNPC Development, evaluating the CPDIR structure, tracking daily supply needs, developing a weekend supply/equipment monitoring process, and establishing Huddle Process and Escalation/Resolution Pathways.
I encourage each of you to actively participate in initiatives that promote nurse retention, whether it's mentoring a new colleague or sharing your ideas for improving our workplace.
Sincerely,
Denise Shepherd, MA, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
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News and Updates
Posted 6/22/26
What’s New: Grant Funding Available for Stroke Care Certification
Grant Funding Available for Stroke Care Certification Prep and Exam Fees
Become a Stroke Certified RN
If you are interested in advancing your knowledge of stroke care, strengthening your expertise, and supporting high quality patient care, you may be eligible for grant support to offset the cost of enrolling in a Stroke Certification Prep course and the certification exam fees.
How to Apply:
- Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis to 17RNs
- Register for the exam by December 31, 2026
- Take the exam between December 31 – February 1 .
- Exam reimbursement is NOT CONTIGENT on successfully passing the exam.
Check out the following links.
Prep: SCRN Self-Paced Review Course | American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
Exam registration: About the SCRN Exam | ABNN Certification
E-Mail Vincent Silvestri, DNP, RN, CPHQ – AVP, Neurosciences at Vincent.silvestri@rwjbh.org if you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity to become a stroke-certified RN.
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Awards & Recognition
Posted 6/22/26
Newark Beth Israel Celebrates National Nurses Week – Nurses of the Year
Posted 6/22/26
Newark Beth Israel Celebrates National Nurses Week – Ancillary Personal and Scholarship Winners
Posted 6/22/26
Newark Beth Israel Celebrates National Nurses Week – DAISY Awards
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Quality Corner with VP of Nursing, Anna Gaeta, RN
Posted 6/22/26
Focus on Falls: The role of the RN in Fall Prevention
All patients in the hospital are at risk for a fall.
Fall prevention starts with an accurate RN assessment of a patient's risk status using The John's Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT).
The JHFRAT is an evidence-based tool that allows the RN to identify a patient at risk and the required prevention strategies.
When to complete A John Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment:
- On admission to the unit
- Upon transfer to the unit
- At every RN shift
- With any change in patient condition
- After a patient fall
Take a moment to review the Fall Risk Interventions from our System Fall Prevention Policy:
Important to remember that accurate assessment of the John Hopkins Risk Assessment is key to correct interventions.
Recently, we shared an important practice alert with our nursing team, see below:
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Spotlight on Women’s Health Day
Posted 6/22/26
Newark Beth Israel Celebrates Women’s Health Day
Every year Newark Beth Israel Medical Center presents Women’s Health Day at the Newark Airport Marriott. This year approximately 400 women gathered to learn from our medical experts, get free health screenings and enjoy the health and wellness activities.
Thank you to all the nurses who participate this year and every year, helping to empower our communities with the tools they need to live healthy.
Watch this highlight reel from the 12th Annual Women’s Health Day event.
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System Nursing News and Events
Posted 5/7/26
RWJBarnabas Health Celebrates Nurses Week
Posted 12/23/25
SBAR: Unplanned Readmission Risk Stratification Tool
On Wednesday, December 10, RWJBarnabas Health went live with the Unplanned Readmission Risk Stratification Tool in Epic. Please see the attached SBAR for details, including specific recommendations for the nursing team for decreasing the risk of readmission for high-risk patients.
Unplanned Readmission Risk Stratification Tool – SBAR (PDF)
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Safety and Security
Posted 11/20/25
Nonviolence in the Workplace
At RWJBarnabas Health, we are committed to fulfilling our vision to be the premier health care destination offering a best-in-class work experience to every member of the team. Pursing our mission starts with each of us – this is the foundation of our total wellbeing promise – Wellbeing starts with you. As part of this promise, we are committed to providing a safe environment for you, your colleagues, and our patients and visitors. Working closely with local leadership, the site and system Workplace Violence Committees, Corporate Security and local security leadership, a network of vendors and subject matter experts, and local law enforcement, we are constantly enhancing and deploying the latest security and safety capabilities.
However, your security is your responsibility too. We have a responsibility to work together as one system, one family to maintain safety across RWJBarnabas Health. Please take the opportunity to review the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Protect Together flyer for guidance and tips and be sure to stay current on your annual education including the online De-Escalation to a Safe State (DESS) module and Protect Together Workplace Violence class. Both trainings are available via the Online Learning page on the Bridge.