The Patient Safety & Quality Summit

Yvonne Washington-Turay is a Doctor of Nursing Practice who received her degree from Walden University and is a ANCC Board Certified Family Nurse Practioner. She currently works for the DC Department of Corrections in Washington, DC providing acute chronic intermediary care and evaluating and treating individuals suffering from alcohol and substance abuse disorders. Yvonne is experienced in conducting physical and mental health assessments, infectious disease prevention and acute care management.

MeChale' Johnson is the regional director for Southeastrans, a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) broker. MeChale' has 12 years experience in transportation in both the public and private sectors, with specialties in passenger safety, driver safety and training, and transportation management.  MeChale' is very passionate about customer service, including advocating for the passenger and the employee, who are customers too.

Armando Nahum is the Director of the Center for Engaging Patients as Partners at MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety. In 2006, Armando and his wife Victoria began their work in patient advocacy and engagement by establishing the Safe Care Campaign after three members of his family became infected in three different hospitals, in three different states in just 10 months, culminating with the death of his son, Josh, 27. The Nahum’s have not only turned their family’s tragedy into a positive tribute to their young son, but Armando’s educational presentations Hospital Associated Infections: What YOU Should Know and Change One Thing, Change Everything inspire hospital administrations and frontline caregivers to remind, provoke and motivate all who work in the continuum of care of their most noble challenge and moral duty to prevent these infections that annually infect more than 1.7 million and kill more than 99,000 patients in the U.S. Armando currently sits on the Georgia HAI Advisory Board and the Georgia Health and Human Services Antimicrobial Stewardship Board. Along with his wife Victoria, Marty Hatlie and Dr. Tim McDonald, Armando has launched the Healthcare and Patient Partnership Institute to effectively train hospitals to achieve the stated goals of CMS’ Partnership for Patients. Armando is a member of MedStar System Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and Safety and has been a driving force in establishing Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and Safety at each of the 10 MedStar hospitals.

Janet Jones works for Qlarant, the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the District of Columbia and is currently the Task Lead for the Care Coordination task for the 11^th Scope of Work (SoW). Janet has worked for the QIO for nine years. Her current responsibilities are working with hospitals and all types of health care providers to form a multi-stakeholder coalition to identify root causes of readmissions and select interventions to address these problems. Janet has also served as the program manager for the Every Diabetic Counts project in the 9^th SoW and managed five staff members. Additionally she held the position of director for the Integrating Care for Populations and Communities in the 10th SoW contract with a staff of four. In addition to her nine years of quality improvement work, Janet was a clinical dietitian for 27 years and practiced as a certified diabetes educator for 23 years. She continues to provide diabetes education on a part time basis when there is an opportunity. 

Deneen Williams is a woman of many talents. Creative and driven, there is absolutely nothing that holds her back when she is determined to make something happen. Deneen has always been able to see a need, fulfill it, and achieve her dreams. In her career, and life, she puts both her analytical and creative “brains” to expert use. She loves and finds joy in creating unique products and services that serve and delight others. As an entrepreneur, she has created products and services working as a technologist, and inventor. Deneen is also a proven visionary and strategic leader, with a proven track record for delivering quality service, motivating diverse teams, and executing programs and projects in various industries throughout the federal government and private sector. Originally from South Carolina, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science from the University of South Carolina. She earned a Master’s in Science Degree in Management Information Systems from Bowie State University. As a results-driven information technology (IT) and program management professional, she possesses more than 30 years of experience transforming everyday business needs into practical solutions. She has held strategic positions at small, mid-size, and large businesses including IBM, PricewaterhouseCooper, Booz Allen Hamilton, CGI Federal, Creative Business Solutions, Priwils, Inc. (CEO), and Helena Deneen (CEO). In addition to her business pursuits, Deneen is also a leader in her community. She is Co-leader of the AQIN-DC Beneficiary and Family Advisory Council, Patient Advisor to the DC/MD QIO since 2011, Missionary Board Member in the AME church; Top Ladies of Distinction, Status of Women Chair, and a member of other community organizations.

Dr. Jennifer Thomas serves as the Qlarant project manager for medication safety projects for the District of Columbia Atlantic Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization. Her work entails collaboration across multiple aims where medication issues are relevant including: antimicrobial stewardship and HAI reductions, falls prevention, reducing antipsychotic use in nursing homes, improving immunization rates and medication reconciliation and ADEs in transitions of care. Dr. Thomas is an active member of several professional pharmacy state and national organizations and participates in the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) quality measure development workgroup, and is current Co-Chair of PQA Stakeholder Advisory Panel B. She is a member of the ImmunizeDC Coalition and Chair, ImmunizeDC Special Projects Committee. She is the Co-Chair, Antimicrobial Stewardship Subcommittee, DC Healthcare Acquired Infection Advisory taskforce. She Chairs the  Maryland Pharmacist Association Health Information Technology/Exchange workgroup and coordinates a community pharmacist pilot access project to the health information exchange, CRISP, for eight pharmacies including one DC community pharmacy. Dr. Thomas received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Auburn University and completed post-doctoral residency and fellowship training.

Dr. Abiy Getahun, PharmD. is the Care Transitions and Emergency Department Pharmacist for George Washington University Hospital and leads the medication reconciliation quality improvement initiative incorporating pharmacy student interns as integral members of the team. He is responsible for compiling reporting results for internal hospital medication safety and quality meetings and has presented results of the GWUH medication reconciliation QI project during the 2017 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Mid-year meeting. 

Eujin Ahn, PharmD. is a Shenandoah University graduate who had an opportunity to work with Dr. Getahun in the medication reconciliation quality improvement initiative during her last year rotation at George Washington University Hospital. She developed the GWUH Care Transitions medication review on discharge forms and documentation. Since then, she realized the importance of medication reconciliation and grew her passion for medication reconciliation for patient safety. 

Melissa Eades, RN has served as The George Washington University Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse Manager for the past 16 years. She served as the ICU Nurse Lead for the AHRQ Safety Program on behalf of her facility. She leverages her frontline nursing expertise and desire to connect with like-ICUs across the region in pursuit of performance improvement opportunities and best practice identification.  During a recent DC Healthcare-Associated Infection Advisory Committee meeting, Ms. Eades presented on the GWUH action plan for a Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) reduction initiative.