The Hearst Foundations
The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources for organizations working in culture, education, health and
social services. They have given more than $1 million to Children’s Hospital Colorado since 1990 to help us elevate the
Children’s Colorado Division of Nursing. We thank them for recognizing nurses as pillars of strength in our daily practice of
specialized pediatric healthcare.
The William Hearst Foundations funded the new Hearst Nurse Scholars Program that provided financial support to six nurse
leaders in 2019 who are currently completing or planning to complete graduate studies in order to acquire the educational
and theoretical foundations necessary to lead. Congratulations to:
• Michelle Chiodini, RN, BSN, CCRN
• Lauren Dreiling, BSN, RN, CEN
• Kelly Miller, MS, RN, CPHON
• Donnya Mogensen, MS, RN-BC
• Anthony Watkins, BSN, RN
• Yonnia Waggoner, RN BSN CFRN CMTE
KIND Scholarship Recipients
Cindy McConnell was a pediatric nurse for 30 years, 25 of which were here at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She worked
nearly everywhere in the hospital, from oncology to ambulatory. Even as she fought and ultimately lost her own battle with
cancer, her dedication to her work and the families at Children’s Colorado never wavered. She was deeply passionate about
nurses getting national certification in their nursing specialty, and she wanted everyone to have an opportunity to receive the
necessary education to advance their career.
In memory of Cindy and with sincere gratitude for her contributions to our organization, the Children’s Hospital Colorado
Foundation and the Division of Nursing & Patient Care Services established the KIND Scholarship to promote and support
nursing continuing education, especially for those entering the work force. Four scholarships were awarded in 2019:
• Ana Cristina Estrada Lobo
• Ashlie Powell-Kornbrust
• China Opland
• Susie Mclain
Five scholarships will be awarded in 2020, each up to $1,000. Employees can apply for the KIND Scholarship if they:
- Are enrolled in an accredited baccalaureate nursing program or an accredited nursing related certification course
- Have an ASN and are seeking their BSN
- Have a BSN and are seeking a certification
2019 Quality Improvement (QI)
Symposium Winner
The Fifth Annual Quality Improvement Symposium, presented by the Center for Clinical and Operational Excellence (CCOE)
Committee, was held on October 8, 2019. The Symposium showcased 64 impressive quality improvement strategies
that took place across Children’s Hospital Colorado’s system of care. The winning poster presentation was for Improving
Admission Process and Decreasing Length of Stay for High Dose Methotrexate Admissions, an initiative within the CCBD that
helped decrease the average length of stay in the inpatient unit from 89.51 hours to 77.38 hours for patients diagnosed with
osteosarcoma and leukemia receiving high-dose methotrexate. The initiative was led by the following team members:
• Virginia Borunda, BSN, RN, CPHON, Clinical Nurse
Care Coordinator
• Julie Bradley, BSN, RN, CPHON, Clinical Nurse
Care Coordinator
• Nikki (Nicole) Benedict, BSN, RN, CPHON, Clinical Nurse
• Claire Stokes, MD, Medical Fellow; Level VI Resident
• Laurel Heath, PNP, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Mya Merrow, PharmD, Pharmacist
• Nicole Kaiser, PharmD, Pharmacist
• Rebecca (Becky) Coughlin, M.Ed., Process
Improvement Specialist
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