School Notes: School of Nursing
March/April 2011

Professor’s child safety report leads to increased funding

A report co-authored by YSN associate professor Angela Crowley and Yale School of Medicine researcher Marjorie S. Rosenthal ’95MD has led to increased state funding to strengthen safety measures in Connecticut day-care facilities, specifically to address how medications are administered and assess playground hazards. The 2009 study analyzed 1,400 reports of unannounced inspections of licensed day-care facilities by the state Department of Public Health (DPH). “Many centers were giving medicines but not all centers had providers that were trained and not all medicines were always labeled or locked and out of children’s reach,” Crowley explained. “We also found that only 20 percent of family child-care providers were trained to give medicines.” As a result, the state Department of Social Services (DSS) has allocated $200,000 of stimulus money to hire nurse consultants to conduct a medication-administration training program. The report also found that 48 percent of day-care facilities had hazardous playgrounds. In response, DSS has allocated another $775,000 of stimulus money to hire inspectors and provide grants for safety enhancements.

Professor named editor-in-chief of cardiovascular journal

Nancy Redeker, YSN associate dean of scholarly affairs, has accepted the position of editor-in-chief of Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care. She is the journal’s former associate editor and succeeds Kathleen Stone, who served as editor for more than 15 years. For more than 20 years, Redeker has researched symptoms and quality of life for cardiac patients. Her most recent studies include the consequences of sleep disorders among patients with cardiovascular disorders. Professor Redeker is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Heart Association and the president of the Eastern Nursing Research Society.

Director of development focuses on financial aid

Steve Varley, who was appointed director of development and alumnae/i affairs at YSN last fall, has an extensive background in development and alumni relations. As director, Varley supports the engagement of alumnae/i and friends in the work of advancing YSN. “I don’t want any person who could enroll at YSN, and later become a nurse-leader for the next generation, to be deterred by the cost,” stated Varley. “Financial aid is a huge part of the enrollment equation.”