Children's Memorial Hospital receives $1.5 million for nursing leadership endowed chair
Endowment is one of only a handful at hospitals in the U.S.
January 19, 2005 - Children's Memorial Hospital received a $1.5 million commitment from John and Posy Krehbiel to establish The Fred Love Krehbiel Chair in Nursing Excellence at the hospital. The Krehbiel gift was made in recognition of the hospital's superb nursing care and its commitment to nursing research, education and child advocacy. Chief Nurse Executive, Michelle Stephenson, RN, MSN, will be the first to hold the chair.
"John and Posy Krehbiel's gift is a significant tribute to the excellent and dedicated nurses here at Children's Memorial Hospital," said Patrick Magoon, president and CEO. "We are grateful for this recognition, which will go a long way to ensuring continued excellence in nursing leadership and nursing at Children's Memorial."
Children's Memorial Hospital was the first children's hospital and one of the first in Illinois to receive recognition for its nursing program through Magnet Award recognition. Since that time, the number of nurses interested in working at Children's Memorial has increased by 80 percent. This gives the hospital the ability to be very selective when filling open positions rapidly. At a time when other hospitals are experiencing nursing shortages, Children's Memorial currently has vacancies only in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where beds have been added.
"While endowed chairs are not uncommon for medical staff and for research, they are very rare for nurses and nursing excellence," said Michelle Stephenson, chief nurse executive. "The prestige and pride that this chair brings to the division of nursing will serve to further elevate and distinguish nursing practice at Children's Memorial."
Funds from the Krehbiel gift will be used to support excellence in nursing practice and research. Programs that will benefit include the professional development of nurses, nursing research initiatives, a recognition and reward program to support nursing practice excellence, recognition for nurses who teach and mentor others in their pediatric nursing careers, and sustaining the recently implemented registered nurse (RN) internship program for new graduate nurses entering their first nursing position.
Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago is recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country and number one in Illinois by rankings published in U.S. News & World Report. Its physicians are on the faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Children's Memorial is a not-for-profit charitable organization serving more than 94,000 children annually and is largely supported by private donations. For more information contact Erin Shields at 773.880.4348.