During a stay at St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital of Savannah, state Rep. Bob Bryant (D-Garden City) was impressed by the treatment he received from two nurses, Amber Foster and Detrice Oglesby.

As a result, he introduced a resolution on the �oor of the Georgia House of Representatives to commend them for their excellent care (HR 1181).

In summary, the resolution states, "Whereas, no matter what advances there are in medical technology, absolutely nothing can substitute for the human touch, and Ms. Amber Foster and Ms. Detrice Oglesby, two most remarkable nurses at Candler Hospital in Savannah, understand this better than anybody."

EXPERT NURSE: The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers recently named Sheila Mobley, RN, MSCN, as an expert MS professional. Mobley works at the Augusta Multiple Sclerosis Center, a joint venture of the Medical College of Georgia Neuroscience Center and Walton Rehabilitation Hospital.

Mobley has been a nurse clinician at the Augusta MS Center for five years and a neurology nurse for 21 years. A certi.ed MS nurse and member of the International Association of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses, she has served on several MS advisory boards and is a frequent speaker at MS patient-education seminars.

DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST: The national Hepatitis B Foundation has presented the Distinguished Scientist Award 2006 to Dr. Raymond F. Schinazi, professor of pediatrics and director of the laboratory of biochemical pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine.

Schinazi was honored with the foundation's highest scienti.c award for his contributions to the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and his strong commitment to finding a cure for this chronic liver disease.

"It is estimated that as many as 70 percent of all people treated for HIV and HBV have been treated with a drug discovered all or in part by Dr. Schinazi, a record not equaled by any other university scientist," said Timothy M. Block, Ph.D., president of the Hepatitis B Foundation.

Six of Schinazi's drug discoveries are now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or are in clinical development.

JOB ADVICE: Kathy Lumpkins, RN, has written a booklet of tips to help new graduate nurses (2,300 expected in Georgia this year) land their first jobs. A copy of .Pinning Today, Paychecks Tomorrow: 129 Tips for New Grad Nurses. is available by writing to JobJolts, P.O. Box 604, Carrollton, GA 30112. Include $5 for booklet and a self-addressed business envelope with 78 cents postage.

CCNE ACCREDITATION: The Brenau University Department of Nursing in Gainesville has received noti.cation that the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education has granted the undergraduate program with full accreditation.

Brenau's Nursing Department previously was accredited by the National League of Nurses Accreditation Commission, Wilborn said.

Brenau University offers a full- and part-time undergraduate nursing programs. The part-time program was launched in January 2004.

ACCELERATED MASTER'S PROGRAM: The Medical College of Georgia in Augusta will offer an accelerated master's of nursing program, beginning with the fall 2006 semester. The 16-month program will allow students with baccalaureate or higher degrees in nonnursing fields to obtain a master's degree in general nursing.

It's the first accelerated master's-level nursing program in Georgia and the fourth in the Southeast. MCG will collaborate with MCG Health Inc. and the University Health System in Augusta to provide education and clinical residencies.

Applicants must have bachelor's degrees and have completed courses in anatomy and physiology, microbiology and chemistry. The program requires full-time enrollment and is available only at the Augusta campus.

Students will take courses in a range of nursing topics, with three semesters of classroom and clinical instruction and one semester of clinical residency. Graduates will be prepared to take the registered nurse licensure examination.

Applications are being accepted for the fall 2006 class. For information, visit www.mcg.edu/son/cnl or call Lori Schumacher at 706-721-9558.

REPEAT MAGNET DESIGNATION: About 950 nurses on the two hospital campuses of St. Joseph's/ Candler of Savannah are celebrating re-designation as magnet facilities for nursing excellence this year.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center created the magnet designation in 1994 as the highest level of recognition for organized nursing services in health care communities. The distinction puts the hospital system in the top 3 percent for nursing performance of the nearly 6,000 hospitals in the United States.

TOP 100 HOSPITALS: St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta has been named a 100 Top Hospital National by Solucient, a source of information products for the health care industry.

St. Joseph's has earned the distinction as 100 Top Hospital Cardiovascular six times. This is the first time the facility has earned both distinctions, making St. Joseph's one of only 14 hospitals in the country to make both lists.

Piedmont Fayette Hospital also was named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals by Solucient. Piedmont Fayette, which has earned the distinction for three consecutive years, is the only midsize hospital in Georgia to be named in the 2005 study.

RESPIRATORY CARE AWARD: The American Association for Respiratory Care has named Gwinnett Hospital System as a Quality Respiratory Care Institute for 2006. Only about 500 of the 5,000 hospitals in the nation receive this recognition.

The hospital was required to meet stringent guidelines, including having a staff of state-certified respiratory care specialists on call 24 hours a day.

STROKE CERTIFIED: DeKalb Medical Center has earned primary stroke center certi.cation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. According to the JCAHO, the certification is the "best signal to your community that the quality of care you provide is effectively managed to meet the unique and specialized needs of stroke patients."

DeKalb Medical Center has teamed up with VHA Inc. to implement a hospital-based program to address all aspects of stroke care - prevention, detection and treatment.

DeKalb Medical Center is also the .rst hospital in the country to earn the JCAHO Gold Seal of Approval for care of ventilator patients. The JCAHO awarded the 76-bed hospital in downtown Decatur its disease-specific care certi.cation for respiratory failure with a patient on a ventilator.

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