Special Delivery to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children by The Networks Program

Wilmington, Delaware
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 @ 04:41 PM EDT
by: Alison Burris
(302) 651-6396
email: aburris@Nemours.org

Wilmington, DE – Over a dozen smiling teens visited Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children on April 30. No, they weren’t there for medical reasons. These students in the Christina School District's Networks program came to make a special delivery.

To celebrate Nurse’s Week that begins May 4, they had been hired to create gifts for Nemours’ nurses - over 1,200 items! Excited to see the reaction of the staff, the Network students personally delivered the boxes to duPont Hospital. The students came in two shifts - one group in the morning and one in the afternoon- where they were presented with certificates of appreciation by Kelly Rice, RN, Nurse Manager, and Louanne Stratton, PhD, RN, Interim Chief Nursing Executive.

"For the second year in a row the Nemours Department of Nursing has partnered with students from Networks in planning for Nurses Week events. The Hospital is very proud of this partnership with such a worthwhile program within our community. It allows us not only to provide health care but opportunities for the future to a truly amazing group of students,” says Rice who is not only a nurse, but also the mother of a Networks’ student. Since the first nursing project, Nemours has employed Networks for a variety of assignments, including framing, catering and embroidery work.

The nursing project this year was a bit of a challenge. Margaret Flanagan, the FABRICworks teacher from Networks said the students had never filled such a large order before. “This was an awesome experience for them. They had to learn time management and how to set and achieve goals. Plus, many of the children have received care at the hospital and it was beneficial for them to get a different perspective.”

Networks is a program for students with challenges, ages 16 to 21, who are best suited to learning outside the traditional classroom setting. Under the guidance of a strong instructional staff or teachers, job coaches and peer mentors, students receive training in one of 11 career technical enterprises/mini-businesses supported by academic instruction. They attend the Networks program for all or part of the school day, earning credits towards completion of a high school diploma or certificate of attendance, while learning career and independence skills.

The Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

The Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is a division of Nemours, which operates one of the nation’s largest health systems devoted to pediatric patient care, teaching and research. Set on a beautiful 300-acre campus near Wilmington, Delaware, the 180-bed duPont Hospital for Children offers all the specialties of pediatric medicine, surgery and dentistry.

Nemours is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children. For more information, please visit Nemours.org.

Network Program

Network Students display their Certificates of Appreciation as they delivered embroidered items they created for the nurses at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. Far left, Louanne Stratton, PhD, RN, duPont Hospital, third from left, Margaret Flanagan, Networks teacher and far right, Kelly Rice, RN, duPont Hospital.

Networks Program

Network students bring their special delivery to the loading dock at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.

modified: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 @ 04:01 PM EDT
created: Monday, May 19, 2008 @ 04:37 PM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.