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NEWS FROM CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

NURSE AUTHORS BOOK ABOUT TRANSFORMATION OF IN-PATIENT CHILD PSYCHIATRIC UNIT AT CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, Winthrop, MA - Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is celebrating employee Kathleen Regan, RN, BSN, MHA, on the occasion of her new book, Opening Our Arms: Helping Troubled Kids Do Well (Bull Publishing, November 1, 2006).

Regan is Nurse Manager for the Child Assessment Unit at CHA and has worked in the field of Psychiatric Nursing for over 25 years in a variety of settings, including adult day treatment, child and adult inpatient units, and community mental health clinics. She was also a Founding member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Coalition for Adoption.

Opening Our Arms is the story of CHA's child psychiatric unit as it transformed, through collaborative effort, into an award-winning child and family centered care facility. The book is a success story about change created by a group of professionals for the children they cared for.
"The book is a legacy to the people who changed the way we provide psychiatric care to troubled kids," said Regan. "The promise of the book is that kids do well if they can. Even the smallest actions taken with just one child can make a difference."

Throughout the book, Regan details changes in the model of care on the Cambridge Health Alliance Child Assessment Unit. She explores the paradigm shift in inpatient care that endeavored to provide humane, trauma-sensitive treatment for patients.

Jack D. Burke, MD, MPH, Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at CHA, and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School applauds Regan's achievements: "As Nurse Manager of the Child Assessment Unit, Kathy Regan was instrumental in steering the unit toward a new culture and a new model of care that encouraged taking the time to talk and pay attention to troubled children and their families, to acknowledge them and their needs, and to offer a hug when that is the only thing that will do."

Thomas Smith, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at CHA, praises Regan's leadership on the Child Assessment Unit: "Kathy Regan is an innovator who has inspired nurses and other members of the CAU team to achieve outstanding outcomes for some of our most vulnerable patients and families. Her passion for excellence has been an enduring beacon to others -- engaging team commitment and best-practice care."

CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, Revere, and Boston’s Metro-North communities. It includes three hospitals, more than 20 primary care practices, the Cambridge Public Health Department, and the Network Health plan. With this unique model, the Alliance is able to offer the finest health services, a diverse working environment, and a premier training experience in community-based medicine.