The International Nurses Association is pleased to welcome Lulu Pearl Kwakye, MSN, MHA, BBA, RN, to their prestigious organization with her upcoming publication in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare. Lulu Pearl Kwakye is a Nurse Manager with 13 years of experience in her field and an extensive expertise in all facets of nursing, especially, critical (intensive) care nursing.
Since 2005 until present, Lulu has served on several positions and committees both at the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM), Atlanta, Georgia (GA). Among the services she rendered at MICU and EUHM include: Nurse Clinician, Charge Nurse, Stroke Champion, Unit Practice Council, Secretary to the Emory Healthcare Professional Lattice for Advancement in Nursing (PLAN) Council, Co- Lead for Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) teams at EUHM, Facilitator for the Foley-Free zone project and more. Of all her accomplishments, Lulu is especially, known for her immeasurable contributions to the Foley-Free zone project in 2015 as the project facilitator. Her desire to control the chaotic incidents of CAUTI in the MICU led to her enrollment in the “On-the-CUSP: STOP CAUTI” cohort study, by the Georgia Hospitals Association (GHA) in 2015.
The Foley-Free zone project was initiated in 2015 after several incidents of CAUTI occurrences monthly in the MICU, despite, the tireless efforts of implementing both unit-based and organizational-based CAUTI preventive initiatives and programs. In April 2015, Lulu attended the Georgia Hospitals Association’s (GHA) latest Toolkits on CAUTI prevention through “On- the-CUSP: STOP CAUTI” program. She brought the newly acquired knowledge and evidence-based initiatives to the medical intensive care unit (MICU). Through the collaborative efforts of the MICU’s: Debra Barker (Unit Director), Dr. Charles Grodzin (Medical Director), Jim McMurtry (Clinical Nurse Specialist), CAUTI team, and interdisciplinary health teams, Lulu launched the Foley-Free zone project on July 1, 2015.
This project gained the attention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Denise Cardo, Director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion and Dr. Carolyn Gould and team from the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC, Atlanta, GA, visited MICU on July 28, 2016. The CDC team was impressed with the improvements made by Lulu and the team for protecting, supporting, and promoting the health and safety of patients through education, surveillance, and enforcement practices that drastically reduced Foley utilization rates and CAUTI in the MICU. These positive outcomes associated with the Foley-Free zone project have reduced hospital-acquired infection rates, led to shorter hospital stay for the patients, and lowered the medical costs for both the patients and Emory Healthcare.
The Foley- Free zone won 3rd Place at the GHA’s Patient Safety Awards, January 2017. Additionally, it has won 3rd Place at the 2016 Southeastern Critical Care Summit, Atlanta, GA . Lulu Pearl and the team have given several podium presentations on the Foley-Free zone quality improvement project at the Evidence-Based Practice ToolKit for Bedside Nurses, Kennesaw University, 2016 and Emory Healthcare’s Nursing Quality Retreat, 2016.
Lulu Pearl Kwakye’s nursing career started as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) while she was enrolled at Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. After attaining her Bachelor’s of Business Administration (BBA) degree, she worked briefly as the assistant manager at Eckerd Drug Store, Dallas, Texas. She later worked as the general store manager at the Silvercraft Company, Buckhead, GA., 2000. Although her business acumen aligned successfully with her managerial skills in the stable and thriving business environment, she experienced the need to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a nurse.
Therefore, in 2001, she enrolled at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, GA, where she obtained her Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN). As a registered nurse, Lulu Pearl worked in the Medical/Surgical intensive care unit at South Georgia Medical Center, Valdosta, GA.
In 2005, she relocated to Atlanta, GA., to work for Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM), Atlanta, GA. Lulu enrolled at the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ., where she earned a double degree: Master’s of Science in Nursing and Master’s in Healthcare Administration under the tuition reimbursement program at Emory. Lulu Pearl is currently pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nursing at Walden University, Minneapolis, MN.
To keep up to date with the latest advances and developments in nursing, Lulu Pearl maintains professional memberships with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Nurses Credentialing Center, Association of Clinical Research Professionals, International Nurses Association, and American Nurses Association. She attributes her success, dedication to patient care, drive to make a difference, and passion for nursing to her mother, Juliana Bamfo, RN and a breast cancer survivor of sixteen years and her father, Dr. Napoleon Bamfo. In her free time, Lulu enjoys fine arts, reading, traveling, and spending time with her biggest fans: Evans Kwakye (husband and mentor), six children, friends, and family.
Learn more about Lulu Pearl Kwakye here: http://inanurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4135213/info/ and be sure to read her upcoming publication in Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare.
SOURCE: International Association of HealthCare Professionals
This press release is distributed by PR NewsChannel. Your News. Everywhere.
