Trinity Health Of New England Colleagues Honored by the Hartford Business Journal

November 15, 2024

The Hartford Business Journal honored the 2024 Health Care Heroes at their annual awards dinner on November 7. Four honorees from Trinity Health Of New England were recognized as outstanding leaders in the health care industry and epitomize the word “hero.” Taylor Fusco-Ruiz, BS, RN, Trauma Program Manager, Saint Francis Hospital; the Saint Francis Injury Prevention Team; Saint Mary’s Hospital Performance Excellence Team, and Trinity Health Of New England’s TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care™ team were recognized at the ceremony.

Trinity Health Of New England colleagues celebrated honorees at the 2024 Hartford Business Journal's Health Care Heroes award dinner.

Fusco-Ruiz, who has been with Saint Francis since 2017, was honored in the Nursing category. She was promoted to her current role in August 2023, and has been instrumental in developing new programs and initiatives within the Trauma Department. Fusco-Ruiz is also a leader on the hospital’s Injury Prevention Team, which also earned an award.

The Saint Francis Injury Prevention Team, comprised of members of the Trauma and Emergency Departments, was recognized in the Health Care Prevention category. The team provides education and prevention initiatives to the community, including Let’s Not Meet By Accident (LNMBA) and STOP THE BLEED®. The team has initiated partnerships with several high schools in the greater Hartford area, presenting LNMBA to over 450 students. In addition, the team has trained over 300 individuals from local schools in STOP THE BLEED®, and partnered with the Hartford Yard Goats to hold STOP THE BLEED® Night at Dunkin’ Park, where over 400 attendees of the game received the life-saving education.

The Saint Mary’s Hospital Performance Excellence team was also honored in the Health Care Prevention category for their implementation of the LEAF Patient Monitoring System. This technology provides valuable information to nursing teams to help reduce pressure injuries in critical care patients. Since the LEAF system and supporting processes have been implemented, the Critical Care Unit at Saint Mary’s has seen a 60 percent reduction in Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI).

Finally, the Trinity Health Of New England TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care™ team was recognized in the category of Innovation. As the first in Connecticut to roll out a care model of this kind, Trinity Health Of New England introduced a care delivery model in which patients are cared for through the collaboration of a direct care registered nurse (RN) partnered with a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a nursing assistant, and a virtual registered nurse (vRN). This team approach, implemented at Saint Francis and Saint Mary’s, provides enhanced coordination and comprehensive care for the patient.

Congratulations to Trinity Health Of New England’s 2024 Health Care Heroes!

The Saint Francis Injury Prevention Team, comprised of members of the Trauma and Emergency Departments, was recognized in the Health Care Prevention category.
The Saint Mary’s Hospital Performance Excellence team was also honored in the Health Care Prevention category for their implementation of the LEAF Patient Monitoring System.
Taylor Fusco-Ruiz, RN, was named a 2024 Health Care Hero in the Nursing category.
The Trinity Health Of New England TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care™ team was recognized in the category of Innovation.