Natividad Medical Center staff featured some of their in progress and completed projects at today’s seventh annual Innovation, Patient Safety and Quality Showcase. 

Dr. Julianne Dean, Natividad Chair of the Patient Safety Quality Council and a palliative care physician, co-hosted the event with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Craig Walls and Director of Quality Tammy Perez, RN.  

“Today is an opportunity to celebrate not only the incredible work happening across our organization, but also an extraordinary milestone — 140 years of serving our community,” said Dr. Dean. “While medicine, technology, and healthcare delivery have transformed over time, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care that puts patients and families at the center of everything we do.” 

A total of 16 entries were submitted and approved for the showcase. They were rated by a team of judges from staff, faculty and residents on design, methods, verbal interpretation, potential to improve patient care, interdisciplinary collaboration and if it addressed health disparities.   

Contributors came from a wide range of departments in the hospital, including Dietary, Family Medicine Residency, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Nursing, Trauma and Emergency Department as well as the County of Monterey Health Department.  

“Our staff sees opportunities every day to make care safer, more equitable and more responsive to our community’s needs and many of these efforts are highlighted in these projects,” Dr. Dean said. “Often, innovation means listening carefully, collaborating across disciplines, and making small changes that create meaningful impacts for patients, families, staff and our community.”   

Held in Natividad’s Nora Dowd Courtyard, the event was sponsored by the Natividad Patient Safety and Quality Council Committee, the Natividad Family Medicine Residency Program, Natividad Medical Staff and Natividad Medical Foundation. 

The Top 3 Winners

Community Engagement in Health Promotion: Incorporating Popular Education in Family Medicine   

Magdalena Ruiz-Ruelas, FNP, MPH Lindsay Richards, MD, Eleanor Battino, MD 

Emergency Department (ED) Patient Experience Collaborative: A Vituity/ Natividad ED Quality Improvement Project 

Karen Olaes, MD, Cesar Rivas, RN,  

Jonathan Torres, BS, Jose Villagomez, RN, Alex Barnett, RN, Emerald Henault, PA-C, Terri Cook, MPA, Christopher Burke, MD 

Mobility and Older Adults Utilizing Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool in MSU/IMC   

Rydell Todicheeney, PhD, MBA/HCM, APRN, PHN, GERO-BC, PCCN, ACNS-BC, Pamela Benninghoven, MS, ACNP-BC, CCRN, CEN, Amanda Jordan, BSN, RN, PHN, MS, OTR, Shabana Ford, MSN, RN, Marjorie Balleras, BSN, RN, CCRN 

All Projects

Implementation of comprehensive diabetes education methods at an FQHC with resident Family Physicians serving primarily Spanish-speaking farmworkers in Salinas, CA   

Jacob Ongaro, DO, Jennifer Chavarin, MD, Mina Khodabandeh, MD, Tolu Adepoju, MD, Rachael Molitor, DO, Graciela Martinez, MD, Taiwo Ogundipe, MD, Magdalena Ruiz-Ruelas, FNP, MPH 

Improving Resident Confidence and Knowledge in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Through a Portable Addiction Medicine Resource Backpack 

Bilal Karim, DO, Christina Zaro, MD 

Enhancing Preventative Dental Care: Optimizing pediatric fluoride application in the absence of community water fluoridation 

Darcy Luck, DO, Jasmine Morante, MD, Jessica Daggett, DO, Patricia Diangkinay, DO, Edwardo Hurtado, MD, Vivian Garcia, MS 

When the clinic day ends but the charts don’t: Improving resident chart closure with administrative time, use of AI scribe, and laptops 

Diana Ornelas, MD*, Meghan Zander, MD, Marissa Scott, MD, Sarah Fraz, MD, Sarah Watanaskul, MD, Janet Montelongo, MD, Mayra Razo, MD, Christina Zaro, MD 

Screened but Not Seen: Improving Follow-Up for Patients with High-Risk PHQ-9 Scores 

Ana Abril Arias, MD, Anu Reddy, MD, Celia Trujillo, LCSW, PMH-C, Celene Serrato-Flamenco, MD, Jesus Gonzalez, DO, Lindsay Richards, MD, Maison Evensen-Martinez, MD, Enriqueta Torres, DO 

Improving Malnutrition Documentation Accuracy and Interdisciplinary Collaboration at NMC: A QAPI Initiative 

Nina Brooks, MS, RD, CNSC, Joshua West, RD, Aaron Noe, RD, Gladys Puga, MS, RD, Vianney Melgoza, MS, RD, Hannah Wander, MPH, RD 

Resilience by Design: Strengthening Supply and Command Integrity 

Taniesha Wildy, MPH 

Improve Effective Care for Adults at Risk of Weight-related Cardiovascular Diseases in an Urban Outpatient Clinic 

Juana Veronica Aragon, MSN, RN, PHN, RNC-MNN, FNP-BC  

Site Sponsor: Monserat Conseco; Site Mentor: Nadia Raczek, RN, MSN; Frontier DNP Faculty: Dr. Pauline Foy; Contributors: Natividad Medical Group-Sanborn Team: Dr. J. Mario Pauda, and Medical Assistant staff, Natividad Clinical IT team, Natividad QI Team 

Exterior Wayfinding Signage Improvement Project 

Hillary Fish, Andrea Rosenberg, with contributors: Natividad Engineering, Interpreting, PSRs and Management 

The Geri-Sunshine Cart: A Non-Pharmacologic, Interdisciplinary Approach to Reducing Delirium Risk and Distress in Hospitalized Older Adults 

Sharondalyn Y. DuPree, MEd, MDiv, EdS, BCC, Rydell Todicheeney, PhD, MBA/HCM, APRN, PHN, GERO-BC, PCCN, ACNS-BC 

Mobility and Older Adults Utilizing Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool in MSU/IMC   

Rydell Todicheeney, PhD, MBA/HCM, APRN, PHN, GERO-BC, PCCN, ACNS-BC, Pamela Benninghoven, MS, ACNP-BC, CCRN, CEN, Amanda Jordan, BSN, RN, PHN, MS, OTR, Shabana Ford, MSN, RN, Marjorie Balleras, BSN, RN, CCRN 

Quality Improvement (QI) “NeoCare” Staffing 

Yanaisa Diaz, MBA-HCA, MSN, CCRN, NEA_BC, RN, Joe Loredo, RCP, Jamie Gams, RN, BSN, Diane Lieu, PharmD, Janet Godfrey, Martha Douglas-Escobar, MD 

Neonatal Microbiome Protection by decreasing the antibiotic exposure in NICU patients 

Ashley Godoy, Lisa Preimesberger, Christina Perez, Diane Lieu, PharmD, Yanaisa Diaz, MBA-HCA, MSN, CCRN, NEA_BC, RN, Kathleen Hartnett, Martha Dougla-Escobar, MD  

Implementation of a Geriatric Trauma Program in a Resource-Limited Level II Trauma Center: Impact on Triage, Utilization & Patient Outcomes 

Rydell Todicheeney, PhD, MBA/HCM, APRN, PHN, GERO-BC, PCCN, ACNS-BC, Julie Ramirez, MS, RN, AG-ACNP-BC, Thai Lan Tran, MD, FACS 

Natividad Innovation, Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Showcase Planning Committee

Julianne Dean, DO, Chair Patient Safety & Quality Council, Palliative Care Physician   

Melissa Nothnagle, MD, MSc, Residency Director, Chief of Family Medicine   

Christina Zaro, MD, Associate Residency Director, Director of Ambulatory Education   

Tammy Perez, RN Director, Natividad Quality Department   

Craig Walls, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer   

Caroline Kennedy, MD, Medical Director Clinic Services County of Monterey Health Department   

Lourdes Escolta, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Education   

Hillary Fish, Director of Marketing and Community Relations  

About Natividad 
Natividad is a hospital and trauma center providing compassionate high-quality health care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif., Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care for adults and children. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center has about 11,000 admissions and 60,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital’s specialized personnel, equipment and services provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home. Natividad’s Baby-Friendly® facility delivers nearly 2,200 babies every year and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-affiliated Natividad Family Medicine Residency, Natividad is the only teaching hospital in Monterey County. For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.