Editors’ Note

Susan Brown became Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services in 2008 after previously holding the title of Program Director for Women’s and Children’s Services. Prior to Greenwich Hospital, Brown was Director of Women and Infants’ Health for St. Vincent’s Medical Center (Connecticut). She has a Masters degree from Columbia University.

Would you give a brief overview of the achievements in the areas that report to you?

Several of the clinical care area directors report to me. The nursing staff and physicians in each of the areas mentioned are the shining stars of Greenwich Hospital and what has led to our success.

The director of Surgical Services oversees and integrates the operating room, the post-surgical areas, the ambulatory surgery facilities, and the recovery areas, and also manages the GI and pain and IV team. The OR has recently expanded to include an ambulatory surgery center off-site. It has been growing at a rapid pace and attracts many new patients due to its convenience and ease of use.

The Women’s and Children’s program director supervises labor and delivery, maternity, newborn intensive care, perinatology (high-risk pregnancy), and all the pediatric clinics and outpatient classes. The OB and neonatal areas have grown significantly during the past decade. By building a level-three newborn intensive care unit and then focusing on addressing the high-risk pregnancy needs of our community through our perinatology department, we attracted several new physicians and numerous patients who have enjoyed their maternity experience at the hospital.

Our Cardiology and Medicine director manages and grows the medical and intensive care units. Recently, her focus has been on developing and implementing our Cardiology and Primary Angioplasty program. She has also assisted in developing and maturing our healthy living and stroke centers. Our stroke center has been credentialed by the Joint Commission recognizing our quick response for strokes and assisting our patients in their goal of regaining full function.

Oncology and Hospice Services is another growth area. This director oversees the medical oncology unit, the home hospice, providing care in the patient’s home, radiation therapy, the cancer registry, and clinical trials taking place in oncology. The hot topic for development here is radiation therapy; these new treatments result in fewer negative effects on quality of life and the best cure rates. We’re looking towards implementing an oncology nurse navigator who will guide a patient through the process from the time they’re diagnosed throughout their treatment and, hopefully, their cure.

We are fortunate to have an excellent physician as our director of Outpatient Services. This service focuses on patients who have financial challenges in receiving health care. There are numerous clinics that have been established to meet the need of this underserved population. Another big area for growth in our clinics focuses on geriatrics. As the population of our area ages, we want to be there to meet their needs both physically and psychologically. To address this need, we are bringing a second geriatric psychiatrist to Greenwich Hospital who will work with the elderly, who often suffer from depression and anxiety.