Please join us in congratulating to Kim Gardner, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC of Henrico, Parham & Retreat Doctors' Hospitals for receiving the HCA Healthcare Innovators Award. This award recognizes the pursuit of excellence in innovation through leadership, creativity and collaboration. Congrats, Kim! Thank you for showing us what it means to #RaiseTheBar!
Recognizing a need and creating a solution – the definition of an innovator.
Congratulations to Kim Gardner, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. With more than 20 years as an HCA colleague, Kim is now the recipient of the HCA Innovators Award – an award recognizing the pursuit of excellence in innovation through leadership, creativity and collaboration.
Kim, who spent her young adult years observing her father’s work developing and launching one of the Commonwealth's early junior rescue squads in Southside Virginia, began her career in healthcare before she could even drive. Later, she would be inspired, once again, after the loss of her mother to lung cancer. Kim shifted her focus to the world of oncology, serving as a thoracic nurse navigator.
It was in this role, Kim spearheaded initiatives advancing patient care. Her visionary leadership leveraged technology and encouraged collaboration with IT teams resulting in optimized radiological reports to detect potential cancer pathologies leading to earlier detection and improved outcomes.
Kim developed pathways to keep physicians informed of certain findings and encouraging continued pursuit of the results. This work led to the formation of the Center for Early Detection and Diagnosis at Henrico Doctors Hospital. “…to raise awareness [for the] high risk [individuals] and ensure they are having the right conversations and seeking the right screenings.”, Kim said.
The Center for Early Detection and Diagnosis at Henrico Doctors Hospital helps patients quickly find a doctor to diagnose abnormal imaging and teams also counsel and screen those at high risk of specific malignancies due to family history, tobacco use or chemical exposure.
As a recipient of the HCA Innovators Award Kim received recognition along with the opportunity to have $5,000 channeled to a charity of her choice. Kim offered, “the donation is being made to The Hawthorne [Cancer Foundation’s] transportation program to provide gas cards for patient transportation which is very often a barrier for patients to access care and make their appointments.”
Kim, who says she focuses on “…doing what’s best for the patients, always” is a true inspiration!
Thank you Kim for supporting the Hawthorne Cancer Foundation's Transportation Fund. The $5,000 will go a long way to helping many patients in dire need of treatment.
Respectfully,
Steve Thornton and Robin Yoder
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