Sharon Cosgrove, BBA, RN, OCN, Sparrow Breast Health Nurse Navigator
Published: Jan. 20, 2016
Sparrow Breast Health Nurse Navigator Sharon Cosgrove, BBA, RN, OCN, has received the inaugural Excellence in Nursing Award from Modern Healthcare, a nationally recognized leader in health care business news, research, and data. The award recognizes her achievements as a Nurse leader within the Multi-Disciplinary Breast Clinic at the Sparrow Cancer Center.
Cosgrove is herself a survivor of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which she overcame 20 years ago while a nursing student pregnant with her third child. Her unique personal history has given her a strength and perspective that inspires fellow Caregivers and brings comfort and hope to her Patients.
“Sharon is a Patient advocate who ensures that her Patients get the best, evidence-based care,” said Sparrow Cancer Center Administrative Director Dan Phillips. “She is a perfectionist who works hard to ensure that every interaction and event is performed with the highest level of excellence. She creates a healing, warm atmosphere to share results and comfort Patients.”
Cosgrove was part of a team effort to streamline a process for women whose mammograms indicate a need for further testing and possible treatment. Cosgrove worked closely with the Sparrow mammography team to create a navigation system that would take as much of the pain and worry out of the process as possible. She serves as each Patient’s liaison, at their side from abnormal mammogram to treatment. Patients now go from diagnosis to treatment much faster and are aided by a detailed and comprehensive action plan along the way.
The navigation program that Cosgrove helped pioneer is now an integral part of Sparrow’s care model, and a factor in the clinic’s national accreditation as a Breast Center of Excellence. By putting the needs of the Patient first, Sparrow’s breast health navigation program has been nationally recognized as a valuable innovation in quality and Patient experience.
A total of more than 150 nominations were received for the new Modern Healthcare recognition program. Judging for the extremely competitive program was conducted by eight distinguished Nurse executives at organizations across the country.
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