Children’s Minnesota’s inpatient cancer and blood disorders unit celebrates CLABSI-free milestone
For the first time in more than a decade, the team on the seventh floor of Children’s Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus went 204 days without a central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI). This team cares for some of our most immunocompromised and critically ill patients on the inpatient cancer and blood disorders (CBD) unit.
This milestone was achieved thanks to unit bedside staff’s consistent and sustained adherence to our CLABSI bundle and standards of infection prevention. Uniquely, staff also focused on including patients and families as key members of the care team to support CLABSI care by assessing the site often, frequent handwashing and more.
Jessica Angell, BSN, RN, clinical nurse and CLABSI Champion, 7th floor Minneapolis, shared, “As one of the original CLABSI Champions, it has been a privilege to be a part of developing the role for other units. It’s also so rewarding to watch the interventions play out in real-world work to prevent infections in these kiddos. Spending time teaching staff, educating and partnering with patients and families, and learning more about how we can help decrease infections, is a passion of mine and I look forward to more rewarding work in the future.”
Senior Quality and Patient Safety Coach Natalie Lu, MSN, RN, CPPS, said of this milestone, “On behalf of the Office of Patient Safety and our Journey to Zero program, we celebrate this moment of exemplary practice and collaboration with patient families. You doubled down on the 100-day milestone in 2024 — it was a banner year. We look to you as a system to learn from your excellence!”
Seventh floor staff, patients and families joined together to achieve something remarkable. Their dedication to detail, education and communication around CLABSI care prevents infection and keeps kids safe.
Bee Safe Champions lead efforts to reduce employee injuries from patient behavioral events
Patient and staff safety is a top priority at Children’s Minnesota, supported by ongoing education and skill-building opportunities designed to promote safety across all campuses. To support these efforts, five nurses were named to the inaugural Employee Staff Safety (ESS) Bee Safe Champions team.
- Ainsley Bollum, BSN, RN, Minneapolis 7th floor
- Ana Eggert, BSN, RN, St. Paul emergency department
- Lacey Goldbeck, MSN, RN, St. Paul 5th floor
- Lucy Moe, BSN, RN, inpatient mental health unit
- Hannah Scott, BSN, RN, Minneapolis emergency department
The team’s onboarding began with comprehensive patient safety coaching to build strong communication and leadership skills. This foundational training is offered quarterly and is available to all Children’s Minnesota staff. The champions also participated in role‑specific training led by Sara Wiplinger, DNP, APRN, CNS, clinical nurse specialist, pediatric intensive care unit, and Denise Deutsch, manager of employee safety.
These champions play an important role in helping prevent workplace injuries related to patient behavioral events. Beginning Aug. 6, 2025, the Bee Safe Champions led unit‑based coaching during monthly Bee Safe Days, held on the first Wednesday of each month. Through these efforts, champions collaborated with frontline staff to identify challenges, share best practices, and elevate solutions to organizational safety leaders through a monthly review process focused on reducing healthcare acquired conditions (HACs).
Together, the Bee Safe Champions are helping build a safer workplace by supporting their colleagues and strengthening prevention efforts.
