Magnet conference fuels new ideas, better patient care in Lexington

When wound, ostomy and continence nurse Reece Schenkenfelder talks about the impact of the Baptist Health Foundation Lexington’s Nurse Excellence Fund, he starts with the difference it’s already making for patients. 

“They’re saying ‘gosh, these pillows feel so good,’” Reece said. “They’re reporting this back on some of their patient satisfaction surveys when they get discharged. We’re losing some of the pillows too, because people love them so much they’re taking them.” 

The pillows he’s talking about are part of a hospital-wide trial – an idea he discovered at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Conference in New Orleans. He attended the event in October 2024 alongside around 29 other Baptist Health Lexington nurses, thanks to generosity of donors. 

“They have different pillows and positioners that are utilized to help prevent pressure injuries – which most people know as bed sores,” Reece said. “These pillows were a new alternative to outdated methods that are currently being utilized within the hospital. Once we came back, with Whitney, who’s executive director of nursing, we worked together to reach out to this company to develop a trial, which we’re currently a part of. So far, the outcomes have been great.” 

That quick move from idea to action reflects what Reece sees as a defining strength of Baptist Health Lexington. 

“If a nurse here identifies a need or a problem, they know they have the support to tackle that problem or make the change to improve the care,” he said. “That’s a pretty foundational part of this hospital.” 

Cardiovascular nurse educator and Magnet Champions Chair Angelene Gabriel shares that view. 

“We have a flat structure,” she said. “So, our directors report directly to the chief nursing officers. It’s nice that we don’t have as many hoops to jump through to discuss what we need.” 

Baptist Health Lexington recently earned its fifth consecutive Magnet designation – the highest national honor for nursing excellence. For both nurses, the conference – and the donor support that made it possible – was both a professional opportunity and a celebration. 

“Magnet recognition exemplifies nursing excellence. It exemplifies the type of care that we provide to our patients here, and it reflects in our outcomes,” Reece said. 

“We were able to recognize what staff here have done and celebrate those achievements,” Angelene added. “And we were there with some of our sister hospitals celebrating their achievement, too.” 

And it was an honor that was earned. 

“It is very, very difficult to get five magnets in a row,” Angelene, who was a full-time bedside nurse at the time of the conference, said. “To get one alone is hard. There are a lot of elements to that and it’s very rigorous.” 

What donors made possible, Reece said, was the chance to turn that recognition into real-world changes for patients and nurses alike. 

“Really, what the magnet conference allowed for us was the ability to identify new opportunities that we can integrate into our own facility here at Baptist Health Lexington – that can provide better outcomes, better patient and staff satisfaction, and a slew of other possibilities we haven’t achieved yet.” 

For Angelene, that impact is why she sticks around. 

“We can see the impact we are providing to patients – physically and emotionally – and that’s not something you see in other professions,” she said. “I really value the care that I can give here.”