2009 REGIONAL HERO
Betty Moore
For her contributions to improving the quality of nursing care and the nursing workforce in California and setting an example for the nation at large
In September 2000, Betty Moore and her husband Gordon established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which seeks to develop outcome-based projects that will improve the quality of life for future generations. The foundation focuses its work in three areas of interest to the Moores: environmental conservation, science, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Passionate about improving the quality of health care, Mrs. Moore provided the vision and leadership that led the foundation to approve the 10-year Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative in 2003. The intended outcome of the Nursing Initiative is to improve patient safety and outcomes through nurse-led initiatives in acute care hospitals within the five San Francisco Bay Area counties: Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. Through her position as trustee on the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mrs. Moore continues to play an active role to ensure her vision for improved quality health care and patient safety is realized.
Mrs. Moore served on the board of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and volunteered at the Palo Alto Senior Day Care Center. Today, she is a member of the Governing Board of Filoli, a historic house and garden near Woodside, California, that is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and serves on its Fine Arts Committee.
Award Presenters
Edward Penhoet is former president and currently a member of the board of trustees of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He was dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health from 1998 to 2002. In 1981, he cofounded Chiron Corporation and served as its chief executive officer until 1998. He currently serves as the vice chairman of the Independent Citizen’s Oversight Committee, which oversees the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine created by the passage of Proposition 71, the stem cell initiative.
Helen Kim is president and chief executive officer of Kosan Biosciences. Prior to joining Kosan, Ms. Kim held various executive level positions in the biotech industry for 14 years. Most recently, she served as chief program officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, where she successfully developed initiatives to transform health care delivery practices in acute care hospitals.
The Challenge: Improving the Quality of Nursing Care in California
Patient care is increasingly a team effort that demands standardized practices and effective systems to facilitate teamwork and communication between health care professionals. However, such practices and systems are inconsistently applied within the nation’s hospitals. Furthermore, nurses, who provide approximately 95 percent of patient care in hospitals, face many challenges within today’s complex hospital environment.
There is a serious and growing shortage of registered nurses, and training that has not kept pace with technological advancements and the changing needs of more seriously ill and elderly patients. For RNs to be successful in providing high quality patient care, it is critical that they are equipped with strong clinical and patient management skills. It is equally important that nurses use evidence-based practices and that their work processes are orchestrated within a broader system-level care plan.
The School Responds:
- Recognizing the need for public health nursing, the School is currently revitalizing its dual degree program with the UCSF School of Nursing. The program is designed for nurses seeking to link their clinical, administrative, and research interests with public health to improve delivery of health care services in community settings. Graduates of this program will be prepared to take leadership positions in public health nursing, nursing administration, and health services administration.
- Clinical Professor Linda Neuhauser, co-principal investigator of Health Research for Action, produced a guide, Pennsylvania’s Healthy Steps for Older Adults: A Guide to Preventing Falls, with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. The 64-page guide is part of a statewide initiative in Pennsylvania intended to prevent falls among older adults.
