Meet our Coaches – Spotlight on Cheryl Courtlandt
Meet our Coaches – Spotlight on Cheryl Courtlandt
Cheryl Courtlandt, MD is the Co-Director, Center for Advancing Pediatric Excellence (CAPE) at the Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) at Carolinas Medical Center, Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, General Academic Pediatrics Division, a member of the Children’s Hospital Inpatient Pediatric Service and Medical Director, Pediatric Asthma Program, Department of Pediatrics, at LCH. Dr. Courtlandt received her medical degree from Rutgers Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey and continued post-graduate training in research methodology, epidemiology and statistical analysis at New York University and Tufts University. She also has completed courses in advanced quality improvement methodology and data analysis at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining the Carolinas Healthcare System in 1998, Dr. Courtlandt was a faculty attending from 1988-1996 in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Division of Emergency Medicine at Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY. During her tenure at NYU-Bellevue, Dr. Courtlandt championed several initiatives providing health care to homeless children as an officer in the United States Public Health Service. From 1990-1996 she served in several capacities to including , Course Director and Assistant Professor Pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine and Assistant Director of Pediatric Outpatient Services at Bellevue Hospital Center. Dr. Courtlandt in her capacity as co-director of CAPE, directs and chairs numerous committee involved in process improvement and patient safety. She has served as physician champion and as a coach for several multidisciplinary improvement efforts, both internal and external to the Department of Pediatrics. She has led regional workshops on quality improvement and given national presentations showcasing efforts of team collaborations on quality improvement projects. She is passionate about asthma care for children and has championed numerous efforts to collaborate with care providers in the community. She has been a co-investigator for a funded research grant using shared decision making with patients and their families with asthma. She is a member of the National Medical Association, Ambulatory Pediatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Courtlandt is an active lecturer, workshop leader, and published author. Dr. Courtlandt’s areas of interest include health literacy, asthma, community medicine, school health, quality improvement initiatives and methodology, research methodology and data analysis.
Bentonville’s culture consists of the charming characteristics of a Southern city and small town, combined with influences from the Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area and a status as a global business hub. Bentonville is located in one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and in the past 20 years, it has transformed from a small town to a bustling center of commerce and entrepreneurialism. According to a recent US Census survey, Bentonville and surrounding communities in Benton County are second in growth for Arkansas and among the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States. While the Northwest Arkansas economy was historically based upon agriculture and poultry, in recent decades, there has been rapid growth and diversification of its economy and culture due to the three Fortune 500 companies based in the area: Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt. Both economic growth and wide cultural diversity can be attributed to over 1,250 Walmart suppliers that have established sales offices in the region. These satellite offices for companies of almost every industry mean that a large number of transplants from around the United States and the world can be found in Bentonville.
Within this evolving environment, Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville remains committed to providing exceptional care to the community. To achieve their goals to improve maternal-neonatal health and wellness, this comprehensive care facility applied and was accepted into the EMPower Breastfeeding initiative while in the D1 Discovery Phase of Baby-Friendly USA’s 4-D Pathway. The hospital has gained support in adopting the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as they have progressed along the journey to Baby-Friendly designation. Since joining the EMPower initiative, Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville has benefitted from the individualized coaching and technical assistance offered, in areas such as adherence to the Ten Steps. One of their most noteworthy accomplishments involves Step 4, helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth. By honoring the golden hour in implementation of skin-to-skin, the number of infants that were once “slow to transition” and required “extended monitoring” and “oxygen support” has significantly decreased to the point that it is rare to see an infant fit into those categories! The facility’s EMPower Breastfeeding Coach, Julia Bourg, remarked, “This team worked hard to ensure that foundational steps were in place as they worked towards implementation of other practice changes.”
This facility is close to Baby-Friendly USA designation! They recently had their site visit assessment from the Baby-Friendly representatives and are awaiting the results. Allison Godwin, the facility’s Quality Improvement Coach, noted, “What we appreciated most about this team is their attention to creating sustainable change. They really wanted to make sure that their staff and their organizational culture supported these efforts.” We applaud your wonderful work, Bentonville!
