JHI signs agreement with HMV to enhance clinical care, patient safety and nursing education

Enhancements in clinical care and patient safety, medical research and nursing initiatives are at the core of a new affiliation agreement signed on Aug. 27 by Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI), Baltimore, USA, and Hospital Moinhos de Vento (HMV) of Porto Alegre, one of Brazil’s leaders in health care delivery and innovation.

The agreement, Johns Hopkins Medicine’s (JHM) first collaboration in Brazil, was signed by Steven J. Thompson, chief executive officer of JHI, and Fernando A. Torelly, executive superintendent of HMV, at a ceremony in the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

“We are privileged to have the opportunity to join HMV in their efforts to elevate the standard of health care services in this dynamic region and to share our innovations and best practices with one of Brazil’s premier health care institutions,” said Thompson. “We believe that this initiative will have a significant long-term impact on health care delivery in Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and beyond.”

The new collaboration focuses on assisting HMV in its efforts to enhance clinical care, patient safety and nursing education, and on advancing that hospital’s status as a national leader. “We are honored by this collaboration. Our new affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine International represents both the achievement of an objective and the start of a new cycle that complements our strategic planning,” says Torelly. “We view our institution from an international perspective and are ready to introduce a new form of integrating assistance, teaching and research in Brazil, with a focus on what is best for our patients.”

The affiliation will also help to promote knowledge transfer and research between the two countries, and will include the implementation of innovative programs in patient safety and nursing, including Johns Hopkins’ renowned Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), and its nursing quality and leadership programs.

The two health care institutions will also explore opportunities to establish a research center that will help Brazilian health care experts advance their research and facilitate knowledge exchange between the two nations.

As part of the initial phase of the agreement, a group of nursing leaders from HMV is scheduled to attend an observership program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in September to share best practices in nursing training and education, and nursing research.

Among the clinical specialties in which JHM experts will contribute their expertise in the initial years of the collaboration are neurology and neurosurgery, imaging, cardiology and oncology, and they will focus on the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions that are most prevalent in Brazil.

The new collaboration will also provide HMV patients who require highly complex medical care with access to the Johns Hopkins network of facilities and experts.