Critical Care Staff Nurse

Children's Mercy launches AI app to ease nurse workload and address burnout. Mar 10, 2026 Burnout and an aging workforce remain significant issues for healthcare employers. Over the past decades, the industry has faced various challenges related to advancement opportunities, training, compensation, and scheduling flexibility. However, there has been a notable increase in investment and innovative strategies aimed at addressing these problems. Despite changes brought by technology and artificial intelligence in some roles, healthcare continues to show strong job growth. Nearly 700,000 jobs were added in the first eleven months of 2025. Daniel Zhao, chief economist for Glassdoor, stated: "We fully expect that healthcare will continue to grow and add jobs almost regardless of what the rest of the economy does." One prominent trend is the increased use of technology to help reduce burnout among healthcare workers. Employers are turning to new tools that address administrative burdens. At Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, an AI-powered program called the Helen App was introduced for nurses. The app allows nurses to request assistance with tasks such as supply delivery or patient admissions and discharges by routing requests directly to appropriate teams. Dr. Alejandro Quiroga, president and CEO of Children's Mercy, explained: "What we have done is offset a lot of the tasks that are not clinical. It has decreased the cognitive load for the nurses, improved the relationship between nurse and patients and saved nurses time - up to an hour per shift. We think that we can have improve that amount of time even further." Children's Mercy developed this application specifically to help combat staff burnout among its nursing staff. Further information can be found at Modern Healthcare.

These Kansas City hospitals will expand access to a cutting-edge cancer treatment. KCUR | By Noah Taborda Published February 20, 2026 at 6:58 AM CST A new partnership will create a theranostics health care platform in the region with radiopharmaceutical production and therapy, molecular imaging, and clinical trials all at the same location. One Kansas City health care system will be among the first to offer the treatment to children. When John Corbin was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, he was given just five years to live. Today, 10 years later, Corbin has what he calls an "extra credit" in life to focus on the things he loves, like gardening and cooking. His cancer is under control, and he credits that to a medicine called Pluvicto, a theranostic he received at the University of Kansas Health System. "I always teased and called it super juice because it was a blessing," Corbin said in a hospital video for the treatment plan. The specialized approach to care - which combines therapy and diagnostics - delivers radiation directly to diseased cells, minimizing damage to healthy tissue in the process, like a heat-seeking missile. Soon, the University of Kansas Health System, the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Children's Mercy will partner with BAMF Health, a Michigan provider with a background in theranostics, to create an integrated platform for more patients to take advantage of this life-saving treatment. That means Kansas City could become home to more cutting-edge research, quicker diagnoses, and new treatments for cancer, neurological conditions and other diseases. Children's Mercy President and CEO Alejandro Quiroga said at a press conference this week that the approach will help catch disease early and treat it with precision. "This is going to bring emerging therapies for patients that otherwise might not have that kind of help," Quiroga said. Theranostics is already used in adult care, and Quiroga said Children's Mercy will be among the first to offer it for kids. The new collaboration will focus on carrying out radiopharmaceutical production and therapy, molecular imaging, and clinical trials at the same location. That means increased access to treatment for kids and adults. "Take prostate cancer for example," said BAMF Health CEO Anthony Chang, at the press conference. "We can catch cancer earlier, know where and exactly what it is, and we can treat those kinds of metastatic disease in the most efficient way, without causing devastating side effects." Chang said this partnership between a hospital, health systems, and university provides the necessary infrastructure to create a center prepared to keep up with a rapidly evolving field of science and medicine. And, while theranostics is used predominantly for cancer right now, it is also used to treat certain thyroid conditions and is showing promise in other fields like neurology. "This collaboration will offer patients and their families leading-edge diagnostic and treatment technology," said Tammy Peterman, president of the Kansas City Division for The University of Kansas Health System. The setup for the new platform will vary, with some steps taking months, and others happening over the course of a year or two. Once complete, there will be an emphasis on local clinical trials for a wide variety of conditions, like Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, endometriosis, pain management and more. Brenda Gregg, director of programs for the Alzheimer's Association, Heart of America Chapter, said the strides in diagnosis are especially important for Alzheimer's patients, only half of whom are diagnosed. "While there is no cure for Alzheimer's currently, there are new treatments that can slow the progression of the disease," Gregg said in a statement. "These treatments are only available to individuals in the earliest stages of the disease, making early detection and diagnosis critically important."

Building the future of pediatric care in southwest Missouri. Access to specialized pediatric healthcare can be life-changing for families, and soon families across southwest Missouri will have a new place dedicated entirely to meeting their children's medical needs. Snyder Construction Group is honored to serve as Construction Manager a new Children's Mercy pediatric outpatient clinic on Mercy Springfield Communities' South Springfield campus. This transformative healthcare investment is designed to bring a wide range of pediatric services together under one roof while strengthening access to high-quality services throughout the region. A purpose-driven partnership. This project represents a collaborative effort between Children's Mercy, a nationally recognized pediatric health system, and Mercy Springfield Communities, a longstanding healthcare provider serving the region. Together, these organizations are investing in a new outpatient facility to support pediatric care in southwest Missouri. Engaged early in the process, Snyder Construction Group partnered with Children's Mercy, Mercy Springfield Communities, and the design team to support planning, budgeting, scheduling, and constructibility. As Construction Manager, Snyder's role has focused on collaborating with the design team to translate project goals into a buildable plan, providing early cost and schedule insight, and supporting informed decision-making as the project progressed from concept into construction. A facility designed around families. The two-story, approximately 40,000 SF outpatient facility is thoughtfully planned to bring a wide range of pediatric services together in one welcoming environment. By consolidating care under a single roof, the clinic is designed to help reduce travel burdens for families while improving coordination among providers. The new clinic will serve as an important investment in pediatric healthcare in southwest Missouri. It is purpose-built to support growing demand and evolving care models for years to come. Community support. The project has been made possible in part through philanthropic support from the region, including a lead gift from the O'Reilly family. Their contribution underscores the deep community investment behind this clinic and reflects a shared belief in the importance of accessible, specialized pediatric care. At its core, this facility is more than a building. It is a collective effort driven by healthcare leaders, community partners, and philanthropic champions who recognize the lasting impact of investing in children's health. Building what matters. As construction progresses, Snyder Construction Group is proud to contribute early expertise and ongoing coordination in support of a facility that will serve families and providers across southwest Missouri for years to come.