BCH's Chris Zielenski Wins Colorado Health Care Star Award
BCH's Chris Zielenski, a pharmacy clinical coordinator at Foothills Hospital, has been named a Colorado Health Care Star Award winner by the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) and American Sentinel University.
The award recognizes Zielenski as an exceptional health care professional.
Colorado Health Care Stars is a statewide health care professional award recognition program sponsored by American Sentinel University and CHA. The program was launched in February 2015 to acknowledge clinical professionals in Colorado who exceed expectations in the delivery of health care.
Zielenski is an invaluable resource for Boulder Community Health and plays a key role in formulary management that provides top quality care while controlling medication costs.
“Chris works diligently on preventing medication errors. Patient safety is his top priority. He plays a key role in meetings that have an enormous impact on our pharmaceutical budget,” says Casey Diekmann, Director of Pharmacy at Boulder Community Health. “Chris takes formulary recommendations very seriously, he’s always prepared and uses evidence-based literature to make informed decisions about formulary changes, drug formulary removals and substitutions.”
Diekmann says that during this current state of drug price inflation, Zielenski helped BCH save close to $500,000 on pharmaceutical expenditures in 2016 while maintaining patient safety and clinical standards.
Zielenski spearheaded Boulder Community Health’s pharmacy residency program and was instrumental in obtaining funding to jumpstart the program.
He’s also worked with infectious disease specialist Dr. Amy Medlitz to develop an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, and more.
“I could write pages on initiatives that Chris has been involved with at BCH. He’s a great role model for our profession and a health care star in the real sense of the word,” says Diekmann.
“Chris’ commitment and passion to his role as clinical coordinator at Boulder Community Health are what makes a career in health care so rewarding,” says Chris Wolfe, Director of Program Strategy and Alliances at American Sentinel University. “We are proud to recognize Chris’ invaluable efforts by naming him a 2016 Health Care Star.”
(Photo: Officials with Casey Diekmann, gentleman on left, and Chris Zielenski.)