APRIL 2022
Mercy Monthly MERCY Minute Hospital Dedicates New ER Pediatric Rooms
Congratulations to Terrie Livingston who recently retired after 44 years of service to Mercy Hospital. Since 2019, Terrie served as Director of Imaging Services. Prior to that, she served as Manager of Imaging Service since 2007. Terrie started her career at Mercy in 1977 working as a radiology technologist on second shift. At the time, the hospital developed the films onsite using X-ray film processors. Some of the most pivotal changes she experienced through the years were the development of digital imaging in 2007 and PACS (picture archiving and communication system). Best wishes, Terrie, for a happy and healthy retirement. Congratulations to Mary Bauer, RN, who recently retired after 38 years of dedicated service to Mercy Hospital. For the last fifteen years, she served as a nurse educator. Prior to that, she worked as a float and medical/ surgical nurse on the floors. She started her career at Mercy as a pharmacy tech in the ‘70s. She feels some of the most significant changes witnessed through the years was the creation of the electronic medical record, and when primary care doctors no longer came to care for their patients at the hospital. She also remembers the time when “surgeries meant a two-week hospital stay for patients.” Best wishes, Mary, for a happy and healthy retirement.
Mercy Hospital unveiled its new Emergency Department (ED) Pediatric Treatment Rooms during a dedication and blessing ceremony on March 30. The rooms, designed to provide a child-friendly, comfortable environment for pediatric patients, will be staffed 24 hours a day by board certified pediatricians and specially trained nurses and providers. “We know children can get stressed or scared when they come to the hospital,” said Dr. Donald Pickhardt, III, Chair of Pediatrics at Catholic Health. “That’s why we are pleased to offer these comfortable, calming, and inviting new Pediatric Emergency rooms that are equipped and tailored for the care of our youngest patients.” The new ED Pediatric Rooms are part of an over $500,000 donor-funded Emergency Department Renovation project that was completed in 2021. Further renovations to the pediatric rooms included design enhancements geared for children and the addition of
specialized pediatric equipment. “These new rooms and amenities support the high-quality emergency care parents and families expect for children,” said Dr. Edward Cosgrove, Medical Director of Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Center. Special thanks to our generous donors including Scott R. Bieler Foundation, Mercy Medical Staff, the late William Greene and Mrs. Jane Green, Aramark, Allpro Parking, Miss Maureen Athoe, Bank of America, Bond, Schoeneck & King Law Firm and Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation.
Volunteers Pitch In for Neighborhood Cleanup
Volunteers gathered for the Annual Neighborhood Clean Sweep in recognition of Earth Day on April 22. Special thanks to Bill Vaughan, Vice President of Mercy Hospital Mission Integration, for leading the effort and to Allpro Parking for bringing out so many members of their team to help out.
APRIL 2022
Congratulations to our Latest Great Catch Winner! Congratulations to Mercy Hospital’s latest Great Catch Award winner Jaclyn Meyer of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) She identified a potential medication dosing error that triggered adjustments to the system. Kudos to Jaclyn for her dedication to patient quality and safety.
Jaclyn Meyer
MERCY Nurses Kick Off New Shared Governance Council
Mercy Hospital’s Patient Care Services Department held a kickoff for its new Shared Governance Council, a forum for clinical nursing staff to have a voice in decisions regarding nursing practice and their practice environment. The event marked another milestone in the hospital’s “Clinical Pathway to Excellence”
MACC’s Rehab Team Helps Ukrainian Refugees Mercy Hospital celebrated National Volunteer Month in April...an opportunity to thank and recognize our volunteers who lend their time and talent to make a difference at our hospital. Sister Maralynn Sciarrino is one of our many volunteers who inspire all of us to serve. At 87-years-old, she is a Sister of Mercy from the congregation who founded Mercy Hospital in 1904. She began serving as an active volunteer “Cuddler” in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) five years ago when she retired from her 65-year ministry as a speech pathologist. “I love children and love babies and it makes me happy knowing that my cuddling will help the baby feel some comfort and security,” she said. “Volunteering can give a sense of self-fulfillment,” she added. Mercy Hospital is currently seeking new volunteers to serve as Patient Experience Ambassadors who can help make a patient’s hospital stay brighter through friendly visitation and non-clinical assistance; Emergency Room Helpers who can provide vital, non-clinical assistance for staff; Lobby Greeters/Escorts; and Eucharistic Ministers. For more information, please contact Heide Cornell, Catholic Health Director of Volunteer Services, at (716) 4476189 or email at hcornell@chsbuffalo.org.
Michelle Knoop, a hand therapist at the MACC’s AthletiCare in Orchard Park, learned something interesting while talking with co-worker Edyta Sullivan, a physical therapist and native of Poland. She found out that Edyta’s brother, who lives in Poland, is housing twenty Ukrainian women and children refugees at his summer home. Michelle wanted to help and spearheaded a monetary collection that began with an email to her rehab co-workers. When everything was said and done, she surprised Edyta with a $2,000 donation! “I’m hoping that by focusing our efforts on goodness and giving that we not only help these Ukrainian mothers but that we offer a tiny sliver of
peace and comfort to Edyta and her family,” said Michelle. “We didn’t just live our Michelle Knoop, left, and Catholic Edyta Sullivan Health mission by doing this, we also opened our hearts and shared our own spirit of hope.” Kudos to Michelle and all the generous donors from AthletiCare Orchard Park and Kenmore, Partners in Rehab in West Seneca, East Aurora and St. Joseph Campus, and the Mercy Hospital Rehab team.
CVICU Team Recognizes Occupational Therapy In celebration of National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, Mercy Hospital’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVICU) Unit Practice Council wanted to recognize the OT staff for all they do to help their patients return to their functional status. The Council raised money to purchase each member of the OT team a bouquet of tulips, candy, a personalized accessory bag, and an OT coloring book and colored pencils.
Kudos to the CVICU Practice Council for this act of kindness and compassion and hats off to the OT team for the great job they do every day!