When the Blizzard’s Howling and There’s Nowhere to Go, Who You Gonna Call? Mercy’s SNOWbusters! Mercy at Work

We call

It was the “Blizzard that Stole Christmas”—at least how we traditionally celebrate it with loved ones near. But the holiday spirit remained alive and well as staff rode out the storm here at Mercy and gave it their all to keep our patients and each other safe. Here are a few of their stories:

It was her first day on the job as a respiratory care therapist when Sarah Herrmann began the third shift on December 22. While not anticipated, her shift lasted over 84 hours! Welcome to Mercy Buffalo!

Aaron Menczynski, a CVICU nurse, had been working for over 48 hours when he was relieved on Christmas Day. He then spent the rest of his holiday coordinating rides for other CVICU staff. He was able to give one nurse a ride to Mercy, and on his way to pick up another, his truck got stuck and he was stranded for a few hours.

Jennifer Livingston of Dietary called for a ride on Sunday so she could make it to work for her shift on Monday. Little did she know that she would get a call from the National Guard at 12 midnight who asked her to be ready to go in 30 minutes. Two guardsmen managed to get down her snow-filled side street and then shoveled a path to her door. She arrived at Mercy at 2 am and stayed through Wednesday.

It was Mary Virginia McElroy’s third shift of orientation in the CVICU as a new nursing graduate when the blizzard struck. On Christmas Eve, she went to the hospital gift shop and purchased gifts for everyone on the unit to open on Christmas.

Executive Chef Chris Damiani put his driving and culinary skills to work and then some. He tried mightily to drive to Mercy on Saturday but was turned back with roads blocked by abandoned vehicles. He did make it in on Christmas morning and picked up food service attendant Patrick Lynch on his way. In an amazing feat, he used Wegmans food donations on Tuesday morning to make 650 fresh breakfast sandwiches that were devoured by staff and guests!

Katie Decaire is a night shift CVICU nurse who drove through dangerous conditions to provide help at Mercy. She stayed and worked for over 48 hours, well beyond her mandated time, and then kept going by switching to her other job as a flight nurse with MercyFlight.

Theresa Zaifert of Dietary couldn’t get to Mercy but her kindness and compassion shined. Because of a gas heater, she had the only house on her block with heat. She took in 13 neighbors and a dog, was credited with saving an elderly couple, and fed everyone to boot—including a “space heater ham” she made for the holiday!

Most of our blizzard stories came to an end a few days after Christmas but for Tiffany Garvey and Chris Porter of Flint, Michigan, their blizzard experience continued for six more weeks at Mercy Hospital’s NICU as they waited for their baby boy Dominic to get strong enough to take home.

The couple was in Buffalo visiting relatives for the holiday. Almost 30-weeks into her pregnancy, Tiffany experienced some health issues on Friday and needed to get to the hospital. After a treacherous ambulance drive to Mercy, Tiffany was cared for by the hospital team and was scheduled to be discharged on Saturday but she and Chris became stranded by the blizzard. In an unexpected turn of events,Tiffany went into labor on December 26 and delivered a baby boy. Because of his small size, Dominic needed specialized care in the NICU. Six weeks later, on February 6, they finally walked out of Mercy Hospital with their new bundle of joy and headed home. They raved about all the wonderful care they experienced at Mercy’s Birth Center and the warm hospitality they received.

The Perry Family from Georgia, pictured above, was on their way to Niagara Falls hoping to have a Christmas visit with their mom who is a travel nurse at Buffalo General Hospital. But their plans changed when impassable roads forced them to abandon their car on December 23. Buffalo Police brought them to Mercy Hospital where they stayed on the 5 East Unit through Monday. Nurse Emily Biddeman recalled how nice the family was and how the staff were trying to make Christmas special for them, especially the young children. On Monday, the family moved next door to the Sisters of Mercy where they reunited with their mom and stayed through Wednesday.

Monthly Message

continued from page 1 procedural volume in our Cardiac Labs, Surgical Services, and Obstetrical Program. This is especially important to grow and expand Mercy as it is a critical tertiary center for WNY.

• Patient Experience – We want our patients to have the best possible experience while here under our care. They are the backbone of our hospital and we want to make sure they are taken care of from the time they arrive here in our building until they are discharged and beyond in their care continuum.

• Quality Care – We have so many successes to celebrate for the quality care we provide. We need to continue on this path and strive for greater achievements in excellence when it comes to quality of care.

The door is open and we welcome all of you to hop in and help us drive these important goals home in ‘23. Thank you for all you do.

Congratulations TO OUR GREAT CATCH WINNERS

Congratulations to Mercy Hospital’s Great Catch (GC) Award winners: Ashley Gay, RN, of the ICU who was also named Catholic Health’s 3rd Quarter GC Winner; Emily Quinn, RN, of the CVICU; Tina Swan, RN, nurse at the MACC; and Trinalynn Almonte, of Central Supply. The award recognizes associates whose attention to detail and commitment to quality care and patient safety helps “catch” a potential error before it has a chance to cause patient harm.

Ambulance Transfers at the Touch of a Button

Catholic Health has become among the first hospitals in New York State and first in the WNY region to integrate their electronic health record (EHR) with American Medical Response’s (AMR) OnLine Ordering System (OLOS) for both emergent and non-emergent patient transport. This new feature will expedite and streamline the process of transferring patients to other area hospitals and healthcare facilities based on the medical needs of the patient.

The interface between Epic and OLOS allows hospital staff to submit an online request for an ambulance with the touch of a button versus the traditional phone-ordering system. In addition, staff will have real-time access to expected arrival times for transport to better manage patient throughput, while at the same time, AMR will be automatically alerted to the level of service and equipment needs required of the ambulance.

Warm Welcome TO OUR NEW MERCY ASSOCIATES

Corie Lipinoga 6 East

Michelle Drcelik Central Transport

Kailey Frank 5 East

Megan Redfern 7 East

Matthew Klotz 6 East

Rebecca Zdrojewski ED

SteveJerome Ragans EVS

Dylan Carnahan Central Transport

Katherine Bifulco 6 East

Enquinnette Ellis Float Pool

Shaleice Watley EVS

Amanda Lopez Float Pool

Ashley McCubbin ED

Courtney Beyer ED

Shammirrya Johnson Float Pool

Janice Neal Float Pool

Kendelle Thomasula ICU

Wahida Dipa OR

Diana Hussain ED

Taylor Jakubik Float Pool

Takiyah Carthon 5 West

Aluk Akuey Float Pool

Amanda Engelbach-Schafer CVICU

Alma Guyton Lab

Cheri Simpson 5 East

Darnesha McCant Float Pool

Amanda Smotherman CVICU

Kayley Kernitz ICU