Catholic Health World - December 15, 2020 by Catholic Health Association

Ministry’s holiday greetings 3-14 PERIODICAL RATE PUBLICATION

DECEMBER 15, 2020 VOLUME 36, NUMBER 14

Adapt, celebrate: Catholic health facilities serve up holiday cheer By JULIE MINDA and LISA EISENHAUER

In usual times, the annual Christmas celebration at the Bellbrook continuum of care facility in Rochester Hills, Michigan, is a grand affair. Throngs of residents and their family members stroll the decorated grounds, nosh on hors d’oeuvres and take in holiday entertainment provided by local performers. But with COVID-19 infection rates surging in Michigan and throughout much of the U.S., senior residences and health care facilities are reinstituting strict viral containment protocols and visitation restrtictions that they may have eased last summer. Recognizing that this year more than ever everyone needs a little Christmas to make spirits rise again, staff of Catholic facilities are adapting holiday celebrations. Large gatherings are out, and celebrity visits, including by the jolly man himself, may have to take place over Zoom. Libby Delaney, executive director of Trinity Health’s Senior Communities team in Rochester, Michigan, and Bellbrook’s administrator, said since musicians and other performers won’t be able to come into the facility this

SSM Health’s ‘Ukes for Dads’ strums on the heartstrings of NICU babies Intimate ukulele performances forge father-baby bonds

Alayna Jimenez, a patient at CHRISTUS Health’s The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, shows off the miniature float she made for the hospital’s virtual Thanksgiving parade. Jessica Clayton, child life coordinator, says the festivities at the hospital may look a little different this year, “but we will still definitely ensure that our kiddos and their families get to celebrate.”

Christmas, staff will come a caroling. And while they’ve put a lid on Christmas buffets, the food service team has plans to plate scrumptious holiday meals on decorative tray mats and deliver them to the

residents’ rooms. Staff are stuffing stockings with gifts selected to delight each recipient. Staff are taking Christmas pictures of residents and Continued on 15

Adding a dog park makes senior campus friendlier to pet owners By KATHLEEN NELSON

In this pre-pandemic photo, Paul Hagelberg, his wife, Ursula Weddell, and Schatzi, a Pekinese-teacup terrier mix, enjoy the dog park at Mercy Health – Oakwood Village in Springfield, Ohio. The pet-friendly senior living center opened the wheelchair-accessible park so residents could socialize as they exercise their dogs. Staff bring their pets too.

Mercy Health–Oakwood Village Senior Living in Springfield, Ohio, already was pet-friendly. The addition of a dog park has made the community pet-friendlier. “As a pet owner myself, I’m excited to find a way to make Oakwood Village a more comfortable place to live for an active senior,” said Cheryl Hainey, gift officer for the Mercy Health Foundation of Clark and Champaign counties. Hainey hatched the idea on a chilly day last fall, when she saw a resident of Oakwood Village walking her dog. The woman was bundled up in a heavy coat, trudging along with a walker and her dog on a leash. “We consider ourselves a pet-friendly community,” Hainey said of the 72-acre Continued on 2

Aaron and Maeve Dohogne celebrate baby John’s homecoming Sept. 15 after more than a year in the NICU at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. A music therapist there taught Aaron to play simple chords on the ukulele and use music to bond with his son. By NANCY FOWLER

Aaron Dohogne has fond memories of enjoying music with his dad when he was growing up in the 1990s. He recalls listening to the Beatles and Roy Orbison blasting from the radio in his father’s rusty Toyota truck. Now, Dohogne and his son John also share a love of music. Their bond was forged not on the road but in the neonatal intensive care unit of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, thanks to “Ukes for Dads.” John was born in July 2019 with a diaphragmatic hernia, a hole in his diaphragm Continued on 16

Shuttle ferries residents of southeast Michigan out of isolation By LISA EISENHAUER

A shuttle van that provides free rides to Chelsea, Michigan, for residents of two rural communities, both without a grocery store or pharmacy, got on the road this summer courtesy of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. The hospital is a joint venture between Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, a subsidiary of Trinity Health, and University of Michigan Health. Nancy Graebner, the hospital’s president and chief executive, said a Graebner community health needs assessment last year showed social isolation was one of the biggest concerns among

people in the rural parts of the hospital’s primary service area in southeast Michigan, including in the towns of Manchester and Stockbridge. Those towns’ populations have stayed fairly stable in recent decades at about 2,200 for Manchester and 1,300 for Stockbridge. However, some businesses have vanished. Stockbridge has no physician practices; Manchester has one primary care physician. “We’ve watched both communities lose basic services, such as access to a physician practice, primary care in particular, and then grocery stores for fresh foods, and a pharmacy,” Graebner said. “Residents really do need to be able to travel to Chelsea to receive those types of services.” Continued on 16

The WAVE shuttle bus funded by St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea in Michigan crosses the River Raisin bridge in Manchester. The free bus service combats isolation by transporting rural residents to services including groceries, pharmacies and restaurants.

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

Dog park From page 1

campus, 20 miles northeast of Dayton, that offers independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. “That didn’t look friendly, and it didn’t look safe.” She realized that of the 168 residents in the independent living units, about 30 owned pets and faced a similar dilemma. She also was familiar with a study from the University of Rochester Medical Center that seniors living with a pet are more likely to feel socially connected. She wanted to make the facility more attractive to potential residents who were pet owners and make it easier for current residents to keep pets. Her research indicated that a handful of senior communities in Ohio had built dog parks. She then polled the residents at Oakwood, who were enthusiastic about the idea. Within a few weeks, Hainey secured the $6,000 in construction costs through donations from Best Friends Assisted Pet Therapy, Fulton’s Finest 4H Club, residents and friends of Oakwood Village, and a grant from the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust. Construction progressed quickly. The 2,900-square-foot courtyard is surrounded on three sides by housing for assisted-living residents; the fourth was enclosed with a chain-link fence that includes a gate large enough to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters. The park also is accessible from an interior corridor, which required construc-

During the opening day festivities which included treats for pets and people, dogs line up to enter the dog park at Mercy Health – Oakwood Village. Post-pandemic plans call for puppy playdates and dog agility training.

tion of a pet safety gate at that entrance. Money raised for the park also paid for waste stations, landscaping, benches for the residents and a teeter-totter and agility poles for the dogs. The park opened in December 2019. Despite the relative cold of an Ohio winter, residents used the park not only to let their dogs run free, but as a place to socialize with other residents and family visitors. Among the enthusiastic residents are Ursula Weddell, 77, her husband, Paul Hagelberg, 87, and Schatzi, their 4-pound Pekingese-teacup terrier mix. Normally, they just roam the halls, heading outside

only briefly — with Schatzi always on leash. On his first visit to the park, “Schatzi didn’t know what to do when he got off the leash,” Weddell said. “He acted strange, a little lost, then he ran around and was happy. It was funny but good to see.” Staff members also started to bring their dogs to the park, as did families of the residents, who used the park as a space to hang out together. “I could see the residents looking out the windows (from their assisted living apartments) and thought that watching the dogs could bring joy to them too,” she said. Patricia Rodriguez, a dog trainer in

Springfield, volunteered to host a pet etiquette clinic for residents. Best Friends Assisted Pet Therapy and the 4H club planned trainings and visits from other adoptable pets. “The residents enjoyed the visits from the pets,” Hainey said. “We were just getting started.” But just as the weather was about to turn warmer, making the park even more useful, COVID-19 forced residents into virtual lockdown. Rodriguez’s plans for dog agility training and puppy playdates were put on hold. To comply with local restrictions, residents use the park just one or two at a time and maintain social distance. Despite restricted use because of the pandemic, the park has fulfilled its main goal, making pet ownership easier, safer and more comfortable for current and future residents. “This is another reason to keep pets and their owners together,” Hainey said. “They don’t feel like they have to rehome their pets and that makes their lives fuller. The park gives them a way to exercise and socialize in a safer environment.” Weddell, Hagelberg and Schatzi continue to walk the halls, making friends with other residents, and venture outside for a short stroll on the sidewalk but can’t wait until restrictions are loosened. “We’ll be back to the park,” Weddell said. “It was wonderful to see my dog jumping around. It’s a nice place to socialize, and we want to use it. It’s an excuse to get out even more.”

Editor’s note: Gift of hope Ministry members share their messages of inspiration, faith and peace in this final issue of 2020, a year like no other. With so many suffering from the pandemic and its economic fallout, those messages will be a source of hope for the most vulnerable. CHA will donate all proceeds from members’ holiday greetings to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, an organization that heeds Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger through its work with refugees near the Texas border. — JUDITH VANDEWATER

Catholic Health World (ISSN 87564068) is published semimonthly, except monthly in January, April, July and October and copyrighted © by the Catholic Health Association of the United States. POSTMASTER: Address all subscription orders, inquiries, address changes, etc., to Kim Hewitt, 4455 Woodson Road, St. Louis, MO 631343797; phone: 314-253-3421; email: khewitt@chausa.org. Periodicals postage rate is paid at St. Louis and additional mailing offices. Annual subscription rates: CHA members free, others $29 and foreign $29. Opinions, quotes and views appearing in Catholic Health World do not necessarily reflect those of CHA and do not represent an endorsement by CHA. Acceptance of advertising for publication does not constitute approval or endorse ment by the publication or CHA. All advertising is subject to review before acceptance. Vice President Communications and Marketing Brian P. Reardon

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L E A DE R S H I P I S N ’ T J U S T A G I F T.

It’s a Calling.

THe Catholic Health Association Board of Trustees CALL FOR NOMINATIONS As a ministry of the Catholic Church, CHA is committed to continuing Jesus’ mission of love and healing through quality health care for all in the U.S. CHA considers its board as a community of Catholic health care, comprised of individuals who have the ability to advance the healing mission of Jesus Christ. Board trustees will represent the interests of the membership as well as the people served by the ministry. We therefore invite you to nominate outstanding candidates

who will champion the mission, vision and values of this dynamic organization. To learn more about this year’s recruitment criteria and to nominate one or more talented ministry leaders, please visit chausa.org/boardnominations.

December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

God Is Love “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ISAIAH 9:6

Visit chausa.org/advent-2020 for an interactive Advent calendar.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year The Catholic Health Association of the United States Lara Akpata Ann Alvers Lori Ashmore-Ruppel Kyle Belobrajdic Matt Bigogno Trevor Bodewitz Paula Bommarito Angela Botticella Fr. Charles Bouchard Kathleen Bourgeois Cara Brouder Dawna Brown Leslie Brown Janey Brummett Sandy Buttery Tony Cable Loren Chandler Bruce Compton Betty Crosby Kimberly Crossman Kathy Curran Janet Dunahue Lisa Eisenhauer Chris Fields Dottie Freitag Adele Gianino Dennis Gonzales Sr. Mary Haddad Tracie Heck Rebecca Heermann David Hein Kim Hewitt Nathaniel Blanton Hibner Jeanne Hogan Brenda Hudson Catherine Hurley Brian Kane Karla Keppel Cheryl Mance Dottie Martin Ken Mayo Carrie Meyer McGrath Crystal Mendez Julie Minda Debbie Morrow Sharon Novak Clay O’Dell Michele Oranski Nick Osterholt Olivia Phipps Paulo Pontemayor Kevin Prior Linda Raney Brian Reardon Katrina Reid Diarmuid Rooney Ken Schanuel Ellen Schlanker Cherie Schroeder Brian Smith Lisa Smith Indu Spugnardi Mary Ann Steiner Les Stock Lucas Swanepoel Betsy Taylor Danette Thompson Julie Trocchio Sheryl Ullrich Kim Van Oosten Judy VandeWater Dee Walsh Anna Weston

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

Be LIGHT, Live HOPE, Radiate PEACE. In moments of darkness and anxiety, let us be light. In moments of fear and despair, let us live hope. In moments of doubt and chaos, let us radiate peace. May Jesus, the gift of Christmas, fill our hearts with peace, inspire us to deep hope and move us to love and compassion.

– Sister Andrea Nenzel, CSJP

December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

Faith When the world is filled

with darkness, a bright star remains to guide the way. May His light shine down on you and your loved

ones this Christmas season.

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

For today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord — Luke 2:11

MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PE ACE IN BELIE VING, SO THAT YOU MAY ABOUND IN HOPE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. —Romans 15:13

May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.

sistersofcharityhealth.org The Sisters of Charity Health System lights the way for health and human services in Northeast Ohio and South Carolina through: Mercy Medical Center, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Light of Hearts Villa, Regina Health Center, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, Building Healthy Communities, Catholic Community Connection*, Early Childhood Resource Center, Healthy Learners, Joseph’s Home, and South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families.

www.franciscanministries.org

*Joint venture with partners

December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2021;

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

Wishing you and your

Wishing yougifts the gifts of family the of

this Christmas this holiday season andand throughout throughout the New Year the new year. Merry Christmas.

gro.htlaehlcs

Christmas Blessings t o a l l.

Peace

“…the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”

Luke 2:15-16

“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” -Romans 12:5

Avera is a health ministry rooted in the Gospel. Our mission is to make a positive impact in the lives and health of persons and communities by providing quality services guided by Christian values.

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December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.”

At CommonSpirit Health, our mission calls us to keep pursuing hope and healing in spite of the brokenness of our world — trusting that, no matter our circumstances, the unconditional compassion and healing presence of God will not fail us. This is our longing, and this is the message of Jesus — the one whose birth we celebrate this Christmas. Having been called to health care ministry, we embrace the blessings and challenges. In this turbulent time, we choose to focus on the blessings – remembering that God’s “grace is sufficient [and] made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NABRE).

– Hebrews 10:23

Jesus is our hope and God’s healing presence continues to be at work. By faith, we trust that the Spirit is with us; Christ is with us; and the goodness and healing presence of God will prevail. Merry Christmas. May Peace and Hope Be With You All!

Lloyd H. Dean CEO of CommonSpirit Health

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

MERRY

CHRISTMAS We wish you a season of peace and hope! Because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace. — Luke 1:78-79

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December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

Wishing you the gifts of

peace, love and hope during this season of light

Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Florida

MercyOne, Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota

St. Mary’s Health Care System, Georgia

Global Health Ministry, International

Mount Carmel Health System, Ohio

St. Peter’s Health Partners, New York

Holy Cross Health, Florida

Pittsburgh Mercy, Pennsylvania

Trinity Health At Home, National

Holy Cross Health, Maryland

Saint Agnes Medical Center, California

Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania/Delaware

Loyola Medicine, Illinois

Saint Alphonsus Health System, Idaho/Oregon

Mercy Care, Georgia

Saint Joseph Health System, Indiana

Trinity Health Of New England, Connecticut/ Massachusetts

Mercy Health, Michigan

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, Michigan

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, Illinois

St. Francis Medical Center, New Jersey St. Joseph’s Health, New York

Trinity Health PACE, National Trinity Health Senior Communities, National

CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14

May you feel God ’s loving presence today and most especially during this blessed Christmas season. Covenant Health | 100 Ames Pond, Suite 102, Tewksbury, Massachusetts 01876 | covenanthealth.net

“

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands

with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands. Yours are the feet.

“

Yours are the eyes. You are His body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. - St. Teresa of Ávila

December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

Fostering the way of peace, justice and compassion “And you, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways ... to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76, 79

Prayers for peace and comfort to you from Ascension Across 19 states and the District of Columbia, our care teams, subsidiaries and families are grateful to be part of a vibrant Catholic healthcare community, dedicated to spreading peace, love and compassion to all people, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

peace. On behalf of Hospital Sisters Ministries and the healthcare workers who serve HSHS, we wish you peace and love during this extraordinary holiday season.

CMY

hshs.org

Good Tidings of

Wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

hope THE STAR OF

When they saw the star they rejoiced with great joy! – MATTHEW 2:10

May the miracle of Christmas shine brightly upon you. Vibrant senior living communities where health, wellness and choice come to life.

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December 15, 2020 CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD

Holiday cheer From page 1

assembling a cookbook of resident recipes, so that residents can gift these items to their families. “The goal is getting residents the best experience we can give them,” says Delaney.

Old traditions, new ways Adeline Rocco is director of mission and spiritual care for Covenant Health’s St. Mary’s Villa, a continuum of care community in Elmhurst Township, Pennsylvania. She says that in the past, church groups, local choirs and other groups would flock to the facility to spread Christmas cheer, and residents took field trips to see children’s holiday programs. Nursing units squared off in a decorating contest, with each unit choosing its holiday theme. Staff did most of the decorating, accenting doors and patients’ rooms with handmade crafts made by the occupant. Residents’ loved ones would come in to view the decorations and cast their votes for Gingerbread Way, Winter Wonderland or other entries. Rocco says this year plans call for groups to perform holiday programs via videoconference. The decorating contest is a go, with three units competing. Families will view the entries virtually before casting their ballots. If infection rates in the facility and county are low enough, St. Mary’s Villa will allow inperson visits, with residents and their visitors separated by plexiglass partitions. As in the past, staff have chosen resident names from a Christmas tree and will assemble personalized gift packages. Santa himself — who will wear PPE and may look suspiciously like a member of the facility’s activity staff — will go door to door throughout the nursing home delivering the gift-wrapped packages to the residents on Christmas day. Residents also will receive as gifts toilet-

in Toledo, Ohio, Nursing Director Donna Ruedisueli says instead of the usual visit to patient rooms by Santa, the Bon Secours Mercy Health hospital is considering using staffers as Santa’s helpers to deliver goodies and having Santa visit virtually via the closed-circuit TV. And, rather than have groups from the community hand deliver their gifts to children as in years past, hospital staff are Getting creative meeting representaIn early December, staff at Our Lady tives from the giftof the Lake Children’s ing groups in the Hospital in Baton lobby and filming Rouge, Louisiana, the donation handwere planning their off so videos can be annual Santa’s workshared and gratitude expressed on social shop, where parents media. of hospitalized chilEven the celebradren select free gifts for all their children. tions among staff at Organizers were Molly Kate Adelmann, a child life specialist at SSM the 72-bed hospiasking the commu- Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in tal, which is housed within Mercy Health nity to provide its St. Louis, brings a gift and a virtual visit from the usual generous sup- Grinch to patient Frank Snow during the hospital’s St. Vincent Mediport for the event. Christmas in July event. cal Center, won’t be Volunteers were the same. Normally, expected to be allowed into the hospital teams hold potlucks in break rooms, but auditorium to set up the tables of toys and these gatherings are out due to precautions clothes. Instead of browsing the gift selec- against viral spread. Ruedisueli says the tions in person, parents are likely to be mak- hospital is encouraging staff to stick with individual meals and not to eat in groups. ing their choices virtually. Halloween was a dress rehearsal for The hospital’s dietary department is lookadapting celebrations. Normally, wizards ing at ways to make its holiday meals speand princesses trick-or-treat at the nurs- cial, especially for the staff members who ing stations before joining a carnival-like will be on duty on the holidays. event in the lobby. Because of the infection restrictions this year, nurses and other staff- The new normal ers in costume delivered goodies to patients’ Kim Eighmey is team leader of child life rooms. and music therapy at SSM Health Cardinal “When it comes to special celebrations Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. like Halloween or Christmas, we just try to Her team has worked with the hospital’s make it like a home-away-from-home expe- incident command center to get approvals rience,” says Sharon Wesberry, manager for holiday celebrations that don’t violate of the child life department at the hospital, infection protocols. “Our patients, just like us, have endured which is part of the Franciscan Missionaries a lot this year,” Eighmey says. “I think of Our Lady Health System. At Mercy Health-Children’s Hospital COVID has completely changed the way ries, crafts, jewelry and other small items donated by churches and community members. “This is an active, joyful time of the year at St. Mary’s Villa, and we plan to keep it that way,” says Rocco. “We’re listening to what our residents want” and making every effort to make that possible.

that we look at the world. We’ve all gone through this collective stressful year and so feeling a sense of normalcy is comforting to adults and to kids, especially.” This Christmas, Santa will set a new bar for safe social distancing with video visits to inpatients broadcast from his home at the North Pole. The Grinch will be remoting in from Whoville to spread joy, as he did during a Christmas in July event. Any celebrities who want to pay a holiday call to cheer up the youngsters, like rapper Nelly did last year, also will have to do so via video screen. Regardless of what restrictions are in place come late December, Eighmey says her team will figure out ways to bring joy and to help families maintain holiday traditions. “It’s our culture here at Glennon to keep spirits high and try to do the best for our kids even when circumstances are not what we hoped for,” she says.

Food and cheer The PeaceHealth Oregon network hosts a “Spirit of Gratitude” feast each year for all its clinic and hospital staff. This year, instead of staff gathering in a festooned hall, hospital leadership teams will deliver boxed meals along with expressions of gratitude to caregivers who have endured a year like no other, says Rev. Micki Varner, PeaceHealth Oregon director of mission services. A printed blessing will be included on each box, and a blessing also will be delivered over the intercom system at every shift. The network’s chief operating officer, Todd Salnas, will send a message of gratitude to all staff in the leawd-up to the distribution of the holiday meal boxes. In the spirit of Christmas, Rev. Varner quotes Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB: “It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” “This year of all years, it will be our ability to stay grounded in gratitude that will be our pathway to joy and hope,” says Rev. Varner. jminda@chausa.org, leisenhauer@chausa.org

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CATHOLIC HEALTH WORLD December 15, 2020

‘Ukes for Dads’

she said. Home since mid-September, John is a smiley 17-month-old who has a range of difficulties stemming from his condition, from low vision to heart issues to neurological deficits. Looking back over the past year or so, Maeve Dohogne said enjoying music together in one form or another during her son’s NICU stay was helpful to everyone in this new family. “It just kind of brought some lightness to the experience,” she said. “Sometimes, when you’re in the hospital this long with a sick baby, it’s like, ‘Well, what do we do?’ You can’t just read to him all the time.”

From page 1

that allowed other organs to shift upward and hamper lung development. He spent more than a year in the NICU, where both Dohogne, 35, and his wife Maeve, 34, initially visited every day. A few months in music therapist Kelli McKee handed Dohogne a ukulele and taught him to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” for his son. “It gave me something to do, to take my mind off things,” Dohogne said. “And it became a way for me to share something I’m passionate about with the most important thing in my life — my son John.”

Dad-baby bonds Most NICU programs are geared toward supporting moms, according to McKee. Last year, she was looking for a way to help strengthen father-child bonds. McKee successfully petitioned for donor funding to create Ukes for Dads in cooperation with another program, the Ukulele Kids Club, which provides these string instruments to hospitalized children. McKee began by gathering a few dads in a room and showing them some basic chords for this relatively easy-to-learn instrument, and encouraging them to sing. Besides fostering stronger bonds, research shows that parents singing to their babies also teaches the children to self-soothe, introduces language concepts and supports brain development, McKee said. Twenty fathers have now gone through the Ukes For Dads program. “It’s a threefold benefit for the dads,” McKee said. “They get a way to bond with their babies, they get a coping tool for themselves and they get to bond with other dads and build that camaraderie with each other.” McKee made sure the funding covered the cost of allowing the dads to take home their ukuleles. “We just didn’t feel right about providing them with this amazing coping tool and then saying, ‘Well, good luck getting one on your own,’” McKee said. “A lot of them might

WAVE shuttle From page 1

Unlike those towns, Chelsea has had a gradual rise in population in recent decades and now has about 5,500 residents. St. Joseph Mercy is the main hospital for the community and the surrounding region.

Widespread concern The community health needs assessment that raised the red flag about social isolation in the rural communities indicated that the problem was widespread. “A lot of people just assume social isolation due to transportation is probably among the geriatric community, but we found it was really crossing all demographics and one of the dominant areas actually was new moms who were feeling a little bit trapped with a newborn at home and not having a way to get out,” Graebner said. The hospital’s Community Health Improvement Council decided the best way to address the isolation would be to provide a shuttle van for residents who lack their own transportation to get from the smaller communities to Chelsea, which is centered about 14 miles from each and has the services those communities lack. The hospital’s leaders contacted the Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express, a nonprofit commonly known as WAVE that exists to provide affordable transportation to older adults, persons with disabilities, and other transit-dependent residents of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Both Chelsea and Manchester are in that county; Stockbridge is just outside its borders in Ingham County.

With Exzavior nestled on his chest, Nick Houston strums his ukulele in the NICU at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Houston says Exzavior normally smiles and laughs at his performances.

not have the resources for that, especially when you think about how expensive a lengthy NICU stay can be.”

Pandemic changes the tune Ukes for Dads has continued through the pandemic. But COVID-19 restrictions did impact the Dohognes and others in the group from mid-March through mid-May of this year. During that time, the NICU required couples to designate one parent as the sole visitor because of the pandemic, and the Dohognes, like most NICU couples, decided it should be mom. At the same time Aaron Dohogne lost visiting privileges with his son, social distancing thrust the high school government and history teacher into a virtual classroom. “And no one really knew what the game plan was for that,” Dohogne said. But he did have a game plan for being with John even though he couldn’t visit in person. Strumming his ukulele and singing at home, Dohogne recorded videos of himself performing a repertoire that had grown to include the Beatles’ “From Me to You” and Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

Maeve Dohogne cradles John, while her husband Aaron sings the Beatles’ “From Me to You” in the Cardinal Glennon NICU.

“My wife said John loved hearing my voice,” Dohogne said. For Maeve Dohogne it was a bright spot in a sometimes-overwhelming period in which she worked remotely as the creative director for an advertising firm. “It was so nice having dad sing and play music — a real point of connection,”

programs such as food banks. “It was a big endeavor for us, more so than any other expenditure that we’ve done,” she said. The shuttle launch was set for April, but WAVE shut down all of its services when the pandemic hit. Over the summer, WAVE made COVID-safety adjustments to the van, including adding a plexiglass barrier between the driver and passengers. The shuttle got rolling in August. The van makes four round A rider loads his bicycle before boarding the WAVE shuttle bus. trips per day from Stockbridge The bus got rolling this summer to provide transportation to to Chelsea on Monday, Wednesresidents of Manchester and Stockbridge, two rural communities in southeastern Michigan without grocery stores or day and Friday and from Manpharmacies. chester to Chelsea on Tuesday and Thursday. It picks up riders Julia Roberts, executive director of at two shuttle stops in central locations in WAVE, said the transit service’s operators each town; disabled riders can arrange to agreed the shuttle was a needed service, but be picked up at home. In Chelsea, the van it wasn’t within WAVE’s budget. “We could stops at any desired drop-off point. not have done this without the support of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea,” she said. Lunch date The hospital tapped its community benGraebner stressed that the shuttle is not efit funds to donate $63,000 for a 12-seat van just for health care appointments. “If these equipped with a wheelchair lift and added community members come to Chelsea a bicycle rack and an outside wrap for the and they want to be dropped off downtown van with the logo of both the hospital and so they can have lunch with a friend, or if WAVE. The hospital is covering the $8,900 they want to be dropped at the post office a month in operating costs expected for the or the bank or the grocery store, the pharfirst year. After that, the state is expected to macy, wherever they want to be, they can be pick up half. dropped off and picked up as well,” she said. In Chelsea, riders can connect to bus lines to places like Ann Arbor, which is Stalled by pandemic about 30 minutes away. Graebner said the Graebner said the shuttle service was a departure for St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, shuttle’s planners scheduled van service which has traditionally used its community runs to ensure that the wait times for buses benefit funds for shoring up community wouldn’t be too long.

High notes Nick Houston’s son Exzavior was born three months premature and spent seven months in the Cardinal Glennon NICU before going home this past May. Houston calls his son a “super-giggly, super-curious little guy” who has no problem voicing his opinions. He said Exzavior makes it clear with smiles and laughter that he loves listening to his father strum the ukulele. Houston, 26, and his wife have two other children, Ava, 7, and Izayah, 4, who also enjoy music. Before the pandemic, the Houstons all gathered in the hospital, Houston on his ukulele and the older children playing whatever instrument McKee could dig up, often a tambourine or triangle. “It was an unforgettable experience,” Houston said. “I think it kind of brought us closer together as a family.” The auto assembly worker said his older children particularly enjoyed an event last Christmas in which he and several other NICU dads played “Jingle Bells” on their ukuleles while their families enjoyed the performance. “My kids were freaking out, super excited,” Houston said. “Izayah ran and actually jumped in my lap while I was playing.” Both Houston and Dohogne expect that enjoying the ukulele will remain a family pastime long after the NICU becomes a distant memory. “Maybe one day John will be able to sing along,” Dohogne said.

For now, riders must make reservations for the shuttle because occupancy has been reduced due to pandemic-related social distancing efforts. Once the virus is in check, riders will be able to just show up and hop on the shuttle at the designated stops.

Slowly catching on Roberts said the shuttle is slowly gaining ridership. Among the regulars is someone with cognitive challenges who depends on the bus to get him to his job at a grocery store. “Typically for transit services in normal times it takes one to two, sometimes even three years to get up to full ridership,” Roberts said. “We expect it to grow slowly given the pandemic,” but the fact that there are riders every day is a really good sign. Roberts said WAVE is planning to survey the communities to find out if tweaking its schedule or pickup points might draw more riders. Even after the COVID pandemic is history, the shuttle will continue to pick up disabled riders at their homes or other locations of their choice. Because the communities are small enough that the addresses of most disabled residents could be identified, planners selected the central shuttle stops with the likely pickup points for those residents in mind. Graebner said leaders and residents of Stockbridge and Manchester have expressed gratitude for the service. “That’s just another example of if you listen to your communities, identify their needs and then partner with them to provide whatever the missing gap is, communities and health ministries can really come together and do some wonderful things,” she said.