360--Winter 2015

F O R T H E E M P L O Y E E S O F C I N C I N N AT I C H I L D R E N ’ S

WINTER 2015

DESTINATION EXCELLENCE WHAT’S INSIDE 3

A Word from Bill Kent

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Destination Excellence: Making Families Feel at Home

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Melting Pot: The Power of Bringing Cultures Together

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When Patients Travel for Care

DESTINATION EXCELLENCE If you’ve heard the term “Destination Excellence,” you may have wondered what it means. It sounds like an exotic vacation. But that’s nowhere near the gist of it. Think of it more as an incredible journey—both for the families who travel hundreds and thousands of miles in search of treatment they can’t get at home, and for our staff who pour so much of themselves into giving them hope for a better outcome.

It’s not been an easy pathway. We’ve been pushed out of our cultural comfort zones. We’ve been challenged to address the unique needs of the out-of-town patient AND the needs of their extended families who accompany them. It takes more time, more energy, more resources, for sure. But sharing our expertise more broadly provides us with an opportunity to learn and grow in surprisingly wonderful ways.

The stories in this issue paint a thumbnail picture of what Destination Excellence is and what it aspires to be. We invite you to come along and imagine all the exciting places where this journey will lead us.

Cindy Duesing, editor

Volume 3, Issue 1 | 360° is an employee

To give us your feedback or request additional

Editor: Cindy Duesing

publication of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

or fewer copies of this newsletter, email us at

Contributors: Kar yn Enzweiler, Bea Katz

Medical Center, produced by the Department

360@cchmc.org.

and Kate Harold Senior Art Director: Anna Diederichs

of Marketing and Communications, MLC 9012, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center,

ON THE COVER:

Designers: Elyse Balster and Gina Johnston

3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH

Staf f at Cincinnati Children’s go out of

Contributing Photographers: Cindy Duesing,

45229-3026, 513-636-4420.

their way to give all families who come for

Karyn Enzweiler and Mark Lyons

treatment a positive experience. Those who travel greater distances for care rely even more heavily on staf f for suppor t.

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A Word From Bill Kent Attracting and caring for regional, national and international patients is one of three areas we’ll be focusing on as we enter Cincinnati Children’s Next Era. “Destination Excellence,” as we call it, is foundational to our vision of being the leader in improving child health and will figure heavily in our Strategic Plan 2020.

Why is it so important? Destination Excellence is about our commitment to serve the health of the world’s community, to share our expertise with those who are most in need of it. We have welcomed patients and families from around the country and the world for many years, but the number of those coming from outside our 25-county service area has significantly increased in the last two years. We are engaged in a fully integrated effort to provide these patients and families with the best care and the best experience possible.

The benefits of Destination Excellence are mutual. Having a larger pool of patients with rare diseases who require our unique expertise improves our ability to recruit top talent—both research and clinical—who can conduct studies of these populations to discover and develop new treatments and cures. Those pools don’t exist in our local service areas, so it’s critical that we cast a broader net for the good of all.

From a financial standpoint, attracting patients both nationally and internationally diversifies our revenue stream. The income we receive from treating these patients is reinvested to help us sustain and enrich our programs and to fuel research. At a time when reimbursement rates are declining, this is vital to our fiscal health.

The creation of our Center for Destination Excellence will allow us to be more thoughtful about how we integrate our processes to benefit destination patients and support our frontline caregivers who are at the sharpest end of those interactions. We’ve taken the first huge step of assembling a devoted leadership team to do near-term and long-range planning. And we’ve dedicated funds to implement those plans.

Some of you have expressed concern that care of our destination patients comes at the expense of our local patients.

The overwhelming majority of our patients still come from Greater Cincinnati. And keep in mind that community health is also one of our three Next Era focus areas. Our aim is to help make Cincinnati the healthiest place for children to grow up, so I’m confident we will be able to balance our strategic priorities effectively.

Personally, I’m excited about where Destination Excellence is going to take us. We’re moving care for patients from outside our 25-county service area to the next level. I firmly believe that we and the global community are going to be stronger for our efforts.

Bill Kent, senior vice president Infrastructure and Operations

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Making Families Feel at Home

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It’s hard to imagine what could be more frightening than having a seriously ill child. But if you really want to ratchet up the stress meter, try uprooting the family and dropping them into a strange environment three states away or even in another country where few speak their language.

“Being away from home is like living in a box 24/7,” says Margaret DeOliveira, mother of Sophia, age 12, who has been a patient in the Transitional Care Center for most of the past three years. They hail from Novi, MI. “It’s being away from family and friends. It’s isolation. The world goes on around you, but you’re stuck. Your world stands still.”

Sophia has progressive neurological encephalopathy.

She’s on a ventilator and requires IV medication for pain around the clock. The palliative care division of the hospital back home can’t care for her. She is too sick. Her three siblings come to visit on holidays and during the summer.

The rest of the time, an aunt looks after them. Sophia’s father is deceased.

If she needs a break, Margaret can sign up with Guest Services to take a shuttle ride to a local shopping venue.

She can make an appointment with massage therapists from Child Life and Integrative Care to knead out the tension in her shoulders. She also likes to chit-chat and joke with the staff, who are like family to her. “I have a really dark sense of humor that most people don’t understand.

The staff here—they ‘get’ me.”

BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE

Caring for patients outside our 25-county service area isn’t

new. Nor are our efforts to make their stay easier. Whether it’s scheduling appointments with multiple specialists in a single day or providing transportation to and from the airport, staff throughout the medical center have worked hard to make families more comfortable while they’re here.

What is new is the growth we’ve seen in the number of patients who travel to our medical center for treatment. As we’ve established more destination programs that provide cutting-edge treatment not available in most—and in some cases, any other places— more families are seeking us out.

They see our number-three ranking in U.S. News & World Report, and they want that quality, that expertise for their child.

The Center for Destination Excellence formalizes our approach to meeting the needs of out-of-area patients and families. Led by Christy White, MD, MAT, medical director; Diane Herzog, MSN, MBA, RN, clinical director, and Molly Cain, administrative director, the center is focused on building the processes and infrastructure needed to better coordinate care.

Says Cain, “Families who travel have unique needs. They can’t go home at night. Some have language barriers or

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special dietary requirements. Some bring other children who need to be enrolled in school. They don’t know what resources are available, and they don’t have access to their usual support system.”

Caring for these families sometimes places additional stress on frontline staff, as well. It takes more time and energy to bridge the cultural divide, whether the family is from Russia or a rural Pennsylvania county. The logistical needs of patients and families can compete with their clinical needs for a caregiver’s attention.

Says Cain, “With the Center for Destination Excellence, we hope to design a future state where frontline staff feel supported in handling these challenges.”

B E T T E R I N TA K E P R O C E S S

White aims to make that future a reality by implementing better ways to coordinate care. “We’re looking at our intake process, at identifying which patients are the best fit for our programs and how to set goals and expectations for their stay,” she says. “There are many factors to consider when deciding whether to accept a patient from outside our service area. For example, is it safe for the patient to travel? Can we achieve the outcome the family and the referring physician are hoping for? It’s important to have good communication during every phase and to have access to medical records that are complete and up to date. It takes a team to approach each case realistically and plan proactively.”

“Proactive” is the key word. Says Herzog, “When families are traveling hundreds and thousands of miles to get here, there’s less room for error in planning their visit. You want to think of everything, because they need to go home.

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Of course, we want to be equally efficient when planning local patient visits. So we’ll take what we learn with out-of-area patients and apply it more broadly.”

White, Cain and Herzog hope to build awareness of the Center for Destination Excellence by establishing a presence on the inpatient units. “Frontline staff don’t always know what resources are available to our destination patients.

If families need housing, interpreters, transportation or groceries, if staff need cultural coaching, we can help plan for that.”

E X TENDING OUR RE ACH

Destination Excellence isn’t just about bringing patients here. It’s also about taking our expertise to patients where they live. “We’re sharing knowledge with other healthcare organizations through affiliations and partnership programs,” says Cain. “We’re training residents and fellows who will take that knowledge back to their own countries. Telehealth is also part of our strategy. We have an opportunity to support other healthcare systems, to build capabilities in other places to serve children around the world.”

Adds Herzog, “It’s about taking Cincinnati Children’s to the world and bringing the world to Cincinnati Children’s.”

Pretty exciting stuff. And totally at the heart of our vision and mission. Says White, “With our Center for Destination Excellence, we have an opportunity to build on the hard work that people in Business Development, Global Health, Access Services, Family Relations and many other areas have already been doing. The bottom line is, we want to do the right thing for every patient, no matter where they come from, and give them a good experience.”

D E S T I N AT I O N E X C E L L E N C E B Y T H E N U M B E R S

In FY2014, Destination Excellence patients came from all 50 states and 57 countries.

They accounted for 8.1 percent of all patients (regional, national and international) and 9.7 percent of all patient encounters.

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When Shelley Albers’ son was diagnosed with leukemia at 3 months old, she never expected his illness would bring with it a profound cultural experience for herself.

Michael Gangloff was just a newborn in October 2013 when Shelley was told he had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The two of them, from nearby Villa Hills, KY, would spend the next 8½ months at Cincinnati Children’s while Michael underwent treatment for his cancer.

Michael is Albers’ first child. She was just learning to be a mom, and then found herself thrown into a world of medical terms, equipment and treatment plans that she was completely unfamiliar with. She was under a lot of pressure. Yet she hesitated to reach out for support.

“I was really apprehensive to meet anyone at first,” Albers recalls. “I was cautioned that everyone was dealing with so much, and I had so much going on as well.” It was easy to see that all of the families around her on A5 Central were under stress. Albers didn’t want to burden them. ‘ E AT W I T H U S ’

And then one day she walked by some moms in one of A5’s common areas. She was preoccupied, anxious about Michael. They called out, “Shelley, Shelley, come sit. Eat with us.”

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So she did. They immediately comforted her using the Arabic word, “Inshallah,” and translating it for Albers: “If God wills it.” The Muslim women were from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The group ate together and started sharing their stories.

“At first I was intimidated by their culture and their dress.

I didn’t want to offend anyone,” Albers says. But then, slowly, they started bonding—as mothers, as women, and especially as parents of children with cancer.

Albers noticed the many differences between them: food, clothing, religion, language. “But we were all women with sick children, and that common bond really strengthened our relationship. I continued to eat with them and got to know them. We talked and laughed,” she says. And soon, they were calling themselves friends.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

These women who normally would be separated by more than 7,000 miles and a 14-hour flight became a support system for one another, one with cultural lessons that ran deep. “Our friendship broke down all these cultural barriers that I never would have experienced outside of Cincinnati Children’s,” Albers explains. “I got to know people from all different walks of life on a level I never would have imagined.

It was an amazing bonding experience.”

Albers’ new friends taught her about Middle Eastern food, their traditions, and the Arabic language. She shared with them yoga poses, how to use A5’s elliptical trainer, and American customs. They traded information about the medical center, such as the Clinical Concierge services for out-of-town families. They got to know one another’s children, and they shared the ups and downs of pediatric cancer care.

“We got together as families and talked about what our children were going through. That really affirmed that there was a consistency in care and the doctors were doing their best,” Albers says.

Destination Excellence is helping to ensure that Cincinnati Children’s processes and medical care are streamlined for all families who come from outside the medical center’s 25-county service area, whether they are from Lexington, KY; London, England; or Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

W H E N C U LT U R E S C O L L I D E

All of those cultures meshing at Cincinnati Children’s bring positive outcomes, according to Albers. “Cincinnati Children’s provides a very powerful common ground where science and religion and cultures can come together. I had these transformative opportunities that just kept coming up.

And it was all facilitated at Children’s because it’s a melting pot,” she says.

Albers sees her international friendships lasting for a long time to come. One of the families she befriended has moved back to Dubai, but they continue to stay in touch through email and Skype.

“For women taking care of their children, it’s hard to give yourself permission to step away and take a break. But uniting with other families made me feel empowered over all these things I couldn’t necessarily make sense of,” Albers says. Taking those breaks and making those connections helped the women re-energize themselves so they were refreshed when they went back to their children.

Michael is now 15 months old and in remission. Albers is happy that he’s been exposed to another culture so early in life. She says he was timid and nervous during his first encounter with a Muslim woman. Now he is comfortable with them. That’s an experience he likely wouldn’t have had outside of Cincinnati Children’s. But it’s one Albers plans for him to continue to have as he grows up, a meaningful lesson that will be forever tied to his life story.

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CH A LLE NG ES A ND R E WA R DS FOR FRO NTLINE S TA F F

C O O R D I N AT I N G C A R E F O R F A M I L I E S F A R FROM HOME

In just one 4-week period this fall, the Pulmonary Medicine outpatient clinics saw more than 200 regional and national patients from 25 states, as well as seven patients from foreign countries.

For Jean Luchini, RN II, an outpatient nurse in the Pulmonary Medicine clinics and the Aerodigestive Center, the challenges and rewards of working with out-of-town families begin before the family gets here.

Cincinnati Children’s is increasingly recognized as a destination of excellence for children with complex conditions, who can’t find the care they need in their home communities. In fiscal 2013, we served patients from all 50 states and 53 countries. In 2014, the numbers rose slightly to 50 states and 57 countries.

“I love to work with the very complex patients who come to us,” she says. These children often have been seen in several institutions. Their parents may have received contradictory information from multiple care providers.

Sometimes the family has different expectations than the referring physician. Some families have had good experiences and come to us with trust. Others have a lot of distrust.

Families come here seeking special expertise. And they come with a wide range of hopes and fears, needs and expectations, social and cultural backgrounds.

For frontline staff, caring for families far from home presents its own challenges and rewards.

“Families come here looking for something—the best care, access to research, improved quality of life for their child,” says Robin Hamilton, RN, clinical director, Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic. “They have high expectations. Because they can’t get what they need locally, we can make a difference.

That’s very powerful.”

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“It’s challenging to sort through all of that,” Luchini says.

“I schedule my intake calls in advance, since the call may take an hour or more. It’s very rewarding to establish trust and rapport with the family and the local providers before we even meet the patient.”

Patients with complex conditions often need to be seen by care providers from several disciplines, but arranging multiple appointments is complicated—especially when traveling families hope to be in Cincinnati for as few days as possible.

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“It’s a challenge to get the scheduling done for all the tests we want and clinic visits with four, eight or more specialties,” says Laura Bellew, RN, an outpatient nurse in the Neuromuscular Center. “We try to respond to the family’s preferences, and they appreciate the effort to coordinate their care. When things don’t work out, they can get upset.”

For the bedside nurse, Hafley says, managing day-to-day tasks for international families can take more time because of the language barrier. If an interpreter is not available, there are other resources, including interpreter phones and a new iPad app that connects the family to a live speaker, but Hafley says, “things don’t always work as well as you’d like.”

Luchini enjoys being the “go-to” person families can count on whenever they have questions or concerns. “It’s very important for the family to have a person they can reach out to. I try to be that person. To support them holistically, I need to have basic knowledge of our institutional resources as well as collaborative relationships with people in other divisions.”

Besides communication issues, families from Middle Eastern countries have different cultural expectations. One example Hafley gives is about care after the child leaves the hospital.

“We try to educate families to give care at home. But in their countries, most of them either have nurses at home, or the child is in the hospital.” Not seeing the need to provide care themselves, the families may resist the teaching.

The outpatient nurses agree that Cincinnati Children’s has more work to do to achieve a well-coordinated intake system for all the families who travel here for care. As Hamilton puts it, “Any lack of coordination upfront creates a downstream effect” for nurses and families alike. She notes that some long-established programs, e.g., the Aerodigestive Center and Neuromuscular Center, have dedicated staff and well-tested processes. But these systems are not in place for all patients, “particularly for international patients, who are the most complicated group.”

“What’s a little frustrating,” Luchini says, is that processes that work well are not always shared across departments.

She hopes the new Center for Destination Excellence will promote a more collaborative approach. “We need to work as collaboratively on process as we do on patient care. We need to learn from each other instead of reinventing the wheel.”

C U LT U R A L S E N S I T I V I T I E S

The challenges of working with patients far from home are intensified when the families come from countries with very different cultures.

Hafley appreciates the education and support offered by Diversity and Inclusion, which is teaching the staff to be more sensitive to other cultures and helping the families understand our healthcare culture.

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Despite the challenges, Hafley finds it rewarding to work with international patients. “I think about what they’ve had to go through to get here. They’ve come here because they love their children so much. We are their great hope.”

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Beyond her pride in the medical hope we offer these families, Hafley enjoys having the opportunity to break down cultural mistrust by building personal relationships.

She has found that some of the parents bring their children here despite being suspicious of the US. “They may even believe that America is evil,” she says. “I’ve had parents tell me they’re surprised by how nice everyone is and how grateful they are that we’re taking such good care of their child. This is how you change the world, person-to-person.”

“International families need more support,” acknowledges Debbie Hafley, RN, care manager, A-7NS. “Most of the international patients we serve on the neuroscience inpatient unit are from the Middle East. They speak a different language.

They come from a different care system, a different culture.”

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Often Middle Eastern patients are referred to one specialty service by their ministry of health, but when they arrive here, they may need to be seen by multiple specialties. Her first step as care manager, Hafley says, is to assess the child’s needs and get the whole picture.

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Here’s a list of resources available to all families who come to Cincinnati Children’s for care.

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Manage visitor access to A and B towers Look up appointments and escort families to clinic locations Look up conferences and escort participants to locations Receive vendors and issue badging Facilitate patient transport tracking requests Accept, process and deliver meal card orders Provide knowledge of hospital resources and directions Distribute bus passes for patients/families in need Clean up spills, offer umbrella bags, masks, etc.

Receive and route patient gifts Answer general inquiries from staff and families Accept and alert Child Life to donations

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Provide scheduling assistance to families who require two or more appointments Coordinate appointment for families, regardless of where they live, to ensure patients/families spend as little time as necessary away from home Advocate for families by partnering with divisions for the best scheduling outcome Assist specialty clinics with scheduling coordination Communicate itineraries to families, primary care providers and other providers

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Coordinate discounted short- and long-term lodging needs Coordinate shuttle services to and from CCHMC and airport/hotel Coordinate shuttle services to local shopping venues Distribute discounted or complimentary attraction tickets Coordinate concierge needs, e.g., personal shopping, errand running, etc.

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Provide concierge services to employees, patients and families Provide errand services, e.g., oil changes, car washes/detailing and lunch pickup Provide other services, including ordering flowers, making store returns, information research and event planning Provide discounted tickets to area attractions

Provide advocacy for information, challenges, concerns, complaints and grievances expressed by families Manage conflicts, offer resolution support and consultation to patients/families and staff Provide up-to-date educational information about health conditions and community resources available to patients/ families Manage the purchase and education of safety products in response to safety needs assessment completed by families Collaborate with clinical and allied health professionals to host ad hoc events in the Family Resource Center for families Help families create MyChart accounts and CarePages Provide a one-stop destination for families to obtain information in a home-like setting, along with a business center, private office, resting room and outdoor patio Collaborate with Development to maximize donor contributions for patient and family support/diversion

Provide resolution for basic needs, e.g., food, clothing, toiletries, etc.

Facilitate transportation for flow Provide car rental discounts Provide information for charitable and discounted medical flights

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Department Guest Services Role Associate What I love most about what I do is being able to work one-on-one with international and domestic families and seeing them progress from the day they arrive until the day they depart to their home country.

When I’m not here, you can usually find me relaxing and spending time with my family.

A phrase that describes me Cool, calm and collected What I love about CCHMC is the patient- and familyoriented work atmosphere, and being third in the country for child healthcare.

I was born in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) but was raised in Jordan. I was born to help families and make sure they always have a smile on their faces.

The guiding principle of my life is What goes around, comes around.

Person I admire most My mom. She has always been there for me.

People would never guess that I just became an American citizen.

What’s on my bucket list I want to travel the world (specifically China), skydive and become an astronaut.

Department Interpreter Services Role Medical interpreter What I love most about what I do is helping people communicate, especially the Arab community. I want to make sure they understand what’s going on, that their own doubts and opinions are accurately voiced.

When I’m not here, you can usually find me spending quality time with my two boys and my lovely wife.

A phrase that describes me A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” —Colin Powell What I love about CCHMC is that we have a tremendous impact on people’s lives. I am blessed to work here.

I was born in Hama, Syria.

The guiding principle of my life is Let go of things that stop you from achieving your goals.

Person I admire most Prophet Mohammed PBUH because of how he lived his life and treated others.

People would never guess that I started working when I was 9 years old.

What’s on my bucket list Getting my bachelor’s degree in sign language and traveling the world by sea.

Department Peña Colorectal Center Role Program manager What I love most about what I do is finding new ways to help the patients and families we serve.

When I’m not here, you can usually find me with my family at a sporting event.

A phrase that describes me Easygoing, loves life What I love about CCHMC is how everyone, from the housekeeper to the bedside nurse, takes pride in making a difference for our patients.

I was born to live on the beach.

The guiding principle of my life Be thankful every day for what God has blessed you with.

Person I admire most My maternal grandmother. I want to love and give to others as she did.

People would never guess that I love a good murder mystery.

What’s on my bucket list To travel around Napa Valley to the wineries with my husband.

Department Concierge Scheduling Role Coordinating scheduler What I love most about what I do is the joy of the family when they can see all of their doctors in a timely manner.

When I’m not here, you can usually find me singing Southern gospel music in a quartet.

A phrase that describes me I want to do my best at whatever is put before me.

What I love about CCHMC are the people.

I was born in Denver, CO (a long time ago).

The guiding principle of my life is The Bible.

Person I admire most My father.

People would never guess that I play piano by ear as a hobby.

What’s on my bucket list Visiting Hawaii

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thebuzz “I don’t like feeling ‘at home’ when I travel. I like experiencing other cultures and seeing what’s new and different.”

WHEN YOU

Andrea Thrasher, project manager, Continuing Medical Education

“I like to have access to the internet and email so I

HAVE TO TRAVEL,

can read my local newspaper

WHAT MAKES YOU

and get messages from family and

FEEL MOST AT HOME?

friends.”

“I’m from the Midwest, so it’s

Edward McClure, RN, registered nurse II, Anesthesia Imaging

always good to see a friendly face and a warm, engaging smile.”

Teresa Lalley, administrative assistant, Epidermolysis Bullosa Center

“If I were traveling, especially to another country, I’d have to have my favorite food. A friendly atmosphere helps, but for me, it’s all about the food.”

“Helpful staff and a warm atmosphere make a big difference. It’s also comforting to know where things are located.”

Cheryl Bond and Monica Raines, technical specialists, Liberty Campus/Outpatient MRI

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“Nothing makes me feel Brandy Helm, specialist, Parking and Transportation

more at home than taking my own pillow and blanket when I travel. The broken-in feel of those items puts me at ease.”

Devan Fitzgerald, RD, LD, registered dietitian, Green Township/Nutrition Therapy

milestones 45 Linda Bauman, Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation

Congratulations to the following employees who celebrate milestone ser vice anniversaries in J A N U A R Y, F E B R U A R Y and M A R C H !

25 Janet Adams, Radiology Patricia Adkins, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute Tracy Ashwor th, RN, Medical Staff Services Donna Bell, Behavioral Medicine/Clinical Psychology

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Harriett Booker, Lindner Center of HOPE Rosanne Cahill, Social Services Christina Coorey, RN, B1/Emergency Department

Donna Krach, Health Information Management

Edward Giannini, MSC-DRPH, Rheumatology

Judy Liedhegner, RN, Liberty Campus/Surgery

Dorsey Heithaus, Audiology

Gwendolyn McIntosh, Radiology

John Loechle, Cincinnati Children Research Foundation Catherine Lowe, Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy Theresa Lynch, RN, Same Day Surgery Steven Mayer, RPh, Pharmacy

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Kathleen McGee, RN-CNP, Advanced Practice Nurses Joann Monday, Clinical Development and Education Daniel Rechtin, Accounting

Mar y Bellman, RN, Human Resources

Donna Robinette, Medical Staff Services

Bev Browning, Information Services

Betty Robinson, Food Services

Sharon Burns, Otolaryngology

Amy Sapsford, RD, Nutrition Therapy

Kenda Kanta, RN, Outpatient Services

Deborah Stephenson, Mason Campus/Clinical Laboratory

Deborah Morse, RN, Adolescent Gynecology

Carolyn Thompson, RRT, Respiratory Care

Alan Oestreich, MD, Radiology

Carol Weinel, Ophthalmology

Erin Riehle, RN, Disabilities Services Brenda Shutts, RRT, Clinical Development and Education Ellen Tucker, RN, A3 South Susan Wehage, RN, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute

20 Donita Bylski-Austrow, PhD, Orthopaedics

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Wendy Chouteau, RN-CNP, Advanced Practice Nurses Deborah Hacker, RN, Outcomes Systems/REACH Jeanne Foose James, MD, Molecular Cardiovascular Biology

Teresa Benker t, Information Services

Lori McKenna, RN-CNP, Palliative Care

Kim Brown, Information Services

Denise Ober, Emergency Medicine

Kim Combs, RN, A6 North/Adolescent Medicine

Bridgitt Cassidy Pauly, Speech Pathology

Laura Coorey, Emergency Medicine

Judith Ragsdale, PhD, Pastoral Care

Meg Tindall Corcoran, Health Information Management

Karen Rizzo, Speech Pathology

Julie Dickerson, RN, Radiology

Michele Scott, RN, Patient Services

Denise Gaige, RN, Hospice

Basilia Zingarelli, MD, PhD, Critical Care

Sue Rodenberg, RPh, Home Care Julie Ventus, Specialty Resource Unit Kathie Year y, RN, GI Transplant

See a complete list of milestone service anniversaries online in this week’s edition of CenterNews.

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3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 9012 Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026

Why am I here?

Sarah Ellis

My story is a sad one, but I have grown and learned so much from my experience. On August 9, 2011, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Brooklynn Starr Moore.

She weighed 1 lb., 9 oz. and was 12” long. She was born 25 weeks and 5 days gestational at University Hospital. She fought harder than I have ever seen any human fight. She gained weight and started to breathe on her own with only a CPAP to help.

Then a feeding tube was inserted down into her intestines where it poked a hole. At this time we did not know that she also had strep B. She was transported to Cincinnati Children’s for emergency surgery to repair the hole early on August 29. She came through it like a champ, but that afternoon she took a turn for the worse. Her tiny body could not handle any more. We decided there would be no more surgery. If she was going to go, I wanted her

to be in my loving arms. At 8:03 pm, Brooklynn Starr was at peace.

The hospital staff at Cincinnati Children’s went above and beyond anything I could have expected. The doctors and the nursing team had such a warm, tender touch.

The pastoral staff was impeccable with their kind words and encouragement.

My experience with the staff inspired me to go back to school last year to Grant Tech in Bethel. There I met Sherri Kissinger from Outpatient Registration, who encouraged me to apply at Cincinnati Children’s, which I did. I can’t imagine not working for the hospital that helped me in my most tragic time. I have such warm memories of it, despite the outcome. Cincinnati Children’s helps more kids than people realize, and even more, the parents who have to endure the pain of watching their children struggle to live.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the Cincinnati Children’s staff.

—Sarah Ellis, Access Services

a moment in history Internationally renowned surgeon Robin Cotton, MD, former director of the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, built the world’s premier center for diagnosis and treatment of airway abnormalities.

He was instrumental in creating the Aerodigestive and Sleep Center, a unique interdisciplinary center that treats children with complex airway, pulmonary, sleep, feeding and digestive disorders. Cotton developed a tracheal reconstruction procedure that saves children from a lifetime of dependence on a tracheotomy tube to help them breathe. Patients travel to Cincinnati Children’s from around the nation and the world for this procedure. Here, Cotton examines Bernardo Tamez, who came from Mexico for tracheal reconstruction in 1989.

1980s