KENTUCKYONE HEALTH
are some “ There patients you meet who just change your entire life.
”
MELISSA PRITCHETT Oncology Nurse
Summer 2015 Vol. 3 Issue 1
Cultivating a
GREEN THUMB PUSH PAST Your Limits Getting it DOWN, PAT!
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Se WE e pa AR ge E 33 ON
U S,
Melissa Pritchett’s enthusiasm for patient care inspires others
E!
This Work Fills Every Hole in My Heart
Letter from the CEO Dear KentuckyOne Health Family, As we begin a new fiscal year, I would like to thank you for all that you do to care for our communities every day. Through all your efforts, we have come a long way in three short years, and we are making a difference in the lives of everyone we serve. As you know, KentuckyOne Health’s purpose is to bring wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved. That purpose can only be achieved through your dedication, hard work and the passion for what you do, and we want to share that passion through your stories. We are pleased to bring you this latest edition of Common Thread, a magazine written for and about you and your co-workers. This issue features stories about the extraordinary feats of service you provide every day: Stories like that of Melissa Pritchett, who works on the bone marrow transplant unit at University of Louisville Hospital. She was instrumental in organizing the wedding of a dying patient, and is an outstanding example of going above and beyond for the needs of our patients. However, your excellent work is not only confined inside the walls of our buildings. KentuckyOne employees Heidi Wilhelm and Shane Fitzgerald are working to fight human trafficking in Bardstown, and are successfully bringing greater awareness. They are involved with the Human Trafficking Task Force of Nelson County, a group started by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. I am sure their story will inspire you as much as it did me. These are just two of the many stories of your passion and acts of services, and I invite you to read more about the contributions of your fellow employees. If you have a story you would like to tell, please share it with us at InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org or email news@kentuckyonehealth.org.
Thank you,
Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE President & Chief Executive Officer, KentuckyOne Health
Common Thread is published quarterly by the Marketing and Communications division of KentuckyOne Health for employees and their families.
Contact Us
InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org news@kentuckyonehealth.org 859.313.1845
Publisher
KentuckyOne Health
Executive Editor Jeff Murphy
Managing Editor Rick Smith
Editor
Kara Fitzgerald
Writers & Special Contributors Holly Hinson Amy Taylor
Photographers Robert Burge Patti Longmire Ron Perrin Lee P. Thomas Tim Webb
Graphic Designer
Laura Doolittle (Provations Group)
KentuckyOne CEO Executive Council
Ruth Brinkley, President & Chief Executive Officer Dr. Damian “Pat” Alagia, Chief Physician Executive & Chief Medical Officer Dr. Velinda Block, Chief Nursing Officer Randy Combs, Chief Financial Officer Matt Gibson, VP, Chief Strategy Officer Sharon Hager, CHI VP, Legal Operations Doug Jones, Regional Chief Information Officer Don Lovasz, President & Chief Executive Officer, KentuckyOne Health Partners Jeff Murphy, VP, Marketing & Communications Tanja Oquendo, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer & Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Powell, President, KentuckyOne Health Medical Group Lisa Shannon, Chief Operating Officer Lynn Tanner, VP, Managed Care & Payer Relations Betsy Wade, Division Corporate Responsibility Officer Brian Yanofchick, SVP, Mission Integration KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment. Common Thread is printed on a Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®) Certified Paper. The FSC promotes responsible forest management by ensuring certified products come from forests that are managed properly and are not depleted.
Cover Photograph By Robert Burge
SUMMER 2015
CONTENTS FEATURES
6 6 Push Past Your Limits
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This Work Fills Every Hole in My Heart
Melissa Pritchett is unwavering in her commitment to her patients — and getting them everything they need and want, whether it is hitting the pavement to find more bone marrow donors, organizing parties or celebrations, or even planning a bedside wedding to make a dying patient’s fondest dream come true.
Tammy McDill and Brittany Halcomb help patients like Ginger McKune reach for the stars at the Healthy Lifestyle Centers
11 Cultivating a G reen Thumb Frazier therapists Lauren Adams and Erin Barton help build therapeutic garden for patients
20 Power of Prevention Breast cancer survivor Susan Banks credits mobile mammography unit for saving her life
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SUMMER 2015 DEPARTMENTS 3 Connect to Purpose
CONTENTS
3
Family Community Clinic in Louisville needs more volunteer support
10 Welcome to My World Sarah Faith helps abused, neglected children to heal
15 Quick Bite
Rhonda Raleigh shares her “healthified” cheesecake recipe
19 Quick Thread
Employees show their creative side while helping people heal
24 Connect to Purpose
KentuckyOne employees work to fight human trafficking in Bardstown
24 28
28 Health Care Hero
Al Saylor inspires others through his nursing practice and servant-leader style
30 Quick Thread
Clinicians use real organs to teach kids that “Life is Cool”
31 Healthy Spirit
Saint Joseph London’s Pat Couch is no longer a ‘Couch’ potato
33 Quick Thread
We are One! KentuckyOne brand continues to roll out across the state
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Share Your Story! We want to inspire others! How have you or someone you work with created meaningful change in your community or workplace? Do you know someone who is outstanding in his or her job? Tell us! InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org | news@kentuckyonehealth.org
Connect to PURPOSE
Theresa Ackerman, RN, left, and Abbie Oesterritter both volunteer at the Family Community Clinic.
Volunteer for the Underserved Family Community Clinic in Louisville needs more volunteer support BY AMY TAYLOR
Photograph by Robert Burge
Patients at the free Family Community Clinic in Louisville have no health insurance, and no way to pay for care. Without the generosity of scores of volunteers, many of their illnesses would go untreated. Some of this sickness could end in death. Kim Scott, RN, the volunteer coordinator, started with the clinic as a volunteer. She knows how rewarding it is to volunteer for the underserved. And she knows how desperately the patients need the care. “We have a great facility here,” Kim said. “We can do lab tests, and we have a small pharmacy. Volunteers are our limiting factor. We just need more volunteers.”
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Theresa Ackerman, RN, did a reading of a patient’s blood pressure at the clinic.
Photographs by Robert Burge
The clinic, which is located in an old rectory building on the St. Joseph Catholic Church campus in Butchertown, is currently open five days a week: Monday-Thursday from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon. Even so, people are being turned away. “We can treat 15 to 20 people per shift,” the nurse said. “But so many people are showing up at our doors.” About half of the patients are Hispanic, which makes volunteer translators a must. A good number of the patients are immigrants or refugees from places like Belize, Africa and Asia. No proof of income or immigration papers are required. “We ask only that the patients attest to the fact that they don’t have health insurance,” Kim said. The scope of services covers acute, episodic illness, she said. Even so, “no one walks out without being
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“We are committed to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all.”
helped in some way. We have a good referral network. We have a growing base of specialists who will see these patients free of charge if there’s a need.” Abbie Oesterritter, a clerical worker at Jewish Hospital for 32 years, volunteers at the Family Community Clinic twice a month. “Our patients are well-mannered and soft-spoken,” she said. “They are just so grateful to get the help. I love being around them.” The volunteers are also a pleasure to deal with, Abbie said. “They are the nicest people you ever want to meet. It’s heartwarming to see these physicians and nurses be so gracious to all of our patients.” George Fischer, a St. Joseph Catholic Church member who serves on the board of the Family Community Clinic, was part of the original group of parishioners who decided to turn the basement of the old rectory on the church campus into a clinic. “Father David Sánchez brought a group of us together to
brainstorm about what good we could do with the empty space,” George said. “Thousands of people don’t have health insurance. That kept coming to the forefront.” George toured two other free clinics before the Family Community Clinic was opened: one in Utah, the other in Florida. In Utah “a generous donor had given them all new equipment,” he said. “I was there, and they gave us all of their old equipment.” More than 100 donors have contributed to the Family Community Clinic without even being asked, George said. “If we needed an air conditioning unit, we got it. If we needed an extra bed, somebody sent one. It makes you believe in miracles.” The biggest miracle the Family Community Clinic needs now is more volunteers so the clinic can stay open longer hours, George said. Volunteer Jane Bibb-Williams, an RN who works at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, agrees. “It breaks your heart to turn people away,” the nurse said. “You hear this echoing down the hall: ‘Can’t we just take one more?’” Robert Livingston, whose company doesn’t offer health insurance, fell at work and tore his rotator cuff. His workers’ compensation claim will pay for shoulder surgery – but only when Robert gets his blood sugar levels under control. That’s what brought the diabetic to the Family Community Clinic. “I just didn’t know what to do, and then I heard about the clinic,” the patient said. “They have me on oral medication that they give me for free, plus they helped me change the way I eat. The doctors and nurses are extra-special. I think these people deserve angel wings.” If the Family Community Clinic can locate more volunteer “angels,” it can help more people, according to KentuckyOne Vice President for Healthy Communities Alice Bridges. “At KentuckyOne Health, we are committed to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved,” Alice said. “One way we are living out this purpose is by improving access to quality health care through partnerships with like-minded agencies and organizations. The Family Community Clinic is a perfect example.” To volunteer, complete an application available online at FamComClinic.org/volunteers. You can also call 502.384.8444 or email contact@famcomclinic.org.
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Push
The Healthy Lifestyle Centers have many of the same training tools you find in a traditional gym: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and weights. What’s different is the supervision provided by medical experts, as well as the holistic offerings.
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PAST Your Limits Photographs by Robert Burge
Tammy McDill, right, helped Ginger McKune learn a new exercise.
Tammy McDill and Brittany Halcomb help patients like Ginger McKune reach for the stars at the Healthy Lifestyle Centers BY AMY TAYLOR
A bout with polio when she was 16 left Ginger McKune with a paralyzed left leg. It left her walking with a limp, a leg brace and a cane. It also left her with a sense of embarrassment when people stared at her and the way she got around. Today the 80-year-old is thrilled to be doing exercises she never dreamed she would ever do. She has learned to push her body past its limits, she said, as a patient of a KentuckyOne Healthy Lifestyle Center. “It was like my body came out of a deep sleep,” the Louisville resident said. “My entire body suddenly woke up.” Ginger called Medical Center Jewish Northeast (MCJNE) and spoke with Tammy McDill, MS, CES, RECP, FAACVPR, who serves as clinical supervisor for KentuckyOne’s Healthy Lifestyle Centers. Ginger didn’t think Tammy would be of much help. Then she went in for an assessment, and “Tammy tried me on a recumbent bike,” Ginger said. “Since my left leg is paralyzed, it wouldn’t stay on that foot plate.” Tammy used an Ace bandage to secure Ginger’s left foot to the pedal. That didn’t keep her leg from sliding down. So Tammy used the bandage to pull Ginger’s legs loosely together. Ginger laughs about the lengths the team went to so she could ride the bike. Summer 2015 common thread
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Fitness memberships are discounted for employees and can be paid through payroll deduction. You can also purchase gift certificates to share the gift of good health with others. Visit KentuckyOneHealth.org/HealthyLifestyle or call 502.581.0110.
“It was so much fun!” she said. From there Ginger graduated to something unimaginable for her – the treadmill. “Everybody wants to feel normal,” she said. “The fact that I can walk on that treadmill makes me feel normal. I feel so good about that!” Today Ginger continues with her exercise program. She also gets monthly acupuncture treatments, one of several integrative medicine services the centers offer that relieve chronic pain. “It makes such a difference when you aren’t constantly dealing with lower back pain,” she said. All in all, “it’s like the sun is shining all over me.” KentuckyOne Health now has three Healthy Lifestyle Centers: one in downtown Louisville, one at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH), and one at Medical Center Jewish Northeast (MCJNE). The centers grew from cardiac rehab programs. In December of 2012, the director of the centers, Jo Carol Stephens, MSN, and Alice Bridges, vice president of healthy communities for KentuckyOne, shared a report on the clinical outcome data with the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation Board, Tammy said. “The Foundation Board was really impressed with the outcomes,” she said. The results demonstrated that the program for medically-supervised exercise, nutrition counseling and stress management was successful in modifying risk factors for heart disease and helping people make difficult lifestyle changes, the clinical supervisor said. The staff was helping people with overweight issues, high blood pressure, stress levels and high cholesterol. In addition, “at the start of a 12-week cardiac rehab program, 8
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we would screen for depression. After the 12 weeks, we were demonstrating improvement in depression.” With this great success in helping people improve their health, “we received a $3 million grant from the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation to grow and expand our Healthy Lifestyle Center services,” Tammy said. “From that point we expanded from just cardiac and pulmonary rehab to a total wellness and integrative focus.” Today the MCJNE center is housed in 8,000 square feet, while the SMEH center space is just over 5,000 square feet. The downtown Louisville facility has been completely renovated. It was opened again in March of this year. It contains 6,000 square feet. The centers still offer cardiac and pulmonary rehab, Tammy said. But now they also offer medically-supervised exercise for a variety of needs. “This is not a YMCA or health club,” she said. “You don’t just come in here and jump on a machine. This is a medically-supervised program that makes use of registered nurses, master’s-level
exercise physiologists, respiratory therapists, a registered dietitian, various integrative medicine staff members, and a chaplain.” In fact, the centers are designed to serve a more mature, deconditioned, higher-risk population that has not been served by traditional fitness facilities. Brittany Halcomb, MS, an exercise physiologist with MCJNE, has worked with a number of Healthy Lifestyle patients. “When they first come in, we’ll sit down and do an evaluation of their medical history, their goals, what they want to overcome,” Brittany said. “We prescribe exercises for them.” On successive visits, the staff checks blood pressure and monitors how the patient is doing. “Some people are going to need more one-on-one help,” Brittany said. “Some just need help getting started. We’re as hands on as you want, or as hands off as you want.”
Additional services like acupuncture, meditation and Tai Chi are offered for a fee, by appointment. What Ginger finds especially healing is the kindness of the staff. “All of the people who work there are tops,” she said. “I love the way they treat us. I said, ‘Do you call us clients – or patients?’ They said, ‘We call you friends.’” Ginger is an inspiration to others, according to Brittany. “She progressed to the treadmill – which was awesome,” the exercise physiologist said. “She loves exercise so much, it makes her wonderful to work with.” People who join the Healthy Lifestyle Centers now get a free 60-minute clinical assessment with an RN Health Coach. This $68 value includes a physical and nutritional assessment, medication review and development of a personal health improvement plan. To find out more, call 502.581.0110 or visit KentuckyOneHealth.org/HealthyLifestyle.
Left to right, Tammy McDill worked with Ginger McKune, while Brittany Halcomb assisted Ginger’s husband Don.
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Welcome to MY WORLD
Sarah Faith: Helping Abused, Neglected Children to Heal BY AMY TAYLOR
At 5 feet tall and weighing in at 100 pounds, Sarah Faith is smaller than most of the troubled children she helps at Our Lady of Peace. Somebody else might feel threatened when an angry teen throws a chair. Not Sarah, though. The 26-year-old mental health specialist knows the love she expresses for these youngsters touches their hearts – no matter what the crisis.
n What do you do as a mental health specialist? I work with children and adolescents in therapeutic groups, with up to 12 in a group, from age 9 to 15. Another mental health worker always helps with the group. We have intellectually disabled kids and kids who have normal functioning but have an acute mental illness. We teach them coping skills and help them learn the reasons why they’re at Our Lady of Peace. We also help them work on their self-esteem. I work all over the hospital, including in the Highly Aggressive Female Unit, which commonly houses adolescent females with a history of legal issues. Sometimes kids will be here for extended periods of time. Then they may go to foster care, or to a residential group home or back to their families’ homes while they continue in outpatient therapy.
n How important is teamwork in working with troubled children? It’s really important to have a supportive team working with you if an altercation arises, so you can manage the situation without patients or staff getting hurt. It’s great to work with a team that is as passionate about the kids as I am, and that’s what we have here. As a team, we offer structure and help the kids establish routines, which help them feel safe.
n What led you to the role of mental health specialist? I’ve always loved helping people. Years ago I got my CNA (certified nursing assistant license) and worked in nursing homes. But I really wanted to work with kids. That’s what brought me to Our Lady of Peace.
n What motivates you to come to work every day? I love being here for the kids. They respond to compassion, to a gentle tone in your voice. They respect me because they know I care about them. You never have to raise your voice with children or adolescents. If they’re getting yelled at at home or in school or by other kids, you’re there to teach them other coping skills. One boy was being bullied in school. We taught him how to deal with people when they bully him. We taught him to ignore those kids, to walk away. He stayed here for two weeks, and I could see his personality changing from being sad to being more outgoing and happy. The way he acted on the unit changed so much in a couple of weeks. He was communicating with his peers – and he was smiling. I felt so happy and excited when I saw him change like that. When I can help someone, I feel like I’m making a difference in the world.
n What goals do you want to achieve? I’m in school to be an American Sign Language interpreter. That really interests me. And I want to keep doing something I do every year – get local businesses to donate teddy bears for the kids here for Christmas. I send my donation letters out, and then I visit in person. I met my husband, Todd, here. We had our first child this fall, Charles Easton. I want to use what I’ve learned here to be the best Mom I can be. And I want to keep being there for the kids at Our Lady of Peace. Photograph by Robert Burge
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Cultivating a GREEN THUMB Frazier therapists Lauren Adams and Erin Barton help build therapeutic garden for patients BY AMY TAYLOR
Lauren Adams, left, and Erin Barton, right Summer 2015 common thread
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After a fall shattered her wrist and damaged her brain, Colleen O’Malley struggled with sequencing, organizational skills and mental flexibility – all things she needed to get her life back. Then she became a patient at the Frazier Rehab Institute NeuroRehab Program, located off U.S. Highway 42/Brownsboro Road in Louisville. At Frazier, “my therapists kept looking for creative ways to ignite my spark and teach me new strategies,” Colleen said. One thing Colleen was passionate about was gardening. Her occupational therapist, Lauren Adams, began looking for ways to incorporate that love into Colleen’s therapy. “Lauren started using our sessions to integrate examples and activities that tapped into the gardening knowledge I still had,” Colleen said. In addition, the therapist was “teaching me new ways to plan, organize and think through what my family’s garden could be – given my mental and physical limitations.” Gardening, in fact, was central to the Frazier team’s vision, which was to create a therapy garden at the facility that could be used for occupational therapy and activities that support neurological development. The garden they envisioned would create a healing place for dynamic therapies that could be adapted to the various needs of their patients. Since it was gardening at Frazier that had helped Colleen recover, it was a garden that the patient was determined to create. After she recovered, she dedicated herself to raising the funds needed to make the dream garden a reality. On Sept. 26, 2014, patients and volunteers joined together to build the garden, which includes two raised garden beds, a container garden, a hanging herb garden and earth-friendly rain barrels. One of the raised garden beds is wheelchair-accessible. The build day served as therapy for a number of patients who assembled the pre-cut garden beds, transported and spread soil in the boxes and containers, and planted and labeled seeds and plants. “Building a therapeutic garden for our patients has been a dream of mine since I started working at NeuroRehab Program two years ago,” said Erin Barton, MS, OTR/L, who supervised the project. “We like to have our patients be the ones to plan and organize big projects like this so that they can work on executive functioning skills in a functional context; however, this often presents a challenge, because you have to have the right patient at the right time.” Apparently “the stars aligned” when Colleen came to Frazier for help, Erin said. “We were blessed to have Colleen O’Malley volunteer to head up the project after being discharged from the program. She has the perfect background, skills and abilities. Most of all, she has the passion and determination that this project needed to finally get off the ground.” Today the front of the new therapy garden contains a famous quote from Mary Reilly, OT: “Man, through the use of his hands, as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health.” Occupational and physical therapists set individualized goals to help patients achieve milestones during treatment. Those goals often relate to a patient’s needs or interests, such as gardening. As the quote reads, therapists at Frazier are giving patients a place to energize their minds and wills by working with their hands in the NeuroTherapy Garden.
On Sept. 26, 2014, patients and volunteers joined together to build a therapy garden at Frazier’s NeuroRehab Program. The build day served as therapy for a number of patients who assembled the pre-cut garden beds, transported and spread soil in the boxes and containers, and planted and labeled seeds and plants.
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RESEARCH SHOWS that gardening is a good neurological therapy. Beyond improving cognitive skills, gardening has been shown to improve mood and decrease anxiety. Gardening can improve quality of life and self-esteem, provide a sense of accomplishment, and decrease stress – all things that have a positive impact on those who’ve lost independence due to a brain injury or other illness. An increased sense of control and stability is also beneficial for these patients. Horticulture therapy can also improve fine and gross motor coordination, as well as hand-eye coordination, while promoting overall physical health.
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Employees, patients and volunteers celebrated the new therapy garden at Frazier’s NeuroRehab Program. The garden includes two raised garden beds, a container garden, a hanging herb garden and earth-friendly rain barrels.
Patients harvest nutritious plants such as kale to preserve and use when cooking.
“I recently had a patient who was severely depressed, really struggling, and had a hard time engaging in the therapy process,” Erin said. “The only time I saw her truly engaged in an activity of her own volition was when I had her make a salad using greens from the garden.” With the garden in place, the patients perform garden care and maintenance, harvest plants, save seeds for future crops and preserve, cook and bake with the harvest. “The garden gives our patients the opportunity to be a part of something meaningful, to take care of something and watch it grow 14
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at a time in their lives when they are the ones being cared for,” Erin commented. “It provides the therapists with a meaningful way to help patients focus on what they can do, instead of on what they can’t.” Colleen agrees completely. “I can’t thank the team enough for adapting and creating meaningful experiences for me that allowed me to connect with who I was, while stepping into the person I am today,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to ‘pay it forward’ by helping my therapists fulfill their dreams, while contributing to other patients and their healing.”
bite
quick
EATING FOR LIFE CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS 12 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 tablespoons granular Splenda 1 cup egg substitute 1 reduced-fat ready graham cracker crust ½ cup fat-free sour cream 2 teaspoons sugar substitute
Eating for Life Cheesecake
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Spoon cottage cheese into blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and Splenda, blend for about 15 more seconds, scraping down sides as needed. While blending, gradually add the egg substitute and continue to blend until smooth, about 45 seconds. 3. Pour cheese filling into Ready Crust and bake until set, about 35 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool for 15 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 4. Prior to serving, combine sour cream and sugar substitute. Slice cheesecake into 8 portions, top with sour cream mixture … add fruit or other topping as desired. Serve and enjoy! NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: (Serves 8) Calories: 111.5 Calories from Fat: 12 Total Fat: 1.3 g Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 9.3 mg Sodium: 463.3 mg Total Carb: 9.6 g Fiber: 0.3 g
SUBMITTED BY: RHONDA RALEIGH, WEEKEND NURSING COORDINATOR, JEWISH HOSPITAL SHELBYVILLE
Are you trying to adopt a healthier diet or lose weight? Learn to modify some of your favorite treats into “healthified” versions so you can continue to enjoy the things you love in moderation – without guilt. From the Healthy Spirit recipe book, KentuckyOne Health employee Rhonda Raleigh shares this favorite, which pairs perfectly with fresh summer strawberries.
Sugars: 6.9 g Protein: 13.9 g
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This Work Fills Every Hole in My Heart Oncology nurse Melissa Pritchett’s enthusiasm for patient care inspires others
BY HOLLY HINSON
For Melissa Pritchett, the decision to become an oncology nurse was about turning tears and tragedy into something positive. The 34-year-old University of Louisville Hospital nurse lost both her brother-in-law and grandpa to cancer within three months of each other. As a caretaker for both of them, Melissa was grief-stricken and to deal with her loss, she registered for nursing school at Indiana University Southeast only one week after her brother-in-law, Scott, died. For Melissa, it was “strictly oncology all the way.” After receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2011 and working directly for the bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit in the last semester of senior year, Melissa was hired to work on that unit at the hospital the same summer. Since that time, Melissa said her passion for nursing has only grown. She explained why tending to a patient’s heart is an important facet of oncology nursing. “When you are diagnosed with cancer, it’s like you are just hit with this brick. Sometimes it’s about sitting with them and letting them talk to you. They want to talk about the changes, losing their hair, what’s going on with their families. They need to feel like they have a life outside of sickness. We try to help them have one.” As a caregiver who gets very involved with her patients, Melissa is a perfect fit for her nursing unit. “Six East is a very different kind of unit,” she explained. “There is such a sense of urgency. Our patients are so sick that they literally could be talking to you one minute and septic the next. We want to bring whatever sunshine we can to them because our patients may not see tomorrow,” she said. “So if they want a Dairy Queen Blizzard, you bring it because you can – because we all
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walk out of the door after a 12-hour shift and we get to go home – but they can’t.” Getting to know and care for some of the sickest patients in the BMT unit has “really been an incredible joy,” Melissa said. “This unit fills every hole in my heart. It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted – and more.” As chairperson of her nursing unit-based practice council, Melissa looks for ways inside – and outside – the hospital to help cancer patients. She organizes a monthly caregivers celebration and she also spearheaded the hospital’s first-ever bone marrow drive in 2012. The drive yielded positive results that defied the odds when two donors were matched to current patients needing bone marrow transplants. “We completely changed two families’ lives that we know of and that’s just something to be so proud of,” Melissa exclaimed. Now the hospital holds these bone marrow drives at least annually. The BMT unit on 6 East is constantly searching for ideas to boost spirits on the unit and make patients feel like family, Melissa said. After finding out about a single mom struggling to buy her son school supplies, the unit planned a back-to-school party for the patient’s son, collecting supplies, clothing and even shoes to help out. Another way the unit is able to bring patients closer to their families when they are hospitalized is through the use of new technology. “Through iPads and Skype and FaceTime, we’ve had patients virtually go to the sonogram to see the sex of the baby, go to ballet recitals, and be there for Fourth of July parties … those things are just priceless.” Melissa is unwavering in her commitment to her patients – and getting them everything they need and want, whether it is hitting
Photograph by Robert Burge
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Melissa Pritchett and the bone marrow transplant team helped plan a bedside wedding for their patient, Evonne, who had only days left to live. It was her last wish.
the pavement to find more bone marrow donors, organizing parties or celebrations, or even planning a bedside wedding to make a dying patient’s fondest dream come true. “When Evonne got her news, she had two weeks to live. She told me her dream was to get married to her boyfriend before she died,” Melissa explained. “She was such a special patient, and I really wanted to make it happen for her, so as a team we did it.” In just a week, Melissa and her unit kicked it into high gear, calling dozens of businesses for donations and arranging a photographer, videographer, veil, dress, flowers, food, wedding cake and decorations – all the bells and whistles. “The nurses on the BMT unit made invitations and mailed them out. We booked a chapel, picked out music. We even brought in five different dresses for her to try on. We really cared about getting her vision right, as close as we possibly could. This was going to be her big day.” The wedding ceremony was well-attended – everything was put aside for the day and all the nurses, physicians and staff members on 6 East were there; in fact, the event attracted national media attention. “It was not perfect, but everything that she wanted had just come true and it was like watching magic happen,” Melissa said. “Evonne was just radiant. The next day she was crying in pain all day, but it cheered her up seeing herself on CNN and MSN. She was telling everyone about being on television and seeing her face light up for that – it gave me goose bumps. That was one of the best days I’ve ever had.” Evonne lived for less than a week after her wedding. Being there for patients and families when they are dying may seem depressing, Melissa said, but “it is worth it to be there with them for the journey.” “It’s all about the people standing beside you and holding your 18
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“They need to feel like they have a life outside of sickness.” child’s hand – even if that child is 75,” she said. “I just think what we do in our jobs from the beginning to the end is so important – whether it be education at diagnosis, or holding their hands through all their chemo treatments, and even to be able to be with them and their families as they’re dying – that’s just one of the most honorable moments I can ever have.”
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Art with Heart
KentuckyOne employees show their creative side while helping people heal We called all artists – and KentuckyOne Health employees responded! The inaugural statewide employee art exhibition sponsored by the KentuckyOne Health Healing Art Program attracted more than 50 submissions of original artwork from KentuckyOne employees. Of those, 30 artworks from 18 employees across the state were selected to be exhibited. The pieces selected for exhibition were on display in the Chestnut Café at Jewish Hospital in Louisville from November 2014 through May 2015. Congratulations to the six employees selected to be special cash award winners for their artwork: • Grand Prize ($300): Nancy Voth, KentuckyOne Primary Care Associates, for Magical Bubbles • Awards of Excellence ($200): JoAnna Jackson, Medical Center Jewish East, Cuban Car; and Susan King, Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, Sunrise, Big Four Bridge • Honorable Mentions ($100): Glenn Hirsch, University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital, for Thunder Over Louisville; Julianna Morrison-Sheridan, Jewish Hospital, for Within Beauty; and Leigh Montgomery, University of Louisville Hospital, for Cow The KentuckyOne Healing Art program plans to make the contest and exhibition an annual event and make the Chestnut Café a permanent exhibition spot for KentuckyOne artists to display their creative talents. Thank you to the artists who generously donated their works to remain as part of the KentuckyOne permanent art collection to bring wellness, healing and hope to all.
bles, 2013, hand-colored
Nancy Voth, Magical Bub
photograph 12” x 18”
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Power of PREVENTION Breast cancer survivor Susan Banks credits mobile mammography unit for saving her life BY HOLLY HINSON As a radiology scheduler at the University of Louisville Hospital for 20 years, Susan Banks knew better than to procrastinate on her yearly mammogram. After all, she is reminded every day as she sees patients arrive for diagnostic testing, and she knows the power of prevention in the disease of breast cancer. But in a refrain that is all too familiar for many working mothers trying to balance busy work and family lives, “I was always too busy worrying about everybody else,” said the vivacious 54-year-old. “I was not taking care of myself.” In June 2010, Susan was two years overdue for her screening mammogram when she took advantage of the convenience of the nearby James Graham Brown Cancer Center (JGBCC) Mobile Mammography Unit on a free employee screening day. “The technicians were getting on me for not getting one for two years,” Susan recalled. But Susan was not having any problems or pain, and with no family history, she never suspected anything would be wrong. But at her screening, the results showed something that her radiologist thought deserved a closer look. “She saw something suspicious on my right breast and became concerned,” Susan said. “She wanted to do a biopsy and I asked her ‘when?’ and when she said ‘right now,’ well, that was a scary answer.” Susan had a procedure called a stereotactic biopsy, and about three days later was called in to see her physician. Although the outpatient center where Susan works is only a couple blocks away from the JGBCC, Susan said the walk over seemed like a million miles that day. “It seemed like the building was going backwards, like I was never going to get there.” Susan’s diagnosis was stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma, and from that moment on, everything seemed different. “I thought of all my years of work in medical oncology, and every story, every complaint from every patient started playing in my head. It’s amazing how immediately I jumped to the other side of the fence. Suddenly, I understood those patients in a way I just couldn’t have before.” But Susan said she did feel reassured by her oncologist and her surgeons, who she already knew from work, and who immediately responded to her case. In the first week of July, Susan had a lumpectomy. “I had always heard all the other patients talk about their treatments and their surgeries. I was educated about it because I was their scheduler – and the one who listened to them every day. It was their stories, their confidence that made me strong,” she said.
Photograph by Robert Burge
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Susan Banks said being a cancer survivor has changed her – taught her to appreciate life’s many blessings. She urges women to get their yearly mammogram.
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But Susan acknowledged that sometimes it was a daily climb to get past the fear. “It was scary and I didn’t know what to think. When I had chemotherapy, I had all the effects – the hair loss, the sickness – but I refused to let it get me down. Sometimes, I was weak and nauseated and I came back to work and I did not feel good. But I also knew staying in bed was not the answer. I needed to be around people – friends, doctors, everyone giving me encouragement. I can’t say enough about the people who helped me with the battle. And it WAS a battle,” Susan said. Throughout 2010, Susan underwent treatment. After her surgery she began her regimen of four chemo treatments, one every 26 days. “They were just far enough apart that right when you started feeling better, it was time for another one,” she said. After chemotherapy was completed, she received radiation therapy – a total of 26 treatments – 15 minutes a day, five days a week for five weeks. Susan said she was “scared to death” by the intimidating radiation therapy machines but her fear was eased by her best friend, Denise, who works on the mammography unit and went to every treatment with her. “She was really there for me; we would ride home together sometimes. She was very sweet and supportive. She and my family really became my rock,” Susan said. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Susan’s treatment regimen was deemed a success. Susan will continue the cancer-fighting drug Tamoxifen for five years and still make yearly checkups with her oncologist, but for today her prognosis looks excellent and the future of her journey promising. This past October, she gladly “raced for the cure” with other cancer survivors. Susan professed, “This is me now – I am one of the lucky ones.” In fact, Susan celebrated five years cancer-free this June of 2015.
Mobile Mammography Unit
“This is me now – I am one of the lucky ones.” Susan said being a cancer survivor has changed her – taught her to appreciate life’s many blessings. “I always felt I was compassionate with patients before – but now I know I am,” she said with a smile. “I look at life very differently and don’t take anything for granted.” “I have always loved my job here. Now my experience as a patient with the hospital and cancer center was also an excellent one,” Susan said. “I know that even if I wasn’t an employee, they would have treated me the same. They were so compassionate; they really showed me they cared about what was happening to me.” Susan is a staunch advocate for the importance of yearly mammograms as an early detection tool for breast cancer. “To all women 40 and over, get your mammogram and get it every single year – don’t ever skip. Just because you don’t feel anything doesn’t mean that cancer is not there – I am living proof. With the accessibility and availability of the mobile mammography unit, there is no excuse for putting it off.” “The mobile van is an excellent – and convenient – tool to catch breast cancer when it is most treatable,” she said. “I cannot say enough about it because it detected my cancer. In another year, I could have been stage 4. It absolutely saved my life.” 22
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For patients like Susan Banks, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center (JGBCC) Mobile Mammography Unit was literally a lifesaver. Her cancer was detected at an early stage – and was more treatable since it was caught early. For more than 20 years, the program has been making these vital breast cancer screenings convenient and accessible to women at locations throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana. Providing mammograms to those in need has been the mission of the program since its inception in 1991. In addition, many mammograms are offered at low cost or no cost to financially qualified individuals through the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Project, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen.
t Reaches Out to Women on their Home Turf
All mammograms performed on the mobile unit are screening mammograms – the most common way to detect an early stage breast cancer. When breast cancer is caught early, treatment is less invasive with improved survival rates. The mobile mammography unit uses digital computer-aided detection (CAD) to enhance the digital mammography image and flag abnormalities in the breast, assisting the radiologist in detecting early breast cancer. This is the same advanced technology offered at the JGBCC’s Breast Care Center, the first center in Kentucky to receive accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. In fact, the JGBCC’s unit was among the first in the country to offer digital imaging. Patients benefit by reduced exposure times, improved imaging and a more comfortable exam. According to Laura Fry, diagnostic imaging manager, the mobile unit is an essential tool because disparities in mammography screening continue
to exist among underserved women with low income or less education. The mobile mammography program works to remove access to barriers by reaching out to women in their community, church, school or place of business. “Many of our patients are from underserved populations who often don’t get screened due to either economic or cultural barriers, so we partner with businesses, various community organizations and the health care community to meet patients on their ‘home turf,’ providing a level of comfort that makes the screening process seem less intimidating,” Laura said. In 2012, the JGBCC’s mobile mammography program won a MediStar award. The awards program, sponsored by Medical News, recognizes and honors health care professionals for their achievements in advocacy, innovation, education and consumer needs.
For more information, call 502.522.4361. View a schedule of upcoming screenings at KentuckyOneHealth.org/BrownCancerCenter
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Connect to PURPOSE
Photograph by Patti Longmire
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Connect to PURPOSE
Bringing the Crime to LIGHT KentuckyOne employees work to fight human trafficking in Bardstown
Photograph by Ron Perrin
BY AMY TAYLOR
When Heidi Wilhelm first learned two
Heidi Wilhelm and Shane Fitzgerald are working to raise awareness about human trafficking.
“Human dignity must be defended.”
years ago that people were enslaved by human traffickers, she had only one response: shock. “I thought it must be going on in larger cities,” said Heidi, the director of development for the Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation. “I was horrified to learn that human trafficking is going on right here in my own town.” Her education began when Heidi was invited to become part of the Human Trafficking Task Force of Nelson County, a group started by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Flaget’s foundresses. The Sisters had received two years of grant funding for the task force from Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a sponsor of KentuckyOne Health. CHI is funding violence prevention initiatives in communities across the nation. Thanks to the task force, Heidi learned that the most common form of human trafficking involves prostitution of teenage girls. Teen runaways are especially vulnerable to this type of abuse. Even younger children are trafficked, however, as Heidi found out. A drug-addicted mother and father who ran a meth lab in Bardstown were jailed for selling their young children for sex. The trafficking was discovered during a drug bust. In her task force training, Heidi was made aware of a case that came to light in Bardstown when a Chinese restaurant owner was arrested by federal authorities for harboring illegal immigrants. For living quarters, the owner squeezed seven adults into a 1,000-square-foot house that they never left unless he sent a truck to take them to the restaurant. They were expected to work 72 to 80 hours a week. Their “pay” was derived solely from a tip jar.
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Even though a federal and a state law make human trafficking a crime, and could have protected the victims, the restaurant’s captives were treated like criminals. Traffickers can prosper by promising migrants without papers good jobs and good pay, then forcing them into slavery on tobacco farms, in sweatshops, or as restaurant workers or domestic help. The victims, who often speak little or no English and know nothing about labor laws, are paid next to nothing. If they try to escape, their traffickers may beat them or threaten to turn them in as illegal immigrants. This was horrible to Heidi. Photograph by Ron Perrin
“I know now that the vast majority of cases in Kentucky involve girls,” she said. “But there are plenty of labor trafficking cases where the victims feel compelled to work because the traffickers have stolen their immigration papers or have threatened them. This is not just going on in Louisville or Lexington.” Creating and selling child pornography is also a profitable venture for traffickers. “These criminals prey on the most vulnerable individuals,” Heidi said. “Once you know this, how can you turn away without getting involved?” Heidi found a way to help. She set up the first training about human trafficking for Flaget Hospital leaders. Soon after, she set up additional trainings for key people in the human trafficking equation: hospital emergency department staff members and other workers. Trafficking is sometimes discovered when victims are brought to the emergency department for care. “All of us should be aware of this,” Heidi said.
Fighting the crime through training Marissa Castellanos, MSW, is the manager of Kentucky Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking, a program of Catholic Charities of Louisville. Marissa, who serves on the Sisters’ task force in Nelson County, is perhaps the foremost trainer on trafficking in Kentucky. She has trained Flaget workers. Human trafficking is one of the most profitable illegal industries in the world, second only to drug trafficking, the social worker said. “More money can be made buying and selling people than buying and selling drugs,” Marissa said. “You can only sell a drug once. But you can sell young girls day after day, week after week, until they escape – or are rescued.”
Being true to our Purpose & Values Flaget Chief Mission Leader Shane Fitzgerald is proud to serve on the Sisters’ task force. “I was invited to join, but this was also on my radar, because each CHI hospital is committed to violence prevention,” he said. “My first response was abhorrence. Then it was, ‘Can this really be happening here?’” The Sisters’ coalition, which includes health care workers, business owners, attorneys, social workers, local law enforcement, the Legal Aid Society, the FBI and the Sisters, “is uncommon in the breadth of its community partner participation,” Fitzgerald said. “I commend them for their passion, their commitment and their foresight. This work is coming at a time when the nation is more aware. The Sisters appear to be in the vanguard of this movement.” The task force has made it clear that human trafficking must be discovered and defeated, he said. “As a Catholic hospital, Catholic social teaching is very clear. Human dignity must be defended. We can’t flourish as a community, as a statewide health system or as a nation if we allow these terrible violations of human dignity to continue. We must act.”
Marissa Castellanos, a member of the Nelson County task force, taught a class in Bardstown on human trafficking.
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How to Spot Trafficking in the Emergency Department The following signs may indicate that you are dealing with victims of human trafficking: • They are accompanied by a person who seems controlling and insists on doing all the talking for the patient • Appear fearful, depressed, submissive, tense, anxious • Have inability to make eye contact • Lie about age • Provide false identification • Have injuries or signs of physical abuse • Show branding, markings or tattoos of their trafficker or pimp
Steps to Take If you suspect that you are dealing with a victim of human trafficking, call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline 24/7 at 888.373.7888. If you are dealing with a victim Monday through Friday during daytime hours, call Marissa Castellanos at Catholic Charities of Louisville at 502.974.4947. You can also call Marissa to set up a human trafficking training session. For more information on trafficking, visit: R escueAndRestoreKy.org SharedHope.org
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Health Care HERO
A Top Nurse in Kentucky
“He inspires people through his actions – not just his words.”
Photograph by Lee P. Thomas
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Al Saylor inspires others through his nursing practice and servant-leader style
When you meet Al Saylor, expect to be laughing with him in no time. Expect to feel totally accepted in his presence. Expect to enjoy the compassion and love Al radiates to everyone. His humble, humorous, highly-educated, servant-leader style helped this KentuckyOne nurse earn the University of Louisville School of Nursing’s Florence Nightingale Award in 2014. Only six nurses in the state received this honor. Every one of them, like Al, is improving health outcomes for patients, motivating nurses to be better at what they do, and inspiring others to become nurses. Al, in addition, is serving as a model for compassion in action. The Chicago native completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy at Southern Illinois University, then got a master’s degree in community counseling at the University of Kentucky. “My parents feared that I was going to be a professional student,” jokes Al, who not only earned BA, MS, RN and BSN degrees, but has also been certified as an addictions registered nurse, a psychiatric and mental health nurse, and as a case manager. In the beginning, “my strongest area of interest was counseling.” To pursue that interest, he worked with the mentally ill, and with drug addicts and alcoholics. Al began to see “all the health problems those people were having. That got me interested in the nursing field. So I went back and got my RN.” In 1982 the nurse traveled to Hungary and Russia as part of a 12-person People to People delegation organized to promote scientific and cultural exchange between nations. It’s one trip he’ll never forget. “At that time 77 percent of the hospitals in Russia did not have running water,” Al said. “We saw hospital staff re-using IV bottles, IV tubing and IV needles on different patients. This was really shocking.” In Hungary the group toured a psychiatric facility. “They wanted to show us their pharmacy, which they were so proud of,” Al said. “We walked up to a little cabinet on the wall. That was their pharmacy for the whole hospital.” That journey made the nurse extremely grateful for the amenities of the U.S., he said. “Things that we take for granted in our country – like dropping a letter in the mail – are a real problem over there.” Al joined Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH) in 1986. At SJH he was first a staff nurse on a psychiatric unit, then became the manager of an inpatient substance abuse floor that closed in 1992. From then until 2002, Al was a psychiatric nurse in the emergency department (ED). That job offered unique experiences, he said. “One time a father and a brother of a person with substance abuse problems duct-taped their brother’s arms and legs and dragged him in. He was going to get substance abuse treatment whether he wanted it or not. I’ll never forget that.” Al was not just involved in patient care during that time; he was also doing psychiatric case management. “Many psychotic individuals would wander into the ED,” Al said. For the ones who were admitted, “I would haggle with insurance companies, making sure the patients were getting the treatment they needed in a timely manner.”
BY AMY TAYLOR
SJH got out of psychiatric care entirely in 2002, Al said. The nurse continued to do case management for several years. In 2007, he moved to Saint Joseph East (SJE), his current work site. “I began as a staff member in the case management department, and assumed a managerial role in 2010,” the 61-year-old said. Today “I supervise a crew of nine staff members: one social worker, one support specialist, two half-time social workers and five RNs.” Part of his staff covers women’s services at SJE, Al said. The rest are focused on the acute care hospital at that location, which includes “telemetry, orthopedics, bariatrics, general surgery – and we do have a 12-bed ICU.” Being a leader at SJE means honoring patients and families, he said. “I want to make sure that our patients are getting the right care,” Al said. “Even if you strongly disagree with what a patient is saying or doing, we have to understand them and have compassion. That’s their way, and that’s how they’re going to do it.” Being a leader means being a role model, the nurse said. “You need to show care and respect for patients in everything you do.” Being a leader also means finding ways to cut through tension, he said. “I use humor to try to ease the pressure my staff members experience. In this field, we see so many tragic things. I use humor to try to keep their spirits up.” Al uses humor at home as well. His wife, Janis, is a surgery nurse. They both come home from long days devoted to helping patients heal. Their “children,” four dogs, help relieve the pressure. “They’re all rescues,” Al said. As to his hobbies, the nurse leader watches UK sports, reads history books and does woodworking. And as an Episcopalian, he helps out at church. “I occasionally perform weddings,” he said. Tish Heaney, MSN, RN, who serves as interim director of medical surgical nursing in care coordination and utilization review at SJH, was once Al’s supervisor. Al won the Florence Nightingale award because, “throughout his career, he has worked to improve the lives of others through his nursing practice and his ongoing pursuit of excellence,” Tish said. “Al takes his time to understand those he works with in order to help them achieve their potential. It’s through honoring and encouraging those around him that Al inspires them.” Deb Bryant, MSN, RN, is the vice president of patient care services at SJE. Nowadays she works closely with Al. He was honored “because he’s a humble and compassionate nurse, and that comes across in every communication you have with him,” Deb said. “He’s got a variety of nursing experience, and yet he’s just so humble.” Al is a wonderful mentor to his staff members, she said. “He inspires people through his actions – not just his words – but through his actions. I know they really appreciate that.”
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Life is Cool!
Saint Joseph Berea clinicians use real organs to teach kids about their bodies
Clinicians from Saint Joseph Berea (SJB) took part in a Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates event at Berea College in April that showed 400 elementary school children that “Life is Cool.” Ten SJB staff members, most of them registered nurses or respiratory therapists, manned 10 learning stations that used iced pig organs to show how diet and exercise affect health. The hospital provided lunch for 75 volunteers who assisted with the event. Life is Cool demonstrated, for example, “how your liver filters out toxins,” said Katie Heckman, MM, who handles public relations for SJB. “The overarching thing was to show how these organs work to keep us healthy, and how you can make choices to help your body stay that way.” The children, who had just completed a curriculum about the workings of the human body, showed great interest in this brief course, she said. “It’s one way to get kids thinking about health care careers early,” Katie said. “This was just part of the community outreach that we do.” Staff members who took part were Bernice Baird, RN, Darcy Maupin, RN, Laurie Faught, RN, Mitzi Alexander, RN, Ryan Schuh, RT, Crystal Catron, RN, Scott Thompson, RRT, Devonda Flannery, RRT, Crystal Faulkner, CRT, and Christina Lawson, RRT.
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HEALTHY Spirit
Getting it Down, Pat! Saint Joseph London employee is no longer a ‘Couch’ potato
BY AMY TAYLOR
It’s been more than a year since Pat Couch took part in a weight-loss challenge that was offered to employees at Saint Joseph London. In just 16 weeks, the nursing assistant lost 45 pounds. Since she started the program at 281 pounds, she had quite a bit to lose. Today Pat has pared off a total of 82 pounds. Knee-replacement surgery and some alarming physical symptoms were big incentives for Pat to lose weight. “If I bent down to tie my shoes, I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I was getting tired all the time. It was awful. It was scary.” Some of her colleagues at the hospital were having gastric bypass and other surgeries, and Pat contemplated those options. She ultimately decided not to go that route. Photograph by Tim Webb
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Instead, Pat began watching what she ate and exercising. That strategy is working for her to this day. “I do a recumbent bicycle for 40 to 45 minutes about three or four times a week, and I do ‘Sweatin’ to the Oldies,’” she said. “Richard Simmons is my man.” Changing her eating habits was the tricky part. “The hardest to give up was good food,” she said. “As I grew up, my mother loved to cook biscuits and gravy. It was just passed on.” She has learned to enjoy salads and broccoli. Pat’s family has also benefitted from her determination to eat better. “My husband is a diabetic with a heart condition, so it helps him, because I’m not bringing stuff home that would tempt him,” she said. “I don’t say I diet all the time, but I don’t do like I did.” Pat is grateful for the encouragement she received from Saint Joseph London Director of Public Affairs Sharon Hershberger, who spearheaded the weight-loss challenge. “Sharon is always trying to help people with either dieting or quitting smoking,” the nursing assistant said. “Sometimes you need encouragement. You just can’t do it on your own, even though you’d like to. You need that little boost.” Sharon kept the challenge participants engaged by offering healthy food choices in the hospital’s Fountainview Café, by talking with them, and by giving them points when she spotted them doing something healthy, she said. “I would go in each day and do a ‘Caught You Being Healthy’ reward on our Healthy Spirit website for the people who were logged in to that,” Sharon said. “I would give them points for doing things like walking around the hospital lake.” Three laps around the lake equal a mile. An indoor route was measured in a set of corridors so people could exercise inside and track their mileage. Two of these loops equal a mile. Pat says she feels “100 percent better” after taking part in the 16-week challenge – and because she stayed true to her new, healthy habits once the program was over. Before the program “I was just about wearing a 4 extra-large,” she said. “Today I’m down to an extra-large.” The Corbin resident has gotten many compliments from co-workers on her weight loss. “People I don’t even work with daily compliment me,” she said. “You wouldn’t think people would notice – but they do.” She also feels great when she opens her closet. “I was getting out my winter clothes the other day, and there were none of them I could wear, because they would fall off me. That made me feel even better,” she said. She advises people who want to lose weight to “just do it.” “You don’t need to wait as long as I have,” she said. “It’s harder to lose weight when you’re older. But in the long run, the reward is worth it. Even though I work a lot of hours, I’m not tired; I have 32
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energy. I still have a lot of time left that I want to spend with my grandkids.” Sharon has some weight-loss advice as well. “You need to do it with someone,” she said. “That always helps to keep you motivated. Choose either someone at work or someone at home so you can watch each other’s meals or watch each other exercise and be a pal that way.” Pat’s buddy has been her husband, Rob, who does the cooking for the couple. “He loves grease and salt, like fried chicken and fried potatoes,” she said. “I told him I couldn’t eat that way. So we’ve made big changes there.” One day Pat plans to do something unusual with the sagging skin and fat on her body. She is going to donate the fat to a burn center. “If you have a lot of excess fat, they’ll cut it off and donate it to people to help them,” she said. “That will be my reward – trying to help somebody else while I help myself.”
Photograph by Tim Webb
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We Are One! It’s an exciting time as we continue to roll out our Did you sign your name on the big Traveling K last year? “K” has found a home, overlooking Louisville from atop the Jewish Hospital Rudd Heart and Lung Center.
KentuckyOne Health brand. We are all familiar with the new signs that have gone up (with our signature K), not just marking, but spotlighting our KentuckyOne facilities. As we look around the region, we should all feel a sense of pride in those care delivery points with our name on them. In many of these places, we have been the very first in the state to deliver sophisticated medical procedures, and have healed thousands in need. The KentuckyOne brand is important to see from the expressway, but also from within our hallways. The signage project continues through fiscal year 2016, updating all interior signage as well. Our branded environments will weave color, imagery, graphics and messaging in bold and unique ways to reflect and reinforce our brand. Thank you to everyone who has helped make the KentuckyOne brand visible at all locations. Here are a few reminders about how our brand delivers the most impact: • The KentuckyOne logo is a symbol of the highest quality, advanced care available to all Kentuckians. • Intersecting triangles form a letter K, focusing on improving health for Kentuckians. • Angled lines show a sense of optimism and our dynamic vision. • Color and shape of design express technological advancement and innovation. • The KentuckyOne purple represents excellence, warmth, strength and energy.
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We give you more primary care options. Whether you’re sick or need a wellness check-up, KentuckyOne Health has more primary care options. Your primary care physician is your first choice when you’re sick, and for annual visits. Anywhere Care is a live 24/7 phone or video chat service. Emergency Care is where you turn for immediate emergency treatment. Express Care and Urgent Care are close-by for minor illnesses and injuries. Workplace Care partners with employers to promote a healthier workforce. Visit ChooseYourDoor.org to find the right provider for you or call 888.570.8091 in the Louisville area or 888.570.8092 in the Central and Eastern Kentucky area.
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