Common Thread Spring/Summer 2012

kentuckyone health

Love on a Leash

Spring/Summer 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 1

Therapy dogs give hope to cancer patients

Pedal to the metal

salvaging Surplus Supplies

No One Dies Alone

was born “He to do this.�

Janie Fergus,

Ke nt W uc el c se ky o e in O m si d ne e e fo to r d et H a ils e al th !

Information Technology (about her dog, Ned)

Letter from the CEO Common Thread is published quarterly by the communications and marketing departments of KentuckyOne Health for employees and their families.

Contact Us

KentuckyOneEmployees.org 859.313.1845

Over the past several weeks, I have traveled to many corners of this wonderful state, and have witnessed first hand the innovative and compassionate care that we are delivering to our patients every day.

I am incredibly honored and excited to lead the Commonwealth’s newest and largest health care system, KentuckyOne Health. The care that each of you provide on behalf of the faith-based organizations that created our new system is both inspiring and motivating to me personally as we build a new model for delivering care and improving the health of Kentuckians.

We have a tremendous amount of work to do in the months ahead.

There are opportunities for us to learn from each other and share best practices across the state. Whether in a rural or urban community, we have expert caregivers who are setting the standard for innovation in quality and patient-centered care. Together, we will share and implement these standards across our organization so that KentuckyOne Health is recognized as the health organization for the Commonwealth.

Those of you who joined KentuckyOne from the previous Saint Joseph Health System are familiar with this magazine, Common Thread. Now in its fourth year of publication, I am pleased to introduce an all-new edition of the magazine, the first as a statewide version for KentuckyOne Health. Common Thread is a wonderful reflection of our legacy, purpose, mission and culture, with stories about the amazing commitment and outreach that our employees provide every day, inside the walls of KentuckyOne’s facilities and in the communities that we serve.

With nearly 200 locations across Kentucky and more than 13,000 employees, this magazine gives us the opportunity to meet and get to know our co-workers in other parts of the state when we may not have the opportunity to meet them in person.

I look forward to meeting many more of you in person as we expand services to reach more people who need us. To restate the message in our current advertising, “When you’re known for delivering the best care, the only way to make it better, is to invest in ways to reach more people.”

Better care is truly here.

Ruth Brinkley, FACHE CEO

Publisher

KentuckyOne Health

Executive Editors Jeff Murphy Jeff Polson

Editor

Kara Fitzgerald

Art Director Liz Sword

Graphic Designer

Laura Doolittle (Provations Group)

Contributing Writers Alice Bridges Kym Russell Phyllis Shaikun Kathie Stamps Amy Taylor Tanya J. Tyler

Photographers

John Flavell Nina Mullins Wes Mullins Shaun Ring Lee Thomas Tim Webb Feather Whimsy Photography

KentuckyOne Leadership

Ruth Brinkley, FACHE, CEO Bev Weber, RN, COO Gary Ermers, Interim Chief Financial Officer Matt Gibson, Interim Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer Sharon Hager, VP of Legal Operations (CHI) Betsy Hall, Division Corporate Responsibility Officer Tanja Oquendo, Chief Human Resources Officer Dan Varga, MD, Chief Physician Executive

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.

Spring/Summer 2012

Contents features

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Love on a Leash Therapy dogs help patients heal at Saint Joseph Cancer Center.

12 Pedal to the Metal

Full-speed effort wins Toyota van for Our Lady of Peace.

22 Best Friends Share Hope An unexpected diagnosis cements a lifelong friendship.

24 No One Dies Alone

Volunteers provide care and compassion to patients dying alone.

27 Adopting God’s Will

Families share their stories of love found through adoption.

34 Salvaging Surplus Supplies

Hospital “trash” saves lives abroad.

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Contents Departments

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Welcome to KentuckyOne Health An introduction to the new organization New Threads Disaster Relief Fund, plus other hot topics Quick Thread: 200 Years and Counting The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth celebrates its bicentennial.

10 Mission Moments: Building Relationships in Belize Hospital leaders partner with the people of Belize.

14 Quick Thread: Reconnecting With Our Mission Employees recognize World Day of Healing.

14 20 Mission Moments: Honoring Jack Employees honor beloved volunteer Jack Loeffler.

26 Quick Thread: Lost and Found Long-lost work of art restored, rededicated.

32 Health Care Hero: Stepping Up For Safety Employees step up to ensure patient safety.

36 Quick Thread: Impact Change Transformed parking meters help Lexington’s homeless community.

37 Healthy Spirit: Know Your Numbers Initiative helps employees see complete wellness picture.

Share Your Story

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common thread Spring/Summer 2012

The purpose of Common Thread is to connect the new KentuckyOne Health family. Through inspiring stories about our employees and their commitment to our communities, we want to celebrate the individuality that makes up KentuckyOne Health, while respecting the heritage and faiths of the legacy organizations. Submit your story ideas at KentuckyOneEmployees.org.

Welcome to KentuckyOne Health

On Jan. 1, 2012, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System merged to become KentuckyOne Health, the state’s largest health system.

The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has nearly 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies, with more than 13,600 employees across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne has more than 2,325 licensed beds.

The heritage of care and service represented by Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System will be strengthened and expanded to increase access to high quality health care for the people of Kentucky.

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Health Care HERO

Transforming Health Care

Better care is here.

Advertising Campaign: KentuckyOne Health’s current advertising campaign will help build brand awareness throughout the Commonwealth. The campaign features your KentuckyOne Health colleagues in local billboard, newspaper, television and radio ads.

Meet KentuckyOne Health. A new and unique partnership between two of Kentucky’s leading health providers—Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System.

Together we are investing $320 million to bring the latest treatments to more people across the state. Learn more about KentuckyOne Health at KentuckyOneHealth.org.

Flaget Memorial Hospital Frazier Rehab Institute Jewish Hospital Jewish Hospital Shelbyville

Jewish Physician Group Our Lady of Peace Saint Joseph Berea Saint Joseph Jessamine

Saint Joseph London Saint Joseph Martin Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Saint Joseph East

Saint Joseph Hospital Saint Joseph Physicians Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital VNA Nazareth Home Care

KentuckyOne Logo Reflects Strength, Energy: Our name, KentuckyOne Health, expresses our vision to create a healthier Kentucky by coming together as one. It reflects our profound pride in being Kentuckians.

The KentuckyOne Health logo symbolizes the highest quality, advanced care that is now available to all Kentuckians. The intersecting triangles form a letter K, reinforcing our focus on improving the health status of Kentuckians and the integration of our services and expertise. The angled lines show a sense of optimism and our dynamic vision.

The color and shape of the design express technological advancement and innovation.

The sophisticated hues, orange and purple, are distinctive in health care and together convey a sense of richness, depth, strength and energy.

Jewish Hospital Medical Centers: East, South, Southwest, Northeast The Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East

Websites to Bookmark KentuckyOneHealth.org Portal website leading to legacy internet sites for Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System 4

common thread Spring/Summer 2012

KentuckyOneEmployees.org

KentuckyOnePhysicians.org

Intranet site for employees featuring issues of Integration Update; also used as part of the email address for employee questions (questions@KentuckyOneEmployees.org)

Intranet site for physicians featuring issues of Integration Update; also used as part of the email address for physician questions (questions@KentuckyOnePhysicians.org)

Meet Ruth Brinkley, CEO Previously with Catholic Health Initiatives, Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE, served as president and chief executive officer of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, Tenn., senior vice president for performance management for the national health system, and Louisville group vice president, leading regional strategy development and operations improvement for six health care systems.

Brinkley’s background, experience and vision are an exceptional match for KentuckyOne Health. As a nurse, she is dedicated to improving the health of people and communities.

Most recently Brinkley was president and chief executive officer of southern Arizona’s largest health care system, Carondelet Health Network, part of Ascension Health.

Employing more than 5,000 staff and associates, the Catholic, nonprofit network includes four hospitals, a neurological institute, 20 primary and specialty care

offices, and two ambulatory surgery centers.

At the same time, Brinkley served as one of eight Ascension Health ministry market leaders. In this role, she was also responsible for overseeing operations in Idaho and Washington.

Her academic medical experience includes serving as associate executive director/chief nurse executive and associate dean, clinical practice, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, Alabama’s largest and most comprehensive academic medical center.

Earlier in her career she served in various nursing management and staff roles at the University of Chicago and Michael Reese Hospital, the former Chicago teaching hospital.

Brinkley is a registered nurse and holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in nursing from De Paul University in Chicago.

She is a fellow in the American College of

Healthcare Executives; a founding member of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation; and a frequent speaker on both health care and broader leadership issues.

Modern Healthcare magazine recognized Brinkley as a top 25 minority health care executive for 2010.

Brinkley, 59, is a Georgia native and has two grown children.

KentuckyOne Health Leadership

For the complete organizational structure, visit KentuckyOneEmployees.org.

Board of Directors

Executive Team

Michael Ades Attorney, retired

Paul Edgett Catholic Health Initiatives

Richard Schultz Ad Executive, retired

Lou Ann Atlas Fifth Third Bank

Robert Hewett, Chair Business Executive, retired

Ruth Brinkley, FACHE President & Chief Executive Officer

Miller Hoffman Hoffman Robertson Insurance

John D. Stewart, II, MD, Board Observer Surgeon

Valerie Briones-Pryor, MD, Board Observer Primary Care Physician

Thomas Mechas, MD London Women’s Care

Jane Burks Volunteers of America

Steve Raible, MD, Board Observer Louisville Heart Specialists

Jane J. Chiles Meridian Chiles Advertising

Michael Rowan Catholic Health Initiatives

Gerald Temes, MD Thoracic Surgeon, retired Louis Waterman, Board Observer Attorney Liz Wendeln, SCN Board of Stewardship Trustees, Catholic Health Initiatives

Ruth Brinkley, FACHE President & Chief Executive Officer

Sharon Hager VP of Legal Operations (CHI)

Bev Weber, RN Chief Operating Officer

Betsy Hall Division Corporate Responsibility Officer

Gary Ermers Interim Chief Financial Officer Matt Gibson Interim Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer

Tanja Oquendo Chief Human Resources Officer Dan Varga, MD Chief Physician Executive

Russell Williams, MD Surgeon

KYOneBrandCenter.com Online resource with guidelines for use of KentuckyOne Health logos plus downloadable logos and templates; requires users complete simple one-time registration Spring/Summer 2012 common thread

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Our Common Thread Welcome to the first edition of Common Thread published by KentuckyOne Health. This quarterly magazine features inspiring outreach and mission stories about our employees and their extraordinary work to provide the best care possible to our patients and communities. Common Thread will help connect the new KentuckyOne Health family as it travels across Kentucky and southern Indiana to more than 13,600 employees.

There is a common thread that unites us all – our passion for health care, for people and communities, for a healthier tomorrow and an unsurpassed quality of care – and through this magazine, we share stories of hope, encouragement and transformation.

Please consider submitting your story suggestions at KentuckyOneEmployees.org, where you also can read Common Thread online.

While impossible to share everyone’s story at once, and not every facility will be represented in each issue, the magazine staff will look for opportunities to highlight our employees across the organization.

In addition to being mailed to employees’ homes for entire families to enjoy, the publication will be mailed to community members and affiliates within our markets. Copies also are made available in patient waiting areas throughout our hospitals and facilities.

Love on a Leash

kentuckyone

health

Spring/Summer 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 1

Therapy dogs give hope to cancer patients Pedal to the met

al

salvaging Surp lus Supplies

no one Dies Alon e

was born “He to do this. ”

Janie Fergu s, Information Techn ology (about her dog, Ned)

h! to lt e ea m Hs il o c ne deta el o for W ckyinside e u e nt s Ke

Disaster Relief Fund: KentuckyOne Health employees, their families and our communities were among those devastated by the storms and tornadoes that swept through the tri-state area of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio on March 2. Relief funds have been established to provide outreach to those affected by this disaster. If you would like to make a donation, consider the options below: Tornado destruction in West Liberty, Ky Photograph by John Flavell

Online Donations: SaintJosephFoundation.org Click on the DONATE NOW icon. Indicate which hospital you would like the funds designated to, then denote “Disaster Relief Fund (Employee).” If this gift is in honor or in memory of a specific person, please note that as well.

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Check Donations: Giving.JHSMH.org Click on “Make your gift to the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation,” then check “Other: Please specify below” and type “Employee Assistance Fund” in the box.

Send checks payable to the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation to One Saint Joseph Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40504. Write “Disaster Relief” in the memo line.

Send checks payable to the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation to 200 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY 40202.

Write “Employee Assistance Fund” in the memo line.

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From left, Doug Caswell (USPS), Wendy English (USPS), Laman Gray, MD, Ruth Brinkley, Alisa Zanetti (USPS), John Froning, DMD (ventricular assist device patient), and Mark Slaughter, MD. Heart Health Stamp: The United States Postal Service (USPS) and Jewish Hospital (JH) joined forces on Feb. 13 for the dedication of the first ever Heart Health stamp.

The USPS honored February as American Heart Month by issuing the first-class Heart Health ForeverŽ stamp and selected JH for the community’s unveiling of the stamp due to its century-long history as a pioneer in medical innovation, in the field of heart care in particular.

OneCare Update: Keep informed of the OneCare program and its related projects by reading the latest OneCare for KentuckyOne Health newsletter at KentuckyOneEmployees.org.

One of the key initiatives for KentuckyOne Health is to create an electronic health record in its acute-care and ambulatory care settings, specifically its owned physician practices.

Spring/Summer 2012 common thread

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threads new

Wellness Award: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s has received a Corporate Health & Productivity Management Award from the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM). The award recognizes the organization’s work to increase the variety and quality of employee offerings of wellness programs and linking the improvements in employee health to increased productivity and decreased lost work time.

Debbie Cowles

Get With The Guidelines: Saint Joseph London (SJL) has received the Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Gold Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. The recognition signifies that SJL has reached an aggressive goal of treating heart failure patients with 85 percent compliance for at least 24 months to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.

servant Leadership Award: The Spirit of Saint Joseph Servant Leadership Excellence Award is presented to a leader at Saint Joseph and Flaget facilities who demonstrates the mission and core values of the organization, along with the seven pillars of servant leadership: self-awareness, listening, changing the pyramid, developing your colleagues, coaching not controlling, unleashing the energy and intelligence of others, and foresight. Debbie Cowles, human resources, was a recent recipient of the award.

Weber Awards: The Shelton R. Weber Award was created in 1993 to honor Weber for his exceptional service to Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services as both a board member and chair. This award recognizes supervisory staff members who embody extraordinary decision-making ability, professional growth and development, diplomacy, philanthropy, leadership and vision. The 2011 winners were Karey McDowell, Frazier Rehab; Carrie Dunn, Jewish Cancer Care; and Michael Ahrens, Mission and Values Integration.

2011 Weber Award Winners (left to right): Karey McDowell, Carrie Dunn, Shelton Weber and Michael Ahrens

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200 Years and Counting In December of 2011, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) marked a milestone, 200 years of ministry. As hundreds gathered in Nazareth, Ky., members of the SCN family recalled their early years.

From the beginning the Sisters found themselves ministering to the needs of the times. They often risked their own lives to provide compassionate care for the sick during times of crisis, including the 1832 and 1833 cholera epidemics and the Civil War, when Sisters tended to soldiers on both sides.

In 1874, SCN founded Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville. A few years later, in 1877, SCN founded Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington. In 1951, the congregation established Flaget Memorial Hospital in Bardstown.

Sisters have also had a presence at Saint Joseph London and Saint Joseph Martin. In 1997, SCN consolidated with Catholic Health Initiatives, which operates the facilities today as part of KentuckyOne Health.

Throughout the years, a number of Sisters have served in a variety of roles within the hospitals to make sure lay leaders and employees had a clear understanding and orientation to the mission and values of the system. The SCN legacy continues today as part of KentuckyOne Health.

Mother Catherine Spalding co-founded SCN in 1812 and guided the congregation for 45 years.

Learn more and get involved with SCN at scnfamily.org • Become a Sister. • Support international ministries.

Join the associate program. • Make a prayer request online. • Volunteer.

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“Our neighbors are not just the people next door; we have solidarity with people all over the world.”

Building Relationships in

Belize

God’s grace is worldwide

By Kathie Stamps

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common thread Spring/Summer 2012

Would you happily live in a wobbly structure with dirt floors and a tarp for walls? Hundreds of people outside of Belize City do, and they’re actually quite content.

“They are such people of faith,” said Billie Turner, RN, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Saint Joseph Martin. “They are very thankful for what they have, and are very happy.”

Flora Washburn, manager of mission services at Saint Joseph Berea, agreed. “We tend to think of third-world countries as being disadvantaged, which economically they are,” she said, “but they have so many cultural, spiritual and family situations in place that are extremely strong and resilient.”

Mission moments

The mission team visited the village of Las Flores, where they worked on home repairs and assessed the greatest needs in the area.

Turner and Washburn were two of a dozen Americans who traveled to Belize on Valentine’s Day 2011 for a weeklong mission trip in the small village of Las Flores, a suburb of the capital city of Belmopan in Belize. The projects for the trip were organized through the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN), which has a strong presence in Belize City.

“This was my first time on a mission trip,” Turner said. “I want to do it again!”

The mission team was charged with the task of working on home repairs for three different families in Las Flores. With the help of some of the villagers, they laid a concrete floor in one home for a mother and her six children, where sand, cement and water were mixed on the ground itself because

there were no cement mixers available. They added an extra room to another structure by putting up plywood walls and topping them with an aluminum roof. Their third project was to start a house from scratch, which included building a frame so concrete could be poured at a later date.

“We were quite taken aback by the situation at the first home we went to,” Turner said. But as the week progressed, she knew she would be encouraging co-workers and family members to think about doing something similar.

“It is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” she said. “It gives you a different picture of the world. Our neighbors are not just the people next door; we have solidarity with people all over the world.”

In the fall of 2010, Sister Liz Wendeln, SCN, and KentuckyOne Health board member, challenged the Saint Joseph Leadership Development Institute to become involved with international missions “to expand our vision and see what goes on beyond ourselves,” Washburn recalled.

SCN worked with local village leaders in Las Flores to determine the home repair projects before the Americans arrived.

“We go there with great intentions of helping them, but we are the ones who end up becoming richer from it,” Washburn said.

“The difficult part is when you see the needs of someone else. Coming from the American

culture, we want to try to ‘fix’ it,” she said.

Turner said, “Until you see those situations and how people are living, you don’t realize how much we take for granted.”

Early in the week, when members of their group found out that kids were sleeping on a dirt floor – and yes, it all turned to mud when it rained – their first thought was to buy bunk beds for them. “A few of us went out for a couple of hours one morning looking for bunk beds!” Washburn said. As it turned out, the children liked sleeping in hammocks. What the family really needed and wanted was linoleum for the floor. “We bought a piece of linoleum and you would have thought it was Christmas,” Washburn said. “They were so excited to no longer be sleeping on a dirt floor or walking in mud in the bedroom.”

She was immediately reminded of a piece of advice from Diane Jones at Catholic Health Initiatives: “Build relationships. Find out how you can help – what they want, not what you think they need.”

“These people were so appreciative and thankful for what we did,” Turner said. “I left there feeling like they did more for me than I did for them.”

Known as British Honduras until 1973, Belize is about half the size of Kentucky (the Commonwealth has 4 million more people, though). It is the northernmost country of Central America. Although the official language is English, many of the people in Las Flores speak Spanish, as they are refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and other countries.

Washburn and Turner returned to Belize in January 2012 with Sister Susan Gatz, SCN, to assess how the legacy Saint Joseph Health System organization could be involved in Las Flores. Their intent was to see if establishing a not-for-profit medical clinic would benefit this village and its neighbors. They were able to meet with the University of Belize, the Ministry of Health, a private physician, nurse and villagers to discuss the greatest health needs in the area. Results of the assessment showed that a health clinic that also addressed health education would be a good thing. This information has helped them in applying for a Catholic Health Initiatives Mission and Ministry International Grant that would help initiate working with the Ministry of Health to establish a clinic.

“It is all about the people and building an ongoing collaborative relationship,” Washburn said, “where we learn from one another and can build a sustainable future together.”

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Pedal to the Metal

Full-speed effort wins new Toyota van for Our Lady of Peace

by Phyllis Shaikun

J

ennifer Nolan had only been

president and chief executive officer of Louisville-based Our Lady of Peace (OLOP), the largest and most comprehensive private provider of child/adolescent inpatient psychiatric care in the country, for a year when she heard about Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good contest. In 2011, over a period of 100 days, the company donated 100 cars to a variety of non-profit organizations. Toyota believes that fulfilling transportation needs enhances the good works of charitable organizations in local communities.

“Since we really needed to replace our old van that had more than 300,000 miles on it,” Nolan said, “I thought we could do this.” She called Sherri Craig at the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation for assistance, and they put the pedal to the metal – completing all of the required paperwork for OLOP to be considered among the 500 finalist organizations in Toyota’s two-week timeframe last March.

An independent panel of experts reviewed all the hundreds of applications they received taking into account their degree of need and the potential benefit of the vehicle to the organization along with information about their mission, geographic diversity and the population served. OLOP was chosen to be among the 500 and then the real work began.

Photograph by Shaun Ring

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Each of the finalists received an email stating the date their organization would be scheduled to be up for voting on Facebook.

Over a 100-day period, five finalists competed for votes against one another each day. The organization that received the most popular votes by the end of that day received a vehicle.

In mid-May, with their July 14 date close at hand, the organization’s marketing and communications team filmed a video that mapped out their strategy to help get-out-thevote. The effort generated support not only from Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s 7,500 team members, but from their friends and families too. Board members, vendors, patients and the community at large voted for OLOP to win a new van.

Cardiothoracic surgeon and KentuckyOne Health board member, Gerald Temes, MD, encouraged his grandchildren to vote and to appeal to all of their Facebook friends to follow their lead.

Many long-time

leaders admitted they had never seen such tremendous employee participation for any event ever in the history of the organization.

Everyone rallied the troops to get-outthe-vote. Even the local Jewish newspaper encouraged readers to vote for the Catholic hospital that does such incredible work for our community’s children.

Every way possible was pursued to attract votes. From devising Internet campaigns to blanketing the community with posters, from stuffing flyers into Pharmacy Plus bags to handing out flyers on street corners on voting day, and from TV appearances to impromptu speeches to anyone who would listen, the troops were gassed up and going at full speed.

Vendors got into the act by printing 10,000 flyers and 2,000 stickers at no cost to support the campaign.

Jeff Polson, communications executive at KentuckyOne Health, was in Denver at a Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) event on July 14. He asked everyone in attendance

“I am so appreciative of everyone’s support. At midnight, when OLOP was declared the winner, we were still awake, taking a victory lap …”

This just in: Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation is a finalist in this year’s 100 Cars for Good contest. We need your votes on July 21! Vote at facebook. com/toyota. Help win a vehicle for the Appalachian Outreach Project!

to take time out of the conference to vote. CHI also sent a message out across their system encouraging people to cast their ballots.

Nolan and Craig agreed the important thing to remember was how well everyone pulled together and how much fun they all had with the competition.

The excitement and energy that surrounded the July 14 voting day was unbelievable. “It was one of the most stressful yet exciting days of my career,” Nolan recalled. “I am so appreciative of everyone’s support.

We were in the lead all day long and we never gave up; we kept our feet on the pedal all day. At midnight, when OLOP was declared the winner, we were still awake, taking a victory lap through email for the big victory!”

Formal presentation of the van was made on Sept.

29 at Jeff Wyler Toyota of Clarksville, Ind. When OLOP asked for the new van, they anticipated it would help them continue providing the vital transportation for young patients. What they didn’t anticipate was how much their young patients would love it.

A case in point is John, a 13-year-old who suffers from highly acute behavioral issues. He has been at the Children’s Peace Center for several months, and is transported to the hospital for treatments on a weekly basis. While a normal car trip might not be special, John surely loves his trips in the Sienna. When it’s time to go, he simply cannot wait to hop into the van.

He loves the sliding door that shuts automatically behind him and, like any typical adolescent, he loves the TV monitor and DVD player. But perhaps his favorite part is the large-screen GPS system.

During his ride, John pays close attention to the screen, carefully noting street names and landmarks along the way. The GPS system keeps him engaged and focused, but still allows him plenty of opportunity to enjoy the view of the city from the Sienna’s large windows. Patients like John have been positively impacted by the comfort and ease of travel that has come with the new van. So much so that when taken in another vehicle, John’s disappointment is palpable, “Where’s the Sienna?”

OLOP’s main campus on Newburg Road has 11 inpatient units and partial hospital and intensive outpatient programs for children, adolescents and adults. The Children’s Peace Center at OLOP offers highly specialized programs that are one-of-a-kind in Kentucky. On a typical day, about 80 percent of inpatients are children – about 2,000 per year – and 90 percent have suffered abuse or neglect. Nearly half have been removed from their homes and are in state custody. One of OLOP’s most significant specialties is its service to young patients with developmental disabilities or brain injury coupled with a chronic mental illness.

The new Toyota Sienna has made a significant impact in the short time it has been in use. Specially trained drivers travel approximately 400 miles each day to a variety of destinations continuing to ensure safe and reliable transportation for the children OLOP serves.

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common thread Spring/Summer 2012

in R n au Sh by h ap g r o to Ph

Since 1992, Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI have called on the worldwide church to raise awareness of the faith community’s role in the work of health care. In that spirit, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH) observed World Day of the Sick, a special day of prayer, in February. Employees, patients and families gathered in the SMEH chapel to pray in solidarity for the sick and for those who serve the sick around the world.

Throughout the day, chaplains at SMEH visited each of the hospital floors to anoint the hands of caregivers. “Having a chaplain visit and anoint my hands was very meaningful to me,” said Lisa Dolan, vice president and chief nursing officer at SMEH. “The act caused me to reconnect with our mission and my personal desire to help those in need. The celebration was a reminder that the best care we can give to those we serve is not only safe and of high quality, but is also rich with love and compassion.”

Also known as World Day of Healing, a Catholic Health Initiatives’ (CHI) Feast Day, it is observed annually on Feb. 11 throughout all CHI facilities.

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Reconnecting with Our Mission

SMEH Chaplain Jim Denyes anointed the hands of Lisa Dolan during World Day of Healing.

Chemotherapy patient Carol McCaslin and Mister

Love on a Leash

Therapy dogs give hope to cancer patients

By Tanya J. Tyler It’s a cloudy, chilly Friday. Patients and their loved ones sit in the waiting room at Saint Joseph Hematology Oncology in the Saint Joseph Cancer Center. The patients are there to receive their chemotherapy treatments. The atmosphere is somber and resigned. It’s quiet except for the ringing of phones and the turning of magazine pages.

Then the door opens, and a fluff of white fur waltzes into the waiting room. With a low “whoooo,” the visitor announces his arrival and suddenly the feeling in the room changes. People put aside their magazines and sit up. Smiles appear on their faces.

Mister is here.

Photographs by Shaun Ring

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Touch starts with a ‘T’ Jamine Hamner is the coordinator of volunteer services for Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH), Saint Joseph East (SJE) and Saint Joseph Jessamine (SJJ). At a peer conference, she heard people talking about therapy dog visitation. It sounded like something that would be a perfect fit for SJH. “The hospital already had a policy for patients to have their own pets come and visit them,” Hamner said. “I felt if the hospital was open to having pets in the facility, there would be some support for this program.”

The goal of the therapy dog visitation program would be to reduce patient and visitor anxiety and depression associated with hospitalization. Hamner gathered policies from other pet therapy programs and put together one for SJH. She sent it to various departments including security, risk management and infection control.

Around the same time, Julie Steffey, manager of oncology support services for the newly opened Saint Joseph Cancer Center Resource Services, contacted Hamner about ways volunteers could help. Not knowing Hamner had already set the wheels in motion, Steffey mentioned incorporating therapy dog visitation.

“I said I was working on this (policy) and waiting for final approval, but since the cancer center was located outside of the hospital, maybe we could start it over there,” Hamner said.

Steffey asked the oncology doctors how they felt about having dogs visit patients receiving chemotherapy. They approved the plan, and Love on a Leash (LOAL) was chosen to provide the service.

“We chose Love on a Leash because they make sure the dogs are prepared,” Hamner said. “Also, they carry liability policies. It just made them a really good group to work with.”

Hamner said the successful program has since spread from Saint Joseph Cancer Center to inside SJH and SJE, with therapy dogs visiting units, patient rooms and waiting areas.

Deb Ratcliffe, president of the central Kentucky chapter of LOAL, said the national program was founded in California in 1984 by author and dog-obedience instructor Liz Palika. The Lexington chapter began about six years ago. Therapy dogs are different from service dogs.

“Therapy dogs go places to let people pet on them and love on them,” Ratcliffe said, who visits with Dollar, her 9-year-old Boxer.

“If you see a service dog helping somebody with a disability, they will have a vest on that says ‘Service Dog, Do Not Pet.’” 16

common thread Spring/Summer 2012

Liz Young, a LOAL team leader, has a mnemonic for remembering the difference.

“Service starts with an S and so does the word ‘stop.’ And therapy starts with a T, which also is the first letter of the word ‘touch,’” she said. Young owns the white furball named Mister. His vest says, “I love working for hugs and kisses.”

Meeting Mister Young and Mister have been visiting SJH and other venues for about two years. It’s very apparent Mister, a 5-year-old Samoyed, loves his work.

“Mister has never met a stranger,” Young said. “I think dogs like Mister know when someone needs their comfort.”

One time Mister sat at the feet of a man who had high blood pressure. Young and the man’s wife watched the man’s blood pressure go down. Another time, a woman who was experiencing back pain realized she didn’t need her medication while she was patting Mister.

“It was a miracle,” Young said. “It was like magic.”

Chemotherapy patient Donald Goodlett and Ned

“The dogs walk in and everybody’s immediately up going to pet them and smiling.

It’s an amazing difference that you see in people.”

LOAL volunteer Liz Young and Mister Spring/Summer 2012 common thread

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Chemotherapy patient Robert Davis and Ned

Another therapy dog is Ned, a 5-year-old mixed breed who was rescued from a shelter

by Janie Fergus, director of information technology for SJH, SJE, SJJ, Continuing Care Hospital and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling. She and Ned were certified three years ago.

“I was so happy when Saint Joseph went through the process to allow the therapy dogs to come in,” Fergus said. “Ned loves it. I can just see his whole personality coming out when we’re visiting people. He was born to do this.”

Ned shakes hands and dances for patients.

Because he is small, patients sometimes ask Ned to get up on the bed with them. “If the nurse approves, they put down a sheet and Ned can get up on the bed,” Fergus said.

A lot of smiles Patients share stories of their own dogs, present and past, as they love on the therapy dogs.

“It’s good for the patients,” Ratcliffe said.

“The staff gets a whole lot out of it, too.”

Dr. Monty Metcalfe, with Saint Joseph Hematology Oncology, agrees. “I see a lot of smiles when the dogs come in,” he said. “It 18

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universally makes people happy. The dogs walk in and everybody’s immediately up going to pet them and smiling. It changes the atmosphere totally. It’s an amazing difference that you see in people.”

A dog lover himself, Metcalfe is glad the program has been implemented. “It’s a wonderful program,” he said. “I hope it continues forever.”

Chemotherapy patient Carol McCaslin recently had her first encounter with LOAL. It was a pleasant surprise to receive a visit from Mister. He loved her long nails.

“We take for granted that the medical team is going to do what they need to do for us, but it’s sometimes hard to address the soul,” she said. The therapy dogs fill the void.

“They make you feel good,” added McCaslin, who once had a pet-photography business with her husband. “You just sit there and you’re patting them, stroking them, scruffing them behind the ears. It makes all the difference in the world.”

Robert Neal has enjoyed meeting LOAL participants while taking chemotherapy treatment for the past five months. He believes Mister is an angel.

“He’s very special,” Neal said.

“He really brightens the room up.

When I’m sitting there getting the drip done and he comes through the door, it makes my day go better.”

For the human participants, LOAL has proven to be equally uplifting.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s a blessing. You get so much more out of it than you give, you really do.”

For Fergus, volunteering with LOAL makes her appreciate her work even more.

“This has really helped me remember to keep in touch with what our business is here,” she said.

“It’s brought great rewards to my work.”

“Love on a Leash has changed my life,” Young said. “It’s everything I never knew I always wanted to do.

God has laid this out before me and I love it.”

Pet therapy programs are also offered at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s facilities.

Saint Joseph Cancer Center, which opened If you believe your dog has the personality to be a therapy dog, you can attend a LOAL orientation session to find out what the certified trainer will look for when evaluating your dog. The main criterion is basic obedience. Dogs must be up-to-date on their vaccinations and licensed in the state of Kentucky.

The dogs and their handlers have to go on 10 trial visits with an established team before becoming nationally certified. The testing fee is $25.

Once certified with LOAL, the owner/dog can enroll with volunteer services to visit SJH and SJE. For more information, visit loalcky.com.

For more information about volunteer services, call 859.313.1290.

How to volunteer

January 2011, has a unique approach to cancer care. Besides Love on a Leash, patients receive additional support through classes and groups. Saint Joseph Cancer Center Resource Services offers patients, families and the community free resources such as one-on-one consultations with a nurse navigator, social worker and chaplain; mind/body wellness presentations; a music expression program, including healing drumming; an education series; and a library with take-away materials, loaner books and audio/visuals. You can learn more at SaintJosephCancerCenter.com.

SJE Women’s Hospital patient Chelsea Means and Lucy

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Mission moments

Honoring Jack Beloved volunteer Jack Loeffler faces failing health; employees honor his legacy

By Phyllis Shaikun

O

n Wednesday, Feb. 1, 85-year-old Jack Loeffler, a Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH) volunteer since May 2007, thought his daughter-in-law was taking him to the hospital for some lab work. Instead, he was surprised by his good friends in the lab, who presented him with a leaf on the SMEH Tree of Life. They are so fond of Loeffler that they chipped in to purchase the leaf and held a party in his honor when poor health forced him to cut back on his activities – including his beloved volunteer work.

“Everyone considers Jack an excellent volunteer, friend and member of the SMEH family,” said Mary Anne Tinnell, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation development specialist. “He has impacted

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Photographs by Shaun Ring

the lives of so many that his lab friends felt it was only fitting to celebrate his legacy with a permanent memorial like the leaf. He truly is a light in the eyes of all he meets.”

Loeffler began volunteering close to five years ago in SPD (supply, process and distribution) with the encouragement of then auxiliary president and family friend, Bonnie Goddard. His beloved wife of 54 years, Mary Rose, had died two years before and he needed to stop grieving and find something to do. “I was bewildered after she passed away,” he admitted, “so I was happy to be of service at SMEH, which is just two blocks away from my house.” He quickly went from volunteering just a few days a week to being at the hospital full time – even on holidays.

Over the years, he helped organize the

other volunteers’ schedules and kept them on track. He also began supervising local high school students and developmentally impaired adults from Harbor House Inc., who came to the hospital to help label, sort and distribute materials for use throughout the hospital. “I treated them like they were my friends,” Loeffler said, “and not like their supervisor.”

When he first started at the hospital, he would eat lunch with another volunteer in the cafeteria. He began noticing that the lab employees seemed to be having the most fun of all the groups there. After his friend passed away, he asked the lab group if he could join them. Soon enough he became a part of their team. Mary Jean Frank, a supervisor in the SMEH lab, describes him as

“He sheds no

light on himself, but pushes others

ahead.”

“a kind man, a real gentleman.” She explained that lab employees split into two groups to cover the lunch break, so Loeffler would take an extended lunch hour in order to accommodate their schedules and visit with them. In fact, when one group returned to the lab after lunch, the second group hurried on so they wouldn’t miss him.

He has donated more than 3,000 hours to SMEH, and has truly become a vital part of the hospital. “I volunteered as a tribute to Mary Rose,” he said tearfully. “She had always wanted to volunteer, but was not able to do so because of her health.” Admirers say he was meticulous about everything he did, and modeled that behavior to everyone he met. Although he is very ill now, his hospital friends are praying and hoping for his return.

He quipped, “They tell me they have a job waiting for me if I can come back.”

In addition to his lab friends, SMEH’s Teresa Hanke said Loeffler also touched the lives of many other employees with his hand-crafted Christmas trees. He had seen similar trees at a craft shop a number of years ago and thought he could make some even better. He started experimenting with coat hangers and eventually used them to build more than 50 trees a year. Although it is not easy work, and he often suffered cuts on his hands, he gave trees as gifts to numerous individuals at SMEH (including all 20 employees in the lab). He also donated trees to SMEH’s Saintly Treasures Thrift Shop and to Jewish Hospital’s Medical Center Southwest. He has never charged a penny for his labors.

Medical laboratory technician Chris Thompson said, “We used to tell Jack that he didn’t just give us trees, he gave us his heart. We even requested that a Christmas tree be etched on his leaf. He is my hero; I consider him a real-life super person.

Everything he had done has been to benefit others – he sheds no light on himself, but pushes others ahead. When Jack was in the Navy, he swam out in a dangerous current to save a drowning man, and he ended up having to be rescued afterwards. He worked hard all his life doing back-breaking work in the Louisville Courier-Journal press room for more than 44 years to provide for his wife and three boys. His was called the greatest generation, and he truly is an example of that.”

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Jasmine Meads (left) and Naketa Ashley (right)

Best Friends Share An unexpected diagnosis cements a lifelong friendship

Photograph by lee thomas

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Hope

By Kym Russell

If you don’t read another sentence, let these words sink in: “Never, never give up.”

Naketa Ashley flashes a radiant smile and points to the heavens, “We do get up. It’s all God,” she said. “I’m a living testament to that.” Her melodious laugh rises and carries away any doubt.

Her colleagues at Saint Joseph Hospital will remember the sound of her lilting laughter and how, in her nursing career, Ashley touched so many people with her spirit and compassion. Those working on the medicaltelemetry surgery unit, 3B, last spring will likely recall the day of Ashley’s life-changing health emergency, too. She was at work as a clinical manager in the morning. That evening, she was a patient in ICU at high risk of heart failure.

She was diagnosed with a serious, rare condition called Takayasu’s Arteritis that strikes women younger than 40 years old.

Subtle signs of a problem first appeared when she was pregnant with her third child. Each symptom had been explained by other causes.

But, three years after her pregnancy, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place in a single devastating blow. A heart catheterization revealed all of the arteries to her heart were completely blocked, even the carotids.

“Her heart had compensated with collateral flow. That was how she was functioning. Doctors were astonished she was still breathing, still alive. It was nothing but God that she had functioned so well since the birth of her baby. When I got the news I dropped to my knees. I thought there was just no way,” said Jasmine Meads, Ashley’s

best friend of 22 years and fellow nurse on Unit 3B. Meads got a much needed boost of hope from cardiothoracic surgeon Michael Sekela, MD. “He said we’re going to fix Naketa.” Dr. Sekela successfully performed quadruple bypass surgery to restore Ashley’s heart function. But, another setback was nearly immediate: she suffered a stroke causing aphasia and mobility disabilities that required long-term rehabilitation. Meads was at her bedside every opportunity in the early days. She said she wanted to stay strong for her best friend, but privately fought her own battle with fear.

Today, the two friends are together to tell Ashley’s story. For now, Meads is doing most of the talking. Ashley chimes in with details.

They have so much to share: how they became girlhood friends, experiencing motherhood at young ages and earning degrees in business-related fields. They both married. Then, together, they returned to college for nursing degrees. Now, Ashley and her husband, Chris, are the parents of three children. Meads and her husband, Bryan, have four children. Meads said that while Ashley is in physical rehab, the experiences of the past year have bonded their families in what she calls “emotional and spiritual rehab.”

Meads said her husband helped her hold on to hope. And, she knew God was always there, too. Ashley admits that she felt like throwing in the towel at times. She remembers one low point in rehab when her pastor helped her find hope, again. “He believed and he prayed,” Ashley said. Feeling hopeless, she said, “feels like you’re dead … no hope is scary, for me, for my husband.” She paused, “But, it was Him. My hope came back.”

It’s evident that the two friends have talked

“Never go a day without saying ‘I love you’ to people, we’re not promised tomorrow.”

about this unexpected turn in their journey.

Meads puts their perspective in words: “We believe all things are going to work out. We just have to be patient and strong and know God has it under control. This is for a bigger reason for Naketa that we don’t know. I’m seeing some of it now, the way she has recovered and touched people with her story. It still seems surreal to me that it happened. But, then, I get back to reality and understand that this is life. We’re here. We’re God’s workers. And, He ultimately has a plan that we’re really not supposed to know but allow Him to direct our paths. It’s submitting to Him and knowing everything is going to work out and it has.”

There has been such an outpouring from Ashley’s Saint Joseph family with gifts and support. They put together a Christmas party and benefit concert, raffles, baked good sales, even a visit from UK men’s basketball coach John Calipari and some of the players on the team.

“It goes to show that at the hospital we are definitely here for our patients. And, we are here for one another. We are family here at Saint Joseph,” Meads said.

Ashley and Meads are counting their personal blessings, already. An experience that could have wrenched everything apart has brought the best friends, their families and colleagues, closer.

Meads said they have learned a lot about living every day. “We have to value the time we have with each other. Never go a day without saying ‘I love you’ to people, we’re not promised tomorrow. Stop focusing on material things that don’t matter.”

Ashley agrees. And, again, her marvelous laughter fills the air. In the moment, hope does spring eternal.

Good Thoughts and Deeds “I always knew when Naketa was on the floor, I’d hear her laugh,” said LaJava Chenault, vice president of nursing at Saint Joseph Hospital and a professional mentor for Naketa Ashley. Chenault was one of several hospital members of the National Black Nurses Association who suggested honoring Ashley with a benefit concert last Christmas.

On Unit 3B, Fannie Smith, unit secretary and cardiovascular tech, said that Ashley really is thought of as family. Together, the staff has organized or reached out personally to provide support, including Easter baskets, gift cards, homemade meals and fundraisers. “Naketa is a special person. Her patients loved her, too. She received the Love Award from them so many times.” The doctors, PAs and medical teams that cared for Ashley at the hospital have followed her rehabilitation progress. “Someone is always asking about her, how she is doing, wishing her the very best,” Smith said.

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No One Dies Alone

Volunteers provide care and compassion to patients dying alone

By Alice Bridges It was a rainy night in Eugene, Ore., in 1986.

Nurse Sandra Clarke was making rounds at the beginning of her shift at Sacred Heart Medical Center and entered the room of a frail, elderly man with a “Do Not Resuscitate” order. In a barely audible voice he asked, “Will you stay with me?” Clarke promised she would return after checking on her other patients. It took longer than she had anticipated, and when she returned to his room ready to apologize for the delay, she saw his pale, outstretched hand.

He had died alone.

Clarke was haunted by her broken promise and determined to find a way in which other patients at her hospital would never have to die alone. In 2001, her dream became a reality when No One Dies Alone (NODA) began – first at a single hospital and now at facilities around the world, including Jewish Hospital (JH), and at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH), which is preparing to launch the service if enough interest and support is generated.

NODA is a volunteer program that provides the reassuring presence of a companion to dying patients who would otherwise be alone. With the support of the nursing staff, companions provide patients with the most

Photographs by Shaun Ring

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valuable of human gifts, a dignified death.

“We welcome human life into this world; the same respect and dignity should be shown as a human life is leaving this world,” said chaplain Kathy Lesch, who coordinated the program launch at Jewish Hospital. “Most of the time, loved ones are at the bedside of a dying patient. But we often have patients who are all alone without family or friends to be with them as they are dying. Their relatives may be far away, or they may have outlived those who cared for them. That’s where NODA comes in.”

Volunteers are the heart of the program.

“Compassionate companions” sign up for days they are available on the secure Internet calendar. Vigil coordinators carry a digital pager and are prepared to receive a call from the nursing staff or hospital chaplains and then to coordinate schedules of available volunteers for shifts of up to four hours each.

The goal is to provide any patient in need with a 24-hour vigil.

“We never know when support for a dying patient will be needed,” Lesch said.

“On average we have a vigil every eight to 10 weeks.” In the little more than two years since the program began at JH, a total of

32 dying patients have received the care of NODA volunteers.

Drew McMurtrie (pictured right) began his service as a NODA volunteer shortly after the program began and has been a companion to about 10 patients. Retired for about a decade, he is an active volunteer in numerous JH and Frazier Rehab Institute activities. When he first heard about NODA, he was “quite taken by the whole concept. Probably what intrigued me the most was that I had been lucky enough to be present when my father passed away, and then a number of years later when my mother passed away,” he said. “I thought how lucky I was to be there and how terrible it would have been if I hadn’t been there or no one else had been available. Since I was so lucky, I thought I would give back in this way.”

While McMurtrie said that patients in the active stages of dying rarely respond to touch or voice, he feels the presence of a caring companion is vitally important. “For me it’s a dignity thing. People deserve dignity as they leave this world. Whether they’re conscious of me, what we’re saying, music we’re playing, there is dignity in having someone there when they leave this world.”

No nursing skill is needed to serve as a

compassionate companion; just a willingness to hold the patient’s hand, read aloud, play music, fluff pillows, and assist in comfort care measures requested by the patient or nurses.

Companions are supplied with a CD player, CDs, journals, and literature to assist with the vigil.

Vigil coordinators carry a digital pager for 12-hour periods (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Nursing expertise is not necessary for this position either. All that is needed is organizational skill as these volunteers take the requests for support from hospital staff, set up the companions’ schedules, and communicate with other coordinators. Access to email and the Internet are essential for both coordinators and companions.

While the time demands are small, the rewards are immense. “I get the satisfaction of easing someone’s passage,” McMurtrie said. “We also have received feedback from family members who couldn’t be present.

We’re taking the place of the family in those situations and have received thanks from family members for doing that.”

To sign up to volunteer, contact Jewish Hospital Volunteer Services for an application at 502.587.4305.

“People deserve dignity as they leave this world.”

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Lost & Found

Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital restores long-lost work of art

thread

quick

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common thread Spring/Summer 2012

The Visitation, painted in 1503, depicts Sts. Mary and Elizabeth.

On Jan. 12, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital (SMEH) held a very special rededication ceremony for a piece of art that has been part of the hospital for nearly a century. The painting is a copy of The Visitation, an Italian Renaissance oil-on-wood work completed by artist Mariotto Albertinelli in 1503. The original hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

The painting depicts the hospital’s namesakes, Sts. Mary and Elizabeth, and their meeting that was recorded in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Back in 1919, a museum-quality reproduction was commissioned and presented to SMEH the following year by Edwin Bacon of the former Bacon’s department store chain in Louisville. The painting hung in the main entrance to the hospital, which was then located in Old Louisville. Jim Parobek, KentuckyOne Health senior vice president of clinical integration and SMEH president and chief executive officer, explained that the painting had been rediscovered, restored and placed in a prominent location at the hospital.

Parobek and retired Bacon’s executive and former Jewish Hospital board member Martin Margulis unveiled the painting and Father Bryan Lamberson of the chaplaincy team offered the blessing. Parobek thanked the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, whose members originally received the painting, and congratulated them on their bicentennial this year. “Their mission,” he said, “is one we share today as part of the new KentuckyOne Health.”

Adopting God’s Will Families share their stories of love found through adoption

By Kym Russell

Love knows no boundaries for parents who choose to adopt. This issue features five families who have experienced great rewards and challenges of international adoption.

Through telling their stories, a common thread was revealed: each family shared a calling by God to bring their very special children home.

Really God, You Want Me? Margaret Kramer, a clinical educator with Saint Joseph Heart Institute, prayed her way to China to meet her baby girl in 2000. She asked God again and again to show her the way.

She said the doors kept opening – along with the encouragement of her extended family, church, friends and Saint Joseph colleagues. She had spent time in China before and thought adoption may be in her future.

Then, following a Christian retreat, Margaret said she felt that she encountered the Holy Spirit and a very real longing to adopt was placed in her heart – even though she was 38 and single.

She submitted her application to Helping Hands, a Lexington adoption agency. One year from that day, she brought baby Livie (Olivia Bess) home. Just 11 months old, Livie’s character was already evident to her caretakers at the orphanage. They described Livie as lively, lovely and a lucky baby. Margaret said she is a lucky and blessed mom. Today, her sixth-grader’s character still shines bright. “I couldn’t love her more.”

Photographs by nina and wes mullins

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27

Growing Hearts and Family The Maas family recently welcomed 9-year-old Elshaday, born in Ethiopia, into their growing family. Darren Maas, who works in the biomed department at Saint Joseph Hospital, and wife Rebecca have two biological children, Miranda and Ethan, and six children from other countries. Rebecca, author of the kyfamilyforfaith blog, shares their ever-changing story online.

Shortly after Ethan was born, she and Darren realized the frugality of trying to live the typical American Dream. Instead, they felt called to care for children with special needs. Faith, a baby from China, came first. Then, Gabriel and Jacob arrived from Africa. Just six months later, they looked to Ethiopia and Grace and Sera joined the Maas family in 2010. With eight children, three with serious health conditions, each child is receiving medical attention and abundant love.

The Maas’ have learned the international adoption process can present unexpected obstacles and lengthy waiting periods. Even so, they believe: “With each new adoption our hearts grow a little more. Our relationship as husband and wife and our relationship with our Heavenly Father have become more and more intimate. It is exciting to see how God will bless our family next.”

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Counting Their Blessings Melanie Stratton and her husband, Tom, have six children, ages 9 and under: Walter, Eli, Miles, Molly, Maggie and Liam. Two were born in South Korea and two in Ethiopia. As parents, they believe the four adoptions have enabled them to witness to others about obeying God’s commands, reaping His blessings, and educating others about adoption.

“God led us to go international. He came through on His promise to bring great joy into our home,” said Melanie, a medical technologist at Saint Joseph Berea. She says the children get along with each other, argue, help care for the youngest baby and, best of all, look after one another.

The Strattons haven’t experienced many obstacles during their adoption processes. That could be because Melanie follows the advice she gives to families considering adopting, “Pray. Then, if the Lord speaks to you, listen and do whatever He says. You can’t go wrong. You will be blessed 100 times over.”

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Following God’s Plan Tracy and Brandon Rexford had never discussed adoption until witnessing close friends adopt a daughter. “Once we started praying with our friends about their adoption, we realized that God had laid adoption on our hearts as well,” recalled Tracy, a clinical educator at Saint Joseph East.

“Prior to adopting Abby our family seemed complete. But, we couldn’t have been more wrong,” Tracy said. “We opened up our hearts and we realized that there was a child in China that needed our love. From the minute we told our daughters, Ali and Anna, that they had a little sister in China they began praying for her.”

Tracy said adopting Abby has been an incredible experience for her family. “There were many steps of faith and uncertainty, yet, there was peace in knowing we had a daughter in China and God was taking care of her.” In December, 2006, nine-month-old Abby joined her new family.

“I look at Abby and I’m blown away by God’s love for us because we are adopted into God’s love as well,” Tracy said. “Adoption is not as overwhelming as others might fear. When God has a plan for our lives, and we give our lives to Him, we can be complete.”

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Twins Double the Rewards Wes and Nina Mullins recently became first-time parents of 18-month-old twins through the miracle of international adoption. In 2006 they learned of their infertility and soon began to consider adoption. The couple quickly discovered that adoption is not a consolation prize; your children are your children no matter how they come into your family.

The twins, Alexander Mikiyas and Eliana Tizita, kept their Ethiopian birth names of Mikiyas and Tizita as a tribute to their ethnic heritage. Alexander is physical and adventurous, while Eliana is more verbal and comedic. The Mullins home is full of smiles and laughter, but it wasn’t always easy.

The family spent three months in Ethiopia waiting for the twins’ visas to come home.

Wes said, “Every day of waiting… every tear-soaked pillow… every financial hardship… it was ALL worth it.” The couple agrees that the twins have not only made them more efficient in day-to-day life but have helped mature their marital relationship and their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Wes works as an education coordinator for the legacy Saint Joseph Health System organization. Nina worked at Saint Joseph East before starting Nina Mullins Photography.

Photograph by feather whimsy photography

Adoption Assistance Program Several families within the legacy Saint Joseph Health System organization have benefited from the Catholic Health Initiatives adoption assistance program. Helping relieve the financial burdens adoptive parents bear and fulfilling the organization’s mission were among the many reasons the adoption assistance program was developed.

Reimbursement is provided to benefit eligible full- and part-time employees for some of the financial obligations related to adopting a child. For more information, look under the My Handbook tab on HR/Payroll Connection (Benefits & Time Off>Miscellaneous>Adoption Assistance) or call the HR/Payroll Connection Support Center at 1.888.450.9450.

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The Gibson-McAtee Safety-First Award was named in honor of Ashley McAtee (left) and Jonathan Gibson (right).

Photograph by Shaun Ring

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Health Care HERO

Stepping Up for Safety Jewish Hospital employees’ extraordinary efforts to keep their patient safe

By Phyllis Shaikun

“Our organization’s primary concern is the safety of our patients, and our board is committed to high reliability, preventing errors and promoting safety,” said Belinda Beard, RN, corporate safety officer for KentuckyOne Health. While we all know that safety events can occur, Beard said increased awareness of ways to prevent them has resulted in some major safety catches over the past year.

In fact, one catch was so significant that an award was created to honor the two Jewish Hospital (JH) employees, emergency room technician Jonathan Gibson and registered nurse Ashley McAtee, whose extraordinary efforts kept their patient safe.

Back in October 2011, Gibson and McAtee were with their patient in the JH operating room. Gibson, who has been with the hospital since 2006, had concerns about the patient’s care and used the ARCC error prevention technique to address the Fellow who was handling the case: He A sked a Question:

“Is there another option?”

Requested a Change:

“Please reconsider.”

Voiced a Concern:

“I am concerned about this decision.”

Used the Chain of Command: “I won’t proceed until the attending surgeon has seen this case.”

When he was still not satisfied with the responses he received, Gibson left the OR to discuss his issues with the attending physician. “I had never stopped a procedure in the OR before that day,” he said, “but I felt like I was just doing my job. I would rather err on the side of caution and would want someone to do the same thing for me in a similar situation.” The interesting thing is that Gibson had just taken an error prevention class the day before.

Meanwhile, McAtee, a January 2011 graduate of Spalding University’s School of Nursing, had only been

working at JH for a few months and was monitoring the patient’s care. She had confidence in Gibson’s abilities and judgment and readily supported his decision not to proceed without checking further. So she stopped the line by refusing to follow the directions given by the Fellow. The delay gave Gibson enough time to discuss his concerns with the attending physician, and they worked together to resolve the issue – all the while ensuring that the patient received the best possible care.

McAtee was shocked about receiving the safety award and being honored for what she considers “the stuff we do every day.” Sometimes in health care, she contends, we tend to concentrate on the disease process of a patient and have the potential to lose sight of the patient as a whole. Standing up for our patients is really what the award is all about; patients are more than a diagnosis.

“Gibson and McAtee’s commitment to error prevention and patient safety is noteworthy,” Beard said. “In recognition of their great safety catch, the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation established the Gibson-McAtee Safety-First Award in their honor. The award will be presented annually to team members whose actions best demonstrate the commitment to keep our patients safe.”

Criteria for nominees proposed for the award include: a team member or members whose actions had a direct impact on a specific patient or patients; actions that required the courage to act and a commitment to patient safety; actions that exemplify the type of behavior we desire in all of our team members; and actions that showed behavior rarely demonstrated in the workplace.

The award is for $500, which will be equally distributed among recipients. In addition to receiving individual plaques or trophies, each recipient’s name will be placed on a permanent wall plaque listing all previous winners. Nominations for the award can be submitted at any time during the year by a team member or physician. The selection process occurs in early October with the honoree(s) chosen by the chief medical officer, the director of patient safety and the director of quality and risk management. The award will be presented annually in November.

“I had never stopped a procedure in the OR before that day.”

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Salvaging Surplus

Supplies

Our ‘trash’ saves lives abroad

By Amy Taylor

Each year 10 million children worldwide under age 5 will die for lack of basic medical care. Many will die from a lack of medical supplies alone.

U.S. hospitals dispose of thousands of tons of usable medical equipment and supplies in landfills. This “surplus” is what most Americans call “garbage.”

Fortunately, an organization called Supplies Over Seas (SOS) is recovering these tons of usable medical supplies and shipping them to third world countries where they can save lives. And now KentuckyOne Health hospitals are joining the effort.

Allen Montgomery, president and chief executive officer of SOS, has hundreds of inspiring stories to tell about what happens when American hospitals commit to recycle and ship out usable supplies to less fortunate countries.

“We’ve just developed a relationship with the Manabi Provincial Government in Ecuador, and a representative came to visit to inspect the supplies and equipment we planned to send,” Montgomery said. “When he and a physician who has been there on a mission saw three ventilators from Saint Joseph London (SJL) that would be on the shipment, they were both overjoyed, and almost in tears. They told stories about critically ill children needing a ventilator and two children having to share a single ventilator because they don’t have enough.

“Medical decisions are made on a daily basis about which children will live or die due to lack of ventilators. The six ventilators from Saint Joseph London (which were in the basement and not being used) will literally save hundreds of lives of the most vulnerable children around the world.”

Saint Joseph and Flaget facilities became involved with SOS a year ago when SJL purchased equipment for its new facility and had surplus equipment and supplies to give away from the old hospital, according to SJL Public Affairs Director Sharon Hershberger.

SJL made a huge donation which included 42 hydraulic stretchers, bedpans, sterilizers, footstools, surgery lights, and stainless steel sinks – just for starters.

At SJL, “the plan is to ‘capture’ as many 34

common thread Spring/Summer 2012

supplies as possible, so bins have been placed in high-traffic areas like surgery,” Hershberger said. “During a surgery, a pack can be opened, and then only a portion of the supplies from that pack may be used on a patient. Normally, the rest of the supplies would be thrown away.

Now, if they are usable, they are collected in the bin.”

Items that are no longer sterile can still have a use, Hershberger said.

“Gloves that are out of date or no longer sterile can be used as exam gloves. Syringes that are out of date can be used for infant feedings or irrigating wounds. Allen told us of developing countries where, when a baby is born, there may be no blanket to wrap him in. So he may get wrapped in a plastic bag. It would be much better to swaddle him in an unused, but clean, surgical drape.”

Surplus items collected at hospitals are shipped to the SOS warehouse in Louisville, Hershberger said. Since Owens Minor, the medical supply company that drops off supplies to SJL, would be going back to Louisville, the company is generous enough to transport the SOS supplies to their warehouse at no cost for SOS pickup.

“That is a blessing,” she said.

Within the legacy Saint Joseph Health System organization, SJL, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling (SJMS) and Flaget Memorial Hospital currently are collecting supplies for SOS. The plan is for all hospitals to eventually take part. The legacy Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare organization already has a long tradition of supporting SOS. After SJMS built a new facility, Sister Janet Carr and Martin Riggs, director of development, began working with SOS. A wide variety of items, such as beds, defibrillators, bilirubin lights and fetal monitors were left in the old facility. These surplus goods have since been picked up by SOS and have begun making their way across the globe.

Other surplus items are scheduled to be

donated to a town in Mexico. The equipment will be used to serve a town of 20,000 that is currently without a health care facility.

The SOS program is one of only 15 medical surplus recycling organizations across the U.S. It was founded in 1994 by physicians of the Greater Louisville Medical Society. Since 1994 SOS has shipped more than 600 tons of supplies to 90 developing countries.

Sorting of supplies is one of the biggest

Volunteers are needed to help sort supplies before they are shipped.

While no medical knowledge is necessary, a background in health care is especially valuable to the process. Please call the SOS office about scheduling and availability at 502.736.6360, or email Karen Womack at karen.womack@suppliesoverseasorg.

Visit SuppliesOverSeas.org to learn more about the program.

Sharon Hershberger sorted through collected supplies at SJL, where bins are placed in high-traffic areas like surgery to capture surplus items.

Photograph by tim webb

“It’s not just that it furthers our humanitarian efforts; it also supports our green efforts.” jobs. SJL Director of Materials Management Maureen Phelps got a first-hand look at how SOS sorting is completed when she and other supply chain directors in the system recently went to the SOS warehouse to do some volunteer sorting. They toured the warehouse and learned about SOS processes and sorted supplies. Supply chain will be working with SOS to establish a volunteer day once a month to engage other departments within the Saint Joseph and Flaget facilities.

“It’s a big operation,” Phelps said. “It gave us a better idea of how they use and sort and transport the supplies, and just the scope of

their operation. It was much bigger than any of us had imagined. We were very impressed with SOS’s organization. It was a very finelytuned operation.”

Much of the day was spent sorting different sizes of syringes, Phelps said.

“These had been collected in bins,” she said. “They would just have been wasted otherwise. It gave you a good feeling knowing you were helping a ‘green’ initiative, plus serving the underserved. We were just plain impressed with them.”

Hershberger was so impressed that she asked the London Rotary Club, of which

she is a member, to make a donation to SOS. Their $500 helped pay for gasoline for two tractor trailers on three box trucks to transport equipment and supplies from London to Louisville. Groups or individuals can also sponsor shipment of ¼ of a sea-going container for $2,500, half a container for $5,000, or a full 40-foot container for $10,000.

SOS accomplishes so many worthy goals, Hershberger said.

“It’s not just that it furthers our humanitarian efforts; it also supports our green efforts, keeping things out of the landfills, and reducing our carbon footprint.”

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Impact Change

Transformed meters help Lexington’s homeless community Defunct parking meters throughout Lexington have been colorfully decorated by local artists and repurposed for the Impact Change project, developed by the Downtown Lexington Corporation Foundation and Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority, and sponsored by the Kentucky Blood Center. These specially refitted parking meters are located at local businesses and hot spots around town, including Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East (look for them in the front lobby). Meters are also stationed at YMCA facilities (High Street and North locations – a home base for Saint Joseph Healthy Living Center).

The Impact Change Meters provide an outlet for people to give their spare change and have it go directly to service agencies that support homeless and rehabilitation issues. Examples of such agencies include Salvation Army, The Hope Center and The Nest – Center for Women, Children & Families. Learn more at ImpactChangeLex.com.

Photograph by lee thomas

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Healthy SPIRIT

Know Your Numbers

Initiative helps employees see complete wellness picture

By Phyllis Shaikun

Y

ou could call it a Heart Month bonus from Jewish Hospital’s (JH) Wellness Committee. A notice read you could find out your “health numbers” in just a few minutes throughout the month of February by stopping by Pharmacy Plus on the JH downtown campus from 7 to 11 a.m. By popular demand, two dates in March were set as well with no appointment necessary.

Know Your Numbers is a wellness committee initiative in its second year of helping employees learn more about their health. “In just eight minutes, we can get their entire wellness picture,” said Michelle Eckhart, co-manager of the Wellness Program and manger of Jewish Diabetes Care for Jewish Physician Group (JPG). “We can check weight, BMI (body mass index), body fat and blood pressure, and with just a finger stick, we can screen for glucose and run a full lipid panel free of charge.”

More than 500 employees took advantage of this special health screening that really impacted many of their lives in the process. They not only received their test results within minutes, they also received immediate, one-on-one advice from a registered dietitian or nurse.

Last year, upon hearing test results and receiving proactive advice, one employee lost 15 pounds and cut her triglyceride numbers in half to a normal range.

DeAnna Hall, employee health, who co-manages the wellness program with Eckhart, knows the program works. “One man I saw in the elevator told me that when he was tested last year, he learned his numbers were off and set about losing 30 pounds. We also caught several employees with high blood pressure, and one woman was put on meds before the end of the day!”

Both Eckhart and Hall believe the beauty of the program is the immediate feedback employees receive. Knowing where they are health-wise empowers them to make the changes they need to make their lives better.

Thanks to her participation in Know Your Numbers, Jan Day, RN, BSN, lead nurse at JH, has lost 56 pounds – and five dress sizes – in less than seven months. “When I saw my numbers last year,” she said, “I was very concerned. They showed I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I realized that at 58, I needed to change my ways in order to be healthy for my eventual retirement. I also knew that if I did not make lifestyle changes now, I might become too set in my ways to make changes later on.”

That’s when she decided to join JH’s Weight Watchers at Work program.

“I followed their guidelines,” she said, “and the leader cautioned me not to go by what others have or have not been able to accomplish.” She attained Weight Watchers’ lifetime status in March and can now attend meetings at no charge. She admitted she is grateful she stuck with the program, which now has 20 members attending on a regular basis.

The organization realizes that a healthy workforce benefits both employees and employers and offers discounts and award perks that encourage participation. Day uses her Wii Fit at home all the time and plans to use the points she earns to purchase a second one her family can use on vacations. That should help with her current wellness project – getting her husband to be healthy along with her.

“You need to make the commitment to yourself that you are important and you are going to be the healthiest you can be,” Day concluded. “We are in health care because we want to help people, but if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of others.”

“I realized that at 58, I needed to change my ways in order to be healthy for my eventual retirement.”

—Jan Day, RN, BSN

Photograph by Shaun Ring

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Meet KentuckyOne Health. A new and unique partnership between two of Kentucky’s leading health providers — Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. Together we are investing $320 million to bring the latest treatments to more people across the state. Learn more about KentuckyOne Health at KentuckyOneHealth.org.

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