NURSES' WEEK AND HOSPITAL WEEK: PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES OF OUR HOSPITALS

NOEL HAMILTON, ORTHO/NEURO RN,

is an exceptional nurse at Methodist Hospital | Northeast. A patient on the unit since March 10 had COVID in January and was found to have a left lower extremity thrombus. He was started on anticoagulation at that time, but returned in February for severe leg pain. He had severe thrombus of his arteries, which developed ischemia, and he unfortunately had to have an above-the-knee amputation. He was discharged to Rehab, where his wound dehisced and was readmitted to inpatient for a debridement and wound vac placement. The patient was uninsured and needed a wheelchair to regain his feeling of independence. Despite case management efforts, we were unsuccessful in getting the patient one. Noel, who has taken care of Mr. Emerson several times during his stay with us, reached out to his church and was able to obtain a brand new wheelchair for the patient through donation. As you can imagine, the patient was beyond happy that he could now move around outside of his room and feel some independence that he once lost.

It was a life-changing mission; not only for Methodist Children’s Heart Institute’s lead pediatric cardiovascular interventional specialist, JACOB SHOOPMAN, R.T.(R)(VI)

but also for the children he helped treat in Tanzania. “These children are dealt a bad hand in life and we’re here to slip an extra ace under their sleeves to give them the chance to live a normal life without health restrictions,” Shoopman said. In March, Shoopman joined pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Mary Porisch, on a mission trip with the faith-based organization, For Hearts and Souls. “As the only nonphysician in the group, I was honored to be invited,” Shoopman said. Shoopman and Dr. Porisch were there to help establish One New Heart, a program that performs pediatric cardiac procedures in the country’s capital of Dodoma. One New Heart is now only the second such center in the country of 60 million people, and the first not requiring private insurance or funding. During the trip, Shoopman trained and educated staff, as well as advised and assisted during pediatric catheterization procedures. Shoopman and Dr. Porisch reached a major milestone by completing the country’s first two patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure procedures. “A PDA closure is a common or accessible procedure in the United States. So, hearing that only two were done [in Tanzania] might seem very underwhelming to Americans, but for Tanzanians, this was years in the making,” Shoopman said. “The hospital’s doctors and staff erupted into cheers when we completed the first procedure. It was incredible.”

This was Shoopman's first mission trip, and he hopes it will not be his last. For him, the experience reinforced that he is doing what he has been called to do. “Being able to see the kids the next day in recovery doing well and being given a new chance in life—that will be something I will always carry with me.”

DR. PHOEBE KING

is the Clinical Chief of Internal Medicine and Critical Care at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. Dr. Phoebe King was named Physician of the Quarter earlier this year for her outstanding medical contributions at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. Dr. King has led the charge against COVID-19, helping care for our most critical patients. She is passionate about patient care and promotes teamwork among the different departments.

When

CHRISTIAN REYES

brought the tray with two ice creams to his ICU patient at Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak, he said “I see you kind of like ice cream.” They started talking, and knowing he was declining, the patient shared that he really wanted a banana split as his last treat. Christian told

RUTH EANES-ALONZO

the patient advocate, and they decided to make him a banana split. The patient passed that night. Because of that connection, we were able to fulfill a wish for someone. Christian and Ruth went above and beyond by ensuring they listened to the patient and connected with him on a personal level. They could easily drop the tray and be done with that. They weren’t just treating the patient as a patient – they were treating him like a human. Meet one of our special Blue Bird volunteers,

MARIA CUEVAS QUINTANA

was speaking with the family member of one of our Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak ER patients, and they connected because they both spoke Spanish. She could have just pointed to the patient where the cafeteria was, but she actually took the time to walk the patient there. Knowing the family member had a long day, Maria also waited for the patient to choose her meal and paid for it. Anyone can point you to where you need to go, but she did more.

BECKY GRAHAM.

She has been a volunteer at Methodist Hospital for almost nine years and has accumulated over 5,000 hours. In addition to helping visitors and staff in our Surgery Waiting Room, Becky also answers phones in Patient Transport. She has served on a number of committees on the Blue Bird Auxiliary Board, which is important to keep our busy non-profit successful. We can always count on Becky to jump in to help with special projects, even during the challenging time with COVID. We are so appreciative of Becky’s big contribution all these years.

HOSPITAL HEROES CONTINUED...

DANNY SIERRA, SENIOR IT DIRECTOR

In response to new challenges encountered with COVID-19, Methodist Hospital was faced with trying to enable a way for caregivers to interact with patients without being in direct contact with them. The need to preserve PPE wisely was an immediate goal, as well as reducing exposure to caregivers. The IT group responded by purchasing iPads around town, where available, and figuring out how to attach them to rolling stands, and later IV poles. We had to get very creative in making this work using spare parts and items not intended for this purpose. The initial iPads went to our EDs to enable our providers to interact with patients before being admitted and potentially exposing others. We took that same idea and extended it into the in-patient setting, giving our providers a way to remote into iPads placed into patient rooms so they could meet without having to enter the room. We then furthered that opportunity by enabling iPads to be used by patients to video call family and friends whom they could not see in person. We ultimately rolled out 80 iPads to support our COVID units and several other iPads to help support outpatient units in connecting with their patient population. We effectively maintained an iPad factory in Sub-level 1 that took many hands and nights to put together but helped creatively meet the new demands presented by this pandemic.

AUNDREIA MCCLAIN, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING SPECIALIST,

plays an integral role in the development of our future leaders, teaching the necessary skills to succeed. Most recently, she performed a moving rendition of our National Anthem during the Spurs’ Hometown Heroes game, honoring the incredible healthcare heroes who have supported our community. SHAYLA MYERS, PHYSICAL THERAPIST,

has been at Methodist Hospital | Texsan for more than nine years. She’s been a physical therapist for 15 years. Her favorite thing about her job is the interaction with patients and helping them take the steps to getting better. She’s also the Rehab Safety Representative and brings her eye for safety to the group. She loves her job and loves being at Texsan!

Jason Miller and Fresca Brandon Miller and Chanel Frankie Trifilio and Lady

METHODIST HEALTHCARE EMS MANAGERS

The EMS Relations Managers serve as a hospital liaison with local, regional, and state EMS agencies. As patient advocates, these managers develop and implement business plans to drive service line growth, and improve quality and processes. They are responsible for collaboration across all care settings within the facility as it relates to EMS and disaster preparedness. Our Methodist EMS Relations Managers managed a critical role liaising with the public safety community during the rapidly evolving landscape COVID-19 presented. Disseminating timesensitive process changes, coordinating patient movement, providing case follow ups, performing early contact tracing, providing for safe and rapid decontamination, responding to inundated health systems and later providing support for several fallen firefighters and the loss of a prominent EMS Medical Director, the EMS Relations Managers exemplified integrity, compassion, respect, and excellence without hesitation.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

March 13, 2020, Methodist Hospital received its first COVID-19 patient, marking the beginning of a year unlike any other for the facility. Over the next year, Methodist Hospital treated more than 3,500 COVID-19 patients. One year later, on March 13, 2021, Methodist Hospital held a candlelight vigil of remembrance to honor the lives lost to COVID-19. A small gathering of care team members joined in person at the hospital, while additional staff and community members were invited to watch the vigil virtually via Facebook Live. Several family members of Frances Garza, a former patient, spoke at the event, including her daughter Aurora Perkins (left) who expressed her gratitude for the amazing care her mother received throughout her COVID-19 battle.