by Chris English on Monday, March 12, 2012
Leave a CommentTaking a look back at some of the best moments of Legislative Day 2012, including a couple of interviews with attendees on why it’s important to come to Des Moines to advocate for important health care issues.
Legislators depend on hospital advocates to make decisions on bills affecting programs such as Medicaid. Advocates can have their voices heard by joining the Iowa Hospital Action Network, where members will receive legislative action alerts and have the opportunity to conveniently contact representatives and voice opinions on issues that matter most.
Jim FitzPatrick, President/CEO of Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa (Mason City)
Mary Corkrean, trustee at Madison Country Health System (Winterset)
View all of the photos from Legislative Day on Flickr by clicking here.
Governor Terry Branstad spoke to hospital advocates on the importance Iowa's mission to be the healthiest state in the nation.
Ottumwa auxilians and volunteers were decked out in their traditional red and ready to talk to legislators about important health care issues.
Hospital advocates from all over Iowa flocked to Des Moines for the 2012 IHA Legislative Day.
by Scott McIntyre on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
J.R. Siebersma has been volunteering at Orange City Area Health System since 2006.
Every day, hundreds of Iowans go to work at community hospitals and receive nothing for it. They are auxilians and volunteers, and our hospitals would not be the same without them.
At any given time, volunteers are doing countless jobs all around the hospitals. In emergency departments and other areas of the hospital, they assist with greeting patients and family members in the reception area, escorting patients to treatment areas, helping to take care of patients needs and assisting with clerical duties at the reception desk. They help with typing, filing, answering phones, assembling mailings or packets and computer data entry in various departments. They run gift shops, serving as cashiers, creating window displays and managing purchases and inventory.
Volunteers greet hospital visitors, assist with directions and answer patient information telephone calls. They provide creative floral or sewing skills, designing and creating items for sale in the gift shops and for annual bazaars. They are patient escorts, accompanying patients, in wheelchairs or walking, to various areas of the medical centers. They are waiting room assistants, acting as liaisons between staff and patients’ families in surgery or intensive care. They deliver water and snacks to patients, visit with patients and assist with clerical duties in the patient care areas. In some hospitals, volunteers are trained as “befrienders,” who serve in conjunction with the spiritual care departments to work one-on-one with patients and family members.
With so many responsibilities and opportunities, it’s no wonder Iowa hospitals have more than 40,000 volunteers, ranging in age from 14 to 84, who this year will give more than 1.8 million hours of their time.
Wayne County Hospital CEO Daren Relph (far right) is joined by (L-R) auxilian and Credentialing and Special Projects Director Susan Henderson, Associate Administrator Mike Thomas and auxilian Arta Harmon.
Auxilians and volunteers also raise millions of dollars that improve Iowa hospitals and help educate future hospital employees. At Wayne County Hospital in Corydon, the 220-member auxiliary helped the hospital purchase new orthopedic radiology equipment and each year the organization provides $3,000 in scholarships.
“They are an incredible group of tireless and dedicated individuals,” said hospital CEO Daren Relph. “Inside the hospital, they are compassionate friends to patients, families and staff. Outside, they are enthusiastic hospital advocates who spread the word in our community.”
At Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City, there are 350 adult volunteers and 225 teen volunteers. Mercy CEO Jim FitzPatrick notes that the volunteers are not passive about their involvement, but are in fact are life-long learners who are open to and understand the need for ongoing training and education. Hospital volunteers accept the challenge of staying informed in order to provide patients and guests with accurate information, making the most of the time they generously give.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of any organization, including ours,” FitzPatrick said. “We owe them our unwavering gratitude.”
by admin on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
How appropriate that Valentine’s Day and National Donor Day share the same date: February 14. After all, what could be a greater act of love than to provide the gift of life – not only by registering as an organ donor, but also by donating tissue, marrow, platelets and blood.
With that in mind, today we share Kim Burdakin’s life-changing story, brought to our attention by the Iowa Donor Network (IDN), which is sharing Iowa organ donor and recipient stories all this week. Visit IDN’s Facebook page to read all the stories.
Kim Burdakin
When I was asked where I kept a copy of my will, I freaked! This can’t be happening. I remember praying, “Oh God, please, I’m a single mom with two young daughters…the girls are (ages) 12 and 9….they need me!” I’ve always been healthy…how could this be possible!?
It was April 22, 2000, when I was rushed to the hospital. Following a battery of tests, I learned I was suffering acute liver failure and the cause was unknown. I would need a liver transplant to survive. I was immediately placed on the transplant waiting list. I remember feeling very confused and wondered when I’d awake from this hellish nightmare so I could go home. As my health deteriorated, we prayed for a miracle.
Soon, we learned that a portion of liver from a living donor could be transplanted. My sister, Kay LaRue, was tested and was a match to donate a portion of her liver to me. Kay was my safety net and willing to risk her life in case a compatible liver wasn’t located in time. I was too sick to argue but I know I didn’t want her to do it. It was just too risky!
It’s now two weeks later, May 6, 2000, and a liver biopsy determines that just 10 percent of my liver is functioning and I needed my liver transplant immediately. My sister, Kay, and I were rushed to the operating room to begin the transplant. Kay was prepped….under the anesthesia….she came out of the anesthesia. Kay quickly learned she had not donated a portion of her liver to me. She feared the worse…..she thought I had died. Instead, the transplant team received the answer to our prayers….a compatible donor liver had been located.
The 10-hour liver transplant was a success. It’s a miracle, I’m alive!! What!? I don’t have part of Kay’s liver? My liver came from a young man from Michigan? I was overjoyed with my new gift of life and I was overcome with heartache and the unimaginable sacrifice this donor family made.
I’d soon learn that my donor, Steven Toth, a son and a brother, was just 21 when he was involved in a fatal car accident. He wanted to be a firefighter. Steven also loved to sing,
Steven Toth
play football and laugh. He also had many friends. His parents even stopped answering the phone when he was home because it was always for Steven. While Steven’s tragic accident devastated his family and friends, his organs impacted the lives of others. His mother remembers the day Steven told her, “If anything happens to me, I want you to donate my organs.” She just never ever imagined she’d have to carry out his wish.
My transplant has allowed me to be there for my two amazing daughters as I’ve watch them grown into beautiful young women. In 2002, I married my best friend, Dave, and my life was further enhanced with two awesome stepsons.
Steven dreamed of becoming a firefighter one day so he could put out fires and save lives. Steven didn’t get to fight fires but we know he saved lives. Thanks to Steven, the biggest gift in my life….is life itself!
by Scott McIntyre on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Lacie the golden retriever visits a patient at Mahaska Health Partnership in Oskaloosa.
There are many things that hospitals do within their physical environments to promote healing. Large, private patient rooms with big windows and plenty of room for visitors. Comfortable, airy waiting areas with access to Wi-Fi. Inviting outdoor spaces (or outdoor-like spaces that are actually indoors).
People are also important; visitors bring encouragement, socialization and a connection to home. But sometimes people can be overwhelming. That’s when special visitors like Lacie are needed.
Lacie is a beautiful, unassuming golden retriever who makes weekly visits to Mahaska Health Partnership (MHP) in Oskaloosa. On other days, her friends Lincoln and Yeager, also golden retrievers, are at the hospital.
While all volunteers are important members of the hospital health care team, the three golden retrievers and their trainers, Oskaloosa residents Vicki Koger and Victoria Laird, play a special role in providing comfort in a way that increases emotional well-being and promotes healing.
The MHP dogs are graduates of Therapy Dog International (TDI), a volunteer group organized in 1976 to provide qualified handlers and their therapy dogs for visits to institutions, facilities and any other place where therapy dogs are needed. Canine membership includes both purebred and mixed breed dogs. All dogs are tested and evaluated for Therapy Dog work by Certified TDI evaluators. While many dogs provide love and companionship in the home, not all dogs are qualified or have the temperament suited to be a therapy dog.
Each dog is also required to have an annual health record form that is completed and signed by a licensed veterinarian. According to MHP policy, patients must also agree ahead of time that they would like a visit. Hand hygiene is strictly enforced and the handlers must be present for each visit.
Therapy dogs, or animal-assisted therapy, are also popular in large hospitals, like University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). The Furry Friends program started at UIHC as a joint
Looby is one of several very popular therapy dogs at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.
effort between the recreational therapy and volunteer programs in 2003; seven certified dogs are members of the service, ranging from Sophie, an eight-pound Pomeranian, to Yuki, a 70-pound labradoodle. The animals visit adult and children patients in all areas of the hospital, but they are particularly popular in the children’s hospital.
Research shows that in addition to all of the positive emotional feelings associated with therapy dogs, having a relationship with an animal can reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, decrease loneliness, and create feelings of overall well-being, said UIHC child life program manager Gwen Senio.
MHP’s pet therapy program is currently utilized on the inpatient unit and at Vision Quest, MHP’s geriatric psychiatry unit designed to diagnose and treat the complex problems of senior adults. The dogs are also spending time at the MHP Hospice Serenity House, the new residential hospice facility on MHP’s campus.
“I truly didn’t realize it would be so special for everyone involved,” Laird said. “I’m learning to listen to Lincoln, because he seems to sense who needs him. I know how relaxing and what a stress relief being with a dog is, and since Vicki and I both had such affectionate, loving dogs, we thought this would be a great way to share them.”
Koger agreed and said she was surprised by the positive reactions not only from the patients but also staff. “I even get hugs from the staff. They know each dog’s name and they are very happy to see us when we come to visit. I truly believe we are doing God’s work, and my husband and I often pray over our dogs. We all see the emotional and physical healing people can get from this experience.”
According to Vision Quest Nursing Director Lisa Cox, MHP’s pet therapy program has been a welcomed addition since it was re-established last spring. “We have a dog come visit us three times a week,” Cox said. “After visits, patients often ask when they are coming back.
“Medical studies have proven that pet therapy benefits patients. People who are sick, lonely and even depressed will often respond to an animal offering genuine affection and unconditional love.”
by Scott McIntyre on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Iowa’s community hospitals generate more than 136,000 jobs that add nearly $6.2 billion to the state’s economy, according to the Iowa Hospital Association’s latest Iowa hospital economic impact report. In addition, Iowa hospital employees by themselves spend $1.7 billion on retail sales and contribute more than $104 million in state sales tax revenue.
“People are often unaware of the contributions that hospitals make to their local economies, including the number of people they employ, the significance of hospital purchases with local businesses and the impact of their employees’ spending for the entire region,” said Kirk Norris, IHA president/CEO. “Just as no one provides the services and community benefits found at our hospitals, there is also no substitute for the jobs and business hospitals provide and create.”
The IHA study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s health care sector. The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data on the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey of Hospitals and with software that other industries have used to determine their economic impact.
The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 70,363 people and create another 65,783 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $3.9 billion in salaries and benefits and generate another $2.3 billion through other jobs that depend on hospitals.
In all, Iowa’s health care sector, which includes employed clinicians, long-term care services and assisted living centers, pharmacies and other medical and health services, directly and indirectly provides 333,554 Iowa jobs, or more than one-fifth of the state’s total employment.
Complete information from the study, including economic impact data for each of Iowa’s hospitals, is available on the IHA website.
